Chapter 42: A Safe Kidnapping
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 42: A Safe Kidnapping
11
Lately, the Snow Mountain Wolf, Ha Seo-ho, had been picking up the pace with his work.
To others, his track record simply looked like he was putting in a bit more effort.
However, that perception began to change when a different rumor about him started to circulate.
It was the rumor that Ha Seo-ho was planning to enter the Tower of Revelation.
Whether it was true or not was uncertain.
Seo-ho had yet to release any official statement.
But rumors are always like that.
The truth mattered little in the court of public opinion, and thanks to that, Seo-ho’s name was all over various online communities.
[ Breaking News: Ha Seo-ho to Challenge the Tower of Revelation ]
RFF: What's up with Ha Seo-ho? Is he really challenging the Tower?
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└ YeahYeah: He hasn't made an official statement. Seems a bit premature.
>
Jidori: His recent record has been insane, though. The great Seo-ho is in top form.
>
Zom: He's been closing a ton of dimensional gates. Is he about to become a national hero?
>
└ FDZZ: FR FR FR. I'm all in on the Snow Mountain Wolf coin starting today. Holding my breath until he makes a statement.
>
ClickbaitTube: [ The Korean S-Rank Hunter Who Shocked the World Finally Takes on the Tower of Revelation! ] Link
At the same time, people began to pay attention to his recent activities.
While not a huge increase, his mission count was slightly higher than usual.
It wasn't a steep rise, but it was climbing steadily, as if he were pacing himself.
Because of this, the rumor gradually solidified into conviction.
The Snow Mountain Wolf, Ha Seo-ho, is preparing to challenge the Tower of Revelation!
In truth, there was nothing to be gained from clearing the Tower of Revelation.
The Tower always just looked down on people, showing no reaction even when a floor was cleared.
However, one thing was certain: every incident related to dimensions had begun after the Tower’s appearance.
For that reason, many believed that if the Tower were cleared, all dimensional phenomena would cease.
This prevailing belief naturally led to those who challenged the Tower being hailed as heroes.
As a result, anyone who cleared a new floor of the Tower was treated as a global hero, which proved that they could become a worldwide icon for their company or nation.
A global hero, a figure known to the entire world.
The value of that title alone was immeasurable.
A single commercial featuring them would bring in an entirely different class of revenue.
That was why, among S-rank hunters and returnees, there were occasional individuals who challenged the Tower of Revelation.
There were risks, but success meant their affiliated nation or company would gain a tremendous asset, so they never spared any support.
And in that climate, the rumor that Seo-ho was preparing to challenge the Tower was solidifying, sending people into a frenzy.
Of course, even then, Seo-ho’s side remained silent.
A rumor was just a rumor.
But to Girasung, who aimed to kidnap him, was it really just a rumor?
The trouble with the World Returnee Association, stemming from the failed kidnapping of Si-ho, was now in full swing.
Thanks to the recent artificial dimensional gate incident, the Association had accelerated its efforts to wipe out Girasung, and an all-out war was imminent.
On top of that, the reappearance of the Heavenly Demon, Cheon Hong-ryeon—who had briefly worked with the Association before disappearing—was a source of immense pressure for Girasung.
Cheon Hong-ryeon had once been on the front lines, crushing factions hostile to the World Returnee Association.
Few returnees could stand against the martial prowess of a woman who had reached the pinnacle of the Murim world.
For some reason, she had been filled with a rage that drove her to annihilate any Girasung members she encountered since her return, causing a massive headache within the organization.
Ironically, the fact that this entire worst-case scenario had been triggered by a single person, Kang Ha-chan, was something they couldn't comprehend, driving them mad.
And now, a rumor had surfaced that Seo-ho, the target of their kidnapping plot, might enter the Tower of Revelation.
The conflict and impending all-out war with the World Returnee Association.
The reappearance of the Heavenly Demon.
