Chapter 19 : If possible, call it ability supremacy.

Sparkles brushed over the table.

Immediately after blocking the effect of [High-Class Hypnosis], Seo-min Hong smiled sardonically, as if revealing her true intentions.

“Ah. What, you caught me. I didn’t think you’d have a mental barrier.”

“What are you doing?!”

“What am I doing, you ask?”

Seong-han Lee drew the dagger from his side and raised his guard.

The opponent was an S-rank.

It was uncertain whether he had a chance against an S-rank hunter.

For now, Seong-han Lee decided to trust [Auto Combat].

He couldn’t run away anyway.

“I thought I was acting pretty well. Don’t you think so, President?”

Cheong Jin-ho was slumped over. As if he were dead.

Cough cough.

He spewed out a large amount of acrid blood and moved awkwardly, hanging from strings.

Of course, the one controlling the movements was Seo-min Hong.

Seong-han Lee observed the scene with seething eyes.

‘Where is the original?’

There were two possibilities.

1. He was dead.

2. He was trapped somewhere.

Either way, it was likely to be controversial.

Even an S-rank hunter was still human.

This kind of act carried a high risk. He wouldn’t dare to touch the president of the association without any thought.

That would be true madness. Seong-han Lee gritted his teeth with a terrified face.

There must be some backing.

Logically, she wouldn’t answer, “What’s the reason? Hahaha, it’s fun!”.

Seong-han Lee could bet his manhood on that.

Originally, Cheong Jin-ho was also a ‘leftover’.

Even if he died, only a few would be sad and say, “Hehehe, serves him right, that idiot.” After that, there was nothing.

“…….”

“The strings have loosened. This is why I don’t like dolls.”

Snap.

Seo-min Hong snapped her fingers. Several pure white strings were attached to Cheong Jin-ho.

“Hmm, the more strings attached to the wall, the better. Now, President. What were you going to say?”

“Loyalty to the master.”

“Hmm~ Well done. I’ll give you something fun as a reward.”

Seo-min Hong gently pressed down on Cheong Jin-ho’s shoulders with both hands.

“First, let’s get rid of those guys.”

Seo-min Hong smiled coldly.

It was chilling.

“I guess this won’t be needed for now?”

“Yes, master.”

Cheong Jin-ho replied emotionlessly.

Then.

Crack.

With the sound of bones breaking, Cheong Jin-ho’s arms were torn off. It was a gruesome sound. Seong-han Lee’s fine hairs stood on end.

The blood from the wound spurted out and then stopped.

Cheong Jin-ho’s body was made of wood. Like a doll.

Even that was just an imitation.

[‘Auto Combat’ begins.]

Seong-han Lee crouched down, on guard.

“Just stay still for now.”

Seo-min Hong made her blood-red eyes even darker.

“Come to me, my dear.”

Snap!

She raised one arm high and snapped her fingers.

[‘Seo-min Hong’ uses ‘String Weaving’.]

Numerous strings flew towards Seong-han Lee.

“Damn it!”

Thud.

Seong-han Lee was pierced all over by thick strings.

Head.

Chest.

Abdomen.

Legs.

Not a single part was left intact.

He coughed up blood, and his movements slowed. So this is how she makes dolls. He groaned intermittently, as if he were having a hard time getting out of the shock.

“My head, my head.”

His limbs trembled as if trapped in a body. He couldn’t stay still, like someone with a tic.

‘Ms. Jin-young?’

Seong-han Lee thought he was stupid.

He was a mess himself, and yet he was worrying about others.

‘It’s a relief. It’s an ice shield.’

Jin-young Kang was safe.

Although she was trapped in ice, that was also magic. An invincible magic that blocks any damage. It used a lot of mana, but the effect was certain.

The strings had already bounced off, and now it was time to worry about himself.

‘A little rest will make it better.’

A voice different from Jin-young Kang’s. It was a seductive voice. Or should I say, coercive?

‘Kneel, you bastard.’

Is she a queen who pushes with force? Seong-han Lee didn’t like that. He lay on the floor, covered in blood.

[‘Mental Barrier’ deploys.]

[Due to excessive shock, ‘Mental Barrier’ collapse is detected.]

[‘Mental Barrier’ has collapsed.]

[Trait, ‘Mental Barrier’ is removed.]

…

[(EX)’ takes root in the ‘remnants of the Mental Barrier’.]

