Chapter 145
Chapter 145. Missing (2)
“Hm….”
Kim Si-hu, sporting a temporary instructor badge on his chest, watched Fran Fager from a distance, separated from the students.
While the surrounding students partnered up to exercise in the basic stamina class.
Fran, keeping a little distance from them, was solely dedicated to his workout.
“Whew! Whew!”
The dwarf’s small stature showcased a remarkable robustness for a prospective hero.
Yet, despite working hard in line with the class’s intent, he struggled to mingle with others.
It felt like a palette filled with similar colors, with one distinct color standing out alone.
Even the classmates seemed accustomed to leaving Fran on his own, just like they were now.
Min Yu-ri, who watched alongside, commented.
“He doesn’t seem like he’s being bullied….”
“In that case, it’s more of an indirect bullying.”
Subtle exclusion, or perhaps, a reclusive form of bullying.
Although overt violence or verbal abuse wasn’t evident, there were acts of refusal or deliberate ignorance toward him.
“Luckily, he has a cheerful personality.”
Kim Si-hu, who had developed a connection with Fran at the Sky Shelter, occasionally exchanged messages with him.
He knew well that Fran’s character wasn’t particularly dark.
Even amidst the exclusion, he managed to maintain his innate character.
“Is it because of his race, I wonder?”
“Probably.”
If there was a reason to ignore someone with a decent personality and good attitude in class, it had to be due to his race.
As someone of the same mixed race, Kim Si-hu understood his plight better.
“He held his own quite well during sparring.”
Fran stood alone against Yoo Ji-han and Min Yu-ri in their sparring practice.
And the way he defended against attacks showcased his remarkable resilience among the students of Hero Academy.
There was evident potential for him to become a tanker.
At that moment, Yoo Ji-han beside him spoke up.
“Why don’t we bring him along if you like him?”
“Pardon?”
“Let’s recruit him after graduation. We can form another party within the Guild.”
“That could work.”
Kim Si-hu nodded at Yoo Ji-han’s suggestion.
Time passed, and in the afternoon, after all classes concluded.
Kim Si-hu, having returned the temporary instructor badge, approached Fran.
As soon as Fran noticed him, he stood at attention and bowed his head.
“Si-hu hyung! Thank you for your hard work!”
“You too did a good job.”
“Thank you once again for visiting the academy today!”
“It was a fine experience. I got a decent reward, too.”
“I’m sorry if I didn’t showcase my best side to Ji-han hyung and Yu-ri noona.”
“…….”
Fran was referring to his defeat during the sparring.
Kim Si-hu gazed at his face for a moment before speaking.
“Is there a Guild you want to join after graduation?”
“Uh, I don’t have anything in mind yet….”
“If you have nowhere to go, come to our Guild.”
“Really?! Can I do that?”
“Of course. But for this offer to stand until you graduate, you need to keep honing your skills and abilities.”
“Ah, I understand!!”
Fran answered eagerly and bowed 90 degrees towards Kim Si-hu.
Kim Si-hu encouraged him by patting his overly tense shoulders.
Then the next day.
A shocking piece of news spread throughout the entire hero community of South Korea.
*
[Snowball, “Guild Master Kim Min-jung has lost contact.”]
[Red Hole, “All personnel mobilized to search for Baek Kang-cheon.”]
[Breaking News! All Rank 1 Heroes in Korea are uncontactable… ]
[In Mokpo, Haenam, Goheung, Yeosu, Rank 1 Heroes have vanished… ]
Ten Rank 1 Heroes representing the ten major guilds.
The news that they had all gone missing quickly spread through the media.
Attempts were made by certain Guilds to control the flow of information, but the magnitude of the situation made it impossible to prevent leaks.
“What on earth is happening….”
Not just in Korea, but also several overseas media outlets rushed to cover the incident.
Receiving the shocking news since morning, Yoo Ji-han wore a face of disbelief.
Just recently, he had been receiving training under the guidance of Yoon Do-ha of the Dice Guild.
Yet, to think that not only other Rank 1 Heroes but even Yoon Do-ha was on the missing list!
‘Did they fall victim to an enemy?’
For a brief moment, he imagined Yoon Do-ha being overwhelmed by an unknown adversary.
But Yoo Ji-han shook his head.
Knowing well the strength of the earth Spirit Master, it was hard to picture him being overpowered or killed.
‘Something is off.’
The large Guilds that had gone to the provinces to handle the IUPC.
With the Rank 1 Heroes leading those Guilds going missing en masse.
There was definitely something more than just a disparity in power at play.
“…….”
Yoo Ji-han fiddled with the invitation that Yoon Do-ha had last handed him.
A feeling settled in that not every Spirit Master from Korea would be able to attend this Spirit Master meeting.
‘The Cheongyeongsa must have a bad atmosphere too.’
The aftermath of the missing Rank 1 Heroes extended to the Cheongyeongsa, hosted by Red Hole.
From the entrance of the building where Yoo Ji-han stepped in, a different kind of stillness blanketed the air.
Conversations in gatherings all centered on the missing Rank 1 Heroes.
“Hyung, you made it.”
“Did you hear the news today?”
“Yeah.”
Kim Si-hu’s expression reflected a similar concern to those around him.
Min Yu-ri, who arrived shortly after, didn’t look much different.
Though they weren’t personal acquaintances, the simultaneous disappearance of individuals considered the nation’s top combat force struck a significant blow to all heroes.
“They’re absolutely not the type to go down so easily….”
“There must be some other reason.”
“Chirp, chirp….”
