Ark

Volume 11 7

ACT 7 Near Miss!

“Where the hell is that Ark child?”

Jewel frowned and complained. It had been one hour since the group had left the village. Jewel had circled the outskirts of the village several times but never found any traces of Ark. However, the Ranger Duke kept on finding traces of Ark so there was no way they could return yet. But Jewel found something strange during that time.

-Nearly there. I’ve found traces that Ark has just passed by here.

“How many times have you said those words?”

-Nearly there. I’ve found traces that Ark has just passed by here.

Those were the only words Duke would say after leaving the valley village. In fact, Razak didn’t know how to write. So he wrote down what Ark told him to in order to lure Jewel out of the village. However Ark had left for the village so he could only repeat the last sentence over and over.

‘What is with this guy? Did he eat something weird?’

Jewel didn’t know the circumstances and just thought Duke was acting weird because he caught a cold. Well, his behaviour was still strange even with a cold..... Jewel calmed down and followed behind Duke. Then Jewel suddenly heard a harsh sound.

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

It wasn’t a sound in the game. The banging sound came from reality. But Jewel just ignored it. When connected to the game, she was Jewel the Stalker. Reality just irritated Jewel. Even if she disconnected, the person on the other end would just talk nonsense. Jewel had no intention of stopping for nonsense when Ark was on the verge of being caught. However, she heard the voice speaking and had to exit the unit.

“Hey you! What the hell?”

‘Eh? This voice is.....huh, what?’

Jewel opened the door of the apartment with a confused face. And felt chilled when she saw the visitor’s face. The visitor was a friend who had been playing the game since the beta test. His ID in New World was Duke...... However, wasn’t Duke chasing Ark around in the game? New World used biometric data so no one else could control the character. Then who was with Jewel inside the game?

“Dammit, why didn’t you answer the phone?”

Duke asked with annoyance as he entered the room.

“That....who know I don’t answer calls while playing the game. Rather, how are you here......?”

“How?”

Duke breathed out and started complaining.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Anyway you have to hurry.”

“What?”

“Dammit, it’s Ark. While chasing after Bona, I happened to run into Ark and got killed by him so I frantically tried to call you. I wanted to let you know where he was. But you didn’t answer the phone. Now he’s probably already run away..... Anyway, I can’t connect for 24 hours......so it’s really frustrating.”

“Ark! You encountered Ark?”

Jewel realized what happened. She was confident regarding aspects of New World. If someone encountered something they couldn’t understand in New World then it was most likely a skill!

‘Duke was killed by Ark. Then Duke’s ghost appeared and lured us out of town. Then.....’

Jewel didn’t know what method Ark used by he had deliberately deceived them and lured them out of the village! In fact, Ark was guilty of one big error when thinking about his plan. When Duke was killed, he could’ve called Jewel straight away in reality. While thinking about a skill in the game, it wasn’t possible to take reality into account. But fortunately, this strategy lasted for 1 hour despite its weak points because of Jewel’s habit of not answering the phone. However, Duke ended up visiting Jewel directly.

“Damn! Duke you’re dead!”

Jewel cursed and ran to the unit.

“What, what the? What are you doing?”

Duke was left scratching his head with a stupid expression.

———————————————————————————————————-

“Grandfather!”

“Oh, Bona. You’re all right!”

Beseutyu was released from the cage and wept while hugging Bona. He had seen the same scene not too long ago.....Deja vu? Well, it was a minor scene so Ark checked over the situation in the village. While Ark was stabbing Kaljapeu’s sphincter with a knife, the Slave Liberation Army lead by Joan of Arc was able to defeat the Nakujuk after a fierce battle. But after the heat of the battle, they returned to the terrible reality. They sacrificed quite a few people in order to defeat the Nakujuk. The group 0f 70 Baran was reduced by 30 people. The damage to the monsters was even further as only twenty of them survived. The difference in combat power between the Nakujuk and the Baran was huge. Therefore there were quite a few orphaned children.

“Sob sob, Father.....Mother......”

Ark felt his heart become heavier after hearing the children’s cries. He was familiar with the grief of losing parents. Although they fought to save their children, Ark was the one who incited them to do it.

“It’s not necessary to make that look.”

Beseutyu seemed to guess what Ark was feeling as he tapped him on the shoulder.

