Chapter 34 (1/2)

Episode 34

The non-hunters in the venue flinched from the explosion onstage.

The hunters had been through enough battles and had heard worse sounds to be shaken by such. Their eyes remained on Yoo-seong as they calmly analyzed what they had just seen.

Yoo-seong had fired an ordinary Aura bullet; however, the rubber pillars turned inside out.

Rather than simply destroying the pillar, the bullet tore through the column as though it was a rotating blade.

Moreover, one rubber pillar was torn apart. The effect was so controlled that the fragments didn’t even bounce off the stage.

No Tech or Psy skill known to them could do that.

It must be from pure Aura. Yoo-seong put the pistol down on the table.

“That is all.”

Small beads of sweat covered his forehead; however, his face didn’t show any signs of exhaustion.

“I hope the technique I showed you was something you could understand.”

No one, including Cha Jae-gil, could say anything.

Cha Jae-gil could neither do what Yoo-seong showed nor grasp its principle and point out the shortcomings. That rendered him speechless. The Gung-On members beside him were silent as well.

Even Lee Jae-hak couldn’t speak.

What Yoo-seong had just shown was a technique that no one but Sung-Wook and Yoo-seong had seen yet. No matter how skillful a hunter was, the technique wasn’t something that could be grasped after seeing it once.

“Mr. Cha Jae-gil?” Director Yang Chang-Guk said, urging the silenced senior to speak.

There was a small smile on his lips.

“Mr. Oh Yoo-seong is waiting for a response.”

“Me…” Jae-gil stuttered.

“Yes?” the Director asked.

There was no other way. He had to admit it.

“I admit that the suspicions I had raised concerning the qualifications of Mr. Oh Yoo-seong and the screening process of the Defense Bureau were unfounded and wrong.”

It was a simple answer, but Cha Jae-gil’s expression looked pained after saying that.

He knew what would come next.

The stories of his embarrassment and Oh Yoo-seong’s skill would spread quickly. The hall was filled with people with great influence in the hunting industry.

“Thank you,” Yoo-seong said, giving Cha Jae-gil and the Director a bow.

Then, he walked towards the exit. The people who had been watching him started to move to approach him, but he suddenly turned again.

“Director?”

“Yes, Yoo-seong. Please speak.”

“I’d like to ask if it’s okay for me to take care of personal conveniences in the restroom.”

Director Chang-Guk Yang weighed Oh Yoo-seong’s intentions for a moment.

His request seemed quite odd.

He realized that Yoo-seong wanted to leave the hall without anyone following him. He was asking for help to do that.

Director Yang nodded. He was grateful to return the favor to the rookie that had saved his face.

“Oh, of course,” the Director said with a smile.

“As for the rest of us, we can rearrange the hall and have our seats. We have prepared a simple buffet, so we all can eat and return home. Yoo-seong will also return after seeing to his business.”

“Thank you,” Yoo-seong mouthed as he walked out of the venue.

Thanks to Yang Chang-guk’s words, no one followed him.

He went through the door and walked through the corridor till he was by the restroom. He paused for a while; then, he continued walking till he reached the emergency exit.

Yoo-seong went through the doors and down the stairs till he arrived at the ground floor.

Then, he slumped and fell to the floor in exhaustion. He was breathing heavily, and his shirt was completely soaked in sweat.

Yoo-seong clutched his right hand. It was trembling.

To perform the ‘Parasitic Bees’ technique, he had used the auto-hunting extensively.

It was like fighting the Queen of Gray Ant with the Blade.

The Aura control that was required was too much for his veins to keep up with.

Of course, he couldn’t fall like that in front of everyone. He had had to act strong till he was out of their sight.

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. That was when he heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.

Yoo-seong opened his eyes with heartache.

“Emergency exit was a bad choice,” a stern lady’s voice said, as though she were a teacher pointing out her student’s flaws.

“Even if you breathe quietly, the echoes will give up your location.”

Shin Yoo-hee approached Yoo-seong and bent so that she could stare directly into his eyes.

“Why did you follow me?” he asked.

“You’ll find out,” Shin Yoo-hee said as she took Yoo-seong’s right hand. “Relax.”

She gently stroked his arm.

“As I watched you, I wondered if it were possible to master such a skill in such a short time. Now, I realize how overwhelming it must have been for you.”

Shin Yoo-hee took out an electronic cigarette from her jacket and held it out to Yoo-seong.

“Take a puff,” she offered.

“I’m fine,” he said, shaking his head.

“It’s okay…”

When Yoo-seong opened his mouth to reply, Shin Yoo-hee snuck the cigarette’s end in, and then slightly raised his chin to close his mouth.

“Go on.”

Yoo-seong had no choice but to do what she said.

As he breathed it in, the liquid-based smoke flowed through his throat.

It wasn’t a cigarette. It was more like a kind of herb. A familiar scent that he couldn’t place filled his nostrils.

Very gently, it permeated his whole body, calming down his nervous system.

“You can draw more until you feel comfortable,” she said.

Yoo-seong drew more till all the pain and cramps disappeared.

All that was left was the sweat that still poured out of his body.

“Thank you,” he told her.