Did the Alchemist Make Gold?
Se-geon examined the business card Kim Seong-hui had transferred to him and stuck out his tongue. Giving him the full address of a place called the Daehyeon Building in Bukgajwa-dong… The man really did have guts that had spilled clean out of his belly and then some.
“Honestly. Is this even a good idea?”
Se-geon didn’t care for this Sarhyuk character either. Still, he owed them from last night, and with Tetra Anax already marking him, he needed to get friendly enough to use them as a shield. They would want information on Father Silvester through him, so they would take him in. At least, that was how Se-geon’s calculations ran.
“The real question is whether they’ll let me walk away clean when it’s time to say goodbye.”
At a gas station he filled the tank to the brim and looked the motorcycle over. Last night’s spill had scraped a lot of paint, but luckily the frame itself was fine. Keep rolling it like this, though, and he’d have to dump it for scrap the next time he traded up.
Money’s not really a problem anymore, at least.
He tracked down the Daehyeon Building at the given address. Finding it wasn’t hard—a small building sitting in a half-residential pocket with almost no foot traffic, a little factory tucked against its side…
“Hmm…”
Yesterday’s Hummer and Dynasty were parked in the factory lot, so the factory probably belonged to Sarhyuk as well. Compared to that, the building itself looked far too ordinary.
“Might as well go in.”
Muttering to himself, Se-geon walked forward. The moment he stepped through the entrance he felt something off. Soundproofing lined every wall and the foyer; where the panels hadn’t been finished properly he could see Kevlar sandwiched between them. Soundproofing and ricochet protection in one package. Concrete stairwells could kill you with a ricochet even if you were behind cover, so they’d gone to this seemingly excessive trouble.
“Not your average setup.”
The measures told him their funding was solid. The building looked run-down only because they’d deliberately chosen a low-traffic neighborhood—same reason a gang office rarely advertised with flashy gear.
He pulled out his phone and dialed first. Even if the man was a lunatic who openly bragged about every illegal thing he did, barging straight into the workplace felt like an imposition. A voice answered almost immediately.
“Hello?”
“Ah, excuse me. This is Sarhyuk’s phone, right?”
“Uh… yeah?”
“Yes. Well…”
Footsteps suddenly came down the stairs. Their owner was Sarhyuk himself.
“Hey. Already here and still calling. Body all healed up?”
“Ah, yes. Actually, the reason I—”
“Want to join the team? Hell, I’d love that. We’re short-handed and it’s a pain. Come on in.”
Sarhyuk wore a full smile as he herded Se-geon into the office. At first glance it looked like any ordinary office—double-glazed soundproof windows, soundproof walls, and an electronic vault wall being the only exceptions…
“A tax audit would be a disaster, wouldn’t it?”
“It’s privately owned, not a company. Even if they audited us, it’s all black-market stuff—nothing for them to catch. Ahahaha!”
Sarhyuk laughed heartily as he spoke.
“Anyway, fighting that guy last night was impressive. Juk-yo’s people have gone soft, but he’s still a heavyweight.”
“…”
The comment eased Se-geon a little. Last night, aside from one solid knee strike, he’d spent the whole fight getting hammered. If an opponent that strong had turned out to be nothing special, Se-geon’s pride would never have recovered. One of the underlings spoke up in protest.
“But Boss, we still don’t even know this guy’s real identity.”
“What’s identity matter to a vampire hunter? Right?”
“Ah—y-yeah.”
“See? All right, let’s talk business. Base pay is two hundred a month. On top of that we convert at ten thousand won per VT. No initial cut taken. Okay?”
“Whoa?”
Se-geon was impressed. Terms that good would tempt anyone who hunted vampires for money. Sarhyuk clearly knew it; he shrugged with easy confidence.
“Our team’s motto is harmony, love, and humanity. Right?”
He smiled at his men. They only snickered.
“Hmm.”
Just then someone came up the stairs, spotted Se-geon, and froze.
“What the—who’s this? What’s going on, Boss?”
“Job application. Mind your own business.”
Sarhyuk grinned. Se-geon, however, caught a strange mix of blood and something else.
