Yeongjongdo (2)
Drugs were just a sideshow. Seol Rokjin's real goal was to capture the man standing before me—Baek Dosan—and turn him into one of his own.
"So he's targeting me, that bastard."
"Once he has you in hand, all this becomes his."
Baek Dosan burst into laughter at that.
"Ahaha! He thinks he can just swallow me whole like that?"
It wasn't just a thought—it actually happened. Reading my expression, Baek Dosan slammed the table with a thud.
I flinched.
—What a temper.
Well, the king of the shadows couldn't exactly have a saintly disposition.
"He really plans to brainwash me and put me under his thumb?"
"Yes."
"The guy who goes around preaching that all Awakeners should be slaughtered is actually an Awakener himself?"
"Awakeners are a tiny minority. Stepping up as their representative would just make him the vanguard of a fringe group, so he abandoned them."
What Seol Rokjin truly wanted was to seize control of this country—South Korea. He'd do anything to make it happen. Killing, betraying, driving someone off the cliff of despair? All in a day's work for him.
"Even with brainwashing abilities, getting close to me won't be easy."
"Aren't you pretty tight with that traitor from earlier?"
Baek Dosan shut his mouth, his face showing he'd been caught off guard. Getting close to him was indeed tough. But what if, during a chaotic surprise attack, a trusted subordinate guided him to an escape route?
That's exactly how Seol Rokjin ended up face-to-face with Baek Dosan—through that simple ploy.
"He doesn't even need to subdue you outright. The moment your eyes meet, it's over."
"Hah, then why's a guy with that kind of power still stuck in his position?"
"He can only keep one or two people in perfect control at most. Turning someone into an idiot is easy, but dominating a single person completely? That's hard... or so he said."
I heard it straight from Seol Rokjin himself, so it had to be accurate. Though I learned this after his brainwashing quota had bumped up to five.
"Haha, so he'd use that one precious card on me?"
"You're worth it, aren't you?"
Just stating the plain facts—no flattery intended. Baek Dosan stared at my face for a long moment before letting out a smirk.
"Is this the part where I say thanks for thinking so highly of me?"
With that, he scowled.
"So what now?"
"The traitor's been dealt with, but it's too late. Seol Rokjin will show up here with his own people."
"If it's a fight, I don't see myself losing to that punk."
"He'll probably bring at least a 5-star Awakener, and if he deploys that poison user... It's not lethal, but the moment it spreads, your body goes numb. If he's with that Awakener..."
"Then we're outmatched."
Baek Dosan's forces had been hopelessly overwhelmed partly due to the surprise attack, but that poison Awakener played a huge role.
If he'd brought the guy back then, there was no reason not to now.
The problem? None of Baek Dosan's subordinates could neutralize the poison. Most of his crew were regular humans, not Awakeners, to begin with.
"Exactly. If we'd had gas masks ready..."
I glanced at Geum Doctor as I said it. If only he'd given me a little more time...
Catching my look, Geum Doctor immediately yelled.
"What if I got held up grabbing those? Huh? Without me, you two wouldn't have even met today!"
He wasn't wrong.
"If you'd just believed me..."
This time, I subtly eyed Baek Dosan. Unlike the fun-to-tease Geum Doctor, this guy didn't budge an inch.
"If I bought into every pitch like that, I wouldn't be where I am."
—He's not wrong either.
Hmm, maybe I did come off a bit like a con artist? Anyway, the mood had lightened. Time to get serious again.
"That's why we need to hit them with a thorough ambush of our own."
Turn the tables on the backstabbers.
This could be fun.
The transformed cargo terminal on Shin-do was littered with containers everywhere. Baek Dosan's men took positions scattered between them. If they couldn't change the trade date, shifting the time would do. Baek Dosan called his contact right there on the spot and wrapped up the deal in a flash.
Thanks to that, we bought a little time before Seol Rokjin arrived. I used it to set traps.
"We'll rig all of these."
Using my life-saving artifacts here? Baek Dosan smiled and said,
"I'll repay you several times over, so don't worry."
I nodded at his words. He even opened his weapons cache for me. Not that mobster-grade gear varied much these days...
"Wait, why the hell is this here?"
I blinked at the anti-tank mine.
"Oh, got it as a service perk a while back."
Good lord. The best service I'd ever gotten was some military dumplings. What kind of scale did this guy operate on?
I set the anti-tank mine down. Way too overkill for today. Still, I grabbed a few useful items from the cache.
Packing them up, I pulled out the mask I'd prepared.
—Ugh, still looks like total bad taste.
I ignored Ray's disgust and flipped the mask on. It was pretty, damn it.
"What's that?"
"Need to keep my face hidden for personal reasons."
Showing my face to earn Baek Dosan's trust was fine, but I couldn't let Seol Rokjin's side catch a glimpse.
Besides, this was my first face-to-face with him in this life.
I wanted to leave a strong impression.
"Oho! Got a taste for this stuff?"
Geum Doctor was grinning ear-to-ear as he approached. What was with that smile? Feeling ominous, I edged back when—
"I loved mask-wearing heroes when I was a kid too."
