IRTPTA 12🌸

Episode 12

The bright red and gold flames still burned clearly in his mind.

It was the first time he had ever met a Hunter who asked for nothing in return.

Until now, Kang Suho believed that Awakened Hunters were people full of arrogance, thinking ordinary civilians only survived because of their sacrifice and mercy.

If not arrogant, then greedy—chasing money and power, caring only for themselves.

Look at the ones here. Kidnapping children—ordinary kids—and doing unspeakable things to them.

All Hunters were the same.
All disgusting, selfish beasts.

So why…

“Kid, catch!”

Why had that woman saved him and his brother… without asking for anything?

Why?

Was there some hidden reward? Maybe a bonus from the Association?

No. She wasn’t from the Association.

And she didn’t seem to be from the Black Dragon Guild either—their raid members all had matching tattoos on their arms. Her arms had been clean, without any marks.

So then…

He was back where he started.

She had saved them for no gain at all. A Hunter, helping civilians for nothing.

No… that can’t be true.

Kang Suho desperately denied it. He had to.

Because if it were true, everything he believed about the world—everything he had built his anger on—would collapse.

If not all Hunters were selfish and vile… then what did that make his life?

If good Hunters existed, then why had his life been like this?

The resentment toward the world twisted inside him, almost making him sick.

And yet…

…I still… want to live.

Shamelessly, pathetically, he longed for life.

It would have been better not to know.

Because to someone drowning in loneliness, a small act of kindness felt like a rope thrown from heaven, or the sweetest water found in a desert.

Please… save me.

The fragile wish pushed through the cracks of his hardened heart.

Though no one had promised him anything, he couldn’t help but hope for help.

Just then—

Crash!

The stone ceiling above the cage collapsed. Something like a totem dropped down.

Clatter!

The object, made of jewels and stone, shattered across the cold floor.

“Ahh! There are people down there!”

And then… that voice.

“Ah, forget it! Kid, grab it first!”

The clear, youthful voice that had seemed like a hallucination just moments ago pierced his ears through the noise.

A Few Hours Earlier

A scavenger guild member patrolled outside when a dark shadow passed behind him.

“Hm?”

He turned toward the sound of rustling leaves, only to feel something long jab into his side.

Bzzt!

“Grrhk…!”

Before he could react, a sharp electric shock knocked him out cold.

Saebyeok quickly collected his weapon and accessories into her inventory and tied his arms and legs securely.

“I don’t know if I should be scared or impressed,” Kim I-han whispered as he stepped out of the shadows, following her orders.

“If you’re scared, at least wipe that smile off your face,” Saebyeok replied sharply.

He only grinned wider.

“Just letting you know—I’ve set up ‘insurance’ like you asked.”

Jin Sung-chul: You were right. I saw the black glow.
Jin Sung-chul: Secured the area. Ten kilometers clear.
Jin Sung-chul: No one else will try to enter.
Jin Sung-chul: Should I really contact the Association?

He showed her the chat he had exchanged with the deputy guild master.

Saebyeok nodded briefly, then crouched low, sneaking through the bushes.

Kim I-han followed closely, eyes gleaming with excitement—as if he enjoyed this danger.

“I’ve seen you make glowing orbs, distract enemies with wind, and knock people out with an electric shock,” he murmured, fishing for more information.

“But honestly, you seem more like a rogue or assassin. So why buy a spear?”

He wasn’t really asking for an answer—more like enjoying his own guesses.

“Are you really S-rank? Everything I’ve seen is… kind of simple.”

He prodded again, like he was asking to see something flashier.

“When did you awaken? It must have taken forever to figure out your skills on your own. No one else to teach you, right?”

His sharp eyes hinted that her skill level was far beyond someone who had awakened recently.

“And if the only reason you haven’t registered is because of today’s situation… is this personal revenge?”

“Shh.”

Ignoring him, Saebyeok focused on the building. A shadow moved near a window, and she clamped her hand over I-han’s mouth.

She narrowed her eyes and clicked her tongue softly.

“I wasn’t seeing things earlier.”

“What is it?”

“The second-floor window.”

“I see the woman who was captured… and the loud scavenger guy.”

“Look closely at the woman’s face. Don’t you recognize her?”

“Hmm… a celebrity?”

Saebyeok shook her head.

“Stop being so self-absorbed and watch the news sometimes.”

“…?”

