Chapter 14: Plan

“Are you serious?”

“I care for Ahyeon like a little sister. No matter what happens, I want to save her.”

Add one more fool to the list.

Now, the only one still holding out was Han Yuseong.

As the kids’ gazes turned to him, the pressure began to build.

“I’m not going. So stop looking at me like some mutt that needs to pee.”

“So what, we just let the villains hurt Shin Ahyeon?”

“Not my problem.”

He tried to ignore them, but the more he did, the stronger the pressure became.

Damn bastards.

The growing stares were more than enough to fuel Han Yuseong’s anger.

“Fine, then it’s just the three of us.”

“…Do whatever you want.”

He thought they’d give up, but these guys were persistent.

“Come to think of it, isn’t someone named Seo Hansoo supposed to help us?”

At the mention of the name Seo Hansoo, Han Yuseong shot up.

Kim Seogeon flinched and stepped back in surprise.

“W-What’s with you?”

“Did you hear that name correctly?”

“…Of course I did.”

‘That bastard, Seo Hansoo.’

He had met Seo Hansoo during his second run.

A greedy bastard who sold artifacts at exorbitant prices.

By the time he realized it and tried to find him, he had already disappeared.

After that, he never saw him again in any other runs.

Maybe it’s just someone with the same name.

But if it really is that Seo Hansoo?

A dry laugh slipped out of his mouth.

The kids, seeing Han Yuseong laugh for the first time, turned pale as if they’d seen a ghost.

“I’ll go too. So stop giving me those filthy looks.”

“Really? You should’ve just said that from the start.”

Whether he went or not, the world was bound to end.

If he was going to die anyway, might as well give it a try.

And while he was at it, he could beat the crap out of that Seo Hansoo bastard.

“So, do you even have a plan to follow him?”

Kim Seogeon smirked.

“Of course I do.”

Looking back, he never should’ve followed the brain-dead idiot’s plan.

If he had a sword back then, he wouldn’t have let Kim Seogeon off so easily.

That’s what Han Yuseong thought.

★★★

The place I was supposed to meet Shin Hansoo was quite far.

Good thing the principal had his own car.

Otherwise, we would’ve been stuck taking public transport on a long detour.

“Principal, you seemed to know Iblis. Please, tell me what you know—who they are and why they’re trying to kidnap Shin Ahyeon.”

What I needed right now was information.

That would clearly decide the outcome of the upcoming confrontation.

The principal hesitated, then opened his mouth as if he’d made up his mind.

“I was a Hunter. A pretty well-known high-rank Hunter. I met Iblis during those days—he worked as a guide.”

Shin Hantae. A name I remembered.

He looked so different from what I recalled, I thought it was just a name coincidence.

But it had to be him.

Shin Hantae had once been one of South Korea’s leading S-rank Hunters.

‘So that’s how he could give away expensive artifacts like gifts.’

Though he looked worn down now, his magical energy had diminished almost entirely.

Ten years ago, the S-rank Shin Hantae had suddenly disappeared from the public eye.

‘Wait a minute… maybe I can use this.’

There might be a way to temporarily restore him to his former, prime self.

It was just a theory, but it was plausible.

“Back then, I was so obsessed with fame that I neglected my family. Maybe it was divine punishment—my daughter and son-in-law died in a dungeon break. Thankfully, my granddaughter survived.”

Dungeon Break.

It’s when a dungeon appears randomly in the city.

It’s hard to detect at first, and monsters pour out, often causing casualties.

“Dungeon break?”

My heart started pounding wildly.

“Yes, the dungeon break that happened in Seocho District, Seoul…”

The moment I heard “dungeon break,” my ears went numb, like water had gotten inside.

I couldn’t hear the principal anymore.

My face twisted in pain, as if someone had wrung my chest with a wet towel.

Had I experienced a dungeon break before?

[Blocked unauthorized information.]

Now that I thought about it—why can’t I remember my past?

My memories of the past were smudged, like ink bleeding on paper.

[■■, do ■ot r■memb■r the pa■t]

A system window popped up with garbled text.

It felt like someone was screaming directly into my brain.

Seeing my pale face, the principal looked worried.

“Mr. Kim Onyu? Are you alright?”

“…Yes. I’m fine. Please, continue.”

I wiped the cold sweat from my brow.

There was no time to hesitate because of the pain.

I needed to hear more from the principal.

“Please, go on.”

“Ahyeon possesses a mysterious power—one that can’t be identified.”

It seemed to be a divine power—something like the love of a god.

It was fundamentally different from a Hunter’s magic, so no wonder no one could sense it.

“I’ve been protecting her from those trying to kidnap her. After retiring from being a Hunter, I hid my identity and moved to the countryside. But they still found us. They only have one goal.”

The atmosphere grew heavier.

The principal hesitated, then finally began to speak.

“Offering Ahyeon as a sacrifice to resurrect a monster beyond control—that’s their goal.”

You’ve discovered a fragment of the world’s truth.
Main Quest Activated.
Quest: The world is on the brink of destruction. Hurry and rescue Shin Ahyeon.
Success: (Unknown Reward)
Failure: The final boss will be resurrected.

