“Hello….”
“Yes, hello. This is 112.”
A mysterious woman parted her lips.
“This is 21 Hwaseodong…. Please deliver two extra-large jjajangmyeon, one regular, and one large tangsuyuk.”
“Hello?”
“Yes….”
The call center employee was momentarily flustered by the sudden food order.
It could be a misdial, or maybe a prank call. Still, they had to confirm just in case there was a chance.
“To confirm, you need two extra-large jjajangmyeon. One regular. And one large tangsuyuk, is that right?”
The mysterious woman answered in a low voice.
“Yes…. Please hurry.”
The call was disconnected.
The call center worker immediately dialed elsewhere.
“This is the reporting center. It seems there’s a hostage situation at Hwaseodong. Repeating.”
A Police officer, disguised as a food delivery man, knocked on the door of the reported house. His colleagues loaded their pistols, ready for a standoff if things went wrong.
“Delivery here.”
He knocked again, and a woman in her mid-thirties cautiously opened the door.
“J-Just leave it at the door….”
Her voice trembled. There was a sense that someone was standing behind her.
“I can bring it inside for you, if you’d like.”
“Just leave it in front….”
Perhaps threatened by the criminal behind her, the woman couldn’t open the door any wider.
“All right, then, I’ll leave it right here…!”
As the Police set down the delivery container, he suddenly yanked the door open.
“Hands up!”
The Police brandished his Taser Gun, trying to intimidate the culprit.
As the Victim was secured, the nearby Police officers moved to capture the suspect.
The man, appearing in his early thirties, raised his hands lightly and glanced around. He seemed far too composed.
At that, a thought flashed through the Police officer’s mind.
‘Awakened.’
He fired the Taser Gun at the suspect.
Thunk.
The Taser Gun’s electric prongs didn’t even pierce him.
A crack formed at the edge of the thirty-something man’s indifferent expression.
“What the hell. I had my hands up and you still fired?”
“He’s an Awakened! Request support from the Guarder unit…!”
“Kyaaah!”
The female Victim screamed.
The Police officer tried to fire his Taser Gun again at the Villain who charged at him, but got punched in the face instead.
The officer collapsed to the floor from the blow to his head.
“Hello, friends. Is it really okay to barge into someone else’s newlywed home like this?”
Ordinary people can’t beat an Awakened.
The four Police officers dispatched to the scene were subdued in an instant, and the woman in her thirties, trying to escape, was caught by the Villain and dragged back into what was once her happy home.
It was just unfortunate that there happened to be an Awakened criminal present.
The news that a Villain was holding hostages spread in an instant.
The Special Police Unit arrived, as did the Guarder from the Hunter Disaster Agency. Even when the house was surrounded by Police, the Villain only sneered.
“Tch, even if you’re an Awakened, you won’t get away…. Release the hostages and—gah!”
A Police officer, trying to persuade the Villain to surrender, was stabbed in the hand with a Kitchen Knife.
“Worry about yourself, you moron.”
“What a joke. We just grab the cash and run, that’s all.”
The Villain was a couple.
Both in their mid-twenties. Having gained superhuman powers by chance, they started dabbling in crime.
“Should we tell them about your power, honey? Hm?”
“Don’t bother.”
“Who cares, they’re all going to die anyway.”
At the Villain’s words, the thirty-something woman tied up beside them trembled violently. The other Police officers, too. Their gazes were like they were looking at beasts, not humans.
“I can turn my body into steel, and my girl can make herself and anyone she touches invisible.”
“!”
“So no matter how long you wait out there, you’re not catching us, moron.”
Hearing that, the detective bit his lip.
“Yeah, I wanted to see that reaction. I told you, you’re all going to die. Maybe I’ll spare some of you. Nah, I’ll kill you. Why? I get experience points for it.”
The Villain cackled, cracked open a beer and chugged it, waiting for the cash bag to arrive.
Knock, knock, knock.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
The male Villain signaled to his partner. The female Villain pressed a knife against the thirty-something woman’s throat.
“Leave the money at the door and get lost!”
Despite his words, another knock sounded.
“I said drop the bag and get out of here!”
“Excuse me, sorry to interrupt.”
The door opened.
The male Villain felt a surge of irritation at someone daring to ignore his orders and come in.
How dare they.
A well-built man entered with a sly grin at the corner of his mouth.
“Hello there. I’m an aspiring villain. I was so captivated by your deep malice that I felt compelled to apply. Any job openings?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
The man walked right in without permission. At that moment, the thirty-something woman screamed. The female Villain pressed the knife against the Victim’s neck, drawing a stream of blood.
“Can’t you see there’s a hostage? Huh? You wanna watch this poor, innocent woman die because of you?”
“Come on, relax, sir.”
“So you’re an Awakened too, huh? A Guarder? I don’t know what power you have, but you keep messing around, a lot of people here are gonna die.”
At the male Villain’s words, the Guarder waved his hand and smiled awkwardly.
“I am a Guarder, but the villain business looks promising. Do you offer insurance? How’s the benefits package? What’s the retirement age?”
A clumsy attempt at a joke.
But he wasn’t stupid enough to forget that he was buying time and drawing attention.
There were multiple hostages anyway. The female Villain instantly tried to cut the throat of her captive.
But in that instant, the Victim she’d been holding onto vanished.
And not only her—the tied-up Police officers had all disappeared as well.
