Chapter 375: Episode 32

When Hanmok discovered the island, it belonged to a company. A resort development project seemed to have been planned for several years, but no matter how one looked at it, it was not a profitable location. Naturally, the plan was cancelled, and it remained in a state of neglect.

This land had no buyers even when listed for sale, but if you could let it go, you might want to do it quickly. Hanmok thought the transfer would end soon. However, even though he offered an amount exceeding the appropriate sum, the other party showed reluctance. Far from being happy, he was warned not to trespass on the small island.

Professional Hunter is said to be the most profitable profession in the world. I think this might have been the motivation to raise the price by observing our feet. Even if you buy an entire company rather than just an island, it might be a bad idea to offer an amount that could give you change in the first place.

Unexpectedly, the other party demanded four-fifths of Hanmok's personal assets. A truly insane amount of money. However, Hanmok agreed to this easily. To him, this island was irreplaceable with money. If I were asked to hand over all my assets, I would nod.

Most importantly, I made him promise to fulfill the contract with all the power he could exercise as a Hunter. I will not allow you to terminate the contract. They threatened that if they ran away midway, they would hunt them down and collect them to the ends of the earth. Hanmok was legal, but forced to have ownership of the island.

I couldn't do anything before I had power, but now I have the ability of a Hunter. I thought that this time, I could protect the birds and the beautiful nature they live in. In the end, the passion would be extinguished within a day by a killer sent by the Mafia.

If it were an ordinary Assassin, I might have dismissed it. However, the opponent was an enemy who was supposed to be anti-mental ability, requiring several people. A simulation type that fights with technique and terrain, not an enemy that can be defeated by direct combat power alone.

Even if he managed to escape, his Fate would not change. As you will learn later, the opponent he was against was a corner of the Ten-Ryo no Kashira, which united the Mafia community worldwide. This was not an existence that a mere Professional Hunter could contend with.

Hanmok surrendered meekly, begging for his life mercilessly. The research lost for decades was finally about to start again. It could be said that his career as a researcher started from here. I cannot die in a place like this.

And reached an agreement. Do your best. No matter what kind of villain the opponent is, just swear allegiance. The only thing that matters to him is the birds living on this island. For anything else, I am even willing to sell my soul.

The Mafia that accepted the proposal would make a deal with him. Originally, I was ignored when I was killed without even listening to the story. At that time, the Mafia might have seen through the true nature sleeping in the simulation.

Thus, he became a box pusher. Continuing his legal activities as a Hunter, his base was the perfect cover to hide his connection to the dark underworld. It is not uncommon for Hunters to take an overly exclusive attitude to protect nature.

There are also Poachers who target birds, but this is not a big problem. In fact, in the past decade, only three Poachers have invaded the island. No matter how valuable something is, it is nothing more than an "Endangered Bird"; if you can only bring back a corpse, the demand drops. Besides the high difficulty of capture, if there is a Hunter always vigilant, no one should approach.

The human psychology is that if there is an easy-to-understand bait in front of you, you won't think about what is hidden behind it. The existence of birds with semi-finished value is also used as a cover. Conversely, those who came to this island with such hardships might have already smelled something other than birds. Although the concealment was well-prepared, it cannot be said to be Absolute.

Therefore, anyone approaching this island without permission is treated as a "Poacher". Hunting them is his job. Even if someone disappears on this island, if it sneaks into the Hunter's territory, it is treated as a possible story.

Until today, the system has been running well. When running an organization, it is inevitable that there will be things you want to throw away but cannot. I need a warehouse to store them. And no matter how strict the security is, as long as it exists, there is always a way to crack it.

But if you don't know of its existence from the start, there is no better security than that. The warehouse on this island, which originally only had enough items to be excavated, has now become one of the most important bases for storing a large amount of the organization's confidential information.

As an excellent box pusher, he had no pride. I had long ago abandoned my self-esteem as a Hunter. Then, if you say you have sworn allegiance to the organization, it is not like that. I don't hate it either. If I dare to put it into words, I think "I don't care".

While living on this island, he suddenly realized. I thought he was chasing the white swallow because he wanted to learn bird language. But even that was "it doesn't matter".

The research made progress, and the language improved to a certain extent. If you present the results at an academic conference, you will be called the person of the moment. But the paper he submitted this year contained a false research report, deliberately making it appear to be a deadlock.

