CHAPTER THRITY-EIGHT!
────dragon's breath.

❝I WANT IT! CAN I HAVE IT, PLEASE!❞

IN THE UNITED STATES...

a handsome and blonde man walks through the sea of reporters in the airport with another tall man behind him.

"why are there so many reporters?" he questions, looking around the area.

he was lennart niermann, germany's top ranked hunter and also guild master of the richter guild.

"those two hunters from korea everyone's talking about are scheduled to arrive today." the vice-master of richter guild answers.

"oohhh~" lennart cooed. "they're coming today?" 

the vice master's eyes glance to his left and spots a tall dark haired man. "speak of the devil, one of them is right there." he points out.

"should we go and exchange greetings? no harm in getting acquainted with a strong hunter." the guild master suggests with a small smile.

"that's true." the vice-master replies and they walked towards jin-woo.

'but i wonder where the other one is? i heard she usually sticks by him. but, getting acquainted at least with one of them is beneficial.' a defeated sigh leaving his lips. 'a shame i didn't get to see the beauty the media seems to fawn over...'

lennart took a few steps towards his direction before abruptly halting in his steps. fear creeps up his spine as he realizes an important factor about jin-woo as he stood there.

"aren't you going to speak to him?" the vice-master asks, noticing lennart had stopped. 

the german hunter felt his hand shaking. "you... you don't see that?"

"see what?" the vice-master raises an eyebrow, confused on what his guild master was talking about.

in lennart's eyes, he could sense and vaguely see the army hiding in jin-woo's shadow. 'he doesn't summon his creatures from a different dimension but has them around him instead at all times?! he could go to war with america with those numbers!'

the soft clicking of heels catches his attention, he turns his body halfway as womanly figure passes by him.

as if the world turned slow for lennart, his pale blue eyes made eye contact with the enchanting color of [e/c] that sparkled like jewels in the light.

the aura she gave off was warm, pleasing and safe. the fear that once plagued him dissolved an instant.

his heart stops for moment as the woman known as [y/n] [l/n] gives him a dazzling smile as she walks pass him.

the world goes back to regular speed as the german hunter watches the beautiful woman approach jin-woo and hug his arm lovingly.

his eyes stare down at her figure admiring the clothes she wore for the conference event.

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

[a/n: imagine the beige is white]

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

the man feels his heart beat at rapid pace and heat creep up his cheeks.

'she's... she's otherworldly...'

it seemed like everyone's eyes where on the gorgeous hunter, she had the ability to make head turns.

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

JIN-WOO LOOKS OVER his shoulder with a raised eyebrow which prompted jin-ho to look in his direction seeing lennart standing ways behind them.

"do you see someone you know, hyung-nim?" he asks, looking back at his friend.

"no, but some foreigner is staring at [y/n]." jin-woo mumbles in annoyance which causes her to look back.

the [h/c] haired hunter smiles at the man again and waves kindly before turning back to her lover. "who knows, he might of wanted to introduce himself to us."

jin-ho chuckles at her statement. "your names are all over the news. obviously you'll have plenty of fans, maybe they want your autographs." 

the young hunter glances to the other person that joined them, he smirked and nudged [y/n]. she tilts her head and when she realizes, she give her friend a cheeky grin. 

the two friends the turned to the man next to them with mischievous smiles.

"so... what're you doing here, jin-chul?" the two asks in unison. 

at the question, jin-chul choked on his own spit as he sweatdropped and sulked.

"i'm here as hunter sung and hunter [l/n]'s... bodyguard." he mumbles lowly, clearly embarrassed.

"what was that?" jin-ho asks as he purposely leaned closer to him as if he couldn't hear the man. 

"bodyguard... for them..." 

"bodyguard for who?" [y/n] then teased, grinning as she leaned closer to jin-chul as well. 

"i think those people are our escorts," jin-woo's voice rang out. 

the two friends move away from jin-chul and high five each other for their successful teasing on the usually composed man.

"we were awaiting for your arrival, hunter sung and hunter [l/n]." adam greets as he bowed to them.

the female hunter gives the man a sunny smile, hugging her boyfriend's arm. "it's wonderful to see you again!"

