Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Infiltration (2)
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"Hmm..."
Two men rolling on the floor.
Chubby and Scrawny.
Thankfully... well, I wasn't sure, but at least they were both still alive.
Scrawny, who'd had his throat choked, was out cold.
Chubby... well,
he didn't look like he was in any immediate danger of dying.
I searched the room briefly but didn't uncover anything useful.
The only gain was the potions Scrawny had brought.
I stuffed them all into the pouch at my waist.
I'd identified the target person I was after.
Chubby had said he'd called for someone named Deokgyu from upstairs.
If I waited, he might come back here...
But with these two liable to wake up at any moment,
I couldn't afford to hang around leisurely.
I knelt down and looked at the fallen Chubby.
I scanned his body from head to toe, then focused on his face for several minutes.
Closing my eyes, I let mana flow into the air.
I defined the space. The boundary was right above my own body, projecting the fat man's appearance.
Then I checked my reflection in the glass.
A rough-looking face, wearing a short-sleeved shirt despite the chilly weather, thanks to that bulky build.
A one-man. Chubby's form stared back at me.
This illusion targeted space itself, not a person.
Even I could see the distorted version, so there was no worry of mental resistance piercing through it.
The issue might be mana consumption.
It was an application of perception hindrance. Going beyond mere concealment to full disguise ramped up the cost even more.
Now that I'd reached D-rank, it was manageable for now, but I couldn't maintain it indefinitely.
"Ahh."
I spoke to adjust my voice.
Matching the tone I'd memorized from Chubby, I stepped out of the room right away.
"Boss?"
The two underlings I'd seen with Scrawny on the way.
They looked at me without a hint of suspicion.
"You know where Deokgyu went, right?"
"To headquarters, isn't it?"
The response came from the bug-eyed guy on the left.
I pointed at him and spoke.
"A guest just showed up demanding Deokgyu. Come with me to headquarters. You know the spot, right?"
"Huh? Hyung-su, you can go alone..."
A subtle annoyance crept into his attitude.
I didn't need any solid excuse or justification to persuade him.
I just mimicked Chubby's personality as I'd observed it.
Stepping right up to his face, I leaned in close.
"When I say heel, you heel... You're all talk, you fucking punk."
At my growl, Bug-eyes immediately shut his mouth.
His eyes showed only fear, no doubt.
Seeing him choke Scrawny without hesitation had led me to infer he wasn't the type to care for his underlings.
I'd been right.
As I followed him, I called out to the remaining one.
"The guest looks pissed. Don't poke around nearby, got it?"
I considered barking more orders, but his reaction told me that was enough.
We left the building and walked slowly down the street.
So far, everything was going according to plan.
The place we were heading was probably Red Potion's main base.
Not the info I'd originally wanted, but something even better.
Maybe it was time to pull back. As I pondered, I noticed the scenery changing.
The high-rises crowding both sides vanished at some point, opening up my view.
A factory. The expansive lot suggested it had once been a thriving production plant.
Now reduced to an abandoned factory.
And that was Red Potion's hideout.
Two men stood at the entrance, their attire and vibe different from the small-time thugs.
They had Awakeners on guard duty, huh.
The organization seemed bigger than I'd thought.
I'd pinpointed the base's location. Reporting back now would end the mission.
As Bug-eyes chatted with the guards and I prepared to slip away,
someone emerged from inside the lot.
"What's this? Why'd the pain-in-the-ass show up all the way out here?"
I froze.
No illusion. A bespectacled man approaching, recognizing me—or rather, Chubby.
I had no idea what their relationship was, so I couldn't respond rashly.
Luckily, Bug-eyes spoke up first.
"The guest was looking for you, boss. Seemed urgent."
"What? Who is it?"
Glasses scowled.
From the context, this guy had to be Deokgyu.
Silence too long would arouse suspicion.
Recalling what Scrawny had said, I replied.
