Parasitic Growth (4)
The midsection of Mount Songni, where the thick essence of nature soaked the air like an unspoken blessing.
There, at the private dojo built on the slopes, Park Sinhu drove his fist and foot into the sandbag with ferocious power.
—Thud! Slam! Smash!
It was the punching practice he had performed for months before entering the academy, training with every ounce of strength to push his stats as high as possible before his clash with Kang Seojun.
After suffering his first defeat at the hands of a peer, Park Sinhu had thrown himself into training the moment any free time appeared, as if he expected someone to chase him from behind.
That stance left those around him exhausted.
"Ugh! Uuugh! Ugh!"
The henchmen holding the sandbag in front of him gasped for breath each time a fist or kick connected.
"Clench it."
Park Sinhu tightened his fist, swelling the muscles of his right arm until a blue aura flared.
—BAM!
"Uuuugh!"
The mana-infused punch sent the sandbag and the henchman flying backward like rockets, crashing into the ground.
"Nngh…"
"Next."
Park Sinhu ignored the groaning henchman and snapped his fingers at the other waiting thug.
The henchman, face ashen, stepped forward with the sandbag.
The moment practice was about to resume,
"Master."
A low, steady voice called from beside him.
Park Sinhu lowered his fist and wiped sweat from his neck with the towel hanging there, turning to face the newcomer.
"What is it? When did you arrive?"
"I came because I had something to report."
"Anything new?"
The recent task he had assigned was one: investigating Kang Seojun.
"Yes. Two detectives who took on the case reported that they have news."
"Detectives?"
Park Sinhu furrowed his brow, tilting his head.
"Only a few days ago, and you already finished?"
"It seems the matter is a little different."
His expression crumpled.
From the way his subordinate Kim Junpyo had hinted, the detectives were unlikely to bring good news.
"First. Hey, you over there."
He called out to the henchman sitting in meditation at the entrance.
"Water."
"Yes, sir."
The maid quickly filled a glass from the pitcher and handed it over.
"This is a mana-infused tea brewed from four-year-old mountain ginseng."
The yellow hue of the ginseng mixed with the blue glow of the mana stone, producing a green liquid. The price of that single cup would easily surpass several million won—worth far more than the ordinary elixir it resembled.
The henchmen standing awkwardly in one corner of the dojo watched Park Sinhu with envious eyes.
He downed it in one swallow, then smirked.
"What is this?"
Unlike anything he had ever tasted, his throat burned fiercely.
"Is this really what I drink every day?"
"Excuse me?"
The maid looked bewildered.
—Kuhk! Kuhk!
A cough, something he rarely did, escaped him.
"Swallow…"
The cough brought a strange lump in his throat, and a faint metallic taste bloomed on his tongue.
"What the hell did you bring? Get rid of the rest."
The henchmen's faces twisted in horror.
If we were just to discard it, we should have kept it for ourselves!
"And call the head maid. What kind of idiot can't even manage the elixir properly."
The maid's face drained of color as she bowed deeply.
"Let's go."
Park Sinhu cleared his burning throat and walked with Kim Junpyo toward the reception room where the police waited.
As Park Sinhu entered, the two detectives rose, bowed, and greeted him.
"Welcome. Young Master."
Park Sinhu dropped into the highest seat with deliberate arrogance, arms draped over the armrests.
"So. What is it?"
The detectives exchanged glances.
The motion made Park Sinhu scowl.
"Why are you so stiff?"
"I'm sorry, Young Master, but it seems we cannot take on this case."
"What?"
Power surged into Park Sinhu's eyes.
"What? It's only been a few days since I hired you. Why? You took the money and now you're trying to back out?"
His sarcastic tone left the detectives visibly uneasy.
"It's not that… Rather, this…"
They presented two sheets of pure white paper.
Other than the bold "STOP" stamped across both, nothing else marked them.
"What is this?"
"Anonymous letters delivered to my house and Detective Kim's house respectively. We consider them warnings."
"Warnings?"
"Yes. Regarding the man you hired, Kang Seojun."
The detective continued with a serious expression, clearly reaching the main point.
"All information was locked at VVVIP security level."
"…What?"
Park Sinhu looked as if the words were nonsense.
Yet the detective paid him no mind and pressed on.
"A VVVIP level means even the president of our country cannot access it. Who else besides the top executives of the World Hunter Federation Union might have clearance for this level…."
"What?"
A hollow laugh burst from Park Sinhu.
"You writing fiction? You actually expect me to believe that?"
"We were just as shocked. But since it was your request, we tried using every workaround to deliver the man's information. Somehow, he found out and sent us this warning."
"It would be best to stop here. We do not know his affiliation, but at minimum…"
"Wait. Shut up."
"…"
A sudden vertigo slammed into him, the flow of thought he had never anticipated shattering completely.
He squeezed his eyes shut, rubbing his temple and waving his hand.
"Damn useless trash. You came here whining that you couldn't do it after all. Get out."
"…Excuse me."
The detectives left the reception room with obvious discomfort.
"…Fuck…"
In that instant, his sister's words flashed in his mind.
'Please. Act with some sense. Because you're the one who's doing well among us, you think you're a king? There are bigger organizations than ours in the world, you idiot. Gauge your opponent's size and act with some common sense.'
