You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿ - Chapter 106

Layla's eyes widened in shock.
âHow did you recognize me?â

âIsnât it foolish not to know?â
Thinking about it, since Iâd be hearing everything through the translator anyway, I decided to drop the polite language.
It wasnât difficult to recognize the identity of the woman who suddenly intruded. Her janitorâs clothes were obviously stolen, with the shoulders and hem in a mess, and most importantly, the bomb she was holding had the Hunter Associationâs mark stamped on it.

âThe unstable mana concentration suggests itâs a prototype, but the materials used are too high-end.â
Itâs hard for a typical janitor to get their hands on such explosives.
So, thereâs only one conclusion.

âWell, I guess the rumors about you being a super rookie are true. But...!â
With a flick, Layla threw something like a string into the air. It twisted like a living creature, and in an instant, it bound my arms.
A smug smile appeared on her face.

âYou shouldnât underestimate me. You wonât be able to break free at your level.â
I stared at my bound arms. It seemed like a binding item, and the Hunter Associationâs mark was engraved on it too.
I hadnât seen something this bizarre in a while.

âSo, why did you come to threaten me? What do you think youâll gain by staging a protest at the Korean embassy?â
But my curiosity about Laylaâs purpose took over, and I was more interested in that.
Given Layla Lopezâs current situation, shouldnât she be negotiating with the World Hunter Association or the U.S. government?

Iâm not a U.S. citizen, nor am I a Hunter affiliated with the Association.
Capturing me wouldnât help her negotiate with those she needed to deal with.
Layla smirked as though she could see through my thoughts.

âYouâre surprisingly calm after being subdued⦠Donât you see the bomb in my hand?â
âI see it, thatâs why Iâm staying still.â
âYouâre this composed? You donât think itâs fake, do you?â
I shrugged.

In truth, I couldnât be calm enough, especially since I was wearing the bracelet.
âHer unique skill is inventory scanning, but she doesnât notice this item.â
Of course, itâs difficult for anyone other than a high-level mage like me to identify the nature of an item just by observing its mana structure.

But Layla Lopez is supposed to be a high-ranking mage since sheâs in the Hunter Associationâs upper echelon, and her unique skill is inventory scanning.
So she should be adept at detecting items. Why didnât she notice this bracelet?
âMaybe her abilities arenât as great as the rumors suggest, or...â

I kept touching the bracelet, considering various possibilities, when the system message popped up again.
âJeong Da-onâ will have stat limits increased if engaging in socially inappropriate behavior.
Excessive suppression can cause anxiety among the majority of societyâs members.

 
Damn.
When I thought about it, the killing power of the bracelet I was wearing might actually be greater than the bomb in Laylaâs hands.

But still, the system messages felt unnecessarily stringent.
âCould this be the consequence of my past actions?â
Iâve always slipped through the systemâs limitations by using shortcuts, so maybe that dumb AI has learned something by now.

Honestly, this message was quite effective.
âIf the stat limits are increased now, everything Iâve done so far will be wasted.â
I had absorbed enormous mana to level up and temporarily stabilized it, and now, if the system takes it away, itâd be a huge loss.

While I pondered what to do, Layla sharply added.
âAll your bluffing is useless. Donât even think about using your items or shouting for help. You know that opening your inventory will take more than a second, right? If I set off the bomb in that time, itâs all over.â
âYeah, I know.â

Honestly, Iâd prefer it if she just set the bomb off, but of course, I couldnât say that.
âThis is getting annoying.â
I decided to try persuading her in my own way.

âIf you want to stage a protest, why not go somewhere else? There are two S-rank Hunters here. Theyâll be back soon.â
âOh, you trust those two? I already know that Mr. Yoo and Jae-young are here.â
ââ¦You knew they were at the Korean embassy, and still came here?â

Was she hoping for a death wish?
Layla smirked, her face pale, as if mocking my surprised reaction.

âYeah, I knew and still came. When people are desperate, theyâll do anything.â

âDo you have something to rely on? Do you know those two well?â
âWell, Iâve worked with Jae-young a few times.â
âFor someone whoâs worked with him, you donât seem to believe in your own innocence.â

Layla let out a scoff.
âJae-young really knows people well.â
ââ¦So, was it true? Youâre guilty? Youâre not just running away because youâre innocent?â

It was unexpected that sheâd admit her guilt so easily.
I glanced at the system window.
âIs private punishment for criminals still on the acceptable line?â

Excessive suppression can cause anxiety among societyâs majority.
 
Yet, the system message remained unchanged.
It seems my past record is influencing this.

I guess the issue was that I killed every criminal without a second thought?
Maybe preventing recidivism through such methods wasnât to the systemâs liking.
âThatâs none of your business.â

As she said that, Layla pulled something out from her back pocket.
It was a large, red jewel wrapped in silver string, roughly fashioned into a pendant.
Its aesthetic wasnât great, but judging by the magic it contained, it was clearly some kind of item.

âFor now, youâll have to come with me.â
âHmm?â
Kidnapping?

It was an unexpected statement, and I was somewhat surprised.
âYouâre going to kidnap me? Howâ¦â
Just as I spoke, she threw the jewel onto the floor.

Clink!
The jewel made a sound like glass shattering and broke into pieces.
And as the jewel shattered, a massive magic circle rose from the ground, glowing with the mana it contained.

I quickly analyzed the magic circle, and then I was even more shocked.
âShe shrank a teleportation circle like this?â
Itâs not easy to shrink a magic circle that requires massive amounts of mana, and to fit it into a single jewel. Clearly, she must be highly skilled.

