< Chapter 37: Captured (2) >
Only a cold silence filled the dark room illuminated by the bright moonlight.
Hermit’s expression looked very complicated. It couldn’t be helped.
All of Hermit’s actions were based on ‘Search Eye’.
Since his Search Eye was malfunctioning, he couldn’t make a rational judgment.
Moreover, the only one who his Search Eye didn’t work on was the boss of the Saviors of Truth, Unknown.
It would be hard for him to act rashly in front of such an opponent.
Of course, it was also hard for me to act rashly.
I managed to avoid the situation by pretending to be confident with a momentary wit.
But if a battle broke out, I wouldn’t last a second.
Hermit was a villain who appeared after the local war scenario, and he could easily handle even S-rank superhumans.
Even if I used the Whisper of Fire, my chances of winning wouldn’t exceed 1%.
Damn it.
Why did Hermit come at this stage…
No, how did he find and target me?
Did I make any mistakes?
…Could it be that the information that I was involved in the Doppelganger or Pyo Il-chan incident reached the ears of the Saviors of Truth?
If that’s the case, it would be a headache.
The plan that I had set up would be twisted completely.
…Then, what I should prioritize right now is to find out Hermit’s purpose.
I calmed my mind.
“This is the fourth time. There won’t be a next one.”
I recalled the most arrogant character I could remember from my memory.
I’ve always been good at wearing masks.
“Tell me why you came looking for me. Intruder.”
Considering Hermit’s personality, the probability of a battle breaking out right now was very low.
He was most likely trying to escape right now.
But I couldn’t let him escape. Never.
“Try to run away if you can.”
So first, I blocked his escape route.
“….!”
If Hermit escaped, he would surely report to Unknown about me.
That he met someone who couldn’t see the status window like him.
Then Unknown would most likely move personally.
The strongest being in the world.
If I got marked by him, there would be no way to survive.
I had to avoid that at all costs.
Fortunately, there was a way to overcome this crisis.
For that, I had to tie up Hermit’s feet first.
“Why are you like that? I thought you were going to run away like a rat. Are your feet stuck to the ground?”
“…..”
His expression hardened even more.
He must have felt anxious by my confident words and hesitated about escaping.
Then I could say that I put out the urgent fire for now.
Then the next step.
“Well, fine. A guest who came after a long time. It’s not elegant to treat you too roughly. Sit down. I’ll give you coffee if you want.”
“….!”
I moved my steps leisurely.
From his perspective, it would be a movement full of flaws.
No, it was actually full of flaws.
Thud. Thud.
But as long as the premise that his Search Eye didn’t work was set, every action I did would be a threat and awe to him.
No, rather he would be more wary because he couldn’t understand my movements.
“Are you going to make me say it twice?”
Hermit moved nervously and sat on a chair.
“Good. Now we can talk.”
I suppressed my trembling and prepared instant coffee.
Thud-
“Drink it.”
I put a cup of coffee on the table.
And I took the remaining one to my mouth.
Hermit also drank his coffee right away.
“You’re reckless. What if I poisoned it?”
“I judged that someone as strong as you wouldn’t use such a cumbersome method as poison.”
“Hmph. Nonsense.”
I snorted and gulped down my coffee.
I was so immersed in acting that I almost burned my tongue.
But somehow I endured it well.
“Do you think I’ve seen people like you for a day or two? You must have some kind of poison detection trait.”
Hermit’s eyes shook slightly.
“Then I’ll give you one more chance. What do you want from me? Intruder.”
I put down my coffee cup and glared at Hermit. At the same time, I used ‘The Predator’s Killing Intent’ to pressure him.
With my current skill level, it would be a very fleeting pressure, but it didn’t matter.
The important thing was that it was a kind of pressure that he had never experienced before.
Even if he was Hermit, he had never been in the position of prey before.
“!”
Hermit’s body stiffened and sweat started from his forehead and ran down his chin to the floor.
“I-I received an order from the organization to infiltrate the officer academy.”
Hermit finally opened his heavy mouth. I cheered inwardly.
“Then?”
“Before infiltrating. While I was digging up the background of the Doppelganger who was originally in charge of this mission. I got the information that you entered the gambling den when the Doppelganger was arrested.”
“Hmm.”
I lifted my chin slightly and gestured for him to continue.
“I investigated you a little more, and found out that you were involved in the Demon Resurrection incident and that you had met with Yu Hwa, the guild master of Bihon, personally. After combining all that, I came to the conclusion that there must be something about you.”
I understood.
“That’s a good approach. So. You came here today for that investigation?”
“Yes. If it was nothing, I would have taken your life and…”
Hermit glanced at me.
He must have been nervous about saying that he was going to kill me.
I smiled more casually.
“….disguised myself as you and infiltrated the superhuman academy.”
Hermit swallowed his saliva again. I could see his forehead sweating profusely.
He was afraid of me.
And from his reaction, I could also tell how much he feared Unknown.
“That’s the truth.”
The words matched.
Hermit wouldn’t lie in this situation anyway.
“You seem to want to live very much.”
Lies are sweet, but the price is death.
Hermit’s words.
“But unfortunately.”
I stroked my chin and smiled coldly.
“I can’t let go of someone who knows my identity.”
Hermit spoke urgently.
“….How dare I know your identity?”
“Hmm. You don’t know what I am.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
How could he figure it out when I had no hidden identity?
