The Assassin Hunter Stops Time
BANG! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!__
It echoed like a war drum from the mountains, shaking the very air. A little exaggerated perhaps, but the sound was so loud it felt as if the entire mountain was roaring in fury.__
“What the hell!? What’s going on?!”__
“Is there an aerial assault!? Did a missile explode or something?!”__
The seasoned mercenaries, reacting instantly to the deafening blast, sprinted outside with rifles and weapons in hand.__
Their faces froze the moment they spotted the source of the noise.__
“Ah, that’s the direction of Antonio’s hideout.”__
“Quick! Run!”__
Nobody knew what kind of madness drove the lunatic, but they couldn’t afford to stand idle. Even elite mercenaries were nothing more than ants in front of true awakened beings.__
The scene was utterly shocking. Though the location wasn’t a factory, several dormitory buildings had been reduced to rubble. Debris from shattered walls scattered everywhere.__
But what truly stunned them was the figure standing at the center.__
“Antonio!”__
“What the—?!”__
The wounds inflicted on Antonio sent chills through the mercenaries. They stared at the blood flowing from his body in disbelief. They all knew exactly what kind of monster they were facing.__
Antonio calmly looked at the mercenaries charging toward him.__
“He went that way.”__
Antonio turned his head toward the opposite direction from where Dojin had vanished.__
The mercenaries’ expressions twisted in confusion at his sudden words, but he continued without hesitation.__
“What are you doing? Don’t just stand there.”__
Antonio’s gaze grew ice-cold as he repeated the command.__
“Hurry up and move! We have to catch that bastard!”__
“Move, move!”__
“Chasing that damn fool is the last thing I want, but I can’t just let him slip away either.”__
The mercenaries took off running without knowing the full story. Antonio stood alone in the center, gazing at the blond-haired man with a scar on his left cheek. Logan.__
Antonio spoke to him.__
“Why aren’t you going?”__
“What if I can’t catch him?” Logan eyed Antonio’s wounded arm.__
“The guy who did this to you.”__
“What are you talking about?”__
“No meaning behind it. If someone strong enough to wound you like this could escape, then our pursuit is pointless anyway. And… I don’t feel like chasing the bastard who ‘left’ me to flee.”__
The fact that the man had left the premises meant there was no threat to the factory. Free-spirited Antonio was precisely the kind of man who followed through on every job, no matter how reckless.__
Logan’s words left Antonio stunned as he stared at the man.__
“What a strange guy. One more has joined our ranks.”__
“What?”__
“Nothing. If you don’t want to go, there’s no need to force it.”__
Antonio clicked his tongue lightly at the dull throbbing pain that had finally set in. He turned to Logan.__
“Bandages?”__
“……What?”__
“Treat this.”__
“……”__
Though they worked together, Antonio and Logan weren’t exactly close. Antonio’s brazen nature earned him Logan’s silent judgment: “Unpredictable bastard.” They walked toward the dorms together to tend to the wounds.__
Tap… tap…__
No pain yet, but…__
“My body feels heavy.”__
The strike from Antonio had left him with considerable strain, even though he had dodged and counterattacked. Dojin slipped quietly into the safehouse, drawn by the direction Antonio had pointed. Most of the mercenaries had already rushed there after the earlier battle.__
“The guards here…”__
There weren’t many. With so few mercenaries left, even the low-level workers who usually kept an eye on things were now on high alert.__
Can I escape? Should I?__
Four or five mercenaries remained, but Dojin’s grip on his dagger tightened. He clenched his teeth.__
Swipe! Thud! Thud! Thud!__
In the chaos, Dojin dealt with the mercenaries in an instant and rushed into the safehouse.__
KAPOW!__
“Kyaa… eugh!”__
A girl screamed as Dojin suddenly appeared. No, his hand clamped over her mouth before she could finish the scream.__
“Shhh.”__
It was a magic-like command. One word held her breath. The terrified girl nodded vigorously.__
Dojin asked in careful English, “Do you speak English?”__
“A-a little?”__
“I heard there’s a Korean here. An Eastern girl. Someone your age. Right?”__
“Ye-yes? S-slowly…”__
“Eastern. Korean girl.”__
“Sua…?”__
The single word that slipped from her lips changed Dojin’s expression. It was the name he had been looking for.__
When he nodded, the girl spoke.__
“I work in the same place as her.”__
“Where is she right now?”__
“That’s…”__
The girl hesitated. Something inside her had shifted. The fear in her eyes vanished, replaced by resolve.__
“I’m Fatima Almarie. Are you the hunter?”__
“Yeah.”__
“Did you come to save Sua?”__
“Sua?” Dojin asked, his English still halting.__
Fatima repeated, “Take Sua and leave here?”__
“Yeah.”__
“Then take me too.”__
Fatima grabbed Dojin’s arm—his wounded arm—tightly. Her eyes pleaded: Don’t leave me.__
“…I see. Lead the way.”__
