Chapter 140: Chapter 139

"Suho, even if you are going to be moving separately from our guild, we should still share information with each other from now on." Baek Miho made this final proposal before handing over all the information to Suho.

"You're not planning to catch all the escaped villains alone, are you, Suho? Hmm... If it's for meeting the guild establishment requirements, then catching about 50 of them should be enough."

The reason why 'about' 50 was enough was that the recognized experience for hunting villains was not based on the number of villains caught, but on their bounty. Even assuming one only caught low-level villains, about 50 would be sufficient. And if high-bounty ones were caught, it would be possible to meet the guild establishment requirements with even fewer.

Baek Miho had already heard about Suho's purpose for catching the villains, so she gave up on recruiting him and decided to focus on resolving this incident. "And we're not after the money either. For the safety of the citizens, the most important thing is to catch the villains as quickly as possible. We don't mind if you take all the bounty, so let's help each other."

It was a proposal where Suho had nothing to lose, so he nodded.

"Let's do that."

Suho shook Baek Miho's outstretched hand. After parting ways with her, he headed straight for Pocheon City, where Jisan Prison was located.

[Master, are you planning to start tracking the villains from the prison?] Que, who had appeared quietly during the journey, asked about Suho's plan.

"What do you think those guys would be doing right now if you were one of them?"

Que, being a former villain, understood their perspective well. [In my case... I would try to leave the country immediately.]

There weren't many choices villains being chased by the Association could make.

[No matter how strong a villain is, there's nothing they can do when stronger hunters come all at once. So you have to hide and avoid being noticed.] This was precisely why the 500 villains from Jisan Prison were hiding quietly without causing any major trouble after their escape.

Of course, for ordinary citizens, that fact was even more chilling. Criminals with superhuman powers could be quietly hiding among them. If they were openly causing a disturbance, people could escape and avoid them, but if they were blending in like this, it would be impossible to avoid them when they suddenly revealed their true nature. Due to such potential threats, citizens couldn't help but tremble in fear.

[For example, there was a case where a seemingly ordinary woman secretly followed someone home and killed the entire family to hide in their house.] It was a case where a villain committed another crime while on the run.

Awakening of abilities often couldn't be detected outwardly, so it was virtually impossible to distinguish them from others just by looking. But villains possessed power incomparable to ordinary criminals from before the Cataclysm, so the threat they posed was immeasurably higher.

[But that was only possible back then.] In present-day Korea, it was nearly impossible to hide while evading the Hunter Association's pursuit,it was relentless and tenacious. [To escape the Hunter Association's eyes, you have to leave the country. There are only two routes for that.]

Villains' passports are immediately suspended. So, due to Korea's geographical characteristics, there were only two ways for villains to leave the country. [Either try to swim across the sea like I did, or if you can't do that, you have no choice but to go north.]

"North Korea."

[Yes. Since Jisan Prison is located in Pocheon, it would be much easier to go to North Korea than to the sea.]

"But Choi Jongin is in North Korea right now." With the Association President and S-rank Hunter Choi Jongin holding their ground in North Korea, the villains wouldn't dare go there unless they were crazy.

Que nodded in agreement at Suho's words. [Indeed. That means mediocre guys who aren't confident enough to swim across the sea are still isolated in Pocheon.]

"Right. And coincidentally, the mastermind of this escape, Hwang Dongsuk, is also just a C-rank." This was Suho's first reason for going to Jisan Prison right now. And the second reason was...

[Kieek! As expected, our young lord is brilliant!] Beru, who had been listening quietly until now, raised his head and his eyes gleamed.

[And to save Hwang Dongsuk, 'Greed' would have no choice but to come to Pocheon!]

Suho had already heard from Beru about Hwang Dongsoo's true identity.

Hwang Dongsoo. He was a shadow soldier of Sung Jinwoo, known as 'Greed', in his past life.

But as Earth's time turned back, he returned to a state from before becoming a shadow soldier and was living as the human Hwang Dongsoo once again. Having forgotten all memories of his past life.

But such background stories didn't matter to Beru, he had been very excited ever since he learned that Hwang Dongsoo was involved in this incident. [This is perfect! Let's take this opportunity to kill Hwang Dongsoo again and have him return as a shadow! Greed himself would want that too!]

"That's not as easy as it sounds. He's an S-rank villain."

[S-rank or whatever, all humans die when their heads are separated from their necks.]

"My mom is also S-rank."

[Kieeek...!] At Suho's words, Beru was flustered and didn't know what to do, then hurriedly prostrated himself on the floor.

[This disloyal servant has committed a terrible sin...!]

"Anyway." Suho turned his head away from Beru and looked ahead.

"We've arrived."

Jisan Prison.

Suho frowned at the thick smell of blood emanating from the entrance.

Just from that, he could sense the horrors that had unfolded here two days ago.

And coincidentally, there was a being by his side who had an even better sense of smell.

