Chapter 66: Kimcheon Liberation Zone (4)
Chapter 66: Kimcheon Liberation Zone (4)
Hunters in skull masks relentlessly pursued Min Su-hyun.
They belonged to the Ebony Bone, a faction that controlled the center of the Kimcheon Liberation Area, monopolizing various interests.
This dominance made it challenging for the diverse hunters flocking to the liberation area to even approach its center.
One wrong move could lead to detection by the Ebony Bone, resulting in death or capture to a place where sunlight never reached, like an underground prison.
Woo-woong!
Motorcycles roared into action non-stop on the ground.
These were the bikes of Ebony Bone hunters, visibly powerful at a glance.
Papap! Pat!
Agile assassins moved atop the buildings.
Just as Kang-hoo had pursued Gong Tae-su, they used the rooftops as shortcuts, swiftly moving between them.
In addition, hunters who appeared to be from the magic class floated in the air, moving about.
Min Su-hyun was fleeing using what seemed to be an acceleration movement skill, but
With the situation as it was, she would be caught in less than a minute. The pursuit by Ebony Bone was organized and efficient.
Combat is pointless.
Kang-hoo quickly assessed the situation.
He contemplated engaging in combat to carve out an escape route.
However, the power of the Ebony Bone members chasing Min Su-hyun was too overwhelming.
All of them seemed to have constellations as their basis, and their skill level was evidently much higher.
Furthermore,
What exactly did she steal?
The gloves Min Su-hyun wore on both hands were extraordinary, emitting a colorful, glowing effect.
Starting from 2nd-grade items, unique glows emanate from items.
The brightness varies depending on the items features, but the glow from Min Su-hyuns gloves was particularly intense.
They didnt seem like her own gloves but rather something she had stolen from here.
Did Min Su-hyun have a penchant for thievery? Yet, considering the place she had broken into, it was akin to entering a tigers den.
Better to just take her and make a clean getaway.
Kang-hoo calmly suppressed his rising fighting spirit.
If he had no one to care for, a grand battle would have been quite a spectacle.
But now, he had someone to rescue.
The most challenging task in the world is to protect oneself and others simultaneously.
How often do people perish attempting to save someone who is drowning?
If he was determined to save her, he needed to quickly grab her and get out of the water.
Papap! Pat! Pat!
Kang-hoo used acceleration and leaping repeatedly to close the distance to Min Su-hyun swiftly.
His body, now significantly more robust than before, handled the repeated skill use without any problems.
In the past, he would have felt nauseous, but now a swallow of dry saliva was enough to settle his stomach.
Just then,
A figure emerged, blocking Kang-hoos path in the alleyway.
It was an Ebony Bone member.
He had been monitoring the flow of mana around him, not expecting them to be far away.
Yet they were much closer.
The Ebony Bone member inquired,
Who are you?
If rescue hadnt been his top priority, he might have responded.
But now, there was no time for dialogue.
Even with Min Su-hyuns agility and skill, she couldnt elude multiple pursuers.
Had she been able to, Kang-hoo wouldnt have needed to intervene.
Paaht!
Instead of replying, Kang-hoo took action, brandishing his Blood Dew blade and charging at the Ebony Bone member.
It was a declaration of his intent to communicate through combat.
Hit and run is my specialty, Jeong Cheol-hoos urk!
Where did such overconfidence stem from?
Jeong Cheol-hoo, an Ebony Bone member who had boasted too leisurely about his evasion skills, met his end.
He believed he possessed a decent evasion talent and could dodge effortlessly, but Kang-hoo had already predicted his escape route by tracking the flow of his mana.
The concentration of mana in the direction he intended to move was a giveaway.
This phenomenon is known as mana paving the way before the execution of a skill.
A prelude that occurred in an instant, undetectable by 99.9% of hunters.
But to Kang-hoo, who was more sincere and sensitive to mana than anyone else, the flow was crystal clear.
You take life too lightly.
Kang-hoo slashed at Jeong Cheol-hoos throat and wiped the blood on his pants.
He then refocused his attention on Min Su-hyuns location.
She wasnt far if he considered a straight line, but the situation was urgent with numerous hunters, both on the ground and in the air, chasing her.
Kill her! Just kill her!
The Ebony Bone hunters were furious.
Min Su-hyun must have stolen an item belonging to a high-ranking member of Ebony Bone.
Even if she was Lee Hyun-seoks niece, it seemed unlikely that she would casually carry an item worth over a hundred billion won.
None of my business.
That was her problem to deal with.
Rescuing her would fulfill the request Jeon Se-hyuk had made of Lee Hyun-seok.
Kang-hoo didnt overthink it and steadily narrowed the distance between them.
Even if he failed to rescue her, he wouldnt be too disappointed. It was easier to think that way.
Mixing leaps, accelerations, and the Shadow Step technique, he closed in on Min Su-hyun.
Ahh!
Startled by Kang-hoos sudden appearance, Min Su-hyun conjured blue energy in her arms, which appeared to be a freezing ability.
I came to rescue you, so dont resist.
