Fateful Encounter in Prison
"Where did you hear up to?"
"……."
"I don't like silence, you know. I'll let that slide just this once with your eyes closed. How much did that girl tell you?"
Cold sweat dripped down my forehead in streams. Was it because I wanted to live so badly, or was my mind spinning desperately today for some other reason? Or maybe it was just the Clear Mirror Still Water effect.
"I was... thinking for a bit. I don't understand why you're asking me this."
"Jang-woo, possession."
"You already know everything—"
Scrape— A numbing sensation crawled up my left arm. Wait, hold on. You're not seriously interrupting me mid-sentence, are you?
'I've been kidnapped and had my wrist sliced off—do I really have to entertain you too? Hm, on second thought, in her position, maybe it's right to just do as I'm told?'
Ah, my attitude toward the Munju was all wrong! I should've gotten straight to the point, head-on style! I admitted my mistake and switched up my approach right away.
"……I heard about why Meirin was hiding her identity and gathering aphrodisiacs. She said she doesn't know the details herself, so that's all I know."
"Good, now we're getting somewhere."
Only then did the Munju smile faintly, looking satisfied.
'So it was a test after all.'
If she went so far as to kidnap me right in the middle of Seoul, she already knew who I was and had come specifically for me. She'd probably heard the gist from Meirin already. There was no reason to pry it out of me.
From that bitch's perspective, that exchange was just a casual chat deciding whether to kill me or let me live.
"Thanks for being honest. We've only just met face-to-face, but our relationship nearly soured there."
"Haha……."
"Then, second question."
The Munju sat back in her chair, crossing her legs. Through the transparent floor of the ghost chair, I could see the panties she was wearing. Black lace.
"Why don't you tell me all the skills you have?"
'Ha, fuck.'
So it had finally come. No wonder things had gone so smoothly. I had no real choice anyway, but I was still cautious. Possessing this skill might be the very proof that I was the only normal person in this world.
Of course, to reiterate—no choices here.
"……B-rank? What the hell, are you kidding me?"
A chill ran down my spine. She was smiling, so it seemed like she was talking to herself, not me.
"Cognitive Protection Barrier should keep you from passing out even if poisoned, right? This needs to be bumped up to A-rank. God, the bureaucrats in this country are so damn slow. Why not come over to our side instead?"
A sudden recruitment offer. Her expression made it seem genuine.
"Sorry, but I……."
"Oh, I don't need you as a hunter. The economy's booming these days, and we're short on clinical trial volunteers for our research facility. How about three months there first?"
"Pardon?"
"Just kidding, relax."
'Bullshit, that didn't sound like a joke.'
I forced an awkward laugh for now. The silver lining was that this woman had no real intention of killing me. Was I useful enough to bring profit to the guild, or too dangerous to let live? If I had to pick, I fell into the former category. And personally, that was a relief.
'Cheonhwa Gate, you're fucking toast.'
By the same logic, she'd only asked about my skill to gauge my value. The odds that they knew anything about the common sense alteration and were grilling me for it? Basically zero.
This was a world-scale rewrite. Compared to that, Cheonhwa Guild? Just local thugs with muscle.
"Alright then... down to business."
Cheonhwa Munju leaned forward. Propping her chin, her expression hid some deep intent.
"Work for us."
"……Work?"
"Just so you know, this isn't a suggestion. You think we can just let internal secrets leak and brush it off with a finger-wag?"
The Munju pulled something from her sleeve. Inside a transparent glass vial, pink liquid sloshed stickily. I knew what it was.
"……Gather aphrodisiacs?"
"No, thanks to your efforts, we've secured enough research material. This amount lets us produce it ourselves."
"Then?"
"I want you to handle performance testing."
Testing meant injecting that into me, right? Looking closer, the vial's design was slightly different from what I knew.
"This is our refined version based on gate-recovered drugs. Reduced burden on the body, amplified pleasure from external stimulation."
The Munju casually pulled the syringe from the vial and jabbed it into my neck.
"Guh……."
"Oh, how well-behaved. Come along."
