Chapter 35: The Viper’s Grasp and the Beast’s Fury

#35

‘…No, honestly. Why are these guys so persistent?’

Dokyeom’s tired eyes narrowed as he muttered under his breath. It seemed they were relentlessly searching for him, as texts flooded in every second, and now even calls were pouring in.

It hadn’t even been an hour since he’d treated Taeseongyeon to a precious meal, securing the guild briefing schedule, and then checked into a nearby hotel.

Outside, the night was already ink-black, as if splattered with soot, and the day’s weariness had grown into a snowball, pressing heavily on his shoulders.

Upon entering the room, he hastily filled the bathtub, pushed Agon inside, and then practically crawled back to bed. It was around that time the threatening texts resumed.

[‘Sweetheart, you don’t think we can find you, do you?’]

“Ah, let’s just meet tomorrow, tomorrow.”

‘I was going to find them myself anyway, but they’re incredibly obsessive, aren’t they?’

With an irritated flick of his wrist, Dokyeom tossed his phone aside and leaned his head back against the mattress.

‘He ate so well.’

Suddenly, the image of Taeseongyeon, seated properly at the low table and eating, flashed in his mind. The place Dokyeom had suggested for their meal was a cozy Korean restaurant, costing around 30,000 won per person.

Surprisingly, Taeseongyeon had appeared at the meeting spot less than twenty minutes after Dokyeom sent the text. Despite looking like someone who would naturally wield a fork and knife, his chopstick skills were remarkably refined. What’s more, he ate so excessively well that Dokyeom hadn’t felt a single pang of regret over the cost.

‘Is it palatable? This is incomparably cheaper than what you treated me to last time, Mr. Taeseongyeon.’

‘Well, it’s quite edible.’

Watching Taeseongyeon devour every last bite filled Dokyeom with a strange sense of satisfaction. If only it weren’t for that awful habit of his, Taeseongyeon would have been a truly decent person. It was disheartening to think why he was so obsessed with touching the seals.

He could guess the reason, though he hated to admit it. Taeseongyeon was likely a convenient target to keep close. With his low rank and the seal placed in an easily accessible spot, it was probably tempting for anyone to reach out and touch it the moment they saw it.

‘Should I put a patch on it from now on…? But then, would Agon stand idly by?’

With a complicated sigh, Dokyeom rubbed his distended, tight stomach, trying to alleviate the discomfort. Yet, the persistent indigestion ultimately forced him to rise.

“Ugh, I don’t know.”

[‘Orias,’ the demon of ‘Lemegeton,’ blinks their eyes, asking where you’re going.]

“I’m going to buy some patches and indigestion medicine.”

Agon wouldn’t budge from the water for at least an hour, so there wouldn’t be any major issues if Dokyeom left for a moment. Ignoring Orias’s message, which offered to accompany him, Dokyeom pulled out the slippers he’d bought nearby, slipped them on, and calmly exited the room.

Until this moment, neither of them had the slightest inkling. They had no idea they wouldn’t set foot in this room again.

****

The incident began as Dokyeom passed through the lobby, just as he was about to push open the revolving door. Before his hand even touched the door, he spotted men in black suits through the transparent glass, and, by sheer coincidence, his eyes met with one of them across the revolving barrier.

It was a man with a long burn scar across his cheek. Dokyeom found his viper-like eyes peculiar, but it was only when those same eyes curved into a chilling smile that he truly grasped the danger of the situation.

[‘Sweetheart, I told you I’d find you, didn’t I?’]

The moment those lips slowly formed a sentence through the glass, Dokyeom immediately spun around and bolted towards the lounge. In an instant, men in black suits poured in from both the revolving and swinging doors.

“Go get Han Dokyeom.”

The thudding footsteps of a dozen or so men echoed through the lounge. The scarred man’s scowling face exuded a sharp, piercing menace. They were all Hunters. Thugs masquerading as a guild—that was the true nature of the ‘Gwangmyeong Guild.’

CRASH!

[‘Orias,’ the demon of ‘Lemegeton,’ suddenly stands up, asking what’s happening!]

Dokyeom hurled and overturned every piece of furniture he could get his hands on, propelling himself deeper into the lounge. Chairs, tables, potted plants, and books all scattered across the floor. People shrieked, clutching their heads, and fled the scene quickly, as if running barefoot. Among them were several individuals who appeared to be staff.

“Haha, my apologies. Please bill all of this to the Sahyeon Guild. Apparently, the Sahyeon Guild will cover everything, right? They’re loaded. Oh, and please make sure to bill room 1204’s cost to the Sahyeon Guild too!”

“What the hell is that bastard talking about?!”

Someone grabbed a fallen chair and swung it. Dokyeom ducked abruptly, concealing himself behind a plush sofa. Simultaneously, with a whoosh, the chair flew over his head and smashed into the wall.

“Even so, let’s not kill anyone!”

“Look at this bastard, spouting such nonsense! You won’t die from this, kid. You’ve been getting beaten by me day in and day out and still survived; now you’re complaining, trying to get yourself killed.”

