The goblins’ eye-like shapes swayed left and right, following the bomb. But what was with their appearance? They looked like white rag-ghosts hastily put together, ranging in size from a baseball to a human head. Blurry and semi-transparent, they flickered like steam.

“We’re not allowed to attack the humans here.”

“Not allowed.”

The goblins muttered. As expected, something must’ve happened.

“Why not?”

“Can’t say.”

“And we don’t like fighting.”

“Don’t like it.”

All three shook their heads in unison. Pacifists, huh. They must’ve been gagged by some contract or other means.

“You guys don’t have to fight. Just run errands for me—like a treasure hunt.”

“Treasure hunt?”

“What kind of treasure?”

“Food?”

You’ll be in big trouble if you eat it.

“First of all, you can use stealth skills, right? You’ve been sneaking around here.”

“That’s right.”

“We can all use it.”

“And… what about teleportation? Can you do that too?”

Yun Yun had stealth, teleportation, flight, and transformation skills. If teleportation was a base racial skill, that’d be huge.

“Only a few of us can.”

“Not everyone.”

Unfortunately, only some goblins could use teleportation. And even then, it was ultra-short range—within one meter. But even one meter was enough to slip through most buildings undetected. Walls thicker than one meter were rare.

The three goblins in front of me all had teleportation skills. On top of that—

“We can all fly.”

“We can also turn into goblin fire.”

When I praised them for having teleportation skills, they puffed up proudly and started revealing all their other skills too. These kids were way too naive.

“Is this goblin fire form? Doesn’t really look like fire.”

“It’s # Nоvеlight # because it’s daytime.”

“At night, we can sparkle.”

“I’m yellow.”

“Red!”

“Dark yellow!”

I see. The grade of stealth skill also varied between goblins. The three in front of me had relatively high stats—their stealth was B-rank. Safe from anything B-rank or lower, but likely to be discovered by A-ranks.

“There are more of you than just the three, right?”

“Yeah.”

“There are.”

“But they can’t come.”

The goblins’ voices turned glum. They couldn’t speak about Yun Yun, and many of their kin were weak…

‘…Don’t tell me the goblins were taken hostage.’

If it were just Yun Yun, there wouldn’t be much danger. With that overpowered teleportation skill. But the weaker goblins didn’t have teleportation, so they would’ve been easily caught—by other Hunters.

‘I didn’t even think about that.’

I assumed they were safe and didn’t worry, even when there was no news. Could Yun Yun be here too? Considering the goblins were moving around, they were probably not far. Likely captured by the Chinese military because of their kin…

Wait a second—so is Yun Yun the reason Hwang Rim is so confident they can capture Korean Hunters?

‘Because with long-range teleportation, they could instantly bring in S‑Rank Hunters from other regions.’

Even if the military had a lot of S‑Rank Hunters, China was too vast. Unlike Korea, where things were stable, China had both dungeons and hostile forces like the Murim Alliance. Concentrating all their S‑Ranks in one place was impossible. Major cities across the continent had to be defended.

So even if they came to rescue me from Korea, without knowing the exact attack time, at most five or six Hunters could be on standby. But with Yun Yun, they could call in reinforcements immediately, with no delay the moment the attack began.

‘And if they’re part of the military, they’ll be well-coordinated.’

Unlike most independent S‑Rank Hunters, they likely trained in team formation. That thought gave me a twinge of anxiety. If I had to face five or six highly synergized S‑Rank Hunters alone… that would be cutting it close.

‘I need to find Yun Yun first.’

Just because I’m not supposed to escape doesn’t mean I can’t rescue someone.

“Alright, alright. Look at this.”

I pulled out a series of bombs—ranging from the size of a 500-won coin to as big as a credit card.

“We’re gonna hide these all around the building. So well that no one can ever find them!”

“Make sure they can’t find them?”

“No one at all?”

“Yup, they can’t be found. If they can’t find them, then we win. So we have to keep it a secret too. Don’t tell anyone, no matter what.”

No matter how tightly secured the building was, people still lived in it—there had to be gaps. Under furniture, inside vents, drainage pipes, beneath staircases… plenty of good hiding spots. These weren’t ordinary bombs either, so there was no risk of being caught by explosive detectors.