Thanks to my skill, the aphrodisiac had no effect, but it still felt off. Honestly, with these bastards, I had a reasonable suspicion they'd laced it with narcotics or worse.
As I stood to follow the Munju, one of the guild members who'd been standing guard scurried over.
"Stay put."
She grabbed my arm and infused mana. A warm heat flooded in.
"Haa……."
By the time I blinked, my hands were back to normal. A sigh escaped me as I flexed them—no trace of discomfort.
"Thank you. You're really skilled."
"……No problem."
She gave a curt bow and walked off. I shook out my wrists and stepped aside, then followed the Munju.
The Cheonhwa Guild building had a dark, decadent, flashy vibe overall. I'd never been inside an illegal casino, but this had to be it.
'And that faint smell of booze, smokes, drugs hanging everywhere...'
Something instinctively stirred human desires. We walked a long, narrow corridor for a while before the Cheonhwa Munju spoke first.
"Have fun at the motel? That girl didn't seem to hate it—why not get rougher?"
"I could've actually died."
"Hehe, at your age, you gotta go wild."
Why was this woman acting so chummy? It was making me uncomfortable.
"Anyway, you seemed pretty skilled at night work back then. Bet you've made plenty cry besides our girl."
The Munju stopped. Ahead was an iron door plastered with talismans like it sealed something dangerous.
"There's a woman inside. We've suppressed her power, but her temper's too fierce. None of our guys dare go in."
Clank—Creeeak... The bolt dropped, and the heavy door swung open.
"......Do your best?"
"Wait, shouldn't you at least tell me what to do?"
"You'll figure it out when you see. Tip: Girls like her love boldness. Choke her throat, make her beg for breath. Oh, and......"
The playfulness vanished from the Munju's face. Like a mother scolding a naughty child.
"───Don't try anything stupid. I'm watching more than you think."
With that, she shoved me inside. Thud. The door shut.
'Haa... what the hell did they lock up in here?'
Even knowing I had to do it, her warning made me hesitate. The room felt totally different from before—no finishes, raw brick walls exposed. I touched them as I walked forward. Dim, no light, chilly air thick with grime... everything screamed get out. At the corridor's end, a passage wide enough for one person bent around a corner. I turned it.
"……."
"……."
A ragged bed held a bound woman.
'Fuck, a ghost?'
Her skin was so pale and translucent, I questioned if she was human. Silver hair like dry straw framed eerie purple eyes glowing coldly. Those pupils rolled, locking onto me.
"What do you steal glances at."
Hm, definitely human...? I cleared my throat and tried talking. Scary vibe, but if she was kidnapped like me, maybe we'd click?
"Hey."
"This lady declared no dealings with your kind."
First, clear the misunderstanding.
"Sorry, but I'm kidnapped too, you know? More like enemies with those guys...... Look at this. I told them what I knew, and they got pissed and sliced my wrist."
"Hm."
I showed her my wrist. The barely healed cross-section was still red like thread.
"So?"
"So we're on the same side...?"
"Same side, ha! Ridiculous."
Her face still brimmed with clear hostility and arrogance.
"Even if you claim enmity with that snake bitch, how does that make you this lady's ally?"
"Pardon?"
"Especially peeking at this lady's bare form—a crime deserving death a hundred times over. You dare beg words? Craving your guts spilled here?"
Crazy bitch? She was naked—how could I not look?
'Won't reason with her.'
I activated Appraisal Eye to check her power. Mana faint, as the Munju said—suppressed. Knowing I could overpower her physically, I slipped into Clear Mirror Still Water state.
'So basically... fuck her senseless and break her spirit.'
No leaving till completion. Worst outcome for both of us. Sorry, but force was needed. If I got out, maybe help from outside.
Opening my eyes with that resolve—
"……?"
Her expression was off. Like she'd seen something forbidden.
"Where did you learn that technique?"
"Technique...? Oh, Clear Mirror Still Water?"
"……Yes."
A strange excitement laced her voice. Aware or not, she thrust out her chest, hand atop it.
"Impossible not to recognize. Clear Mirror Still Water—that heart method is this lady's creation."
"Whaaat?"
......Wait, was this a copyrighted skill?