Observing the birds and watching them quietly without disturbing their lives. This alone satisfied him. I don't need anything else. This is a feeling that ordinary people cannot understand, but the only thing I can think of is the happiness of being able to live quietly on this island.

This is heaven. A heaven that "only" belongs to him and the birds.

So what he hates most is disturbing his little peace. Whoever steps on this island will be repelled. I am not hunting down intruders because I am ordered by the organization. Even an innocent girl is a "Poacher" to him.

＊＊＊

Someone who was good to you suddenly changed their attitude and attacked you suddenly. No, I guess he was trying to deceive me from the beginning. Come to think of it, it sounds very simple, but the person who is actually attacked cannot accept it so easily.

I am confused. The feeling as the party being attacked is weak. It feels like someone else's problem. Of course, there is no way you can do anything about it.

But at the same time, his thoughts were clearer than ever. Although confused, there was also a part of me that was calmly judging the situation. I was able to think about different things at the same time, as if I had several people, and each of us was sharing the work.

If it weren't for that, I would still be sitting in the chair, dazed. I felt sick because of the sudden expansion of my thinking ability, and I don't know why this happened, but I can't worry about the details now.

Hanmok drew a bow and arrow at me. The arrow was not loaded, but I felt something shoot at my leg. But what I felt was just a sensation, not real damage. This was an unintentional attack.

The "thing" that was launched instead of an arrow felt like a kind of energy I call Life Force. Usually, it is absorbed by the young girl, but it felt like the blow just now was the opposite. However, there was an unpleasant feeling in the energy. It felt like it was forcibly entering my body, and I think this must be some kind of attack.

When I finished the Analysis, the simulation was ready for the next attack. The weakness of this weapon called a bow and arrow is that it does not work when shooting rapidly. You can shoot precisely because you can pull the bow in advance, but if you shoot an arrow, you need to set the state again, and you cannot shoot the next arrow immediately. It should be like that, but Hanmok's shooting action was terrifyingly fast. There was no gap at all.

Because my dynamic vision is good, I was able to follow the movement of the arrow with my eyes, but I could not avoid it. When I could react, I could not keep up with my actions. This time, the bow gun was firmly fixed with a real arrow, and the next attack would not leave you unscathed even if it hit.

"Good, Professor! Come on, attack me again! I beg you to be more aggressive!"

"Shut up."

"Yes."

Moreover, the enemy in this room is not alone. There is also a man holding a camera, although a Hanmok alone is not something to deal with. Through the viewfinder, I am aiming at the camera to take a picture. I don't know what he wants to do, but from the current situation, he is definitely an enemy.

Last but not least, the place where I am standing is also bad. Two men are blocking the entrance, which seems to be the only exit, and they have to break through to escape. I can't help but think this is impossible.

This is an unprecedented dilemma. If it were the usual me, I might have given up long ago, but now I am full of thinking power to find clues to overcome the dilemma.

The first puzzling thing is that I have not been killed yet. If I wanted to, I could have killed him with the first strike. There are many opportunities to kill. First of all, is it necessary to make me believe such a long story?

As for the person who wants to take pictures, I don't think it's just a hobby either. This should make sense. They have a purpose, and that is why I am alive.

I picked up a Ballpoint Pen from a nearby shelf. This is the only thing I could find that could be used as a weapon. Hanmok ignored this action and said nothing. They probably thought that this situation could not be overturned by a single pen.

This is certainly true. Attacking Hanmok like this, I can do nothing. No matter how much the enemy lets me live, there is no guarantee that they won't be killed, and they may have various means to suppress them without killing them.

So this pen is not aimed at the enemy. I pointed the tip of the pen at my throat.

"... What do you mean?"

"Put down the screen, or I will be punished."

First, measure the value of your life. How much damage does my death cause to the enemy? To what extent can you demand your own life as a threat?

"I see, if you treat him like a child who can't even speak, he seems a bit smarter."

Hanmok did not let go. The arrowhead of the bow gun was still receiving this.

"Are you going to commit suicide? If you can do it, then do it."

Hanmok's attitude did not change, as if he felt that he could not die anyway. If so, that's fine. Next time, really die. This might give you some insight into the enemy's goal.

Put the tip of the pen on your throat. A sharp pain shot through my whole body. The tip was still just pushing the skin. If this pierced to a fatal injury point, how much pain would it cause? Just imagining it makes me want to cry.

But I have to do this. If he hesitates, easing his strength, the situation will get worse. If you do this, if you don't make the enemy think you are dead, it is meaningless.

