Ties from My Previous Life (7)

"Sowol?" Lee Jihyun's voice shook. "Why... is that assassin after us?"

"I... don't know either."

Several possibilities rose in my mind. The fact that I had fought Han Yeseo before might have been exposed. Or perhaps, for some unknown reason, the truth that I was a wizard had leaked out.

Or maybe it had something to do with my family.

This world was full of countless mysteries. When you factored in Unique Abilities, trying to systematize them was nearly impossible. It wouldn't be strange if there existed a non-magical Unique Ability that could obtain information without any apparent cause or connection.

"One thing's for sure... we're in serious danger, aren't we?"

The pattern was exactly the same as before. We had entered a sparsely populated area, and right after that, the assassin appeared.

It was hard to call it a mistake for coming to a remote place. If they were obsessively targeting me, they would have shown up eventually anyway. Today just happened to be the day.

"...We have to run. As far and as fast as we can."

It was similar to last time, but there was one decisive difference. This time we didn't have an overwhelming force like Han Yeseo. She was S-rank. Far from average, which meant she could fight and defeat an assassin through pure skill alone.

But Lee Jihyun was different. Unless the assassin was S-rank, she wouldn't be completely overpowered, but fighting monsters and fighting villains were two entirely different things.

On top of that, since she had only recently reached A-rank, her actual ability would still be relatively low. Winning was almost impossible.

"If we head toward where the crowds are, we should at least be able to buy some time."

The good thing compared to before was that we hadn't gone too deep yet. No matter how strong an A-rank she was, Lee Jihyun wasn't on Han Yeseo's S-rank level, so I'd deliberately stayed close just in case.

That didn't mean we held the advantage, though.

"They're coming!"

Assassins had to be fast by nature. Without speed, they couldn't even attempt a kill. If the target was faster than them, catching them in open terrain was impossible.

The assassin in the black coat hurled a dagger at us. Even if the outfit was the same, it was clearly a different person. Naturally.

But we didn't respond the way we had before. We wrapped our bodies in mana and ran. Speed comparable to a high-end sports car exploded from us.

No matter how superior the opponent might be, it wasn't easy to catch someone fleeing with everything they had. Just as subduing was harder than killing, pursuit was far more difficult than assassination.

And if we fled toward a populated area, it would eventually put them at risk. Killing everyone would be difficult, and once we reached the city, high-ranking hunters would rush in as backup.

Which was why the opponent seemed to have prepared a countermeasure.

"...A wall?"

After running a short distance, a translucent barrier blocked our path. It hadn't been there moments ago. It had appeared out of nowhere.

I had expected it, but now it was confirmed. That man had been sent specifically to capture us. The faint possibility that this was coincidental had existed, but even that had now vanished.

"...Hey. Let me ask you one thing. Are you planning to kill me?"

I shouted at the assassin who was slowly approaching. I didn't know exactly what kind of work he did, but there had to be a clear objective behind it.

What benefit would there be in killing me? There probably wasn't any.

That was why the opponent might be planning to capture me alive rather than kill me. After all, they would have investigated me first.

In Han Yeseo's case, since she belonged to a guild, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the E-rank gate would have been the perfect time to kill her. But me? They could kill me quite easily.

Tailing me would quickly reveal where I lived, and once they reached my home, killing me wouldn't be difficult. The same went for Lee Jihyun. Even though she was affiliated with the Hwarang Guild, her lifestyle meant she didn't always stay in heavily guarded locations.

The fact that they had waited until we came here suggested their goal wasn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠assassination.

"Your objective is to kidnap us without leaving any traces. It would be difficult to kidnap us if both of us are still alive."

Keeping someone alive and taking them was harder than killing them. Especially Awakeners, since you never knew what kind of mysterious powers they might possess.

"That's why you came here, right? If we caused a scene, it would be hard to handle things quietly."

If we went all out, an uproar would erupt immediately. If pursuit joined in at that point, the chance of being discovered would skyrocket.

They must have decided it was better to knock us unconscious here and transport us.

"What? No intention of answering? Fine, I understand. Then we'll have to give it our all too."

