SSS-Ranked Demon Hunter: The Prodigy
Chapter 43: Half-Blood Demon, Part 3

Chapter 43: Half-Blood Demon, Part 3

As the sun set and the first day of experiments on the Hive came to an end, a young blue-haired boy stepped out of the Kokuto café.

He wore a hoodie pulled low to cast a shadow over his face.

A black-haired girl working the counter called after him:

"Don’t stay out too long! It’ll be completely dark soon. Got that?"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you," the boy replied arrogantly and stepped into the alley that led toward the street with the Hive.

Meanwhile, Yushin and I had gone to grab a soda from a nearby vending machine.

Removing his gas mask, the burly man said:

"Finally, I can breathe normal air again. I’m not entirely sure if the flu spreads through the air, but I’m going to lose my mind in this mask."

"No kidding," I replied, tossing a few coins into the machine.

A can of soda clanked down, which I took and opened. Yushin did the same.

We leaned against the wall and rested in peace. Only the soft light of the vending machine remained, as darkness had fully settled in.

"How many days is this going to keep up?"

"No idea," Yushin said. "The four-eyes said they’ll finish all the analysis tomorrow. After that, we’ll move on to destroying the Hive itself. We need to be cautious—who knows what variants are hiding inside. Demons evolve by the second."

"Hey, Yushin. You’re a decade older than me. Do you have a family?"

"Hm? Nah. No one who’d care if I lived or died. Maybe that’s why I became a hunter—to make sure my name wouldn’t vanish into history like dust. What about you, Kihyun? Got any family?"

"No. I’ve got no one left either."

"But we’ve got comrades—people dear to us. What about a girlfriend? Judging by that face of yours, I bet you’ve got a whole crowd of them."

"A girlfriend? No, I don’t have one."

"Boring bastard. Start a family. It’s important, or you’ll end up like me—lost in your work, forgetting yourself. Every person needs someone to protect—that’s what keeps you holding on to life."

"I wonder, Yushin... do you have anyone like that? Someone you hold on for?"

"No. No one. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t care less about my life... I serve in a system that’s long since rotted. Duty and service—that’s all I have left. Pretty pathetic, huh?"

"Then find someone. Find someone worth living for. After all, it’s easier to die in the arms of someone close than with the taste of gunpowder in your mouth."

"You really think that?" Yushin chuckled. "Maybe you’re right."

"It’s not too late, Yushin. We can still turn fate around and live to see our dreams. Trust me."

I held out my fist.

Yushin, moved by my words, looked at it. His hands trembled—he wanted to believe with all his heart.

Deep inside, he still clung to survival. He remembered a childhood dream, when the TV spoke of a better world. Envisioning a life without demons, he enlisted.

And so, he bumped his fist against mine, a warm smile returning to his face.

"Yeah, Kihyun. I believe you. We’ll win this war!"

Somewhere in the shadows, standing silently in the dark, the boy in the hoodie was eavesdropping on us. From the look on his face, he clearly wasn’t thrilled about our presence in this district.

The next morning, everyone returned to their posts. The analysis of the Hive resumed, and at eight o’clock, Yushin once again invited me for breakfast at Kokuto.

As we stepped inside the counter area, we were greeted by the owner and the girl.

"Welcome back!"

"I was starting to miss you two," Yushin laughed.

"Take a seat, I’ll brew some coffee."

"Oh, no need this time. We’re taking it to go. I’ll have two donuts!"

"Same here—two for me," I added.

"Got it."

Looking around the café, I noticed a young man standing at the edge, quietly staring at me. It made me slightly uneasy.

They packed our food into a bag and even slipped in bottled coffee from the café.

We said our goodbyes and left, feeling satisfied.

Outside, the black-haired girl glanced back at me, stepped back inside, and walked over to the young man.

"You’re gonna scare off all our customers with that gloomy look," she said, pinching his cheeks.

"Cut it out, Nao!"

"Why didn’t you take your shift today? Afraid of the hunters or what?"

"Enough already. Just leave me alone! I don’t want to serve them."

"Guests are guests, no matter who they are," she said with her hands on her hips. "And don’t even think of doing anything to them, or the café’ll be shut down. We’re demons—we can’t expose ourselves."

"Don’t lecture me. You smelled it too, didn’t you? That acrid stench on him. I’m sure... he’s just like me."

"So what? You gonna walk up and tell him you’re a demon?"

The boy fell silent and headed upstairs.

"Aw, got offended," the girl sighed.

Behind his locked door, the boy thought to himself:

"He hangs around with hunters while we’re struggling just to survive. What makes him better than me if we share the same fate? I won’t allow it... That look on his face pisses me off. I’ll kill him."

Those thoughts ignited a furious fire in his chest. Every thought of me stirred a growing contempt within his young mind.

When Yushin and I returned to the Hive, I suddenly heard a voice behind me.

"Hey. Come here."

It came from the alley we had just exited.

"I need you. Alone. Hurry."

I turned around—but no one was there. I asked my comrade:

"Yushin, did you hear that?"

"Hm?" He paused. "Hear what?"

A chill crept down my spine. Was I the only one who heard it? A trap—or someone really calling me?

"Kihyun, something wrong?"

"No... maybe I imagined it."

I turned back and walked toward Yushin. As we stepped onto the street toward our unit, something shifted behind us.

There was a crackling sound—like something rustling inside a garbage bin. Could that be where the voice had come from?

In the blink of an eye, something lunged at me with incredible speed.

I dodged instinctively, but the figure crashed into Yushin, sending him flying into a wall.

The attacker skidded across the asphalt, then dashed at me again.

As I caught a proper look at him, I realized—it was a person.

But his speed was inhuman. He hurled himself at me, locking onto me with his legs. We tumbled backward.

Sliding across the ground like a ragdoll, I barely had time to reinforce my body with blood before my bones shattered.

"What the...?!"

Lifting my head, I saw him.

The boy from the café.

"Hey, dumbass. Get up. Show me your real strength."

"What the hell?! You’re from Kokuto—I remember you... So you’re..."

"Yeah. That’s right."

That unshaken confidence on his face—it was clear now. He was a demon. But why... why attack us?

A voice called out from afar:

"Bastard!"

It was Yushin—he had already summoned his Kenketsu. His body was coated in thick layers of Kuroen, even his face.

He charged toward us, a massive hammer in hand.

The entire squad readied for combat.

"I’m gonna crush you, you little shit!"