Chapter 33 : The Failed Assassination

Seolha had just finished her schedule.

On her way home, a gate suddenly appeared.

Its rank was blue.

The difficulty wasn’t particularly high, so there was no real need for her to defend it herself.

Still, how could she just pretend not to see it?

It’s always better to prevent any unforeseen accidents.

Though she was tired, she entered without hesitation.

In an instant, only the final boss remained.

That was when it happened.

A bullet came flying at her from somewhere.

By the time she realized it, it was too late.

However.

Pat—

Woo min’s granted slime shield was activated.

A green barrier appeared, catching and swallowing the bullet whole.

Confirming the direction the bullet had come from, a counterattack began.

Several dozen blue golems were fired off.

But by then, the attacker had already fled.

There was nothing to be seen.

Only an empty bullet casing lay abandoned.

***

The peaceful hidden plains today as well.

Familiar faces came into view.

Seolha and the people from the association.

Four people in total, including Woo min, gathered with serious expressions to discuss.

“This is definitely a magical bullet.”

Dohyun said as he examined the bullet casing.

It was a type of ammunition mainly used by players who infuse magic into their bullets before firing.

Its power varied depending on the user’s skill, but it was a common consumable item used by any player specializing in guns.

As expected from magical bullets, there were many varieties.

Starting with basic bullets designed to take down small monsters, to incendiary bullets effective against insect or plant monsters, and even electric bullets showing strong power underwater — they were manufactured according to the environment of the tower and the opponent’s abilities.

Judging by the shape of the casing Seolha found, it didn’t seem like there was any intent to kill.

Most likely, it was a kidnapping case — something that frequently happened between players.

The basic method to demand ransom for a kidnapped person.

Usually targeting the children of wealthy families or key figures in rival companies.

But Seolha was no ordinary person.

She was known as the strongest player by general consensus.

World-ranked number one.

A global idol.

The player with the most fans.

If she even so much as missed a day of showing up, she’d make headlines on the front page of every newspaper.

No ordinary person would dare think of targeting her.

Yet, there was one place they suspected.

“There is a suspicious place.”

It was Mitsuru’s backing.

Her true identity was still unknown.

Dohyun was interrogating her secretly within the association, but she was just an ordinary Japanese woman.

Still, no matter how they thought about it, the only people capable of such acts in Korea were those behind Mitsuru.

They had even tried to openly assassinate someone in Incheon.

But why?

Why Seolha of all people?

No matter how they thought about it, they couldn’t figure out the reason.

After a long moment of pondering, Seo Rin finally spoke first.

“There are too many players with the sniper profession.”

“It’s just one of the common jobs, right?”

If it were a special ability, it would’ve been easier to narrow down suspects.

But there were too many gun users.

Narrowing down the culprit by ability alone was clearly limited.

Then was there a better way?

No matter how they thought, nothing came easily to mind.

That was when—

Choco, who had been playing with Bbyak, came trotting over, sniffing eagerly with his nose raised.

Woof woof!

Confidently, Choco sniffed the scent left on the bullet casing.

Right, Choco was here.

“Do you think you can find it?”

If anyone could, it might be Choco with his remarkable sense of smell.

He had even found runes buried in the ground before.

Bow bow!

And look at how confident he looked.

Trustworthy.

Choco urged them to hurry and leave the tower.

They had to hurry.

Or else they’d miss the chance.

Together, they exited the plains and met in front of the association.

Choco wore a red collar.

Everyone had hopeful expressions.

After all, had the magical beasts shown so far ever been normal?

From the Undying Bird to the Lightning Daramjwi.

Each one was an existence far beyond common sense.

Choco was no different.

His combat ability was negligible, but his sense of smell was exceptional.

Nose twitching.

Tail held high in the air as he headed straight in one direction.

They arrived at a shabby shopping district not far from the association.

***

The shabby shopping district.

Seijiro was sitting alone, fiddling with a gun.

His shadowed expression was anything but good.

Why?

Because Seijiro had failed his mission.

The plan had been perfect.

A kidnapping plan using the gate.

He had even prepared special ammunition, so failure was impossible.

One shot was all it would take.

But with the sound of a single gunshot, his thoughts were shattered.

At the moment he thought he had succeeded, a barrier appeared.

Something that hadn’t been in any of his prior information.

He could only be baffled.

A hitman’s life depends on perfectly hiding their location.

Everything begins from that.

They weren’t called shadows for nothing.

Their job was to eliminate their target’s throat before the opponent realized what was happening.

In other words, once the location was revealed, everything was lost.

He had no choice but to flee.

Even among S-ranks, the difference in ability was clear.

Mages and snipers had poor compatibility.

Because once the barrier was activated, it was laughably easy to block bullets.

Now, he was learning from his failure and planning a new strategy.

He had confirmed the barrier’s existence.

So he just needed to bust it.

Shoot two bullets consecutively at the head.

Before the gunshots were even heard, the whole situation would be over.

Perfect.

No more mistakes.

