Chapter 31: The Wooden Sword’s Secret

11:50 AM.

I was waiting as Yu Jae-i requested until the paralysis wore off.

Wearing my armor and resting Arca slanted against my shoulder, I tapped my front teeth impatiently.

It felt like a waste of time to just wait, so I gathered some information.

According to the intel sent by Lieutenant Lee, Yu Jae-i’s father disappeared when she was young.

One day, he suddenly vanished, and various rumors circulated: he abandoned his family and fled, he was recognized for his wild skills and received classified orders from the government, he was kidnapped after drawing the attention of the underworld guild.

She, like me, had been alone.

No, she was even more alone than I was.

I had Dohee and Taecheon, but she was completely on her own.

She had risen to become one of Korea’s top 100 great hunters by herself.

Could I have done that?

Probably not.

My life has more moments with Dohee and Taecheon than alone.

I also read the information about Claud the underworld guild sent by Lieutenant Lee.

Though, it was hardly information to speak of.

[Sorry, Team Leader.]
[At my level, I couldn’t figure out who Claud really is.]
[It’s definitely a guild operating in the underworld, but it feels like the information is completely cut off.]

Was it impossible after all?

No matter how great Lieutenant Lee’s intelligence skills were, he was just a guild member, a mere pawn.

He couldn’t possibly uncover information about the underworld guild.

I was about to send a message telling him not to worry when he sent me one instead.

[If it’s a three-person job, we might be able to try.]

I knew what he meant by “try.”

He wanted to poke around to find information beyond his level, even if it was dangerous.

That could mean attracting the attention of Claud, the underworld guild.

There was no need for that.

Even without Lieutenant Lee, there were other places to get information.

[… Sorry.]

He sounded unusually down.

I sent back a message telling him not to worry because I was really fine.

I had already asked Chairman Woo Chan-seong for information, anticipating this.

Lieutenant Lee had made a request just in case.

I told Chairman Woo to contact me by today if he found anything.

Soon enough, my smartphone vibrated.

The screen showed the name “Chairman Woo Chan-seong.”

“Hello, this is Baek Do-un.”

Hmm? Has he stopped pretending to be Ji-on?

“Please tell me the information you have.”

“Hmm… about that…”

Why is he trailing off?

Could it be—

“Don’t tell me you haven’t found anything?”

“No, it can’t be. I’m just worried about you. Claud is a terrorist organization.”

“Terrorist organization?”

“Yes, one of the highest grades. They’ve done countless reckless acts underground.”

If they’re a grade S organization, that means they carry out terrorism worldwide.

One question came to mind.

Are these people operating globally the ones who came looking for Yu Jae-i?

If so, they would have found a better, more obedient great hunter than her.

Is there some reason only she fits?

“Because they’re that kind of people, tracking them was extremely difficult.”

“You couldn’t find them?”

“Hey, why are you so negative all of a sudden?”

“Me? Did I say that?”

“… You’re lucky. Last night, we caught a glimpse of them dragging the great hunter away in Mapo District. We found one suspected hideout.”

Yu Jae-i.

If it’s the Mapo District great hunter, it must be her.

But why were they dragging her?

Didn’t she follow willingly?

“The location of the hideout was sent to you in person.”

“What? No, there’s no time. Just send it by text.”

“Then take care. Give my regards to the great hunter.”

And with that, Chairman Woo hung up.

What is this guy, trying to send information in person like the Joseon Dynasty?

Sending it by text would have been simpler.

I clicked my tongue in annoyance and checked the time.

The number on the screen changed from 11:59 to 12:00.

The paralysis wore off, but Yu Jae-i didn’t come back.

It was time to begin the rescue.

I shoved my smartphone into my armor, stood up, and slung Arca onto my back.

At that moment, the sliding door suddenly opened.

“Ji-on, you’ve kept me waiting.”

It was Woo Yeon-ho who entered the room.

