Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Invitation
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Ye-eun arrived at the underground isolation sector, guided by the polite directions of the Association staff.
The special cell was a world apart from your standard holding pen.
The entire walls were lined with mana-absorbing alloy, designed to imprison awakened villains.
It was infamous as a hunters' graveyard and an impenetrable prison.
"Damn it, how long are they gonna keep us locked up?"
A man sprawled crookedly on the plush sofa inside the special cell grumbled.
It was Go Seong-hyeon, the leader of the assassination squad that had attacked Siwoo.
His two surviving underlings sat beside him, faces etched with unease. One was missing an arm, the other shivering uncontrollably from frostbite over his entire body.
"Boss, the vibe here's all wrong. The Association guys are glaring daggers..."
"Don't worry. All the Association can do is toss us in prison. Once that happens, our client will bail us out."
Go Seong-hyeon cackled.
To them, this job had been a failure, but it was low-risk work all the same.
They'd just botched killing one guy, after all.
And the target was the rep of a newbie management firm with no backing.
With Jenia's connections, they'd sort it out somehow—he was sure of it.
"That ice witch bitch, though... Thought she was gonna kill me for real."
"Tell me about it. They said she was A-rank, but she's a monster. Black Spider didn't even faze her—how's that possible?"
The underlings shuddered.
The fact that Black Spider hadn't worked on an A-rank mage proved she'd already surpassed A-rank.
The thought that they might've tangled with an S-rank sent chills down their spines.
That was when it happened.
BOOM!
The massive steel door crumpled inward with a thunderous roar.
The lock ripped free, screeching against their eardrums.
Steel and concrete screamed in protest.
"W-what the hell?"
Go Seong-hyeon and his men shot to their feet.
A woman strode in through the swirling dust cloud.
Gray oversized hoodie, training pants, disheveled hair.
But what really caught the eye was the blood-red sword in her hand and the madness gleaming in her eyes.
"What? Association staff?"
Go Seong-hyeon scanned Ye-eun's outfit and snorted.
No Association uniform, but he figured no outsider could breach this ironclad security.
Probably just some new psycho interrogator, at worst.
"Miss, that's a rough way to make an entrance. You wrecked the damn door."
"……."
"Pretty face like yours, but what a temper. Hey, we're exercising our right to silence till our lawyer shows, so beat—"
Before he could finish.
Ye-eun flicked her wrist impassively.
Slash.
Thud. Roll.
The head of the snickering underling right next to Go Seong-hyeon hit the floor.
Blood fountained from the severed neck, splattering the ceiling.
A death so swift, no scream escaped.
"……?!"
Go Seong-hyeon couldn't process what was happening.
The head of his chattering buddy was rolling at his feet.
The body stood for a moment before crumpling limply to its knees.
"Y-you... What the hell are you?! This is the Association! Have you lost your mind?!"
The remaining underling screamed, stumbling backward.
He trembled violently as he yelled.
"You crazy bitch...!"
Slash.
The second beheading. No scream this time either.
The underling's head slid off at a diagonal.
Thump. Roll.
Two dead in an instant.
No hesitation. No warning.
Only then did it hit him.
This woman wasn't Association staff.
She wasn't here to interrogate. She was here to kill.
"W-wait a sec..."
Go Seong-hyeon's legs gave out, and he collapsed.
His pants soaked through in seconds.
The woman before him didn't flinch, even with blood splattered across her face.
If anything, the red made her look eerily beautiful, like it was her natural makeup.
Ye-eun shook the blood from her sword and approached Go Seong-hyeon.
Her eyes were pitch black, devoid of any mercy.
"Who sent you."
"I-I'll talk! I'll spill everything, just spare me!"
He slammed his forehead on the floor, begging.
Pride be damned—survival instinct took over.
"Jenia! Jenia Management! Their CEO, Kang Tae-hyeong—he ordered it! We were just paid to...!"
He spilled even what wasn't asked.
"Han Siwoo rep's just a normie! Kill him, and Miracle Management falls apart on its own! Hunters'll all bail—that's what he said! Even handed us Black Spider...!"
"Black Spider?"
Ye-eun's eyebrow twitched.
"I-I don't know! Jenia's got someone behind 'em! I saw a guy in a black robe hand it to Kang! That's all I know! I just followed orders!"
Go Seong-hyeon wept and snot streamed down his face as he pleaded.
Just let him live. He'd rot in prison forever if he had to.
"Coordinates."
Ye-eun said curtly.
"Coordinates. Now."
"If I tell you... you'll let me live?"
Go Seong-hyeon looked up with desperate hope.
But Ye-eun just smiled coldly, no answer.
That smile felt like a death sentence.
"Y-you said you'd... Aaaagh!!"
Ye-eun's hand clamped onto Go Seong-hyeon's head.
Black wisps snaked from her fingers, burrowing deep into his skull.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Ghost Qi Memory extraction in progress...
"Gaaah! Grahh! Aaaack!"
His eyes rolled back, foam bubbling from his mouth.
He thrashed in agony, limbs twisting unnaturally.
"I'll let you live."
Ye-eun ruthlessly rifled through his memories.
She tore into his neurons, forcibly ripping out the info.
Go Seong-hyeon's body flopped like a dying fish.
"Gyeonggi-do Gapyeong County. Underground bunker."
With all the intel extracted, Ye-eun released her grip.
Go Seong-hyeon slumped over with a thud.
His unfocused eyes stared into space, drool pooling from his mouth.
Ye-eun turned without a backward glance.
She stepped through the blood pools, leaving mangled corpses and a broken shell of a man behind.
Blood dotted her face, but her expression looked refreshed.
Like a kid who'd aced an errand.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Same time. Hospital VIP room.
Ring. Ring.
