You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿ - Chapter 176

What a scene that looks like something out of a horror movie.

In the midst of the strangeness, Lee Pyeong-hwa briefly forgot the urgency of the situation and became dazed.
âNam Seong-hee⦠was it?â
He didnât know much, but the person who had just appeared and stabbed Lee Un-gyeol to death before vanishing was the same one. According to Jeong Da-onâs story, she was also said to be Lee Un-gyeolâs mother.

In Lee Pyeong-hwaâs understanding, such actions were unthinkable.
Lee Pyeong-hwa gripped the sword in his hand tighter.
Though cold sweat ran down his back, he made an effort not to show it.

âShe seemed to have some connection to Jeong Da-on.â
Jeong Da-on hadnât explained the situation in detail, but Lee Pyeong-hwa wasnât a fool. He had some guesses based on what he knew.
Having been swept up in unexpected events more than once due to being entangled with the S-rank Hunter Jeong Da-on, this woman was probably another one of those situations.

âLike a swarm of flies, how tiresome.â
If Nam Seong-hee had known how she was being treated like a nuisance by this young kid, she would probably have been enraged.
But Lee Pyeong-hwa didnât make any effort to provoke her.

âHow do I get out of this situation?â
Although he felt wronged by being dragged into this, he had already mentally prepared for it when he decided to become Jeong Da-onâs friend.
At least, he was thankful that there were no actual hostages involved in this situation.

Had there been hostages here, things would have been far more difficult.
âThis woman⦠she came after me on purpose, right? But why would she target me?â
If Jeong Da-on was the goal, it would have been much more efficient to go directly after her.

For now, Lee Pyeong-hwa tried to buy some time by asking a question.
âWhat are you doing?â
âWhat do you think? Iâm setting a trap.â
Click. Nam Seong-hee spoke casually while lighting a cigarette.

âWait, that smell is odd. This doesnât seem like regular tobacco⦠could it be drugs?â
The earlier fight with Jeong Da-on and the moment she killed Lee Un-gyeol both raised suspicions.
Lee Pyeong-hwa didnât let his guard down as he asked further.

âWhy are you doing this?â
âHmm?â
Compared to Lee Pyeong-hwaâs nervousness, Nam Seong-hee appeared completely relaxed while puffing on what resembled a cigarette.

The cause of her calm demeanor might have been the short dagger in her other hand.
Lee Pyeong-hwa wasnât as skilled at reading magical flows as Jeong Da-on, but he could sense that the dagger was no ordinary item.
âWhy? I thought youâd know by now. You wanna guess?â

âYou have no reason to trap me. Iâm just a twenty-year-old kid whoâs only just awakened.â
âYour self-assessment seems low for an A-rank Hunter. Werenât you even a national youth team member?â
âThat kind of title doesnât matter in this industry.â

âHaha, true. But you still have some value as a hostage.â
Hostage.
The unexpected word made Lee Pyeong-hwa frown.

âHostage? Against whom? My parents are ordinary people.â
âOh, are you pretending to be naive? Or are you just dumb?â
Nam Seong-hee scoffed.

âObviously, itâs Jeong Da-on⦠Why are you laughing?â
Lee Pyeong-hwa didnât bother to hide the sneer that slipped from his lips.
âWhy would you take me as a hostage if Jeong Da-on is your target? Youâve got the wrong idea.â

Lee Pyeong-hwa was friends with Jeong Da-on, but being her friend meant he saw things clearly.
He didnât owe Jeong Da-on anything nor did he feel indebted, and he was certain about that.
âWell, if I judge by appearances, maybe that makes sense.â

They had been in the same military unit, and after being coincidentally lost together, they had even ended up serving in the same guild.
Moreover, they had spent the past few months dungeon raiding together.
That must have made them seem close, so maybe this woman thought she could use him as leverage to get something from Jeong Da-on!

But the reality was different.
âJeong Da-on helps me not because she likes me, but because she just wants to get off work early.â
It was clear that their relationship was far different from what the public would consider "friendship."

âJeong Da-on wouldnât care if I lived or died. So why donât you try someone else?â
âHaha, I donât think so.â
Nam Seong-hee smoothly brushed aside Lee Pyeong-hwaâs taunt.

