Chapter 16
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Vivid Blue
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‘The B-Rank guys are already asleep….’
If I moved quickly, they wouldn’t even see the scythe.
Whoosh. I dashed straight forward, manifesting a scythe in my grasp. Then, using the staff part, I struck the people one by one while simultaneously spraying them. After repeating the same mechanical motions for a few minutes, all signs of human presence vanished.
“…….”
Alright, now I had to tie them all up.
…Already dreading it, but I gritted my teeth and pulled out the thin, long thread from my hood pocket. Then, one by one, I wrapped it around their bodies and bound them to the pillars.
“Done.”
The faintly glowing purple thread was a restraint and neutralization tool exclusive to the Association—I’d apparently smuggled it out. And then I’d smuggled it from him.
‘Well, he did bribe an Association member.’
These guys were the ones who’d tried to kidnap me. They didn’t want to reveal themselves, so they’d bribed an Association employee, but the problem was they’d picked someone who was on the verge of being fired for screwing up his job. No wonder they couldn’t kidnap me, bribing a guy who couldn’t even do his regular work.
Back when I couldn’t hold back my anger, I’d stormed their hideout and wrecked the whole place. They had a ton of items, so it was quite the haul, but it was a hassle and all pointless anyway, so I’d stopped bothering.
‘Perfect timing.’
Normally, I would’ve left an Association-registered phone in front of the B-Rank guy who could barely wiggle his toes, telling him to choose between death or capture within ten minutes, just to torment him. But now, too much hassle—I wasn’t going to bother.
“I wonder what reaction they’ll have.”
I pulled out my phone and made a call.
While waiting after hanging up, I rummaged through their items. Soon enough, the person I was expecting arrived. It was my brother.
“What the hell is this….”
“I was… bored, and it felt like my Pattern Synchronization had progressed a lot, so I was hopping around here and there… and I saw these shabby guys loaded with items heading into this rundown place, so I figured something fun was going down and followed them in… and, well, this happened.”
I glanced at my brother, gauging his reaction. He wore a strange expression, then sighed and asked.
“…So?”
“I don’t know how to handle them.”
“Report it to the Association….”
“I’m under an activity ban, so doing something like this… reporting it would be….”
Seeing my thoroughly terrified act, my brother sighed and nodded.
“I’ll take care of it, so go home.”
“Thanks.”
Then my brother made a call somewhere. Probably to one of the Guild Masters, but I didn’t care about that. What I wanted to know was how much my brother knew.
‘His reaction suggests this was unexpected.’
So he didn’t know events from my perspective. Based on the situation so far, then…
‘He must’ve possessed the novel where he’s the protagonist.’
Obviously, but that meant this place, this world, was a novel, and everything here was…
“…….”
My mood soured for no reason.
‘Shouldn’t have bothered.’
I decided to avoid pointless stuff from now on and headed home.
After that, the incident passed quietly without any publicity, as if nothing had happened. It must’ve reached the Guild Masters’ ears, of course, but as long as it didn’t leak to the public, that was fine. I hated attention. Quiet and safe. That was best.
…Even if it meant forgoing things that couldn’t be obtained easily.
‘No time to rest.’
Vroom. The car sped endlessly along the highway. And inside the racing car, it was utterly silent.
“…….”
I shifted my gaze from the window to the man gripping the steering wheel beside me.
A man with a serene face, curly hair, and neat attire. If I had to describe him, he was one of the S-Rank Guild Masters—and another of my allies and comrades.
“We’re almost there.”
Seung-hyeon.
The reason I was riding in this silent car with him was purely due to our cooperative relationship. In exchange for my involvement in collaborations with the three major guilds, I had to provide manpower. In other words, whenever they were short on people, I got deployed. That’s why I was in this quiet car.
Seung-hyeon Hunter, who’d been silently driving until now, finally spoke.
“We’ll arrive soon, so let me explain the plan… though there’s not much of a plan, really.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll charge in first and draw the kidnappers’ attention, then Han Ji-eon Hunter rescues Yoo A-han Hunter. Simple as that.”
“What if… it takes too long to find Yoo A-han Hunter?”
“No need to worry. No matter how big the building, if there’s chaos outside, people will head out. In that situation, the area inside the building with people will be where Yoo A-han Hunter is.”
“…Okay.”
“Any parts that need more explanation?”
“No, it’s fine. I get it.”
Yoo A-han. She was the reason we two were moving together, and why I’d met Seung-hyeon Hunter.
A member of Seung-hyeon Hunter’s Ripple Guild, a Korean S-Rank Hunter, and the world’s first S-Rank Healer Hunter. In short, the number one Hunter everyone wanted to recruit.
Seung-hyeon Hunter’s method for finding her was spot on, and besides, my brain remembered it, so no need for more explanations or worries.
Vroom. The car raced along deserted roads with no traffic, and before long, we arrived near an abandoned house in an area so empty it was hard to believe it was in Korea.
“First, please activate your Pattern, then take this.”
At his words, I immediately activated my Pattern and took what Seung-hyeon Hunter handed me.
