Chapter 155
“What do you mean, ‘no’?!”
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The middle-aged man who had suddenly appeared showed no signs of stopping his assault on Suho.
His name was Baek Yunho.
As the guild master of White Tiger Guild and an S-rank Hunter, he had rushed to Pocheon City the moment he received Baek Miho’s request for assistance.
“They said Hwang Dongsoo might be involved in the Jisan Prison breakout… and instead, I find this suspicious bastard!”
Everything about Suho felt ominous.
Baek Yunho was so certain that Suho was a villain that he was willing to bet everything on it.
From the moment he set foot in Pocheon, his highly refined instincts had sensed an ominous energy.
And as he followed that energy, he stumbled upon this suspicious young man, reeking of blood.
“People who stink like this fall into two categories.”
A villain or a bounty hunter who hunts villains.
And to Baek Yunho, there was a 200% chance that Suho was the former.
It was obvious!
Anyone skilled enough to evade an S-rank Hunter’s attacks wouldn’t be some lowly bounty hunter.
Not to mention, there was something else—
A clear, undeniable proof that this suspicious bastard was a villain.
“You’re saying you’re not a villain? You expect me to believe such an obvious lie?! Stop hiding that ominous power and show me!”
Baek Yunho relentlessly pressed Suho, launching a flurry of attacks.
But Suho effortlessly deflected every single one.
Of course, it wasn’t because Baek Yunho was fighting at full power.
As an S-rank Hunter, his true strength was far greater than what he had shown.
However, he was holding back to stay on guard against whatever ominous power Suho was hiding.
“Ominous power?”
Suho furrowed his brows.
“Ah… I see now.”
[He is likely referring to Harmakan, Young Lord.]
Beru whispered, and Suho let out a quiet sigh.
Of course.
The Harmakan, a member of the Demon Tribe, was a wretched creature who corrupted the souls of others, twisting their despair into cursed power.
Suho had kept him as a Shadow Soldier because of his usefulness, but he hadn’t expected it to lead to such an unfortunate misunderstanding.
“Just you wait, Harmakan.”
Suho clenched his jaw in frustration.
Sensing Suho’s irritation, Harmakan trembled with fear from within the shadows.
Bzzzzzzzzz—
[…]
And that wasn’t the only thing annoying Suho.
“Of all times…”
While this commotion unfolded, Arsha had transformed into an ordinary swarm of bees and was observing from a distance.
“Where do you think you’re looking?! You dare ignore me?!”
“Tch.”
Suho had no time to deal with distractions.
With Baek Yunho’s relentless assault, he had to end this pointless fight efficiently.
BAM!
Suho abruptly changed direction and sprinted at full speed.
“Stop right there!”
Seeing Suho suddenly flee, Baek Yunho furiously chased after him.
He was genuinely dumbfounded.
Did this villain really think he could escape?
He was Baek Yunho—the strongest Beast Transformation Hunter in existence.
Surely, the villain knew who he was up against.
“Unless he had never encountered me before, there’s no way he actually thinks he can escape my senses!”
If his opponent had been Hwang Dongsoo, an S-rank villain, things might have been different.
But this young man clearly wasn’t Hwang Dongsoo.
Even if he was hiding some kind of power, how foolish was he to turn his back on an S-rank Hunter?!
But then—
“Wait… what the hell?”
Something felt off.
No, something felt very wrong.
“Why is he so fast?”
Baek Yunho was shocked.
No matter how hard he chased, the gap wasn’t closing.
Of course, chasing someone through a dense forest was never easy.
With trees growing in irregular patterns, running in a straight line was impossible.
In situations like this, agility was usually more important than brute strength.
But—
Looking at Suho’s movements, Baek Yunho realized something terrifying.
CRASH! SMASH!
KABOOOOOM!
“…That reckless idiot.”
Instead of dodging the trees, Suho was crashing through them head-on.
“Wait, is he using some kind of sprinting or charge skill?”
No.
Baek Yunho sensed it instinctively.
He had been on guard for any hidden power, and yet Suho hadn’t activated a single skill.
“…No way. It has to be a skill.”
Yes, it had to be a skill.
Because if it wasn’t, that meant Suho was doing all of this with raw strength alone.
And that was far worse.
A cold chill ran down Baek Yunho’s spine.
“Wait… hold on a second!”
As he chased Suho, a terrible realization struck him.
“This direction—?!”
And just as he feared—
“……!”
The dense forest suddenly opened up.
His field of vision cleared, revealing a small village in the distance.
And in that village—
The members of the White Tiger Guild were rescuing survivors.
“D-Damn it!”
Realizing Suho’s true intent, Baek Yunho panicked.
And at that moment—
He unleashed his full power.