"Gray." At his call, a gray puppy emerged from Suho's shadow.

[Gray Lv.35]

Fang Wolf

"Let's start tracking."

Two days ago.

The atmosphere at Jisan Prison was the same as it was on any other day.

Rumble!

As outdoor activity time arrived, the inmates flocked to the yard, each enjoying their glimpse of freedom. Some enjoyed light exercise in the middle of the yard. Others gathered in small groups in the corners, chatting and giggling. Even though this was Korea's highest-security prison for villains, its daily routine wasn't much different from an ordinary prison.

Just then.

"Ah, the weather's great!" As someone stretched and walked out into the yard, tension suddenly filled the faces of all the inmates in the yard.

Hwang Dongsuk.

He was the C-rank villain who reigned as the king among the inmates.

"Hey, hey, don't mind me. Go about your business." Hwang Dongsuk smirked, pleased with the sight of inmates bowing their heads respectfully as they met his gaze, and sat down on a bench.

As if on cue, his subordinates, known as the 'Hairy Gang,' gathered around him. Conscious of his personality, the other inmates averted their gazes, trying not to make eye contact.

"Hairy, don't scare the kids."

"Oh, what did I do again? You wound me. Heh heh." Even at the guard's reprimand, Hwang Dongsuk merely stroked his bushy beard and chuckled good-naturedly.

But while his mouth and tone were smiling, his eyes coldly scanned the jailor, who felt a chill down his spine at that snake-like gaze but tried his best to maintain a neutral expression.

Truthfully, the guard had no reason to fear Hwang Dongsuk. He was just a petty criminal. A mere C-rank villain. The problem, however, was his brother, Hwang Dongsoo.

"Ah, right." Suddenly, Hwang Dongsuk casually asked.

"Has my brother been caught yet?"

"..."

"Oh my, judging by your expression, it seems you haven't caught him yet. You need to catch him quickly so the citizens are safe."

"..."

The guard clenched his teeth, knowing full well the implications of those words.

"My brother is still out there, you know? Aren't you scared to walk around at night?"

Hwang Dongsuk's brother, Hwang Dongsoo, was an S-rank villain. He was still at large, as Hwang Dongsuk had said. And he was a dangerous individual they weren't even sure they could ever catch. Hwang Dongsuk exploited this fact to his advantage, exerting power and influence within the prison as he pleased. With his S-rank villain brother roaming free, the threat they posed was immense. The inmates couldn't defy Hwang Dongsuk, fearing repercussions for themselves or their families if Hwang Dongsoo were to target them. Even the guards shared this fear.

"Phew. The weather's just too perfect." Having silenced the impertinent guard with a single sentence, Hwang Dongsuk chuckled and gazed at the bright sunlight.

The neatly trimmed lawn.

The colorful flower beds.

Bees and butterflies flitting freely above them created an idyllic scene.

However.

No matter how comfortable he'd become as the top dog in this place, it was still a damn prison where his freedom was restricted.

He, too, yearned to be free like those damn bees and butterflies.

'Heh heh. The weather's perfect for a prison break.' With a smirk, his gaze naturally fell to the electronic anklet shackled to his ankle. Usually, the sight of this mana-suppressing device would dampen his mood, even when he was feeling good.

But not today.

"Boss."

As soon as the guard moved away from Hwang Dongsuk, one of his subordinates approached and whispered, "Everything's ready."

"Heh heh. Good work."

A meaningful smile spread across Hwang Dongsuk's face. He'd put so much effort into escaping this wretched place.But it was all over now.

The prison's tight security?

The Association hunters?

None of that mattered. If all the villains here rioted at once, they could easily break out. That is, if they could just get rid of these blasted magic restraints.

"Tonight." Hwang Dongsuk's eyes flashed.

"We're getting out of here."

Finally, they'd figured it out. A way to use mana even with the restraints on.

Hwang Dongsuk and his gang secretly distributed blue pills to all the villains in the prison, avoiding the guards' eyes.

"Stardust."

They'd resorted to all sorts of convoluted and troublesome methods to smuggle this mana amplifier into the prison.

And now, all their efforts were about to bear fruit.

10 PM.

As per Hwang Dongsuk's orders, all the villains in Jisan Prison simultaneously consumed Stardust and amplified their mana. Surprisingly, their magic restraints didn't react at all to the amplified mana from the Stardust.

"Phew. Just as that guy said. How did he even figure this out?" The feeling of mana surging through his body after so long was exhilarating. Even though he'd tested it on his subordinates several times beforehand, this was the first time Hwang Dongsuk had taken Stardust himself, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

"Shall we get started?"

Then, with a cruel glint in his eyes, he ordered his subordinates, "Kill all the guards."

A riot broke out. Sirens and screams echoed through Jisan Prison.

Startled by the sudden noise, the bees and butterflies resting on the flowers took flight all at once.