My hands are shaking. Clench your teeth. Once I take the pen off my throat, I will be ready to go, and I will pull it as hard as I can.

＊＊＊

The girl committed suicide. Hanmok watched the whole thing without blinking.

I never thought I would really die. She did not see the eyes of the dying. He had seen several people in similar situations, but her eyes were different from anyone else's.

Death is not something you can prepare for. People who want to die also want to live. Most of the time, they lose themselves in the cracks of emotions and die like a runaway car out of control. That would be the lowest form a living thing should maintain.

Determination is a determination that only those with a will to survive have. It is a beast-like desire to survive, even if it tears off its limbs and drags its intestines. Or it is the bad thing of giving up trying to achieve something before the moment of facing the Fate of death.

There was no despair in her eyes. That is to say, I was not prepared. Hanmok could not read her mind from her expression. Until the moment I died, I didn't know what I was thinking.

This gave me an indescribable bad feeling. The crossbow he held in his hand was still aimed at the fallen girl.

"Yeah... he's dead, Professor!?"

I have no choice. If he is dead, there is no other option but to report it to the organization. I might be reprimanded, but I usually make contributions within a range I can handle.

If the other party were clearly not a human from the city, it wouldn't matter if Hanmok judged for himself whether they were a Poacher, but this intruder is special. I don't look like someone who belongs to the underworld, but I don't think I'm just an ordinary person either. I contacted the organization because I was worried that deleting it would cause inconvenience. A photo of the girl's face was also sent as an attachment to the email.

As a result, the organization ordered the girl to be captured alive and brought back. I had a strong desire to kill him quickly, but if I disobeyed the order, I would owe the organization, which would bring me more trouble. That is why when Hanmok was dealing with the girl, he had a sleepy attitude, yet he was not told to bring her along no matter what.

In other words, if you die, you may only have value to the extent that you don't have to worry about death. Hanmok has no way of knowing what the purpose of wanting to capture the girl is, but perhaps it is a blessing for the girl to die here.

"Oh my god, I thought I could take a good picture in a while... Damn it, incomplete Burning!"

The Tattoo man Peggio cursed as he approached the girl's corpse.

"Wait, don't just walk up to her."

"Hmm?"

No doubt about it. Still worried about a Nen Ability disguised as a fatal injury, Hanmok carefully observed the girl piercing her own throat with "ki".

"Finger" is a technique that concentrates aura into parts of the body. It is a frequently used technique, especially when strengthening the eyes, which allows you to perceive the movement of an enemy's suspicious aura. Even if the girl were a safe user far superior to Hanmok, in this state of keeping distance and focusing, she could not deceive his eyes.

The Ballpoint Pen undoubtedly destroyed her throat, and the fallen girl bled a lot. Even if she were alive, it would be nothing more than the aura of a bug. I don't think anything can be done in this state.

However, Hanmok was somewhat unconvinced. Just in case, try attacking. I aimed the crossbow at her head, but stopped at the last moment.

The organization issued an order to capture the girl. It wasn't fulfilled, but the reporting obligation still exists. Honestly, I couldn't stop her from committing suicide, but if I left a scar here that would destroy the girl's head, it would be troublesome to explain. It can only be counted as a one-sided killing.

In the end, the arrow he shot had enough power not to leave a large scar on her leg.

"Whoa, you Demon Professor, are you going to go that far?"

Still no response. Thinking that I might be overthinking it, I lowered my stance.

"Moo~... her talent couldn't be better... she's too easy to break! At least let me take a picture of her dying face."

From Hanmok's perspective, making him vomit is a twisted tendency, but it is a condition for activating Peggio's ability, so it can only be allowed. I just want to finish the shooting and everything quickly, then kick him off the island.

But when Peggio stepped forward to lift the girl who had fallen on her stomach, Hanmok noticed a small anomaly. The wound from the arrow previously shot into the girl's leg was bleeding. The girl's body had already lost a lot of blood from the wound in her throat, which could be considered a fatal amount. This is not the blood power of a dead person whose heart should not be beating.

Then, he noticed the back of the girl who had fallen face down. Until a short while ago, there was an unnatural "bulge" there. I didn't see it. When facing her, I was always head-on, so I ignored the changes on the back.

"Stay away from her!!"

She yelled, cocked the crossbow, and the girl moved at the same time. The girl's hand reached out toward the defenseless approaching Peggio. A strange insect was trapped there. It is not a species that lives on the island. It could also be a Nen Beast.

