NOVEL NEXT Chapter 64
Chapter 64: Different Races
“Wow, I can’t believe there was such a giant cat monster!”
“Is that a good thing?”
“It’s exactly the kind of look I wanted!”
Min Yu-ri showed the plain-patterned giant cat monster to Yoo Ji-han at the Seoul Monster Museum.
According to the museum director Kim Hong-geun, it was a rare specimen that was hard to come by even after months of effort.
She sold that rare giant cat monster for 20 million won.
“I feel bad taking it all by myself… I want to give about half to the Sweet Fun guild as a thank you for introducing me to the museum.”
“If you’d like, we can split the deposit for you.”
Min Yu-ri, who was trying to sell it like an ordinary giant cat monster, unexpectedly gained income.
Therefore, she wanted to pass on about half the delivery amount to Sweet Fun as a reward for their help.
“No, we’re fine.”
Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu refused the money.
They didn’t mind giving money to someone like Min Yu-ri, the guild’s top recruitment target, but they didn’t want to receive money from her.
Min Yu-ri then expressed her regret.
“Well then, next time I’ll treat you to a meal. Si-hu can come along too.”
“I’d love that!”
Even though they rejected the money, they gladly accepted the meal invitation.
It was always a welcome opportunity to meet with her.
“…I’ll be on my way then.”
“Drive safely.”
“See you next time!”
She gave a slight bow and left.
Before she left, Yoo Ji-han noticed her hesitating slightly, indicating she was still contemplating the recruitment proposal.
‘The more you rush, the more you should slow down.’
Min Yu-ri was a hero who had been operating alone for years for her younger sibling.
Gaining her heart would not be an easy task.
Yoo Ji-han decided to have more patience, keeping in mind that a chance would come to bring it up first.
*
The next day.
Yoo Ji-han called a taxi in front of his house.
When the taxi arrived, the driver rolled down the passenger window and greeted him.
“Hello!”
“Hello, driver.”
“Thank you for always using our service!”
He called a taxi through his mobile phone every time he went to the office.
Since the driver lived nearby, they had become somewhat familiar with each other.
Clunk!
Yoo Ji-han naturally put a sword into the taxi trunk.
While putting it in the back seat would not be a big deal, he considered the safety of those who might feel uneasy with the presence of a weapon.
“Are you going to the office today too?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll take the fastest route.”
Yoo Ji-han leaned back in the car seat.
Vroom!
With 16 years of accident-free driving experience, the driver drove skillfully.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Yoo Ji-han observed the driver closely.
His last driving experience had been in a golf cart, and watching a veteran driver made him feel envy.
“They say driving with both feet is generally dangerous, right?”
“Ah! Driving with both feet is too dangerous. I had a colleague who insisted on using both feet and nearly ended up in the underworld. Please, drive with just one foot.”
“Hmmm…”
While taking the taxi, the vehicle stopped at a traffic light in front of a crosswalk.
‘The museum incident is still under investigation.’
The incident that occurred at the Seoul Monster Museum was currently being assessed by both the museum and the Hero Department to find its cause.
Director Kim Hong-geun had promised to share information with Sweet Fun once he found out where the Goiram Squirrel had come from.
Yoo Ji-han was lost in thought while staring blankly at the front windshield, considering what tasks awaited him at the office.
“Oh, what’s that…?”
The taxi driver, waiting for the signal, seemed to discover something and turned his head to the side of the road.
Following his gaze, Yoo Ji-han looked over.
‘That’s a half-beast.’
She wore a white shirt with a school logo near her left heart area.
Her legs showcased a gray skirt commonly seen on school uniforms.
From just that, she appeared to be an ordinary female student in Korea.
However, she had two large, pointed ears on her head, like a cat, confirming she was definitely a different race.
‘Is it really okay to walk around so openly?’
She wore a very noticeable fluorescent-colored bracelet.
That familiar pattern indicated that she was a different race who had settled on Earth, signaling to the outside world that she was not an invader.
Different races typically prefer not to expose such items and physical characteristics.
Once revealed, they would attract uncomfortable attention.
Yet, she wore them without hesitation.
“Now I feel a bit uneasy.”
“Excuse me?”
The taxi driver grimaced at the sight of her walking.
“I guess I’ve been seeing a lot of bad news lately, and suddenly it feels like I might get attacked…”
“If she’s wearing a school uniform, she’s just an ordinary female student. If she’s formally enrolled in school, there shouldn’t be any issues with her identity.”
“They’re not human, regardless of age! It’s fine now since a hero is next to me, but weak people like me could easily be attacked and end up dead.”
“…”
The taxi driver voiced his fear of the different-race female student.
For someone unaware of the situation, it might sound like needless worry…
But his perception wasn’t much different from that of ordinary citizens.
People feared invaders who attacked humans.
‘…?’
At that moment, when the female student had just passed by,
Three men were walking a little behind her.
Each was staring downward at their phones or watches, yet they occasionally looked up at the front.
‘That’s strange.’
When they lifted their heads, they were clearly looking at the female student.
Yoo Ji-han became concerned about the suspicious behavior of the men.
In the meantime, the traffic light turned green, and the taxi slowly moved forward.
The distance between the taxi and the men grew.
