The Sword That Would Not Submit
"Hahaha! Boss! Why are you making that face? Did that demonic sword just say something?"
If he had heard correctly, then it had definitely spoken in human language.
"The mana in Jiokchammado has weakened. It looks like it has bound itself to Kang Hyun-jun," Lee Jin-a said. Since she had experience binding S-rank equipment, she caught the change in Jiokchammado faster than anyone else. But even she had not realized that it was speaking to Hyun-jun now.
-I asked whether it was you who woke this body.
It should have finished the domination ritual and been bound to him by now, but Jiokchammado had no manners. It was a regrettable problem, but Hyun-jun did not know much about Ego Swords either, so it was hard to tell whether this was normal. He had spent more than a little time as a hunter and used all sorts of communities, yet there had been no information at all on Ego Swords...
There’s a reason they’re hiding it.
There had to be more than one Ego Sword. And even so, the absence of information could only mean one of two things: either they were so rare they remained unknown, or someone was monopolizing the information.
I’ll hide it too.
Hyun-jun decided to keep the fact that Jiokchammado was an Ego Sword to himself.
"Nothing."
He answered in a calm voice and slid Jiokchammado back into its scabbard.
-Heh. Is this the first time you've seen a sword that talks? You look rattled. This body really is special.
Jiokchammado seemed to be muttering something, but Hyun-jun ignored it and stepped toward the administrator. The administrator wore a sour expression.
An S-rank hunter succeeded in binding the Jiokchammado that three S-rank hunters failed to tame, and he’s only been S-rank for less than a month? What in the world...
There had already been a record of failure by three S-rank hunters, including the Brilliant Light's Ahn Hyeon-ji. Among the Six Guardians of Korea, the Grand Master specializing in ritual analysis, Shin Ho-wi, and the Mad Scholar, Jo Seong-jun, had even said that because Jiokchammado resisted so fiercely for an S-rank piece of equipment, the odds of succeeding in a domination ritual without an SS-rank hunter were vanishingly small.
The administrator had believed those words absolutely. That was why, even though he disliked it, he had not objected to orders from above. If he had, the transfer of the S-rank equipment to Hyun-jun would have been delayed a little longer.
"Can I go now?"
"Of course. I’ll escort you to the main gate myself."
"Wait a sec..."
Taesik nodded readily, but the administrator grabbed Hyun-jun with an expression like he had bitten into something foul.
"Why? You got something to say?"
"N-no."
Under that cold look, the administrator had no choice but to back down.
"I’ll guide you to the elevator."
The security team leader spoke as he finished and took the lead. The administrator, looking as though he had suffered a tremendous shock, remained there alone. They took the elevator down to the first floor and stepped outside, where several black sedans and vans were parked in a row.
It was obvious at a glance that they belonged to Jin-a’s attendants. But since she also looked flustered, it seemed Seok-hyeon had called them here.
So Lee Jin-a is safe.
The number of attendants was not small, and they looked highly capable. Since the Jaeil Group was preparing to establish a guild, they must have been hunters gathered in secret. In the near future, once the guild became official, they would probably be the sort of people who served as its executive force.
"Will we be able to see each other again?"
Jin-a, who had been heading toward the attendants with Seok-hyeon, stopped and asked. Hyun-jun let a faint smile touch his lips before he answered. Unlike before, his voice reached her with unexpected warmth. Pretending not to notice the change, he spoke.
"I’m not exactly sure why, but Jin-a, you’re helping Song Tae-sik, and I’ve accepted the Special Police Bureau’s offer. So whether we like it or not, we’ll probably keep running into each other for a while, won’t we?"
At Hyun-jun’s answer, Jin-a lowered her head slightly. A faint smile spread over the face half-hidden in the shadow of her hair. The moment she heard him say they would keep seeing each other, she felt relieved. She did not know why. The sudden change in her emotions unsettled even her.
"I-I should go."
Like someone being hurried along, she quickly ran to the sedan with Seok-hyeon. Once her attendants confirmed she was aboard, they all climbed into their cars in perfect unison, and soon the convoy pulled away.
"Kang Hyun-jun. Should I provide an escort detail?" Kim Tae-min asked carefully. Hyun-jun had single-handedly put down most of the attackers who had struck them. Security might not be necessary, but Taemin still thought it was better to have it than not. It would also let him make a good showing. But Hyun-jun shook his head.
"I don’t think that’ll be necessary."
From a distance, a black sedan and several vans came racing up and soon stopped in a line in front of the Special Police Bureau’s main gate. At the same time, the doors opened and people in black suits got out. They all gave off mana, so they were clearly hunters.
"Because my subordinates have arrived."
The Wraith insignia was pinned to their chests. Hyun-jun curled the corner of his mouth and descended the steps. Among the black-suited figures, one face looked especially familiar. It was Executive Chief Kim Tae-min.
"Guild Leader!"
Taemin came hurrying toward him, and a dense surge of mana rolled off his body. They had been too busy over the past few days to really face each other properly, so something about him had clearly changed.
"You’re here, Executive Chief?"
"I heard you were attacked. Are you all right?"
Hyun-jun welcomed him warmly. Taemin answered with obvious relief while checking Hyun-jun’s condition.
"I’m fine."
"I’m glad."
At Hyun-jun’s words, Taemin visibly relaxed.
"Then we’ll take our leave first. If we gather any information on that thing on our end, I’ll contact you."
