Chapter 26
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: The Weight (2)
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From the moment he started tailing me, Hong Hansol had done a fairly thorough job of disguising himself.
As a Bone Breaker, he was no stranger to dirty work.
He must have had his fill of tailing people.
He wore a disposable invisibility suit and had meticulously erased even the traces of magic that inevitably leaked from items.
All the while, he maintained a distance of over ten meters as he followed Sanarae and me.
Everything was perfect.
If only the ‘Beholder Sage’ hadn't been right beside me.
[Spying Lv.1]
[The Beholder Sage can observe someone without being detected, and conversely, few disguises can ever escape its eyes.]
[Can identify beings disguised with invisibility or illusion magic of level 10 or lower.]
To the Sage, all of Hong Hansol’s efforts must have seemed like mere child’s play.
The fact that it waited so long to inform me proved as much.
Of course, it didn't feel like a game to me.
But I wasn't particularly tense, either.
Hong Hansol was already in the palm of my hand.
I decided to have a little more fun with this toy.
* * *
“Kim Hanul, you bastard, how long have you been there?”
Hong Hansol spat out a rough curse.
His voice was thick with killing intent.
But the eyes staring at Hanul were trembling.
“Since a while ago.”
“What?”
“I knew you were tailing me even before I dropped off the Bloodflow Stone.”
Hong Hansol’s pupils quaked as if hit by an earthquake.
*That’s impossible.*
He hurriedly glanced at the status window floating in the corner of his vision.
[Soundless Footsteps Lv.2]
A passive skill that erased the user's presence and any magic leaking from their items.
It was a skill bestowed upon him by ‘The Thief Who Steals Tips Barefoot,’ the very Divine Seat he had contracted with.
A stealth skill that could fool not only monsters but also most hunters of the same rank.
And his trump card had been completely seen through.
*There’s no way this bastard is skilled enough to counter my skill. Was it that touting bitch who was with him? Her doing?*
Come to think of it, when he started tailing them, Sanarae was gone, and some strange woman was next to him instead.
He’d never seen her before, and she looked so dazed that he’d dismissed her as a simple solicitor.
“Don’t give me that crap! You think that kind of bluff will work on me, you lucky piece of shit?”
In the end, Hong Hansol denied reality.
“Why don’t you find out?”
“What?”
“Find out for yourself whether it’s a bluff or not.”
Hanul’s expression, bathed in the moonlight, was as cold and calm as his voice.
No matter how you looked at it, this was not the same ordinary civilian he’d seen at the cafe that morning.
“What the fu—”
Hong Hansol instinctively took a step back.
“H-He-Help u-us, p-please.”
“Uhhh…”
The whimpering voices around him caught at his ankles.
The three guild members were frozen stiff, tears streaming down their faces.
He was trapped.
Finally, Hong Hansol pulled a weapon from the suit worn under his outer clothes.
A sharp dagger glinted with a cold light.
He pointed the dagger at Hanul and gritted his teeth.
*He’s just a brat who ranked up to B-rank a few days ago. Before that, he was a nobody, no different from a civilian.*
He, on the other hand, was one of the real powers in Bone Breaker.
An A-rank Hunter who had contracted with a Divine Seat the moment he Awakened.
When it came to stealth and assassination, he was confident he was on par with S-rank Hunters.
*Since it’s come to this, I’ll kill both the blacksmith and Kim Hanul and bury them here.*
To make it look like it happened during a brawl, he’d have to kill one of his own guild members, too.
It didn’t matter.
Vermin who were useless even in a situation like this were better off dead.
*Alright, show me your hand.*
Still aiming his dagger, Hong Hansol glared at Hanul as if to kill him.
Striking first didn't guarantee victory in every situation.
In this line of work.
Especially in a fight between Hunters, the one who showed their hand first was almost certain to be crushed.
Hong Hansol knew this from experience.
And then, Hanul, who had been watching him intently, pulled something from his coat.
*What’s your weapon?!*
He was still the Hunter who had cleared the Garden of Depths alone.
He had to have a hidden card.
