"How do you plan to kill him?"
"Just from behind, with a surprise attack..."
It was a thought truly befitting an assassin. Realizing that Haru wasn't mistakenly branded as an assassin class, Kang Sihyun alternated his gaze between Number 12 and himself. He was curious who was faster, but the brief prior incident wasn't enough to make a definitive judgment. Although Number 12 had grabbed him and run at a faster pace, Kang Sihyun had been disoriented and had just exhausted himself from running like a clueless boy, so it wasn't at full capacity.
Considering that, it seemed they were evenly matched.
But this consideration wasn't just applicable to one of them. There was a possibility that Number 12 had also adjusted his pace to match his own condition, which Kang Sihyun couldn't dismiss. After pondering, he decided it was best to ask Number 12 directly.
"Who do you think is faster between us?"
"Uh..."
Number 12 hesitated. Kang Sihyun took that as his answer. If he had been faster, Number 12 would have excitedly said, 'You're faster, Number 1!' with a thrilled expression. The degree of his hesitation suggested it wasn't a minor difference.
Number 12 was overwhelmingly faster than Number 1.
Then, it was better to tweak the plan. It would be a waste not to use fast feet.
"Let's use the person with fast feet as bait. One person acts as bait to lure the bell, while the other follows and attacks from behind. Since you're faster, you'll be the bait, and I'll attack. That would be a bit safer for both of us."
"Uh..."
"Isn't this better than just killing outright?"
"Uh, yes!"
Number 12 nodded vigorously. Kang Sihyun suddenly wondered how Number 12 would have attacked the bell if he hadn't been there. Would he really have just charged in?
It didn't seem impossible if Number 12 were Haru. His abilities would allow him to overpower through physical strength even if the attack failed. However, Number 12 wasn't Haru himself. He wasn't as bold as Haru and didn't seem to have much experience with killing. Number 12 was as timid as his stuttering personality, making it hard to find the cruelty that Haru occasionally showed.
Since hesitating at a crucial moment could mess things up, it was better for him to be the attacker.
Number 12 looked like he could run well, so he might manage to escape smoothly as bait.
Thinking about it, he might escape too well, making the bell give up. Bell was known to have little patience. After such frivolous thoughts, he got up from his seat. To attack Bell, he had to leave the rat button area and return to Bell's territory.
"Let's think about the detailed plan once we're completely out of the rat button area. Like what to hit Bell's back of the head with, and which route to escape through."
"Okay..."
Number 12 replied timidly and stood up following Kang Sihyun. Unaware of the direction but walking forward aimlessly, Kang Sihyun realized he had never properly apologized to the boy and turned to him.
"Number 12."
"Uh, yes?"
"I'm sorry for what I said about you before. I didn't mean it."
It was a short and simple apology, but it was sincere. Since it wasn't said with malice, the apology was heartfelt. Whether the boy felt it or was just happy to be apologized to, Number 12's face brightened instantly and he nodded.
"It's okay. I, I knew you didn't dislike me."
It's a relief he knew.
Kang Sihyun murmured, unsure whether to cry or laugh. If he hadn't known that he didn't dislike him, he might not have dared to come to his rescue, trapped in a misunderstanding.
Well, he had survived because of it, so it seemed like a good thing to think about.
Once gloomy thoughts started, they had no end, and despairing thoughts and imaginations were of no help in situations like this.
Having finished apologizing, there was nothing more to hold back, and Kang Sihyun boldly extended his hand to Number 12. The boy, not understanding his intent, tilted his head. It would be annoying to explain everything one by one, so when he abruptly grasped his palm, Number 12 jumped in surprise. Anyone would think his hand was a fireball.
Such a fuss over nothing.
Kang Sihyun was baffled.
Just before, when the madman had run at him to use him as a test subject, he had managed to grab on well.
"Why are you so startled? It's not an emergency situation right now."
It was a peculiar trait to allow physical contact only during urgent times.
