Why was his friend naked? Why was there a man trying to remove his pants?
When he realized this absurd situation was actually happening, his sanity snapped completely.
Fury beyond limits awakened his innate talent. The dormant Mana within him began to surge.
A status window appeared, showing some attributes had improved, but he paid no attention, something far more important consumed his focus.
His body shot forward, a steel fist swinging out.
The man forcing himself on the girl crashed into the wall like a torn sack.
Even as he threw the punch, Si-hyun could hardly believe what he was seeing.
"What a madman."
A Gate crime had occurred, and the victim happened to be his friend.
"Damn it, it's over."
The man with his pants down to his knees trembled as he reached out, but Si-hyun stood firm.
"What?!"
The panicked man launched a lethal wind blade, but it only tore Si-hyun's collar.
Overwhelming endurance. The body revealed through the torn clothes bore no serious wounds.
Si-hyun stepped forward and kicked the man in the stomach without hesitation.
A sickening crunch of bone followed as the man spat blood and collapsed. Si-hyun felt nothing.
His mind lost to rage, he showed the criminal no mercy.
"Guh-"
When the limp man began vomiting blood, Si-hyun's rationality returned, bringing conflict.
Should he leave him be, or just kill him?
After deciding, he started dressing his naked friend. Though his fingers brushed soft skin and her chest while adjusting her underwear, no improper thoughts crossed his mind.
"Scum... I really want to kill him."
He considered silencing the man permanently.
But since the criminal couldn't prove Si-hyun's assault even if he lived, there seemed no need to go that far.
Not fatal. No further punishment.
A few broken ribs wouldn't kill him, as long as his organs were unharmed.
If monsters killed him later, it would be his own fault.
After hastily dressing his friend, he lifted her to leave. Intermittent pleas for mercy came from behind, but he ignored them.
He kept walking out of the Ant Nest, deaf to the ongoing cries for help.
He hesitated about returning to their rest spot.
He feared she might panic upon waking and seeing what he had done.
Would she feel guilty about being saved? Or frightened by the criminal still alive? The chaotic thoughts soon faded, he made a choice.
He packed their things and decided to move elsewhere.
It was an Ant Nest after all. Even a thorough search would struggle to pinpoint the exact location.
Finding a safe corner, he laid out a blanket and settled her down. He noticed the fine bloodied cuts on her face and the red marks covering her body.
That bastard did this. Killing intent surged again.
He took ointment from his backpack and applied it to the wounds on her face, thinking what a shame it would be if such a pretty face scarred.
"Just our luck."
To run into that kind of criminal.
As time passed, the red marks on her body darkened into bruises.
"Damn."
Clearly bruises from being restrained while she resisted.
As rage blazed through him, an unfamiliar power surged within, Mana.
"Ha! A gift for protecting my friend, I suppose?"
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The fury he felt witnessing his friend's peril had unlocked his ability to control Mana. Though he sensed his growing strength, he found the gift meaningless.
If this power belonged to her, the tragedy would never have happened.
During the hours spent caring for the unconscious person, though ants attacked, they posed no real threat and instead became punching bags for his rage.
While keeping watch, distracting thoughts swarmed his mind: monsters were no challenge for him, and D-Class Gates were far too easy.
He recalled what happened before entering the Gate-
The embarrassing moment he accidentally saw her underwear while organizing her belongings.
Looking back, it was completely out of line. She was a woman now, and rummaging through a girl's bag was insane. Just the day before, he had lectured her about being careful with words and actions, yet he had done something so foolish.
Earlier that day, passersby had mistaken them for a couple, making him realize how differently society now viewed them.
He also remembered her dejected words from hours earlier:
"Wouldn't it be better to ditch me and hunt alone?"
Though it might have been true, he had never considered becoming a Hunter by himself.
His reason for choosing to become a Hunter was to return to the days when he could be with his friends.
After graduating high school, seeing her holed up at home all day worried him, but he couldn't help, and that frustrated him. Then, when they both underwent Awakening, it felt like an opportunity.
So they became Hunters together. As they spent more time talking and being together, his friend gradually regained her former cheerfulness. Though there were many incidents and awkward moments along the way, seeing her return to her old self made him genuinely happy.
He had started this Hunter life precisely to maintain that happiness.
So why did this happen?
Why hadn't he noticed sooner?
Watching her body slowly stain with blood and her face covered in wounds, his guilt grew heavier.
Please... don't let anything happen to her...
It hurts... I feel awful...
My last memory is of being attacked by that Madman. What happened to me?
Fear began to take over my whole body. What if that guy was still nearby?
I had to escape right away.
"Ugh..."
I tried to sit up, but the pain in my chest and stomach made it impossible to move.
