Special Operation
After confirming the ending of Ghost Romance, I blanked out for a moment. The ending had been far too unexpected.
Who would have thought I'd keep the exorcism work going all the way to the end.
If it had been me, I would have quit the exorcism business ages ago, gathered a bunch of women, and lived large. Sure, if I got bored I might hunt down a ghost or two for a fight… but that was a far cry from traveling the entire world as a full-time exorcist.
…Must be because I did so much exorcism work in this world.
The reason was obvious: I had actively slaughtered ghosts to lower the Ghost Qi so I could conquer the heroines. Killing the spirits of the Hyakki Yago had probably been the decisive factor.
Still, it was fun in its own way.
A life like the ending of Ghost Romance. I wouldn't mind living it myself one day—roaming the whole world, bedding beauties and knocking them up…
I closed the Play Life App, took a shower, and flopped straight onto the bed. My body wasn't tired, but after staying nonstop inside the Ghost Romance world, my mind felt worn out. Or rather, it felt like it was tired.
Come to think of it, I barely ever got a proper rest in the Ghost Romance world.
I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.
For a while I stayed out of the Play Life worlds and focused on reality. I had been so absorbed in the fictional worlds that I had neglected the real one. I needed to reclaim my sense of reality—and adapt to my elevated physical abilities.
I have to clearly distinguish what I can and cannot do.
Each version of me inside the Play Life worlds possessed different powers. I couldn't afford to confuse them with what the real me was capable of. That kind of mistake would get me killed at a critical moment.
Right now my physical stats are above the average A-grade Hunter. Calling myself top-tier would still be a stretch, though.
An A-grade Hunter's strength wasn't just raw physical ability. Combat experience, Awakening powers, gear—all of those variables mattered. In actual combat power I could probably claim upper A-grade.
Though I've barely ever met a real upper A-grade, so it's only a guess.
Bzzzt. Bzzzt.
My phone rang. I pulled the smartphone from my pocket and checked the caller.
Baek Jieun.
The woman who occupied a low seat among the Association executives. Under hypnosis she believed I was her childhood friend and sex partner.
I narrowed my eyes at the screen. For someone busy climbing the ladder, she rarely called me herself.
Might as well pick up.
"Sung Yujin! You free?!"
Baek Jieun's voice rang out. The moment I heard that energetic tone I knew—she was about to dump some job on me. Honestly, I wasn't thrilled.
"I'm busy."
"Don't bullshit me. I know exactly how free you are. You only ever go into B-grade dungeons. At that rate, when do you plan on becoming a proper A-grade?"
Despite having A-grade-level skill, my official rank was still B-grade.
It couldn't be helped. Becoming A-grade required not only strength but also a track record. There were illegal ways to pad the numbers, of course… but my goal was S-grade. I was carefully avoiding anything that could come back to bite me later.
The reason I stuck to B-grade dungeons was simple: unlike A-grade ones, they had almost no variables. Soloing an A-grade dungeon was also a pain.
"I'll handle my Hunter career myself. Or do you have some high-performance job for me?"
"Heh. That's exactly why I called. I've got something good."
"What is it? If it's a hassle, I'm out."
"Even if it's a hassle, you'd better take it."
Amusement colored Baek Jieun's voice. She was clearly certain I wouldn't refuse.
She underestimates me. I'm a man who can turn down any offer.
"This one came down from the top. It's a bit of a pain, but they decided to hand it to the promising rookies."
"…Promising rookies?"
"Yeah. The ones with a shot at becoming S-Class Candidates."
"So if we clear it, we get recognized as S-Class Candidates?"
"Not quite. Upper management just wants to test the potential. They run something like this every quarter with young A-grades, so it's not that special."
"I'm still B-grade, not A."
"Your actual skill is already close to A-grade. And your growth speed is ridiculous. You started late and you're already knocking on A-grade's door. Upper management has every reason to keep an eye on you. If you ask me, they're late to the party."
"…What's in it for me if I succeed? Instant A-grade?"
"Not instant, but you'll become an A-grade Hunter a lot faster. And the Korean Association will start paying real attention to you—in a good way."
"Well damn. Sounds like I can't refuse. What do I have to do?"
"It involves the Cheonsu Guild. You saw the news, right?"
"I don't have time to watch the news… but I know the Cheonsu Guild. Pretty famous mid-sized outfit."
The Cheonsu Guild was one of the mid-sized guilds operating in Seoul. They treated their Hunters well and even took in rookies with no track record, so their reputation among mid-sized guilds was solid.
"Three hours ago that Cheonsu Guild was designated a Black Guild. The Association has already seized their headquarters."
