Watching the battle between Weather and Siwoo, Guihoon quietly smiled.

In fact, Siwoo’s words were false.

It was true that he could control both ice and water, but there was one drawback. Lowering the temperature of water was possible, but raising it was impossible. However.

‘There’s no need to tell the enemy about that.’

It was satisfying.

More than he had expected.

Of course, this wasn’t a life-threatening battle, but considering that, Siwoo alone subdued both Commander and Weather, the two hunters, was a remarkable feat.

‘Now, what’s left is…’

Guihoon, sitting in a wheelchair, turned his gaze to the man standing next to him.

Wearing a backward snapback and a loose-fitting shirt with unbuttoned buttons. The visible abs suggested that he had recently been to the summer sea, giving his skin a tan.

Despite it being late at night, wearing pitch-black sunglasses to the point of obscuring the view ahead could easily lead to misunderstandings as eccentric in any surroundings.

However, he was not a suspicious character.

The man’s identity was Ha Kyung-hyun, a top-tier hunter in Korea that Guihoon had invited. His global ranking was outside the top 100, but he was widely recognized as the most likely candidate for an upgrade to S-rank among A-rank hunters in Korea, known for his ‘Engineer’ label.

Commander and Weather.

Having faced both hunters, only Kyung-hyun remained.

However, for some reason, he only stared intently at Siwoo behind the sunglasses, not moving from his spot.

“Baekya. I’m sorry, but I have to withdraw from this duel.”

Out of the blue, Kyung-hyun opened his mouth.

Siwoo and Guihoon narrowed their eyes simultaneously.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Siwoo approached Kyung-hyun with a determined expression. Kyung-hyun, looking at Siwoo like that, opened his mouth uncomfortably.

“You seem to be merely standing there.”

“Are you trying to sympathize with me now?”

“No. It’s a matter of my ethics.”

“I can fight.”

“…Really?”

Kyung-hyun slightly lowered the sunglasses he was wearing. And in that moment.

Zap!!

A lightning bolt flashed at Siwoo.

It was a speed that Siwoo, nearly exhausted and with depleted stamina, could hardly avoid.

“Ugh…!”

Siwoo, who had vomited blood, crumpled in his place. Kyung-hyun, with an indifferent gaze, continued to watch Siwoo.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to engage in combat with someone who seems to be finished with just a punch.”

“…”

Siwoo, lying on the ground, clenched his fist as if in anger. Scratching the surface of his fingers against the gravel, he left bloodstains.

Apparently, the opponent was also a natural realm hunter like Siwoo, particularly one who dealt with electricity.

Kyung-hyun slowly swept the back of his neck. With his movement, crackling sparks erupted.

“…Even from your perspective, the match-up isn’t very favorable, right?”

Kyung-hyun was an A-rank hunter, while Siwoo was an S-rank hunter. Undoubtedly, the gap between the two ranks was significant.
However, considering the current condition, the compatibility of their unique abilities, and the experience on the field, Euihyuk was far superior to Siwoo in their fight.

“Do we really have to do this?”

Euihyuk said, seemingly unwilling.

Even though it wasn’t a real battle, look. Siwoo’s condition was already worn out. If he were to engage in another fight with Euihyuk here, this young man would probably not be able to avoid serious injuries.

“You’ve already proven your strength against those two S-rank hunters. It should be enough without challenging an A-rank hunter like me.”

Isn’t that right, Baekya? Euihyuk looked at Guihoon.

“No.”

At that moment, Siwoo, who had seemed half-asleep, staggered to his feet. Behind the sunglasses, Euihyuk’s eyes widened slightly.

“Compatibility and whatever don’t matter.”

Siwoo, standing unsteadily in place, set a determined gaze.

I have to fight you.

So, I’ll show you this damn proof to the end.

A faint breath of white mist escaped through his slightly parted lips like smoke.

“Ha… Ha…”

Walking with heavy legs, Siwoo, who seemed to be dragging himself, collapsed onto a nearby bench.

Leaning back and tilting his head up to look at the sky, he gazed at the sky. Through the disheveled hair, unfocused blue irises were revealed. Siwoo suddenly raised both hands and stared at his own hands.

There wasn’t a single unharmed finger among his ten fingers. Due to the recoil of using his unique ability beyond its maximum, there was already no sensation in both hands. Like a statue.

Siwoo slowly began to rummage through his pockets. What he pulled out from the front right pocket was a badly crumpled ointment.

Attempting to open the lid, his hand didn’t move as he wished. Damn it. Siwoo cursed lowly and, as if twisting it forcibly, managed to open it.

Squeeze…

Back of the hand, palm, wrist, elbow. He extracted ointment little by little for each visible wound.

“…Ah.”

And then, with a ‘plop,’ the ointment fell to the ground.

Ointment, fallen beneath the bench, Siwoo stared at it blankly.