Ch.62Chapter 62 – Lifeline

“Ugh, my head…”

Jae-hyuk Shin groaned. His head throbbed severely. He barely managed to remove his dented helmet, which looked like a crushed can, and threw it far away. Jae-hyuk clutched his forehead and slowly opened his eyelids. Sunlight, unfamiliar after running around all night, seeped into his pupils.

‘Did I lose consciousness?’

Jae-hyuk tried to push himself up with his hands on the ground. A squishy, unpleasant sensation transmitted through his hand. Frowning, he checked what was causing this disgusting feeling. A garbage bag. Only then did Jae-hyuk lift his head to see where he was.

“A back alley? Why am I collapsed in a place like this?”

Jae-hyuk was lying among piles of garbage in some filthy back alley. The sun was already high in the sky, warmly illuminating the space between the alleys.

Blood stained the hand that touched his forehead. He seemed to have injured his head during the fall. When Jae-hyuk focused his energy on his head while summoning his holy power, the headache subsided somewhat. His brain, which had suffered a concussion from the impact of the fall, gradually began to function again, recalling the last scene he remembered.

‘Right. I was definitely fighting Skyscraper, got thrown into the sky, and then my memory seems to have vanished…’

Jae-hyuk winced at the faint pain that still lingered. As the pain subsided, he continued his reasoning.

‘The fact that I’m collapsed in such a deserted place means Skyscraper couldn’t finish me off for some reason. Did someone help me? But only Kwak Tae-woo and Skyscraper were nearby. The ones who attacked me wouldn’t have helped me…’

No matter how hard he tried to continue his train of thought, he couldn’t remember anything else, making it impossible to know who had helped him. Jae-hyuk gave up trying to guess why he ended up here and slowly got to his feet. His entire body creaked from last night’s fierce battle.

While recovering his stiff limbs with holy power, Jae-hyuk checked the time on his smartphone. Fortunately, despite the intense battle, his smartphone remained intact and functioning.

“1 o’clock! I was unconscious all morning.”

Jae-hyuk bit his lip in dismay. By now, police would be swarming everywhere to investigate the cause of last night’s disturbance, wondering if a terrorist attack had occurred.

Whether before or after the Gate, America remains a country extremely sensitive to terrorism. They wouldn’t take last night’s commotion lightly…

‘Obviously, I can’t go back to the hotel either.’

Unless they were exceptionally incompetent, the police would have figured out by now that the perpetrators of the disturbance had started from the hotel. Going to the hotel now would be like walking straight into prison.

‘Fortunately, I came with a forged identity. Otherwise, my identity would have been exposed already…’

Jae-hyuk let out a sigh of relief at having avoided the worst-case scenario. Luckily, since Kwak Tae-woo had taken all his belongings, there was no evidence in the hotel that could identify him.

So what should he do now? He had completed the request that brought him to New York. There was no need to stay in New York any longer.

“I should contact Mr. B to book a flight. I need to flee to Korea right away—”

—No, wait.

Jae-hyuk froze in the middle of entering the number. Questions that he hadn’t thought of while desperately fleeing after the attack began to cloud his mind. The demon of suspicion enveloped his thoughts.

‘Yes. I used a forged identity for my accommodation. But how did Kwak Tae-woo find me?’

The ambush was meticulously planned. Inducing limited vision by writing “Status Window” on a note, setting off a bomb from behind the door—how could this not be premeditated?

‘Kwak Tae-woo must have received information about me from someone and prepared thoroughly in advance. There’s no other explanation.’

So where could the information have leaked from? Only one person knew Jae-hyuk’s forged identity and the location of his accommodation. The very person who had arranged everything.

“Mr. B! Could you have betrayed me?!”

Jae-hyuk staggered as he reached this shocking conclusion. He couldn’t tell whether it was due to the lingering effects of his injuries or the mental shock. Amid the dizziness from the sense of betrayal, he tried to deny this unbelievable suspicion.

Could it really be Mr. B?

Going back to the beginning of this whole incident and carefully reviewing the course of events, suspicious circumstances began to emerge one by one. Mr. B had given him the request, and it was Mr. B’s advice to investigate the potion industry that brought him to New York.

Come to think of it, the timing of the attack was remarkably convenient. Being ambushed right after returning to his hotel room after sending Mr. B an email confirming the completion of the request. Too perfect a timing to be coincidental. This really could only mean that Mr. B was the culprit behind it all.

“Why would he…”

Mr. B and Jae-hyuk had a mutually cooperative relationship. Jae-hyuk would take on outsourced jobs that Mr. B’s subordinates couldn’t handle, and he would also complete difficult requests that came from outside. In return, Mr. B would fulfill various favors and conveniences for Jae-hyuk. This relationship had lasted for over twenty years.

The shock was even greater because Jae-hyuk thought he had built a certain level of trust with Mr. B. He couldn’t even begin to guess why Mr. B would betray him. Does it make any sense to not only discard your best collaborator overnight but also stab them in the back?

‘…No. Let’s put that worry aside for now. I need to solve the immediate problem first.’

Jae-hyuk temporarily set aside his questions. It would take days to finish contemplating where things went wrong, as he couldn’t even grasp where to begin. And in a few days, it would already be too late. He didn’t know how far this place was from the battle scene, but it couldn’t be that far, and it was only a matter of time before the police, expanding their search area, would come barging in. He needed to move first.

But Jae-hyuk couldn’t lift his feet. He couldn’t think of a destination to head toward.

‘What should I do now?’

He felt lost. He couldn’t go to the hotel or the airport. His forged identity would have been exposed by now, so even if he went to the airport, he would be caught at the security checkpoint. Without Mr. B’s cooperation, Jae-hyuk had no way to escape New York alone.

