episode_0071

071.

“What?”

A question mark floated above Seong Yura’s head.

Villante, or rather Lee Jinhyuk, is storming into this mansion and causing a ruckus?

How did that guy even know the location of the mansion? And how did he have the confidence that Jin Soyeon was here? The place Seong Yura mentioned was an abandoned building on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, right?

“Currently in corridor C-1! Confirmed one person! The injury of Guard Team 1 is severe! They keep demanding something from us… Agh, aaaaah?!”

Click. The call was cut off.

It seems like something happened while they were on the call.

Seong Yura clenched her phone tightly for a moment.

“….”

She gently raised her eyebrows.

Dare to barge in here?

Alone, no less?

“….Bring me the tablet. I need to check the CCTV footage of the mansion.”

“Yes.”

One of her subordinates standing nearby handed her the tablet.

Seong Yura checked the CCTV footage through the tablet screen. She mentioned corridor C-1, right? As she swiped through the screens, the image of the corridor started to appear one by one.

“What is this sight.”

The corridor was truly gruesome.

About a dozen of her subordinates were lying around, slashed with swords in various places.

Blood splattered on the walls, and her subordinates writhed on the ground like pitiful insects.

It seems like he didn’t kill the hero trainees.

The injuries were quite severe, so if they weren’t treated immediately, there would likely be serious aftereffects. Seong Yura bit her lower lip slightly.

Jinhyuk took down all those people by himself?

“Indeed… his skills are quite impressive. I thought the rumors were a bit exaggerated, but it seems not.”

Clean and swift swordsmanship.

Intricate sword techniques.

A beautiful sword.

It reminded her of Yudahee.

“To subdue without killing is much more difficult. So, is his skill really close to that of a top-tier hero?”

Most of the Guard Team members have skills equivalent to or better than active heroes, so if he has the skill to subdue them without killing, he must be at least a high-ranking or top-ranking powerhouse.

“Besides Yudahee and Baek Yurin, there’s another monster like him.”

Reaching that level at such a young age?

Considering his potential, he might become an unbelievable monster in the future.

He might even be one of the top 10 in the future.

“But this guy… is he really Lee Jinhyuk?”

She glanced at the face of the person in the video for a moment.

The CCTV quality was not good, so it was hard to tell for sure.

Moreover, Villante was wearing a black hat and a mask, making it difficult to recognize his face.

But based on his flashy sword skills and the numerous subordinates lying around, it seemed like that man was indeed Lee Jinhyuk.

After all, there was no one else who would storm into Seong Yura’s mansion alone in the current situation.

And a young man with such skills is not common.

“But how did he find out the location of this mansion? Oh, could it be that Roxanne told him?”

If Roxanne, who had been investigating Seong Yura for a long time, knew the location of the mansion, it wouldn’t be surprising.

Jinhyuk had a connection with Roxanne, so if she told him the location of the mansion, it wouldn’t be strange.

Ah, how annoying.

The troops were unnecessarily scattered.

The number of troops sent to the abandoned building was quite large.

“You there, contact the ones sent to the abandoned building and tell them to return immediately.”

“Yes!”

“Tsk. Considering the transportation in the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, it will take quite some time for them to return.”

Of course, with the forces inside the mansion alone, Lee Jinhyuk could have easily handled them, so it didn’t matter if the external forces arrived late.

However, Seong Yura’s mood was not good.

“Hah. This guy, Lee Jinhyuk. How dare he come in here alone?”

Is he crazy?

Is he ignorant or brave?

Seong Yura was dumbfounded by Lee Jinhyuk’s bold frontal assault.

Even if he sneaked in quietly, it was absurd to blatantly attack like this…

“What is he thinking?”

If he wasn’t underestimating Seong Yura, it would be impossible for him to cause such a commotion alone.

No matter how strong Bejillante was, he could never defeat the collective power with his individual strength.

Even if it was Yudahee or a high ranker who came in, they could be dealt with in this mansion.

The most dangerous thing was Seong Yura’s mansion itself.

“Could it be a diversion tactic? But why would he risk attracting attention alone… If he knows about me, he wouldn’t think like that.”

Seong Yura pondered the current situation for a moment.

“Moreover, I am holding a hostage right now. Doesn’t he care about Jinsuyeon’s life? What would he gain by threatening me with Jinsuyeon?”

As long as he held Jinsuyeon’s life in his hands, acting like this was equivalent to tightening his own noose.

If it were Seong Yura, she would have tried to sneak in and rescue Jinsuyeon first.

“Well, okay. Whether it’s a diversion tactic or not, it doesn’t matter. Why not try threatening with Jinsuyeon?”

