HDAAD Chapter 125

-This is a 110 km/h speed limit enforcement zone.

Ignoring the warning about speeding, Taeju pressed down on the accelerator.

It took over 20 minutes just to get out of the congested city center, making him feel increasingly anxious and parched.

As the car in front stopped at a signal, Taeju also stopped and called Michael.

-Have you arrived?!

“No, not yet. How about you?”

-I think we have about 10 minutes left.

Taeju glanced at the navigation and said,

“Please join us as soon as you arrive.”

“Okay.”

He hung up and pressed the accelerator again.

The harbor and vast sea came into view.

‘Hyung is there.’

As he pressed down harder on the accelerator, the car lurched forward with a rough engine noise.

Just as he was about to reach the harbor, he saw a ship approaching in the distance.

‘That ship!’

The empty harbor felt like a city frozen in time.

As he looked around without reducing speed, the car shook with an explosion sound.

When he quickly stopped the car and turned his head towards the sound, what he saw was:

“A water column?”

Along with a towering column of water, there was an Oriental dragon on top of it.

‘A monster?’

“How dare you! To the master!”

At the majestic voice that shook the sky, Taeju got out of the car and started running.

It was because of the word “master” that reminded him of someone.

And when he arrived where the dragon was, he saw people being attacked by a familiar-looking but 10 times larger bird, along with a half-destroyed ship.

‘If Salt and Haegeum are here.’

“Hyung!”

“Beep beep!”

As he ran towards the sound of Salt’s voice, the streams of water blocking his way curved as if making way.

“Beep! Beep!”

Salt, crying out urgently, lowered its head to point at the ground.

“Hyung!!”

On the ground lay Seo Go-woon, both thighs covered in blood.

“Why, why is hyung…”

Seo Taeju embraced Seo Go-woon with trembling hands. The slight movement of his chest indicated that Seo Go-woon was still alive, but his pale complexion made him look like someone about to leave this world.

Just like his parents back then.

“Hyung… Hyung. Don’t die. Hyung. Please don’t die…”

A fiercely embracing touch.

Go-woon, who would normally grimace at such manly affection, remained motionless.

Taeju’s mind went blank.

He was his only remaining family. His sole family.

If he were to disappear like this again.

“Hyung! Please! Don’t die! No! Don’t go!”

Like a child searching for lost parents, Seo Taeju wailed and embraced Go-woon even more tightly.

“I was wrong. Okay? Please. Hyung. Please.”

“What’s this. Huh?! Go-woon!”

“Go-woon-ssi!”

Michael and Lee Chaewon, who arrived belatedly, pulled away Seo Taeju’s body as he cried while holding Seo Go-woon.

“What are you doing now?! We need to treat him right away!”

Seo Taeju, his face covered in tears, was in a state of panic. As if he couldn’t hear anything, he hastily embraced Seo Go-woon again and just kept repeating not to die.

“This won’t do. Michael! Take out a potion!”

“Wait. I’ll take out a potion.”

Michael took out a high-grade healing potion from his Infinite Pouch and poured it on the wound.

However, the potion didn’t flow out at all, as if the entrance was blocked.

“What’s this. Why isn’t it coming out?”

“It won’t work.”

Shin Sooha, who had arrived at some point, knelt on one knee next to Michael, breathing heavily.

“Did Sooha block this? There’s no time. If we don’t treat him quickly…”

Without answering, Shin Sooha took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the blood from the thigh.

“What are you doing?!”

“It’s a gunshot wound. Moreover, the bullet is still lodged in there.”

The faces of the two people, who hadn’t thought that Go-woon’s wound was a gunshot wound since guns are the least related to hunters, turned pale.

“Th-then what do we do. Sh-should we go to the hospital. The c-car!”

“Huh? Oh. Wait, I’ll drive!”

“Wait.”

Shin Sooha placed his palm over the wound.

“Urgh.”

As Go-woon, who had been motionless until then, writhed, Taeju held him tightly. A blood-covered bullet popped out of the wound.

“Potion.”

As Michael quickly poured the healing potion on the wound, the potion bubbled and new flesh started to grow.

Shin Sooha, while removing the bullet from the other thigh, said,

“Here too.”

“Okay.”

Shin Sooha took his eyes off the healing thigh and carefully examined Go-woon.

