I summoned my staff as he closed the distance between us, his footsteps echoing against the clinic's blood-stained floor.
He didn't say a word—just kicked the door open, the hinges screaming in protest.
"I came to retrieve your debt, Hannib—"
His words stopped. His pupils shrank.
The muzzle of his gun lowered slightly as his eyes found me instead of his target.
"Han Seora…?" he said, voice calm but carrying something sharp beneath it. "Why are you here? You weren't supposed to step foot in the Underworld—not yet."
My grip on the staff tightened. My pulse thundered in my ears.
"How do you know my name?!" I demanded, raising my staff toward him.
Isn't Seora supposed to enter the Underworld after the Italy arc?
He sighed, sounding genuinely disappointed.
"Sigh… this is a waste of time."
With a flick of his finger, something invisible coiled around me — cold and sharp like steel wire. My body froze instantly.
He walked past me, toward Hannibal's motionless body.
"I'll make this quick."
Kneeling down, he searched through Hannibal's coat until his hand stopped on a small glass vial filled with crimson liquid.
I strained against the invisible bindings. The threads shimmered faintly — silver light pulsing through them like veins of mana. A circuit.
If I could just… twist it.
I gathered a thread of mana into my fingertips and pushed against the current.
The circuit flickered—
Then broke.
The restraints snapped off, falling to the floor like severed silk.
Meanwhile, the man muttered to himself, still examining the vial.
"Well… this much should be enough."
My grip tightened around my staff.
Big mistake, buddy.
[Supernova.]
A blinding sphere of light exploded from the tip of my staff, engulfing him in a beam that tore through the entire clinic.
Wood shattered. Dust filled the air. The ground trembled.
When the smoke cleared, I could see him standing in the crater—his suit dusty, but otherwise untouched.
"…Cough… Cough…" He dusted himself off casually, like he'd just tripped.
"That was very sneaky of you."
My eyes widened. "How are you still standing after that?"
He smiled faintly. "There's nothing that forces me to answer that, is there?"
Then, as if bored, he pocketed the vial and took a step back.
"Well, I got what I came for. I'll take my leave now."
He stepped into the shadows. His presence—his mana, even his scent—vanished in an instant.
I exhaled shakily, lowering my staff. But then—
"…You might want to know this."
His whisper brushed against my ear.
I spun around, but he was gone. Only a single piece of paper drifted through the air, landing softly at my feet.
I picked it up before it touched the floor.
The handwriting was neat, deliberate—yet strangely rushed.
And as I read the first line, my heart sank.
___
[Bounty Notice]
Name: Hannibal Liana
Description:
A woman posing as a doctor to conceal her forbidden research. She is responsible for creating a Chimera Vampire using human blood and flesh. Hannibal utilizes these remains to brew what is known as the Potion of Blood — a substance rumored to grant temporary regenerative abilities at the cost of sanity.
• Mission Objective:
Retrieve the Potion of Blood from Hannibal's possession.
• Proof of Completion:
Submit the recovered vial(s) containing the Potion of Blood to the Mercenary Guild. The reward will be determined by the quantity and purity of the substance delivered.
Reward: { 11,000,000 $ }
___
Hannibal Liana… a Chimera maker.
There was never a single mention of anyone by that name in the novel, so I thought she was just another background character.
But to think she was one of the few real Chimera makers… I never even considered that possibility.
Just then, my smartband began to buzz.
An incoming call.
[Old Lady…]
I accepted the call.
"Seora! Are you alright?! I just got word about Hannibal Liana! People are saying she lured victims into her clinic to use them as ingredients for her Chimera experiments!"
The old lady's voice came rapid and frantic, spilling out so fast I could barely keep up.
"I'm fine," I said quietly, glancing at the bloodstained floor. "Hannibal's dead. Killed by… some unknown bounty hunter."
The old lady fell silent for a moment.
I could hear the faint rustle of paper scattering in the background — as if she was frantically searching for something.
"Do you have a description… of the bounty hunter?" she asked at last. Her voice sounded strained, almost desperate.
"Why?" I asked cautiously.
"You might not know this, Seora, but Chimera Makers usually test their potions on themselves first — to build tolerance before experimenting on others." Her words came out quickly, trembling slightly.
"And if Hannibal's Potion of Blood was as strong as I think it was, then she would've been a monster in human skin. Only a handful of people could take her down."
I frowned, crossing my arms. "You're exaggerating again. The bounty hunter killed her with just a rifle."
There was a pause.
Then a loud, panicked shout.
"WHAT?! WITH A RIFLE?!"
The sudden outburst nearly made me drop my smartband.
Her tone was no longer cautious — it was fear.
"...I want that man's description, now!!!" she shouted. Her voice was so loud I swore my eardrums were about to give out.
"Alright, alright! I'll tell you—jeez!"
I explained what had happened — the attack, the clinic, and the bounty hunter's appearance — as best as I could.
And just like that, my plan to search for my teacher was cut short… by a man I didn't even know.
◇◇◇
[Kylen's POV]
Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, I could feel my legs about to give out. My lungs burned, and the lingering heat from the explosion made every breath sting.
"Seriously… that attack was overkill," I muttered between gasps.
Supernova.
That spell could rival an ultimate skill — and she'd used it point-blank. Of course I wasn't going to get away unscathed.
I pulled my collar aside and glanced down. My torso was covered in dark bruises, skin aching with every movement.
"Heal," I whispered.
A faint green light spread across my body, closing wounds but doing little for the exhaustion weighing on me.
Even so, I couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened.
How was she connected to an unlisted character?
There was never a "Hannibal Liana" in Seora's storyline — not in the novel, not in the game.
And Seora herself… she shouldn't even be in the Underworld yet.
We hadn't reached the Italy arc.
We weren't supposed to touch this part of the story for months.
The timeline was shifting.
Faster than I ever thought possible.
Before I realized it, I was already standing in front of the Mercenary Guild's gates.
I exhaled, shoulders slumping.
"…Let's just get my money and go home."
To Be Continued...