Chapter 02

"Aaaaa!"

The situation was dire. Screams echoed everywhere. The emergency alarm blared incessantly. The Mist Burns, having multiplied in number, continued to claim new victims.

"At this rate, we'll all end up like that!" Teaching Assistant Lim shouted. A Mist Burn wasn't a monster he could handle at his level. Moreover, it triggered his deepest trauma.

Dash!

"Huh? Teaching Assistant! Where are you going?!" Suho was startled. The only Hunter here, Mr. Lim, was running away!

Teaching Assistant Lim, narrowly dodging the Mist Burn's attacks, escaped the exhibition hall alone. Should he follow him? After a brief moment of hesitation, Suho moved, but in the opposite direction. He ran to the corner of the room and grabbed a fire extinguisher.

'I don't know if this will work…' He couldn't bring himself to abandon the others and run away. Suho ran towards the Mist Burns with the fire extinguisher.

PSSSSSH—!

White powder sprayed out, covering the monsters.

[Graaaaaaaaah!]

Of course, it wouldn't cause significant damage since it was a non-magical attack. But this much was enough to temporarily suppress their firepower.

'This is good enough for now.' 

Suho, relieved that the fire extinguisher was effective, continued spraying the other Mist Burns.

PSSSSSH—!

[Graaaaaah!]

[Kraaaaaaaaa!]

He looked around in the meantime. 

"Are you okay?"

Suho found a collapsed friend and helped him up.

"Ugh." 

His colleague's face was covered in tears and snot.

"Hey, snap out of it!"

Suho shook his body, but his eyes were still unfocused.

Slap! Slap!

He slapped his face to bring him back to his senses.

"S-Suho?" His friend's eyes finally focused.

'Did he sprain his ankle?' Suho's gaze subtly shifted downwards.

"Let's get out of here first."

Suho lifted his friend and carried him on his back. Thanks to the fire extinguisher, the Mist Burns' movements were temporarily impaired. This was their only chance to escape.

"Sob. W-what about the Teaching Assistant?" His friend asked tearfully.

Everyone in the painting major knew that Teaching Assistant Lim was a Hunter. But he was nowhere to be seen in this critical situation.

"He was requesting backup from the Hunter Association earlier." 

'The guy's already scared.' There was no need to mention that he ran away after that.

A sigh of relief escaped his friend's lips. They got out of the exhibition hall but it wasn't over yet. Rather, it was even more chaotic outside.

Flare—!

[Kraaaaaaaaaaa—!]

'They weren't just in the exhibition hall.' Suho bit his lip. It seemed like the entire art museum was swarming with Mist Burns.

'They say it's a multiplying magical beast. This is really terrible.' He thought they would be fine once they escaped the exhibition hall, but…

"Uwaaaaaaaaaaa!"

"S-save me…!"

"When are the Hunters coming?!"

Students were huddled together, trembling in fear. The Hankuk University Art Museum had a simple layout, Stairs and an elevator. But Mist Burns were swarming in all the passages.

'People will be in danger if we go this way.' Suho quickly assessed the situation.

The escape routes were all blocked, and the magical beasts were increasing in number. He didn't know what the terrified people would do. Jumping out the window was also a bad idea, if they recklessly ran out and turned into magical beasts, it would only worsen the situation.

'Wouldn't it be better if I at least gave them a way to protect themselves?' Suho raised the fire extinguisher and shouted,

"Everyone! Look here!" Some of the frightened people looked at him.

"There's a way to fight the monsters!"

"…!"

Even more people turned their heads at those words. And they saw the fire extinguisher in Suho's hand.

"I-I see!"

"Right! With a fire extinguisher…!"

"We can kill the monsters!" A light returned to the people's unfocused eyes.

Suho was embarrassed. 'Ah, we can't kill them with it. But does it matter? The important thing is that I gave people hope.' Everyone scattered, desperately searching for fire extinguishers.

"F-found it!"

"Me too!"

Those who found fire extinguishers cheered. At the same time, those who weren't able to find any turned pale. There couldn't be that many on one floor, but this much was enough. Suho shouted at them,

"Not everyone needs to have one! Those with fire extinguishers, follow me!"

"Eek."

Those holding fire extinguishers had dismayed expressions. Now they were the ones who had to fight on the front lines. Suho led the way and aimed the 'weapon' at the Mist Burns.

PSSSSSH—!

Actions spoke louder than words.

[Graaaaaaaaah!]

The Mist Burn's firepower noticeably weakened. And People's faces brightened.

"I-it's working!"

"Okay! Me too!"

PSSSSSH—!

Fire extinguishers began to spray from their hands, now filled with confidence.

"Alright! Let's push through like this!" Suho continued to lead the way, pushing back the Mist Burns. And people carefully followed behind him, going down the stairs. It was then…

[Kraaaaaaaaa!]

The problem was that Mist Burns were also coming from behind.

"Uwaaa!"

"There are more behind us!"

The people who were barely calming down panicked again. They rushed down the stairs in terror. 

Thud Thud—!

