Karin watched the children playing.
They didn’t look like children who had been trapped in a musty basement room until just recently.
Every single one of them looked bright and happy.
‘I have to find a way….’
As a High-ranking Priest, Karin possessed Miraculous Power.
Because of this, she could use that Miraculous Power to cure even Magestone Disease, which was an incurable disease by the standards of modern medicine.
‘The energy of the Magic Stone has eroded every other organ.’
The moment the Magic Stone was separated from their bodies, the children would die.
Watching the children playing brightly, Karin felt a sense of bitterness.
Helplessness.
That was what she felt.
“Sister.”
“Yes, what is it?”
Karin gave a faint smile to the little girl who had approached her before she realized it.
Her name was Kim I-ho.
She was the oldest among the children here.
Though she was only eight years old.
“You don’t have to worry.”
“Huh?”
Karin blinked at I-ho’s words.
A sorrowful smile was drawn on I-ho’s dark face.
“Because I know it’s impossible.”
“Eh? What is?”
I-ho fidgeted with her fingers and then whispered softly.
“We won’t live long, will we?”
“….”
Karin couldn’t answer for a moment and kept her lips tightly shut.
After a moment of silence, it was I-ho who spoke again.
“I can see it. It’s like a dream, and that dream actually keeps appearing. Probably. I mean, if bad people hit me, after I sleep for a night and wake up, it actually happens. So.”
Unable to find the right words to say, I-ho smiled sadly.
“I can’t see what I’ll look like as an adult.”
Karin knew exactly what the child was saying.
“I thought that when I became an adult, I would be able to escape this place. I kept wanting to see myself as an adult because of that.”
Tears dripped down I-ho’s fair cheeks.
“I can’t see it.”
Not being able to see one’s own future.
That meant only one thing.
That she did not exist in the future she was trying to see.
For someone with Future Sight, knowing their own death was a painful thing.
Karin quietly pulled the child into a hug.
She also saw the future.
Since she possessed Priest Power.
An Eye of Truth possesses many different kinds of power.
An Eye of Truth who uses healing miracles, one who divines the national fortune, one who crosses dimensions and space, one who grants blessings, and so on.
Karin possessed all those powers.
She used the miracles of healing, saw the future, and could even walk through space by opening dimensions.
Though her power was currently weakened since she had crossed over to another world, that power, which she didn’t know was a blessing or a curse, still resided in her body.
“Still, um. We might be able to find a way. So.”
“Do you think so?”
“Yes, of course.”
Karin reassured I-ho in that way.
The voices of the children giggling while riding the slide could be heard.
There was also a child staring out the window at the wide sky, mouth hanging open in awe.
Everyone was excited.
For the children, whose entire world had been dark and dreary, the sky, the light, and even the air were all new and fresh.
“Coach went to punish all the bad people, so it’ll be okay. So don’t worry. There might be something that can treat you. It’s a cliché for the one who uses poison to have the antidote, after all.”
“Hehe, I guess I’ll have to trust Bear Uncle then.”
I-ho laughed as she spoke.
“There are so many delicious things in the world. You guys haven’t even tried Ramen yet, right? Have you ever had Chicken?”
I-ho’s eyes widened as she shook her head.
Seeing that, Karin’s nose twitched with pride and her shoulders puffed up.
“I’ll order some for you later, so just wait.”
She had already nagged Lee Hyunbin and topped up the balance on her Check Card.
This would be more than enough to order plenty of food for the children.
“Sister, I have something to ask….”
“Yeah.”
I-ho cupped her hands over Karin’s ear and whispered.
“Is Bear Uncle your….”
Karin’s lips twitched as if she was flustered.
“Huh?”
“Hehe, I’m right, aren’t I?”
“No, not at all!”
“You are.”
“I’m not? You’re completely wrong, you dummy!”
Karin felt like even her earlobes were heating up. It was because she had heard something she hadn’t expected.
“I’m jealous.”
At I-ho’s lonely words, Karin stroked the child’s hair.
“He’ll protect you too, the Coach.”
Karin had also been helped.
The day she first saw the Hero.
The man who looked like a beggar and went around with a foolish smile on his face seemed strange.