"didn't you work for the asian branch of the bureau, mister white?" jin-woo questions as he interlock his hand with his girlfriend's.

"ahaha," adam laughed as he rubbed the back of his neck in a sheepish manner. "i was, until recently. now, i'm responsible for matters that involve you and miss [l/n]."

then, two bodyguards suddenly approached the group and stand in front of jin-ho.

"your companions will be escorted to a hotel," the agent adds, easing their worries a bit.

"jin-ho, go first with chief jin-chul." [y/n] states to her friend.

he nods and smiles back at her. "see you and hyung-nim later!"

with that, jin-ho and jin-chul are being promptly escorted to their designate hotel.

before the couple can continue talking with adam, someone had bump into the female hunter's back with a loud thud.

though she was completely fine the other person thought otherwise.

"hey! watch where you're going! do you even know who i am?!" the person shrieks.

the voice causes [y/n] to pause any action she was going to take. 'i know that voice... it couldn't be...'

she turns around, her heart thumping loudly in her chest and her [e/c] eyes widen.

BEFORE HER WAS PERSON THAT SHE THOUGHT SHE WOULD NEVER SEE AGAIN.

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

INTRODUCING...

MARI CORSET, THE B-RANK HEALER

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

"mari?! what are you doing here in america?" [y/n] asks, clearly surprised.

the girl now known as mari, is now out of her angered state once she realizes who she bumped into.

what were the chances for mari to meet her old guild member in america of all places?

after the double dungeon incident, the brunette never once saw the girl again. that was until she was announced as korea's new s-rank hunter.

"if it isn't the weak little [y/n]~" she sings, her voice full of poison. "didn't think you'd be here either."

the old nickname made the female player tense up a bit, but she doesn't let it phase her. she's a better and stronger person now.

someone has hatful as mari shouldn't bother her.

jin-woo could only watch for what's to happen. his eyes narrowed and glowing. he already didn't like unfamiliar girl in front of him.

but he decided that he would let [y/n] deal with this.

the young girl's forest green eyes narrow as she scans the girl she once knew, then they drift to the man next to her.

if she was being honest, mari was livid. she hated the girl in front of her, she was living a life she could only dream of.

happier, prettier, all the things she should be. those things should belong to her, not [y/n].

"i'm here cause the ever so famous scavenger guild scouted me!" the brunette boasts with a grin. "staying back in [y/t] proved to be worthwhile, if i left i would have never gotten scouted!"

[y/n]'s face was neutral and clearly uninterested. "ah, congrats. you get to live the life you've always wanted, huh?"

"yep! it was worth keeping your sorry ass alive! because of my incredible healing skills i'm on the road to stardom!" she jabs with satisfied sigh, clearly not noticing her sarcasm.

the dark haired hunter told himself he'd let her handle the situation, but it was hard not to put someone in their place when they insult his one and only love like that.

the [h/c] haired hunter squeezes his hand, sensing his hostility. telling him once again that she's got it under control.

'compared to him, she's nothing but a tiny little bug... but i'll let her make herself look like fool a little longer.'

mari's green eyes glow, full of ill intent. she purposely raised her head up high as if to look down on [y/n].

she tilts her head to the side mockingly. "seems like you still need someone by your side to save you, hm~"

the healer takes a step forward and inching her face ever so closer to the s-rank hunter.

"JUST GOES TO SHOW THAT YOU HAVEN'T CHANGED ONE BIT. YOU ARE STILL THE SAME WEAK LITTLE [Y/N]."

silence only followed after her statement. mari patiently waited for the reaction she so desperately wanted.

she ignored the stares she got, not caring a single a bit. she was on the road to a life of luxury, she would be envied, loved and praised.

something [y/n] would never be in her eyes.

oh, how delusional she was.

the air seemed to grow hot and fear racked the healer's body when her green eyes met with glowing golden ones.

"weak, you say?"

the situation was out of adam and jin-woo's hands now. the two men could only watch for what's about to unfold.

if mari wanted to direct insults towards her it was only fair she would do the same.

"i seem to recall you use to use me as a shield whenever you were in danger back when we raided dungeons together." [y/n] mentions, her face calm as ever.