It is hard to believe that the insect lured in with such a large device did not pose a threat. If you are a Nen-type ability user, it should have been the first stage of choosing to avoid, but Peggio, who was exposed to the attack, did not react at all.

This body acted when Hanmok drew attention. I don't have the basic physical strength of a Nen user. In terms of reaction speed, the girl is much higher.

He shot the girl's leg in advance and noticed this quickly, but because he fired, the next step would be delayed. The crossbow takes a long time to fire a second arrow.

The long crossbow used by Hanmok has a classic goat's foot structure. Using the lever principle, the string is stretched by pulling the lever. Most cannot be pulled by arm strength alone; instead, starting from a standing position, the gun tip is Fixed to the foot with metal fittings, and the muscles of the whole body are used to pull it.

However, Hanmok pulls it with one hand. He uses his abdomen to hold the stock, one hand to pull the lever, and the other hand to load the arrow at the same time. It completes the operation in one motion to start the preparation.

Hanmok himself knows exactly how fast it is. Therefore, the answer to whether this attack will arrive in time before the string is pulled.

It cannot be in time.

The advantage of a crossbow is that precise shooting can be performed by separating shooting preparation and aiming, but the disadvantage is that these actions cannot be performed simultaneously. No matter how fast the movement speed is, the inherent functional characteristics of the weapon cannot be zeroed out.

In other words, the girl's attack reached Peggio faster than Hanmok could shoot the arrow.

Peggio is irreplaceable to the organization. His Nen Ability is extremely rare, and he has been entrusted with important tasks that only he can complete. If there were a reckless abandonment of such a thing, the prosecution Hanmok would receive would not end with a lukewarm punishment like a reprimand.

I can only say that I was swallowed. Indeed, I became complacent. I fell into a preconceived notion that I could not withstand that fatal wound.

Hanmok introspected. However, there was no impatience. If you are lagging behind the enemy just because your attack did not arrive in time, you are not qualified to call yourself a Hunter.

"Smart Hunting" activated—

The object to be operated is Peggio's leg. I am well aware that his combat power is not high, and considering that it might hinder him, I met the activation conditions before landing on this island.

"Ahhhhh!?"

Peggio let out a strange cry and jumped up from where he was.

My greatest weapon is not the Ballpoint Pen. It is Poison. There are several powerful poisons in the fangs of the insect body. As for its power and effectiveness, my species instinct taught me. It seems powerful enough to kill a person.

The problem is how to send it to the enemy. If you want to bite the main body, you naturally have to be within reach. Even so, unless the existence of the main body was hidden until just now, the surprise attack would not be successful. How to use long-range weapons to get closer to Hanmok.

This is why I played dead. This body can recover from wounds that would kill a normal person. It is a strategy to attack the approaching place by making them think they are already dead.

But it didn't work. If it were true, it would have been fine if Hanmok had approached, but the one who passed by was someone else, Peggio. Reluctantly changed strategy.

I decided to take Peggio hostage. If it were Hanmok, I even considered killing the person approaching me. However, killing Peggio would not eliminate the threat of Hanmok. This is an opponent I cannot defeat even if I stand on my hands. In this case, using a hostage as a deterrent seems better. I have a paralytic Poison available, and another way to incapacitate the target without killing them.

Not an opponent that can be ambushed twice. This is your last chance. And the ambush was successful. I caught Peggio within the attack range. The opponent could not deal with this attack. It should have been.

Just before the attack arrived, Peggio suddenly leaped up. Like a grasshopper, it jumped to Hanmok's place and then evacuated. Such a situation could not be foreseen. This is not an action that a human can complete without preliminary movements. Even an Olympic athlete would not do this. Superhuman jumping power.

"Da-da-da-da"

Peggio hit the ceiling and rolled on the floor, unable to catch up, but eventually, the distance was safely pulled away.

Tastes bad. Besides exposing my trump card, I also let the enemy escape without any results. What to do from now on, thoughts raced. But I couldn't think of any other solution.

"Is your struggle over? Little girl."

The next moment, my right hand was blown away. Only the eyes captured the attack.

Bow and arrow. However, it was so powerful that I thought it was bundled with explosives. My Finger was gone.

But such damage is minor. Why did Hanmok aim at my right hand? Because my "body" was there.

Shock pierced the insect's body. A life that had not been born for even a week, yet this was the first time it had been hit by the impact of power. My body left the girl's hand, flew directly into the air, and hit the Wall of the room.