The fact that the Hero, who was said to possess the strongest Physical Strength on the Continent and was the Hero who defeated the great army of the powerful Demon King, had come to such a remote Territory was strange in itself.
That was why Katrinne thought the Hero was a fake.
She judged that her father, who was a good-natured person to the point of being a fool, had been caught by a conman.
The Hero became a guest in the Territory, and days passed. Then a week. Then a month.
As months piled up, before she knew it, he naturally became part of the family.
When her Father, the Noble, died through betrayal and she was driven into a crisis.
The one who stayed by her side and turned the whole situation around then was the Hero.
She had the miracle of the Hero, but this child did not.
She had simply been lucky.
Karin muttered that to herself.
“Hey, we’re screwed. I heard the West Workshop got completely cleaned out.”
“I heard some guy called the Delivery Man or whatever wrecked everything.”
“Shouldn’t we run for it too?”
“How the hell are they going to find this place?”
“If the guys who got caught talk, that’s it.”
At his companion’s words, the man laughed as if it were absurd.
“Do you know where the other workshops are?”
“How would I know that?”
“Workshops don’t know each other’s locations. So even if they want to talk, there’s nothing they can say. What are you worried about?”
“True. Whether they’re Hunters or whatever, even if they have Awakening abilities, they’ll all die if they get shot anyway.”
Two organization members who were cleaning up the workshop were chatting like that as they tidied up.
“Ugh, the smell. Fuck, I can’t do this shit anymore.”
What the two were doing was so-called ‘trash disposal.’ It was one of the tasks the organization members avoided the most.
“Ptui. Why does this smell never get easier to deal with even after a year?”
“Uh, what’s with that guy?”
The two saw something approaching while they were disposing of the bodies.
The two exchanged glances.
“Who’s there?”
“….”
There was no need to answer, so he didn’t speak.
The two felt an ominous premonition and immediately turned around to run away.
It was no use running.
“Fuck!”
Because there were people waiting behind them too.
The organization member pulled out a Knife from his chest. But there was no way our kids would be afraid of a Knife.
They were guys who would be more afraid of my fist than a toy knife like that.
Crack!
The organization member who was hit by Kim Taeyang flew back immediately. Similarly, his companion next to him was hit by Kim Inho and flew back.
-Hero, the children are locked in the basement. They are all locked up together, and there are twelve of them. Everyone is in very bad condition, so it would be best to hurry.
“Team 2 Leader. Please go straight down to the basement and rescue the children.”
“Yes.”
-Ten organization members on the first floor. Two Awakened on the second floor.
“Team 4 Leader. Please suppress the first floor, and Team 3 will suppress the two Awakened on the second floor.”
“Aigo, don’t you worry.”
“Yes!”
The current New Hanul was strong.
Team 2 and Team 4 included veteran Hunters and graduates of Lee Hyunbin’s Hunter Business training.
There was no one who would be defeated by a few organization members like these.
Above all, Kim Taeyang, Kim Inho, and Seohyeonji.
These three were now strong enough to overwhelm most Hunters.
They had been Sparring with me every single day.
To these kids, I might just be an S-rank Hunter, but in that other world, they trained every day with the strongest being in the world’s setting.
There was no reason for such guys to be weak.
It was just that they lacked a bit of practical experience.
So I was planning to have them fight Villains this time.
-Aren’t there fewer enemies than expected? I thought there would be at least way more than this.
“Of course there are more.”
-…?
This artificial atmosphere.
The minute murderous intent being transmitted through the air.
-There are people approaching this way. Ten, no, twenty. The number is keeps growing!
Olivier’s search ability was not infinite either.
If she were right on the scene, it would be a different story, but since she was searching using me as a medium, there must be a clear limit to the distance.
-They are armed with firearms. They’re MAC-10 submachine guns.
At Olivier’s words, Lee Hyunbin had a smile on his face.
-Don’t tell me you stayed behind alone on purpose?
As soon as Olivier finished speaking, organization members in vehicles swarmed in.
About thirty people. Among them, about ten were armed with guns.
-This is crazy. Do you know how much it hurts to get shot? It’ll put a hole in your stomach.
“You talk like someone who’s been shot?”
