Screeeee!
The massive bird let out a high-pitched cry and charged at Eun Woojeong without hesitation.
Startled, he stared at the sudden appearance of the bird—then quickly wiped his expression and activated a skill. Chains identical to the ones binding me appeared, floating midair.
“Ghh...!”
The hooked chains shot forward repeatedly, but they had little effect against the shadowy bird.
Instead, black feathers shot from the bird’s wings like arrowheads, slashing across Eun Woojeong’s body.
While the shadow held him off, I pushed myself up from where I’d been leaning against the wall. My upper body was bound, but my legs were free, so it wasn’t too hard to stand.
“Ow...”
Standing wasn’t the problem—but I must’ve been roughed up pretty hard while unconscious, because every part of me ached. Groaning like an old man, I stood and walked toward where Eun Woojeong was.
Clang!
Just then, one of the flying chains scraped across the floor right in front of me. I looked down at the deep gouge in the hard floor, then raised my gaze.
His black shirt was torn in multiple places, and I spotted a long cut below his eye. I let out a sigh.
“Ugh, didn’t I tell you to be careful not to mess up that pretty face?”
I shook my head deliberately, and the shadow bird circling above flew back toward me.
It seemed to have taken quite a bit of damage in the fight—its body was noticeably smaller than when it first appeared.
Kiieek.
Gone was the giant creature that could’ve swallowed a grown man. What now landed on my shoulder was only slightly bigger than a regular crow.
“This shadow is S-rank, wasn’t it?”
I recalled what Cha Sahyeon had told me on the snowy mountain.
Back then, it had been in the form of a snake—so its appearance must be freely changeable. Maybe the black bird form was just Cha Sahyeon’s personal preference?
“...What is that?”
A cold, low voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
“That thing. What is it?”
Eun Woojeong’s tone was sharp. Several of his chains slithered around him like snakes.
“My skill.”
“Your skill? That?”
“It’s way more useful than some warp nonsense you were talking about.”
I nodded at the shadow, gesturing at the chains wrapped around my upper body. But unlike when it slashed through Eun Woojeong’s body, the bird’s feathers couldn’t cut through the chains.
“Guess they’re opposites.”
Eun Woojeong’s chains couldn’t do real damage to the shadow, but the shadow also couldn’t easily cut through the chains.
That kind of thing happened sometimes. When two dealers clashed and their skill compatibility was bad.
A classic example would be fire vs. ice. Just like that, these immobilizing chains and the intangible shadow didn’t go well together.
It was what you’d call a counter. In that sense, Eun Woojeong’s and Cha Sahyeon’s skills were counters to each other.
“Come on, let me out of this. Let’s settle this with a conversation.”
Just in case, I stepped on the edge of the robe that had fallen to the floor. It could be a defensive item—I wasn’t about to let him take it back.
“Now you want to talk?”
Eun Woojeong scoffed, an unmistakably hostile energy radiating from him. Wow. Got pissy just because he got hit a few times?
“Look, you’ve probably noticed by now—our skills don’t go well together. Instead of fighting until one of us dies, wouldn’t it be smarter to make a deal and be done with it?”
“How could I trust you enough to deal? You already betrayed me.”
“You kidnapped me first, and you’re talking about betrayal?”
Apparently unable to argue that point, Eun Woojeong silently touched the corner of his mouth, then narrowed his eyes.
“You said I was useless now, since you met some info tech guy.”
“Hey, it’s always better to have more sources of information.”
Eun Woojeong blinked, then his lips curled slightly.
“Is that so? Unfortunately, I don’t have much use for someone without a warp skill.”
The moment he realized I was the one at a disadvantage, Eun Woojeong relaxed like he’d been waiting for this. His attitude was uncannily similar to mine just a while ago.
He thought too much like me. It was honestly creepy.
“You were so eager just now—and you’re giving up this fast? What if I do have a warp skill?”
“If you’re going to lie, at least make it convincing.”
His response was ice cold.
Of course he reacted that way. Everyone knew Hunters couldn’t have more than one skill. I was the rare exception, thanks to regression.
“Does he really need a warp skill that badly?”
Comparing how he acted when he thought I had it to now, the difference was massive.
“Maybe I should bait him a little.”
I couldn’t afford to let Eun Woojeong completely lose interest.
He was a quest target—and his intel was valuable. I needed both.
But I couldn’t actually show a warp skill I didn’t have. That meant the only thing left was to keep him guessing.
“Why do you think I’m lying?”
I asked calmly.
“Maybe I do have more than one skill.”
“Now you’re just being ridiculous...”
“Then how do you explain me suddenly showing up at that office?”
“......”
Eun Woojeong, who’d been sneering at me, clamped his mouth shut.
“The whole reason you guessed I had a warp skill was that, right? You’ve been monitoring Cha Seohu’s office for a while, and you must’ve gotten reports of me appearing and disappearing unexpectedly. That night I got ambushed—when my presence suddenly popped up inside the office—you must’ve gone from suspicion to certainty.”
“......”
“If I don’t have a warp skill, how do you explain that? You went so far as to kidnap me—you had to be pretty damn sure.”
Eun Woojeong stared at me with unreadable eyes.
His hair fluttered in the fluctuating energy, his gaze appearing and vanishing with each movement.
