Chapter 5 — Shadow Hunter
---
Krist stood silently beneath the dim light outside the mansion, staring at the figure dressed entirely in black.
For a moment, he honestly couldn't tell whether the person was male or female.
The oversized coat, mask, gloves, and hood completely hid their identity.
Krist slowly looked the stranger up and down twice before chuckling softly.
"What's with the ridiculous outfit?" he asked casually.
The masked figure laughed quietly.
"What? You think I'm an amateur?"
The voice sounded distorted.
"If you know what's good for you," the intruder continued, pulling out a folded white cloth, "don't resist."
Krist immediately recognized the chemical smell coming from it.
Sedative.
Interesting.
"Who sent you?" Krist asked calmly while removing his coat.
The intruder ignored the question and slowly walked closer.
Krist tilted his head slightly.
"Adams?"
No reaction.
"So not Adams."
The figure continued approaching silently.
Krist watched carefully.
"Then it must be someone from the Otieno family."
For the first time—
The intruder's eyes twitched slightly.
Krist noticed immediately.
And smiled.
"Hahaha…"
He casually hung his coat on the doorknob.
"So I'm right."
The intruder remained silent.
Krist cracked his neck slowly.
"After I beat up that little bastard Billy, he couldn't even confront me himself?"
POP.
POP.
Krist clenched his fists as his knuckles cracked loudly.
"Instead he sends a dog after me."
The masked figure finally stopped only a few steps away.
"You talk too much," the intruder said coldly.
Krist grinned.
"And you came at the perfect time."
His eyes sharpened dangerously.
"My last sparring partner visited four days ago."
The intruder suddenly leaned forward and thrust the white cloth toward Krist's face.
"I expected a chase after your performance earlier," the assassin mocked. "Turns out you're just another scared ki—"
WHAM!
Before the sentence could finish—
Krist flipped backward and drove his foot directly into the intruder's chin.
The assassin's head snapped upward violently.
The moment Krist landed—
He attacked again.
A spinning kick.
Then another.
Two rapid strikes slammed toward the intruder before they could fully recover.
The assassin quickly regained balance and barely dodged the punch that followed before jumping backward to create distance.
For the first time—
The intruder looked surprised.
Slowly, the masked figure lowered the mask slightly and spat blood onto the ground.
Then smiled.
"Now this…"
The assassin wiped blood from the corner of their mouth.
"…is getting interesting."
Krist didn't allow them time to recover.
He charged immediately.
A right hook shot toward the assassin's face.
The intruder dodged.
Krist instantly followed with a left kick—
—but the assassin caught his leg midair.
In one smooth movement, the intruder spun and lifted Krist completely off the ground before slamming him hard onto the concrete.
BOOM!
Pain shot through Krist's back.
The assassin rushed forward immediately, trying to maintain the advantage.
But the moment they got close—
WHAM!
Krist flipped backward again and kicked upward directly into the assassin's chin.
The intruder staggered backward.
Krist smirked.
"You've actually got skill."
His grin widened.
"Good."
The assassin charged aggressively this time, launching a storm of attacks.
Punches.
Elbows.
Kicks.
Fast.
Precise.
Deadly.
But Krist didn't panic.
He calmly dodged and redirected every strike while carefully observing his opponent's movements.
Then suddenly—
Krist stepped forward.
His fist shot toward the assassin's nose.
The intruder immediately raised both arms to block.
But that was exactly what Krist wanted.
The instant his punch connected—
His knee slammed violently into the assassin's stomach.
The intruder bent forward from the impact.
Krist immediately drove his elbow downward into their back.
The assassin tried to counter by sweeping Krist's legs.
But Krist jumped backward instantly.
His eyes narrowed.
Stronger than me.
So speed is my advantage.
The assassin's breathing became heavier.
Frustration slowly built in their movements after failing to land clean hits.
Then suddenly—
The intruder pulled out a short knife and threw it directly at Krist.
WHOOSH!
Krist twisted slightly and kicked the knife's handle midair.
The blade flew upward—
CRASH!
The only light above the mansion door shattered instantly.
Darkness swallowed the estate.
At the same moment—
Clouds drifted across the moon, covering its light.
The compound became pitch black.
Krist smiled faintly.
"Big mistake."
Then he took one silent step backward—
Into the shadows of the mansion.
The assassin froze.
They couldn't see him anymore.
Then—
Footsteps.
Behind them.
The intruder spun immediately—
Nothing.
Then suddenly—
BAM!
A fist smashed into their face from the right.
The assassin stumbled.
Footsteps echoed again.
Moving.
Circling.
Hunting.
The intruder chased the sound desperately.
Then the footsteps stopped.
The assassin stopped too.
Silence.
Then—
WHAM!
Another punch crashed into the left side of their face.
The assassin roared and counterattacked wildly toward the darkness—
But missed completely.
Krist had already moved.
A brutal punch slammed into the assassin's stomach.
The intruder doubled over in pain.
Then Krist stepped backward once.
Raised his leg high into the air—
And brought it crashing downward onto the assassin's head.
BOOM!
The intruder's face slammed violently into the ground.
The assassin groaned weakly while trying to lift their head.
Through blurry vision, they saw Krist standing above them.
Smiling.
Coldly.
"Why hide your face," Krist asked quietly, "when I'll see it eventually?"
The assassin's eyes widened slightly.
Then darkness consumed them.
---
Several minutes later, Krist dragged the unconscious body toward the back of the mansion before returning alone.
The estate became silent once more.
Krist entered the house calmly as though nothing had happened.
He washed the blood from his hands and changed clothes before finally entering his room.
The moment he sat on the bed—
His eyes landed on the framed portrait beside the lampstand.
His parents smiled warmly from the picture.
For a long moment, Krist simply stared at them silently.
Then his expression hardened.
"I'll find the truth," he whispered quietly.
No matter who was behind the plane crash…
No matter how powerful they were…
He would drag everything into the light.
Even if he had to destroy the entire country to do it.