CH 10

White Tiger Guild!

The giant guild, known as one of the 8 major guilds representing South Korea, had to be in chaos because of an emergency.

This was because they received a message that their banner star, known as the best talent in Korea and the future superhuman, had been attacked.

Should he say it’s a relief?

“First of all, the lady’s safety is said to be no problem.”

Guild leader Kim Jung-hoon furrowed his brow at the story relayed by his secretary.

“What were the people on standby doing that they’re so late with the news?”

“The lady managed to shake off her guards and move, so we lost track of her for a while.”

“Damn it! Are they all idiots?”

“As you know, you’re hesitant to use close range guards, so they spread out widely…”

“These bastards always cause trouble. Wasn’t it peaceful for a while? Should we set a date and have some fun? Huh? Let’s cut some meat in the tavern.”

“……”

The secretary could only cower and hunch his shoulders at Kim Jung-hoon’s raging outburst.

Although he had already received confirmation of his niece’s safety during their phone call, it was still a different matter to confirm it in person.

He wanted to run there right away, but he was currently in a meeting between the 8 guilds.

After receiving the sudden call, he announced a brief break and took various measures in a separate private room.

However, since he wasn’t moving personally, there was no way to avoid worrying about it.

After Baek Hwa-seon reached A-rank and gained some experience on the battlefield, she lowered the standard of her escorts, and now an unexpected problem has occurred.

‘Darn it! I thought things would be better after we caught that damn perverted bastard crewell.’

Come to think of it, even if it was an average hallucinator, she could have handled it alone. Wasn’t the reason he allowed her escorts to keep their distance for that reason?

Moreover, as there was a tracking device secretly attached to her, it was possible to prepare for any situation.

It was just that the appearance of the Ashen Wolves was unexpected.

“These damn dogs!”

He was so heated that he couldn’t even speak properly.

Kim Jung-hoon, who was showing his temper, calmed down and returned to the main topic when his secretary told him that there was not much time left in the break.

“Did you really catch all those damn bastards?”

“Yes. The third team executed the operation and sealed off the district.”

“Good. Hang those bastards in the detention center for now. Later, I’ll have a one-on-one talk with them while hitting the sandbag for a bit. Tighten them up firmly. Those damn assholes, I’ll fold their waists back and forth!”

“…Yes.”

The secretary was about to tell him to calm down and think about the ransom value of the hostages, but he swallowed quietly as he saw the fiery look in Kim Jung-hoon’s eyes. He was afraid that his anger might turn towards him.

As they had spent time together, their ability to predict these ominous events had become almost predictive due to the high accuracy rate.

“Speaking of which… do you know why Hwa-seon was trying to lose the escorts?”

“…I’m sorry, I haven’t figured it out yet.” There was no further discussion about that. Since it was something he would have concealed even during their previous conversation, it was better to set aside a separate time and have a thorough discussion to find out about it directly.

‘Still, just in case.’

After sending his informants to investigate the area where the Ashen Wolves were caught and giving orders to thoroughly search it, Kim Jung-hoon stood up from his seat.

It was because the break time had ended unnoticed.

ΔΔΔ

Looking down at the handcuffs in both arms.

An ability suppression device!

And it was designed to control even A-Rank awakened individuals.

‘How did I end up like this…’

Glaco looked around with a dazed expression. Skilled members of the White Tiger Guild were staring at him fiercely, as if keeping an eye on him in the escort car.

It was not easy to create a situation for once because the team was divide and ride in the separate vehicles for transportation.

He bit his lips and reminisced about the time of the incident.

‘That guy…’

The man from the slums came to mind.

‘Why?’

Why did the elite members of the Ashen Wolves fall so easily?

If the target was the powerful background of Baek Hwa-seon, and if they were to face the guild master of White Tiger Guild, they would have been able to achieve victory.

But it was not going to be an easy and relaxed game, but a fierce battle where they would push each other to their limits.

‘There are not many skilled people in South Korea who can handle us.’

They had enough confidence, and the organization had come to that conclusion, which was why only one team had been allowed to enter.

‘Who the hell is it? He can’t be a regular guy…’

Glaco’s pupils shook there. Didn’t he have a similar thought before?

“Oh my God!”

An exclamation escaped his lips, drawing the attention of the surveillance team in the vehicle.