Hong Hansol tensed, assuming a ready stance.
And then, suddenly.
“Wha—?!”
Hanul threw something onto the floor.
*Poof!*
*A smoke bomb?!*
A thick fog filled the workshop.
But for a smoke bomb or a diversionary flare, the fog dissipated far too quickly.
In its place, where the fog had vanished.
“What is that?”
A monster, about waist-high, was standing there.
Hong Hansol identified the monster and muttered blankly.
“…A goblin?”
No matter how you looked at it, it was a goblin.
The kind of monster that even trash-tier Hunters could easily kill in E-rank gates or dungeons.
The armor-like thing it wore was a bit different, but it was definitely a goblin.
After a moment of silence.
“Ha, hahahahahahaha!”
A crazed laugh burst from Hong Hansol’s mouth.
It was a laugh of pure disbelief.
He pulled out a single goblin to fight me?
“Hey, is that it? Bring out some more, why don’t you?”
Hong Hansol spoke up after a long laugh.
His face had once again regained its absolute confidence.
[The Thief Who Steals Tips Barefoot is giving you…]
That confidence was enough to make him ignore the voice ringing in his head.
“Looks like you awakened a taming-type skill. But surely you don’t just have a piece of trash monster like that, do you? Show me more.”
“I’d rather not. This is already more than enough.”
“?”
Hong Hansol’s face contorted.
Either Kim Hanul had gone mad, or he was being looked down on that much.
Neither prospect was pleasant.
And then, suddenly, Hanul drew a sword from his waist.
Hong Hansol’s brow furrowed as he saw the blade.
*That looks a little dangerous.*
The sword Hanul held was clearly an A-rank item or higher.
*So that’s it.*
Alarm bells rang in his head.
A smirk formed on Hong Hansol’s lips.
Everything finally made sense.
It was that item.
Thanks to a blessed sword he’d luckily obtained, he had been able to achieve such a feat in such a short time.
“So you were just carried by your items, you bastard.”
“Kiruk?”
At Hong Hansol’s mutter, the goblin tilted its head unexpectedly.
But his gaze had long since been fixed on the blessed sword.
“Then this is simple.”
*Fwoosh!*
Hong Hansol shot forward.
Overpowering enemies with gear only worked on low-intelligence monsters.
In a Hunter-versus-Hunter fight, what mattered most was practical experience.
Hanul was the textbook example of a gear-carried newbie, ripe for the picking.
*What a windfall.*
A wicked smile spread across Hong Hansol’s lips as he charged.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
A chance to get his hands on not only a top-grade Bloodflow Stone but also a blessed sword!
“Kiruk?”
*A goblin is nothing…*
His eyes met the goblin’s, but Hong Hansol paid it no mind.
The real threat was the sword in Hanul’s hand.
The summoned creature was just a scarecrow meant to divert his attention.
There was no way a mere goblin could keep up with his speed—
*THWACK!*
“Kwhek?!”
—or so he thought.
With a resounding crack, Hong Hansol’s body folded like a shrimp.
He slowly lowered his bloodshot eyes.
A club.
A wooden club was planted squarely in his stomach.
“W-What is this, blaargh!”
Clutching his stomach, Hong Hansol threw up everything he had eaten.
“Kiruk.”
As he retched, Hong Hansol lifted his head.
Bent over as he was, his eyes met the goblin's, which was looking down at him as if in mockery.
“Y-You son of a…!”
Even after taking a hit, an A-rank Hunter was still an A-rank Hunter.
Hong Hansol let out a yell and thrust his dagger.
The dagger, aimed precisely at the goblin’s neck, shot forward.
*Swish!*
It cut through empty air.
“Huh?”
Hong Hansol’s mouth fell open.
The goblin was still right in front of him.
Only its head had tilted slightly to the side.
With just that, it had deflected an attack measured in tenths of a second.
The goblin’s eyes narrowed into slits.
As if it were sneering.
“You, son of a— Gack!”
*Thwack!*
He didn’t even have time to finish his curse.
The goblin’s short arm vanished for an instant, and this time, a sharp, dull pain erupted from his side.
