Don't Perform Miracles
While the Ministry of Health and Welfare staff were treating the villagers, I'd told Stella that I was going to scout for information to make the most of my Gift. Then Kim Hansu and I had wandered around the area.
We'd found a few things along the way, but I hadn't mentioned them to Head Researcher Stella.
"They're doing the work, and I'm sucking up the honey. Smart strategy, huh? Heh heh."
"It's just reaping the rewards of our rightful efforts. Don't make it sound shady."
"Sure, sure. Of course it is. You're always right, boss."
I wasn't lying, so I had no shame before the heavens.
If we rooted out and killed the Rakshasas hiding among the villagers, the Ministry would get their due compensation too. Our goals were just a little different.
Kim Hansu nodded toward me and asked, "So, we heading back to that mountain?"
"Yeah. But first, we've got other business today."
"Other business? More stuff to do?"
"Now that the Hunter Association's here, the Rakshasa demons will lay low. So we need to help them show their faces."
I had no idea which of the villagers were Rakshasa demons.
"Ugh, what a pain. Starting to think I shouldn't have tagged along, boss."
"Just hear me out first."
I leaned in close to his ear. As soon as I whispered the plan, sure enough, Kim Hansu's face lit up with interest.
"Oho. If it's that kind of job, I can't sit it out. Heh heh heh."
I led him along. "This is our little secret mission, so don't let anyone spot us."
"Got it."
No one could find out about our movements—not even the Ministry.
We slipped past prying eyes and arrived at Village Head Geum-jong-gi's warehouse.
This village called Fairy Village was full of farmers, but most of the farmland belonged to the village head, making him the most powerful man around.
When I explained that to Kim Hansu, he smirked. "Big deal. It's just some backwater dirt."
"Point is, he's got a ton of wealth."
"Heh heh heh."
Exactly. We were here to raid this warehouse.
"We're taking it all, right?"
The warehouse was surrounded by a high wall. Impossible for a regular person to scale, but not for a Peak expert like me.
I hoisted Kim Hansu onto my back and hopped over effortlessly.
"Feels like I'm a damn kid again."
"No choice."
I needed someone to keep watch while I stole the grain. For dirty work like this, Kim Hansu was the only one who came to mind.
We landed softly inside the wall, at the back of the warehouse. A quick glance at the front gate showed a guard standing watch, as expected.
"What's the play, boss? You came prepared, right?"
Just one guard. I said flatly, "Kill and silence."
"Brilliant strategy!"
Well, in this case, maybe kill the demon and silence it.
Shing.
I drew the Sealed Sword and swiftly slashed the guard's throat.
Sguk!
His head rolled across the ground, coming to a stop face-up.
"As I thought."
His face was twisted like a malevolent ghost, fangs sharp from incisors to molars. A low-grade miscellaneous ghost Rakshasa.
Kim Hansu let out an impressed whistle. "Whoa, for a sec I thought you'd finally turned serial killer. Heh heh."
"Even in a backwater village, people aren't idiots. With patients getting chunks bitten out of them, and no one saying a word to us? Means the village head's in on it somehow."
That's why I'd been sure the warehouse guard was a Rakshasa. Even a miscellaneous ghost Rakshasa had superior physical abilities to a normal human. It had been enough to handle things alone until now—but it picked the wrong opponents.
"Hm, now that you mention it, the whole village seems fishy. Fairy Village, my ass—no fairies in sight. Think they're all monsters?"
Probably not, but I held my tongue. I didn't have the full picture.
"Anyway, handle the body for me."
"Knew that's why you dragged me along."
He grumbled but snapped his fingers without hesitation, deploying "Kim Hansu's Domain." He clasped his hands, and beastly teeth materialized in the air, swallowing the Rakshasa corpse whole.
Even after seeing it multiple times, it was still an incomprehensible ability.
With the body gone, I unlocked the front gate.
Clunk!
It was padlocked, but I sliced it with sword energy infused with Peak-level internal energy.
The warehouse doors swung open to reveal sacks of rice and all sorts of grains piled high.
Kim Hansu whistled softly. "Whew. In this era, that's basically lord-level wealth, right? Heh heh."
"Same line of work."
His status in the village was probably similar. From our afternoon observations, the villagers were practically serfs. They handed most of their harvest to the village head and took back whatever scraps he doled out.
I had no intention of judging that. As a Section Chief at Hunter Stock Company, I got quality meals rationed to me. I wasn't stealing this grain out of hunger, and I wasn't some Robin Hood figure. I just had a use for it.
"But boss."
"Yeah?"
"How're we hauling all this? We'd be up all night making trips."
"I've got ways. And we don't need everything."
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the Cromwell Key and a hand mirror I'd prepared.
I inserted the key into the mirror, twisted it to open the passage, and positioned a rice sack nearby. Astonishingly, it shrank from the side closest to the mirror and vanished inside in the blink of an eye.
Before entering this 15th-floor stage, I'd experimented with the Cromwell Key thoroughly. The suit I'd stored in the military factory was still intact.
I kept shoving grain sacks into the mirror.
Kim Hansu, blinking in awe, remarked, "Keeping all the good stuff to yourself, huh? Heh heh."
"Jealous? Go get your own."
