LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 62: Pain
At the same time, what could the main character, the underwater expert, be doing?
*
Around 10 a.m. on Thursday.
Swish, swish.
Every time I moved, a cool fabric touched my forearm.
It felt like polyester commonly used for tents.
From a glance, one might think someone was lounging in a refugee tent.
But upon closer inspection, there’s no way that polyester could touch my skin, considering the blankets laid down.
“….”
Let’s explain the situation more accurately.
Kim Gi-ryeo. That man was currently bound head to toe in white and red cloth.
The scratchy feeling I’ve been sensing since earlier is coming from here.
What’s more, this chair—what is it?
He was stuck in an old chair that looked like it was made for twisting a criminal’s limbs.
If he exerted force, the magic tool binding him would tighten even further, making it impossible to stand.
“Hmph.”
At this point, the explanation is sufficient.
What else can be said about being stuck in a gray room with cement plaster?
‘Damn!’
It’s like Kidnapping Season 2.
Gi-ryeo squeezed his eyes shut.
Why this time!
*
Twenty-four hours earlier.
“What?”
Nachalsawon. In that organization, there was a middle manager called the Great Teacher.
But one day, this Great Teacher received the shocking news.
All the believers heading toward the “Golden Fragrance” were arrested!
“So what about the items? Were the items not brought back?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Ugh.”
The cult leader he served stated one day.
Bring me the compensation that the Golem boss frequently drops: the [Infinite Power Core].
It was the usual one-sided order, but surely the heavenly leader had his reasons, right?
The Great Teacher hurriedly gathered people to fulfill the leader’s demands.
But who would have thought this would end in failure?
“I have no face to meet my father now.”
The issues didn’t stop there.
The Infinite Power Core was a popular item that large corporations had their eyes on.
‘If I compete in the bidding with whales like the Korean Magic Tower, the loss would be too much.’
It was expensive, and there were no products available.
Now, the only viable method was to hunt monsters directly…
“Teacher?”
He had lost a precious A-Class believer.
And now, he had to wait endlessly for the Golem Gate to appear, which could show up at any time.
If this continues, he might fail to acquire the core within the deadline!
‘That cannot happen.’
The Great Teacher quietly stated while stroking his beard.
“Tell me. Who were the hunters who entered that Golden Fragrance Gate first?”
“Huh?”
“Surely one of them must have captured the leader.”
At that, his subordinate nodded.
“Are you asking who currently holds the core?”
This informant had good ears.
So he eavesdropped on what the men escaping from the Golden Fragrance had to say.
– Who caught the boss?
– That would be Gi-ryeo hyung…
The believer recalled a past conversation.
“I heard that the hunter Gi-ryeo took down the Grid.”
Even at this moment, there was no news of new core inventory. If so, that meant the item was still in the hands of the players.
“I have no choice. It’s risky, but I need to fill the vacancy left by the lost A-Class anyway…”
With a significant look, the Great Teacher whispered to his subordinate.
*
Meanwhile, inside the Dungeon Break Refugee Temporary Housing.
“Why is it already 8 o’clock?”
I lay in the tent, munching on potato chips I bought from a convenience store.
Today had really been a tough day.
Fighting with criminals and struggling just to have Ahn Yoon-seung benefit from my efforts.
“Phew.”
But I hadn’t gained nothing from this incident.
If the record of the transaction would be a problem, there’s also the option of using the loot directly.
‘At least I got something.’
Boss hunting reward. [Infinite Power Core].
I gained ownership of that item from this hunt.
Processing parts like the core were bundled in a way that made it difficult for individuals to use their energy, so converting it to cash was the best option. But the blue core was a resource that could be handled easily without any tools or processing.
“Muahaha.”
I had already decided on how to use it.
With such a vast source of magic power, I could do something quite surprising.
‘But that’s all assuming my house gets repaired first.’
Rustle.
I changed my position.
That’s when it happened.
Knock, knock, knock.