“Uh, what’s this?”
I fiddled with the small ring—too tiny for a wrist—in my hand, unsure what to do, and asked Seung-hyeon Hunter. He answered my question.
“Put it in your mouth to activate the effect.”
“Effect?”
“It hides your presence. Yoo A-han Hunter is most likely kidnapped, and since they targeted an S-Rank like her, there’ll probably be S-Rank and multiple A-Rank Hunters. It won’t make you invisible, so stay hidden.”
“S-Ranks?”
“Illegal Hunters from abroad who don’t register. They sneak in often, so high chance they’re involved in this kidnapping.”
“…Okay.”
S-Rank Hunters. Seemed like a great job for climbing the social ladder, but only where Hunters were treated well. In some countries, they were treated like monsters and discriminated against, or turned into attack dogs endlessly clearing dungeons.
Ding. The car clock ticked to nine o’clock.
“Then let’s move.”
I got out of the car and followed behind Seung-hyeon Hunter. Then he stopped and said.
“Han Ji-eon Hunter, wait here, and once I start causing a ruckus, infiltrate the building.”
“Yes.”
Hearing my response, Seung-hyeon Hunter headed to the building alone. He didn’t hide his presence, crossing through the dense trees.
Soon, he reached the building. The guards outside shouted something at Seung-hyeon Hunter’s appearance and opened fire indiscriminately. They must’ve used items, as there was no gunshot noise.
Pong. Pong. Before the bullets even fired, water fish formed around Seung-hyeon Hunter, and a water snake coiled around his neck. The fish promptly devoured the bullets, blocking them.
KABOOM!
A thunderbolt from a clear sky. The scene fit the phrase perfectly. It was small-scale for Seung-hyeon Hunter’s power level, but water erupted from the dry air, smashing the building.
‘Time for me to move.’
I put the ring in my mouth and quietly headed to the building.
Peering through a window from outside, I saw a clean interior that contrasted with the rundown exterior, like it had been renovated.
‘Fifth floor, farthest room.’
I circled the building, checking the fifth-floor windows. Soon, I found a wall without windows.
‘That side.’
The window right next to the windowless wall. A long fifth-floor window. I leaped and leaped, hanging from the window frame in one go. Supporting my body with one hand, I placed the other on the window. Using my ability, I melted the window and pulled myself through the gap into the interior.
The room I entered was empty. Approaching the door, I heard faint voices.
“The Ripple Guild Master’s here?”
“Yeah. But he’s alone, so even an S-Rank can’t beat multiple S- and A-Ranks.”
“It’s not multiple A-Ranks, right? Like three?”
“That’s still a lot. Perfect numbers to start a guild. Too bad the S-Rank’s a foreigner.”
“Shut up about guilds when you’ve been illegal from the start. Just do your job.”
“Anyway, what’s the Ripple Guild Master thinking coming alone? Got rejected when he asked others?”
“Idiot, don’t you know what S-Ranks are like? They don’t need to ask anyone. To them, we’re just small fry.”
“Sorry for not knowing, asshole. Anyway, the teleport guy arrives at eleven, which is tricky.”
Nine o’clock. An awkward time. That’s why it was the perfect time to strike. She’d already been kidnapped for two days, so no time to waste.
Plus, as in that conversation, teleporting elsewhere was best after eleven at night, so we targeted before then. No one had teleport ability for inter-country travel anyway, so the leaked method was teleporting to a port late at night, boarding a ship out of Korea, and heading abroad.
I stayed away from the door, crouching to melt a hole at the bottom. Then I took a red ball from my inventory and rolled it—whoosh—through the hole under the door.
Thud. Thump. The clear sound of the red ball hitting the wall echoed.
“Hey, what’s that?”
“…Looks like a trap.”
“Then just shoot it.”
Pew. With a silencer item, no gunshot sound—just something bursting. Exactly the situation I wanted.
“Hey, what the fuck is that!”
I couldn’t see outside, but I was certain nothing was where he was pointing.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Fuck! Aaaagh!”
Splat. Someone punched another.
“Fuck, hey, are you crazy?”
“A monster…! Get out! Aaaah!”
Crash! Both were Hunters, but to avoid damaging the building, they grappled with fists and bodies—the sounds reached my ears.
A curse item. One that activated if damaged—and perfect for now. One of them had shot it with his gun, damaging it, leading to this mess.
“Huff…! Fuck! Crazy bastard.”
From the sounds, the cursed one seemed dead.
“What the hell even is that….”
Having killed someone and left alone, the remaining guard muttered in a slightly fearful tone.
‘About time….’
I backed away from the door a bit and waited. A few seconds later.
BOOM!
“Aaaagh!”
A crashing roar from outside, followed by the lone guard’s scream. Then, silence.
Step. Step. Footsteps approached my door, then—BAM!—the door shattered open.
“…….”
Plain black bob with blue inner hair. Blue beads dangling from her left ear, with yellow tassels.
“Ah, um… Han Ji-eon, right?”