"W-what the hell? Those eyes…" "What's going on?"
Jang Dong-pil and Seo Kwang-seok shuddered at the terrifying change in Lee Si-woo's gaze.
'All they care about is their own safety!'
Rage burned even hotter within Si-woo as he glared at them.
Of course, for an ordinary person raised in civilization, harming others out of revenge wasn't as easy as it sounded.
But surprisingly, Si-woo had no hesitation. He knew exactly what had to be done.
An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth.
Was this also the influence of Fantaurua's energy?
Maybe.
But now wasn't the time for such meaningless questions.
What mattered was that these two were about to commit something truly despicable—and they deserved an equally fitting punishment.
"Mercy is a luxury for people like you."
"What… What the hell are you talking about?!" "W-why?!"
The two of them were visibly panicked, but their fear meant nothing to him.
There was no need to waste any more time.
Silently, Si-woo raised his hand.
His target: Jang Dong-pil.
And then—
'Mind Domination.'
The moment he activated the skill, a tingling sensation surged through him.
Inside his mind.
Unlike conventional attack techniques, this was magic that infiltrated an opponent's consciousness.
Because of that, Si-woo's own brain had to bear the strain of the spell.
Crackle— Sizzle—
A string of electrical discharges sparked through the air.
"Kugh! Kraaagh!"
Jang Dong-pil writhed in agony.
Fortunately for Si-woo, as the caster, he felt no pain.
But if he dragged this out, it could put both of them in danger.
This was, after all, just a Level 1, D-rank spell.
'I need to hurry.'
As Si-woo delved into Jang Dong-pil's consciousness, he quickly assessed his limits.
'I can only erase about half a day's worth of memories.'
That was enough to rewind his mind to before they met.
'Perfect. I'll erase all memories of meeting me in the Gate—plus the next hour for good measure.'
Crackle— Sizzle—
'Then, after waiting an hour at the Gate's entrance, you'll delete the black box data from the Ampomation system.'
Zap— Crackle!
"Gaaahhh!"
Like programming commands into a computer, Si-woo planted his instructions deep into Jang Dong-pil's mind.
Then—
Whoosh—
Si-woo quickly withdrew from his consciousness.
Jang Dong-pil stood there, his eyes unfocused.
Like a zombie, he swayed in place.
'It worked.'
Just as planned, Jang Dong-pil would now forget everything about meeting Si-woo today and everything leading up to his exit from the Gate.
Mind Domination.
An incredible spell.
Of course, it only worked on those of equal or lesser strength than himself.
It might work on gathering-type Hunters like Jang Dong-pil, but against another mental-type Hunter of the same rank? That would be another story.
But that didn't make it useless.
With enough training and level-ups, he could eventually use it on stronger Hunters too.
"Hah…"
Nodding to himself, Si-woo turned his gaze toward Seo Kwang-seok.
Then—
"W-what?! What did you do to Jang Dong-pil?! P-please! Please don't kill me!"
Terrified, Seo Kwang-seok trembled uncontrollably.
A wet stain spread across his Hunter uniform.
"Tsk."
Urine dribbled down his leg.
"Honestly, you might be better off forgetting this too. How will you live with such humiliation?"
"H-huh? What do you mean by—"
Without another word, Si-woo's face turned cold.
Crackle—
"Aaaagh!"
Once again, he activated Mind Domination, diving into Seo Kwang-seok's consciousness.
Hours Later, Outside the Gate
Jang Dong-pil's eyes snapped open.
"Huh?"
He was standing in front of the Gate.
Earth.
Pyeongtaek Gate.
Evening.
Words surfaced in his mind.
'Why… why am I standing here?'
A wave of confusion washed over him.
Like waking up from a blackout after a night of heavy drinking.
Shuffle— Rustle—
Around him, Hunters were packing up their gear.
"Hurry up! The Gate is closing soon!"
KHA Gate management officers were preparing to finish their shifts.
'Wait… it's already closing time? But I just got here… didn't I?'
Then it hit him—
He had arrived at Pyeongtaek Gate early this morning.
And then?
'I… I can't remember.'
His mind was completely blank.
'What the hell is going on?!'
And that wasn't all.
A sudden chill ran down his spine.
His whole body trembled.
'Why do I feel like this?'
His limbs ached, his body weak.
Since becoming a Hunter, Jang Dong-pil had never once caught a cold.
For that matter, had any Hunter ever fallen ill?
'No… that never happens.'
Enhanced bodies. Superior immune systems.
Hunters never got sick.
But now? He felt like he had the flu.
A terrible, foreboding feeling settled in his gut.
"Damn it!"
Frantically, he activated his Ampomation device.
"Status!"
Nothing.
The device didn't respond.
'What the…? Is it broken?!'
Heart pounding, he switched it to manual mode and initiated a full-body mana scan.
Beep—
[No mana detected in Hunter Jang Dong-pil's body.]
His blood ran cold.
"No… No way…"
Panicked, he scanned again.
Beep—
[No mana detected in Hunter Jang Dong-pil's body.]
"NO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"
His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.
Had he lost his powers?
No. No, that was impossible.
He needed proof.
He needed to check his black box recordings.
But when he did—
"…They're gone?"
Every video file from this morning until now had been permanently erased.
Unrecoverable.
"What the hell happened to me?!"