Only then did a terrible sense of reality hit him. He was isolated in a foreign land where he knew no one. And marked by the superhuman known for having the best eyes and being the strongest in this city.

‘If I wander the streets in broad daylight like this, it’s like saying “please catch me”…’

Jae-hyuk thought as he hid the dented helmet among the garbage piles. Still, he had been wearing the helmet the entire time while fighting Skyscraper, so even if they saw him, they wouldn’t immediately recognize him.

‘Let’s leave the helmet behind. It would only be cumbersome if I want to move without attracting people’s attention. I can buy a new one later.’

After hiding the helmet, he truly had nothing left to do. Feeling even more lost, Jae-hyuk put both hands in his pockets. The perfect place for idle hands…

‘…Huh?’

His fingertips felt something at the bottom of his pocket. There was some paper in his pocket. Jae-hyuk took it out to check. A business card he thought he would never need.

[Information Broker Mephisto]

And it turned out to be a lifeline.

***

New York, a café near Central Park.

A man wearing an eye patch was sipping coffee at a window seat. Looking dejected despite his large build, his appearance evoked sympathy, resembling a rain-soaked puppy. Anyone who saw him would have been greatly shocked. For this man was none other than New York’s guardian, Skyscraper, Henry Clark.

It was extremely unusual for Skyscraper to be on the ground rather than at the top of the Empire State Building. He usually spent most of his time engaged in vigilante activities.

But Henry Clark was in no state for that now. The shock from last night had still not subsided.

In a single night, Henry Clark had encountered two unidentified masters who could face him head-on despite not being S-rank. Henry Clark, whose ability was merely becoming stronger—not as flashy or powerful as other S-ranks—was often compared and criticized as overrated on social media. After experiencing such an unbelievable encounter, doubts about his own power began to creep in.

‘And what’s most disturbing is…’

Henry Clark looked out the café window. He could see the hideous black sphere that had appeared in the middle of Central Park overnight. The gate that had suddenly appeared and swallowed the unidentified assailant just as he was about to deliver the finishing blow.

‘Hunters can’t open gates at will, so it might just be a coincidence… But it’s very concerning.’

As Henry Clark pondered, a CIA agent approached. She was someone Henry knew—a person who handled various troublesome matters while he monitored the city from the Empire State Building. She could be understood as a kind of secretary, or perhaps a supporter.

The agent, Jessica, spoke as she sat across from Henry.

“Phew! Now I can finally rest a bit. How’s your eye?”

“It’s fine. The doctor said the optic nerve wasn’t damaged, only the eyeball. He prescribed a top-grade potion, so it should heal in a few days.”

“That’s a relief. I had a hard time silencing reporters because who knows what would happen if word got out that New York’s hero was injured. It would all be for nothing if you had a permanent injury, right?”

“I know you always work hard for me. I’m always grateful.”

Jessica scratched her cheek, seemingly embarrassed by the sudden gratitude.

“Well… I’m not doing it for thanks. It’s my job, just my job. Anyway, due to various political reasons from above, an embargo has been placed, so there won’t be any talk about your injury or the gate. Sigh, I’ve always told you not to just charge in recklessly. It’s always the strongest hunters who get caught off guard… Be careful from now on.”

“…Right. By the way, is the investigation of the gate complete?”

“The emergency reconnaissance results are mostly in. It’s an A-rank gate with dog-type monsters inhabiting it. Very ordinary. Other investigators unanimously say it seems like a gate that appeared purely by chance.”

Was it really just a coincidence after all? Well, if the guy had used some kind of trick, Henry should have felt something, but he hadn’t sensed any energy before the gate opened. With that thought, Henry Clark asked again.

“…Was there anyone inside?”

Jessica shook her head at Henry’s question.

“No. There was no one inside. It’s presumed he was eaten by monsters. Didn’t you say the perpetrator was a B-rank mana user? A B-rank hunter couldn’t survive alone among a group of A-rank monsters.”

“But this guy pushed me back and even broke my sword. There’s no way he would have fallen to mere A-rank monsters.”

Jessica snorted as if she’d heard an unfunny joke.

“Obviously, he must have used an artifact. You said you felt holy power from his body even though it wasn’t visible? Since he couldn’t possibly possess both mana and holy power simultaneously, the only remaining possibility is an artifact, right?”

Her tone was quite disbelieving, as if doubting there could be someone who could genuinely defeat Skyscraper head-on. It was rather impertinent talk for an S-rank who should be revered by the state, but the two had become close friends after years of working together, so their conversation lacked formality.

“Besides, you said the perpetrator was only wearing a helmet? If he wanted to hide his face, a mask would have been sufficient, and if he wanted protection, he would have worn full armor. The fact that he specifically wore such a conspicuous helmet means it must be an artifact with some special ability. Probably one of the abilities—either emitting shock waves or shooting lightning—is his skill, and the other is the artifact’s ability.”

‘Is that so…?’

As he listened to Jessica’s continued explanation, even the impressionable Henry Clark was gradually convinced.

“And there’s no way someone who could push you, an S-rank strength martial artist, head-on wouldn’t have been known to the public. Such a person would have even less reason to be chased by mere A-ranks.”

That statement drove the final nail into Henry Clark’s doubting mind. Now that yesterday’s battle made sense, Henry Clark sat back more comfortably in his chair.

Jessica reassured Henry Clark, who was uncharacteristically anxious.

“Don’t worry. Your problem is that you’re too timid despite your bear-like appearance. You said you figured out he was Korean? Now that we know his skill, we can narrow down the list of suspects by cross-referencing with the Korean Hunter Association database. Among them, even fewer would have entered New York. Though it doesn’t change anything to identify him since the perpetrator probably died inside the gate…”