At the disaster site in Pakistan, where hundreds of hos had been buried by a landslide.
“Damn…”
Telekinetic Hunters, who had been diligently clearing debris and dirt from the collapsed buildings, froze with expressions of shock. Hunters using search abilities, who had been straining to locate survivors, and those using spatial powers to create habitable conditions beneath the rubble, also halted their operations at once.
Volunteers rushing between temporary tents carrying victims on stretchers and healing Hunters treating the injured stopped in their tracks, and the gazes of the wounded, who had been lying in line waiting for treatnt, collectively turned not toward the Healers but toward the sky beyond the tents.
Everything—debris from destroyed buildings, heaps of soil, massive rock formations, uprooted trees, and shattered construction materials—had suddenly floated into the air. The remnants of the collapsed mountain now hovered above, filling the sky and blocking out the sun.
The sight of an entire mountainside suspended in mid-air was not just shocking, it was awe-inspiring. Yet, despite causing this seemingly impossible phenonon, Choi Kang-hu’s expression was far from satisfied. Ryu Seo-ha, nestled in his arms as they gazed up at the sky, let out a soft sigh.
That's enough… Let's save the kissing for later, after we've finished the urgent tasks.
It was these words, uttered to stop Choi Kang-hu, who seed as if he had found paradise in the form of Ryu’s lips, that led to the current scene.
The news from the U.S. quickly spread across disaster sites worldwide. Their actions, even crossing borders without formal permission using [Spatial Leap], had sufficient justification and went unchallenged.
The problem was Choi Kang-hu's increasing impatience. While it was comndable to handle tasks efficiently, it was as if he were racing forward like a runaway truck with no brakes.
“Kang-hu, maybe you should slow down a little…” Ryu Seo-ha suggested.
“Slow down? If you’re lacking oxygen, I can provide it for you.”
And every ti Ryu tried to say sothing, Choi would try to kiss him again. Ryu Seo-ha thought he had grown accustod to Choi's out-of-context advances, but it seed he still had a lot to learn.
[The skill ‘Sanctification’ is being cast.]
Knowing full well that once it started, Choi wouldn’t easily stop, Ryu Seo-ha pretended not to hear him, expanding the range of his ability to cover the exposed disaster area.
[The designated targets (238 non-Awakened individuals) have been granted the buff ‘Regenerative Healing.’]
[The designated targets (91 non-Awakened individuals) have been granted the buff ‘Status Ailnt Removal.’]
He administered the necessary first aid to the survivors. From injuries to conditions like electric shock, suffocation, and dehydration, everything was taken care of through this broad and effective treatnt.
His vast reserves of magic were rapidly depleted. Unlike before, his increased magic stat wasn’t enough to recover as quickly. But soon, a familiar flow of magic entered through the hand he was holding.
He could sense Choi Kang-hu's magic blending seamlessly with his own, enough to prevent his magic from being completely drained.
“Thank you,” Ryu Seo-ha said softly, smiling in gratitude. Choi Kang-hu returned the smile and tapped his own lips with his fingers, signaling what he wanted in return.
Ignoring the gesture, Ryu Seo-ha slowly surveyed the area that had been a disaster site monts ago but now lay barren, thanks to Choi Kang-hu’s actions. Many Hunters had turned their attention toward them.
The debris that had once blocked the sky had vanished. As he had done at previous sites, Choi Kang-hu had likely stored the debris in his [Subspace] or moved it to an empty area.
“Are you not going to do it?” Choi Kang-hu asked again, lightly tapping his lips with his finger, bringing his handso face dangerously close.
There was no way Ryu Seo-ha could kiss him with everyone watching.
“...Later,” he replied, shaking his head.
Despite the small refusal, Choi Kang-hu didn’t move back, remaining close enough that their breaths mingled. The noise from the military helicopters preparing to land couldn’t have drowned him out, so he must have been pretending not to hear.
“Are you worried about what others will think?” Choi Kang-hu asked.