"Understood. We’ll keep in touch from our side as well."
Taesik answered. He was an S-rank hunter too, but with Hyun-jun there, he felt his nerves settle and his confidence return.
"Then we’ll be off."
"See you again."
After exchanging farewells, they got into the sedan first. As he leaned back in the rear seat, something he had forgotten came to mind. He thought of Han-seok. Looking out the window, he saw Han-seok standing there blankly. Unlike the guild with the executive division, the regular raid team tended to have lower loyalty to their leader, so it was not easy to use them for private matters.
"Han-seok, you should come too."
"R-really? Is that okay?"
"Get in."
At Hyun-jun’s offer, Han-seok looked moved and rushed over at once to take the passenger seat. Taemin took the driver’s seat.
"Stay the night at the Wraith Guild office today."
It had not been long since the attack by the mutants, so rest was necessary, but it was also late enough that another strike would not be strange. Even if they were the kind of lunatics who fired rocket rounds into the city at night, it would not be easy for them to try a second ambush if they had to move through a busy road in broad daylight.
"T-thank you, boss."
The convoy set off.
"What are you going to do now?"
"I’m going to follow you, boss."
It had been a sudden question, but Han-seok answered without hesitation. At first, when he had started calling him boss, it had only been a slight step beyond a business relationship. If he were being honest, part of it had been the desire to make a good impression on an S-rank hunter. But now things were different.
Han-seok knew that Hyun-jun was the one who had saved him from that horrible mental contamination. That was why he felt even more strongly that he had to repay the debt.
"Good."
Hyun-jun nodded with a small smile. Since Han-seok had also been dragged into the matter involving the Black Magic Stone anyway, it might be better for him to move together with Hyun-jun or the Special Police Bureau.
"We’re here."
They arrived at the guild office. Taemin brought the car to a stop, and Han-seok climbed out, thanking Hyun-jun repeatedly. Three hunters from the executive division followed along to escort him and provide additional security.
"We’ll take you home."
Taemin set the car in motion again.
"What about So-jin noona?"
"She’s at the guild office because of overdue work. I deliberately didn’t tell her."
"Good. You did well."
Hyun-jun wanted So-jin to remain unaware of this attack, or rather, of anything involving the Black Magic Stone. He did not want her to worry or be afraid. She still had to be carrying memories of what happened with the Echo Guild, and he did not want to wound her any further for no reason.
While he was thinking about So-jin, the car came to a stop. He turned his gaze out the window and saw a familiar house.
"I’ll park this in the garage and stay on the first floor for a while."
"Get yourself re-evaluated tomorrow."
"Guild Leader?"
Instead of answering, Hyun-jun got out of the car. The mana Taemin carried had increased dramatically compared to a few days earlier. Hyun-jun did not know what had happened, but if Taemin underwent a reassessment, he seemed likely to receive an A-rank evaluation without trouble.
-You bastard!
The instant he stepped into the room and pulled Jiokchammado from the subspace pouch, a sharp voice tore through his mind as if in protest.
-How dare you stuff this body into some dark, empty space? Are you prepared to pay the price?
It seemed to be complaining about being kept in the subspace pouch during the trip here. The thought crossed his mind that putting an Ego Sword with a will of its own into a subspace pouch might go beyond being rude and come close to torture.
"So you’ve got a problem with that?"
He did feel a little sorry, but he did not apologize. It seemed Jiokchammado had mistaken the relationship between them. Even though he had carried out the domination ritual, perhaps because it was an Ego Sword with its own will, the effect had not been very strong. In a case like this, he needed to set the relationship straight once more.
"I asked whether you’ve got a problem with that."
-Kyaaaagh!
When Hyun-jun poured in a thick concentration of mana, Jiokchammado let out a scream. It writhed in pain, but perhaps because of the domination ritual’s effect, it could not muster mana to resist.
-N-no problem! You punk! Stop, stooop!
It was practically a cry of agony. If he pushed it any further, the backlash might become severe, so Hyun-jun withdrew his mana.
-Kh, kheh... Have you finally realized the greatness of this body, mortal...
"You still don’t seem to have your head on straight... Shall I go again?"
-Keh. Do as you please! You will not break this body through pain!
At that voice rattling inside his skull, Hyun-jun frowned slightly. Judging by Jiokchammado’s attitude, it did not look as though pain alone would force it into submission.
Then...
After a brief moment of thought, Hyun-jun came up with an idea and grinned. It seemed he would have to play along with it for a while.
"Heh heh..."
-What now? Mortal... Have you gone insane?
Jiokchammado panicked when Hyun-jun suddenly gave a grotesque laugh.
"At this point, there’s no helping it. I’ll just have to seal you away in eternal darkness..."
-W-what? Don’t tell me you’re planning to trap me in that subspace from before forever? I am a useful sword! If you use me properly, the limit of your mana circuit will double, and your recovery rate will double too! That’s not all! I can restore mana by absorbing an enemy’s blood, and I can even nullify higher-grade spells! What do you think? At this point...
Jiokchammado rushed to tout its own value. The options attached to it, fitting for an S-rank piece of equipment, were each and every one monstrous, but Hyun-jun’s response was cold.
"I don’t use weapons I can’t control."
The coldness in his voice made Jiokchammado uneasy.
-Keh. No choice, then. From this moment on, I shall acknowledge you as my master.
In the end, the declaration of surrender came.