I Picked Up the Greatest Villain in the Story

31.

Cold sweat soaked his temples. Saliva could be seen dripping from the red tongue protruding from his mouth.

The ribbon-shaped pin that had fallen from the child’s head was instantly corroded, covered in saliva. The child was now choking, unable to breathe properly.

Jian covered the child’s mouth with his hand and held his index finger to his lips. Then, to buy time to use his attack skill, he first used his concealment skill.

As soon as a blue light swept over their bodies, they hid behind a street tree. The giant wolf, having lost its prey right in front of it, turned its head back and forth, searching for Jian and the child.

Jian didn’t miss the opportunity and used his attack skill on the giant wolf. With a whine, the giant wolf rolled on the ground in agony.

Its tail, as big as an adult man’s torso, swung and broke the street tree in front. The child’s small scream echoed in Jian’s palm.

“Eunha!”

“M-mom…”

A woman in her 30s, who looked similar to the child, approached limping barefoot. The child called out to her mother and squirmed in Jian’s arms.

As Jian loosened his grip, the skill concealing the child wore off. Seeing her child suddenly appear, the woman wailed and opened her arms. After confirming that the child safely entered the woman’s embrace, Jian also got up.

An acrid smell stung his nose. The street that had been peaceful just minutes ago was now in chaos.

Hunters were desperately fending off giant wolves while protecting people who had fallen and were bleeding everywhere.

Including the one he had just killed, Jian had dealt with two. In the meantime, new ones must have escaped from the gate, as the beast-like stench was now incomparably stronger than before.

Jian checked his skill window. He still had about 27 minutes left on his concealment skill. After confirming the corpse of the giant wolf with its tongue hanging out, he decided to help the most urgent cases first.

* * *

“Phew…”

Without even the strength to straighten his back, Jian exhaled a tired breath, hands on his knees. Sweat drops from his hair fell to the ground with a plop.

As he blinked, a sudden dizziness overcame him. His throat felt parched as if burning, but he didn’t have the strength to move.

He had used too much life force in a short time. Although about half remained, perhaps due to excessive tension, chills ran through his entire body.

Jian tightly closed his eyes and then opened them, raising his body and wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. Hunters dispatched from large guilds and the Hunter Management Bureau were cleaning up the chaotic surroundings.

“Teams entering the dungeon interior, please gather here.”

A neat voice drew people’s attention. Eyes fell on the man giving instructions at the front of the group.

‘Was it Shin Yoonjae, the director of the Hunter Management Bureau?’

He had only seen him in articles or videos before, but this was the first time seeing him in person. His appearance was younger than expected, making his abilities all the more impressive.

Rising to represent the Hunter Management Bureau at such a young age meant he was no ordinary person.

‘He’s thirty, but he looks only about twenty-six.’

Although his bangs were neatly swept back, his fair skin and somewhat prim impression made him look young. The frameless glasses gave him a cool feeling, creating an atmosphere that couldn’t be taken lightly.

“Jian!”

While catching his breath and observing the director from afar, a familiar car screeched to a halt. Hyunwoo, who got out of the car, ran to Jian in one breath.

“Where are the kids?”

“At home. Let’s go up together.”

After the duration of the barrier skill ended, Jian stood guard in front of the house, dealing with approaching wolves indiscriminately.

Thanks to this, unlike the surrounding buildings that were damaged here and there, the two-story building housing Jian’s cafe was relatively intact.

His face, which usually wore a sly smile, was now pale with shock. In the confusion, Jian had forgotten to contact Hyunwoo.

Feeling apologetic, Jian made a sheepish expression, and Hyunwoo clenched and unclenched his fist to calm his startled heart.

“I left as soon as I received the emergency message, but I had some business in Gangwon-do today…”

When Hyunwoo read the message content, he felt as if his heart had dropped to his feet. He had lost his parents to monsters. His young brother had miraculously survived thanks to their parents’ sacrifice.

Hyunsu was Hyunwoo’s only family and a precious brother who needed to be loved on behalf of their parents as well.

Although he thought it would be fine with Jian there, he had gritted his teeth the whole way to Seoul, unable to be by his frightened brother’s side. To make matters worse, the A-rank dungeon appearance had thrown the guild members he had stationed nearby into confusion.