The failure to kidnap Ha Si-ho, and the fact that the already troublesome spatial ability user now had a returnee by her side.
Ha Seo-ho’s challenge of the Tower of Revelation.
With these four situations overlapping, Girasung was starting to feel the heat.
Just by entering the Tower, he would be the talk of the town for some time.
Furthermore, if he actually went through with the challenge, their kidnapping plan would naturally be scrapped.
Their last means of prying Ha Si-ho away from the World Returnee Association would be gone forever.
Therefore, they were in a situation where they had to kidnap Ha Si-ho before he entered the Tower, and they had to move before the Association’s eyes turned toward Seo-ho.
Their only saving grace was that the World Returnee Association had only assigned a returnee to Si-ho.
Seo-ho was an S-rank hunter, and the Association was too preoccupied with hunting them down to pay him much attention.
The only silver lining they could find was that Seo-ho, having picked up his pace, must be suffering from accumulated fatigue.
Even an S-rank hunter cannot ignore built-up exhaustion.
This was, in effect, their only chance to abduct him.
Their last chance to use Seo-ho to bargain for Si-ho.
Perhaps that was why Girasung had to turn a blind eye to the possibility that this situation might be a trap.
Unlike the World Returnee Association, they were a criminal organization.
As they operated in the shadows, there were limits to their information gathering, and the situation was turning against them.
As such, they couldn't just sit back and wait as their last card—the one that could turn the tables—was about to disappear.
And so they made their move, uncertain whether their final card was a joker or one that would send them to their doom.
That was the situation as it appeared on the surface.
If only there hadn't been other variables at play between Girasung and the World Returnee Association.
12
That day, too, Seo-ho was on his way back after closing a dimensional gate.
It hadn't been a large-scale gate, so Seo-ho had handled it alone and closed it without much difficulty.
“The gate is closed.”
[ Excellent work. We have a car waiting for you at the base. ]
“Understood.”
Finishing his conversation with the operator via the receiver in his ear, Seo-ho rolled his stiff shoulders.
He had definitely accumulated a good deal of fatigue by keeping up this pace.
‘Feels like I’ve been moderately downgraded.’
Feeling the exhaustion seep into his body, Seo-ho began his descent from Gamaksan Mountain in Paju.
Just then, a chilling aura filled the air.
Just as he had discussed with Ha-chan, he had been deliberately draining his stamina to lure his opponents.
Coincidentally, he was in the mountains today.
Though he was on his way down, it would still take some time to reach the residential area.
In other words, it was the perfect situation to attempt a kidnapping.
Crack!
At that moment, the receiver in Seo-ho’s ear exploded.
Zzzzing!
The explosion right next to him made his left ear ring, and he grimaced.
In that instant, something moved in the forest.
Thwack!
Even though he had clearly perceived it, the impact on his jaw rattled his brain.
Before his blurry eyes stood a person cloaked in pitch-black darkness.
The figure, who emanated only a red glint from its eyes, was unsettling just to look at.
‘He’s strong.’
Moreover, the presence of this unsettling being clearly signified a mental attack.
Seo-ho quickly averted his gaze and, just before falling, erected an ice wall to support himself.
The full-blown mental assault seemed to have begun, as his vision fractured into hundreds of pieces, like the eye of an insect.
In that time, the enemy kicked off the ground once more.
According to the plan, he was supposed to get kidnapped, but he was still an S-rank hunter. If he went down too easily, the other side would surely become suspicious.
Seo-ho gave up on his sight and immediately stomped on the ground.
Sh-sh-sh-shk!
Ice spears shot up from the ground, surrounding him and attacking the enemy.
The foe dodged the ice spears with inhuman movements and reached Seo-ho in an instant.
Just as the enemy’s fist was about to strike him again.
Crack!
His punch was blocked by a translucent barrier of ice that had formed around Seo-ho.
Watching him, Seo-ho held a flower meticulously crafted from ice.
