Chapter 15: All-out Showdown (1)

“There’s no other way.”

If it’s not the plan I proposed, we won’t be able to save Shin Ahyeon.

“With this plan, we can definitely win.”

“Sigh… It’s not that I don’t trust you, sir…”

Seo Hansoo, his neat hair now messy, let out a deep sigh.

“Money can ruin a person… Why go blind over an artifact…”

Even while grumbling, Seo Hansoo didn’t run away.

If he were an S-rank, he could’ve ignored any contract and just walked off.

Resting his chin in his hand, Hansoo looked sullen.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Just proud of you.”

“Don’t say stuff like that, it’s embarrassing!”

★★★

The Hunter Association was still investigating the cause of the school’s collapse.

Woo Chan-hee wandered around the ruined debris.

A direct order from higher-ups had already been issued to pull out of the case.

If they did, the conclusion would just be that it was an old building that collapsed.

‘That man didn’t seem like he was lying.’

He had been convinced at first that a child had been kidnapped by an S-rank.

But as time passed, it became harder to believe.

There wasn’t a single piece of physical evidence.

While looking around, Woo Chan-hee spotted Choi Sang-sik, the B-rank hunter who had rudely treated Kim On-yu.

He was laughing and chatting with a colleague.

“He’s been bragging that he fought an S-rank. And he’s just an E-rank who can’t do anything!”

“What an idiot.”

Running their mouths again, as they pleased.

Despite being told to keep quiet until the results came in.

“Ah, Chief, you’re here.”

Choi Sang-sik noticed Woo Chan-hee and approached him.

“When are we pulling out? Can’t stand being in this dump anymore.”

He kicked a rock at his feet. Clearly full of complaints.

“We’ll be withdrawing soon. The order came from above.”

“About time. That Kim On-yu kid—he’s the real kidnapper, isn’t he?”

“I told you to watch your mouth.”

“Oh come on, you still believe that E-rank’s bluff? If it’s true, I’ll cook my own hand.”

Just as he turned his head, unwilling to talk further,

Woo Chan-hee—though a civilian—had better mana sensitivity than most hunters.

Through the thick debris, he saw traces of mana.

As if drawn by something, he began digging through the rubble.

Soon, a laugh burst from his mouth, full of disbelief.

“Sang-sik, looks like you’re gonna have to cook your hand.”

A sinister mana was lingering on a fist-sized rock.

Just one look was enough to tell whose mana it was.

“This is S-rank mana.”

“No way!”

Choi Sang-sik quickly checked, but his face soon hardened.

It was unmistakably the mana of an S-rank hunter.

Which meant an S-rank had indeed fought here—and Kim On-yu’s claim was true.

“Everyone, prepare to move!”

At Woo Chan-hee’s shout, the Hunter Association staff all got moving.

With evidence in hand, there was no reason to hesitate.

Kim On-yu had fought an S-rank.

‘Could he have been hiding his mana with an artifact?’

That would explain why his mana seemed close to E-rank.

‘Thank goodness he didn’t lash out during the interrogation.’

If he fought an S-rank, his power must be immense.

If he wanted, he could likely wipe out the entire Hunter Association.

A convoy of Hunter Association vehicles sped off in a line, creating a dramatic sight.

They still remembered the place where Kim On-yu said he would meet the kidnapper.

Doing nothing now would mean making an enemy of someone comparable to an S-rank.

“Step on it!”

“Yes!”

Getting on the wrong side of someone like that would be catastrophic for the Hunter Association.

‘We need to support Kim On-yu before it’s too late.’

★★★

The ones we love always leave first.

“Ahyeon, we’re playing hide and seek with Mommy. No matter what, don’t come out, okay?”

The day the dungeon break happened, my mom hid me in a closet.

She said she’d come back—but that was a lie.

The dark space swallowed in fear, the sharp screams…

That’s how I lost my parents.

The other teachers were the same.

Once they realized I was different, they left without hesitation.

The way they looked at me, like I was a monster, still lingers in my heart.

Never rely on adults.

I swore to never trust them again.

“Hey, kid. You awake?”

As her eyelids fluttered open, a blinding light struck her eyes.

Shin Ahyeon flinched, barely swallowing a scream.

A man wearing a skull mask had leaned in close.

‘Where am I?’

She remembered nothing after collapsing at school.

The air smelled musty, and discarded steel rods lay strewn across the floor.

Her wrists were tightly bound with rope—no matter how she pulled, they wouldn’t budge.

“No need to be so scared. I’m not a bad guy.”

“Besque, shut up and move aside.”

The man in the skull mask was pushed away by Iblis.

A long scar stretched across Iblis’s face.

“Y-You villain! Stay away!”

Gathering her courage, Shin Ahyeon shouted.

She could tell—this was the villain who did something terrible at the school.

Iblis let out a dry laugh.

“Villain? Does this look like a joke to you?”

He grabbed her by the hair.

A gleaming dagger touched her neck with a chilling edge.

“What do you think will happen if you move even a finger right now?”

“Ugh…!”

She was terrified.

Her eyes welled up with tears.

She bit her lower lip, barely holding back the sobs.

“Iblis, that’s enough.”

“Shut up! This wound from that damn teacher still throbs!”

The sword that teacher used—there was something off about it.

It felt like it was laced with poison; the muscles in his face felt like they were stiffening.

Even with healers pouring healing magic on it, the wound wouldn’t heal.

“I won’t be satisfied until I peel the skin off that bastard’s face.”

