You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿-Chapter 176

What a scene that looks like something out of a horror movie.

In the midst of the strangeness, Lee Pyeong-hwa briefly forgot the urgency of the situation and became dazed.

‘Nam Seong-hee... was it?’

He didn’t know much, but the person who had just appeared and stabbed Lee Un-gyeol to death before vanishing was the same one. According to Jeong Da-on’s story, she was also said to be Lee Un-gyeol’s mother.

In Lee Pyeong-hwa’s understanding, such actions were unthinkable.

Lee Pyeong-hwa gripped the sword in his hand tighter.

Though cold sweat ran down his back, he made an effort not to show it.

‘She seemed to have some connection to Jeong Da-on.’

Jeong Da-on hadn’t explained the situation in detail, but Lee Pyeong-hwa wasn’t a fool. He had some guesses based on what he knew.

Having been swept up in unexpected events more than once due to being entangled with the S-rank Hunter Jeong Da-on, this woman was probably another one of those situations.

‘Like a swarm of flies, how tiresome.’

If Nam Seong-hee had known how she was being treated like a nuisance by this young kid, she would probably have been enraged.

But Lee Pyeong-hwa didn’t make any effort to provoke her.

‘How do I get out of this situation?’

Although he felt wronged by being dragged into this, he had already mentally prepared for it when he decided to become Jeong Da-on’s friend.

At least, he was thankful that there were no actual hostages involved in this situation.

Had there been hostages here, things would have been far more difficult.

‘This woman... she came after me on purpose, right? But why would she target me?’

If Jeong Da-on was the goal, it would ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) have been much more efficient to go directly after her.

For now, Lee Pyeong-hwa tried to buy some time by asking a question.

“What are you doing?”

“What do you think? I’m setting a trap.”

Click. Nam Seong-hee spoke casually while lighting a cigarette.

‘Wait, that smell is odd. This doesn’t seem like regular tobacco... could it be drugs?’

The earlier fight with Jeong Da-on and the moment she killed Lee Un-gyeol both raised suspicions.

Lee Pyeong-hwa didn’t let his guard down as he asked further.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Hmm?”

Compared to Lee Pyeong-hwa’s nervousness, Nam Seong-hee appeared completely relaxed while puffing on what resembled a cigarette.

The cause of her calm demeanor might have been the short dagger in her other hand.

Lee Pyeong-hwa wasn’t as skilled at reading magical flows as Jeong Da-on, but he could sense that the dagger was no ordinary item.

“Why? I thought you’d know by now. You wanna guess?”

“You have no reason to trap me. I’m just a twenty-year-old kid who’s only just awakened.”

“Your self-assessment seems low for an A-rank Hunter. Weren’t you even a national youth team member?”

“That kind of title doesn’t matter in this industry.”

“Haha, true. But you still have some value as a hostage.”

Hostage.

The unexpected word made Lee Pyeong-hwa frown.

“Hostage? Against whom? My parents are ordinary people.”

“Oh, are you pretending to be naive? Or are you just dumb?”

Nam Seong-hee scoffed.

“Obviously, it’s Jeong Da-on... Why are you laughing?”

Lee Pyeong-hwa didn’t bother to hide the sneer that slipped from his lips.

“Why would you take me as a hostage if Jeong Da-on is your target? You’ve got the wrong idea.”

Lee Pyeong-hwa was friends with Jeong Da-on, but being her friend meant he saw things clearly.

He didn’t owe Jeong Da-on anything nor did he feel indebted, and he was certain about that.

‘Well, if I judge by appearances, maybe that makes sense.’

They had been in the same military unit, and after being coincidentally lost together, they had even ended up serving in the same guild.

Moreover, they had spent the past few months dungeon raiding together.

That must have made them seem close, so maybe this woman thought she could use him as leverage to get something from Jeong Da-on!

But the reality was different.

“Jeong Da-on helps me not because she likes me, but because she just wants to get off work early.”

It was clear that their relationship was far different from what the public would consider "friendship."

“Jeong Da-on wouldn’t care if I lived or died. So why don’t you try someone else?”

“Haha, I don’t think so.”

Nam Seong-hee smoothly brushed aside Lee Pyeong-hwa’s taunt.