She glanced at Jinsuyeon.

Jinsuyeon seemed unsure of the current situation.

But judging from the situation, she seemed to think that heroes might have come to rescue Jinsuyeon.

Hmm, what should I do?

After a moment of contemplation, Seong Yura smirked.

Yes, it wouldn’t be fun to threaten Jinsuyeon from the start.

I should watch it with her.

To see her childhood friend and former boyfriend resist to the end and be ruthlessly killed.

Oh, I’m already looking forward to what expression Jinsuyeon will make.

“James.”

“Yes.”

Suddenly.

A man rose up like a shadow.

He appeared to be an ordinary-looking man in his thirties, but Jinsuyeon instinctively realized.

That man, he’s a monster.

An unbelievable monster.

“I’ll give you 15 minutes to go with your direct subordinates and take down this guy. Oh, if he resists too much…”

Seong Yura smiled slyly.

“…You can kill him.”

“Our escort forces may be insufficient. Are you sure? There is a possibility of a diversion.”

Seong Yura shrugged at James’ concern.

“It’s okay. I activated the security system. To get here, you have to face numerous traps and guards. At least until you take down that guy, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

Even if Lee Jinhyuk had hidden reinforcements, it was fine.

It would take a considerable amount of time to break through to where Seong Yura was.

“Well, unless he uses the secret passage I’ve hidden.”

Of course, the secret passage was also filled with traps, so even if he luckily discovered and used it, Seong Yura would notice it quickly.

It seemed better to just send James to quickly take down Lee Jinhyuk and then rejoin.

“Yes. Understood. Then.”

The man disappeared into the ground as he did when he first appeared.

James was the most trusted mercenary by Seong Yura.

His skills were close to those of a top-tier hero.

If he fought alone against Lee Jinhyuk, it would be uncertain, but if he attacked with his subordinates, even Lee Jinhyuk would fall without a fight.

It’s no wonder that Lee Jin-hyuk has expended a considerable amount of stamina and mana dealing with quite a number of people, while James is still lively.

Moreover, the subordinates assisting James are exceptionally skilled.

They are capable enough to hold Lee Jin-hyuk back by his ankles.

“Alright, Jin So-yeon. How long do you think the person who came to rescue you can hold out? Shall we watch together?”

“Seong Yura, stop it! Can’t you just leave it be? What are you trying to do?”

“Don’t you want to see it? Your prince charming on a white horse struggling to rescue you.”

With a teasing tone mixed with mockery, Seong Yura grinned and revealed the answer to who had come to rescue her.

“Is Jin-hyuk currently fighting hard?”

“What…?”

For a moment, Jin So-yeon furrowed her brows and pondered over the nonsense Seong Yura had uttered.

Jin-hyuk, Jin-hyuk?

She had thought he would have called the police or heroes, but now Jin-hyuk was directly involved in the fight?

It sounded unbelievable.

This situation is completely different from the midterm exam when they couldn’t receive outside help. If an academy trainee was kidnapped, they could have sought help from the police or the hero association. In that case, Jin-hyuk would have had no reason to intervene in the rescue.

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Whether my words are true or not, you can find out by watching the CCTV footage, right?”

Seong Yura dragged a chair over and sat next to Jin So-yeon. Then, she played the CCTV footage on a tablet.

And in the CCTV, one could see bloodstains splattered all over the walls, ceiling, floor, everywhere.

Jin So-yeon swallowed a groan.

W-what is this sight?

It’s quite a grim sight, almost too difficult to look at.

“He seems to have escaped from C-1 area. Only traces remain.”

“And you think Jin-hyuk did this?”

“Yeah. Seems like he was quite angry at being kidnapped. He seems quite violent.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Jin-hyuk wouldn’t do that.”

Initially, Jin-hyuk doesn’t have the ability to face villains.

While Jin-hyuk’s tactical abilities are acknowledged, his direct combat abilities are much lower than Jin So-yeon’s.

It’s impossible for Jin-hyuk, who is like that, to have defeated so many people. Absolutely not. Yes, absolutely not.

“Really?”

“What?”

“Are you sure that it wasn’t Jin-hyuk’s doing?”

“Of course…”

As she was about to answer,

Jin So-yeon bit her lip.

Because a certain memory from her conversation with Yoo Seol-hyun in the restroom flashed through her mind.

Yoo Seol-hyun had said something like this.

– You really don’t know anything?

– About Jin-hyuk.

– Hmm, you don’t. That’s fine then.

– I want to tell you, but I promised not to tell anyone else.

