Chapter 14

At the hotel, I shoved Joo Seowon into the room along with the paired Teleport Box.

“Teleport Box?”

“I’m sending Do Yehyun here. If he tries to bolt, keep him put. You’re good with words, right? So smooth him out a bit while you’re at it.”

“What the... so I just sit here and wait?”

“Yeah. Nothing complicated. Once he arrives, I’ll call. Answer quick.”

“You’re not using a comms item?”

“Nope.”

I had bought one, but its form wasn’t convenient to use right now. I glanced briefly at Seowon’s ear and added,

“Not yet, anyway. I’m planning to process it first.”

“Process it into what...?”

“Curious? Then I’ll tell you.”

I stared him down, and he must’ve sensed something off because he shook his head, forcing a laugh.

“Nope. I’ll just stay ignorant.”

“Suit yourself.”

“So I just sit tight here and keep hold of Do Yehyun, right?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Good! Fighting, customer~”

This idiot really had no sense.

I swallowed the urge to tell him to behave and left him behind, stepping out of the room. On the way to the garage, I pulled out the Teleport Box and rolled it in my hand. Better hope this thing worked properly.

***

According to Seowon’s intel, the guild holding Do Yehyun was called Infinite Guild, an unregistered, completely illegal group. The guild master, Na Seokgyung, was a C-rank hunter with a handful of junk skills, including Tracking. He was notorious for every sort of filthy scam under the sun.

No memory of that guild in the novel. Guess they weren’t influential enough to matter.

Their main racket was stealing dungeon loot and reselling it for illicit profit, then using that cash to loan out money at insane interest. If you couldn’t repay? Ordinary folks got dumped in their front businesses; hunters got shoved into dungeons as disposable labor.

“People are supposed to live decently, you know.”

I muttered as I slipped into an alley.

‘This feels trickier than I thought.’

I knew Yehyun was somewhere nearby, but I had no clue how to trace him exactly.

Too far for his status window to show up. Sure, if I’d brought Seowon along, things might’ve been easier, but I only had one stealth item on hand. No way I was risking it.

‘Not that I’d gamble with Seowon’s neck anyway.’

I had guaranteed his safety, after all.

So I wandered the alleys, pulling up windows on anyone I passed. Problem was, the place was deserted. Hardly anyone around.

Then—

Name: Na Seokgyung

Age: 38

Rank: C

Title: –

Main Skills: Exploding Light (B), Tracking (D)

Growth Limit: B

‘Found you.’

The guild master of Infinite, the bastard holding Do Yehyun. Just as reported, his window listed Tracking.

‘But look at that other skill. Higher rank.’

Tracking was only D-grade. Enough for short-range tails, but still.

I shadowed him quietly.

Sure enough, Na Seokgyung slinked through alleys, doubling back now and then, pausing to sniff out directions—but steadily closing in.

‘Good boy!’

As long as he narrowed the distance, I’d make the grab first.

He froze in place.

‘View target info.’

Just as expected—

Name: Do Yehyun

Age: 20

Rank: D

Title: –

Main Skills: Blessing of the Moonlight (S), Surging Wave (B), Poison-Cures-Poison (A)

Growth Limit: A

Faint at the edge of sight, Yehyun’s status window appeared. I eased back, widening distance from Na Seokgyung. From here on out, it was a speed game.

Na Seokgyung might only be C-rank, but he was still a guild master. ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) My odds in a straight fight? Practically zero.

So.

‘I have to move first.’

The plan was simple: find Yehyun, send him off, then vanish under stealth.

I circled the block, approaching Yehyun’s hiding spot from the opposite side.

‘There.’

He’d tucked himself into a pile of discarded furniture. Clever kid.

“Yehyun. I think you and I have things to discuss, huh?”

Only problem—Na Seokgyung wasn’t far. Too close for comfort.

I pulled up his distance one last time, then slipped behind the furniture. Kid was about to scream.

I yanked him close and clamped a hand over his mouth.

“Shh.”

We’d only met the day before, but with all that had happened since, it felt like years. His eyes widened in shock. I smiled softly and whispered,

“Wanna run away?”

His breath burned hot against my palm.

***

After sending him through the Teleport Box to the hotel, I popped the stealth item from the night market into my mouth.

Stealth Orb (B)

Hides presence.

Place in mouth, do not swallow.

