Then at the same time.

What on earth is the person behind the scenes who is the subject of much attention doing?

***

Around 10 a.m. Thursday.

Sreuk, sreuk.

Every time he moves his body, a cool fabric touches his arms.

Its the texture of polyester, often used in tents.

At first glance, someone might think hes rolling around in a refugee tent.

However, if he thinks about it carefully when he lays a blanket in the tent, the polyester texture doesnt directly touch his body.

Now, lets explain the situation more properly.

Kim Kiryeo, the man, is currently tightly bound in white and red fabric from head to toe. The rough texture hes been feeling since earlier is due to this place.

Also, what is this chair again?

He is restrained in an old chair, seemingly suitable for use when torturing prisoners, with his arms and legs fixed in place. When he tries to apply force, the magic tool restraining his body adds more binding force, making it impossible for him to even stand up.

Hmm.

This is enough of an explanation.

What else can he say about being tied up in a gray cement room?

Shit!

Its kidnapping season 2.

Kiryeo closed his eyes tightly.

Why this time!

***

24 hours ago from now.

What?

Rakshasa Temple.In that organization, there was a middle manager known as Teacher Dae. However, one day, Teacher Dae received unexpected news like a bolt from the blue.

The worshippers who were heading towards the Golden Fragrance were all arrested at once!

Then what about the items? Couldnt you even bring the item?

Y, yes.

Haa.

The leader of the Rakshasa temple he served said one day.

The reward is often dropped by the boss of the golem type.

Offer me the [Infinite Energy Core].

It was always the same one-sided command, but wouldnt a leader as magnificent as heaven have a deeper intention behind it?

Mr. Dae hastily gathered people to meet the demands of the cult leader. But he never thought this would end in failure.

I dont have the courage to see Father.

The problem wasnt just that. The Infinite Energy Core is a highly sought-after item coveted by various major corporations.

If we compete in a bidding war with whales like the Korea Magic Tower, the loss will be too great.

The prices are high, and there are no items for sale. So, currently, the most viable option seems to be capturing monsters directly

Sir?

He lost a precious A-Class follower. And now, he has to wait indefinitely for the Golem Gate, not knowing when it will appear.

If this happensWouldnt that mean he wouldnt be able to get the core within the deadline?

That kind of thing shouldnt happen.

Teacher Dae stroked his beard and spoke quietly.

Listen. Those hunters who were already inside that Golden Fragrance Gate, who were they?

Yes?

Anyway, Im sure theres a leader among them.

Then his subordinate nods.

Are you asking whose hands the core is in now?

This contact has a good ear.

So, he has been able to eavesdrop on everything the men who escaped from the Golden Fragrance Gate have been saying.

Who caught the boss?

Thats Kiryeo Hyung

The believer briefly recalled a past conversation and then spoke.

I heard that a hunter named Kiryeo defeated Grid.

At this moment, there is no news of a new core for sale. If so, it would mean that the item is still in the attackers hands.

I cant help it. Theres a risk, but we also have to fill in the empty seats of A-Class that we lost anyway

Teacher Dae whispered meaningful words to his subordinate.

***

Meanwhile, inside the temporary shelter for Dungeon Break refugees.

What did I do that its already 8 oclock?

I lay down in the tent and munched on the potato chips I bought at the convenience store.

Today was really tough.

Dont I get into fights with criminals?

I worked so hard and put in so much effort, but in the end, Ahn Yoonseung got all the credit.

Phew.

But there was nothing to be gained from this incident. If its inconvenient that transaction records are left, there is also the method of directly using the reward.

Did I even get one thing?

Boss defeat reward. [Infinite Energy Core].

I took ownership of the item through this hunt.

This is because the energy of processed accessories such as reactor cores is concentrated in a form that is difficult for individuals to utilize, so it is best to convert them into money, while a certain blue core is a resource that is convenient enough to be handled with bare hands without any special tools or treatment.

Hohoho.

I have already decided where to use it. If I have such a huge source of magical power, I can do surprising things.

