Chapter 130: That Damn Villain (3)
‘That gaze sure is intense.’
My back feels like it’s burning.
Lochter was definitely glaring at me from behind.
‘Ah, did I screw up by using the communicator in front of Lochter?’
I had shown off by trash-talking Kamel in hopes of winning some favor. You know how it goes—people bond quickly when they share a mutual dislike for someone.
Back when I was an office worker, I quickly got close to my colleagues by secretly griping about our creepy team leader. I figured it was worth trying the same approach here, but it seemed my trick didn’t work on someone as stiff and rigid as Lochter.
Actually—
“Alex of Hunt, is it?”
The low voice directed at the back of my head made my heart skip a beat.
Since it was bound to be discovered sooner or later, I had planned to reveal my involvement with Hunt at the right moment. And, of course, Lochter immediately asked about Hunt.
Well, it was natural. Regardless of his intentions, I had made him the so-called "Strike Captain" of Hunt, so he was bound to be curious.
“Yes, I’m currently using the alias Alex.”
“Was that rumor your doing?”
“If you mean the one about Hunt’s Strike Captain, then yes, I was responsible.”
“Why? Did you use me?”
Of course.
But if I answer honestly here, how would it turn out? Given that he’s an inflexible blockhead, if I rub him the wrong way, things could go south fast.
So, I had prepared an excuse tailored to Lochter Felice’s character.
Being a reader of the novel “When Villains Get Stronger” really came in handy during moments like this. It allowed me to read his personality in detail.
For someone serious like Lochter, I had to respond seriously as well.
“I didn’t use you. I spread the rumor to save you.”
Turning my head, I looked him straight in the eyes, my expression as solemn as ever.
“To save me?”
“You were heading to Etor earlier, correct?”
“Yes, it was one of the places you mentioned when we first met.”
“If you had reached Etor, neither you nor Karl would have survived. And as the one who caused it, I would’ve been wracked with guilt for the rest of my life. That’s why I desperately sent out a signal. I hoped that, upon hearing the rumor, you might reconsider your path.”
“A signal?”
“Hunt. The rumor was meant to draw you to Beneta.”
“If you had revealed your name as Arthur instead of Alex, I would’ve headed straight for Beneta.”
“There were circumstances that prevented me from revealing my real name. But I believed that someone like you, who couldn’t stand injustice, would come to Beneta to dispel the false rumors.”
“…Is that what it was about?”
Was that what it was about?
Of course not.
Did he really think I had planned things out so meticulously?
But in my eyes, all he could see was sincerity. Ever since I got thrown into this world, my acting skills seemed to have leveled up to lead-actor tier.
“My thinking was short-sighted. I regret spreading unnecessary rumors and causing you discomfort.”
“It’s fine. It was my lack of understanding that made me fail to grasp your intentions. I appreciate the concern.”
“No, really.”
“And, by the way, I liked what you said earlier.”
“Pardon?”
“That damn villain.”
I thought he was too rigid to be swayed at all, but it turned out Lochter was still human after all.
I guess it made sense. His target wasn’t just someone he disliked—he was sharpening his blade in pursuit of vengeance. Of course, he would find satisfaction in hearing that insult.
Maybe I should’ve thrown in a few more curses for good measure.
As I exchanged glances with him, chuckling softly, something caught my attention from the communicator.
It wasn’t Kamel’s voice—it was someone I hadn’t heard before.
[Hey, bro, I think we found where the target’s hiding.]
[Lochter?]
[No, the new target. He’s hiding like a rat. What should we do?]
[Have you identified him?]
[No, he’s mixed in with a crowd, so it’s hard to pick him out. Should we just kill them all?]
[Just keep watching for now. The boss said to wait until he joins up with the shamans before making a move.]
[Take your time. We still have some toys left to play with.]
The moment I heard the word ‘bro,’ I immediately thought of Howell, the younger of the twin brothers.
Given how casually they were communicating over the communicator, it had to be them.
Jack and Howell—the twin brothers.
Was that conversation real?
If what Howell said about his brother joining the shamans was true, then they were talking about the shaman units near Etor, right?
