< 2 > Breaking News: Two wanted criminals and one Regular Awakened One deceased, with five association Hunters severely injured, including one High-Rank Layer Awakened One and Ranker.
Author: Grave Digger in Hunter Gallery
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I think everyone saw the news.
Compared to past incidents, this event is truly unbelievable.
It’s just, it’s like the vibe is completely different.
At first, I just skimmed through and thought it was a Blood Mage build with blood spatter.
But the more I looked, the weirder it got.
Just a slight glance reveals weapons that look like they belong to a high build, but I could concede that maybe the caster is some kind of prodigy. However, that monster-like build makes no sense.
A Blood Mage known for being terribly weak should never have that level of capability.
At minimum, it’s a Level 2 build, and looking at the body size and height, the age is at most early 20s. Does that brat have any origin of using that level of magic power?
Well, except for that one, haha.
According to the Hunters on-site that day, they couldn’t put up a fight and were cut down within seconds, and they still say their hands and legs are trembling.
They said they had a hard time getting the CCTV footage, and that fluttering red wing belongs to that one.
But just look at the dagger in their hand.
The air around the dagger is warped like a mirage.
How the hell is that possible??? How crazy must that kid be to pull that off?
I really predict that even if all the Rankers from the headquarters come at once, it might not be enough to capture them.
[Comments]
[1] You say a Blood Mage is absolutely impossible? A Rank 1 Area Sorcerer could do it.
– Don’t mention that name.
– You’re permanently banned.
[2] Saying it wouldn’t work even if the association’s Rankers come in seems too pessimistic. They somehow manage to resolve incidents eventually. But that monster-like build really makes no sense.
– I’ve never seen a build like that before.
– Ugh, I’m just really anxious, haha.
[3] Didn’t they say the incident happened in Gyeonggi Province? Damn, that’s where I live.
– Ah, it’s so infuriating. Where did that Awakened One come from?
[4] At this point, I bet not just the association but also the Union Department and the government are in chaos. There aren’t usually cases where Rankers get severely injured, right?
– There have been a few cases with self-destruct type terror or High-Rank Awakened Ones banding together for a sacrifice.
– In the face of human wave tactics, there’s no mercy, haha.
– [Comment Author] Then what the hell was that brat who single-handedly took down Rankers and High-Rank Hunters…?
– That’s why it’s all such a mess haha. Most of the news now is about that.
[5] Hold up… O’rly…? Silver hair, azure eyes, the stats are literally area-type, it’s undeniable…???
– Oh, here comes the O’rly cult again.
– Hahaha, O’rly is male, haha.
– The last image from a year ago was male, so what’s the deal?
– But is it really O’rly? Did they turn into a woman’s body to adapt after disappearing for a year and just now showed up?
– Seriously, stop. It’s just a Regular Ranker-level Awakened One, why so much commotion?
– You’ll regret it when you actually meet them and think, “I should have believed that comment back then,” haha. Just live.
1 year of being a homebody must have made meeting many people outside awkward.
While trying to change, my limit was just roaming the skies at night…
Well, whatever. The heart is what matters.
Feeling the airflow, I fluttered my wings once. The air scattered, giving off a pungent scent. Maybe it’s because I smoked a bit too heavily before coming.
I folded my wings and landed on the rooftop of a high-rise building. It was clear that stepping out of the outskirts and into the urban area meant I could see people in the bustling streets even late at night. This building also appeared luxurious, with all the inside rooms lit up.
Is it a hotel?
While briefly surveying the wide rooftop, I moved my steps. A slightly strong breeze could be felt, and my collar fluttered. Opening the rooftop door and stepping inside, I saw the elevator.
It was quite high: 35 floors. It felt like I had never been here before.
When I pressed the button, it quickly arrived at my floor, radiating light. As I stepped in, soft background music began to play.
It was calm and luxurious. Since I usually take the personally designed elevator on my way home, I couldn’t help but compare and ran my finger along the wall.
