Pure White Madness (1)
The Hunter Association was in total chaos. After all, Lee Seol, the daughter of the Association President, had been kidnapped.
"Wait, isn't that penthouse basically a fortress? How the hell did they break in?"
"Beats me. Maybe they brought a damn dragon or something. But what are we going to do about Seol…"
"The President will save her. Let's just trust him and wait."
The Association staff were united in their worry for her, while the President himself continued the emergency meeting.
"All the CCTV inside the building was destroyed, but we managed to obtain footage from the black boxes of nearby vehicles. Please take a look."
On the monitor, thirty figures in black robes entered the building. Five minutes later, they left carrying a large sack over one of their shoulders.
"They waited until the target was asleep. Quite meticulous. And regarding the threatening letter… it has been confirmed to bear the symbol of the Demon Sect."
"I see…"
Lee Jun's usually gentle expression showed no sign of softening. It was only natural—his child had been kidnapped. Or perhaps it was because the enemy was the Demon Sect that made it even worse.
I stared at the threatening letter in front of me.
If you want your daughter back alive, come to Cheorwon, Gangwon Province by 10 PM tomorrow night.
The exact location was marked on the attached map. Negotiation. They clearly wanted something.
"Uncle."
"Hm…?"
"You don't have to worry too much about Seol."
"Ahem! I believe you should be more careful with your words toward the President when he's already under such stress. Or do you have some kind of evidence?!"
One of the executives cleared his throat and shot me a warning look. The others nodded silently in agreement. I understood. Saying something like this here could be seen as giving false hope. But it was the truth.
"I don't have any evidence, but Seol is safe. I can guarantee that much."
"…Alright. If you say so, then it must be true."
Lee Jun nodded at my words. His complexion improved slightly. It really was true. He didn't know yet, but Perpetual Snow protected Lee Seol twenty-four hours a day, three hundred sixty-five days a year. It would ignore minor scratches or light injuries, but the moment her life was truly threatened…
It activates automatically.
Perpetual Snow. It was such a terrifying ability that one might think it had a will of its own. If Lee Seol ran out of mana? It would forcibly absorb the surrounding mana and freeze the enemy. In the first round, it had even frozen the mind of a man who tried to rape her. His body lived on, but his mind was frozen solid. What could be more horrifying than that?
The Witch of Purity. That title was no empty boast.
In the worst case…
The Demon Sect realizing that Lee Seol was a Witch. If that happened, the situation would spiral completely out of control. I was certain the entire Demon Sect would constantly target her. Seoul would turn into a battlefield.
"For now, I'll head to the location mentioned in the letter tomorrow night."
The letter had specifically demanded that Lee Jun come alone. And that he wear a mana-suppressing anklet.
"But wearing the anklet would be far too dangerous…!"
"I know what you're all worried about. However…"
Lee Jun's eyes flashed with the murderous intent of a beast.
"My daughter is more precious to me than my own life."
A statement not from the President, but from a father. No one in the room could say another word. With that, the meeting came to an end.
As I was about to leave, Lee Jun called out to me.
"I'm sorry for dragging you into this. Don't worry too much. Uncle will take full responsibility and bring Seol back safely."
"Please be careful."
"Keke. I will."
To his eyes, even a twenty-year-old like me probably looked like a kid. But.
I can't just sit still.
The news that Lee Seol had been kidnapped spread across the country—no, across the entire world. A fire burning bright red in that sky-high penthouse was impossible to miss. Naturally, the Korean Academy was thrown into complete uproar as well.
Kim Jihun, who was in the same group as her, looked like death warmed over.
"Fuck my life…"
"Don't worry too much. The President said he'll take responsibility and bring her back."
"I hope so… but even if she comes back, I wonder if things can ever go back to the way they were."
Lee Jeong-ah had dropped out. Unlike the first round, her will had been so firm that she quit immediately. And now Lee Seol was gone. Group 1 was on the verge of complete disintegration. You could pretty much say it had already fallen apart.
"Shit… maybe I should just quit too."
"Just wait a little longer. If Seol comes back, we'll figure something out."
"Ha…"
Back during the group lottery, Group 1 had been called the lucky draw. Everyone had been jealous of them because of Lee Seol's kindness and her incredible skill at carrying the whole team. And yet.
It all collapsed like this.
Life really was full of ups and downs. On the other hand, our group—which had been called the worst possible combination—was currently ranked first among all first-years. How ironic.
"Since Professor Irena is busy today, I will be taking over the class in her place."
Irena had also skipped class because of the Lee Seol incident. It was only natural for her, as the acting principal, to step forward when an Academy student had been kidnapped.
That evening, Choi Ahyeon—who usually lit up at the sight of food—was only picking at her meal.
"Haa… what are we going to do about Seol…"
"The President will save her. Don't worry too much."
"Still… ugh, damn those Demon Sect bastards! If I ever get my hands on them, I'll—!"
She snapped her chopsticks in half. Some hunter she was.
"You want me to take it out of the group fund?"
