Escape
It seemed she'd finally calmed down.
Cheon Se-yeon's flushed face had subsided considerably.
Scrape!
Jin-hyuk rose from his seat as if he'd been waiting for this very moment.
"Ah, where are you going again!"
"I haven't cleared the Tower today."
"Wait just a second."
Se-yeon shot up and blocked his path.
"I'll buy you dinner nearby. Just this one meal, seriously. Are you really going to turn me down without any mercy?"
Even if it came off as clingy, there was nothing she could do about it.
The fact that he'd traded for Phoenix's Breath meant she was grateful, whether he liked it or not.
And there were still stories she hadn't heard yet, so Se-yeon had no intention of backing down today.
"Alright, then. I'll just hit the restroom real quick."
Se-yeon checked the location of the second-floor bathroom.
It was on the opposite side from the stairs leading down.
The window was too small to jump out of, even if he wanted to.
"Go ahead."
Only then did Se-yeon nod and settle back into her seat.
Still uneasy, she reached out a hand.
"Leave your phone behind."
"Ugh."
"I'm kidding. Hurry back."
Jin-hyuk headed to the bathroom.
Then, through the crack in the open door, he observed Se-yeon.
Today, more than ever, she showed no signs of relenting.
'She'd probably follow me anywhere.'
Tower climbing was one thing, but the barrage of questions he anticipated made his head spin.
Se-yeon would undoubtedly pepper him with queries until she fully grasped the situation, insisting he'd put himself in danger because of her.
He could already picture her, fully fired up and refusing to let go.
'But there's nothing much to tell her anyway.'
He hadn't uncovered anything from Lee Mi-jin.
Above all, Jin-hyuk had no intention of getting deeply involved in this affair.
It was a matter between rankers and foreign nations or organizations.
Not something he could casually insert himself into on that scale.
Scribble, scribble.
Jin-hyuk pulled out a pen and jotted a brief note on the toilet paper.
He glanced toward the seat where Se-yeon sat, beyond the door.
'I'll treat you to something delicious later, Se-yeon. Thanks for the Phoenix's Breath—I'll put it to good use.'
With that unreachable gesture of gratitude.
[Stealth]
His form vanished.
Jin-hyuk took a deep breath and stepped out of the bathroom.
He muffled his footsteps and crept stealthily toward the stairs.
[Covert Movement trait activated: Presence minimized during Stealth!]
He held his breath desperately as he passed by where Se-yeon sat.
His heart pounded harder than it had during his fight with Lee Mi-jin.
Step by step, he focused intently and descended the stairs.
'Nice.'
The door was propped open for cleaning.
Jin-hyuk slipped through it and bolted toward the corner of Nodeul Island where Se-ra was waiting.
Emergency escape: success.
And ten minutes later, inside the café.
Se-yeon turned her head toward the bathroom.
Something felt off.
If it were anyone else, she might've thought they were constipated, but this was Jin-hyuk, with his history of ghosting.
She stood from her seat and walked to the bathroom.
For some reason, the door was ajar.
Se-yeon rushed over and flung it open.
"Argh!"
Naturally, Jin-hyuk was nowhere to be seen.
She pressed a hand to her forehead.
She'd been had again.
'What the hell. How did he even get out?'
It was an utterly baffling grand escape.
She felt like a fool who'd had her nose slit while wide awake.
'His class must be magician or something. For real.'
Se-yeon let out a deep sigh and turned her eyes.
There was something written on the toilet paper.
Her eyes widened as she read the note.
Find the person who knows today's meeting spot or had access to your phone. They're interfering with your Tower clears, Se-yeon.
Se-yeon furrowed her brow as she mulled over the note.
Jin-hyuk had said nothing happened, but clearly, something had.
'I owe him again.'
She spun on her heel and exited the bathroom.
Before heading to Nodeul Island, she'd stopped by the Player Hunter Agency.
She should go there.
Jin Yun-ho stepped out of the car and exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke.
Then he walked toward the charred remains of the abandoned factory.
"Where are you from?"
"The Player Hunter Agency."
Jin Yun-ho flashed his ID.
A yellow police line was strung up in front of the factory.
Inside, firefighters who'd just finished extinguishing the blaze mingled with the police.
"Why's the Hunter Agency here...?"
The officer who took the ID looked puzzled.
There hadn't been any report of a transfer, yet here was a team leader from the Hunter Agency?
"There's something we're investigating. Mind if I take a look around?"
"Please hold on a moment."
If it had been another agency, he'd have turned them away on the spot, but with so many awakeners on its roster, the Player Hunter Agency wielded the most formidable power in Korea right now.
It was customary to cooperate as much as possible, even if it bent the rules a bit—better to stay on their good side.
"Yes, yes, of course. Team Leader Jin Yun-ho? Please come this way."
"Thanks."
Jin Yun-ho ducked under the police line.
The first place he headed was the burned vehicle.
"There were no passengers."
Jin Yun-ho brushed the soot from the license plate, gloved hands steady.
It was the car Cheon Se-yeon had asked him to find.
She hadn't explained why she needed it or who might be in it.
Just moments ago, she'd messaged him on CocoaTalk saying not to bother looking anymore—sorry and thanks.
'She wouldn't tell me even if I asked.'
If there was something to say, she'd have mentioned it when assigning the search.
Jin Yun-ho straightened up and entered the factory.
The fire had only just been put out, so a acrid smell hung in the air.
"Officer Kim, who's this?"
"He's from the Player Hunter Agency."
"Oh?"
The lead investigator, Oh Min-gyu, looked pleased.
"I was just about to contact you—perfect timing."
