Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 157

Chapter 157

No one could easily open their mouths first.

Unable to accept the situation we had experienced, we simply stared blankly ahead.

Understandably so, because the Cha Jae-joon in front of us looked completely different from what we originally knew.

To describe it more accurately, it would be right to say that this version of Cha Jae-joon was unprecedented.

Despite the completely ashen hair and irises, the aura enveloping his body was rougher than ever before. It was darker than even that of a Black Dragon, or so it seemed.

If only his appearance had been different, we wouldn’t have been so shaken. But Cha Jae-joon moved jerkily like a puppet with strings attached.

Blinking unnaturally, his head turned, and the hand holding the Gold Ego Sword was bent in an awkward position. It was confusing how he was holding the Ego Sword.

When all these things came together, the shock was both visual and mental. Consequently, even Jung Tae-il, known for his strong mental fortitude, found himself staring blankly at Cha Jae-joon, forgetting what to say.

The tense atmosphere continued until Cha Jae-joon’s lips twisted up, signaling the end.

“Well, looks like everyone’s surprised.”

“……”

“Well… it’s understandable since none of us ever imagined such a situation.”

Although the voice seemed to come from Cha Jae-joon’s lips, it wasn’t a familiar voice.

It was a voice mixed with a chilling scraping sound, something heard somewhere before.

Like conversing with a White Dragon in an intensely dark space…

“The Black Dragon?”

“You’re quick to catch on again this time. But it’s too late.”

Cha Jae-joon, or rather, smiled as if satisfied. It was so eerie that Jung Tae-il, who was beside me, could feel the tension. His hand was positioned in front of me as if to protect me.

I gently took his hand and glanced at Jung Tae-il. He seemed slightly surprised, his pupils dilated.

As I was equally tense, I expressed gratitude by brushing his back with my hand lightly and looking ahead again.

The Black Dragon disguised as Cha Jae-joon seemed to be mocking us.

“Even in chaos, fate blooms. But it’s all futile. Such feeble hearts eventually get betrayed in the end.”

It sounded more like a soliloquy. Even though Cha Jae-joon’s face wasn’t particularly distorted, it looked extremely painful when she spat out those words.

Of course, she quickly turned into a grotesquely smiling face.

I bit my tongue, trying not to choke on fear. The sharp pain didn’t clear my mind, but it allowed me to look straight at the presence in front of me.

“What have you done to Mr. Jae-joon! You didn’t…kill him, did you?”

“Haha, no matter how good my mood is right now, it’s hard to listen to such jokes. Would I kill my cherished child? Look, I’m taking good care of him.”

“…If that’s what you cherish, then Jae-joon shouldn’t suffer.”

“It’s inevitable for a child to suffer. My love comes with pain.”

“…That’s why!”

Evan left that place…!

I couldn’t bring myself to say more. The Black Dragon, Inu, wouldn’t know that I was listening in on their conversation. Moreover, revealing any more details unnecessarily might scratch her psyche and worsen the situation.

I wasn’t the only one here, and Jae-joon would be affected too.

As I bit my tongue to keep quiet, Inu shifted her gaze to the Gold Ego Sword in her hand, looking satisfied like a conqueror who had achieved what she desired.

“Allen, the little rat. He hid it here. If I hadn’t come here, it would have taken quite some time to find it… Thank you for that, too.”

“…Could it be that you manipulated me through the system?”

“Hmm? Speaking as if I gave you a quest. No, that’s not it. I don’t have that kind of authority. If I did, do you think you’d still be alive?”

How foolish.

Inu clicked her tongue and shook her head, while gently caressing the Gold Ego Sword in her lap.

Just for a moment.

Crackle!

Where her hand had touched began to darken. What had emitted a brilliant light quickly lost its shine and corroded into a pitiful state.

If even a form remained, it would have been fortunate, but the end of corrosion was turning into dust and crumbling miserably in Inu’s hand.

It was pathetic. Such beauty vanished in an instant. It seemed not just frightened but as if the brilliant light had surrendered to the darkness.

I gazed at the sword, shattered into pieces like a person whose every hope had been shattered.

“Well, it seems the shock was significant. After all, light is both a line and a hope for living beings. I must have believed and grown up with that, so when did I become the villain?”

“……”

“But it’s okay. Being condemned without doing anything isn’t being cast as a villain. Yes, I can understand being hated to that extent. After all, this world has never understood me.”

Jae-joon’s face grimaced. But the mouth twisted into a twisted smile. It wasn’t easy to distinguish between Inu’s emotions and Jae-joon’s suffering.

“…I’m tired of this. Finally, I can achieve my goal after talking too much to a mere life form. Of course, there won’t be any more petty conversations like this. But this is the end.”

“…What are you planning!”

“You, who can only shout, can’t stop what I’m about to do. It was my long-standing wish, and now it has become my everything. A pitiful human like you can’t possibly stop it.”

Yes, Allen, who tried to stop her with such human methods, was indeed foolish.

Inu, muttering softly, swiftly turned her body. At the same time, darkness thickened around us.

In that moment, Jung Tae-il gripped and released my hand tightly, as if it were a signal. Meeting my gaze for a brief moment, we both moved our bodies forcefully, which had been stiff until now.

Staying still until then seemed to be aiming for an opportunity.

Within the darkness, blue mana swirled. The sharper and more piercing mana than before gave a feeling of suffocation with each breath. Sensing this, the Black Dragon turned its head to look at us.

Kyaahh!

It happened in an instant.

The blue sword clashed with the black mana, emitting a fierce light. Sharp ice formed as if it would cut through flesh upon contact. They were large enough to pierce holes all over the house.

In ordinary circumstances, tears would flow, but now, it was more important to stop Inu than to protect the house. If Jung Tae-il and I could just hold onto Inu, we could leave the rest to Allen.

So right now…

…I focused only on holding onto her ankles!

I didn’t have any useful attack skills at the moment. But this was my space and my house.

So there were plenty of skills I could use.

The ice pillars that had formed in front of me would melt away, and there was electricity flowing in the house, upgrading all sorts of items.

I immediately began to shout out my skills.

“<Save Water and Electricity!>”

As mana drained from my body, one of the ice pillars, which was about to pierce through the roof, turned into smoke in an instant. It would be more accurate to say it turned into water.

In an instant, the humidity in the house increased. Sensing this, I took a spare battery from my inventory and threw it at Inu. As soon as the mana touched it, the spare battery sparked and broke down.

And at the same time, I shouted the skill again.

Immediately, the electricity flowing from the spare battery surged toward Inu. Crackling! With a sizzling sound, the electricity fiercely flowed into Jae-joon’s body.

No matter how strong her power was, her current body belonged to Jae-joon.

Even if she was a hunter and her body was sturdy, she would have difficulty enduring a sudden electric attack.

If the shock to Jae-joon’s body was missed, she would eventually be unable to endure and collapse. If that happened, Inu would either discard Jae-joon’s body or linger longer to disappear with it.

This was the plan we had briefly discussed when Jung Tae-il and I exchanged glances.

Jung Tae-il would distract her while I held onto Inu. It was a simple but very difficult plan.

‘…But still, this might work!’

I watched the situation with a glimmer of hope for a moment.

However.

“…I must kill all of you.”

A voice filled with anger seeped into our ears.