I’d been running around nonstop today, combing these alleys for Yehyun, and now fatigue hit hard. I crouched, catching my breath, waiting for Na Seokgyung to pass—when footsteps stopped nearby.

‘Shit. Did he find me?’

Sensing Yehyun’s mana suddenly vanish must’ve thrown him. He prowled the alley back and forth.

“I definitely felt him around here...”

“...”

‘Clueless.’

Lucky his Tracking was only D-rank. If it had been higher, I’d have been fucked.

I stayed against the wall until his window drifted away, finally out of sight.

I’d have to test exact range later. Being able to sense windows had more uses than I thought.

Just in case, I kept the orb tucked in my cheek as I returned to Seowon’s car. I called.

—Seo Jehyun!

“Yeah.”

—Where are you? You coming back?

“On the way. Yehyun there?”

—Yeah, but...

Hadn’t even turned the key yet, but half the work was done. I put in an earbud, started the engine.

—Hey, but what’re we supposed to do with him? Just sit?

“Ever met a human before? Talk.”

—Talk? Like... uh, hi, sit down?

Through his voice came another—clearly Yehyun’s. Good, they were managing. I hung up and hit the road.

So. What now? If this were a mission with clear objectives, it’d be fun to tick boxes. With this much freedom, it got messy.

Still, the conclusion was the same. For now—

‘Time to level up.’

Because in this body, I was still nothing.

***

Back at the hotel, I parked Seowon’s car and went up to the room. Honestly, telling him to “keep hold of Yehyun” was just insurance in case the kid bolted—not a cue for deep conversation. Two grown men, what was there to talk about?

But the moment I opened the door, the sight in front of me smashed my expectations.

Joo Seowon, straddling Do Yehyun—

“For fuck’s sake.”

My poor aesthetic sense was being violently assaulted.

“Wait, wait! It’s not what it looks like!”

At the sound of the door, Seowon turned toward me, panting, then scrambled off Yehyun. Not what it looked like? Bullshit.

Disgusted, I slammed the door shut again. Sure, young guys get carried away. But in my room? These motherfuckers.

Then the door burst open and Seowon tumbled out, hair and clothes a mess, yelling.

“Hey! Fuck! It’s not like that!”

“Seowon. What the fuck. You playing games in my room?”

“I told you it’s not! Christ, why are you so damn judgmental?”

Wait a sec. Wasn’t this the same guy who scolded me about Yehyun being too young?

I shoved past him into the room. Yehyun, flustered and clearly terrified, straightened his clothes and met my eyes before flinching away.

“Listen, it was a misunderstanding between me and him, that’s all.”

“H-how did you even know about me?”

“Goddamn it, are you serious? How the hell would I know you? That bastard told me to hold you, so I was holding you!”

“...But you said you had a Tracking skill.”

“For fuck’s sake, I’m not Na Seokgyung’s mole!”

Neither of them cared I was here—they just kept arguing.

At least it seemed mutual, not one-sided. Which meant my eyes weren’t in danger of more trauma.

‘I almost killed them both by mistake.’

Right. Even these idiots had enough sense not to go that far in a stranger’s hotel room.

I half-listened to Seowon’s heated explanation while flipping through the room service menu.

“Look, he was fine at first, but when I said I’d found him with Tracking, he freaked. I grabbed his shoulder to calm him, and he tried to smash me with a wine bottle!”

“Did he succeed?”

“Would I be standing here if he did? You asshole! Was that a wish? You know if anything happens to me, you’re screwed by the Trust Covenant, right?”

“Still alive, aren’t you.”

Yehyun, realizing he’d misunderstood, sat quietly on the sofa, still wary but composed. Fragile and timid, but gutsy when it counted. Impressive.

Of course, lingering hostility toward me or Seowon wouldn’t do.

It looked like his fear and hatred of Infinite Guild ran deeper than I thought. Judging by the scraps of intel I’d seen, I could guess how they’d treated him. Their “businesses” were a cesspool.

The world had too many rotten bastards.

Infinite Guild. I’d brushed them off as unimportant, but if I wanted Yehyun working with me, better to wipe them out. Otherwise his trauma might boil up later.

A healer that precious couldn’t afford to be crippled.

More importantly, something had to be made clear right now.

“Yehyun.”

His head rose slowly at my call. I spoke calmly.

“I’m not killing you. I’m not sending you back to Infinite either.”

“Then why...?”

“I wanted your skills. That’s why I brought you.”

He blinked, like he’d misheard.

“...What?”