The wounds on his cheeks with coagulated blood, and bruises that would soon turn purple.

The bandaged left thumb and both ankles that were limp, probably broken to prevent escape.

He didn’t like any of it. The mood that had improved upon arrival worsened again.

“Tch.”

Just as Shin Sooha clicked his tongue and was about to pour healing potion on the limp ankles, holding them steady with his large wrist.

A siren sound was heard from afar.

“They sure respond quickly.”

As Lee Chaewon, who had turned her head to check the police car, sneered, Michael tilted his head.

“Did Chaewon call them?”

“No. They probably came after seeing that.”

The place Lee Chaewon pointed to showed a water spout rising to the sky and a giant dragon.

“Ah! But what is that?”

“Hyung?! Hyung, are you conscious?”

Michael, who was nodding, looked at Seo Go-woon at Seo Taeju’s voice.

Seo Go-woon’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and then his mismatched eyes were visible.

“Hyung?!”

“Go-woon!”

“Go-woon-ssi!”

***

‘Ah. My head is ringing.’

The pain that had caused me to lose consciousness was gone, but perhaps because I had lost too much blood, I felt dizzy and my vision was blurry.

I could feel someone holding me, but I couldn’t see who it was.

“Heal…ing…potion…”

As I uttered each word, squeezing out my remaining strength, someone put a healing potion to my lips. As I slowly drank the healing potion they were giving me, my body condition gradually improved.

As my vision cleared, the first thing I saw was Taeju, his face covered in tears.

‘He never cried in the novel.’

No matter what hardship befell him, Seo Taeju never cried in the novel.

He just cleared dungeons as if he had no emotions.

For such a Taeju to cry.

‘It strangely doesn’t sit well with me.’

I reached out with a trembling hand, perhaps due to lack of energy, and rubbed Taeju’s eyes.

“Hey. Did someone die? Why are you crying?”

“Hyung, really.”

As Taeju buried his face in my shoulder, I patted his head and rolled my eyes.

I hadn’t noticed because I was looking at Taeju, but beside me were Michael and Lee Chaewon with worried expressions, and Shin Sooha.

‘Hm? Shin Sooha? Why are you here?’

It’s natural for Taeju to come since I’m his family, and it makes sense for Michael and Lee Chaewon since I was kidnapped while with them, but why is Shin Sooha here when he has no connection to this?

“Go-woon. Are you okay?”

“We’re treating you now, but is there anywhere else that hurts?”

Questions poured out as soon as our eyes met.

“I’m fine. How did you… no, those bastards-“

Before I could finish my sentence, with a screech, a police car suddenly stopped in front of us.

“Are you alright?!”

“Damn. Is that possibly a monster- no, Guild Master Shin Sooha?!”

All those guys seemed like ordinary people. Did a monster kill them?

Tilting my head at the words the police were uttering, I asked Taeju.

“Monster? Did a monster wave open here?”

“No. No monster wave opened. Hyung, don’t worry about that, let’s go to the hospital.”

“What hospital for a hunter. I’ll be fine soon.”

The healing potion was already spreading through my body, and my condition was gradually improving.

Clearing my throat at the police officers’ fixed stares, I tried to get up.

“Hyung! What are you doing!”

“How long are we going to lie here? Aren’t we going home?”

“Huh? Oh. I’ll! I’ll carry you!”

Taeju hurriedly tried to put his arm under my knees.

‘This position!’

“Are you crazy?! What are you doing!”

I struggled to prevent Taeju from carrying me.

A princess carry! I’d rather collapse while walking than ever allow that!

“Hyung! Stay still! If you move now!”

“That’s right. Go-woon. You shouldn’t move. You might not be fully recovered yet.”

“That’s right, Go-woon-ssi. It’s better to be embarrassed for a moment than to risk your body not being completely healed. Vice Guild Master Seo Taeju, carry him carefully.”

You know it’s embarrassing, but instead of stopping it, you’re encouraging it?!

I glared at Taeju and said,

“Don’t. Absolutely not. I’d rather die.”

“But.”

“No buts or ifs. I said I’d rather die.”

Taeju, who had been hesitating, nodded and helped me sit up carefully.

‘What’s with him? Is he acting strangely docile because I almost died?’

