The Second Confiscation
The second power arrived with a boom—!!! The car door flew open like it was shattering, and three men piled out.
Leading them was Ryu Jin-hyuk in plain clothes. Trailing behind were two scruffy Myth Guild thugs, their faces twisted in ugly scowls.
Analyzing target's mana waves to gauge skills and mana capabilities.
"Ha, damn."
The results popped up, but all I could do was let out a hollow laugh. The assholes they'd dragged along were the same two who'd been tailing me.
They really think I'm a total pushover, huh? Guess they need to learn the hard way.
First batter: Mana circuits fragmented all over the place.
Held skill: Reinforced Knuckle (D).
Second batter: Faint waves lingering in the thighs.
Held skill: Shadow Step (D).
I had no idea how much skill capacity I could absorb yet, and there was zero reason to pick up that kind of garbage anyway.
Finally, the ace pitcher: Ryu Jin-hyuk. Mana core refined to a decent degree.
Held skill: Magic Sword Aura (C).
There it is. Tonight's target skill to steal.
"You actually followed me all the way out here."
Ryu Jin-hyuk's steps faltered.
"Not surprised from a cleaner punk. Even picked a fitting dump to die in."
"And you, Team Leader Ryu? Ditching the paperwork and suit to come all the way to this remote outskirts yourself. That message I sent must've really stung."
"Shut your fucking mouth, you piece of shit."
The polished tone he'd used at the Hunter Association was completely gone from Ryu Jin-hyuk's voice.
"Hand over the original and copy of Do-yeon's record chip you stole. Now."
'Do-yeon lady.'
Not Team Leader Cha Do-yeon—just Do-yeon lady.
That explained why the remnants of her core had reacted so violently toward him.
And his over-the-top sensitivity right now.
Clearly, there was something tangled between them.
Time to poke at it a little.
"You want cloud data handed over in physical form out here in the middle of nowhere? Guess the inspection team leader gig comes with an IQ deduction."
"What, you little—"
"Honestly, you don't even need evidence, right? Seal my lips and dump the body where no one will find it before it reaches Chairman Cha's ears?"
Hands shoved in my pockets, I prodded him, watching his reactions closely.
"But it's sloppy as hell. You drag me out here to slit my throat away from guild eyes, and all you bring are two D-rank trash heaps?"
My calm, blatant taunt made the thugs' faces twist.
"Perfect for cutting loose later, though."
"This guy's lost it? Still doesn't get the situation?"
"Team Leader! Let me rip this fucker's jaw off right now!"
The guy on the right couldn't hold back and swung a knuckle-dusted fist at me.
Whoosh—!
As the punch neared, I turned my head to let it glance off.
"How's a fresh newbie awakener smoother than you? Back off before you get hurt bad."
"Urk...!"
Look at that. His eyes are twitching like crazy.
A cleaner with zero combat experience reading their patterns? Instinctive fear kicking in.
"Urgh!"
I twisted his wrist and flung him forward.
"Team Leader Ryu. Your turn. Got something you'll wanna see."
I snapped my fingers.
"Crimson Flame."
Fwooom—!
Crimson Flame
Fierce heat exploded outward.
Flames devoured the air, swallowing the abandoned factory lot whole.
"H-Hot...!"
"That's the same skill as Hunter Cha Do-yeon...?"
The two lost all will to fight and collapsed on their asses.
"Useless fucks! Fall back!"
Ryu Jin-hyuk bellowed, shoving the thugs aside. Rage burned in his eyes as he fixed on me.
He didn't know how skills and cores got stolen, so he was still moving cautiously.
He raised his sword overhead.
"You fucking bastard dare use Crimson Flame...?"
Shing—
"Paperwork's denied. I'll recover the chip here myself! Die!"
"Eh, I told you it's backed up to the cloud."
Boom—!
Ryu Jin-hyuk lunged with blinding speed. Black sword aura hurtled toward me.
So that's what Magic Sword Aura looks like.
Slash—slash—!
The blade whipped around, trailing clinging sword energy.
Gotta give it to the inspection team leader—he was deliberately avoiding vitals. Intent on crippling me.
Same playbook as Cha Do-yeon.
I instantly erupted flames from my left arm to bat away the sword aura.
Bang—!
Crimson Flame clashed head-on with Magic Sword Aura.
The factory's cracked concrete floor shattered, shards flying everywhere.
Crimson Flame filled the ground mist.
Ryu Jin-hyuk wasn't backing down, probing for openings.
Now.
I cut off the mana I'd been building.
Swoosh—!
The sword aura dove through the throttled Crimson Flame, grazing my shoulder.
Blood beaded from the shallow cut.
"Hahaha! Pathetic shit! Think stealing someone else's clothes makes 'em truly yours?!"
Seeing me pushed back, ecstasy lit Ryu Jin-hyuk's eyes.
