“Get down!”
I quickly told the Food Fighter. After all, Kim Hyun-woo was an S-rank Hunter. Getting caught in the skill of a determined S-rank Hunter would leave one in bad shape. But for some reason, Food Fighter didn't move. I wondered if he'd eaten too many berries and become sluggish, but seeing the unusual energy emanating from him, I realized that wasn't it.
Fwooosh!!
The flames shot by Kim Hyun-woo stretched towards the sky. Food Fighter crossed his two wings, blocking the front.
Whoosh!
Seeing the spreading flames, I knew Food Fighter's judgment was correct. Trying to awkwardly dodge would have resulted in greater damage. I watched as Food Fighter focused all his mana on defense.
‘He can’t hold out like this!’
If he kept defending like this, Food Fighter would be the first to tire.
I raised myself from Food Fighter's back. I took my bow from my inventory and aimed it downwards. I could see Kim Hyun-woo gritting his teeth as he continued to shoot fire.
‘Idiot.’
He was so proud that he couldn't see his surroundings when agitated. I had told him to address this weakness countless times, yet he hadn't changed a bit.
I pulled back the string of the bow I had crafted myself. A shining arrow loaded onto the taut string.
Fwiing!
The arrow I shot pierced through the flames and flew towards Kim Hyun-woo.
“Ugh!”
With a short cry, the flames died down.
“Groan…”
Food Fighter let out a tired groan, losing strength and descending. His languidly moving wings were unsightly, feathers scorched by the fire.
“Good job. I'll take care of the rest.”
I patted Food Fighter as we landed.
“Argh! Aaargh!!”
Kim Hyun-woo, an arrow lodged in his shoulder, screamed madly.
“Full of energy, aren’t you? Youth is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?”
Kim Hyun-woo looked at me, bow in hand, as if he had seen a ghost.
“You…”
“You? To your professor? I'm not teaching you anymore anyway.”
I put the bow back in my inventory. Instead, I took out a sword. My S-rank class abilities weren't limited to just one. Seeing me approach, Kim Hyun-woo realized something was wrong.
“H-How… How can someone like you…”
“That's why I told you not to speak informally to your elders. You and I are no longer teacher and student. Don't you understand what that means?”
“Don't talk nonsense! Where's Yeon-seo?!”
“Stop harassing a girl who doesn't like you.”
“You bastard!!”
Kim Hyun-woo spat out a curse and raised his uninjured right arm, spreading his palm. Before the flames could erupt from his hand, I moved first.
‘Slash!’
My body slid past Kim Hyun-woo like lightning.
“Aaaargh!!”
The right arm he'd intended to use to unleash flames fell to the ground. The S-rank skill worked cleanly, even against an S-rank Hunter.
“You’re just a spoiled brat, lucky to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth.”
I grabbed the arrow lodged in Kim Hyun-woo's shoulder. His experience flowed into me through the arrow.
Kim Hyun-woo has become A-rank.
Some skills have been deleted.
Rank has decreased due to serious injury.
Kim Hyun-woo has become B-rank.
If the injury is not treated, all mana will be lost.
If all mana is lost, self-healing ability will be lost and the probability of death is high.
Messages, grave from Kim Hyun-woo's perspective, appeared one after another.
“Professor!”
Suddenly, I heard a voice and turned to see wolves running towards us. Kim Yeon-seo was riding on the back of the leading wolf, Saemo.
‘That guy… letting someone else ride on his back besides me.’
I felt betrayed by Saemo, but I also realized anew how skilled Kim Yeon-seo was at gaining the favor of awakened creatures.
“Yeon-seo…”
Kim Hyun-woo looked at the newly arrived Kim Yeon-seo with a gaze filled with complex emotions. With that murmur, he lost strength and collapsed.
Crackle! Rustle!
The sound of someone rushing into the bushes. Looking around, the thugs who had come with Kim Hyun-woo were nowhere to be seen.
‘They’re still in the palm of my hand.’
There was no place in this area where they could safely hide.
“Professor! There's someone in the car!”
Kim Yeon-seo shouted, looking inside the overturned car. I looked inside the car, too. There was a person, still buckled into the driver's seat of the overturned vehicle. He seemed to have lost consciousness, likely from a head injury sustained during the rollover.
“Oh? It's Kim Yoon-woo!”
As Kim Yeon-seo said, the unconscious person was Kim Yoon-woo. An A-rank dealer, and someone I considered even more talented than Kim Hyun-woo. It was all a strange coincidence. It made me wonder if I had some sort of precognitive ability. Well, as one of Kim Hyun-woo's group, it was natural for him to be here.
“I'll get him out. You heal Food Fighter.”
“Ah!”
Kim Yeon-seo noticed Food Fighter, whimpering with singed feathers. She quickly ran over and crouched in front of him. I saw her spread her palm and cast a healing spell.
‘Definitely recovered.’
He had regained his strength thanks to the mana berries. On the other hand, Kim Hyun-woo and his group were all in a weakened state. Even without that, they wouldn’t have been able to defeat Food Fighter and me.
I split the overturned SUV in half with my sword. I cut the seatbelt and pulled Kim Yoon-woo out.
‘I should take him, too.’
I decided to take Kim Yoon-woo as well as Kim Hyun-woo. I wasn't interested in kidnapping, but with such high-value hostages, I was tempted.
