Chapter 167. Capturing Baek A-Young
"Hngh, ah... ahp."
Baek A-Young had gotten tired of hours of mingling and escaped to a corner.
She had intended to rest with a drink where no one was around, but like a lie, the sound of an explosion rang out and a terror attack began.
Luckily, a male Hunter was with her...
"A-Young... ngh, run..."
The male Hunter's body was pierced all over by the coordinated attacks of the demons.
There were too many demons for Baek A-Young's healing to handle.
"Y-Youngho... ugh."
The demons who had finished off the man—now nothing more than a hunk of flesh—turned their attention to Baek A-Young.
- Grrrk... kikik
- Saintess... saintess....
Baek A-Young managed to escape from the demons who had lost their minds, but she couldn't outrun the dozens of them.
Eventually, one at the front tore at her suit from behind.
"Kya, kyaaa! Aah!"
Slash—!
Sharp claws raked across Baek A-Young's body, leaving deep wounds.
"Ah, aah... hngh...."
She collapsed on the spot and tried to heal the blood flowing from her back.
She knew she had to run. But she couldn't stop the demons from approaching.
'Is this the end...?'
She didn't want to die such a meaningless death.
No—she couldn't die yet.
There was still too much left undone.
But despite her resolve, the demons came closer.
'If I'd known it would end like this, I would've confessed.'
Baek A-Young realized this could be her final moment.
And the person that came to mind in her final moment wasn't someone else—it was Lee Hoyeon.
If she was going to die this stupidly, she should've at least tried.
A single tear ran down her cheek.
A tear mixed with regret, sorrow, pain, and bitter love.
"I don't want to die... Hoyeon."
Staring at the oncoming demons, she quietly whispered his name.
- Grrr...
- Saintess... kill....
As the demons' hands neared her, Baek A-Young closed her eyes, sensing death—and then, her pitch-black vision suddenly lit up.
Even with her eyes shut, she could feel the bright light outside.
Baek A-Young slowly opened her eyes.
- Kyaaaaaaaah!
The dozens of demons in front of her were engulfed in flames.
"A-Young. Who said you could die? I'm right here."
At the familiar voice behind her, she turned her head.
A relaxed smile that made her heart pound just by seeing it.
But Lee Hoyeon, despite the smile, was clearly drenched in sweat—he had rushed to her.
"I came to save you. Did good, right?"
Thump. Thump.
"...."
Seeing his face, Baek A-Young's heart began to pound wildly.
It felt different from usual, and she barely held back the confession that was about to slip out.
She had regretted not confessing earlier, but now wasn't the time to bring that up—especially not in the middle of a demon fight.
"Stay still. I'll be done soon."
Watching Lee Hoyeon fight the demons, Baek A-Young tried to calm her racing heart.
'That was fucking close.'
Only after breaking through nearly all the barriers did he finally find her.
I reverse-engineered most of the barriers in the banquet hall. I met a lot of people doing so, but one of the Hunters mentioned seeing Baek A-Young in a corner, which led me here.
The others are probably still fighting demons in the center while reverse-engineering the remaining barriers.
I ran here alone, so backup will take some time to arrive.
Looking at the demons, I drew out my mana.
There were many, but their individual powers were trash.
I had used up a lot of mana decoding the runic barriers, but thankfully, my recent mana training paid off.
I could still handle this.
Fwoosh—!
I burned the demons to keep them away from Baek A-Young, then checked her condition.
Tears clung to her eyes like fat drops, and her face was flushed bright red.
"Stay still. I'll be done soon."
The wound was deep—her clothes were torn on her back, and I could see bone.
But she was skilled enough to heal that quickly.
- Grrk... kikik....
Crack—
I took down the demons in an instant with my flames.
After watching the burning corpses, I turned back to Baek A-Young.
"A-Young, are you okay? Just heal and wait."
The danger was mostly dealt with now.
I just had to get her to where the others were.
But something felt off. Like I forgot something.
"Mm. Hoyeon, thank y—"
Swoosh—!
Thump.
Something flew in from my blind spot.
Ka-kang—!
I blocked it just in time with Cotton Guard, but the attack hadn't been aimed at me.
It was aimed at Baek A-Young.
Step. Step.
A figure wearing a grotesque skull mask stepped out of the shadows, holding a chilling sword.
"...What the fuck is this shit now."
Why does this always happen to me?
Just the pressure it gave off was on a whole different level than those trash demons from earlier.
My body flinched from the tension. My heart pounded.
Combat Sense activated.
'Can I even win this?'
It had been a while since Combat Sense gave me such a strong warning.
The intense mana and killing intent pressing on my skin was the strongest I'd ever faced.
And I had to fight while protecting Baek A-Young.
That skull mask freak clearly targeted her.
I didn't know why, but they were after her.
"H-Hoyeon. Run. You have to run."
"Calm down. It's okay."
She must've sensed the pressure too. She looked tense.
"That thing's at least S-rank Hunter level. I'm the target—go get the others…"
"Just stay put."
"T-This isn't the time for that..."
She wasn't thinking straight.
Probably panicking after facing someone that strong. Scared I might die too.
What she needed now was certainty.
Facing off with the skull mask, I glanced back.
"I'll protect you no matter what. Just watch, Baek A-Young."
"Y-You..."
I stepped in front of her and studied the skull mask, as she stared wide-eyed behind me.