“Don’t put them all in one place. Spread them out as wide as you can—focus on the first floor and the basement.”

“First floor and basement!”

“If they can’t find them, we win?”

“What do we get if we win?”

“If we win, we’ll have a hu~ge fireworks show, and I’ll buy you anything you want to eat.”

At my words, the goblins gleefully danced around.

“Alright!”

“Let’s win!”

“Let’s win!”

The goblins scooped up armfuls of bombs. Then—poof, poof—they disappeared.

Teleportation is so nice. I’m jealous. Even just a meter of it is amazing. They had great abilities, but the kids were just too innocent. Even after being hurt, they still followed my words so easily…

I felt a pang of guilt asking kids who hated fighting to carry bombs, but they were only going to blow up buildings. These weren’t powerful enough to cause fatalities. Since everyone here seemed to be intermediate Awakeners or higher, the most at risk was actually me. Of course, I’d be using a barrier skill when they go off.

‘Still, if they’re currently in goblin fire form, what do they actually look like?’

Are they humanoid like Yun Yun? Either way, I had to find Yun Yun. The regular soldiers wouldn’t even speak to me—and they probably didn’t know anything anyway. Should I try probing Cho Hwawoon or Hwang Rim?

…Neither would be easy. They may act lax, but Hwang Rim might be trickier than Cho Hwawoon. What about the last S‑Rank?

Anyway, I hurried through my shower. Even while I washed and came out, there was no reaction from outside.

‘Guess that means there aren’t any surveillance cameras in the bathroom.’

If there were, they would’ve just told me to shut the door and shower. I gave my hair a quick towel-dry and sat on the edge of the bed.

‘Everyone knows the Korean Hunters won’t sit still, but they can’t exactly announce “We’re storming a foreign country~” so they’ll definitely come in under false identities and move quietly.’

Which means they’ll need time to prepare. Two to three days at the earliest. Even after arriving in China, they probably won’t attack right away. Still, they won’t delay for long… It’s going to be tight. Is there no way to contact Noah?

‘There is.’

The goblins. But if I start showering two or three times a day, that’ll look suspicious. I should’ve set up a signal ahead of time. Even so, I could probably find a way to avoid the eyes of regular soldiers and intermediate Hunters.

If I can contact Noah, I might be able to relay the situation here—and it could help track Yun Yun’s whereabouts too.

Before the others arrive, I should remove the most dangerous thorns. I got up again to speak to the soldiers, then stopped and pulled out the communicator.

“Hello~ I was wondering what the evening schedule looks like?”

I don’t really want to see Mr. Cho or Mr. Hwang too often, but what can you do. Just going to poke around a little.

“What are you doing in here?”

Park Yerim stepped into the auxiliary kitchen tucked away in a corner of the house. Even though it was an “auxiliary” kitchen, the equipment was better than most regular kitchens. One side even had a freeze-dryer. It felt more like a small food processing facility than a private home.

Han Yuhyun didn’t respond to her question. Instead, he continued packing ready-made meals with a vacuum sealer. Dried dungeon ingredients filled glass jars neatly lined up on the long table. The jars, too, were inventory-compatible.

Seeing that, Park Yerim narrowed her eyes slightly.

“…So we’re going into a dungeon, not China?”

“I don’t trust the food over there.”

“What? You’re seriously planning to eat nothing but ready meals the whole time?”

Han Yuhyun gave a short nod, as if it were obvious. It wasn’t like they’d be gone for just a day or two. Park Yerim sighed, disappointed.

“Mister says he hates when you eat that stuff all the time.”

“Hyung thinks meals should include proper rice, soup, and side dishes.”

But from Han Yuhyun’s perspective, meals he prepared himself were far better than food someone else had touched. Not only safer, but nutritionally complete. Even if Han Yujin disapproved, it just meant his brother would dote on him even more—so there was no reason to argue.

“Give me some too.”

Park Yerim said. Haeyeon Guild encouraged members to make their own meals for dungeon expeditions. It was the safest option. If something went wrong with the food inside a dungeon, it could be more than just inconvenient—it could be fatal.

