Don't Get Cocky
"Aaaah......"
Despair settled into Isabelle's eyes—no, the committee chair's eyes.
Her Gift was a double-edged sword.
If this had been my first life cycle.
If Isabelle, trained over long years to conceal her emotions and memories.
We wouldn't have read each other's minds, nor been read.
I pulled out the Baek-yang-go from my body, the counterpart to the Heuk-eum-go inside Isabelle. A small black spot had already appeared near her head. It meant the Heuk-eum-go, her pill's pair, had successfully taken root where it could suck in yin energy.
Likewise, the Heuk-eum-go paired with the Baek-yang-go in Tae Ja-seok's body showed a white spot on his head.
A pair of diamonds that had lost their luster.
I looked down into her eyes and said,
"Isabelle. You're mine now."
"......"
She didn't spout some corny line like 'Just kill me.'
She was someone who'd endured humiliation as royalty.
Clearly, she had a fierce attachment to life.
That's why using Solitude required picking your targets carefully. People who wanted to live, with ambitions.
Above all, in my previous life, the Media and Publishing Department deputy who'd owned the Black-White Yin-Yang Pills had abused it, turning his entire department against him and getting assassinated.
I had no intention of repeating that mistake.
"Let's smile at each other from now on, Chairwoman."
I gave a simple bow and left.
Isabelle just stared blankly into space with lifeless eyes for a long while.
After that incident, the fallout wasn't as big as I'd expected.
The reason? Simple.
Tap-tap, tap-tap.
Tae Ja-seok tilted his head side to side, cracking his knuckles with firm presses.
"Hey, you. You're Kim Dong-sik from the broadcast station, right?"
"P-Pardon? Y-Yeah, but... who might you be?"
"None of your business. Come to the bathroom for a sec."
"I-I'm really busy right now, so if you'll excuse me......"
Thud.
The employee, Kim Dong-sik, ducked his head and tried to hurry past Tae Ja-seok.
But he bumped into another employee who'd appeared behind him, boxing him in.
"Haha. Where you off to?"
"Wh-Why are you doing this to me?"
"Let's just beat you up first."
"......Huh?"
Crack!
Moments later, Tae Ja-seok yanked Kim Dong-sik up by his hair, blood streaming from both nostrils.
"You're the one writing all those smear articles about our department lately, yeah?"
Kim Dong-sik's face drained pale as he pried open his swollen lips.
"......S-Safety Planning......! H-Heuk!"
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
"You little shit. Gotta watch your mouth, right?"
"Y-Yes, yes! I g-got it. I-I'll be c-careful from now on."
Incidents like this popped up everywhere, but that wasn't the main reason.
Well, it had some effect, but only a tiny bit(?).
The big reason was that the Media and Publishing Department had cleared the 16th-floor stage.
Above all else, Hunter Stock Company employees cared most about stage clears.
I spared her referral to the Employee Review Committee after she begged not to air fake news ever again.
Her palm-rubbing desperation, vowing total loyalty to Safety Planning like Tae Ja-seok, was still fresh in my mind.
Honestly, getting disciplined by the Employee Review Committee felt shitty at the time.
But that's only when the blade points at me.
If I hold the hilt, it's a different story.
"Let's check today's paper."
I was lying in bed, about to flip to the front page, when a knock suddenly sounded.
Knock knock knock.
Taki stood at the door when I opened it, a huge backpack slung over her shoulders.
She spoke with hollow eyes.
"I brought it, Section Chief Kim Jeongha."
"Good work. Leave it here and go. Nine more to come."
"Yes."
Slam!
Clear emotion laced the door slam.
Having to politely deliver the rewards from a hard-cleared stage must feel indescribable.
Whatever. I opened the bag.
Ziiiip.
Pulling the zipper revealed a massive greatsword.
"Hmm...... What to do with this."
I'd gotten the artifact, but it wasn't something I needed.
Did I like it or not?