“That’s Lee Cheong-hae. Daughter of Lee Pado of the East Sea Guild.”

“Oh.”

I-han finally recognized her and looked again.

“And the man beside her is wanted villain Jo Chul-soo. C-rank combat Hunter, one of the scavenger leaders.”

“You know a lot… so this is really personal revenge, huh?”

“Stay here.”

Ignoring him completely, Saebyeok darted from the bushes, pressing herself against the building wall.

She leaped upward, and a breeze coiled around her ankles, lifting her silently toward the window.

Behind her, I-han muttered an impressed “Oh,” but she didn’t respond.

From the dark outside, she could see clearly inside.

Closer now, there was no doubt—it was Lee Cheong-hae and Jo Chul-soo.

In my last life, the news came out on April Fool’s Day, so I thought the kidnapping happened the day before. But no…

The Association must have controlled the news for several days because the victim was such a high-profile figure.

Back then, Saebyeok hadn’t been with the Association yet, so she hadn’t known the behind-the-scenes details.

If they still hadn’t returned Lee Cheong-hae by the time the story broke, it meant… she was already in no condition to return.

‘Good thing I came today.’

If she had come any later, it might have been too late.

Saebyeok listened to the voices from inside.

“Where’s the kid?”

“J-Just taken to the prayer room… He’ll be ‘blessed’ and sent to the ritual chamber soon…”

Saebyeok frowned as she caught their conversation.

“The old man better like this one.”

“Heh… It’s been a while since we had a child. The King will be pleased…”

“Still… this one’s really pretty.”

One of them grabbed Lee Cheong-hae by the chin, his face twisted with filthy desire, licking his lips.

Saebyeok raised a finger, ready to move—

But before she could act, Cheong-hae spat right in the man’s face.

“Don’t touch me, you stinking bastard.”

Saebyeok froze for a second.

As expected of Lee Pado’s daughter—she didn’t bother hiding her fiery temper.

“You little…! You still don’t get it, do you?!”

Smack!

Jo Chul-soo, furious, struck her across the face with the back of his hand.

But Cheong-hae didn’t break. She caught herself with her bound hands, glaring up at him with eyes that hadn’t lost their fire.

“You better be ready. When my father finds out, tearing you apart will be the least of what he does.”

“Ha! They all say that. Every girl dragged here says the same thing. But look at me—I’m still just fine, aren’t I?”

Cheong-hae clenched her fists so hard her knuckles turned white. Blood vessels burst in her eyes, but her glare stayed strong.

That only made Jo Chul-soo angrier.

“You crazy brat, still staring at me like that? I’ll show you where you belong!”

“A-Actually, no! The King ordered the sacrifice to be ‘pure’—Ahk!”

“Shut up. I’ll wash her before we bring her. The old man won’t even notice!”

The magician who had tried to stop him was knocked away with a single punch.

Jo Chul-soo’s foul hand reached for Cheong-hae’s hair—

And then—

Click.

The window latch suddenly unlocked.

Creak.

The rusty hinges gave a long groan as the window slowly opened. Everyone froze.

“What the hell?”

Jo Chul-soo’s head snapped toward it.

But he didn’t notice the green vine crawling along the wooden frame, pushing the latch open.

“Damn it, even the building’s falling apart.”

He scowled and stepped toward the window, reaching out to close it—

When something whipped around his wrist.

“Wha—?!”

A thick vine coiled around his arm and yanked hard, dragging him out through the window in an instant.

“Mmph! Mmmmph!”

Before he could shout, more vines wrapped around him, binding his body tight.

The magician turned pale.

“A m-monster—an intruder—!”

But instead of fleeing, he trembled violently, foam forming at his mouth, and collapsed backward.

Bzzt!

A small bolt of lightning zipped across the room, striking him and finishing the job. His eyes rolled back, and he fell unconscious.

“What… is happening…?”

Cheong-hae looked around in shock, glancing between the dangling Jo Chul-soo and the fallen magician—

And then a black figure slipped through the open window.

“Ah—!”

“Shh.”

Cheong-hae almost screamed, but a soft hand covered her mouth.

The stranger pulled back her hood, revealing long hair and a strikingly beautiful face.

Too beautiful to be a kidnapper.

Cheong-hae blinked, dazed.

“You’re Lee Cheong-hae, right?”

Cheong-hae nodded without thinking, as if hypnotized.

The woman smiled.

“I’m here to save you, Princess of the East Sea.”