"For two thousand won."
"Pass. Waste of money. Keep watch."
"Tch."
Kim Hansu clicked his tongue and stood by the gate.
How much time passed? I'd loaded about half the warehouse when I stepped out.
"No issues?"
"Nah. Done? Let's bounce."
I piggybacked him again and scaled the wall. Easier to open the gate from inside, but it might draw eyes. I checked for onlookers from the top, then dropped down.
"What's next, boss?"
"Calling it for today. Back to base."
"Finally, some sleep."
We returned to the lodging where our fellow hunters were staying. It reminded me of a Joseon-era inn, called a guest hall here.
Given the remote location and the era, we couldn't expect luxury.
Drag.
The door opened to a room packed with sprawled-out staff, fast asleep. No room to breathe—practically spooning.
Kim Hansu shoved a few aside without a care. "Hey, hey."
"Ugh... huh?"
"Scoot over."
"Wh-what're you...?"
"Scoot, I said! Shove!"
"Eek!"
"Damn interns."
The displaced intern woke mid-process, but we resolved it through dialogue and negotiation(?).
"... "
It was already stuffy enough; I didn't want to sleep crammed in like that. Sleepiness vanished.
I shut the door and stepped out. "Guess I'll meditate."
A few staff lounged against walls or rocks nearby—probably pulling all-nighters like me.
I perched on the eaves, debating Blood Cycle or Thunder Cloud Heart Knot, when a voice called from below.
"Can't sleep either?"
I looked down. It was Head Researcher Stella.
"Just gonna train a bit. Not a great spot for bed anyway."
"True."
In a stage, having lodging at all was luxury. Try sleeping comfortably on the 14th floor?
Stella seemed eager to talk, so I hopped down.
"Don't you find Section Chief Kim Jeongha suspicious?"
"Pardon?"
"This guest hall."
"How so?"
"The village head clearly shunned outsiders at first sight. Yet there's lodging for travelers? Contradictory."
I brushed it off casually. "They must've welcomed them back when it was built."
"But there are signs of recent use."
"That's why it's suspicious?"
She nodded gravely. "Yes."
"Then we'd better stay cautious."
"Don't drop your guard."
"Understood."
She'd hit the mark surprisingly well. Looked like the staff would figure it out properly. One less worry for tomorrow's mountain climb—I had a fairy to find.
I climbed back onto the eaves and recited the formulas for Blood Cycle and Thunder Cloud Heart Knot.
Before I knew it, the sun hung high overhead. Kim Hansu was out cold. I took Section Chief Lee Jun-yeol to fetch Kasumi.
"Kasumi."
She jumped at the sight of me. "Eek?!"
"Why so startled?"
"Why're you calling me this early...?"
"Got nothing now? Come with me."
"Finally cashing in that wish?"
"It's kinda dangerous. You up for it?"
She'd pledged her life, after all. Her face hardened.
"What kind of danger?"
"I'll explain on the way."
"Fine. A promise is a promise."
That used up one of her wish coupons. Risky enough that I didn't mind.
Soon, Kasumi and I left the village, Lee Jun-yeol trailing.
Our destination: the forest from our first day on the 15th floor. It sat at the base of a mountain, and we needed someone midway up.
Or rather, something she had.
How long had we walked? Lee Jun-yeol spoke up from behind. "Felt it since we got here—this place is brutally hot."
"You'd call this nothing after the 14th floor."
"Back in my day, huh? Haha, that so, sir?"
I chuckled, then sobered up, pointing ahead. "There."
Lee Jun-yeol frowned too. "A house there? Suspicious."
Temples hid in mountainsides; a house midway up wasn't odd. But he had reason.
His faint eye-glow intensified. "Sir. Something's ahead. Bad vibe."
"A formation."
Kasumi chimed in. We'd scouted this spot yesterday with Kim Hansu. Past-life briefings mentioned the house vaguely—no exact location.
As Kasumi said, a formation lay ahead. I'd learned from Zhuque's warning: it couldn't break it from inside the Sealed Sword. Needed someone who might know how.
Enter Lee Jun-yeol, who sniffed out traps like a ghost even in my past life. Advanced tech was like magic, right?
I nodded. "As expected, you see it too, Section Chief. Can you break the formation?"
"Formulas aren't my specialty... but I see something. Round things clustered with energy."
"That's enough. Just point them out."
Lee Jun-yeol nodded, his glow sharpening like a beast's eyes in the dark. He scanned the air intently.
Meanwhile, I asked Zhuque, "Zhuque. Yesterday, the Bagua's Li... what was it?"
-A formation based on the eight trigrams: Qian, Dui, Li, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Gen, Kun. It said Li could be disrupted, no issue.
"So, Li gathers fire energy. Find its spot?"
-Yes.
I asked Lee Jun-yeol, "Section Chief. Among those orbs, any temperature differences?"
"Temperature?"
"Yes. Point out the hottest one."
-Pointless. The difference is microscopic. Even Fire Spirit Divine Essence...
Before Zhuque finished, Lee Jun-yeol pointed. "That orb's about 0.0000132 degrees higher. Celsius, for reference."
-......
Lee Jun-yeol read seven decimal places, silencing Zhuque. Modern tech was mighty indeed.