"Ahh!"
It was the worst possible scenario. Screams echoed from all corners of the room, and the emergency evacuation order blared out without respite.
In an instant, the mist burn multiplied, continuing to create new victims.
"At this rate, it will be us next!" Dogyoon screamed.
A mist burn was not a monster he could handle at his level. Moreover, of all things, mist burns happened to be a trigger point for his most painful trauma.
"Huh? Dogyoon! Where are you going?" Suho was shocked by what he saw. The only hunter in the hall was running away.
Dogyoon narrowly evaded the mist burn's attacks and escaped the exhibition hall alone.
Should I follow him? Suho pondered for a moment, then decided to head out in the opposite direction to Dogyoon. He rushed to a corner of the exhibition hall and grabbed a fire extinguisher.
I'm not sure if this will work, but… He couldn't bring himself to leave the others behind. Holding the fire extinguisher, Suho ran toward the cluster of mist burns.
Hiss! White powder sprayed over the mist burns and covered them.
"Grrraaaaaah!"
The extinguisher had no magical properties, so the attack dealt an insignificant amount of damage. However, it managed to temporarily suppress their firepower.
That's some breathing room, for now.
Having proved the effectiveness of the fire extinguisher, he continued to spray it on other mist burns.
"Grrraaaaaah!"
"Aaargh!"
The time he bought for himself allowed Suho to examine his surroundings. He spotted a fallen friend, Kim Daehyun, and offered his support.
"Are you okay?"
"Ugh..." Tears and mucus covered his face.
"Hey, snap out of it!"
Suho shook his body, but Daehyun's eyes remained vacant.
Slap! He slapped his friend's face to bring him back to his senses.
"Su... Suho?" Daehyun's eyes gradually regained focus.
Suho's eyes looked downward. Did he twist his ankle?
"Let's get out of here for now." Suho quickly picked up his friend.
Thanks to the fire extinguisher, the movement of the mist burns was temporarily weakened. If there ever was a time to escape, it was now.
"What happened to the teaching assistant?" Daehyun asked with a trembling voice.
Almost every painting major knew that Im Dogyoon was a hunter. But surprisingly, he was nowhere to be seen despite the enormous danger his students were in.
"I saw him requesting help from the Hunters Association earlier." Suho didn't think it was necessary to mention what happened afterward. He's already scared enough as it is.
Upon hearing Suho's words, his friend let out a relieved sigh as he was carried out on his back.
***
They exited the exhibition hall, but the mayhem was far from over. On the contrary, the real chaos awaited them outside.
"Krrraaaah!"
There are more of them. Suho bit his lip. It seemed like the entire art gallery building was swarmed by mist burns. A magic beast that multiplies rapidly... What a piece of work. Thinking that he would be safe once outside, he felt like he had been lied to.
"Ahhhh!"
"S-save me...!"
"When are the hunters coming?"
People huddled together, trembling in fear. The art gallery building had a straightforward design with a simple layout of stairs and elevators. However, mist burns were lurking in every corner of the building.
If we continue like this, people's lives will be at stake. Suho quickly assessed the situation—all exits were blocked, and the magic beasts were multiplying rapidly. As the situation continued to nosedive, he worried about the irrational choices the terrified survivors would make. Jumping out of the window would surely result in death, and blindly rushing out of the building could complicate the situation if they turned into a magic beast.
Maybe, it would help if they could just find a way to protect themselves for the time being. Suho raised the fire extinguisher he had brought with him and shouted, "Everyone! Listen up!"
Some of the frightened people looked at Suho.
"I have a way to deal with the monsters!"
They all waited for his next words. The hopeful message made more people turn toward his direction. Those who turned around noticed the fire extinguisher in Suho's hand.
"I see!"
"That's right! A fire extinguisher might work!"
"We can kill the monsters!"
Life and hope returned to their lost eyes, but Suho felt slightly sheepish.
Ah, we're not actually capable of killing the monsters... But it should be fine, right?
The important thing was that the people had regained hope.
People scattered in all directions, determined to find fire extinguishers.
"I found one!"
"I found one too!"
.The people who found fire extinguishers cheered loudly, while those who couldn't turned as pale as ghosts. It was unlikely that multiple fire extinguishers were placed on a single floor in the first place, but the amount they had was enough.
Suho shouted, "Not every one of you needs one! Those with fire extinguishers, follow me!"
Those holding fire extinguishers looked nervous and scared, as it became clear to them that they would be the ones to fight. Suho stepped forward and aimed the fire extinguisher at a mist burn. He knew that it was time for action, not words.
"Grrraaaaaah!"
The firepower of the mist burn noticeably weakened, and those who witnessed the scene brightened up.
"It's working!"
"Good! Let me try!"
Hiss! With their newfound confidence, they began shooting the fire extinguishers at the monsters.
"Great! Let's keep pushing forward like this!"
Suho continued to lead the way, charging forward and pushing back the mist burns. Meanwhile, people cautiously followed his lead and descended the stairs—but more trouble loomed.
"Aaargh!"
More mist burns were still closing in from behind.
"No!"
"They're also coming from the back!"
The people, who had barely regained their composure, fell back into panic. Overwhelmed by fear, the survivors rushed down the stairs. Suho gritted his teeth. We're almost there.