I felt the rough texture.
The descending elevator chimed and stopped. It was the 17th floor. As I leaned against the wall, the door opened, and a man in a blue uniform with a hat entered. A white emblem was attached to his shoulder, and a business card was hung around his neck.
Is he the hotel manager?
Ah, our eyes met.
“Uh, um…?”
The man froze in place, letting out a faint sound. His pupils were shaking as if that were even possible.
“If you stay there, you’ll get caught in the door.”
“Ah, yes!”
The first person I met right after stepping out recognized me…
The man hurriedly positioned himself at the left corner and stared straight ahead. His body creaked, feeling broken.
“Excuse me.”
“Uh, yes?”
“Do you know me?”
He hesitated.
His pupils rolled around, unable to find their bearings.
“You can tell the truth. I won’t kill you.”
The man flinched at the word kill and barely nodded his head.
“Ah, yes. I know…”
“How do you know?”
“F-from… the news…”
That was within the expected range. No, considering it was on the news, it would be strange if the whole nation didn’t know about it, right?
“What did they say?”
The man trembled again and closed his mouth.
In frustration, I took out my knife.
The man’s eyes dropped. His face quickly turned pale.
“They said I’m an Awakened One showing psychopathic traits!! It’s presumed that I’m suffering from several mental illnesses….”
“And?”
“The association… um… said they’d investigate… classifying it as a danger level…”
If the association could make a rational judgment, they should be ending the investigation directed at me and negotiating with me directly.
At most, I might kill three people a day, but as mentioned before, with the bombings and gates popping up around the capital area, there are dozens to manage, so there’s no room left for additional personnel.
They probably made that announcement for image reasons.
I bit down on the knife.
“Wow, thanks for answering. Still, since it’s our first meeting, I’ll let you off with just one arm this time.”
A moment of silence passed.
The man’s face went pale to the point of losing color.
[Stop messing with him.]
Why does it have to be like that only with me?
But I’m serious about letting him off this time.
I shallowly probed the blade into the man’s abdomen and drew blood.
As the elevator doors opened, the sound of the man’s groans was drowned out.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be fine.”
Holding onto the man’s abdomen while he coughed, I grabbed the nape of his neck and pulled him along. Since it was a woman’s body, there was minimal strength, so I had to add magic power to carry him.
This is quite inconvenient.
“AAAHHH!!”
“What the hell! What the hell, damn it!!”
Ah, it’s noisy. Why are there so many people in the lobby?
“Please be quiet. It’s late.”
Once the brief silence settled, I continued to drag the man who was still limp.
If he were a non-awakened or low-level Awakened One, he would have been screaming in pain, but he only let out shallow groans a few times, so it seems he has some stats in this area.
“Ha, ha…”
It feels better now that it’s quiet.
I bit my lips tightly and rubbed my eyes.
Ignoring the frozen counter staff, I hastily tossed the man aside and rushed out of the hotel.
“Chomp, smack, slurp.”
As I began licking the blood on my hands, I just threw the knife away. Frustration surged rapidly.
I need a magic power bar, a magic power bar.
I turned partially blood-saturated and increased my speed. Entering an alleyway, I twisted several times and stepped into a dim warehouse building.
This is a smuggling zone for magic power bars. Honestly, I owe a bit to the kids here.
“Get lost. Kids are not allowed.”
I looked up at the deep voice. A large man with a scar embedded in his face stood there.
There’s quite a height difference.
“Move aside.”
I don’t want to kill him.
“That brat right now…”
I turned my body around and dodged a fist. Blood spattered as I condensed it with a scythe. I slashed the man’s abdomen and kicked.
He crashed against the wall and groaned in pain.
I moved closer and kept stomping on him. I was already filled with frustration, so why is he making a fuss?
The man’s teeth popped out as the floor shattered when the door burst open.
“What the hell! What’s going on…!”
