Ch 100
Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy
Chapter 100
Tree & Coffee, Tree & Coffee... Oh? There it is.
I thought it would be on the first floor since it's a cafe, but it's on the 4th floor.
"I found the location. Is the time still 7 o'clock like we discussed yesterday?"
―It's 7:30. She'll have black dyed hair and be wearing sunglasses and gray clothes.
He's telling me her appearance without me even asking, so it seems yesterday's threat worked well.
"Okay, good. Are your organization members nearby too?"
―Didn't you say you'd handle the capture yourself as long as we gave you the location and time?
"Did I ask for help? I was just asking, why are you being so sensitive?"
―If by chance you miss her, it could put us in a difficult position...
"That's unnecessary worry. That won't happen."
―I understand. Then when will you restore my arm back to normal?
"What's the big deal about one arm? I'll contact you when the job is finished."
I hung up and entered the building where the cafe was located, catching the elevator.
I pressed the 4th floor button and waited, looking in the mirror - I still can't get used to it.
Even though the culprit is a foreigner, my face became too well-known after becoming an S Rank Hunter this time.
Even if she doesn't recognize me, I thought other people around might ruin the job, so I went to find a special makeup artist and got disguised.
It took much longer than I expected, but I'm very satisfied with the result.
―4th floor.
As the door opened, I could see the cafe right in front.
It's still 6:40, but thinking she might have arrived early, I sneaked a peek inside through the glass window.
There were a few customers, but no one with the appearance Hong Man-sik described, so I went inside.
"Welcome. I'll help you with your order over here."
"Iced Americano with 2 extra shots... No, make that 3 extra shots please."
After leaving Hong Man-sik's house yesterday, it was past 10 o'clock.
I went to the hotel, but couldn't sleep a wink.
I kept thinking about Minha...
Of course, just not sleeping for one day doesn't make me very sleepy or put me in bad condition, but I thought it would be good to have some caffeine.
"3 shots? We normally put 2 shots in... Are you sure that's okay? It'll be quite bitter."
"Yes. It's fine, so please make it that way. How much is it?"
"5,500 won. Please have a seat and I'll bring it to you."
"Yes."
There was an empty seat with a view of the ocean, but I didn't come here for sightseeing, so I took a seat where I could clearly see the entrance.
The coffee came out shortly after, and when I took a sip, it was too bitter.
3 shots was a bit of an overdo.
‘I should have just added 2’, I thought, when I felt a vibration in my pocket.
I thought it was Hong Man-sik, but it's the Vice Principal.
When I parted with the Vice Principal yesterday, I told him I wanted to personally track the culprit and would take this week off.
There are no classes this week anyway since it's practical training.
"Yes, Vice Principal."
―Any progress?
"Not yet. Is there any other information that came up?"
―There are a few things, but nothing special. First, it doesn't seem to be the C Rank magician who accompanied them. He didn't hide his abilities and his identity is certain.
"Didn't I tell you that person wasn't it? What about the others?"
―They say Go Dong-hyeok, the only fatality, had quite bad behavior normally. He was very much into women and had many enemies here and there.
"Hmm, then there's a high possibility the culprit is among those who had grudges against Go Dong-hyeok."
―The police are thinking the same as you and investigating, but will that be okay? If your paths cross...
"It's fine. I'm searching in a different way, so I won't cross paths with the police."
―Don't overdo it too much. I understand your feelings, but...
"Are you worrying about me right now? The sun must have risen from the west today."
―When I saw you tell Minha's parents yesterday that you'd take full responsibility, I thought it was quite serious... But seeing you have the leisure to make such silly jokes, I guess I worried for nothing.
"Yes, you worried for nothing."
―This accident isn't your fault.
"No, it is my fault. If I had accompanied the practical training according to the original schedule, this accident wouldn't have happened."
―Isn't that too much of a results-oriented way of thinking? Even if it's moral responsibility, you don't need to take full responsibility.
"Vice Principal, I am Minha's homeroom teacher. Yesterday Minha said she did what was natural as class president. So I'm also just doing what I should naturally do as her homeroom teacher."
―Why go to such lengths... Looking at you, you seem to live life in quite a complicated way.
"What can I do about being born with this personality? Anyway, thank you for the information, I'll hang up now."
―Wait, you're coming to work next week, right? You're not going to take leave if you can't catch the culprit...
"I'm not thinking of taking leave. If I can't find them this week, it can't be helped."
―Good thinking. You have to think about the other kids too. I understand. I'll contact you again when more information comes in. Well then, good luck.
"Yes. Thank you."
I feel a bit sorry for deceiving the Vice Principal, but it can't be helped.
It's too complicated to explain how I caught the culprit, and I never intended to hand the culprit over to the police anyway.
***
"Oh. I'm almost there now. I think I'll arrive in about 5 minutes, I'll just go and wait, right?"
―Right. I've conveyed your appearance, so the Antas Korea person will approach you.
"Really? But if you told them my appearance, shouldn't you tell me theirs too?"
―Is this the time to argue about such things? We're the ones in need, so stop complaining and just do as you're told.
"Those bastards aren't doing it for free either, right?"
―You really... Forget it. I shouldn't even bother talking. Just hurry up and go. Contact me again when you arrive in China.
"Got it. I need to take the elevator. I'm hanging up."
The old man is too irritable, probably got scolded by the boss today too.
It's not like I knew and did it on purpose.
Come to think of it, isn't it the Hunter School's fault for having such trash accompany the students' practical training?
Thinking about getting thoroughly scolded by the boss when I return is too stressful.
This time it doesn't seem like the old man will cover for me either...
Well, they wouldn't kill me though, right?
A high-level personnel like me.
‘Let's get out of Korea first’, I thought as I got on the elevator.
Reaching the 4th floor and getting off, I can see the cafe.
