Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Infiltration (4)
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Coming out of the warehouse, Han Yujin sprinted outside.
The walkie-talkie in his pocket kept feeding him information.
For some reason, Han Yujin's position was continuously leaking out.
As a result, he couldn't stay in one place and kept darting from spot to spot.
That was when he slipped through a gap in the building and rounded a corner.
A man in a fancy suit, flanked by a bodyguard standing protectively beside him.
His eyes locked exactly with those of the two men.
The bodyguard's reaction was immediate. He started charging straight at him.
But Han Yujin was used to such responses by now.
The man barely took two steps before tumbling head over heels.
The moment he tried to turn his ability on the suited man next,
Bang!
At the sound that shattered his expectations, he dove for cover.
Just before ducking behind the wall, he caught a blurry glimpse of a metal lump—a pistol.
"Come out, you fucking bastard!"
The agitated man's shout.
I'm the one who wanted to curse.
What kind of screwed-up security was this, letting criminals carry guns?
This was tricky. To use his ability, he needed the target in his line of sight.
But no matter how fast he was, could he really outpace the twitch of a trigger finger?
Han Yujin wasn't crazy enough to gamble with a bullet hole in his head.
Calming his pounding heart, he pulled a red potion from his pouch.
The doping agent he'd gotten from Visilly. But its contents didn't matter.
He channeled mana into the space and activated his ability: Perception Impairment.
Then he hurled the glass vial forward.
Crash!
Bang!
A shattering sound followed by a single gunshot.
The suited man had reflexively fired toward where the vial landed.
The guy was wound up tight, staring at the spot, waiting for his opponent to pop out.
Then, without warning, he crumpled to the ground.
Soon after, space rippled on the opposite side, and Han Yujin's figure emerged.
He'd drawn their attention with the vial, circled around the building, and targeted the man from behind.
He picked up the fallen pistol.
No spare magazines, but the rounds it had would surely help.
Han Yujin shoved it roughly into his pocket and moved on.
*
As his stamina hit its limit, he used Perception Impairment to hide inside an abandoned factory.
Unlike the other factory buildings, this one was completely deserted—no signs of human activity.
He could catch his breath here for a bit.
A hard-earned moment of rest.
The emotions that had driven his body faded, and his sharp reason returned before he knew it.
He calmly reviewed the situation and reached a cool conclusion.
'I'm fucked.'
The shocking sight he'd stumbled upon had made his head spin.
If he'd lost his cool but lacked the means to act, he might have held back somehow... but he'd remembered the emergency transmitter.
Thinking of the Buster Call that would rush in at the push of a button, he'd gone ahead anyway. But reality didn't play out that way.
Instead, he was stuck enduring this endless hell of waiting.
The Association mission was already complete; he just needed to escape. So why was he making things harder for himself?
What an idiot.
Speaking of which, when the hell was Jiwon coming? She should be here any minute now. What if it was broken after all?
As useless thoughts piled up, he sensed a presence.
Snapping out of it, he ramped up his tension again.
Footsteps approaching his position.
No reason for anyone to come here otherwise—their goal was obvious.
"I got dragged here outta nowhere, and I'm fucking pissed. I don't wanna drag this out, so let's just die quietly, yeah?"
The man's voice, speaking as if he knew exactly where Han Yujin was hiding behind cover.
No bluff. He started walking straight toward him.
No hesitation then. Han Yujin pulled the metal lump from his pocket, gripped it, and steadied his stance.
The moment the footsteps hit the ground again, he sprang up.
His honed senses stretched the instant into eternity.
In his sight: a man with yellow-dyed hair. A sword in his right hand, but not your average blade. Long and curved, like a Japanese katana.
The man noticed him too, but Han Yujin's eyes and gun barrel were already locked on target.
He unleashed the mana he'd gathered in advance.
But the man's eyes, which started to glaze over, quickly regained their focus. Golden blond hair.
