S-Rank Healer Gets Kidnapped First Chapter 46

I put some distance between myself and the fight so I wouldn’t get caught up in it.

Only after I managed to escape to the area beside the rooftop entrance did I catch my breath and observe the standoff between Cha Seohae and Do Joo-yeon.

It’s much more intense than I expected….

Of course, what battle wasn’t terrifying?

But the razor-sharp atmosphere right now didn’t seem to be caused simply by the special circumstances of combat.

It was more like the murderous tension that arose when two people with a bitter history came face-to-face.

It was even more intense than the killing intent I had felt during the racing incident last time.

No wonder Kang Sihyeon and Jang Jeongin can’t bring themselves to interfere.

The problem isn’t just Cha Seohae.

I turned around and checked on Han Seongwoo.

“Keep a good hold on Han Seongwoo.”

“Why?”

“He’ll probably get very worked up.”

I remembered what Cha Seohae had said before leaving.

He had secretly told me so that Han Seongwoo wouldn’t hear.

I had wondered what he meant, but—

I didn’t expect them to be this openly hostile, baring their fangs at each other.

Han Seongwoo seemed unable to control his anger toward Do Joo-yeon.

I had guessed there was something between them and Do Joo-yeon, but I hadn’t expected it to be this intense.

If I had known this would happen, should Han Seongwoo and I not have come?

No. How could Cha Seohae alone be sent to a place with three Association members?

If we had brought Na Ye-ri too… Hmm. That might have made things even more difficult.

They were supposed to be the ones caught off guard by an unexpected variable, yet somehow it felt like there were even more variables on our side.

Still, I couldn’t get dragged into it. I calmly began making the next plan.

I need to calm down too. Fortunately, even though Han Seongwoo is shaken, he’s doing a good job hiding his presence.

They didn’t know we were here.

So we needed to take advantage of this opportunity to get the hostages out and help Cha Seohae.

I whispered to Han Seongwoo.

“Let’s get the hostages out first. I know you hate Do Joo-yeon, but since Cha Seohae is risking himself to draw their attention, we have to do our part too.”

“…Okay.”

Fortunately, he still had enough reason to respond immediately.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Do Joo-yeon unleashed a merciless barrage, but fortunately, we weren’t injured because we were taking cover behind the wall.

What about Cha Seohae?

On the other hand, I was worried that he might have been hurt since he didn’t have a shield.

Would it be okay if I adjusted the amount of healing and gave him just enough emergency treatment?

I intended to heal only the internal injuries that wouldn’t be visible from the outside, just enough to ensure his movements weren’t impaired.

At that thought, my hand twitched, and Han Seongwoo grabbed it tightly.

“You can’t do anything. At this distance, you know that even the slightest change in Cha Seohae’s movements would immediately be noticed by high-ranking Hunters.”

“Ah….”

Han Seongwoo was right.

I had almost exposed us before rescuing the hostages.

I was so focused on avoiding detection that I nearly made an overly emotional decision.

I lowered my slightly outstretched hand and grabbed the wall instead.

“Cha Seohae is starting to move to the opposite side. He’s probably moving because he’s worried about stray bullets hitting us. When Cha Seohae has moved completely over there, that’s our chance. Hurry.”

“Got it.”

Fortunately, Cha Seohae didn’t appear to have suffered any serious injuries, as he calmly changed directions.

I took comfort in the thought that even if he was injured, it couldn’t be too serious.

The muzzle moved away from us.

Taking this as our chance, we stepped out from behind the wall.

“Are they over here?”

At that moment, the gun that had been following Cha Seohae without suspicion turned back.

Damn.

It must have been a guess, yet the muzzle was pointed directly at us.

As if our location was completely visible to him.

Cha Seohae stopped moving at the sight.

“Has your eyesight gotten worse since I last saw you? Why are you aiming at empty air?”

“We’ll know what’s here if I shoot.”

“…….”

“And Han Seongwoo is here, so you never know, right?”

Do Joo-yeon mentioned Han Seongwoo’s name far too naturally.

That confirmed it.

I didn’t even need to go back and investigate.

Do Joo-yeon had once been part of Baekyang.

Just as I could predict the First Team’s behavior patterns, Do Joo-yeon was able to understand and predict ours.

“Did you just say my name…?”

Han Seongwoo muttered ominously.

Whatever had happened between them, it was as though someone had flipped a switch.

Only then did I realize there was no time to get lost in other thoughts.

I hurriedly grabbed Han Seongwoo.

“Han Seongwoo, wait. Don’t lose control…!”

“Hah. How dare that traitor—”

“Han Seongwoo!”

“Blade Dance!”

But it was too late.

Han Seongwoo called out the name of his skill, and the blades left his side.

Eight daggers flew viciously toward Do Joo-yeon.

Cha Seohae’s eyes widened when he saw the daggers flying toward him.

He must have realized that our plan had gone awry.

“Th-There! Moon Yeonhee?”

“Yeonhee! How long has it been!”

Stealth couldn’t be stacked with other skills.

Because of Blade Dance, our location had been revealed.

“Of course. I didn’t think you would come alone.”

Do Joo-yeon sneered.

Was he really the same person who had been racing while completely losing his mind last time?

His composure was on an entirely different level.

“Damn it.”

Ignoring Kang Sihyeon and Jang Jeongin calling out to me, I hurried toward the hostages.

“Na Ye-ri will be downstairs, so you need to get into her shield as quickly as possible. Understand?”

“Yes, yes!”