-I haven’t been hit by a bullet yet, but…. It hurt so much when I got hit by your Requiem of Light Skill. Wouldn’t it hurt as much as that?
Requiem of Light what…?
-To think it’s the Requiem of Light. I didn’t know there was actually a person who shouted their Skill name while attacking.
Suddenly bringing up someone else’s dark past.
“Wow, it’s true.”
“What, did only ten Hunters come? They really looked down on us.”
The Villains were laughing at me.
The personnel deployed here now were 4 from Team 2, 3 from Team 3, and 5 from Team 4. Only 13 people, including me.
“I bet you didn’t think there would be a gang with guns in the Republic of Korea, did you? How about it, are you scared, Mr. S-rank?”
They could be seen snickering among themselves.
But for Villains to be carrying guns in the Republic of Korea. I thought only gangs in foreign movies carried those around.
-Should I give the signal?
“No, leave it.”
A Special Forces unit was currently on standby here.
But there was no need to seek help from the Military for guys like these.
I wanted to show these guys now.
To these thugs who acted superior just because they had a little bit of power, what true power really was.
-Attention seeker, seriously.
I said I’m not an attention seeker.
“Can I take that guy down?”
“You’re going to step up?”
The leader of the Villains and a bulky man were talking.
“I’ve always wanted to crush those flashy S-rank bastards.”
“Good. Go for it.”
He was a man whose muscles were so solid his arms looked like legs.
He looked like he could use some strength.
-He’s a Villain with a 200 million bounty.
“Really?”
-Yes, his nickname is One Punch.
“One Punch?”
-Yes. They say he kills instantly with one hit. He probably uses a Punch Skill, so be careful.
Well, he looked like he could use some power in his own way.
That guy came walking over with heavy thuds.
“Hello, Mr. 200 Million.”
“200 million? It’s 210 million, you bastard.”
Ah, I see.
“It’s annoying. That Office Worker guy is 500 million, but I’m not even half that.”
“It’s only natural for someone with more experience to get paid more.”
At my words, the bulk of a man laughed pleasantly.
“To be honest, I’ve killed more people.”
“Oh, is that so.”
“That Office Worker guy only killed 40 Hunters at most, but if I include civilians, I’ve easily passed triple digits.”
He laughed as if he were bragging.
He put strength into his pot-like fist and showed it to me.
“It’s absurd. Honestly, being too strong is my sin. It can’t be helped that people I hit once die instantly.”
“Is that so.”
“You’ll be a bit different, right?”
The bulk laughed sinisterly. The man’s momentum began to rise sharply.
“Because you’re S-rank?”
At the same time as those words, the bulk lunged toward me.
Whoosh!
A refreshing sound of wind.
Wind like a cannonball was flying in.
“One Punch! One Punch!”
“Kill him!”
The excited Villains began to cheer blatantly.
-Hunter Lee Hyunbin. This is Alpha Team. May we enter?
Just then, the voice of the Special Forces unit on standby was heard through the earpiece.
I answered with a smile.
“Please wait a little longer. I’ll finish this soon.”
-Huh?
“What? What is this guy talking about?”
The bulk sneered and swung his fist once more.
Whoosh!
A sharp sound of splitting air grazed past my cheek.
“Stop dodging around like a rat!”
It seemed like he thought he was overwhelmingly pushing me back.
I accurately saw the fist the bulky guy swung with my eyes and dodged it by a hair’s breadth.
At the same time, I landed a counterpunch on the opponent’s jaw.
Crack!
The sound of a bone breaking was heard.
“……”
For a moment, the voices of the Villains who had been cheering excitedly went silent.
The bulky guy staggered and then fell backward just like that.
Unbelievable.
“What, was your name One Punch because you get knocked out in one punch?”
“Y-you bastard…!”
Drawing my Number 1 Sword, a Longsword, I sliced off the bulk’s right wrist just like that.
“AAAAARGH!”
Feeling a pain that lacked any sense of reality, One Punch let out a scream as if his throat would tear.
“Problem solved.”
I had solved the dilemma of the Villain who said he was worried because people always died even if he only hit them once.
Click, clack.
In return, the Villains’ muzzles pointed toward me.