Just a few minutes after the abduction...
Sirens began to sound out noisily into the building grounds. Shouts and alarms are flocking one after another, forming what felt like chaos.
"Everyone, calm down!" The guards and hunters were immediately at the scene, trying to control the crowd.
Since Shin In Soo is already at the premise. Looking down at the young man who passed out a moment ago, he handed Lin Young-Jae to a nurse to be taken back to his room before going into the scene.
At least three A-ranked giant venomous spider were caught and killed immediately. The guild master frowned, his superficial smile had long vanished after seeing this odd incongruity after returning.
It's not a coincidence that a monster suddenly appeared here. He thought further. Is it a rebellious attack? If releasing a monster here at the exact moment that he appeared in the premise, then is it a means of distraction? For whom?
He had rolled up a few possibilities. First, an attempt to ruin the name of Aegis by compromising citizen's safety which can be easily bury with the use of monetary silencing. Second, an assassination attempt. If it's an assassination attempt, how come there was no follow up. And if so, who is the target?
"Are there any casualties?" He asked the hunter who was guiding beside him.
"Guild master? Fortunately, no one died or got injured." He explained.
The man nodded. "Is there any strange movements?"
"We're still having the guards check the security cameras, sir."
"Alright."
The seconds option is also far off. Then third, it is unrelated to him, but would be related to one of the people who resides here in the hospital.
He weighed the idea and felt like it's possible.
But then who could it be?
The only important people who are strolling in the gardens at the time before the attack is a government official, a retired scientist and him.
The government official is not ill, but he actually fell on his stairs and broke a bone in his leg. He is quite transparent in the Senate and are well supported by ordinary citizens and he didn't have disputes against any big named individual. So it shouldn't be him.
The retired scientist could be the target. The doctor had earned a lot of merit in the scientific industry and made a name for himself. He partook several projects and almost know every ins and outs of every equipment here in the guild. But the man isn't legible anymore. The reason he can walk around without guards is because there's really nothing to get out from him. He had long suffered dementia and had forgotten pretty much everything that could be considered top secret. He had a lot of enemies, but after years of being here, no one even raised a hand at him. Probably just glad that he's no longer capable.
Crossing out two people, he was once again in a dead end. Who else is in this place could become a possible target? A person that people doesn't particularly liked-
His eyes, which were uninterested suddenly became sharp. He immediately ran back inside the hospital building, but not even reaching the stairs, he saw the body of a nurse lying on the corridor unconscious. Beside him, an empty wheelchair and two indoor slippers that seemed to have slipped out loosely on someone's feet.
He hoped that it's not the case. But the nurse was the same person he entrusted Lin Young-Jae to.
Of course, how could he not suspect that someone is after the kid? How could he not consider the fact that he is Lin Ji-Young's one and only weakness? She is one of the top ten hunters in the country and a person targeted by many due to her declining popularity from false accusations and her equally cold temperament. She is strong, so the only way to bring her down is targeting a weaker party that she cherished.
He rushed through the window and jumped while taking out his phone, dialling people and ordering them to check the surveillance in the indoor gardens and the floor where the young man was abducted.
Lin Ji-Young is currently in another dungeon raid so she will be out of contact in a while. But upon estimation, she will be returning the next day. If possible, he wanted to find Young-Jae as quickly as he can, and not be the bearer of the bad news.
That child... he should not have left him alone.
.
"Is this good enough?" A total of six men stopped from running upon reaching a dead end in the alleyway.
They wore several layers of clothing, but not too well to make it suspicious. But obvious from their desperate face that they are running away from someone.
Yes, they were trying to escape. Obvious to the covered individual in one of the men's back, a thin pale hand hung on his shoulder, following in every move like a lifeless ragdoll.
"No, we need to move further!" As they were about to go back to the exit of the alleyway, a man in black robe jumped out from the roof, his aura became intimidating, showing these men that the mysterious person was an S-ranked awakened.
One can tell if the other do not conceal his power. In the eyes of an ordinary person, awakened have a strange aura that gives them chills. Like some sort of creepy monsters. But when one learn to hide their prowess, people will naturally not feel this fear.
And right now, they are at the mercy of this stranger. They could not tell who he was because he was fully covered, only his green eyes were peering through the cloth that covered his face.
"Give me that boy." His tone was straightforward, not giving them any time to ask.
The man who was carrying the unconscious Lin Young-Jae, moved a lot that the cloth that covered the person behind him fell, revealing his pale face. The six people backed away.
"Fuck off! This has nothing to do with you!" The man snarled, his veins are popping in anger.
"Well, that boy has nothing to do with you too." The other shrugged, his tone was light and sarcastic.
The men hesitated. "We don't have a chance against him." One of them whispered.
"Then use it now!"
The strange man frowned under his hood, observing. However, as soon as he saw the item that popped out of one of the men's hand, his eyes widened. An instant teleportation item!