Dojin agreed. They didn’t have time to waste. Fatima discarded the hay bundle she was carrying and they hurried forward. Her steps were frantic, as if she feared meeting more guards.__
“Run. It doesn’t matter if you’re caught. I’ll handle it.”__
“Y-yes!”__
Fatima started sprinting the moment she heard the promise.__
KAPOW! CRASH!__
The remaining mercenaries inside the building appeared for a split second—only for Dojin’s dagger to pierce through their skulls.__
He moved like a ghost.__
Fatima swallowed hard and opened the door to Sua’s room.__
“Sua!”__
“……?!”__
Sua jolted awake from her half-conscious slump. Her face was exhausted, her eyes wide with terror as she clutched the sheet. Dojin recognized her immediately. But…__
“No time for explanations. Come with me. We’re leaving right now.”__
“Sua, run! We have to go now!”__
“W-what?”__
Fatima’s words left Sua bewildered.__
“This man will help us. We have to escape. There are no guards outside.”__
Sua stared at Dojin. She had never seen a man like him before. But…__
‘Korean…?’__
He was Eastern like her. For reasons she couldn’t explain, she felt an inexplicable pull toward him.__
Fatima lifted Sua to her feet.__
“Let’s go!”__
“Y-yes!”__
With resolve in her voice, Dojin turned and spoke.__
“Follow me. I’ll protect you. Just keep your eyes on my back and run.”__
“Y-yes, I will!”__
Fatima, who had already come to trust him completely, answered without hesitation. Dojin ran at a steady pace matching their speed. Of course, the pace was slow, so they were spotted by guards along the way. But…__
Swipe!__
Thud!__
Dojin’s dagger lodged in the guard’s throat.__
KAPOW!__
Then Dojin used Acceleration to yank the blade free. If he hadn’t retrieved it midway, he would have burned through the daggers long ago.__
Sua and Fatima, trailing behind, watched in awe as Dojin moved far beyond human limits. They held hands tightly and chased him with everything they had.__
“Response, response. I’m heading to the point right now. Hurry.”__
Crackle.__
―Roger.__
A short exchange crackled over the walkie-talkie. It had finally connected after they reached this distance.__
‘About twenty minutes away.’__
Since it was late at night, it might take even longer. Dojin led them down the mountain toward the waiting car, glancing at Sua and Fatima. Their breathing had grown ragged.__
The situation was urgent. The terrain was treacherous. Every factor worked against them—yet the drive to escape kept their legs moving.__
Dojin warned, “Hide here until I come back. Do not come out until I say so.”__
“Hunter-nim?”__
“They’re tailing me. I’ll turn my attention elsewhere. Just wait here.”__
Fear flashed across Sua and Fatima’s faces at his words. But…__
Tap.__
Dojin gently placed a hand on Sua’s shoulder.__
“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen. When the car arrives, we’ll escape from here.”__
His calm voice was strangely reassuring. The two girls nodded silently.__
Whoosh!__
Dojin vanished in an instant. Moments later, distant screams and gunfire echoed from far away.__
Sua and Fatima trembled in fear, clutching each other as they waited. Hoping the time would pass quickly…__
“Come out.”__
A voice rang out like a miracle.__
They had no idea how much time had passed. The man spoke casually, his expression unchanged. Yet the metallic scent of blood clinging to him hinted at everything that had occurred in such a short time.__
“Let’s go.”__
Sua and Fatima followed Dojin down the mountain. He pulled out a flashlight from his pocket and blinked it twice quickly. The opposite side answered with the same signal.__
“Hunter Ha Dojin! Over here!”__
A figure leaned out from the window and shouted.__
Dojin escorted the two girls to the car.__
“Are these the two?”__
“Yes.”__
He hurried them inside. The atmosphere around them felt chaotic. No—screams were approaching from below the mountain.__
Inka slammed the gear into place.__
“Hold on tight!”__
WHOOSH!__
TATATATATANG! TATATATATATANG!__
Bullets whizzed past from afar, but the bulletproof vehicle absorbed them all.__
Finally, the gunfire ceased.__
“Wow!”__
Inka shouted in shock at the perfect execution of the plan. He had never experienced such a high-stakes moment before. But soon he glanced back at Dojin.__
“You’re truly amazing. How… did you manage something like this…?”__
Inka knew. He knew exactly how impossible the events unfolding right now seemed—even for a hunter. Yet Dojin sat beside him, staring blankly out the window as if nothing had happened.__
Whether he had relaxed or never been tense to begin with, Inka couldn’t read the man’s calm expression. Dojin soon noticed the two girls still clinging to their tense silence, eyes fixed on him.__
Dojin said to them, “It’s over. You can rest now.”__
At those words, their suppressed sobs broke free.__
“Hic… ugh…!”__
“Waaaaah! Waaaaah!”__
The two girls let out everything they had held back for so long. The armored car, filled with an odd mix of relief and excitement, sped onto the paved road after leaving the rough off-road path.