"what?! as if i ever use you as a shield?!"

"oho? i clearly remember you saying that i needed to keep you safe?"

anger paints mari's face as the s-rank hunter continues to point out incidents that happened in the past. all her moments of weakness, cowardice and ignorance.

all to prove a single point.

"I WASN'T THE WEAK ONE MARI, YOU WERE. IT SEEMS LIKE YOU SITLL HAVEN'T CHANGED EITHER."

by now, [y/n]'s face inches from her's. her glowing golden eyes full of confidence and a smirk gracing her lips.

it was then mari corset realized where she stood when it came to facing her. the gap between them was too great for her to even measure.

she gulps as she pulls away from her face.

"now if you excuse me," [y/n] starts putting a hand on jin-woo's chest. "me and my boyfriend have business with the hunter bureau."

the gloating caught him and mari by surprise, but he couldn't be prouder.

adam quickly takes advantage of the situation as he leads the couple them away from the b-rank healer.

mari could only watch as the girl she once knew walk away with elegance and grace.

something she lacked.

she watched as she causes an uproar of gasps and flashes of cameras from a mere glance. reporters hoping to get a glimpse of the gorgeous s-rank.

something she longed for.

she eyed the way jin-woo's arm snaked around her waist as if to claim what is his. that the woman beside him was his and he was hers.

something she desperately wanted.

once she was out sight, the brunette felt her knees almost give out. the air around felt cold as sweat beaded down her face, her body felt like it was on fire.

it was then mari corset realized.

SHE WAS NOTHING COMPARED TO [Y/N].

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

"DO YOU MIND accompanying us to a different location for a little while?"

after the whole encounter with mari, [y/n] wanted nothing more to leave the airport. though she a bit proud of herself for standing up to the girl.

she'd done something that her old
self could only dream of.

at adam's question, jin-woo's glare suddenly became sharp and cold, his eyes glowing as he wondered if it was because of his father.

adam quickly waved his hand dismissing his statement. "it's something that will most certainly be beneficial for you two. i've already explained to you what the u.s hunter bureau thinks of you, haven't i?"

"is the subject matter a secret?" [y/n] questioned as adam led them to a car that was waiting outside

"some of the topics would fall under the top secret category, yes." the agent replies as the three of them enter a a car.

the couple sat side by side, their hands interlocked as adam sat across from them.

"where are we going?" the dark haired player asks as the car begins to drive to the headed destination. 

"we are on our way to the hunter bureau's headquarters," the agent replies with a sigh. "frankly, we are under serious pressure. hunter christopher was one of the pillars of the united states' strength."

he goes silent before continuing. "now that he's dead, we are desperately trying to fill in the void he left. we will soon begin to do everything in our power to find a hunter who can replace him."

"are we your candidates?" the [h/c] haired player then questions and adam nods.

from his coat pocket, he grabs a small remote. clicking a button, a hologram appears displaying pictures.

"as you are also aware, the value of a rune stone is proportional to the power of the monster the stone was extracted from. the worst calamity in the history of mankind, the raid everyone wants to forget about..." the american agent trials as he goes through the pictures and lands on a certain one.

"THE DRAGON KAMISH."

the two hunters scan the photo of monstrous red dragon appeared on the hologram, almost in awe.

"we are looking for a new owner of the two rune stones extracted from the dragon," adam speaks as he looks at the couple. "what do you think of our new offer?" 

"can you go back to the other photo, please!" [y/n] pleaded, her eyes sparkling excitedly.

"pardon me?"

"we want to see the photo before this one." jin-woo explains, leaning slightly forward to get a closer look. 

adam raises a brow at the request. "the photo of kamish's body?" he questions and went to the photo. 

the [h/c] haired hunter shakes her lover's arm, quietly squealing in delight. "woo, please! can i have it? pretty please!"

"wait my love." the dark haired hunter says as he puts a hand on top of hers trying to calm her excitement.

to say the least, the agent was very confused.

"has the united states been storing the corpse of kamish?" the hunter then asks, not taking his eyes off of the picture.