“…Driver, wait a moment.”
*
Yoo Ji-han ultimately got out of the taxi.
He began to follow the men, who seemed to be tailing the female student.
He suspected they were indeed pursuing her.
‘Let this be needless worry.’
Most citizens fear being attacked by different races.
However, recently, there have been cases of the opposite occurring.
Namely, humans attacking different races who had settled well on Earth.
Such hate crimes, or acts of hatred, are indeed real crimes.
No matter how much they are disliked, attacking those who have done nothing wrong is unacceptable.
‘Is there a school nearby?’
Yoo Ji-han opened a map app to search for nearby buildings.
About 800 meters away, there was a high school suspected to be attended by the female student.
“…”
The female student walked into a narrow alley.
As she turned her body to enter the alley, the men who were following her turned their gazes elsewhere, feigning nonchalance.
Based on their actions, it seemed they were indeed tailing the female student.
‘She’s getting away.’
Once the female student disappeared from sight, the men followed her into the alley.
They were walking quickly but not running.
They walked stealthily, making sure their footsteps were inaudible.
‘Something’s definitely up.’
Noticing the suspicious behavior of the three men, Yoo Ji-han peeked his head into the mouth of the alley to see what was happening inside.
“Ugh! Ugh!”
“…?”
But something had already happened inside the alley.
The men he had been following had each grabbed hold of the female student’s body, with one of them covering her nose and mouth with a white handkerchief.
The female student struggled and twisted her body in resistance but soon slumped to the side.
It was clear that the handkerchief had been soaked with some sort of drug.
Startled, Yoo Ji-han revealed himself and shouted.
“What are you doing right now…?”
However, they ignored Yoo Ji-han and dashed down the opposite alley.
Just as Yoo Ji-han hurried to follow them,
Screech—!
A gray vehicle stopped at the exit of the alley.
The men jumped into the van they suspected to be waiting for them with the unconscious female student.
“Is this some sort of movie…?!”
It was a scene right out of a film.
But this wasn’t a movie; it was reality!
As soon as the vehicle picked up the people, it sped away quickly.
Beep!
Feeling a surge of urgency, Yoo Ji-han instinctively summoned the Sylph from his pocket.
[Haste]
He dashed through the wind, chasing the receding gray vehicle.
“Uwaack!”
“Eek!”
The vehicle drove straight ahead, completely ignoring anything in its way.
People standing along the route threw themselves aside to avoid the car.
If they hadn’t avoided it, an accident would have certainly occurred due to the driver’s reckless behavior.
‘I’m not losing them!’
Whoosh—!
Yoo Ji-han maximized his magical power.
In response, the Sylph granted him the maximum buff effect.
Even if the Sylph were to exhaust itself and return to the spirit realm, he was determined to pursue the vehicle in front of him.
That was all he could think about.
*
The gray vehicle, realizing someone was following, drove down deserted roads.
Yet, Yoo Ji-han chased them as if he himself had become the car.
“Hagh, huff…!”
The vehicle had already vanished from sight.
Completely drenched in sweat, Yoo Ji-han gave up the chase and climbed onto the rooftop of a building.
With the pursuit on him, it seemed unlikely that the vehicle could reach its destination.
<—If you go west from your current location, the probability of encountering vehicle number 123, 4568 is>
<3%>
<—If you go east from your current location, the probability of encountering vehicle number 123, 4568 is>
<90%>
……
……
He continued to use sampling as he jumped across the rooftops of buildings of similar height.
He had no idea if that vehicle would actually be at the end of this, but he ran while believing it, checking the map on his phone.
And about 15 minutes later.
“I found it.”
He finally spotted the vehicle he had been pursuing just moments ago.
The idling vehicle was parked in front of a building where people were sparse.
The men he had been chasing were moving into the building with white burlap bags slung over their shoulders.
‘The police are taking too long…’
He had already reported to the police, but he had no idea when they would arrive.
Yoo Ji-han shared the building’s location with Kim Si-hu and called him.
“Si-hu, come to the location I just sent.”
—Why all of a sudden?
“I think I just saw someone getting kidnapped.”
—What?! A kidnapping?
“Bring your equipment when you come.”
After ending the call, Yoo Ji-han approached the gray vehicle.
In the driver’s seat was a man wearing a black mask.
Knock! Knock!
Yoo Ji-han knocked on the driver’s window.
The driver looked startled upon noticing him.
“Get out.”
“…”
Ignoring Yoo Ji-han’s demand to get out of the car, the driver stared down at his phone and quickly tapped the screen.
Smash!
Before he could take any other actions, Yoo Ji-han shattered the driver’s window.
As he shoved his arm through the shattered reinforced glass, the driver panicked and shouted.
“W-wait a minute!”
“Wait a minute or whatever. Get out and talk.”
“You’re a hero, right? I-I can explain. Just let me…!”
Smash!
Yoo Ji-han tore apart the cracked window with his magically-coated arm.
“Cough!”
After grabbing the driver by the collar and dragging him out of the car, he moved to a blind spot where he wouldn’t be easily seen from the front of the building.
After dusting himself off, Yoo Ji-han spoke to the now helpless man on the ground.
“I’ll give you exactly 18 seconds. Explain yourself.”