I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 186

186.

Yoo Ji-an stood over the fallen Hunters, her eyes fixed on her phone screen, looking utterly defeated.

Then, she pocketed her phone and strode towards the sea. Baek Eun-hee, seeing Yoo Ji-an’s intent to dash across the water, quickly intervened.

“Hey, get a grip!”

Baek Eun-hee grabbed Yoo Ji-an’s shoulder firmly.

“Let go, Seo-ah is over there.”

“That distance is too great, even for you.”

“I don’t care.”

Yoo Ji-an possessed the skill to run on water, but traversing the vast distance to that ship, already so far away, would drain a tremendous amount of mana.

Moreover, she not only had to reach the ship but also confront Jackson. And another S-Class Hunter was likely to join Jackson.

Yoo Ji-an shook off Baek Eun-hee and tried to proceed, but Baek Eun-hee blocked her path more forcefully.

“You’re not the only one worried about Seo-ah! Get a grip. You need to rescue her unharmed. What if you provoke them and Seo-ah gets hurt?”

“……”

Yoo Ji-an, who had been acting recklessly, paused at the mention of Seo-ah getting hurt. A voice supporting Baek Eun-hee echoed from behind.

“That’s right, you’ll just return empty-handed if you go.”

Yoo Ji-an and Baek Eun-hee turned to see Cha Tae-woon standing there.

Judging by his aura, he seemed to be in a somber mood. But Yoo Ji-an and Baek Eun-hee were equally tense, their fierce energy palpable as they faced him.

“I’m going to save her.”

“Of course. We can’t afford to lose valuable assets like that… without any compensation.”

“Does that mean you’d give her up if there was compensation?”

Cha Tae-woon shamelessly replied to Baek Eun-hee’s cutting remark.

“Of course not, I cherish Hunter Park Seo-ah quite a bit.”

He added, almost as an afterthought, “Ah, of course, Maker is also an important person.”

“Anyway, the higher-ups want us to retrieve them as discreetly as possible. I believe the US side feels the same way.”

“The country won’t intervene, but they expect us to find them on our own. Tsk, they never change.”

Cha Tae-woon responded with a sardonic smile, and Yoo Ji-an glared at him with cold eyes.

“I’ll go to Japan first.”

“Wait, the negotiation isn’t over yet.”

“It doesn’t matter as long as you don’t touch the gate first; I’m only going to find Park Seo-ah.”

“But engaging in combat without permission could cause international incidents. Just a little more…”

“A little?”

Yoo Ji-an grabbed Cha Tae-woon by the collar, effortlessly lifting his large frame with one arm.

Cha Tae-woon barely suppressed the defensive reaction he almost instinctively made at the sudden surge of murderous intent.

He couldn’t be certain if he could defeat Yoo Ji-an in a serious fight. He might be lucky to just hold out, let alone win.

“I told you, I cherish Hunter Park Seo-ah too. We need to find a more certain way…”

“What’s certain is that we can’t guarantee her safety if time passes. I’ll find a way when I get there.”

“I can’t entrust it to someone who has lost their reason.”

“Cha Tae-woon, you’re mistaken. I’m extremely rational.”

At those words, Cha Tae-woon looked into Yoo Ji-an’s eyes, which were close to his. Moments ago, her eyes had been burning with anger, but now they were calmly sunken.

Yoo Ji-an released Cha Tae-woon’s collar.

Indeed, there was no sign of agitation. As if to reassure him, Yoo Ji-an continued in a monotonous tone.

“If there’s no immediate threat of the gate bursting open, Jackson will send them back to the US after arriving in Japan. We have to find them before that.”

“Do as she says, it doesn’t matter. We’ll follow soon anyway.”

Baek Eun-hee sided with Yoo Ji-an this time. She had initially stopped Yoo Ji-an, but Baek Eun-hee was also anxious.

She wanted to go herself, but as the guild leader, Baek Eun-hee had many responsibilities. Moreover, Yoo Ji-an was more suited for this type of mission.

Cha Tae-woon pondered for a moment and then spoke.

“Then, as soon as he leaves, we’ll notify Japan of his entry…”

Just then,

The sky and the earth vibrated, and a massive sonic boom reverberated. It wasn’t a sound that could be heard in the conventional sense.

But for Awakened individuals, even those as low as F-Class, it was impossible to ignore.

Yoo Ji-an was the first of the three to break the silence.

