Beneath the night sky, lights and helicopter rotors churned in chaotic symphony. Despite the late hour, more than five helicopters shuttled back and forth to the island in the lake’s center. Cargo was unloaded while other shipments departed from the island. Every piece was wrapped in double and triple layers, sealed inside sturdy, opaque black boxes.

The soldiers carrying the cargo occasionally glanced toward one side of the heliport, where a man in glasses stood watching like a casual spectator.

No matter how thoroughly the cargo was packaged, this remained a military operation. Naturally, outsiders should have been barred, but the man was an S-Rank Hunter. Had he been a regular person, they might have found the courage to ask him to step aside, even while trembling in fear. But all the soldiers here were mid-rank Awakened or higher who encountered S-Rank Hunters daily. They understood the power gap all too clearly to speak up easily. The fact that their superiors weren’t reacting only reinforced their hesitation.

One helicopter loaded with cargo lifted off as two new ones landed in succession. This time, it wasn’t cargo that disembarked, but people—not in uniform, but Hunters clad head-to-toe in gear as if preparing for a dungeon raid.

“At this rate, Shanghai’s going to get cleaned out. Everyone’s gathered here.”

“The airports are paralyzed, so dungeon byproducts are just piling up. There’s no way they won’t get looted.”

“We need to finish this quickly and get back, or Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Nanjing will all be stripped bare.”

Valuable equipment was stored separately, but not ordinary byproducts. Inventories had their limits, and a mid— to low-rank Hunter’s inventory could easily become an incinerator rather than storage space. After all, if a Hunter died, the items in their inventory would vanish too.

One of the S-Rank Hunters gathered from across eastern China looked toward the heliport’s edge.

“Looks like an S-Rank, but who is he?”

An unfamiliar face. At his words, another S-Rank Hunter turned to look as well.

“Is he new?”

Even among rare S-Rank Hunters, the Chinese military had more than one or two. Furthermore, for security reasons, some Hunters remained unknown even to other S-Ranks. But if they were participating in the same operation, they should have been briefed on his appearance, if only to prevent friendly fire.

Helicopters came and went again, with most of the arrived S-Rank Hunters heading indoors. However, the two who’d grown suspicious approached the unfamiliar S-Rank Hunter.

“I am—”

“No, if he’s a newbie, he should introduce himself first. Is he even an S-Rank Hunter? And what’s with the glasses? A fashion statement?”

“Sesung has an S-Rank with glasses too.”

“That one probably doesn’t wear them during combat. This is why civilian-born S-Ranks are so annoying. They start as Captains and get instructor-level positions if their skills are decent, so you can’t even openly discipline them…”

The S-Rank Hunter’s voice suddenly cut off. He stopped dead in his tracks and touched the back of his neck. Perhaps it was instinct, but a chilling sensation had washed over him. The other S-Rank Hunter walking beside him also froze.

The eyes behind the non-prescription glasses turned toward the two Hunters.

“You… no, you there! Who the hell is this guy?”

The S-Rank Hunter demanded of a soldier carrying cargo.

“He is a guest of Major Hwang!”

“What? Hwang Rim’s? A guest?”

The S-Rank Hunter’s expression soured.

“Then is he from the mafia side? I heard they were negotiating about cigarettes. What’s he doing out here?”

The lips that had remained sealed finally opened.

“They say the tale of Cinderella has spread to every country in the world.”

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

“In China, is it twelve o’clock as well?”

The S-Rank Hunter glanced at his watch unconsciously. About five minutes remained until midnight. The last helicopter carrying cargo took off with deafening noise.

“If you’re a guest, go quietly to your room.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. I was ordered to wait.”

At the flat, emotionless voice, the S-Rank Hunter ground his teeth. A strange sense of intimidation—the feeling that this man was looking down on him—made his mood even worse.

“This bastard!”

“Calm down, he’s a guest. You know Hwang Rim’s personality. He’s the type to smile to your face then rat you out to the higher-ups behind your back.”

Open hostility would have been preferable. An S-Rank Hunter who’d once been demoted and had his unit’s budget cut thanks to some well-packaged words was about to suggest they leave. That’s when the man before them raised his fingertips to his glasses frame. The glasses came off, and his dark brown eyes took on an inhuman golden hue. His deep black hair also began to lighten in color.

Even if they wanted to ignore it, they couldn’t. The distinctive appearance made the two S-Rank Hunters who recognized him stiffen.

“You—!”

“It is almost time.”

The appointed time. Instead of twelve chimes of a bell:

BOOM—!!

An explosion erupted. The S-Rank Hunters, who had quickly drawn their weapons, spun around in alarm. Again—BOOM—this time smoke rose from underground.

“What the hell!”

Buildings collapsed here and there as flames shot skyward. In the fire that began to blaze, something golden appeared for a moment—a golden object that faded as it wrapped itself in a Stealth Skill amid the thick smoke.

A distinct smile spread across Seong Hyunjae’s lips, which had been firm the entire time. Then a golden chain wrapped around him as well.

