Chapter 76 – Illegal Mana Stones (3)

The reason I’m wearing a bear costume.

It’s simple.

This way, the kids won’t be scared.

Bears are friends to all children, after all.

To use my Inventory skill, the children can’t be wary of me.

If they feel even a little bit of resistance or fear, I can’t store them in my Inventory.

Of course, if I beat them until they’re incapacitated, that’s a different story.

*Thwack!*

A thug, hit by my low kick, spun in the air like a top before crashing to the ground.

“This son of a bitch!”

He came at me with a knife, aiming for my neck, so I grabbed his wrist and bent his elbow the wrong way.

A piercing scream erupted from the thug’s mouth.

“All of you, at once! Get him, you morons!”

At the command of the meanest-looking one, the thugs swarmed out, wielding custom baseball bats.

The bats were quite colorful and pretty. The red added a certain desolate touch.

That one has nails hammered into it.

Wouldn’t it have been better just to buy a mace?

Are they the type who obsesses over that handmade feel?

“Get him!”

“You son of a bitch!”

Not a son of a bitch. A bear.

They charged in unison. I had no intention of waiting for them.

I rushed forward and twisted the jaw of the guy in front clean around.

Low kick. Low kick. Mid kick. Another low kick.

Feeling like I was playing a fighting game, I took down every one of them that came at me.

*Thud!*

“What the hell? Why isn’t this doing anything?”

Honestly, getting hit with a baseball bat doesn’t even register as damage.

What I’m wearing right now is the Justice Armor.

I’m using one of its new features, the Teddy Bear Transformation Mode. It’s incredibly durable, capable of blocking most guns and blades.

‘This is pretty useful.’

Maybe I should start a Justice Armor production business, alongside the Hunter training program.

At first, it just looked ridiculous, but now that I’m using it, I think it’s perfectly viable for actual combat.

“W-What the hell? Where did you come from? Huh?”

Seeing his men writhing on the floor like insects, the director’s face filled with bewilderment.

“I told you.”

“Guaaaah!”

I stomped on the director’s chest and repeated myself.

“I came to see how my money was being spent.”

“What’s going on? Why is everyone on the floor? Who the hell is that?”

Just then, four well-built men emerged from inside the orphanage.

I could tell at a glance.

These guys were Awakened.

“What, an Awakened?”

“He’s a Hunter, that bastard.”

The four Villains guarding the orphanage pulled weapons from their respective Inventories.

“Y-You useless bastards! What took you so long? You’re not even worth the money I pay you!”

“Ah, the old man is as cranky as ever. It’s not like we’re attached at the hip 24/7. Hey, you in the bear mask, take it off and come here.”

“It’d be wise to come quietly. Your big bro here is a former A-rank Hunter.”

I vaguely remembered him.

A man with two scratches on his face.

The man who’d ambushed and killed his own party members during a dungeon raid, stealing their money. He was convicted and imprisoned, but later escaped.

His nickname was, I think…

“Jakdu! Get this bastard, now!”

At the director’s command, the A-rank Villain twisted his lips into a smirk.

The one who moved first was the crony next to him.

The Villain closed the distance in an instant, thrusting a dagger at me.

I took a step back, evading the attack.

Freed from under my foot, the director coughed violently.

*Swish, swish!*

He tried to distract me with the sharp dagger, but I saw the red skill effect glittering in his left hand.

I wasn’t particularly interested in what he was trying to do.

Because I’d crush him before he could pull it off.

I snatched the wrist of his arm as he was about to activate the skill.

I could feel his panic through my fingertips.

The dagger flew at me reflexively.

I grabbed the hand holding the dagger and helped him stab himself in the chest.

*Urk!*

The idiot staggered after being stabbed by his own knife, so I helped him get some rest.

“You bastard!”

An arrow, heavily imbued with mana, flew toward me.

I could see the arrow’s trajectory perfectly. I tilted my head slightly to the side and threw a knife at the same time.

“Gyaah!”

The archer screamed as my knife pierced his eye, and another guy, who was swinging a sword, was sent tumbling by a front kick.

I threw another dagger at the Villain who still hadn’t gotten up.

His friends all got daggers. It wouldn’t be fair if he only got a kick, right?

“Aaargh!”

Yes, that sound. Nice.

