“......”
The moment news of Kim Yong-hwan’s death spread, Jung Ju-ho quickly contacted the hunters who had set up the encirclement.
He told them to break the siege immediately and retreat.
“I’ll take the blame, but...”
The death of a Level 8 superhuman being. Its repercussions would certainly not be light. With this, the government found itself in a position where it could only be dragged around by large guilds. Thoughts raced through Jung Ju-ho’s mind. The value of Choi Jun-ho would inevitably rise.
Kim Yong-hwan’s death was largely self-inflicted, and if he hadn’t tried to take the credit for this operation, it would have given the other hunters time to help him escape before he died.
There was one question here.
Why did Choi Jun-ho, who had been targeting Berserker all along, only watch the confrontation between Berserker and Kim Yong-hwan? Since when did that guy listen to others?
“Could it be? No, it can’t be.”
Before anyone could intervene, Kim Young-hwan had quickly died at the hands of Berserker. As soon as the news broke, Choi Jun-ho rushed to the scene. There was nothing the other could have done.
Concentrating on command, Jung Ju-ho erased the hypothetical scenarios filling his mind.
When the news of Kim Yong-hwan’s death broke, the surrounding atmosphere became tense. In such an atmosphere, if Berserker was to come here, it would result in significant damage.
The reason for wanting to capture the two villains was the concern that it would become a greater disaster if they joined the League. However, now that Kim Yong-hwan was dead, they had to be prepared for significant losses if they wanted to capture them.
Jung Ju-ho judged that they didn’t need to endure such losses, so he ordered a retreat to save more people.
“We’ll stay until the end and buy our comrades time to retreat.”
“Yes!”
The special team of government hunters nodded at Jung Ju-ho’s declaration.
***
After delivering the message of Berserker’s escape to the main base, I informed them of the Puppeteer’s raid on the large guild hunting team, and then I rode my motorcycle away.
The Puppeteer was a qualitatively different villain than the Berserker.
He had abducted and turned countless hunters into puppets without ever revealing his true appearance.
There was no rhyme or reason to his actions. Sometimes for fun, sometimes just for the heck of it, and sometimes because he wanted to kill someone.
The most enjoyable thing for the Puppeteer was to have the kidnapped puppets meet their families and then destroy them right in front of their eyes. His cruelty went beyond words.
That’s the evaluation given by the National Security Agency, but in my opinion, he’s just a pathetic guy who preyed on the weak.
“Capture the Golden Goblin with all your might.” (T/N: The phrase could be implying that capturing or apprehending the Puppeteer is a challenging and highly coveted task, similar to capturing a mythical and valuable creature like a golden goblin. The use of the term “golden” may suggest that the Puppeteer possesses significant influence, power, or value, making them a desirable target for capture or control.)
A chance for real-life level-up had arrived.
I could see Yoon-hee’s current situation using the Gift, clairvoyance.
A hunting team exhausted from battles and the puppets that launched an attack against them.
Surrounded, they engaged in a fierce battle. It’s a perfect situation for latent abilities to blossom.
I pulled the motorcycle’s accelerator as I watched the battle scene.
***
It was some time before Lee Se-hee heard the news of Kim Yong-hwan’s death, as she prepared a reserve team for the threat of Berserker and Puppeteer.
Shortly thereafter, news of the Puppeteer’s attack on a hunting team in southern Gyeonggi province prompted her to organize a rescue team.
There were currently three teams out on the hunt. Lee Se-hee divided her forces to rescue the three teams.
The Puppeteer’s objective would be the bodies of the talented hunters. She had expected an ambush, but the number of puppets mobilized was higher than she expected.
Lee Se-hee adjusted her strategy and modified the tactics to focus on rescuing the hunting team instead of defeating the Puppeteer. The problem was the overwhelming number converging on the three teams. Thinking that she would have to take matters into her own hands, she requested additional support from headquarters.
As Lee Se-hee was deeply contemplating, the voice of the driver reached her ears.
“Team leader, there’s a motorcycle approaching from behind.”
“Is it from our guild?”
“No, but it looks like it’s going over 200km/h, so be careful— crazy!”
As the motorcycle narrowly passed by, the driver uttered a curse. However, Lee Se-hee couldn’t agree with those words. It was a brief moment, but she saw the face of the motorcycle rider.
“That person is...”
Without a doubt, it was Choi Jun-ho. And he was heading towards the location where Team 3 was being attacked. He was going to save Choi Yoon-hee.
Suddenly, all the worries and concerns vanished like melting snow.
After assessing the situation, Lee Se-hee raised her voice.
“Follow that motorcycle!”
“What? Oh, yes!”
