Chapter 73: The Price of Madness

Blast!

Boom!

“We’re resorting to tricks because we lack the power. So, don’t take it too personally!”

“These crazy bastards, really…!”

“This guild has completely lost its mind. There isn’t a single sane one among them….”

‘Are they truly sane, knowing the risk of mana poisoning themselves?’

As Jaehyeon pondered this, his eyes landed on the attackers’ masks. Since the moment they deployed the mana bombs, the masks had been glowing with a faint blue light. He gasped in shock.

Any Grisha hunter, let alone Jaehyeon, would immediately recognize this phenomenon.

It was the very same light seen when mana poisoning was treated using refined magic stones for purification.

‘They’ve embedded purification magic stones in their masks!’

While likely not a permanent solution, it would be sufficient for temporary use. A savage grind of his teeth escaped him. These bastards had truly committed.

‘They really intend to kill everyone.’

“Yu Seong!”

“I know without you saying it!”

Most of the B-rank hunters who had been caught in the initial blast were now sprawled on the ground. Dark, ominous marks marred their bodies—symptoms of acute mana poisoning. Yet, these were the lucky ones.

“Kuaaagh!”

“Aargh!”

The rest, unable to withstand the invading mana, coughed up blood and perished on the spot. Their bodies, violently rejecting the encroaching magical energy, suffered extreme rejection reactions.

Sparks of fury ignited in Yu Seong’s and Jaehyeon’s eyes. Though they longed to crush these bastards immediately, their priority was to escape the open ground, now swirling with pockets of mana.

Exchanging glances, they pinpointed the seemingly weakest point in the encirclement and launched themselves forward simultaneously.

“Oh. Why are they coming this way?”

The masked figure standing there extended both hands forward. A colossal wave of flames shot towards the two hunters, resembling nothing less than a flamethrower.

The reason these two physically enhanced individuals had been dispatched was quite simple: Lepta’s elemental attacks were ineffective. If there was no opposing element, pure physical strength was the best approach.

“Ah, damn it, that’s hot!”

“Agh!”

However, if the opponent could wield elemental attacks, physically enhanced combatants were advised to avoid confrontation. It was, ultimately, a matter of elemental affinity. Yu Seong’s expression darkened.

Black, swirling mana blanketed the surroundings. Flames erupted from any remaining clear spots. Even if they tried to break through, throwing themselves into the A-rank inferno head-on would be suicidal, even for S-ranks.

‘Damn it, how in the world can we…!’

Gritting his teeth, Jaehyeon glanced sideways. Two masked figures, clearly the leaders, were clinging to Yeowon.

“Don’t resist, just come willingly. There’s nothing you can do anyway.”

Despite Bae Gil-su’s proposition, Yeowon remained unresponsive. Gripping his axe, he subtly tilted his head.

“You talk too much.”

“….”

“Come at me.”

Bae Gil-su hesitated, unable to move easily despite the provocation. The Returnee before them had received an F-rank assessment from the Association. Yet, he had single-handedly resolved the Black Mist incident.

They had even verified it; it wasn’t a manipulation or a cover-up, but a fact. What did that signify? ‘I don’t know if all Returnees are like that, but at least this man before me completely transcends the ranking mechanism.’

In other words, they had no idea how strong he truly was. Bae Gil-su shot a glance at Kim Jeong-su, signaling him to attack first. ‘That son of a b*tch…’ he cursed internally, yet there was no other option.

Kim Jeong-su, his hands wreathed in flames, charged forward. He was undeniably a fire-element ability user, but his physical prowess was also exceptional. The media sometimes referred to him as a lesser version of Sagyeol.

This meant he possessed abilities that could gain an advantage regardless of the opponent’s type or element. Kim Jeong-su was confident. The only Returnee he had seen was Lee Su-yeong.

While he admitted the Demon Realm was an incredible place, it was also a place where even someone like that could return alive. ‘No matter how strong he thinks he is, could he possibly compare to me, who has handled all of Hestia’s dirty work?’

That was Kim Jeong-su’s last thought.

Thwack!

All movement in the vicinity ceased. Kim Jeong-su’s body, his head shattered by the axe, slowly crumbled. Hestia had not undertaken this operation without preparation; they had anticipated casualties on their side.

