#033. The Undying Ember (3)
—
**The 48 boys of Kedrick’s gang.**
They watched the hunter raging like a beast between the Zephyr and Rotson gangs, their hearts pounding wildly.
“─Stop him! S-stop him!”
“─Why… why won’t he fall?!”
The hunter was single-handedly overpowering nearly a hundred enemies.
Shivers ran through their bodies.
The sight alone made their blood boil.
An uncontrollable urge to leap into the fray and fight alongside him throbbed in their chests.
It was admiration and longing—an inevitable emotion felt by street kids toward someone powerful, forged through their harsh lives.
Yet their feet felt glued to the ground.
Dry mouths.
Nervous glances exchanged.
Kedrick had fallen; it was only logical that the hunter would now become their leader.
“…….”
They understood it in their minds.
But their hearts couldn’t accept it.
Was it right to let the outcome of the duel decide this matter? Could they really acknowledge an outsider from beyond the sector as their leader?
Had they been alone, they might have acted already. But the mob mentality of being in a group made them hesitate.
*“If someone would just make the first move, it’d be easier to follow.”*
Everyone felt the same.
Humans, when together, often become cowards.
—
**”Stop himmmmmm──!”**
A thunderous cry snapped them out of their daze.
It felt as though a gale had swept through them, from head to toe.
All the hesitation weighing them down, the indecision clouding their minds, was washed away in an instant.
Overwhelmed by the exhilaration blooming in their hearts, they began to move without knowing who acted first.
**”Uwaaaaahhh───!”**
With wild battle cries, they charged at the Zephyr and Rotson gangs.
“What the hell are they doing all of a sudden?!”
“Our enemy is the hunter! He took down Kedrick, your leader!”
“You’re really going to accept some outsider as your leader?!”
The Zephyr and Rotson gangs shouted in panic, but Kedrick’s gang didn’t hear them.
“Get the hell out of here, you bastards!”
“Our leader is the hunter now!”
The chaos escalated into an all-out brawl.
—
—
—
“Block the door! The hunter said to block the door!”
“Philip and the money bag are inside! Break it down if you have to!”
Amidst the disorder, shouting filled the air, and shattered wooden sticks flew about. The battle centered on the hotel entrance was crude but had the semblance of a siege.
—
—
**Bang!**
Zephyr’s gang rammed a cylindrical metal pipe, serving as a battering ram, against the hotel door.
“Good! It’s dented! One more time!”
The boys pulled back, coordinating for another charge at the door.
“Stop them! Stop them!”
Kedrick’s boys charged, teeth clenched, but the guards protecting the ram made it difficult to approach.
“Let’s goooo──!!”
“Aaarghhh──!!”
With a deafening roar, the ram surged forward.
—
But just as the pipe was about to slam into the door again, the unthinkable happened.
—
**Clang!**
The anticipated deafening crash didn’t come, nor did the door crumple.
“What…?”
“What’s happening…?”
Everyone froze, staring dumbfounded at the door.
Someone had appeared between the hotel door and the ram.
**”It’s the hunter!”**
**”The hunter is blocking the door!”**
The metal pipe’s end was held firmly in the hunter’s hands, unable to move forward.
The boys holding the ram felt cold sweat trickling down their backs.
*Stopping the ram with his bare hands?*
This defied reason. He should’ve been crushed, coughing up blood.
Yet, the hunter stood there, seemingly unaffected, his expressionless face and eyes fixated on them.
When their eyes met his blank white irises, they involuntarily shuddered.
There, in the depths of those eyes, a blazing fury burned—one so intense they dared not look directly.
—
“Push him! Crush him!”
“Yeah, there are more of us!”
Desperate, the boys pushed with all their might, but the hunter didn’t budge. Instead, he pushed back, overpowering them in a ten-against-one contest of strength.
“Wh-what?! H-hold steady!”
The pipe lurched backward, forcing the boys to retreat. Unable to maintain their grip, they stumbled and fell, releasing the ram.
**”Woooooaaaaahhh───!”**
The tide turned instantly.
The Zephyr and Rotson gangs paled, while Kedrick’s boys erupted in cheers.
In that moment, the word “defeat” vanished from their minds.
They could win.
Because the hunter was on their side.
—
As if breaking free from a spell, the battle resumed.
—
“Dieeee──!!”
“You bastards──!!”
Though fierce at first glance, the battle clearly began tilting in Ray’s favor.
The hunter’s monstrous strength had shaken the resolve of the Zephyr and Rotson gangs.
Moreover, they had no way to stop the hunter as he rampaged through the battlefield.
—
“Run! We can’t win this!”
Someone’s trembling voice broke the silence, prompting Zephyr and Rotson’s boys to drop their weapons and flee.
**Clang!**
Pipes and wooden clubs clattered to the ground.
In no time, only the hunter and Kedrick’s gang remained on the battlefield.
—
**”Wooooooaaaaahhh───!”**
“We won! We wonnnnn──!”
Thunderous cheers filled the air as the boys embraced and wept.
Amid the jubilation, the hotel door creaked open.
“…….”