“I heard everything while being locked in the cage. They intended to kill all of us once the tower was finished. Although 30 Myutal died, you ended up saving 40 of us. And their children as well. So don’t beat yourself up about the victims.”

Of course he would do that. Ark wasn’t a sentimental person who would dwell on his guilt. They were NPCs. Although the well-crafted NPC felt human, a NPC was still a NPC. And now wasn’t the time to be thinking about such things.

“Do you know what the Nakujuk are using the tower for?”

“I also heard it. I can’t believe that the Nakujuk can freely move across the northern mountains when the tower is completed. The purpose of those guys......conquest of the Netherworld!”

Beseutyu made it seem like he was stating a huge discovery.

“I already know that. So if you pull down the tower......”

Jewel and the Nakujuk conquering the Netherworld was a big deal for Ark. But since the Nakujuk utilized monsters to build the tower, Ark couldn’t pull it down by himself. Beseutyu just shook his head and sighed.

“It’s possible. But that would only buy some time. Those guys have the blueprint for the tower. While they possess the blueprints, their southern invasion is an inevitable fact.

“This......”

“There is only one way left. The Baran must rally together and fight against them.”

“Are the odds in your favour?”

Beseutyu closed his mouth with a heavy expression. The meaning of his silence was obvious. Ark clearly knew about the huge difference between the Baran and the Nakujuk’s combat abilities. So the Baran would have to unite despite those differences. Besides, if the Baran joined the war then the Hermes Alliance was likely to send some forces. There was no way the weak Baran group could match them.

‘I can’t prevent the Netherworld from falling into their hands.....’

Ark sighed with frustration. Beseutyu was also frustrated.

“Anyway, there is only one way now. In the past, the Baran fled from the Nakujuk but there is nowhere else to run. We will be forced to fight, even if everyone dies. I have to inform my people as fast as possible to allow them to prepare.”

‘Ah, before that there’s one thing I wanted to ask.”

Ark explained to Beseutyu what occurred in Magaro’s Laboratory. Beseutyu frowned and muttered as he thought.

“It can be seen but not touched.....perhaps he is speaking of Underground?”

“Underground?”

“Yes, that’s certainly it. My memory is vague but a long time ago a huge disaster occurred, the dimensions distorted and some areas were trapped in a dimensional gap.”

“Trapped in a dimensional gap? Then is there a method to return it intact?”

“I don’t remember all the details. The incident is similar to a myth or legend. But if they know the dimension distorting is a cause then there might be a solution. That’s right, records of the legend are in the A bookcase.....”

Beseutyu murmured and looked around before his face stiffened. The shelves had collapsed while fighting Kaljapeu, pouring thousands of scrolls onto the floor. In addition, Ark had swum around in the scrolls so they were all scrambled.

“Oh my god! How am I going to find the scroll in here?”

Beseutyu groaned as he looked around. Ark also thought it was an impossible task. How could they find one among thousands of scrolls? And time was of the essence. The time when Jewel and the Nakujuk would return to the village was unknown.

‘Razak hasn’t contacted me yet so there is no need to worry for the moment....’

Did they have to look for the scroll blindly? It wouldn’t be possible to obtain the clue once Jewel occupied the village again. Didn’t he also have to complete the quest before the Hermes guild occupied the Netherworld? Then, a perfect solution to find the scroll struck Ark.

“Are there any special markings on the scroll?”

“Marking? No, nothing like that. But all the records related to that legend is on the A shelf. So the strings closing the scroll would have the A symbol on it. As I recall, contents about ‘Underground’ seemed to be in the A-20 to A-30 scrolls.”

“I understand! Lariette-nim, call all the residents and tell them to gather here!”

Approximately 60 residents and children entered the house.

“Buksil, Lariette-nim, please distribute all of the Herbal Tea.”

Yes, he devised the idea of using the herbal tea. The herbal tea Ark distributed was the one to speed up their hand movements and improve their eye sight. Then he ordered them to search for the A-20 to A-30 scrolls. At any rate, Ark was the best at using people.

“Oh, what is this?”

“Why are hands are so fast?”

“And I can see that fine print completely from this far away.”

The effect of the herbal tea activated immediately. The Baran clan acted like pigeons picking up food and searched among the scrolls at an amazing speed. And someone soon found a necessary scroll.