“There’s a limit to how much you can underestimate someone.”
The moment the blindfolded Seo-ho crushed the ice flower, a pure white frost instantly blanketed the surroundings.
Absolute Zero.
The cold that froze everything swallowed all in its path.
“Hah.”
A sigh escaped his lips, freezing along with the frigid air.
His vision still hadn't recovered, so Seo-ho placed a hand over his eyelids and tried to push himself up from the ice wall.
But his movement was halted by a rising curtain of flames.
It seemed another enemy had been hiding in ambush, as the roaring fire began to melt even the forest of ice.
Soon, he felt a massive source of light through his closed eyelids.
A sphere of heat, created high in the sky, was shining intensely.
“We’re in a hurry, too, so we have no intention of dragging this out.”
A man’s voice reached Seo-ho’s ears.
The heat was so intense it felt like he would be cooked just by being near it.
This was a user with a completely opposite affinity to his own ice abilities.
From the very beginning, his opponents had been moving with all their strength to capture him.
That also meant their situation was just as desperate.
‘So there was no need to act after all.’
Against this, he would have been captured helplessly even if he had fought with all his strength.
Swallowing a bitter smile, Seo-ho gripped a sword crafted from ice.
If that was the case, then he would just have to resist until the very end.
Soon, the sphere of heat fell upon the forest, heralding the beginning of the Ha Seo-ho kidnapping incident.
13
The car Ms. Baek Seol-hyang had sent arrived in front of the cafe shortly after.
A white Sonata.
It was one of the most common car models on the street.
Just then, an old gentleman got out of the driver’s seat, walked over, and opened the door for me.
“Please get in, Mr. Kang Ha-chan.”
For some reason, it felt burdensome. A foreign old gentleman opening the door of a Sonata for me.
I gave an awkward smile and got into the car.
The interior suddenly expanded, and I froze, startled.
The inside of the car was reminiscent of a luxurious limousine.
As I wondered if I could ever afford a car like this even if I worked my whole life, I recalled that this car had looked like a Sonata just moments ago.
“It’s distortion magic. A spell that makes the outside look different from the inside. Some returnee must have made it.”
Baeksan spoke nonchalantly, as if this interior was nothing special.
Was it designed this way to move around secretly?
It was certainly a car befitting a chauffeur who personally opened the door.
As someone who had lived his entire life as an ordinary citizen, I awkwardly settled my butt onto the seat, and the old gentleman began to drive.
His driving was incredibly smooth; even as we rounded a curve, the wine set up in the car didn't so much as tremble.
“Excuse me, are you perhaps a returnee?”
Since he was sent by Ms. Baek Seol-hyang, I asked out of curiosity.
The thought of a returnee driving me around was a bit bewildering.
“No, I am not a returnee. I am merely an old man who knows a thing or two about driving.”
The old gentleman smiled and answered me kindly.
“Even at the World Returnee Association, quite a few of our employees are ordinary people. Most of them are individuals who wish to repay a debt of gratitude to a returnee. As such, they are also very tight-lipped.”
I see.
Since most of the Association’s internal affairs were top secret, I found it fascinating.
“What’s so fascinating? How many returnees do you have around you already?”
As Baeksan said, it was a bit ridiculous for me to be finding this surprising now.
“Mr. Ha-chan, you are an important individual whom the Chairperson herself has emphasized. This vehicle is also prepared for ability-based attacks, so please do not worry and ride in comfort.”
I wondered what I had done to deserve such treatment.
But saying that out loud would be rude to the person showing me such courtesy, so I simply nodded quietly.
Having grown up in a Korea where Confucian values still persisted even in 2030, I had a soft spot for the elderly.
Trrrring-
Just then, my phone started ringing, and I turned my head.
Could it be Ms. Baek Seol-hyang?
When I picked up my phone, my eyes widened at the unexpected caller.
The number belonged to none other than Si-ho.
A bad feeling started to creep over me.