Taking a quick look inside, there are a few people but I don't know who the Antas Korea person is.
Well, the old man said he told them my appearance, so they'll approach me on their own.
I entered the cafe.
"Welcome. I'll help you with your order over here."
I roughly ordered a drink and when they said they'd bring it to me, I sat in an empty seat.
‘Maybe it's a staff member’, I thought as I looked around the cafe, when the man sitting near the entrance stood up.
Is that him?
As if my guess was right, he's approaching me.
"Bennett?"
His face looks like early to mid-30s, but his voice is unexpectedly young.
"Are you from Korea?"
"That's right. We don't have much time, so change your drink to takeout and follow me."
The atmosphere I'm getting suggests he's not completely bottom-level but not an executive either... His commanding tone annoyed me slightly, but as the old man said, we're the ones in need, so I nodded.
I changed the drink to takeout and followed the man out.
"How old are you?"
"Excuse me?"
"Your face and voice seem unbalanced, so I'm asking how old you are."
"Twenty-six."
"Twenty-six? Not much age difference from me. Most Asians look young for their age, but why does your face look so haggard?"
"..."
"I was joking to lighten the mood, are you offended?"
"Ah... No."
"Right. Even if you're offended, bear with it. We're both Antas, even if from different countries, right?"
***
She suddenly asked my age, so I worried that she might have seen through my disguise, but it seems her personality is just trash.
"Not going to answer?"
"Ah, yes. If you go a bit further, there's a car prepared."
"What car? Weren't we going to China by boat?"
"We prepared a rubber boat at the harbor coast, but it's quite far from here, so we'll take a car to get there."
"You should have explained it that way from the beginning."
It probably won't happen, but if I can't subdue her in one blow, innocent people might get hurt or harmed.
Since it would be troublesome to be caught on people's eyes and CCTV, I plan to handle it in a place with as few people as possible.
I took her to where the car was.
"Hey, nice car? You're not completely bottom-level, are you?"
"Ha ha... Yes. Please get in."
I drove to reach a quiet beach area.
There are no people or cars nearby, so I don't need to worry about dashcams, and it's perfect for handling this.
"Is this the place?"
"That's right. Please get out."
I parked and got out first.
"It's completely quiet. But where are the other people?"
"No other people are coming."
"Oh, you know how to operate a boat too? You're more capable than you look."
"No. There's no boat or anything."
THUD!
As I spoke, I approached her and pressed her pressure point, making her collapse immediately.
If I knew I could subdue her this easily, I wouldn't have needed to come here, I could have just subdued her in the car. I wasted time unnecessarily.
First, thinking to prevent her from using magic, I grabbed her arm and infused internal energy.
General Hunters store magic evenly throughout their body, but magician create rings near the heart.
Reaching near her heart, I can feel 6 rings.
No, more precisely 5 and a half?
A Rank starts from 5 and S Rank is 7, so her level is quite high.
Well, it's meaningless now.
Thinking she might wake up, I paralyzed her entire body with pressure points and carefully controlled it so her heart wouldn't be strained to death as I destroyed the rings.
Each time I broke a ring, even while unconscious, her body jerked and she vomited black blood.
If this had been inside the car, it would have been quite annoying, but fortunately I subdued her outside.
After destroying all the magic rings, I nudged her foot to wake her up.
"MMPH! MMPH!"
Ah, I forgot to release the pressure points.
I thought about coolly releasing them all since she can't use magic now, but since it would be annoying if she moved, I just released the speech point.
"My magic... You bastard, what did you do to me!"
"You still don't seem to grasp the situation."
As I spoke, I stepped on her stomach.
"What, what are you doing...!"
I controlled it so she wouldn't die, but she should be in pain if it's normal, but somehow... Ah! It's because of the pressure points.
Really, making such a stupid mistake...
I thought about releasing the pressure points right away, but thinking about it, if I release them she'll move and be annoying.
Can't be helped.
Not being able to feel pain is a bit disappointing, but I should at least break her legs first.
I slowly stepped on her right chin with my foot.
CRUNCH!
"AAAAH!"
Oh ho, even with pressure points, she can feel pain when bones are crushed.
Really fortunate.
I broke the opposite foot and both arms too, then released the pressure points.
"AAAAAH!"
As the pain rushes in all at once, she screams and writhes her body like a pretzel, struggling intensely.
"Don't tell me... Ah, are you doing this because I teased you earlier? Even so, this is too much...!"
She still seems to think I'm the Antas Korea person, she has no sense at all.
I expected she couldn't be properly educated since her personality is trash, but at this level, it seems like she just carries her head as decoration.
Sigh... Because of such an inadequate bastard, Minha...
Anger surged and I pressed down on her broken leg again.
CRUNCH!
"KYAAAAH! St, stop it!"
"Your speech is still informal?"
"H, how dare you do this to me and think you'll be safe? I'm an executive of Antas Italy!"
"So what?"
"So what? Are you playing around with me right now... AAAAH!"
"Think carefully. I wouldn't go this far just because you teased me a bit. Who do you think I am?"
"Ps... Psychopath."
Psychopath, really... I've given her all the hints and by now she should really figure it out... ‘Ugh, I give up’.
I sent internal energy toward my face and erased the disguise.
"What, your face is... K, Kang Shin-hyeok?"
I thought she might not recognize me even after erasing it, but she does know my face.
"At least your eyes aren't decoration, that's fortunate. Now you understand why you're getting this treatment?"
"It... It wasn't intentional. I was just trying to deal with the guy who was hitting on me. You guys using such a bastard as a practical training accompanying hunter... KYAAAAH!"
Since she was spouting nonsense, I stepped on her leg again.
"I wasn't intentional either. I was just trying to step on the ground, but you happened to be there, so it's your fault, right?"