“Ah, the salary doesn’t match my expectations. I’ll have to give up on changing jobs.”
“You son of a—! What did you do!”
The Guarder walked in, pulling on open-finger gloves.
The male Villain charged at him, swinging a fist.
The Guarder tilted his chin, dodging the attack by a hair’s breadth.
Crack!
The Guarder’s low kick struck.
The male Villain bared his teeth in a grin. Whenever he fought, he’d automatically activate his Iron Armor skill.
If anyone tried to hit him clumsily, they’d only hurt themselves. Maybe even break a bone.
But he could tell something had changed.
Thud!
With a single low kick, the male Villain spun through the air and slammed into the floor.
“Aaagh! My leg!”
“Come on now, don’t exaggerate.”
“Dammit!”
The female Villain, seeing her partner knocked out in one hit, hastily used her Invisibility skill.
A properly trained Hunter couldn’t be matched by half-baked Awakened like themselves.
Panicked, the female Villain tried to control her breathing and sneak out of the house while invisible.
….
She noticed the Guarder was staring right at her.
She quietly shifted to the side—but he was still looking right at her.
“Don’t waste your mana. Just come over here. Before you get hurt.”
“…Okay.”
Leveling up really does make using skills much easier.
I suddenly gained a lot of skills from my rapidly rising Synchronization Rate, and it took some getting used to.
So I used my Special Guarder privileges to explore various Dungeons here and there. It was basically a grinding season.
Thanks to that, in just one week, I reached Level 50.
Considering the average Level of Hunters in Korea is 35, it’s an insanely fast pace, but I can’t be satisfied with just this.
I used to be Level 100, after all.
“Ah, you’re a local Korean?”
“Yes, that’s right….”
“Oh, I know someone at your company. Guess you’re not friends. What a shame.”
“Please, just let me off this once…!”
Not all Villains are created equal.
The couple I just caught were probably only around Level 5. Their combat ability was especially poor.
The company guy was nothing like these small fries.
“You know, Guarder’s always short-staffed these days. Maybe we could…”
The newly-captured criminal couple started babbling nonsense.
“I’ve been a big fan ever since I read your articles, oppa!”
The female Villain giggled as she spoke.
She was clearly older than me, but called me oppa anyway.
They say you can’t spit on a smiling face. But a punch would probably land just fine.
“Hunter, is everything okay now?”
“Yeah, I’ve checked everything. You can take them away.”
The two of them were arrested and dragged off. Their criminal records would be checked and they’d be punished accordingly.
Maybe they’d even get a sentence reduction if they agree to help clear a Dungeon.
“Thank you! Thank you so much…!”
A young couple who had been attacked unexpectedly came up to thank me.
“I was just doing my job.”
My Inventory ability really is versatile. Hostage situations are pointless in front of me.
-Synchronization Rate has increased by 1%.
When you save someone, and the system clearly recognizes your good deed, your Synchronization Rate increases.
Thanks to that, my Synchronization Rate now exceeds 52%.
As I left the scene, I saw onlookers cheering.
Hearing the cheers, shop owners around the area came out, too. So did Reporters and news crews.
“Lee Hyunbin Hunter! We heard you played a major role in capturing the Villain just now!”
Dealing with Reporters and citizens is something I’ve grown accustomed to by now.
I used to envy celebrities, seeing how crowds gathered wherever they went.
But now that I’ve experienced it myself, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
Feels like every move I make is being watched.
I’ve already cleared all the nearby Dungeons and there aren’t any more Villain tips.
‘Hmm, maybe I’ll head to the Guild.’
It’s been a while since I had a free schedule, so I headed to the Guild.
I passed through the Guild lobby and entered the 3rd Team Office, but no one from my team was there.
“Oh, Team Leader. It’s been a while since you’ve come in.”
“Hello.”
Just then, an employee from the Support Office greeted me warmly.
“I’ve been too busy to check lately, but my team’s been training well, right?”
“Of course! They were even motivated enough to buy chocolate lattes every day.”
Hearing her words, I slowly handed her something.
“Here, take this.”
“Oh my.”
“I promise it’s something that’ll boost your sugar levels.”
“Hehe. Kim Inho Hunter works really hard, but Kim Taeyang Hunter got bored with training and insisted on going out into the field.”
As expected.
“He even dragged diligent Kim Inho Hunter out for some Dungeon raiding today.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem! It tastes even better since it’s a limited edition chocolate from the Team Leader.”
Kim Taeyang. You’re right in my grasp. You never expected I’d have a living CCTV watching you while I’m gone.
“Oh, right. Team Leader.”
She was just unwrapping a chocolate when she asked,
“There’s mail for you. Should I bring it?”
“Mail?”
Did I have anything coming?
“What is it?”
“An invitation to the Alumni Reunion.”
So it finally came. King Alumni Gathering.
The King Alumni Gathering that always gets held whenever someone makes it big.
Wait, do people still even do this stuff these days?
Sure, connections and networks are important, but in high school it didn’t really matter, did it?
I mean, I didn’t even graduate high school.
Let’s see if I can remember anyone.
Try to recall if that first love girl is among them.
Nope. No one comes to mind.
Even if I close my eyes and try, the only friends I remember are the cheerful ones from the fantasy side.
Maybe it’s because they all died with such impact that they’re stuck in my memory.
Who knows.
“What should I do with it?”
At the Support Office staff’s question, I gave a bright smile and replied.
“Please shred it.”