At least the people who spoke to me had faces that seemed willing to have a conversation, but the others just stared blankly into space with empty eyes.

Like dolls without a sense of self or reason.

“Hey, you got hit pretty hard earlier. Are you okay?”

“…I’m fine.”

I really was fine. The ringing in my head had long since subsided, and I had finished assessing the situation.

“Really, I’m fine.”

Since I could see the flow of magic, it wasn’t difficult to break that flow and undo the shackles. When I easily undid the shackles, I saw the person in front of me become flustered.

“Uh, huh? The magic-blocking shackles…”

“What did that bastard’s face look like just now?”

Only my heart was beating fiercely.

“Pardon?”

“Never mind, I’ll just take care of them all first.”

Because I was extremely angry.

[This is the timeline separator]

The gate that Cheon Shin Woo got involved in was an abnormally created gate.

A crazy cult group that worshipped destruction, believing that the destruction of this world was the truly right course, and would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

They sometimes sacrificed their own lives to summon abnormal gates and bring chaos to the world.

That’s why if other hunters had gotten involved, they would have been seriously injured. But…

“…”

He simply dismantled the abnormal gate with familiarity and went to where he needed to go.

Without even notifying his guild members, just moving to obtain the information he needed.

So.

“Why are you here?”

“It’s been a long time, Jeokcheon Cheon Shin Woo. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Meeting the being he hated most in this place was certainly not an intentional situation.

“As you suspect, kuk.”

It was an intentional situation for Silence, but.

Before he could finish his answer, Cheon Shin Woo strangled him to death and threw the limp corpse to the ground. Silence’s body disintegrated into light before it hit the floor.

“…You know better than anyone that such venting is useless.”

“Nonsense.”

If he keeps coming back like a cockroach no matter how many times you kill him, then you just have to kill them all. As Cheon Shin Woo was about to kill Silence again, he frowned at the one who intervened.

“Stop, stop, stop! Hey, Jeokcheon! You just came for information anyway, right? And you in the unpleasant robe, could you not die in someone else’s workspace? It brings bad luck!”

As his cozy hideout was about to become a mess, the information broker panicked and tried to stop Cheon Shin Woo and Silence.

“How strange. I was only trying to give information out of pure goodwill.”

“You giving information out of pure goodwill? What a joke. Unless you intentionally set up this situation.”

But his cries merely scattered into the air.

A subtle smile appeared on Silence’s lips as he looked at Cheon Shin Woo.

“As expected, you… Are you worried about your younger sister?”

“…”

As soon as Silence finished speaking, Cheon Shin Woo drew his weapon. Seeing him about to end this situation by force, the information broker jumped up.

“Wait, wait a minute! If you’re really going to fight, can’t you do it outside? I’m fragile, I’ll die if I get caught up in it!”

“I have no intention of fighting either. So, there’s no need to worry much, just wait.”

Ignoring the information broker’s tearful expression, Cheon Shin Woo was about to kill Silence again when he stopped at his next words.

“As time passes, all paths will find their original places and move.”

“…”

“You too are merely a part of the great flow. Do not be under the illusion that you control the flow.”

A flash of light shone. The information broker hugged his beloved machines in fear.

Silence’s scattered form coalesced into the appearance of an old man.

“Jeokcheon, you have nothing to worry about. The Emperor and the Saint have already gone there, so there is no place that needs you now, is there?”

“…”

“Track down the worshippers of the end. If you leave them alone, someday…”

This time a gunshot rang out. The information broker, having gathered his information and machines, now took a step back with an expression of intense interest.

“A useless act.”

“Even if it’s useless, it’s effective in shutting your mouth.”

“You know that reducing their numbers by even one is more beneficial than killing me now, don’t you?”

As soon as Silence finished speaking, another loud gunshot rang out.

“Eliminating you permanently is more beneficial to me than killing those guys now.”

“Ah… Foolish hero. It’s impossible. It’s impossible. As long as there are victims in this world…”

“Leave if you’re done. Before I kill you again.”

“Someday, I’ll wait for the day when you too become part of ‘me’.”

After their private conversation, Silence disintegrated into light and disappeared. The information broker, who had somehow popped popcorn and was watching, spoke in a disappointed voice.

“Aw, it’s over already? How can a battle between rank 1 and 7 be so boring?”

“Nonsense.”

“Hmph. If you’ve made a mess in someone else’s workspace, shouldn’t you pay the price?”

“…I’m in a really bad mood right now.”

“Uh, um? So?”

“It would be better to stop before I kill you.”