He immediately ran towards them, his hand outreach hoping to grab the closest, but his fingertips that was just an inch late was not able to catch a cloth. The group vanished before his eyes, leaving him nothing but an empty alleyway.
"Ah shit!" He took out his phone and immediately dialed someone. As soon as the call connected, he spoke. He also changed tabs and checked the map on his phone. "They used a C-rank teleportation item to escape. I think their target all along was trespassing to that D-ranked dungeon in the west city. But from estimation, the closest one from my location should be that newly opened A-ranked dungeon in the city square." He quickly explained.
The person on the other line was silent. The a sigh. "Is that boy still alive?" The man's voice on the other line is Shin In Soo. His tone may seem cold, but it was strained, hinting his worry.
"Yes, he's still breathing. But he didn't look good." From the man's perspective, the boy looked like a corpse, but thanks to his sensitive sense, he was able to see that the person's heart is still beating.
"The A-ranked dungeon?"
"Yeah. The guild master of Legion personally went in to inspect."
"Alone?"
"No, he'll bring the flame user with him."
There was silence on the other line again, as if contemplating what he'll do.
"Then, what's your next course of action?" He decided to ask.
Shin In Soo sighed again, now deeper. "I'm thinking about how Lin Ji-Young is going to take this news." He explained.
"Lin Ji-Young? You mean, that little guy is related to the ice queen?" He tilted his head, his steps begining to ascend towards the exit.
"Yes, didn't you already investigate it? Lin Ji-Young's profile, Librarian?"
"Aha. I see. So it's that weakness." In a blink, he had jumped out of the alley towards the roof again. "Oh no, Aegis guild master~ how are you going to tell her the bad news? She might kill you out of spite." A hint of sarcasm and amusement rang at the end of his words.
The man on the other end of his phone call sighed again, ending the call in annoyance.
.
Blood splattered out of a large monstrous beast after a large quantity of sharpened ice shards rained down upon it with the intention to kill.
The monster, resembling a bipedal bull, had it's eyes rolled until white and red. It slowly dropped it's arms but remained still as it was impaled on the ice shards. It looked like a deeply interpreted fallen beast, almost like a statue that could be found in historical museums.
Lin Ji-Young sighed while her companions dropped on the ground looking relieved that they survived.
She glanced at them indifferently and looking back up at the monstrous bull deep in thought. Lin Young-Jae's birthday is coming soon. He'll be seventeen soon so she's been thinking about what to gift him all these days. She just saw her brother four days ago, now that she's finally completed another mission, she'll be seeing him tomorrow.
A smile was drawn from her beautiful face, thinking about the blueberry cheesecake she saw while passing by. She can already imagine Lin Young-Jae's excited smile and adorable full cheeks like chipmunk that she very much wanted to pinch with such longing.
She could hardly hold herself from going home earlier than intended that she killed the A-ranked dungeon boss in a few minutes after entering the boss lair. She really couldn't wait and must see her baby brother as soon as possible.
Seeing as the party finally managed to hold their breaths, Lin Ji-Young stood up, returning back to her cold and icy demeanor. "Let's start collecting the loot and return in three hours." She said.
Everyone groaned, standing up in regret, thinking that Lin Ji-Young's earlier smile is a good sign. Who would have thought that the party leader still won't let them go even if she's in a good mood.
In fact, not everyone hated Lin Ji-Young. Insiders who are within her guild, old classmates, instructors and other passerbys don't have much negative opinion on matter with regards her mistake. Afterall, it was not her fault.
The A-ranked dungeon is the one that was truly defective. Many people were killed, and Lin Ji-Young, who was the head of those people who died took the responsibility. But not everyone died. At least among twenty people, five were able to barely escape, thanks to the leader's protection. They saw her struggles too, shielding everyone she could as the only S-ranked among A and B hunters, she even injured herself, nearly losing her arm.
But not everyone understood. They needed to blame someone and the perfect target is Lin Ji-Young who is the strongest amongst them.
Others who envied her strength took this opportunity to spread dirt that had no credibility. But since Lin Ji-Young, who didn't care did not defend herself, more people believed and other supporters are shut down.
Until one day, a little account appeared in the midst of this growing hatred. No matter who spoke ill of the ice huntress, he bravely fought back with undeniable facts that could be easily seen on websites. It didn't back down even if the account was forcefully closed, it made another with the same name, and another. The person was named 'Ice Dongsaeng' on his account.
Later on, no one knows what happened, but his account remained intact and didn't get closed again. It seems like the person found a backer and continued to spread Lin Ji-Young's undeniably good reputation. It raised the person in high pedestal more than anyone could while sharing photos of pastries.
Everyone who followed his bloody online journey concluded that he's probably young and had a sweet tooth, which is cute too as much as he is mysterious. But no one knows who this person really is, and just decided to call him maknae(youngest). His account mainly two main purpose: to defend Lin Ji-Young and to share good pastry.