“I think that problem has been solved with this.”

Cha Tae-woon couldn’t deny Yoo Ji-an’s words and looked towards the source of the surging magical energy. At this level, it was undoubtedly an S-Class Gate.

If they didn’t act quickly, Japan could face devastation.

Cha Tae-woon winked at the two of them and pulled out his phone.

“Requesting permission to use a private plane, destination is Japan.”

***

As Seo-ah finished her call with Yoo Ji-an, Jackson interjected.

“How did you know I was going to Japan?”

Seo-ah replied casually.

“Because you mentioned having to go to Japan soon. There’s no way you’d be taking a ship to America at this point.”

“I could send only you somewhere else.”

“Then I’ll run away, taking the Maker with me. Besides, you haven’t made a decision yet.”

Jackson’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“What do you mean?”

“How useful I am, whether you should capture me at all costs, and if you can’t capture me… whether it’s better to eliminate me.”

It was a conclusion based on the story of Oscar Jackson that Yoo Ji-an had experienced in her previous life, and Seo-ah’s judgment of him after meeting him for the third time.

As long as his curiosity remained piqued, Seo-ah would be safe. But she couldn’t be sure what would happen once that value judgment was complete.

He would try to entice Seo-ah for now, but if he decided it wouldn’t work, he would try to eliminate her.

‘Like in Yoo Ji-an’s first life…’

Anyway, she had to stay alert, but she didn’t need to be constantly afraid.

“Being smart isn’t always an advantage.”

The courteous smile vanished from Jackson’s face, but Seo-ah faced him calmly. She felt much better dealing with him now that his pretentious smile was gone.

He pointed expressionlessly to the cabin where the Maker was.

“Go inside.”

“I want some more sea breeze-”

She would jump off if necessary, or at least the deck offered a better vantage point for assessing the situation.

So she was trying to stay outside a little longer, but Jackson grabbed Seo-ah’s wrist tightly, as if he didn’t want to repeat himself.

“Ugh.”

Judging from the rough handling, Seo-ah’s words had clearly annoyed him.

“I’ll go, I’ll go!”

Seo-ah tried to shake him off, but even a magician couldn’t match the strength of an S-Class Hunter.

As she was being dragged away, a tremendous surge of magical energy suddenly swept through.

To ordinary, non-Awakened people, it would appear as a quiet scene of a ship sailing on the sea.

However, it was a force so immense that Jackson, Seo-ah, and Jackson’s escort Hunter all stopped and turned around at once.

‘He said it was S-Class. He said the Red Dragon would come out.’

Seo-ah recalled Yoo Ji-an’s story from the past. Sure enough, an S-Class Gate possessed such a strong magical power that it could be felt even in other countries just by being created.

Seo-ah noticed that Jackson’s expression was even more rigid than before.

“Should I go in here?”

“……”

Jackson released Seo-ah’s wrist willingly.

As soon as she entered the cabin, he locked the door from the outside with an iron chain. Of course, even a low-level Hunter could break it and escape, but it seemed like he was implementing at least minimal security measures.

As Seo-ah entered, the Maker slowly sat up.

“You’re awake.”

“It was noisy.”

“It seems like a gate has opened in Japan.”

“Then this ship is going to Japan?”

Seo-ah nodded, and the Maker glanced out of the cabin. Even if she looked, all she could see was the sea.

She looked at the restraints on her wrist with displeasure. Seo-ah had the same restraints on her wrist.

Seo-ah had a glimmer of hope in her eyes as she stared intently at the restraints. Maybe the Maker could find a way to remove them?

“Do you see anything?”

“I can see them, but I don’t have the ability to do anything about it right now.”

The Maker looked at Seo-ah with a frustrated expression.

“You got caught up in this for nothing.”

“…I guess so. But well, there’s nothing I can do now.”

The Maker smirked as she watched Seo-ah immediately adapt to the situation.

“But those idiots must be underestimating you and me quite a bit.”

That was true. Normally, Seo-ah and the Maker wouldn’t be allowed to converse like this.

Even though they were wearing restraints, they were both S-Class Hunters, and only a fraction of their abilities were known.

Moreover, even though the Maker might lack combat abilities, she possessed exceptional creation skills.

According to a rumor, even an ordinary stone would become [Pebble_Special A] if it passed through the Maker’s hands.

The Maker and Park Seo-ah exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with a shared understanding.