Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Master of the Ghost Sword (2)
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Buuuung—
A heavy engine roar rang out cheerfully as a black sedan sped down the road.
Siwoo gripped the steering wheel with one hand and smoothly changed lanes.
In the passenger seat, a long object haphazardly wrapped in newspaper lay scattered alongside two small boxes packaged elegantly.
Do I really need to carry this around?
Siwoo glanced at the passenger seat.
Through a gap in the newspaper, he could see a black scabbard with a faint red glow.
'Resonates with the owner's ghostly energy.'
He'd been carrying it just in case.
It was a vague hope that something might react if he took it to sites.
But there'd been no notable response since that day.
Well, people emitting ghostly energy aren't exactly common. They're usually criminals or lunatics.
Siwoo pulled his gaze away and checked the navigation.
The destination was Pocheon.
It was the site of a B-rank gate subjugation where Jia was out on the field.
**
Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. B-rank Gate Subjugation Site.
The makeshift encampment bustled with large trucks hauling monster corpses and hunters in the midst of maintenance.
Dust hung thick in the air, mixed with the acrid smell of mana smoke and blood—a raw, gritty scene.
Amid that dull gray landscape, one spot shone brightly.
It was Lee Jia, sitting under a temporary tent and drinking water.
Her mage robe was stained with mud and monster blood, her neatly combed hair matted with sweat and clinging to her cheeks.
Yet even that disheveled look couldn't hide her beauty.
If anything, the intensity of the battlefield added a poignant, resilient aura.
Sweat trickling along her jawline made her look less like a hunter and more like a single flower blooming amid war.
The rough hunters around stole glances at her, but Jia stared blankly into space, oblivious.
Her mind was filled with thoughts of one person.
What’s the Representative doing right now? Has he eaten? He didn’t skip it with a sandwich again because he was busy, did he?
That was when she spotted a familiar car pulling in from the entrance.
Jia's eyes widened round.
Huh? That car…?
She set down her water bottle and jumped to her feet.
As the car door opened and Siwoo stepped out in a crisp suit, her face lit up.
The fatigue that had weighed on her moments ago vanished.
“Representative!!”
Ignoring the stares around her, Jia dashed over in one breath.
She skidded to a stop in front of him amid the flying dust, panting but unable to hide the smile on her lips.
Her joy oozed out like a puppy wagging its tail.
“What brings you all the way here? Without even calling!”
“I was nearby on business, and Jia popped into my mind, so I stopped by. Wanted to see how you were doing.”
Siwoo answered plainly as he pulled a small box from his pocket.
“Hold out your hand.”
“Huh? My hand?”
Jia blinked in confusion, peeled off her gloves, and extended her pale hand.
It was marked with small scratches from the battle.
Siwoo opened the box and fastened a silver bracelet embedded with a blue gem onto her wrist himself.
As his fingers brushed the soft skin on the inside of her wrist, Jia's shoulders twitched.
“Uh… this is…”
“Azure Clarity Bracelet. Your recovery seemed a bit slow, so I picked it up at auction. It’ll boost your mana recovery by about 30%.”
“You bought something this expensive… for me?”
“You’re our company’s star. This much investment is a given. Like it?”
Jia caressed the bracelet and looked up.
Under the clear sunlight, her eyes shimmered with emotion.
It wasn’t just the item’s value.
The thoughtfulness in pinpointing her weakness, and the fact that he’d come all this way himself to deliver it, filled her chest.
“Yes… It’s so pretty. Thank you so much.”
She clutched the bracelet to her chest with a shy smile.
Her expression was like a girl confessing to her first love.
That was when her gaze drifted past the open passenger window.
On the seat sat an elegant shopping bag and a long object wrapped in black cloth.
Jia's eyes narrowed.
“Huh? What’s that?”
She pointed at the shopping bag.
A subtle thorn edged her voice.
“Not mine… Another gift? Who’s it for?”
“Oh, that.”
Siwoo replied casually.
“It’s for Choi Min-seok the hunter’s daughter, Ji-yu. Guardian Pendant—an artifact that protects the wearer. The one next to it is a decorative sword.”
For a split second, Jia's lips pouted.
Disappointment clouded the face that had flushed with emotion.
She fiddled with her bracelet and whipped her head away.
“Tch… So it wasn’t just for me.”
“Huh?”
“I thought… you came just for me. Guess it was on the way. Just a pit stop.”
She grumbled loud enough to be heard.
It stung her pride that she wasn’t the sole destination, just one stop along the route.
She kicked idly at a pebble with her toe.
Siwoo feigned a troubled look.
But he didn’t falter.
Instead, he countered calmly, honestly, head-on.
“That’s not it.”
“Huh?”
“Not on the way.”
Siwoo met Jia's eyes directly.
Her sulky face reflected in his deep gaze.
“If it was, I would’ve gone straight to the hospital first. It’s closer.”
“Th-then…”
“Wanted to give it to you first, so I came here.”
“……!”
“You’re my number one, Jia.”
The straight pitch came without warning, freezing Jia's thoughts.
Her face ignited like a ripe tomato.
Her heart pounded loud in her ears.
How could he drop a line like that with such a straight face?
Did this guy even realize what he’d said?