[Beast Transformation.]
– Complete Transformation.
KRAOOOOOOOOO!
Baek Yunho’s body began to morph, his entire form shifting into something monstrous.
He despised showing this form to others, which was why he rarely fought at full strength.
But this wasn’t the time for hesitation.
Because at the end of Suho’s path—
His daughter, Baek Miho, was commanding the White Tiger Guild’s rescue efforts.
“That bastard! He’s planning to take my daughter hostage?!”
ROOOOOOAAAAARR!
The moment his Beast Transformation completed, his speed doubled.
His monstrous claws lunged toward Suho’s back—
But just then—
“Hm? Hunter Sung Suho?”
Baek Miho blinked in confusion as she turned toward the familiar presence she had suddenly sensed.
“Why are you back? Did you forget something?”
“I brought your father.”
“…My dad?”
Thunk.
At that moment, Baek Yunho’s entire body froze.
And then, immense panic set in.
But this time, for an entirely different reason.
“…D-Did you just say ‘father’?”
Well, at least he hadn’t said ‘mother.’
—
– Moments Later – Yami-ri Village Rescue Sit
Silence.
The village of Yami-ri was bustling with paramedics and healers moving frantically.
But in the middle of it all, a tense silence hung in the air.
“…….”
The only one looking awkward, however, was Baek Yunho.
Across from him stood Baek Miho, arms crossed, glaring at him with icy eyes.
“……Dad.”
Flinch.
Baek Yunho’s shoulders visibly tensed at his daughter’s cold tone.
“Aren’t you going to apologize?”
“A-Apologize? But I felt it! There really was something off about him—”
“And what exactly was that ‘something’?”
“…Well, I don’t sense it now.”
“Then maybe it rubbed off from the villains he fought.”
Cornered by his daughter’s sharp gaze, Baek Yunho averted his eyes and grumbled,
“But, but he reeks of blood—”
“Obviously, it’s the blood of the villains he killed.”
“…….”
“And he’s wearing clothes soaked in blood. Of course, he smells like it.”
“…….”
“Do you even know how many he fought today? 500. Hunter Sung Suho took down 500 villains all by himself.”
“…….”
Baek Miho’s words were undeniably true.
And as she laid down fact after fact, Baek Yunho’s gaze sank lower and lower toward the ground.
“And thanks to you, he hasn’t even had a chance to go home and shower yet.”
“Daughter, at least show some respect when speaking to your father—”
“Shush.”
“…….”
Having attempted to salvage his dignity, Baek Yunho withered in defeat.
Yet even in his humiliation, he still couldn’t shake off his doubts.
His instincts were never wrong.
“That presence I sensed wasn’t just my imagination.”
It was something that no human should ever possess.
So in the end, Baek Yunho chose to trust his instincts.
“Dad, drop it already.”
“Hey.”
Ignoring his daughter’s protests, Baek Yunho marched toward Suho with determination.
He grabbed Suho’s shoulder and growled,
“Your name is Sung Suho, right? I heard you’re registered as a C-rank Hunter.”
Ha. That was a joke.
There was no way someone like this was just C-rank.
A C-rank Hunter who took down 500 villains alone?
That was more ridiculous than claiming a stray dog was actually a boss monster.
“Unregistered Power User.”
Baek Yunho growled softly into Suho’s ear.
Some Hunters could manipulate their mana at will, allowing them to falsify their rankings during registration.
Such individuals—who deliberately hid their true power—were labeled ‘Unregistered Power Users.’
And—
“Most Unregistered Power Users are psychopaths who enjoy mass murder.”
“…What exactly are you implying?”
Suho met his gaze with an unfazed expression.
Baek Yunho smirked and intensified his presence, scrutinizing Suho’s face carefully.
He burned Suho’s features into his memory, locking in his suspicions.
“Come with me to the Hunter’s Association and get your mana re-evaluated.”
“But even if you do that…”
His voice turned sharp as he issued a warning.
“I will continue watching you. From now on, be careful of every action you take—”
And then—
“Wait… something’s off.”
Baek Yunho’s expression shifted.
His eyes, nose, mouth—
As he memorized Suho’s face, his features contorted in confusion.
“Hold on. Wait a minute!”
Frantically, he pulled out his phone.
“No… this can’t be…”
With trembling fingers, he opened KakaoTalk and clicked on a certain profile.
And there—
[Commander Sung Il-Hwan]
A profile picture of his most respected senior.
And beneath it—
A photo of his beloved grandson.
Baek Yunho’s eyes widened in horror.
“…Oh… oh no. Oh no, no, no.”
“……?”
Seeing Baek Yunho pale in an instant, Suho could only stare at him in confusion.