“If you're a socially aware person, of course, you’d be concerned about that,” Ryu Seo-ha replied, quickly shaking his head, afraid that Choi Kang-hu might threaten to gouge out the eyes of anyone watching them, as he had done in the past.
Just then, Choi Kang-hu narrowed his eyes. Ryu Seo-ha sensed soone approaching from the right but didn’t need to turn to know who it was.
“Seo-ha.”
As expected, the unwelco voice belonged to none other than S-rank spatial Hunter Jung Woo-bin, who had volunteered to join the relief effort.
“You keep overexerting yourself. What if you cough up blood again…” Jung Woo-bin began, his voice filled with concern.
“Isn't Namibia the last stop for disaster relief?” Ryu Seo-ha cut him off, ignoring Jung Woo-bin’s worries and directing his question at Choi Kang-hu instead.
“…Seo-ha,” Jung Woo-bin called again, his voice growing more desperate.
“Do we need to et with the governnt officials this ti?” Ryu Seo-ha asked, continuing to disregard Jung Woo-bin.
Choi Kang-hu shook his head slightly in response, then gestured toward the governnt officials waiting in one of the tents set up at the disaster site.
In the past, Choi Kang-hu would have used [Spatial Leap] the mont anyone irritated him or when the job was done. But now, he was making an effort to confirm Ryu Seo-ha's wishes first.
“We don’t need to et with every world leader,” Ryu Seo-ha said with a smile, echoing Choi Kang-hu’s own words from before.
At that, Choi Kang-hu’s previously tense expression softened. Jung Woo-bin's frustrated voice, anwhile, faded into the background as if it were re noise.
“If you're uncomfortable, we can still et with them,” Choi Kang-hu offered.
“I haven't received a formal request, so we should be fine,” Ryu Seo-ha reassured him. Since they hadn’t gone through the official entry procedures anyway, disappearing without a word wouldn’t raise any alarms.
“Why do you keep ignoring ? Why…?” Jung Woo-bin finally demanded, unable to hold back any longer.
“Shall we move on to the next country?” Ryu Seo-ha asked.
Despite Jung Woo-bin’s pleas, Ryu Seo-ha continued to ignore him, sticking to his promise not to engage with anyone without Choi Kang-hu's explicit permission.
The freedom of abandoning his forr persona of courteousness felt unexpectedly refreshing. Not long ago, he wouldn’t have dared to imagine himself openly ignoring soone like this. It was a strange, liberating feeling.
“How could you treat
like this, Seo-ha? How…?”
Jung Woo-bin's face twisted with anger, and before anyone could react, he lunged at Ryu Seo-ha, teeth bared as if to bite his neck.
[The designated target (1 S-rank Awakened) has been inflicted with ‘Paralysis.’]
Jung Woo-bin's sudden movent froze mid-action, his face contorting grotesquely. His irises, now splotchy with dark spots, and his rapidly constricting pupils, combined with the bluish veins standing out on his skin, made him look… deranged.
“You're supposed to accept … You, at least…”
His words, choked with desperation, trembled as he spoke, but it was clear he wasn’t in his right mind.
“Kang-hu,” Ryu Seo-ha called softly, looking up for permission.
Choi Kang-hu, who had been holding him close with magic radiating in all directions, gave a nod, signaling that Ryu Seo-ha could do as he wished.
[The designated target (1 S-rank Awakened) has been granted the buff ‘Regenerative Healing.’]
[The designated target (1 S-rank Awakened) has been granted the buff ‘Status Ailnt Removal.’]
[The designated target (1 S-rank Awakened) has been granted the buff ‘Detoxification.’]
With the help of the magic flowing from Choi Kang-hu’s hand, Ryu Seo-ha poured a series of buffs into Jung Woo-bin. The amplified effects indirectly confird just how serious his condition was.
Like it or not, Jung Woo-bin was one of South Korea’s key S-rank Hunters. Letting him remain in this state wasn’t an option. The country still needed his strength.
Moreover, they had questions for him. Jung Woo-bin displayed symptoms similar to those seen in the early stages of a new disease that would later be dubbed the "Puppet Virus," which the cult would use to usher in their next catastrophe.
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