NOVEL NEXT Chapter 169
Chapter 169
“….”
Si-hyun blinked his eyes rapidly a few times before tipping back the cold water he was holding and gulping it down.
Then he looked back at the skill window.
It seemed he hadn’t misread it after all.
“Hey, this…”
A flush of excitement spread across Si-hyun’s face.
It was only natural.
The Iron-Blooded Guard and the Fanatical Executioner were undoubtedly incredibly powerful skills.
However, the problem was that their targets were often too limited.
He found himself unable to use them when they were truly needed.
But with this skill, he could break through that limitation.
Po-ahim had truly provided him with a refreshing remedy for his thirst this time.
“Indeed… I trusted you, Po-ahim.”
Si-hyun smiled with satisfaction.
But just a moment later, he caught sight of something he had overlooked, and his expression turned to one of disbelief.
“Huh? What? A cooltime of 24 hours?”
A cooltime of 24 hours meant he could use it only once a day.
It was bad enough that it wasn’t a skill meant for multiple targets, but with a cooldown like that, it could really only be used on one person a day.
He had asked for a rescue technique, and it felt like he had genuinely been tossed one.
While clicking his tongue with a slightly bitter expression, Si-hyun soon shook his head.
“No… but still.”
If he could fully utilize the Iron-Blooded Guard, he realized, he could easily handle most A-Class opponents, as he experienced with Max.
When facing a formidable foe like the Little King, whether or not he had the Mark of a Prisoner could mean the difference between life and death.
After all, he could find a way to escape from A-Class opponents one way or another.
The problem was the S-Class.
Now that he had gained a trump card capable of dealing with S-Class beings, it was more than sufficient.
Si-hyun smiled and returned to the hospital bed to lie down once more.
◈ ◈ ◈
“So… you’re telling me that Arthur, Debra, Palmer, and even Max have gone missing? You expect me to believe that?”
A man in his sixties, sporting neatly combed gray hair, spoke incredulously.
He was Walter, the President of the American Hunter Association.
The scale of the Hunter Association in America was vastly different from that of smaller countries like Korea.
There were branches of the Hunter Association in every state.
And overseeing those many branches was the Hunter Association based in Washington.
So, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Walter held immense power and authority as the head of such an association.
But those in the know understood something.
Even Walter, with all his influence, was floundering due to several Awakened Beings hiding behind the veil.
Even now.
While Walter sat in a prominent position, he was watching a man in a suit, who lounged casually on the sofa, with an air of caution.
Though he appeared middle-aged, his eyes held a profound emptiness as if he had experienced all the world had to offer.
“I’ve checked multiple times to ensure the report is accurate. They’ve seemingly vanished without a trace.”
The Director of the Information Bureau, stressing the truth of his statement.
“Where exactly did the Little King’s crew take Max?”
“I’m just as frustrated at not knowing as you are.”
“…It seems obvious.”
The man with the hollow eyes murmured softly.
“Pardon?”
Walter and the Director both turned to look at him.
“They’re dead.”
The man spoke tersely.
Yet the repercussions of that statement were anything but small.
Walter and the Director’s eyes widened in shock.
Had it been anyone else’s words, they might have dismissed them outright as nonsense.
Yet the weight of this man’s words was different.
“B-but they’re all S-Class. And there’s even the Little King…”
The Director stammered.
Four S-Class beings.
And among them was the exceptionally powerful Little King.
Their combined power was truly formidable.
It was a force that could easily overpower the average military strength of many nations.
So both Walter and the Director had never considered the possibility that they might be dead.
It seemed like a highly improbable situation.
Yet the man was asserting with certainty that they were indeed dead.
“Well, if you’re skeptical, keep looking. But I suspect they’re 100% dead.”
The man stood up from the sofa.
Then he turned and slowly walked toward the door.
His steps were as void as his appearance.
There was not even the sound of his footsteps.
“B-but is it really possible that someone who could kill them without a trace exists?”
The Director hurriedly called out before the man exited.
The man halted his steps.
“Of course, there are such beings. I could do it in less than a minute if I really wanted to.”
The arrogance in the man’s voice made the Director swallow hard.
He knew very well who this man was — the Grand Sword Master known as the Sword Master, one of the top ten strongest beings on the continent.
But could one truly be so vastly different from the other S-Class beings?
As someone who had never directly seen the powers of the continent’s ten strongest, the Director found it hard to believe.
Walter seemed to share the same sentiment, watching the Sword Master with an expression similar to that of the Director.
“I understand China and Russia are dissatisfied with the situation surrounding the Abnormal Gate.”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
Walter replied.
The U.S. had monopolized the technology to locate the emergence points of Abnormal Gates, raking in enormous sums from around the world.
Countries had to pay exorbitant prices to access that information since their citizens’ lives were at stake.
China and Russia were staunchly opposing this situation, adamant about not compromising.
Their argument was that it was a humanitarian matter; many lives were at risk, and therefore, this technology should be shared.
Of course, the U.S. blatantly ignored that claim.
In such circumstances, recent diplomatic relations between the U.S., China, and Russia had been strained.
Especially with the competition for information regarding Awakened Beings, the covert intelligence war was fierce.
