Chapter 372: Dyeing (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 372: Dyeing (5)
The other party boldly expressed their intent to purchase.
When trading an item without a price tag, the most important thing is not to seem too eager.
The more emotional you get, the more the other person learns about the value your item holds for you.
From that perspective, I could tell my item held considerable value to him—no, to be precise, to his boss.
At least, enough that they wouldn't want to risk the deal with some clumsy negotiation.
So I, too, went for a bold move.
“Hand over your information on Hexagram. That’s the price I want.”
At that, the man’s expression changed.
Behind the gentle eye-smile, his eyes revealed a sharp edge.
The corners of his mouth also drooped into a slight sneer.
“…It seems you’ve been through a lot since I last saw you.”
His tone, as if this was a complete surprise, grew much more serious.
“The last time we met, you didn’t know anything, but now Hexagram, out of the blue…”
Even the words he muttered to himself, as if buying time to think, contained information.
Hexagram, out of the blue.
That told me about their standing in the underworld.
They must be significant enough that it’s strange for someone like me, who supposedly knew nothing, to bring them up.
“Hmm, this is problematic.”
K smiled awkwardly.
“I don’t think this is a matter I can decide on my own.”
“So the deal’s off?”
“Well, now.”
An ambiguous answer.
His attitude suggested that even that wasn’t his decision to make.
“Give me a few days. I’ll ask my boss directly whether he’ll accept this deal or pass on it.”
“Hmm.”
K’s position was clearly not a low one.
The very fact that he could speak directly to the boss in an organization like this made it obvious.
“Is this boss of yours in Korea?”
When I asked, his reply was a bit sharp.
“That’s a secret.”
Jeez, so hostile.
He was practically radiating an aura that said, ‘Don’t even think about getting any information about the boss from me.’
“Well… it doesn’t really matter where that old man is. So, how many days do you need?”
“I should be able to give you an answer in about three days.”
Three days.
“Not bad.”
I could certainly wait that long.
I stood up without hesitation and spoke to K, who followed suit.
“You hold onto the box until then.”
He asked back with a wide grin.
“Are you entrusting the fish to the cat?”
“…You must have lived in Korea for a long time. You’re quite fluent in our proverbs.”
“Studying is essential if you want to blend into a country.”
So he’s smart, too?
The arrogant bastard.
“You’re the only one I can sell an item like that to anyway. If you don’t give me the information, I’ll just sell it for money, so just keep it.”
I said it as if I were doing him a favor.
Of course, if I left it at that, he would likely choose to buy the item with money rather than risk leaking information.
To ordinary people, money is more precious than anything, but for guys like him, there’s no easier form of payment.
“Ah, but do pass this message on to your boss.”
So I had to add a little more.
Something to whet his appetite.
“Tell him that if his relationship with them isn’t friendly, handing over the information will be far more profitable.”
In this world, there are no eternal enemies or allies.
That’s true even for those who operate in the light, let alone for organizations moving in the shadows.
“I happen to have a bit of a grudge against those friends of yours.”
I’ll do the dirty work for you, so just point me in the right direction.
After conveying that, I turned without the slightest hesitation and waved my hand.
“See you in three days, then.”
I said my goodbyes, went downstairs, and was just leaving the building.
Vvvvring—
My smartphone buzzed loudly, signaling a new message.
I checked to see who it was.
[Han Ju-hee: Let’s meet at the lab in two days.]
A summons from her.
“Hmm… that’s faster than I expected.”
It seemed that wife of mine was getting more impatient than I thought.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Two days later.
I took the now-familiar Tower Lord’s private elevator down to the 77th basement floor.
Ding—!
The moment the doors opened, the smell of various chemical reagents filled the air.
And then.
“Welcome.”
The scent of red roses, which had now become her signature.
Unlike the distant, subtly sweet fragrance, her expression was endlessly cold.
The atmosphere was completely different from our last training session.
“Hello.”
I greeted her cheerfully and walked toward her.
The closer I got, the more I could see it.
The traces of her ongoing worries, etched all over her face.
And that I was the one who had given her those worries.
“Is it the same training today?”
“Yes. I’ve prepared the next stage, but you’re not quite used to this yet, are you?”
“…That’s true.”
“Even if we move on to the next stage, we’ll continue with the sensory training. It’s something I’ve been realizing lately, but the deeper your senses become, the more you can do.”
Her interest was piqued.
“The more I can do…?”
“Hmm… something like this, for example?”
I focused on the large current of mana flowing around us.
Among the elemental particles it contained, I greatly increased the proportion of wind.
Whoosh—
A sudden breeze rustled her hair.
Feeling it, Han Ju-hee’s eyes widened.
An artificial wind.