‘What the hell kind of dog-shit talk is that?’

Dokyeom seized the broken leg of a chair, rising to his feet with a menacing aura. The thugs approaching him flinched, as if pricked by something. Dokyeom grinned subtly, twirling the makeshift club once in the air before gripping it.

“Oh, why are you all cowering? I haven’t even hit anyone yet.”

“Sweetheart, if you get caught, you’re dead at my hands. Think carefully.”

The viper-eyed man’s cheek twitched from behind his group. Dokyeom returned a faint smile, parrying the threat.

“Then hurry up and catch me to end this, you viper bastard.”

“Bring that one here without hurting them and make them sit in front of me. Our youngest has really picked up some foul language; I wonder where they learned it.”

Men’s hands stretched out like branches from all directions. Dokyeom mercilessly swung the chair leg he held. As if that was the signal, a chaotic, dog-eat-dog brawl erupted.

Ten minutes later.

****

“Sweetheart, what did I tell you? I’ve said it countless times, practically until my mouth ached, that you should always remember your rank when you act. If our youngest acts out like this, do you think the hyungs would be pleased or displeased? Huh? Don’t just clam up, you bastard.”

Dokyeom found himself kneeling before the viper-eyed man, his shoulders held firmly. His lips and temples were covered in purplish-red bruises.

‘The power difference is immense.’

They were only C-rank, yet the power gap was unmanageably vast, even against them. The tide of the battle had turned in the men’s favor the moment the chair leg was snatched away. This current predicament was the direct result.

Of course, he could have evaded all their attacks if he’d truly wanted to. The only reason he hadn’t used his skills was because there was no need to—not ‘now.’

‘Even so, is the power difference with C-ranks really this significant?’

‘Ah, E-rank, seriously.’ Dokyeom, who had been staring blankly at the ceiling, felt a hand press on his back. He curved his eyes into a faint smile and spoke.

“Haha, it’s just how I live—like there’s no tomorrow.”

“Even so, you shouldn’t break a promise you made with your hyungs. It’s not ideal for a long talk here, so how about we move somewhere else?”

“I refuse.”

No sooner had he spoken than his vision flashed. A searing pain erupted on his cheek, as if it were on fire. The man who roughly righted Dokyeom’s head sneered, thrusting his own face close.

“If you refuse, then your hyungs will just have to escort you, won’t they?”

The viper-like bastard subtly gestured with his chin to the men holding Dokyeom’s arms. His feet lifted off the ground, and Dokyeom’s body was hoisted up. Dokyeom’s gaze darted around before he spotted a huddled, head-clutching employee in the lobby and addressed them genially.

“You’re an employee, aren’t you? Haha, I’m so terribly sorry about the property damage. But I’m a bit busy right now, so compensation will be handled by someone else. Over there, the Sahyeon Guild—specifically, please make sure to bill room 1204’s cost to the Sahyeon Guild! Their phone number is…!”

“Youngest, let’s go quietly, shall we?”

Once again, a stinging sensation flared across the back of his head. A sharp, tingling pain shot through his tongue, and he tasted blood. As curses escaped his lips, Dokyeom suddenly lifted his head, and an unexpected figure entered his vision.

It was a tall man, looking like a drowned rat caught in the rain. His usually neat hair was soaked, spread out like a net, and an inhuman nature emanated from his clear eyes.

It was Agon.

He walked out into the lobby, his brow furrowed, scanning every corner as if searching for Dokyeom. For a brief moment, Agon’s and Dokyeom’s gazes met across the space. Then, a short silence descended.

Dokyeom saw the murderous intent rising in those eyes. Along with the hideous scowl that twisted his nose.

The moment he saw Agon, feral and baring his teeth, Dokyeom cried out, quite pale. His feet had already been off the ground for some time.

“Hyungs, I get it! I’ll go quietly, so take him too! He’s B-rank! B-rank, but he listens to me well!”

Despite twisting in their grasp, Dokyeom’s shouting at the top of his lungs made everyone wonder what nonsense he was spouting. They began to look in the direction his gaze was fixed.

In that instant, the men instinctively recoiled, taking a step back. A single man, his nose hideously contorted, stood in the center of the lobby like a vengeful water ghost.

An almost bestial aura emanated from him, sending shivers down their spines. The illusion of being plunged into a pathless abyss drained the color from their faces.

The men, who had been retreating hesitantly with goosebumps rising, started to bolt out of the hotel, still clutching Dokyeom, the moment Agon lunged towards them. It was nothing short of an instinct-driven escape.

“Let go of me first, okay? He listens to me, I tell you!”

“Shut up, you bastard!”

“Open the door first…!”

The moment the men burst out of the hotel, they yanked open the back door of a waiting sedan and shoved Dokyeom inside. However, before they could even close the door, a hand, bulging with electric blue veins, clamped onto the car door and crushed it.

Him dimly scaled hand gleamed blindingly in the darkness, the scales radiating a strange light depending on the angle.