"Oi, oi," A voice in Chinese came from atop a building. The figure jumped off, landing on the ground with an elegant grace. "Now don't go fighting after surviving an S-rank dungeon. It's not nice, don't you think?"
"L-Liu Zhigang, the National Level Hunter..." Yoonho muttered.
Liu Zhigang cleared his throat, now speaking Korean in an awkward accent. "Pardon, I do not know how to speak Korean fluently," He smiled. "But, I said it wouldn't be good to fight after escaping an S-rank dungeon. Or rather," He looked at Minho. "After 'he' took care of the S-rank dungeon."
"What do you find in our lands, Hunter Liu?" Choi said, spreading his arms wide, a calm professional smile touching his lips.
"Ah, I'm here because I want to see 'The Breaker'." He smiled. "Is that perhaps you?" He turned to Minho, extending a hand.
"Any problem?" Minho replied, his demeanour not changing.
Liu Zhigang drew back his hand and nodded, his smile never faltering. "I am Liu Zhigang, from China. A National-Rank Hunter." He introduced. "My interest was piqued by this 'Breaker' person, and I just decided to come see them myself. Also heard you dropped a lot of people sent to converse with you." His eyes narrowed to slits, a glint in them as the smile looked more deadly now. "I sent a few too, you know. Ones who never came back."
Minho remained quiet, never averting his gaze.
"Well…it seems my suspicions were correct." Liu Zhigang said, walking closer to them. "I wonder where you all gathered this much confidence to point your weapons at someone who came out of an S-rank dungeon, really."
Yoonho frowned, but Liu was right. What threat could they possibly pose to him? He walked into an S-rank dungeon without gear or weapon and came back out without a single scar, while still protecting Jinchul and Ah-Ra. Whatever monster was in there would have been no joke, looking from how big the dungeon gate was.
"Well, I'd like to take Hunter Lee away from this…situation. He has somewhere more important to be." Jinchul interrupted, pushing Cha's sword away from Minho's throat.
"What are you talking about?" Tae-Gyu spoke. "What happened in that dungeon?"
"You will receive a proper debriefing about that directly from chairman Go himself." Jinchul replied. "We're in no position to share what happened in the dungeon freely, Hunter Tae-Gyu."
"What do you take us for?" Yoonho growled, his aura flaring to life.
"Are you siding with a killer?" Dongwook said, his aura also flaring.
Ah-Ra, went in front of Jinchul, raising her dagger defensively. "These are specifications made by the Hunters Association."
"Let's all calm down for a bit." Choi joined in. "Jinchul, what are you trying to say? We're S-ranks."
Liu Zhigang smiled with his eyes shut, clearly enjoying the back and forth.
All the S-ranks seemed to be intimidating Jinchul and Ah-Ra, except for Lim Tae-Gyu and Chae Hae-In.
Choi felt a pang of frustration as they were being left in the dark about a national emergency. He snapped his fingers, a small fire hovering just above his hands. "We've been allocated to this dungeon, so we deserve to know wh—"
"Shut up." Minho finally spoke. It was quiet for a second, then a gust of wind burst from the spot where he stood as his aura surged.
Choi's fire went off for the first time, without his permission. Liu's eyes shut open in surprise. "Hm?"
Everything around them seemed to fall into a pin drop silence, save for intimidating Minho's voice. He took a step forward, his crimson eyes glowing. "They gave you a solid explanation to why they can't share it. 'These are specifications from the Hunters Association.' Were you deaf?"
This entire moment made them realize that letting himself get cornered was a game - his way of showing superiority. As for Ah-Ra and Jinchul, it was oppressing, yes, but it was just a glimpse of what they saw in the dungeon.
The silence stretched for a beat, before Liu Zhigang broke it with a clap. "Oh, wow. That's surprisingly something I didn't see coming." He stepped forward. "With that devastating aura you have there, you ought to see this coming."
In a blink of an eye, Cha's sword was in Liu's hand, hovering just above Minho's face. Minho didn't flinch or blink. Cha herself was left in shock to how he took the sword from her.
Liu grinned. "Your intelligence is one thing. You knew I wouldn't really be attacking? Interesting."
Minho raised an eyebrow.
In another blink, the sword was past, by the side of Minho's tilted head, with his fingers holding onto the blade.
Liu Zhigang smiled like he had confirmed something really crucial. He took back the sword and returned it to Cha Hae-In, walking past them, leaving. "We'll meet again, Breaker. I'm still in Korea because of you after all." His voice echoed. He turned to Minho with a smile and slightly nodded, vanishing in a blur of speed, leaving the S-ranks in awe.
Minho turned, walking to Jinchul's car, across. "Let's go," Ah-Ra and Jinchul followed, behind him.
That Small display of power was enough to put them in their places. The Breaker really is way more than an S-rank. They had thought he would probably be one of the strongest Korean S-ranks. But just now, he blocked off a National Level Hunter's point-blank attack so easily like it was nothing.
The Breaker really is unpredictable.
Ma Dongwook, ever the one to lift the mood, muttered as they watched the car drive off. "He's one terrifying thing right there. Well…" He trailed, shrinking to his normal size. "I hope he gets to join a guild rather than making one, hehe. I'll be ahead of you all."
But that didn't shake of the dread of what just happened.
Inside the car...
Minho sat at the back with his eyes closed, while Ah-Ra and Jinchul sat at the front. Jinchul glanced at him from the front mirror. "Are you okay, Hunter Lee?"
"Yes I am."
"Sorry about the S-ranks."
"It's natural for them to act that way. For some reason, I'm not getting as easily pissed as I used to."
"Oh," Jinchul nodded, focusing on the road.
Ah-Ra kept tugging at the jacket he gave her. It was too big, but warm. It smelt like smoke, a nice perfume and something else that was purely him. And kept on reminding her of when she woke up with his hand on her forehead.
Minho's mind was somewhere else. He had a flashback of his encounter with Liu Zhigang. When Liu Zhigang drove the sword forward the second time, it actually cut Minho's cheek, but it healed quickly, thanks to the upgraded Dragon's Vitality. He exhaled. "What was the name of that National-Rank Hunter again?"
"Liu Zhigang," Jinchul replied.
"Liu Zhigang," Minho repeated, his eyes going to the window. "What a scary man."