The Hunt Begins (2)
Director Jo had left the lodging.
Bishop, who had been monitoring Director Jo via satellite, urgently contacted him.
Jang Cheon grabbed his sword and the tactical backpack he'd bought from The Bullet, then immediately left the room. The backpack was neatly packed with the smoke grenades, flashbangs, grenades, and incendiary grenades they'd purchased together.
Knowing that Hunter was pursuing him using Manchu Hori, Jang Cheon figured they'd located Baek Sang-du. He had no idea how Hunter would handle it, but tailing Director Jo was necessary for now.
Jang Cheon headed down to the parking lot and got into his car.
As he started the engine, he called Phone.
This time, he wasn't moving with Phone. He had no idea what the situation might turn into, but for now, he planned to keep Director Jo alive.
But with Baek Sang-du as the opponent, who knew what variables might arise in this hunt? It could end up requiring him to clean house entirely, so he'd ordered Phone Express to tail from afar just in case.
Then Bishop called again.
"What? To me? You sure?"
Jang Cheon was startled.
"Got it."
Jang Cheon got out of the car and returned to his room. They couldn't let on that they were tracking his movements via satellite.
The doorbell rang. When he opened it, Director Jo was standing there.
"Director Jo? What brings you here without calling ahead?"
"Had some business, and I was thinking of you, Jang Cheon. Is that rude?"
"Not at all. Come in."
They'd met in the first-floor café before, but this time he'd barged into the room unannounced.
Regardless of their relationship, it was fundamentally rude, but Jang Cheon didn't show it.
"Something to drink? I've got tea or liquor."
"No need."
Director Jo looked around the room without asking permission.
"Thought you might have a woman stashed away. Nope."
Of course, he wasn't actually looking for a woman. He was searching for any secrets that hadn't been hidden properly.
"I don't bring women home."
"Oh ho, the young generation's different, huh? Back in our day, we'd bring 'em home first."
"I'm not that young myself."
Director Jo smiled. He was clearly here about Baek Sang-du, yet he kept prattling on.
"You managed to poison the Alliance Leader well enough."
"During my mercenary days, I spent time with Doctor Woo, the poison expert. Learned a few things from him then, and studied more on my own after."
"You killed Doctor Woo, right?"
"Yes."
"Killed a comrade-in-arms, then."
"Never once considered that trash a comrade. He was garbage."
Director Jo, who had been glancing around the room, turned to Jang Cheon with a sly grin.
"Not you, though?"
Jang Cheon hardened his expression, not hiding his anger.
Director Jo grinned and quickly changed the subject.
"Right, trash needs to be eliminated. Good job."
"Are you doubting my loyalty or abilities? If that's why you're here, don't worry. I have the Murim Alliance Leader under control."
"I trust you, I do. No need to get mad, kid."
Jang Cheon could tell. Director Jo was probing him—testing his loyalty to the organization.
He hadn't just been sent for orders regarding Baek Sang-du. He'd also been tasked with assessing if Jang Cheon was trustworthy. And if not, to eliminate him.
If his guess was right, it meant the organization's top brass had started paying serious attention to Korea. Sending Director Jo was the beginning.
"We've located Baek Sang-du."
"What?"
Jang Cheon feigned surprise, of course.
"How did you find that bastard so quickly?"
"Didn't I say he's no ordinary hunter?"
"Where is he?"
"What do you think? Wanna go hunting together?"
Jang Cheon hesitated briefly, showing reluctance. Since Director Jo was doubting and testing his loyalty, every action mattered now. He needed to show ambition and greed for money. Thus, avoiding danger was a natural instinct.
Director Jo pressed him.
"Come on, be honest. The organization has doubts about your loyalty and abilities. They're not sure if the massive payout was a sound investment."
Jang Cheon pretended to relent.
"Fine. If it's with you, Director Jo, I'll gladly go."
"Knew you were top talent. Good, let's go together."
Jang Cheon grabbed the tactical backpack leaning against the wall.
"What's that?"
"Stuff for if a fight breaks out. My combat gear."
"Even a master like you needs that?"
"You know how it is—one little thing can mean life or death. I don't wanna die yet."
Director Jo grinned.
"Me neither."
"Just the two of us, though?"
"What, scared?"
Jang Cheon nodded readily.
"Yeah."
"Not two—three. The hunter's coming too."
"Even three's scary. He's over a hundred years old, a grandmaster of Black Spirit Art. One move from him could wipe us all out."
"One against three. We've got six arms, he's got two. We can take some old relic, right?"
Jang Cheon could tell.
That wasn't it. This ambition-driven man wouldn't stake his life on numbers alone. Meaning he had something to rely on.
What was it?
He'd find out when they met Baek Sang-du.
"Mister."
Baek Sang-du turned to see a high school girl standing there. She was Hee, wearing her uniform skirt hiked up short.
"What's up?"
"You gotta look people in the eye when you talk to them."
Baek Sang-du lifted his head with a thoroughly cowed expression, then quickly averted his gaze. Some peers far behind Hee giggled.