When our eyes met, he immediately closed his mouth.

So much for sending it in person—it was just a hassle.

“A text would’ve been fine.”

“Did you know I waited quite a while at the hospital that day? Do-un.”

It was the first time he called me by my real name.

Come to think of it, this was our first meeting without masks.

“If we can’t help you, we’re not at ease.”

“Don’t use me just to ease your minds.”

“Yes, I will definitely keep that in mind next time. Sorry.”

I felt like an idiot.

Even as I showed how annoyed I was, Woo Yeon-ho immediately admitted his mistake and apologized sincerely.

He wasn’t asking why I was mad—he was genuinely sorry.

Truly, he had a talent for driving people crazy in strange ways.

“Phew… So? Where is it?”

“Follow me. I’ll guide you.”

He had come prepared to go together from the start.

Chairman Woo must have deliberately sent his son with that plan in mind.

Well, let’s just think of it as a relief.

Now we had to raid the hideout of a high-grade terrorist organization, and it’s definitely better to go as two than alone.

I stepped out of the forge with Woo Yeon-ho.

In front of the forge stood a sleek three-tiered car, which was presumably his.

“Nice car.”

“4-603. It’s a secret model built by our company.”

To break the tension, I made a casual comment as I looked at the car in front of the forge.

Woo Yeon-ho smiled proudly and boasted.

His boast, briefly summarized:

It had the latest mana engine for silent operation, Minotauros leather seats for passenger comfort, and a reinforced frame that could withstand high-grade attack magic.

Its design combined a modern urban aesthetic with the hunter’s wild charm, though I couldn’t quite understand the explanation.

Still, it looked sophisticated enough to make “Nice car” slip out as soon as I saw it.

He pulled a key fob from his pocket and handed it to me.

“This is for you, Do-un.”

“What? For me?”

“Chaeyeon asked me to thank you for rescuing her.”

I didn’t need it, that guy.

Though I wanted to say that, the car was too tempting to refuse.

Before I realized it, my hand had taken the key fob.

*****

[Middle distance]

Claud’s hideout was located halfway up Mugapsan Mountain in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province.

Woo Yeon-ho, wearing his spear on his shoulder, took out a mana thermal camera to scout the hideout.

The mana thermal camera detects the flow of mana within its lens.

Primarily used to confirm a person’s mana, it was commonly employed by the military.

It could only verify the presence of mana, not its maximum volume, but it was ideal for locating people.

It was also useful for identifying places with barriers or shield magic.

“There’s a shield around the building, and about a dozen people inside.”

“Just as expected.”

“Is that so?”

That was exactly the number of people who had come to the forge the other day.

He handed me the camera.

He wanted me to verify their exact positions.

I checked: three people on the second floor, ten on the first floor, and three in the basement.

The one sitting against the wall in the basement was probably Yu Jae-i.

The mana flow stopped at her wrist, like she was wearing a mana gauntlet.

So they dragged her away, but she was wearing a mana gauntlet, which explained why it looked that way.

He asked after handing me the camera,

“What should we do?”

“I want to attack the whole hideout if I could.”

Right now, my feelings didn’t matter.

The important thing was whether Yu Jae-i could be rescued safely.

If we tried a full assault with world-class power, she might get caught in the crossfire.

“Better to just get Yu Jae-i out.”

The problem was the shield.

If we barged in without a plan, we’d get cut down immediately.

Woo Yeon-ho, as a rank-up hunter, might be able to use sword energy to cut just the shield, but the caster who activated the shield would realize it.

Woo Yeon-ho smiled slyly and put his hand into his magic pouch.

“I’m glad you followed me.”

“Is there a way?”

“I brought a Barrier Bypass Device for just this kind of situation.”

“What on earth is that?”

“Actually, Minju brought it, not me. She said it might help, so I brought it along. And it really does.”

The Barrier Bypass Device, as the name suggests, pierces barriers.

