IRNH C61

#61

“Haa… haa… What kind of monsters are they…?”

Lee Gyuhwan swallowed down the blood rising to his throat and let out jagged breaths, shuddering from the primal terror that still gripped him.

That neck seized before he could even react. That cold, savage force choking his limbs. And worst of all—the moment his eyes locked with those crimson pupils and the strength under his skin froze solid as if the marrow itself had iced over.

In that instant, he had been utterly powerless.

Crrrk.

Just remembering it made his skin crawl. A fury welled up within him, born of the humiliation, as if he had been forced back to the worthless self that had existed before he knew the taste of power.

“Could it be… that they knew and came here deliberately? How dare they…”

Even if not, this wouldn’t be allowed to pass unpunished.

He forced his shaking legs to move, hastily retreating back toward the quarters where he had lodged, intent on contacting headquarters.

‘It was by my own calculation that Joo-yeon was released and Kyumin was helped by some ally.’

But he had never expected that ally to be Jeong Si-hyeon.

He had known the name. Kyumin’s surroundings were always crawling with useless trash, constant reports had been filed on them.

And sure enough, even looking into Si-hyeon’s past had revealed nothing extraordinary. Lost for three years, returned as a hunter sure—but only a miserable C-rank, worth little thought.

“That was why I put him aside… yet…”

Forcing his trembling legs to move, weakened by the backlash of leaving his proxy body, Gyuhwan analyzed the mistake of his judgment—the unexpected strength of Jeong Si-hyeon and the nameless figure at his side.

‘Estimated rank: A or higher. Both melee fighters. Strong mental defenses…’

Kwooaaang!

At that very moment, a massive detonation erupted somewhere nearby. The corridor ahead shook violently, stone and air quaking.

Damn it… don’t tell me they even broke through the Gate?

Even his hands began to tremble. Their strength was enough to overturn everything. And from what little he had glimpsed of their disposition—they could easily become his greatest threat.

He couldn’t allow this to destroy their great work.

“I must—must report this, now.”

His strides quickened, though the distance yet loomed far. He cursed the day he had designed this place so that his station would sit far from the altar.

“Ghhhk… hhh…”

Dragging his failing body, he finally stumbled into the chamber he had sought. Relief flickered faintly across his features as he muttered an incantation.

Swoooosh—

What had been a dead-end wall began to twist. A door appeared, warped and distorted like half-melted wax, yet still a door nonetheless.

Without hesitation, he shoved it open and entered, rifling through the chamber.

The walnut table that should have concealed it, the locked drawer beside it, scattered furniture—all searched feverishly by his hands. But nowhere—nowhere could he find what had been left.

“Fuck! Where is it! I told them, it must stay in its place! I cannot—will not—allow them to encounter—gaaaghk!”

“Whom do you mean by they?”

“You—you…”

The sensation returned again, crawling over his skin. Gyuhwan flailed wildly, desperate to shake off the fear.

But the white hand locked around his throat held him immovably.

‘No, I still hold the power of God…’

Yes—his God-given strength remained. With it, perhaps only a few moments could be bought—but even that was enough. Wheezing, he parted his lips to begin his trick.

“There are many things you’ll answer.”

A husky voice, low and rough, pierced Gyuhwan’s ears like a blade made of raw power.

“Stay still, before I break your neck by accident.”

And in that same moment, the divine power he thought invincible betrayed him.

With each step forward, a faint red gleam bloomed beneath his stride.

The path ahead warped, distorting, obscuring the trail of the man he had been chasing. Yeon Taewoon frowned faintly but moved faster.

‘Taewoon… bring him back. Please.’

That had been Master’s words, grasping his hand, drained of all inner force. Taewoon had not wanted to leave him behind—but instinctively, his body had propelled itself through the cavern and out.

“Damn it.”

He had thought that once he entered and left that so-called Mine of God, things would be set in their place. He had found his Master again. He could never let him go.

But events had surged forward mercilessly, giving no room to breathe, no chance to act—and a grievous problem of his own besides. Rage seared through him at the thought. Could it not be enough to blot out everything else and leave only them?

In sync with that fury, his inner energy flared outward like an exploding sunspot, slicing the ground open in its wake.

‘Like this—I’ll kill him the moment I see him.’

He halted himself. If he laid eyes on Gyuhwan now, he might tear off his limbs in pure venting.

At that moment, the misshapen wall smoothed, unraveling the labyrinth of side passages. A single straight corridor remained—and at the far end, the blurred silhouette of his quarry emerged.