After landing another blow with its club.
“Kerruk.”
The goblin beckoned with its finger.
As if to say, *try again*.
A bracelet on the monster’s wrist jingled.
At that provocation.
The A-rank Hunter’s eyes went bloodshot.
“Y-You bastard, what, what are you!”
A blue light momentarily flickered around the dagger.
He was drawing on the power of his Divine Seat.
He began to thrust the dagger at the goblin before him.
The empowered attacks painted the darkness like blue spears.
Each strike packed enough destructive force to punch a hole through a mid-tier monster.
*Swish, swish, swish!*
And the goblin dodged every single one of them.
That wasn't all.
Following the sound of the wind being sliced apart.
*Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack!*
“Kuk, kwhek! Ugh!”
Came the sound of solid impacts.
When he thrust the dagger straight, the club slammed into his undefended stomach.
When he slashed diagonally, his side caved in before the dagger could even reach the goblin.
When he tried to charge in with his dagger, a smash landed on his back.
“Kuk, gack! Ugh, stop, ack! Aaack!”
In the end, Hong Hansol couldn't withstand the merciless clubbing.
The slower his dagger became.
The faster the club swung.
*Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack!*
An A-rank Hunter being beaten like a dog on a summer day.
“Ah, st-ah, stop, it, please… Ack!”
*Clang.*
The lightless dagger fell to the floor.
A split second later.
*THWACK!*
*Thud.*
Hong Hansol, now a battered ragdoll, collapsed face down on the floor.
His eyes were so swollen he couldn't properly open them.
Only then could he hear the voice that had been screaming in his head.
[The Thief Who Steals Tips Barefoot informs you that you were warned!]
[The Thief Who Steals Tips Barefoot shakes their head!]
[The Thief Who Steals Tips Barefoot trembles with humiliation.]
The final message in the downpour of voices was.
[The Thief Who Steals Tips Barefoot is terminating their contract with you.]
*Shit, that damn Divine Seat… After how I worked like a dog for you…*
But Hong Hansol couldn't even curse.
His life was hanging by a thread.
He couldn’t possibly worry about a Divine Seat that had already abandoned him.
All he could do was.
“S-Spare me… I-I, I was wro…”
Beg this insane goblin for his life.
“Kiruk.”
But the green monster was simply chirping as it offered its head to Hanul, who was standing beside it.
“Good work. You can go back now.”
“Keruk!”
Hanul said, patting Gono on the back of the head.
The goblin, which had been grinning happily, vanished again with a puff of mist.
Only Hanul remained before Hong Hansol, a cold smile on his face.
“P-Please, spare me.”
“That’s a bit of a problem. I may be an attention seeker, but I don’t like my abilities or my hand being revealed to just anyone.”
“I-I won’t tell anyone. About your abilities, or what happened today. W-We’ll just say it was our fault.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, so please, spare me. I-I was wrong!”
Hong Hansol prostrated himself on the ground, rubbing his palms together.
He was now doing the very thing that so many of his victims had done.
And after getting beaten to a pulp by a goblin.
In front of a kid who was an E-rank Hunter just a week ago.
But he felt no humiliation.
He wanted to live.
“I suppose. I don’t particularly want to get tangled up in something messy by killing you all.”
And then, words that had never once passed his own lips came from Kim Hanul’s.
“Ah…”
A sigh of relief escaped him.
*Thank god.*
With this, he could plan for the future.
The kid was a kid after all.
Hanul didn't yet know that leaving loose ends was a bad idea.
As soon as he got back to the guild…
“However.”
“…?”
“I’m not so sure if *that person* will agree.”
“What?”
In that instant, a chill that felt like his spine was being ripped out washed over his entire body.
It was beyond an ordinary shiver.
It was a fear so profound it made him want to bury his head in the ground and hide.
Hong Hansol slowly lifted his head.
The entrance to the workshop.
*Rrrrumble.*
The shutter closed with a heavy sound.
From the darkness that consumed the workshop, a terrifyingly cold aura flowed out.