"Si-yeon?!"
That's Si-hyun's voice. Si-hyun... Realizing he was nearby eased my anxiety a little.
"Uh... Where are we?"
"Don't move. It's safe here, don't be afraid."
Right... With Si-hyun around, it really is safe.
Once I confirmed we were safe, my tense body finally relaxed.
"Are you okay?"
"I don't know... Everything hurts. How did you find me?"
"I woke up early and noticed you were gone."
What a relief.
If Si-hyun had kept sleeping... Just thinking about it terrified me.
"Did he... do anything to me?"
I asked, even though I was scared to know.
"No."
Thank goodness... Really, thank goodness. I could finally breathe again.
The fear that had gripped me began to fade slowly.
"What about that guy?"
"Not sure. I knocked him out and left him there."
Isn't that killing him?
But someone like that, a deranged Criminal, deserved it, right?
"Thank you, Si-hyun."
"Don't mention it. You're the one who went through something terrible. You're safe now."
I felt Si-hyun gently stroke my bangs.
He must have been really worried.
After resting a while, I gritted my teeth against the pain and pushed myself up.
"Si-yeon?"
"Let's go. We need to get to a hospital for treatment anyway."
To leave the Gate, we started moving quickly.
But finding the exit wasn't easy. The locator only showed the straight-line distance to the Gate.
While navigating the Ant Nest maze, we eliminated quite a few ants and collected some Magic Stones.
"Are you really okay?"
Truthfully, I wasn't okay at all. Every movement made my body feel like it was falling apart. But I kept quiet about it.
I was actually terrified. Whenever I stopped moving, memories of that time would surface. That man's sinister, lecherous eyes kept appearing in my mind, making my skin crawl.
Those eyes filled with desire, and the painful memory of being completely powerless against his Ability. Just thinking about my own helplessness was enough to break me.
So I chose to keep moving.
Though each movement brought pain, it helped me temporarily forget those terrible memories.
After hours of trekking, my stamina was completely drained.
"Hah... hah..."
Si-hyun looked back at me with concern. Before he could speak, I cut him off:
"I'm... fine."
Though I could tell he grew more worried, I ignored him and used my Spear as a walking stick to continue forward.
In the end, I collapsed before we found the Gate.
"Sorry..."
My stubborn insistence on pushing through had only made things worse.
The consequence of moving through the pain was that my limbs went numb and trembled.
When I secretly checked my injuries, I found bruises everywhere.
As I leaned against the wall to rest, Si-hyun still looked deeply concerned.
"Should I carry you on my back?"
"It hurts... don't."
It was true. Though I wanted to leave quickly, the pain was too much. Even breathing hurt - it felt like dying would be easier.
"Sorry."
Si-hyun said this and picked me up.
Then he started running at full speed. He moved twice as fast as my best sprint.
Though Si-hyun was being careful, the jostling and wind against my face still caused intense pain. Through my torn clothes, I could see the outline of his solid muscles, but right now I had no mind to care about such things.
"Ugh... mm..."
Looking up, I saw the anxious expression on Si-hyun's face.
He carried me like this for half an hour.
During that time, we encountered Monsters, but Si-hyun ignored them and kept moving until we finally found our target Gate.
After exiting the Gate and completing a brief registration, he drove me straight to the hospital. Not caring about dirty clothes, he rushed me to the nearest general hospital. After that, my memories grew hazy from pain and exhaustion.
I only vaguely remember undergoing some examinations.
-
-
I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling.
Before I could process my surroundings, I realized I was lying in a hospital bed with an IV in my left arm.
"Ah... I'm in the hospital."
Understanding my situation finally gave me a chance to catch my breath.
Probably due to painkillers, I felt no pain when moving my body.
"Si-yeon!"
Si-hyun suddenly rushed over, startling me.
"What! You scared me."
"Thank goodness, really."
"What happened?"
Seeing Si-hyun's uneasy expression made me nervous instead.
"Nothing?"
"Then why are you so excited?"
"You really seem fine."
"So what did the examination results say?"
"Just bruises. They said fortunately nothing's broken, but you might have a scar on your face."
A facial scar... nothing to be done about that.
"Don't worry about it."
"What? How can I not worry? A girl's face is going to have a scar."
"What, are you going to take responsibility?"
My words left Si-hyun stunned. After all, I had been male until recently, so this statement was truly absurd.
I laughed.
"I have no such plans. I never considered romance or marriage anyway, you know?"
Right. Expecting someone who used to be a man to date or marry a man? That's insane.
"True. Still, it's better not to have scars."
Si-hyun gently touched my cheek with an expression that seemed both tender and sorrowful.
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