However, they had never imagined it would be like this. A heavy silence settled. Yeowon, having swung his axe to shake off the blood, once again tilted his head to the side.

Crack. Crack. He stretched his neck, turning it from side to side, then slowly scanned the Hestia Guild members.

“Come at me.”

The bodies of the masked figures whose eyes met his began to tremble uncontrollably.

‘What is this?’

‘What the hell? Why am I shaking?’

‘Am I scared? Me? Just from seeing someone die?’

Of course not. It was a signal from their instincts.

They saw a phantom vision: a murky, desolate swamp covered in thin ice. Their feet sank deeply, and in an instant, their bodies were submerged in black, stiffening with cold. Death. Despair. And a void deeper than either.

Cold sweat, drawn from their entire bodies, flowed like water.

‘What am I facing right now…?’

The sheer incomprehensibility of it was dizzying.

Yeowon casually swung his axe again. Blood and brain matter slid off the blade, spattering onto the ground. His demeanor was so indifferent, it was hard to believe he had just taken a life.

Covered in blood, Yeowon’s chilling gaze swept over the remaining individuals. Those who met his eyes felt their knees buckle, unable to stand properly. A heavy silence descended, and the mouth of the predator, having begun its hunt, slowly opened.

“All of you…”

Yeowon raised his axe towards the pale-faced guild members.

“I’ll split your heads open.”

It was a calm death sentence.

Bae Gil-su couldn’t fathom where everything had gone wrong.

“Uwaaagh!”

“D-don’t come near me!”

Flames erupted everywhere. The original plan was to swiftly and silently subdue the base camp, abduct the Returnee, and escape. But what in the world was happening?

Yeowon shot forward like a beam of light, swinging his axe. One by one, with every movement he made, someone invariably died.

True to his nature as a Returnee, he stepped into areas thick with mana without a care. The mana, their greatest offensive weapon, was utterly useless against the monster before them. The Hestia Guild members were learning this truth with their lives.

Thwack!

Another head exploded.

Now, none of the masked group were laughing. The atmosphere in the area had shifted. A contagious terror spread like wildfire.

“Kuaaagh!”

Yeowon was like a lone tiger tearing through a pack of wolves. A colleague standing right next to him died, brain matter oozing out. With more than half their numbers already decimated, the Hestia Guild members fell into a panic.

They had always been the hunters. Gate raids were meticulously assigned based on rank; they had never faced an enemy they couldn’t defeat. Naturally, they had no idea how to react against someone stronger than themselves.

“S-surrender. I surrender!”

Thud!

The head of the man, who had raised both hands in terror, was crushed. His mask, also shattered, fell away, revealing the face of the deceased. At this unexpected turn, Yu Seong’s eyes gleamed.

‘It was Hestia after all.’

He recognized the face. The man was known for his self-preservation and a mouth lighter than a feather, making his presence here surprising. The thought of keeping him alive to extract information vanished the moment Yu Seong saw Yeowon.

He simply couldn’t muster the courage to intervene. Each flash of the axe blade sent blood raining down.

“Keoheok!”

“P-please spare me.”

Several, sensing an opening, rushed towards Yu Seong and Jaehyeon. However, unlike before, they were prostrate on the ground. Some of them had been laughing while pouring flames on those trying to break through the mana encirclement earlier.

“You said something very good earlier.”

‘What did we say? We only remember cursing and mocking.’

Yu Seong grinned, watching their eyes dart frantically beneath their masks.

“Kill them to silence them.”

“…!”

“I think that’s an excellent method too.”

Thud!

The axe cleaved the head of the person at the very back, who had been kneeling. Yeowon, having already cleared the surrounding area, had arrived to deal with the remaining few. Covered in blood, even Jaehyeon and Yu Seong, his allies, felt a chill run down their spines.

‘Insane. He really killed over ten people by himself.’

‘He shattered all their heads. Is he truly going to kill everyone?’

They unconsciously took a few steps back. Yeowon’s expression remained utterly calm as he continuously swung his axe, as if he were splitting watermelons, not human heads. The two S-ranks felt a chill far more intense than before.

