Kael froze as the blast faded, his ears ringing. "What the fuck," he whispered under his breath. "I thought this man was fast asleep."
Another deafening KA-CHACK… BOOM! ripped through the air. The raw sound of a shotgun echoed across the riverside, bouncing off the boats and metal rails. Kael dropped low again, barely dodging the shot by luck and instinct.
"You got guts," the man in sunglasses shouted from inside the boat. His voice carried a mix of anger and tired annoyance. He stepped out slowly, the shotgun resting in his grip like it belonged there. "You have been following me since the hospital. I kept quiet, thinking maybe they sent you to check if I still live here. But breaking into my house is something I will never accept."
He shook his head, almost offended. "And I guess they didn't read my file to you. Because if you had, you would not be hiding behind crates like a scared rat."
Another BOOM! tore through the wood Kael had just rolled away from. Thanks to his heightened hearing, he sensed the slight pressure shift and the click of the trigger a split second before the shot fired. That tiny moment gave him enough time to dodge and sprint away from the open path.
The man stepped onto the pier, scanning the scattered boats. "You can't run from me. I can see through opaque objects."
"Figures," Kael muttered while catching his breath, crouched behind the shadow of another boat. His chest rose and fell fast, the body panicking even though his mind stayed steady. He had been in situations like this before, but this weaker frame wasn't cooperating. It felt like his training was fighting against a nervous body that did not belong to him.
He peeked around the edge, his thoughts sharp. That sound… that's a Remington 870. Pump-action. It holds five shells in the magazine. He fired three already. That leaves two.
Kael wiped his forehead with a shaky hand. I just need him to waste those last two. Then I can corner him.
Kael did not get the breathing space he was hoping for. The footsteps were closing in fast, each one sharp in his ears. The man was hunting him with steady confidence, and Kael could practically feel the shotgun aiming for his shadow.
Kael reached for his iron daggers. Just like before, they formed in his hands as if answering an old instinct. His body might be weak, but the instincts of his past life were carved deep in his bones. The moment his eyes locked on the man in sunglasses, his arm moved on its own.
He threw the first dagger with clean precision. The blade sliced through the air like a silver streak. But the man's eyes were just as sharp. He pumped the shotgun and fired. The blast lit up the pier and shattered the dagger midair.
What he did not see was the second dagger. Kael had thrown it a split second earlier, sending it arcing high into the night sky. As the broken remains of the first blade fell, the second dropped from above, aimed straight at the man's head.
The man sensed the danger and reacted fast. Another blast tore through the air, destroying the falling dagger. He let out a mocking laugh. "You really are an amateur if you think this old trick will work on me."
He barely finished the sentence when Kael was already charging at him. Kael's body moved with desperate force, like a wrestler launching a spear tackle straight from a WWE highlight. His shoulder slammed into the man's stomach and carried them both off the pier.
Water exploded around them as they crashed into the river.
The shotgun slipped from the man's grip in the chaos. Kael grabbed it underwater and swung it hard. The butt of the gun struck the man's head with a dull thud. Bubbles rushed out of the man's mouth as his body went limp, knocked unconscious in an instant.
Kael dragged the unconscious man out of the river with shaky arms. The guy was only around five foot six, almost Kael's height, slim like him too, but somehow Kael's weak body felt as if he was hauling a full cement bag instead of a grown man. By the time he managed to pull him into the boat and tie him to a chair, his back felt like it had been stabbed with needles.
Kael splashed water on his face. The man jerked awake, sucking in air like he had been drowning for hours. For the first time, Kael saw his face without the signature sunglasses. His eyes were sharp and strange, not human at all. They looked like the eyes of a reptile, cold and narrow.
"I guess this is why you wear dark shades," Kael said, raising a brow.
The man hissed and looked away from him.
"I'm not here to harm you," Kael said. His voice was calm, almost gentle.