What?
Jeon Se-hyuk sent me to fulfill his request.
Who are you?
What a hassle.
Ahh!
Not wanting to reveal his identity, Kang-hoo quickly grabbed Min Su-hyuns shoulder.
He had a dramatic means of escape from the liberation area.
There was just one catch the success rate.
The fourth privilege from Dimension Plunderer, the long-range space teleportation, had a 100% success rate when used alone.
However, when used with two or more people, the probability dropped to exactly 50%. It was a coin toss between success and failure.
[Would you like to teleport instantly?]
[Teleportation with more than one person may not succeed. The probability is exactly 50%.]
As he activated the ability, the system notification appeared.
He had to try to know. Without trying, one couldnt guess.
If it failed, he planned to protect her as best he could while attempting to escape.
If it failed Well, it would be unfortunate, but he could simply abandon her if necessary.
After all, she wasnt indispensable for shaping his future.
Hold my hand tightly.
What? Why?
If you dont, you might feel nauseous later.
You really came to rescue me?
Isnt it obvious, considering youre still alive?
She was either too young or too scared to understand where to begin thinking.
Regardless, Kang-hoo firmly grasped Min Su-hyuns nape, and she clutched his hand tightly.
His presence and her continued survival meant he wasnt an enemy, at least.
Damn it, who is he?
Just kill them both!
Theyve stopped! Those two have stopped!
Catch them at all costs! Its the bosss orders!
Listening to the Heukgol-dan members sharp voices, it became clear who the owner of the stolen item was.
Quite bold of her.
It seemed she had stolen a pair of gloves from the Heukgol-dan leader. The details would have to wait.
Paaaht!
Then, the teleportation began.
The surroundings began to distort like crumpled paper, eventually shattering into pieces.
It worked.
Kang-hoo felt a sense of relief.
Though he had considered the possibility of failure, success was the better outcome.
Koog, koog, koog!
Kang-hoo and Min Su-hyuns bodies trembled as they rapidly disappeared from the liberation area.
Whats happening
It could be an illusion! Search around! Dont panic, keep looking!
Shoot something! Fire, damn it!
Amidst the harsh words, the silhouette of a Heukgol-dan member came close.
But by then, Kang-hoo and Min Su-hyun had already vanished, teleported to a safe point Kang-hoo had set before entering the liberation area.
[Teleportation complete.]
It was a success.
Min Su-hyun was safely rescued with Kang-hoos help, an escape she hadnt anticipated.
Thank you. Really, thank you.
Enough with the thanks. Shouldnt you contact someone first? Someone needs to come for you.
Yeah, I should. For now.
Min Su-hyun dialed Lee Hyun-seoks number on the smartphone Kang-hoo handed her.
While the call was connecting,
Min Su-hyun looked around curiously.
She felt they had traveled a great distance but couldnt pinpoint where.
Then,
Though not close, she could see Pohang Station in the clear distance.
This is insane
The journey from the Kimcheon Liberation Area to Pohang Station had taken only a few seconds.
Min Su-hyun couldnt help but be amazed by Kang-hoos spatial teleportation ability.
Many hunters possess spatial movement skills. Teleporting isnt in itself miraculous.
However, the ability to move such long distances instantly is another story.
Most can only teleport short distances, like 10m or 20m.
But this level of ability was akin to those found in fantasy novels.
Min Su-hyun knew well how difficult it was to acquire such spatial abilities.
Even a magic-based hunter specialized in spatial movement would need to surpass level 600.
Despite being a magic-based hunter herself, she didnt possess any spatial movement abilities, underlining their rarity.
Hello? Uncle?
At that moment, she connected with Lee Hyun-seok.
Since it was a number known only to close contacts, she assumed Lee Hyun-seok would answer, even though it was a first-time call.
Im in a safe place right now. Where was I? Well I was in the Gimcheon Liberation Area
Silence followed.
Kang-hoo listened quietly, hearing rapid-fire loud voices from the other end of the phone.
It sounded more like Lee Hyun-seoks affectionate scolding, filled with concern, rather than him reprimanding her.
Min Su-hyun scratched her head.
Her neglected pink hair, matted and rigid, moved stiffly with her hand, like wires.
Okay. Then Ill stay around here. Im near Pohang Station. Yes.
The call ended.
Lee Hyun-seok instructed Min Su-hyun not to move elsewhere and to stay where she was for safety.
It seemed he preferred she stay in a location with assured safety, rather than risk being watched in another place.
Kang-hoo, having no intention to move unnecessarily, casually settled down with Min Su-hyun.
Then.
He finally asked the question that had been nagging at him.
What exactly did you steal from Heukgol-dan?
Responding to Kang-hoos question, Min Su-hyun scratched the back of her head and, with an awkward expression, continued.
I stole the 2nd-grade item gloves from Heukgol-dans leader, Shin Jun-ho.
Why?
My constellations benefits are quite unique.
What could be so unique about her constellations benefits that she herself termed it quite unique?
Kang-hoo, clueless, tilted his head, anticipating an interesting story.