#025. Hatred and Rage (2)
—
*Whoosh*
Heavy raindrops slid off the slanted roof, trickling down in streams.
*Thump! Thump!*
The water flowed down the pipes crudely tangled against the wall, collecting in a dug-out drainage channel along the muddy ground.
In the world blurred by rain, the sound of someone running echoed.
*Tap-tap-tap-tap!*
The frantic footsteps stopped at the front of an abandoned factory, followed by loud banging on the door.
*Bang! Bang!*
*Creeeak!*
As if waiting, the door swung open, revealing the dim interior of the factory.
Inside the doorway stood a group of about a dozen boys.
Their eyes locked on the newcomer—a boy carrying someone on his back: Ray.
“Is it Philip? Did Philip come back?”
“Is this from the patrol?”
“Wait… it’s someone else.”
“Who’s on your back?”
The boys murmured, their eyes fixed on Ray, who was drenched, water dripping off his entire body.
“…”
Ray didn’t hear them. His mind was focused solely on what he needed to do.
*Step. Step. Step.*
He strode forward without hesitation.
The boys instinctively stepped back, forming a semi-circle around him.
*Step.*
Ray stopped and took a deep breath before speaking.
“Philip’s injured. I need someone who can check his condition.”
His voice, though quiet, was firm and penetrated the sound of the rain, reaching everyone present.
“Philip? Did he just say Philip?”
“Wait, I think it is…”
As more boys gathered, one of them recognized who was on Ray’s back and shouted urgently.
“It’s him! It’s Philip!”
The room instantly turned chaotic.
“Bring a stretcher! Get him to the infirmary!”
“Move aside! Make way!”
Bigger boys hurriedly brought over a stretcher.
“Here! The stretcher’s ready!”
Philip was placed on it and rushed somewhere deeper inside the factory. The boys who had been standing around followed after them in a flurry.
“…”
Silence descended.
*Whoosh*
All that remained was the sound of the heavy rain outside the open door.
Ray looked down at himself. Despite the mana shield protecting his skin from the black rain, Philip’s blood still clung to him.
It didn’t bother him much. The next clear rain would wash it away. For now, he decided to keep the mana shield intact until the rainwater dried.
*Creak. Bang!*
Ray turned and shut the factory door behind him.
Although he intended to observe the situation further, it seemed like he could finally catch his breath. The way the boys had quickly transported Philip suggested there was some level of organization among them.
When he turned back, Ray noticed a few boys staring at him.
“…”
“…”
The boys swallowed nervously before one of them demanded, almost accusingly:
“Who are you? What happened to Philip?”
“You better tell us everything. If you don’t…”
Ray lowered his gaze.
Their emotions swirled in a chaotic mix, like muddy water.
Dark green and red: suspicion and hostility.
Navy blue and black: anxiety and fear.
But what stood out most was the overwhelming presence of white mana—the kind that appeared when someone genuinely cared for another.
‘The fear and suspicion are directed at me. But the concern is…’
For Philip.
Judging by the clarity and volume of white mana, it was obvious the boys genuinely cared for him.
Their willingness to suppress fear and confront an unknown threat only confirmed this.
“I said, who are you? Why aren’t you answering?”
“If you don’t talk soon, we… we won’t let this slide!”
The boys continued to threaten him, their voices trembling.
Ray remained silent, observing their swirling emotions while lost in thought.
It was unusual. Typically, when fear and concern coexisted, fear would dominate. Most people would hide or flee from danger, even if they were worried about someone else.
But lately, he had noticed exceptions.
Veronica had held back tears and stood against kids throwing stones at her.
And now these boys, despite their trembling voices, were interrogating him.
What made this possible?
What conditions allowed concern to overcome fear?
‘I think I know the common factor.’
Both Veronica and these boys had faced their situations head-on without overthinking.
“Y-you! If you keep ignoring us—”
“W-wait! I think I remember who he is.”
Ray’s musings were interrupted by one boy’s words.
“You do?”
“Do you know him?”
“He’s… a hunter.”
The air froze.
Gasps and sharp intakes of breath filled the room.
“A-a hunter?”
“The one who’s been taking out other groups on the streets?”
Fear swelled, growing heavier.
Ray, emerging from his thoughts, spoke at the perfect moment.
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of harming you.”
Hearing this, the boys’ unease lightened a bit.
“R-right. Philip brought him here before. They were talking in the office.”
“Y-yeah. If he’d been the one who hurt Philip, he wouldn’t have brought him here.”
Murmurs of agreement spread among the boys as they cautiously asked again.
“C-could you tell us what happened to Philip?”
“He was being attacked. In Kedrick’s territory. By Kedrick himself.”
“Ah…”
The boys sighed heavily, their faces showing resignation as if they had expected this outcome.
