CHAPTER 29: PISSING OFF AN SS RANK HUNTER

While flying through the air, Damian activated his hardened skin ability. It protected his body from the impact. But would it matter?

Lion Beast could easily reach him with his overwhelming speed. He was known for his powerful physique—a hunter specialized in melee combat.

Damian didn’t know what to do. He stood up slowly. Lion Beast wasn’t rushing. He moved calmly, jumping through the broken window.

Only one thought echoed in Damian’s mind: "I am dead."

There was no way to escape from someone like that. But then, unexpectedly, someone appeared.

It was Leo.

Leo had been watching Damian. He wanted to understand him better and see what he did throughout the day. Never in his wildest thoughts did he expect an SS-rank hunter to show up.

He hadn’t seen what happened inside Nataly’s office. From his perspective, Damian had just taken a full blow from an SS-rank hunter and walked away unscathed.

It shocked Leo.

"Why did you piss off an SS-rank hunter?" Leo asked.

When Damian saw Leo, it was like seeing salvation.

"I have no idea," Damian said. "Do you want to test your strength against him? He’s one of the best—it’ll be a good challenge."

Damian knew very well that Leo was a powerful demon. If anyone could stand up to Lion Beast, it was him.

He was actually excited by the idea.

"I do," Leo replied. "If things go wrong, I can just flee. But you’ll need to find a place to hide—or kill him. Because if you’ve really pissed him off, he’s not stopping."

Damian had no idea how he could possibly outrun that hunter.

"I can help you hide. Wait for my call—go to the North District. I run that place. My lackeys will protect you."

Lion Beast could hear their conversation echoing from a distance, but Damian and Leo spoke in the demonic tongue. He didn’t understand a single word.

"How the hell do you know that language?" Lion Beast snapped.

Damian didn’t respond. He bolted. Lion Beast moved to chase, but Leo stepped into his path. A colossal battle was about to erupt at the heart of the city—one destined to become legend.

Damian wouldn’t be there to witness it.

He darted to the northern part of the city, seamlessly blending into the crowd.

By the time Nataly and Agatha realized what was happening, it was already too late. Unlike Lion Beast, they couldn’t sniff Damian out or track him.

And Damian’s minimal mana signature made things worse. He was practically untraceable.

He didn’t stop. As soon as he could, he hailed a driver and sped straight toward the North District.

Once there, he sought out any demon nearby. That wasn’t difficult—they all knew who he was.

Not only that, they understood why he was there.

Leo had already informed his lackeys of the situation. Word spread fast.

Two demons came to meet Damian. He recognized them instantly—they’d worked as security at the café.

"Sir Damian," one said, "come with us. We’ll shelter you."

Damian nodded and followed. But the demons couldn’t hide the awe in their expressions.

He survived a direct hit from an SS-Rank hunter... completely untouched, they thought. Sir Damian must be incredibly strong.

What they didn’t realize was that Lion Beast hadn’t truly struck with intent—he’d simply tossed Damian through the window.

Still, surviving Lion Beast’s fury was no small feat in their eyes.

The demons led Damian into the sewers.

He hated it down there.

But at least down there, Damian was safe.

And to his surprise, the sewers were nothing like the ones he had been to before.

They were clean—almost sterile. The place felt more like an underground base than an actual sewer system. That alone was a welcome change.

"This is our underground city," the demon leading the way said. "You’ll be safe here. Not that you even need it, of course. You could kill that SS-Rank hunter if you wanted."

Damian rolled his eyes at the claim.

He had no idea where these demons got their notions. To them, he was practically divine—a mythical being capable of winning any fight, against anyone.

The demons led Damian to a private room. They brought him food and treated him with the utmost care, doing everything they could to ensure his comfort.

Two hours passed.

Then Leo arrived—wounded and weary.

His left arm looked broken, and his face was a mess of bruises and blood.

"That Lion Beast guy is really strong," Leo muttered. "I don’t understand how you got away without a scratch. I was hurt in our first exchange."

"One day I’ll teach you the secret," Damian said. "But right now—how am I supposed to hide from that guy? Won’t all the hunters try to come after me?"

"No," Leo replied. "I’ve got someone tailing Lion Beast. And apparently, he didn’t say a word about you. Maybe you should talk to him... teach him a lesson, make him forget this ever happened."

"Really? He didn’t say why he attacked me?"

Damian was genuinely surprised.

"Yeah. He told Nataly he was just testing the current cleaner to see if he was good enough for the job."

"..."

Leo had a demon specializing in camouflage spying on Lion Beast, funneling intel directly into Leo’s mind through a mental link.

Damian exhaled in relief. At least his situation wasn’t spiraling into a manhunt. It was just one hunter.

But how was he supposed to make peace with someone like that?

Damian had no idea what to do next.

Leo had left, giving him some time alone in the quiet of his new, temporary room.

Then his phone rang.

An unknown number.

Damian hesitated... then picked up.

It was Lion Beast.

"I got your number from the company system," the hunter said bluntly.

Damian’s file was in the database. That meant Lion Beast now had access to his address, his number—everything.

"What do you want?" Damian asked, voice low and cautious.

"I just want to talk, I swear," Lion Beast replied. "Sorry for earlier. Just tell me... are you a demon or not?"