The aura soon gathered into shadows, forming a human figure.
The moment he saw the figure’s blue, glowing eyes.
Hong Hansol managed to move his frozen tongue and call out her title.
“Sana-rae…?”
* * *
“I’m sorry.”
After the scene had been somewhat cleared up.
Sanarae approached me as I stood outside, looking up at the sky.
I glanced at the drop of blood on her cheek and shrugged.
“It’s fine. In a way, I’m the one who started it.”
“No. I was careless. If I had known the ones you clashed with were from Bone Breaker, I would have been more careful.”
In truth, I could have taken action the moment Hong Hansol started following me.
But I first needed to confirm whether he was after the Bloodflow Stone or me.
And I needed to corner him so he couldn't escape.
Knowing the risks involved, I had already placed a Beholder near Sancheon.
“What are you going to do with them?”
“Are you curious? If you are, I can tell you in detail.”
Sanarae smiled faintly.
The one who answered instead was Sancheon, who was composing himself nearby.
“I hope you don’t do anything too extreme.”
“Are you in a position to say that? Don’t you know them? If it weren’t for Mr. Hanul, you could have really died.”
“I know, but I didn’t die, did I? So it’s fine.”
“…”
“Instead, I’ll allow it.”
“Allow what?”
Sancheon scratched his head and muttered.
“Those shadows, or whatever those squirmy things are. I’m saying you can let them loose around here. It’s not just me; other people could get hurt too. I guess I was thinking too selfishly.”
“I was going to do that whether you said so or not.”
*Ahem*, Sancheon cleared his throat.
But contrary to her sharp words, Sanarae’s expression had softened, if only a little.
“Anyway, as for their disposal…”
Her pitch-black eyes turned toward me.
I didn’t add anything.
After a moment of silence, she said with a blank face.
“I’ll take care of it. There are many ways to keep someone alive.”
…That sounds even scarier.
As I was thinking that, a thick hand landed on my shoulder.
“Thank you.”
It was Sancheon.
“Not at all. I’m glad you’re safe.”
“As thanks, I’ll do my best to craft your item. I plan on creating the masterpiece of my life.”
The masterpiece of his life.
For words like that to come from a craftsman who exuded the air of a seasoned veteran.
On top of that, Sancheon had gotten a small glimpse of my abilities.
He would likely create an item befitting those abilities.
This was something I could truly trust him with.
“Thank you. It’s getting late, so I’ll be heading back now.”
“To your dorm?”
“No, I’m heading home. Something’s come up.”
“You’re always so busy, Mr. Hanul. To have something come up even at this hour.”
I grinned at Sanarae’s playful remark.
Well, most of the time it was an excuse to leave, but not this time.
Something really had come up.
“I’ll give you a ride.”
“What about those Hunters?”
“My guild members will ‘transport’ them to the guild building.”
As if on cue, several figures appeared behind her.
Among them was Jeong Sowon, the woman who had given me her business card before.
Well, if that’s the case.
It’s a pain to catch a taxi here anyway.
There was no reason to refuse this time.
* * *
“I feel like I’ve been outplayed.”
As we were nearing my studio apartment, Sanarae, who was driving, finally spoke.
That was the first thing she’d said on the way to my place.
She must have had a lot of questions.
But until now, she hadn’t asked a single one.
“I thought I had placed a weight on your side of the scales. But it looks like I’m the one who ended up on them instead.”
“We’re just helping each other out.”
“Exactly. I just never thought I’d be receiving help from you, Mr. Hanul. And so soon, at that.”
The car stopped in an alley near my apartment.
As I opened the door and got out, Sanarae called to me softly.
“…Hey.”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
With those words, she turned the car around and drove away.
I scratched the back of my head once.
Well, what do you know.
To think I’d even get a thank you from the famous Sanarae.
“This feels good, Sage.”
For some reason, I had a feeling things were going to go well.
The Sage flew around energetically, as if in agreement.
I stared at the status window that had appeared against the night sky.
[Prepare yourself! In two hours, the 702nd wave will begin.]
It really did feel good.