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Chapter 31
Hijacking (2)
“…….”
“…….”
The train car was silent.
The passengers didn’t say a word to me.
It was a stark contrast to when I first dealt with the intruder.
Why? Who knows.
Maybe they were in awe of my overwhelming destructive power.
Or maybe they were hesitant to approach someone as cold and ruthless as me.
Honestly, it doesn’t matter.
After all, these are just fleeting encounters.
I’m not the kind of person whose ego is shaken by every little reaction from others.
Ding!
[Due to very rapid mana recovery, the state of mana exhaustion has ended early.]
My mana depletion ended, and strength returned to my body.
“Phew…”
I exhaled softly and healed my wounds with a potion.
Then, I focused on the rear of the train.
Gunshots, screams, and the clash of cold weapons echoed from the next car.
Should I help?
I hadn’t stepped in originally, but somehow I had become involved in a fight with the villain group, Mirinae.
In that case, rather than standing idly by, it would be better to assist the Royal Guards and lend a hand in defeating the villains.
Perhaps I can even earn some favor with the Royal Guard.
And…
…it’s also a bit awkward to just stay here.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, I realized I didn’t really want to remain in place.
Better to move.
Frill. Let’s go.
【…….】
Frill?
I called to Frill, but there was no response.
I looked closer to see what she was doing.
【Ahem ahem.】
?
She was hiding somewhere among the passengers, clearing her throat.
And then…
“Thank you for protecting us, Hunter!”
It wasn’t her usual voice that I could hear, but a human voice she was imitating.
What are you doing?
I wondered what on earth she was trying to achieve.
Even though her power was weak and wouldn’t help much, why waste it like this?
But as I saw what happened next, I understood her intention.
“…Th-thank you.”
“Thanks to you, we survived!”
“You were a bit rough… but you really did protect us!”
Her role was that of a decoy.
She allowed everyone else to speak up, to say what they couldn’t say on their own.
I thought I didn’t care about the passengers’ reactions…
Maybe it’s not entirely true.
I felt a strange warmth in my chest.
And…
“Th-thank you… and… I’m sorry…”
The woman who had been held hostage by Baldy expressed her gratitude and apology.
I didn’t ask why she was apologizing.
I just… understood.
Frill.
【Hehe. Did I do well?】
You better be ready to eat five ice creams later.
【Oh yeah!】
Frill clenched her fists and cheered.
Her adorable gesture seemed even cuter today.
Leaving behind the approving glances of the passengers, I headed toward the rear cars.
Our car was safe, but the train still wasn’t moving.
That meant the Mirinae villains who had taken over the train hadn’t all been dealt with.
Even without that, the sounds of ongoing combat could still be felt.
In the next car, I found…
“Ugh… ugh…”
The passengers were all sitting quietly, frozen in fear.
“Who’s this guy?”
And right in the middle of them, a man—presumed to be a villain—glared at me and raised a bloodstained blade.
There was no need to ask if he was affiliated with Mirinae.
“Doesn’t matter. Anyone moving dies!”
He charged at me with the knife raised.
“Your reason for dying is because you’re clueless—”
Shing!
I sliced through his neck in one stroke, muttering.
“The clueless one is you.”
Did he not understand what it meant to walk boldly in a place like this?
【If you’re weak and clueless, you should die!】
“True enough.”
I agreed with Frill and continued moving forward.
“Huff, huff!”
“Breathe.”
I eased the tension of the passengers slightly.
Once I moved to the next car, they’d be fine.
I continued on.
Slash!
Thunk!
Boom!
I cleared out the remaining Mirinae members and reached the very rear of the train.
“Is the villain group strong?”
【Seems like it!】
Along the way, I saw multiple bodies.
Some looked like civilians, others like villains, and some wore Royal Guard uniforms.
Clang! Bang!
I could sense an enormous amount of mana beyond the doors.
“Hmm…”
【Eugene. You’ll be okay?】
Frill looked up at me, concern on her face.
“Wait a moment.”
The energy felt far greater than expected.
This might be a battle even I could struggle to handle.
It’s not going to be easy already.
Back in the provinces, battling alongside the Hyunwoong and Gwangcheol factions, no Hunter could defeat me.
Even though I was only 4-star at the time.
But now…
5-star. Maybe even higher?
Even before arriving in Seoul, the level of opponents had clearly increased.
The Baldy I fought earlier was tricky, though I ultimately won.
A single misstep could have cost me victory.
And the opponents beyond these doors were clearly stronger than Baldy.
I don’t want to be the shrimp crushed in a whale fight.
I considered stepping back, but shook my head.
The return is worth the risk.
If the Royal Guard is winning, there’s almost no risk.
If the villains are winning, the risk is there—but so is a huge reward.
If I can just turn the tide.
It would require skill, but I had confidence in my ability.
“Going in.”
【Okay! I’ll focus too!】
Making a quick decision, Frill and I quietly entered the last car.
Cargo car?
Unlike its ordinary passenger exterior, it had been converted into a cargo car with no seats.
I stealthily scanned the area.