“Hello.”
A man in a suit appeared. He looked a bit more dignified than the earlier man.
The man, looking startled at the sight of me, noticed the man beneath my foot and then turned his gaze back to me.
“Oh my, guest. You’re quite the important person. I apologize. I should have come to greet you.”
Considering his earlier reaction in the hotel, it seems my face has become quite well-known.
Seeing him bow his head repeatedly with a fake smile made me smile.
“It’s okay. May I come in?”
“Ah, yes! Please come in! I’ll make sure that rude little brat is thoroughly educated!”
I didn’t particularly mind.
“If you’re going to educate him, can I do it?”
“…Yes?”
“Can I do it?”
“Ah, ah! Of course! Hahaha…”
I picked up the man still lying on the ground and slapped him several times across the face.
Blood splattered, and flesh tore apart. The man flinched and reacted.
“Education was a joke. I’m just here to help you regain your senses.”
“Thank you…”
Clap, clap, clap.
After several hits, the man groggily opened his eyes.
“Are you okay?”
Honestly, I didn’t particularly want to hear the answer.
I waved my hands in the air and threw the man across the street.
“Now please move. I want to get inside quickly.”
“I-I’m sorry! This way, please!”
Feeling the man’s throat trembling, I entered the building.
—
– There’s no danger to my colleagues’ lives. Luckily, they were severe injuries but missed the vital spots. More surprisingly, it’s that Erika is in a much more critical condition but managed to recover in just a few days……
“Ha…”
Erika leaned against the wall of the association’s ward, sipping coffee. She was strong. There was a power emanating from that girl that was unattainable.
Before she had a chance to respond, her own body had already been sliced apart.
What was truly strange was that someone with that level of skill could have easily obliterated her, yet, as the psychiatrist said, they managed to avoid all the vital spots and engaged in battle, which stirred up complicated emotions within her.
Did they show mercy? But why? There was no need for that.
The day she had her abdomen and chest brutally sliced open and was on the verge of losing consciousness, before she could feel the inherent emotion of fear, rage took over her completely.
As they approached her, grinning in a way that made her desire to tear them apart, the anger rose within her.
Although she felt herself saying things afterward, she couldn’t remember them clearly. She seemed to have said something about chasing down and killing them…
However, the girl merely gazed back into her eyes.
If she were a ‘villain’ embodying that character and committing murder, she should have been enraged upon hearing those words.
Is she a psychopath?
But she doesn’t even know if she is.
“Ha.”
But combat is reality. The moment they showed her mercy, she began plotting a secondary strategy.
“Yes, Association President. Don’t worry. I’m absolutely fine. You know my ability. That girl is already as good as dead. Even Rankers will be dragged in and torn apart by me.”
[…Erika. Hm, that girl is fine, and that incident is good, but … Isn’t there another busy matter as well?]
“What?”
What is this person saying right now?
[Right now the urgent matters are the terror and gates in the capital area. We can leave that girl to other Rankers or veterans… .]
“No, make sense. We’re almost done catching her…”
The voice from the phone was calm.
[Two Rankers are severely injured. Three veteran Hunters have fainted. It will take quite a bit of time to catch someone of that caliber. That’s also a problem, but the girl’s appearance is irregular. She has already realized we’re targeting her. Do you think she’ll show herself willingly?]
“…….”
[I understand your feelings right now. An atrocious murderer needs to be caught immediately. However, there’s a more pressing issue. The reason you went down to the Gyeonggi Province is not solely about that girl, right? There’s one gate that’s on the verge of bursting in the Gyeonggi Province.]
Erika bit her lip. In fact, she was fully aware of that situation.
The issues of the gate and demons were also urgent.
But it was fine. After hanging up, she reached a conclusion.
In the chaos that unfolds with the gate emerging and the city in turmoil, there’s no way a girl of that caliber would not be active.
At that time, she would catch her.
Absolutely.
By any means necessary.
