Chapter 11
Somewhere inside Baek Hwan’s <Guardian> Guild building.
That’s where I was.
“Don’t even think about trying anything stupid.”
Baek Hwan warned me sternly.
Was he implying that if I tried to run, the hunters here would quickly subdue me?
But that didn’t matter to me at all right now. The location was meaningless, and his words barely registered in my head.
Thrown into a completely different environment, I could only blink in confusion.
Where had the park I was in just moments ago disappeared to? All I could see was this room with stark white walls and floors.
There was nothing here except a chair and a desk.
Just me and Baek Hwan.
Or rather, just me.
Because what had been my last hope, my fastest means to resolve all of this—the dungeon gate that had appeared in front of me by some miracle—
Was gone.
Vanished before my eyes.
“W-what is this?”
In an instant, I felt like a raccoon washed clean of its cotton candy.
“Why, why would you suddenly teleport us?!”
My voice rose involuntarily. In my panic, I momentarily forgot the oppressive aura I felt earlier and fearlessly confronted an S-rank.
“I don’t have time for this, what do you expect me to do now?!”
This insane “angel.” Couldn’t he at least listen to people properly before dragging them off somewhere?
Honestly, I was kind of losing it. I clutched my head in frustration.
Finally free from the subspace, I woke up only to find myself accused of imprisoning the Rank 1 hunter. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, a dungeon break happened.
Just as I was about to resolve it, I got interrupted.
How rare is it for a dungeon to appear like that?!
“Why? Are you panicking because your skill isn’t working?”
“Excuse me?”
What was this about my skill now?
As I floundered, trying to process his words, Baek Hwan dropped an even more ridiculous statement.
And he said it with the utmost seriousness.
“No matter how strong you are—”
I’m sorry, what?
Was he serious? I stared blankly at Baek Hwan, trying to gauge his expression. He didn’t seem to be joking at all.
“You can’t do anything in this place.”
I’ve never been able to do anything anyway, though.
“No matter how strong an S-rank is, their power is sealed in this room.”
I’m an E-rank, though.
“Except for me, of course, since I own the item.”
Baek Hwan smirked with satisfaction.
But despite the smile curling his lips, his eyes were anything but warm. They were cold, calculating.
I froze instinctively.
“Now, shall we have a little chat?”
Cold sweat trickled down my forehead.
I didn’t know what led him to this conclusion, but it was clear that Baek Hwan saw me as a dangerous individual.
Someone with immense power.
✦✦✦
People say rankers are all arrogant and self-centered. Today, I might be experiencing that firsthand.
Baek Hwan sat with his legs crossed in the chair, while I knelt on the floor beneath him.
And now, a sudden interrogation. Could this situation be any more humiliating?
But I had no choice.
No one could stand their ground against an S-rank. And I, a newly awakened chick of an E-rank hunter, certainly couldn’t.
The worst part? He didn’t seem to realize that at all. I was losing my mind.
“It’s really a misunderstanding!”
I shouted desperately, knowing I couldn’t delay explaining any longer.
“What exactly is the misunderstanding?”
“Everything! First of all, I’m not strong! I’m just a useless little E-rank!”
The most urgent thing was clearing up this misconception about my abilities. I had to emphasize how weak I really was.
I wanted no part of any more oppressive intimidation.
“Then how did you defeat the slime that came out during the dungeon break?”
“That, uh… it was just the way my skill works….!”
The problem was that no matter how much I tried to assert my harmlessness, he clearly wasn’t buying it.
Baek Hwan scoffed, blowing air through his nose as if he couldn’t believe me.
“Ha. So you’re telling me an E-rank stopped the second phase? And an S-rank monster at that?”
The countless monsters. The spatial gate that appeared in the sky.
That skill of mine that swallowed up all the slimes at once—it really was absurdly overpowered, even I thought so.
For someone like me, an E-rank, to use a skill like that?
But I didn’t use it to be misunderstood like this!
“So, Shin Yeoul is in there too, right?”
Baek Hwan asked coldly, cutting straight to the point.
“Excuse me?”
His tone left no room for doubt. It was as though he’d already pieced everything together after seeing my skill.
“In the gate that swallowed up all the slimes. Shin Yeoul is in there, isn’t he?”
Baek Hwan’s words hit the mark, and my eyes wavered.
Uh… He was probably right.
That is, if my “slurp” skill had properly connected to the subspace.
Did he really know everything? But how? I had only just escaped from the subspace!
How did he figure it out so quickly?
“Don’t give me that look like you’re wondering how I knew.”