It creates small holes in shields or barriers.

It only works for one minute after a 12-hour charge, and it’s useless against higher-grade shields, making it extremely inefficient.

Still, it’s used reluctantly because it allows a few people to enter through shields that cannot be deactivated otherwise.

It was the best tool for us right now.

“Let’s go.”

We quietly approached the basement, where Yu Jae-i was located.

Pressing the device’s power button, it activated very quietly, soon creating a hole just big enough for a person to pass through.

We entered the building through the corridor.

We quickly passed through the dark interior and descended the stairs.

Woo Yeon-ho, who went down first, stopped.

“Hmm. A straight corridor.”

Just as he said, it was a single corridor underground.

At the end of the corridor stood two guards wearing white masks, standing by an iron door.

We had to take them both down simultaneously, or the others upstairs would be alerted.

“Yeon-ho, how’s your throwing spear?”

“I’ll take the one on the left.”

Confidence suited him well.

He spread three fingers, drew the long sword hanging at his waist, and prepared to strike.

The Arca on his back couldn’t be swung in the narrow corridor.

He folded his left leg, preparing to throw the spear, then bent his right knee and sprang forward.

Finally, folding his sword fingers, he leapt out.

Watching him, I activated a skill.

Shadow Brightness.

In an instant, my vision darkened.

I could see nothing but three holes of light.

The hole right in front was Woo Yeon-ho’s shadow.

I moved to the right hole among the two further away.

Standing above it, my vision brightened, revealing a white mask with a long spear stuck in its head.

The other masked guard was caught off guard and tried to shout,

But before he could finish, a spear pierced his back, killing him instantly.

He collapsed forward, unable to finish his shout.

Woo Yeon-ho came running with a shocked face, clearly wanting to ask what skill that was.

He then turned his gaze away, took out a kaljaro (wooden sword), broke the lock, and opened the door.

We entered inside.

A dull noise came from inside the room.

Turning my head, I saw Yu Jae-i punching me.

More precisely, she was striking my cheek, which had turned wooden-like.

She probably mistook me for Claud.

“Ah, it hurts.”

She shook her hands, as if to send the pain away.

I was lucky it ended with just pain.

Some people had their hands blown apart.

“Wow, you came quickly. I thought it’d take at least a week.”

“That’s because I have a skilled partner.”

I pointed to Woo Yeon-ho behind me.

She just nodded at the man who pulled the spear from Claud’s head.

“What about your father?”

“He was regretting it.”

So it really was a pretense to protect her.

Yu Jae-i’s thin smile betrayed how worried she was to have come despite knowing the risk.

I wanted to comfort her, but escaping was the priority here.

“Let’s get out first.”

“Wait. I need to check something.”

To escape, I grabbed her wrist and pulled.

She stopped me by holding my wrist with her other hand.

“Why?”

“Have you ever infused mana into Arca?”

“No, never.”

Upon hearing my answer, Yu Jae-i smiled slyly.

What was that uneasy smile?

“Try putting in as much as you can now.”

“Now?”

“Yeah, now.”

“…Hmm. Alright.”

Without long hesitation, I made my decision.

I figured there must be a reason.

She wouldn’t ask without cause in this situation.

I put away the long sword and took Arca off my back.

I’d noticed from the start how light Arca was—it could be lifted with one hand.

It weighed about the same as the long sword.

I tilted Arca at a 45-degree angle.

If it stood upright, the tip would hit the ceiling.

Then, as she had told me, I infused as much mana as possible.

The patterns etched on the blade glowed blue as the mana flowed out.

Then she said,

“The name of that sword is Arborca Pulus. Literally translated, it means ‘wooden sword’.”

The mana flowing from the sword transformed into a massive blade.

That blade pierced the ceiling and kept growing larger.

So according to Yu Jae-i, this huge sword wasn’t just a big sword.

“There’s no such thing as a 170,000-grade wooden sword in this world!”