Chapter 17

"An attack, an attack!"

"Scatter and take cover!"

Despite their initial confusion, the outlaws quickly sprang into action, spreading out and taking positions. While they were busy finding cover, the team leader spoke to the bounty hunters.

"Stay down. Once it's safe, we'll untie—"

The team leader's expression turned dumbfounded. Kim Ihyeon had freed himself from his bindings. The surprise didn't end there.

In Kim Ihyeon's hands appeared the [FE-7 Riot Shield] and [Ivory]. He immediately fired at an outlaw aiming a crossbow at him.

"Ugh!"

The bullet hit the outlaw's hand. Though it wasn't a fatal shot, it was enough to make him drop the crossbow.

"Is that… a spell?"

"Exactly. Should I help?"

"Y-yeah."

The team leader nodded, half-dazed. Unlike the two dumbfounded bounty hunters, Kim Ihyeon had anticipated the situation.

The purpose of White Fang, their relationship with the outlaws, and even the identity of the person involved.

'So, the outlaw hunt started now.'

This wasn't a deal but a hunt.

Lotus Company had dispatched White Fang to the underground to locate and eliminate outlaw bases.

They had obtained some discreet information, realizing a massive threat was approaching Kilicia.

The bounty hunters had been used as bait to lure out the outlaws. While the other two might feel unjustly treated, Kim Ihyeon didn't.

'I got lucky. I was either going to wait for them to approach or find them myself.'

Now was a critical moment.

He could simply wait for the rescuers, but Kim Ihyeon didn't intend to remain just a victim.

'Might as well become an ally.'

In the story, White Fang is aware of the impending anomaly and prepares for it. They share the same goal as Kim Ihyeon.

Having made contact, he needed to capitalize on the opportunity.

"Shoot them first!"

A metal arrow flew from the string.

Thunk!

The clash of metal echoed in the underground passage. A heavy impact reverberated through the hand holding the shield.

Three consecutive hits. Not a bad outcome. The crossbow took a long time to reload. One wasted shot was a significant loss.

'Think like a tank.'

Kim Ihyeon stayed put and lowered his stance. He tried to ignore the exposed feeling of his back, focusing on pushing away his unease.

If he were alone, he would have backed up to minimize his blind spots, but…

Thunk!

The team leader picked up the fallen crossbow and fired it. Including the three outlaws initially taken out, all the outlaws in the rear were down.

No one was trying to flank them. It seemed the outlaws were reluctant to expose themselves. Despite having over ten men left in their base, their counterattack was weak.

The leader had been taken out early, and the attackers had yet to reveal themselves. Their numerical advantage was neutralized.

Bang, bang!

Kim Ihyeon fired at the outlaw hiding behind the pillar on the right, thinking to himself.

'So, it's this combination again.'

A shield and a gun. Against armed humans, there was no better combination unless dealing with monsters or spellcasters.

He poured out bullets without hesitation. Even if they didn't hit, it didn't matter. He intended to make the enemy think he was running out of ammunition.

By the tenth shot, he had drawn enough attention to himself.

Three figures suddenly darted out from the dark passage, splitting in different directions.

The outlaws spotted the attackers.

"They're coming, three of them! Split up and handle them!"

Living underground, they were accustomed to the darkness. They wouldn't miss the moving shadows using structures as cover.

But being accustomed to darkness and being skilled in combat were two different things.

[Ivory]'s muzzle flashed. A bullet struck an outlaw who had recklessly exposed his torso.

Kim Ihyeon focused solely on the areas he could target. He no longer wasted bullets, calmly firing at enemies who revealed themselves.

'He's not familiar with handling firearms…'

The team leader glanced at Kim Ihyeon, puzzled. His grip on the pistol was clumsy, and his shooting posture unstable.

Bang!

'And yet he hits his marks.'

None of his shots were wasted. Even if not every bullet hit the outlaws, at the very least, they struck the cover the outlaws were hiding behind.

That alone greatly restricted their movements. One could imagine how threatening this would be to the enemy. It seemed like he had received some special training.

The team leader's lips curled into a grin.

Despite all the elaborate traps they had set up, the outlaws here were a disappointment. It seemed they weren't related to the main target.

But there was an unexpected gain.

'I found a decent guy.'

Thanks to him, they didn't need to expend unnecessary effort.

Kim Ihyeon dropped the empty [Ivory]. He could summon two more, but he didn't need to step in any further.

Gunshots echoed repeatedly.

The White Fang members reduced the number of outlaws one by one with their automatic pistols. The earlier briefing turned into screams.

A runaway outlaw was shot in the back. One man, screaming curses, charged only to get an arrow through his neck.

