She’s not in sight… at least for now.

I kept scanning the streets of the Hunter Market, but Persilla was nowhere to be seen.

“Yein…”

When I turned at the call, Lumina was watching me with worried eyes.

“Is this because of that woman earlier…?”

I stayed silent. Meiling crossed her arms and spoke up instead.

“Obviously. What else could it be? Anyone would feel sick after running into someone like her. Groaning over equipment like a creep, then suddenly sucking on your finger—ugh.”

Meiling shivered, her face twisted in disgust.

“But Nam Yein, what were you thinking when you told her all that? If you wanted to hide your identity, you could’ve just kept quiet.”

“Y-yeah. I was wondering the same thing.”

Both Meiling and Lumina stared at me.

Seo Yui, too, seemed to share the same doubt, her eyes fixed on me.

“I’ll explain once we’re back at the academy. For now, let’s buy the Skill Gems.”

Even if Persilla wasn’t around, it was too crowded here to talk about her.

About an hour later, we had bought the gems and returned to Gwangcheon.

I glanced back as we entered the school gates. No one was following.

Still, to be safe, I led the three of them straight to the wide outdoor training field.

Here, we’ll notice immediately if anyone approaches.

Unless someone had stealth as perfect as Lumina’s, getting close was impossible. And Persilla didn’t have that ability.

Other students passing by glanced at us, but right now, I couldn’t care less.

“That woman earlier—her name’s Persilla,” I told them.

“Persilla? Who’s that?”

“Never heard of her.”

Meiling and Seo Yui both looked puzzled.

But Lumina’s eyes went wide as she gasped.

“Persilla!? The… the craftsman killer?”

At those words, the other two stiffened.

“Craftsman killer? What’s that supposed to mean?” Meiling asked.

“I saw it in the news… There’s a high-level Hunter on the wanted list in New York. She killed Rare-item craftsmen or cut off their arms…” Lumina explained.

I filled in the rest.

“Persilla finds craftsmen she likes and forces them to make her a weapon. If she’s pleased, she cuts off their arm so they’ll never surpass it. If they refuse, she tortures them until they give in—or kills them outright.”

“…I didn’t know she was that dangerous,” Seo Yui murmured.

“The biggest problem is her strength. Her level is estimated to be over 80.”

“E-eighty?!” Meiling stammered in shock.

“T-then even the sisters who helped us before wouldn’t stand a chance. What do we do?” Lumina trembled.

“What about asking the City for help?” Seo Yui suggested.

“I thought about that. But dealing with someone at Level 80 isn’t simple. There aren’t many who can counter her, and even if the City investigates, Persilla might retaliate against us first. If they fail to catch her, we’d be the ones paying the price.”

In the game, there was an option to report Persilla—but it was a trap.

Choose it, and the City failed to catch her. Then the very next day, she showed up to take revenge.

That’s why I’d stopped Eleanor from calling the police.

“Mm…”

Seo Yui crossed her arms, frowning.

It was a tough problem.

Normally, you wouldn’t meet Persilla until mid- to late-game, when crafting skills were high enough to handle her event.

By then, you had ways to clear it.

But now? We weren’t even Level 30 yet. Facing her head-on was impossible.

“I’ve bought us two weeks. As long as she thinks she has to wait for a fake craftsman’s reply, she won’t touch Platinum Wings.”

I looked at the three of them.

“In those two weeks, I’ll find a way to completely neutralize Persilla.”

“Do you… already have a plan, Yein?” Lumina asked.

“…Yeah.”

“Of course. You wouldn’t say all that without a plan. So, what is it?” Meiling pressed.

“There are still too many uncertainties. I’ll tell you once things are concrete. For now, leave this problem to me. Forget about it. That goes for you too, Senior Seo Yui.”

“If you need help, just say the word. I’ll do anything to protect you,” Seo Yui said firmly.

“M-me too, Yein!” Lumina blurted.

“…Not like I can let you die, or who’d make me free gear? I’ll help, too.” Meiling turned her head aside.

“Thank you, senior. Thanks, both of you.”

I smiled faintly. “For now, let’s head back to the dorms.”

Later, after parting ways with them, I returned to my room.

Shutting the door, I slumped into my chair, clutching my head.

Plan, my ass! I’ve got nothing!

At this level, what the hell was I supposed to do?

Even the girl who’d helped us in Valhall was mid-sixties in level—still far too weak for Persilla. And she never intervened unless it was related to the Vanguard, anyway.

Frustration burned in me until I swore steam was coming off my scalp.

“Huuhh. Calm down.”

Clawing at my hair, cursing the world, wouldn’t solve anything.

What I needed was cold focus.

Take stock of my situation and my cards.

The enemy: a Level 84 criminal.

The Craftsman killer. A weapon-obsessed pervert.

In short, reason wouldn’t work on her.

A head-on fight was impossible.

Which meant I needed another way.

I pulled out the sealed envelope I’d stuffed into my pocket—the one I’d told Persilla to write, explaining why she needed a weapon.

If I can read this, maybe I’ll learn something about her psychology. Maybe there’s a way out that doesn’t involve fighting.

But five seconds after opening the letter, I hurled it across the desk.

“Disgusting bitch.”

Revulsion twisted my face so hard it wouldn’t relax.

The letter, written in flowery, elaborate language, was at best a hymn of praise to weapons.