No matter how much of an heir to Korea's top two conglomerates he was, Park Sinhu was fundamentally nothing more than a wealthy merchant, a mercenary band, or—be generous—some up-and-coming local lord.
His stature paled beside a single nation, and against the World Hunter Federation Union, the world's most powerful force, he was even less comparable.
Yet this man, little better than a half-dead corpse, supposedly enjoyed protection at a world-class security level.
—Clang!
Park Sinhu slammed the water glass on the table so hard it cracked.
What kind of monster arrived in the Korean Hunter Academy with such backing?
Why? For what purpose?
His stomach churned with unease.
What if he was after the Fruit of the Sun?
Then could he compete and win against him…?
—Kuhk! Gahk…
A sudden fit of coughing erupted.
Like a tuberculosis patient, thick phlegm clogged his lungs.
"A-are you all right?"
The usually emotionless Kim Junpyo, seeing Park Sinhu display an unprecedented reaction after catching his first cold in his life, asked with concern.
"Back to the training ground. Today is an all-nighter."
Park Sinhu rose from his seat with resolute eyes.
He did not realize that such fire only accelerated his own defeat.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Mount Songni.
The cliff path where Kang Seojun and Jin Serin moved toward their training area.
Kang Seojun rode piggyback on the bodyguard's back while fiddling with his status window.
The moment Parasitic Growth activated, he transferred his necrotic terminal cancer trait to Park Sinhu without hesitation.
[You have selected as the trait to transfer to the host.]
[Trait has been downgraded to .]
[Host has acquired .]
—Sssshhh!
The blocked airways and vessels felt suddenly open as cancer dropped a single tier.
────────────── ▶ Name Kang Seojun
◆Stats [Strength: 1], [Agility: 1] [Endurance: 1], [Mana: 1] [Constitution: 3], [Intelligence: 8] [Will: 30], [Luck: 50]
◆Traits [Eye of Providence Lv. Transcendent], [Dimensional Shop Lv. Transcendent], [Favored One Lv. Transcendent], [Morbid Obesity Lv. Lowest], [Necrotic Dermatitis Lv. Lowest], [Hunchback Lv. Lowest], [Knock-knees Lv. Lowest], [Twisted Arm Lv. Lowest], [Invalid Constitution Lv. Lowest], [Manablindness Lv. Lowest], [Cannibal Parasite Lv. Lowest], [Cancer Stage 4 Lv. Lowest]] ……
◆Skills [Time for Counterattack Lv. Epic], [Parasitic Growth Lv. Epic]
───────────────────
The road ahead still felt long, but
[You have stolen the host's EXP! Constitution EXP has increased!]
[You have stolen the host's EXP! Strength EXP has increased!]
[You have stolen the host's EXP! Agility EXP has increased!]
At this rate, he would soon purge all debuff traits cleanly.
But traits like hunchback, knock-knees, and necrotic dermatitis were harder to transfer outright.
Once Park Sinhu's curved back straightened, Kang Seojun's own would remain rigid; suspicion would arise.
Outwardly obvious debuffs would require either another method or a scenario where trait transfer caused no issues.
After debuff cleanup was sufficiently advanced, all of Park Sinhu's buff traits must be acquired.
'High-Level Sword Talent', 'High-Level Martial Arts Talent', 'Rare Innate Martial Bones' …
Designed as a rival character, the growth and buff traits were generously distributed.
The most coveted of them all was the Successor of Taesan trait.
It granted the ability to receive full support and backing from the Taesan Group.
However, stealing it required additional conditions.
Park Sinhu had to be driven even further into decline, and his relationship with the Taesan Group strengthened.
Of course, both tasks were easy for Kang Seojun.
Parasitic Growth would naturally erode Park Sinhu until he broke.
Raising the Taesan Group's favor could be done by selling special information to Park Seoyun.
'It's purely a matter of time.'
The longer time passed, the more of his abilities and background Park Sinhu would steal from Kang Seojun.
Even as he lost everything, he would never understand what had happened.
There was no personal grudge against Park Sinhu, yet designing a happy life around this arrogant, selfish villain gave Kang Seojun a strange thrill.
'Conversely, I must nurture the allies diligently.'
Considering the latter half's difficulty, the companions' roles would prove vital.
Since Kang Seojun's body was singular, he could not solo every legendary gate worldwide.
As they hurried forward on the cliff, the bodyguard riding him asked,
"How much farther do we have to go?"
"We're almost there."
Strange patterns shifted in Kang Seojun's pupils.
[Eye of Providence is guiding you to the destination. Straight ahead 150 meters. Guidance will end soon.]
The destination was a hidden dungeon only Kang Seojun knew.
Normally, even at his current stats, the number was deadly, but it did not matter.
He only needed to guide the way.
The actual conquest would be left to Jin Serin's guards.
It was truly Parasitic Growth.
Parasitic Growth
[Host Park Sinhu has acquired ]
[You have stolen the host's EXP! Strength EXP has increased!]
[You have stolen the host's EXP! Constitution EXP has increased!]
[You have stolen the host's EXP! Agility EXP has increased!]
Kang Seojun felt the phantom of his own body straighten as the hunchback trait lifted a fraction.
The route continued, but he knew the true prize waited deeper inside.