Inside, two people were in combat.
One was Joo Eun-seol from the Royal Guard guild, whom I had seen before boarding.
The other was a man with blue skin in a powered exoskeleton, pushing Eun-seol back.
Is that even human?
His appearance was inhuman, but I couldn’t be certain.
It didn’t matter.
Boom! Bang!
“Ugh!”
“Struggling is useless.”
Eun-seol is being pushed back.
From anyone’s perspective, the blue guy clearly had the advantage.
Given that Eun-seol is a known 5-star Hunter, the blue man must be at least 6-star.
I couldn’t easily see a way to turn this situation around.
Where are the other Royal Guard Hunters?
Looking around, I noticed bodies on the floor.
Some were villains, but most were Royal Guard members.
Could they all be dead?
The enemy was probably 6-star, and our top fighter was 5-star.
It made sense that stalling was all they could do.
Then…
“Ah, no… Should I run? No… How could I abandon Drake… but if I die…”
Someone trembled in one corner of the train.
A small man, under 160 cm, youthful face, solidly built.
Who is this person?
【Do you know him?】
Yes. A Purple-tier artisan from the Blacksmith guild.
Han Soo-gyeol.
A famous craftsman, just below top-tier, known for making equipment favored by ranked Hunters.
Next to him lay a huge monster corpse.
Never seen this monster before.
Its purple scales suggested a rare species.
It became clear what was happening.
Han Soo-gyeol had acquired a rare monster corpse and entrusted its transport to the Royal Guard.
The Mirinae villains learned this and attacked the train.
If I handle this blue guy carefully, I could earn big favor here.
Helping to defeat him might bring two major figures onto my side.
I started planning how to deal with the blue man.
Alright.
I devised a strategy worth trying.
Step.
“Ah!”
I intentionally made a noise to announce my presence, unlike moments ago when I was silent.
All three in the cargo car immediately looked at me.
“Eek!”
Eun-seol, blocking the blue man’s attack, gritted her teeth.
Since I wasn’t Royal Guard, she naturally assumed I was an enemy.
“Hmm.”
The blue man also looked puzzled.
I wasn’t part of Mirinae either.
Han Soo-gyeol… was keeping quiet.
Perhaps still undecided whether to run.
I bowed slightly toward the blue man.
“Nice to meet you, Commander!”
“Who’s this? Never seen him before.”
“I want to join Mirinae!”
My plan was simple.
Approach the blue man pretending to be an ally, then strike from behind.
Better odds than a blind ambush.
The blue man glanced at me and nodded approvingly.
“4-star? Alright, decent enough.”
Not many would mind a 4-star Hunter joining the fray.
He noticed my level immediately… not bad.
Even though I deliberately showed only 4-star mana, he could tell my true level instantly.
“Take the entry exam. Kill her.”
He naturally commanded me to kill Eun-seol.
Feigning shock, I asked:
“Me? But Eun-seol is a 5-star Hunter—”
“She’s already exhausted.”
“…Ah!”
“You want to join Mirinae without being able to handle that?”
The blue man scoffed.
“I’ll do it!”
I lifted my sword, pointing at Eun-seol.
Her face filled with despair.
It was understandable; facing just the blue man was tough enough, and now another enemy appeared.
But my sword wasn’t aimed at her.
Swish! Crash!
I quickly turned and swung my sword at the blue man.
“Heh. That was predictable.”
“I thought as much, but I won’t let my guard down.”
He blocked my attack lightly with the exoskeleton arm.
He never trusted me.
And rightly so.
Of course, I had a backup plan.
Holding my sword against the exoskeleton, I thrust my left fist forward.
Target: the core of his exoskeleton.
“This guy’s a joke.”
He laughed at my move.
“Destroy the suit’s core? Think that’ll work?”
The core was heavily protected. My bare-handed strike, without a weapon or proper distance for momentum, would normally do nothing.
But…
How about using “One Punch”?
[‘Divine Power: One Punch’ skill activated.]
[1,082 mana consumed.]
Though my mana was still low, 1,082 units focused into my left fist.
Thrust!
In an instant, the destructive force magnified enormously.
—KRAAAASH!
I struck the core of the exoskeleton.
Bang!
The core shattered.
“Gah!”
The blue man groaned in pain.
He clearly didn’t expect such an attack from a mere 4-star Hunter.
Sparks flew violently from the destroyed core.
“You bastard! How dare you!”
However, the attack barely destroyed the core—it didn’t directly harm him.
Ding!
[Entering state of mana exhaustion.]
My strength drained.
Clang. Clang.
The blue man detached the now scrap exoskeleton pieces.
His burning gaze was terrifying.
Damn, scary as hell.
He pulled out a metal club from pocket space and raised it high.
“Die, rat.”
I shouted urgently to Eun-seol, who seemed unaware.
“What are you doing! Now’s your chance!”
“…Huh?”
“Enough has been done, act on it!”
Thankfully, she quickly understood.
Clang!
She leaped in front of me, blocking the club.
Zeeeeeooong!