He didn’t rush to refute me. After a long silence, he finally spoke.
“...Maybe you do have more than one skill. Or...”
“Or?”
“You’re just really good at lying.”
“......”
The moment he finished, a sharp killing intent pricked my skin like needles. I flinched and backed away as a black shadow sprang up in front of me.
Screech!
The bird on my shoulder let out a warning cry.
Chains aimed at me flew like tentacles, but the shadow intercepted them.
Fucking psycho.
I muttered under my breath, checking the bird’s condition.
The more it protected me, the smaller it got. There must’ve been a limit.
“If I keep using the shadow skill, Cha Sahyeon might cross over here...”
I didn’t know the exact workings of his skill, but if he hadn’t shown up yet, maybe he thought I was still in the match—or maybe he didn’t know I’d used the shadow.
Hopefully he wouldn’t find out. If he appeared now, this would turn into a complete disaster.
“So you’re not interested in making a deal?”
Hearing my sarcasm, Eun Woojeong tilted his head and smiled.
“This black skill is very suspicious. You said it’s yours, but... I don’t think it is.”
“......”
Goddamn it. He’s right.
“I’ve never seen a protective item with that kind of effect—but hey, it’s still more likely than someone having multiple skills, right? And that weird word you shouted when the bird showed up... there’s a lot about it that doesn’t sit right.”
Chains rained down nonstop. The shadow blocked them as best it could, but the synergy was bad, and the skill wasn’t even mine to begin with. Its effectiveness was limited.
Screee!
The bird shrank rapidly.
Seeing it, Eun Woojeong looked like he’d expected this.
“If you’ve got a warp skill, now’s the time to use it. I kidnapped you, so if you don’t like this situation, just teleport out. Or show me your real skill.”
I was just about to snap back when all the chains behind Eun Woojeong moved at once.
Clang! Clatter! Crash!
“Shit...!”
I ran as fast as I could, even with my upper body still chained. The shadow, now weakened, couldn’t block all the chains coming from every direction.
“If I could just land one punch on that bastard’s face, I’d die happy, fuck.”
I gritted my teeth and ran, but with my arms bound, there was no real way to escape. One chain shot toward my head, and I ducked in panic, immediately losing balance and falling forward.
Thud!
“Guh!”
My vision wobbled as my body slammed against the filthy floor. I swallowed a groan just as the bird, now barely the size of a sparrow, landed in front of me.
Screech!
A chain pierced straight through its body.
With one final cry, the black bird scattered like smoke—and the powerful presence that had been protecting me vanished completely.
“So it wasn’t a skill after all.”
Eun Woojeong slowly walked toward me, where I was slumped on the ground, barely able to lift my torso. The gleaming white chains swayed ominously, casting glimmers of light on his face.
“Hm...”
Now that things had turned out this way, I was the one in trouble.
“I thought teaming up with the shadow would be enough, but nope.”
Not being able to break the chains—and being unarmed—were both serious issues. I must’ve dropped my sword before I blacked out, and Eun Woojeong had probably taken it.
I’d believed in the S-rank shadow that had held back Seohwa’s rampage—but now that I # Nоvеlight # thought about it, back then Cha Sahyeon had been nearby, and Seohwa had just come out of battle. That’s probably what made it possible.
So many miscalculations. Clicking my tongue inwardly, I hurried to speak.
“Wait, wait. Let’s talk. I do want to make a deal. Seriously.”
“Do you?”
“I do. Look, let’s calm down and talk things out. Share what we want, negotiate, make a deal. How about it?”
Eun Woojeong smiled faintly, mimicking me, and nodded.
“Not bad. Then let’s start with what we each want. I want you to show me your warp skill. Right here.”
“Uh... that might be a little tough.”
“That’s fine.”
Clink—clink!
The chains made an eerie rattling sound as they moved.
“If you don’t want to die, warp, or whatever—use your skill.”
“What—no, hey! Wait!”
The chain hovering above Eun Woojeong’s head shot forward at terrifying speed.
Just seeing it come at me, sharp enough to pierce my skull in one blow, made goosebumps erupt on my skin—I moved without thinking.
I twisted my shoulder, trying to dodge even a little.
Fwoooosh!
A massive shadow surged up like a wave. It burst out from beneath me and rose high, blocking the path ahead.
“......!”
A chill raced down my spine. Cold sweat ran down my chin.
Through the shadow, spreading like ink across a canvas, someone appeared.
As if stepping through a doorway, a man walked out of the darkness and stood in front of me.
“...What the hell.”
The voice was familiar. Black hair swayed softly, and green earrings glittered beneath it.
The man standing in front of me looked around the room, at Eun Woojeong—then turned around.
“Hyung?”
Cha Sahyeon, who had removed his choker, found me lying there. His gaze went from my face to the chains wrapped around my upper body.
He opened his mouth as if to say something—but closed it again without a word. His face twisted violently.
“Kill...”
The ominous energy flooding the room trembled like an earthquake. Amidst the swirling black shadow, Cha Sahyeon muttered like chewing glass:
“I’ll kill him.”
As he turned his head, his killing intent locked onto Eun Woojeong—and I realized.
We’re fucked.
Eun Woojeong’s life was in danger.

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