Chapter 27

In a city built on the water, where the sea could be seen wherever you looked, Yu Pado had deliberately come to one of the few places with barely any flowing water.

He had gone this far to accommodate them.

If they still refused to come out, then they were either incompetent spies foolish enough to let their target notice them, or plain cowards.

Pado slipped his hands into his pockets and waited.

Certain that someone had been tailing him, he idly tapped the tip of his foot for several dozen seconds.

One by one, the people hiding themselves finally stepped into view.

Pado’s eyes widened when he saw the three sturdy men and women.

“I’ve seen your faces before… What is this? Did you betray me or something?”

“You’re the one betraying us.”

The people who occasionally appeared around the West Sea Legion glared at him with vicious expressions. They already looked intimidating by nature, and with those scowls, they looked like hardened criminals who belonged behind bars.

Even surrounded by three enemies, Pado remained calm.

It was a bit shocking that the people who had tailed him all day were members of the same Legion, but beyond that, there was nothing worth being surprised about.

Compared to the elite squad from the Justice Enforcement Division, these three weren’t particularly threatening.

Their openly hostile expressions stung a little, but that wasn’t enough to kill him.

A sword.

A pair of knuckles.

A gun.

Each underground Hunter held a weapon in hand as they aimed at him with fingers resting on the trigger.

“We can’t just let some suspicious bastard like you walk into the Legion and leave whenever you want. Where are you planning to sell our information?”

“The Commander is too softhearted and careless to stop you, but we’re not. If you’re planning to betray us, you’ll pay the price.”

“Someone like you should never have—”

“Enough. That’s plenty. I get it. I was already wondering why everyone was letting me leave so easily.”

Pado cut them off flatly.

The attackers’ faces twisted in anger, but he couldn’t have cared less.

If his enemies were offended, that was their problem.

He already couldn’t understand why they had attacked him in the first place, so he had no intention of listening to their long-winded excuses.

Pado stepped one foot back and clenched his fist.

“If we’re both after the same thing, then let’s settle it the simple way.”

There wasn’t a river or even the sea nearby.

There wasn’t even a proper body of water.

For someone whose ability controlled water, it was a slightly unfavorable battlefield.

If his opponents were just ordinary, no-name outlaws, this kind of handicap was perfect.

People with grudges never gave up after losing once.

They always came back claiming, If the conditions had been a little better… or We would’ve won if there were five of us.

The best way to stop that annoyance was to crush them completely while fighting at a disadvantage.

It was the conclusion Pado had reached after spending his life dealing with people who constantly tried to stab him in the back—from the facility to the Legion.

“You arrogant brat. Just because the Association rated you as an A-rank Hunter, you think you’re special? Real combat experience matters far more—”

“Old man, are you here to fight or just talk?”

The same tired speeches.

The same tired competitive spirit.

Every word they used to belittle someone who was clearly stronger than them sounded painfully familiar.

Pado skipped straight past the conversation.

He wasn’t interested in the tedious setup.

He only wanted the conclusion.

Having been interrupted twice, their expressions twisted as if they’d bitten into a bug.

Being looked down on by someone at least ten years younger clearly didn’t sit well with them.

Their faces flushed red with anger.

“Come on.”

Pado crooked a finger arrogantly.

The instant his hand moved, the woman kicked off the ground and swung her sword.

“You took advantage of innocent Eun Morae!”

Pado dodged the heavy downward slash and drove his knee into her stomach.

She barely twisted away from the vital point before sweeping her sword sideways.

A small amount of water he had pulled up from beneath the ground slipped between the sword and Pado.

The blade cut through the water instead of him.

The split water scattered for an instant before gathering again and wrapping tightly around the woman’s ankles.

“So that’s what this is really about!”

Grinding his teeth, Pado punched the man who had rushed in for a pincer attack square in the face.

The sound of his fist connecting was strangely crisp… and unsettling.

The only water in the vacant lot came from underground pipes and the water mains.

Altogether, it was probably no more than two bathtubs’ worth.

Even so, it was enough.

Streams of water no thicker than a wrist had already coiled around the ankles of two of them.

Without mercy, Pado hurled both captives away using the water.

He had done nothing wrong, yet he had been dragged into someone else’s unreasonable hostility.

His jaw clenched.

“Get your facts straight. Eun Morae was the one who used me.”

There was little point arguing about it now.

But if either of them had used the other…

It had unquestionably been Eun Morae.

Pado had become a criminal because he saved her.

He became an underground Hunter because he accepted her offer.

He left behind the hometown where he had lived his entire life.

He had gained freedom…

But in exchange, he owed Morae a debt, and she now held his leash.

He had fallen into a position where he had to obey her orders and couldn’t even decide where he belonged.

But what had Morae lost?

Nothing.

She had spent five hundred million won, but that was pocket change to someone like her.

If anything, her standing and reputation had only improved.

Even if Pado disappeared from her side…

She would remain exactly the same.

Just as sleeping with him had changed nothing for her.

To Morae…

He was probably just one talented person among countless others.

Someone she happened to come across.

If she could have him, great.

If not…

She’d simply find someone else.

So who was supposedly using whom?

“Eun Morae… That woman…”

The one who toyed with his faint, budding feelings had been Morae.

Every time he took a step closer, she stepped farther away.

She was always the one turning her head aside with that unreadable expression.

She had shown him every inch of herself…

Yet she had never once said she enjoyed it.

She hadn’t even told him it had been okay.

He had told her several times that he was fine.

She had never once said the same to him.

