CHAPTER 509: ABDUCTION

Coco’s eyes were red-rimmed and puffy from crying on Heiren earlier, her gaze fixed on the blank wall before her.

The intense emotions that had consumed her moments ago were beginning to subside, replaced by lingering weariness and exhaustion, but she couldn’t deny the feeling of satisfaction of crying her heart out.

She sniffled, her eyes sweeping across the wall in an attempt to distract herself, but a soft glow from the corner of her eye caught her attention.

Glancing over, she spotted a familiar scroll materializing out of thin air, hovering gently before her and with her curiosity piqued, she reached out to unroll the scroll and began reading the written words.

[ The monster mentioned for your hidden quest was the receptionist— it was confirmed just now! ]

Coco’s lips parted in surprise, her suspicion about the new receptionist turning out to be correct which was a shock.

[ I decided to help you clear the quest due to unfavorable circumstances on your end so all you have to do is go to him to corner him! ]

Which means.. I can finish the quest now. Coco thought and rose from her seat, her mind focused on the revelation she had just discovered, but then, the door of the room burst open with a bang.

Heiren stood there, panting while looking both alarmed and panicked.

Coco’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of his disheveled appearance, causing her to take a step towards him. "Heiren? What’s wrong? Why are you out of breath?"

Heiren’s hands clamped tightly onto Coco’s shoulders, his eyes wide with alarm.

"Kairo got abducted!" The mediator exclaimed, his words spilled out in a frantic jumble, his voice trembling with worry as he struggled to catch his breath. "So the guildmaster told me to quickly find you!"

Coco’s eyes widened at Heiren’s words, her previous thoughts instantly pushed aside by the gravity of the situation and unexpected twist of events.

Coco seized hold of Heiren’s hand and urgently pulled him out of the room, determined not to leave him unattended after what happened to him earlier.

"Where’s the guildmaster?" She asked, her voice was filled with nervousness and sharp with urgency.

Heiren quickly responded, his grip on her hand tight as he did his best to catch up to Coco’s brisk pace. "He’s in his office downstairs! He went there and told me to fetch you as soon as he caught a word about Kairo!"

Coco turned her head to look at her mediator and when she realized that Heiren was struggling to keep up, she scooped him up into her arms, lifting him and cradling him in a bridal style hold without thinking twice.

"Coco??!" Heiren shrieked in surprise, her strength was a clear surprise to Heiren, but Coco paid no attention to his startled expression.

Instead, she focused on hurrying downstairs, her strides big and quick.

Heiren adapted to the sudden shift in his position and balanced himself in her arms, wrapping his own arms around Coco’s neck for support as she sprinted through the corridors.

As Coco raced towards the guildmaster’s office, Heiren clung to her, his heart pounding against his chest with adrenaline and anxiety.

He knows that Kairo’s situation is not a joke, but can’t Coco slow down a little?!

Coco barreled through the open door without pausing to knock, her concern for Kairo overriding any thought of formality.

"Mr. Covez! Where’s Kairo?!" she demanded, her voice sharp and urgent.

Mr. Covez was already on his feet when Coco and Heiren barged in, and it was then that she noticed the other occupants in the room— the five senior hunters gathered around the guildmaster, their attention turning to Coco and Heiren as soon as the latter burst through the door.

They all looked at the pair with surprise and concern, clearly aware of the situation.

"Coco, perfect timing!" One of the hunters, a stern-looking woman with red eyes, stepped forward, directing his gaze at Coco. "We have the location of the hideout—"

Coco paid little attention to the senior hunters and immediately turned her focus to Mr. Covez.

"What happened to Kairo? Do you know his location? What about his abductors?" Coco’s words were crisp and concise, her voice filled with an edge of impatience.

Fortunately, the guildmaster didn’t flinch at her directness, but his expression remained solemn as he responded.

He leaned forward, his gaze steady. "He was taken to a hideout in the southwest part of the city for his abductors.. All we know is that they were once humans.. No further information has surfaced."

Coco’s breath hitched in her throat as she processed the information.

A million questions danced across her mind and the first that left her lips was..

"How did you locate his whereabouts? Did he have a tracking device attached to him? Something to give us an approximate location, at least? Or is this just a guess—"

"We have a tracker on him, Coco." The guildmaster stated, his expression was grave as he nodded, confirming her assumption.

Mr. Covez let out a sigh accompanied with a grimace."The staff of the guild all have trackers on them and considering your mediators will be starting their work with us tomorrow.. I thought that it would be best to get their consent to it and be cautious.."

He paused, his expression darkening as he continued. "I just didn’t expect that we would be using it so soon."

Coco’s lips tightened into a thin line as she let herself absorb the information about Kairo’s location, the realization set in that the hideout where he was being held was situated in the southwest part of the city.. Likely outside the protective walls.

There’s no way that the abductors are dumb enough to have their hideout inside the walls, no? Too bad that they’re too dumb to target Coco’s beloved friend though.

Her gaze darted back to Mr. Covez. "Southwest, you say? Does this mean that their little hideout is outside the city walls?"

"Yes—"