"yes, we have..." adam mutters still utter confused that they had no interest in the rune stones.

"where is this? let's go there first," jin-woo stated eagerly, he saw an opportunity. 

"what?" adam blurts out, puzzled.

"i've been willing to give up my time for the hunter's bureau. surely i have the right to ask for this much?" the male player says and looks at adam indifferently.

the agent sighs. "the extent of my knowledge is only what the higher-ups allow me to know." the agent explains truthfully. "even i do not know where the corpse of kamish is stored. however... if it was your request, i believe they'd be happy to oblige. may i ask that you wait while i make the request?" 

"well we're all going to have to wait, so we might as well go there and wait there," jin-woo suggests as he plays with [y/n]'s hand who only smiled excitedly. 

adam could only deadpan, not knowing if he should be happy about the situation he has found himself in.

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

THE COUPLE SAT outside the director's bureau's office, waiting if they were able to visit the dragon's bones.

[y/n] sits on jin-woo's thigh as she plays with his hair while he had a hand on her waist.

he shamelessly stares at her as she is focused on making a tiny braid at the base of his hair.

the female player recalls the events with mari in the airport. she didn't know why but seeing her again set off all types of alarms.

it was as if something or someone plotting a plan behind her back. she always had keen eye for being wary of things of what could happen in the future, it was skill she learned the hard way.

and this time all her alarms were telling her that someone is going to show up again.

'IS HE HERE?'

she immediately takes that thought out of her head. 'no, i'm safe. he won't be able to hurt me anymore...'

"my love? what's going on in that
pretty head of your's?"

[y/n] snaps back to reality at the sound of jin-woo's voice, only to find him giving a her a worried look.

she chuckles and shakes her head. "nothing, darling. i was just thinking."

he gives her a look that said, 'stop lying.'

she laughs nervously under his gaze knowing nothing could get past him. then, she sighs dejectedly as she looks down at her lap.

"seeing mari at the airport." [y/n] starts as her partner stayed quiet to listen. "at first i was nervous to even see her there. a small part of me felt like i was back to the small and weak girl i use to be..."

jin-woo wanted to argue with her on that fact but the next words she uttered almost had him smiling.

"...but the way she tried to prove herself to me was slightly amusing to say the least." she states, there was mocking smile on her face and her eyes glowed a glittering gold.

the dark haired player could only chuckle at her demeanor. he lifts her hand and kisses the back of it. his eyes shined a beautiful shade of purple as he looks at his lover with a proud expression.

"that's my girl. seems you're becoming as ruthless as i am." he points out making her giggle.

the [h/c] haired hunter then lays her head on her lover's shoulder, resting her eyes as she asks, "is that really a bad thing?"

"no it isn't my love." he replies with a small laugh.

the air was quiet, only the sound of their breathing and the ticking of a clock on the wall could be heard.

jin-woo looks down at [y/n], his steel grey eyes full of love. he delicately pushes a strand of her hair behind her ear. then with the back of his hand, he gently caress her cheek.

it angered him. he wanted to step in so badly but he complied to her wishes on letting her handle situation by herself.

she always does that, letting herself handle the pain all alone. it was habit, jin-woo knew that. a habit caused by being alone for most of her life.

she only knew how to deal with things alone and he wanted to change that. he wanted to show her that it's okay to rely on someone when your struggling.

"sunshine, if there's is ever time where you can't fight your battles, let me help you..." he whispers to her.

she flutters her eyes open, reveling her beautiful jewel [e/c] eyes and she gives him a soft smile. "thank you, darling."

[y/n] knew the true meaning behind his words. she knew that he knew that she usually handles the pain all by herself.

it was habit hard to break out of, she'd felt like she would burden him with her problems. but she knew he wasn't the type to be bothered by those types of thing.

he's proven to it her time and time again.

and each time he does so, it makes her fall in love with him all over again. he's proven the she can rely on someone with her problems.

'you don't need to thank me...' jin-woo comments to himself as he kisses her forehead.

'AS LONG AS I HAVE YOU BY MY SIDE, THATS ALL I REALLY NEED.'

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

AFTER A COUPLE of more minutes of waiting, the couple climbed aboard the private elevator with the guidance of the hunter bureau's director.