As I was tilting my head, a hand suddenly reached out.

“Excuse me. I’m sorry, but could you please answer our questions?”

The police officer who had inserted his hand between us withdrew it with a forced smile that anyone could see.

“Ah.”

Right. I had forgotten about the police officers.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one who had forgotten, as Lee Chaewon and Michael also had expressions of realization.

“Is that not a monster?”

Michael scratched his head and said to the police officer who asked again,

“Ah. Sorry. That’s not a monster.”

“It’s not a monster?”

“Yeah. That’s Go-woon’s pet.”

‘My pet? If it’s a pet, it should be Salt and Haegeum. My kids are monsters?’

I hurriedly looked where the police officer was pointing.

‘What is that.’

There, I saw a dragon boasting a huge body, and a large egret running around like its feet were on fire, stepping on people lying on the ground.

‘I can tell that bird is Salt, but that dragon is…’

“Taeju. Is that Haegeum?”

“Huh? Oh. It seems so.”

Crazy.

I knew it was called a dragon, but I didn’t know it was that big!

And why did it suddenly turn into a dragon?! It was always a seahorse even when it went into water before! Why suddenly?!

“It’s attacking people, but it’s not a monster?”

“Isn’t it natural since those guys kidnapped and assaulted their owner?”

The police officer flinched at Lee Chaewon’s sharp retort.

What did the police officer do wrong, he’s just trying to understand the situation because he doesn’t know anything.

Well, here or there, the police are always the whipping boy.

I waved my hand to focus attention and said,

“Those people tried to kidnap me. They seemed like mafia from their Russian speech, but you’ll need to interrogate them directly for details.”

“Russian mafia?”

The police officer’s face turned pale. It was understandable, as he had just come to assess the situation but encountered foreigners, and mafia at that.

‘Unless you’re in the violent crime unit, how often would you encounter the mafia.’

“Th-then the people lying over there are…”

“Yes. They’re mafia.”

The two police officers looked at each other, said “Just a moment,” and moved away from us.

I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but my detective instinct told me they were 100% discussing how to handle this situation.

After a brief conversation, one of the two officers hurriedly ran to the police car, while the remaining one came to us and asked me,

“So, you’re saying that’s not a monster, and you’re the owner of those things over there, correct?”

“Why are you asking that?”

Taeju narrowed his eyes at the police officer’s question.

How dare this bastard glare at a servant of the people?

I hit Taeju’s forearm once and smiled brightly at the police officer.

“Yes. They’re not monsters but pets, and I am indeed their owner.”

“Then could you possibly calm them down? If those people are Russian mafia and this was an attempted kidnapping, we need to arrest them.”

“Of course. Certainly. Just a moment. Salt! Haegeum!”

Despite calling out quite loudly, neither Salt nor Haegeum turned to look at me, as if they couldn’t hear my voice.

“What kind of pets can’t even recognize their owner’s voice?”

As I grumbled and tried to get up, Taeju grabbed my arm.

“Hyung. Where are you trying to go?”

“I need to calm those guys down.”

“Just call them once more from here. Or I can carry you over there.”

“Are you crazy? What do you mean carry? That’s disgusting. Hey, let go!”

I shook off Taeju’s supporting hand and stood up.

I could understand Haegeum, who had been manhandled by the mafia and fallen into the sea, but why was Salt, who had been lured away by a magic stone, acting like this?

Thinking they might not hear my voice but would obey if they saw me with their eyes, I tried to approach Salt first, but Shin Sooha blocked my way.

“Drink one more bottle.”

As soon as our eyes met, a potion was held out.

Judging from the sparkling light, it seemed to be a highest-grade healing potion.

“I’m fine though?”

“No. Drink it.”

I sighed and accepted the potion that was pushed right up to my face with an expression that said he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

It’s true that my body felt a bit heavy, so drinking it would probably be better than not.

As I downed the potion Shin Sooha gave me, my body, which wasn’t painful but had felt heavy, became much lighter.

‘As expected of a highest-grade potion!’

“Is that okay now?”

Shin Sooha, who seemed to understand perfectly what I meant without me having to say it, stepped aside.

I walked towards Salt, who was chewing on people, with a satisfied smile.

And I called out as sternly as possible.

“Kim Salt!”