He wanted to tease him about it, but Number 12 seemed utterly unacc
ustomed to such teasing and was likely to take it seriously. Why are there sometimes people like that? You're foaming, you'd talk about something unbelievable, and they'd solemnly promise to do better.
It's scary enough not to joke with them.
That was Number 12 for Kang Sihyun. With a regretful face, he withdrew his playful words and hesitated as he took the wrong path again. It was the third time. Finally, Number 12 realized Kang Sihyun was bad with directions and took it upon himself to lead the way. It turned out the route they had been lost on for 39 minutes could have been covered in just 10 minutes.
Clumsy about directions.
Kang Sihyun hid his embarrassment and expressed his gratitude to Number 12 for faithfully guiding the way without any fuss until they left the rat button area.
Once they were out, the familiar village appeared. It was the village where Kang Sihyun and other children under Bell had come out together, meaning it was Bell's territory.
Before entering the village completely, Kang Sihyun hid in the bushes with Number 12 and had their last strategy meeting. They couldn't just rush in and thrust a knife at Bell, so they planned to lure him in a suitable area after figuring out the usual routes Bell took. The problem was how to memorize the wide area of city streets and plan an escape route even if it was a slum, but fortunately, Number 12, despite being late to the game, knew the geography of the village well enough to make it easy to plan the escape route. When asked how he knew so well despite being a first-year, Number 12 shyly said Bell liked his memory and fast feet and often took him around various places.
Of course, there were no slackers here.
Day was royalty, Rodin and Zion were swordsmanship geniuses, and Harris was a magic genius. Moreover, Number 12's basic physical abilities were outstanding, so the A-class children were still talented people, both in their past and current lives.
Compared to them.
I'm always pathetic except for divine power.
Even granting Gren's body the benefit of the doubt, it was only at the level of an ordinary boy, and Harnen was skinnier than his peers. Now, as Number 1, his body was relatively robust compared to the previous two, but it wasn't particularly exceptional in terms of physical abilities. Compared to Number 12, it was embarrassingly poor.
Apart from the divine power filling his body, there were few proofs of ability, and that divine power seemed to contribute to his recurring unfortunate reincarnations, making him smile bitterly. Number 12 grunted as if worried.
Kang Sihyun, noticing that he had not said anything and that Number 12's expression had hardened, reassured him and looked for a weapon they could use. A knife would have been nice, but they were hard to come by, so what Kang Sihyun and Number 12 managed to find were bamboo and an animal.
Kang Sihyun ripped the bamboo into several sharp pieces, and Number 12 used the animal's tendons to tie the bamboo pieces Kang Sihyun made into a fine short spear. It was a bit smaller than Kang Sihyun's forearm.
Thinking of it as a spear, it was quite small, but as a close-range self-defense weapon, it looked quite plausible and usable. With the weapon prepared, they were ready to attack Bell. As the sky darkened, Kang Sihyun and Number 12 set out from the bushes.
The plan was simple. Number 12 would act as bait and walk down the path Bell often patrolled, getting spotted by Bell was the first step. Seeing this, Bell would become enraged and chase after Number 12, which was the second step. Kang Sihyun would wait and, seeing Bell let his guard down, would drive the homemade bamboo spear into Bell's body, which was the third step.
As simple as the plan was, it had many variables, but it wasn't a bad plan.
Besides, they had no other choice, so Kang Sihyun and Number 12 entered the village with the grand dream of assassinating Bell.
They would succeed.
Number 12 would surely escape safely, and Kang Sihyun, who had killed hundreds of Irregulars, was no longer so fearful of killing something.
He believed they would definitely succeed. Holding the bamboo spear tightly, he watched Number 12 enter the alley.
However.
Maybe the plan, which he thought would proceed smoothly, crumbled pathetically before they could even try properly.
"Hehehe. Number 1. You didn't know I had implanted a chip in you, did you?"
The damn chip implanted in Number 1's body was the reason.
Kang Sihyun, holding the bamboo spear tightly, couldn't dodge in time and was caught by the man who approached him from behind, scrunching
his face as Bell sneered at him there.
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