‘I should have realized when he said he was dating the Guild Master!’

‘He’s insane. How can a person be like that?’

The last person clutched their head with both hands. Hands couldn’t stop an axe. Yet, in his lost rationality, he was desperate.

“I-I said I surrender! There’s no such case anywhere in the world!”

“Surrender is the right of the victor. The defeated cannot demand it.”

Yeowon’s axe sliced through the air. The body, now a corpse, fell sideways, along with a severed hand.

“And while I accept surrender in war, I do not accept it in combat.”

‘Did they attack without even that much resolve? Pathetic.’

The unspoken words were evident in his expression. Yu Seong swallowed hard. Jaehyeon was completely stiff, unable to utter a single word. The surviving B-ranks trembled in a corner, looking on the verge of collapsing.

Yeowon, as if failing to comprehend their fear, scanned them before turning his head to the back. Yu Seong’s and Jaehyeon’s gazes naturally followed.

“Hmm?”

There was still a masked figure alive. His appearance made it clear why Yeowon had held off on killing him. The man clutched his head, twisting his body this way and that.

“…What’s wrong with him now?”

“I don’t know. Did he go insane from fear?”

The last masked figure was Bae Gil-su.

He had originally intended to step forward immediately after Kim Jeong-su died. But his feet were rooted to the ground as if stuck. He wasn’t consumed by fear; rather, his body seemed to have defied his will.

As he frantically tried to move, a voice echoed in his mind.

[Lord]

“Ugh.”

Bae Gil-su instinctively clutched his forehead. His vision spun. His back hunched forward. It was then that he, drenched in cold sweat, began to writhe.

“Ugh, ugh, ugh.”

His flailing hand knocked off his mask.

“H-huh.”

Yu Seong gasped as he saw Bae Gil-su’s face. He wasn’t surprised to see the Hestia Guild Master. The man’s eyes showed only whites, and tentacle-like growths had pierced through his cheeks.

Yeowon spoke, as if confirming his suspicions.

“A parasite.”

“Excuse me?”

Yu Seong reflexively asked. Yeowon, still treating him as an ally, kindly clarified.

“A demon realm parasite.”

“This is insane.”

Yu Seong’s face turned ashen, having understood the implication. He prided himself on having experienced almost everything while subjugating the flood damage, but a parasite was new. And one that infested the brain to control its host?

“Ugh.”

Among the B-ranks, many began to vomit.

Yeowon, unperturbed at the center of the chaos, stared at Bae Gil-su. His posture indicated he would observe what happened next. Like a scene from a horror movie, the man’s contortions abruptly ceased. His head snapped to an impossible angle, looking at Yeowon.

“L-l-lord.”

Bae Gil-su, a wide grin stretching his lips, pointed a finger at Yeowon.

“L-l-lord!”

Yeowon’s expression remained unchanged. Only his aura shifted. A suffocating killing intent erupted from his entire body, replacing his calm demeanor.

Crash.

Yeowon’s figure vanished, leaving only a deeply sunken footprint. He instantly reappeared before Bae Gil-su. A piercing azure light flashed in his eyes. His tensed muscles rippled, guiding his desired path. The axe shot straight towards Bae Gil-su’s head.

Crraash!

Flames erupted from Bae Gil-su’s entire body, a firepower akin to an explosion. Yeowon, shielding his face with his arm, was thrown backward.

“Returnee!”

A startled Yu Seong cried out. Yeowon dragged his feet, landing with a long slide. Despite taking an S-rank inferno head-on, he was only slightly singed, with no major injuries.

“Uh…”

Yu Seong stammered, retracting his outstretched hand. After regaining his balance, Yeowon, without hesitation, shot forward again like a cannonball.

Roar!

“Lord. I will capture you.”

Hot flames, capable of incinerating vegetation with just a graze, swirled around the parasite as its core.

‘If left alone, they’ll eventually merge completely, appearing outwardly normal. Then, the parasite gains its own will and uses demonic power.’

Only now did Yu Seong understand why the knight, who had spoken those words, had shivered as if recalling something repulsive.

Yu Seong and Jaehyeon dared not even approach. Yeowon, however, paid them no mind. His axe whistled menacingly as it cut through the air.

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