Chapter 30
“I didn’t expect them to come out this blatantly.”
Swish!
Ki Soyul appeared in the air just then, having observed the situation.
“Gasp?”
Kim Junsu’s younger sister, Kim Hyerin, widened her eyes.
In a cramped room with only the two of us—
Someone suddenly appeared. No wonder she was startled.
“W-Who are you?”
She hesitated for a moment.
Then her pupils expanded even more.
“S-Shadow Empress Ki Soyul?”
She recognized Ki Soyul’s appearance instantly.
“I-Is it really you? How is the Shadow Empress here?”
“Will you be okay?”
I asked with a quiet sigh.
I meant—would it be alright for such a public figure to show up in a rundown place like this?
“What does that matter? Someone’s been kidnapped.”
Ki Soyul’s eyes had turned cold.
“The way they operate—it’s obviously the Shadow Severance. Since I’ve been sticking close to you, they’re resorting to cheap tricks like this.”
“I agree.”
I nodded.
The Shadow Severance’s intentions were clear.
They had business with me.
But they couldn’t come near because of Ki Soyul’s presence, so they resorted to this tactic.
“And also—”
She showed me her phone.
“This message came in just now.”
[Ki Parang: Sis.]
[Ki Parang: Looks like the second unit got ambushed in the dungeon.]
[Ki Parang: Judging by the stench, it’s that bastard Hellhound again… Damn, just as I was about to go home.]
[Ki Parang: I’ll try to handle it myself for now, so don’t worry.]
[Ki Parang: Just letting you know. Help if you’ve got the time.]
A message from the Divine Archer himself.
The Hellhound mentioned in the message—
Rank 92.
Nick Jakan.
A ranker known as the leader of the Shadow Severance.
“How convenient. Looks like those bastards from the Shadow Severance made a move on Ki Parang too.”
“…Whoa.”
That was unexpected.
They would actually go after someone from a prestigious family like Ki Parang just for me?
‘Is this the power of the Legacy of the Ten Thousand Arts?’
It made me reevaluate the worth of the opportunity I had received.
“…”
Silence fell over the room.
Tension thickened.
Kim Hyerin seemed frozen, shocked by the revelation that her brother’s kidnappers were bigger players than she thought.
Ki Soyul was biting her lip in anger.
‘She’s worried.’
Even if she didn’t join any guilds—
She couldn’t deny that she was a member of the Parang family.
And Ki Parang was her brother.
How could she not be affected?
‘And yet…’
I looked at her, still standing firm.
‘She’s staying here.’
Because of a promise.
The promise to protect me.
She wasn’t the type to take her words lightly.
“No helping it then.”
I opened my mouth first.
“For now, Shadow Empress—you should go to Parang’s side.”
“…?”
Ki Soyul flinched.
Her expression told me I hit the mark.
But—
“I can’t do that.”
She refused, as expected.
Her expression was firm.
“My brother is ranked 58th. He’s not weak enough to fall to the likes of the Shadow Severance. And he has Parang members with him. Meanwhile, you’re alone. The moment I leave, who knows what might happen to you.”
“Well, I can’t argue with that.”
I turned to Kim Hyerin.
Her eyes trembled anxiously.
“Still, shouldn’t we prioritize saving the kidnapped person first? The note said they wanted only me.”
“It’s a trap.”
“I know. It’s 100% a trap.”
But—
Sometimes you have to walk into a trap anyway.
Even if Ki Soyul protects me and keeps me safe—
That might actually give the Shadow Severance a chance to beat Parang.
They say Parang’s true strength comes when Ki Parang and Ki Soyul fight together.
‘Besides, Hellhound is already on Ki Parang’s side.’
That means it’s not the worst-case scenario.
To be honest, I didn’t feel afraid.
The old man of the Legacy of the Ten Thousand Arts.
And Sunny Spear.
After going through their trials, this just felt manageable.
Of course, I didn’t mean they’d be easy opponents.
Just that my mindset was ready.
“Sigh.”
I took a deep breath.
“Reminds me of something you once told me, Shadow Empress.”
Then I turned to look at her again.
Our eyes met.
“What was it?”
“You said life is a journey that begins and ends with connections.”
“…”
“Kim Junsu, the operations team leader, was someone I was connected to. And now he’s suffering because of me. I can’t just sit by and watch.”
“A sense of justice? Or maybe obligation?”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“I just don’t want to be a cowardly Hunter.”
My dream is to become a ranker.
One that every Hunter sees as an icon.
And that kind of ranker—backs down when things get hard? Runs away out of fear? Ignores a challenge?
No way.
“I return what I receive. That’s my simple rule.”
And I didn’t want to break that rule.
The Shadow Severance attacked me.
And I’m the one who should answer that attack.
“…I see.”
Ki Soyul’s expression shifted slightly.
She looked conflicted, lips twitching between speaking and staying shut.
“Alright.”
Finally—
She nodded slowly.
Her gaze was resolute, like she’d made a decision.
“Then I’ll head to Parang first, settle things quickly, and join you afterward.”
“Good choice.”
“But one thing.”
She added—
“Remember when I said I’d introduce you to many connections someday?”
“Huh?”
“That day might come a little sooner than expected.”
Swish.
