Chapter 13: The First Crisis (3)

“I know better than anyone what kind of guy he is.”

When he sees someone with a stronger conviction than his own, he uses the pretense of a duel to kill them.

It’s so he can feel like his own beliefs are stronger.

“…I genuinely want to fight you now. But facing you in your current condition wouldn’t be proper.”

The man pulled out an old map and threw it onto the floor.

“I’ll be staying here for three days. Come fully prepared.”

“Guarantee the child’s safety.”

“This child is precious to us too. Even if you hadn’t said it, we’d keep them safe.”

“How kind of you.”

“I look forward to a duel where our lives are on the line, leaving the child behind.”

The man crushed a blue jewel, and his body dispersed like smoke.

A teleportation artifact, it seems.

My tension released, and I stumbled backward.

Only three days left.

In that time, I have to finish all preparations and rescue Shin Ahyeon.

It’ll be hard to save her on my own.

Should I contact him?

When the man appeared in the abandoned building, his comrade greeted him.

“Blunt! You finally made it. What happened to the child?”

Instead of answering, Blunt showed the child cradled in his arms.

Satisfied, his comrade looked at Iblis, who was struggling on Blunt’s shoulder.

“…Why is Iblis in that condition?”

“He was playing with a teacher, so I captured him.”

“A teacher!? Did he die?”

“No.”

There shouldn’t be anyone in this countryside capable of fighting Iblis and surviving.

Could it be someone unexpected?

This was completely unforeseen.

If a Hunter comparable to S-rank intervenes, it could throw off the whole plan.

All efforts so far might go to waste.

“Let’s return to headquarters.”

“No, we’ll wait here for three days.”

“Blunt?”

“He’ll come here.”

Seeing Blunt’s face, his comrade said no more.

Blunt bared his teeth in a grin—a sign he was fully engaged.

Once Blunt starts up, no one can stop him.

“Until I’m satisfied, the child won’t be going to the guild.”

“Is he really that impressive?”

“I’m sure if I kill him, I’ll finally fulfill my long-held desire.”

Even top-tier Hunters would struggle to rescue children quickly while analyzing terrain.

The long-dormant thrill of battle pulsed through his veins, and it felt good.

★★★

Probably because nearby residents reported it, a swarm of people from the Hunter Association arrived right after the school collapsed.

The children were taken to temporary tents and immediately questioned without rest.

Of course, I told the truth during my questioning.

Getting help from the Hunter Association in this situation would be reassuring.

“I can’t ask the guild for help.”

If a crowd of guild members rush in or the incident hits the news, the enemy will flee.

What I need now is a small elite force.

The Association can connect me with capable Hunters.

“I understand the situation. But we still need time to verify everything on our side—it may take a few days.”

That damn line came from Woo Chan-hee, a division head at the Hunter Association.

I have only three days to save Shin Ahyeon, and they need more than that just for verification?

“Did you not hear me? If you didn’t hear that the child is in danger, I’ll repeat it.”

“…Mr. Kim On-yu, I understand your concern, but we have procedures to follow.”

“Are those damn procedures more important than a child’s life?”

Woo Chan-hee shut his mouth tight.

He must know it’s unreasonable too.

Hunter Association staff belong to an organization and must follow orders.

They can’t just act on emotion, ignoring protocol.

I slammed my thickly bandaged arm on the desk.

There was hardened plaster inside—it cracked the desk slightly.

This isn’t a routine case. Two entities on par with S-rank Hunters attacked.

The Association should be protecting that child.

“We’re not saying we don’t believe you, Mr. Kim On-yu. It’s just hard to believe you fought an S-rank.”

Another Association employee chimed in from the side.

Judging by their magic levels, they were at least B-rank.

So the issue isn’t procedures—it’s that they don’t believe me.

“You’re just an E-rank, aren’t you? If you’d fought an S-rank, you wouldn’t be standing here.”

The employee began sneering mockingly.

As part of the Association, it must be easy for them to look up my info.

If a Hunter assessed my rank, it would’ve been recorded.

Woo Chan-hee tried to raise a hand to stop them.

The employee ignored him and continued.

“Maybe you mistook a C-rank Hunter for an S-rank?”

The employee grinned smugly.

No point listening further.

Droopy, half-lidded eyes and a slack expression despite the serious subject—

He was blatantly looking down on me.

I clenched my teeth.

They think I’m some delusional lunatic.

“Yeah, the Hunter Association’s always been like this.”

An organization that exploits low-ranked Hunters and turns a blind eye when people like Kim Sung-bae and Han Ga-sang wreak havoc in villages.

If no proof turns up, they’ll write the report like this:

“The teacher was delusional, the school collapsed due to old age, and the student ran away.”

“Or maybe Mr. Kim On-yu, you did something to the missing child?”

“Enough!”

“Sir, I was just offering a plausible scenario.”

I wanted to shut that lackey up myself.

When I glared at him, he flinched like a startled rat and backed away.

A moment later, realizing he lost a battle of wills to a low-rank Hunter, he scowled.

“Since you don’t believe me, I’ll take my leave.”

I stood up abruptly.

Dealing with these Association types was a waste of time.

“Mr. Kim On-yu!?”

I walked out of the interrogation room before Woo Chan-hee could stop me.

Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself.

“Focus on what I need to do right now.”

I went to find the principal first.

He was sitting on the ground, blankly staring at the collapsed school.