Sword in hand—close combat type.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
My heart pounded like an 8-ton truck engine.
My senses sharpened, the world around me slowing down as excitement surged.
I had about one-third of my mana left.
This couldn't drag out.
'Feels like someone set this up just for me.'
Fittingly, I recently obtained a burst-type skill.
When you lay out the stage for a protagonist, they have to deliver. That's what being a protagonist is.
I burned the last of my mana, heating my body up.
As I gathered my strength, the skull mask raised his sword, taking a stance.
Most demons twitch and groan under their power, but this one stayed eerily silent. Definitely a strong one.
'Clairvoyance.'
My pupils began to glow golden, tracking every movement.
From joint movement to mana flow—I could predict where the attack would come from.
If mana was infused, I could even read the trajectory.
Kaga-gak—!
The skull mask blurred. I activated Cotton Guard, protecting my whole body.
It closed the gap in an instant, aiming for my limbs—but the blade hit my barrier.
Without hesitation, it launched another slash.
'Accelerate.'
Tap—
Clang!
I felt a chilling bloodlust pierce through me.
Five swift slashes, like wind.
All aimed at my vitals.
"Hngh…!"
Even with Clairvoyance and Acceleration, I couldn't dodge them all.
A slash grazed my forearm—I bled for the first time in a while.
The sting was sharp—but I didn't just stand there.
I cast a spell during his attack gap.
Crack—!
Ice crept up from the skull mask's foot.
Creating a spell while defending and dodging was hard—but I pulled it off.
It quickly used mana to stop the ice from climbing past its ankle.
I didn't think that'd end it. What mattered was the time I bought.
That exchange told me everything.
For the skull mask, this was just a sparring match.
For me, I had to go all-out.
The difference in power was overwhelming.
Throb.
I began expanding my mana circuits.
The flow widened, increasing mana output.
'Blood Beat.'
A skill that expands mana circuits by swelling the mana inside.
Base boost: 30%, lasts 1 minute.
Not enough.
'Still not used to this, but no choice.'
I pushed the output further.
Pain surged as the circuits forcibly expanded.
It hurt like hell—but I could endure.
[Steadfast Willpower] seemed to help resist pain.
Felt like I was about to die, but I could move.
'Ten seconds.'
This boost would last about ten seconds.
For ten seconds, I could surpass the skull mask.
One more thing I realized during that clash.
The suit it wore resisted fire and ice.
My magic had been weaker than usual—proof enough.
That meant it had intel on my abilities.
Which actually worked in my favor.
I had more tricks up my sleeve.
Thump.
Enduring the pain, I unleashed freezing mana.
The spell hit the suit and froze it, halting the skull mask's movement for a moment.
I couldn't freeze the body, but the suit froze instead.
It wouldn't last long—the suit had resistance too.
But I only had 8 seconds left anyway.
I channeled all my remaining mana into my right hand.
This next hit had to land—no point in holding back.
Woom—
Mana formed a spinning sphere of wind atop my palm.
I poured in every drop. My whole body ached, and the world spun.
Signs of mana exhaustion.
But I clenched my teeth and advanced.
3 seconds left.
My limbs trembled, but I couldn't waste this opening.
Craaackkk—!
My full-power 'Spiral' struck the skull mask's heart.
At that moment, the ice spell on its suit broke—and it swung its sword down.
But it never reached me.
The blade stopped near my shoulder as the skull mask froze.
- Grrrr...
A groan escaped the silent mask, and its body slowly collapsed.
Thud!
It fell, a hole through its chest—dead.
And I fell to my knees.
"Hoyeon!"
My head spun.
'Blood Beat' had ended—only the searing pain remained.
I wouldn't be fighting for a while.
The aftereffects would linger.
Thud—
My body, out of my control, collapsed.
Baek A-Young rushed over and buried her face in my chest, sobbing.
"Why'd you do that. Why..."
A warm light surrounded me, easing the pain.
But the exhaustion from mana depletion and the backlash from Blood Beat didn't go away so easily.
My tattered mana circuits were beyond even Baek A-Young's healing abilities.
"It's okay... you'll be fine in no time."
"Hnngh... sniff..."
Watching her cry while healing me, I felt more confusion than gratitude.
'The quest didn't complete.'
No completion window popped up.
Even after saving Baek A-Young, the quest remained.
Swish—!
- Grrrk...
From the pile of demon corpses, one rose and hurled a dagger.
It collapsed immediately after—as if using the last of its strength for one final attack.
"Fucking hell..."
I must've missed one. I had no mana left to use Cotton Guard.
Sure, a small dagger wouldn't kill Baek A-Young—but I pulled her toward me instinctively.
"Huh?"
Using her weight, I swapped our positions.
Swoosh—
The dagger stabbed my back, thankfully not too deep.
"Ah..."
But holy shit, it hurt.
It probably had poison or something.
Felt like the time I deliberately took a hit from that ogre.
[Quest Complete!]
Fucking bastard.
The quest window popped up right as the dagger hit me—mocking me.
"Why'd you take the dagger for me?"
Baek A-Young's voice trembled.
Seeing the dagger in my back, she healed me with even more light—but I knew.
'Ah, I'm gonna faint.'
I knew my body best.
I couldn't hold out anymore.
"It wouldn't have killed you. But why did you..."