CHAPTER 46: CHAPTER 43: BEST FRIENDS

So he is coming from the west of here.

It’s not important.

Equilen spread his wings and darted in the opposite direction, cutting through the freezing wind until five snow giants loomed ahead, blocking his path.

One of them spotted him and hurled a strike faster than a giant should move. They were out for a hunt.

But Equilen twisted in midair, narrowly avoiding the blow, which only fueled the giant’s fury.

A deafening roar burst from its mouth, echoing through the mountains and alerting the other four.

The five snow giants were identical in appearance.

Each one stood as tall as a mountain, their massive bodies made entirely of solid ice. Their skin was rough and pale blue, covered with layers of frost. Their heads were bald and smooth, reflecting the white glow of the snow around them.

Their eyes shone with a dim white light, and cold air poured from their mouths with every breath. Their arms were thick as stone pillars, and their legs were like frozen tree trunks buried in the snow. Around their waists hung pieces of broken armor made from ice and bone, and their shoulders were covered with snow and shards of frost.

Another giant attacked, but Equilen flew higher.

Then one of them clapped his hands, creating a shockwave that sent Equilen flying backward.

It was rare to find a smart giant.

As Equilen pulled back, another giant lunged from behind with both hands, slamming him to the ground.

But Equilen controlled himself, continuing to float in the air, though lower than his original height.

Now, he was surrounded by five smart giants. Normally, a giant lived and hunted alone, but to move as a group and show intelligence meant only one thing: they were the elites of their kind.

One of them spoke.

"You are filled with massive energy. If we eat you, we can evolve."

Equilen looked at him, his face emotionless.

He removed his wings and started running in a zigzag motion at high speed, trying to use their height against them to escape.

He wasn’t afraid.

The Forgotten One had commanded him not to fight unless there was no escape.

But one of the giants stomped the ground, creating a shockwave that sent Equilen flying upward.

Then another raised his right hand, forming a massive blue circle that released a snow blast, freezing Equilen’s body.

A third giant struck him midair.

The fourth jumped high, bringing both fists down like a hammer, sending Equilen crashing to the ground.

The fifth giant then jumped, landing both legs on Equilen’s frozen body.

One of them spoke again.

"This guy’s energy is massive. It’s equal to three hundred years of our hunting."

"We will share him equally," another said.

As they spoke, a dark turquoise light erupted from beneath the ground.

"I told you, this is equal to three hundred years of our hunt!"

“Equalinios, appear.”

Equilen’s blade appeared.

He drew it from its hilt.

Equilen: Killing Art No. 3 – The Night Judgment.

“Death.”

A flash of turquoise and black light split the silence.

In a single breath, he returned his blade to its hilt.

Thud... thud... thud... thud... thud.

The five giants didn’t even realize they had been cut until their heads hit the ground.

Equilen’s body energy was consumed.

"This body is limited. I can’t release even a little of my power."

Then Lin’s body, which he had been controlling, fell into the snow.

Equilen returned his consciousness to his inner form inside Lin.

He stood and sent a message through his mind to the Forgotten One.

"Master..."

The Forgotten One opened a gate for him.

Equilen entered it.

"Master, ninety percent of the mission is done. We’re close to the exit."

"Good. We will wait until the body restores some energy or until he regains consciousness. We have time before this place is destroyed."

Lin’s soul was dreaming.

"Hey Jin, wake up. It’s time to go to school. Everyone’s already left. Look, the other beds are empty."

"Fuck school and fuck learning. I want to sleep."

Jin put his pillow over both ears.

"Leave me alone, Joseph."

"Okay."

Joseph went downstairs.

He grabbed a bottle of cold water, prepared his bag, then climbed the stairs again.

Splash! He poured the cold water on Jin.

"Joooooseph!"

A loud scream erupted from Jin.

Joseph didn’t give him a chance.

He jumped from the stairs wearing his school uniform, grabbed his bag, and ran fast before Jin could catch him.

Jin changed his clothes in a second.

The uniform was white and camel colored.

"I’m gonna kick your ass, Joseph!"

Jin prepared his bag and sprinted at high speed to catch him.

Joseph stood in front of the school. He looked behind and saw Jin was only a few meters away.

Before he could turn back, Jin lunged and wrapped both hands around Joseph’s neck, knocking him to the street.

"You asshole! You woke me up with cold water. You’d better give me a good reason before I kill you and send you to hell, because you won’t make it to paradise, womanizer."

