#93. Xi'an (5)

As soon as I opened the room door, the formless energy spreading from the first floor shot toward Cheon Yeo-hwa and me.

Wondering just how confident he had to be to act like that, I released my mana to meet it. Of course, I hadn't reached the level where mana took physical form like Kang Cheol-ho, the Hunter Association branch chief, so the inn wasn't damaged.

Cheon Yeo-hwa had said it was best to avoid causing trouble in orthodox territory whenever possible, but if we kept putting up with every provocation, they'd only take us for fools.

I ignored the miscellaneous auras I could feel on the first floor and focused my mana on the one who seemed strongest among them.

His energy and my mana collided in midair, but only for an instant. My mana crushed his energy as though swallowing it whole.

He had probably suffered considerable internal injuries. That was the price for acting tough without knowing his place.

As I leisurely descended the stairs, several familiar faces came into view. The guy whose nose I'd broken stood out in particular.

‘He was only mediocre-looking before, but now he's downright ugly.’

The others were the men I'd seen at the inn earlier, but there was one person I hadn't seen before: a middle-aged man who looked a bit like a rat.

“You're the elder?”...