“W-what the hell is that guy…? Taking down Awakened so easily…!”

The director began to tremble, watching the Villain gang he’d trusted get taken down in an instant.

“The old man’s overreacting again. Those D-rank scrubs weren’t much of a force anyway. Just finish up what you were doing. I’ll take care of this myself.”

The hesitating thugs started moving again.

The Villain pulled out a massive executioner’s blade.

“You seem to have a decent level, but a real fight is a different story, kiddo.”

Jakdu strode over leisurely.

Right up to my face.

“Where should I cut you?”

In response to Jakdu’s question, I pointed a finger at his right arm.

“Not me. You, asshole.”

“Not me. You.”

He’s not getting the message.

Or maybe he did?

Jakdu cackled and swung his blade in a surprise attack.

*Whoosh!*

A sharp sound of displaced air followed.

He was definitely on a different level than the others.

He infused his blade with mana naturally, and his attacks came in hard-to-dodge trajectories.

“You bastard!”

And his combos were fluid.

The blade changed direction and flew toward me.

I snatched Jakdu’s wrist and delivered a body blow with my left arm.

While he flinched from the impact, I smashed his face with a headbutt.

“Keuk, you son of a bitch!”

Clutching his face, Jakdu stumbled back, then opened his eyes as he felt the weight in his hand disappear.

In that moment, I used the executioner’s blade I’d taken from him to sever his wrist.

“Guaaaaaah!”

Ignoring the Villain’s loud screams, I walked over to the director.

The director looked behind him. There was no one left to help.

“Any other friends you want to call?”

“P-please, stop. Why are you doing this to us?”

The director had switched to formal speech.

Much better.

“The incident at the Guild Town this morning.”

Even just saying that much made the director’s pupils tremble.

“It was you, wasn’t it?”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

I didn’t even need to use my Insight skill; I could tell just from his reaction.

I kicked the director in the jaw.

The director was knocked out cold.

The children, huddled together in a corner, clung to one another.

Seeing their grimy appearances, they all looked exhausted and worn out.

But I’d specifically transformed into a teddy bear so the kids wouldn’t be scared.

Why are they afraid?

Finding the answer wasn’t difficult.

Ah, it’s covered in blood.

It seems my bear costume got splattered with blood while I was beating up the Villains.

That must have triggered the children’s trauma, making them terrified.

They’re hugging each other tightly, on their guard.

But one of them, an exception, reacted differently.

“A bear! Wow! It’s a teddy bear, a bear!”

“Yeah, hello.”

“The bear is talking! Wooow!”

As a very friendly-looking little girl clung to me, the other children’s eyes slowly began to lose their tension.

“Mr. Bear, we don’t have to go in there anymore?”

The place the child pointed to was a dark basement.

Clearly the place where the children had been held captive.

“Yeah, that’s right. You don’t.”

“But we’ll get in trouble if we don’t.”

“Yeah, all the mean men who scolded you got scolded by me.”

“But my sister isn’t here. Have you seen my sister, Mr. Bear?”

“Your sister is with Mr. Bear. You’ll see her soon.”

The little one clinging to me glanced behind her back and then grinned widely.

She’s smiling so well with her chipped teeth from being hit.

Feeling sorry for her, I rubbed the little one’s cheek.

The child laughed playfully, as if she were ticklish.

“Alright, everyone, can you come over here?”

The children awkwardly approached, one by one.

I gathered all the children in a hug and stored them in my Inventory.

“Uh, excuse me. Uh, hello?”

A man mixed in with the children raised both hands and stammered.

What’s this?

A guy I didn’t even know was here.

“I-I’m not with these people. I-I’m new, so I don’t know anything.”

“And how am I supposed to believe that?”

“W-well…”

This guy seems like a bit of an idiot.

“Do you know how to tie a restraint knot?”

“Huh? Ah, yes! I can. I-I learned it properly in the military.”

“Then tie up all those gentlemen over there. Let me know if any of them move.”

“Yes, sir!”

The newbie glanced around for a moment, then carefully moved his lips.

“Y-you’re the Delivery Man, right?”

He recognized me even though I’m in a bear costume.