Yoo Seol-hyun had hinted that Jin-hyuk was hiding something.

At that time, it had bothered her a bit, but as time passed, she had naturally forgotten about it. But why did Yoo Seol-hyun take him to a dangerous place like a dungeon if Jin-hyuk was hiding something dangerous?

Her expression seemed to suggest that there was no need to worry even if she took him to a dangerous place like a dungeon.

Could it be that Jin-hyuk was really hiding something remarkable?

Without saying a word to Jin So-yeon?

‘…No, no, what am I thinking?’

Jin So-yeon forcefully pushed away the possibility that had come to mind during her contemplation. It was almost like an absurd delusion when considered logically. It was only natural for Jin So-yeon to deny it.

“You seem to be in doubt judging by your expression.”

Seong Yura was flipping through the CCTV footage, searching for Jin-hyuk’s whereabouts.

After flipping through the screens a few more times, they finally saw a man wearing a black hat, facing off against security guards.

It was none other than Vittilante.

“Take a look. Is he your childhood friend or not?”

“Oh.”

On the screen, a man’s figure appeared.

He was a bit far away, and the image quality was not great, so it was hard to distinguish if that man was Jinhyuk or not.

Although his physique seemed similar, his movements and swordsmanship were exceptional.

It was hard to see clearly.

The poor image quality, combined with the continuous use of special effects, made it even more difficult to recognize him.

“Oh, the image quality isn’t great, right? It’s an old setup.”

“Is this person Jinhyuk?”

“Why? Can’t you believe it?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Such incredible skills.

Easily dodging, blocking, and countering multiple attacks from others.

Moreover, Jinhyuk is supposed to be an archer. Can he really handle a sword this well? Has he been hiding his skills all this time?

Ha.

Jin Soyeon chuckled inwardly.

Even if she wanted to be deceived, she couldn’t. Isn’t it obvious that Seongyura is lying?

But what if.

Just this once.

If the person in this video is really Jinhyuk?

Then Jinhyuk is in a really dangerous situation right now, isn’t he?

“Oh, oh. James got a good hit, seems like it’s taking a toll on his stamina?”

“Ah!”

Seeing Villerante stagger after being attacked by James on the screen, Jin Soyeon sighed reflexively and bit her lip tightly.

“He does look somewhat similar, but, could it really be Jinhyuk…?”

She couldn’t be sure if it was Jinhyuk or not, but looking at Seongyura’s face, it didn’t seem like he was lying.

So, even more anxious thoughts swirled in Jin Soyeon’s mind.

“Stop it, Seongyura.”

“Huh? Why? You don’t think it’s Jinhyuk?”

“Whether that person is Jinhyuk or not, he’s quite injured! So please stop now.”

“Don’t want to?”

“What?”

“I don’t really like intruders, you know.”

Seongyura smirked.

Oh, Jin Soyeon finally showed a good expression.

She said she didn’t believe it, but she looks subtly worried, right?

“This time, you got your arm slashed? It’ll be even harder to resist now.”

“S-Seongyura!”

Jin Soyeon shouted with a frightened expression.

Why does she look so anxious and worried?

I want to see more.

“Uh-huh~? Why?”

“Stop it now… please…”

Jin Soyeon, who couldn’t bear to watch an innocent person getting hurt, now that she thought the person in the video might be Jinhyuk, couldn’t take it anymore.

She never wanted to sound weak in front of villains, but what if Jinhyuk, what if he gets seriously hurt?

Perhaps the thought of him possibly dying made Jin Soyeon’s mind go blank.

I can’t watch anymore.

“Please stop, I beg you…”

“Surrender already? It’s getting boring… Oh, this is…”

Seongyura suddenly grinned mischievously.

Of course, Villerante on the screen had suffered fatal injuries from countless villains’ attacks.

No, not fatal injuries, but if it’s that kind of wound…

“It seems like it’s too late, Jin Soyeon?”

“Huh? Oh, no? Surely not.”

“Look at that.”

“Huh?”

Jin Soyeon, her heart pounding, hesitantly glanced at the screen.

Through the blurry view, she saw Villerante on the screen being stabbed with a knife.

The sharp blade pierced his abdomen.

Blood was flowing profusely.

James quickly raised his sword.

Villerante, unable to move properly due to the fatal injury, was helpless.

No matter how hard he tried to resist, the villain’s sword was much faster. James’ blade swiftly slashed and severed Vittilante’s throat.

“Oh my. Your childhood friend, I see.”

Seong Yura quietly approached and whispered the cruel truth into Jin Soyeon’s ear.

“Is he dead?”