Suho gritted his teeth. 'We're almost there.' If he left them like this, they would all tumble down the stairs. Suho put down his friend and said,

"You can go alone from here, right?"

"Uh? What are you going to do?" His friend looked at him with a worried face.

Suho shouted to the people holding fire extinguishers with a determined expression, "I'll take care of the back, so those in front, please clear the way!"

"A-alright!"

Suho turned around and went back up the stairs.

'I don't know what I'm doing.' A non-Awakened person acting like a Hunter. But he couldn't help it. His body moved before he could think.

PSSSSSH—!

[Graaaaaaaaah!]

Suho's fire extinguisher attacked the Mist Burns coming from behind. But then it stopped abruptly.

"…Hmm?"

[Graa?]

The powder that was spraying out stopped. And at the same time, the Mist Burn's that was being pushed back, and Suho's eyes met awkwardly in the air.

"Haa." Suho laughed in frustration.

"I'm screwed."

[…Kraaaaaaaaa!] The Mist Burn lunged at him.

Flare—!

The blue flame engulfed him. He was about to be turned into a new Mist Burn. But…

Whoosh—!

[…?!]

At that moment, The Mist Burn faced it. The deep abyss that lay dormant within Suho. The creature, born from the remnants of magic power, was a weak being that only acted on instinct. But at the same time, it was a troublesome magical beast that could become endlessly stronger and increase the number of its clones as long as it had enough fuel.

Then what was the best fuel…? 

Living beings. And among them, humans, who had abundant life force, were the best fuel that burned like dry firewood. In that sense, Suho was the perfect prey for the Mist Burn. But…

Whoosh—!

The moment it engulfed his body, The Mist Burn was completely devoured by the jet-black abyss hidden within Suho.

[…Kraa?]

The bewildered creature looked around. An endless abyss stretching in all directions. And someone was staring at it from the deepest part of the abyss. The Mist Burn bristled its blue smoke and growled ferociously.

[Kraaa! Kraa! Kraa…?]

But no matter how much it roared, all that came back was an empty echo. And then the Mist Burn suddenly realized. It wasn't someone in the abyss, but the vast darkness itself, filling the surroundings, looking down at it. And even drooling as if looking at delicious food.

[Kyaaaak?!]

The abyss opened its mouth wide towards the Mist Burn that was startled and tried to escape.

Gulp—

Whoosh!

"…Huh?" Suho had a puzzled expression. 

The Mist Burn that was attacking him suddenly dissipated into the air.

Crackle!

The human body that was its wick turned to ash and crumbled on the spot. It was then…

[Mist Burn has been defeated.]

[You have met the completion conditions for Secret Quest: 'Courage of the weak'.]

"…What?" Suho's eyes widened at the messages that suddenly appeared.

[Level Up!]

Flash—!

A brilliant light engulfed Suho's entire body.

* * *

Suho's friend, Kim Dae-hyun, barely managed to escape the art museum.

Thud!

His legs, on which he had been walking with a limp, lost all their strength the moment he got outside. Dae-hyun's gaze, as he collapsed in front of the art museum, instinctively searched for Suho.

"S-Suho? Have you seen Suho?"

"Who's that? Ah, that friend from earlier?"

People remembered the student who fought with a fire extinguisher. But Suho was nowhere to be seen. Someone spoke hesitantly,

"I saw him going back up to take care of the rear…"

"D-don't tell me…"

"He hasn't come out yet?"

People murmured. And someone muttered with a hopeful voice,

"But he's a Hunter, so he'll be fine, right?"

"Suho is not a Hunter!" Dae-hyun shouted urgently.

Those words were even more shocking.

"What? He's not a Hunter?"

"How could he… if he's not even a Hunter?!"

Their gazes simultaneously turned towards the art museum. Suho… still hadn't come out. Just then, the Hunters who received the report arrived.

"Here!"

It was the Teaching Assistant Lim, who ran away first, who brought the Hunters. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw those who escaped the art museum safely.

'Haa, thank goodness. It seems everyone managed to escape.' He tried to convince himself that he chose the best option as an E-rank Hunter, but seeing the people, he felt guilty for being cowardly.

"But how did you all get out?" The Hunters who came with Teaching Assistant Lim looked at the people with puzzled expressions. So many survivors despite the Mist Burns appearing in that isolated space? It was fortunate, but they were curious about how it happened.

"There's still someone who hasn't escaped!" Dae-hyun shouted with an urgent expression.

"Suho is still…!"

"Suho…? Suho is still inside?" Teaching Assistant Lim was startled and turned towards the art museum.

"We would have all died if it weren't for Suho!" Everyone's expressions turned somber at Dae-hyun's tearful words.

The Hunters asked in confusion, "Is that Suho a Hunter? What's his rank?"

"…He's an ordinary person."

"What? An ordinary person, how…?"

It was the moment when the Hunters were about to ask for more details.

Rumble—!

An ominous tremor came from the art museum building.

"…!"

Everyone's heads turned towards it simultaneously. An ominous magic power was surging over the structure.

"Oh dear. Has the erosion begun?"