Chapter 37

When Han Nokyeong thanked him so warmly as a mother, it left Pado with no room to grumble or pretend otherwise. Feeling embarrassed, he lowered his voice and looked away.

Without realizing it, his gaze drifted toward where Morae was.

She was making her way across the training ground, weaving through the crowd.

Dressed in workout clothes, Morae ran toward them with her long hair tied into a round bun. The long ribbon earrings she usually wore like a trademark were gone, having been taken off for training.

“Morae’s coming.”

Even with Diamond Body, fatigue still accumulated. Nokyeong’s voice carried a hint of exhaustion after the long fight. She brushed the dust off her clothes, expecting her daughter to run into her arms.

Nokyeong opened her arms to welcome Morae.

But Morae ran right past her and cupped Pado’s cheeks instead.

“Open wide.”

“Ahh.”

“Even the inside of your mouth got hurt. You shouldn’t fight Mom up close. With your ability, your chances are much better if you fight from a distance.”

Morae gently parted the inside of Pado’s mouth with her index finger and checked the wound. Only then did Pado taste blood. He must have bitten the inside of his cheek when he clenched his teeth after taking a hit to the face.

It wasn’t a serious enough injury to warrant such a thorough inspection.

More importantly…

She was standing far too close.

Her mother was right beside them, and he was covered in sweat and dirt, looking like a complete mess. As Pado leaned his head back and stepped away, Morae immediately closed the one-step gap between them.

“Did it hurt?”

Instead of teasing him for being dramatic, she worried about him first.

That simple concern made his chest itch pleasantly.

Pado shifted his gaze, half avoiding her eyes.

“No… I just look awful. I probably smell like sweat too.”

“The wind already carried that away. You shouldn’t ignore a cut inside your mouth. Your teeth are okay too, right? Check them.”

Following her instructions, Pado ran his tongue over the inside of his mouth. The inside of his cheek had a small cut, but all his teeth were perfectly fine.

Sparring with Nokyeong was exhausting, but it rarely resulted in serious injuries. When he nodded to say he was fine, Morae let out a relieved sigh and withdrew her hand.

Nokyeong, who had been quietly watching the two of them, pouted.

“Your mom got hurt too, you know. You didn’t even worry about me first.”

Seeing her mother act disappointed somehow made Pado feel guilty.

Morae looked flustered for a moment, seemingly feeling a little guilty herself, but then turned around and scolded her mother instead.

“You didn’t get hurt.”

“What if I did? I’m tired and exhausted from sparring, and the first thing you do is worry about Pado…”

“But you won! Have some dignity!”

“My daughter is so heartless. Pay some attention to your mother too. I only went through all that because you asked me to spar with Pado.”

Nokyeong hugged Morae tightly from behind and whined. Trapped in her mother’s strong arms, Morae struggled and complained that she was getting dirty. She hadn’t said a word about Pado being sweaty, yet she was merciless with her own mother.

For all their bickering, they looked like an affectionate mother and daughter.

Watching the sulking mother and nagging daughter fuss at each other, Pado quietly stepped aside.

Morae called his name and tried to run after him, but Nokyeong held her firmly in place, preventing her from escaping.

When he reached the edge of the training ground, the Legion members who had been watching as spectators began offering him encouragement and praise.

Some said it had been an incredible match.

Others, now realizing the gap between their abilities, treated him with noticeably more respect.

Pado returned their greetings casually as he made his way through the crowd. Those who tried to stop him let him go once he said he was heading off to wash up.

Going all out against Nokyeong had left exhaustion weighing heavily on his shoulders.

His body felt as heavy as waterlogged cotton, but surprisingly, his mind felt light.

Nokyeong, who remained unfazed no matter how many blows she took, had been the perfect sparring partner.

Without having to worry about holding back, he had fought with everything he had.

It felt refreshing.

For someone who had never fought at full strength before, it had been a completely new experience.

Thinking about it that way, Nokyeong had been right.

He hadn’t truly given it everything.

He thought he had, but the fact that he could still stand and walk under his own power meant he still had plenty left in reserve.

He could feel himself growing stronger.

It was more than a feeling—it was a realization.

He was certain that with just a little more effort, he could reach a level beyond where he stood now.

“Not that I’d do anything with it.”

For a long time, Pado had lacked any desire to become an S-rank Hunter.

Back in his teenage years, people around him had acted so arrogantly that he trained relentlessly just to knock them down a peg. Once he became strong, however, he stopped wanting to grow any stronger.

He knew exactly what the title of S-rank represented.

Everywhere in the world, S-rank Hunters were revered.

Whether among Hunters or underground Hunters, that much was the same.

Even so, he had never craved fame.

He didn’t care what strangers thought of him, and with his current abilities, he could live comfortably for the rest of his life.

If he pushed himself one level higher, all that awaited him was a life spent fending off the hyenas who hunted S-rank Hunters.

The orphanage and the Hunter Association had constantly tried to motivate him to aim higher, but the harder they pushed, the more rebellious he became.

He knew they would only pile heavy responsibilities onto his shoulders and use him however it suited them.

The memories of how they had exploited him simply because he was stronger than others came flooding back.

For a long time, Pado had been content with where he was.

The higher he climbed, the fewer arrogant people remained to challenge, leaving him with no desire to compete.

At the same time, his resentment toward the Hunter Association only continued to grow.

He had no interest in making life easier for them.

More than anything…

There was nothing waiting for him one step beyond where he already stood.