I couldn’t dismiss it as a bluff, especially since they had mentioned Karl directly. The last line also felt oddly specific.
“They still have some toys left to play with….”
It had to be about the women they had kidnapped.
Would they really spread false information with something like that?
A sense of urgency gripped me.
“Nella, faster!”
Wiping away sweat and letting out a deep breath, Nella nodded and picked up the pace. Given the situation, she was pushing herself to the limit.
She really was different from that cunning Fenry.
“Lochter, didn’t you say Karl would signal us if he was in danger?”
“He said he would blow the whistle.”
“A whistle….”
But there hadn’t been any whistle sounds yet.
That left only two possibilities.
Either their conversation was meant to mislead me, or Karl had been spotted by Howell, but he wasn’t yet aware that he had been discovered.
If it was the latter, we needed to reach Karl before Jack arrived.
Time was running out.
***
The first thing Karl’s group did after splitting up from Lochter was to blend in with the groups of hunters.
Even though they were disguised as hunters, moving in a small group of just ten people would have made them stand out.
After all, with Lochter being such a high-profile target, most hunting groups moved in packs of at least a hundred.
‘As long as we blend in with a large enough group of hunters, things should calm down.’
Karl recalled Lochter’s route and led his group along the lower reaches of the Corun River, weaving through several forests.
Eventually, they found a group of hunters numbering over two hundred. Without hesitation, they naturally slipped in and joined them.
The first thing Karl did was observe the hunters. As expected, most of them were low-level bounty hunters, drawn in by the massive 1-million-gold bounty.
Karl was pleased. A group like this, made up of low-skilled individuals, was exactly what he was looking for.
These types of hunters lacked reliable information, so they relied on gathering updates from newly arriving hunters.
Karl discreetly signaled his group, and soon, Elton and the others dispersed among the crowd, quietly spreading misinformation.
“I heard Hunt’s reinforcements showed up.”
“Apparently, there was a huge battle, and Blaiyer’s forces were defeated. Hundreds of them died.”
“I heard Lochter’s laying traps and waiting for us.”
As the false rumors spread, unrest rippled through the group. Initially skeptical, the hunters soon began to believe the story as survivors from real skirmishes started joining the group and confirming the rumors.
Fear began to take hold.
Sure enough, some of the hunters, spooked by the news of Hunt’s reinforcements, decided to give up the chase and withdraw.
Nearly half of the two hundred hunters scattered.
Karl and his group continued to blend into the hunting party moving toward Etor, maintaining a low profile.
However, before long, the hunting party Karl had merged with encountered another group approaching from a different direction, and the two combined forces, quickly swelling their numbers.
Karl discreetly signaled his team once again, and the same misinformation operation began anew.
“Risking your life for Lochter Felice is bad enough, but with reinforcements? I’m out.”
“Same here.”
As hunters began to withdraw one by one, Elton and the rest of Karl’s team were confident their plan was going smoothly.
The operation was not particularly difficult—it was the same tactic they had used countless times under their master’s guidance.
They would gather information from the hunters, piece together the current situation, and then spread false information to sow confusion among the groups.
With this disinformation campaign, over five hundred hunters had abandoned the chase.
It was an impressive result.
However—
“……”
“Master?”
For some reason, Karl’s expression remained grim.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly, so what was the problem?
Elton’s curiosity was met with Karl biting his lip as he spoke.
“Don’t you find anything strange?”
“Strange? Like what…?”
“The number of hunters isn’t decreasing. For every one we send off, more keep joining.”
Karl surveyed the surrounding area with his keen eyes.
Throughout the journey, he had been mixing with different groups of hunters and repeatedly spreading false information to break them up.
Yet, every time the scattered groups re-formed, their numbers remained about the same.
The hunters they drove off were being replaced just as quickly by new arrivals. Something felt off.
Why were they all converging here?
Moreover, fewer hunters were abandoning the chase now, rendering their efforts increasingly meaningless.
‘Who are these new guys?’
Taking a closer look at the newly joined hunters, they didn’t seem like the usual ragtag bunch.
Each new addition was well-equipped, their gear considerably better than average.
