Chapter 21 – Rule 11. The Leader Eliminates the Villain Group (4)

 

A few minutes earlier.

 

Park Minhyuk had been rescued. Now, Oh Baek-seo only needed to complete her mission.

 

Baek-seo stood still, looking up at the sky, holding the umbrella Woo-jin had given her. She absentmindedly tapped the umbrella handle with her fingers.

 

“……”

 

Woo-jin had instructed the officers to follow his orders without asking questions.

 

Baek-seo was tasked with subduing Anomia’s top executive and the organization’s leader, though she had no idea how Woo-jin had discovered their locations. She would ask him later. For now, she just followed his instructions.

 

It wasn’t just out of loyalty. Baek-seo knew how to separate personal feelings from professional duties.

 

Woo-jin was someone worth following. That was the only reason. Nothing more.

 

Still, she was worried about him.

 

Anomia was a notorious villain group, even employing exceptionally talented dropouts as executives.

 

It was easy to predict that Woo-jin would soon face dangerous foes. Now that Woo-jin and Minhyuk had joined forces, Baek-seo wanted to finish her mission quickly and meet up with Woo-jin.

 

She felt at ease when he was by her side.

 

Click-clack.

 

Suddenly, a man in a trench coat appeared on her path. He stopped and glared at her.

 

“Oh. You’re here?”

 

Seeing him, Baek-seo asked in a polite tone.

 

It was easy to guess that this man was ‘AQ,’ the top executive of Anomia that Woo-jin had mentioned.

 

The magical energy emanating from him was comparable to that of the Mayeon High School Disciplinary Committee Leader.

 

“Disciplinary Committee… How did you know we were here?”

 

AQ asked aggressively.

 

“We just follow the Leader’s orders.”

 

Baek-seo replied in her usual gentle tone, though her eyes did not smile at all.

 

Today had been a bad day.

 

A fellow committee member had been abducted and mistreated, and Woo-jin had been lured away. It seemed the Disciplinary Committee had been underestimated.

 

Even the time spent walking under the umbrella with Woo-jin had been cut short because of them. She couldn’t even express her regret now.

 

At least her anger had a clear target.

 

“I see…”

 

AQ narrowed his eyes and chuckled.

 

He didn’t bother to ask how Baek-seo had arrived here. He was already well aware of the Ahsung High Disciplinary Committee Leader’s reputation.

 

Woo-jin’s intelligence capabilities were beyond impressive. Even AQ, who pursued only combat, felt a pure respect for Woo-jin’s abilities.

 

It was clear Woo-jin had already grasped critical information about Anomia. There was no need to question how Baek-seo knew the leader’s location and was waiting here.

 

It was all Woo-jin’s doing.

 

“Oh Baek-seo. I’ve wanted to face you.”

 

AQ extended both arms.

 

Sring! A long blade hidden in his sleeves shot out. The sharp blade gleamed with raindrops.

 

“You, hailed as a prodigy in Neo Seoul…!”

 

AQ was a man who pursued combat. He called himself a demon.

 

He was Anomia’s greatest asset. A prominent figure in Neo Seoul.

 

Undefeated in countless battles. He had no reason to fear even the 6th Tier Oh Baek-seo.

 

He would easily overcome her.

 

Whoosh!

 

Wind elemental magic wrapped around AQ’s blade.

 

“Come at me, Oh Baek-seo! I’ll prove that I, the demon of Neo Seoul, am stronger than you…!”

 

Ten seconds later.

 

“Ugh…”

 

The self-proclaimed demon lay wounded on the ground.

 

All he could do was let out a pitiful groan. Even that was a struggle.

 

Baek-seo, holding a sword, threw a restraining magic device. Thud! Several sturdy belts sprang from the device and bound AQ.

 

Baek-seo then walked towards the high-rise building AQ had come from.

 

As she entered the lobby, battle drones, turrets, and Anomia’s elite soldiers confronted her. They all took combat stances.

 

However, when a beautiful mix of blue and purple magical energy flowed like a butterfly’s wings, all the combat robots were sliced in half, and Anomia’s soldiers fell, screaming.

 

It wasn’t elemental magic. Nor was it a unique ability.

 

With just basic abilities of ‘physical enhancement’ and ‘equipment enhancement’ available to 3rd Tier individuals, Baek-seo had cleared the battlefield with her swift swordsmanship.