That was true both as a Hunter and as an underground Hunter.

There was no higher goal he wanted to reach.

People always said that if you were strong enough, followers would naturally gather around you.

But he himself had never cared.

At least… he hadn’t.

And yet…

He kept taking one step after another.

He kept trying, without even realizing it, to become a little stronger and use his abilities a little better.

The reason was the same as Han Nokyeong’s.

Because Eun Morae wanted him to.

If things went well, Morae would jump up and down with a bright smile on her face.

That image lingered in a corner of his heart, urging him to keep moving forward.

“I’m hopeless.”

Pado clicked his tongue at himself, clenched his teeth, and headed to borrow one of the indoor baths.

The Central Headquarters had all kinds of facilities. There was even a small indoor bath, about the size of a private family bath.

Someone had been using it first, but thankfully, after seeing Pado’s exhausted state, they willingly gave it up.

Despite the few incidents lately, there were plenty of people in the Legion who treated Pado kindly. Part of it was because he was a Hunter with an exceptionally useful ability, but more than anything, it was thanks to Morae’s influence.

On the other hand, nine times out of ten, the people who treated him coldly did so for the same reason. His reputation as “the man Eun Morae was putting so much effort into” attracted goodwill and hostility in equal measure.

After quickly washing himself, he slipped into the bath.

As soon as he sank into the warm water, much of the fatigue melted away. The view wasn’t bad either—the garden beyond the large glass window, with the sea stretching into the distance.

Everything in White City and the Central Headquarters was first-rate.

He had always been told it was a lawless land ruled by underground Hunters, but in reality, it was more advanced than the capital itself.

Perhaps because so many scientists worked under Eun Jisung, strange and cutting-edge technology had been incorporated everywhere. It truly felt like a city from the near future or a luxury hotel—except without formal laws.

Even the bathhouse was well designed. The private reservation system worked smoothly, the tubs came with bubble and massage functions, and the huge glass window was a magic mirror. No one outside could see in, while those inside could enjoy the scenery in complete privacy.

Of course, it would also be convenient for more private activities.

Even the cleanup afterward could be left to cleaning robots or slimes, making it a perfect place for couples.

Since the people of the underworld tended not to care about time or place once passion took over, the Central Headquarters had plenty of places where such intimate matters could be handled safely.

According to Morae, Eun Jisung had built those facilities because he “didn’t want to keep seeing people making out wherever they pleased,” but in the end, everyone benefited from them.

Pado let himself sink deeper into the water and relaxed.

He found himself imagining how nice it would be to soak here with a woman while quietly enjoying the view outside.

If it were Morae, she’d probably wrap herself tightly in one of those oversized towels and act all prim and proper. She’d cautiously dip a foot into the water, complain that it was too hot—or too cold—and ask him to adjust the temperature.

And then Morae would—

“It’s hot!”

Morae’s voice suddenly rang out, shattering his daydream.

Pado blinked in disbelief and turned toward the source of the voice.

There stood Morae, wrapped in a large bath towel.

“Why’d you make it so hot? Turn the temperature down.”

Just as he’d imagined, she dipped a hand into the bath before pulling it back out. She looked as casual as if she’d wandered into a swimming pool.

“You… what are you doing here? Why’d you come in?”

“My house. There’s nowhere in it I’m not allowed to go. Mix in some cold water.”

“I reserved this place. It says so right outside.”

“I know.”

Her attitude practically screamed, So what?

That was the problem with the Central Headquarters—and the West Sea Legion as a whole.

They possessed advanced technology, but almost no written rules.

When someone reserved a room, they wrote down their name, but there was no rule saying someone else couldn’t walk in afterward.

The logic here was simple: the strong decided things for themselves.

Since everyone was comrades, the absence of laws didn’t usually turn the place into complete chaos, but every now and then there was someone who ignored every unspoken rule and got away with it.

Here, that person was Eun Morae.

“If you don’t like it, then throw me out.”

“Careful what you wish for. I just might.”

“Then I’ll get kicked out wearing nothing but a towel.”

Grinning, Morae flicked open the overlapping edge of the towel wrapped around her, deliberately provoking him.

Resting an elbow on the edge of the bath, Pado leaned sideways.

If any other woman had acted like that, she’d probably be furious, asking how they could shamelessly behave that way.

Yet with Pado, she provoked him without the slightest hesitation.

He didn’t dislike it, but the way she constantly pulled him closer only to push him away again, acting so brazenly, irritated him in a strangely pleasant way.

It felt like tiny insects were fluttering around inside his chest.

No matter how annoyed he was, he couldn’t exactly throw a girl wearing nothing but a towel out into the hallway.

In the end, Pado did as she wanted and mixed in a little cold water.

Once the temperature dropped slightly, Morae slowly dipped a foot into the bath.

“So after showing me something that embarrassing, you’ve decided to throw caution to the wind. Walking into a guy’s bath while he’s bathing alone.”

He grumbled loudly enough for her to hear.

In response, Morae opened the towel wrapped around herself and showed him what was underneath.

For a split second, the motion looked surprisingly seductive, making him instinctively tense.

Then disappointment immediately followed.

Beneath the towel, she was wearing a modest two-piece swimsuit.

The bottoms covered half her thighs, while the top securely covered her chest and stomach—there was more fabric than an ordinary set of underwear.

“Of course I came prepared.”

Which meant Pado was now the only one completely naked.

He let out a snort and turned his head away from her.