Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Shadows of Seoul (2)
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"Here you go."
The masked man handed over an envelope and a tablet.
I flipped the envelope over first and pulled out its contents.
Three lotto tickets tumbled out.
"The draw number and winning numbers. Check them now. No complaints later."
"Hmm..."
The tablet screen showed a lotto information site.
He wanted me to verify it myself by comparing.
I casually pushed the tablet aside and pulled out the lotto ticket from the previous draw that I'd prepared.
Then, using a burner phone I'd brought, I scanned the QR code and compared it to the three first-prize tickets.
"...No funny business. Trust is our business, after all."
No issues with the QR code... Next, the amounts.
2.8 billion, 2.2 billion, 1.5 billion.
Cross-checking the numbers on the site showed minor differences in amounts but nothing suspicious.
This time, I picked up each winning ticket and examined it closely.
"No other tricks up your sleeve, right?"
"We pick and choose who we pull that on. Not worth risking my neck."
'He won't say he never does it.'
I scrutinized them carefully, then left the envelope and stored just the winning tickets in my subspace bracelet.
For now, Heinz's Blood Magic hadn't detected anything unusual.
The vampire's keen sense of smell picked up no odd chemicals either.
'I'll have Hans check them again with Black Magic somewhere far from home later.'
Hans, the magic specialist, would be more reliable than Heinz.
Better safe than sorry.
"Oh, and I need a new identity. Can you make some introductions?"
I slid the empty envelope and tablet back to him as I continued.
Han Seonghyeon couldn't claim all three first prizes himself.
He could take the biggest one at 2.8 billion, but I'd need someone else for the other two.
Even if not, having them would be useful somehow.
"...Isn't that your old line of work?"
"It was. Until it all blew up this time."
Human trafficking and organ trade.
It naturally put them closest to 'missing persons,' and laundering their unclaimed identities was a core part of the operation.
"I've got the data, but the tech guys got completely wiped out. The survivors are too scared to even pick up."
Mind-reading isn't foolproof.
Forcing deeper into the brain causes damage, leading to gaps in the info.
So you prioritize what to read, and back then, I ignored the small-time forgers...
"Fair enough. Here's a freebie."
He handed over a paper with names and contacts.
I pocketed it and stood.
"Then I'll be off."
"Hope we meet again."
"You too."
A simple farewell.
The alley's way of saying 'don't get stabbed before next time.'
Click—
The door we entered through opened, and an ordinary-looking young man outside guided me out.
A pretty satisfying outing.
'Wish I had my own organization. Which one's best? These guys seem decent...'
I followed the guide, casually smacking my lips while scanning the surroundings.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Phew—."
The man removed his mask and ran a hand over his face.
He drummed his fingers on the table, lost in thought.
"B-Branch chief. About that guy earlier..."
One of his subordinates who'd assisted in the deal spoke cautiously.
"Yeah, I know. Doesn't seem like he's from the Guild, no matter how you look at it."
"Yes. ...Shouldn't we look into him?"
The 'Guild' was the shorthand for the now-defunct human trafficking ring.
Who would lie about belonging to them?
"Nah, drop it."
"Huh? Is that okay?"
"What's not okay? You were there. No point risking our lives."
Why had they been selective with clients from the start?
To filter out stings and randos for safer, repeat business.
"Besides, he doesn't strike me as someone from the straight world."
"Definitely. When we tried to intimidate him, it felt like choking. Even though we couldn't see it coming from our side."
"Right? He's a fiend. Probably a vampire."
"Eek... So it was true?"
The branch chief recalled the moment.
Pale skin, sharp blood-red eyes, the suffocating stench of blood.
'He must've revealed it on purpose. A warning. If vampire, then the Blood Covenant? Or maybe the Heaven-Flipping Society.'
"Whatever his real identity, who cares now. We got a new client, deal went smooth, and we profited. Hope he becomes a regular."
No upside to poking a dangerous guy.
Back-alley wisdom for survival.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Just past midnight, in the deserted outskirts of Seoul.
Thud—!
[Kekeke...]
Rattle— Click!
A horde of undead surrounded the abandoned factory and surged inside like a tidal wave.
"Support request? What’s the status?!"
"No response! Phones, internet—all down! We're completely cut off!"
"Shit—! Everyone, battle stations!"
The factory boss—known as the Factory Chief—ground his teeth and bellowed.
They were in hiding now, but survivors of countless battles.
Superior beings with power far beyond inferior humans.
"Grrr—"
The chief's body swelled, his bulk expanding.
He shredded his tight shirt constraining his massive torso and ripped his pant legs.