‘Okay, five have already been found. Now only five more.....’

Ark was waiting anxiously.

Clack clack clack clack!

All of a sudden Razak ran into the mansion. Dedric lifted his head from where it was buried in a scroll and shouted.

“Master, those guys are coming back to the village!”

“What the?”

Ark jumped with surprise. He exited the mansion and saw a cloud of dust approaching in the distance. Jewel’s group was coming back to the village leading over 200 Nakujuk!

“Damn, how did they know? We should find the other five in around.....10 minutes. No, the work pace has quickened so it should be 7 minutes.....”

“Oh my god! So close....”

Lariette moaned as she also exited the house. If Jewel’s group noticed something strange then they would definitely try to catch Ark and the Baran. On the other hand, Ark’s group contained children so their escape speed would be slower. There was no guarantee that they could elude the pursuit even if they left now. No, to be honest there was a 30% chance. But it would be impossible if he delayed for 7 more minutes. The village would be surrounded and they would be wiped out.

“Ark, this is a request.”

At that moment Beseutyu approached and spoke to him.

“A request?”

“Yes, I’ve heard from Bona. You have a method to move to middle earth. As you know, the war in the Netherworld will begin soon. And win or lose, the Baran will suffer a harsh trial. It’s our inevitable fate. But.....”

Beseutyu turned his head and looked at the children moving in the mansion.

“I don’t want the children to experience that. And anyway, it is impossible to flee from the Nakujuk with the children. So can you escape with all these children and their caretakers to the safer middle earth?”

Ark’s eyes started flashing. Why had he never thought of that? That’s right. Ark had a method to return to middle earth at any time. So he could still look for the scrolls without worrying about being chased by Jewel’s group. It was like he had just opened a door and exited from a nightmare.

“It’s not just to save the children. We also think that this is the best way. There are only 7 skyrays remaining. If I’m there then Guran and the other trainers will be able to use the skyrays. The Nakujuk will be unable to follow them on foot. Therefore they can quickly tell our kin about the situation.”

Of course, Ark could also stay in the town until they found the scrolls. But there was one problem. The scrolls were all protected using a cipher passed down through Beseutyu’s family. If he didn’t go with Beseutyu then who would decipher the scrolls? But the clever old man had already thought of that.

“Although Bona is still immature, he can still solve the password for the scroll.”

“Grandfather!”

Bona stared at Beseutyu with surprise. But Beseutyu just stroked Bona’s head and laughed.

“You don’t have to worry. Ark is someone you can trust. No doubt he will take you guys to a safe place. Just wait there safely until we come to pick you up.”

Bona was tearful but did not protest. Beseutyu wiped off his tears with a sleeve and nodded.

“I promise. I’ll definitely come pick you up.”

“Right.”

Beseutyu nodded and walked towards the skyrays with Guran and some trainers. Then, Lariette who had been hesitating suddenly shouted.

“I, I’ll go too!”

“Lariette-nim?”

Ark’s eyes popped out.

“Isn’t Ark-nim going to return to the Netherworld?”

Of course. That was why he was looking for the scroll.

“Ark-nim has to take the children to middle earth. But someone should also stay here. It is important to understand the situation in the Netherworld. And there is no guarantee of safety even on the skyrays. I-I will protect them.”

Ark looked at Lariette with bemusement. Her suggestion was unexpected. Didn’t she promise never to get on a skyray again? So he couldn’t understand why she intended to stay in the Netherworld. But it wasn’t bad to have Lariette stay behind. Ark still hadn’t abandoned the Netherworld. If Jewel’s group occupied the Netherworld then there would be nowhere for Ark to hide. He had to do whatever it took to stop it. And the power of the Baran clan was needed to stop their ambitions. In the war Lariette would help the Baran clan tremendously so it was welcomed.

“I understand.”

Ark nodded and Lariette mumbled something.

“Then......please tell me your phone number.”

“Huh? Phone number?”

“Ark-nim will be in middle earth but you will need to know the situation in the Netherworld. But you can’t use the Feather of Whispering to communicate between dimensions.....”

“Ah, yes....”

