novelraw Chapter 231 : Chapter 231
Chapter 231 : Chapter 231
Chapter 231: Preparations
Ho-cheol belatedly raised his index finger and aimed it at the Sword Demon.
If I left Da-yeon here, the picture would look strange.
It was a situation where I had no choice but to take custody of her, half-forcibly.
A warning like this should be fine.
“I almost forgot this. Your child was kidnapped, so don’t try anything funny.”
The ‘anything funny’ Ho-cheol mentioned wasn't just a trivial matter like being followed or being designated as a villain.
The Sword Demon still missed his deceased wife.
To the point where he wouldn't hesitate to join hands with villains for her sake.
In fact, when I subtly brought it up last time, didn't he show signs of contemplating it?
If the Sword Demon joined hands with the Society bastards.
Everything Ho-cheol had gathered villains for, for the sake of balance and the antagonism of power, would become useless.
That's how overwhelming the power and influence the Sword Demon possessed were.
On top of that, I realized something after clashing with him properly today.
Originally, Ho-cheol had placed the Sword Demon's strength one or two steps below Smiley and The Sun, but that heart Sword just now had narrowed the gap to just half a step.
And unlike this side, which had stagnated, his potential for growth was clear.
If I just spaced out and watched for a few years, he would surpass even me, becoming a wall that I would have to overcome instead.
Of course, Ho-cheol had no intention of just spacing out and watching.
“I don’t know when that human might snap and attack again, so let’s get going.”
Ho-cheol gathered the two students’ wrists and bound them with a rope.
Truthfully, it was just called 'binding'; it was merely wrapped around loosely, so they could flee anytime if they put their minds to it.
But Da-yeon and Ye-jin had no intention of doing so.
Rather, in a situation where they were clinging to him asking to be taken along, why bother?
“Now, you hostages. Walk quickly.”
Saying so, Ho-cheol took the lead, dragging the two.
However, from a certain point, the two actually started whispering about this and that, moving ahead, and ended up in a position where they were dragging Ho-cheol instead.
That’s what you call hostages?
I tried so hard to act like it was the UFC, but go ahead and brag to the whole neighborhood that it’s the WWE.
The Sword Demon merely watched that retreating sight with a complicated expression.
Even seeing that, he couldn't possibly think that Da-yeon was being forcibly kidnapped.
A complex, tangled alleyway like a spider's web.
After turning just a few forks in the road, the Sword Demon's presence completely vanished.
A pre-prepared car was waiting for him there.
He shoved the two into the back seat of the mid-sized car, and Ho-cheol also got in.
Wolf Fang, sitting in the driver's seat, widened his eyes as if surprised by the result, which was different from the plan.
“Uh, didn’t you say you were only kidnapping one person?”
“Things got complicated. Considerably.”
Ho-cheol saying 'things got complicated' was like a habit, but seeing as 'considerably' was attached this time, it wasn't a joke.
And Wolf Fang, too, subsequently recalled Da-yeon's face from his memory.
She was one of the special cases Ho-cheol had designated beforehand.
And he remembered why she was a person of interest.
“...Boss, surely.”
“Got caught by the Sword Demon. Used her as a hostage to get out of there.”
“It’s seriously complicated, then. If word gets out we have to fight the Sword Demon, there’ll be plenty of guys who’ll flee.”
“If I put them in a coffin and bury them for about two days, they’ll beg to be let back in.”
At the heartfelt solution, Wolf Fang laughed awkwardly and started the car.
Vrooom―
The car heading to the hideout.
Ho-cheol stretched his legs out long and asked the two sitting across from him.
“So, how much of that did you see earlier?”
“About half?”
“Around that much for me, too.”
Their answers held neither conviction nor confidence.
Of course, in Ho-cheol's view, that much was actually a better result than expected.
He nodded in satisfaction and continued his questioning.
“Then, what did you understand?”
“Ah.”
The two hesitated, delaying their answer, glancing at each other.
At their attitude, which seemed to say 'you go first,' Ho-cheol let out a small laugh.
“I didn’t expect that much. If you could understand that, you would’ve reached S-rank a long time ago and been beating everyone up.”
Only then did the two honestly recall the earlier battle and speak.
“...Not at all.”
“Honestly, besides the first couple of exchanges and the last one, I don’t get it either.”
Da-yeon, who at least had some talent with the sword, had a slightly greater realm of understanding than Ye-jin.
“Well, right. Seeing and understanding are completely separate concepts.”
Ho-cheol, in instructor mode for the first time in a while, continued his explanation, counting on his fingers.
“I said at the beginning of the semester that I divide strategic battles into three levels. Remember?”
Da-yeon, the top student in Ho-cheol’s lectures, answered immediately.
“Direct Reading, Reflexive Thinking, and Outpacing Consciousness.”
“Direct Read! Ah! I knew that too!”
Ye-jin, a beat late, tapped the armrest with her palm as if annoyed.
Letting her complaint go in one ear and out the other, Ho-cheol continued.
“Back then, I only explained the first two, right? The reason you couldn’t understand the battle earlier today is that most of the engagement was conducted in the third category.”
Ho-cheol's movements aren't that fast.
They are visible even to a student's eyes.
However, his attacks were always two timings ahead of their perception.
This was a realm of skill, completely different from the magnitude of power.
Understanding that just by watching wasn't easy, even for S-rank heroes or villains.
No, in reality, because they couldn't understand it, they could never defeat fellow S-ranks like Ho-cheol or the Sword Demon.
“Normally, if you gained more experience under the Sword Demon, you’d naturally get the hang of it, but since things turned out this way... I’ll teach you by beating it into you directly.”