That’s… semen.
He couldn’t say it out loud, but there was no mistaking it. Had the man been rolling around with a woman? In broad daylight… fine, possible. But then what was the blood smell? Se-geon frowned. Looking at the hierarchy here, they were basically a gang. Or just a gang, period.
“I’m curious—how does vampire blood actually turn into money?”
“Refined into drugs, or used as medicine. In Japan some new-religion cult leader supposedly used it all the time to fake miracles.”
“Hmm.”
“Worried about the heavy sentences for dealing drugs? Relax. Using guns gets you the same if you’re caught, doesn’t it? Every vampire broker before us did the same thing. Supplying the raw material for narcotics is still going on right now.”
Se-geon started to argue, then shut his mouth. He wasn’t seriously considering a job change; he just needed to learn more about them. Sarhyuk asked first.
“By the way, I’ve got questions about Father Silvester. How strong is he, really?”
“W-well… he can cut the roof off a car with a sword and jump about three stories. And he carries a Barrett like a handgun.”
“A Barrett? You mean the M82 rifle?”
“Yes.”
Se-geon figured that much information was safe to share. Sarhyuk didn’t seem particularly surprised.
“Yeah, he’d have to be at least that good. Still feels a bit short for hunting Jinma, though. Anything else? Rumor says the Jinma hunter Silvester was excommunicated by the Vatican more than two hundred years ago.”
Se-geon couldn’t hide his shock. He’d sensed the man had lived a long time, but that long? And that physical ability—wasn’t it the same as a vampire’s?
“I-I don’t know. I’ve never seen him fight a Jinma. I had no idea he was that big a deal. He doesn’t even use Psychedelic Moon.”
As he spoke, Se-geon realized his mistake. What Sarhyuk really wanted wasn’t combat data—it was the secret of eternal youth. Since Se-geon knew nothing about it, he was useless to them.
“Hmm. That so? Heh. Got my hopes up for nothing. Sounds like he doesn’t trust you much yet.”
“…He doesn’t trust anyone.”
Se-geon swallowed. There was one person Silvester trusted—Kim Seong-hui, owner of Arjuna—but mentioning her might put her in danger. He prepared himself for a fight if it came to that.
“Easy, easy. No need to get so tense. We’re all fellow hunters fighting the same vampires, aren’t we?”
He laughed.
“In that spirit, let me show you our workshop.”
“Boss!”
The other hunters cried out in protest the moment Sarhyuk offered to open the workshop. He ignored them completely.
“By the way, do you know why they call me the Alchemist?”
“Uh… no idea?”
Se-geon answered warily, watching the sudden wave of malice rolling off Sarhyuk. The man giggled. This guy was insane—anyone could see it after only a couple of meetings. Malignant even by vampire standards. The kind who would kill people and spill blood without a second thought. Then Sarhyuk’s face turned kindly again.
“You’ll understand once you see the workshop. We’re doing something way more efficient than turning lead into gold.”
The basement entrance was sealed by a reinforced alloy door that looked like it could laugh off machine-gun fire. It opened and closed with an electronic lock.
“Welcome to our place of business.”
With theatrical flair he ushered Se-geon in and opened the door.
Beep.
The instant it opened, the stench of blood stabbed his nose. Human screams tore at his eardrums. Ah—so that was why the soundproofing. Se-geon understood at once.
“Ghk!”
He shuddered under the sheer evil of the place. Even a hunter who had lost his family and become a vampire hunter with death-defying recklessness felt terror; the air itself was thick with overwhelming murderous intent.
What the hell is this?
Inside was dark and damp. Sarhyuk stepped in and flipped the lights. The high-frequency whine of mercury lamps flooded the black basement with harsh light.
“Humans started as hunter-gatherers, then learned the ways of nature and moved into farming and animal husbandry. You know that much, right, kid?”
“Kid?”
Se-geon started to retort, then clamped his mouth shut at the sight before him.
Uuugh!
Kyaaaah!
A symphony of screams was threaded through by cold mechanical sounds. Sarhyuk wore an expression of pure exaltation as he watched the atrocity unfold.
