Chapter 93 – Interrogating the Kidnapper

The quest details were as follows.

It was a quest with terrifying content.

‘To erase the ‘Truth Debate’ skill if the quest is not completed!’

That could absolutely not happen.

The ‘Truth Debate’ skill was a tremendous skill that forced the target to answer questions with only the truth for three minutes.

It was practically the livelihood of the information broker, Won Deok-sam.

However, the benefit of completing the quest was also huge. For all stats to increase by 1, it was like a dream.

Furthermore, it was a reward that could be obtained simply by kidnapping that harmless-looking young lady and extracting information.

From his perspective, he had no choice but to accept the quest, thinking, ‘What a windfall!’

He had intended to release the kidnapped woman after coaxing her and extracting the relevant information.

Although he might need to set the mood a bit, he had planned to conduct the interrogation in as gentle an atmosphere as possible.

Of course, there was no telling if the other party would see it that way… but wouldn’t it be fine as long as he didn’t cause serious harm?

Although Won Deok-sam belonged to the highly perilous occupation of being an information broker, he was relatively a pacifist.

To work safely as an information broker, it was best to refrain as much as possible from doing things that would incur anyone’s resentment.

In the Republic of Korea, the public authority had not lost its power even after the Gate Incident broke out.

The arrest rate for violent crimes remained high, and the safety of the citizens was prioritized. He did not want to get caught by pointlessly committing murder, assault, or blackmail.

And yet, why was he here?

Won Deok-sam groaned.

‘I clearly remember up to the scene where I kidnapped that lady and carried out the quest… I think I smoked a cigarette because my head ached.’

From then on, his memory was faint.

Won Deok-sam’s ‘Truth Debate’ skill forced the target to reveal the absolute truth for three minutes, but the penalty was substantial.

It was accompanied by a severe headache and dizziness, and even temporarily reduced his overall stats.

[Kikikiki! Kikikikiki!]

Meanwhile, his recollection did not last long. He was too busy shrinking in fear from the shrieks emitted by the monsters flying in the air.

He screamed inwardly.

‘…B-But how on earth did I end up inside a dungeon?’

Dungeons were strictly managed by the government, the Hunter Association, or illegal organizations.

They were not places where an ordinary person could enter, even by chance.

[Kuaaaak! Kuaak!]

The monsters shrieked again. It was terrifying, and it felt as though they would tear him to pieces at any moment.

‘I feel like I’m going to piss myself! Damn it!’

While he was trembling from fear, with his body tied to the chair, an unfamiliar voice came from behind him.

“Huh? Baduk-i, what’s wrong? Ah… he opened his eyes?”

It was the voice of a young man.

“Young man! Please untie this…!”

Won Deok-sam jerked his head around to ask for help, only to freeze like stone.

“M-M-M-Monster!”

A plant-type monster was situated in front of him.

The monster gaped its tulip-like flower bud wide, showing the sharp teeth protruding inside the bud. It was a gruesome scene.

‘…Gasp!’

Only then did Won Deok-sam recall what had happened to him just before he woke up.

The woman had used a space skill to open a door, and that monster had popped out from within it.

The monster had rushed at him and beaten him mercilessly.

‘Did I lose consciousness after that?’

While he was recalling the painful past with his teeth chattering, a human figure appeared behind the monster.

“You’re awake.”

It was the young man with a large shovel slung over his shoulder, Hee-won.

He slowly stroked the plant-type monster as he scanned Won Deok-sam up and down.

His appearance looked just like a grim reaper debating, ‘Should I kill this guy or let him live?’

“P-P-Please spare my life.”

Won Deok-sam begged as if he were about to grovel flat before him. However, Hee-won’s cold expression showed no signs of softening.

“That’s none of my business.”

He kicked the chair Won Deok-sam was tied to with a thud.

“Ugh!”

Naturally, the chair toppled sideways, and Won Deok-sam ended up burying his face in the sandy beach. A mouthful of sand rushed into his mouth.

“Pew, patooie!”

It was when he was spitting out the gritty sand.

With a thud, the shovel struck the ground right next to his head.

It was a spot where, had it been off by just a little, his skull would have been crushed. Cold sweat broke out on his skin.

“Hey, mister.”

Hee-won squatted in front of Won Deok-sam’s head and pointed into the air.

The tip of his finger pointed to the flying monsters cawing and frolicking in the sky.

“That, you see the monster over there?”

“Y-Yes! I see it! I see it very clearly!”

Hee-won pointed to the safety boundary of ‘Home Sweet Home’.

“Where we are right now is a safe zone, so the monsters can’t harm us, but that won’t be the case once you cross that line.”

