the shadow in the light
chapter thirty two; kamish the calamity
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
"death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it."
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
"why are there so many reporters?"
germany's best hunter, lennart niermann, stood in the american airport after disembarking from his plane. lennart niermann was the master of the richter guild and was able to attend the conference every year.
"those two korean hunters everyone's talking about is scheduled to arrive today," answered the vice-master of richter guild.
"oohhh," lennart said amusingly. "they're coming today?"
"speak of the devil, they're right there," the vice-master pointed out.
"should we go and exchange greetings? no harm in getting acquainted with two strong hunters," lennart suggested.
"that's true," the vice-master said and they walked towards y/n and jin-woo.
lennart took a few steps towards their direction before abruptly halting in his steps. his complexion was gradually paling as he stood in fear.
"aren't you going to speak to them?" the vice-master asked after noticing lennart had stopped.
"you... you don't see that?" lennart asked.
"see what?" the vice-master asked in confusion.
he doesn't summon his creatures from a different dimension but has them around him instead at all times?! he could go to war with america with those numbers!
jin-woo tilted his head to the side, prompting jin-ho to take a look behind him and asked, "do you see someone you know, hyung-nim?"
"no. but some foreigner is staring at me," jin-woo said.
jin-ho immediately chuckled, "your name is all over the news. obviously you'll have plenty of fans, maybe they want your autograph."
jin-ho smirked and nudged y/n. she gave him a smirk as well as they turned to the man next to them.
"so... what're you doing here, jin-chul?" the two asked simultaneously.
at the question, jin-chul spat out his drink. he coughed and put his shades on. his face turned slightly red as he answered the question.
"i'm here as hunter sung and y/n's... bodyguard."
"what was that?" jin-ho asked as he purposely leaned closer to jin-chul as if he couldn't hear the latter.
"bodyguard... for them..."
"bodyguard for who?" y/n questioned, grinning as she leaned closer to jin-chul as well.
"i think those people are our escorts," jin-woo's voice rang out.
y/n and jin-ho moved away from jin-chul, bumping their fists together at their successful attack on jin-chul.
baek-hyun gave jin-chul a pat on the shoulder as he gave him a look that said, i-was-in-your-place-too-pathetic-i-know.
"we were awaiting for your arrival, hunter sung and y/n," adam said as he bowed to them.
"heh, what're you doing here?" y/n questioned as she peeked out from behind jin-woo.
"didn't you work for the asian branch of the bureau, mister white?" jin-woo questioned.
"ahaha," adam laughed as he scratched his head. "i was, until recently. now, i'm responsible for matters that involve you and miss y/n."
two bodyguards suddenly approached the group, standing in front of baek-hyun and jin-ho.
"your companions will be escorted to a hotel," adam added.
"go ahead with jin-chul," y/n said to the duo.
"yes, miss y/n," baek-hyun replied as they walked away.
"do you mind accompanying us to a different location for a little while?" adam carefully asked the couple.
jin-woo's glare suddenly became icy cold as he wondered if it was because of his father.
adam quickly waved his hand around as he must've felt the temperature drop, "it's something that will most certainly benefit you two. i've already explained to you what the united states hunter bureau thinks of you, haven't i?"
"are the topics we'll be discussing a secret?" y/n questioned as adam led them to a car that was waiting outside.
"where are we going?" asked jin-woo after the car began the drive to the headed destination.
"we are on our way to the hunter bureau's headquarters," adam replied. "frankly, we are under serious pressure. hunter christopher was one of the pillars of the united states' strength. now that he's dead, we are desperately trying to fill in the void he left. we will soon begin to do everything in our power to find a hunter who can replace him."
"and so, we are your candidates?" jin-woo questioned. adam nodded as his answer.
"as you are also aware, the value of a rune stone is proportional to the power of the monster the stone was extracted from. the worst calamity in the history of mankind, the raid everyone wants to forget about... dragon kamish."
y/n and jin-woo watched as a photo of the said dragon appeared on a hologram.