Kicking off his burst shoes, he panted roughly.
A muscular frame over two meters tall, wolf head with razor fangs.
A returnee transformed into a werewolf from another world—a fiend.
"Huuuuh..."
"Heh heh heh. G-Gonna... kill you... Kee hee hee."
His underlings were hardly normal either.
Werewolf forms like the chief, vampires with blood-red eyes and long fangs, snake-scaled skin...
Some kept human shapes, but the madness in their eyes marked them as inhuman.
Bang!
The undead who'd massacred the outer guards finally breached the core.
Dripping fangs and claws.
Familiar faces among them, too.
"Keh... Damn, we're in deep."
[Kee hee hee—]
There stood the pale-skinned outer guard captain, laughing as dark blood oozed from every facial orifice.
A powerhouse who matched the chief evenly...
'Turned undead in this short time?'
They'd barely sent the support request after spotting the raid and stalling outside.
As the chief gritted his teeth for the final stand, the undead parted, revealing a figure stepping in.
Jet-black robe cloaked in shadow, hood concealing a eerie grin on a mask.
Blue ghostfire leaking from eye sockets, icy mist billowing.
A being sculpted from pure omen into human form.
'Or... is it even human?'
The chief trembled faintly against the surging terror.
His sharpened werewolf instincts screamed.
This thing was an unbeatable monster.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Indeed, nothing more to see. You will all be culled.] Hans, the raider of the factory, scanned the surroundings.
Fiends surrounded by undead, the space they occupied...
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [The wails of the dead never cease from all sides. It's been ages since I've seen a place so steeped in death...] A plain slaughterhouse.
Except the livestock was human.
From blood-draining rigs to bone-crushers.
Full setup.
"Kee! You're a fiend too—don't act pure! This is necessary for our survival!"
"Humans butcher cattle to eat, so why can't we? Survival of the fittest is nature's law, isn't it?!"
Some fiends, overpowered in aura, shouted to shake off their fear...
But Hans ignored their desperate pleas.
No need to chat with madmen about to die.
'Some survivors, huh. Probably to keep them fresh.'
Undead dispatched to the warehouse reported humans locked inside.
They looked healthy, so he ordered them left alone and guarded.
Hans eyed the fiends ranting their innocence.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Yes, survival of the fittest is fine by me.] A chilling voice, like a devil's whisper.
The ranters shut their mouths unwittingly.
Silence blanketed the hall.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Your bodies look quite substantial. You'll make fine undead.] Bonus: rummage their minds too.
Survival of the fittest and necessary? They'd have no complaints.
At Hans' command, undead charged.
Click! Rattle!
"Graaah! Mere corpses!"
[Kee hee heek! Kya ha hat!]
"Grrr, I'll rip you apart!"
Bang— Bang! Bang—!
These fiends were battle-hardened survivors, not falling easily to undead.
Some even pulled guns.
Hans, uninterested in a prolonged fight, intervened.
[Kyaaaah—]
"Guh, these bastards suddenly got stronger...!"
A black crown formed on Hans' head, ebony aura spreading to infuse the undead.
Shaaa—
"Aaaagh! It hurts! My body! My body!"
"C-Can't see ahead! No sounds! A-Am I even speaking? Can't you all hear me?!"
With a flick of his hand, curses extended, debilitating the fiends one by one.
They dropped like flies.
The captured chief was last; no more resistance.
"Kuh... To think the Hahoe Mask was this strong..."
Dragged before Hans by undead, the chief muttered.
He'd heard rumors of the Hahoe Mask but never imagined this dominance.
The factory was distant from its active area and well-hidden—no raid expected.
He couldn't fathom Hans hunting fiends and reading minds to track associates.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [There, there. No need to feel wronged. I am the Lord of Death—you'll find peace and become my eternal strength.] Hans spoke kindly, stroking the chief's head.
It backfired; the trembling intensified.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Of course, you settle the bill first? It'll sting a bit. Don't worry, it won't hurt much.] The black-gloved hand stroking his head clamped down.
Black Magic immediately burrowed into his mind.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [I wouldn't know, never tried it myself. Heh heh heh...] "Guh— Graaaagh—!"
Ripping screams, convulsing body.
The pinning undead shuddered.
Time passed; the werewolf's tough vitality prolonged the agony before it faded.
Undead released him; he rose unsteadily, bleeding everywhere.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Tough ones are the best. Who's next?] The subdued fiends averted their eyes, sweating coldly.
A brief reprieve at best.
For a long while after.
Barrier-sealed, screams echoed hollowly inside, unheard outside.