Philip cautiously peeked out, quickly assessing the situation outside.
They had won.
Against two notorious gangs, they had truly claimed victory.
His chest swelled with an overwhelming sense of triumph, as if he might faint from the rush. But Philip quickly focused on what he needed to do next.
He opened the hotel door and shouted:
“Ray—! Ray—!”
As loudly and forcefully as he could, over and over again until his voice nearly broke.
There was no one who couldn’t recognize the name being called.
The name “Ray” spread quickly, and soon only a singular unified chant remained on the battlefield.
“Ray—! Ray—! Ray—! Ry—!”
The person being called turned his dry gaze toward the dozens of boys staring back at them. The red mana pooled within Ray began dissipating into the air as his focused emotions unraveled.
His head felt heavy, ears muffled.
He was utterly drained, exhausted, and dazed. From the moment he woke up that morning until now, there had been no rest.
The fatigue was worsened by the effort required to channel his rage without letting it harm allies—a task that demanded incredible concentration.
Through it all, one thing became clear:
*”If not for the ring, we wouldn’t have won.”*
The high-quality mana stored in the ring made it far easier to manage. Its power, when used as a resource, elevated the magic to another level. Without it, relying solely on ambient mana, Ray wouldn’t have lasted even a few minutes in battle.
With a faint hum, the red mana that had filled the vessel fully dispersed. Ordinarily, the vessel should have been left completely empty. In Ray’s normal, emotionless state, no mana would flow back into the vessel.
But now, a faint crimson mana shimmered within Ray’s vessel—a hue reminiscent of a blazing sunset.
“Ray—! Ray—! Ray—! Ray—!”
It also flickered within the hearts of the boys cheering his name.
What kind of emotion was this?
Ray couldn’t say for sure. But it wasn’t unpleasant.
Unknowingly, this feeling prompted him to move.
The arms that had cut through the most wind on the battlefield slowly rose, and the fist that had felled the most enemies was raised high into the sky.
At that moment—──────────!
The cheers intensified.
The fierce, powerful cries lingered long after, echoing across the battlefield.
—
—
—
The hotel was abuzz with celebration.
“So, the hunter’s the new leader now? He beat Kedrick, after all.”
“Probably. I mean, Kedrick’s gang was chanting the hunter’s name earlier—Ray.”
The hotel kids didn’t know all the details of what had happened, but one fact was certain:
Zephyr and Rotson had attacked the hotel to harm Philip, and the hunter and Kedrick’s gang had risked their lives to drive them off.
As a result, hostility toward Kedrick’s gang had significantly diminished, which was why the hotel kids were helping clean up the aftermath without much complaint.
“Pass me that bandage, will you?”
“No, no, you’re setting the splint wrong—let me show you. Can you stretch your arm out?”
“First, you have to disinfect the wound…”
Though their movements were timid, the hotel kids showed remarkable skill in treating injuries, to the astonishment of Kedrick’s gang.
“Wow, you’re really good at this.”
“We’ve had a lot of practice. People like us get beat up all the time.”
“Oh…”
The comment caught them off guard, like a blow to the head.
“We’re weaker than you. Smaller, too. So we get beaten up wherever we go.”
What could they say in response?
After all, if anyone had bullied the hotel kids the most on the streets, it had likely been Kedrick’s gang.
“Anyway, thanks for driving off Zephyr and Rotson’s group. Even though we had a contract with them, they didn’t leave us alone entirely—they just weren’t as blatant about it.”
It was a strange scene: those who had inflicted violence were now being carefully treated by their victims.
“Maybe, after today, the bullying will lessen. It’d be nice if it stopped completely, but that’s probably wishful thinking.”
“…”
The words felt directed at them, as if spoken with intent.
It felt like a burning needle was pricking their hearts—a sensation unfamiliar to the boys.
What they were experiencing was guilt.
—
In the hotel, the busiest person was Philip.
“Make sure no one goes near the office. Ray needs absolute rest. We can’t let him be woken up by noise.”
Philip’s face was as serious as it had ever been.
“Got it.”
“Understood.”
The guards nodded with equal determination.
It seemed like a small task, but for the guards, it was an honor of the highest importance.
Inside the office, the hunter was sleeping.
“R-Ray! The hunter collapsed!”
After the battle ended, Ray had simply fallen where he stood, like a puppet with its strings cut.
Panicked, Philip had run to him, only to find Ray snoring away peacefully.
Ray was now laid on the hotel’s finest bed in its quietest corner—the office.
After exchanging a look with the guards, Philip headed toward the center of the hotel, where the other kids were reorganizing furniture.
*Kedrick’s group has 48 members. If we arrange things properly, there should be enough space.*
Kedrick’s gang would be staying at the hotel until they found a new base—a decision Ray had already approved.
Though it hadn’t been officially announced to the hotel kids, progress seemed smooth, as tensions between the groups had slightly eased after the battle.
Philip scanned the area, his eyes landing on two particular individuals.
In one corner of the hotel, Zephyr and Rotson were bound tightly with ropes and gags, thrashing like freshly caught fish.