"Artifact check."
◈ Its size and weight alone can cleave steel. If you can swing it.
"Heave-ho."
Standing it next to me for comparison, the blade alone nearly matched my height.
To use this, it'd be less carrying and more dragging.
In my previous life, no one used this greatsword; I remembered melting it down into several shields. Its durability was top-notch.
"Hmm......"
Shield sword style. No matter how I thought about it, it wasn't my thing.
"Stash it for now."
I stored the Iron-Severing Greatsword in the mirror.
No real schedule today.
Actually, I had the next three months forced off, so it was prime time for pure training.
This dawn, I'd finally reached 4-star Dragon Whisker Art.
Now, my immediate goals were 6-star Thunder Cloud Heart Knot, and 1-star Moon Sky Step and Body Thunder Knot.
But lightness skills were too flashy while I needed to lay low.
I prioritized training Thunder Cloud Heart Knot to 6-star.
A week later.
I finally reached 6-star Thunder Cloud Heart Knot.
Bzzzzt!
Now I could form lightning bolts my size around me and fire them freely.
Haven't tested the power yet, but it could probably electrocute a person in an instant.
If the basic technique Thunder Cloud Heart Knot was this strong, how insane would the advanced ones be?
"Oh, right."
I suddenly remembered why I'd pushed Thunder Cloud Heart Knot to 6-star.
I pulled out Cromwell's Key and activated Thunder Cloud Heart Knot.
Bzzzzt!
Bundles of thunderbolts formed in my hand.
The energy calmed, seeping into Cromwell's Key.
The key hadn't hit its usage limit yet.
But now I could recharge it anytime, which eased my mind.
I kept infusing mana until I couldn't anymore.
"When does it end?"
Snapping out of it, my mana was nearly drained.
Had I used too much lately? Or was it almost maxed out?
Or maybe my achievement wasn't high enough for fast charging.
Thunder Cloud Heart Knot was just basic, after all.
Soon after, I ate breakfast in the cafeteria and headed to Director Seon Ga-hee.
Knocking on her office door, a voice came from inside.
"Come in."
Opening it, I caught a glimpse of something unusual from behind Director Seon Ga-hee.
Flash! Whoosh!
Lightning strands gathered and dispersed around her repeatedly.
Instinct told me that was her Spirit Pill.
Not similar in form or anything to mine, but a cultivator's intuition.
It was a split-second sight, different from martial arts vibes.
"What was that just now?"
"Huh? What?"
"Nothing. Must've been my imagination."
"You're no fun."
Her reaction confirmed it: Cultivators recognize each other.
But it puzzled me. I could see her Spirit Pill, so why couldn't she spot mine?
Robert the mage could sense it but not identify it, due to magic's nature.
But Director Seon Ga-hee's attainment clearly surpassed mine—this was a contradiction.
I was dying to know, but couldn't ask the one person who could answer.
Frustrating.
"What do you think the Chairwoman's up to?"
"Who knows? Committee work, probably."
"Yeah. Makes sense."
I'd been on edge, but inwardly relieved.
Seemed Isabelle hadn't told Director Seon Ga-hee about us.
Actually, part of coming here was to check that.
Over the past week of training, I'd closely watched both Isabelle and Director Seon Ga-hee.
And confirmed: Director Seon Ga-hee had zero interest in her department's affairs.
Meaning Isabelle effectively held HR's real power.
Great for me.
Director Seon Ga-hee tilted her head.
"Why do you ask? Got a thing for the Chairwoman?"
And she had this unexpectedly naive side.
I scratched my temple awkwardly, chuckling.
"Pfft, haha, no. You two just seemed joined at the hip."
"Your manager doesn't stick to me like that. Right?"
"Well, yeah. Manager Kae loves Ops Control too much."
"Hmm. Your department works hard."
I smirked it off and shifted to a more respectful demeanor.
Bowing properly, I spoke.
"Master."
"Yes, disciple."