"You peeked while I was changing earlier, didn't you?"
"Didn't see."
"Don't lie. My friends all saw you."
"N-no, I didn't."
Baek Sang-du even started stammering.
Hee pressed him.
"I'm telling the director. That you peeped at me naked."
"No."
As Baek Sang-du panicked and repeated himself, Hee lowered her voice.
"Buy me a pack of smokes, and I'll forget it ever happened."
"What? No, smokes are off-limits!"
"Just once. Can't smoke here, driving me crazy. Save a life— one pack, please."
"No. Don't do this."
Hee instantly glared fiercely.
"You moron. Buy 'em now before I call the cops. Who do you think they'll believe? Wanna go to jail?"
Baek Sang-du finally bowed his head.
"...Fine."
Moments later, he returned with the cigarettes. Hee pinched his cheek.
"Thanks for the help from now on too, mister."
Baek Sang-du finished work and headed home.
His beat-up sedan arrived at a cabin by a large boulder.
He got out, opened the trunk. Hee, whom he'd subdued with anesthesia, was asleep inside.
After scanning the surroundings, he carried her into the cabin.
He laid her on the bed and placed his palm over her face. As he chanted lowly, a blue aura appeared on her forehead and vanished.
He retrieved a box of vials from the secret basement compartment.
He took out a blue vial matching the glow on Hee's forehead moments ago.
He uncorked it and inhaled deeply, savoring the scent. Blue smoke from the vial was absorbed into his nostrils.
After fully inhaling, he woke Hee.
As she regained consciousness, she reacted just like the women before her: confusion, shock, then recognition and threats mixed with pleas.
"You creepy loser! Wanna die? You know how many delinquents my friends have? Wanna get dragged off and stomped? Head bashed in?"
To her threats, Baek Sang-du said lowly,
"Why'd I get dragged here?"
It wasn't his usual voice—low and chilling. Hee flinched in confusion.
"Why? 'Cause you kidnapped me."
"So why'd I do that?"
Hee's heart sank. She grasped his meaning. No one knew he'd taken her, so no revenge possible. Meaning he'd kill her.
"Enjoyed the smokes?"
He was no longer the meek Baek Sang-du from the errand. His cold gaze was terrifying to meet.
"S-sorry, I was wrong, so wrong."
Hee trembled and begged, but Baek Sang-du's eyes didn't soften.
"Yeah. You were. Can't do that to adults."
Baek Sang-du gripped her throat.
"Guh... mercy."
Her body began turning blue. Baek Sang-du opened his mouth. Blue energy poured from every orifice in her body.
Sssssss.
All her innate essence was sucked into Baek Sang-du.
He carried her now-withered corpse outside and shoved aside the large boulder next to the cabin.
He tossed her body onto the pile of corpses below.
Before resealing it, he stuck his head in and took a deep breath of the potent deathly aura emanating from them.
"Hoo."
His internal injuries weren't fully healed yet.
Was that why? For two days straight, he'd had nightmares of being chased and killed by Jang Cheon.
Without his strongest move, the Black Spirit Grand Formation.
He had other techniques, but none as powerful. Meaning they likely wouldn't work on Jang Cheon either.
Plus the internal injuries. No wonder he couldn't sleep from the anxiety.
The fastest way to heal was absorbing multiple people's essence at once.
That's why he planned to wipe out Bit Sseum Teo. Absorbing all those girls' energy would fully heal him.
Before leaving, burn the place down to disguise their deaths as a fire. The police investigation would list him as away, not returned yet. Everyone who knew otherwise would be dead.
Handle it tomorrow.
Even though several had seen his scuffle with Hee today, he'd kidnapped her anyway for that reason.
Baek Sang-du pulled his head out and stood.
If only the Immortal Spirit Art were this simple. It wasn't about blindly absorbing masses of essence to achieve great completion. Absorb a set number while comprehending the essence of Black Spirit Art.
That's when it happened.
As Baek Sang-du pushed the boulder to seal the pit, he froze. He slowly turned. A sense of incongruity washed over him—the chilling feeling of being watched.
He scanned the area, then returned to the cabin.
Far away, watching the cabin, were Hunter and Manchu Hori.
They'd tailed Baek Sang-du from Bit Sseum Teo to his home.
Though Baek Sang-du looked ant-sized at that distance, Hunter concealed his presence.
The incongruity Baek Sang-du felt was due to Manchu Hori's spiritual energy.
All spirit beasts innately possessed spiritual energy.
It was the polar opposite of the energy from Baek Sang-du's Black Spirit Art, making him far more sensitive to it.
Manchu Hori sensed the hated energy too, emitting stronger spiritual energy than usual. Combined with the deathly aura from the pit under the boulder, it made Manchu Hori's fur bristle in spasms.
"It's okay, it's okay."
Hunter stroked Manchu Hori's back. After much petting, the highly tense spirit beast finally calmed.
He knew it hated deathly aura, but this intense reaction was a first.
Hunter's gaze returned to the distant cabin below the mountain. The already creepy place now felt outright eerie.