“It is you, right? That Inventory skill that can even store people? W-wow. It’s an honor. I’m a huge fan of the Delivery Man. Uh, we’re the same age, too. It’s amazing. I was just working here, but not for long. J-just until I could find a real job. Just for a little while, you see…”

He talks a lot.

“The authorities will determine your guilt, I suppose.”

“Yes… I-if I’ve committed a crime, I must pay the price. Yes. T-these guys are really bad people. Taking these kids and… just, awful!”

As the newbie tied up a prone gangster, he slapped the back of his head.

Because of that, the gangster, who had been pretending to be unconscious, opened his eyes and glared fiercely.

“Did this punk just hit me…?”

“Uh, w-well…”

“Hey now. It’d be better for you to let him tie you up. Or would you prefer I do it?”

I grabbed a rope with both hands and pulled it taut.

After a moment’s glance, the gangster slowly closed his eyes and pretended to be unconscious again.

Thanks to that, the newbie was able to tie up all his superiors with ease.

“U-uh, if you have time later, maybe an autograph…”

The newbie flinched as he was speaking, looking at me.

“Uh, I’ll just get the autograph next time…”

“No, isn’t there something you should do before asking for an autograph?”

“Ah…”

It’s hard to tie yourself up, so I guess I’ll have to give him a special hand.

It’s a nice sight, all the Villains piled up in one place.

“Olivier.”

-Yes, Hero.

“Report this place.”

-Already did.

Was she watching me even though I didn’t call for her?

The police would be here soon to arrest all the Villains. I moved on, wondering if anyone else was inside the orphanage.

The first and second floors were relatively ordinary spaces.

Literally the scenery of a typical orphanage.

There were common areas for the children to rest and play, and a dining hall for meals.

Of course, this place probably wasn’t used for the children.

It was likely all just for show.

I descended into the dark basement.

The musty smell characteristic of a basement wafted up.

*Click.*

Inside the basement, I caught a familiar scent.

‘Blood.’

The sickening stench of blood.

My brow furrowed involuntarily.

In the basement, I could see the room where the children must have stayed.

A room.

It is a room, right?

As far as I know, the world calls a place like this a ‘livestock pen’.

I saw boxes of mana stones that hadn’t been loaded yet.

Though they were of the lowest grade, judging by the number of boxes, the quantity seemed quite large.

At least a few hundred million, wouldn’t you say?

Among them, contaminated mana stones were in a disposal box. And on what looked like an operating table lay a scalpel and surgical scissors.

There was an anesthetic solution and a syringe.

The act of mana stone implantation, repeated how many times in this place.

I didn’t need to use Insight; I could feel it in my skin, deep in my lungs.

“Crazy bastards.”

Even in the other world, there were those who performed these kinds of mana stone implantations.

The reason was simple.

To create incredibly strong soldiers.

There are various factions among the Villains.

There are the moderate Villains, the Migrants, which Seo Hyun-ji belongs to.

And there’s the hardline faction, the Residents, where the Company Man is.

And then there are these guys: the pure Villains, a group of Awakened criminals.

What on earth did bastards like them want, doing something like this in such a secluded place?

“Ha.”

I found something interesting in the director’s secret office.

I read it.

The contaminated mana stone in my possession, holding Kim In-ho’s will, vibrated faintly.

I came out of the basement.

The tied-up Villains were starting to regain consciousness, one by one. They were struggling against their ropes when they saw me.

The orphanage director seemed to have come to, blinking as he assessed the situation.

His pupils dilated as he saw me approaching.

*Thwack!*

Kicked by my foot, the director slammed into the ground once more.

*Thump!*

The director, pinned under my foot, seemed to be shouting something. But I couldn’t hear him.

Because the thing crushed beneath my foot right now is nothing more than an insect.

“I-I’ll talk. P-please, just stop…!”

The director, his arms and legs shattered, sobbed through a mouthful of blood.

“Keuheuk, heuk. I’m just a low-level subordinate. T-the headquarters isn’t here… Gaaah!”

“Speak. Where is it.”

What I found in the director’s office.

It was a proposal for a certain plan.

…Implant the mana stone into the test subject’s body in this manner. The test subject will gain explosive power…

In other words, a mana stone bomb.

These lunatics were turning living human beings into mana stone bombs.

And these bombs were to be delivered to a certain location.

A government agency.

“Speak.”

They plan to eliminate the government.