Chapter 45 …
Trap (3)
Some time had passed.
He hadn’t checked the time, so he wasn’t certain, but enough time had elapsed for the middle-aged man’s patience to wear thin.
How long does it take to bring the kids out? Just wait until they come out—I’ll straighten them out properly!
—That’s what he was thinking.
Finally, the orphanage door opened, and someone emerged. It was… a squinty-eyed man.
“…Damn it all. Damn it all.”
The squinty-eyed man dragged out two unconscious subordinates.
Even those who were conscious weren’t much better. Their arms were bound, and they moved exactly as the man led them.
Plop, plop.
At the squinty-eyed man’s gesture, the subordinates collapsed to the ground, obediently following his orders. Watching them comply so meekly, it almost seemed like they weren’t the middle-aged man’s subordinates but the squinty-eyed man’s, which was amusing.
“Heh, hahaha…!”
The tremor in his lips betrayed his seething anger, despite the laughter that escaped him.
To think he has such fools as subordinates… No, I shouldn’t even bother fixing them; I’ll just dispose of them. But first, I’ll eliminate the squinty-eyed one who dared interfere with the Crimson Blood Society’s work.
With a flick, he waved his hand as if swatting a bothersome mosquito. Though the gesture seemed casual, the staff moved like a streak of lightning.
Bang!
The sound of a stake being driven into the ground echoed. It was loud enough to shatter a human skull, yet…
“Eh…?”
The squinty-eyed man remained unharmed.
He hadn’t moved, yet he was fine—thanks to the barrier.
A bluish lotus, sprouting from the ground like a stalk, covered his head and blocked the staff.
“Ah, so that’s the barrier installed in the orphanage.”
Whoosh!
As if in response, the lotus expanded, enveloping the entire orphanage.
The staff that had been pushed away spiraled back into the middle-aged man’s hand.
“Hmph. That kind of barrier? I’ll smash it…!”
The middle-aged man raised the staff high into the air. As it rose, it grew larger, eventually matching the size of a building’s supporting pillar.
With a confident voice, he spoke:
“Do you know? This Pa-gyeol Staff can hold mana, and its size can increase proportional to the mana contained!”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Moreover, it’s imbued with barrier-destroying properties, so it’s excellent for breaking barriers!”
“…Yes, thanks for the detailed explanation.”
“The audacity! Let’s see if you can still act so confident after this barrier is destroyed!”
Angered, the middle-aged man swung the staff immediately. This wasn’t a casual flick to swat a bug like before. He intended to obliterate both the barrier and the squinty-eyed man with full force.
Kraaaang…!
The massive pillar fell like a lotus, echoing a sound that seemed to shake the night itself.
Yet…
“…This is truly no ordinary barrier.”
“Yes. I can feel it again.”
With a sigh of admiration, the team leader spoke, and Choi-Yeon nodded in agreement.
The lotus remained intact.
Though the staff had become as enormous as a building pillar when it fell, it had landed as gently as a raindrop.
Even if the night around the orphanage awoke, the children’s dreams would continue undisturbed.
“It… won’t break…?”
A despairing voice came from beyond the barrier. The executive had been completely stunned by the unexpected turn of events.
Snap!
Choi-Yeon pulled a throwing dagger from her side and hurled it.
Startled, the executive rolled aside.
Too slow, a red streak grazed his dust-covered face.
“D-damn it! An ambush?!”
“Excuse me? Isn’t that what you should be saying?”
Tilting her head, Choi-Yeon pointed at his subordinates.
The audacity of trying to claim an ambush while bringing subordinates at night to kidnap orphanage children made her scoff.
A normal person would avert their gaze in shame, but this executive was not normal. His defiant look seemed to say, What’s wrong with facing me openly?
Choi-Yeon turned to the Crimson Blood Society team leader. At least he showed some embarrassment, which placed him in the category of ordinary humans. He avoided eye contact.
“……”
“……”
A brief silence fell, eyes scanning each other. The executive was realizing the situation wasn’t in his favor.
To take the test subjects, he had to breach the barrier—but even with the staff at full power, that seemed impossible. Even using that force, he couldn’t break it.