"Nooo!"
"Then who told you to break them?"
"Kyaaak!"
While Choi Ahyeon was showing clear signs of anxiety, Han Yuri was…
"……."
Quietly lost in thought. She had known Lee Seol since high school. Even if their relationship wasn't exactly friendly, having someone she knew get kidnapped must have been weighing on her.
After we finished dinner, I called Han Yuri outside.
"Because of Seol?"
She caught on immediately.
"Yeah. I was wondering if you could help me rescue her."
"Why would I help that girl…"
"She's the one who kept your secret even after finding out you're a Witch. If she gets tortured and your identity as a Witch gets exposed, it won't be good for you either."
Of course I knew that would never happen, but I deliberately scared her. Han Yuri frowned and let out a long sigh.
"Ha… this is driving me crazy. Fine. How many people do you need?"
"As many as possible. We'll stay back and protect Uncle from a distance."
"Your tone is getting awfully short, isn't it?"
"Emergency situation. Your understanding is appreciated."
"You little—! Hey, get over here right now!"
And so, the fated day arrived.
At 9 PM, an ordinary sedan departed from the Hunter Association. Lee Jun had deliberately chosen a different car to avoid drawing attention. A fair distance behind, other hunters followed secretly. Despite Lee Jun's strong insistence, the Association clearly had no intention of just sitting on their hands. Which made sense.
If even the President falls into the Demon Sect's hands, it'll be absolute pandemonium.
The other guilds besides Fortan were probably tailing him in secret as well.
You picked the wrong person to mess with.
After all, they had touched a man that nine out of ten people in Korea liked.
I carefully approached Lee Jun without getting caught in his senses. Of course, I was being carried on Camilla's back. With her flight ability and stealth combined, she was perfect for tailing someone.
"Wouldn't it be better to get a little closer?"
"Just in case."
"Hmm… so you don't trust my stealth?"
"It's not that."
The Assassin of the Skies. If she focused entirely on stealth, her ability was enough to fool even an S-rank hunter. But.
"We don't know what kind of traps they might have set."
"True. But you're paying overtime for this, right?"
"Of course. So could you please stop groping my ass and get moving?"
"Alright, alright~."
After racing through the sky for several hours, we finally reached the destination. Hundreds of Demon Sect members were waiting there.
The sedan came to a stop. As Lee Jun stepped out, a man who appeared to be an executive stepped forward.
"Good. You really came alone."
"…Where is Seol?"
"She's safe. So don't try anything funny. She's a precious guest. Treat her with respect."
"Yes, Cult Leader."
Lee Jun followed their guidance and headed somewhere. When I saw what was there, I couldn't hide my shock.
Insane…!
It was a grimoire. And not just any grimoire—it was the Pure White Grimoire. An absolutely broken artifact that more than doubled a Witch's abilities. The grimoire was sealed tight, as if under some powerful lock.
"Place your hand here."
It seemed they had brought a high-ranking ability user to try and unseal it. But.
Not a chance.
That thing could only be opened by a Witch. If they had used the kidnapped Lee Seol, it would have opened in one go. But Lee Jun wouldn't be able to do anything.
Having confirmed their goal, I turned away.
"Let's go."
"Okey~."
We walked toward one side of the forest, where a small dungeon appeared. Their base of operations. If you were looking for a Demon Sect hideout in Gangwon Province, this was the only place it could be.
"Hmm…"
Camilla looked at me, seemingly impressed that I had located their base so quickly. But she was perceptive enough not to ask any questions.
We entered carefully. The cultists were maintaining an iron-tight guard. Even though we were walking right past them, they didn't notice a thing.
Good thing I brought Camilla.
Without her, we would have been caught one hundred percent. I silently thanked Irena for her grand plan and stepped deeper inside. Countless caverns greeted us. The place looked exactly like an ant nest.
The further we went in, the fewer cultists we encountered. Most of them had probably gone outside to deal with Lee Jun.
Where's the altar?
I looked around as we moved, but I couldn't find it. They must have hidden it somewhere out of sight. For now, I decided to focus on Lee Seol.
When we finally reached almost the very end, we found two guards standing in front of a room.
Please.
Got it.
Camilla moved silently and knocked both of them out in an instant.
"Thank you. Please go outside and fire this flare into the sky."
"Understood."
It was the Association's official signal flare. The message meant "rescue successful." The quick-witted Lee Jun would definitely understand.
I entered the room. There was Lee Seol, bound by mana-suppressing chains. Her clothes and physical condition looked fine, so it seemed they hadn't done anything inappropriate to her. But.
So even you can make an expression like that.
Her face was drowning in despair. Her eyes were swollen from crying so much, and they looked hollow, completely devoid of life. On top of her team falling apart, she had been kidnapped. No matter how strong her mentality was, it must have been too much to bear.
I slowly approached her. Lee Seol gradually lifted her head, and then—
"You really came for me…"
The person who had looked like a complete wreck just moments ago smiled as if none of it had ever happened.