Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Escape
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Last night, due to the sudden appearance of an ogre, Young-jin was questioned by the police.
The ogre had appeared in the hotel room where he was staying, so the investigation was unavoidable.
The questioning began at night and only finished in the morning. Afterward, he tried to find Do-jae but couldn't reach him, which made him worry.
But Do-jae wasn't just anyone; he was an S-rank hunter. Was there really any need to worry for long?
After a few unanswered calls, Young-jin put his mind at ease and started exploring the city.
It was true liberation!
"Heheheh. What should I do first? Maybe some shopping?"
Young-jin strolled through downtown Las Vegas, enjoying a leisurely trip.
What particularly caught his eye were the various medicines.
Health supplements and mana-boosting potions strongly drew his attention.
Having gone through the Busan Suppression, Young-jin himself wanted to become stronger, and he longed for the new skill Do-jae had mentioned.
Venturing deeper into the alleys, he found he could even browse illegal drugs and weapons, and before he knew it, he had wandered into the slums.
"Body modification...? Organ transplants...?"
Advertisements promoting all sorts of illegal procedures were rampant, and the people walking around had unusual looks in their eyes.
It was like the shadow behind the dazzling neon signs.
The atmosphere in the slums was dark and desolate, even though it was daytime.
"Heh... If I got something like body modification, my brother would notice right away. Are there any decent drugs around here?"
Young-jin wandered between the buildings, searching for a decent-looking shop.
Possessing potions, weapons, or other spoils could cause problems when leaving the country.
But didn't Do-jae have an all-purpose inventory?
If he hid them well in his bag and handed it over, Do-jae would store them without suspicion, and there would be no problem getting back.
Just as he was looking for a trustworthy shop.
"Hm?"
Young-jin suddenly looked back.
Feeling as if someone was watching him, he scanned his surroundings, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
No, everyone here was strange, so on the contrary, everyone looked suspicious.
"Was I imagining things?"
The moment Young-jin turned forward again, having found nothing.
"Mmph!"
A black glove clamped over Young-jin's mouth.
Then, a sharp sting in his neck as a needle pierced his carotid artery.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
Young-jin struggled to break free, but the arms holding him were too strong.
Oxygen grew scarce, and whatever had been injected into him drained the strength from his body.
In the end, Young-jin lost consciousness and collapsed.
***
"Kyaaak!"
*Slice-!*
*Thud.*
An unpleasant shriek was followed by the sound of a blade tearing through flesh.
Young-jin slowly regained consciousness.
*'Where am I?'*
Young-jin opened his eyes.
There were no buildings in sight, only sparsely scattered, withered trees.
And the first thing he felt was that he was bound.
*'My hands and feet are tied, and my mouth is gagged...'*
Young-jin strained his arms and legs, trying to break free from his bonds.
But these were no ordinary chains; they didn't budge an inch.
"You're awake?"
Someone approached.
He pulled Young-jin up and leaned him against a rock.
"Aigoo, looks like this is a first for our young master. Right?"
A masked man with sharp, slanted eyes and a cruel expression stood before him.
Judging by his Korean, he was definitely Korean.
"Woke up earlier than expected. Was the intel wrong, or did those bastards brew it incorrectly?"
The man circled Young-jin, glaring at him.
Then he crouched down, pulled out a small dagger, and brought it to Young-jin's face.
"Hey, mister. Even if you're clueless about the world, you can't just wander into a place like that alone. This isn't Korea, you know. It's a place where nobody bats an eye if someone goes missing."
*Slice-*
*Drip-*
The man's dagger grazed past Young-jin's eye, leaving a cut from which blood trickled down.
The tip of the blade then moved across his cheek, slicing through the tape that bound his mouth.
*Thwip-*
"Who are you people..."
Young-jin murmured quietly.
Besides the man in front of him, there were two others, and they were hunting the harpies that flew by.
"Come on, young master. Don't be so naive, asking questions like that. We're just hardworking, self-employed folks."
"So you want money? How much? 100 million? 200 million?"
"That's it? You think you're only worth that much, young master? For someone with your means, you're being far too modest."
The man spread his hands wide towards Young-jin.
"A billion? Where would I get that much money?"
"What are you talking about? This isn't one billion. It's ten billion."
Young-jin was speechless.
Ten billion wasn't some kind of game currency. Why was such a price on his head?
Seeing Young-jin's expression, the man chuckled and said.
"We're not some neighborhood thugs. Coming all this way for a mere billion wouldn't be worth our while."
"Who is it... Who ordered you to kill me? Is it..."
"Shh! Revealing our client's identity goes against our philosophy."
The man's dagger touched the tip of Young-jin's throat.
He acted as if he would kill him at any moment, but he only continued to threaten without delivering the final blow.
*'If they were going to kill me, they would have done it the moment they injected me with that drug. The fact that they dragged me all the way here means they have something else in mind.'*
Young-jin calmed himself and stared coolly at the man.
If they weren't going to kill him right away, he needed time to figure out a way to escape.
"Oh? Your eyes have changed. Had a change of heart? Let me take a guess. Our young master thinks I'm not going to kill him. And that you can buy some time with small talk while you figure out a way to escape. Right?"
"..."
"Come on, don't be like that. You think we're that sloppy? Don't worry. We'll send you on your way nice and clean soon enough."
