Chapter 420 – Part 2 – The Trap

Before Woo Seong-jae’s contact came.

Choi Seong-min briefly made time to enter the Dragon’s Nest.

It wasn’t for anything else but to test his newly acquired function.

After spending about 10 minutes against monsters like that.

‘Now I understand what Shadow Manipulation is.’

He had completely grasped how to use the ability.

‘It’s literally the ability to freely manipulate a target’s shadow.’

Shadows by nature have no substance and cannot move individually.

‘But with Shadow Manipulation, it becomes different.’

The moment the intention to use Shadow Manipulation intervenes.

The target’s shadow gains substance and moves separately like a living being.

According to Choi Seong-min’s control.

‘You could say it’s a kind of telekinesis that only works on shadows.’

It wasn’t the concept of commanding like a summoned creature.

Shadows had no will of their own.

‘Shadows move only by my will.’

There were various ways to utilize shadows in combat.

He could use the target’s shadow to bind their feet, block their vision, or strangle their neck.

This was possible because shadows gained substance as soon as Choi Seong-min interfered.

‘I can even drag the target toward me.’

While he could move the shadow, he couldn’t separate it from the target.

So when he moved the shadow to a specific point, the target would inevitably follow.

‘In other words, as long as their shadow is visible, they can’t even dream of escaping from me.’

Of course, even such a cheat ability wasn’t without weaknesses.

It became useless in places without shadows.

‘I can’t use it in completely dark places where no light enters.’

But if there were no shadows, he could just create them.

Among Choi Seong-min’s traits was one called ‘Radiance’ that emitted light by itself.

It was one of the traits he had recently obtained by killing F-rank hunters at the hunter training facility.

‘I thought it was useless since it was an F-rank trait that had no abilities and just emitted light…’

Unexpectedly, it had its uses.

‘With this, there won’t be any situations without shadows.’

With the only weakness covered, it became a truly cheat ability.

‘Shadow Movement followed by Shadow Manipulation. These are exactly the functions I need right now.’

Just as he was feeling satisfied.

Choi Seong-min’s phone vibrated.

Seeing Woo Seong-jae’s name naturally made the corners of his mouth turn up.

‘I was waiting for this.’

When Choi Seong-min answered the phone, he heard Woo Seong-jae’s voice.

“Hunter Choi Seong-min. This is Woo Seong-jae.”

“Yeah. What did you call for?”

“As you ordered, the criminal hunters are ready.”

“How many did you gather?”

“Westland, Eastland, neutral countries, and so on. All together, 474 people.”

“You gathered quite a lot.”

Choi Seong-min couldn’t hide his joy at the number exceeding his expectations.

‘If I kill the criminal hunters, reaching 100% will be quick.’

He had wondered when he’d ever fill 100% synchronization rate, but thanks to using Woo Seong-jae, it was now within reach.

“Good work. You gathered them all in one place as I told you, right?”

“Of course. I gathered them in a gymnasium in Westland and it’s absolutely packed. How about it, will you come this way?”

‘Look at this guy.’

Just the fact that he deliberately assembled them in far-off Westland made his intentions clear.

It was a trap.

‘Is he planning to kidnap my family after luring me there?’

He couldn’t help but be amazed at how shamelessly he was luring him into a trap.

“Of course I have to go. That’s why I told you to gather them.”

Having grasped the situation, Choi Seong-min smiled wickedly.

“Where should I go?”

---

Before moving to the location Woo Seong-jae mentioned, Choi Seong-min first turned on the internet.

Then he searched for the faces of criminal hunters in Westland.

It didn’t matter who.

He just needed to know any one person.

It was to fly there instantly with Shadow Movement.

‘As long as I know the target’s face, I can move to anyone, even someone I’m seeing for the first time.’

Woo Seong-jae would think Choi Seong-min would take a plane and fly for 12 hours…

‘What’s 12 hours? One second is enough.’

Unless he had directly seen his equipment, he wouldn’t know about the cheat skill called Shadow Movement.

The same went for the cheat skill Shadow Manipulation.

‘Jeffrey Dahmer. I should move to this guy.’

Choi Seong-min, who had found a criminal hunter’s face through internet search, smiled.

‘If Woo Seong-jae really gathered criminal hunters in one place, I should be able to reach the gymnasium when I move to this guy.’

With such thoughts, Choi Seong-min used stealth and then activated his ability.

‘Shadow Movement.’

The location changed as soon as he blinked.

First, he saw many people, and murmuring sounds disturbed his ears.

‘I arrived properly.’

In the vast space that appeared to be a gymnasium, hundreds of people were lying on sleeping bags spread out.

To anyone watching, they would look like refugees eating in a shelter.

But all of these were criminals.

The handcuffs on their hands, prison uniforms, and chains connecting them to each other proved they were criminals.

Choi Seong-min looked around at the criminals with his Discerning Eye.

‘Most are F-rank hunters.’

Criminal hunters generally fall into two categories.

Either they were in juvenile detention and luckily awakened when they turned 20, or they had already awakened but committed crimes and were imprisoned.

Usually, if your rank is high, you don’t get caught even if you commit crimes.

That’s why most criminal hunters were F-rank.

E-rank or D-rank were only occasionally seen.

‘The rank doesn’t really matter. What’s important is the grade of the traits.’

Just because they were F-rank didn’t mean they only had F-rank traits.

Choi Seong-min was excited.

What kinds of traits would come in this time?

And what would happen when the synchronization rate reached 100%?

His heart was pounding at this unprecedented feast of over 400 people.

‘But this isn’t the time for this. Woo Seong-jae didn’t call me here with good intentions.’