Suddenly, there was a noise outside my tent. Looking up, I saw shadows moving behind the translucent fabric.
‘Oh, it’s the donation distribution.’
How long have I been staying in this relief station?
They probably brought something like rice, kind-hearted earthlings.
“Yes. I’m coming out.”
I opened the tent zipper without any suspicion.
As expected, two young people with gentle expressions stood before me.
“Thank you for the curry you gave previously…”
The atmosphere was good.
That was until the volunteers attempted to strangle me with a cord.
Creak.
Wait, hold on a second.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just a cord…
‘A magic tool!’
Whoosh.
The red ribbon they threw quickly coiled around my neck. It felt like it was writhing as if it were a living creature.
Ugh!
Moreover, this wasn’t just a simple restraint.
The red ribbon continuously tightened, wrapping my mouth, nose, and lungs tightly.
Gah!
Blocking a mage’s breath…!
This is the easiest way to interrupt skill activation.
Of course, if I were my former self, I could burn this ribbon away with the mana lingering in my throat.
Gasp!
‘Breathing…’
As an F-Class Hunter, I had no way out.
I collapsed into the tent, all tied up.
Even at that moment, my lungs were being heavily pressed, and soon, I heard a crack from my ribs.
“……”
My complexion turned pale as I watched the situation unfold.
Then one of the duo confidently stepped into the tent and placed a hand on the ground.
Teleportation wizard?
I wondered what skill he would use.
It was teleportation.
Soon, a jade-green passageway, reminiscent of what I saw at the kidnapper’s hideout, began to slowly emerge from the ground.
I prayed desperately.
This gym was crammed full of earthlings. If someone were to pass by right now!
Ahhhhh!
Unfortunately, such luck didn’t come my way.
It was early autumn. The earthlings who had finished their dinner were closing their tents tightly to avoid the evening chill.
‘Take an interest in your neighbor, you bastards!’
Weak dizziness washed over me.
Was it from that unique feeling of falling through space? Or was it from the suffocation?
Either way, this became my last memory.
…The next time I opened my eyes.
I was, of course, trapped in that gray room.
Whew…
Did I faint for a moment due to lack of oxygen?
I took a slow breath. Fortunately, it seemed my mouth and nose were free now.
A few minutes later.
Suddenly, the front door swung open. And a figure I had never seen before walked in.
“Wow, you woke up pretty quickly!”
Scruffy hair.
Navy hanbok.
Tightly gripped dagger.
No matter what he looked like, his actions made it clear what kind of person he was.
‘Is he from the execution team?’
The kidnapper boldly revealed his face.
I let out a deep sigh, then immediately confronted him.
“Why on earth was I brought here?”
Let’s hear the reason first.
“Well, it could be for enlightenment, or it could be for salvation.”
“Huh?”
“This is all according to the will of Lord Nachal. We mere mortals cannot fathom the thoughts of the heavenly beings…”
Wait a second, that first line sounded a bit too casual.
I carefully listened to his mutterings.
He rambled for a long time, but to summarize, it essentially meant:
“In short, hand over the Infinite Power Core?”
“Right.”
The man before me had mentioned the word “Nachal” throughout our conversation, allowing me to realize right away which organization they belonged to.
Nachalsawon.
Those terrorist cultists…!
‘Weren’t they just a bunch of criminals?’
At first, I thought I was taken because I was an appraiser or something. Now it seemed they were after the boss’s item.
“I searched through the relief tent and your house, but I couldn’t find that item anywhere.”
“….”
“Tell me where you hid the core. Or did you maybe sell it off somewhere already?”
The Nachalsawon member stroked his beard as he lowered his voice.
“For your information, your mouth is only unbound to allow you to answer. Don’t make a fuss.”
Scratch scratch.
He scraped the end of his dagger against the armrest of the chair I was sitting on.
Well, I already knew there was something set up in this room.
I glanced around the surroundings briefly. This place was riddled with traps.