It felt like the entire staircase would collapse and everyone would fall if they continued.
He placed Daehyun down from his back and asked, "All right, can you go on your own from here?"
"Why? What are you going to do?" His friend looked at him with a confused expression.
Suho, looking more determined than before, shouted at the people holding fire extinguishers, "I'll take care of the rear, so those at the front, continue to clear the way!"
"Okay, understood!"
Suho turned around and went back up the stairs. I don't know what I'm doing. He was a non-awakened person clumsily imitating a hunter, but he knew that there was no other choice. His body moved first.
Hiss!
"Grrraaaaaah!"
With his fire extinguisher, Suho attacked the mist burn that jumped at him from behind.
"Huh?"
"Grr?"
The stream of white powder, once forcefully spurting outward, had complexly stopped. Suho made awkward eye contact with the retreating mist burn
"I see..." Suho chuckled in disappointment. "I'm screwed."
"Aaargh!" The mist burn surged toward Suho, and the blue smoke began to engulf him. Just as another mist burn was on the verge of forming... something strange happened.
Shwaaaack!
The mist burn suddenly came to a halt. It was face-to-face with the profound abyss that had been dormant within Suho.
***
Mist burns were feeble beings, born from the remnants of magic, that moved solely on instinct. However, their strength increased depending on the amount of fuel they had, and they also possessed the power to multiply endlessly. All in all, they were tricky beasts to overcome.
To make matters worse, a mist burn's favorite source of fuel was living beings. Humans with their abundant vitality were like dry firewood, excellent fuel for burning. In that sense, Suho was the perfect prey for the mist burn.
Shwaaaack!
But the moment Suho's body was engulfed, the dark abyss that was hidden inside him, swallowed the mist burn whole.
"Krah?" The bewildered mist burn looked around in confusion. No matter where it looked, the endless abyss stretched out in every direction. However, it could feel that something was watching it from the deepest depths of the abyss—the mist burn growled ferociously as it released its blue mist.
"Krah! Krah! Krah?" But no matter how much it barked, the only thing that returned was an empty echo.
It was only then the mist burn realized that it wasn't a thing, but rather, the entire vast abyss itself that surrounded it was gazing down upon it. It was as if the entire abyss was salivating at the sight of a delicious meal.
"Kyaaack?!"
In a shocking turn of events, the abyss opened its mouth wide, seemingly ready to swallow the mist burn as it desperately attempted to flee.
Gulp.
***
Poof.
"Huh?" Suho had a puzzled look on his face. The mist burn that had engulfed him suddenly dispersed into thin air. The human body it had used as a vessel turned into ashes, and collapsed on the spot. Before he could make sense of what had happened, another surprise was sprung on him.
[The mist burn has been defeated.]
[Secret Quest: You have met the completion requirements of "The Courage of the Helpless."]
"What is this?" Suho's eyes widened as a message suddenly appeared before him.
[Level up!]
Flash! The dazzling light surrounded Suho's entire body.
***
Daehyun managed to escape from the art gallery building just in time. Thud. He lost any strength he had left in his limping legs as soon as he got outside. He fell to the ground in front of the art gallery building—completely drained of energy—but his eyes somehow instinctively moved to find Suho.
"Su, Suho, where is he? Have you seen Suho?"
"Who's that? Oh, you mean that guy from earlier?"
People remembered the student who had fought bravely, leading the way with a fire extinguisher.
However, Suho was nowhere to be seen.
After some hesitation, someone spoke out. "He said something about taking care of the rear, and went back up earlier."
"W-wait, you don't think..."
"He hasn't come out yet?"
The crowd murmured.
Someone muttered with a mix of hope in their voice, "But he's a hunter, so he should be fine, right?"
"But Suho isn't a hunter!" Daehyun shouted urgently.
The crowd looked even more shocked by the revelation.
"What? He's not a hunter?"
"If he's not a hunter, how could he..."
Their gaze simultaneously turned toward the art gallery—Suho had still not escaped.
That was when the hunters made their timely arrival in response to the call.
"It's here!" Dogyoon, one of the first to flee, had brought the hunters with him. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw that people had safely escaped the art museum. Phew, thank goodness. It looks like everyone managed to escape somehow.
As an E-rank hunter, he was convinced that he'd chosen the best course of action, but when he saw the people outside the gallery, he felt guilty for his cowardice.
"How did everyone manage to get out?"
Dogyoon and the hunters looked at the people with puzzled expressions. They couldn't believe that so many had survived a mist burn breakout in such a confined space. It was a relief of course, but they were still curious about how it was possible.
"More important than that, there's someone still inside!" Daehyun shouted urgently, "Suho is still…!"
"Suho? You're saying he's still in there?" Dogyoon immediately turned his focus onto the art gallery building.
"If it wasn't for him, we all would have died!" The raw emotion behind Daehyun's words deepened the sorrow in people's faces.
The hunters were curious about their reactions, which prompted one of them to ask, "Is this Suho a hunter? What's his rank?"
"He's a civilian."
"Come again? How could a civilian..."
The hunters were about to ask for more details when—
Crash! An ominous roar came from the art gallery, and everyone's heads turned toward the source. A sinister force of magic was surging toward the top of the building.
"Damn it, has the erosion already begun?"