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Chapter 24
Choi Deok-gyu pretended to be calm as he subtly observed Chaeri.
“Did she not hear it?”
Fortunately, Chaeri was looking out the window, wide-eyed with wonder.
While she wasn’t surprised by the mysterious fire that had swallowed an entire kindergarten, she seemed fascinated by the scenery outside the car. For a moment, he thought it was cute—but he quickly collected himself.
“Thank goodness. She didn’t hear it.”
But that was not the case.
Chaeri had also heard the phone conversation.
Her heart was still pounding.
She was only pretending to be calm by using more mental effort than before.
“Kidnapped?”
Things were happening like a storm that hadn’t occurred in the novel.
It was hard to process at the body of a four-year-old.
Instinctively, she just wanted to cry.
“Don’t cry, Chaeri. I can’t make a scene here.”
She tried not to distract Choi Deok-gyu.
Not interfering with him would also help Kang Se-hyun.
Throwing a tantrum here would be of no use.
Instead, she took out her kids’ phone and sent a KakaoTalk message to Davis.
[Please save Kang Se-hyun.]
Choi Deok-gyu spoke quietly.
“Let Svida know as well.”
-
Trying to deliver the message. But they’re not responding.
“Contact them as much as possible.”
It seemed that Legend-class Svida truly cared for Kang Se-hyun.
Perhaps because of him, Svida even sponsored the kindergarten.
“Please. I hope nothing happens.”
Meanwhile, Davis was leaping across the rooftops of the building as he replied.
He had already mastered typing with one hand for days like this.
[Don’t worry. I won’t make Chaeri sad :)]
It was a blunt, cold reply for Chaeri.
In a deserted building in Gyeonggi Province,
Kim Hwi-sung, the strategist of the Busan guild, said,
“It will be difficult to sway the mind of Legend-class Svida.”
Recruiting normally was impossible.
It wasn’t just about competing with the Seoul guild in Korea.
There was the Daegu guild, best at nurturing talented individuals.
The Incheon guild, richest in Korea thanks to numerous mining gates.
And competition with all the other guilds.
Right now, time was critical.
“Then, trapping him is the next best option.”
So they kidnapped Kang Se-hyun.
They guessed he was an extremely important person.
“Is it alright? Still an L-rank Awakener.”
“We’ve checked his fire resistance.”
Those who excel in one skill usually have weaknesses elsewhere.
Especially if they’re low-level.
“Analyzing his movements, he seems likely to be a tank class.”
They had acquired a video of Kang Se-hyun being carried out, with difficulty.
They gathered all the possible information.
Definitely a tank.
That meant he wasn’t as fast as an assassin or rogue.
“He’s cleared the top 10 floors, so his level is likely around 10, but considering he’s an L-rank Awakener, we assume his defense exceeds level 50. Snipers are in place.”
Even a tank didn’t matter.
In front of sniper rifles, everyone is equal.
Even the famous Korean tank Um So-young was helpless against bullets until exceeding level 50.
“And next?”
“When he’s about to die, I’ll forcibly steal his L-rank Awakening.”
Instead of an uncontrolled succession, he would forcibly take it.
Higher than simple inheritance.
He could even maintain the current level.
“Did you have such an ability?”
“Yes. It’s my unique awakening ability.”
“…”
“There are human rights concerns. Some restrictions on the ability make it hard to explain.”
For example, those whose Awakening is stolen usually die.
But that didn’t matter.
L-rank Awakeners were destined to disappear anyway.
For Busan, and for Kim Hwi-sung himself.
L-rank Awakening should belong to someone like Kim Hwi-sung.
It would shine brighter that way.
It could even be considered patriotic.
“Yes. To forcibly steal the Awakening, you need a few unawakened lives as sacrifices.”
“That’s right… huh? You, you are—!”
Turning to the source of the voice, Svida appeared.
The Busan guild master collapsed.
“Guild master?”
No reply came.
No external injury, but breathing had stopped.
‘Dead?’
Who knew what had happened.
“W-what is this place?”
“I’m not sure.”
Kim Hwi-sung panicked but tried to stay calm and quickly raised his right hand.
A sniper signal.
‘Why! Why aren’t they starting!’
He repeatedly raised his right hand.