But thats something to consider once the house is restored.

Rolling around.

I changed my position and lay down. It was at that moment.

Tuk, tuk, tuk.

Suddenly, there was a sound of someone knocking on the tent from outside. When I lifted my head, I saw a shadow of a person swaying beyond the translucent fabric.

Ah, distribution of donated goods.

Should I stay at an aid station for a day or two?

Anyway, the kind-hearted people of Earth must have brought something like rice again.

Yes, Im coming out.

I opened the tent zipper without any suspicion. As expected, there were two young people with gentle expressions standing in front of it.

I enjoyed the curry you gave me the other day

It was a good atmosphere.

Until those volunteers strangled me with a belt.

-Kwaak.

No, wait.

After looking closely, it wasnt just a belt but

Magic tool!

Srrrk.

The red ribbon they threw wrapped around my neck in an instant. Moving and writhing, it felt as if it were alive, like a living creature.

Ugh!

Moreover, this was not just a simple restraint. The red ribbon constantly extended, firmly binding my mouth, nose, and lungs.

Keugh!

Blocking a wizards breath! This is the easiest way to disrupt skill activation. Of course, if it were me in my old days, I would have burned this ribbon with just the mana left in my neck.

Breath

There was nothing I could do with the body of an F-Class hunter.

I fell into the tent, tied tightly.

Even at this moment, my lungs were heavily compressed, followed by a dull sound from my ribs.

I watched the situation with a pale complexion. Then one of the two men strode into the tent and placed his hand on the floor.

Space teleportation magician?

I wondered what skill he used, but it turns out its teleportation.

Sometime later, the aquamarine teleportation portal I once saw in the kidnappers hideout slowly appeared on the floor.

I prayed desperately.

The gymnasium is filled with earthlings, leaving no room to move. So if someone happened to pass by at this moment!

Aaaah!

However, unfortunately, such a thing did not happen. It is now early autumn. Earthlings who have finished their evening meals are all tightly closing their tents to avoid the cool evening breeze.

Pay attention to your neighbors. You punks!

Gradually, a slight dizziness crept in. Is it because of the unique feeling of falling when moving through space? Or is it because of suffocation? Nonetheless, this became my last memory.

When I opened my eyes again, I was trapped in that gray room.

Whoo

Did I faint briefly due to a lack of oxygen?

I slowly caught my breath. Fortunately, it seemed like my mouth and nose had been freed in the meantime.

A few minutes later, the door in front suddenly creaked open. And someone I hadnt seen before came in.

You woke up pretty quickly, huh?

Bushy hair.

Dark-colored life hanbok.

The firmly gripped dagger.

Regardless of appearance, its obvious what kind of person he is from his actions.

Is he part of the same group as that executor?

The kidnapper proudly revealed his face. I let out a deep sigh and immediately brought up the main point.

Why did I get caught?

First, lets hear the reason.

I dont know. It could be for enlightenment, or it could be for salvation.

Yes?

Anyway, its all in the hands of the God of Raksha. How can we possibly understand all of Heavens thoughts

But wait a minute, this guys first words are unusual.

I listened carefully to the mans murmuring. It took him a while to explain because he kept repeating himself over and over again, but in summary, it was something like this.

Simply put, are you asking for the Infinite Energy Core?

Yeah.

Since the man in front of me mentioned the word God of Raksha throughout the conversation, I immediately recognized which organization they belonged to.

Rakshasa Temple.

Those pseudo-terrorists!

Wasnt it just a case of terrorism?

First, I thought I was captured again because I was an appraiser. I never thought it was a crime aimed at the boss items this time.

I searched not only the shelter tent but also the house you lived in, but the item was nowhere to be found.

Tell me where you hid the core. Or did you already sell it somewhere?

The figure from the Rakshasa Temple strokes his beard as he lowers his voice.

For your information, that mouth of yours is only for answering. Dont make a fuss.

Drrrk.