“Thank you. For protecting our Hyunsu.”

“I just did what was natural. The kids must have been very scared. The situation was cleared not long ago, so I haven’t been able to go up yet either.”

At Jian’s words, Hyunwoo also looked around and spotted Yoonjae. As he happened to be looking this way too, their gazes met in mid-air.

Yoonjae looked at Hyunwoo and Jian with an inscrutable expression, then turned his head when a large guild’s master approached and called him.

Hyunwoo’s gaze lingered on the round back of his head.

“Hyung?”

Finding this strange, Jian called out to him, and only then did Hyunwoo’s intense gaze break away.

“Ah, yes. Let’s go up.”

Hyunwoo went up the stairs first in large strides. Jian followed, tilting his head. Although not certain, there seemed to be a strange current between the director and Hyunwoo.

As this wasn’t mentioned in the original work, he had to speculate based solely on what he saw and felt.

Shaking off his thoughts, he approached Hyunwoo waiting in front of the door and entered the secret code for the front door.

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. Ding-a-ling―

A monotonous mechanical sound was heard, and the door opened. However, Jian’s steps halted abruptly at an unexpected sight.

“What’s wrong?”

Hyunwoo, standing behind Jian, opened the half-open door wide. His face froze just like Jian’s.

“Hyunsu!”

Hyunsu and Miyoung were collapsed on the living room floor. Hyunwoo detected a faint sweet scent lingering in the air. It was a sleep fragrance he had smelled a few times before.

“Sehun…”

While Hyunwoo tended to Hyunsu and Miyoung, Jian wandered around the house without even taking off his shoes. Anxious footprints followed his movement.

A chilling anxiety rose from his feet. Since seeing the two collapsed, the pounding of his heart echoed in his temples.

He searched every nook and cranny of the house, starting from the living room. But Sehun was nowhere to be seen.

His knees weakened. The image of the child, who had been saying with his whole body that he didn’t want to be separated from Jian, flashed in his mind.

He should have just stayed together. He shouldn’t have thought about various things. He should have kept him in his arms and protected him no matter what happened.

Even after turning out all the clothes in the closet, it was useless. Only the clothes Sehun had worn yesterday were lying around nearby.

Belated regret washed over him like a tidal wave. Despite knowing someone was targeting Sehun, he had lost his judgment when faced with a sudden situation.

“Sehun is gone, right?”

After confirming that Hyunsu and Miyoung were just in a deep sleep with no other issues, Hyunwoo grabbed Jian’s shoulder and asked.

Jian raised his blank gaze. Seeing Hyunwoo’s face full of concern, he clenched his fist, trying to regain his senses somehow.

“There are some traces left over there.”

Unlike Jian, Hyunwoo had a tracking skill. Although low-grade, it was enough to find traces of someone taking Sehun away.

Jian got up and followed Hyunwoo. As Hyunwoo activated his skill, messy footprints, seemingly about 270 millimeters in size, appeared from the bedroom window to the living room.

“Can you tell where he went?”

“Just a moment. I’ll contact a guild member skilled in tracking. My ability is only capable of detecting traces to this extent.”

While Hyunwoo contacted a guild member with his watch, Jian stood by the window where the footprints ended. Opening the window revealed an alley between the adjacent buildings.

In the alley, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, there were only a few cigarette butts rolling on the ground, besides air conditioner outdoor units and plastic boxes stacked by the neighboring store.

‘It’s my fault.’

No matter how he thought about it, Sehun’s abduction was his fault. There was no way the child had escaped through the window alone, and moreover, Hyunsu and Miyoung were collapsed. Suspicious adult male footprints were all over the house too.

He had forcibly sent the child who didn’t want to leave, even clinging to his pant leg, into the house. Not knowing that place was more dangerous than being by his side.

His grip on the window frame tightened. There was a cracking sound. In one moment of misjudgment, he had put Sehun in danger.

He wanted to move right away, but not knowing where Sehun had been taken, he had to wait until someone with a tracking skill arrived.

One minute felt like an hour. Feeling suffocated, he turned around to see Hyunwoo, who had finished his call, looking at him.