With those words—
Ki Soyul vanished like smoke.
‘What was that supposed to mean?’
Her comment was a mystery, but there was no time to dwell on it.
“Hyerin, right?”
“Y-Yes?”
“The place I need to go is Seonyudo, right?”
“Y-Yes! By eight o’clock! We don’t have much time! Even from here, it’ll take over 30 minutes!”
Let’s get moving.
—
“So, the time has finally come.”
Floating in the middle of the Han River was the Seonyudo Ecological Park.
There, sitting on a bench with legs crossed, the assassin Goh Jaeyoung flashed a wicked smile.
“Mmff! Mmmfff!”
And in front of him—
‘Fixer’ operations team leader Kim Junsu was tied up and trembling.
“I waited a whole month since then.”
Waiting for the approval of the Shadow Severance’s leader—Lord Jakan.
Goh Jaeyoung regretted it.
“Joo Donghoon, was it?”
He’d gotten cocky.
Letting the fish slip out of his net still haunted him with shame.
“Lucky bastard. But this time, I’ll catch you for sure.”
This time was different.
Everything had been meticulously prepared.
Jakan himself got involved.
Even top-ranked Hunters hired by the Shadow Severance had been mobilized.
‘Two rankers hit Parang, so even Ki Soyul won’t be able to do much.’
On top of that, there were three A-rank Hunters stationed here on Seonyudo.
And ten B-rank Hunters.
And just in case he tried to flee, they even placed tracking specialists within a 10 km radius around Joo Donghoon’s home.
“…”
Goh Jaeyoung checked his watch with a cold expression.
[07:55 PM]
“Almost time.”
According to the trackers—
Joo Donghoon had departed toward Seonyudo.
He’d be arriving soon.
“Everyone get ready.”
His voice over the radio was especially sinister.
—
“Hmph.”
I smacked my lips.
Having dropped Hyerin off at the Association building—
I now stood in front of the Seonyudo Bridge.
I summoned five skeletons with the last of my remaining energy.
Creak! Clack!
As if sensing my resolve—
They silently inspected and swung their weapons.
‘I wanted to call the old man too…’
But his cooldown was nowhere near ready.
And I had no energy left anyway.
“Sunny.”
I called out to him.
Up until now, Bone One had been the leader.
But now it was Sunny’s turn.
Why?
Simple.
He’s stronger—and he can talk.
“Master, you called?”
“Yeah. Can you sense the enemies around us?”
“Yes.”
Whoosh!
Sunny gave his bone spear a flick.
Even in the dark, it felt like sunlight was flashing.
“How is it?”
“They’re weak. If I had my original strength, I could finish them off before a single breath was over.”
“Hey now.”
I shrugged.
“That was back then. I’m asking about now.”
“Right now… it’s a bit much, but if you command me, I will do my best.”
“That much, huh?”
I was surprised.
Even though Sunny was still technically D-rank—
To overcome such a power gap, did that mean they were that weak?
‘Well.’
Time to face them.
From a distance—
“Mmff! Mmmfff!”
I heard Kim Junsu’s muffled cries.
Geez.
He’s always such a handful.
Step, step.
I walked straight toward the crowd ahead.
It might’ve looked reckless, but there was no other choice.
If I hesitated even a little, Kim Junsu’s life could be at risk.
Besides, I had my reasons for coming.
“You came?”
The man in front, wearing a hood—Goh Jaeyoung—grinned at me.
A look that said, ‘I knew you’d show.’
Did I really come off as some justice-driven fool?
“Hey now. You really came? You’ve got guts, kid.”
“Phew, so that’s the guy Lord Jakan mentioned—Joo Donghoon?”
“Judging by the Skeletons, he’s a low-level necromancer.”
“That ‘lucky encounter’ he has—was it really so special that Jakan himself would move to crush Parang?”
The A-rank Hunters beside him threw in their comments.
‘Damn.’
Was I still way out of my league?
Their presence was stifling.
Goh Jaeyoung opened his mouth again.
“Heh. You know why I called you here, right?”
“Nope. The note just said to come here if I wanted that guy saved.”
I played dumb.
“Hmph. Playing innocent now, huh?”
His grin widened.
From within his coat, the glint of a dagger and a wave of killing intent emerged.
“You’re starting to piss me off.”
“…”
“Already forgot? I promised you’d get a shot at the guys who stabbed you in the back—if you told me what your ‘lucky encounter’ was. Don’t tell me… you’re relying on that Ki Soyul woman now?”
He lifted the dagger to Kim Junsu’s neck.
“Mmmff! Mmmmmmfff!”
He was clearly screaming, [J-Joo Donghoon! Help me!]
“Let me make you an offer.”
Drip.
Blood trickled from Kim Junsu’s neck.
“Tell me exactly what your ‘lucky encounter’ is. Then hand it over. Otherwise, he dies.”
A calm threat.
At the same time—
Hunters surrounded me.
Some drew weapons right in front of me.
Others stood far off, their killing intent poised like snipers.
‘Damn, this is intense.’
All I had were five D-rank skeletons.
‘But what can I do?’
My miracle isn’t something I can give away.
“Alright.”
Let’s start by getting out of this situation.
I nodded and swallowed hard.