“Vampire hunting is still stuck at the hunter-gatherer stage. But business can’t stay that way. Kkhkhkh! This is the level you need to reach!”
He pointed. A naked female vampire was chained to thick alloy restraints. A heavy blade was buried in her abdomen; cellular packing kept even a single drop of blood from escaping.
Both wrists had been severed and sealed the same way so no blood leaked. The only place blood still flowed was her ankles—needles driven in and taped down, blood continuously siphoned through hoses. It looked almost like dialysis.
“W-what is this?!”
“Vampire farming. Beautiful, right? No more hunting them down—just keep drawing their blood. Of course their VT keeps dropping until the blood’s worthless and they die.”
Sarhyuk rested a hand on Se-geon’s head. Instantly a monstrous grip crushed down.
“Grrraaah!”
“Easy, easy. Watch carefully. First time I’ve given a tour to an outsider.”
He pointed to an outer cage. Homeless people sat inside with vacant stares.
“Th-those are…?”
Se-geon felt as if a hammer had smashed his chest. The information from the finder, the tips from the homeless man Gu—these were the kidnappers of the homeless? While Se-geon stood speechless and reeling, Sarhyuk only grew more delighted. If he couldn’t shock someone this thoroughly, there was no point dragging them down here to show off the enterprise. Ideas this brilliant didn’t come along every day.
“Vampire feed. Oh, we don’t just kill them casually. Organs fetch good money too. We start by draining the blood from the others, then dismantle them one by one. Corneas, kidneys, liver, pancreas, esophagus, large intestine, heart… anything that sells, we take it all. Ahahahaha! At one point revenue hit nearly thirty million dollars. If that isn’t modern alchemy, what is?”
“…”
The sheer absurdity left Se-geon speechless. When Gyeong had attacked him, the rescue hadn’t been coincidence—they had been tailing him. Sarhyuk kept talking.
“We’ve got several vampire samples, but a high-VT one would be nice. That Gyeong guy from yesterday is estimated around VT 9,800—premium stock. Juk-yo blood sometimes triggers Corrupted, but 9,800 is worth the risk. Kkhkhkh. Oh, right—if you catch Gyeong for us we’ll pay a handsome price. If he comes after you again, make sure you take him alive. Got it?”
“This…”
Se-geon stared into the operating room. Even now they were “dismantling” a homeless man. No intention of keeping him alive, so not a single organ was left behind. Everything of value was extracted. Then the blood was force-fed to the vampires. This was alchemy in the modern sense—turning worthless homeless people into priceless vampire blood. That was why they called Sarhyuk the Alchemist.
Worthless?
Who decided which humans were worthless? And even if they were, turning them into money by such evil means?
Se-geon had always killed vampires without exception—whether ignorant children or girls burning with revenge and trauma. Vampires die. That was the only way to survive this insane world. Commandment, creed, faith.
“Kwahahahahaha! Business is booming! Booming! This is killer! It’s gonna be a huge hit in Korea too! No doubt!”
Sarhyuk laughed like a madman, clapping Se-geon’s shoulder like an old friend, as if expecting him to laugh along. Se-geon only stared blankly at the tragedy. Did that displease him?
“Hmm. But the real advantage isn’t even this. Do it.”
“Boss?”
“I said do it. Like always!”
Sarhyuk barked at one of his men.
Most of the vampires being drained were women. One hunter casually walked up to a female vampire, dropped his pants, and without a shred of shame drove himself into the completely helpless creature. The man pumping away into a woman whose mind was long gone, the ones calmly dismantling people, the ones selling the blood for profit, and Se-geon himself standing there powerless—
In this filthy basement, this thoroughly modern alchemist’s laboratory, not a single sane soul remained.
Squelch-squelch-squelch-squelch.
The disgusting rhythm of the man working his hips filled the air. Sarhyuk tapped his foot in time to it.
“Kwahahahaha! That’s it! Keep going!”
Grind.
Se-geon clenched his teeth until they hurt. Something black and foul surged up from his chest and flooded his brain. These filthy, disgusting bastards! And he himself was no better than them!