Jia flapped her hands like a fan and averted her eyes.
“Ah, hot… Why’s it so hot today…”
“You okay? Your face is red. Heatstroke?”
“N-no! Anyway, that’s enough! Go on! I need to do maintenance!”
To hide her embarrassment, she snapped curtly and turned toward the tent like she was fleeing.
But her ears still burned bright.
She glanced back and mumbled in a mosquito-like voice.
“Drive safe…”
Siwoo chuckled at her retreating figure.
“Sure. See you at the office.”
Jia waved until Siwoo got in the car.
Siwoo checked her fading in the rearview and lightly pressed the accelerator.
“Seoul… St. Mary’s… Hospital.”
He started inputting Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital into the navigation.
That was the moment.
Bzzz—
A faint vibration hummed.
He first thought it was the engine, but it grew stronger, soon shaking the whole car.
Vrrrrm—!
“What the—?”
Siwoo’s eyes snapped to the passenger seat.
The sword thrashed wildly.
Riiip—
The newspaper around the scabbard tore from the sharp aura.
The blade slipped out, spewing crimson light—likely from the vibration.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Siwoo’s brows furrowed.
As he reached puzzled to grab it—
Viiiing— Viiiing—!
His smartphone buzzed frantically in his pocket.
At the same time, sharp sirens blared from street speakers, tearing through Pocheon’s sky.
⚙ EMERGENCY ALERT ⚙ [Emergency Disaster Message] [Ministry of the Interior and Safety] Today at 00:40, monsters appeared near the #3 Monster Dismantling Plant in Sohleup, Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do. Nearby residents, please evacuate to safety immediately. ‘Monster Dismantling Plant?’
Dismantling plants typically handled dead monsters.
A live monster appearing meant either a gate had broken out or one had escaped during transport.
Vrrrrm—!
As he read the alert, the sword’s resonance intensified.
As if screaming that was the place, the destination.
‘No way.’
Siwoo stopped at a fork.
‘Left to the Seoul highway. Right to the Sohleup industrial zone.’
Turning left slightly quieted the sword’s hum.
Turning right made it scream like it would burst.
‘Guiding me to the disaster site.’
“Who you’re seeking is obvious.”
Siwoo turned right without hesitation.
“Let’s go. To your master.”
Flooring the accelerator, the engine roared as the car shot toward the industrial zone.
The glowing red sword buzzed happily in the passenger seat.
Once Siwoo’s car vanished from sight and the dust settled.
A black sedan parked in the shadows quietly turned on its lights.
And began tailing him from a distance Siwoo wouldn’t notice—like a ghost.
**
One hour earlier, #3 Monster Dismantling Plant.
The open lot behind the plant, shrouded in pitch-black darkness.
This place usually hummed with machinery, but now an eerie silence enveloped it.
“Hic… Hic…”
Ye-eun sat collapsed on the ground, gasping ragged breaths.
Her work uniform was caked in dirt, the old dissection knife in her hand chipped and ragged.
Her face was a mess.
One eye swollen shut, blood trickling from her mouth.
She trembled, unable to steady herself—a pitiful sight.
Three men stood before her.
Low-rank hunters who’d picked on her days ago.
The stench of booze reeked.
They staggered, surrounding her.
“Hey, Kim Ye-eun. Gonna act tough again? Huh? Roll those eyes like last time!”
The bald hunter cackled and hurled an empty soju bottle at the ground.
Clang.
Glass shards scattered at Ye-eun’s feet.
“Mana-less cripple daring to look down on Awakeners? You think we’re jokes?”
“Time for some education. Teach her her place. Pay with your body or whatever.”
They closed in with menacing intent.
This wasn’t mere bullying.
Their eyes gleamed with clear malice, violence, and filthy lust.
In this deserted spot behind the plant, they were certain no one would know if they ruined a non-Awakener girl.
Ye-eun looked up.
Her eyes held no fear.
Instead, bloodshot and blazing red.
‘I’ll kill them.’
Her pent-up rage, injustice, hatred reached the breaking point.
Her vision tinted red.
Their napes, hearts, arteries glowed as red dots.
Stab.
Slash.
Tear apart.
“Stay back…”
Ye-eun muttered through her cracked voice.
“What? Can’t hear ya? Speak up. Beg for your life!”
The man sneered and reached to grab her hair.
“I said STAY BACK!!!”
Ye-eun shrieked like a beast and swung her dissection knife.
Shwick—!
“Gah!”
The man screamed and recoiled.
A long gash opened on the back of his hand.
Blood dripped steadily.
Incredible speed for a non-Awakener’s swing.
“Y-you crazy bitch…! You wanna die that bad?!”
Ye-eun staggered to her feet.
Her grip tightened on the chipped knife.
Black murderous aura rose like smoke from her body.
Even in death, she’d take one with her.
As she lunged in final desperation—
Kaboom—!!
The truck bed door, where a monster corpse should have lain still, exploded open with a roar.
A massive High Orc rose up.
The supposedly dead—or merely underanesthetized—beast had awakened.
Its bloodshot eyes scanned around before locking on prey, drool spilling between yellowed fangs.
“Chwiik—”
At the end of its ferocious gaze were Ye-eun and the hunters.