Villain Unknown's First Job (2)

"How did you get in here?"

He hadn't sensed so much as a footprint. The realization sent a chill racing down his entire body. If someone could erase every trace of their presence against an A-rank-level Awakened like him, they were a powerhouse beyond his own class.

But Hwang Yonggyun swallowed the shock and forced his mind cold.

If that man had meant me harm, I'd already be dead.

If anything, he was warning him ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the raid. Whether the stranger truly was Unknown remained uncertain — but for now, he was closer to an ally than an enemy.

The man spoke in a low voice.

"There are several cars ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠parked outside. You'd do well to stay sharp."

A low, wintry register. Age was impossible to read from the sound alone.

Hwang Yonggyun slipped his knuckle dusters on at once. He locked the elevators, dropped the fire shutters, and urgently summoned his people on his phone. But the recent turf war had sent most of the combat members out on loan to other organizations. Of all times for a raid — the building was nearly empty. The attackers were already inside. He would have to face them alone.

At least the boss and the Underdolls on the other floor should be fine.

The floor where the Underdolls' streaming gear was set up was a secure space, complete with a hidden emergency exit for situations exactly like this. He was about to send the evacuation message when the masked man shook his head.

"Two of us can handle the raiders. No need to overreact."

Hwang Yonggyun's fingers froze. The man was right. The Underdolls were live right now. Even someone as clueless about internet streaming as he was knew that five members couldn't simply cut a broadcast cold — not one of them, let alone all five.

They said the recent popularity brought a lot of hardcore fans.

Even without an evacuation, the intruders wouldn't be able to barge onto that floor freely. Security was locked down tight during streams — not only for the boss's safety, but to protect the virtual streamers' privacy. And somehow, Hwang Yonggyun found he couldn't bring himself to defy the man.

Me? Of all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠people?

He had never flinched before the Ten Master Heroes at the pinnacle of the hero world, nor before the Seven Thousand Evils at the summit of the underworld and villains. But this masked man carried a presence unlike any powerhouse he had ever met. An unconscious instinct — one that made it impossible to hold his head high in front of him.

No point denying it. This man really is Unknown.

And he knew, in his gut, that the rumors circulating through the streets were no lie. This was a dangerous man. Cold sweat was already beading on his forehead before he realized it.

"They're hitmen targeting you, Hwang Yonggyun. But don't tense up too much. We can use the building's layout. Move."

A man who ranked as a syndicate boss was taking calm, precise orders from Unknown. Hwang Yonggyun didn't argue. He obeyed.

Following him is how I stay alive.

Decades of instinct, honed in the back alleys of the underworld, told him so. Hwang Yonggyun hurried out of the office with Unknown at his side.

Hwang Yonggyun followed my instructions without a word of complaint. The two of us hurried up one floor. Choi Hana was streaming on the third. Hwang Yonggyun's office was on the fourth. That put us on the fifth.

They won't make it up here anytime soon.

I'd been to this building before — not just today. I'd talked with a few Jaguar members while buying viewbots for Ha Yeeun, and I'd mapped the layout then. In the original story, Hwang Yonggyun gets ambushed. It's a fairly difficult quest, but the deliberately maze-like architecture built for exactly this kind of raid could buy us time.

Normally I'd have to wait for Choi Hana, the Underdolls, and extra reinforcements…

Not anymore. I was here. If I put on a proper show against the raiders, securing Hwang Yonggyun's cooperation later would be far easier.

I've got the title Unknown. All I need is to stay calm.

Awakened combat ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was usually decided in a single instant. In that sense, the title Unknown was a straight-up cheat against underworld types and villains — attack boost, resistance reduction, and a fear debuff that temporarily locked down the body's movement. If I aimed cleanly for the raiders' heads, the odds were mine.

And more than that — the real key is this mask.

The Unknown's Mask I'd acquired in the Hotel of Mirrors. The moment I put it on, I'd been stunned.

As the system description had said, raising the Dedicated Level metric unlocked additional special effects — that much was clear. But what I actually received went far beyond imagination.

Phantom the Unknown. Highest-tier stealth, huh.

I couldn't take the description at full face value — but the incident just now had convinced me. I'd walked right up to Hwang Yonggyun and he never noticed. It was the same broken-tier skill I'd used in the tutorial when I hunted Horror Hole.

Mana cost is steep, but I can manage it if I'm careful.

My raw combat power still fell short of Unknown's reputation. And the man standing next to me was Hwang Yonggyun. If he ever clocked that weakness, nothing good would come of it. But with this absolute stealth, he wouldn't be able to dismiss me. Combined with Unknown's fear debuff, he'd overestimate me instead.

If I can pull that off — not just for today, but going forward…

That misjudgment alone would make him far more likely to cooperate. His top priority was Choi Hana and the organization. If a top-tier villain showed goodwill toward that organization, refusing help simply wasn't an option.

"Two small fry. I'll clean those up."