"Us?"
"Yeah. Looks like we'll need the Hunter Agency's eyes on this too."
"Is it an awakener-related incident?"
"Not certain, but high probability. I'll show you around, so Officer Kim, handle the entrance control."
"Got it."
Oh Min-gyu pointed to the explosion marks scattered across the site.
"Fire caused by an explosion. But here's the weird part—no shrapnel or debris from any explosives. Even in a blaze this intense, you'd expect at least a component or two from the bomb-making to survive. And then..."
Jin Yun-ho, following along, twitched an eyebrow.
Now he understood why the police had mobilized in force for a fire scene.
In the center of the abandoned factory lay about a dozen bodies, gathered by the firefighters.
"No intact corpses thanks to the blast, but we've roughly finished the on-site forensics. Fifteen were shredded to rags by something sharp. The remaining one was relatively intact, though..."
Oh Min-gyu trailed off and pulled back the plastic sheet.
"That's why I rushed to contact the Hunter Agency."
Jin Yun-ho's eyes widened.
Burned as it was, he could instantly tell it was a Hunter Agency uniform.
'Lee Mi-jin?'
Jin Yun-ho tilted his head and sent a confirmation request to the agency.
The reply came back.
Not affiliated with our organization.
"So, not one of ours."
"Not Hunter Agency, but wearing the uniform... Ha... This is a headache."
Oh Min-gyu sighed deeply, muttering that it wouldn't be easy.
Jin Yun-ho agreed.
The traces clearly pointed to awakener involvement.
But with multiple abilities seemingly at play, it was tricky.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Drumming his fingers, Jin Yun-ho called the agency.
"It's the team leader. Sending you an address—send some hunters over. Relay to the support team too."
He was certain now.
This wasn't a simple murder case.
It needed digging.
On the tiny balcony of an old-town officetel.
"How about it, Kancho? Doesn't it taste even better eating out here?"
"The breeze is nice and cool—perfect! This one's super tasty too!"
Jin-hyuk stroked Kancho, who sat beside him.
While waiting for the delivered pork back-bone kimchi stew, Jin-hyuk and Kancho were enjoying the wind.
Even in this moment, Kancho was devouring the gelato ice cream he'd bought on the way.
"Kancho, aren't you worried about bursting?"
Jin-hyuk swallowed dryly.
Kancho had already polished off four chickens with Dark earlier.
No matter how he looked at it, there was no physical space left—did he have a pocket dimension in his stomach or something?
"Back in the Yodel Village, I ate way more."
He stuck out a thumb.
A hearty appetite was always a good thing.
"But what's pork back-bone kimchi stew?"
"It's something insanely delicious. You'll love it."
"Anything the Commander gives me is always tasty."
"Just trust me. It's a survivalist's pick for delivery food."
In his semi-basement days, money was tight, so he'd only ordered once a week, but still.
"Haa."
Jin-hyuk leaned his arms on the railing and let out a quiet breath.
It had been less than a month since his awakening.
Yet his life had improved dramatically already.
Not just escaping the semi-basement—he could afford delivery every single day now.
"Commander, it's 9 o'clock. Time for the Tower."
"The delivery's almost here, so let's eat first and go."
He rubbed his growling stomach.
He hadn't eaten properly all day; he was on the verge of starving.
"Kancho."
"Yeah?"
"I might be a psychopath."
"Syco?"
"Like, crazy, roughly?"
He'd slain plenty of monsters, but this was his first time killing humans.
And yet, he wasn't even remotely shaken.
Dulled to this degree? It was astonishing.
"It's fine. From what I've seen, Dark's way crazier. I heard him clear as day earlier—'Only fifteen kills? No fun at all.'"
"My benchmark's too tough."
Kancho shoveled a few more scoops of gelato and stood.
"The Yodel Forest was mostly peaceful, but there were occasional intruders. I'd lead the Yodel squad out and crush them every time. I'd scatter bombs everywhere and wipe them clean off the map! Puhehehehehe!"
Gulp!
For a moment, he'd forgotten, lulled by the cute appearance.
But when it came to madness, you couldn't leave out the serial exploder, Kancho.
"When you go to battle, you end up facing tons of death. That's why so many Yodel squad members broke down. They got so scared they couldn't fight again, couldn't even live their daily lives."
"Was Kancho okay?"
"I was bummed I couldn't kill more! How dare they invade the Yodel Forest! I should've ground them all to dust!"
"Uh, yeah."
Kancho huffed and puffed for a while, lost in the memory.
Kancho placed his tiny hand on Jin-hyuk's shoulder.
"The story veered off track. Anyway, point is, the Commander's got nothing to worry about on that front. As the Yodel Ranger squad leader sees it, the Commander won't go nuts like Dark. Your mind's too healthy. A healthy mind in a healthy body!"
'Isn't it the opposite?'
"The Commander's spirit is rock-solid, so you'll keep getting stronger faster! Without a single wobble! And that guy who tried to kill you first but ended up spared—he should've been grateful."
"Grateful?"
"I saw it on the Commander's phone. You said it's what you use when things are frustrating and your throat itches."
"Oh, dang it."
"You said dang it is absolutely forbidden. So the Commander can never say dang it."
Jin-hyuk chuckled and patted Kancho.
Dang it—Kancho didn't even need to say it; it was the one thing Jin-hyuk hated most.
"That won't happen."
"As expected of the Commander!"
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang right on cue.
Jin-hyuk stretched and stood.
A lot had happened in the day, but nothing changed.
After devouring the pork back-bone kimchi stew, it was back to Tower climbing.
Level 30 was just around the corner.
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T/N:
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