Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Shadows of Seoul (3)
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Hans had achieved satisfactory results and recalled his undead.
The undead, increased in number by the count of demons slain, seeped into the abyss casting shadows on the floor.
'Come to think of it, I need to research a subspace magic that can be used across dimensions.'
The subspace he was currently using relied on the negative dimension behind this one, making it impossible to share contents.
To cross dimensions, he had no choice but to carry items directly or use rare subspace magic tools with limited capacity.
'A brainwashing spell would be convenient too, so I should look into that. The Forbidden Knowledge does have methods for it... but those aren't usable.'
Black magic that destroyed the target's free will and turned them into a puppet wasn't particularly difficult.
It was simply more efficient to turn them into undead instead, which was why he didn't bother.
But adjusting only their perception while leaving their ego intact to make them subordinates was incredibly complex.
It required delicately handling a fragile mind, consuming vast amounts of time, effort, and a huge number of materials in the process.
'Things unique to Outerica can be procured somehow. The problem is the others.'
The Forbidden Knowledge wasn't called "forbidden" for nothing.
Every material needed for the process was utterly horrific.
There was no way he could use things like a child's blood or parts of a fetus just to make his life a bit easier.
'Better to research something new based on that knowledge. So much to do, but not enough time. To save time, going to Outerica would be efficient, but to do that, I need a way to evade the Church's pursuit first. What a headache.'
He then headed to the warehouse where the survivors were trapped.
Beyond the thick iron door guarded by undead, he sensed about a dozen signs of life.
They seemed to be huddled together in a corner, trembling after hearing the commotion outside.
Before smashing the door open, he took a moment to survey the surroundings.
'They'd probably prefer me over those kids, right? Plus, I have things to check.'
A fully cloaked Hans might be scarier than the grotesque walking corpses, but still better, no?
He pulled his hood low to hide his gaze and minimize the fear effect.
Krunch—
As he smashed the door and entered, he saw them huddled in terror in the corner.
There was no point wasting time in front of these frightened people.
He immediately pulled out a smartphone taken from the demons, called the police, and tossed it to the survivors.
"Uh... huh?"
The smartphone, under his mana control, smoothly glided through the air and landed perfectly in the hands of one bewildered survivor.
-Hello... Police station... here. What can I... do for you?
Soon, the faint voice of the police officer came from his hand.
Flustered, he stammered for a moment, glanced nervously at Hans, then cautiously began speaking to the police.
Having watched that far, Hans quietly slipped away, leaving them behind.
'No spies among them, it seems. Should be fine now.'
Mixing gang members among hostages was a time-honored criminal tradition, after all.
Hans was sensitive to negative emotions like fear and despair.
Having faced them directly and checked their emotional shifts, nothing suspicious stood out.
This place was so secretive, and guarded entirely by demons, so they probably hadn't bothered much with ordinary people.
'That adds another achievement to Demon Hunter Hahoe Mask's tally.'
He'd initially planned to operate as stealthily as possible, but at some point, he'd changed his mind.
There was no way for them to track him anyway, and controlling every witness one by one was a hassle.
Plus, spreading rumors might help deter crime even a little.
Honestly, seeing Hahoe Mask become a hot topic online was amusing too.
So, he hid only his identity and allowed rumors to spread through witnesses.
As a result, information about Hans in the Hahoe Mask was quietly circulating in online communities.
'By the way, what the hell is up with the Rebellion Society? They have a hand in everything everywhere, yet their real organization is nowhere to be found.'
Information gleaned from reading the demons' memories.
The ones he'd just wiped out were affiliated with the Rebellion Society but connected indirectly through support, making them hard to trace.
The info from the previous organization he'd raided was similar...
'Still, if I keep sweeping through crime syndicates like this, I'll eventually snag their tail.'
If they were the reason security had worsened lately, he'd run into them sooner or later.
Confirming the police sirens approaching, Hans left the scene.
As always after a fierce battle, only a Hahoe Mask drawn in blood remained at the site.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A private room in an upscale restaurant that strictly guaranteed customer privacy.
Two men sat facing each other, sharing drinks.
"Heard there's this crazy bastard in a Hahoe Mask playing hero lately."
A man with a bland, indistinct face poured a drink for the person across from him as he spoke.
"They say he uses black magic."
A middle-aged man in glasses accepted the drink nonchalantly.
Their conversation continued as they poured for each other.
"Never seen a black magic user who's right in the head."
"Even that guy's madness seems relatively tame. At least he doesn't harm civilians and seems to have some code."
"Ha, a black magic user's code. That's scary. More extreme than fanatic terrorists."
Black magic, which corrupted the natural energies, was domineering, grew quickly, and had lethal effects even on those opposing it.
But as a tainted energy, prolonged use eroded the user's mind.