Looks like someone at the top of the Hunter Association is capable of such feats.
Crack!
The magic circleâs mana enveloped me in an instant.

Despite being amazed by Layla Lopezâs item, I furrowed my brow.
âI really donât like getting played into someone elseâs plans.â
Normally, Iâd just draw more mana and destroy the magic circle itself, or Iâd resist by distorting the teleportation circleâs coordinates, but there was a problem.

âIf I use mana now, my temporarily stabilized body will be affected.â
Iâd worked hard to stabilize my body using potions, and even a slight boost of mana could upset the balance between my body and the mana.
After considering all my options in such a short time, I couldnât think of any brilliant solutions.

I let out a deep sigh.
âIt canât be helped. Iâll just go along with it for now.â
My pride was hurt, but there was no choice.

If it werenât for this damn system, Iâd just bury this whole building.
Iâll make sure to get revenge later.
Growl!

At that moment, Robo, who had been hiding behind the sofa since Layla entered, let out a small sound.
It seemed like it was asking for instructions on what to do.
I gave it a warning look.

You canât come.
Robo seemed to understand my intent and crouched down further, moving out of the range of the magic circle.
Just as I felt the magic from the teleportation circle start to tear apart my bodyâ¦

Crash!

âExcuse me⦠Da-on!â
The last thing I saw was Yoo Han-ulâs startled face as he opened the waiting room door.

And then, despite knowing he didnât owe me any duty to save me, I was overwhelmed with anger.
Too late, you bastard!
The embassy was thrown into chaos.

Naturally.
It was a monumental eventâJeong Da-on had been kidnapped by a criminal on the run while everyoneâs attention was diverted for just a moment.
âWhat were the security staff doing?â

âWell, it seems the janitor was attacked on her way to work and had her clothes stolen. She seemed familiarâ¦â
âYou should have checked her face! There should have been security procedures in place!â
âHa, but she had an ID card, and I confirmed her face clearlyâ¦â

âDonât be too harsh on them. If itâs Layla Lopez, casting an illusion spell is probably nothing for her.â
Meanwhile, Han Jae-young, who had come to the embassy late due to an interview, was calming the confused embassy staff.
Though the staff had made a mistake, most of them were just civilians.

Theyâd never dealt with a Hunter, let alone a high-ranking mage.
Basic security spells were in place at the embassy entrance, but for a mage like Layla Lopez, breaking through them was nothing.
Rather than blaming the staff, the priority now was to handle the situation.

And there was someone who would take responsibility for it.
âAny excuses?â
ââ¦I have no excuse.â

Yoo Han-ul sighed heavily with a dark expression.
And seeing his look, Han Jae-young was frustrated and almost wanted to smack Yoo Han-ul on the head.
Was he really mentally disturbed after the last dungeon, or had he lost his soul during the process?

How could Yoo Han-ul leave Da-on alone in the waiting room and walk away like this?
Considering his usual personality, this was impossible.
âYou know, I understand if you have some issue with Da-on, but this is too much.â

âHuh? No, thatâs a misunderstanding.â
Yoo Han-ul shook his head with genuine surprise.
âWhy would you think thatâ¦? I really had an urgent matter to take care of.â

âHah, thatâs ridiculous. What urgent matter?â
Han Jae-young scoffed.
Honestly, it wasnât funny at all.

When he didnât even ask for help, Yoo Han-ul had come to the HP Guild to supervise Da-onâs sword training, but now he was running away, unable to even meet her eyes.
It wasnât like they were just a couple of teenagers with an innocent crush. It was absurd.
âYoo Han-ul, tell the truth. You must have been too embarrassed about what you said to Da-on in the dungeonâ¦â

âItâs not like that, really. Thereâs nothing embarrassing about it⦠Itâs justâ¦â
Yoo Han-ul glanced around before lowering his voice and speaking to Han Jae-young.
âI heard the Golden Drake heart I had been searching for had been put up for auction.â

âHmm?â
Han Jae-young tilted his head at the unexpected story.
A Golden Drake.

It was a monster with a form close to a dragon, capable of magic attacks. It was one of the most dangerous A-rank monsters.
In other words, the Drake heart was a very rare material, filled with immense mana and possessing durability to withstand it.
âIf I didnât bid right away, it would be sold out immediately. So, when I heard the news, I left to place a bid.â

âWhy⦠would you need something like that?â
After a brief pause, Han Jae-young stopped, and like Yoo Han-ul, lowered his voice to ask again, knowing the situation was sensitive.
âYou mean the method you discussed with those guys in the dungeon?â

âYes, I was planning to use the Drake heart as a kind of portable mana battery. That way, I could leave the barrier.â
Back in the dungeon, Yoo Han-ul had promised to find a way for those from the other dimension, who were no different from monsters, to live a normal life.
To be honest, Han Jae-young didnât quite understand why Yoo Han-ul was so concerned about these spirits from another dimension.

But Yoo Han-ul was a man who always kept his word.
Given his nature, it was no surprise that he immediately rushed to bid on the Drake heart once he heard about it.
But the problem was...

Han Jae-young furrowed his brow.
âAm I the only one who feels uneasy about the timing of this rare materialâs auction?â
âNo, I agree,â Yoo Han-ul nodded with a dark expression.

âLayla Lopez must have connections with those who sell materials at Hunter auctions.â
In other words, Layla Lopez had likely planned to kidnap Da-on from the beginning.