Being A Full-Time Employee C53

Chapter 53

I nodded carefully with my eyes. Wonu lightly took Seokho’s hand for a moment before releasing it and sticking close behind me. Fortunately, Seokho either because of fatigue or his easygoing personality, didn’t seem bothered by Wonu’s socially awkward gesture. Instead, he chewed on an awakening pill and whispered to Eesoo, apparently asking about her condition. She nodded and took the lead.

“Let’s go this way.”
“Do you know the way well?”
“Yes. I used to commute this way before awakening.”

She smiled faintly and spoke in a slightly relaxed tone for the first time.
“I was a civil servant at Seoul City Hall.”

“My offensive power drops when I use my ability extensively.”

I found it a little surprising to see Wonu chatting with Seokho. Sorry to say, but seeing him talk well to someone other than me was astonishing. Since I was also low on energy, after giving Eesoo some hemostatic ointment, I was chewing an energy bar.

From what I felt on Line 1’s platform, it was clear that besides the rail monsters, no other monsters appeared within the platform. We sat perched on the steps, hastily devising a plan.

“So, if I duplicate that number and push them through the waterway, that should work, right?”
“Yes. But solids and liquids behave differently.”
“To be honest, I’ve never tried duplicating liquids. It’s even questionable if that counts as duplication.”

Judging from the monsters’ corpses left behind, Seokho’s combat style was likely like this: throwing bullets or knives erratically, duplicating them randomly in the air and attacking simultaneously. If used properly, it was a very effective ability that greatly aided combat.

“They clump into spheres.”

Clumping into spheres didn’t mean liquid became solid. I recalled Wonu’s early combat style, a crude, far-from-precise method.

Wonu had clearly learned to use and hone his ability through overcoming crises and fighting on his own. Before understanding or researching his power with others, he’d simply increased its volume crudely.

I chewed the rest of my energy bar and pulled out a pen, removing its cap and offering it to Wonu.

“You can surround this with water and make it float, right?”

Wonu opened his water bottle, created a small water orb like a dumpling that floated over and swallowed the pen cap.

“Seokho, focus your ability on the pen cap.”

“That might only replicate the pen cap. Since it’s round, I’m not sure if it can cause lethal damage…”

“This is just an experiment. Once inside, we’ll use sharp objects like bone shards. Don’t focus solely on the pen cap; please scatter your focus a bit, as if blurring.”

Seokho exchanged looks with Eesoo. She held his hand and nodded. Their trust and affection were palpable.

Seokho stretched out his hand and slowly moved it sideways while clenching it into a fist. Amazingly, the pen cap was duplicated following the movement’s path. The droplets got progressively smaller, leaving just the cap, but it was a decent result.

“Oh, that’s really impressive.”

I clapped my hands, but Wonu grabbed my hand tightly. He frowned, muttering, “Don’t praise other hunters.”

The gaze piercing my face made me nearly mortified. Whether it was those two or the four of us surviving, the rumors of what had happened were bound to spread. I slowly made eye contact with Eesoo. Despite her paleness, she shook her head.

“I won’t say a word anywhere.”

I was grateful, but that admission made me realize how blunt Wonu had been. I nodded in thanks anyway.

“We should move on. If that dead guide really was one of our team, things aren’t looking good.”

“Do you know the abilities of the hunter pair who are brothers?”

“I do. That’s why we have to hurry. Their power is explosive.”

An explosion three levels underground. Literally a walking time bomb.

The technique of placing fragments of stone or bone within water droplets for duplication turned out to be better than expected. I watched Wonu and Seokho’s cooperative attack with some excitement. Wonu’s ability had far more potential than I knew, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was helping it reach full bloom.

But I couldn’t simply marvel at this brilliant display of power. Our location might be unknown to the backup team. If so, we had to consider the possibility that our GPS signals weren’t showing. Still, Eesoo and I continuously sent messages—alerting the uncertain arrival of help and caring for the two hunters.

Eesoo was certainly knowledgeable about this area. Thanks to her help, despite the terrible visibility, we managed to figure out how far the clearings extended and relay it to the raid team.

Though progress was slower than expected, the mission advanced.

The problem was one remaining dot. It hadn’t moved, and the distance between it and us was closing.

“The position’s getting closer.”
“We still don’t know if it’s a hunter or a guide.”

We took cover behind a pillar and caught our breath.

The dot flickered clearly nearby. At last, the first suppression A team that we met and parted with had gathered. However, the problem was discerning if that remaining dot marked the corpse the pterosaur carried earlier. A lone guide was less concerning, but a lone hunter—especially if the partner knew the situation—was something I didn’t want to even imagine.

“I think the one taken is a hunter,” Eesoo said, raising her hand.

“It’s been an hour and a half since we started the battle. Seokho hit his limit 40 minutes ago. If rampage had started, it would’ve already, but since it’s still quiet, maybe the hunter died.”

“In that case, the guide’s okay?”

Wonu asked in a sleepy voice. Eesoo nodded. Watching Wonu close his mouth, I rested my chin on my hand.

Eesoo’s words made sense, but I couldn’t shake a nagging unease. I’d always had a keen sense, especially for bad news. Living close to misfortune, I’d learned to detect approaching doom faster than most.

“Any other opinions?”

But I had no proof to make claims from intuition alone. So I decided to be cautious. Just as I was about to propose something, Wonu raised his hand.

“Wait. This is moving.”

“Where?”

Looking carefully, it really was moving. We exchanged looks and stood. Ready to bolt, I suggested:

“Let’s guide from here. Eesoo and I stay in the center, Seokho covers the rear, and Wonu uses his powers between us, coordinating. Not freeloading, just taking care.”

I glanced at Seokho.

“Seokho, you’re A-class, right?”

Seokho blinked surprised, then nodded.

“Technically B-class.”

After hesitation, Seokho held Eesoo’s hand and explained softly:

“Support type hunters often disguise their rating, not just in Korea but worldwide. Sorry if that bothered you.”

“No, thank you for telling me. I mean, Wonu’s also A-class, so here we have two top-tier hunters.”

Seokho didn’t need to apologize. I’d also downplayed Wonu’s rank.

Wonu leaned on me, a faint fever radiating from his shoulder. Eesoo and Seokho’s fondness wasn’t feigned. I massaged Wonu’s neck from behind; he purred like a cat.

“If one of us messes up now—”

Wonu grabbed my hand tightly. Eesoo’s hand whitened.

Our partnership was more than contractual. Both were A-class or higher. City Hall Station sat deep underground; should it collapse, no graves would be needed—we’d be buried alive.

“This’ll be a disaster, many casualties. That’s why we want to avoid.”

“Of course, we were planning to put you two in the center.”

Seokho stepped forward, moved by emotion. Eesoo patted his back. I could sense their team’s atmosphere—different from our somewhat grim squad.

Wonu sipped water and handed it to me. I barely puckered my lips, then took it back. He prepared a specialized weapon that stored water in the handle, able to transform it into a sword or spear. It was sexy.

“Elemental abilities are convenient. First time I’ve seen this. You’re the only hunter with water powers in Korea, right? Top secret.”

Wonu didn’t seem to care. Instead of answering, he pulled me into a hug and rubbed his face against my neck.

“Well… when I get drunk on my power, I get a bit spoiled.”