It started with obsessions and compulsions when weak, gradually dulling moral senses until they became demons as it strengthened.
"His territory is expanding. We need to do something, but still no leads?"
Hahoe Mask's area, starting from southwest of Seoul's Han River, now spanned several districts.
Plus, he popped up in completely random places sometimes, making his movements unpredictable.
"...Hard to catch the guy. They say he uses spatial movement like it's nothing and is tough to detect before he acts."
"Tch, spatial movement. And that concealment ability too. Seems like a bigger deal than we thought. One of the recent returnees to Earth?"
The indistinct-faced man downed his glass in one go and stared at the middle-aged man opposite.
Under that emotionless gaze, the middle-aged man kept adjusting his glasses and averted his eyes.
"Anyway, him rampaging and sticking his nose into everything is a real pain."
"...I'll pay more attention."
"Appreciate it. We'll handle things on our end too."
The man grinned slyly, set his glass down, and stood.
"Well, busy with work, so I'll head out. I'll cover the bill—take your time."
He waved once and left with silent footsteps.
"Whew..."
With the uncomfortable companion gone, the middle-aged man sighed in relief.
He then poured himself drink after drink.
The booze in this pricey place tasted damn good.
How much time passed like that?
Ring ring ring—
The sudden bell shattered the silence. Frowning, he checked the caller.
One of his subordinates' names on the screen. What could it be at this late hour?
Reluctantly answering, an urgent voice poured from his smartphone.
-Section Chief! Sorry for the late hour! Got a report from Seoul outskirts—it's a big one.
The subordinate quickly explained the situation.
A massive human meat factory discovered via survivor reports, and the Hahoe Mask.
Hanging up, he sighed again and stood.
No time to keep drinking.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 3 a.m.
Heinz strolled the night streets after finishing a gold bar deal.
Hans, who had raided the factory, had just wrapped up the fight and was cleaning up.
Far from home, he planned to link up with Hans here to check the lotto tickets for tampering and wait until things settled.
'If those guys try tailing me again, I'll turn the tables and shake them down.'
He'd been quietly itching for it, but no news so far.
When they parted, the masked man had eyed him suspiciously, so he'd thought it possible.
Maybe his warning worked, or they were just cautious?
'Whatever. If they know their limits, they're fine business partners. Deal's done, that's what matters. If they show signs of funny business without knowing their place, I'll clean house.'
This area was under Hans's watch anyway.
He could manage it more carefully for a while.
For that reason, he wandered the night streets, where the crowds had thinned drastically compared to before the deal, thanks to the hour.
This bustling district still had some people around.
Having been stirred up by Hans once, the underworld folks seemed to be lying low.
The vibe was to avoid big trouble and move on.
Thinking he'd created this peace swelled his chest with pride.
'Peace made by violence—who cares? Eye for an eye, violence for violence. It works, that's what counts.'
On one side, two drunkards who'd picked a fight were trading punches.
But that was everyday stuff—no need to intervene in such trivia.
'Oh, hook! Uppercut! Opponent's no pushover—it's a deadlock.'
Fueled by booze, numb to pain, they charged wildly, ramping up the excitement.
Both wasted, their staggering punches missed more than they hit.
He was enjoying the spectacle when—
"Hey, you. Come chat with me over there for a sec."
A voice called from behind Heinz.
Tension spiked instantly, nerves on edge.
His senses sharpened enough to hear the drunkards' heartbeats ahead.
Yet the speaker's presence remained undetectable.
He slowly turned to look.
The man stood less than a meter away, staring.
As their eyes met, he nodded toward the alley and walked ahead.
'Still no presence. What now?'
Caught off guard momentarily, the answer was already set.
'When have I ever played it safe? Worst case, I bolt. Escaping's my specialty.'
He promptly followed into the alley.
The man, who had arrived first, leaned against the wall with arms crossed, waiting.
"Huh, you at least have some sense."
Referring to him following instead of fleeing, no doubt.
Heinz said nothing, just stared.
Whoever he was, he had business with him.
"Don't be so guarded. No intent to harm."
Chuckling, he stepped away from the wall, approaching.
Ignoring Heinz's scowl as he got right in his face, he sniffed repeatedly.
What the hell was this guy doing?
"Hm, yep, can't place it. New scent to me."
The man backed off and met his eyes.
"So, where you from?"
"What? Sniffing a stranger out of nowhere and asking origins?"
Heinz shot back, visibly annoyed.
He knew the guy wasn't normal, but getting dragged along without grasping the situation pissed him off.
"What? One of the recent returnees?"
The man muttered to himself and nodded.
Then, casually dropped it.
"You're a vampire, right?"
A strange smile crossed his face.
"Actually, me too. Though probably from different places."
This was the moment Heinz encountered a vampire from another dimension.