‘Could it be that the homeless guy is a superhuman?’

With a bewildered thought, he also considered that it had to be true. Otherwise, it would be difficult to understand and accept this situation.

Given how easily and casually he was able to capture the elite members of the Ashen Wolves, it was certainly suggesting that there was such a possibility.

‘…A superhuman?’

Holding onto such an unbelievable hypothesis, he was moved to the secret base of the White Tiger Guild.

ΔΔΔ

There was a word lingering in Baek Hwa-seon’s mind.

“S-rank!”

Baek Hwa-seon had a gut feeling that the guy from the slums who subdued Crewell and overwhelmed the Ashen Wolves team was not just a hidden skilled individual, but a true superhuman who could be called a one-man army.

She had to be more cautious in her actions, and for that reason, she could only keep the story about him a secret even from her uncle and guild master, Kim Jung-hoon.

It was natural to hide such a fact from the guild members who came to catch the wolves. By selling the name of the guild leader, who was also her uncle, she could avoid many suspicious and questioning glances.

After spending some time, she finally found him. Of course, the escorts were in pursuit.

It was difficult to easily shake off the incident caused by the Ashen Wolves, but after having a separate conversation with Kim Jung-hoon and convincing him at length, she were finally allowed to lower the level of her escorts to the previous level and sneak out again during that window.

‘I’ll probably regret it later, but…’

Seeing the way Kim Jung-hoon had behaved for a while, her lips tightened at the prospect she would have to endure a long lecture, but it was worth it.

There was also a concern that he might have hidden his whereabouts, but Baek Hwa-seon gathered at least minimal information related to him by keeping an eye on Lim Seon-hee. Through this, she also found out that he was still sleeping in the same place.

“You’re late than I expected.”

Baron, who was lying on the grass, sunbathing lazily, waved his hand and spoke as she appeared.

After taking a deep breath at his sight, Baek Hwa-seon spoke up.

“Thank you for before.”

“Only with words?”

At the sudden remark, Baek Hwa-seon widened her eyes. Baron drew a circle with his thumb and forefinger.

“Showing gratitude is a basic courtesy around here.”

In an instant, the sound of money circulated in Baek Hwa-seon’s mind, but Baron quickly intervened, as if he had read her thoughts.

“You don’t need to unnecessarily increase the amount. Just bring some soju and a few bottles. It’s okay to buy one as a courtesy. Don’t worry about the burden. Bring a few packs of cigarettes…no, it would be nice if you could bring a carton.”

Should she say that the units have decreased too much?

The expression on her face clearly showed her confusion about the significant difference, but Baron smirked and straightened his back at the sight.

‘They say she’s an ice princess, but it’s all fake.’

He muttered and started rummaging through his pockets, and to Baek Hwa-seon’s surprise, a blanket popped out, as if it were a magic trick.

It was a sight that made her think of a fourth-dimensional cloth from a certain cartoon.

“It’s for the guests.”

He said as he unfolded it on one side, and seeing the inexplicable sight, Baek Hwa-seon hesitated for a moment before finally sitting on top of it.

At that sight, Baron smiled again.

‘I was going to pretend that I didn’t notice if you brought a lot of unnecessary things, but you’re not completely oblivious after all.’

Especially, the cautious attitude that she showed, taking the time to be careful even though she might miss out on him, appealed to him quite a bit.

After a brief silence, Baron opened his mouth first.

“You look like you have a lot to ask, but are you going to waste time like this?”

At that, Baek Hwa-seon struggled to speak. She knew, just as well as he did, that time was running out, especially since she had secretly separated from her escorts.

“Will you answer…my questions?”

“Well, to some extent. So don’t ask too many questions, and just ask the right ones.”

With that, Baek Hwa-seon pondered for a moment on how to set the right standard before finally asking her question.

“May I ask your name?”

“Baron.”

At that moment, there was a hint of doubt in Baek Hwa-seon’s eyes, and Baron caught it and answered precisely.

“I’m not a foreigner or anything. Baron is a Korean word, so don’t think I’m some foreigner and don’t try to impress a local like me with local things.”

“…Yes.”

Baek Hwa-seon’s eyes widened at Baron’s seemingly telepathic response. But for Baron, it was a pattern he had encountered countless times among the homeless people he had been living with for the past few months, so there was no need to catch any eye contact or expression.