âTo win in court, a lawyer has to uncover all the secrets the client is hiding. Detecting othersâ secrets is my specialty.â
âAre you really a lawyer? Exposing your clientâs secrets?â
âA lawyerâs job is to help their client win in court, not to serve their clientâs interests. Well, Jeong Da-on isnât even my client⦠so why are you running?â

ââ¦Gah!â
Swish!
As Lee Pyeong-hwa tried to retreat, Nam Seong-hee swung the dagger in her hand.

The crescent-shaped blade of the dagger shot toward Lee Pyeong-hwa, covering him in an instant.

Of course, Lee Pyeong-hwa didnât just stand there.
âThis...!â

Clang!
Prepared and vigilant, Lee Pyeong-hwa met the incoming blade head-on.
The blade from Nam Seong-hee didnât even graze a hair on his head.

âI did itâ¦!â
âSee? This is why inexperienced kids...â
â...Ah!â

Thud!
Something yanked at his ankle, and Lee Pyeong-hwa stumbled, crashing to the ground with a loud thud.
He had been so focused on the incoming blade that he hadnât thought to check his footing.

And that wasnât all.
As he hit the ground, Lee Pyeong-hwa finally noticed his vision becoming blurry.
âSmokeâ¦!â

The gas smell had already been noticeable in the building, and now thin smoke had begun to fill the floor.
It was this smoke that had prevented him from noticing something crawling toward him.
âDamn, I shouldâve made sure to secure my vision before fightingâ¦!â

Lee Pyeong-hwa tried to follow Shin Ji-eumâs teachings but it was too late.
The rope wrapped around his ankle tightened quickly, and before he knew it, the entire body was bound. The sensation of something squirming like it was alive made him feel disgusted.
âUgh...!â

But that wasnât all.
Nam Seong-hee yanked the rope hard, dragging Lee Pyeong-hwa helplessly across the floor, and he screamed out.
âLet me go!â

âAlright, the bait is ready.â
After fully subduing Lee Pyeong-hwa, Nam Seong-hee closed the distance and aimed her dagger again.
Boom!

A short magical blast shot from the dagger in Nam Seong-heeâs hand.
Lee Pyeong-hwa was horrified.
âW-What?!â

Trapped and unable to move, he couldnât avoid the blast.
He instinctively closed his eyes, bracing for death.
Boom!

But then...
Boom!
Light burst forth from the dark room.

Lee Pyeong-hwa opened his eyes wide in shock.
âWhat is...?â
The blade Nam Seong-hee had sent out had been blocked by a shield and disappeared.

Of course, it wasnât Lee Pyeong-hwaâs shield.
âJ-Jeong Da-on?â
Filled with hope, Lee Pyeong-hwa looked around, but Jeong Da-on was nowhere to be seen.

If so, who had cast the shield that had just protected him?
âJust as I thought.â
But it seemed that Lee Pyeong-hwa wasnât the only one who was surprised.

Nam Seong-hee appeared entirely unsurprised.
âLook, Iâve cast a shield spell on you. It mustâve used a lot of mana.â
âW-What? Who...?â

âWho else could it be? Itâs Jeong Da-on.â
âEh?â
Lee Pyeong-hwa was left speechless.

âJeong Da-on... cast a shield spell?â
Not just any auxiliary magic like strength enhancement, but a shield spell.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than .net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

Though Lee Pyeong-hwa was a swordsman, he knew well how difficult it was to cast a shield spell on someone else and have it activate in times of crisis.
But did she actually cast that kind of magic in advance?
âWhen did she do it? And why?â

Sure, he considered Jeong Da-on his friend, but wasnât she the type of person who wouldnât go out of her way to protect someone else, especially given her own struggles?
âDamn.â
Nam Seong-hee smiled subtly as she watched Lee Pyeong-hwa.

âSometimes actions speak louder than a hundred words. Those unconscious actions can be the clearest evidence of someoneâs true feelings.â
âWhatâs that supposed to mean...?â
âJeong Da-on hid you behind her the moment she saw me.â

Even Jeong Da-on herself might not have been aware of it.
But to Nam Seong-hee, that was enough to judge who would make the most effective hostage in this situation.