 

“Oh Baek-seo…!”

 

At the top floor office, near a secret passage.

 

Anomia’s leader, who had been hiding, launched a surprise attack. However, Baek-seo easily deflected it and subdued him with her sword’s sheath.

 

Thud! Thwack!

 

“Ugh!”

 

It wasn’t even a contest.

 

“How did you… How did you know I was here…?”

 

The leader asked with a frightened expression.

 

Baek-seo shrugged.

 

“Our Leader is quite capable. He had prepared for everything.”

 

There’s always someone better. If you don’t look up, you won’t even realize they exist.

 

The leader gritted his teeth and trembled before finally giving up.

 

He had been too arrogant.

 

Hadn’t it become increasingly clear that Disciplinary Committee Leader Ahn Woo-jin was not someone to be messed with?

 

Even this genius in front of him bowed to Woo-jin.

 

Knowing that Woo-jin had seen through all his plans and was poised to destroy his organization made him anxious.

 

He had foolishly thought he could defeat Woo-jin.

 

That was his downfall.

 

There would be no second chances.

 

Thunk!

 

“Ugh!”

 

Baek-seo struck the leader with her sword’s sheath, knocking him unconscious. She then spoke into her earpiece.

 

“Situation resolved here too. Leader, …I’ll come to see you soon.”

 

The mission Baek-seo had undertaken was the most challenging, but it was not difficult for her.

 

Afterward, Oh Baek-seo left the scene to the 2nd and 3rd squads and headed for the Gray Star.

 

When she finally met Woo-jin, Baek-seo didn’t show much reaction. However, she did not leave Woo-jin’s side as he directed the scene until late at night.

 

***

 

Several days passed in a blur as they dealt with the aftermath of the incident.

 

[ Ahsung High Disciplinary Committee Leader Captures Anomia Leader and Executives… ‘Great Feat’ ]

 

[ 4th Tier Defeats Two 5th Tier Criminals Alone… Who Is He? ]

 

[ Ahsung High Disciplinary Committee Leader Annihilates Anomia Early in His Term… ]

 

News of Anomia’s capture spread rapidly across the internet.

 

However.

 

‘Why is the focus on me instead of the Disciplinary Committee…?’

 

Internet news concentrated on the ‘Disciplinary Committee Leader’ rather than the ‘Disciplinary Committee’ of Ahsung High.

 

It was expected, due to Lee Ji-Soo’s JTube broadcast.

 

From the viewers’ perspective, this incident was more sensational than when the Sindo-rim Swordmaster challenged for a duel.

 

‘I didn’t expect it to turn out like this…’

 

Since Lee Ji-Soo never live-streamed her gameplay, this development was unexpected.

 

He clutched his throbbing head. This was troublesome.

 

‘Neo Seoul has plenty of challengers looking for strong opponents… This could make me a target for the Six Sinners…’

 

What to do…

 

It was manageable with the Sindo-rim Swordmaster. He was a 4th Tier, so a duel between two 4th Tiers was just a minor event.

 

But this time, it was different. A 4th Tier had defeated two notorious 5th Tiers.

 

After dealing with Anomia, more significant threats could emerge.

 

The worst-case scenario was becoming a target for the Six Sinners.

 

Especially Goliath, whose intentions were impossible to read. If he came now, it would be the end. He sought strength. Woo-jin couldn’t afford to be seen as prey.

 

It was better for the achievements to focus on the ‘Disciplinary Committee.’

 

Articles like ‘How did a 4th Tier defeat two 5th Tiers?’ and ‘What potential does the Ahsung High Disciplinary Committee Leader have?’ needed to be minimized.

 

‘The press conference didn’t help…’

 

The incident became so famous that the Disciplinary Committee had to explain the situation at a press conference.

 

Lee Ji-Soo’s JTube broadcast and the sweeping of Anomia had garnered significant attention. The details were left vague, citing an ongoing investigation.

 

Naturally, reporters asked about him defeating two 5th Tiers, but Woo-jin credited Yoo Doha’s contributions.

 

However, online articles still heavily emphasized his accomplishments. The public could see Lee Ji-Soo’s broadcast for themselves, which played a big role.

 

People believe what they want to believe.

 

‘Please, let it just pass…’