A thick layer of energy fields was deployed around Seong-han Lee’s outline.

[‘(EX)’ transforms ‘Mental Barrier’.]

[‘Mental Barrier’ evolves into ‘Blockade’.]

[A threat to life has been detected.]

[‘Regeneration’ is activated.]

Thud thud thud.

Suddenly, clumps of strings fell.

The flesh was regenerating.

“What.”

Seo-min Hong let out a gasp from afar, as if the sight was also strange to her.

“What kind of guy are you?”

Thud!

More strings flew in. Just before they touched the regenerating flesh, the energy field itself absorbed the strings.

[‘(EX)’ analyzes the ability.]

[‘(EX)’ demands an immediate response from ‘Blockade’.]

[‘Blockade’ nullifies all relevant abilities.]

Crackling!

“The ability.”

[‘Blockade’ removes ‘String Weaving’.]

“Why.”

[‘Blockade’ removes ‘High-Class Hypnosis’.]

“It’s not working.”

[‘Blockade’ removes ‘Puppetization’.]

Thunderbolts struck the air.

As if watching the welding process with the naked eye, his eyes flashed several times.

Seong-han Lee’s vision was completely blurred, as if he had used up a lot of mental power.

“Interesting.”

Seo-min Hong’s face was completely distorted.

He was alive.

That was enough.

Seong-han Lee’s plan was simple.

‘Buy time until Mi-young Kang arrives.’

She was the strongest in terms of pure force and charisma.

It wasn’t a likely scenario, but now there was a chance.

[‘Jin-young Kang’ breaks free from the magic, ‘Ice Seal’.]

Crack.

The ice containing Jin-young Kang was half shattered.

“Haa!”

Jin-young Kang woke up, gasping for breath. She pounded on the ice and hurriedly got out.

Thwack!

Jin-young Kang pointed at Seo-min Hong with her finger.

“That crazy b*tch.”

She even dropped the honorifics now.

Well, Jin-young Kang’s personality was like that.

“Are you okay?”

Seong-han Lee asked about Jin-young Kang’s condition.

“The ice shield is an invincibility skill that lasts for one turn, so I’m fine.”

“You talk like it’s a game.”

“I’m good at games, you know. Anyway, how did you survive?!”

“I was lucky.”

Jin-young Kang was startled, then quickly took out her weapon.

“Let’s get rid of that crazy b*tch first!”

“Ms. Jin-young. Is that woman really the Puppeteer?”

Jin-young Kang clicked her tongue bitterly.

Judging from her reaction, it was definitely her. Due to [Perception Inhibition], it took a while to recognize her.

The Puppeteer.

Along with Mi-young Kang, one of the S-rank hunters representing Korea.

A mysterious figure shrouded in secrecy.

Large-scale battles using dolls.

Therefore, she had a fairly large fan base.

A tight-fitting black bodysuit.

Bewitching eyes and an empress-like, haughty ‘But why is she here?’

I don’t know.

We’ll have to find out from now on.

Seong-han Lee felt like he was on fire. The number of troops surrounding them was also considerable.

Two with sword and shield on the right.

Three with greatbows.

One with an axe on the left.

Two large figures standing behind, probably specializing in close combat.

And the Puppeteer, Seo-min Hong.

Including her, there were a total of nine.

Since she could summon puppets, there was a high possibility that there were more.

The first conference room was already surrounded.

The exits were blocked.

“Puppets?”

Now that he looked, they were all puppets.

Wooden dolls.

There were strings somewhere in the ceiling. Although they were not clearly visible, they were clearly being controlled by something.

Alright, let’s change our perspective.

‘Why are they here?’

Seong-han Lee bit his thumbnail with his teeth.

If she was an S-rank, she could meet someone like him whenever she wanted.

And she could kill him.

She was that strong.

If she wanted to kidnap him, she could just turn him into a doll.

‘What if she can’t kill him? What if there’s another purpose?’

Seong-han Lee held the dagger in a reverse grip and pointed it at his own neck. Seo-min Hong looked at him with interest.

“I’m not supposed to die, am I?”

Jin-young Kang swallowed hard, startled. Then she reached out to take it away.

“Put that away. Now.”

No.

An S-rank is an unconventional powerhouse.

She has to grovel at the feet of a predator to pique her interest.

The moment she loses interest, it’s over. I don’t want my head and body to be separated. Especially not because of me.

“Wh-what are you doing? Put it down now.”