"From that outfit we work with. One of their guys."
Seemed my phrasing was spot on.
Glasses focused on the content.
"Why they sending for me?"
"Dunno. Wouldn't talk unless it was you, so they sent me to fetch ya."
"What a hassle... Tell 'em to wait. This side's more important; they'll cut me some slack."
"Got it."
I nodded and turned to leave.
Perfect timing and excuse for my escape.
Maybe I reacted too eagerly.
"Hold up."
The man's voice stopped me.
I turned naturally, and Glasses' face came into view.
A cold, expressionless stare. I couldn't read the emotion in his eyes.
Cold sweat trickled down my back. Considering Chubby's personality, should I have grumbled there?
Glasses raised his hand.
His finger pointed at one man.
The bug-eyed guy who'd escorted me.
"You go tell him alone. Hyung-su showed up at the right time—the Alchemist needs an Awakener anyway."
Relief mixed with tension.
"Plenty of Awakeners here too."
I shot a glance at the rear guards as I said it.
Glasses looked incredulous.
"Obviously I mean our guys. You think I'd use these money-grubbing mercs?"
So they weren't organization members.
I nodded for now and kept thinking.
Their identity wasn't hard to guess.
Unregistered Awakeners who hadn't joined the Hunter registry.
Mercs from the shadows who'd take any illegal job for the right price.
"Come in."
Glasses waved off the guards and headed inside.
But when I didn't follow, he turned back.
Question in his eyes. Any delay would turn to suspicion.
'Time to choose.'
Forcing a bit of fuss to bail now was safest.
Once inside, escape would be tough.
I had the base and the target; no need to linger.
But,
I followed Glasses into the lot.
Only then did he turn forward and lead the way.
One thing from his words had hooked me.
'There's an Alchemist here.'
That meant they were brewing potions on-site.
Maybe I could uncover the doping drug recipe.
The ones from the game I knew, or new unknown ones they'd developed.
Info worth a slight risk.
Mana reserves were decent. As long as I didn't dawdle, depletion wouldn't be an issue.
I judged it safe to push a little deeper.
Screeech! Bang!
Rhythmic metallic clangs echoed from inside the factory.
People bustled about, operating machines.
And Awakeners in similar garb to the guards stood watch around them.
This was weird.
All they were selling were basic doping drugs.
Could they sustain this setup on those profits alone?
Or was a mere doping drug even worth mobilizing this many people and funds?
Overstaffed personnel, oversized facilities, excessive security.
As confusion swirled in me, we stopped before a room.
Glasses opened the door, revealing an old man seated in a chair.
"Brought an Awakener for you, Alchemist."
The white-haired elder didn't even glance our way, eyes fixed on papers on his desk as he spoke.
"Rank?"
Glasses answered for me.
"C-rank physical enhancement type."
Only then did the old man look over.
His wrinkled eyes twisted in displeasure.
"Did I ask for trash like this? Where's that sword punk, and why'd you drag in this half-assed kid?"
Glasses' face stiffened slightly.
He seemed to react to the "sword punk" mention.
"...I did contact him, but no reply since."
"Buncha idiots, all of you... You go check on him. You, follow me."
Tsking, the old man pointed at me and stood.
Whatever his complaints, he needed me for now.
We left the factory and moved to the adjacent building.
Fewer people milling about, but more Awakener mercs.
Meant this was a key area.
Something inside caught my eye, halting my steps momentarily.
Doping drugs. Same color as the ones in my pouch.
Hundreds of red potions lined up in rows.
Seeing me hesitate, the old man tsked again.
"Not calling you for phase one crap. Quit wasting time and follow."
Phase one? So there were others?
The old man began descending the stairs slowly.
Destination was underground.
I followed, eyeing his back.
This geezer was the Alchemist crafting phase-four-or-higher quality potions.
No amateur— a real skilled one.
Which made it even harder to understand.
His value far exceeded most Awakeners.