It was one thing if only one or two people were affected, but if the entire raid team was eating from the same supply, it could be disastrous. That’s why guildssued ready meals were intentionally made to taste bad—to encourage homemade alternatives.

Still, Han Yuhyun’s food tasted better than hers.

“You make your own.”

“They taste awful! Yours are the best. Except for Mingyu oppa’s.”

“Practice more.”

“The guild ones aren’t that bad either.”

As she said she’d go grab some from the guild, Han Yuhyun tossed her one of the meals he’d just finished packing.

“You said you’re going overseas. The most dangerous time is when you’re just starting to settle in. You’ll need to handle all your own food. Still, you’ve got water covered, so that’s better than most.”

“Ugh, that’s a scary thought~.”

“It’s not like Korea. In many countries, even the biggest guilds can get away with anything without punishment.”

“You’ve got the same overseas experience I do. Wait, no—I went to Japan once more than you.”

“I didn’t go personally, but the guild did.”

Mainly for item auctions. As the guild leader, he received reports on every operation. Naturally, the amount of information he had was much greater than Park Yerim’s. Still puffing out her cheeks in a pout, she grabbed a few ready meals and jars.

“In exchange, I’ll supply all your water—from drinking to hot baths. Anything else you need?”

“Less luggage is better.”

“Money?”

“Magic stones.”

Easier to cash in anywhere, no matter the country.

“Then what about Mister’s supplements? You were making a fuss about those earlier.”

“That was just to reassure Hyung. If I say something pointless, he assumes I’m not that anxious.”

As he said that, Han Yuhyun finished the last of the packaging and began tidying up with practiced hands.

“If Hyung starts worrying about me, the chances of him doing something reckless go up. As long as I behave, he probably won’t make a move. But if I try to escape, he might get me hurt—at the very least.”

“Gasp, then he won’t be saying you didn’t sleep.”

“No. That was the right call. If I look too fine, Hyung would definitely get suspicious.”

“…Mister is so particular.”

They each packed their ready meals into a small bag. Aside from that, all they carried was a communicator. When they walked toward the living room, Peace was waiting there.

His appearance in ethereal form was different than usual. His fur had been darkened, and his shape refined to resemble more of a dog. With even his horns hidden under a miniature hat made for plushies, he looked like an ordinary puppy.

“Peace—no, Choco. We’ll cover you up for now so no one recognizes you.”

Park Yerim wrapped him up in a large cloth and held him in her arms. Peace looked slightly uncomfortable but quietly let her carry him.

“He really does look like a dog. That lady who trimmed your fur did a great job.”

– Karrng.

Peace let out a low growl of discontent. Even in ethereal form, his rank was intermediate. Because of that, they had to specifically look for a Hunter in Haeyeon who knew how to groom dogs.

“You’re going to have to bark for a while, you know. Either woof or ruff.”

– Grrr.

“Hmm, it’s kiiinda similar.”

Chirp and Belare were left with someone at the building, so the house was completely empty. Before stepping out the door, Park Yerim called out to the soon-to-be-vacant home.

“We’re heading out!”

“…Even though Hyung’s not here.”

“It’s still our home. And we’re all coming back.”

Instead of replying, Han Yuhyun looked toward the inside of the house for a moment, then turned away. It had long since grown dark outside. In the car headed for the airport, Park Yerim spoke nervously.

“It’s really just the two of us and Peace going? No grown‑ups?”

“Unless you’re S‑Rank, you’d just get in the way.”

“You are technically an adult, Han Yuhyun, but still—it feels a little weird. I know we’ll meet up with Mister Seoseong’s group, but…”

She gazed out the car window. Her reflection flickered faintly in the glass. The streetlights streamed by in a blur of light.

“Let’s just think of it as a rehearsal.”

“Hey, that’d work if Mister weren’t involved. If this were just some chaos trip, I wouldn’t be worried.”

“No matter what happens, Hyung will be saved.”

“Yes, yes. We believe in you, Guild Leader-nim.”

Not long after, the car they rode in arrived at the airport. The Sesung Guild member who had been waiting nearby cleared the area of people and led the three of them to a prepared plane. Standing there ahead of them were Seong Hyunjae and Chief Song Taewon.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep