I Became an NPC That Rankers Are Obsessed Over

“What on earth is going on…?”

I muttered to myself in the sudden blackout.

But no one in the darkness answered me.

Let’s think.

The usual reason for department store shutters to come down is just one thing.

Something big and dangerous is lurking outside.

And most of the time, those are monsters.

Why, of all days, does it have to be today?

Today, because of the third-grade monster incident in Cheonan, there are fewer security teams in Seoul.

On such days, crime rates are especially high, so one must be careful.

I gripped my crossbody bag tightly and held my breath.

In the silent darkness, only Anna’s footsteps could be heard.

“—.”

A metallic sound of something crushing echoed from the direction of the shutter.

“A shutter designed to prevent monsters, huh.”

She muttered to herself.

Did someone punch a shutter that even monsters can’t break?

Seemingly unable to break the shutter, the sound of Anna’s sneakers began to fade.

She must be searching for another way out.

Left alone in the darkness, I stumbled as I followed the sound.

“Wait for me!”

The sealed department store was so dark that even human silhouettes couldn’t be seen.

I ran blindly toward the sound of her footsteps.

Then I hit my head on something.

Thankfully, despite my running speed, my head didn’t hurt much.

It was just that something I instinctively grabbed onto after bumping my head was bothering me.

The sensation of an elastic band at my fingertips, and the soft skin felt through it.

Startled by the sensation, I quickly withdrew my hand.

What I had grabbed was Anna’s waist.

“…”

“Sorry… I can’t see well in the dark.”

Anna didn’t react to my apology.

She was just staring straight at a faint beam of light in the distance.

I followed her gaze to the light.

It was an emergency exit.

Through the slightly opened door, I could see the cosmetics store on the first-floor lobby.

Luckily, the lobby seemed to have power.

I hurriedly grabbed the doorknob and pulled.

But before the door could fully open, someone grabbed my t-shirt and yanked it hard.

I was thrown so roughly that my chest stuck out as I looked up at Anna.

Her cloudy eyes, visible through her colored lenses, told me everything.

“There’s a problem outside.”

A problem…?

I furrowed my brows.

Staggering to my feet, I closely examined the first-floor lobby.

Soon, I realized why Anna had thrown me aside.

Men wearing gas masks and balaclavas were wandering around the lobby.

Each man, armed with pistols and long swords, was lining up the department store customers and employees.

Hostages, with both hands raised, knelt one by one.

The security guard’s forehead had long been marked with a cold bullet hole.

A skilled gunman’s work.

They must be armed robbers with multiple previous convictions.

“Is this everyone?”

“Yeah, we swept them all from downstairs.”

“What about the ones on the upper floors?”

“Don’t know. Still trying to catch them, I guess.”

“Too slow… We’ve got ten minutes before the security team gets here.

We’ll grab the valuables from the first floor and leave by then.”

A low, heavy voice.

The man in the gas mask exchanged skilled signals with his comrades while sweeping watches and necklaces into a sack.

They were thoroughly prepared.

And intelligent.

From the perfect timing to trapping people by closing the department store shutters…

They were the perfect predators of this era.

The sharp guns and lethal weapons made my lips dry.

I swallowed hard and glanced at Anna.

She must have known security would be lax today and come out to shop.

With this poor disguise, no less.

“What should we do…?”

I asked her, assuming she’d been observing them for a long time.

If she’d been watching for this long, she must have come up with a plan.

“What do you think? Kill them all.”

Black-haired Anna replied as if it were obvious.

Of course.

In her mind, there were probably only two options: let live or kill.

The killer pulled the emergency exit handle.

Then she slipped inside and quietly hid behind the cosmetics display.

I watched her clearly in the darkness.

Lying under the display, Anna gestured.

And that gesture was directed at me.

“Wh-why are you calling me?”

I asked in a small, panicked voice.

Anna glared at me as if asking if I was defying her orders.

If I got involved with her here, I’d be labeled an accomplice again.

But even as I thought that, my body was already moving towards her, cautiously stepping out the door.

And like a dog, I crawled and stuck close to her.

The killer handed me three black orbs.

“What are these?”

“Special smoke grenades.”

Why is she giving these to me… this woman.

“When I give the signal, throw them at those guys.”

As if playing a game, she spoke easily.

Leaving those words, Anna tore off the ribbon from a cosmetic package.

Then she wrapped it tightly around her hand.

“Can’t we just wait until the security team arrives…?”

“Then I’ll get caught too.”

Right.

Anna was a wanted criminal.

A first-class fugitive chased by high-rankers no less…

She couldn’t afford to get caught here.

But if that happened, wouldn’t it actually be a good thing for me?

There was no evidence here that I helped Anna.

I’d just look like an unfortunate customer.

She clearly couldn’t break the shutter.

No matter how skilled a killer, she couldn’t escape from high-rankers in this sealed space.

I hoped she’d get arrested by the security team.

That hope turned into a thought about intentionally not throwing the smoke grenades.

Anna looked down at me, holding the smoke grenades tightly.