"we are looking for a new owner of the two rune stones extracted from the dragon," adam spoke. "what do you think of our new offer?"
y/n was about to respond when jin-woo suddenly leaned forward.
"...the photos. can you go back, please?"
"pardon me?"
"the photo before this one, i want to see it," jin-woo said.
"the photo of kamish's body?" adam questioned and went to the photo.
"has the united states been storing the corpse of kamish?" asked jin-woo.
"yes, we have..." adam muttered.
"where is this? let's go there first," jin-woo said eagerly.
"what?" adam asked.
"i've been willing to give up my time for the hunter's bureau. surely i have the right to ask for this much?" jin-woo said and looked at adam indifferently.
"the extent of my knowledge is only what the higher-ups allowed me to know," adam said truthfully. "even i do not know where the corpse of kamish is stored. however... if it was your request, i believe they'd be happy to oblige. may i ask that you wait while i make the request?"
"well we're all going to have to wait, so we might as well go there and wait there," jin-woo said.
adam formed an expression of a man not knowing whether to be rejoiced or saddened.
⿴݃*₊↷TIMESKIP。
✧∘* ೃ ⋆｡˚.
the director of the hunter bureau formed an expression similar to that of adam.
"so you're saying that hunter sung and hunter y/n are here right now?" the director repeated. "did they say anything about the rune stone?"
"no, sir. he hasn't said anything about the rune stone all day but hunter y/n seems to show some sort of interest in it," adam reported.
"i see. so all hunter sung really wants is to see the corpse?" the director questioned. "i'm going to need to discuss this with the deputy director. could you wait outside?"
"very well, sir," adam said and stepped out of the room.
the director turned to look at the deputy director with an awkward expression.
"do you have an idea of why he wants to look at kamish's body?" the director asked.
"i can't say... well, one thing for sure is that he is not a tourist. the value of a skill is unimaginable. top hunters are more than happy to spend a large sum of money to purchase rune stones. a skill is a hunter's power, and power is equal to a hunter's survival... kamish's corpse may possess a greater value than the rune stone."
"wasn't his ability limited to the monsters he killed himself?" the director asked.
the deputy director's immediately widened.
what if he could create summons out of corpses that died a long time ago to someone else's hands?
"oh my god," the deputy director muttered as he stumbled back. "he... he is planning to make kamish one of his summons!"
"what...?! if that is true, it cannot happen! an individual must not be allowed to wield that much power!" the director shouted.
"but sir... if we deny his request, it may be difficult to maintain an amicable relationship with him," the deputy director argued.
the director's forehead creased up greatly as he fell into deep contemplation.
"all right," the director finally spoke. "i'll escort him myself. this might be a good opportunity to have a look at his ability myself."
⿴݃*₊↷TIMESKIP。
✧∘* ೃ ⋆｡˚.
y/n and jin-woo climbed aboard the special elevator with the guidance of the bureau's director.
"i wished to speak to the two of you in a more relaxed context, but... i suppose this is what you would prefer?" the director asked.
jin-woo looked at y/n and nodded his head. the two had collectively agreed that y/n would be in charge of the talking unless jin-woo's answer was desperately needed.
"yes," y/n said with a smile.
the elevator finally opened its door on the 24th basement floor. the staff members waiting for their arrival greeted them upon seeing them.
"this way, please," the director said.
y/n and jin-woo watched as the director entered a sort of password into the keypad. the door with several layers of security finally opened up after the director stepped away.
a chilling breeze brushed past their cheeks. but it wasn't exactly a breeze. although faint, they could feel the magical energy infused in the air. there was no need to guess who the magical energy belonged to.
the moment they stepped into the room, they were greeted with an incredible sight.
a massive open dome brightly illuminated by countless spotlights overhead surrounded the corpse of kamish.
the body was perfectly preserved as it were - exactly as it was from the day it managed to kill several hundreds of elite hunters before getting killed off by the five remaining national authority hunters.
"all of the electricity used in this building is provided by kamish's magic crystal," the director informed them. "are you satisfied now, hunter sung?"