Negotiation was out of the question—he had no advantage. Moreover, with his subordinates captured, there was no way Choi-Yeon would accept any proposal.
Meanwhile, Choi-Yeon had everything under control.
The executive lacked the skill to break the barrier, so merely standing by ensured the children remained safe.
Eventually, as dawn approached, he would retreat on his own… if he could.
“Ugh…!”
Suddenly, the executive staggered.
Like someone heavily drunk, he couldn’t maintain balance, and his hands trembled.
Clenching his fists to stop the shaking…
“Could it be… a paralyzing drug?”
“Yes. The effects are starting to take hold.”
“Using a drug… cowardly.”
“So… you’re not in a position to complain?”
“You… damn squinty-eyed man…!”
The executive growled like a beast. But as an injured beast, his eyes sought a way out.
Choi-Yeon didn’t miss his mistake of looking elsewhere.
She smoothly drew a dagger from her waist and threw it. A thread of mana extended from the dagger to her hand.
“Where do you think you’re going…!”
The executive swung the staff to intercept the dagger.
Choi-Yeon had already anticipated this.
“Wire Shift.”
The dagger’s trajectory changed midair.
The blade, aimed at his heart, circled the staff and wrapped around it.
“No…!”
The executive cried out desperately, trying with all his strength not to lose it.
Perhaps it was his will and passion manifesting—despite weak grip strength, he wouldn’t let go. Yet while he hadn’t lost the staff, he was no longer capable of continuing the fight.
Thud! Like a hooked fish, he collapsed before Choi-Yeon.
Wow… stubborn. Won’t let go?
Choi-Yeon stared at him in disbelief and stepped on his back. The “fish” thrashed.
“Ugh! How could I let myself look this stupid…!”
“That suits you perfectly. Don’t you think?”
Choi-Yeon glanced at the team leader beside her.
The team leader almost replied, feeling it was a question from a close colleague. He even thought it did suit him.
“…I have a few questions. First, where’s Na-Yul?”
“Who?”
“Seo Na-Yul.”
“I don’t know. Who’s that? Aaagh!”
Choi-Yeon snapped one of the executive’s fingers. The scream was enough to make onlookers wince, though the orphanage remained undisturbed.
＊＊＊
The Kim Min-Seok party quickly subdued the Crimson Blood Society, following Choi Hee-Seok.
Even as the enemies charged, veins bulging red, they posed no serious threat.
Bang, bang!
Each time Choi Hee-Seok swung his massive horns, the Crimson Blood Society members were like leaves in the wind. Even if they blocked with shields or swords, they were utterly smashed.
Nearby, Kim Min-Seok fought Moon Gi-Seop.
Boom!
A red-hot fist exploded in front of Kim Min-Seok’s face. Simultaneously, blood spurted from the tip of his sword.
Moon Gi-Seop’s punch didn’t land, but Kim Min-Seok’s sword pierced his shoulder.
Boom…!
The punch that missed hit only empty air. A frustrated hiss came from his side.
Pew…
The slowed fist pushed through air harmlessly. Luckily, no red blood gushed this time. The blade hadn’t sliced through, cutting only the air.
“This is the end.”
Kim Min-Seok’s voice was calm. Moon Gi-Seop swallowed hard, watching the sword ready to strike his neck at any moment.
If he tried anything further, his life would be at risk. Even then, it would end in a futile struggle.
“I surrender.”
Moon Gi-Seop collapsed to his knees.
He could barely stand due to the blood from his shoulder and side.
Swoosh.
Kim Min-Seok nodded slightly and looked at Yoo Seo-Jin, who had remained apart.
Being a strategist, he had observed throughout the fight.
Oddly, despite Moon Gi-Seop being defeated and his subordinates falling, Yoo Seo-Jin appeared composed.
“Looks like it’s all over now.”
“……”
Kim Min-Seok didn’t respond and merely moved forward.
“Excuse me, Kim Min-Seok?”
Yoo Seo-Jin ignored him and continued. They seemed indifferent to each other.
“I’ll answer the question you asked.”
“…Question?”
“Actually, I prepared it beforehand. Wherever I go, I always prepare one—a hole.”
Thud!