Cheon Shin Woo, who casually threatened Night Cat, the only information broker he contacted, smiled slightly. The information broker, who had unconsciously taken a step back, gave an awkward smile.

“Y-yes, yes. Customer. What information do you want? The whereabouts of the Saint and the Emperor? Their current location?”

The Emperor and the Saint are where Cheon Shin Woo’s younger sister is. So if he finds out their location, he’ll be able to know where his sister is too.

“…”

‘After all, there’s no sane person among the top rankers.’

The information broker thought as he watched Cheon Shin Woo silently nod in agreement.

[This is the timeline separator]

“It’s useless! Even if you go out, you’ll just die a dog’s death! I don’t know where you came from, but no matter how great you are, it’s useless here!”

While I was grinding my teeth saying I’d get out of here and get revenge, the two people beside me tried to stop me. The one actively stopping me looked young, while the one passively stopping me was an old person.

“Yes, you’d better listen to that. Even if you’re a great S-rank, it’s best to assume there’s no case of escape from here. See this? Once you’re branded as a slave, you can only use your abilities by the master’s will…”

The old man showed me a mark branded on his wrist.

[Angre’s Brand]

: Brand of Subordination. Induces powerful mental submission.

−The subject can only use skills when allowed by the caster of the brand skill and the master, and all abilities and stats of the branded person are limited to the values desired by the caster and master.

−The master of subordination can inflict pain on the branded person at any time they wish.

※Pain is limited to mental pain.

A system window immediately popped up in front of my eyes.

The mark of subordination. That’s proof this person is a slave.

Looking closely, everyone here except me had that mark branded on them.

‘I’ve just been kidnapped, so they haven’t branded me yet.’

Of course, even if they brand me, nothing would change.

“It seems your product grade is S-rank, so there won’t be anyone else who’ll treat you as roughly as that guy just now. So it’s better to stay quiet when nothing’s happening.”

Not just the people trying to stop me, but also those sitting dejectedly as if they’d given up, were all looking at me.

What was in their eyes was fear. The fear that my causing a disturbance would create problems for them.

“Hah…”

How on earth did they treat people to make them so fearful, without will or hope?

“So, you’re afraid that if I cause a disturbance, it’ll harm you guys, right?”

At those words, several people flinched. The two people who were trying to stop me denied it.

“That’s not it. Really, really, we’re saying this out of concern. Please…”

“Yeah, we might look pathetic to you, but we’re doing this because we want to live. We want to live, even as slaves, even like this.”

“I don’t know what kind of life you lived before, but it’s better to forget it. You know, right? How miserable this place is. But because we want to live, because we want to live, we… We…”

There was no way I could calm down. The more I heard those words, the angrier I got.

Why, when we’re all human, did no one save them until they became like this? Why did the people who came here take all of this for granted?

“Just give up and live. No matter how excellent a hunter you are in combat, no matter how skilled, there’s nothing you can do here.”

Even the person with a big scar on their head spoke in a low voice.

In summary, they’re telling me not to do anything. Not to do anything until the slave’s brand is imprinted and I’m sold as merchandise.

“…Why can’t you do anything in the first place? You there, you’re an awakened one too. You seem like a high-ranking combat hunter.”

“Ha, haha. This, an innocent newbie who doesn’t know anything has come in.”

The scarred person laughed loudly, but awkwardly, at my observation. As he stood up with his shackles on, he was a giant over 2m tall.

“If you don’t know, shut up. Don’t cause trouble for others unnecessarily.”

It was typical strong to the weak, weak to the strong behavior. Flattering the guards and masters to survive somehow, and threatening me who seemed weaker than him.

This situation felt comprehensively hopeless, yet amusing. Really, it was funny and funny again.

The mark of subordination, presumed to be someone’s skill. And the contract exploiting the loopholes in the system. Probably using those to bind and control people.

“Really, what a…”

I admit it. I’m just a greenhorn with no experience or anything. That’s why I ended up like this even in an overwhelmingly advantageous situation.

A voice so cold I couldn’t believe it was mine came out of my mouth.

“Stop being annoying and sit down.”

“Wh-what…”

The scarred man knelt down. Everyone present looked at me with surprised faces, and faces trembling with fear.

“Just give up and live, you say?”

[Skill Use – Illusion of Fascination (S)]

: Performs an illusion that fascinates the target. Can be cast on multiple targets.

[Overriding lower-tier mental magic.]

“Uh, uhh?”

“I-impossible. This, this…”

[Target: All ‘Angre’s Brand’ subjects within a 3km radius.]

“Save your giving up for counting cabbages.”

You think I blocked a siege battle alone just to do that kind of thing?