Chapter 61 : Chapter 61
Chapter 61
MA13.
A limited-edition revolver produced by the Mystic Arrow Guild.
The gun I seized from him during the Seoul District 8 exhibition incident.
As expected, the reason Hunter Bruno had come looking for me was exactly that.
Entering the heart of enemy territory, the 4th Scholastic District, just to reclaim the firearm cherished by a gunslinger was hardly surprising.
However…
“Has your tongue gone numb as well in the meantime?”
What puzzled me was how he had managed to track me down when I was using the abilities Stealth and Assimilation.
Hunter Bruno’s ability allowed him to distinguish released mana through his sense of smell.
That meant it should have been impossible for him to single out someone using Stealth and Assimilation.
And yet, here he was, standing right in front of me.
Which meant…
He had been tailing me from the very beginning.
Most likely, after I, Cha Yeri, and Lee Eunho drew attention during the exhibition incident, he had placed us on his list of suspects and kept a close watch from the very first day the Spring Scholastic War began.
Naturally, he would have learned that I participated in Catch the Thief, deduced the identity of the thief on his own, and followed the trail all the way to the cathedral.
But still… even if he had been hiding near the cathedral, how exactly had he managed to pursue me?
I glared at Bruno.
“How did you find me?”
“I told you. I followed the scent.”
“…The scent?”
“Well, in this case, I tracked the stench of your blood.”
The stench of blood…
Do not tell me he had caught the smell of the blood from when Park Oseok struck me…!
It was an answer that made sense.
During the exhibition, he must have gotten a good whiff of my blood.
Even if the cloak absorbed the bleeding, it did not erase the smell itself.
His sense of smell was an ability to distinguish mana, but that also meant his natural olfactory senses were extraordinary.
Extraordinary enough to remember the scent from the exhibition and follow it all the way here.
Even so, this was no time to be pondering causal chains.
With my shadow rendered useless, I was effectively cornered.
For now, I decided to play dumb.
“I am sorry, but you have the wrong person. I do not even know what MA13 looks like.”
“Pretending ignorance, are you? Fine by me. Even if that were true, I intend to exact revenge for that day.”
“……”
It was a threat saying that if I did not confess, he would kill me on the spot and search for it himself.
A choice befitting the Psychic Mafia.
I had been so caught up in my self-awareness as the original author that I had forgotten the man standing before me was an executive of a criminal organization that specialized in contract killings.
I spoke calmly.
“Oh, now that you mention it, I did happen to pick up an old-fashioned gun that day.”
“Watch your language.”
“But what a shame. I left it behind.”
“What?”
“There was no reason to carry it around. I forgot to sell it on the black market and just tossed it somewhere.”
For a brief moment, Bruno’s face, usually stern and composed, twisted.
He looked incredulous, and slightly irritated.
In other words, my crude ploy was working better than expected.
I continued.
“You could kill me here and go look for the gun, but do you really think you would find it?”
“There is nothing I cannot find.”
“No, what I mean is this. Do you think you could reach the hideout of the Phantom Thief, which no one has found for decades?”
“…Are you claiming to be the Phantom Thief?”
“At the very least, that is how people see me.”
“The Phantom Thief would be pounding the ground in the afterlife. You are not the Phantom Thief.”
“And what is your basis for that?”
“Because the Phantom Thief… is dead.”
For an instant, I felt a tremor in Bruno’s voice.
As if he were hesitating over something.
As he said, people believed the Phantom Thief was dead.
The era when Phantom Thief Cha Jaehee was active had been several decades ago.
And yet, from the very first moment he saw me, Bruno had referred to me as a copycat of the Phantom Thief.
Unlike others, who wavered between belief and doubt, he had asserted from the start that I was not the Phantom Thief.
In the original work, there was no setting where Bruno had ever met Phantom Thief Cha Jaehee.
However, it was difficult to assume the two had no connection whatsoever.
There was no telling what kind of changes a devoted reader might have made.
“You do not have to believe I am the Phantom Thief. But are you sure you will not regret it? I might be your last hope of finding your gun.”
“You are spewing sophistry.”
“Surprisingly enough, I am the only person who knows the exact location of your gun.”
“……”
“Would it not make sense to hear the location from me first, and then pull the trigger?”
It was sophistry.
Bruno clearly saw through it as wordplay.
Even so, the reason he continued this meaningless exchange was because I was buying time until the paralysis wore off.
My durability stat was 10.
Higher than that of an ordinary awakened being, but lower than that of a medium-sized monster like a troll.
Durability did not only determine the hardness of the skin; it also granted resistance to status effects inflicted on the body.
Although I was deliberately staying still, my toes and fingers had already regained their freedom some time ago.
If I continued to stall like this and counterattacked once my body had recovered to a certain degree, I would have a clear chance at victory.
I opened my mouth again to buy more time.
But the one who spoke first was the muzzle of the gun in Bruno’s hand.
Pishung—.
“…Hgh!”
The bullet he fired this time pierced my shoulder, and my entire body was paralyzed once more.
“You said no one had been able to find the Phantom Thief’s hideout for decades? That is because they never uncovered his identity. If I cut off your breathing right now and learn the face beneath that cloth, finding a mere object like that would be trivial.”
“……”
Bruno took a step toward me.
Even so, his shadow did not touch the shadows in the alley.
It was as if he were mocking me.
“I was wary that you might try some petty trick like last time, but seeing you stall with such ugly words, my concern was unnecessary.”
The gun barrel stretched straight toward me, staring me down.
Perhaps this was the face of a reaper, silently guiding someone to death without a shred of mercy or pity.