Ark nodded and told her his phone number. And Lariette blushed before clenching her fist tightly. After that Beseutyu called from the sky ray, and she clenched tightly to Beseutyu with a pale face before vanishing with a scream.

‘She’s so scared but still volunteered......Lariette-nim is surprisingly responsible.’

Ark thought Lariette wanted to stay behind because of a sense of responsibility towards the Baran. However, Lariette had a separate ulterior motive. Her feelings for Ark were still too ambiguous. Lariette wanted to confirm if her feelings for Ark was like a friendly colleague or something more. Every time she was alone with Ark.......she would become confused and change the subject. However, if she returned to middle earth then she would lose all justification to follow Ark. But if Lariette remained in the Netherworld then Ark would obviously have to contact her. Moreover, didn’t she naturally ask for his phone number? Lariette had a surprisingly smart plan.

Anyway, Ark once again entered the mansion once Beseutyu’s group left.

’10 grams of the Dimension Movement powder can move 1 person. Currently, there are 50 remaining adults and children. I’ll have to create a magic circle using 500 grams of powder.’

Ark cleared the floor of scrolls and started making a magic circle.

“Ark-hyung, I’ve found another one!”

‘Okay, we can find everything and still leave in time!’

Meanwhile, the Baran had been busy finding the scrolls. By the time he finished drawing the magic circle, they had found nine scrolls. Now there was only one left so obviously the last one would be a huge problem.

“Ark-hyung, we’ve search everyone but we can’t find the last one.”

The 50 Baran had drunk the herbal tea and searched the mansion. Even so, they could not find the final piece. And Jewel’s group had already entered the village and was rushing towards the house. Beseutyu said that the Underground was written in one of those scrolls. Couldn’t the content be written in one of the nine scrolls?

‘Nine scrolls are found so the probability is 90%. But considering my luck it would probably be in that one scroll....’

It was like missing just one number in bingo. But there was no more time to hold out. Ark clenched his teeth and pointed towards the dimly shining gate.

“It can’t be helped. Leave the last chapter. Everybody go inside the gate. Children first! And then the adults. Hurry. Those guys are already reached the mansion.

The Baran plunged into the gate one by one under Ark’s command. Then Bona who was one of the last ones to leave stood beside Ark at the gate and looked around. Then Bona’s eyes brightened and he exclaimed.

“Ark hyung! Over there, A-7! It’s the last chapter!”

“What?”

Ark turned his head. After a moment of concentrating, he was able to find the scroll. The last chapter was wedged between a fallen bookcase near the entrance. Then Jewel’s group entered at the same time he saw the scroll.

“Ark!”

“Eh, that gate? The Baran clan are running away!”

“Dammit, the timing is really amazing.”

Ark cursed.

“Dedric, take Bona first and enter the gate. Razak, transform!”

Clack clack clack, clack clack clack clack!

Razak who had been waiting next to him changed into the Saw Blade. Ark picked up the Saw Blade and used Sprint to approach Jewel’s cronies. Jewel obviously though Ark was running away and tried to stop him. But Ark’s special move instantly left his mouth.

“Ya, this......would you guys like to be turned to meat? I’ll beep- and beep-to you!”

The vulgar words were shot out rapidly as their faces turned red. Under the effect of Intermediate ‘Intimidation,’ Jewel’s group stiffened. At the same time Ark ran up and jumped, smashing into a warrior at the front. Then he used the face as a stepping stone and continuously swung his blade while moving. The blade turned into a whip and grabbed a scroll underneath a bookcase. Then the whip returned and the scroll was brought to Ark’s hand.

‘I got it!’

Ark picked up the scroll and turned towards the gate. At that moment the stiffness wore off and a warrior grabbed his ankle. Thanks to that, Ark fell to the floor like a frog. His health was decreased as well. But that wasn’t the problem.

“Bastard, we’ve caught you!”

“This is our chance, smash him. Heroic Strike!”

“Stun him then drive his health down to the bottom!”

PVP after falling down in the middle of enemy territory? Wasn’t there a game that was briefly popular in the early 2000s where these kinds of situations were common? With such a memory, Ark didn’t have to explain his current situation. He was hit by a waterfall of skills! Jewel’s group and the Nakujuk surrounded him while his heath quickly decreased.

‘Everything is finished if I die!’