With Cha Seohae and Han Seongwoo in front of them, evacuating the snipers should be possible.

I pulled hard on the tightly tied ropes.

Touching the rope with my bare hands stung and hurt, but fortunately, since the ropes had been directly exposed to the barrage of gunfire, they came loose quickly.

“Run!”

At my command, the snipers began running.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

Perhaps afraid that the witnesses would go and confess everything, Jang Jeongin drew his bow.

As befitted his Archer-type class, Divine Archer, he could fire multiple arrows at once.

He released the tension from his fingertips, and the arrows embedded themselves along the path.

“Argh!”

“Ugh!”

Several people were grazed and injured by the arrows.

“This could be bad if they get hit directly.”

These weren’t ordinary arrows. They were mana arrows enhanced by a skill, so the wounds were fairly severe.

As I watched the wounds split open, I healed them.

Fighting a sniper was certainly difficult.

Even though they had been the farthest away from us, attacks had immediately come flying.

They had noticed even the slightest movement and kept us in check.

On top of that, Jang Jeongin was particularly good at predicting movement paths.

A simple bluff wouldn’t work against him.

He was probably already aiming at the routes we might take and waiting.

But….

As soon as I finished organizing my thoughts, I shouted urgently.

“Trust me and run!”

“B-But!”

“Go! From now on, the arrows won’t be able to block your path!”

The snipers looked at me with uncertain eyes before falling silent.

After seeing that their wounds had healed thanks to my healing, they nodded.

“Stay safe!”

They hurriedly began running.

They understood that there was nothing more they could do here.

“Yeonhee. Aren’t you being a little too careless? What’s with that confidence that you’ll block the arrows?”

“…….”

I turned around.

Only then did I realize that Cha Seohae and Han Seongwoo were gone.

So that’s why the arrows were able to get through.

Apparently, Do Joo-yeon and Kang Sihyeon had each taken Cha Seohae and Han Seongwoo.

Since Kang Sihyeon was there, they might even have created a separate space containing only the two of them.

After assessing the situation, I looked at Jang Jeongin.

“You’re a support-type too, so you stayed out of close combat?”

“You should know that I’m not weak at close combat.”

“Strength is relative. You may be strong compared to other Hunters, but compared to Baekyang, you’re weak. Isn’t that why you’re the only one left here?”

“Hah.”

Jang Jeongin laughed incredulously.

His eyes, however, were sharply fixed on me without the slightest hint of amusement.

I didn’t avoid his gaze.

I didn’t care what kind of attack he threw at me.

I expected Jang Jeongin to stay behind if we ended up in a one-on-one confrontation.

I knew what skills he used in different situations.

I had already calculated what pattern he would most likely use.

And the conclusion was simple.

No matter what Jang Jeongin did, none of it could threaten me.

As long as his arrows rely on a physical medium, Jang Jeongin isn’t as dangerous as Kang Sihyeon.

Perhaps because I didn’t show any fear, Jang Jeongin’s smile disappeared and his brow furrowed.

“Something about you really has changed.”

“I’ve been giving you hints since last time. Weren’t you the ones who deliberately ignored them?”

“Deliberately?”

Jang Jeongin repeated the word as if he had heard something amusing.

“Yeonhee, this isn’t something we ‘deliberately’ ignored. We blatantly ignored it.”

“…….”

“No matter how much you changed, there was no way you’d become someone we needed to watch out for.”

I didn’t fall for Jang Jeongin’s provocation.

“No matter how much your attitude has changed, you’re still only a B-rank.”

At the same time, Jang Jeongin fired an arrow.

At first, there was only one.

But during the brief moment it took to fly toward me, it changed form several times.

One became three, then seven, and by the time it reached me, there were ten.

Crush Shot.

He had fired a single arrow, but depending on the archer’s ability, it split into multiple projectiles, creating destructive power like a bombardment.

“You’ll come to your senses after I turn you into a pulp!”

His rough voice echoed across the rooftop, as though he were intoxicated by his own strength.

Even so, I didn’t take my eyes off the arrows.

I can block them.

As if resonating with my determination, Divine Protection responded with a flash of light.

That gave me certainty.

The one who would end up turned into a pulp wouldn’t be me.

It would be Jang Jeongin.

Boom! Crash! 

Clang! Boom!

The arrows struck me one after another.

“Hngh…!”

One attack had multiplied tenfold, and the force pushed me backward even as Divine Protection held.

Feeling myself being pushed back, I stared at the mana-infused arrows.

Mana rippled around their sharp arrowheads as if they were about to devour me.

I can block them. I can block them. I can block them.

And when all ten arrows finally made contact with my shield—

“Go back!”

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Every arrow bounced away.

They flew back along exactly the same trajectories they had come from.

“W-What?!”

Jang Jeongin, who had been watching leisurely, shouted in panic.

But as a damage dealer, there was no way he had a shield.

Boom! Crash! 

KABOOM!

“…….”

I stared at the place where black smoke was slowly rising.

The rooftop railing and floor had been completely shattered.

At this point, the impact might even have broken through to the floors below.

I cautiously approached the place where Jang Jeongin had been.

I didn’t think this would be enough to finish him.

But if he’s at least unconscious, perhaps I could use him as a hostage….

The thought was one I had never had before, and tension coursed through me.

I swallowed hard.

Before I knew it, I had reached the spot where the floor had collapsed.

I waved my hand through the smoke that refused to clear.

Then I lowered my body while standing on the intact floor.

Just as I leaned forward to look down—

Crack.