He regained his composure mentally and explored inside the gymnasium.

To see if there were any other hidden forces besides the criminal hunters.

‘I can guess what Woo Seong-jae’s scheme is. And I’ve thought of countermeasures for it.’

Still, being careful wouldn’t hurt, so Choi Seong-min thoroughly looked around inside and outside the gymnasium.

The result.

‘There are only 474 criminal hunters and 8 guards here.’

No, there was one more person.

[Jeon Byeong-cheol]

A 34-year-old S-rank hunter. Current combat power is 1,180,189.

Excluding Choi Seong-min, he was the only S-rank hunter in this place.

‘Obviously Woo Seong-jae’s subordinate.’

Woo Seong-jae’s subordinate was looking down at the gymnasium from the second-floor spectator seats.

Hidden inconspicuously in a corner.

“Ah, this is boring. Having to just wait without being able to do anything… When will Lord Woo Seong-jae contact me…”

Reading his thoughts made it clear he was Woo Seong-jae’s subordinate.

‘Woo Seong-jae isn’t visible, only his subordinate. As expected, he’s pulling a petty trick.’

Choi Seong-min, who sneered inwardly, released his stealth.

In front of Woo Seong-jae’s subordinate.

“Gasp! You, you’re…!”

He seemed to know who he was.

“Contact Woo Seong-jae. Tell him Choi Seong-min appeared.”

After being confused for a moment, Jeon Byeong-cheol came to his senses and picked up his phone.

“L-Lord Woo Seong-jae…”

“What’s wrong? Hunter Choi Seong-min couldn’t have arrived already… Did a riot break out?”

“This is more serious than that.”

“What happened?”

“Ch-Choi Seong-min Hunter appeared…”

Jeon Byeong-cheol had to cut off his words midway.

Because Choi Seong-min had snatched his phone.

“Woo Seong-jae. It’s me, Choi Seong-min.”

“Ch-Choi Seong-min Hunter?”

Just from his voice, it was clear he was flustered.

He had to be.

Choi Seong-min, who should be in Eastland, had appeared in Westland in less than an hour.

“Why? Did you think it would take 12 hours for me to arrive?”

“N-no.”

‘His head must be complicated right now.’

He didn’t know for sure, but Woo Seong-jae was probably thinking of various possibilities.

Whether he had moved by designating Westland as a new return location, or if he had been in Westland from the beginning.

‘Or if he has the ability to teleport at will.’

His head would be complicated, but no answer would come.

Because there weren’t enough clues for even Insight to figure it out.

“I came to the gymnasium as you said, and it really is packed. It’s like insects are swarming.”

“I-is that so?”

“You only gathered criminals as I instructed, right?”

“Of course. But what do you plan to do with all of them…”

“Why ask when you already know? I have to kill them all.”

“Ah… really?”

‘Look at this bastard asking when he already knows.’

Though Woo Seong-jae acting innocent was annoying, since they were both hiding their plans, Choi Seong-min didn’t show it either.

“If you can’t believe it, have your subordinate report the situation to you.”

“Ah, then after the work is done, will you spare me as promised…”

“I’ll spare you.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much! Hunter Choi Seong-min.”

From his voice, he seemed genuinely grateful, but Choi Seong-min knew.

That he was acting right now.

‘Not showing up in person and having his subordinate stand here is also to avoid having his true intentions read.’

There was probably also fear of dying at his hands if he showed up directly.

‘Let’s wait and see. How he’ll come at me.’

He had prepared for possible situations.

His family was nothing to worry about.

“Take it.”

“Y-yes!”

After hanging up, Choi Seong-min threw the phone to Jeon Byeong-cheol.

Then, without looking back, he walked toward the criminals gathered in the gymnasium.

It was time for massacre.

---

Jo Wang-chun was an S-rank hunter with tracking abilities.

Although his combat power was only barely 1.1 million, he was confident when it came to tracking someone else.

‘He told me to wait until contact comes, right?’

Jo Wang-chun’s gaze was directed toward a magnificent mansion.

He heard it was a house where someone’s family lived, but honestly, he wasn’t interested.

‘I don’t care whose family it is. I just need to kidnap them and get paid.’

Most importantly, it was an order from Woo Seong-jae, who was ranked 1st.

Money or whatever, if he didn’t carry it out unconditionally, he was a dead man.

Even if he found out the targets were the family of Choi Seong-min, who was ranked 2nd, nothing would change.

‘How much longer do I have to wait…’

Just as his concentration was starting to waver.

Buzz-

The text he had been waiting for came.

[Woo Seong-jae: Now. Go in and kidnap them.]

‘Okay. Two ordinary people should be easy as pie.’

Jo Wang-chun, grinning, infiltrated the mansion while using stealth.

His tracking ability told him exactly where the targets were.

‘Perfect timing. It looks like both are in the same room.’

He already knew information about the targets.

Jeong Hui-seon. 49 years old. Full-time housewife. No particular occupation.

Choi Ah-yeon. 17 years old. Student, currently on leave.

With just this much information, he could track their location.

His trait, ‘Location Tracking,’ was that kind of trait.

However, it took quite some time.

‘Here. If I enter this room, I’ll find the mother and daughter.’

Jo Wang-chun, who had reached a door, gripped his dagger tighter.

He said he’d pay triple if he brought both, so he shouldn’t kill them if possible…

‘But if they resist too much, I’ll have to kill them without mercy.’

He said he’d give enough money to live on for life even if he brought just one, so there was no need to waste time on unnecessary things.

Kidnapping was all about speed, after all.

‘I’m going in.’

Jo Wang-chun grabbed the door handle.

It was the moment he opened the door with a tense face.