He scratched the armrest of the wooden chair I was sitting on with the tip of his dagger.

I knew from the beginning that something had been done to this room.

I briefly scanned the surroundings. This place was full of traps on all sides. Moreover, Kim Kiryeos body cant use magic anyway.

Oh my.

Of course, I have no intention of rebelling either.

Hmm, the location of the core.

When I actually try to gather information, its also vague. That core, its in Ahn Yoonseungs hands right now

Because I had to return the item box to the guild.

Since my house collapsed and there wasnt a suitable place to store belongings, I just handed over all the materials at once.

If I use my mouth wrong, wont Yoonseung get caught for no reason?

I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should say this. It was just a brief hesitation.

It seems its not going to be easy after all. In that case, let me help with the answer a bit.

But our kidnapper was a bit impatient.

-Kwaaak!

When he didnt get the answer he wanted, he started stabbing me right away.

No, excuse me!

There was no excuse for anything.

His dagger pierced through the back of my hand, which was tied to the armrest, in an instant. Fortunately, I had modified my senses, so I didnt feel anything special.

Hiiik.

To be honest, I was completely terrified by this.

Last time, I was treated somewhat like a commodity, but here, even the slightest misstep could mean death, right?

I got it. From now on, I will do everything you tell me to do. So please dont do this.

Save the alien!

I hastily opened my mouth. Im going to reveal all the information.

Loyalty, principlesnone of that mattered when someones life was at stake. Would any of that matter now, with a persons life on the line?

Can I just tell you where the core is?

Then the kidnapper immediately stopped threatening. I guess he liked this decision.

***

The Earthling in the modified hanbok attire fell silent for a moment.

He slowly withdrew his hand from the grip of the dagger he had been clutching and stepped back. However, this didnt mean that he stopped threatening him. It was just a reflex action.

As his mind went blank, his body naturally stiffened

This cant be happening.

This cant be. He kept muttering to himself.

At first, he thought it was a simple mission. After all, he was a top-notch indoctrinator competing for first and second place here at the Rakshasa Temple.

In fact, there were two reasons why they kidnapped Kim Kiryeo.

One is the recovery of the infinite power core. The other was to brainwash this hunter and turn them into a new believer.

Teacher Dae said we need to fill the number of A-Class awakened people.

It was something he always did.

The duty of an indoctrinator was to use the brainwashing item called the [Eyes of Temptation] to turn others into puppets.

About 30 minutes ago from now.

He thought this as he looked through the window at the unconscious Kim Kiryeo.

I guess there will be no problem this time either.

He heard from the believers that it was very easy to kidnap him.

Teacher Dae said that the mans actual awakening level was different from the information registered with the association, and that he was hiding something, so be careful.

However, his thoughts were somewhat different.

He had no doubt that Kim Kiryeos brainwashing wouldnt be very difficult.

Thats because he has a special secret.

Its the indoctrination of a hunter suspected to be A-Class.

As people know, high-ranking awakened people have a very low chance of suffering from mental status abnormalities. Therefore, special treatment is required.

The hidden secret of the Rakshasa temple is

As expected, its not going to be easy.

It is torture.

Then let me help you with the answer.

Mental shock.

That becomes the lubricant for the brainwashing process. When the captured awakened individual hesitated to answer, the indoctrinator struck without hesitation.

-Shhk!

The sensation of flesh being pierced. The acrid smell of metal.

So far, everything is as usual.

Huh?

However, there is only one thing about this room that is so different from usual.

The awakened person bound in the frame eventually opened his mouth.

I got it. From now on, I will do everything you tell me to do.

Its a flat answer, but thats why its so bizarre.

So please dont do this.

That hunter is continuing this sentence with a knife stuck in the back of his hand.

Can I just tell you where the core is?

Kim Kiryeo showed no change in his facial expression despite the attack from the Rakshasa Temple. He simply focused mechanically on the conversation.

Drip, drip.

The hot blood flowing from the back of his hand and the mans cold expression immediately contrast in a strange way.