"please stand back," jin-woo instructed. he stepped closer to the dome as y/n moved everyone back further more.
jin-woo raised his hand to the glass, towards kamish. he then quietly spoke up, "arise."
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[SHADOW EXTRACTION HAS FAILED.]
[TWO ATTEMPTS REMAINING.]
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this didn't faze jin-woo as he calmly moved on and attempted the extraction the second time.
"arise."
after a second, the spotlights located on the ceiling suddenly began flickering. from somewhere unknown, a streak of chilling wind came up.
screams of a dragon roared out from someplace that was impossible to locate and caused everyone to cover their ears in a hurry.
a certain something was slowly rising up from the shadow. the rising shape enveloped in the rising plumes of black smoke was undeniably a dragon.
jin-woo turned back to y/n, smiling brightly like a puppy wanting to get praised by his master. y/n chuckled as she stood next to him, kissing his cheek as his reward.
the dragon let out another roar before looking at the two humans by its feet.
"were you the one that summoned me, king of the dead, shadow monarch?" kamish questioned.
"w-what the hell is that?!" adam shouted in fear.
"human... human?" kamish repeated as it raised its claw to the glass wall. "humans... must die. i will... kill you all."
two enormous cracks formed on the glass wall and everyone screamed as they backed away. seconds later, the glass wall broke into pieces as kamish let out another roar.
it was then that everyone spotted the purple light gathering within the open maw of kamish.
"sir, you must evacuate!"
"that's kamish's breath! you think we'll be safe by running away?!" the director shouted.
"enough!" jin-woo shouted at the top of his lungs.
"the magic crystal embedded in your head was removed long ago. you do not need to obey the rulers' commands," y/n said to kamish.
adam watched the two in fear as he asked the deputy director, "are hunter sung and y/n speaking monster tongue right now?"
"i can't believe what i'm seeing," the deputy director muttered.
"so this is how it feels to submit to the shadow monarch," kamish said as it lowered its head. "this lowly servant who once served the dragon emperor pays respect to the new monarch."
"you served the dragon emperor?" jin-woo questioned.
"that is correct, my lord. i served the king of berserk dragons, the monarch of destruction."
y/n took a step closer to kamish and it turned its head towards her. its eyes seemed to widen at the sight of her.
"i served the one that resides inside you as well," kamish said. "lucia was her name."
"you know lucia?" y/n asked eagerly as she lifted her hand up to kamish's head, patting it.
"she was extremely kind to me," kamish added. its eyes closed and enjoyed the warmth of its old master.
"sir, is it... is it wagging its tail?!" adam asked dumbfounded.
the deputy director's jaw dropped open as he stared at kamish wagging its tail as y/n patted it.
"regrettably, my king and old master... i must bid you farewell," kamish said.
"what?" jin-woo asked, suddenly alarmed.
"it seems our meeting came about far too late, my lord," kamish responded as its body began to disintegrate.
jin-woo desperately called upon the system as kamish said its farewells.
"i truly envy your majesty's soldiers that can serve you for all of eternity. my king, there were four human beings who borrowed the power of the rulers. please be wary of them."
kamish stepped back as it looked at both y/n and jin-woo.
"it has been an honour to be in the presence of my new king and old master one last time..."
just like that, a deathly silence overcame the room.
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[SHADOW EXTRACTION HAS FAILED.]
[THE TARGET'S SHADOW HAS RETURNED TO THE EMPTINESS OF THE VOID.]
[TOO MUCH TIME HAS ELAPSED SINCE THE TARGET'S DEATH. FURTHER ATTEMPTS OF EXTRACTION WILL BE INEFFECTUAL.]
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jin-woo turned around as he looked at adam, "please relay my apologies to the director. i will cover for the repair as much as i can."
"sure..." adam murmured, still astounded by what had happened.
y/n followed jin-woo out of the room wordlessly. she didn't flinch when he punched the wall out of anger and frustration.
jin-woo walked away, making sure they were out of everyone's sights. he grabbed y/n by her waist without a second, burying his face in the crook of her neck.
he sighed into her, clenching his hands behind her back. y/n leaned on his shoulder, caressing his hair.