No matter how desperately I scanned my surroundings, no clear solution came to mind.
There was only one option left.
Using a coin.
To do so, I focused on the system message.
[Remake Coins in possession: 4,614]
And just as I was about to use a coin…
“How interesting.”
A very familiar voice flowed out from the far end of the opposite alley.
Paralyzed as I was, I could not turn around, but hearing the voice alone was enough to identify its owner.
Not only I, but Bruno as well seemed to recognize it, as he muttered,
“Hero An Hwigom….”
“Hm, for a demon hunter to know this old man’s name. I am truly honored.”
Hero Prep’s training instructor, An Hwigom.
Gripping his sword, he stepped in front of me and faced Bruno.
“By the way, this old man happens to be looking for one foolish disciple who skipped training. Have you seen anyone like that, by any chance?”
“A disciple of the Great Rift hero, huh… Unfortunately, I have not.”
“Is that so? What a pity. If it had been of even the slightest help, I might have pretended not to notice.”
Those ominous words soon thickened the atmosphere.
Sure enough, Bruno leveled his gun at An Hwigom, and at the same time, An Hwigom drew his sword.
Ssk—.
“…!”
In the blink of an eye.
If I had opened my Demonic Eye, I might have seen the process clearly, but to my eyes, all I saw was An Hwigom’s black sword revealing its blade and Bruno’s gun splitting apart with a perfectly clean cut.
Bruno moved hurriedly, preparing a follow-up action.
But An Hwigom’s black sword reached his chin in an instant, and Bruno froze, discarding the severed gun onto the ground.
“If you intend to punish crime, there is quite a heavyweight lying behind you as well.”
“The Phantom Thief is dead.”
“Imitation is also a crime.”
“Is it not more reasonable to deal with an executive of Catalina rather than someone who has already been subdued?”
“…What a rigid old man.”
“At my age, that is a compliment.”
“So what will you do now?”
“What will I do….”
As An Hwigom dragged out his words, the sound of Dispel’s sirens began to echo nearby.
Sheathing his sword, An Hwigom continued.
“At best, all this old man can do is make a righteous report. Run as much as you like. If you manage to escape the 4th Scholastic District safely, that too will be your own merit.”
“……”
“And if you do not like that… I could also face you seriously.”
“That is a truly dreadful thing to hear.”
Bruno gathered the fragments of the fallen firearm and cast a silent look at me.
It was a gaze that seemed to say, We will meet again.
I responded with a bitter smile.
Though he could not see it, hidden as I was beneath the cloak.
Soon, the sirens drew closer.
Bruno vanished from before my eyes, and once he had gone far enough, An Hwigom turned toward me.
“You should run as well. Do not get caught by Dispel and end up on the front page of tomorrow morning’s paper. Even if it is imitation, the Phantom Thief still carries considerable impact in this world.”
“……”
What was this…?
Was he really going to pretend not to know me?
Confusion briefly welled up, but judging from the circumstances, An Hwigom must have known who I was.
Otherwise, he would not have revealed himself at the very moment of my dire crisis.
Most likely, when I failed to appear at the training ground by the appointed time, he had followed after me, just like Bruno.
Of course, unlike Bruno, he did not have the ability to detect mana, but as a member of Manyeong, the worst criminal organization, tracking a single cadet would hardly pose a problem.
But then… why was he pretending not to know?
He was the kind of old man who would not have found it strange to grab me by the collar and drag me straight back to the training ground.
I could not readily understand his actions, but I began to think it might be a declaration that he did not care what I did or where I went.
Along with that, perhaps it was also a warning that he was watching me at all times.
Without waiting for my answer, An Hwigom soon turned his back to the alley.
After taking three or four steps, he suddenly tossed out a sharp remark.
“Oh, and if you happen to meet that foolish disciple of mine, be sure to pass along a message. …That I will be gifting him a hell incomparable to anything he has experienced so far.”
“……”
***
Hero Preparatory School, outdoor training ground.
Lee Gangju lay collapsed atop a broad rock.
The wings that had sprouted from his back were nowhere to be seen, and perhaps because he had expended all his mana, the black coloration that had stained his body had already faded away.
In short, it was a sight that could only be described as a crushing defeat.
And what awaited him was nothing but the shadow of despair known as Kim Shinwoo.
“You would be wise not to resist any further.”
Kim Shinwoo’s long sword stopped, aimed at the area near Lee Gangju’s heart.
Lee Gangju let out a hollow laugh, as if he no longer had the strength to resist.
“For someone who is injured, you look awfully fine.”
“It is only because my opponent was of an inferior level.”
“What are you planning to do now? Hand me over to the Special Affairs Division?”
“There is no need. I intend to follow tradition.”
“So you are going to kill me here. Well, I suppose it makes sense. Both you and I have killed countless beings. Hah, hahahah….”
Lee Gangju let out a long, dry laugh.
As if trying to shake off a long and arduous journey.
After a while, he spoke again in a markedly different tone.
“Most of us know that you are keeping a Witch with you.”
“Was it not the same twenty years ago?”
“Heh, of course we knew Kim Yuseong had played some kind of trick. But no one knew until recently that you had been protecting her that way.”
“…So what is it you are trying to say?”
“That your brothers’ stubbornness is meaningless. With human blood mixed into you, you will not be free from the curse of time.”
“……”
“How long do you think you can protect her? The moment your brothers’ traces vanish from this world, the sky will open once more—”
Thud!
Kim Shinwoo’s sword pierced straight through Lee Gangju’s heart.
Without a trace of hesitation, conflict, or regret.
“…You sure talk a lot for a Demonic Being.”
Lee Gangju’s eyes were stained black.