Doing Good Deeds Will Bring Blessings¿

The plan devised by Han Jaeyeong and the group informally known as the “Jeong Daon Rescue Team” was simple. They would borrow the power of a gray-furred summoned creature and use it to track Jeong Daon’s trail. As for transportation, they could simply borrow a vehicle owned by the embassy.

But reality was not nearly that accommodating.

“Uh… doggy. That’s an alley cars can’t go through. Could you take a different route?”

“Woof!”

The puppy barked several times, its eyes full of disbelief.

The wolf-like puppy couldn’t understand why humans, who possessed machines with wheels, insisted on detouring around tall buildings instead of going straight through. This had already happened several times. Checking the map and taking a detour once or twice was fine, but every time the summoned creature scratched furiously at the seat, desperately insisting that this wasn’t the way, it became unbearably frustrating.

“Leo looked pretty smart…”

“Woof!”

As if it had heard something it wasn’t supposed to, the summoned creature scratched behind its ear with a hind leg. Judging by its behavior, it clearly had fairly high intelligence, but the concept of roadways seemed unfamiliar to a creature from another world.

“At this point, it might be better to abandon the car and go on foot.”

“Yeah. That’s probably for the best.”

They made the decision to ditch the car about an hour after moving together with the summoned creature, realizing that at this rate they wouldn’t just fail to catch up to Jeong Daon. They wouldn’t even make it out of Manhattan.

Yu Hanul surveyed their surroundings with a serious expression.

“We’ve already left Manhattan and reached Brooklyn. That’s over fifty kilometers in distance… Isn’t that about the maximum range for standard teleportation magic?”

“Judging by how the Hunter Association is floundering with the search, Leila Lopez might’ve used teleportation a few more times to throw off pursuit.”

Han Jaeyeong had openly mocked the Association for making racist remarks right to people’s faces, suggesting that maybe they were deliberately dragging their feet on the investigation. Still, deep down, they suspected there was a genuine reason the trail was so hard to follow.

“Lopez isn’t someone you can take lightly. You don’t survive at headquarters for over ten years if you’re incompetent.”

“If she’s hiding out in East New York, that’ll be a headache…”

Even within Brooklyn, East New York was an area where relatively poor working-class residents had traditionally lived. Public safety there had never been great, and after dungeons began appearing, it only worsened. To make matters worse, most of the dungeons in the area had no economic value, meaning they were effectively unmanaged. While the majority were low-rank D- to F-rank dungeons, the mere possibility of running into low-level monsters in an alley was enough to drive people away. As a result, East New York now had hundreds of abandoned buildings.

Of course, with a summoned creature, searching itself wouldn’t be difficult…

But what if Leila were discovered and, in a moment of desperation, took a hostage and fled into a nearby dungeon?

As Yu Hanul had said, that would be a serious problem.

“We’re not too late, right?” Lee Pyeonghwa asked anxiously as she handed jerky to the puppy. “They always say there’s a golden window for rescues in kidnapping cases. It’s already been half a day…”

“That’s what I told the Hunter Association, too.” Han Jaeyeong shrugged. “You can infer the summoner’s condition from the state of their summoned creature. Look at this one. It’s still relaxed. That means she’s fine.”

If Jeong Daon’s condition were truly bad, the creature wouldn’t just be scratching the seat, it would’ve smashed through the window and bolted. That went double considering this wasn’t an ordinary summon, but a familiar Jeong Daon had created herself.

Yet, just as Han Jaeyeong said, Jeong Daon’s familiar remained oddly carefree.

“And since this was a kidnapping rather than a murder on the spot, there must be a purpose. She should be safe for now.”

“…That’s reassuring, in a rather unsettling way.”

That was when Han Jaeyeong’s phone rang. The number wasn’t saved, but given the timing, there was only one person who could be calling.

“Ugh. I really don’t want to answer this.”

“Hunter Han Jaeyeong.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know.”

If Yu Hanul hadn’t been there, they would’ve ignored the call outright. But they didn’t have much choice.

Han Jaeyeong answered, clearly reluctant, “You took your time getting in touch.”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line, followed by the mechanical voice of a translator. “I’m sorry this happened.”

“Wow. Amazing. That almost sounds sincere!”

“It is sincere.”

The person who had called was Association President Estella. It was obvious she was calling because she had heard about Jeong Daon’s kidnapping.

Sincere? Yeah, right, Han Jaeyeong scoffed inwardly. She must’ve known for a while already. Calling only now makes her intentions painfully obvious.

It wasn’t hard to guess what was going on inside the Hunter Association.

They probably silenced the media first.

Despite the fact that Leila Lopez, a senior official from the Hunter Association who was currently on the run, had kidnapped someone, not a single reporter could be seen sniffing around for a story.

Then again, this was a matter of the Association’s reputation.

People in power are all the same.

Han Jaeyeong had always been one of those who didn’t quite understand the public’s favorable view of Estella. Sure, she chose her words carefully and occasionally showed a kind of down-to-earth consideration that earned goodwill, but still…

Huh. Well, this part is different.

“I heard you’re conducting your own investigation.”

“Calling it an investigation might be a stretch. We’re just looking because we’re worried.”

“I’m not asking to interfere. I’m asking because I want to help. If you need assistance, feel free to ask. I’ll make sure there won’t be any issues later regarding authority or procedure.”

“…Huh?” Han Jaeyeong frowned.

This was unexpected. They had assumed the call was meant to remind them that they had no investigative authority due to not having formally entered the country. But instead, the president was offering support?