“Y-Yes, yes! Is that so?”

As Won Deok-sam replied with his jaw trembling, Hee-won crossed his arms.

“My sister will be out in a bit to ask some questions. If you don’t answer properly or say anything harsh then… you know, right?”

He drew his thumb across his neck in a throat-slitting motion.

“You don’t want your life to end here, do you?”

The meaning of the gesture was extremely clear.

It meant that if his answers were unsatisfactory, he would be thrown right into the sky to become food for the flock of flying monsters.

“I-I understand! I will never talk nonsense! P-Please just spare my life!”

Won Deok-sam was a person who valued life, especially his own life, extremely highly. He swore multiple times to speak only the truth.

“Right. Let’s do well as promised. Because if you displease us, I’ll either bury you or throw you to the monsters.”

Hee-won left his final warning. Then he stood up and shouted loudly.

“Hee-na! The kidnapper is awake!”

Hee-na moved her hands quickly at the sound of her brother’s voice coming from beyond the open front door.

“Understood! Just wait a moment! I’ll bring lunch!”

She scooped up generous amounts of egg salad mixed well with mayonnaise, spread it on sliced bread, and covered it with another slice. The tough crusts of the bread were sliced away with a knife, leaving only the soft white parts.

After repeating this a few times, a stack of appetizing egg sandwiches quickly piled up.

Hee-na packed the sandwiches neatly into a lunchbox.

The weather at the dungeon beach was so nice that she prepared it under the pretense of going on a picnic.

Of course, packing a picnic lunch the day after being kidnapped by a mysterious man was a bit strange, but…

‘Still, I think I’ll feel a bit better if I do this.’

In any case, the most helpful thing for clearing one’s head or changing one’s mood was housework, above all else. At least, it was so for Hee-na.

Hee-na let out a deep sigh.

‘He has barely been gone!’

Only a single day had passed since Kang Jin-hyun left, but so many things had happened in the meantime. Everything had burst forth all at once, as if targeted.

She had received and registered complaints from ordinary Hunters, and while she was out grocery shopping for them, she was kidnapped by a stranger.

Then, her and her brother’s secrets were discovered by the assailant who kidnapped her, and she had barely escaped the danger.

For now, she glossed over her absence to the guild by claiming she had taken a late-afternoon half-day off as an emergency.

Since it involved the peanuts she had an exclusive contract for, she could have explained the situation, but that was a bit problematic. Hee-na’s ‘Home Sweet Home’ skill could be exposed.

‘Since they are a guild that couldn’t even properly keep the secret about my brother’s peanuts, there’s no guarantee they would properly keep the secret about my skill.’

Through this incident, distrust toward the guild grew within Hee-na.

Thus, she gathered all her available annual and monthly leaves to take a week off. She needed time to heal her bruised body here and there, and she also needed eyes to monitor the kidnapper.

Unfortunately, there was no one beside Hee-na whom she could trust and ask for help.

Woo Min-ah was in the middle of a long-term dungeon raid, and Kang Jin-hyun was also absent due to dungeon business.

‘For now, I must keep him detained at least until Jin-hyun returns.’

Therefore, for the time being, there was no choice but to keep the kidnapper captured.

Of course, her older brother, Hee-won, had made the radical suggestion of ‘burying him in the dungeon soil,’ but Hee-na dismissed the opinion as a joke.

“Hurry up! I’m burning with impatience!”

Unable to wait during the brief moment she was lost in thought, Hee-won urged Hee-na from outside the door.

Gogo~ Off we go~!

Osaek-i also extended its antennas long and drew the word ‘Departure’ in the air.

Hee-na placed Osaek-i on one of her shoulders and grabbed the egg sandwiches.

[Kirik-kirik-kirik-kirik!]

As she came out after casually slipping on her slippers, the familiar crying sound of the flying monsters stimulated her eardrums.

Hee-na tilted her head upon spotting her brother.

“What are you doing there, brother?”

The chair holding the kidnapper tied up was toppled to the side, and Hee-won was squatted in front of it.

“Ah. This mister writhed and fell sideways… so I’m trying to stand him back up properly.”

Hee-won dusted off his backside and stood up nonchalantly.

Then, with a grunt, he set the fallen kidnapper’s chair upright. He even showed the attentiveness of brushing off the sand stuck to the man’s body.

The sight was so absurd that a dry laugh escaped her.

“…Honestly. You pay attention to people in the most useless ways, brother.”

Hee-won might be the only one in the world who would take care of someone who had tried to harm his own sister like that.

The Homemaker of the Dungeon