Infinite System Inheritor Return From The Abyss - Chapter 416

Chapter 416: Chapter 414: Touch them again
A blue hologram opened in front of Seojun’s eyes, showing a full list of the man’s past. The images were fast, like watching years pass in seconds. [ohh, He’s good to go, Just forced for his family, Host]

Seojun’s eyes narrowed, then he threw the man aside. Without a word, he walked toward the second man—the one slumped near the tree. The man’s eyes widened as Seojun approached. In panic, he pulled out his gun and fired.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bullets moved fast—but none of them touched Seojun. A glowing barrier shimmered around his body, blocking every shot like they were nothing but raindrops.

Now standing in front of him, Seojun’s eyes locked on the man.

[Ohoho~ This guy’s even worse! He’s a walking red flag. Kidnapping kids, working with traitor guilds, stealing awakeners’ mana stones—he’s rotten, Host! Rotten to the core!]

Without a word, Seojun raised his hand. A soft flame flickered into life—The man’s scream was short. A second later, he turned into dust.

Seojun turned and stepped through the village gate.

Meanwhile, Areum was already deep inside the village. Her heart was beating so fast it hurt.

The houses were burning.

Bright orange flames licked at the rooftops, black smoke rising into the sky. Sparks rained down like fireflies from hell.

Her eyes widened, her voice broke. “No… no, no, no. This can’t be. This can’t be happening…”

She ran through the smoke, turning left, then right—dodging debris, ashes sticking to her skin.

“Grandpa!”

But when she got there, her heart dropped. The house was covered in flames. The walls had collapsed, and fire burst through every window like angry spirits.

“Where are they?!” she shouted.

A voice came from somewhere nearby. “In the field!”

Areum’s eyes sharpened. She turned and ran. The field was behind the village, once used for training and crops. But now it was a prison.

Areum stumbled into the field and gasped.

The villagers were kneeling on the ground, their hands tied behind their backs with glowing shackles, glowing a yellow. Mana suppression cuffs.

Her grandfather—her beloved grandpa—was trapped inside a net made of light, struggling, his arms bruised and cut. One of the men kicked him hard in the ribs.

“Gah!”

“Grandpa!!” Areum shouted, stepping forward, but stopped when she heard mocking voices.

“Heh. What now, old man? You’re not so tough now, huh?”

“This net? Special order. Made just for you awakened people. Can’t even move, can you? Hahaha!”

One man leaned in and sneered. “You really thought we’d leave this island alone? After what you’ve been hiding here?”

Areum’s body shook.

Her hands clenched into fists, and her mana began to rise again.

“I’ll kill you,” she whispered.

Areum stood frozen as her grandfather groaned in pain, his body curling slightly after another kick landed on his ribs. She clenched her fists tight, so tight her nails dug into her palms, and her mana swirled quietly beneath her skin.

Her breath hitched when she saw something worse.

One of the men in black, tall and smirking, was dragging someone across the dry field. His hand was tangled in the boy’s hair. The boy struggled, face bruised, shirt torn—his legs kicking weakly against the dirt. “L-let me go!”

Her eyes widened. “Sam?!”

The man laughed cruelly. “Hey, boss! I found this kid sneaking around the trees. But I didn’t find the chief’s granddaughter,” he said, gripping Sam’s head tighter before throwing him toward the kneeling villagers.

Sam crashed into the ground near them with a hard thud. Dirt and blood mixed on his face.

“NO! DON’T COME OUT, SIS! THEY HAVE MANA SU—”

CRACK!

Before he could finish shouting, another man kicked him hard in the face. Sam’s body rolled from the blow, and his head hit the ground sharply and loss consciousness.

The villagers gasped. they crawled forward and pulled Sam close, cradling his small body while tears ran down in their cheeks.

“Please! Stop! He’s just a kid!” she cried out, her voice trembling with fear.

The man who kicked Sam turned toward her, expression dark and cold. “Then shut him up!”

Areum felt something snap inside her.

The air around her shifted.

Her mana rose again, stronger than before, more violent. It crackled around her body like waves, pulsing in her legs, her arms, her chest. The heat of it pushed back the cold terror that had taken hold just moments ago.

“They… hurt Sam,” she whispered, her voice nearly a growl. “They hurt Grandpa. They think they can just…”

She stepped forward, slowly, each footstep quiet but heavy. Behind her, the trees rustled, but she didn’t look back.

Seojun had arrived.

Seojun stood a few steps behind the tree, arms crossed as he leaned against the rough bark.

Just ahead, Areum stepped out from the shadows, her body steady, her gaze locked on the group of men threatening her people.

“Let them go,” she said,

The men stopped laughing. Their eyes shifted toward her.

At the center, the so-called boss turned around slowly. He was a chubby man with a round face, wearing a tight black suit stretched awkwardly across his belly. A crooked grin curled on his lips as he spotted her.

“Well, well,” he chuckled, spreading his arms. “Look who decided to come out. Thought you could hide forever, little girl?”

“I. Said. Let. Them. Go,” Areum repeated, each word slow, laced with fury, her eyes glowing faintly with surging mana.

The boss scoffed, unfazed. “Tsk. You should’ve stayed in hiding. Get her.”

At his signal, several of his men raised their guns, the clicking sounds loud in the silence.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The first shots rang out.

But Areum was already moving.

She dashed to the side, her legs exploding with mana-enhanced speed. The bullets missed—some grazed the air where she had been just a blink ago.

She dropped to a crouch mid-run, dirt kicking up under her feet, then pushed off again. With a quick roll to the left, she dodged another volley of gunfire and dashed toward the closest man. Her foot slammed into the ground with force, launching her upward.

She leaped.

Spinning mid-air, she twisted her body and slammed the heel of her boot into the back of one man’s head. Crack! His body crumpled forward like a sack of stones, gun falling from his grip.

Before he even hit the ground, Areum landed in a crouch.

Two more men aimed at her, but she didn’t give them time.

With fluid grace, she surged forward, her body low. She slid between them—like wind slipping through trees—then shot up, elbowing one in the jaw so hard his head snapped back. As he staggered, she grabbed the side of his neck and flipped him over her shoulder.

The second man tried to react, swinging the butt of his gun at her, but she ducked and drove her fist straight into his gut, enhanced with mana.

He flew back, crashing into a wooden crate.

Three down in seconds.

Another man tried to grab her from behind, but she bent backward, grabbing his wrist and twisting it hard until the man screamed and dropped his weapon. She finished with a swift roundhouse kick to the side of his head, sending him spinning down into the dirt.

The boss stared, jaw slowly dropping, his face turning pale.

“You…” he muttered, backing away slightly.

But Areum stepped forward, face serious, voice low and dangerous. “Touch them again,” she said, “and I’ll make sure you can’t stand.”