And yet, she wouldn’t have felt any magic circles or movement of mana.
“How… did you just?”
I kindly answered her surprised question.
“I arbitrarily adjusted the proportion of elemental particles within the ambient mana. Right now, I increased the wind particles to create a gentle breeze.”
“……”
Even if I changed the mana particles, all it created was a mere breeze.
But the true power of adjusting particle proportions lay elsewhere.
“Does that mean… you can change the environment at will?”
That was it.
The ability to alter the surrounding environment.
For example, around a volcano with flowing lava, more than 80% of the mana is filled with fire particles.
That’s why the power of fire-attribute magic increases, while the power of other attributes is greatly diminished.
Changing the environment meant just that.
It meant I could simultaneously buff myself by increasing the power of my desired magic attribute and debuff my opponent by greatly reducing the power of their magic.
“My god…”
Her mouth slowly fell open.
That was an expression she only showed when she was truly shocked. She must have been quite surprised.
Originally, this was a power I had intended to keep secret.
I couldn’t control it perfectly yet, and I needed to keep an ace up my sleeve.
What changed my mind was seeing her face when I arrived here.
I realized her anguish was deeper than I’d thought.
Should she eliminate me, or should she let me live for now?
So I had no choice but to show my hand.
If I died, what good were hidden powers or any of that crap?
I had to live first.
Besides, this wasn't my only hidden power.
I added one more thing.
“I was going to keep it a secret since it’s not perfect yet, but I showed you on purpose.”
“…Why?”
To her suspicious question, I answered with the most innocent expression I could muster.
“Because I thought it would make you, Hunter Han Ju-hee, a little more motivated.”
“……”
I am innocent and pure.
I constantly maintained that attitude, trying to sway her heart.
Though I wasn’t sure if it would work on the woman who had grown so cold.
Her endlessly frigid expression began to thaw, just a little.
“…If that was your goal, it worked perfectly.”
A new passion filled its place.
“Shall we begin?”
“Let’s.”
Having come this far, I could consider the immediate danger of death averted.
The basis for that thought?
Because while I don’t know her well, I also know her very well.
I may not know her feelings or inner thoughts, but I know one thing for certain.
How much passion she pours into magic.
She’s a woman who would never let go of magic, even on her deathbed.
And you’re asking her to kill the person who is showing her the very ideal of a magician?
A person who is even sharing that knowledge with her?
“She could never do it.”
“…What did you just say?”
“Ah, just talking to myself.”
She was no longer able to kill me.
Of course, not forever, but for now.
At least until she was confident she could do it on her own.
And as long as I didn’t cross the line too drastically, even if she considered it, she would quickly dismiss the thought herself.
Until then, I just needed to gather the strength to oppose her and information on Hexagram.
Hiding my inner thoughts, I asked her as she sat in the chair and closed her eyes.
“Shall we start?”
“Yes.”
The training process wasn’t much different from the first time.
First, I awakened her senses with simple shapes, then gradually mixed in more difficult ones.
In the process, I pushed my aura into her skin, little by little, ever so slightly.
Applying it to her entire body was too risky.
So I focused on the areas where her senses were dullest and where it would have the most definite effect.
The first targets were the nape of her neck and her ears.
Over two, then three hours, I infused and dyed those two spots with an amount of aura smaller than a fingernail.
It was an incredibly faint amount.
But I had no choice.
If I put in even a little more, she would notice in an instant.
“I think this is enough for today.”
“Hah… alright.”
Even for an S-rank Hunter, maintaining focus for three hours straight wasn’t easy.
Especially since this training method was completely different from what she was used to, she would feel fatigue more easily.
As she stood up from the chair and stretched her stiff body, I spoke.
“Now it’s my turn, right?”
“…What are you curious about this time?”
What I was going to ask this time wasn’t about Hexagram.
I wasn’t going to do something stupid like freezing the atmosphere I had just managed to thaw.
As it happened, there was something I was curious about.
Every event has a cause.
That’s why I wanted to know.
The life of a show-window couple that had lasted for seven years.
It was an undeniable fact that they had once loved each other passionately.
And there must have been more than one reason for them to grow just as cold.
But I didn’t want to hear a long, drawn-out story of all the reasons she grew distant from me.
Because I couldn’t predict how the me of that time would have reacted.
So, I decided to ask just one thing.
“When was the moment you were most disappointed in Hunter Son Si-woo?”
The pivotal moment when she felt the most aversion, when she grew most distant.
When was that?
“……”
She stared at me with her lips pressed tightly together, then finally let out a small sigh and turned her back.
She answered just like that.
“…The moment he came to be called the National Hunter.”
“……?”
“That’s when I felt the greatest disappointment.”