"Okay, okay, bro... I’ll confess! Today our class champions are fighting the senior class, and I wanted you to play so I could look cool and rizz some girls."

"So you woke me up for that?"

"Ready for some beating, Joseph?"

"I’ll pay ten lollipops, high quality, with your three favorite flavors: coffee, strawberry, and cola."

"Okay, I’ll agree this time. Next time, I promise you’ll get some cracked bones."

Joseph stood, brushed the dust off his clothes, and took out a strawberry lollipop from his bag.

"My debt is nine now."

As they entered, a fat bald man with a rod stood there.

"Why are you late to school?"

"We were helping someone."

"Do you think I’ll believe that lie? Some students told me two boys were fighting each other. Lying and being late — what a combo. Each of you will get ten hits, five on each hand."

"How about a little deal, Mr. Kim?"

"Do you want to bribe a teacher?"

Joseph leaned close to his ear and whispered.

Hss... hsss... ffffff...

The teacher’s eyes lit up.

"Hmm... okay."

Joseph handed him a paper with a phone number.

Teacher Kim let them pass.

"What did you tell him?" Jin asked.

"I just gave him another number that doesn’t belong to our teacher Liza."

"Then what number did you give him?"

"A precious person for him."

"If he discovers it was fake, he will beat our asses so hard."

"Don’t worry. It’s all part of his wife’s plan."

"His wife’s plan? What do you mean?"

"She paid me to make him call ’Mrs. Liza’ from her new phone."

"The phone he will call belongs to his wife. Of course it has a new SIM card, so we won’t get caught."

"The one who will answer will be Mrs. Liza."

"And his wife will record the call and file for divorce."

"Why did you do all that?"

"For three big reasons. First, he’s been pestering Miss Liza, and..."

"And what?" Jin asked.

"I don’t like anyone pestering my women."

"Damn you, Joseph. Isn’t Nona enough for your simp notebook? Now Miss Liza too? You’re a real piece of work."

"Don’t insult me. I’m not a simp. My notebook just has top tier women’s taste. I have a big heart, that’s all."

"You’re a freak and a gooner, Joseph."

"Gooning is the only thing that remains when everything else falls away. That’s why I will keep gooning. Only gooning remains in my heart. That is my significant character, Joseph, the ultimate gooner."

"Stop twisting quotes of Feng . You really are a gooner."

"Do you want me to leave it empty? Let me admire God’s creation. Also, society is biased. If I kill a chicken and eat it, no one cares. But if I cook a peacock, I’m the villain. Same with cockroaches and butterflies. People call me a womanizer, but I’m just a philosopher."

"You’re still a gooner, Joseph."

"But isn’t she married? She’s not even Korean and only teaches us English."

"Don’t worry. I have boundaries. I don’t love married women. I’m not an NTR asshole. But if I found the guy who did the NTR, I’d take a pistol and have a serious talk with him in a room."

"Uh-huh... where were we?"

"She’s divorced. Two months ago. She’s now on my hunt list. She broke zero."

"Also, she’s top tier. I don’t even blame Mr. Kim. But when a womanizer fights a womanizer, one must be eliminated."

"So you have her real number?"

"That’s why I disappeared after school for thirty minutes. I was learning English from her."

"You mean admiring her curves, silk clothes, and face?"

"You really are a gooner, Joseph. The definition of unfaithful. So what kind of women are you planning to hunt next, Mr. Gooner?"

"Hmm... a Latin baddie around thirty to forty, a white haired girl with blue eyes, a gothic loyal beauty, and a black curvy girl."

"You’re collecting Pokémon now?"

"Hahhhhh!"

"Stop talking before you get horny all day."

"So what kind of women don’t you want?"

"I hate gold diggers, K pop idols, dancers, and actresses who have no boundaries. I don’t like women who dance or kiss other men for acting."

"I want to marry ten girls. I want to make my clan."

"You should calm down. You can’t marry ten girls."

"And also, your clan will be full of gooners."

"Why not? Maybe five or six. Ten sounds perfect. And I’ll have daughters too. If we count our age, she should be at least nineteen."

"So you can marry her, Jin, and call me father in law."

"Cut the crap, Joseph. In your dreams. I still believe you’d never pay child support."

"Hehehe... maybe."

“You were nerfed, no doubt. If you’d been born rich, the world would’ve collapsed.”

“Guess that’s why they dropped you here.”

“Money and gooning with Joseph? Yeah, that’s the deadliest combo ever.”

As they kept snapping at each other, they arrived at their class.