“To win in court, a lawyer has to uncover all the secrets the client is hiding. Detecting others’ secrets is my specialty.”

“Are you really a lawyer? Exposing your client’s secrets?”

“A lawyer’s job is to help their client win in court, not to serve their client’s interests. Well, Jeong Da-on isn’t even my client... so why are you running?”

“...Gah!”

Swish!

As Lee Pyeong-hwa tried to retreat, Nam Seong-hee swung the dagger in her hand.

The crescent-shaped blade of the dagger shot toward Lee Pyeong-hwa, covering him in an instant.

Of course, Lee Pyeong-hwa didn’t just stand there.

“This...!”

Clang!

Prepared and vigilant, Lee Pyeong-hwa met the incoming blade head-on.

The blade from Nam Seong-hee didn’t even graze a hair on his head.

‘I did it...!’

“See? This is why inexperienced kids...”

“...Ah!”

Thud!

Something yanked at his ankle, and Lee Pyeong-hwa stumbled, crashing to the ground with a loud thud.

He had been so focused on the incoming blade that he hadn’t thought to check his footing.

And that wasn’t all.

As he hit the ground, Lee Pyeong-hwa finally noticed his vision becoming blurry.

‘Smoke...!’

The gas smell had already been noticeable in the building, and now thin smoke had begun to fill the floor.

It was this smoke that had prevented him from noticing something crawling toward him.

‘Damn, I should’ve made sure to secure my vision before fighting...!’

Lee Pyeong-hwa tried to follow Shin Ji-eum’s teachings but it was too late.

The rope wrapped around his ankle tightened quickly, and before he knew it, the entire body was bound. The sensation of something squirming like it was alive made him feel disgusted.

“Ugh...!”

But that wasn’t all.

Nam Seong-hee yanked the rope hard, dragging Lee Pyeong-hwa helplessly across the floor, and he screamed out.

“Let me go!”

“Alright, the bait is ready.”

After fully subduing Lee Pyeong-hwa, Nam Seong-hee closed the distance and aimed her dagger again.

Boom!

A short magical blast shot from the dagger in Nam Seong-hee’s hand.

Lee Pyeong-hwa was horrified.

‘W-What?!’

Trapped and unable to move, he couldn’t avoid the blast.

He instinctively closed his eyes, bracing for death.

Boom!

But then...

Boom!

Light burst forth from the dark room.

Lee Pyeong-hwa opened his eyes wide in shock.

“What is...?”

The blade Nam Seong-hee had sent out had been blocked by a shield and disappeared.

Of course, it wasn’t Lee Pyeong-hwa’s shield.

“J-Jeong Da-on?”

Filled with hope, Lee Pyeong-hwa looked around, but Jeong Da-on was nowhere to be seen.

If so, who had cast the shield that had just protected him?

“Just as I thought.”

But it seemed that Lee Pyeong-hwa wasn’t the only one who was surprised.

Nam Seong-hee appeared entirely unsurprised.

“Look, I’ve cast a shield spell on you. It must’ve used a lot of mana.”

“W-What? Who...?”

“Who else could it be? It’s Jeong Da-on.”

“Eh?”

Lee Pyeong-hwa was left speechless.

“Jeong Da-on... cast a shield spell?”

Not just any auxiliary magic like strength enhancement, but a shield spell.

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Though Lee Pyeong-hwa was a swordsman, he knew well how difficult it was to cast a shield spell on someone else and have it activate in times of crisis.

But did she actually cast that kind of magic in advance?

‘When did she do it? And why?’

Sure, he considered Jeong Da-on his friend, but wasn’t she the type of person who wouldn’t go out of her way to protect someone else, especially given her own struggles?

“Damn.”

Nam Seong-hee smiled subtly as she watched Lee Pyeong-hwa.

“Sometimes actions speak louder than a hundred words. Those unconscious actions can be the clearest evidence of someone’s true feelings.”

“What’s that supposed to mean...?”

“Jeong Da-on hid you behind her the moment she saw me.”

Even Jeong Da-on herself might not have been aware of it.

But to Nam Seong-hee, that was enough to judge who would make the most effective hostage in this situation.