Even when it was time for class and they entered the classroom, the uneasy atmosphere persisted.
Many heroes belonging to large Guilds continued to be unsettled.
Instructor Jin Seok-woo, who entered the classroom, wore a grim look as he was also a hero from Red Hole.
“Everyone, you’ve heard the news, I trust? All Rank 1 Heroes in Korea vanished yesterday.”
“…….”
“As a result, our teachers and staff will be returning to their Guilds for the time being to assess the situation. Accordingly, activities at Cheongyeongsa may be temporarily suspended….”
Jin Seok-woo conveyed the information relayed to him from the higher-ups to the newcomers.
It indicated that the progression of training would likely be somewhat hindered until the incident was fully resolved.
Even if the Guild Master suddenly disappears, a well-structured large Guild could maintain stability.
However, if there exists a threat so severe that even Rank 1 Heroes cannot handle it in Korea…
It was necessary to devise measures against that.
At that moment, Moon Kyung-jin raised his hand and asked.
“Does this mean the sparring session scheduled soon will be canceled as well?”
“It seems likely.”
“Tch….”
Moon Kyung-jin showed a disappointed expression and glanced at Yoo Ji-han.
*
Jin Seok-woo’s educational session came to a brief end with the announcement.
While Yoo Ji-han’s party was gathering information about the current situation in their office.
Someone from the Dice Guild sent a request to the office of Sweet Fun.
“Park Jae-kyung is looking for me?”
“Yes. We’d like your cooperation for about two hours.”
A man who arrived at the office bowed to Yoo Ji-han while requesting assistance.
Following Yoon Do-ha’s disappearance, they seemed to be conducting investigations around the area where he vanished and also probing everyone who had recently interacted with him.
Agreeing to it, Yoo Ji-han boarded a vehicle to head to the Dice headquarters.
“Ah, you’ve arrived.”
Vice Guild Master Park Jae-kyung greeted Yoo Ji-han upon his arrival at Dice.
Her eyes were red and bloodshot, and she looked utterly exhausted.
Despite that, she flashed a friendly smile and said,
“Sorry for calling you in such a busy time.”
“I’m fine. But your eyes look really red…”
“I didn’t sleep well last night.”
For someone of a high-level hero’s stamina, staying up all night wouldn’t typically be a huge challenge.
But it was clear that her mental exhaustion was much more significant than physical fatigue.
After all, she would have witnessed the shocking event of Yoon Do-ha disappearing right in front of her.
“Yoon Do-ha really has vanished?”
“……Yes. I was clearly watching from the side!”
Park Jae-kyung bit her lower lip lightly, visibly frustrated.
Yoo Ji-han cautiously inquired.
“What can I do to help?”
“Please briefly explain what you did and discussed when you met our Guild Master recently.”
“Um, well…”
Yoo Ji-han recalled the training he’d conducted with Yoon Do-ha a few days ago, including the small conversations they had, and conveyed that to Park Jae-kyung.
She listened intently, nodding repeatedly at what he shared as if it were invaluable information.
Upon hearing that she had received an invitation to the Spirit Master meeting, she hurried to snatch the invitation and check it over.
But it only turned out to be an ordinary sheet of paper responding to magical power.
“Did he mention anything particularly special?”
“Other than going down to the provinces for the IUPC, there was nothing else I heard.”
“Ha….”
Right after Yoo Ji-han finished sharing all the conversations he remembered.
Park Jae-kyung let out a long sigh.
Though she had hoped there might be a piece of helpful information; it turned out that there was none.
“Was there no clue at the scene where Yoon Do-ha and Baek Kang-cheon disappeared?”
“Other than a minuscule amount of magic left by Mumu, there was nothing found.”
Park Jae-kyung took out a magic stone, the size of a fingernail, from her pocket.
It contained the magic of Yoon Do-ha’s spirit, Mumu, collected from the ground with the help of several mages.
Even with the involvement of Rank 2 Heroes from Red Hole and Dice, nothing else had been discovered.
“However, just this isn’t enough….”
Park Jae-kyung gripped the magic stone tightly.
Realistically, with only this minor clue, they couldn’t uncover anything significant.
But then, at that moment.
Booom—!
Feeling the serious atmosphere between them, a Sylph that had been quietly waiting behind Yoo Ji-han flew between him and Park Jae-kyung.
“Sylph?”
As Yoo Ji-han tilted his head at the spirit’s sudden motion, the Sylph dashed towards the magic stone that Park Jae-kyung was holding.
And…
Swoosh!
The tiny magic stone was sucked into the circular body of the Sylph.
Both Park Jae-kyung and Yoo Ji-han looked on with wide eyes at the spirit’s action.
“Hey! What are you doing eating that…?”
Thump!
As he was about to scold the Sylph for consuming the magic stone.
Suddenly, Yoo Ji-han’s vision turned pitch black.
‘Huh?’
Panicked, he hastily brought his palm up to his face.
But in the already darkened vision, he couldn’t see his hand or anything else.
“Yoo Ji-han? Why are you suddenly acting like that….”
The voice of Park Jae-kyung, which had been right in front of him, began to fade away.
And a moment later.
Pah!
As light returned to his previously darkened line of sight.
What Yoo Ji-han beheld was a scene completely different from a few seconds earlier.
‘Where is this…’
In a not-so-large cubic room.
With no visible small exit, it was a space whose purpose was utterly unclear.
In it stood Yoon Do-ha and Baek Kang-cheon, along with someone wearing a red fedora across from them.
Yoo Ji-han was looking down at their figures from above.