A main quest?

What caught my eye was the part about the final boss being resurrected upon failure.

So, they’re trying to use Shin Ahyeon to bring back the final boss?

That means Iblis and that lunatic are helping bring about the end of the world.

The kids haven’t grown strong yet.

If the final boss shows up in a situation like this, the world’s definitely done for.

I have to stop this no matter what.

“Hmm? Principal, did you leave anything in the back seat?”

“No. Why do you ask?”

I thought I sensed a presence from the trunk area.

“…Must’ve been my imagination.”

The scenery outside the window changed rapidly.

From the lush forest, buildings began to appear.

I never imagined we’d be back in the city this quickly.

“Mr. Kim On-yu, we’ve arrived.”

The place we arrived at was an empty house with no one around.

Unlike the modern buildings, it retained its old appearance.

‘It’s been a while.’

It was the house I lived in as a child, nearly ten years ago, before I got scouted by Hongyeom and moved to a dorm in Seoul.

I came here since it’s the closest location to the enemies.

“Seo Han-soo isn’t here yet?”

I looked around, but he was nowhere in sight.

We had agreed to meet here.

“It’s been a while, Teacher.”

Seo Han-soo had already arrived.

He had been watching us silently, hiding his presence.

His tied-back long hair and fierce expression stood out.

“Let’s skip the greetings for now and go inside. I’ll tell you the details of the mission.”

“Wait. Before that, you should deal with what you brought along—or should I say, what you should’ve gotten rid of.”

“Brought along?”

Seo Han-soo walked over to the vehicle and flung open the backseat door.

There shouldn’t have been anyone inside.

As soon as the door opened, a group of kids tumbled out onto the ground.

They groaned in pain as they lay in a tangled heap.

“Why are you kids here!?”

They were students from Lava Elementary School.

Why the hell did they come along again!?

Looks like they snuck into the trunk before we left.

“Wow… it’s the teacher.”

The kids forced bright smiles and waved, but they shrank back at my scowling face.

“W-We want to help rescue Shin Ahyeon too!”

“Does this look like a joke to you!?”

At my angry shout, Seong Tae-yoon flinched.

Even Seong Tae-yoon, who I thought would be the most well-behaved, and Han Yoo-seong had come along.

Han Yoo-seong frowned, looking annoyed.

‘I thought he wasn’t interested in stuff like this…’

Was it the impulse of a child’s nature?

“Teacher’s showing his old self again.”

“You, be quiet.”

“…Yessir.”

I had no choice but to scold them this time.

No matter how amazing they used to be, they were powerless children now.

Even an S-rank hunter could die from this mission.

That’s why I wanted the kids to stay somewhere safe.

‘Damn it, this is giving me a headache.’

Because no one had lived here in ten years, dust had piled up on the floor.

After just a few steps, my white socks had turned black.

I should’ve come to clean every now and then.

“So this is the mysterious teacher’s house, huh.”

Seo Han-soo wandered around the place with light steps.

If I had anything valuable, he might’ve tried to steal it.

There wasn’t a single piece of furniture in the house—it was completely empty.

Then, I felt something underfoot.

‘A doll?’

It was a doll buried in dust, almost invisible.

It definitely wasn’t something I had bought.

There’s no way I would’ve played with a doll dressed like a princess when I was a kid.

“Mr. Kim On-yu, what will you do with the kids?”

The kids, except for Han Yoo-seong, flinched when I looked at them.

Sending them back would be best, but we didn’t have the time.

Still, there’s no way I can bring them to a place full of enemies.

“Should we send them back?”

“What!? Do you know how hard it was for us to get here!”

The kids protested.

I wanted to take them back myself, but we were running out of time.

“Teacher, I have a way.”

Seo Han-soo reached out toward the kids.

Skill: Silence

He activated the skill.

A white veil started covering the kids.

“It’s a new skill I got recently. As long as they stay quiet, no one will sense their presence. Of course, it only lasts two days.”

At least that meant we could leave with some peace of mind.

‘How should I beat Seo Han-soo to make it really painful.’

Han Yoo-seong stared at Seo Han-soo with a venomous glare.

What’s his deal now?

I didn’t know the reason, but he was clearly out for revenge.

That settled the issue with the kids. Now our task was to rescue Shin Ahyeon.

Our forces consisted of only three people: an S-rank, a retired hunter, and a peculiar E-rank.

We had no idea how many enemies there were.

When he heard the details of the mission, Seo Han-soo tried to back out, calling it a scam.

Before he could escape, I reminded him of our contract to stop him.

“Seriously, how are we supposed to fight with just this many people!?”

Seo Han-soo raised his voice, saying it was impossible.

I couldn’t blame him for thinking that.

Our strength and theirs were on completely different levels.

If we went for a frontal assault, we’d all die for sure.

The only option was to avoid combat as much as possible and extract Shin Ahyeon.

“I’ve got a plan.”

When I explained my plan, Seo Han-soo’s face scrunched up like crumpled paper.

“Are you insane? That’s practically suicide!”