Once Iblis got worked up, it was hard to stop him.

By nature, Iblis was cruel.

It’d be fine if that cruelty was reserved for enemies, but the problem was— his blade didn’t distinguish between friend and foe.

Besque only tried to stop him with words—never actions.

“Iblis.”

Blunt, who had been silently observing, finally spoke.

“She’s a valuable offering. If you do anything foolish, I’ll kill you myself.”

“Well, that’s just great. I never liked your brat anyway. How about we settle this right now?”

Iblis licked his lips and drew a dagger.

Blunt scowled and reached for his greatsword.

A cold silence and tension hung thick between them.

“Calm down! What good does it do if we fight among ourselves?!”

The place was an abandoned construction site.

If two S-ranks fought here in this skeletal structure, it would obviously collapse.

And someone just as powerful as Iblis would be arriving soon.

If these two fought now, we’d be the ones getting wiped out.

“Tch. Lame.”

Fortunately, Iblis was the first to back down.

Phew… That was close.

“Blunt, remember this. When that teacher shows up, hand him over to me.”

Iblis needed to find out how that bastard teacher knew the old name—something only his dead family should’ve known.

The dead are supposed to stay silent.

In a small country like this, it was impossible to randomly run into someone who knew that name.

‘I’ll tear off his limbs if I have to, to get the truth out of him.’

“…He’s mine. If anyone kills him, it’ll be me.”

Shin Ahyeon’s eyes widened as she listened to their conversation.

Wait—does that mean the teacher is coming here?

That couldn’t be.

She never imagined an adult would come to save her.

“General!”

“What is it?”

“They’re here!”

Iblis smiled with wild madness.

“Finally, you’re here, you damn teacher bastard!”

★★★

“What a damn lovely place to pick for a showdown.”

A lone abandoned building stood tall in the middle of a desolate wasteland.

“This is insane…”

Seo Hansoo muttered repeatedly with sunken eyes.

To be fair, even I had to admit this was insane.

The dilapidated building before us pulsed with at least dozens of magical auras.

There were countless Hunters inside.

And yet, walking toward that building was just me, the principal, and Seo Hansoo.

Only three of us.

“Keep your head straight.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it! Like I’m not already worn out from that damn brat charging at me…”

I started to wonder if he had some bad history with Han Yuseong.

After all, every time Seo Hansoo fell asleep, Han Yuseong would slap him awake.

“Teacher, shall we begin?”

“Yeah.”

Right now, I had to focus on what was in front of me.

I imbued my voice with mana and shouted:

“I’m here for the duel you wanted!”

My voice echoed like it came from a loudspeaker, spreading through the building.

That huge guy definitely said he wanted to face me.

And someone who fancied himself a knight wouldn’t use underlings to wear me down.

“Let’s go in.”

Just as expected, his underlings let us pass without resistance.

‘Phew… I never imagined I’d be fighting another S-rank.’

This was miles away from the peaceful life I’d hoped for.

Once inside the room we were guided to, I saw the hulking man.

Next to him, Iblis stood, staring at me with a frosty gaze.

“So you finally showed up, you damn teacher bastard.”

Iblis always wore a smile during school invasions.

But now, his expression dripped with murderous intent.

I tapped my face with my index finger.

“I quite like the scar you gave me. Want me to return the favor?”

“You son of a bitch! I’ll rip you to shreds!”

What I needed now was confidence—not to bow to the enemy.

An agitated opponent is easier to beat.

“Where’s the kid?”

“Don’t worry. She’s precious to us too, so she’s somewhere safe.”

So Shin Ahyeon wasn’t here.

But it was clear she had been here until just moments ago.

Maybe because she was blessed by a divine being, but her holy mana overflowed more than anyone else’s.

There were traces of that mana left near Blunt.

Looks like they took her somewhere else before we arrived.

“Blunt!”

“I know.”

With a boom, he slammed his greatsword into the ground, and the entire building trembled.

At the same time, their underlings poured into the room.

“What the hell is this?!”

“What I want is a one-on-one fight with you. The others are just distractions.”

In other words, they were planning to kill everyone but me.

I let out a dry chuckle.

How is it that everything’s going exactly as I predicted?

+++

[Using S-rank Skill: “Investment Genius”]

Name: Shin Hantae
Rank: S-rank → D-rank
Trust Level: 79%

[Stats]

Strength: 21

Agility: 12

Endurance: 22

Mana: 31

Perception: 21

Investment Limit: 15 points
Current Investment Points: 0

+++

Having saved the kids, the principal’s trust level had drastically increased.

That meant I could now restore his downgraded D-rank stats back to S-rank.

Same for Seo Hansoo’s stats too.

+++

Name: Seo Hansoo
Rank: S-rank
Trust Level: 82%

[Stats]

Strength: 52

Agility: 45

Endurance: 43

Mana: 34

Perception: 53

Investment Limit: 40 points
Current Investment Points: 35

+++

Looks like he’s been training hard.

His investment limit increased by 5 points.

With the 35 points I’ve already invested from built-up trust, if I throw in the remaining ones…

[Investing points into Shin Hantae’s stats. Stats drastically increased.]

[Investing points into Seo Hansoo’s stats. Stats drastically increased.]

This is the power of buffs.

I dumped all remaining 16 points to boost their stats to the max.

Crack!

‘Wait, what…?’

Muscles started swelling on the previously frail principal’s body.

Even his shirt ripped apart as his build expanded to rival Blunt’s.

‘Uh… now even I’m getting scared of my own skill.’