“What’s your angle?”

“Isn’t Hunter Daon the victim of what happened after Leila siphoned off Association items? And now she’s been kidnapped on top of that. Frankly, I feel responsible.”

“Yes. That would be the appropriate response.”

Objectively speaking, it was a situation where the Association President had reason to feel responsible. Regardless of intent, the Association’s lax item management had ultimately led to a Dungeon Break in Korea, and even casualties.

“If it’s necessary for Hunter Jeong Daon’s rescue, the Association will not pursue responsibility for any resulting incidents.”

Even so, Han Jaeyeong hadn’t expected the Association President to go this far. They genuinely wondered if they had misheard.

“Are you serious?”

We won’t hold anyone responsible.

That was essentially a declaration that even if Leila Lopez were to die, the Association would not object. Given Han Jaeyeong’s personality, the Association President would know this call was being recorded, meaning she was fine with this statement becoming evidence if needed. For Estella, who was notorious for protecting her own, this was an astonishingly drastic stance.

“I misjudged her.”

Even through the translator’s mechanical voice, Han Jaeyeong could sense deep regret

“According to the reports, Leila…stole explosives from the item storage facility while fleeing. We need to prevent this from escalating any further.”

“…”

“If you need help, contact this number. I’ll keep it active until midnight. That’s all.”

The call ended.

Han Jaeyeong stared at their phone, their face twisting. “Every time I talk to that person, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I can’t help but wonder what’s hidden between the lines.”

“I see.” Yu Hanul, who had been quietly listening, crossed his arms. “Isn’t this a bit of mirror therapy for you?”

“…Do you have any idea how rude that sounds to say to an adult?”

“I was honestly prepared for a confrontation with the Hunter Association.”

“Nice deflection.”

“Still, this level of cooperation is suspicious.”

“Um, sorry to interrupt.” Lee Pyeonghwa tilted her head. “What kind of person is the Association President, anyway? From the Hunter Association’s perspective, shouldn’t this be the obvious response?”

“Under normal circumstances, the Association President would’ve tried to persuade us, asking us to trust the Association and leave the investigation entirely to them.”

“Because if we resolve it, it becomes a blow to the pride of the Hunters under her command.”

From their perspective, solving this case internally would have been the only way to save face for headquarters. To be fair, Han Jaeyeong would’ve done the same if something like this had happened within the HP Guild.

But there was a key difference between Han Jaeyeong and Estella.

“And behind the scenes, she would’ve contacted Leila and tried to convince her to come back, promising to take responsibility.”

“Even after all those crimes?”

“Yes. Because she was one of hers. She would’ve tried to fix things somehow. And the U.S. is a place where money solves far more problems than in Korea.”

Estella cherished those who served under her. But strong emotions always cast deep shadows.

“Though this time… between stealing explosives and committing a kidnapping, maybe even Estella decided Leila could no longer be trusted.”

Or perhaps she judged Jeong Daon to be a talent valuable enough to abandon Leila altogether. After all, she had personally tried to recruit her.

That thought sparked something in Han Jaeyeong’s mind, and they turned to Yu Hanul.

“By the way, Yu Hanul. Why didn’t you tell me the Association President visited Daon’s hospital room?”

"Ah."

Yu Hanul blinked slowly. He looked like someone who had completely forgotten the incident had even happened.

“I’m sorry. It slipped my mind.”

“…Yeah, you really haven’t been yourself since the last dungeon. When we get back to Korea, you’re getting a full checkup.”

In any case, Estella giving them free rein to investigate under the current circumstances was a fortunate development. Now there was only one thing left to do: find Jeong Daon.

Han Jaeyeong bent their knees to meet the gaze of the summoned creature, which had its tail stiffly raised as it watched passersby with suspicion.

“All right, Mr. Puppy Summon. Do you understand the concept of traffic lights now?”

“Grr?”

Green eyes stared straight at Han Jaeyeong. Anyone could tell it had absolutely no idea what they were talking about.

Han Jaeyeong looked up at the sky. “This is really going to take a while…”

That prediction proved accurate. By the time the three of them arrived at a long-abandoned house in East New York, it was almost dawn.

It was a small house that looked on the verge of collapse. The three held their breath and pressed themselves against the fence beside the house.

“This is it?”

The summoned creature wagged its tail silently, panting.

Yu Hanul held his breath and listened for signs of movement inside.

“There are two people inside. One of them seems injured.”

“How can you tell?”

“The footsteps aren’t steady. Looks like a leg injury.”

At that, Lee Pyeonghwa bit her lip, anxiety surging. “…Injured? She was discharged not that long ago.”

“I don’t see any magical barriers. That’s strange in itself.”

Han Jaeyeong, who had been checking for magical traps, tilted their head. By common sense, a mage of Leila’s caliber wouldn’t leave a hideout completely unprotected. Yet no matter how far they extended their mana to probe, there were no traps to be found.

“Did she burn through all her mana using teleportation?”

The three quietly climbed over the fence and crossed the yard. After attaching sound-dampening patches to the doorknob and hinges, Han Jaeyeong raised a shield at chest level and slowly opened the door.

The door opened without a sound. Beyond the dark entryway, light spilled out from the living room. They crept toward it, suppressing their footsteps.

And when they cautiously peeked into the illuminated living room—

“You’re here?”

A relaxed voice greeted them.

Jeong Daon was lying on an old but comfortable-looking sofa, waiting for the three of them. She looked nothing like a kidnapping victim. More like an office worker spending a lazy weekend afternoon.