Clink-clank. At the clear metallic sound, the S-Rank Hunters, momentarily dazed before their enemy, quickly snapped back to their senses.

“Damn it, when did he—!”

“What the hell was Cho Hwawoon doing, letting this guy plant bombs!”

“A misunderstanding, I assure you. It’s just that my Cinderella is competent.”

Crackle! Sparks flew. The S-Rank Hunters reflexively jumped back, but it wasn’t an attack that could harm them. Instead, it spread wide, paralyzing the surrounding electronic devices. The soldiers trying to report Seong Hyunjae’s appearance froze, clutching their broken communication devices.

BOOM! BANG!

As if it were the finale, amid explosions that went off simultaneously with even greater force, Seong Hyunjae began to move.

Seok Gimyeong, as expected, rejected my email. Upon receiving the reply—”Please reconsider more carefully and decide on a list of candidates”—I got slightly irritated, even though I’d known it would happen. At least he seemed certain the email I sent was actually from me. It was only natural he’d recognize it, since I’d deliberately chosen names Seok Gimyeong had rejected before.

“Is it that weird? Huh?”

At my words, Park Hayul faltered. The security guard in charge, who could speak Korean and was watching us from the side, also wore an ambiguous expression. Even if you speak Korean, our cultures are different! What do you know to make that face?

“Fine, you bastard. No, take out the bastard part. Then write this: ‘I will carefully reconsider and send a new list by ten p.m. tonight—no, by midnight—so don’t go home and wait quietly.’”

“Uh, should I come back at night then?”

Park Hayul asked dazedly. Come back for what?

“I’m not going to send it.”

“What?”

“I’m telling him to wait on standby and get his hopes up for nothing.”

“Hyung, I think that’s a bit too much.”

“Too much? I was going to make it three in the morning and I’m letting him off easy. Hey, I’m working even while kidnapped, so a little overtime is a blessing for him.”

Of course, if he really made me work overtime, I’d bite him. When I have a precious little brother waiting at home, overtime and night work and weekends… It’s an old complaint, but curses are about to spill from my mouth. I have to feed my kid! And it’s not like they even paid proper overtime, those jerks!

Seok Gimyeong would order it, but he’s probably never been forced to work overtime himself. Even if he did, he probably got paid for all of it.

“Let’s make it three in the morning—no, five. No, if it’s five, he might come in early, so let’s go with an ambiguous four.”

“I’ll just make it midnight.”

“The kidnapper is trying to act nice.”

Although I grumbled, I didn’t stop him from writing midnight. I’d planned to do so anyway. Seok Gimyeong would probably notice and pass it on to Yuhyun and Seong Hyunjae. The security guard didn’t seem to have a clue, but even if he did, well, it didn’t matter. The email was already sent. Even if he guessed something would happen at midnight, it would just be the attack of the Korean Hunters.

“Park Hayul, you said you were an airhead, but your base stats are high, so you’re tough, right?”

“Yes! I was fine even when I jumped down back then.”

“Right. You’re tough.”

Even if a bomb went off, Park Hayul wouldn’t get hurt. It was partly because the goblins hated harming people, but also because of Park Hayul—I couldn’t use A-Rank or S-Rank bombs. If I thought Park Hayul would get hurt, I might blurt out everything myself.

But it’s fine, since he’ll only get a scratch at most.

“Do you like fireworks by any chance?”

“Huh? Yes!”

That’s great. Let’s just call it a surprise gift. So there’s no need to warn him.

After announcing the time I would cause trouble, I returned to my room. Using the same method as last time, I checked if there were surveillance cameras in the bathroom. Perhaps because it was originally a training room, there was nothing in the spacious room, let alone the bathroom. If it was recorded, my abilities could be leaked. Now there was one temporarily installed in the room.

As it was attached to the training room, the bathroom had several shower stalls lined up next to each other. I took off my clothes and turned on the shower. My bruised body was reflected in the long mirror on one wall.

Should I use a potion?

My leg was a lost cause, and my hand was treated under the excuse that it was inconvenient to take care of the kids. But to avoid using potions as much as possible, I’d left the other places as they were. It wouldn’t be visible with clothes on anyway. Compared to the leg, it was nothing. What should I do about my leg? I’m sure everyone will be upset.

Cho Hwawoon, that bastard.

Just then, the goblins appeared one by one.

“Hello.”

“Hello, Mister Kim!”

“Hello, hello!”

Among them, Red Marble goblin stepped forward, puffing out its chest.

“I’m ready! I practiced a lot!”

“Good. In a little while, I’ll be feeding the kids and I’ll get the pegasus’s wing dirty. When I come in to wash it, you can make the switch then.”

“Okay!”

“And, kids.”

I lowered my body and asked carefully.

“I know a way to break the curse contract.”

The goblins fell silent for a moment and blinked. The reason they couldn’t speak properly and were hiding something was probably because of the contract.

“I can break it even if it’s high-rank. Really.”

