LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 41
Chapter 41
The story of the man imprisoned in the jail was incredibly tragic.
He had incurred a large debt due to his younger sibling’s hospital bills, forcing him to take on all sorts of odd jobs for the guild. And that’s how he ended up here.
He could have earned a massive reward if he had just completed this task, but he couldn’t bear the thought of feeding people to monsters.
In the end, the man tried to burn the Alraune in the middle of the night.
However, the Alraune’s screams alerted the other Hunters, and he was caught.
Beaten to near death, the man had been imprisoned without a drop of water for three days now.
“The guys who feed people to monsters surprisingly kept you alive.”
“It’s because of my skill…….”
“Skill?”
“Yes……. The illusions I placed outside as guards…… were all created with my skill…….”
If the illusions disappeared, they would have to bother with posting actual guards.
That was the reason the Tyrant Hunters kept him alive instead of killing him.
It was such a simple and selfish reason that Kang Jin-hyuk couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
“Please save the people quickly……. If this continues…… all the women trapped here…… will be fed to the…….”
The man was more worried about the sacrifice of others than his own safety.
He was a man of good character, unlike what one would expect from a Hunter of a large guild.
Kang Jin-hyuk could confirm through the Karma value displayed above him that his actions weren’t a pretense.
“What’s your name?”
“Jung Dae-yoon…….”
Hearing the man’s name, Kang Jin-hyuk gripped the bat tightly with both hands.
“Alright, Mr. Jung Dae-yoon. Let’s tear this place apart together.”
“Wh, what are you doing……. If you hit the bars with that, it’ll make a noise……!”
Jung Dae-yoon was worried that the noise would attract other Hunters.
But Kang Jin-hyuk didn’t need to worry about that.
The bat he held in both hands was emanating a mystical energy that Jung Dae-yoon had never seen before.
The bat, enveloped in a red aura, sliced through the iron bars like a sword.
Jung Dae-yoon couldn’t close his mouth as he watched the iron bars being cut down without a sound.
“Cutting the bars with a bat……? Who in the world are you…….”
“Drink this instead of rambling.”
Kang Jin-hyuk shoved a potion from his inventory into Jung Dae-yoon’s mouth.
Thanks to the power of the potion flowing down his throat, Jung Dae-yoon’s energy was restored in an instant.
After drinking the entire potion, Jung Dae-yoon coughed and spat out the empty bottle.
“Cough! Couldn’t you be a little gentler?”
“Don’t be such a baby.”
Kang Jin-hyuk swung the bat again, breaking the chains that bound the man’s hands and feet.
Having gained his freedom, the man moved his body, slowly loosening his stiff joints.
“Thank you for saving me. So, your name is…….”
“Kang Jin-hyuk.”
“Ah, you’re the Hunter who hunted that new type of monster! I knew you were extraordinary.”
Kang Jin-hyuk was surprised that Jung Dae-yoon recognized him.
He knew he had become a hot topic on the internet, but he didn’t expect a Tyrant Guild member to be interested in him.
Kang Jin-hyuk didn’t want to waste time with such talk here, so he spoke indifferently.
“I was just lucky.”
“That’s not true. If it was just luck, we wouldn’t have tried to recruit you.”
“Tyrant did? This is the first I’m hearing of it.”
“It’s still under internal discussion. There seems to be a lot of opposition, so they haven’t been able to decide easily.”
According to Jung Dae-yoon, since only B-rank Hunters with achievements could join the guild, there was a lot of backlash against admitting a C-rank Hunter.
Regardless, it meant nothing to Kang Jin-hyuk.
“They’re not even offering me anything, and they’re already celebrating among themselves.”
“Hahaha, that’s right.”
Kang Jin-hyuk had no intention of joining such a garbage organization.
Even if the Guild Leader himself came out and bowed, he would refuse.
“Anyway, that’s not important right now.”
“You’re right. We need to rescue the trapped people and get out of here quickly.”
Jung Dae-yoon thought they should escape as soon as possible and reveal Tyrant’s atrocities.
However, Kang Jin-hyuk’s plan was different from what he had in mind.
“Running away from here won’t solve anything.”
“Run away? We’re outnumbered, so we should call for help from outside, shouldn’t we?”
“Who’s going to help us? Are you thinking of calling the police?”
Jung Dae-yoon couldn’t answer Kang Jin-hyuk’s question.
As a Tyrant Guild member, he had experienced firsthand how powerful the guild was.
“The police will probably…… try to cover this up.”
“You know that well. And you were just thinking of getting out of here?”
“There’s no other way.”
“No, there is. The Titan Guild members are waiting outside right now.”
“Titan? Why are they here?”
“I asked their Guild Leader for help.”
Even after hearing that there were reinforcements, Jung Dae-yoon still had an anxious look in his eyes.
“Is the Titan Guild Leader here as well?”
“Seo Sang-ho couldn’t come because he’s overseas on a request.”
“Then it’s impossible to deal with the guys here.”
“Even with 30 Titan Guild members?”
“Yes.”
Jung Dae-yoon was certain, as if he had seen the answer sheet beforehand.
Kang Jin-hyuk guessed there must be a reason for his attitude.
“Do the Hunters here have some kind of secret weapon?”
Jung Dae-yoon nodded once and revealed the reason.
“The Hunters guarding this place all carry Alraune powder.”
“Powder? Not the elixir?”
“Yes.”
Since the elixir was for the executives and the Guild Leader, ordinary guild members were only allowed the byproducts from its creation.
The powder was made by gathering those byproducts.
Since the ingredients were what they were, it possessed an ability that could at least reach the level of the elixir’s toes.
“Although temporary, the powder also has the effect of greatly increasing stats.”