I loaded Kim Hyun-woo and Kim Yoon-woo onto the backs of two A-rank wolves. Thanks to Kim Yeon-seo's excellent healing abilities, Food Fighter quickly regained his energy. He was now nuzzling Kim Yeon-seo in gratitude for healing him.
‘Even Food Fighter…’
I thought that if I weren’t his master, Kim Yeon-seo might have stolen his affections.
“Let's go back.”
“What happened here, Professor?”
“They came to see you.”
“Huh??”
Kim Yeon-seo's expression was filled with disdain.
“Seriously? After I told him I wasn't interested.”
“You can't deal with someone like Kim Hyun-woo that way. Guys like him get more fired up when you reject them.”
“Then what should I do?”
“I don’t know.”
“Oh, come on~”
“You ride back with Saemo. I'll go with Food Fighter.”
“Yes, Professor!”
“How did you know where we were?”
“They seemed to know something and were about to run off. So I came along, too.”
Kim Yeon-seo's words meant the wolves had heard the noise from here. Their senses were more developed than humans, and even more so as awakened creatures. It was only natural.
“Alright, let’s go.”
I climbed onto Food Fighter's back. Stroking his head, I said,
“Good job. You’ve earned my respect.”
He had stood up to protect me, bravely facing the flames Kim Hyun-woo shot. He had protected me with the resolve to die. It was a moment that reminded me that sometimes, animals are better than humans.
“What happened?”
Kim So-mi asked as we returned with Kim Hyun-woo and Kim Yoon-woo.
“The rest of them ran into the forest. They’ll come out when they get cold and hungry.”
“Why did they come here in the first place?”
“They said it was because of Yeon-seo.”
“Yeon-seo?”
Kim So-mi blinked and looked at Kim Yeon-seo. Kim Yeon-seo stammered,
“I, I have nothing to do with it. He came here on his own.”
“Aha!”
Understanding the situation, Kim So-mi laughed. I told her,
“This isn't a laughing matter. These guys are dangerous. If we hadn't intervened, something terrible could have happened here where no one could see.”
“Really?”
“The professor is right.”
Suddenly, a male voice made me turn around. Kim Yoon-woo had regained consciousness and was getting off the wolf's back. Seeing him stagger, Kim Yeon-seo quickly asked,
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, thanks. To think I fainted from something like this, I should just quit being a Hunter.”
Kim Yoon-woo's expression seemed bitter. His expression wasn’t just because he’d fainted from the car accident.
“Didn’t you sleep last night?”
“You caught me.”
I knew Kim Yoon-woo well. He was a big guy, but soft-hearted. The type to worry about and care for others more than himself. He probably felt guilty about following Kim Hyun-woo here. It seemed like he hadn’t slept due to stress, and that might have been why he fainted so easily. It wasn’t just from the physical impact of the car rolling over. Food Fighter's attack was an S-rank skill, after all.
“Kim Hyun-woo ended up like this. What are you going to do?”
“I’m sorry.”
Kim Yoon-woo knelt. Bowing his head, he said,
“Yeon-seo, I’m sorry. I knew what these guys were planning, but I couldn’t stop them. I’m just as bad as them.”
“What are you talking about? You’re not like them!”
Kim Yeon-seo scolded him as she helped him up. Listening to their conversation, I felt something was strange. Kim So-mi nudged me with her elbow. Her grinning expression suggested she’d noticed something too.
Kim Yeon-seo, who had rejected Kim Hyun-woo, had feelings for Kim Yoon-woo, one of his group. I guess this is what makes youth dramas so interesting.
“Professor, please give me a chance to make up for my mistake.”
“How?”
“I’ll catch the ones who ran away.”
“Hmm.”
“How can we trust you?”
Kim So-mi said.
“You're one of them. How can you guarantee you won't run away, too?”
“I won’t run.”
Kim Yoon-woo's voice was somber.
“Yoon-woo isn’t like that. Please believe him.”
Kim Yeon-seo spoke up for him by his side.
“Alright. If you catch all of them by tonight, I’ll forgive you.”
I said.
“Yeon-seo, you go with him.”
“Huh?”
Kim Yeon-seo blinked, bewildered.
“Take Saemo and the wolves. That way, you’ll know if Kim Yoon-woo is a traitor. If you catch all of them by tonight, I’ll give you a reward.”
“Mana berries?”
Kim Yeon-seo asked, but I shook my head.
“No, something better.”
“Something better… Okay!”
When Kim Yoon-woo asked Kim Yeon-seo, “What are mana berries?” I reached into my inventory and took out a few. I tossed them to Kim Yoon-woo, who caught them.
“Try one. They’re delicious. A local specialty.”
“Okay…”
Kim Yoon-woo put a mana berry in his mouth. His eyes widened after chewing and swallowing it.
“Feel the energy? You two should be fine together. And Saemo and the others are there, too.”
“Thank you, Professor! We’ll be back!”
Kim Yeon-seo said to Kim Yoon-woo, who was about to stride off into the wide field,
“Let’s ride!”
“Huh?”
Kim Yeon-seo climbed onto Saemo’s back. When Kim Yoon-woo remained still, Kim Yeon-seo spoke to another A-rank wolf.
“Give him a ride. Is that okay?”
“Woof!”
The wolf approached Kim Yoon-woo and lowered its body. The large Kim Yoon-woo, looking slightly embarrassed, climbed onto the wolf’s back.