"i wished to speak to the two of you in a more relaxed context, but... i suppose this is what you would prefer?" the director asks.

adam translate the words to jin-woo while [y/n] stayed silent, already understanding his words.

her eyes drift to the floor level indicator. 'i can't believe they built their h.q right in place where kamish was defeated.'

the elevator finally stopped and opened its door on the very last basement floor. the staff members of the floor were waiting outside for them and greeted them once they arrived.

"this way, please," the director instructs as he leads the group down the fortified basement.

[y/n] and jin-woo watch as the director entered a sort of password into the keypad and a handprint. the massive metal door with several layers finally opens up after the director stepped away.

the [h/c] haired hunter was practically bouncing. to say she was excited was an understatement. she slightly shakes her boyfriend's arm who only chuckled at her uncontrollably happiness.

a cold breeze brushed past their cheeks. although faint, the two players could feel the magical energy in the air. there was no need to guess who the magical energy belonged to.

the moment they took their first stepped into the room, the couple were greeted with a breathtaking sight.

behind a glass wall and illuminated by countless spotlights was the corpse of kamish.

the body was perfectly preserved as if were only defeated moments before they entered.

"all of the electricity used in this building is provided by kamish's magic crystal." the director informed them. "are you satisfied now, hunter sung and hunter [l/n]?"

"please stand back," jin-woo instructed as [y/n] hugged his arm.

"woo~ can i have it? please! pretty please!" she begs with a cute pout as they walk towards the class wall.

with a such powerful creature laying before her how could she not want it.

he smiles at her as he holds out his fist to her. "best out of three gets to have him, my love." he states, reminding of the ritual whenever they come across a monster they both want.

"don't go crying when i win!" she challenges, giving him a playful smirk.

the group sweatdrop as they watch the two most powerful hunters play a game of rock, paper, scissors for a summon.

"NO, ARE YOU KIDDING?!" [y/n] whines, sulking as jin-woo only laughs.

dramatic tears stream down her face comically. "no fair, i wanted kamish..."

"i won fair and square sunshine." the dark haired hunter reminds her and kisses he forehead with a smile.

the [h/c] haired hunter pouts and huffs. "fine..."

she then lets go of his arm, so that he can do what he has too and his mood grows serious.

the members of hunter bureau could sense the change in the air. they could only watch what's about to unfold.

jin-woo raises his hand to the glass, towards kamish. eyes glowing purple, he then quietly speaks up.

"ARISE."

a pulse of his magical energy blasts through the air, while others seemed to effected by it, [y/n] remained still as she is immune to his energy.

[SHADOW EXTRACTION HAS FAILED.]
[TWO ATTEMPTS REMAINING.]

the message didn't faze him as he calmly moves on and attempted the extraction the second time.

he lets out a puff of air and stares down the old bones of kamish.

"ARISE."

after a second, the lights on the ceiling suddenly began flickering. a fearful chill ran up everyone's spine.

a ear screeching roar of a dragon echoed through the basement.

wisps of black mana swirl up from the bones, slowing forming a powerful figure of a dragon.

"oh my god, i didn't think it would actually work." [y/n] mutters, staring at the dragon summon in awe as walks back to jin-woo's side.

he raises an eyebrow at her. "you doubted me?"

"it wouldn't be the first time an extraction has failed." she teases him with a cheeky smile and his only response was an eye roll.

the dragon let out another powerful roar before looking at the two humans by its feet.

"were you the one that summoned me, king of the dead, shadow monarch?" kamish questions, it's voice croaky and deep

"w-what the hell is that?!" adam shouts in fear.

"my god?!" the director exclaims as he looks up at the dragon.

"human... human?" kamish repeats as it raises its claw to the glass wall. "humans... must die. i will... kill you all."

an enormous cracks formed on the glass wall causing everyone screamed or run away.

not even seconds later, the glass wall broke into pieces as kamish lets out another ear shattering roar. it opened its jaws and light started gathering at the tip of his mouth.

it was so powerful that even debris started flying everywhere.

"sir, you must evacuate!" shouts a employee.