When our eyes met, I caught sight of the half-beautiful, half-menacing face of the white-eyed killer.

The killer ruffled my bangs.

The touch made my thighs instinctively tighten.

“I trust you.”

Leaving those words, she stood up from her crouch.

Then, she approached the robbers stealthily and gracefully.

What’s this?

For a moment, Anna’s lips seemed to twitch subtly.

I looked down at the smoke grenades tightly gripped in my hands.

This is driving me crazy.

At this rate, I’ll end up helping a wanted criminal again.

But… just waiting isn’t an option either since I don’t know when the security team will arrive…

My mind felt tangled, as if it were being wrung out by Anna.

The killer, oblivious to my inner turmoil, gave me a hand signal.

Following her signal, I reluctantly peeked out.

I could see the brutal robbers.

There were only three of them.

They were too busy gathering watches in front of them to notice anything else.

I swallowed and aimed carefully.

I had thrown smoke grenades before.

Back in my search team days, I had practiced throwing them many times for a chance at a vacation.

I took three of the four grenades she gave me.

And I hid the last one in the inner pocket of my jacket.

It was my backup plan to escape from Anna.

I took a deep breath.

Then, in one motion, I leaped onto the counter.

My sudden appearance caught everyone’s attention.

From the bloodshot eyes of the robbers to the terrified customers.

I threw the grenade in my hand onto the floor with all my might.

A perfect demonstration, just like in training.

As soon as the grenade hit the ground, it made a sand-like sound.

Soon, thick smoke began to rise from the floor.

“What’s going on? Is it an ambush?”

The sharp sound of a gun being loaded struck my ears.

But I wasn’t worried.

Because I wasn’t their opponent.

Smoke grenades weren’t just tools to obscure vision.

The loud sound they made also masked the footsteps of someone approaching.

“—!”

One of the robbers, wearing a gas mask, quickly scanned his surroundings.

He kept calling out the names of his comrades.

But there was no response.

“Where are you? Where the hell are you!”

The cold sound of metal striking the floor echoed.

It was unmistakably the sound of a steel pipe falling.

“—!”

The gas-masked man fired his pistol.

The deafening sound of gunfire rang throughout the area.

His chest rose and fell rapidly in panic.

But he still couldn’t see anyone through the mist.

His breath fogged up his gas mask even more.

Eventually, he tore off the mask, revealing his face.

“—!”

A sound like a can dropping came from the floor.

The man immediately fired in that direction.

As his gun fired, his neck jerked as if pulled by a trigger.

A decorative ribbon from the cosmetics section was tied around his thick neck.

He desperately tried to wedge his fingers under the ribbon.

But the soft silk showed no sign of breaking.

The bloodshot man’s eyes started to bulge.

Soon, the blood vessels burst, and his eyeballs began to protrude.

His violently struggling fingers eventually turned blue and stiffened.

No more gunshots could be heard in the department store.

The dense smoke also began to dissipate.

Soon, the white-eyed killer emerged from the mist.

She casually wiped the blood off her hands as she walked toward me.

She seemed almost otherworldly.

“The temperature is cold, so the smoke didn’t last long.”

The killer picked up the empty grenade shell and showed it to me.

Then she tucked the ribbon she used on the robber into her pocket.

Erasing as much evidence as possible.

Watching her prepare to leave, I felt a sense of relief.

Since I helped subdue the robbers, I probably wouldn’t get accused of being an accomplice.

I let out a deep sigh of relief.

Then, I stared at the exit bathed in sunlight.

It was the only escape route the robbers had left open for their getaway.

“—.”

Through the bright light, something emerged.

I soon realized they were multiple vehicles.

The letters “Hunter” were written in English on the vehicles.

The car doors opened.

A man stepped out.

Long legs.

A sharp longsword strapped to his waist.

And messy, cynical hair.

I knew this man.

Even though I had only met him once, I could never forget him.

The man who said he would kill anyone who helped fugitives.

Ranked 7th, Lee Dae-eun.

He entered the department store with the armed security team.

“What’s this? The robbers are all down?”

A bewildered security officer spoke to the ranker.

Dae-eun frowned as he scanned the lobby.

All he could see were cold corpses and terrified customers.

Then, his lost gaze finally settled on the two of us standing there.

“Did you two handle this?”

The high ranker asked in a cold tone.

It seemed he didn’t recognize me.

Black-haired Anna stared blankly at the ranker.

Then she pointed at herself with her finger.

“Yes, I mean you.”

I worried he might recognize Anna.

Taking down three armed robbers singlehandedly was enough to arouse suspicion.

As I worried, I suddenly felt a piercing gaze.

It was Dae-eun’s sharp eyes, now fixed on me.

Huh…?

Why is he suddenly looking at me?

I glanced at Anna.

And then I realized why Dae-eun was glaring at me.

Anna’s finger was definitely pointing at herself.

But at the same time, her other finger was pointing at me.

The high ranker approached me with suspicion written all over his face.

His overwhelming presence made me involuntarily start to hiccup.