You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿ - Chapter 109

There is a saying, "put yourself in someone else's shoes."

It means that when you switch places with someone, you understand better.
So, I decided to think about it from another perspective.
Where would I be most useful?

âMaybe they want to use me as a religious sacrifice, like Im Man-bok, or as a magical experiment subject... Oh, there are so many possibilities.â
A person with great latent abilities, but at the moment, with no means of protecting themselves.
It was clear to anyone that I would be an interesting prey.

Since Layla Lopez was an executive in the item development department, it seemed like the focus was more on experimentation.
âBut no matter what, even if it's Robo, if the coordinates are this messed up, it'll take some time...â
Since it's essentially the same soul, there's no way Robo can't find me, but for now, the physical distance is the problem.

Having used teleportation magic three times, I had no idea how far the distance could have been.
âIâll try to leave on my own, for now.â
I didnât want to stay in this basement any longer.

Being restricted by the magical energy limitation was already a huge mental strain.
It felt like being a fish from the ocean tossed into freshwater, only the salinity adjusted.
I could breathe for now, but the overwhelming discomfort was slowly consuming me.

âFirst, I need to get rid of this.â
I looked at the handcuffs made of cloth that bound my hands.
These seemed to be items developed by the Hunter Association, and they had a very unusual structure.

Rather than a regular lock, it looked like a completely new kind of lock created using magical patterns.
âThis is an interesting idea.â
As a former great wizard, I had seen many items, and if it werenât for the current situation, I would have complimented the innovative design.
The core of the item had a structure resembling a magical circuit, and in order to unlock it, I had to rotate the magic according to a specific pattern to activate the circuit.

It seemed like it was deliberately designed for repeated use.
It could almost be called a 3D maze.
The maze had countless branches, similar to the veins in a human body.

If I tried to brute-force each answer, it would take hundreds of years.
And more importantly, there was one more feature built into these restraints.
Zzzt!

When I pushed in a bit more magic, a sharp pain shot through me.
If I tried to destroy it, the magical circuit would heat up and cause pain to the person bound.
It was clearly made for use against hunters.

The item displayed a lot of determination and a keen sense of design.
If Layla Lopez had been responsible for producing the items I had used so far, the Hunter Association would have suffered significant losses.
âWell, thatâs none of my business.â

Thud!
The restraints easily fell off my wrist and clattered to the floor.
How did I remove them, given my magical limitations?

âHunter restraints usually have weaknesses.â
This reminded me of when Yoo Han-ul trained me at the HP Guild.
While I was wielding a sword, he had once taught me how to unlock these restraints during a practical lesson.
âWhatâs that?â

âRestraints used on us hunters are made with very strong materials.â
âWhatâs the weakness in that?â
âStrong materials are expensive, so they are usually made in a standard size, not custom-fitted to each personâs wrist. Look.â

Yoo Han-ul demonstrated right then and there.
He twisted his wrist in a strange way, causing his wrist bone to pop out.
The wrist that had been swinging the Bastard sword just a moment ago now hung limply.

Honestly, it was a grotesque sight.
âAre you insane?â
âIf you know the trick, it doesnât hurt as much.â

âWhy would I need to learn something like that? My wrist bones are delicate organs, you know?â
âBut sometimes, there are urgent situations.â
At first, I thought he was joking, but his expression was so serious.

âDa-on, your hands are small, so itâll be easier for you. Just remember the order when you remove the bones. If you mess up, you might permanently damage your hand.â
âDidnât you hear me?â

âActually, hunters have fast recovery abilities, so a little injury isnât a big deal. A wrist bone fracture can heal with just a potion. Just be careful not to pinch any nerves.â

âWhat kind of life have you led?â
But despite the grumbling, Yoo Han-ulâs lesson had proven quite useful.
By removing the wrist bone to create space and then taking out the finger bones, I could twist and find enough room to slip my hands out of the restraints.

It might have sounded like a destructive idea to break my hands just to get out, but it worked.
âHunters may be rough, but sometimes this method works well.â
Aside from the agony, it was fast and efficient.

If I ever made such an item, Iâd make sure to craft it with Yoo Han-ulâs wrist size, without any room for error.
After putting my now tattered hands back together, I made my way toward the stairs that Layla had walked up earlier.
I had to be careful as the old stairs creaked with every step I took, and I was tense.

But somehow, I managed to climb the stairs without being detected, and I pressed my ear to the ceiling door.
Through the wooden door, I could faintly hear a voice.
[...Donât come! I knew... I knew it!]

It was Laylaâs voice.
Since I couldnât hear the other sideâs voice, it seemed like she was on the phone.
âIs she negotiating with the police?â

If so, listening to this conversation might give me an idea of what Layla wants from me.
I focused more on the sound.
Laylaâs voice, likely fueled by excitement, was growing louder.

