The Hunter of the Other World Who Is Being Misunderstood – Chapter 25

Ch 25: Kidnapping （2）

“Hoo, if only I could use magic, these kinds of trash…”

I’m in a hurry.

I knocked down the guard in front of the warehouse and was about to move immediately.

But then, something bumped into my foot.

‘What is it?’

When I looked down, a cell phone was lying at my feet.

Come to think of it, I was too busy with the surprise attack earlier, but it seems like one of the guards was fiddling with a cell phone.

Did he drop his cell phone while falling asleep?

‘This is perfect!’

Once you’ve done one robbery, the second one is easy.

I picked up the cell phone, which still had the screen on, and pressed the button.

『Dialing · · · 112』

There was only one place to call.

━Yes. This is the police. What’s the matter?

Looking through Kim Giryeo’s memories, it’s common sense on this planet to call the police when you’re in a crisis.

“Ah, I’ve been kidnapped…”

I hurriedly opened my mouth.

But somehow, the conversation that followed was completely different from what I had imagined.

━Huh?

“Huh?”

━Hello?

“Can’t you hear me?”

━Please speak louder.

“I said I’ve been kidnapped!”

━Hello?

Why is the police officer reacting like this? It’s as if he can’t hear my voice…

“Could it be a broken cell phone?”

I immediately ended the call. If my voice can’t reach them anyway, there’s no need to drag out the time.

“The other functions should be normal.”

Okay.

If I can’t call, how about sending a text?

I calmly wrote a text message to the police.

I wrote it simply and clearly, saying that I had been kidnapped and didn’t know my current location, so they should come and find me.

Fortunately, the reply was quick.

『Web Message』

『Received, dispatch may take some time. In case of emergency, please contact 112 immediately.』

If I do this, I can get help even if the plan fails.

Now I can breathe a sigh of relief. But…

『How long will it take to get here? Is it safer for me to just stay still?』

I sent one more text to decide whether to escape or to hold out.

『Web Message』

『Received, dispatch may take some time. In case of emergency, please contact 112 immediately.』

But seeing the returned text message, I suddenly felt uneasy.

What’s with this mechanical answer that sounds like a copy-paste?

Did they even read the question? No, more than that, if it’s like this, was the initial report I sent even properly received?

‘I, I don’t know.’

I’m not sure.

So I decided to take out a small insurance policy.

I always remember An Yunseung Hunter’s number.

‘Okay, text messaging is done.’

Now that I’ve reported it, let’s continue with the escape.

Even at this moment, a faint floral scent was rising from the incense burner.

◈◈◈

“What? With the VIP and the president all here, who told you to wear a suit like that…”

A big Earthling Cut.

“Huh? Did we have anyone with dyed hair among our guys?”

You move aside too.

“Ugh, ugh. Is that one of the kidnapped Awakened Ones? Stop! If you don’t stop…!”

Or what?

“Get out of my way.”

Clang! Once again, a high-pitched sound rings out.

The fading, echoing wave is almost like the sound of a singing bowl.

“For these kinds of magic tools, sticking them in the nose is the fastest way to make them effective.”

I thought, twirling the chain of the incense burner in my hand.

First of all, my first plan is to get out of this place swarming with kidnappers.

The problem is that I don’t know the structure of this building at all.

‘The important thing is the direction of the exit. These guys have blocked all the windows.’

Therefore, I looked for my own landmark to get outside.

Something with a large enough wave that even a toothless Great Magician could track, and that was outdoors.

‘It’s a good thing there’s a gate within the range I can sense.’

Gate.

Hunters’ hunting grounds were always outside of human buildings, such as hills or open fields.

So, I’m currently moving by following the mana of the nearest gate.

‘I guess it’s because they’re the kind of guys who make a living by kidnapping F-ranks. There aren’t any surprisingly strong sorcerers.’

Anyway, thanks to the incense burner item, the progress is smooth.

“Ugh!”

No, let me correct that.

It’s not entirely smooth. Kim Giryeo had a fatal penalty.

“D*mn it, I haven’t even run and my legs already…!”

Suddenly, my right kneecap started to hurt as if it was tearing apart.

This body can’t run. It has legs that hurt badly even if I walk for a little while, let alone run.

And it’s not just the pain. As time passes, I can’t put strength into it well either.

‘This is so screwed.’

With tears in my eyes, I walked at a brisk pace.

To have to walk leisurely even in this situation. It’s frustrating. Very.

“Ah! There they are. There!”

“Grab him!”

“Don’t let him go downstairs!”

But it was at that moment.

Just when I thought I heard the sound of people’s footsteps rushing from upstairs, I ended up facing the pursuers head-on.

‘Ugh!’

I was so close to the gate!

The escape was at its final stage. Now that it’s come to this, I have no choice but to break through them.

“Ugh? Wait, the thing that F-rank has in his hand, is that…!”

“How is he holding that!”

And I happen to have something that’s good for dealing with multiple Awakened Ones.

“Everyone, hold your breath! The, the mask, who has it…!”

It’s too late to hold your breath now.

As I passed through the hallway, I kept spinning the incense burner in my hand.

Thanks to that, the smoke from the incense burner filled the air so densely that it was almost soaking the skin.

“Ugh…”

“Huk!”

One by one, they lost consciousness and fell to the floor.

There were some who seemed to hold out for quite a while. At that time, I directly stuck the incense burner into their faces.

“Ugh… I’m sleepy…”

Thud!

Before long, the last Awakened One falls.

