Blackout Assault
Creak─── thud.
Sudden darkness and silence descended in an instant.
The people gathered in the refinery stared up at the spot where the lights had been moments before, then started clicking their tongues in annoyance.
"Why the hell is the generator acting up again?"
"This is such a pain in the ass…… Radio the power plant team, quick!"
"Who the fuck just groped my ass?!"
In this mine built in the middle of absolute nowhere, blackouts had become as routine as clockwork. Everyone figured this was just another minor hiccup, grumbling complaints as they waited for the power to come back on.
"Seriously, why'd we get sent to this shithole to mine some weird ore……."
With nothing to do in the pitch-black darkness, one mercenary grumbled, lit a cigarette, and flicked his lighter to spark a flame.
Click. Click-click.
The brief glow from the lighter illuminated the surroundings for a moment.
And then.
"Huh?"
A stranger stood right in front of him—a man raising a finger to his lips.
"Shh."
Crack.
The mercenary jolted in terror at the chilling voice, but his scream was cut short as his neck snapped to the left.
Delta Team caught the slumping body and gently lowered it to the ground.
Eugene, who had drawn their attention from the front, nodded once at the scene before signaling with hand gestures to position the unit.
'Delta—1 through 3 on the second floor. 4, 5, and 6 on the first.'
The strike team moved out without so much as a whisper of footsteps.
"Restoration's taking forever. Hey, you get through to the other side?"
Silence.
A villain sensed something off when the mercenary who had just said he'd radio the power plant went quiet. He reached for the lantern at his waist.
"Why's it so damn quiet? Hey, everyone, turn on your lanterns──."
For a split second, his field of view lit up, revealing a man in a suit. And men in gas masks moving with eerie coordination.
Stunned by the completely unexpected situation, he dropped his lantern in shock.
"Too bad. You might've lasted a bit longer if you hadn't noticed."
A man's voice came from right in front of him.
And then crunch—something shattered, and the man's body crumpled like a ragdoll.
The lantern hit the ground and spun, flickering as it lit up the surroundings.
Repeating on-off cycles painted a surreal, grotesque scene.
Mercenaries and villains lay slumped on the floor as if asleep.
Behind them stood the gas-masked men in suits.
How? When?
No one could comprehend what had happened; they just froze in stunned silence.
One finally snapped out of it, fumbling with trembling hands for his weapon—but it was too late.
"C-C-Calione!!"
──!
──!
──!
──!
──!
──!
Gunfire erupted.
The pitch-black interior of the refinery, like a nightclub at midnight, filled with muzzle flashes and lantern glints, creating an eerie atmosphere.
The team shifted positions with every blink, systematically neutralizing enemies. Eugene commanded them while taking down villains himself.
"You idiots! Everyone, group up!"
Refusing to go down without a fight, what looked like the site manager—an Awakener—rallied the mercenaries and villains around him.
Spotting this, Eugene charged through the still-dark refinery, weaving freely.
Bullets whizzed past, trailing fire, but his pace didn't slow—it accelerated.
Was it the blackout tactic? The air was already thick with the enemies' fear.
Active Traits
【Heir of the Underworld】
[Irresistible Offer – Negotiation skill slightly increased. Greatly increased against those feeling fear.]
【Hitman】
[Villain Hunter – You're a hitman seasoned in hunting villains. They feel terror toward you, making them easier prey. Villain fear toward you increased 1.5x. Aura efficiency against villains slightly increased.]
【Executor】
[Executor – Those who deal with the organization's enemies. Physical abilities 1.5x against recognized foes.]
Synergizing traits and bloodline power exploded his aura, glowing crimson even in the dark.
The vivid red flame alone instilled dread.
"Sh-Shoot that! Shoot there!"
The manager pointed at the light and bellowed at full volume.
But as if mocking him, Eugene streaked forward at blinding speed, leaving a comet-like tail.
The crimson flame hurtled toward the villains.
──BOOM!
Aura erupted, scattering—one flew far off.