“Kind of surprising. Jeong Da-on seemed like someone similar to me.”

Someone who wouldn’t hesitate to do morally questionable things to get what they wanted.

Yet, she had shown such affection for a peer. Who would’ve thought?

She must have known that would be a weakness.

‘She did it intentionally, or maybe it was unconscious.’

Either way, it didn’t matter much.

If it was intentional, capturing Lee Pyeong-hwa as a hostage would give her endless possibilities. If it was unconscious, then even better.

‘Just as Theo’s master said.’

“Don’t be deceived by a clever tongue when dealing with her. Watch her actions.”

“Sometimes people make choices that don’t align with their reasoning... and that becomes their weakness.”

“...Damn!”

After hearing Nam Seong-hee’s words, Lee Pyeong-hwa clenched his teeth.

So... in this situation...

He had been captured as a hostage because of Jeong Da-on’s weakness.

And Jeong Da-on might actually come to rescue him!

‘Falling behind is fine, but I’d rather die than have Jeong Da-on’s ankle caught!’

Filled with frustration, Lee Pyeong-hwa yelled at Nam Seong-hee, his voice full of anger.

“You crazy bastard! Why are you doing this? Why are you after Jeong Da-on?!”

“Because I want something.”

“You can’t just do this because you want something! If Jeong Da-on catches you, you’ll end up in prison! You’ll rot there for the rest of your life!”

“Hahaha, prison? You think I’ll go to prison?”

“What the hell are you talking about? You’re a lawyer, right? Of course you’ll get caught!”

“Damn.”

Nam Seong-hee looked at Lee Pyeong-hwa’s thrashing with an expression as if he were a child.

In fact, he was much younger than her.

“Law isn’t always fair, you know.”

Nam Seong-hee had lived closer to the law than anyone else.

And because of that, she knew well that the law didn’t always work the way people thought.

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At least, that was how she saw it.

“Law just blinds the weak. It’s a tool that gives the powerless false hope, making them believe they’re equal before the law...”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“If the law worked, the weak could fight the strong, they could resist injustice... but that’s not how it is.”

Even something as serious as murder gets a different sentence depending on who committed it.

Taking someone’s lifetime savings is never even called murder.

If someone dies on the job, proving whose fault it was is nearly impossible.

And this time, it was the same.

In the end, most of the weak beg for fairness before the law, but they lose because they have no power.

The law does not protect the weak.

“The moment I kill Jeong Da-on, and show that I’m stronger than her... the state will support me. They won’t want to upset me.”

The state doesn’t protect the weak.

Or, under the guise of protecting the citizens, it takes whatever advantage it can.

“In the end, the victor gets everything.”

And Nam Seong-hee wasn’t the only one who agreed with this logic.

“Jeong Da-on will know too.”

The one who wins this game will get everything.

Nam Seong-hee said this and triggered something she had prepared in advance.

Boom!

The bomb planted on the roof exploded, shaking the building once more.

Lee Pyeong-hwa was startled by the explosion and opened his eyes wide.

“B-Bomb?!”

“Don’t you wonder if Jeong Da-on will make it before the building collapses?”

“She won’t come, I told you!”

Now, his hope was almost just a breeze.

He wished with all his might that Nam Seong-hee was wrong.

Struggling, Lee Pyeong-hwa tried to free himself from the rope around his body as he shouted.

“I’m of no use to Jeong Da-on! She has a good image, but if you get to know her, her personality’s horrible! You think she’ll come to save me?!”

“Damn. That kid actually cares more than she lets on.”

Nam Seong-hee paid no mind to his outburst.

And...

Before long, footsteps began to echo through the empty building.

Tap, tap.

Lee Pyeong-hwa’s face twisted as he heard the approaching footsteps.

For someone sneaking into a building after a bomb had exploded, the steps were very calm, and the person seemed to have no intention of hiding their presence.

Contrary to his hopes, Nam Seong-hee was sure of who was coming.

Soon, the footsteps stopped.

Jeong Da-on appeared from the dark hallway, smiling.

“Before I tear you apart, let me say one thing.”

She wore a smug, almost arrogant smile, as if she had already won.

“This is the first time in my life I’ve had such an unpleasant misunderstanding.”