What’s more, with Kim Gi-ryeo’s body, I couldn’t use magic anyway.
‘Oh dear.’
Of course, I wasn’t planning to resist.
‘Hmm, about the core’s location…’
When it came to revealing that information, it was quite delicate.
After all, the core was currently in Ahn Yoon-seung’s hands.
‘I had to return the item box to the guild.’
They had no proper place to keep items since my house was destroyed, so I handed over everything to the guild instead.
‘If I slip up here, Yoon-seung might get caught too.’
I hesitated for a moment before speaking.
Actually, it was only a brief pause.
“Seems like you’re not giving up easily. I guess I might need to help you answer.”
But our kidnapper was getting a bit impatient.
Thud!
When he didn’t get the answer he wanted, he immediately thrust the knife at me.
‘Excuse me!’
I had no chance to explain.
His dagger pierced through the back of my hand tied to the armrest.
Thankfully, I had modified my pain receptors, so I didn’t feel much.
Hiii!
To speak frankly, this freaked me out a little.
Last time, I was still treated like a product, but this time I was in a situation where I could genuinely die at any moment.
“I get it. I’ll do everything you say from now on, so please don’t do this.”
Save me, aliens!
I hurriedly opened my mouth. I was going to spill all the information.
Friendship and dainty feelings meant nothing when your life was at stake.
“Do I just need to tell you where the core is?”
Immediately, the kidnapper stopped his threats. Perhaps he was satisfied with my decision.
*
The earthling in modified hanbok fell silent for a moment.
He took his hand off the dagger’s handle and slowly stepped back.
However, this wasn’t a voluntary action of stopping his threats.
It was just a reflex action.
As his mind went blank, his body naturally stiffened…
“….”
This couldn’t be happening.
This couldn’t be happening. He repeated internally.
At first, he thought it was a simple task.
He was known as an outstanding reformer, ranking among the top in Nachalsawon.
In fact, there were two reasons they kidnapped Kim Gi-ryeo.
One was to retrieve the Infinite Power Core.
And the other was to brainwash this hunter to make him a new believer.
‘The Great Teacher said we need to keep our A-Class Awakened count up.’
It was something they always did.
The reformer’s job was to use the brainwashing item known as the [Eye of Temptation] to turn others into puppets.
About thirty minutes ago.
He looked through the window at the unconscious Kim Gi-ryeo, thinking the same.
‘This should be easy.’
According to the believers, it was quite simple to kidnap him.
The Great Teacher had warned that the man was hiding something, as there were discrepancies between his registered information and his actual awakening level.
However, the reformer’s thoughts differed.
He firmly believed that brainwashing Gi-ryeo wouldn’t be difficult at all.
After all, he had a special secret.
The brainwashing of a hunter presumed to be A-Class.
As you know, high-ranking Awakened have an incredibly low chance of falling into mental state anomalies.
Thus, special treatment was needed.
Nachalsawon’s secret technique was…….
“Seems like you’re not giving up easily.”
It was torture.
“Then I suppose I need to assist you in answering.”
Psychological shock.
That became the lubricant in the brainwashing process.
The reformer made a quick strike when Kim Gi-ryeo hesitated for an answer.
Stab!
The feeling of flesh piercing.
The bloody metallic scent.
Up to this point, everything was as usual.
‘Huh?’
However, one thing in this room was drastically different from usual.
“…!”
The bound Awakened finally spoke up.
“I get it. I’ll do everything you say from now on.”
It was a flat response, yet it felt strange.
“So please don’t do this.”
This hunter was currently continuing his sentence with a dagger sticking out of his hand.
“Do I just need to tell you where the core is?”
Kim Gi-ryeo didn’t change color in the face of the Nachalsawon member’s attack.
He merely concentrated on the conversation smoothly and mechanically.
Drip, drip.
The warm blood flowing from his palm and the cold expression on the man created a jarring contrast.