“But you knew that I had some secret.”
“….That’s.”
“And surely if you left here, you would report to your boss…”
I looked at Hermit briefly.
“Unknown.”
“!”
Hermit gasped.
He was surprised that I knew the code name of his boss.
“That would be a problem.”
I erased my emotions and glared at Hermit.
I didn’t forget to use ‘The Predator’s Killing Intent’ again.
Hermit’s face turned paler.
“I-I won’t say anything! I’ll keep this in my heart for the rest of my life!”
“Hmm.”
The truth is, I have no way to kill him.
If Hermit decided to ‘resist before dying!’ and writhed his body, I would be killed instantly.
Maybe I wouldn’t even have a body left.
“I see your point. Fine. I’ll spare you.”
So, I let Hermit go.
I had no choice.
“Th-thank you…..”
“But.”
But I didn’t intend to let him go just like that. I’m not a fool to let him go and get into trouble.
“I’ll put a curse on you.”
I walked leisurely and headed towards the carrier at the entrance.
“….A, a curse?”
Whirr-
When I opened the carrier, the Whisper of Fire, an ancient relic, shone with a captivating red light.
“Is that….. an relic of the spirit race?”
“You have good eyes.”
I smiled casually and grabbed the Whisper of Fire Spirit in my hand.
Whirr-
“….Huk!”
Along with Hermit’s gasp, the room was filled with a faint flame.
“Th-that’s a··· spirit!”
The Whisper of Fire has three special effects.
[Master of Fire]
[Child of Flame]
[Great Spirit’s Oath]
These three.
Among them, what I used was [Great Spirit’s Oath]
It was more of a contract than a curse.
It required the consent of both parties to use it, but if used well, it could function as a curse.
“I execute a contract under the name of the Great Spirit.”
“Gr-great spirit?”
The surroundings became brighter and a ring of fire floated above my head.
“One. You will not divulge any information about me.”
The ring of fire increased to two.
“Two. You will not harm me.”
Finally, the ring increased to three and rotated.
“Three. You will obey my commands.”
I pressed the Whisper of Fire against Hermit’s chest.
“Do you agree?”
“…..”
Hermit looked like he had lost his soul. He seemed to have given up on resisting.
“I-I agree.”
Hermit answered with trembling eyes.
Whirr-
The three rings of fire rotated and rushed towards Hermit’s heart. He wouldn’t feel any heat. The flame of the spirit only burned what it decided to harm.
“If you break the contract, the ring of fire will burn your heart completely.”
Hermit shivered and nodded.
The contract was safely made.
“Come back here in a month.”
“Y-yes.”
In 30 seconds, backflow would start from the Whisper of Fire Spirit. I had to send Hermit away before that.
Hermit headed towards the window nervously. Ah. There was one more thing I had to say before that.
“If you follow my words well.”
Hermit stopped his movement slightly at my words.
“I might be able to solve the curse that Unknown put on you.”
“….!”
Hermit’s eyes widened.
“H-how do you know that?”
I didn’t answer.
I just gestured with my chin to hurry up.
Hermit seemed to want to say something, but he closed his mouth.
“….I’ll see you in a month.”
He soon disappeared from my room.
* * *
Hermit, who ran out of Kang Seo-yul’s house as if he was escaping, sat down in a quiet park nearby and gasped for breath.
“….A spirit.”
Hermit touched his chest where his heart was and thought.
He said it was a contract of the Great Spirit.
That meant that he was one of the leaders among the spirit race.
He was surprised that spirits still existed, let alone a higher being.
‘….Then it’s natural that my Search Eye didn’t work.’
His Search Eye didn’t work on opponents who were too high in rank.
Like Unknown, the boss of the Saviors of Truth.
“….Unknown.”
He unconsciously gritted his teeth as he thought of Unknown.
Hermit wasn’t in the Saviors of Truth because he wanted to.
He was just forced to obey his orders because of Unknown’s curse.
In his heart, he cursed Unknown and the Saviors of Truth more than anyone else.
‘….If Kang Seo-yul. If he solves my curse.’
Then he would be the one to stab a dagger into Unknown’s heart.
* * *
I stayed still for 10 seconds even after Hermit disappeared.
Just in case someone was watching me.
As soon as I was sure that Hermit was completely gone.
“Ugh.”
The tension in my whole body relaxed and I collapsed on the floor.
That was a close call.
If the attacker wasn’t Hermit, I would have died for sure.
“Phew.”
It was a godsend that I kept the Whisper of Fire.
If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything.
I felt relieved for about 5 seconds.
Zap-!
“Ouch!”
The staff that I was holding.
Sparks flew from the Whisper of Fire.
[Error! Error!]
The familiar pain and message.
I immediately let go of my hand.
“Whew.”
The next moment, I felt a strange sensation on the back of my hand.
On the back of my hand, there was a tattoo of a flame that symbolized the fire spirit.
But the color was green, so it was very unbalanced.
Wait, the back of my hand?
No, not the back of my hand!
How can I hide a tattoo on such a visible spot!
“….Do I have to wear gloves or something?”
I sighed softly.
Well. I’ll find a way to hide the tattoo.
I can just say that I’m a tattoo freak.
Is that too much?
Eh. I don’t know.
I have to check the trait first anyway.
“Please give me a good trait.”
I looked at the tattoo on the back of my hand and thought about the traits of the spirit race.
Please buy me a coffee…
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