[This human, why is he suddenly like this?!]

Seo-min Hong watched the scene with interest.

“What’s the reason I’m doing this?”

Reason. Yeah, even gangsters need a justification for their actions. Soldiers loyal to orders are the same, so what about her?

“Right. It’s something that requires an irregular. I’ll give it a try.”

She grinned.

“First, behave yourself.”

The puppets rushed in.

The servants of Seo-min Hong.

In other words, the puppets were helplessly torn apart.

The weapons were varied, but the simple patterns made it easy to deal with them.

Thus, the battle entered a lull.

Seo-min Hong looked at Seong-han Lee and Jin-young Kang with an arrogant posture.

“Directive. Return.”

[‘Seo-min Hong’ calls the puppets.]

[The puppets obey and retreat.]

Seong-han Lee stanched the bleeding from his abdomen with his bare hands.

Apart from the individual patterns, there were too many of them.

It was impossible to block them all, and he was on the verge of death after being hit by a stray attack.

“Are you trying to see if Jin-young has a thing for you?”

Seong-han Lee calmly asked.

“What? I don’t care about that b*tch. Rather, I’m interested in you.”

Clap clap clap.

“It’s not for nothing that you were judged as an irregular.”

“How did you know I was an irregular?”

“S-ranks get separate notices. It’s not for nothing that you caught Miruginoth. You, you have talent.”

Seo-min Hong smiled arrogantly.

She sat in the president’s chair, crossed her legs, and licked her lips.

Seong-han Lee’s eyes widened.

“Do you know about the Gray Tower?!”

“You must be a newbie, you don’t know much. Hmm, that crippled b*tch didn’t explain it to you.”

Seo-min Hong’s eyes narrowed.

“I don’t know the exact conditions, but hunters who meet the criteria receive requests from the government. So they conquer the tower, like me. And you’re the same.”

“How many floors are there?”

“I’m reluctant to tell you. There are rules, you see. If you leak it, you die, just like that.”

Seo-min Hong continued in a rapid-fire manner.

“Each country has a time limit. If the time is exceeded, that country collapses. But, do you know what I found out? They’re going to kill all the awakened individuals or something.”

Seong-han Lee took the information.

The tower is a kind of detonator.

If you don’t climb the tower, the detonator will explode.

Korea’s time limit is running out.

So the government is trying to use him.

Seong-han Lee understood it this way.

“Hah, this isn’t the time to be leaking that.”

Jin-young Kang rushed in at an incredible speed.

“The National Intelligence Service is all the same. So think carefully. This is advice from an awakened senior.”

Seo-min Hong snapped her fingers.

[Additional hostile entities are detected.]

Several more puppets were summoned.

The puppets threw themselves to block Jin-young Kang’s attack.

“Tsk!”

“Do you want to die for this shitty country? Or do you want to live? I need a few factions too. Like hands and feet.”

Thud.

A puppet fell from the sky.

It was President Cheong Jin-ho, wearing light armor.

No, the ronin puppet.

[Ronin Puppet Lv.25]

-created from the puppeteer’s strings. Demon type. It imitates the original target that serves as its source. The current original is Cheong Jin-ho. It shows skilled movements.

“Mas-“

Clatter.

Bang!

Seo-min Hong’s delicate hand gesture.

“Shut up. Things got messed up because of you. Who told you to open your mouth?”

The ronin’s jaw flew off, scattering blood.

The ronin, pushed back by the overwhelming force, stiffened and then stood upright again.

“You. Deal with that woman in the suit properly. Whether you tear her apart or shred her, I don’t care.”

Nod.

“As for that tall guy…”

Seo-min Hong looked at Seong-han Lee for a moment.

Then she smiled softly.

A sardonic smile.

“If he stays still, just bring him. If he resists, cripple him and bring him alive. The moment he dies, your original and you will be screwed.”

Seo-min Hong made a gun shape with her right hand. She pointed it at her right temple as if to kill herself.

“Puppet. Shatter.”

Bang.

Crunch crunch crunch!

The body of Seo-min Hong, who had been speaking until just a moment ago, turned into a wooden doll, and a loud noise, like a saw grinding it, was heard.

“…….”

The ronin drew a sharp sword.

[The ‘Solitary Swordsman’ casts a gaze.]

[HP 100% 

[You have now entered the ‘Boss Room’.]

[All entry and exit are restricted.]