The smartphone on the nightstand blared noisily.
Caller: [Association President Kim Mu-yeol].
'Ye-eun must've stirred things up.'
Siwoo picked up without hesitation.
"Hello."
[Han Siwoo! What the hell do you think you're doing?!]
The Association President's roar exploded through the receiver.
It nearly burst his eardrums.
[One of your hunters is turning Association HQ upside down! Smashed the lobby, threatened staff, stormed the underground isolation cells and went berserk! This is terrorism! Terrorism!]
Kim Mu-yeol was raging like a madman on the other end.
Well, the heart of Korea's hunter management getting flipped by a single hunter? Their pride must've been shattered.
But Siwoo just snorted coolly.
"She must've been pretty pissed to do that."
[...What?]
"More importantly, Mr. President. Shouldn't you be explaining yourself to me first?"
[Explaining what? What are you talking about?]
"Black Spider."
[……!]
The breathing on the line stopped.
Siwoo pressed the advantage.
"A-rank mana disruption device. Classified as a national strategic asset under strict Association control. So how'd it end up in the hands of some B-rank assassins?"
Siwoo murmured lowly.
It sounded like a factual query, not blackmail—but the implication was crystal clear.
"Negligence? Or... did the Association put a hit on me?"
[N-no! Absolutely not! We were tracking the stolen item too...!]
The president stammered in panic.
It was true. Black Spider had vanished from Association storage recently.
For it to show up at Siwoo's assassination site meant either a traitor inside or a security breach.
Either way, if it hit the press, the Association wouldn't escape unscathed.
A massive scandal that'd tank their credibility.
"Stolen, huh. Lame excuse."
Siwoo clicked his tongue.
"What happens if this leaks to the media? Dangerous weapons under Association watch flowing to criminals. The group meant to protect citizens enabling crime instead. What'll the public think?"
[H-Han rep. Calm down. We can settle this amicably, right?]
The president's tone turned servile. The mark of someone cornered.
Siwoo seized full control.
"Here's a proposal."
[Let's hear it.]
"This Association break-in? Pretend it never happened."
[What? The lobby's trashed, casualties everywhere!]
"Cover Kim Ye-eun's actions as legitimate self-defense cooperation in an investigation. Delete the CCTV, gag the staff. You have the authority for that, don't you?"
Siwoo stated firmly.
"Then I'll keep quiet too. Black Spider at the scene. Association security holes. I'll take those to the grave. Oh, and this call's being recorded. No legal weight, but it'll shake the press."
[…….]
Silence fell.
Like he was punching numbers on a calculator.
Lobby repairs and staff medical vs. the president's ruined rep and dismissal.
The answer was obvious.
[...Fine. Deal.]
The president's voice deflated.
[But pull Kim Ye-eun out now. Can't overlook more rampages.]
"Of course. She's probably done by now."
Siwoo hung up, and Choi Min-seok, who'd been listening, whistled in awe.
The Association President, no less.
Threats—or negotiations—had wrung every concession without giving an inch.
"No big deal. When you've got leverage, bite hard."
Siwoo said calmly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Moments later, the hospital room door opened, and Kim Ye-eun walked in.
She was a mess.
Her white clothes were splotched red with blood, dried crimson caking her face and hands.
Like she'd just stepped out of a slaughterhouse.
But her face beamed innocently, like a child returning from a job well done.
"Rep."
Ye-eun approached Siwoo's bedside, hugging her knees as she sat.
She couldn't bring herself to touch him with her bloody hands, settling for a corner of the bedsheet.
"Got the info."
Her eyes sparkled, seeking praise.
"It's Jenia. Jenia Management."
"Jenia?"
"Kang Tae-hyeong ordered it. Figured if you died, Miracle Management would crumble on its own."
"…."
"And... there's more behind them. Guy in a black robe gave Kang the Black Spider. Even he didn't know who."
"Black robe..."
Who could it be?
If Ye-eun was right, Jenia commissioned the hit—but someone was pulling their strings.
A bigger shadow loomed.
"Good work, Ye-eun."
Siwoo reached out and stroked her hair.
Blood-matted as it was, he didn't care.
"Ah..."
Ye-eun closed her eyes at his touch.
Tension melted away, her face blissful.
The madness from the kill zone was gone; she looked like a happy pup praised by her owner.
To her, Siwoo's approval was sweeter than any reward.
"Got the coordinates too."
Ye-eun opened her eyes and said.
"Gyeonggi-do Gapyeong County. Underground bunker not even on maps. That bastard Kang Tae-hyeong's hiding there now."
"Secret bunker, huh."
Lee Jia, watching from the side, bit her lip hard.
Her clenched fists went white.
'Damn it.'
Siwoo was praising Ye-eun, not her.
She was just nursing him at best, while Ye-eun delivered real results.
And Siwoo touched the bloody Ye-eun tenderly, without a hint of disgust.
Jealousy burned in her chest.
'I could do that now too.'
Tracking the culprit. Avenging Siwoo.
The fact that a stray like her beat her to it choked her up.
She hated her own weakness.
'Not yet.'
Jia swallowed tears of frustration and resentment.
She vowed to be useful next time, no matter what.
To grow stronger and reclaim her spot by Siwoo's side.
But Ye-eun ignored Jia entirely.
As if she didn't exist in her world, eyes only for Siwoo, basking in his touch.
"Ye-eun."
Siwoo withdrew his hand.
"Yes, Rep."
"Guess we should pay Gapyeong a visit."
Siwoo sat up and yanked out the IV needle.
"Rep! You're not stable yet...!"
Choi Min-seok tried to stop him, alarmed, but Siwoo held up a hand firmly.
"I'm fine. Can't keep an invitation waiting—that'd be rude."