âKind of surprising. Jeong Da-on seemed like someone similar to me.â

Someone who wouldnât hesitate to do morally questionable things to get what they wanted.
Yet, she had shown such affection for a peer. Who wouldâve thought?
She must have known that would be a weakness.

âShe did it intentionally, or maybe it was unconscious.â
Either way, it didnât matter much.
If it was intentional, capturing Lee Pyeong-hwa as a hostage would give her endless possibilities. If it was unconscious, then even better.

âJust as Theoâs master said.â
âDonât be deceived by a clever tongue when dealing with her. Watch her actions.â
âSometimes people make choices that donât align with â Nоvеlðght â (Exclusive on Nоvеlðght) their reasoning... and that becomes their weakness.â

â...Damn!â
After hearing Nam Seong-heeâs words, Lee Pyeong-hwa clenched his teeth.
So... in this situation...

He had been captured as a hostage because of Jeong Da-onâs weakness.
And Jeong Da-on might actually come to rescue him!
âFalling behind is fine, but Iâd rather die than have Jeong Da-onâs ankle caught!â

Filled with frustration, Lee Pyeong-hwa yelled at Nam Seong-hee, his voice full of anger.
âYou crazy bastard! Why are you doing this? Why are you after Jeong Da-on?!â
âBecause I want something.â

âYou canât just do this because you want something! If Jeong Da-on catches you, youâll end up in prison! Youâll rot there for the rest of your life!â
âHahaha, prison? You think Iâll go to prison?â
âWhat the hell are you talking about? Youâre a lawyer, right? Of course youâll get caught!â

âDamn.â
Nam Seong-hee looked at Lee Pyeong-hwaâs thrashing with an expression as if he were a child.
In fact, he was much younger than her.

âLaw isnât always fair, you know.â
Nam Seong-hee had lived closer to the law than anyone else.
And because of that, she knew well that the law didnât always work the way people thought.

At least, that was how she saw it.
âLaw just blinds the weak. Itâs a tool that gives the powerless false hope, making them believe theyâre equal before the law...â
âWhat the hell are you talking about?â

âIf the law worked, the weak could fight the strong, they could resist injustice... but thatâs not how it is.â
Even something as serious as murder gets a different sentence depending on who committed it.
Taking someoneâs lifetime savings is never even called murder.

If someone dies on the job, proving whose fault it was is nearly impossible.
And this time, it was the same.
In the end, most of the weak beg for fairness before the law, but they lose because they have no power.

The law does not protect the weak.
âThe moment I kill Jeong Da-on, and show that Iâm stronger than her... the state will support me. They wonât want to upset me.â
The state doesnât protect the weak.

Or, under the guise of protecting the citizens, it takes whatever advantage it can.
âIn the end, the victor gets everything.â
And Nam Seong-hee wasnât the only one who agreed with this logic.

âJeong Da-on will know too.â
The one who wins this game will get everything.
Nam Seong-hee said this and triggered something she had prepared in advance.

Boom!
The bomb planted on the roof exploded, shaking the building once more.
Lee Pyeong-hwa was startled by the explosion and opened his eyes wide.

âB-Bomb?!â
âDonât you wonder if Jeong Da-on will make it before the building collapses?â
âShe wonât come, I told you!â

Now, his hope was almost just a breeze.
He wished with all his might that Nam Seong-hee was wrong.
Struggling, Lee Pyeong-hwa tried to free himself from the rope around his body as he shouted.

âIâm of no use to Jeong Da-on! She has a good image, but if you get to know her, her personalityâs horrible! You think sheâll come to save me?!â
âDamn. That kid actually cares more than she lets on.â
Nam Seong-hee paid no mind to his outburst.

And...
Before long, footsteps began to echo through the empty building.
Tap, tap.

Lee Pyeong-hwaâs face twisted as he heard the approaching footsteps.
For someone sneaking into a building after a bomb had exploded, the steps were very calm, and the person seemed to have no intention of hiding their presence.
Contrary to his hopes, Nam Seong-hee was sure of who was coming.

Soon, the footsteps stopped.
Jeong Da-on appeared from the dark hallway, smiling.
âBefore I tear you apart, let me say one thing.â

She wore a smug, almost arrogant smile, as if she had already won.
âThis is the first time in my life Iâve had such an unpleasant misunderstanding.â