Chapter 238 - Fishing (3)

After they gave me a bracelet to seal my inventory, I underwent a body search. I had already removed my S-rank Leopard Cat gear in advance, so they only found some A-rank items, but the middle-aged ahjussi was impressed and said I had good items. Though they seemed too much for a C-rank.

I also signed a contract stating that I would not disclose what I saw and heard from then on. Though the penalty wouldn't apply to me since I was A-rank.

“I'll tell you now don't even think about backing out after coming this far.”

“If I backed out, I wouldn't get anything anyway.”

At my confident words, he shrugged. We exited through the back door of the shop, passed through a narrow alley, and entered another building. Similarly, we reached a third building. With the winding route to this place, practically a niche and blocked not only on four sides but also by the roof eaves, it was hard to guess which direction we had taken. Even if I changed my mind and fled, if they suddenly blocked the gaps in the alley, it would probably be difficult to find their base again.

"This boy..."

The A-rank guarding the back door of the third building looked at me.

"He's still a guest."

The A-rank obediently stepped aside, and we entered a hidden room, descending the stairs that led to the basement. Apart from having no windows, it looked like a normal living room. Telling me to wait a bit, the ahjussi left me there.

Being in a basement, it really felt like a resistance movement. I suddenly wondered what had happened in the original Akates.

"Alpha wouldn't have gone crazy, and I wouldn't have existed at all."

Would it have continued as it is now until the world was destroyed? My mood turned a bit strange. Another world that had already disappeared was one thing, but even our world had changed quite a bit with my regression.

“So, you're the C-rank they've been talking about. It's a pleasure.”

The door opened, and someone came in. It was a woman with short, white hair who looked to be in her early twenties. The middle-aged ahjussi was also with her.

[S-rank Vitera]

“You must be the S-rank they've been talking about. The pleasure is mine.”

I got up from my seat and greeted her. She motioned for me to sit back down. Vitera sat across from me and asked directly.

"So, what's your business?"

"It's simple. Help me destroy the Akates Defense Agency and take possession of Alpha."

"What..."

Not only Vitera but also the ahjussi, who was slightly off to the side of the sofa as if supporting her, seemed speechless.

"...That's not simple at all. Are you crazy?"

"I'm completely sane."

"Or maybe you're a fraud trying to get a major job before running off."

“You're right that I'm trying to get a major job before running off, but I'm not a fraud. You get Akates, I get Alpha, that's what I'm saying. I've already made preparations, so I just need a little help. Or if you prefer things to stay as they are now...”

“Not at all.”

Vitera said in a low, growling voice.

“You're from outside, so you probably don't know about the rotten interior of Akates yet. One of the S-ranks affiliated with the Defense Agency is my unni.”

"Your sister?"

Now that I think about it, I had seen an S-rank with white hair.

“It’s no simple matter for the Defense Agency to get S-ranks wrapped around their fingers. In Akates, it’s mandatory to send all children to a municipal educational center. From the age of 5, we go to those schools and get educated. The facilities themselves are commendable. And they place special emphasis on physical activities.”

"...You mean they start brainwashing you or something from that point?"

“They teach love for the city, trust in the Defense Agency, things like that, but since they’re day schools, they can’t go as far as brainwashing. Not to that extent, anyway. Once we turn exactly ten years old, the tests are primarily conducted on children with outstanding physical capabilities. When tested with the Mana Hall, children who have the potential to Awaken to rank A or higher with combat aptitude belong to the Defense Agency from that point onward.”

“Children Ten-year-olds? That’s seriously insane.”

I swore without thinking. I mean, ten-year-old kids? Those were absolute babies. Even when dungeons were bursting and things were sinking into chaos, we restricted Hunter qualification to those at least 14 years old. And even that had limitations, and then we raised it to adults.

At my words, filled with sincerity, Vitera’s expression slightly relaxed.

“In rare cases, there are high-rank Awakened who don’t pass the tests, but 99% of them are forcibly captured by the Defense Agency. Because making small, unawakened children loyal to the Defense Agency is not a difficult task. There are rumors that they even use an S-rank mental manipulation skill on them. In the end, since most A-S rank Guards are loyal to the Defense Agency and are strong combat-specialized Guards, not only the Guards below them but also the citizens can’t say anything and have no choice but to follow them.”

“...And you managed to escape from the Defense Agency in those circumstances.”

Vitera responded with a bitter smile.

“My parents lost unni, so when they saw I had good physical performance, they stole me away before I turned 10. And ahjussi helped me a lot.”