Young-jin gritted his teeth.
The man didn't seem to have any intention of letting him live.
He didn't know what they were waiting for, but once it was over, they would kill him immediately.
Before that happened, Young-jin attempted to at least negotiate.
"If it's about money, I'll give you more."
"Didn't you just say you didn't have any?"
"No. You know who I am, right? If you give me a little time, I can get it somehow."
"How much?"
The man reacted.
That meant money was at least one of his objectives.
Young-jin thought of the maximum amount he could raise right away.
"Twelve billion. I can get it within a month."
"Twelve billion?"
But the man's expression didn't change.
Even though he was offering two billion more.
"Fifteen billion... I'll get it for you within a month, somehow."
The man still showed no expression.
Instead, he raised his hand again.
Once again, it was five fingers, spread wide.
"Ten times that. Get me one hundred billion. And the timeframe is too long. I'll give you exactly one week."
Hearing the man's words, Young-jin shook his head.
The amount was absurd.
Even if he liquidated all his stocks and real estate right now, raising a hundred billion would be difficult.
And in just one week.
"That's ridiculous... Ten times the amount, just like that..."
"Young master, listen carefully. If you die, we and our client can just keep our mouths shut and live happily ever after. But if we let you live, what do you think will happen to our relationship with the client? It'd be incredibly awkward for us to face each other. One hundred billion is a discount, just for you."
"Guuh..."
The man placed a hand on Young-jin's shoulder and squeezed.
His collarbone was crushed, and intense pain washed over him.
"So, what'll it be? Should we make it look like you died in a dungeon, just like so many other hunters, your body never to be recovered? A shame, but we'll have to settle for the ten billion. Or will you come up with one hundred billion in a week? Hmm? A measly hundred billion should be nothing for our young master, right?"
Writhing in pain, Young-jin nodded his head.
Was money important?
Staying alive came first.
Of course, these guys wouldn't just let him go, but at least he had bought a week.
That was enough.
*'My brother will come rescue me soon... No, I can't keep relying on him forever. I have to solve this myself.'*
***
About six hours had passed.
Young-jin was still bound, waiting.
As he observed the situation, he realized the one who had spoken to him was the boss.
"I'll be back."
"Bring back something to eat."
"Yes, boss."
And of the other two, the man with long hair kept heading somewhere.
He was constantly doing something out of sight, regularly going in and out of the dungeon, then returning with his bag full of something to get the boss's approval.
"Kiiit!"
*Swish-.*
*Slice-!*
And then there was the man with the crew cut.
He wandered the area, hunting the harpies that attacked.
He killed every harpy in a single blow, with no wasted movements.
His swordsmanship and physical abilities were all superior to Young-jin's.
"Haaam."
Finally, the boss.
He sat on the rock Young-jin was leaning against, quietly passing the time.
After their initial conversation, he didn't speak to Young-jin again, nor did he talk to his subordinates except when absolutely necessary.
*'There's no conversation, so I can't get a read on the situation... Still, I have to try something.'*
Young-jin waited for the long-haired man to return.
He was usually gone for five to ten minutes.
But this time, it took a little longer.
"Stop that and come eat! Take over for a bit."
"Yes."
The long-haired man swapped roles with the crew-cut man.
They began to eat from the large amount of food they had bought.
*'Tch. They're not showing their faces.'*
He kept watching, hoping they would lower their masks to eat and reveal their faces, but they had their backs to him, so he couldn't see anything.
Here began Young-jin's first attempt.
"You're getting a ransom for me anyway, so give me some food too."
He asked for food to build some rapport with them.
If the mood improved, he would ask them to loosen the chains binding him.
After all, if he stayed tied up like this, he couldn't get a hundred billion, let alone a thousand won.
"Hot dogs, sandwiches, ice cream, hamburgers... After eating all that, you want more? We won't let you starve to death, so don't get any funny ideas and just stay put."
Failure.
It seemed they had been following him since morning, as they knew everything he had eaten.
So, he tried asking directly to be unchained.
"Then untie me. I have to pee, and anyway, I need to move around to get the money."
"Jeez. Hold it or piss your pants. I'll take off the chains when the money is ready. And does our young master really need to move? You can use a proxy, make a phone call. Right?"
He had a point.
He was a man they were supposed to kill anyway.
It wouldn't matter to them whether Young-jin wet or soiled himself.
"How about this? When I get back to Korea..."
"Haa... Why don't you shut up before I sew that mouth of yours shut? One more word, and I'll start by cutting out your Adam's apple."
The boss's glare and words silenced Young-jin.
It felt like if he provoked him any further, his throat really would be slit.
*Vmmm-.*
Just then, a small vibration emanated from Young-jin's chest.
The mana stone he had tucked deep inside his inner pocket.
He could feel the mana stone vibrating intensely.
*Clang-.*
And the chains that bound Young-jin tightly slid off on their own.
And these weren't ordinary iron chains, but specially treated ones.
"What?"
The boss, who was eating, turned his head toward Young-jin at the strange sound.
Then he shot to his feet and approached Young-jin.
"How did you do that?"
In that instant, the chains flew on their own and struck the boss in the solar plexus.
"Kuh!"
No, it wasn't on their own.
Young-jin's will was embedded in the chains' movement.
His body now free, Young-jin didn't hesitate for a second. He sprang up and started running.
"Get him!"