“Why? Are you looking for this?”
Davis opened his inventory and took out several large sniper rifles.
Clatter.
The rifles fell to the floor.
Silence fell.
‘They neutralized all the snipers and came this far?’
A tank, and low-level?
What in the world was happening?
He had so much to calculate and think about that he couldn’t think at all.
He shouted in a hurry.
“Don’t move, Svida!”
Kang Se-hyun was tied to a chair, seemingly unconscious.
Davis threatened Davis with a blade near his neck.
“Move, and this one you care about will—”
“Go ahead.”
Kim Hwi-sung was startled.
The blade in his hand melted.
And a scorching heat was felt.
“Now, Kang Se-hyun.”
Kang Se-hyun wasn’t unconscious.
He muttered nonstop in an unknown language.
Suddenly, a blazing fire erupted, engulfing Kim Hwi-sung.
“Impossible!”
That was his final word.
Davis stared coldly at where Kim Hwi-sung had been.
“There’s no place for scum like you in Chaeri’s world.”
He had promised Chaeri: no sadness.
If such people ran rampant, sad things would happen to Chaeri.
After erasing all evidence, Davis spoke.
“Kang Se-hyun. Surprised?”
“■■■■.”
A string of unintelligible magical tics.
His facial muscles twitched uncontrollably.
To an outsider, it would seem bizarre, but Davis wasn’t fazed.
‘Surprisingly coherent.’
He reacted calmly despite such an intense incident.
Davis saw Kang Se-hyun as far from weak.
After a short time, the tic symptoms naturally subsided.
He muttered to himself.
“The world is survival of the fittest.”
His eyes were unfocused.
Still muttering like a tic, but now in recognizable language.
Proof that his mind was returning.
“The world is survival of the fittest.”
Chaeri had taught him that.
She also taught him to act like the male lead.
“I am….”
His eyes focused.
Flash! He regained consciousness.
“I am the male lead!!!”
Even he didn’t know what he was shouting.
He didn’t even know what a male lead was.
But Chaeri said he was the male lead, so he assumed it must be so.
Davis smirked.
‘Not bad. Quite impressive.’
He hadn’t expected him to do so well.
Originally, Davis had intended to finish things himself.
Yet now, Kang Se-hyun had regained his senses.
“Legend-nun!”
Even if Davis appeared brotherly, it didn’t matter.
If Chaeri called him ‘nun,’ he was ‘nun.’
Even if Davis seemed like a male gorilla.
“Did I act like a male lead?”
That night,
Chaeri, refusing to read a fairy tale, asked,
“Was it Davis’s plan?”
“Excuse me?”
“Kang Se-hyun oppa’s kidnapping.”
“That was an accident, Chaeri.”
“So, you provoked them like that?”
“Huh?”
Now Davis knew Chaeri.
When her emotions rose, her words became sharp (calling it ‘provocation’ was pretty cruel in Davis’s perspective).
“You used Kang Se-hyun oppa as bait.”
“…”
“Chaeri. I know everything.”
Davis was caught off guard.
Chaeri was right.
He had indeed used Kang Se-hyun as bait.
He was certain Busan and similar forces would act.
And he needed to send a warning.
Anyone attempting such a thing must be prepared for annihilation.
Now no hostile faction could move freely.
All of Davis’s schemes succeeded.
“Davis. Don’t forget.”
“Pardon?”
“Kang Se-hyun oppa is still a child.”
Being in the body of a child made it clear.
A child needed protection and love.
That was everything to them.
Kang Se-hyun was also a child in need of protection and love.
That was right.
Before being the male lead of this novel, he was a person to be protected.
Only five years old.
Just a little innocent child who liked playing with a pink magic wand.
“I want Chaeri to be safe.”
“Sacrificing a five-year-old for Chaeri’s safety is cowardly.”
Chaeri herself wanted to be loved and cherished, and wanted protection as much as anyone. Kang Se-hyun deserved the same.
No, Kang Se-hyun had the right to be protected.
“Treat children as children.”
Only then would Chaeri feel worthy of being loved.
Yet Davis’s resolve was also strong.
He would do anything for Chaeri.
“Otherwise…”
What followed was a statement that would have shocked Davis profoundly.