Having protected Shin Ahyeon amidst the rubble, he, too, was badly injured.

His body was covered with dried, caked blood.

“Principal.”

“Mr. Kim On-yu.”

When he saw me, his face lit up as if he had seen a savior.

You looked at me as if hoping for good news, but I could only turn my head away.

“Is the Hunter Association going to provide support?”

The principal, having sensed my intention, looked anxious.

His grip on his clothes tightened.

“…It doesn’t seem like they’re planning to help.”

“Oh no…”

The principal collapsed into his seat.

No one can stand firm when their granddaughter’s been kidnapped.

The Association must have been his only hope.

“Principal, may I borrow your phone for a moment?”

“…Here it is.”

The principal pulled out a phone with a cracked screen, his energy drained.

Luckily, only the screen was broken—touch and other functions still worked.

‘It was this number, I think.’

I had already given up hope of getting support from the Association.

All that remained was to pull every string I had.

What I needed now was someone unaffiliated with a guild but still a top-tier Hunter.

‘It won’t be easy to find someone like that.’

But I do know one eccentric disciple like that.

– Who is this?

“Han-soo, it’s me.”

Seo Han-soo was one of the ten S-rank Hunters I had trained.

Unusually, he insisted on solo play and had a strong desire for wealth.

He didn’t join a guild because he didn’t want to share the profits.

– Oh, it’s you, Teacher. I thought you were sick, but your voice sounds fine?

“What did you say?”

– Nothing.

What a cheeky brat.

“Why are you calling me all of a sudden?”

Han-soo’s voice was blunt.

“I need your help.”

– My help? If you’re trying to hire me, just know I’m expensive. Are you sure you can afford it, Teacher?”

Old student-teacher ties? That sort of thing means nothing to Seo Han-soo.

He’s all about strict give-and-take.

What a cold-blooded guy.

Would it kill him to help just once?

– If you can’t afford it, I’ll just—

“Would a B-rank artifact be enough?”

There was a moment of silence.

A B-rank artifact? Han-soo would be drooling for that.

You could easily sell one for billions.

Honestly, it was painful to part with, having experienced its power myself.

But it was a small price to pay for a child’s life.

– An artifact!? Why do you even have an artifact, Teacher!?

Seems he was pretty shocked.

He was probably calculating the profit in his head right now.

“So, are you going to help or not?”

– I’ll hear the details of the job first…

Oh, playing hardball, are we?

I’ve got ways to deal with that.

“If not, I’ll have to find someone else.”

– Wait!

Just as I expected.

There was desperation in Han-soo’s voice.

Of course—he couldn’t let the chance to get an artifact slip by.

– …I’ll take the job.

Got him.

As planned, I told Han-soo where to meet and ended the call.

Now we were almost evenly matched with the enemy.

The kidnappers included Iblis, an S-rank, and a large man suspected to also be S-rank.

‘The best plan is to have Han-soo create a distraction while I rescue Shin Ahyeon and escape.’

Worst case? There could be one more S-rank enemy.

“Principal, do you have a car?”

“…I do. Why?”

“We’re going to rescue Shin Ahyeon.”

★★★

“Damn it, why do I have to babysit?”

A Hunter Association employee entered the temporary shelter holding a bag of triangle kimbap.

He turned on the light, and the room lit up brightly.

The kids were still under the covers.

Well, the school had collapsed, and a friend had vanished—how could they be okay?

“Hey kids, time to eat.”

No response.

“Time to eat.”

He called again, but still nothing.

Feeling something was off, the employee lifted the blanket.

“…We’re screwed.”

Where the children should’ve been, there were only pillows.

“I literally just saw them sleeping here moments ago!”

The employee clutched his head and rushed outside to look for them.

“Where the hell did those brats go!?”

★★★

Before the employee had barged in…

The kids were quietly in the tent.

“Hey, the principal and the teacher went to where Shin Ahyeon is.”

Kim Seo-geon shouted as he returned to the tent, having claimed to go to the bathroom.

Han Yoo-sung made a disinterested face.

“So what?”

“We obviously have to follow them.”

It was unclear whether this idiot could even think.

If he knew who the enemy was, he wouldn’t be saying such things.

“We’re just kids—what exactly are we going to do?”

“Yeah, we’re better off staying here.”

Sung Tae-yoon agreed.

No one seemed inclined to follow Kim Seo-geon.

Even if they did, they’d just get in the way.

“Come on. We’ve always been like family. Shin Ahyeon’s like a little sister. We can’t just sit here and do nothing!”

“I agree with the young hero. A true disciple should always help his master in times of danger.”

Moments like this prove that birds of a feather really do flock together.

Han Yoo-sung turned away, thinking he’d just ignore them.

‘Is it the aftereffect of returning to a child’s body that I have to listen to this crap? If I keep hearing these fools talk, I’ll go insane.’

No matter what, Shin Ahyeon was destined to be kidnapped.

This time, it just happened a bit earlier.

They’d tried to save her in the previous timeline too, but it had never worked.

And in the end, that being had resurrected.

He still vividly remembered it—how it destroyed the world and laughed that disgusting laugh.

Clench.

Han Yoo-sung balled his fist tightly.

This time, he felt like he really could cut its head off.

From the moment Shin Ahyeon was kidnapped, things were already set in motion.

The world would fall, and the return would begin again.

“…I want to go too.”

Sung Tae-yoon, who had been hesitating, finally spoke.