"that's kamish's breath! you think we'll be safe by running away?!" the director shouts back.

"ENOUGH!"

jin-woo orders the dragon, halting its movements.

[y/n] takes a step forward, her eyes glowing gold. "the magic crystal embedded in your head was removed long ago. you don't need to obey the rulers' commands." she explains to kamish.

adam watches the two in fear as he askes the deputy director, "are hunter sung jin-woo and hunter [y/n] [l/n] speaking monster tongue right now?"

"i can't believe what i'm seeing," the deputy director mutters as his jaw was on the floor.

"so this is how it feels to submit to the shadow monarch," kamish grumbles, as he enjoys the feeling of being revived by his power. then he lowered his head, bowing to his new king.

"THIS LOWLY SERVANT WHO ONCE SERVED THE DRAGON EMPEROR PAYS RESPECT TO THE NEW MONARCH."

"you served the dragon emperor?" jin-woo questions, feeling the energy of his new summon.

the dragon seem to nod his head. "that is correct, my lord. i served the king of berserk dragons, the monarch of destruction."

suddenly the dragon feels a delicate and warm touch pat his head. his eyes widen as he senses on who stands before him.

"queen of the sky, sun monarch?" he muses quietly, calling the title of aurora.

[y/n]'s face brightens at the mention of the pervious sun monarch and she giggles at his eagerness. "you know aurora as well?"

"yes i did, she was extremely kind to us dragons." kamish explains as he enjoys the familiar warmth of the sun.

"sir, is it... is it wagging its tail?!" adam asks, completely dumbfounded.

the deputy director's jaw dropped, staring at kamish wagging his tail as [y/n] patted him.

jin-woo lowers his and he dives deep into his thoughts, wondering something. 'king of the dead, shadow monarch. queen of the sky, sun monarch and the king of giants, monarch of the beginning. it must be one of the 10 monarchs mentioned by the system.'

"regrettably, my king and my queen... i must bid you two farewell," kamish states, rising his head.

"what?" jin-woo asks, suddenly alarmed.

"it seems our meeting came about far too late, my lord," kamish replies as his body begin to fade away.

[y/n]'s eyes widen at she watched. 'not even the power of the shadow monarch can combat the passage of time?!'

jin-woo desperately calls upon the system to try and keep kamish as a summon.

"AWAKEN!" the female player shouts, in a last ditch attempt to keep the dragon only to receive a denied message.

[CAN NOT PERFORM LIGHT EXTRACTION.]

"i truly envy your majesty's soldiers that can serve you for all of eternity. my king, there were four human beings who borrowed the power of the rulers. please be wary of them." kamish warns as he steps back as it looked at both [y/n] and jin-woo.

"IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR TO BE IN THE PRESENCE OF MY NEW KING AND QUEEN ONE LAST TIME..."

the dark haired hunter watches as kamish fades away to nothing and all that is left are his bones. a heavy and deathly silence washes over the room.

[SHADOW EXTRACTION HAS FAILED.]

[THE TARGET'S SHADOW HAS RETURNED TO THE EMPTINESS OF THE VOID.]

[TOO MUCH TIME HAS ELAPSED SINCE THE TARGET'S DEATH. FURTHER ATTEMPTS OF EXTRACTION WILL BE INEFFECTUAL.]

jin-woo turned around as he looks over at adam, "mister white, please relay my apologies to the director. i will cover for the repair costs as much as i can."

"sure..." adam murmurs, still shocked at what he just witness.

they watch the two players leave the room wordlessly, noting how quiet they were.

BOOM!

the floor practically shakes at the sound. adam and the director could only stare in shock as they see jin-woo's fist dented into the wall, punching it out pure anger and frustration.

[y/n] didn't even flinch at his action. she only slides her hand into his understanding his anger.

she brings the back of his hand to her lips, kissing it gently as form of comfort as they begin to walk away.

once they made sure they were out of everyone's line of sight, the dark haired hunter brings his lover into his body by her waist.

her buried his face into the crook of her neck, he inhaled her scent that smelled like a tint of soft vanilla.

the [h/c] haired hunter leans into him and runs her hands through his hair, "you did your best darling."