If the price was heavy, they wouldn’t be able to readily accept my words, even if they found them hard to believe. But we’d met a few times now, and there was a goblin with a keyword applied. Hoping they would believe me, I spoke up, and the green will-o’-the-wisp opened its mouth.

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

“How?”

“First, you have to come to me. The details are a secret, but I can definitely break it for you.”

“What if we can’t go to Mister Kim?”

“What if we’re far away?”

“Uh, then it won’t work.”

The goblins whispered among themselves for a bit, then shook their heads in unison.

“Then it won’t work.”

“Give us the yummy things you promised!”

“A lot!”

“We’re going to take it with us!”

The fact that it doesn’t work if they can’t come to me—does that mean the contract is tied to the captured goblins? They really played dirty. Then I’ll have to escape first and find the prison without the goblins’ help. It won’t be easy… few people would know, and it’s not like they’d tell me willingly.

I couldn’t ask Yerim for help either. Memories of a person like Cho Hwawoon—even I don’t want to see them. I was also hesitant to ask Miss Min Jinsoo. Should I just use manpower to search this entire area?

While I was thinking, the unusually quiet green will-o’-the-wisp goblin slithered away. I have a lot to do—I shouldn’t drag this out.

“Red Marble and one other to take the baby horse, stay. The rest of you, go to the kids. You know what to do, right?”

“Yes! Entrust the baby water dragon to Little Kim Seobang!”

All but two of the goblins disappeared. The water dragon would be uncomfortable without water, so Yerim would have to help, but the pegasus could just hide in a suitable forest.

After washing up, I went out and put on a black Chinese-style outfit buttoned up to the collar instead of pajamas. Then, after swapping the pegasus, I passed the time pretending to put the kids to sleep. Ten o’clock, eleven o’clock, eleven-thirty. I let out a long yawn and got up.

“Can I step out for a moment?”

The guard ignored me. I took out the cigarette case I’d received from Hwang Rim and showed it to him, speaking again.

“Just in the hallway, to have «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» a smoke. I can’t escape with this leg, in this state. I’ll give you guys one each too. I heard this is pretty expensive. Works on high-rank Awakened too.”

The guards’ expressions wavered. They were mid-rank, so they probably couldn’t taste regular cigarettes properly. Besides, it was something Cho Hwawoon smoked. They must be curious. Still, they stubbornly contacted their superiors to get permission.

Permission was soon granted—it was just for going out into the hallway. I went out and handed a cigarette to each of the guards who followed me.

“Here, here. What’s the fun in doing it alone? I don’t have a lighter—can you light it for me? That bastard Hwang Rim gave me cigarettes but didn’t even pack a lighter. Is he even human?”

The guards didn’t have lighters either, but one of them had a flame skill and lit it for me. Reminds me of Yuhyun. Of course, I shouldn’t ask my little brother to light a cigarette. Cigarettes were an absolute no, a never-ever! I’d told him that.

Hazy smoke touched the hallway ceiling light. My throat felt needlessly scratchy. Smoke about two, and if it feels weak, maybe I should just chew on it.

Ten minutes to twelve. I went back inside at the right time. Except for the dragon, all the kids were asleep. Shaking my clothes, though it was of little use, I approached the bed. The guards stood there with much more relaxed expressions.

“Sleeping well, come here.”

I gathered the baby fox and Lifnil in my arms. I turned off the Fear Resistance Skill. My breathing became a little difficult, but it was okay. My mind was a bit hazy, so I couldn’t think too deeply. That bastard Park Hayul was annoying and grating, though.

“Mr. Noah.”

The blue dragon rose to its feet.

“Please take care of it.”

– Yes.

Before the guards had time to be surprised, the blue dragon’s form changed. The color of its scales quickly lightened, taking on a brilliant golden hue. The fake fins all fell off, and in an instant, it changed into a young, golden-haired man.

Almost simultaneously, Noah’s form disappeared—a Stealth Skill. And soon after:

“Gack!”

Handprints appeared on both guards’ necks at the same time. Before they could even scream, poison seeped in and their windpipes were crushed. The soldiers collapsed helplessly. Now three minutes—no, two minutes.

“Mr. Yujin, are you okay?”

Noah, who must have been frustrated from not being able to speak properly all this time, approached me and deactivated his Stealth Skill. Then he stopped, startled, as he was about to hug me.

“I-It’s become a habit, all this time…”

“It’s okay. Let’s get out of here quickly. Red Marble!”

The baby pegasus turned into a will-o’-the-wisp, and Noah changed back into a dragon, holding the baby buffalo in his front paws. As I soothed the startled buffalo and climbed onto Noah’s back—

In the meantime, the hands of the clock on the wall pointed to the hour. The sound of footsteps rushing this way, perhaps having seen the surveillance camera, could be heard. The locked door was smashed with a bang.

“Thanks for everything. I’ll give the accommodations five stars! With a minus sign in front.”

I pressed the bomb switch.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep