Doing Good Deeds Will Bring Blessings¿

There’s a saying: put yourself in someone else’s shoes. It means that things become easier to understand when you switch perspectives.

So I decided to do just that. Where would I be most useful?

Maybe someone like Lee Manbok, a cult fanatic, would want to use me as a religious sacrifice… or maybe as a magical test subject… Huh. Turns out I’m useful in way too many ways.

A human with exceptional latent abilities, yet no reliable means to protect themselves at the moment. From anyone’s perspective, that’s an intriguing piece of prey.

Since Leila Lopez was said to be a senior figure in the Item Development Department, the likelihood leaned more toward experimentation.

Either way, even if it’s Lobo, with the coordinates this scrambled, it’s going to take some time…

Since we shared the same soul, there was no way Lobo wouldn’t be able to find me, but physical distance was still an issue. After using teleportation magic three times, I had no sense of how far I’d been taken.

For now, I’ll try getting out on my own.

I had no desire to stay in this basement. The mana suppression zone itself was putting immense psychological pressure on me. It felt like throwing a saltwater fish into freshwater that had only been adjusted for salinity. I could still breathe, but a massive sense of discomfort was slowly consuming my body.

“First things first, I need to get this off.”

I looked down at the cloth handcuffs binding my wrists. They seemed to be an item developed by the Hunter Association as well, and on closer inspection, the structure was quite unusual. Rather than a conventional lock, it was more like an entirely new locking mechanism created using mana patterns.

This is a clever idea.

As a former archmage, I’d seen my fair share of magical items. If not for the circumstances, I would’ve praised this one for its ingenuity. At the core of the item was a structure resembling a mana circuit. Only by circulating mana in a specific pattern to activate that circuit could the restraint be released. It was probably designed that way to allow repeated use, like a kind of three-dimensional maze, and that maze branched endlessly, like human blood vessels. If someone tried brute-forcing it by guessing each path, it would take hundreds of years.

And more importantly, there was one additional mechanism built into the restraint.

Zap!

When I deliberately fed in a little extra mana, a sharp jolt of pain shot through me. If you tried to destroy it, the mana circuit would heat up and inflict pain on the restrained person. It was clearly designed for use against Hunters.

An item that showed both obsession and finesse. If Leila Lopez had been responsible for producing the items used on me so far, the Hunter Association had taken quite a loss.

“Well, not my problem.”

Thud! The restraint slipped off my wrist with absurd ease and dropped to the floor.

How did I remove it when my mana was restricted?

“Restraints made for Hunters usually have a weakness.”

That was something Yu Hanul had told me back when he was training me at the HP Guild. One time, after I’d collapsed from swinging my sword too hard, he’d decided it was a “practical lesson” and taught me how to escape restraints.

“What kind of weakness?”

“The fact that restraints meant for Hunters are made from extremely durable materials.”

“How is that a weakness?”

“Durable materials are expensive. So instead of being custom-fit to each person’s wrist, they’re made in standard sizes. Look.”

With that, Yu Hanul demonstrated on the spot. He dislocated his wrist bones. The wrist that had been swinging a bastard sword just moments ago now dangled limply. To be honest, it was grotesque.

“Are you insane?”

“It hurts less once you get the hang of it.”

“Why would anyone need to learn that? No way. Wrist bones are delicate, you know.”

“But there are times when you’re truly desperate.”

At first, I thought he was joking, but his expression was far too serious.

“Daon, your hands are small, so it’ll be even easier for you. Just remember the order when dislocating the bones. If you mess it up, you could permanently damage your hand.”

“Did you not hear a word I said?”

“Hunters have high recovery rates, so it’s usually fine even if you get injured. A wrist fracture heals quickly with a sip of potion. Just be careful not to pinch any nerves.”

“What kind of life have you even been living?”

Despite all my complaining, Yu Hanul’s lesson proved undeniably useful.

First, you dislocate the wrist bones to create space. Then, you dislocate the finger bones and twist at an angle, enough room opens up to slip your hand out of the cuff. Breaking your own hand just to escape restraints really is a horrifying way of thinking.

Swordsmen are brute-force idiots, but sometimes this kind of method really does work.

Aside from the pain, bad enough to make a scream burst out, it was fast and efficient. And if I ever end up making an item like this myself, I’ll be sure to craft it to fit Yu Hanul’s wrist with not a millimeter of error.

After freeing myself, my hands left in tatters from the restraints, I put them back into place and moved toward the stairs Leila had stepped on earlier. I had to tense up the entire time, half-expecting them to creak with every step; it was impossible to tell just how old they were. Still, I managed to climb them without being noticed. Once at the top, I pressed my ear tightly against the door set into the ceiling.

Muffled voices leaked through the wooden door.

“…Don’t be ridiculous! You think I didn’t know? I knew! I knew all along!”

It was Leila’s voice. Since I couldn’t hear the other person, she was probably on a call.

“...Negotiating with the police?”

If so, listening in might reveal what Leila hoped to gain by using me. I focused harder on the sound. Perhaps because she was agitated, her voice was gradually growing louder.

“There’s no room for negotiation here! If you really want Jeong Daon, then clear the false charges pinned on me first. Otherwise, I’ll tell the media everything.”

Oh, I can hear her pretty clearly now.

The content was intriguing enough that I pressed my ear even closer.

“I clawed my way up to this position just like you did. Do you really think I’ll back down now?”

Maybe it was because I’d finally heard the part I was most curious about. Trying to hear better, I leaned in too far and ended up touching the door.

Rustle!

The door didn’t open, but as it shifted slightly, the metal chain hooked onto it clattered loudly. Damn it.

After a brief, hellish silence, Leila spoke quietly.

“Call me again in three hours. I need to discipline the attic rat first.”

Unfortunately, that was where the call ended. What a shame. If I’d heard just a little more, I could’ve figured out Leila’s objective without much effort.

Bang! A vibration shook through the door, as if she’d stomped her foot on the other side.

“I’m warning you. Stay put in the basement. If I come down there myself…”

Bang! Crash!

“…this is what’ll happen.”

The sound of shattering glass rang out. She must have fired a gun somewhere. Probably meant to scare me.

But for me, it was also an opportunity. Because firing a gun through the door meant Leila herself didn’t have the leeway to use magic. And judging by the vibration coming from above, she was standing right on top of the door.

I drew in a deep breath—

Crack!

—and swung my fist with all my strength at the door. More precisely, at the hinges.

From the sound earlier when Leila opened it, I’d already figured out that the basement door’s hinges were extremely old. She must not have considered me much of a threat, assuming I was a Hunter who had only just awakened.

Jeong Daon (Normal)

Potential Ability Rating: S-rank

Stamina: LV. 21 (No cap)

Strength: LV. 25 (No cap)

Mana: LV. 85 (No cap)

Overall Level: LV. 43

By now, my physical abilities were firmly on track. Once stamina and strength pass the low twenties, you can beat most D-rank monsters to death with your bare hands. So, in conclusion—

Crunch!

The hinges, unable to withstand strength at level 25, gave way with a lurch.

“Ugh?!”

And right above the door stood Leila, her build that of an average adult woman. With the hinges broken and her full weight bearing down, the door naturally tilted to one side.

Creeeak!

I followed up by slamming my elbow hard into the door.

“Aaaah!”

Crack!

The hinges and the wooden door shattered completely! At the same time, Leila, who had been standing on top of it, lost her balance entirely and toppled sideways. Seizing the opening, I quickly slipped out of the basement.

Bang!

“Damn it!”

Of course, Leila wasn’t just taking hits without responding. Her gun spat fire once more.

Thud!

Luckily, I was still holding a thick fragment of the broken door in my hands, using it like a shield. The bullet slammed into the door slab.

Did a Glock 19 hold fifteen rounds? I can’t just wait until she runs out.

She’d already fired several shots, but the distance was too close. This thickness of wood wouldn’t be enough to block an entire remaining magazine. Which meant I had to end this quickly.

And without using mana if possible.

Leila shouted in a harsh voice, “I’m warning you. Get back down into the basement! Unless you want to get sho—ugh?!”

Crack!

Without a word, I kicked the thick door slab I’d been using as a shield and sent it flying at Leila Lopez. When the heavy wooden door came hurtling toward her, she instinctively bent down to dodge it—

—and I didn’t miss the moment.

Tap! I sprinted forward, kicking the fallen handgun away with my foot while reaching out toward the chair Leila had been sitting on just moments ago.

Yu Hanul had told me this.

Since my raw strength was still lacking, I should make proper use of weight distribution when swinging a weapon. In other words, take an object with some mass, add my own weight and the recoil of the swing, and as long as it connects—

Crack! The impact as the chair smashed into Leila’s body was tremendous. This time, she didn’t even manage to scream. The wooden chair struck Leila Lopez squarely in the head and shattered into pieces. And just like that, she collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.

I brushed the splintered bits of wood from my hands. It was a clean chair shot. Even I was surprised by how natural the entire sequence of movements felt. It was probably the result of Yu Hanul’s special training and all the basic combat drills I’d been through.

Embarrassing as it was to admit, it honestly felt refreshing. Just like during the last dungeon run, physically beating down a villain turned out to be unexpectedly satisfying.

“She fired first, so this shouldn’t count as excessive force.”

Since no system message popped up lecturing me about social standards, this level of response must have been deemed acceptable.

That’s a relief.

I looked down at the unconscious Leila Lopez. Rummaging through her pockets, I found what looked like the phone she’d been using for the call earlier. Now, if I just used this to call the police, this sudden kidnapping incident would be over.

“…Hmm.”

But somehow, it felt wrong to end things here.

The reason Leila Lopez had targeted me and the fact that the person who framed her was also clearly targeting me. Judging by the content of her call, that person was likely someone in the same position as her, in other words, an executive within the Hunter Association. If that was the case…

What were the odds that the mysterious figure who framed Leila Lopez and targeted me was Orbis?

“I was just wondering how I should go about investigating the Hunter Association anyway. This works out nicely.”

Wasn’t this an unexpectedly welcome lead?

I curled the corner of my mouth as I looked down at the unconscious Leila. To anyone watching, it would have looked like a downright sinister smile.

“You won’t be telling the media anything. You’re going to tell me everything.”