"…Cheonsu as a Black Guild? Tax evasion? No, tax evasion alone wouldn't get them labeled Black… What the hell did those bastards do?"
Black Guild—the term for criminal guilds. In other words, the Cheonsu Guild was now a crime syndicate.
A thriving mid-sized guild crashing into the abyss overnight. I was curious how it had happened.
"They partnered with a Chinese Black Guild and trafficked narcotics. Estimated profits from the drugs: eight hundred billion won."
"Drugs, huh. But isn't it already over? You said the Association took the headquarters."
"Unfortunately we lost the Guild Master and a few of the top brass. Looks like they prepared for this—they had some expensive artifacts ready. Your job is to track down the Cheonsu remnants with the other promising rookies. Capture is preferred… but killing them is fine."
"Haa. What a pain… Not like I can refuse, though… Do we at least know where they are?"
"Don't underestimate the Korean Association. We've already locked down their location."
I didn't bother asking how. It was obvious—magic, artifacts, Awakened abilities, maybe even good old science. Plenty of methods.
"Fine. What do I need to do?"
"I'll text you. Be at the location by 18:00."
"18:00? That's only an hour from now. So I have to leave right away."
"If you don't want to, don't come."
"I said I'm going, damn it."
I arrived at the meeting point.
A van sat in front of a closed hardware store. Without hesitation I climbed into the passenger vehicle. Three A-grade Hunters were already waiting, not counting me.
"We're short on time, so we're leaving immediately."
The man in the driver's seat spoke. He wore a navy baseball cap.
"This is unexpected. Never thought a B-grade would be riding with us."
That came from the man in the passenger seat. His tone was blunt, but his voice was flat, so it didn't feel like he was looking down on me. He was big and heavily muscled.
"……"
The only woman sat beside me. Tall and lean, with extremely sharp eyes. She looked the least cooperative of the bunch. Her looks were above average, but calling her a beauty would be a stretch.
"Listen up, everyone. Just do your own share. Your own share."
The muscular man in the passenger seat snorted at my words.
"No filter, huh. I like it. Here—info on us and the targets. Memorize it."
He stretched a hand back with a stack of documents. I took them and started skimming.
First I checked the three people I'd be working with.
The man driving in the navy baseball cap was Kim Sieom, A-grade Hunter. Ability: Enhancement. He could strengthen his own body or any weapon he wielded.
The muscular man in the passenger seat was Jang Juseok, also A-grade. Ability: Blood Control—he could manipulate blood.
The sharp-eyed woman next to me was likewise A-grade. Her ability was Hammer Crash. The name made it sound like she smashed hammers, but it was the opposite: she could temporarily create hammers. Six types total, each with a special effect. She could only create one at a time.
All three were A-grade Hunters the Association had its eye on as promising talents. At least none of them would be dead weight.
I moved on to the target information.
Ignore the small fry and go for the big boss.
Cheonsu Guild Master Oh Ganghu.
An A-grade Hunter who also went by the moniker Mandokju—Lord of Ten Thousand Poisons. Ability: Poison Crafting. True to the name, he could produce every kind of poison imaginable. The documents also noted he could create temporary body-enhancing drugs.
Poison and medicine crafting… Can this bastard make elixirs too?
I wondered, but I didn't get my hopes up. If he could make real elixirs he wouldn't have been trafficking narcotics. He would have used them to become an S-grade Hunter and lived large already.
"Our target is Oh Ganghu. Do not let your guard down. Sung Yujin—check the back seats. The Association left antidotes. Take three. I heard some of his poisons can't be cured… but at least they should stop you from dropping dead on the spot."
Kim Sieom said as he turned the wheel. I casually pocketed the antidotes. With Complete Recovery and Heaven Heart I didn't need them, but there was no reason to tip my hand to these people.
I kept reading the documents. Then I saw something so absurd I doubted my eyes.
"…Oh Ganghu is heading north? The north I know?"
"Correct. Oh Ganghu is fleeing to North Korea. We chase him to the end."
Jang Juseok answered while staring straight ahead. I was so dumbfounded I asked again.
"This is going to become an international incident."
"The Association said they'll handle it."
A completely unhelpful answer.
I was seriously considering calling Baek Jieun to complain that going into North Korea was overkill when Kim Sieom spoke up again.
"The Association already secured North Korea's permission. The condition is that this mission stays completely off the public record."
"North Korea actually agreed? That's surprising. Any idea why?"
"Not for certain. But since Oh Ganghu is tangled up with a Chinese Black Guild… they probably don't want trouble with China. Relations between North Korea and China have been rocky lately. Or maybe they just want to size up our combat strength."
I frowned, then gave a rough nod. Come to think of it, it wasn't my problem. The Association would handle all the little details.