"i know. it annoys me so much sunshine..." he mumbles as he hugs her a bit tighter.

she sighs and kisses his temple. "c'mon let's go back to the hotel. i can give you all the cuddles you want."

she feels him smile against her skin and hums in satisfaction, thinking to herself.

'HE'S SO CUTE!'

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

THE COUPLE ARRIVE back at the hotel without much of a problem.

"oh, hunter sung, hunter [l/n] why couldn't we get ahold of you?" jin-chul asked after seeing them enter.

[y/n] sheepishly smiles. "ah, we were somewhere without reception for a short while." she answers as she held her partner's hand. 

"then have you met with hunter yoo jin-ho?" the a-rank hunter questions, not seeing that d-rank hunter wasn't with them. 

"PARDON?"

"he left after you contacted him." he explains further. "you told him that you two were waiting for him at the hunter bureau." 

"what? we just returned from there. what are you talking about?" jin-woo states, puzzled.

the couple was confused, they haven't contacted their friend while they were with the hunter bureau nor did they see him

"hunter yoo jin-ho was not in the visitor's logs," adam said and confirmed it.

"what that can't be right. a hunter from scavenger guild came to fetch him about two hours ago..." jin-chul trails, his voice going soft. 

now, this confuses adam. "although the scavenger guild has close relations with us, the do not take care of our own matters. it be best if i call them directly."

he pulls out his phone and dials a number, waiting for the line to be picked up.

panic rises in [y/n]'s chest, she has a extremely bad feeling about this. she looks to jin-woo with worried eyes only to see him furrowing his eyebrows in thought.

adam stands off to the side as the line picks up. he quickly introduces himself before explaining the matter at hand. 

"so you're saying that we escorted the vice-leader of ahjin guild..." laura clarified, a bit confused on why he would make such a claim.

but then, her eyes widened as a sudden realization came to her. "does hunter sung jin-woo or hunter [y/n] [l/n] know about this matter?" she suddenly questions. 

"no, hunter sung jin-woo nor hunter [y/n] [l/n] haven't heard of the news yet. hunter yoo jin-ho's companion had called us to find out what was going on earlier, you see." 

the woman clicks her tongue. "i shall get to the bottom of this immediately." laura said as she ends the call.

"hunter sung! hunter [l/n] the scavenger guild said they'll investigate so they should get back to us as soon—" 

adam's eyes widened after not spotting jin-woo nor [y/n] standing at where they used to be.

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

THE COUPLE PARKOUR their way on top buildings in the dead of night.

"damnit, damnit, damnit! if i just remembered to assign jin-ho knight! it's all my fault!" [y/n] curses, blaming herself for what's happening.

"it's both our faults, we got careless after we exchanged with our summons to save chairman yoo myunghan back then." jin-woo corrects, feeling horrible.

the two think back when they couldn't protect jin-ah in time from the incident at her school. they promised themselves they wouldn't let something like that ever happen again to the people they cherished.

who knew that promise would be broken so quickly.

"ARISE!"

"AWAKEN!"

the two command as their summons leak out of their bodies in clumps of mana. the two skid to a stop on top of a tall building.

"FIND HIM!"

the two yell out as their summons shoot out in different directions to find their friend.

"woo, you take the east side and i'll take the west." [y/n] states. "we'll cover more ground like that."

he nods, listening to her idea. "stay safe sunshine."

"you too lover boy." she says as runs and jumps past him to search through the west side of the city.

'PLEASE BE SAFE JIN-HO!'

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

THOMAS ANDRE'S EYES glowed through the tint of his sunglasses as he scanned the lavish apartment with a hardened face. 

inside the luxurious apartment where hwang dong-su and kim min-hyuk were supposed to stay, a pile of hunters were knocked out. the place itself was trashed.

"they've done it now..." thomas mutters as he removed his shades before crushing them with his bare hand.

"FIND HWANG DONG-SU BEFORE SUNG JIN-WOO OR [Y/N] [L/N] DO! NO MATTER WHAT, WE MUST FIND HIM FIRST!"

CHAPTER THRITY-EIGHT! END!
────dragon's breath.