At those words, the expressions of the two brightened.
They didn't know the details yet, but they were certain they could learn something incredibly amazing.
Truthfully, Ho-cheol hadn't intended to roll these kids, whom he’d gone to the trouble of kidnapping, under the guise of education.
More than anything, he was also extremely busy.
Nevertheless, there was a separate reason why he changed his mind and decided to train them.
Their strength and skill far exceeded his expectations.
I thought they’d have to be third-years to reach this level, but I guess genes really are gangsters.
When I thought about it, it was obvious.
The Sword Demon and Smiley, both powerhouses that even Ho-cheol couldn't easily ignore.
The thick and potent blood inherited from them was bound to reach completion naturally, even without experiencing an absurdly harsh environment like Ho-cheol's.
At their current level, the two would be able to overcome his real training rather than break from it.
“Ah, and this is a separate issue.”
Ho-cheol scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat troubled.
“I only ever planned to kidnap that Ye-jin kid. I didn't think or have a reason to prepare two guest rooms. You two will have to share one room.”
It was the room Se-ah had once stayed in.
It wasn't extremely cramped, but they would have to endure a certain amount of overlapping space.
At his words, Da-yeon briefly placed her index finger on her lips and let out a ‘Hmm―’ sound.
Then, she stuck her face right out to him and suggested in an insinuating voice.
“...I don't mind sharing a room with you, Professor?”
“Hey! Why do you get to decide that! You could take the single room and I could share with the Professor...!”
Ho-cheol flicked his finger.
Thwack―!
“Ouch!”
Da-yeon, who had screamed, rubbed her instantly red and swollen forehead.
Ho-cheol curled his index finger again and asked Ye-jin.
“You too, what was that?”
“Ahaha. I’m actually fine with small rooms.”
She laughed awkwardly and changed the subject.
“Keep talking nonsense and I’ll give you separate 1-person meal portions, too.”
The car they were in arrived at the hideout.
***
One month.
Ho-cheol refrained from external activities as much as possible and focused solely on teaching the two students.
Even Wolf Fang, who caught a glimpse of their training from the side, was so utterly appalled that he fled.
It was a harsh and arduous training, rolling them over and over so relentlessly that it made them want to beg for death.
Despite that, neither of them ever once said they wanted to quit.
And their growth rate drew an upward curve that couldn't even be compared to their academy days.
Even in sections where they would normally have hit a wall at least once, they overcame that wall in just a day.
As a result, their pure combat power was now nothing short of A-rank.
On top of that, he taught them a few combination techniques, allowing the two of them together to handle about three A-ranks to some extent.
Ho-cheol stared blankly at the two collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath.
“Shall we call it a day?”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Aigoo, my back.”
Ho-cheol stroked his chin as if in thought.
Right now, they had been facing only him for a whole month.
Of course, it was more practical and efficient than any mediocre real-world battle, but it was gradually reaching its limit.
I had been changing weapons daily and reenacting completely different combat styles to fight them.
But in the end, the unique rhythm that Ho-cheol as a person possessed couldn't be changed.
If I kept holding onto them here, they might develop bad habits.
While he was briefly lost in thought.
Screech― Thud―!
The training room door opened violently, and Wolf Fang rushed in.
“What is it?”
“We found them!”
There was only one thing Wolf Fang would report to Ho-cheol that he'd 'found'.
“As expected, they came out to get groceries! We’ve got a tail on them now!”
New World Trait Liberation Society.
Ho-cheol clearly distinguished between what he could and couldn't do.
Although he had attached tracking devices, in the end, it was impossible with modern technology to track their personal spaces and those Traits.
But could they move large quantities of goods, not just individual items, using only such Traits?
Absolutely impossible.
I had confirmed they were hiding in a special space created by a Trait, not a gate.
There was no way they could be self-sufficient with groceries in such a space.
There was probably another, more conventional route for transporting such large quantities of groceries.
That's why Ho-cheol had mobilized all his subordinates to completely lock down all of the Society bastards' food supply routes.
No matter how great and secretive the organization, they were ultimately human.
And as long as they were human, food had to pass through their mouths to achieve transcendence or whatever.
They might have stockpiles, but those would only last a couple of months at best.
And, just as he calculated, three months after locking everything down... it seemed they finally couldn't hold out and made a move.
Legal routes were impossible.
That meant black market dealers or illegal transactions were essential, but Ho-cheol already had a complete grip on that field.
And, as expected, they caught their tail.
“Let them swim for now. The moment they cross into their space, we’ll grab them right then.”
“Yes, yes. So, after that, do we wait until their location is confirmed?”
Ho-cheol turned around and stroked his neck.
“No. They’ve been tormenting people for half a year already, it’s about time they paid the price. We’re going to crush them immediately.”
“Should I call the guys at the bottom, too?”
At Wolf Fang's question, Ho-cheol snorted as if it were ridiculous.
“Why do you think I put up with all that disgusting stuff and gathered villains until now? This time, we’re overwhelming them with numbers.”
The leader of the Society, that bastard, kept professing to be Ho-cheol's fan and showed avid interest in his movements.
If I were to appear before that guy myself, that in itself would be a joyous occasion for him.
“So I’m staying in the back until the very end. He’ll be chased and chased by trash he doesn’t even consider human, right to the end.”
That guy was also on the strong side, but he wasn't an overwhelming individual on the level of myself or Smiley.
If we pushed with human wave tactics on top of a few executives, we could definitely pin him down.
“Going straight to prison without even seeing a glimpse of my face will be the worst humiliation.”
This was the bastard who had grated on Ho-cheol's nerves time and time again.
He had decided on the leader's end.