So Hwang Yonggyun would take the raiders' leader — but I intended to put on a little showmanship in front of him. My signature flame skill, Flame, flared to life. And if I layered in the special power I'd been saving…

The fire shifted, burning into a new color. Hwang Yonggyun's expression changed at once.

Jeong Siu moved carefully, trailing the men who'd climbed out of the black sedan. When he got a look at one of their faces, his whole body went tight.

Not just small fry — a named one too?

Turf wars were common among underworld outfits, so a raid like this wasn't shocking. But among them, Jeong Siu had spotted a familiar face. More precisely, he'd heard the sound the man made.

A named like that, tagging along on a hit against a nobody outfit?

Collecting villain intel was his hobby. He wasn't about to mistake this. It was Ghoul Hound — that rabid dog, climbing the stairs.

One of Crimson Teeth's vanguard. A member of the Baal Vanguard!

Not quite top brass, but the action unit — the vanguard they called the Baal Vanguard — those guys were dangerous. Younger than the highest officers, which meant they ran wild with nothing holding them back: mad, blood-soaked villains. A huge share of Crimson Teeth's current infamy had been built by the Baal Vanguard alone.

How the hell did the Mad Knife guys recruit him?

The question flickered, then faded. It wasn't that strange when he thought about it. The underworld put on a legal face, but behind it they were tangled up with villains — and laundered villains held real seats of power. The boss of Mad Knife ran a mid-tier outfit. He'd have sweet-talked Ghoul Hound with whatever terms it took.

All kinds of offers, probably.

The fact that Choi Hana had come here at all might mean Naharing and the Underdolls were tied to Blood Jaguar — a nobody syndicate. And if that meant young, talented female members… dangling them as a future reward was classic underworld bait. Honey traps were everyday business down here.

Either way, it was catastrophic news for Blood Jaguar. Ghoul Hound was infamous as a vicious mad dog.

Which is exactly why I'm even more curious.

Of course, that catastrophe only applied if Unknown weren't here. Jeong Siu slipped around the attackers and scaled the rear outer wall of the building. He wasn't planning to join the fight. He just wanted to see how Unknown would move. That was all.

Hanging from the wall, he focused on the sounds drifting out.

Unknown. That's Lee Junwoo's footsteps.

Three years of hearing them every day. He knew them instantly. Then Jeong Siu's eyes went wide.

He — he completely erased his presence?

He'd confirmed Junwoo entering one of the offices. After that, every trace vanished. And when the conversation filtered out, Jeong Siu was even more floored.

Wait. Hwang Yonggyun — I remember now. That's an A-rank Awakened.

Even Hwang Yonggyun hadn't noticed Junwoo's approach. By any normal standard, it was impossible — the equivalent of a mere cadet fooling an A-rank. But that wasn't the only shock.

I need to move. I have to see how Unknown fights these raiders…

To Jeong Siu, this mattered more than midterms — more than a summons from his father. And that choice was the right one.

A moment later, Jeong Siu saw the jet-black fire Unknown had conjured.

H-he can use demon fire too?

Demon power was a special ability you couldn't touch without a particular contract with a demon. Jeong Siu's instincts had been right all along. That Unknown — that Lee Junwoo — had been hiding his real strength to an absurd degree.

And once the fight began, Jeong Siu couldn't tear his eyes away. Ghoul Hound — that rabid dog — turned into a meek puppy in front of Unknown.

Meanwhile, on the third floor, Choi Hana was running Naharing's live stream. Truthfully, she couldn't focus. Lee Junwoo was waiting for her.

I want to end the stream right now… and go back down to the café.

But she was already live. She couldn't bare that selfish little wish in front of her viewers. It was only about an hour — a short broadcast — so Choi Hana pulled out the content she was most confident in: full-tracking in VR War World.

"Sorry today's Naharing stream is so short… Naha-naha~ But in exchange, we're going big!"

She dialed Naharing's outfit a little more revealing. It wasn't like she was actually wearing it, so the embarrassment stayed manageable. The background was a dreamlike map suited to the night. She centered the camera on herself, put on some sultry club-style music, and finished prepping the dance she knew best. The VR headset and tracking gear were already fully on.

Weird. I feel… way stranger than usual…

Normally, when she ran so-called thirst-trap content, she barely registered the viewers or anyone else. She just danced the way Scarlet had taught her. But tonight felt different. Without meaning to, she found herself imagining someone watching Naharing — watching the sexy dance she was about to do. Imagining Lee Junwoo watching her.

Choi Hana — no, Naharing — moved with the music. And in that moment, the earlier scene came flooding back: Lee Junwoo, spearing a piece of cake with his own fork and feeding it to her.

Why… why did Junwoo do that…

Her body felt strangely warm. Thinking of him, she brought her index finger to her lips without thinking — a move that wasn't in the usual choreography. The chat exploded, scrolling at a speed that left her stunned.