Chapter 99: Baiting the Prey in

Choi Sung stopped his truck near a silent highway surrounded by woods and opened its window. Mark placed his masculine, crimson arms, on the ledge from outside and his golden eyes focused on him, and the Hunter sat still.

The golden eyes seemed to be glowing in the night.

"So who are we hunting today?" Choi Sung asked.

Intimidated, he looked awkwardly at the hamster eating an acorn atop Mark's head.

"This time, we won't go towards the prey, the prey will come to us," Mark said.

Choi Sung nodded and sat straighter.

"So what do I have to do?" he asked. "Hunt down the weaklings while you handle the more powerful?"

"Just pretend that you are injured when the enemy arrives and he will come near you to help you heal, I'll handle the rest. Just hunt the weaklings once you are sure I got the bigger dude fine."

Choi Sung frowned, nodded, but otherwise remained silent.

Mark flapped his wings and faded into the woods surrounding the silent highway.

…

Mark remembered what happened some days ago. Choi Sung had been injured in a battle and had lost one of his arms—then, Yuri had contacted a B-Rank Hunter from the dark web to heal his hand.

A criminal Hunter.

He remembered what Yuri had told him in her exact words.

"I contacted a criminal B-Rank Hunter with a Healing Ability in the dark web. The man is dangerous but he is a VIP among criminals and he does what he offers with one hundred percent credibility," she had said, "But he is extremely expensive—I had to give him nearly half a million dollars and he won't be able to heal Choi Sung's arm completely back to shape either but he can heal enough."

"Will the Healer come soon?" he had asked.

"Yes." Yuri said, "Mark, don't hurt the Hunter when he comes, and don't show yourself. This Healer has an A-Rank brother backing him behind the scenes. Just in case, move Choi Sung away from the Laboratory Dungeon so that he can be healed somewhere else. We don't want the guy seeing the Dungeon and making trouble for your plans."

Suddenly, Mark's contemplation was broken by the buzz of the walkie-talkie tied to his naked waist.

Yuri said through the line, somewhat nervous, "I called the Healer. I shared your location with him and he would have reported to his brother who booked him, his location, and tabout the deal before he headed toward you. Do what you think is rational—he'll be there in about half an hour."

Mark nodded.

Yuri stayed silent for a while and hearing no other questions, cut her call.

Reol'ran said in his mind. "Be focused on your task, don't get distracted."

…

Choi Sung didn't know how to act injured, so he just froze his left hand and laid down on the driver's seat with his eyes closed. He could feel that this mission was unlike any before—this time, Mark seemed serious.

…

About half an hour later, a jeep pulled up beside the truck and revved to a stop. A bunch of teenagers who seemed to have been high on drug abuse jumped out of it. Many of them were naked and some of them were dancing like monkeys.

A disco song was running from a radio held in one of the men's hands.

The driver of the jeep walked out, yawning. Mark looked at him with interest.

He was an effeminate young man. The guy took his phone and contacted someone. "Brother, I just got out, no ambush bullshit. You don't have to worry so much," he said, "Okay, let me call my employer now and I'll try baiting her for secrets."

He called another person.

Mark's ears grew sharp and he looked at his enemy with intense eyes.

[Hailen Neslan]

[Tier-1]

[Physique: 70 (Medium)]

[Mind: 72 (Medium)] Searᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

[Hunter Ability—Sacrificial Heal: the ability to sacrifice one life to heal another. To heal an animal, you need to sacrifice an animal of the same species.]

The ability was not that much of interest to Mark, he had no way to steal it for now and he was not here to steal the ability in the first place. He was here for another thing.

The effeminate young man—Heilan Neslan—walked into the truck and looked at Choi Sung while the phone connected to the one he was calling.

He said, "Hakase Yuri is the one talking, I presume."

"It is indeed me," came a reply from the phone.

"How is it going, pretty scientist?" Hailen asked, flipping Choi Sung to look at the young man's face. "It's the second time you spent half a million in cash on this Hunter. Hum, well never mind, I am not one to poke my nose into other people's businesses." But then, Hailen squinted his eyes. "But there is a small rumor going on around our circle. May you be aware of it?"

Yuri said lazily, "What rumor, if I may ask?"

"Rumor that you are selling out information on us criminals to some A-Rank Hunter. Many mafia hideouts had been attacked and demolished recently; all overnight. Most of them have had business with you beforehand, too. Won't you say that is a big coincidence?"

"Are you saying I am a traitor of the underworld?" Yuri chuckled. "You might as well say that I consort with demons and is planning the end of this world. I have no reason to betray the underworld—the general public is against me due to my criminal record and if I piss off the underworld, too, I will have no one to call when in need. And I am not short of money."

The effeminate man laughed and looked at Choi Sung again, eyes squinted still. "Indeed, I have stepped over the line. Apologize, I apologize."

Just as the man wanted to use his healing ability, his face suddenly changed. Something powerful yanked him from the back and threw him against the ground. The highway cracked. His ears rang. And he took a deep breath in disbelief.

Golden eyes looked at him from right above him, immensely cold.

"My broth—" The man coughed blood. "My brother knows I am here. He'd kill you, Yuri, and everyone. Do you dare?"

Only then did he notice the red color of his enemy's skin. A Demon!

Mark's eyes glinted.

Dream Shock!

The young man's eyes blurred and he was briefly stunned. Mark squatted down and placed his hand on the Hunter's bloody face. Other than the weak healing ability, this Hunter had nothing.

Dark green vines moved out of Mark's palm and sank into Hailen's face.

Parasite!

The teenagers on top of the jeep screamed and tried to escape but Choi Sung sat up and pointed at them with two of his fingers. Many blue fire orbs burned beside him and moved at the enemies like arrows, they pierced each of them and turned them all into ice statues soon enough.

Mark looked at him. "You didn't know how to do that when you fought me."

Choi Sung smiled. "I also learned some things. I turn the fire into ice when it is just born and throw it at the enemy. It can kill mortals but even C-Rank Hunters would dodge it."

Mark clicked his tongue. That ability is wasted on you.

He then looked coldly at Hailen and smiled.

[Parasite]

[The ability to absorb other people's Mindpower by touching them.]

[The user of this demonic trick can also enter the bodies of people with '0' Mindpower and use them as a 'second life.' An armor of sorts. If the host of the Parasite dies, the Parasite does not die alongside.]

[When inside a Native as a Parasite, the World Wills will not notice the user.]

[The ability to absorb other people's Mindpower doesn't work if the Parasite has attached itself to a Host]

[Hailen Neslan] — [Mind: 0]

The effeminate man woke up with horror on his face and immediately began screaming.

Mark just calmly activated the second part of Parasite.

He liked to call it the Parasite Invasion.