Even the Four Great Guilds would snap him up without question.
...So why was a talent like that holed up in a criminal outfit?
Confusion deepened as light dimmed and shadows crept in.
The old man opened a door, and I instinctively grimaced.
A pungent stench assaulted my nose. Alchemy traces, but poor ventilation made it brutally intense.
Inside, others who looked like Alchemists scurried about.
His assistants, probably.
My eyes were drawn to one spot.
Men loading massive cargo onto a cart, grunting under the weight.
A wave of weakness washed over me.
The old man asked one approaching us.
"Progress?"
"Stabilized phase one as base, prototype complete. A few more Awakener samples, and we can finalize phase two adjustments."
"Good, good. Bring one over."
Soon, a bottle of deep red liquid was handed to the old man.
Red like the doping drug, but darker.
The old man smiled as he took it.
But my gaze lingered beyond.
On the Alchemists loading the cart.
Crack. Limbs bent unnaturally from rough handling, yet no reaction from them.
Dead men don't scream.
Pale, bloodless corpses stacked atop the cart.
"Consider it an honor. It's no mere elixir with immortality effects—something a worm like you could never touch."
The prototype for clinical trials.
Thanks to that, even trash like me got a shot, so be grateful—the old man's words as he handed me a vial.
Deep crimson potion, blood-red liquid.
Human blood was always one of alchemy's base materials.
Easy to obtain, and high value as an ingredient.
As a sub-material, it acted as a catalyst amplifying the final product's effects.
Still, human blood was niche.
The blood volume required didn't scale linearly with amplification.
As boosts increased, blood needs skyrocketed exponentially.
Sub-material outpricing the main one—such inefficiency had nearly phased it out.
...Or so it should have.
Rumble. They flung open an inner door, dumping the cart's load.
Beyond, a glimpse of a massive mountain of death.
"Senior, cart's full of trash."
"They'll handle disposal tomorrow. Wait."
Their mechanical exchange.
Why...?
Shock sharpened my mind to crystal clarity.
The eerie vibe, the oddness, all the questions since arriving.
Clues reassembled one by one.
Why sell phase one doping drugs cheap to Hunters.
...Not for money. To observe effects on Awakeners.
Why pour so much capital and manpower into mere doping drugs.
...It was just a step. Not the real goal.
Why the ominous feeling upon arrival.
Scrawny's offhand remark, as if it were nothing.
—That's why the atmosphere felt different. Right on. Lotsa people vanishing lately, so barely anyone wanders the streets now.
"Haha..."
Why no permits.
...To avoid exposing this slaughterhouse.
I stared blankly at the vial in my hand.
Life's hue sloshed feebly with the slightest motion.
"What're you waiting for? Gonna waste this precious chance?"
I wanted to build mana. Raise my rank. Grow stronger.
The primal desires of my weak, worthless self.
But those wishes had an unspoken clause.
With my own power, build mana.
Proudly, raise my rank.
Without shame, grow strong.
Arang Guild promised growth to B-rank if I joined.
I refused. Hated taking orders for unwanted jobs.
Such a me wouldn't drink some shady unknown potion.
So I let go.
—Crash!
"Wh-what the hell?!"
Refreshing shatter, blood pooling on the floor.
No—considering the ingredients, actual blood.
The old man glared, face flushed purple.
"You lunatic! Do you even know what you just did?!"
"Yeah."
My calm reply as I pulled a small item from my pocket.
An emergency transmitter, like a car key fob.
Press without hesitation in a pinch, they'd said.
Had the old man's yell tipped them off to something wrong?
Everyone around froze, staring our way.
Dozens of eyes fixed on me.
My chest tightened a bit.
Not the crisis Kang Jiwon fretted over.
Not surrounded by foes, no mortal wounds.
Not even detected yet.
Still... it was fine, right?
Click!
The button depressed easily,
and only then did I smile freely.
"Figured I'd find out from here on."