CHAPTER 25: THE BERSERK STATE

But Raito didn’t stop. He tore the seal away and ran toward the portal.

"Hey, step back! What are you doing? Step back!" one of the hunters shouted.

"Sorry," Raito muttered, his voice low, almost broken.

"Hey, I said go back!" the other yelled, pushing Raito back.

Raito didn’t listen. His body moved on its own as he rushed forward, throwing a wild punch at the hunters.

One of them, a tall man with sharp eyes, stepped in. His name was Jiro, an A rank hunter. With a single motion, Jiro blocked Raito’s strike and countered with a brutal punch to the stomach.

The blow landed cleanly.

"Gah!" Raito gasped, his body flying back before crashing onto the ground. Blood seeped from his hand, and he struggled to breathe. He tried to stand, groaning in pain, his knees shaking.

"Please..." he muttered hoarsely, "...just get out of my way. I have my reasons."

But his plea went unheard. His body trembled, and then it happened—his eyes turned crimson.

The voice roared in his head again: Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!

Two daggers flashed into his hands from his inventory, and before the hunters could react, he launched himself at them.

"Tch!" Jiro cursed as both hunters tried to restrain him. Raito twisted unnaturally fast, his daggers slicing toward their throats in a blur.

In the split second of impact, Jiro barely dodged. His eyes widened.

What is this? His mana... his strength... it’s at least on par with a C rank. But right now...

Jiro’s expression hardened. Right now, it feels like I’m facing another A rank. Just like me.

The other hunter stepped back, unsettled. "What the hell is going on?"

"Leave this to me," Jiro ordered, moving forward. His hand raised, mana flaring. "Fire."

Six blazing fireballs spun into existence around him, floating like miniature suns.

The second hunter quickly created a barrier, sealing off the street. Citizens were still passing nearby, and no one could afford for them to see what was about to happen—or get caught in the crossfire.

Inside the barrier, Raito growled, tightening his teeth as his body quivered with rage. His crimson eyes locked onto Jiro.

Then he leaped.

Jiro flung the fireballs in quick succession. Each one was powerful enough to reduce a man to ash, but Raito’s berserk state pushed his senses beyond human limits. He twisted, rolled, and dashed, dodging every single fireball with impossible precision.

The last one curved back toward him from behind, but Raito’s instincts flared. He bent sideways at the last second, letting the blaze rush past his face.

"Impossible..." Jiro muttered, his eyes narrowing.

Raito didn’t stop. He charged forward, daggers gleaming, and slashed straight at Jiro.

Jiro blocked with a wall of fire, but the impact still pushed him back a step. His arms trembled from the clash.

"This kid..." Jiro thought, sweat forming on his brow. His mana, his speed, his strength—it shouldn’t be possible. At first, it felt like a C rank... but now, it’s like I’m fighting someone on my level.

Raito launched forward with a killing intent. His eyes burned crimson, his body driven by nothing but the urge to kill.

Jiro braced himself. He was not just any hunter—he was an A rank, known for his mastery over fire and his raw strength. But the boy before him was different. He wasn’t fighting with reason or strategy. He was moving on pure bloodlust.

He wants to kill me... Jiro realized as Raito came at him, blades flashing.

"Hey, wait!" Jiro barked, dodging aside and kicking Raito hard in the chest. The impact sent him skidding back. "What do you want? What’s your intent? This isn’t just a fight—you’re trying to kill me. All this... just to enter the dungeon? Who the hell are you?"

"Kill... kill... kill..." Raito growled, his voice distorted.

He lunged again, daggers aimed for Jiro’s throat. Jiro dodged, but in that instant Raito vanished from his sight. No—he hadn’t vanished, he had moved so fast Jiro’s eyes couldn’t follow. Pain tore through Jiro’s back as Raito slashed across it.

"Tch—!" Jiro staggered forward, blood running down his shirt. That speed... I couldn’t even read his movements. He didn’t teleport—he’s just that fast.

The other hunter maintaining the barrier reacted quickly, binding Raito with chains of mana. "Hold still!" he shouted, straining to keep Raito in place. But even while restrained, Raito struggled violently, eyes glowing with madness. With a sudden burst of strength, he broke free and slammed his elbow into the barrier keeper’s jaw, sending him stumbling.

Then Raito advanced again, blades ready to take Jiro’s head.

But just as the daggers reached Jiro’s throat—everything stopped. His eyes flickered back to normal. His body froze mid-strike.

Jiro swallowed hard, feeling the cold steel so close to his neck. One wrong twitch, and he would have been dead.

Raito staggered back slowly, trembling. His daggers lowered, his breath ragged.

I... I couldn’t control myself. For some reason, I was filled with rage. It felt like I had to kill... like I needed blood. His fists clenched as his body shook. When my digger touched human blood, the hunger eased—but because I didn’t take his life, it didn’t count. The greed inside me... it kept crawling deeper.

Jiro stood frozen, still feeling the cold echo of death where the blades had nearly touched his throat. He kept his guard up, but inside, unease gnawed at him.

Just what is this kid? Jiro thought, staring at Raito’s trembling figure.

Raito’s breathing slowed. As his eyes focused more clearly, he realized who stood before him. Jiro. One of the most popular rank A hunters in the city.

His chest tightened. He stepped forward slowly, head lowered, before bending toward Jiro.

"Please... I’m very sorry. Forgive me," Raito said, lifting his head carefully. His voice was steady, but his body still trembled.

Jiro narrowed his eyes, confused. What is this? Just a moment ago, he was trying to kill me... and now he’s apologizing? Why the sudden change?