The Hunt Begins
Kang Hyuk stared blankly at the screen. The TV was broadcasting the SBC Morning News, and for some reason, the announcer's face looked incredibly familiar.
The announcer was reporting on the flagship heroes of the United States and Russia. The rivalry between Muscleman and Red Bear was currently the hottest topic of public interest. However, Kang Hyuk couldn't care less about Muscleman or Red Bear. His focus was entirely on the SBC announcer.
And for good reason—the SBC announcer was none other than the woman he had met at the club the night before. The very same woman who had clung to him so aggressively.
"I thought she was just some regular club-goer, but she's actually an announcer..." Kang Hyuk muttered, dumbfounded.
Seeing her deliver the news with sharp, professional makeup and a solemn expression gave off a completely different vibe than her drunken state at the club.
Beep!
He turned off the TV. That was the extent of his interest. While it was surprising to learn her identity, he didn't care beyond that. He had far more pressing matters to attend to than flirting with women.
I need to gather money and level up as quickly as possible. Until no one can threaten me...
His expression hardening, Kang Hyuk logged onto the Public Security Bureau website. Just as he had resolved yesterday, he was going to start hunting wanted criminals in earnest today. At the moment, nothing was more efficient than bounty hunting.
Let's see...
Stroking his chin, Kang Hyuk began scanning the wanted list in detail. Fitting for a world overrun by heroes and villains, the list of wanted criminals numbered in the thousands.
• Mastermind [S-Class Villain]
• Iron Chameleon [A-Class Villain]
• Black Wolf [B-Class Villain]
...
• Witch of Seduction [F-Class Villain]
However, Kang Hyuk's gaze bypassed the high-ranking villains at the top and drifted down to the lower-ranking ones at the bottom. Although he possessed the absurdly powerful SSS-grade trait Creation, his current level was still pitifully low. Naturally, he had no choice but to target low-ranking villains for now.
"...Right. This one looks perfect."
After much deliberation, Kang Hyuk finally settled on a target. His target this time was the F-class villain known as the Witch of Seduction. Having an alias suggested she would be trickier to handle than Kim Juhwan. But Kang Hyuk was a veteran of this game, and he was already a bounty hunter with two kills under his belt. No matter how cunning the Witch of Seduction was, she would be utterly helpless before him.
"If I remember correctly, the Witch of Seduction operates in Baekseok-dong, Ilsan, Goyang-si...! I'd better leave right now if I want to make it in time."
Kang Hyuk tucked his revolver inside his coat and stood up. It was time to hunt again.
SBC Broadcasting Station.
"...Sigh."
Around noon, a woman slumped over her desk, letting out one heavy sigh after another. Dressed in a sharp, professional suit, the woman in her early-to-mid twenties was none other than Park Eunhye, the morning news announcer for SBC.
"Sigh..."
"...Eunhye, why do you keep sighing? Did you make a mistake during the broadcast this morning?"
As Park Eunhye sighed yet again, her colleague and close friend, Choi Seoha, tilted her head in curiosity. Park Eunhye grimaced and replied weakly.
"No, it's not that..."
"Then what's wrong?"
"Whew... I'm just so stupid."
"Stupid? How?"
"Well..."
Hesitating for a moment, Park Eunhye finally made up her mind and began telling her about the man she had met at the club last night. Last night, she had visited an underground club in Gangnam for a friend's birthday party. Since it was her first time ever setting foot in a club, she had nervously downed drink after drink like a complete amateur...!
But then, a sudden shift occurred. Out of nowhere, a shiver ran down her spine, and she found herself walking toward a man as if possessed. He was tall and incredibly handsome, but what truly captivated her was his aura. He was scanning the club with deep, contemplative eyes. The moment she saw him, Park Eunhye truly understood what it meant to fall in love at first sight.
"Aigoo... is spring finally blooming for our Eunhye? But why does that make you stupid?"
"The thing is... we ended up parting ways without even having a proper conversation. I'm just so pathetic and stupid..."
"What? You mean you didn't even get his number?"
At Choi Seoha's question, Park Eunhye nodded dejectedly. Choi Seoha looked at her, dumbfounded.
"Don't tell me you didn't even talk to him?"
"I did, but... sigh, I don't really remember. I think I clung to him way too aggressively because of the alcohol. Like, in a totally off-putting way."
"Aigoo...!"
Choi Seoha shook her head. A woman was supposed to play hard to get...! Choi Seoha resolved to give Park Eunhye a crash course on dating sometime. Yet, she couldn't help but feel immensely curious about the man who had stolen her friend's heart. Frankly, with Park Eunhye's stunning looks and figure, any man should have been thrilled even if she clung to him.
Did she really cling so hard that she ruined his interest...? Well, at least I won't be bored for a while!
Chuckling inwardly, Choi Seoha kept the conversation going. She bombarded her with questions—which club was it exactly, did she plan on going back to find him, and so on. Their chatter continued without end.
A dark alleyway.
"...It's about time she made a move."
Kang Hyuk muttered quietly, scanning his surroundings. It had already been two hours since he entered the target's territory...! He figured it was about time for the target to start her hunt. Assuming his memory served him right.
"...Hey, what is a lady doing wandering around all by herself at this hour? It's dangerous!"
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a man's voice echoed from the far end of the alley. Kang Hyuk quietly slipped closer.
Under a flickering, dim streetlight, three men were surrounding a single woman. At first glance, it looked like three thugs harassing a defenseless woman. But Kang Hyuk, recognizing the woman as the Witch of Seduction, knew better. The prey in this scenario wasn't the woman—it was the three men. After all, the Witch of Seduction was an F-class villain who lured men to absorb their life force and kill them.
"Hohoho, thank you for worrying about me! It really is dangerous for a woman to walk alone so late."
"Hehe, look at that. She's easy to talk to. Why don't you come with us? We'll escort you somewhere safe."
"Hohoho! Would you really do that? How kind of you."
When the Witch of Seduction smiled, the three men turned into bumbling, drooling fools. The man on the far left even covered his crotch with both hands. He had apparently gotten an erection just from looking at her smile.
"I'd prefer somewhere as secluded as possible."
"Hehehe, don't worry. We'll take you somewhere completely empty."
"I'm actually quite shy, you see. It really has to be quiet."
"Hehe, got it. We'll take you somewhere where not even a single groan will leak out."
The three men began walking with the Witch of Seduction. Fearing she might change her mind, they surrounded her from all sides as they walked. Not that she had any intention of running. She seemed highly anticipating her upcoming feast.
Bang!
But at that exact moment, Kang Hyuk, who had been watching the situation unfold, fired a 5.56mm bullet directly at her head. There was no need to watch the Witch of Seduction any longer. He was completely certain of her identity. Waiting any longer would just be a waste of time.
That was even easier than Kim Juhwan!
Click.
Confident in his shot, Kang Hyuk lowered his gun. Since he had sniped her from a distance similar to his encounter with Kim Juhwan, she should have died instantly...!
"Who the hell are you?!"
But right then, what on earth was happening? The Witch of Seduction was still standing there, looking merely startled. And in front of her, a semi-transparent gravity field had materialized.
"You son of a bitch! Who the hell do you think you're messing with?!"
The largest of the three men—G-Force Man—deactivated the gravity field and began stomping toward Kang Hyuk.
A mistake. It seemed the villain wasn't the only superpowered individual there.