"I've completed Thunder Cloud Heart Knot. I seek further teachings."
Meaning, cough up something better.
She checked my achievement, nodding satisfied.
"Good. Hold on."
She pulled a blue book from the shelf and handed it over.
I took it and read the cover.
"Thunder Cloud Heart Accumulation Knot."
As if waiting, she explained.
"The incantation's profound and long—too hard to explain like Thunder Cloud Heart Knot. So I wrote it down."
"Whoa, thank you, Master! To go this far for me......"
Director Seon Ga-hee shook her head.
"Not just for you. I jotted down what I remembered in case I forget."
"Ah."
So that's what she'd been organizing papers for—not department work, but martial and immortal arts manuals.
"Mastering this means you're a cultivator aiming from Entry Path to Human Pill Stage."
"Human Pill Stage?"
"Yeah. New cultivators start at Entry Path. Knowing of the Spirit Pill and striving for awakening is Human Pill Stage."
"What if the Spirit Pill's already awakened? Can I learn the next stage?"
She smirked at my question.
"Impossible. No precedent."
But it had happened—what now?
I was antsy.
"Hypothetically, just suppose?"
"Hmm...... Even then, training Spirit Pill Stage arts without Human Pill Stage basics? Absurd."
Seemed Spirit Pill Stage followed Human Pill Stage.
Made sense—you can't learn multiplication without addition.
Build foundations solid, no shortcuts to immortality.
"Disciple."
"Yes, Master."
"You're a proper Human Pill Stage cultivator now."
She seemed to have more to say, so I waited.
"Seeking immortality defies heaven's order and providence."
I shrugged.
"Just being a Hunter Stock Company employee defies it plenty."
Eternal life. What defies heaven more?
Forced or not.
Director Seon Ga-hee didn't argue.
"True, I find that weird too. A company founded by gods? Even stranger. But how can mere humans grasp divine will?"
"Right."
Divine will.
I knew roughly, if not details.
The branch chief had mentioned it once.
The 'shareholders' scheme to turn the human world into their pantheon.
Gods and men united against it, forming Hunter Stock Company.
Of course, shareholder and employee interests tangled more complexly.
Groups drift from original goals.
Selfish pursuits amid it all.
But recalling that—and hearing Director Seon Ga-hee—solidified my conviction and goal.
"Guess the only way to know is to become an immortal."
To know heaven's will, ascend to heaven yourself.
She smiled brightly at my answer.
She kept talking afterward, but summarized:
Immortals reject nature's flow, so not purely good.
Immortals (seonin) aren't the good kind (seonin).
Sometimes more vicious than demons, ruthless for the next stage.
So if you meet another cultivator.
Unless guaranteed good, never trust.
That was her point.
"Beware other cultivators."
-What a thorny path. Heh heh.
No easy roads in life, but I agreed with Zhuque this time.
I engraved her words while learning the new art, Thunder Cloud Heart Accumulation Knot.
Then Angelica piped up.
-Hmm. Sounds like cultivators aren't much different from you, Master.
"Who made noise during my sacred training?"
-......
My subordinates shut up.
Time to focus on immortal arts.
Thunder Cloud Heart Accumulation Knot had 12 stars total.
About 90% of cultivators dropped out here, like me at Human Pill Stage.
Most aged out or died to rivals or yokai.
Even knowing that, my resolve didn't waver.
"Gotta train harder."
Of course, some anxiety lingered.
Gulp.
Nam Bi's Spirit Pills were running low.
With my mediocre talent, no pills meant stalled progress—obvious.
But I shook it off.
Don't think about it now.
I kept pouring mana into Cromwell's Key.
Using Thunder Cloud Heart Knot while cultivating Thunder Cloud Heart Accumulation Knot helped.
Foundations first—my thinking was spot on.
Hours passed like that.
Suddenly.
Shiiiine!
"......Huh?"
Cromwell's Key began to glow.