Chapter 20

Kang Mi-young felt a sense of foreboding.

A familiar scent wafted through the air.

Puppet Master.

An S-Rank Hunter from South Korea. The idea that she was here didn’t make sense, but the scent didn’t lie.

“Surround her.”

Kang Mi-young extended one arm.

[‘Kang Mi-young’ resonates with her sword.]

[The sword responds to its master’s call.]

The locked scabbard.

The suppressed hilt slid out on its own.

Strangely, the blade—the most crucial part of the sword—was missing.

Only the hilt remained.

The bizarre sight left the guards staring in shock.

It was a phenomenon that could make one’s eyes open wide on their own.

Kang Mi-young gave the order.

“Everyone, stick to the walls. Execute.”

“Understood!”

Kang Mi-young focused on the sword again. Her red eyes diluted into a pale white.

“Sword, lend me your power for a moment.”

[The sword obeys its master.]

The hilt gripped in her hand.

As she gripped it, the blade revealed itself.

Though only a faint outline, like smoke trapped in the air, everyone could sense the blade’s presence.

“That, that’s it!”

“Aura Blade! The captain’s going to shine again.”

Aura.

The pinnacle of a swordsman’s ability.

Despite its beautiful appearance, its cutting power was unmatched.

“Everyone, attention. We’ll arrive at the target location soon. Begin the search immediately upon arrival.”

*Beep—*

The buzzer signaling their arrival on the upper floor sounded.

“Haah.”

Everyone except Kang Mi-young grabbed a piece or two of the equipment they had brought.

In the midst of this, Lieutenant Min wore a sulky expression.

“Major. What about my cigarettes?”

“Confiscated.”

Lieutenant Min pouted as if to say, “This is unfair.”

“Isn’t this too harsh on a smoker?! It’s not like civilians use them anyway! Ugh, I could sneak a smoke without getting caught!”

“Entry logs are all recorded. Think before you act.”

“Grr.”

She also didn’t want the organization’s dynamics to be ruined because of one subordinate.

Where did such a pest come from?

“Major, could you take a look here?”

“Understood.”

Kang Mi-young snapped out of her thoughts.

An agent called her toward the door.

“Why won’t the door open?”

“It’s locked.”

“Just this one?”

“Yes.”

“Definitely suspicious.”

“There’s a keypad here.”

Kang Mi-young clicked her tongue.

A dial pad for entering a password.

She hadn’t received any password.

They needed to enter a password to gain access…

A few muttered under their breath.

“Ah, crap! This is bad.”

“Did someone leave the hacking equipment at Starex? Who’s responsible for this?!”

While the guards huddled together to brainstorm a solution, Kang Mi-young sensed a change in the air.

Magic.

An enormous amount of mana was concentrated nearby.

“Someone’s been here.”

“Huh? Who are you talking about?”

“No need to know.”

Kang Mi-young enveloped her sword in aura.

The faint outline of the sword solidified into a proper blade.

“This smell.”

A familiar body scent.

An artificial paint-like smell.

A scent that wouldn’t come from an ordinary person.

‘Puppet Master.’

Was this related to that guy?

It wasn’t without reason to be concerned.

The Puppet Master enslaves the strong.

Slaves who only obey his commands.

And when he gets bored, he discards them.

He repeats the process of finding and abandoning.

‘What if Lee Seong-han was caught?’

The hand gripping the sword trembled.

She didn’t even want to imagine it.

Even assuming the worst, Kang Mi-young’s aura fluctuated wildly.

There was no time.

[Kang Mi-young activates the skill, ‘Insight.’]

Kang Mi-young approached the elevator door.

“No need for a number.”

“Major. Uh, no.”

Lieutenant Min, standing behind her, tried to say something but swallowed his words.

*Swoosh.*

*Crash—!*

The aura-enveloped sword slashed the elevator door multiple times.

The repeated strikes left only the door’s remnants behind.

Anyone seeing this would think a typhoon had passed through.

“Lieutenant.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Open it.”

Lieutenant Min stepped forward and pulled the half-destroyed door.

The elevator door slowly opened.

The interior was filled with shadows, making it impossible to move recklessly.

“Everyone, arm yourselves. Use your weapons according to your abilities.”

“Understood.”

Everyone in the elevator held their breath.

*Click-clack—*

The sound of loading weapons.

Automatic pistols loaded with anti-Awakened ammunition.

The basic armament the Hunter Management Bureau could use.

This level of firepower was more than enough for suppression.

Unless it’s an S-Rank, that is.

It would be more than sufficient for stalling purposes.

“I have a bad feeling. Shouldn’t we request backup from headquarters?”

“Who knows what that woman is up to. If there’s a problem, I’ll handle it myself.”

Kang Mi-young’s eyes turned into those of a predator.

—

Ronin.

A wandering swordsman who belongs nowhere.

Among them, the subclass ‘Chivalrous Swordsman.’

Those who idealize the realization of justice through the sword.

Especially Cheong Jin-ho, who could be considered South Korea’s only Ronin.

“Take this!”

[《Lonely Chivalrous Swordsman》 uses ‘Wind Thrust.’]

[Wind condenses in the vicinity.]

[Be cautious of the sudden strike.]

*Whoosh—!*

The Ronin Puppet thrust its sword into the air.

Lee Seong-han rolled to the side quickly.

Unfamiliar techniques were being used one after another.

“Grah!”

The Ronin Puppet twisted its blade. The wind in the conference room gathered into the blade.

[A ‘Gale’ is generated.]

The wind condensed around the blade’s spine.

A house-sized gale tore through the area.

Like a blender.

The wooden furniture, perfectly intact moments ago, was completely sliced apart by the wind and scattered across the floor.