The opponent didn't seem interested in replying. He simply stared at us with a heavy gaze.

If that was how it was going to be, an ambush would have been smarter. I didn't understand why he had simply shown himself. Still, an opportunity had presented itself, so we had to fight.

"Jihyun, that person isn't here to kill us. If killing was the goal, they could have ambushed us, finished the job, and disappeared."

"...Huh?"

"Look, they've put up a wall. It's clear they're after us. But if you think about it, isn't it strange? If they knew enough to know we'd be here, they could have targeted me when I was alone at home. They could have just poured in overwhelming firepower and fled. But they didn't, right? The fact that they waited until we came here means they need to kidnap us safely."

The opponent wanted us. I didn't know which one of us, but they needed to take at least one of us unharmed. Maybe both.

"So we won't die. Hostages only have value while they're alive. That's obvious, since these aren't the kind of people who do this on a whim."

The fact that death wasn't on the table in this abnormal situation was an enormous advantage. That's why I told her not to be afraid.

"Let's go."

This was probably no ordinary barrier. Breaking through it with my own power would be difficult right now. Even if the opponent was strong, if they were at a level where they could easily handle both an A-rank and a C-rank hunter?

We stood a fair chance. After all, subduing someone was far more difficult than simply winning or killing them.

If it's Jihyun... well...

It would be fine even if the fact that I was a wizard was revealed.

"Jihyun?"

"...Yes? But I still don't really understand..."

"Explaining would cause too many problems, so let's skip it. The opponent is a professional, so our chances of winning are low. They would have sent someone with that level of skill. But that's only based on the strength they've measured."

I had considered the possibility that my identity as a wizard had been exposed, but that wasn't the case. If they knew I was a wizard, they could reasonably assume I had been hiding my true power.

In that case, what would my estimated combat ability be? It would keep climbing indefinitely. It was obvious I was concealing my strength, so how could they possibly measure it? They would have sent an S-rank, and assuming even an S-rank might be necessary for subduing, it would become an incredibly difficult fight.

But they had sent only one person? That didn't add up.

"If you can keep just one thing secret for me... I'll make sure you get out of this alive."

"...Sowol? Are... are you serious?"

"Yes. Trust me. At the very least, I won't let you die pointlessly at that guy's hands."

I finally spoke the words I couldn't say back when I was Heo Donghyeon. If I had said something like that to her back then, Jihyun would have been so happy.

The opponent finally drew close. He made no effort to hide that his goal was to subdue us. Still, we couldn't relax. If they only needed one of us, the other was bound to die.

We had to fight with the resolve to die.

Shaaaaak—

The opponent charged directly at us. The dagger drawn from within his coat aimed for our joints. I hurriedly reinforced my body with mana and deflected it. As expected, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gap in skill pushed us back.

But Lee Jihyun was no easy opponent. She rushed to my side and desperately blocked the assassin's strikes.

"Didn't you say you had a plan?!"

When Lee Jihyun grew anxious, her tone turned sharp. Well, that was just like her. She had always gotten angry like that when pressed. Seeing the exact same reaction as before brought a faint smile to my lips.

This was no time to smile. We were in an incredibly dangerous situation.

"Tsk...!"

Lee Jihyun quickly raised her hand ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and activated an unknown ability. Her body crackled as it began to digitize. It was a technique I had never seen before. But precisely because of that, I could guess what it was.

Jihyun had used her Unique Ability.

"Hah!"

The digitized portions allowed attacks to pass through harmlessly. Then, at the perfect moment, she would release the ability and counterattack. I could attack without restriction, but the opponent could not.

With sufficient base stats, it became an all-purpose offensive and defensive trait. In a way, even a potentially fatal blow granted one chance to evade. That was more than enough.

The three minutes Jihyun had bought me. That was enough to seize the upper hand.

"Are you ready?"

"Huh?"

At my words, Lee Jihyun glanced back. The full scene was revealed.

In my hands, a massive magic circle had unfolded. Countless magic circles wrapped around my body, waiting for my command.

"Explosion."

I unleashed the massive explosion.