──BOOM!
Another blast, and the ground crumbled.
A symphony of explosions like bombs.
One per blast, foes dropped. Realizing the tide, the manager summoned mana, retreated behind a shield, and sought escape.
"I-I gotta alert HQ right now──."
A chilling voice cut in.
"Found you. Australia Branch Design Team Leader."
He flinched at his exact title, thrusting out a hand to channel mana—but.
"Gahk!"
A fist from the side shattered his arm, canceling the spell.
"Grrgh! I'll tell you everything! Please…… just spare me…… please!"
Quick on the uptake—he knelt, begging after one hit foretold his doom.
But.
"B-rank villain 'Tuskaduska.' A mage who kidnapped kids and civilians for inhuman experiments."
Eugene's voice was low and solemn, like a judge pronouncing sentence.
"In the name of Don Calione, I execute you."
A crimson blaze unlike any before roared above him.
* * *
"Situation clear. Gamma Team, restore power."
-Roger. Restoring power.
Creak───.
Power returned to the refinery, revealing the massacre site.
Villains and mercenaries lay as if asleep.
The one before me slumped in his broken robe, chest still rising and falling—alive, barely.
"Escort that one to Korea. As a Villain Union mid-executive, he might spill new intel."
"Understood, Young Master."
I handed the prone man to Delta Team and scanned for our losses.
Han Seojun wiped blood from his face amid enemy corpses—he'd handled dozens alone. Delta Team gathered documents.
"Any injuries or fatalities?"
I asked via in-ear. Team leaders reported soon after.
-Alpha Team: All clear.
-Beta Team: All clear.
-Gamma Team: One minor ricochet injury.
-Delta Team: Two minors from ricochet and melee.
No serious casualties. Solid results.
"All teams, collect internal data now. Alpha, that thing I mentioned."
-Alpha reporting. The canary has flown home, as instructed.
"Confirmed."
The one we deliberately released had escaped cleanly too.
"Good work, Young Master."
Han Seojun approached, suit pristine again.
"You too. Hurt anywhere?"
"No, sir. And you?"
"Fine."
This time, unlike reckless charges, I'd leveraged their fear fully.
"No, better than usual…… even?"
This battlefield, tailored to our advantage, felt like a new milestone.
Enemy fear, numbers, bloodline-boosted physique and aura deflected bullets effortlessly and hammered shielded mages.
More: after such a fight, I felt energized, not drained.
"Contact Famiglia. Mission complete."
"Yes, sir."
Han Seojun left to radio. I followed Delta's cleanup and Gamma's follow-up out of the refinery into cool night air.
"Hoo."
Moving had heated me up; now cooling, my mind settled.
Under Australia's star-filled sky—no skyscrapers here—my thoughts turned pragmatic, not sentimental.
'Why build a base here?'
Villains pick remote spots, sure. But this abandoned mine had no perks beyond isolation.
Unmentioned even in the original game, I knew little.
But one thought lingered: clearing Villain Union bases always yielded strategy rewards.
So, something here too?
No reports from teams sweeping buildings.
Which meant…….
"The mine itself, huh?"
Recalling pre-mission briefings, I headed to the entrance, scanning around.
Sunset long gone, no people—but tracks gleamed recently used, rails spotless.
A touch showed maintenance.
"Something's nagging at me……."
Australia. Mine. Underground.
Seen something like this in-game?
Then it hit—a memory flashed.
"……Natural mana stones."
Not extracted from monsters, but formed naturally from ambient mana.
Proof came via in-ear from team leaders.
-Beta reporting! Found a warehouse stacked with mana stones nearby. Orders?
-Gamma here. Another warehouse full of mana stones…….
-Beta. Warehouse discovered…….
Now it clicked.
Mana stone ore and Villain Union.
Why build in this wasteland?
Australia's mana stone mine. Undoubtedly one of their future cash cows.
"Consigliere's gonna love this."
I could already picture him hugging me and dancing.