“How much longer is this going to go on?”

[Automatic Combat] judged Lee Seong-han’s evasion to the side.

He was also in bad shape.

[Severe injury detected.]

[Immediate hemostasis applied.]

｢Y-your arm. Seong-han’s arm. It’s happened again.｣

The voice of Kang Jin-young in his head.

Lee Seong-han looked down at his limbs.

Red blood dripped down his arm.

[Trait, ‘Block,’ removes all mental abnormalities.]

He calmly regained his composure.

“At least it wasn’t severed this time. Heh.”

Lee Seong-han chuckled weakly.

“Are you okay?!”

“Yes.”

“Y-your arm was severed! Let’s retreat—”

“No. If we do that, we’ll both be in danger. Stay still!”

[Affection level has increased!]

Lee Seong-han had no time to pay attention to such messages.

He had barely dodged the gale.

He thought he was fine.

But his left arm, which hadn’t fully escaped, was hit. This was the result.

｢What do we do? Is he really going to die? He can’t die.｣

Kang Jin-young’s eyes reddened.

Her breath trembled delicately.

《Level 4》

└ [Lv. 35 – Kang Jin-young will do anything to protect you.](New)

└ [Lv. 40 – Kang Jin-young’s obsession intensifies.](New)

Lee Seong-han forced himself to ignore the affection window.

He assessed his condition.

‘Let’s think about follow-up measures later.’

His left arm was barely hanging on.

Practically dangling.

Blood poured like a waterfall.

The bleeding was severe.

About 80%.

Or more had been severed. He recalled the fight with the Hatchling Mirginos. This was relatively lucky.

[Trait, ‘Regeneration,’ stops the bleeding.]

[Internal mana is beginning to deplete.]

“Shut up. I have thoughts too, you know.”

Lee Seong-han used his intact right arm to hold his left arm in place.

It would take a while for the tissue to reattach.

He barely held back the curses threatening to spill out.

‘What about pattern recognition?!’

[Unable to predict movements.]

[More combat data is needed.]

‘Ah.’

[Automatic Combat]’s indifferent response.

Lee Seong-han clicked his tongue.

“What about stamina?”

*Ding.*

[《Lonely Chivalrous Swordsman》]

[HP 66.6% : ■■■■■■□□□□]

Stamina was around half.

Despite focusing so much firepower, it still wasn’t enough.

‘I’ll live. I’ll survive and retire.’

Lee Seong-han spat out blood-tinged phlegm.

Injuries were piling up.

But he couldn’t die. Being alive was far better than being dead.

“Seong-han! I’ll cover you!”

Kang Jin-young, firing magic from a distance.

She nodded at Lee Seong-han.

‘We need to land effective hits and finish this.’

It was their shared top priority.

“Let’s go!”

[The power of swiftness is bestowed upon you.]

Lee Seong-han, under the effect of Kang Jin-young’s [Haste] magic, dashed forward swiftly.

Like an afterimage in an anime, Lee Seong-han’s figure blurred.

*Slash!*

*Slash!*

*Slash!*

“Graah!”

[《Lonely Chivalrous Swordsman》 holds its breath as the enemy approaches.]

[Uses ‘Indiscriminate Slashing.’]

The sword aimed precisely at Lee Seong-han’s direction.

“Blink!”

Kang Jin-young, maneuvering to the side.

A straight-line position.

A perfect spot for casting magic.

“Fireball!”

*Boom—!*

Multiple fireballs struck the Ronin Puppet head-on.

“Grah!”

The Ronin Puppet raised its left arm to block the incoming attacks.

*Crack—!*

The newly assembled left arm.

It broke with a loud noise.

‘Indiscriminate Slashing’ required both hands.

Therefore…

[《Lonely Chivalrous Swordsman》 cancels ‘Indiscriminate Slashing.’]

[Due to the strong impact, 《Lonely Chivalrous Swordsman》 is incapacitated.]

Like a puppet with its strings cut, the Ronin Puppet knelt and collapsed.

*Shudder—*

Its entire body trembled as if convulsing.

Lee Seong-han aimed to finish it by thrusting his blade into its core.

“Groah!”

A loud roar echoed.

As if seizing the only opportunity, the Ronin Puppet stood up again.

[《Lonely Chivalrous Swordsman》 rapidly recovers!]

[Uses ‘Iaido’!]

The blade aimed to pierce Lee Seong-han’s abdomen.

It extended and flew toward him.

‘Parry it!’

[Command confirmed.]

Lee Seong-han reversed his greatsword and swung it upward.

The blades clashed diagonally.

Sparks scattered.

[《Lonely Chivalrous Swordsman》 counters.]

Another blade strike followed.

This time, a horizontal slash.

Lee Seong-han ducked and swiftly countered.

*Clang!*

“What?!”

“Grah.”

As if it had predicted everything, the Ronin Puppet skillfully shifted its stance to block the escape route.

The blade aimed at his upper body.

‘Ah.’

Time slowed down. Lee Seong-han felt the same sensation he had when fighting the Hatchling.

A feeling of being disconnected from time.

‘How can I win?’

Lee Seong-han needed an answer.

At this rate, death was only a matter of time.

If he used [Block]… Couldn’t he sever the strings controlling the Ronin Puppet?

To do that, he needed to get close.

It was a gamble, but…

‘Is there any other way?’

No.

At least not right now.

Lee Seong-han decided to execute the plan he came up with on the spot.

First, to do that…

‘Do I have to take that hit and pretend to die? But then Kang Jin-young would be in danger, right?’

Lee Seong-han wasn’t fond of the plan either, but he had no choice.

“Alright, let’s survive first.”

He had no time to worry about anyone else.