Lee Gyuhwan. But the arrogant mask from earlier was gone—now he was pitiful.

Legs quivering. Sweat-drenched nape. Hair disheveled. The scent of despair clung to him.

“This is all you managed to flee to?”

Taewoon ceased his lightstep technique, deliberately slowing his pace.

Gyuhwan suddenly stopped, murmuring under his breath. And then, a door flickered into being before him.

At the sight, Taewoon’s anger ebbed, replaced by sharp intrigue. This could yield something… useful.

“This is…”

It’s similar to the way I connect Gates.

[You are correct. Roughly fifty percent alike.]

“I see.”

[The method is crude, but it seems he was enabled with some form of assistance.]

Another question added itself to his list. Smirking, Taewoon quickened his pace.

“If these weren’t creations of ‘them’ then perhaps—”

“‘Them’?”

The word snagged Taewoon’s attention. Calculated patience evaporated. In a blink, he smashed into the chamber and clamped Gyuhwan’s throat in his grasp.

“One second. Speak of them now.”

“Ghhhk—kkkhh! Let—let go!”

“Oh, dear.”

Smiling as he felt the pulse throbbing beneath his grip, Taewoon watched Gyuhwan’s desperate clawing.

“I’ve changed my mind. Don’t speak. Write. I never know when you’ll try your filthy tricks.”

Gyuhwan’s eyes bulged, hand trembling with fear—because indeed, if he did not speak aloud, he could not trigger his powers.

‘So next time, breaking the mouth first should be my plan.’

Reading the dread in the man’s eyes, Taewoon saw him falter, surrender strength, and finally nod.

With a grin tugging his lips, Taewoon turned and idly rifled across the desk.

“M-my neck…”

“Oh.”

Hearing the hoarse plea, Taewoon set down the object he’d picked up and pressed his finger against a key acupoint.

The moment he channeled inner force, Gyuhwan convulsed violently, gasping, choking.

Classic signs—restriction.

“Damn.”

He scoffed bitterly at himself. Had he grown careless in this oddly placid place?

Restrictions—binding curses—he should have accounted for. He had used them often himself. But finding no trace here, he had foolishly dismissed the notion.

“Ghhkk… sa-save…”

“I’ve grown too lenient.”

If left like this, the man might keel over dead outright.

Taewoon had no choice but to block the flow to nearly all paths to the brain. Gyuhwan’s seizing subsided at last. He slumped, while Taewoon exhaled.

But there would be traces. Power never left without residue—and yet Taewoon failed to notice.

‘And didn’t Master say this one was not brainwashed? Then how could a restriction be in place…?’

This enigma deepened maddeningly.

The freezing of his own abilities. The identity of “them” on Gyuhwan’s lips. And still—nothing revealed.

Craack.

Frustration boiling, Taewoon tore barehanded at the ornate wallpaper and wall itself. Behind, raw concrete cracked under his wrath.

‘And now, how am I to tell Master of this?’

He would conceal it, as always. But that fleeting, disappointed look in his Master’s eyes—he would notice.

Dreading it, blood seemed to drain from his veins.

“Unacceptable.”

Kuwang!

In a savage burst, he flung the still-breathing Gyuhwan aside and shattered the clustered furniture across the room.

His hand glowed red with inner energy, as if dripping blood.

[Unusual object detected within debris.]

The cold, mechanical voice rang in his mind.

He swept his arm, explosive wave scattering wreckage.

And there it was—a whispering energy, faint as moonlight dust, nearly undetectable.

A shard of glass.

Hairline fractures veined its length, fragile as if to crumble with a touch.

[Damage level: ninety percent. Will completely disintegrate upon impact. Handle with caution.]

Taewoon chuckled at the piece.

“So not entirely useless, then.”

That such a faint thing could be an important clue—his dismissive habit vanished.

[I am not useless. Merely deprived of energy.]

“The origin?”

[…Insufficient. But if someone with residual mana from this shard appears, then we shall know.]

“Tch.”

His tongue clicked harshly, echoing in the ruined silence.

“But still—enough to save face.”

He carefully pocketed the shard, then slung the limp, dust-covered Gyuhwan over his shoulder. Turning, he set back toward where his Master waited.

Footnotes

• Restriction (Geumje / 금제): A magical or spiritual binding placed on someone to prevent them from speaking or acting freely, often causing pain or convulsions if violated. 

Inner force (Naegong / 내공): Martial energy cultivated through training, akin to qi.