Of course he still held a moral edge. But how big was the difference, really? Claiming morality because you kill without raping is pure self-deception.
Cry for me, you slut!
Blood welled in Se-geon’s clenched fist. Now he understood why Silvester, uncharacteristically, got emotional about these people. They were worse than vampires. Garbage! The drop in vampire-blood prices in America had to be because of this kind of “supply”!
“You… son of a bitch!”
Reason returned. Se-geon instantly drew his Tokarev and leveled it at Sarhyuk’s skull.
Click!
At the same moment every other hunter aimed weapons at Se-geon. Tension stretched taut, yet Se-geon ignored the muzzles pointed at him and glared only at Sarhyuk.
“You piece of shit! No—you’re worse than a dog, you filthy bastard! What the hell is this?! Huh?!”
“Oh? Can’t you tell? A vampire and a vampire hunter sharing love. Nice, right? Love and peace. Hippie spirit. Hehehe.”
“Shut the fuck up. Acting like a damn dog, you son of a bitch! What kind of crazy shit is this? Let those people go right now! Now!”
He could demand the people be freed, but he couldn’t bring himself to demand the same for the vampires. It might not have mattered in this moment, yet he was disappointed in himself for still being unable to forgive them even here.
“Oh! A humanitarian, are we? How disappointing. I liked you because you reminded me of my younger self.”
Sarhyuk grinned slyly. In a place reeking of blood that greasy smile was more repulsive than any demon from hell. Hell, a demon would have been cleaner! Se-geon roared in rage.
“Fuck off with that shit! You bastard! I’ll kill you!”
His finger tightened on the trigger. The metallic click of the hammer echoed; the hunters aiming at Se-geon’s head glanced at Sarhyuk for orders. Sarhyuk only smiled and shook his head.
“Kill me and you die too, friend. Calm down?”
“You bastard! I’ll kill you and then I’ll die! My life’s already—”
Se-geon shouted and pulled the trigger. Far faster, Sarhyuk’s hand clamped onto the Tokarev’s slide and racked the hammer all the way back. No way for the gun to fire now.
“Aw, and here I thought we could be friends. Too bad, baby.”
Thud!
Sarhyuk’s thick fist slammed into Se-geon’s gut. The world spun. Without Psychedelic Moon he had just taken a punch from a man who could casually lift a motorcycle weighing hundreds of kilos. His organs churned; he nearly collapsed on the spot. If he hadn’t trained his abs relentlessly, the blow might have ruptured his intestines and killed him instantly.
“Guhk!”
Se-geon clenched his teeth. Fall here and he wouldn’t just die—his organs would be carved out piece by piece. He had no intention of donating organs so these bastards could make pocket money. That worst-case scenario had to be avoided at all costs.
“Kraah!”
He squeezed out every last scrap of strength, slipped past Sarhyuk with the practiced footwork of a basketball player, and bolted up the stairs. Behind him a crossbow fired.
Thwack!
A bolt punched clean through his right shoulder and the tip emerged on the other side. Pain like a red-hot iron seared his flesh. If it had cracked the shoulder blade, that arm would be crippled forever. Se-geon still turned, teeth gritted, and emptied the Tokarev in a wild spray.
“That son of a bitch!”
“Shit!”
The hunters dove aside to avoid the indiscriminate fire. Se-geon used the chaos to sprint out the front door and vault onto his motorcycle. Leaving it right by the entrance had been pure luck.
“Grrraah. Just you wait, you bastards!”
He roared and rode one-handed, peeling out of the lot. The men bursting out after him sprinted for their cars to give chase.
“Leave it.”
Sarhyuk stopped them.
“B-but Boss!”
“Heh-heh-heh-heh.”
Sarhyuk stroked the smooth line of his face and smiled. Sunset carved shadows across his mixed-blood features, making them look as hard as stone. His will truly was that hard—whether for good or for evil.
“I think he’s a pretty good messenger to deliver our intentions to Silvester. Get back to work. Police might show up, so be ready. Understood?”
“Boss, why let him go for a reason like that…?”
The underlings protested, but Sarhyuk had no intention of changing his mind.
