Chapter 89: Do Ae Young’s Biggest Fear

On the way to Dong-San City, Do Ae Young couldn’t stop imagining the worst possible scenes.

The corpses of Crying Ghost Guild hunters scattered across the ground. Buildings collapsing in a sea of fire. Or even more terrifying, half of Dong-San City erased from the map, leaving only a massive crater and columns of thick black smoke billowing into the sky.

"Please... at least don’t let too many people die."

She muttered prayers while running.

The Black Dragon Guild’s capabilities were indeed immense. If they wanted to cover up a massive-scale massacre, they could find plenty of ways. But no matter how skilled they were, that would still be too much to bear.

Especially when the culprit was none other than Kai.

Do Ae Young had witnessed Kai losing his temper on quite a few occasions. Every time it happened, he was like an ancient dragon awakening from a thousand-year slumber, furious enough to wipe out the entire world. No one could predict what he would do next, and no one had enough confidence to step forward and stop him.

So, throughout the entire journey to Dong-San City, Do Ae Young had prepared herself mentally to witness the most horrifying scene.

But when she actually arrived, she stood frozen in shock.

The city was still intact and safe.

No sea of blood, no corpses lying scattered on the streets. Half the city hadn’t been blown off the face of the earth either.

Only one area had been completely leveled. The ruins of the Crying Ghost Guild headquarters lay in disarray, shattered walls and pieces of glass strewn across the ground.

Do Ae Young stared at the scene before her, silent for a long time.

"That’s it? The Crying Ghost Guild’s headquarters?"

She didn’t know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or start getting a headache.

The destroyed area wasn’t small. But compared to what Kai could do when he went berserk, this was almost a miraculous outcome.

Do Ae Young immediately understood the reason.

The only person who could stop an enraged Kai was his "treasure."

Kei, that person, only him is the black dragon’s treasure!

Without needing to ask too many questions, Do Ae Young turned around and headed straight to Kei’s store. Sure enough, her guess was right.

The moment she stepped inside, she saw Kai lying peacefully asleep on the sofa. Kei and Kim Sora were beside him taking care of him, the atmosphere so calm it nearly made Do Ae Young burst into tears from relief.

After listening to Kei recount everything that had happened, Do Ae Young leaned back into her chair.

A long sigh escaped her lips.

Her gaze went blank as she stared up at the ceiling, where the store’s light was casting a slightly dim glow. Do Ae Young felt her entire body go limp.

"Kai really is..."

She didn’t finish the sentence.

Kei, sitting across from her, asked softly:

"Does he usually do things like this?"

"Hmm... Not often, actually."

Do Ae Young was silent for a few seconds.

"But every time it happens, it’s enough to take a few years off your life."

Kim Sora placed a cup of warm water in front of her, then sat down next to Kei. She curiously looked at Kai sleeping soundly on the sofa.

"What exactly did he do in the past, anyway?"

Do Ae Young picked up the cup of water but didn’t drink right away. Her fingers tightened around the rim of the cup.

"This happened two years ago."

Her voice gradually grew heavy.

"Near the Black Dragon Guild’s protection zone, there was a small city. One day, a Dungeon erupted right in the middle of the city center."

Kei frowned slightly.

A Dungeon eruption was one of the most dangerous disasters. When the gate lost control, monsters would pour out in massive numbers, and at the same time, the mana inside the Dungeon would spread, turning the entire surrounding area into a battlefield.

Those who suffered the most were the civilians living in that area.

"Because that city was right next to the Black Dragon Guild’s protection zone, we were the first to arrive."

Do Ae Young lowered her eyes to look at the water’s surface in the cup.

"But no matter how early we got there, that place had already turned into hell on earth."

Two years ago.

The once peaceful small city was engulfed in chaos.

Grotesque monsters poured out from the enormous black gate in the middle of the square. Roars mixed with blaring sirens,The sound of shattering glass and the cries of residents echoed throughout the streets.

Buildings collapsed one after another.

The injured lay along the sidewalks, endlessly calling for help. The hunters of the Black Dragon Guild divided themselves to evacuate civilians, set up barriers, and hold back the monsters pouring out of the gate.

Do Ae Young and Do Ae Min stood at a ruined intersection, quickly discussing their plan.

"I’ll take a fast team around the east side to rescue those still trapped in the residential area."

Do Ae Min spoke while looking toward the gate.

"And you’ll lead the main force into the plaza?"

"No. The plaza side has too many high-level monsters. If we push in now, we’ll get stuck there."

Do Ae Young looked at the temporary map displayed on the mana screen, quickly marking several locations.

"First, we need to set up a defense line here. Then wait for Kai—"

She suddenly stopped.

Beside them, Kai stood still.

His face, usually innocent and boyish, was now completely blank. His golden eyes stared fixedly toward the city engulfed in flames.

A child was crying. The sound was swallowed amid the roars of the monsters, but Kai could still hear it.

A mother was calling her child’s name. A small hand reached out from the rubble. A faint cry for help rose from a place no one could reach in time.

And at the center of the city was a pitch-black gate continuously spewing monsters outward, and faintly visible inside it was a massive set of sharp fangs!

A gigantic monster’s maw lurking within a thick, dark void!

Do Ae Young turned her head to look at Kai.

"Kai?"

Kai’s shoulders trembled slightly.

"Wait. We haven’t—"

A roar suddenly tore through the air.

It was no longer a human voice.

The ground beneath their feet shook. Fragments of stone bounced up, hovering in midair. Terrifying energy erupted from Kai’s body, compressing the surrounding air into a dense mass.

His golden eyes blazed brightly.

"No..." Do Ae Young’s face turned pale.

Kai lowered his body.

The very next second, he charged straight into the chaos-ridden city.

"KAIIII!"

Do Ae Young’s shout rang out behind him, but Kai had already vanished.

A streak of black light tore across the sky.

Kai did not wait for orders, did not wait for the reinforcements sent by other Guilds, nor did he want to wait for any plan to be finalized.

All he knew was that inside that city was a monster deeply familiar to him, and the hatred and agony were burning through Kai’s heart.

And the instinct of a dragon had awakened.

Kill it, kill the source of the rage that threatened to devour this dragon!

Do Ae Young watched Kai’s back disappear into the sea of flames, her heart pounding as if it might burst. She knew very well that the scene about to unfold would become one of the most horrifying incidents the Black Dragon Guild had ever had to clean up.

Because when Kai truly became enraged and lost his mind, the most terrifying thing was not how many enemies he would kill.

It was that he had no idea where to stop.