“Then, if we fight Titan after they consume that…….”
“The Titan Guild members will be annihilated.”
There were a total of 20 Tyrant Guild members guarding this place.
Although they were outnumbered, Jung Dae-yoon emphasized their danger, saying they would need to bring in about 100 people if the Tyrant Hunters amplified their abilities with the Alraune powder.
“Then we need to reduce the number of Hunters here somehow.”
“Do you have any ideas?”
“I do have one.”
Kang Jin-hyuk took out the items he had prepared from his inventory.
And he told Jung Dae-yoon the plan he had formulated in his mind.
Jung Dae-yoon, who was listening intently to his plan, looked at Kang Jin-hyuk with a wavering gaze.
“Is there really no other way?”
“Even if it stings my conscience, there’s no other choice.”
After a moment of contemplation, Jung Dae-yoon clenched his fists with a sorrowful expression.
“There’s no helping it. The guys here deserve what’s coming to them…….”
“Good decision.”
Kang Jin-hyuk praised Jung Dae-yoon’s determination and handed him the prepared items.
“Are you planning to deal with the Alraune while they’re distracted, Mr. Kang Jin-hyuk?”
“That’s right. We can’t leave a monster that feeds on humans alone.”
“Then, while you’re dealing with the Alraune, I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
“Yes, it’s very important.”
Facing Jung Dae-yoon’s solemn expression, Kang Jin-hyuk glanced up at the air.
“Then can you whisper it to me?”
“Huh? We’re the only ones here, why do we need to do that?”
“There might be a listening device or something.”
“If there was something like that, they would have already come here…….”
“Come on, just do as I say without arguing.”
Unable to resist Kang Jin-hyuk’s urging, Jung Dae-yoon moved closer to him.
He still didn’t understand why he had to do this, but it was the request of the person who saved his life, so he followed without complaint.
◈◈◈◈◈◈
The Tyrant Hunters, who were leisurely enjoying board games in the waiting room, jumped up at the loud, resonating sound.
This intense noise, strong enough to shake the entire building, was a signal that something was wrong with the barrier.
“Intruders?!”
“Who in the world would come to a place like this?”
The Hunters hurriedly opened the door and went outside.
And they discovered the women escaping through the entrance, along with Jung Dae-yoon, whom they had beaten and tied up.
“H, how did he?!”
“Did he have a potion hidden somewhere?”
“I told you we should have just killed him!”
The Hunters were visibly flustered by this unexpected turn of events.
Of course, not everyone was like that.
A-rank Hunter Ha Jin-hwan, as the leader, was the first to grasp the situation.
“I don’t know where he got them, but it’s clear Jung Dae-yoon gave the women potions too. If this continues, they’ll all escape outside the barrier.”
“Th, then what do we do?”
“What do you mean what do we do? We go catch them! Hurry!”
Following Ha Jin-hwan’s orders, the Hunters ran towards the entrance with all their might.
Hunters could run at speeds incomparable to ordinary people, so if this continued, the women would be caught without a chance to escape.
“Good, don’t deviate and come straight ahead…….”
Jung Dae-yoon watched the approaching Hunters and then pressed the switch he was holding.
A small spark then flared up on the floor near the entrance.
Ha Jin-hwan realized that there were numerous ‘scrolls’ lined up near the spark and stopped abruptly.
“Everyone stop!”
He shouted urgently, but only half of them followed his instructions and stopped.
The other half were too late and experienced the effects of the scrolls firsthand.
Boom!
The scrolls inscribed with explosion skills triggered a chain explosion, using the spark as a catalyst.
A huge flame and smoke erupted at the entrance, as if dynamite had been detonated.
The screams of the Hunters were drowned out by the explosion.
“This fucking…”
Only 11 Hunters remained, including Ha Jin-hwan.
Fortunately, the Hunters who were wiped out by the explosion were all B-rank.
The core of their fighting force, the A-rank Hunters, were able to avoid it, so it couldn’t be considered a complete failure yet.
“Catch that crazy bastard! Now!”
Even without Ha Jin-hwan shouting, the enraged Hunters voluntarily chased after Jung Dae-yoon.
“We spared his life, and he repays us with this?”
“You son of a bitch! I’ll kill you!”
Jung Dae-yoon went outside the barrier with the women he had freed, but they could still be caught.
The Hunters ran with burning eyes to catch the one who had blown away their comrades.
The Hunters who went outside the barrier without hesitation saw the outside world that had been hidden from them by the barrier.
“Fuck…….”
There were as many as 30 people gathered in the remote village where there should have been nothing.
The Tyrant Hunters spotted the Titan emblem on their clothes.
“Did that Jung Dae-yoon bastard call them?”
“We confiscated his phone, how did he do it?”
Ha Jin-hwan decided not to think about how Jung Dae-yoon was able to summon the Titan Hunters here for now.
It wouldn’t be too late to figure out the cause after the matter was settled.
The most important thing now was to confront the Titan Hunters.
“Everyone, take out your medicine and eat it.”
“R, right now?”
“Are you questioning me?!”
When Ha Jin-hwan shouted with fierce eyes, the Tyrant Hunters took out the small medicine envelopes they had hidden in their pockets with trembling hands.
The yellow powder in those envelopes was the Alraune powder that Jung Dae-yoon had mentioned.
“Everyone knows the side effects, right? If you don’t want to die, be prepared to finish this within an hour.”
Ha Jin-hwan and the Tyrant Hunters simultaneously poured the powder into their mouths.
The moment the powder went down their throats, they felt their abilities soar dramatically.
Confidence that they could take on even an S-rank Hunter now welled up in all the Tyrant Hunters.