...Perfect.
His guard completely shattered. The arrogance of having crushed his foe.
"This ends it, Baek Sa-eon! Trash belongs in the dump!"
Ryu Jin-hyuk raised his sword two-handed.
My vision tinted red.
Conditions met. You dumb fuck.
Clear killing intent toward user detected.
Absolute Confiscation
Confiscating target 'Ryu Jin-hyuk's' unique skill Magic Sword Aura (C-rank) and Mana Core (C-rank).
"I'll put it to good use, Team Leader Ryu."
"Wha...?"
Proceed with confiscation?
Click.
Crack—!!!
Ryu Jin-hyuk's Magic Sword Aura was yanked away like by an invisible hand.
"M-My Magic Sword Aura...!"
He stared in disbelief.
The mana that should've clung to the blade was gone without a trace.
All that filled the void was the empty rattle of bare metal.
Extracting core mana and forcibly assimilating into user.
"Gaaahhhh—!!!"
Way more intense reaction than the first theft.
Cha Do-yeon's core? Or maybe because Ryu Jin-hyuk was a combat-type hunter with deeper core integration.
Either way, as his power vanished, the fury in her core settled.
The thugs flanking him froze solid, watching their boss writhe on the ground without me laying a finger on him.
I looked down at Ryu Jin-hyuk sprawled on the floor.
"How's it feel crawling on the ground, Team Leader Ryu?"
"Y-You... What the hell are you...?"
"Who knows. Let's just say I'm 'off-spec,' quoting someone."
I grabbed his collar. Time to clear up some personal questions.
"What's your deal with Cha Do-yeon—"
"Guh..."
His head lolled limply.
Useless bastard. Passing out at the worst time.
He wasn't the type to spill anyway, but him clamming up pissed me off.
I picked up the sword hilt that had rolled from his limp hand.
Crackle—!
Crimson Flame's red blaze coiled around the blade, two opposing energies swirling through the factory lot.
Trait Absolute Assimilation initiating skill reallocation and core stabilization.
"Hoo..."
I exhaled deeply. The shallow gash on my shoulder stung faintly.
Sensations that flashed by during Ryu Jin-hyuk's core assimilation.
The feel of the hilt in my hand.
How many times he'd cut someone.
Numbness to killing.
Residual echoes from the original owner?
I hadn't felt anything like that from Cha Do-yeon.
Unpleasant.
If these echoes keep coming with every theft...
Swallowing others' emotions and experiences every time would be a problem.
I needed a way to cherry-pick only what mattered.
[......]
Only piped up when it felt like it.
Luckily, the pain faded soon enough. My body had been rebuilt after the first assimilation, boosting capacity.
"Whew."
The seamless fusion felt entirely different. Time for a check.
Measuring mana adaptation rate for held skills.
Crimson Flame had made impressive progress.
And now the two skills were sharing the load. Skill reallocation and core redistribution... that was the idea.
"Hngh..."
A groan drew my gaze.
The thugs were completely zoned out.
Can't blame 'em. First time seeing something like this.
"Time to settle up. The living have places to be."
"P-Please spare us! We're just grunts who follow orders!"
"I know. Your shitty cores aren't even worth dirtying my hands. But let's make a deal. Names?"
The terrified pair blurted out in unison.
"P-Park Dong-chul!"
"Lee Jin-woo, sir!"
"Good. Park Dong-chul, Lee Jin-woo. When you get back to the guild, report it like this: 'Team Leader Ryu Jin-hyuk got robbed by an unawakened nobody, lost his mind, and went AWOL.' Perfectly cuts the line—he went rogue and fucked up."
Their eyes shook wildly.
"W-What?! But if they notice his mana vanished...!"
"That's on Team Leader Ryu to hide. You think this guy's the type to admit to brass that he got reverse-screwed, lost his skill, and turned into a cripple?"
Ryu Jin-hyuk reeked of elite arrogance. He'd cover up the loss somehow.
"Starting tomorrow, you two are my eyes and ears. Pull any bullshit, and next time I'll rip your cores out too—for a get-well gift to Cha Do-yeon."
Park Dong-chul and Lee Jin-woo exchanged glances.
Probably scared the psycho in front of them would turn them into the same mess.
"What're you spacing out for? Grab Ryu Jin-hyuk and get lost."
The pair bundled the unconscious Ryu Jin-hyuk into the SUV and sped out of the factory.
Even the tire screeches faded, and dawn's silence settled back over the empty lot.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Steady applause echoed from atop the steel beams.
"Impressive up close. Vision, battlefield read, and pulling off skill theft like that."
I lowered my sword tip and slowly looked up.
Faint city glow from dozens of kilometers away barely filtered through the broken slate roof.
At the edge of my dark-adapted vision, a hazy silhouette sharpened into features.
A familiar scent tickled my nose.