Had it been five minutes since the fight started? Only four outlaws remained unscathed.

A manageable number. The team leader shouted at the demoralized outlaws.

"Drop your weapons and surrender, you rats."

* * *

The situation quickly came to an end.

The four surviving outlaws were bound and loaded onto the cargo compartment. The roles were entirely reversed from when they had been brought here.

After roughly securing the area, the railcar began its return journey.

Kim Ihyeon didn't board the cargo compartment. He walked at the rear of the railcar with the team leader.

"What will happen to that base?"

"A follow-up team will be coming. We believe they're outcasts from other outlaw groups. We'll learn more through interrogation, but for now, we don't see any deeper connections."

"So, they were just small fry?"

"That's how it seems."

The team leader nodded but couldn't hide his curiosity.

"You seem to understand the situation quite well. How much do you know?"

"I'm just guessing. I don't know who you are, but you're looking for a specific outlaw group, right? This job was to gather information by pretending to deal with outlaws… am I wrong?"

"You're observant."

"They probably figured it out too."

Kim Ihyeon nodded towards the cargo compartment.

The two bounty hunters huddled in a corner, trembling. They were too shocked to be their previously talkative selves.

They had weak mental fortitude. They needed to be thrown into Tulabia to toughen up.

"…Hmm."

The team leader pondered briefly. His decision had already been made, so it didn't change. He introduced himself belatedly.

"We are White Fang from Lotus Company. Call me Bryce. I'm a mercenary, though I registered as a bounty hunter."

"I'm Kim Ihyeon. Sorry, but I don't know what Lotus Company is. I just arrived in Kilicia today."

"What?"

Bryce let out a breath of surprise. Kim Ihyeon had surprised him multiple times, but this was the most shocking.

"Are you out of your mind? You went underground on your first day?"

"Even the station worker gave me a hard time. I told him I needed money. He understood."

"…Haha! What an oddball."

Bryce's laughter drew glances from the White Fang members. Kim Ihyeon took the opportunity to look at their faces one by one.

'She's not here. Well, it wouldn't be that easy.'

The reason Kim Ihyeon had information on Kilicia, which wasn't even in the main episode, was thanks to the agents from Kilicia.

Among them was a White Fang member. She survived the Legion's attack and joined the Selvrogix Lab.

Her side story was different from other agents.

Rather than focusing on her character, it centered on the process of Kilicia's downfall.

It was treated as part of the main episode by users. The professor and his team just didn't appear.

In the grand scheme, it was actually more important.

'I couldn't recognize the other members because their illustrations weren't available. I do remember Bryce's name.'

Unfortunately, they were all destined to die. In the game, only one member of White Fang survived.

Kim Ihyeon briefly thought of Ghost. The situation felt oddly similar.

"So, you need money?"

Bryce grinned.

"There's a lucrative job. Interested?"

It seemed the words of the doomed were always similar.

* * *

The actual proposal was discussed after arriving at Metrocity. There were two minor skirmishes on the way back.

Both were monster attacks, not outlaws. Hearing the commotion, Speeders and bat-like monsters called Stitches had attacked from somewhere.

It was more like work than a battle. The White Fang members handled them easily with crossbows and nail guns, without Kim Ihyeon needing to step in.

Bryce explained during the trip.

"Low-level bounty hunters are given nail guns to avoid making noise during a fight. The underground is teeming with monsters. If everyone started shooting, the difficulty of the job would skyrocket."

It was an answer to the bounty hunters' complaints about the nail guns. Bryce seemed less taciturn than he appeared.

They returned to Metrocity without further incident.

The stark contrast between the dark, musty passages and the highly developed station was astonishing.

The unlucky bounty hunters received modest compensation.

They were also told to keep their mouths shut, and the name Lotus Company wasn't mentioned to anyone but Kim Ihyeon.

They remained mere victims. Kim Ihyeon would have ended up like them if he hadn't taken action.

"Thanks for the shower, clothes, and everything."

"Don't mention it. Use it

as you like. It's not coming out of my pocket."

Metrocity, Basement Level 4. Kim Ihyeon was guided to a Lotus Company building. He shook his slightly damp hair, looking around.

There was a pool table, game consoles, dartboards, and even a small bowling alley. Bryce sat at a bar table.

"How do you like it?"

"Is this really an office?"

"It's a company with good benefits. Each squad gets facilities like this. We have separate offices for paperwork and training."

"Wow…"

Kim Ihyeon genuinely admired it.

Kilicia wasn't a large city. With such high population density, land must be expensive. How many buildings did they own?

Clink.

Bryce shook his glass, and the ice clinked inside. He patted the seat next to him with two fingers.

"Ready to talk business?"