She looked at the man standing next to her. He smiled and slightly bowed his head, saying, "Don’t mention it, miss."

The middle-aged man, Gnosi, said he originally was a guard working at the Defense Agency. As one of their early Awakened, unable to see how the Defense Agency Akates deteriorated into a dictatorship, he began an uprising over a decade ago with people who felt the same, but failed. Since then, he had formed resistance forces and was mainly engaged in stealing children.

“We try to take not only the children with excellent physical performance but also those the Defense Agency has already taken whenever possible. Sometimes we make them escape to a safe house with their parents, but if that doesn’t work, we send them to Lancea.”

“Lancea?”

“Lambda of Lancea is covertly supporting us. I myself Awakened and trained as a guard in Lancea. Besides that, we also trade equipment and byproducts with Lancea.”

Otherwise, it would be difficult to be active as a guard in Akates without external help. I wondered how they dealt with engravings and mana replenishment; apparently, an engraving practitioner was included among those who had escaped the Defense Agency with Gnosi. And as for mana replenishment...

“We dug some underground tunnels near the Mana Hall. Fortunately, we have a guard with high-rank digging abilities.”

They had been having a hard time, eh. It would be easier if they could manufacture and trade mana potions. I had thought of giving them some gifts before getting to work, but my score was terrible. I didn’t even have an engraving, so I needed to be well-stocked with mana potions.

But could the people of this world even use the potions from my world? Mana was the same, so probably.

“So, how are you going to overthrow the Defense Agency and take possession of Alpha? I’m really curious.”

Vitera leaned slightly toward me, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“What's worse, even Sigma is here now. Alpha is powerless, but Sigma is more alive than ever.”

“We don’t need to worry about him.”

I took out my contract with Sigma and showed it to them. Once again, the duo seemed surprised upon reading that he wouldn’t interfere at all, directly or indirectly, until Alpha was freed. From their expressions, my credibility seemed to have increased.

I returned the contract to my inventory and crossed my legs. Ah, my scarf. I forgot it again.

“If you follow me, we can definitely nullify them. First of all, of the S-ranks working in the Defense Agency, do you know Iriko and Kubils?”

“They’re the two main people I have bad relationships with.”

“Then you’d be happy to catch them?”

Vitera grinned sharply.

"Of course."

I was glad to hear that. With a matching smile on my face, I began to explain the details of my plan.

"Why is the mood so unstable?"

An Akates Defense Agency employee murmured while looking at the surveillance footage screen. The screen showed Mana Hall from various angles, as well as Alpha in the mana absorption engravings. A nearby employee also nodded.

"To think that a monster broke into the Defense Agency; it's been so long. And Alpha also rampaged so suddenly; there have been a bunch of accidents, one after another."

"At this rate, who knows, maybe SS-ranked monsters will appear. But we're lucky that Sigma-nim is here."

Just as they were saying "maybe today will pass peacefully," the emergency signal lit up. When they quickly picked up the phone, an urgent voice sounded.

[It's Vitera!]

"What?"

[She's picking a fight with the S-ranked guards Iriko and Kubils. She chose a location and said they should come out if they're confident.]

"Then of course we'll send them! What about the superiors?"

[They think it's very likely a trap given her confidence, but still, they're very inclined to send the two guards. But they say they're worried about Alpha's engraving, so they want Alpha's supervisors to control it.]

"...Of all things, it had to be the two linked to her engraving. But there's one left, so it'll be fine. Sigma-nim is here, so even if Alpha is freed, he'll be able to dominate him."

Without Sigma, they might have been a bit more hesitant, but with an SS-ranked guard in perfect condition, and one with much more experience as an Awakened than Alpha, they didn't need to think long.

Shortly after the order was issued, the two S-ranked guards left the Defense Agency. The two motorcycles roared, racing through the empty streets of the night. Another S-ranked guard followed them quietly, hidden. It was to ensure Vitera was taken care of in case she was really at the meeting place.

"Will she really be there? No matter how big her head is, to think she would call out two S-ranked guards."

- Sigh!

Instead of a response, wingless insect monsters blocked the path. They covered the front, about three times larger than their motorcycles, but Kubils kept moving without slowing down, pulling out a five-meter-long thin piece of iron and swinging it lightly like a whip.

The monsters exploded as if hit by a bomb. The motorcycles advanced smoothly, trampling their remains.

"They say they checked from a distance. It's that bitch."

"Let's take this chance to root them out! If these damn bugs have complaints, they should go to another city instead of insisting on staying in ours!"