And Lee Se-hee divided the forces that were heading to the third team into the first and second teams.
If the total force going to the rescue was 10, she sent 5 each to the locations where Teams 1 and 2 were, and she alone went to the location of Team 3.
Lee Young-tan, the deputy team leader who was sitting in the passenger seat, expressed his concerns.
The Puppeteer was sometimes called an immortal being, but when all the puppets under his command were mobilized, their numbers rivaled those of medium-sized guilds.
“Team Leader, if we disperse the forces like this, we might be able to save Teams 1 and 2, but Team 3 will be difficult. That’s where the most puppets are right now...”
“It’ll be fine.”
If Lee Se-hee hadn’t seen Choi Jun-ho a little while ago, she might have agreed with Lee Young-tan’s words. But the situation had changed since she caught a glimpse of him.
“The place with the highest chance of survival right now is Team 3.”
At that moment, Lee Se-hee saw it. Choi Joon-ho’s figure on the motorcycle disappeared like a ghost.
***
“...”
Choi Yoon-hee gritted her teeth. She had heard countless times how hunting teams could encounter danger, but she hadn’t thought it would come to this.
She knew that being attacked by villains was a hunter’s destiny. However, the fact that her opponent was the Puppeteer raised the difficulty level to an unimaginable height.
“There are so many of them.”
As soon as she saw the horde of puppets approaching, Choi Yoon-hee activated the tracking device she received from her older brother and requested backup from the guild reserve force. She didn’t know how long it would take for them to arrive, but her priority was to hold her ground.
It was creepy when she realized that even the Puppeteer had taken notice of her. Considering herself as a target, Choi Yoon-hee crouched down with her colleagues, minimizing her presence while enduring the situation.
She couldn’t fathom how many puppets the Puppeteer could summon. Even when they defeated one puppet after another, the numbers didn’t decrease but instead increased. She gave up counting when she saw that there were over two hundred.
In the midst of this extreme crisis, she recalled the things her older brother had made her endure.
At that time, she couldn’t understand why he had pushed her to her limits, but now she understood.
Her mind was in chaos, and her body was exhausted, yet her body still moved on its own.
Could it be that he knew she would face such a situation? Was that why he had given her the tracking device?
If that was the case, he must have believed that she could overcome even this situation. Somehow, she had a feeling that he was observing her struggle, even in her current desperate state.
As memories of her past struggles flooded back, a sudden surge of determination welled up within her.
“Do you have any idea how hard I’ve worked?”
Perhaps it was because she was reminded of the training she underwent with her older brother. The despair that had felt overwhelming now seemed trivial.
If her brother was the Puppeteer, things would have been even harder. He would probably have tossed disposable puppets without hesitation, bringing down the ranks from the beginning. And in the midst of the crumbling formation, he would have deployed more puppets, tearing apart each team member one by one.
It would be like a party completely annihilated by a horde of zombies.
Maybe her brother would even spit on her using puppets or throw dirt at her.
Her older brother disguised as an enemy during her training had done all sorts of despicable things, claiming that even if there was a villain, they would do the same and then he would proceed to subjecting her to various cruel acts.
He would even mimic a demon when he was training her against demons.
Compared to that, the Puppeteer’s methods were trivial.
-I’m on my way. Hang in there. And Mr. Jun-ho is coming too.
She gained a newfound strength from Lee Se-hee’s radio message. Her brother was coming? Then it’s over for the Puppeteer.
She actually felt sorry for the Puppeteer. Her brother wouldn’t just let this go.
“Ugh!”
Any sympathy she had for the Puppeteer immediately vanished when she was attacked by his puppets.
Choi Yoon-hee focused on the movements of the puppets and noticed one puppet with exceptional ability running towards them.
“Mr. Chul-min, be careful!”
Thud!
“Argh!”
Hunting Team Tanker Ki Chul-min’s chest armor dented and blood spurted from his mouth. As a seasoned tanker and hunting team leader, he was a Level 5 hunter, but he was helpless before the puppet’s atttack.
“Are you okay, sir?”
“I’m fine... More importantly, it’s Jung Hae-sol. Don’t face him head-on.”
“If it’s Jung Hae-sol...”
He was once a Level 7 martial artist, one of the top players at the forefront of the field. He used to lead the hunting team with his brawn and charisma. Everyone in the guild respected and liked him. He was such a famous hunter that even Choi Yun-hee had heard of him.
To think that such a brilliant figure had now become a puppet of the Puppeteer.
Choi Yoon-hee shivered at the thought that she could end up like that too.
“Clang!”