Ark rolled on the ground and barely escaped the attacks but he was already in a critical condition. However, it was fortunate that he entered a critical condition. Thanks to that his ‘Adrenaline’ activated and his defense and reflexes increased by leaps and bounds. Ark used Dark Dance to avoid the attacks and run to the gate. And just as he was about to throw his body into the gate.... Suddenly, dozens of chains emerged from the ground and wound around his body. A red warning message floated in front of Ark.

<You can’t move for one minute However, it will be automatically cancelled when attacked>

It was a magician’s chain skill. The skill limited his movements but it would be released once he was attacked. It was a useful skill when dealing with a lot of monsters. However, Ark was in a critical condition so one good attack would kill him.

“Don’t touch him, I’m going to handle it!”

Jewel moved forward and chanted a spell. Jewel used Magic Harmony to combine her two strongest spells. The incantation time was very long so it couldn’t be used in a 1-on-1 battle. However, it was so strong that it would instantly reduce a warrior’s health by 40%.

‘D-damn.....only one more step....ah, no!’

“This is for messing with us! Blizzard, Hellfire!”

The two different kinds of magic left her hands in a spiral and Ark was hit with fire and ice. His body received an enormous shock and ran out of health. And.....a message appeared that he never wanted to see.

“I did it! I got him!”

Ark collapsed while Jewel’s group laughed and ran around like crazy. They had managed to avoid becoming chaotic when occupying the village but they were willing to become chaotic if it meant killing Ark.

“His resurrection point is at the valley village. Now he’s caught like a rat in a trap!”

But Jewel was unaware of one thing. A faint smile appeared on Ark’s mouth......

‘Okay, now’s the time!’

Ark said in his mind. All of a sudden the Saw Blade in Ark’s hand started vibrating. At first the sound was low and then it started building up. Then the vibration burst and Ark’s health was restored.

Ark has automatically changed health with Razak.

Yes, it was a Death Master’s special skill ‘Pledge of Death!’ When the summoner died, the pet would show absolute proof of its loyalty and exchange health with the Master. Thanks to that, Ark’s penalty of all stats -1 was applied to Razak but Ark had his health restored by 3000 points.

‘I never thought I would be assisted in this way!’

“Although it is urgent, I can’t just leave like this. Demonic Opening!”

“Ugh!”

Ark pulled out Gwisal’s sword and stabbed Jewel in the ass. It was the special move he used against Kaljapeu, attacking X. In addition, he used Demonic Opening so attacking X became even more painful. Jewel burst out screaming from the surprise attack and collapsed.

“Razak’s revenge!”

Ark said with a cool smile before diving into the gate. Although Jewel’s group realized that there was something one, the gate had already disappeared and they just ended up diving into the ground. The Hermes group looked around stupidly before turning to Jewel and saying.

“Sphincter.....is it alright?”

——————————————————————————————————

“Captain, hold on.....”

Lee Myung-ryong was drinking coffee in the SWAT team’s break room.

“What?”

“That.....a suspicious guy has come.”

The SWAT team member spoke in a low voice.

“It’s about the year-end party the other day. When Hyun-woo was attacked by those hoodlums.”

“So?”

“Someone watching the fight filmed Hyun-woo with a phone. Luckily it was blurry so Hyun-woo’s face wasn’t recognizable. Just now some guy brought a picture and asked us if we knew the person. The owner of the pub we were drinking in mentioned that we had a year-end party on that day.....’

“Who was he? Another policeman?”

“He doesn’t seem to be the police. Based on his conversation, he was looking for someone. He was similar to someone they’re looking for inside a game. He tried to ask me but I just rattled on and didn’t give any information.”

“He came to the National Police Agency and dared to act like that?

“That guy doesn’t understand the world.”

The SWAT team member laughed and shrugged his shoulders.

“Anyway, it’s related to Hyun-woo so I thought I would tell you.”

Lee Myung-ryong turned the coffee cup and thought about it. A cell phone video with Hyun-woo. He didn’t know it was Hyun-woo. Yet that person sought the police just to find him. Then there could only be one simple answer. That person had a purpose for finding Hyun-woo and he was willing to use money to do it. In other words, the purpose couldn’t be good. But what was the purpose? He already knew the answer. If they were searching for someone in a game then it was someone with a grudge against Hyun-woo in New World. And just like Andel, he was looking for Hyun-woo to return a grudge.