"That's not it!"
Where the hell was this otaku going with that? Don't rub kids' transformation crap on my precious anonymity mask! I yelped in alarm, but Geum Doctor was already eyeing me like a kindred spirit.
—Uhaha! See? I told you that mask was bad taste.
Damn it. Still, no giving up. I couldn't face Seol Rokjin barefaced.
He was coming here.
Overconfident in his brainwashing and trusting the traitor, he'd let his guard down uncharacteristically.
A 40-something Seol Rokjin might be different, but this immature 30s version? We had a solid shot.
I couldn't miss the chance to land a solid hit on him.
"Anyway, fighting spirit!"
First time an encouragement had ever deflated me like that. Baek Dosan seemed to feel the same—our eyes met, and I swear I heard mutual sighs.
Seol Rokjin was due any moment. We scattered to our positions. I slipped between the containers.
—You gonna be okay solo?
I nodded at Ray's question.
"Told you—no one should step up to Seol Rokjin. If they get brainwashed and turn on me, it's trouble."
With Seol Rokjin hanging back at the rear anyway, there wouldn't be many left by his side. I could handle it alone.
How much time passed?
A boat quietly docked at Shin-do's pier. Twenty-five to thirty people aboard—not a huge number, but Seol Rokjin wouldn't bring dead weight.
Hiding in the shadows, I scanned each face disembarking. And finally, I spotted the one I'd been waiting for.
—That's the creep who did all those dirty deeds? Looks way too normal—gives me chills.
'Looks aren't everything—it's the inside that counts.'
—Yeah, ugly people always say that.
I brushed off Ray's jab and swallowed hard.
The plan was to strike the moment Seol Rokjin set foot on land. I was just about to launch when—
A massive fog rolled in, blinding everything. I immediately signaled the guy across from me.
Hold for now.
Awakener with water talent? Or poison? My head spun. Shadows scattered into Shin-do along with the fog.
Thankfully, it wasn't toxic—no effects on the body—but the visibility was the issue.
—Damn! We were gonna hit 'em right as they landed.
'It's fine. We signaled they were coming anyway. Switch to Plan B.'
Ambushing on landing was ideal, but no need to force it.
"Plan B it is."
Hearing the response from across the way, I exhaled.
Baek Dosan didn't become the shadow king by accident—he'd handle the infiltrators.
My target was Seol Rokjin anyway.
I had my personal itch to smack him one, but with his brainwashing, I couldn't trust anyone else with it.
I pushed through the fog, moving cautiously forward. Visibility was shot, but straining my ears picked up enemy sounds.
I shook the wire rigged with a dagger up and down. Once centrifugal force spun the blade, I twisted and flung it toward the noise.
Thud.
The dagger sank straight into the enemy's hand.
"Kuk!"
Not Seol Rokjin—unfortunately, his bodyguard. The guy tried yanking it out.
That's why I'd attached the dagger to a wire made of material that conducted electricity perfectly—not my usual meteor chain.
—Zzzzt!
"Gaaah!"
The man convulsed like popcorn before collapsing. Enemy down. I reeled in the wire.
"What happened?!"
A scream echoed from the fog, and the bodyguard reacted late. Then, as if erased by an eraser, the fog cleared completely.
Even seeing his guard crumple, Seol Rokjin showed no tension. Instead, intrigue lit his face. To him, this was all just a game.
"A mask?"
His other bodyguard muttered it unconsciously upon spotting me. I grabbed a potion vial from my belt and hurled it at the man.
"Eek!"
He dodged, charging at me. Crash—the vial shattered, soaking the ground.
—Aw, too bad.
I kicked off the earth, closing the gap. The key to fighting a gunman? Don't give him an angle.
Unless they've got special talents, guns fire in straight lines. Stay off that line, and you're good.
—Easier said than done.
'It's simpler than it seems.'
Bang. A bullet grazed past my ear.
See? Dodged it.
—Grazed.
'Didn't hit.'
—You're bleeding, idiot.
"Huff, huff."
Hiding behind a rock, I panted heavily.
My stamina had tanked compared to before. Even after resting these past few days to rebuild, I hadn't recovered my academy days' condition.
So end it quick.
"Electricity user! Everyone, watch out!"
I lobbed another potion vial at Seol Rokjin.
"Careful!"
Someone else shattered it mid-air.
"Playing petty tricks."
I dodged foes while chucking more vials. But they all smashed harmlessly. Not one hit. The bodyguard smirked at me, lip curling.
"Keep throwing 'em—it won't work on m—"
"Enough."
Before he finished, sparks flew from my fingertips. The vials held oil. And now the ground was drenched. Flames erupted from where my hand touched, spreading instantly.
"Gaaah!"
Fire leaped onto the charging bodyguard. The gruesome sight made the guards by Seol Rokjin flinch.
"That's far enough."
At Seol Rokjin's word, they halted. He strolled toward me slowly.
"Alright, now that you're here, shall we talk?"
As he spoke, his pupils glowed yellow.