At my reaction, Baek Hwan furrowed his brow in irritation and suddenly pulled out his phone, holding it up for me to see.
“You were the one who wrote it on the form first.”
Displayed on the screen was the Dungeon Administration Department’s survey I had filled out just minutes ago.
With my answers written on it.
H-how did he get his hands on that?!
My personal information had been exposed in the blink of an eye. The kind of information access this man had was unimaginable for an ordinary citizen like me.
“The Giant Centipede’s Nest, S-rank.”
That was the name of the dungeon I had hastily written down, driven by the urgency of needing to enter the subspace immediately.
I hadn’t expected those words to come out of Baek Hwan’s mouth.
“That’s where Shin Yeoul headed last. And I’m the only one who knew that.”
Baek Hwan stroked his chin, pretending to think, tapping his fingers rhythmically.
“But you were there too? How exactly should I interpret this situation?”
Baek Hwan’s words ended with a question, but it wasn’t really a question.
It was confirmation.
He was absolutely convinced that I had done something to Shin Yeoul.
And, well… he wasn’t entirely wrong.
I had trapped him, technically.
But it wasn’t with bad intentions! It was more of an accident, really.
This was driving me crazy.
It was as if I’d been caught red-handed. From Baek Hwan’s perspective, I might as well have been a kidnapper.
“You’d better talk. And talk well.”
Baek Hwan leaned in close, locking eyes with me.
“If you don’t want to die.”
The sharp warning cut straight to my core.
I had no time to make excuses.
From the start, he wasn’t interested in hearing me out—he just wanted to crush me, leaving no room for resistance.
[The opponent’s pressure intensifies! Breathing becomes difficult. Your vision blurs.]
A system message popped up, and I felt the air leave my lungs.
Compared to an S-rank, an E-rank was practically just a regular person. What might seem like a minor threat to him was overwhelming to me.
“Gasp!”
It was raw, unfiltered intimidation. Tears streamed down my face as my instincts screamed in fear.
It felt like I was about to be devoured.
Like prey standing before a predator, seconds away from death, my whole body trembled uncontrollably.
“W-wait! Right now!”
I couldn’t hold out any longer and collapsed flat on the floor.
“I’ll bring him out right away! Please!”
I didn’t care about pride or fairness—I just needed to beg.
“Please spare me!”
[The pressure decreases.]
My head was spinning. I had really been on the verge of fainting.
As the weight lifted, I let out a shaky breath, pressing my palms to the floor to steady myself before slowly lifting my head.
“…just this much?”
I heard Baek Hwan mutter to himself.
His expression was one of faint disbelief, as if momentarily surprised by something unexpected.
It was almost like he had underestimated the situation and made a mistake.
But the moment passed quickly.
“Well… fine. Sign the contract first.”
Baek Hwan recovered his composure, snapping his fingers.
[Would you like to create a contract with Baek Hwan?
Yes | No]
“Press it.”
A system window appeared in front of me, likely triggered by some item he had used. With trembling fingers, I accepted the prompt.
A golden piece of paper floated in midair.
“This is…”
It was an Oath Scroll. An item quite famous even among ordinary people.
A paper glowing with golden light. It was the second most famous thing after the saying “Never co-sign for anyone.”
Was this what he was aiming for from the beginning?
The thought crossed my mind. It seemed like he didn’t care what I said from the start.
[Seojin (Party B) shall bring Shin Yeoul, unharmed and intact, before Baek Hwan (Party A).
*Until the contract is fulfilled, Party B cannot disobey Party A’s words.]
What he wanted was simple. To bring Shin Yeoul out of the subspace.
“Once you sign, I’ll lift the restriction on your skill use.”
Whether it was the contract being offered or the fact that I was still gasping for air, his tone was noticeably softer than before.
“Hurry up and sign it.”
By the time I came to my senses, a long quill pen was in my hand. According to his words, all I had to do was reach out and sign.
I gripped the quill tightly.
I was going to bring Shin Yeoul out anyway.
There was no reason I couldn’t fulfill the contract. All I wanted was for this situation to end quickly.
But as I read the contract’s terms, my hand faltered.
[If the contract is breached, Party B will lose her life.]
A condition I couldn’t ignore.
[Time limit: 10 seconds.]
Another condition that left me speechless.
What did he think I was, some kind of magic trick that could pull this off with a snap?
Frustrated, I squeezed my eyes shut.
Um… Baek Hwan-ssi?
Couldn’t you please spare my life?
🌱
Thank you for reading! ♡