The man let out a tired chuckle. "And you think I am naive enough to believe that? You barged into my home. What do you want? Do you have a grudge against me? I have never hurt an innocent person. I keep to myself. You are young. If you think a lowest E rank like you can become a big shot by turning into a bounty hunter, then think again. You only got lucky with me and that is all."
Kael smiled, completely unfazed by the rant. "Are you done?" he asked, giving the man a moment to breathe after his angry speech. "Like I said, I am not here to hurt you. I only need information."
The man finally met his gaze again, irritation showing on his face.
Kael continued. "I overheard someone asking you to join a dungeon raid today. You clearly did not want to go. So I plan to impersonate you and take your place."
The man burst into laughter. Real laughter. The kind that bent him forward even though he was tied to a chair. Kael stared, confused.
"So that is what this is about," the man said once the laughter calmed. "Do you even know the kind of people you will be paired with? Do you have any idea how terrifying a dungeon raid is? I doubt you have any experience at all."
"It is none of your business," Kael replied, his patience running thin. "Anyone looks at me and sees trash because of this body. I do not blame them. But do not try that with me. You are the one tied to a chair. And you were knocked out cold by the same person you think is beneath you."
The man's lips curved into an unfriendly smile. "I will gladly send you to your grave. You will not survive the raid. Especially not with that crew."
He leaned back as much as the ropes allowed. "You still have thirty minutes to contact Takeda Ren."
"You will be paired with six hunters. Their leader is an A rank. If you make it back alive, the association will pay you fifty thousand won. That is if you survive. If you die, they will not compensate you or your family. Your death will be meaningless. The money will simply be shared among whoever survives."
"That is wicked," Kael said, his voice low with disappointment.
"That is reality," the man replied without hesitation. "Now, let us assume a miracle happens and only you survive. The association would pay you six million three hundred and fifty thousand won for a C rank dungeon."
"What?" Kael blinked hard. "How?"
The man let out a sigh. "Are you dumb? Or did you sleep through math class? The pay follows rank. An E rank gets twenty five thousand won. A D rank gets double that. And it continues up the ladder."
Kael nodded slowly as the numbers settled in his mind.
"A total of seven hunters are needed for a dungeon raid," the man added. "Unless they have an S rank. Then the team size depends on the dungeon level."
Kael stayed silent, absorbing every piece of information. For the first time since arriving in this world, he finally understood how the hunter system worked.
Kael grabbed the man's phone and scrolled through the recent contacts. The number was right there, clear as day. He tapped it and pressed the device to his ear.
A sharp voice answered almost at once. "You finally called. Good. Prepare yourself and meet us at Blackfall Pier. The gate is already open."
The call ended before Kael could say a word.
Blackfall Pier. Even the name felt unfriendly.
Kael let out a slow breath and turned back to the man tied to the chair. "Looks like I am really doing this," he muttered.
He rummaged through the man's belongings and pulled out the hunter clothes and the mask. The outfit smelled faintly of river water and gun oil. He shook it out, slipped into it, and adjusted the mask until it fit snugly over his face.
No wonder he wore this mask. Those reptile eyes would scare a toddler into fainting.
Kael checked himself in the small boat window. "Not bad," he whispered. "Let's hope they are not the type who talk too much."
He crouched beside the man and began untying the ropes. His fingers worked fast but cautious, ready to jump back if the man tried anything stupid.
"You will live," Kael said quietly. "I don't plan on causing you more trouble. And I am taking this."
He reached for the shotgun lying on the table. The weight of it settled into his hands with a familiar heaviness. He checked the safety, then slung it behind him.
The man watched him with those sharp reptile eyes, unreadable but clearly annoyed. Kael gave a stiff nod and stepped toward the door.
"I will return your clothes," he said. "If I don't die."
The man hissed something under his breath. Kael chose not to translate it.
He pushed open the door of the boat, felt the cold evening breeze rush against his mask, and walked off toward Blackfall Pier, ready to impersonate a stranger and walk into a C rank dungeon where people like him were not expected to survive.