Chapter 81

As Chahaya walked away, his expression was not visible, but he soon picked up his sword and Matari. His back, as if he were using dual swords, seemed unfamiliar. The action just now was a reflexive one that couldn't be explained. Seo-un was tense at the moment Chahaya turned around, but the only thing he did was to smile lightly.

Without a word, he threw Matari to Seo-un. Adjusting the direction so that the handle could be caught, it landed safely in his hand. It seemed like the matter was about to be concluded, but Chahaya's reaction was not as smooth as expected. When he turned to look at Seo-un, a hint of malice was detected.

Seo-un immediately ran forward, and instead of swinging his sword, Chahaya aimed to stab Namgung Joon's heart. Seo-un blocked the attack from below, causing Chahaya's sword to emit a low hum. The sound waves from his sword were like those of a black hole, producing a low and eerie sound, as if a beast was moaning in slow motion.

"Stop it."

Since Chahaya didn't release the force, Seo-un's palm, gripping the handle, tingled.

"Remember the promise you made when you joined Tachun?"

If the top species didn't follow the guild leader's orders, they would leave the guild. This was a direct hit on Chahaya and Hondon-hee. Since they were friends, such a strict rule had to be applied.

When he met Chahaya's gaze head-on, Chahaya swiftly pulled his sword down. He still had a smile on his face as he sheathed his sword, but his eyes were cold, indicating that the smile was not genuine.

Whether Namgung Joon was an ally or an enemy, or had other intentions, was unknown. But if every problem was solved with death, the blade of revenge would eventually be turned against them. The more enemies they had, the more isolated Tachun would become. Namgung Joon, who didn't expect Chahaya to react so extremely, looked pale.

Seo-un, still holding his sword, walked towards Namgung Joon. He then snatched the wet tissue from Namgung Joon's hand.

"Don't follow me. I don't want to turn my friend into a murderer."

Leaving the bewildered Namgung Joon behind, Seo-un turned to see Chahaya with his arms crossed. The scabbard in his hand was pointed at the ground, not at Namgung Joon. However, the upward curve of his lips seemed more confident than before.

"While other guilds treat top species like royalty, Tachun doesn't even feel the loss of someone like me?"

Was he expecting some special treatment? Namgung Joon belittled Tachun for not making a recruitment offer.

"We don't accept mental bonds."

Chahaya stepped forward, put his arm around Seo-un's shoulder, and said, "We don't accept mental bonds."

Namgung Joon let out a sigh. "You'll regret letting me go."

"Deputy guild leader, let's go."

Chahaya's whisper made Seo-un's shoulders involuntarily shrink, and he found himself deeply embraced by Chahaya.

Seo-un raised his elbow and lightly hit Chahaya's chest. Despite this, Chahaya acted as if nothing had happened.

"Hey, there's a mental bond here, so you shouldn't say that."

"Ah, I don't mind if you block my sword with a mental bond."

The grinning Chahaya twirled a strand of Seo-un's hair with his finger. Although they were always close, this level of closeness was unusual. Seo-un, not wanting to make it obvious that he was avoiding him, pretended to be indifferent and just moved his legs.

"Hamster, it's not that I don't want to kill that guy, but I don't want to become a murderer."

Where did that confidence come from...? It seemed that Chahaya's mood had improved.

"I don't mind if you become a murderer, but you'll abandon me if I do?"

Seo-un stuck out his tongue.

"Why do you keep talking about abandoning and such?"

Seo-un grumbled as he removed Chahaya's hand from his shoulder.

"You abandoned me once."

Chahaya's tone was devoid of any humor, causing Seo-un's eyelids to twitch.

He couldn't deny that it had never happened, nor could he push Chahaya away by saying he didn't understand his feelings at the time. The only thing he could do was to reassure Chahaya.

"If I do it again... just beat me up."

"If you do it again, I'll feed you, make you exercise, and play games with you."

Chahaya suggested an inappropriate punishment for the situation.

"Those conditions are almost like living together. Why don't I just go into hiding now?"

"Instead, it'll be a lifetime of imprisonment."

Chahaya smiled, and Seo-un felt a chill. If he lived according to Chahaya's words and ended up in prison, it might not be such a bad life, he thought lazily.

"Put me in a basement."

Indeed, a lifetime was too long.

"Top species, are you going to stick with me?"

Chahaya blew into Seo-un's hair, making a "puff" sound.

"Hot!"

"You've done it to me several times."

"Ha, who's the pervert, the one who hates belly breaths?"

"You're the pervert, hamster."

Seo-un was about to argue why he was a pervert but closed his mouth. The sensation of Chahaya's touch made him grip Matari tightly.

Meanwhile, Chahaya kept blowing into Seo-un's hair, making "puff" sounds and even nibbling on it. Other manseong species passing by glanced at them, so Seo-un bent his waist and slipped out of Chahaya's embrace. When Chahaya tried to put his arm around Seo-un's shoulder again, Seo-un said it was hot and shook his shirt collar.

Chahaya, instead of the collar, grabbed the bottom of Seo-un's shirt and waved it to create a breeze.

"Whoosh, Chahaya fan level 3 activated."

"You're crazy."

Seo-un chuckled, and it was indeed refreshing because the weather had become hotter.

"Hey, something's strange... I think my abilities are coming back a little, but it doesn't seem like any other abilities are disappearing."

It had been a little over a day since the messenger had not appeared, but there were days when it was quiet for several days.

"My elemental abilities don't make my sword abilities disappear. Since you're a top species, we are one."

Chahaya held up Seo-un's hand, which was holding Matari, and crossed it with his own sword.

"Anyway, you're such a childish kid."

"Maybe we'll merge later?"

Seo-un couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity.

Seo-un looked at the nearest mountain. Since the car at the hideout was gone, it was likely that Abdulraziz had moved by car.

The departure date was not written on the memo, so he didn't know when his brother had left. If Yeong-il had started to decay from the day they moved to Seoul, it would have taken at least a day or two before they decided to bury him on the mountain.

If their paths had crossed, Abdulraziz might have returned to Nam-dong. Perhaps he should have just waited in Nam-dong, but he didn't want to appear indifferent to Abdulraziz. He hadn't been able to take care of Abdulraziz as much as he had taken care of the others.

One fortunate thing was that Abdulraziz's exotic appearance would make him easy to find if they inquired.

When Seo-un shared this thought with Chahaya, he didn't object, perhaps not wanting to climb the mountain. Abdulraziz was also a well-known figure among Tachun's guild members.

However, the DK guild members and other manseong species living in the northwest said they had never seen Abdulraziz. Since he had come to bury Yeong-il, he might have moved quietly.

"Are you talking about the Uzbek top species?"

Seo-un had asked without much hope. A young man with multiple piercings in his ear pulled out a lollipop from his mouth.

"Yes, that's right! Have you seen him?"

Seo-un's face lit up with the unexpected good news. The young man immediately extended his hand, thinking Seo-un would offer him ugwangseok as a reward. Just as Seo-un was about to open his backpack, Chahaya tapped the young man's hand.

"What, what? If you want to know, just ask for ugwangseok, ow!"

The startled young man tried to pull his hand away, but Chahaya held it tightly. The young man's