[Thereâs no room for negotiation here! If you want Jeong Da-on, then clear my name first! If not, Iâll tell the press everything!]
âOh, this is starting to make sense.â
The content was getting intriguing, so I pressed my ear closer to the door.

[Like you, I barely made it to where I am. Do you think Iâll back down like this?]
The most interesting part finally came through.
Rustle!

Trying to hear more clearly, I accidentally brushed against the door.
The door didnât open, but the chain rattled loudly.
Damn.

A moment of awkward silence passed, and then Layla spoke quietly.
[Iâll contact you in three hours. I need to fix this rat problem first.]
Unfortunately, the call ended there.

It was a pity.
If I had listened a bit longer, I could have easily figured out Laylaâs purpose.
Bang!

I felt a tremor from the other side of the door.
[Stay put in the basement. If I come down myself...!]
Bang!

Smash!
[This is how itâs going to be.]
The sound of glass breaking came from the other side. It seemed she fired a gun to try to intimidate me.

But this was actually an opportunity for me.
The fact that she shot through the door showed that Layla had no magic power left.
Judging by the vibrations above, she must have been standing right on top of the door.

I took a deep breath, and...
Crack!
I slammed my fist toward the door.

Actually, I aimed at the doorâs hinges.
From the noise when Layla opened the door earlier, I could tell the hinges of this basement door were old.
Layla probably didnât see me as much of a threat, thinking I was a freshly awakened hunter.

Jeong Da-on (Normal)
Latent Ability Evaluation: S-Rank
Health: LV. 21 (Max: None)
Strength: LV. 25 (Max: None)
Mana: LV. 85 (Max: None)
Overall Level: LV. 43
But now, my physical abilities were finally reaching their peak.
With health and strength over level 20, I could easily take down most D-rank monsters with my bare hands.
So, in conclusion...

Crack!
The hinge snapped under the pressure of my level 25 strength.
[Ugh?!]

And right above the door stood Layla, whose body seemed to belong to an average adult woman.
With the hinge broken and Laylaâs weight on it, the door naturally tilted to one side.
Creek!

I took advantage of that and hit the door hard with my elbow.
[Ahhh!]
Snap!

The hinge and the wooden door completely broke!
And Layla, who had been standing above the door, lost her balance and fell sideways.
I quickly took the opportunity to rush out of the basement.

Bang!
[Dammit!]
Of course, Layla didnât go down without a fight.

Her gun fired again.
Thud!
Fortunately, the thick door I had just broken was still in my hand, acting as a shield.

A bullet lodged itself into the door.
âGlock 19 has a 15-round magazine, right? I donât think I can wait until it runs out of ammo.â
Though some shots had already been used, the distance was too short, and I knew this door wouldnât stop the rest of the rounds.

It meant I had to take a gamble.
âTry not to use magic.â
Layla shouted in a hoarse voice.

[Stay in the basement! I donât want to... Ugh?!]
Wham!
Without a word, I kicked the thick door shard toward Layla Lopez, using it as a shield.

The heavy wooden door flew at her, and naturally, she ducked to avoid it.
I didnât miss the chance.
Thwack!

I quickly ran and kicked the pistol that had fallen to the floor, and at the same time, I reached for the chair Layla had been sitting on.
Yoo Han-ul had told me this.
Since I didnât have enough strength, I needed to use my bodyâs center of gravity when swinging a weapon.

In other words, I had to put the weight of an object with the swing and the recoil to hit my opponent.
Crack!
When I hit her with the chair, the impact felt incredible.

This time, Layla didnât even scream.
The wooden chair shattered on impact with Laylaâs head.
And Layla Lopez fell to the floor, unconscious.

I dusted off my hands, now covered in splintered wood.
It was a clean chair shot.
To my surprise, everything felt smooth and natural, without any awkwardness.

I guessed it was the result of Yoo Han-ulâs special training and the basic military training Iâd been through.
I even felt a bit embarrassed admitting it, but honestly, the stress had been relieved.
It was the same during the dungeon incident before, but physically beating down an evil person felt surprisingly satisfying.

âThey shot first, so this isnât overkill.â
The system message about social standards didnât appear, so it seemed like this response was deemed appropriate.
âGood.â

I looked down at the unconscious Layla Lopez.
As I searched through her pockets, I found a phone sheâd likely used during the call earlier.
With this, I could easily call the police and bring this kidnapping to an end.

â...Hmm.â
But, somehow, I didnât feel quite done yet.
The reason Layla Lopez targeted me.

And it was clear that the one who framed her was also targeting me.
From the contents of Laylaâs conversation, it seemed likely that the person was a high-ranking official from the Hunter Association.
So... how likely was it that this mysterious person, who framed Layla Lopez and targeted me, was Orbis?

âWell, itâs a good thing Iâve been wondering how to investigate the Hunter Association.â
This was an unexpected lead.
I smiled at the unconscious Layla.

If someone saw it, they would have been horrified by the wicked grin on my face.
âInstead of the press, youâre going to spill everything to me.â