Yoo Seo-Jin struck the ground, creating a hole.
The reason she stayed in one place during the battle was exactly this.
Whoosh!
Mist rolled up from the square hole like waves.
It wasn’t ordinary mist—it caught Kim Min-Seok’s feet. Other hunters were similarly trapped.
Like the calm at the eye of a storm, only the spot where she stood remained safe.
“Wait!”
Moon Gi-Seop shouted desperately.
His knees lifted halfway from the ground, but he was pressed down by the strategist.
I have to bring them too!
Though the thought didn’t leave her mouth, Yoo Seo-Jin immediately understood.
“Eh. That would ruin everything, wouldn’t it?”
“Ruin everything? What…?”
Kim Min-Seok’s eyes widened in realization.
Moon Gi-Seop understood Yoo Seo-Jin’s intention quickly. That was why she had stayed there.
“Yoo Seo-Jin! How did you…!”
“Oh dear, oh dear. You’d be more at ease if you hadn’t noticed.”
“You! You abandoned me, and you think the Master would let it slide—”
“Do you think I’d do such a thing without the Master’s permission?”
“What…? That’s… what—”
“Well then, goodbye.”
Yoo Seo-Jin bowed theatrically and disappeared into the hole.
Moon Gi-Seop watched the vanishing hole in disbelief.
“……”
So that’s it.
Yoo Seo-Jin’s goal was to neutralize the city’s strongest hunters while abandoning Moon Gi-Seop.
Like the other Crimson Blood Society members, he too…
“I… I am a failure…”
Despair hung low in his voice.
There was no sympathy for the abandoned. Moon Gi-Seop had called his subordinates failures and discarded them before.
Better to waste no more time and rush back to the orphanage.
“Min-Seok. Leave this place to us, and first—”
“I’m fine.”
Choi Hee-Seok stopped the panicked wizard from speaking.
He already knew—wasn’t she a hunter from the same Seonhwa East Division?
“The orphanage is being guarded by Yeon.”
“Eh? You mean Choi-Yeon is there?”
“Exactly.”
“But why didn’t you—”
“Because the battle started before we could say anything?”
“Ah….”
Right, that’s true. The Crimson Blood Society attacked under Yoo Seo-Jin’s command, leaving no time for conversation.
“Isn’t it risky for a C-rank hunter to be alone…?”
“Yeon is a C-rank hunter, true.”
“Then we should hurry back, right?”
“Hm….”
Choi Hee-Seok followed the wizard’s suggestion and took out his smartphone.
Tap, tap.
After checking the messages, his face broke into a full smile.
“They’ve already captured everyone.”
“Captured everyone? Alone?”
“Yes.”
“Wow…?”
The wizard and her allies looked astonished. A C-rank hunter had single-handedly captured the Crimson Blood Society executive and subordinates. Words couldn’t express how impressive it was.
Choi-Yeon’s reputation quietly rose, and Choi Hee-Seok shrugged.
“Why are you so surprised? The orphanage is protected by a barrier.”
“…Ah?”
“Ah, yes…!”
One by one, understanding dawned.
Of course—it wasn’t just one-on-many. There was the barrier from Monk Myeong-Hyeon and Father Joseph.
“No…”
Kim Min-Seok frowned in disbelief. Did they really think it was all thanks to the barrier?
He knew Choi-Yeon’s skill well enough.
Had she only used sword energy, she would have undoubtedly been a B-rank hunter. He wanted to correct his comrades’ misunderstanding.
If Choi Hee-Seok hadn’t held his shoulder to stop him…
“Let it be.”
“Eh? But….”
“I’m fine.”
Tap, tap.
Choi Hee-Seok patted Kim Min-Seok on the shoulder, blinking slowly.
…Does he want to keep Choi-Yeon’s true strength hidden? Why, though?
Even after a moment’s thought, no reason came to mind.
He only reminded himself that the hunter before him was Choi Hee-Seok. Surely, there was a reason he didn’t know.
“…Understood.”
Kim Min-Seok nodded in agreement.
Unfortunately, he didn’t know that Choi Hee-Seok and Commander Kim Jae-Sang collectively referred to Choi-Yeon and the others as “the Choi lot.”