"you did your best jin-woo," y/n whispered.
"i know... but it just wasn't enough. it frustrates me when shadow extraction fails, you know?" jin-woo muttered.
"jin-woo, i don't even have shadow extraction so i don't know," y/n said with a laugh.
jin-woo laughed as well, smiling on her skin. y/n sighed as she said, "i was sad. kamish was so cute, i wanted him as my pet dragon."
"your pet dragon?" jin-woo repeated.
"what? it's fair, isn't it? you have kaisel so i wanted kamish! plus, kamish is like way better and stronger," y/n said with a huff. "much cuter too."
jin-woo rolled his eyes, feigning to be hurt from her comments.
"you okay now? or do you need a kiss to heal that booboo of yours?" y/n teased, pouting at him as she babied him.
"i'm hurt mentally not physically. but i'd like to have that kiss," jin-woo said as he pulled away.
y/n giggled at his response before pulling him towards her. her lips were on his in no time, smiling through the kiss.
"can we go back to the hotel now? my legs are killing me," y/n said.
jin-woo chuckled as he nodded his head. the two left the building, heading inside the car they had arrived in as they waited for adam to appear.
⿴݃*₊↷TIMESKIP。
✧∘* ೃ ⋆｡˚.
"oh, y/n, hunter sung, why couldn't we get ahold of you?" jin-chul asked after seeing them enter the hotel.
"we were somewhere without reception for a short while," y/n answered.
"then have you met with hunter yoo jin-ho and baek-hyun?" jin-chul questioned.
"pardon?" jin-woo and y/n looked confused.
"they left after you contacted them," jin-chul replied. "you told them that you two were waiting for them at the hunter bureau."
"we just returned from there. what are you talking about?" jin-woo asked.
"hunter yoo jin-ho and park baek-hyun were not in the visitor's logs," adam said and confirmed the fact.
"what that can't be right. a hunter from scavenger guild came to fetch him about two hours ago..." jin-chul trailed off.
y/n's hands clenched into fists as she turned away. she immediately knew who it wad after the mention of scavengers guild. she ran outside of the hotel, leaving the three males speechless.
that bastard, hwang dong-su! i'm going to kill him!
adam quickly took out his phone, "the scavenger's guild has a close relationship to the hunter's bureau, they do not take care of our matters. i will ask them about this matter."
laura answered the call after several ringtones later. adam quickly introduced himself before explaining the matter at hand.
"so you're saying that we escorted the vice-leader of ahjin guild along with the assistant of hunter y/n?" laura clarified.
her eyes widened as a sudden realisation came onto her.
"does hunter sung jin-woo or y/n know about this matter?" laura questioned.
"well hunter y/n left a few minutes ago. hunter sung jin-woo hasn't heard of the news yet. hunter yoo jin-ho and baek-hyun's companion had called us to find out what was going on earlier, you see."
"damn it. don't worry, i shall get to the bottom of this immediately," laura said as she ended the call.
"hunter sung! the scavenger guild said they'll investigate so they should get back to us as soon-"
adam's eyes widened after not spotting jin-woo standing at where he used to. he hurriedly ran out of the hotel before staring at the street, not knowing what to do next.
***
jin-woo jumped onto building after building, stopping after he got high enough.
this is all my fault. after i used shadow exchange to save chairman yoo myunghan back then, i didn't assign a shadow soldier to jin-ho or baek-hyun.
"arise," jin-woo commanded.
multiple shadows separated from jin-woo's own as he commanded them.
"find them!"
***
thomas andre scanned the interior of the apartment with a hardened face.
inside the luxurious apartment where hwang dong-su was supposed to stay, a pile of hunters that were knocked out were situated in the middle.
"he's done it now..." thomas muttered as he removed his shades before crushing them with his bare hand.
"find hwang dong-su before y/n or sung jin-woo does! no matter what, we must find him first!"
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