Was the bounty drawing even the more skilled hunters to Etor?
‘This unease… it just keeps getting worse.’
The oppressive tension squeezing his chest wasn’t subsiding; if anything, it grew heavier with each passing moment.
His heart raced, and his lips bled faintly from his sharp, nervous bites. The sense of danger had reached its peak, and Karl quickly called his team together.
His instincts screamed at him to move. Staying in one place any longer felt like a death sentence.
As his scattered team gradually regrouped, Karl overheard a conversation among the hunters.
“Hey, aren’t those guys under the twin brothers?”
“Yeah, they are. You need serious skills to get in with them. Look at that gear!”
“They’re the hunters Jack and Howell recruited, right? I heard they gathered quite a few.”
“Yeah, they’re over there too, huh?”
“What the hell? Are they all gathering here? Could Lochter really be nearby?”
The moment Karl heard their words, he identified the source of his unease.
While the hunters speculated about Lochter, Karl’s mind went to Jack and Howell, the twin brothers.
If their recruited hunters were converging here, it could only mean one thing: the twin brothers themselves were nearby.
‘Why would they suddenly come here?’
The unsettling feeling surged again, and Karl signaled his team to slow down.
He carefully examined his group and the hunters around them.
No one from the twin brothers’ faction seemed to be paying undue attention to his team.
Was it just his imagination?
“We’re pulling out.”
With Elton and the others gathered, Karl led them to retreat toward the rear of the group. A hunter abandoning the chase wasn’t unusual behavior, so it wouldn’t draw suspicion.
As expected, no one tried to stop them.
Some hunters even mocked Karl as they left, shouting jeers like, “Cowards!” and “Run, then!”
Karl’s group quickly distanced themselves from the main hunting party and slipped into the dense forest along the lower reaches of the Corun River.
Karl picked up the pace.
With all the maneuvering to blend into the group, the distance between them and Lochter had grown significantly.
If they wanted to catch up, they had to keep moving quickly.
“…Damn it.”
Not long after Karl’s group disappeared into the forest, a shaman arrived near the hunting party, urgently searching for someone.
He didn’t have to search for long.
From deep within the forest, muffled screams and sobs of women echoed loudly.
“Howell, sir.”
“……”
“Something urgent has happened.”
Moments later, the women’s cries abruptly stopped.
Emerging from the woods came a naked man, his long arms and legs taut with lean muscle, his thin waist accentuating his wiry frame. His sharp, angular features were unmistakable.
The man ran a hand through his disheveled hair, his face twisted in annoyance as he spoke.
“Damn it, you know how much I hate being interrupted when I’m playing. If this isn’t important, I’ll melt you into nothing right here.”
“The target… the target has fled.”
The shaman, normally arrogant within the Nest, shrank before the brothers.
While they had the favor of their master, the twin brothers’ strength and cruelty were enough to terrify even the shamans.
“Fled? The target left the formation?”
“Yes, sir.”
“What about the hounds?”
“They’re in pursuit.”
“Ah, those bastards could’ve waited a bit longer to run.”
Cursing under his breath, Howell disappeared back into the woods.
Moments later, a dense, acrid smoke began rising from the forest, accompanied by ghastly screams. Soon after, the surrounding forest began to dissolve into a grotesque, sludgy mess.
The shaman instinctively stepped back, swallowing hard at the horrifying sight.
In the wake of Howell’s rampage, only bits of dissolved bone and patches of oozing, scorched ground remained.
A deadly toxin capable of melting anything in an instant.
Howell casually picked up some clothes draped over a branch and nodded at the shaman.
The shaman quickly mounted his cursed doll and began riding ahead, while Howell followed silently behind.
As he moved, Howell thought of Karl Bastain.
The target, who had been hiding among the hunters, had inexplicably stepped out into the open.
Now, they had a clear shot at identifying him.
He had been indifferent about the target before, simply following orders. But now, perhaps because his “playtime” had been interrupted—
“I’m curious about the bastard’s face.”
A sudden desire to see the target’s face stirred within him.
It would make watching that face melt away, bit by bit, all the more satisfying.