“We warned him to be careful…”
“But you know how stubborn Philip is. He wouldn’t listen.”
As the boys exchanged glances, one of them began explaining.
“Philip goes out every time it rains black. He visits places we normally can’t go. Maps buildings, memorizes street layouts…”
“He always says the info will come in handy someday. Calls it a business asset.”
Ray pieced the situation together.
According to Philip, Kedrick had rejected a business proposal.
「I can’t stand weaklings! They make me sick! I want to kill them all!」
Kedrick had also shown intense hostility toward Philip.
Naturally, Kedrick’s territory would’ve been off-limits for Philip under normal circumstances.
‘He must’ve entered Kedrick’s area during the rain. For some reason, Kedrick was outside and caught him.’
It all fit.
Except for one thing.
Kedrick had spoken as if he’d known Philip for a long time.
「You’ve always been this way—clinging to the strong! You’ll never change!」
Ray could sense there was more to their relationship than what was on the surface.
It was information he needed to know, especially with Kedrick as a potential opponent and Philip as a business partner.
“Kedrick seemed to know Philip.”
“Uh… well…”
The boys hesitated, exchanging nervous glances.
“If it’s too hard to answer, don’t. I’ll ask Philip directly when he wakes up.”
“O-okay.”
“But how is Philip’s condition now?”
“He’s alive.”
Hearing Ray’s calm reply, the boys looked relieved but remained anxious.
“I’ll wait here. There’s not much I can do in the rain anyway.”
“O-okay.”
Ray moved past the boys, heading deeper into the factory.
He found an empty sofa and sat down, ignoring the curious stares following him.
Amid the murmur of voices and the steady rainfall, Ray’s thoughts returned to an earlier question.
‘If I could genuinely care for others… would things have turned out differently?’
Perhaps he could’ve healed Philip using white mana.
Or maybe he would’ve charged at Kedrick, driven by a true desire to protect someone.
‘In any case, the situation would’ve ended sooner.’
As Ray was lost in thought, a boy approached and sat on the sofa across from him.
“He’s going to survive.”
It was the gatekeeper who had been guarding Philip’s office during Ray’s first visit.
“You’re talking about Philip, right?”
“Yeah. He has multiple broken bones, so he’ll need some time to recover.”
“That’s a relief.”
“It’s thanks to you for bringing him here. Even with a doctor or medicine, if we couldn’t act quickly, it would’ve been over.”
Ray asked, “A doctor?”
“Oh, there’s a kid here who learned a bunch of stuff from a traveling doctor. They can handle basic injuries and even perform simple surgeries.”
This exceeded Ray’s expectations. Even if rudimentary, the fact that surgeries were possible was impressive. With so many kids gathered here, it made sense that some would possess unique skills.
Bringing Philip to the hotel had clearly been the right decision.
“Thanks. Honestly, it’s my job to protect Philip, but—this isn’t an excuse—he insists on going out alone whenever it rains black.”
“I get it. Philip getting killed or seriously hurt would be a problem for me, too.”
“Oh! Philip told me about it. You’re working on something together, right? Is that why you’re helping?”
“In part.”
“That’s incredible. You’re the first person to start working with Philip so quickly. Usually, he takes forever to trust someone.”
The gatekeeper boy looked at Ray with genuine admiration.
“I’ve heard about your upcoming duel with Kedrick. There’s also a rumor about you hunting down other groups on the streets. Honestly, you’re amazing. It feels like you’re a completely different kind of person.”
The boy’s awe and admiration were unrelenting.
And before Ray realized it, other kids had started gathering nearby.
“Is that the hunter?”
“Yeah, it matches—gray hair, white eyes.”
“He’s about our size, but I can’t believe he’s such a skilled fighter. It’s incredible.”
Ray’s reputation had already spread among the kids in the hotel. He was seen as a heroic figure who beat up the powerful gangs that tormented them. At the same time, his mere presence exuded the aura of a predator at the top of the food chain.
At first, they had only observed from afar, fearful. But after seeing the gatekeeper talking to Ray, they cautiously drew closer. Even so, they kept a distance of roughly 5 to 3 meters, as if it were a safe boundary.
“Do you think he’d accept if we thanked him?”
“Do you think he’d do a signing event?”
“Even the way he breathes is cool.”
“Can we offer him food?”
It felt like being surrounded by harmless little animals.
For Ray, this was one of those rare moments where he had no idea how to respond.
‘I prefer things to be quiet, and I need time to sort out my thoughts anyway.’
If he suddenly yelled, would they scatter like startled birds? Or maybe if he pretended to be dead, they’d lose interest and leave?
As Ray seriously pondered his next move, there came the sound of hurried footsteps.
*Tap, tap, tap!*
A boy burst through the small crowd, making his way directly to Ray. Breathless, he spoke.
“Philip’s awake.”