The puppet’s fist, which had only briefly revealed a gap, slammed into Ki Chul-min’s shield. The shield, which had withstood a number of demons’ attack, shattered and bounced off into the distance, leaving Ki Chul-min unconscious and no longer moving.
Jung Hae-sol’s face contorted in a grotesque manner. It was a sneer.
Soon after, an eerie, cracked voice came out.
“Is this the end? It feels disappointing, doesn’t it? Kekeke! Is it really the end? Hmm?”
“What are you saying? Come at me!”
It’s just a puppet, anyway.
Choi Yoon-hee opened her eyes wide and tightened her grip on the sword.
The Puppeteer used the expendable puppet as a tactic, cutting through the team’s camp single-handedly.
Swinging, stabbing, rolling, and throwing her body.
They fought desperately, but they still fell one by one.
Choi Yoon-hee managed to withstand more than 20 attacks until the end, but it was not enough. Her stamina was depleted, and a bitter taste rose in her mouth.
“Filthy bastard.”
Her grip weakened, and she couldn’t hold on to the sword. If not with the sword, then she would fight back with her fists.
Normally, in a situation like this, one would despair.
Choi Yoon-hee thought to herself that she was not normal either, seeing herself unaffected in such a grim situation.
Jung Hae-sol let out a horrifying laughter filled with ecstasy.
“I finally got you, kekekeke!”
“Die!”
Choi Yoon-hee mustered her last bit of strength and struck the puppet’s weak point. She could sense the impact at the tip of her toes, but the puppet’s movements didn’t stop.
Was it going to catch her like this? She should have fought back more.
Just as Jung Hae-sol’s hand reached for her shoulder, Choi Yoon-hee squeezed her eyes shut at the same time that her bracelet glowed with light.
Thud!
Choi Yoon-hee opened her eyes and saw her brother’s reassuring back.
Jung Hae-sol, who had been absolutely unstoppable just a few moments before, was nowhere to be seen.
Her brother’s normally disdainful face was unusually welcoming.
“Brother!”
“You held up pretty well. Did you gain some experience points?”
Choi Jun-ho raised the corners of his mouth towards Choi Yoon-hee, who was sniffling.
***
Yoon-hee was exhausted. However, she fought much better than I had anticipated.
She had only become an official hunter three months ago. Hunting monsters and engaging in battles had allowed her to endure and stand her ground to this extent.
Perhaps those 30 minutes facing the puppets were the longest time in her life. However, it would have been the most valuable 30 minutes of an Awakened person’s life. Opportunities to accumulate such an experience without significant threats to their life were rare.
Indeed, Yoon-hee had talent. It seemed I needed to push her further.
For now, it’s my turn.
The Gift I just activated was Transference, which allowed me to move to a location where an object containing my force existed. The moving distance was within 3 km. Although it could be used as a useful means of escape, as it could be used on objects between people, I couldn’t make good use of this Gift since I didn’t have anyone to trust.
I wish it hadn’t been so restrictive, like the Blink I wanted to get earlier. The biggest drawback of the Transference was its extreme Force drain. The original wielder of this Gift would spend two days in bed with Force depletion after activating it once. Gifts related to spatial movement had such limitations.
Of course, Force drain had nothing to do with me.
“Relax and rest. It’ll all be over by the time you wake up.”
“Yeah, I’m a bit tired. But, Brother, it couldn’t be, right?”
“What?”
“That you were watching the whole time that’s why you can appear here instantly. It’s not, right?”
Instead of answering, I simply smiled.
“You’ve worked hard. Get some rest.”
“...Please answer me later. But did I do well?”
“You did well.”
“I’m relieved.”
With a faint smile, Yoon-hee fell asleep.
I erased the smile I’d painted on my face to reassure her.
“...”
Leaving Yoon-hee lying down, I stood up and reached out my hand towards the sword lying on the ground. I felt the cold touch of the handle. Although I had intended to let Yoon-hee level up through the Puppeteer’s attack, my heart wasn’t at ease.
No, to be honest, I was pissed.
I watched because Yoon-hee needed to gain experience, but I couldn’t smile at the sight of her being threatened throughout the battle.
That’s why I intended to kill the one who harmed my younger sister right here.
I raised the sword and activated the Slash Gift. An enormous amount of crimson Force erupted from the tip of the sword, sweeping through the surrounding area like a tidal wave.
At that moment, the world was dyed in crimson.
...!!!
Thud! Thududuk!
More than two hundred puppets swept away by the Force of the tidal wave fell to the ground, their upper and lower bodies separated.
There was only one puppet standing strong.
I gazed into the eyes of that puppet.
Beyond it, I sensed the presence of the Puppeteer.
“So, you’re the immortal one?”
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