“Hyun-woo, what are you doing in the game that is making you so many enemies?”

Lee Myung-ryong scratched his head and muttered. Then, the SWAT team member opened his eyes and asked.

“Game? Didn’t the other situation also happen because of a game?”

“What about it?”

“Hah, I don’t understand it. Deliberately searching for someone because of a game......”

“Hey, don’t ignore the game!”

Lee Myung-ryong huffed and shouted. In fact, Lee Myung-ryong didn’t understand it either when the situation with Andel and Hyun-woo occurred. It was only a game. Bringing any grudges into reality felt strange. However, he now understood after playing the game. Raising a character while suffering the pain of broken limbs......Lee Myung-ryong truly felt like Isyuram was an alter ego. If something happened to Isyuram then he wouldn’t sit still either. Lee Myung-ryong suddenly thought of an unpleasant memory and became angry.

‘That child is dead.’

Not long ago, Lee Myung-ryong had saved a merchant called Sid.

And he gave the first user he became familiar with the unicorn horns worth 1,000 gold who sold it for 851 gold. Lee Myung-ryong became aware of this fact after spending several days in Giran. When he thought about it, he also felt like hiring a fixer and returning the grudge. But Lee Myung-ryong was still part of the Special Criminal Measures group and the fact that he was playing the game was a secret. Therefore he couldn’t mention it to the SWAT team member. So Lee Myung-ryong had to pretend ignorance even though he was aware of the situation. He understood the feelings but to put up multiple bounties for one target? That silly person was confusing the game with reality and thought 21st century Korea was the Wild West. He didn’t know what someone like Andel would do.

“So where is he now?”

“I left him at the waiting room near the gym.”

“The gym?”

Lee Myung-ryong smiled and spoke.

“Okay, then I should go to the gym and do a little work.”

————————————————————————————————————–

“A tour?”

A twenty something year old man asked. The man neatly dressed in a suit was an employee of Global Exos, Ho Myung-hwan. He was visiting the National Police Agency on business. Not long ago, Ha Myung-woo watched a video and noticed that t was similar to the user fighting the boss Valderas in the Event Quest so he asked Ho Myung-hwan to find the protagonist of the video. However, it wasn’t as easy to find the hero of the movie as it sounded. The face couldn’t be identified properly in the video shot. He had been hoping that someone reported the violent incident at a nearby police station. Then, coincidentally he received information that the SWAT team was having a year-end party at a pub near there.

‘SWAT team....that’s right, why didn’t I think of that? The hero of the movie had considerable martial arts skills. Maybe he had been learning martial arts for a long time. That person might be a part of the SWAT team. It isn’t strange that a SWAT team member would fight against hooligans.’

That was why Ho Myung-hwan came to visit the National Police Agency. But when he asked a SWAT team member, he was asked to wait here before the person disappeared somewhere.

‘I’ve come to the right place. His expression when looking at the screen indicated that he knew something. Huhuhu, who knew that I would find something from such a blurry video? Perhaps I have the mindset of a detective?’

While Ho Myung-hwan was praising himself, the SWAT team member returned.

“There is someone who knows. That person is currently out in the field....but it is almost time for him to exercise. Oh, do you mind taking a short tour of the gym while you’re waiting?”

‘Hmmm, the police are acting pretty nice.’

“I understand.”

“Come along.”

Ho Myung-hwan nodded and the SWAT team member showed him around the gym. When he entered the gym equipped with clean, modern facilities, he immediately heard loud sounds coming from around the gym. The atmosphere felt warm despite the winter chill and Ho Myung-hwan inwardly exclaimed.

‘Ah, the police train their bodies every day to protect the citizens!’

Ho Myung-hwan was glad to be called a proud citizen of South Korea. Ho Myung-hwan was guided around the various martial artists sparring and sat down. How much time had passed? Just as he was becoming bored, the SWAT team member arrived.

“Are you bored?”

“No, well.....”

“If you’re bored, would you like some hands-on practice?”

“Hands-on practice?”

“It’s not something hard. Just a light spar. In fact, sometimes the National Police Agency helps citizens get some experience in self-defence. It is different according to size and experience so you should just think of it as lightly sweating.”

