RFH Chapter 15

Episode 15

[‘Find the Savior’ Mid-Quest Cleared!]

[1/3 of the Clue About the ‘Savior’ Delivered!]

The word 'clue' made Min Hyemi's eyes sparkle.

[The ‘Savior’ loves humanity. Once again, the ‘Savior’ will come to your aid.]

"Once again...?"

Min Hyemi muttered in confusion. At that moment, Yoo Seongtae managed to unlock the handcuffs using his skill.

Simultaneously, the sound of a car engine roaring—out of place in the barren field—came from outside the building.

"Damn it."

Yoo Seongtae frowned, as if things had taken a troubling turn.

"Looks like someone came to rescue you."

'Could it be Kwon Anna?'

Perhaps the one who had given her the artifact had come to save her.

Instead of attacking Min Hyemi, Yoo Seongtae disappeared toward where Eun Yiseul was.

It seemed that protecting Eun Yiseul was more important to him than attacking Min Hyemi.

Well, it made sense, considering the returnees were gathering around Eun Yiseul as their central figure.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Min Hyemi staggered down the stairs of the abandoned hospital.

Soon, she was greeted by Kwon Anna, who stepped out of a car with a commanding presence.

Upon spotting Min Hyemi, Kwon Anna approached her without hesitation.

"Are you okay? What about Exodus?"

"They seem to have fled. They might still be in the building, though..."

"Jejun."

"Yes."

Seon Jejun, who had gotten out of the car after Kwon Anna, walked slowly into the building.

Meanwhile, Kwon Anna carefully examined Min Hyemi.

‘I wish this person were the Savior instead.’

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No, I’m fine. It was a bit dangerous earlier, but luckily, you showed up just in time."

"Your teammate seems to be a good driver."

From inside the car, Jung Yeseul poked her head out, smiling incongruously with the situation.

"I hope I was of some help."

"Uh... I know how skilled you are at driving, Yeseul."

Jung Yeseul had a habit of unnecessarily showing off, like dramatically reversing with one arm out the window. It was annoying at times, but her driving skills had clearly shone through on this occasion.

"I tracked the last trace of the artifact I gave you."

"Oh, I couldn’t contact you because it was taken away."

"I’m sorry. I should have paid closer attention."

"No, it’s not really your fault..."

Kwon Anna seemed to think Min Hyemi had been kidnapped because of her contact with Seon Jejun.

At that moment, Seon Jejun returned, trudging out of the building.

"They already escaped. Eun Yiseul is exceptionally good at fleeing..."

"Damn it."

"But I found this on the floor."

Seon Jejun dangled the broken handcuffs in his hand.

"...That’s just a trace of my attack. You can throw it away."

"Oh, okay."

He answered in a calm tone and lightly tossed the handcuffs aside.

Soon, Seon Jejun's eyes shifted toward Min Hyemi.

"I’m sorry."

"As I said earlier, it’s not your fault..."

At that moment, Min Hyemi realized that Seon Jejun was still concerned about her past.

It was clear he hadn’t forgotten her confession of being the ‘protagonist of a 19+ high-content romance fantasy.’

"Well, it’s all in the past... You don’t need to worry about it."

"I still feel responsible for capturing them..."

"Because you’re an S-class awakener?"

"Uh, well..."

"You don’t need to take on so much responsibility. Exodus is a troublesome group no one can catch easily."

Suddenly, Min Hyemi’s expression grew serious as she turned to Kwon Anna with a question.

"Do high-ranking hunters know about Exodus’s objectives? I feel like I overheard something while I was kidnapped."

"Ah."

Only then did Kwon Anna’s face light up with realization.

"Did Exodus try to persuade you to join them?"

"Yes."

"…So it’s you. We do know about Exodus’s objectives, but we haven’t disclosed them to avoid causing unnecessary confusion."

"What about Eun Yiseul?"

"She doesn’t have much power, but her ability to persuade people and use clever tactics is extraordinary. Please share what you’ve heard after we return to Seoul and you’ve had time to recover."

Min Hyemi was touched by Kwon Anna’s thoughtfulness.

‘I really wish this person were the Savior… Wait a second.’

‘The ones who came to help me this time are Kwon Anna, Seon Jejun, and Jung Yeseul. I had already narrowed down the Savior candidates to the Security Team 1 hunters. Could it be that the Savior is either Kwon Anna or Seon Jejun?’

She decided it was worth confirming.

"By the way, was it just the two of you who came to help this time?"

"Oh, your teammates helped a lot, too. They notified us when they couldn’t reach you and even went to your house to check."

"What about the others?"

"Ian helped trace the artifact, and Jinhyuk reported the situation to the higher-ups."

Damn it. This meant the other hunters were also involved in one way or another.

It seemed impossible to pinpoint which hunter from Security Team 1 was her ‘Savior.’

Afterward, Min Hyemi headed to Seoul in the car driven by Jung Yeseul.

Despite her appearance, Jung Yeseul drove very aggressively. However, perhaps because of her exhaustion, Min Hyemi quickly drifted into sleep.

***

"Team leader, are you cursed or something?"

Returning from a few days of leave, Kim Chan-neul rushed over to Min Hyemi with a worried expression.

"Why have you been involved in so many unfortunate incidents lately?"

"I don’t know. Maybe I’ve become a romance fantasy protagonist or something..."

"What?"

"Just making a meta comment."

At that, Lee Ruri, who also had a worried look on her face, puffed her cheeks and approached Min Hyemi.

"Hyemi-chan, should I help you?"

"You? How?"

"I used to be on the same team as the granddaughter of a shaman and a school idol. I learned some ritual techniques back then."

"Isn’t that a Japanese-style ritual?"

"Hehe."

"...I’ll just take your sentiment, thanks."

This time, Jung Yeseul leaned toward Min Hyemi and whispered in a sly voice.

"Shall I cheer you up?"

"No, no, Yeseul, please stop saying weird things. And could you also stop smoking with random women while reading literature? You're going to get penalized for breaching decorum."

Seriously, none of her team members were normal...

‘But more importantly, Exodus...’

Even though she had returned to her daily life, Min Hyemi couldn’t shake thoughts of them.

Honestly, she couldn’t completely deny that she was slightly tempted by their offer.

‘The bastards who made me like this...’

If she could overcome her fear and take revenge on them... would she consider opening the door to the world?

For some reason, she felt that if she wanted it, Exodus would come back to her again.

‘No, I can’t be tempted by those who kidnapped me.’

Resolving herself, Min Hyemi nodded firmly. After all, she was somewhat used to being kidnapped by now.

"I’m heading to the Probationary Team 1 office for a bit."

"Alright."

She left her office to check some work documents.