‘I had a lot of trouble with this when I was young.’

After smoothing her expression for a moment, Baek Hwa-seon opened her mouth again.

“Is it okay for you to answer that so easily?”

“Well, it’s a name that you can find out just by catching a few of the nearby homeless people and asking them.”

After shrugging her shoulders, Baek Hwa-seon asked the question again with greater caution.

“Why…do you live in a place like this?”

Since it was a question that could be impolite, she became more careful.

“It’s just easier for me here. Fits my lifestyle.”

The answer came easily again.

“There’s no one to criticize me even if I play and eat all day long.”

“If you have that much ability, you could live a better life…”

“Eh, I’m past the age of showing off my strength. I don’t want to bother fighting over nothing. Besides, my body is quite sturdy, so living on the streets isn’t that tiring.”

And when I’m bored, I just pick up a few empty bottles and go to the library.

“……”

As if losing her words, Baek Hwa-seon looked at him with a dazed expression, then made an effort to regain her composure and continued the question.

It seemed like she needed to get to the point before her mind became even more confused.

“By any chance… gulp… are you a superhuman?”

It was a difficult question she asked with great effort.

“A superhuman… well…”

For some reason, there was no immediate answer to this question.

To be honest, while anticipating what kind of question she would ask before her arrival, it was also a question that he had already thought about, not just now but also sporadically in the past.

And after encountering several A-Rank ability users this time, a rough standard was set, and after a moment of contemplation, he was able to come up with his own answer.

“No.”

Baron shook his head and Baek Hwa-seon looked at him with a face tinged with doubt or suspicion.

‘Not a superhuman?’

Then what were those incredible abilities shown in the previous battle?

‘Even my uncle, wouldn’t be able to do that.’

That’s why the idea of him being a superhuman became even stronger. However, if the person in question denies it, what should she think of it?

Baron chuckled at her appearance, as she seemed to be struggling with a dilemma and furrowing her brows.

“Do you have any more questions?” he asked.

As he started to get up, Baek Hwa-seon urgently asked, “Are you stronger then a superhuman?”

Thinking that she couldn’t end the question-and-answer session like this, she hastily blurted out something nonsensical. Baron looked at her with a strange expression, and her complexion paled slightly.

She thought she had made him uncomfortable. But the following response was unexpected, no, shocking.

“It’s about skills, even if you guess the answer. It’s the correct answer.”

“……”

The thought was short, but the impact was great.

‘Is that the right answer?’

“Insane!”

She unknowingly cursed.

It seemed that she wasn’t even aware of it herself, as if she found it hard to believe with her round, wide-open eyes, and she just kept giving Baron a fiery stare.

“Well, if you don’t want to believe it, that’s your choice.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Baron stood up and brushed off his rear end.

Now he really want to quit.

“Isn’t it beyond the appropriate level for questioning? You know that too, don’t you?”

Baek Hwa-seon, who was trying to catch him, could only nod her head in response to the follow-up question. From the beginning, mentioning the superhuman was an excessive move.

Even if Baron avoided or ignored the question, there was nothing else to say. It was surprising and also questionable that he gave an answer despite everything.

With a sense of regret in her eyes, Baek Hwa-seon watched Baron leave, and the brief period of questioning and answering came to an end.

ΔΔΔ

After distancing himself for a while, Baron finally realized something.

“Oh! My mat.”

It was a fairly decent mat that he had been using carefully, but he had left it behind at the spot where he was answering questions.

“Hmm… should I go back and get it?”

In the end, he didn’t turn around.

“By the way, did I reveal unnecessary information?”

He definitely thought that his answer to the last question was too much. However, it was an inevitable part.

“Since I’m going to catch something, the bait should be certain.”

He had been thinking about raising her.

“Looks like she has some potential too.”

Plus, there was another decisive reason.

During their encounter with the Ashen wolf, he had realized something while observing her.

He had felt something nostalgic in her way of overcoming the wind storm, and this had made him pick up his fishing rod.

“Although I don’t want to get involved unnecessarily… I have no choice if I want to recover the Samshinki.”

He came to the conclusion that he had to take one step because she had what he needed most in the current situation.

“The qualities of a saint.”

She had a “special talent” that would make him a fully resident of this world.

It was an opportunity he couldn’t miss.