Ho Myung-hwan’s shoulders shook at the end of the SWAT team member’s words. Ho Myung-hwan was a red belt in taekwondo so he was quite proud of his skills. He also watched mixed martial arts tournaments every weak and polished his skills against a pillow.

“.....Shall I try it out?”

“Good choice. Then please sign here.”

The SWAT team member extended some documents. The documents stated that he wouldn’t sue if he was injured during a spar. And the title on top ‘Hands-on Experience Application’ seemed like it was written in a hurry. Ho Myung-hwan was quite spooked but he trusted the police 100% and signed.

“Come, please change and leave your clothes there.”

The SWAT team member accepted his application and smiled. After Ho Myung-hwan changed, the team member led him to where his opponent was waiting. A 170 centimetres tall man was visible. On the other hand, Ho Myung-hwan was 190 centimetres tall. And he also did some muscle body building in his spare time. Although his opponent was a SWAT team member, he was slightly embarrassed fighting against someone whose physique was so different to his.

“That.....shouldn’t I be sparring with my weight class?”

Ho Myung-hwan scratched his head and asked tentatively.

“How much do you weight?”

“I don’t know, a little over 90 kg so I should be in the heavyweight division.”

“That’s the same as me. I’m a heavyweight too.”

The man grinned and replied. Ho Myung-hwan realised it wasn’t a joke within one minute.

“Well, here I go.”

The man’s body flashed. No, Ho Myung-hwan just couldn’t process his movements. Then he suddenly felt an impact like a hammer was hitting his stomach and became shocked. Although he didn’t know if it was a kick or a punch, it was definitely the power of a heavyweight division.

...That was the beginning of an eventful police practice.

He couldn’t even remember what happened. All he could remember was his body being repeatedly hit by powerful punches or kicks. His breath was stuff from the pain. But Ho Myung-hwan never called out to stop the attacks. No, he wanted to yell out. But that man noticed whenever he was able to speak and kicked him in the stomach, making him unable to carry on.

‘I-I’m going to die. This guy is going to kill me!’

Ho Myung-hwan clearly saw it at that moment. A scene where his grandmother who died in a flower garden beckoned....

“Hat!”

Ho Myung-hwan was surprised as his body automatically stood up. Then he automatically took a defensive posture thanks to his survival instincts. However, the terrible flying kick didn’t come. No, the place where Ho Myung-hwan raised his body was the changing room. After being hit and fainting, he had been transferred to the changing room. Ho Myung-hwan looked stupidly around the changing room. Suddenly the door to the shower stall opened and a man emerged. Ho Myung-hwan’s heart soared at the look on his face and he got goose bumps. It was the man trying to kill Ho Myung-hwan just then.

“Uh, you woke up?”

The man laughed and approached Ho Myung-hwan. It was like a terrifying envoy of the devil was approaching him. The man smiled at Ho Myung-hwan’s reaction.

“Well, the training seemed to have shown an effect.”

“W-what...?”

The man’s face suddenly hardened and he whispered in Ho Myung-hwan’s ear.

“Listen carefully. I’ll only say it once. I have a copy of your ID card. If you look for the young man again then it won’t end like this next time. Do you understand? If you have a complaint then you can visit the Special Criminal Measures division. But you signed the form saying we weren’t to blame even if you died.”

That is to say, Ho Myung-hwan made a mistake signing that document. That man.....Lee Myung-ryong tapped his shoulders and left. Ho Myung-hwan just stared blankly after Lee Myung-ryong. Blame? A complaint? They were unexpected words. The consent form didn’t matter. To be honest, he was just thankful his life had been spared. After Lee Myung-ryong left, Ho Myung-hwan speedily changed clothes and left the police agency. He could only sigh with relief after riding a taxi for a few kilometres. Now that he could relax, he suddenly felt all the pain in his body.

‘Ugh, my body is aching.....but what on earth? The hero of the movie? Why is the police hiding such a person? D-don’t tell me I discovered something I wasn’t supposed to know? Is the young man possibly part of the FRB? CIA? Well, something like that?’

He had clearly seen too many movies.

Anyway, Ho Myung-hwan no longer dared investigate the young man’s identity. Thus, the likelihood of Global Exos discovering Hyun-woo once again became lost in a labyrinth.