That was when—

Just as all his plans in his head were coming to an end, someone appeared on the camera he had set up.

Four people and a dog.

Familiar faces from somewhere.

It was Seolha, the very target he had lost.

Next to her were members of the Korean association.

The last was a man he’d never seen before, but he didn’t look like much.

“They came to kill.”

Good.

At least they were coming personally, so they couldn’t disappear now.

The two association members were unnecessary.

Only Seolha mattered.

Take her out quickly and extract information.

Torture?

That was nothing.

Whether physical or mental, he was confident.

It would be boring if she confessed easily.

He planned to slowly crush the woman who had humiliated him.

As he wore a sinister smile, suddenly a dog barked.

Bow bow!

It barked fiercely toward an unseen presence.

Was this no ordinary dog?

But it wasn’t just hiding.

He had set up all kinds of traps just in case of unknown situations.

He wasn’t about to come here without a plan.

Maybe it was time to leave this hunt.

By now the situation should be over.

He reached out to pick up his customized sniper rifle.

Then—

Fluffy.

He suddenly felt an unfamiliar sensation.

Something soft and fluffy.

At that moment—

Pzizjik

With excruciating pain, he lost consciousness.

***

Woo min and his group carried out a search operation to find the culprit targeting Seolha.

The culprit wasn’t far.

On the rooftop of a shopping district not far from the association.

That’s where the culprit was.

They already knew the location.

No need to risk a dangerous approach.

There were experts for such tasks.

Namely,

Pachi pachi!

Toto.

Like lightning, his movements and powerful electric attacks overwhelmed the enemy.

No matter how skilled an assassin was, they were still human.

Could they stand against a rank 5 magical beast?

“Toto, you can do it, right?”

Pachi pachi!

Toto nodded confidently.

But he begged not to kill.

They needed to capture the culprit and extract information.

No way they’d let him go easily.

After a few minutes passed,

Toto completed his mission and peeked out the window, calling them over.

The path up to the rooftop was filled with traps.

Not just one or two.

From laser devices to booby traps, even crossbow launchers.

Stuff you’d see in a proper spy movie.

Of course, Toto had taken care of them all.

He had infiltrated the association’s warehouse and stolen the items himself.

No way he’d get caught by such lousy traps.

They reached the rooftop in an instant and saw the culprit—a burly man.

His body was covered in burn marks, evidence of a severe past injury.

Good.

How dare he lay a hand on our Seolha.

He deserved even more punishment.

They quickly tied his hands and searched his body, but he suddenly opened his eyes.

“Did I get caught?”

He muttered with a dazed expression.

To think he’d be caught so easily.

“Just tell us what you know, and we’ll send you to a Korean prison.”

“Stupid Joseon bastard.”

The man smiled cruelly.

Even in this state, he wouldn’t give them what they wanted.

He’d rather bite off his own tongue and die.

“There’s nothing I’ll say, no matter what you ask.”

Seijiro spoke first with a resolute expression.

No torture could work on the infamous hitman known worldwide.

“I see. No choice then.”

“Yes.”

“He’s the one who tried to hurt Seolha. No use pretending.”

“Then I’ll do it myself.”

A brief tactical pause.

How should they proceed?

Judging by his stubbornness, he wasn’t going to speak easily.

That was when the first to act was Toto.

Right.

Toto was the one.

Electric torture it was.

Pachi pachi.

The yellow electricity wrapped around Seijiro’s entire body.

Seijiro groaned in intense pain.

But he still didn’t speak.

“Joseon bastards. This changes nothing.”

In the end, Toto failed.

Next up was Somi.

A circular saw and a hammer.

Nails, pliers, and tools they had never seen before.

Wait, Somi?

That doesn’t match your image at all.

Despite her small and cute appearance, everything she pulled out was terrifyingly lethal.

What on earth was she planning?

First, they calmed Somi down.

With things having come this far, only one method remained.

Bbyak.

Using the purifying flame to make him confess willingly.

Always a similar pattern.

Taejin, who burned his whole body.

Mitsuru, who purified the black bee inside her.

What kind of flame would be used this time?

Spreading a yellow beak, she unleashed an incendiary burst.

The scorching flames covered Seijiro.

“Ugh”

He, who had even withstood Toto’s electric torture, started writhing in agony.

The more wicked the sin, the greater the pain.

Just like Seijiro right now.

“Who’s behind you guys?”

She paused the purification to ask one final question.

Even with Dohyun’s threats, Seijiro smiled cruelly.

“You think I’d talk? I’d rather bite off my own tongue and kill myself.”

Unbelievable willpower.

Even with the worst pain a human can endure, he endured.

But—

Hwaruk.

It wasn’t over yet.

If he didn’t speak willingly, they’d repeat until he did.

Bbyak. Don’t kill, just handle it.

Bbyak bbyak!

After being grilled yellow for over an hour,

“S-Seiryu Group.”

All the remaining evil in Seijiro burned away, and he began to confess everything obediently.