When she threw herself at him so recklessly, he thought maybe…

Maybe she liked him more than he’d expected.

But today she had coldly declared there would never be another time.

Even if her hypothesis had been wrong…

She could have pretended for just one day that the results were still uncertain.

Instead, she withdrew immediately without hesitation.

She probably did value Pado.

Like a capable machine.

A well-trained hunting dog.

Or perhaps the third favorite necklace in a jewelry box.

That was why she hated the thought of another woman taking him…

Yet still hesitated to claim him herself.

He had endured the humiliation of being treated like that just to stay beside her.

And now they were accusing him of using her?

He honestly couldn’t understand what grudge they held against him to say something like that.

Yes…

He had gained an unforgettable first experience.

But it was also something he would never experience again.

The ground suddenly trembled.

The warning signs looked exactly like an earthquake…

A sinkhole…

Or a burst water main.

A massive pipe buried beneath the ground ruptured, sending a towering column of water soaring above the surrounding buildings.

Water resonating with Pado tore through steel and earth alike as it erupted skyward.

Watching the shimmering mist sparkle beneath the sunlight, Pado let out a bitter laugh.

People hated him because he was strong.

They treated him like a dangerous threat because of his power.

They accused him of taking advantage of Eun Morae.

All of it…

Because of this ability.

No wonder he couldn’t be happy when people only looked at his power.

It was as much a part of him as his own limbs.

He couldn’t bring himself to hate it completely.

But that didn’t mean he welcomed it.

The thick torrents of water, carrying Pado’s fury, writhed through the air like enormous whips.

After knocking all three of them down, Yu Pado sat on top of them.

Leaving his soaked sleeves and messy hair as they were, he stared into the distance. Since White City was an island with few mountains, the open sky stretched endlessly before him.

The man pinned beneath him squeezed out the last of his strength and trembled.

“Traitor… If you… betray us…”

“You’re the ones who came here to stab me in the back.”

Whatever they had heard, they still burned with hostility even after being beaten into a pulp.

The fact that they were still baring their teeth at him while barely conscious was almost impressive.

Pado struck the man on the back of the neck, knocking him completely unconscious.

Once the people beneath him finally went still, Pado stretched his aching body.

He had meant to teach them a lesson with nothing but hand-to-hand combat, but he’d gotten worked up and unconsciously pulled water up from underground.

Since he’d gone as far as bursting a water main, fatigue weighed heavily throughout his body.

On top of that, someone now had to deal with the destroyed pipeline.

After taking a drink of water, he decided he’d bill the Legion for the repair costs.

Partly because of Morae’s influence, and partly because both he and his attackers still belonged to the West Sea Legion.

It was only right for the Legion to clean up the mess.

Once he’d settled everything in his mind and dusted off his hands, he felt much lighter.

Blowing off steam like that had completely washed away the irritation that had been lingering inside him.

He no longer even resented the people who had screamed that he was a traitor.

After such an exhilarating fight—and an easy victory—he wasn’t petty enough to keep holding a grudge.

Still…

There was one issue he couldn’t ignore.

“This makes three times already.”

This was the third attack by members of his own Legion.

Three times.

In just ten days.

Two groups had called him a traitor.

Another had called him trash.

When he first joined the Legion, they’d clearly told him that while he was a trial new recruit, he was free to transfer elsewhere whenever he wanted.

Yet the moment he actually started looking at other options…

This happened.

The first time, he brushed it off.

The second time, he found it strange.

By the third, it had become suspicious.

No matter how large the organization was, being attacked by fellow members three times in only ten days meant something was seriously wrong.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t the Legion’s fault.

Commander Eun Jisung, just as everyone always said, wasn’t particularly attached to the people under him.

If Pado left, he’d probably regret it a little.

That was all.

Even now, the Commander was keeping him busy because there were plenty of things he wanted done before Pado left, but there wasn’t the slightest sign of him trying to manipulate or pressure him.

If anything, he seemed so unconcerned that Pado almost felt disappointed.

So this wasn’t the Commander’s order.

Nor was it an order from Morae, despite how desperately she wanted him to stay.

She whined about it, but she wasn’t the type to resort to something this underhanded.

The Legion had no reason to ambush him.

These attacks were entirely the independent actions of individuals who held personal grudges against him.

The Legion had so many members that disputes over transfers weren’t exactly uncommon among people leaving.

The real problem…

Was how often it was happening.

For some reason, Pado alone had already been attacked by three separate groups from within the Legion in such a short span of time.

Three different teams had risked their lives to attack someone they barely even knew.

That wasn’t normal.

Multiple organizations had suddenly begun sending him recruitment offers all at once.

Rumors that he was being scouted had spread almost overnight.

When he went to a contaminated zone on an assigned mission, the Justice Enforcement Division had already been waiting for him.

He’d been careful not to say anything about where he planned to go next.

Yet somehow…

Malicious rumors kept spreading anyway.

Even the people he’d just defeated had become victims of those rumors.

They genuinely believed Pado had some hidden agenda and had been willing to risk their lives fighting him because of it.

Even while suffering a crushing defeat, they had refused to back down.

They were enemies…

But he almost had to admire that level of conviction.

The question was…

What had driven them that far?

Originally, Pado had simply been an ordinary young man from the Hunter Association.

Other than being exceptionally strong, there was nothing about him that made him dangerous.

Pado thought he finally understood.

Morae had probably reached the same conclusion.

“There’s a spy.”

Someone inside the Legion was feeding information to the outside.

Someone inside…

Who didn’t want Yu Pado around.