At worst? It was a filthy, obscene piece of smut.

A grotesque fantasy starring herself and Rare weapons.

Bloodstains—almost certainly hers—marred the final lines.

“Urgh.”

I gagged, covering my mouth with my arm.

After a long breath, I shoved the letter back into the envelope and stuffed it out of sight.

“This method’s useless.”

I began racking my brain again, searching for a way to take Persilla down.

That bandaged arm…

I recalled her appearance at Platinum Wings.

The wig, the makeup—all disguise.

But the arm wrapped in layers of bandages? That was her unmistakable trait.

Wait a second.

An idea flickered.

I rifled through my desk until I found a note I’d scribbled down recently.

On it was a phone number.

This is it!!!

Relief surged through me, washing away the weight on my chest. My lips curled upward on their own.

Yes. With this, I can deal with Persilla!

I immediately pulled out my phone and called Eleanor.

“Eleanor, I need a favor.”

[Huh??]

The moment I said it, Eleanor sounded startled. I had jumped straight in with a request, and she wasn’t prepared.

But I was too fired up to care.

“Tomorrow, if you have time, I need you to call a number I’ll give you. No, actually—it’d be better if your manager handled it.”

[Wait a second. Explain so I can understand. What number is this?]

I told Eleanor whose number it was, and what kind of message I needed her to pass along.

“So I’ll leave it to you.”

[Okay… But Yein, did the Arms Collector follow you?]

“For now, no. But the longer she waits, the more likely she’ll get violent. That’s why we need to act fast.”

[Got it. I’ll contact Uncle Donghyuk right away.]

“Thanks, Eleanor.”

After hanging up, I paced the small room in circles, thinking hard.

At least I’d found the key.

Now I just needed to prepare the lock where that key would fit.

Monday, lunchtime.

Lumina, Meiling, and Seo Yui all stared at the boy standing in front of them, their faces full of confusion.

“Y-Yein. What did you just say?” Lumina asked, as though she couldn’t believe her ears.

“Let’s go to the dungeon after class.”

He said it with a bright smile. The three of them only felt more bewildered.

“What about the Persilla problem?” Meiling demanded, incredulous.

“There’s nothing we can do about her right now. So we should focus on the task in front of us first.”

Nam Yein waved the paper in his hand. On it were the new squad assignments from Principal Im Seongyeon.

This time, the task was written in just one line:

[All squad members must reach Level 31 before summer break.]

“So Senior Seo Yui is already Level 32, which means only Lumina, Meiling, and I need to hit 31. If we clear the third floor of the Bundle Mine, we’ll get good EXP and gather materials at the same time. Let’s head there.”

Just then, Nam Yein’s smartwatch buzzed.

“Ah, excuse me for a moment.”

He picked up his tray and left the cafeteria.

The three girls watched his back until he was completely out of sight. Then they exchanged glances.

“What the hell is up with him?” Meiling frowned.

“Maybe he thinks there’s no hope and just gave up,” Lumina whispered, her voice trembling.

“Gave up… huh.”

“Honestly, how could anyone fight an opponent in the 80s? Maybe all that talk yesterday was just bluffing,” Meiling muttered, then turned to Seo Yui. “What do you think?”

Seo Yui had been silent the whole time, one hand lightly holding her elbow.

“…He hasn’t given up.”

“What? How do you know?”

“Did Yein tell you something privately, Senior?”

“No. Nothing like that. But…”

Her gaze drifted toward the spot where Yein had disappeared.

“I believe in him. He’ll find a way.”

She had seen it with her own eyes—the impossible escape from Valhall. Every part of the plan had come from Yein’s head, and every step had played out exactly as he predicted.

That was why Seo Yui trusted him now too.

“And besides… his expression has changed.”

“Expression?”

“Yeah. Yesterday, before we split up, I could still see worry written all over his face. But today, there’s none of that. He looked like someone who finally set down a heavy burden.”

“Doesn’t that mean he really did give up?” Meiling muttered.

“…No. Senior is right,” Lumina said firmly.

“What?” Meiling gawked at her.

“Yein knows things we don’t, and he always finds unexpected solutions. I was a little uneasy at first… but if he’d really given up, he wouldn’t have suggested raising our levels in the dungeon. I trust him.”

Seo Yui nodded in agreement.

Great. Now I’m the only one who doesn’t trust him?

Meiling scowled, stabbing her spoon into her poor, innocent jelly dessert.

Seo Yui glanced at her and said gently, “Don’t worry too much, Meiling. Yein will be fine.”

“Wh-who said I was worried about him?!” Meiling shouted, her face turning crimson.

Meanwhile, outside the cafeteria, Yein had earbuds in, speaking quietly into his phone.

“So, you got through?”

[Yeah. As long as we pay, they said they can get it by this weekend.]

“Good. Tell them I’ll cover the cost myself, but I want it by Thursday. If they deliver early, I’ll pay double.”

[Understood. I’ll split half the cost on our end. If your plan works, Platinum Wings will be safe too.]

“That helps a lot. If anything comes up, I’ll contact you. And if Persilla shows up, let me know immediately.”

[Okay.]

Yein ended the call and smiled.

At this rate… I might even kill two birds with one stone.

He slipped the phone into his pocket and headed back toward the classroom.

(End of Chapter)

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