‘Did my mana run out?’

At the same time, the incense burner seemed to have run out of power, and the smoke that had been rising stopped abruptly.

I threw away the used incense burner without any regrets.

And without delay, I headed downstairs.

‘Now they know I’m escaping and the incense burner is gone. It won’t be easy next time.’

My knees are screaming from moving too hard.

But I didn’t stop walking. As a result of enduring the pain, I finally found the exit.

‘Ah!’

The first floor of the building that I finally reached.

Beyond the huge double doors at the end of the hallway, I can feel the waves of the gate.

If it’s such a large door, it must be the entrance on the first floor. Isn’t that how architects in this world usually do it?

I became impatient with the exit in front of me and approached the door, half-running.

‘It’s not even locked!’

Finally, the historic moment to step outside of this musty, abandoned building.

…Or at least, that’s how it should have been.

“President! We just got a radio message that an Awakened One escaped and is coming down to this floor…!”

Bang. Beyond the door that was flung open, an unimaginable scene unfolded.

A room of about 20 pyeong made of poorly constructed, illegally extended partition walls.

A blue gate shining in the center of that room.

And an old man with a cane and Kang Changho, who had just come out of the gate.

“Huk! Already here!”

“Did he, did he not escape but was looking for the president?”

I didn’t even use water magic, but cold sweat was pouring down my back.

‘Huh?’

The gate is inside…?

“What is that guy, how did you manage product control that he escaped!”

An elderly man in luxurious clothes shouted. Just by looking at him, he seemed like the highest-ranking person here.

But I didn’t have the time to focus on what the other person was saying.

‘If Kang Changho had been outside the gate, I would have noticed his mana and escaped…’

The place I was so desperately chasing as an exit was actually where the organization’s boss was.

“Protect the president!”

It seems that this indoor gate is a very important place for them.

The sorcerers, who were of a different caliber from the riffraff I had met so far, glared at me.

I was still in shock and couldn’t move, and the enemies looked at me and asked.

“F-rank! How on earth did you manage to shake off all those Awakened Ones who went to catch you?”

“……”

“Looking at how no one has come down here until this time, could it be…”

I don’t really want to answer the kidnapper’s question.

I didn’t feel the need for conversation, so I closed my mouth. Then, the hunter guarding the president’s side turned pale.

Why?

‘Did he get angry because I ignored him?’

Now that I look at it, everyone’s attitude is strange.

They’re not even thinking about subduing the escaped F-rank, they’re just flinching.

“That guy, was he not an F-rank but a false reporter?”

“…!”

Ah, I see.

They don’t seem to know that I used the incense burner to knock out their subordinates.

They must be mistaken that I somehow took them all down and came here.

‘Ha, cowards! If I just bluffed well, I could have just escaped!’

I stood comfortably.

A relaxed posture with the strength taken out of my shoulders. Seeing this, the kidnappers murmured “as expected” and became very tense.

But this wasn’t exactly an act to bluff.

‘Everything is ruined.’

My real body is losing strength.

The assumption that I could have escaped by bluffing… is only possible when that man isn’t here.

“Haa, I’m sorry, Mr. Kang. I’m showing such an unsightly scene when an important deal has just been made.”

The guy who is the president of this organization adjusted his fedora and apologized to Kang Changho. Then, he made a suggestion.

“I know it’s a shameless request, but would you help me for a moment?”

“Help?”

“I mean, catch that hunter. The transporter is scheduled to come at midnight.”

“Ah.”

“Of course, our guys can subdue him well enough, but if an S-rank hunter steps in, it’ll be much more certain and faster, wouldn’t it?”

That shameless bastard is passing the work onto the VIP.

“Of course, I should help you. We’re all in the same boat.”

Of course, our VIP didn’t hesitate.

“Haha! That’s like you. Ah, right, you said you needed an appraiser too? I’ll give you a big discount this time.”

They were having a light negotiation in front of a person.

Even though it was incredibly unpleasant, I couldn’t say a word.

“Kim Giryeo, did you hear? They’re going to give you a discount.”

“….”

“It seems that this person also knows that some of the product is going to get broken from now on.”

The gap between an F-rank hunter and an S-rank hunter is embarrassing to even compare to an egg and a rock.

I’d probably be torn to pieces if Kang Changho’s attack even grazed me. So how can I stand up to him?

‘What should I do? When are the police coming? Are they even coming? Yunseung-a, are you asleep? Did you see my text?’

I hid my trembling hands in my pocket and maintained my posture.

Then, Kang Changho leisurely walked out.

“You’re standing too still, how about running away right now?”

He had a gentle curve on his lips. An artificial smile.

“The path behind you is wide open, and if you run your best, I’ll let you go this time for your effort.”

Hey, who do you think is standing here because they don’t want to run?

“Kang Changho Hunter.”

I conveyed the truth with a half-resigned feeling.

“Have you ever seen me run?”

Hearing those words, Kang Changho paused for a short moment of contemplation.

You must think it’s strange too, right?

“No, you are…”

Even when I first met an S-rank hunter.

Even when I was being chased by a Black Wolf inside the gate.

Even at this very moment.

“You haven’t. You’ve never run.”

Kang Changho’s expression gradually hardened as he looked back on what had happened in the past.

The smile that had been on his lips had already disappeared.

“Not even once.”

Kang Changho’s eyes widened as he began to stare intently at me.

As he fell silent, the space was filled with a taut tension that felt like it could explode at any moment.