A silent war to prevent valuable Awakened Beings from being snatched away by foreign nations.
But could four S-Class beings truly…?
It seemed utterly unbelievable.
This was a matter of colossal importance.
Of course, even if they did die, without evidence, they couldn’t prove anything.
“I suspect it’s related,” the Sword Master continued.
“I’ll make sure to take that into account.”
Walter replied politely.
“Be sure to maintain thorough vigilance.”
“…Yes, understood.”
The Sword Master opened the door and left.
Inside, only Walter and the Director remained.
The Director turned to Walter and spoke.
“Could it be… despite what the Sword Master said, that they really are dead?”
“I can’t say for certain.”
Walter replied, rubbing his temples as if feeling a headache coming on.
He continued.
“…However, if that is the case, the losses would be immeasurable. Do you have any idea how much each of them is worth? Not to mention, you can’t simply purchase an S-Class by offering money alone.”
Walter clicked his tongue.
The Great Sage had ordered strict internal security measures.
For the grand campaign against the Demon Realm, there mustn’t be a single misstep.
Yet, it hadn’t even been long since that order was given, and now this incident had occurred.
It was truly embarrassing.
Noticing Walter’s grim expression, the Director spoke in a heavy voice.
“I will make sure there is a thorough investigation into this matter, leaving no stone unturned.”
◈ ◈ ◈
A lot had happened in America.
As he changed his clothes and packed his bags, Si-hyun reflected.
It was something he hadn’t even imagined when he set off.
He had nearly died once again, but in return, he had gained an incredibly powerful skill.
He had also received information about the secret plans of the U.S., which an ordinary correctional officer could never know.
In any case, it was time for him to bid farewell to America. He just needed to take a taxi to the airport.
His flight was already booked.
As Si-hyun was about to leave the hospital with his luggage, the door across from him opened first.
He paused for a moment and stared at the people who entered.
It was two men in black suits.
The man on the left stepped forward.
“Are you Lee Si-hyun?”
“That’s me, but who are you?”
“You’ve come from Korea to inspect Alcatraz prison, right?”
“Is that so?”
“Could you please show us your passport?”
“Who on earth are you?”
Si-hyun scrutinized the men with a suspicious look.
They exchanged glances and silently communicated with each other.
Eventually, the man who spoke to Si-hyun pulled out an ID from his coat.
It was an ID proving he was an agent of the U.S. Hunter Association’s Information Bureau.
Si-hyun examined it carefully.
Though he had no way to verify its authenticity, he assumed they wouldn’t be presenting a fake ID.
“What does the Information Bureau want?”
“We need to conduct a brief investigation. Please show us your passport.”
“….”
Si-hyun seemed to think for a moment before pulling out his passport from his wallet and handing it over.
The men quickly examined it, nodded, and promptly returned it.
“Have you met a man named Arthur at Alcatraz?”
There was unmistakable scrutiny in their eyes as they looked beyond Si-hyun.
Realizing this, Si-hyun’s mind raced.
These men had indeed come regarding the Little King.
Miriam had warned him over the phone that such people might come.
If that were the case…
Si-hyun pretended to recall who Arthur was.
Then, at just the right timing—not too fast, not too slow—he opened his mouth to respond.
“Arthur… I think that was the name of the man I met on the 5th Floor. However, I only met him; I don’t recall having any special conversation with him.”
After all, there were many witnesses who had seen both him and Arthur in the same location at Alcatraz.
He couldn’t deny that.
But when it came to the crucial moments, only Arthur, Miriam, Max, and he had been present.
Both Arthur and Max were dead, so as long as Miriam and he coordinated their stories, no one would know what had truly happened in that place.
Thus, he had premeditated to align what he would say with Miriam.
“What happened there?”
This time, the man on the right asked.
Si-hyun relayed the story he had prepared in alignment with Miriam’s.
The men exchanged glances, silently communicating that everything seemed normal.
It was consistent with Miriam’s statements.
Being agents of the Information Bureau, they were well aware of her integrity.
While the Little King was classified as a person of interest, she was considered the opposite.
They regarded her as a person of trustworthy character.
“Lastly, I’d like to conduct a quick measurement.”
The man on the left pulled out a Magic Power Meter.
Si-hyun nodded in agreement.
The man pressed the button on the device.
Beep.
-101.
The moment they saw the abysmal reading, the men’s expressions completely relaxed.
There was no way a mere D-Class Awakened being could accomplish anything in this situation.
D-Class means they could easily subdue someone like him in under a minute.
They were sure that even an S-Class like the Little King or Max could kill him a thousand times over with just a flick of a finger.
“Excuse us.”
The men slightly nodded to him and hurriedly exited the room.
Once again, Si-hyun was left alone in the hospital room.
He chuckled softly to himself.
“Low magic power can be useful sometimes, huh?”
If only his magic power had been at least S-Class, or even A-Class, they wouldn’t have backed down so easily.
At that level, he would have been on guard wherever he went.
But since he was so pathetic, they didn’t even bother worrying about him and left.
He felt that this situation might turn out to be unexpectedly beneficial again in the future.
With a smiling face, Si-hyun picked up his luggage and exited the hospital.