“Why? Well… I already told you. He’s exactly like I was when I was young. Kkhkhkh.”
With that he walked back into the building.
Se-geon braced himself against a wall and yanked out the crossbow bolt that had pierced his shoulder. Then he injected himself with vampire blood. Normally a wound like this would have closed in no time, but the bolt was silver. The same silver that suppressed vampire regeneration worked just as well on hunters. Weapons made to kill vampires performed excellently against vampire hunters too.
“Ironic.”
He grumbled and climbed back onto the bike. He’d treated the wound in a deserted spot, but he was still in bad shape. If Gyeong showed up now he was dead for sure. Already being hunted by vampires, and now this injury.
I was an idiot.
He cursed himself for going to meet Sarhyuk even knowing how dangerous the man was. Sarhyuk’s power dwarfed his own. The vampire-hunting gear, the organ-smuggling routes, the drug distribution network—all of it proved this was no ordinary rich man.
If I get ambushed in this condition I’m finished.
He gripped the throttle with his barely working right arm. The sun still hung in the sky, so vampires weren’t out yet, but it was already catching on the rooftops. Waste time and he would die without anyone ever knowing.
“Kh! Can I even make it to Arjuna with this arm?”
Gripping the bike with his wounded arm, Se-geon forced himself toward Arjuna.
Deok-yeon sat at Arjuna’s counter watching Silvester stare out the window. The priest sat motionless in the dim light, eyes fixed blankly on the glass, showing no other sign of life.
“Hey there. Good evening.”
“Hmm. The old raccoon.”
“I’m not that old.”
Deok-yeon sat opposite him. Silvester flicked an eyebrow but showed no real interest.
“Sarhyuk coming to Korea… if blood prices drop any further the margins vanish and we’re in real trouble.”
“That’s exactly why ‘they’ leave him alone. Crashing the price wrecks the hunters’ livelihoods.”
“This is how we make a living. That would be a problem.”
Deok-yeon spoke with a straight face. Vampire hunting was hard work; without decent pay no one would do it. Why get covered in blood when easier money existed? No matter how much talk of revenge or grudges filled the air, if the numbers didn’t add up, equipment shortages would break you in the end.
“Old man Ju, is it?”
Silvester saw through him at once. Deok-yeon had come because of pressure from the vampire broker Ju who stood behind him. When someone like Sarhyuk appeared, the brokers took catastrophic losses. They weren’t law-abiding citizens anyway; wanting to use extralegal means to drive the man out was only natural.
“Why tell me any of this?”
“If you lent your strength it would be like adding a thousand troops.”
Deok-yeon said it, yet he already knew Silvester would never get involved. Old man Ju had offered an outrageous three hundred million for success. Three hundred million was cheap for fighting that many hunters, but this wasn’t simply about the fee. If Sarhyuk wasn’t stopped, hunters would lose so much income they could no longer stay in business.
“‘A thousand troops,’ is it?”
Silvester sneered.
“I have no intention of wasting time on pointless nonsense. If you want to tear each other apart and bleed, I won’t stop you.”
He made no effort to hide his loathing for Sarhyuk. Yet if he killed everyone he loathed, countless ordinary humans would also fall beneath his blade.
“But I never expected you to ask me to roll around in the same gutter with the rest of you.”
“No, no—forget I said anything. I’d rather not earn your hatred over a stupid question like that.”
Deok-yeon shook his head firmly.
“But… looking at what Sarhyuk does, I start thinking humans and ‘them’ are the same in the end. Who’s the victim and who’s the perpetrator, really?”
He shrugged. He had abandoned any belief in justice long ago, yet people like Sarhyuk still managed to set fire to a dead conscience. Silvester looked at him and gave a short, dry laugh. The sort of people who only feel pity around the holidays and only react to the tragedy right in front of their eyes. Average, decent, but busy and indifferent—they existed here too.
Was a man who had put bullets through countless vampire skulls seriously about to start pitying vampires?
If that’s how he thinks… what about that boy?
Father Silvester closed his eyes and thought of Se-geon. Somehow he could already smell the coming storm of blood.
Did the alchemist make gold?