The scorched black ground appeared before the two. The place Vitera had called them to was none other than the commercial district that Alpha had rampaged. Across the deserted ruins, they could see a person sitting among the less affected but half-destroyed buildings by the fire. Her white hair seemed to shine in the moonlight.

Screech!

The two guards stopped their motorcycles and got off. Vitera still hadn't made any moves. The two guards, slowly closing the distance, simultaneously tilted their heads. Something felt strange. Just as they began to suspect the human figure sitting there wasn't real...

"Huh?"

"What is this?!"

It felt as if the space was distorted, and immediately after.

- Cuooo!

With a terrifying sense of pressure, a monster's eerie screech echoed.

I bought some items from Point Store. They totaled 530,000 points. And I had to buy a Doppelgänger doll and a key. My points were plummeting by the second.

(The two hunting dogs are on the move.)

The news that the two S-ranked guards, our targets, had left the Defense Agency reached me through my inner earphones. I had hooked them well. Then I'd give them a warm welcome.

In front of me was sitting the Doppelgänger doll of Vitera. I changed its posture as naturally as possible for the Defense Agency staff who would be watching from afar. Opponents who weren't S-ranked would only notice it was fake if they got close.

After a long time, I heard the screeching of motorcycles on the ground in the distance. Almost at the same time, a whisper came through my earphones that the hunting dogs had arrived. I took out a disc with a smile.

As I had thought, the installation site of the second disc was in Akates City.

'Thanks for your cooperation.'

Please, give me at least two this time, please. If the generated monsters weren't enough, I'd have to use items, but then I'd have to spend all my remaining points here, so please, let there be two or more SS-rank monsters.

Praying, I pressed the disc's button. The atmosphere, the space itself, trembled. And.

- Cuoooo!

- Kyaaaaa!

One, two.

- Krrrr.

And three! Yes, thank you! Even with S-rank Fear Resistance, my body trembled: three SS-rank monsters, I had triple luck! While admiring the astonished faces of the two S-ranked guards, I generously scattered five B-rank bombs. At the same time, I used the item I had prepared.

[Horse Without Legs Run - Rank S

Quickly and silently cross a fixed distance in an instant. Cannot be used if there are obstacles in the way.

3 km per use (can be used up to 3 times)]

The scenery around me changed in an instant. Then, in the distance, the explosions of the explosives reached my ears. Excited by the explosions, the monsters roared fiercely. I could feel the ground tremble even here.

Standing on the roof of a building, I raised my binoculars and observed the situation for a while. I could see the S-ranked guards among the huge monsters, busy dodging attacks.

"They won't hold out for long."

Maybe after following them secretly, another S-ranked guard had joined them, but they wouldn't be enough. The SS ranks would dispose of those two in no time, so don't worry and go home comfortably. Though they're not real anyway.

Running across the rooftop, I moved instantly once more. Now I couldn't hear the monsters at all. Silence covered the sleeping city. I pressed the button on the two-way radio connected to my earphones, changing the channel.

"Three hunting dogs have been captured. What's the situation in the kennel?"

[Just now, those SS-rank monsters... No, how...]

"Calm down."

[It's chaos! All the S-ranked guards from the Defense Agency are being sent. They asked Sigma for help, but he seems to have refused. Still, they have Sollemnis Guards, so they'll use all the S-ranked guards to drag it out until Lambda arrives. Some say they should let C-rank Han Yoojin-ssi cover Alpha, but seriously, how did you do it?]

"With love, friendship, and hope."

[…Pardon?]

"I'm just talking nonsense."

Though I had used all the 3 kilometers of instant movement, the Defense Agency was still quite far. I crossed the rooftops of the buildings. Though there were slopes, I could run smoothly over them as if they were flat terrain thanks to the Leopard Cat shoes.

Swoosh!

I jumped off a roof and leaped towards the wall of the building on the other side. A steep 90-degree wall. Landing steadily on it, I climbed the wall.

At that moment, a message window appeared. Along with the message "hidden mission completed."

[★ Successfully eliminated most S-ranks with love, friendship, and hope! ^▽^☆

You safely and successfully hooked up to three S-ranked guards, killing with a borrowed knife! Your proud partner sends you a congratulatory gift!

Rewards: 830P, handmade hot pink wool silencer, 21-year-old Médecin celebration champagne, wide-range bait (SS)]

…Hey, this—You—Seriously! I thought it was a bit suspicious, but I wondered if maybe it could be... Still, I thought it wasn't possible since this was the system, so it couldn't be.

Just announce it openly, why don't you?

"Sung Hyunjae!"

What the hell was this guy doing trapped there?!