The ability failed. Mana had connected, so it wasn't nullified. He'd resisted purely through mental fortitude?
Panic was brief. He had a Plan B in hand.
Bang!
The bullet flew toward the man's torso. Han Yujin wasn't a marksman, but at this range, no way it'd miss.
The impact sounded almost simultaneous with the shot.
The bullet struck the blond's chest dead-on. But...
Clang.
It just bounced off.
A blue aura flowed over the man's body, shielding him from the bullet.
The blond's eyes widened in surprise.
"Whoa... First time getting shot. You from the Inspection Department?"
Han Yujin's gun hand trembled. An Awakened who could shrug off his illusion and block bullets with full-body aura.
On a whole different level from the enemies he'd faced so far.
That overwhelming gap... probably A-rank.
The man grinned, raising his right arm.
The katana stood straight, blue flames flickering along its length.
Then the blade slashed down toward him.
A heap of scrap metal stood between the blond and Han Yujin—logically, it shouldn't reach.
But instinct screamed to dodge, and he leaped back, saving his life.
The scrap crumpled like paper the instant the aura touched it.
No room for holding back. He cranked his output to max, mana draining away as he glared at the man.
'Death.'
The man's stance faltered.
Light faded from his pupils, body tilting.
Unlike before, the ability clearly worked.
But the blond snapped his eyes wide open, regaining awareness.
"...You've got some shitty power, huh?"
Killing intent choked the air.
It wasn't ineffective. Sweat beaded on his forehead, eyes bloodshot, fingers quivering.
Definite damage to the mind.
Just not enough to drop him.
Grinding his teeth, Han Yujin pulled the trigger on the metal in his grip.
Two more shots rang out.
Bang! Bang!
The man, who looked ready to charge, hesitated as bullets pinged off his body. Han Yujin bolted backward.
Hopeless situation.
Gun ineffective, full-power ability not enough to fell him.
If he were at full strength, maybe. But mana was scraping bottom now.
No way he could beat the blond, dead or alive.
Rat-tat-tat!
Dashing outside the factory, something appeared in the distant sky—what he'd been waiting for.
A helicopter slicing through the air, heading his way.
Association backup. It'd arrive soon. Just hold on a little longer...
He glanced back and freaked.
The pursuing man.
The blond's right hand, fury etched coldly on his face—the aura on his katana was extending its length.
The blade more than doubled, and as it swung, Han Yujin scraped every last drop of mana.
'Mental Breakdown!'
A split-second daze. The aura on the blade flickered.
But it reformed just as quickly. Awareness returning too fast.
Mana fully depleted now.
No point running. He turned, aimed the barrel, and went to squeeze the trigger.
Slash!
Faster still—the blade grazed the gun, slicing it in half.
His body froze unnaturally.
"Calling in a chopper too? You've been picking all the moves I like."
The man slowed, approaching leisurely.
He knew Han Yujin had no fight left.
Cold murderous intent gleamed in his eyes.
"I'd love to rip you apart limb by limb nice and slow... but thanks to you, no time for that."
Slowly, he raised the sword.
This was it. Backup was here, so cleanup would happen.
But he probably wouldn't survive.
Resigned, he tilted his head up. The helicopter had grown from a dot to fist-sized.
In that moment of certain death, his mouth fell open dumbly.
A figure stood in the open door of the chopper.
The unfamiliar woman staring right at him raised her right hand above her face.
Index and middle fingers extended straight, ring and thumb touching. A sword mudra, mimicking a blade with her hand.
Blue energy flowed over her raised fingers.
Oddly, from this distance, he couldn't make out her clothes or face clearly—but that blue haze blooming on her hand stood out sharp.
The instant the blond swung for his neck,
"Die—!!!"
The woman slashed her hand down.
Clang!
All that swung was the hilt in the man's grip.
"Wha..."
The cleanly severed blade stuck in the ground, swaying.
The aura had been cut.