A Fruitful Night Out
Bang! Boom! Slice!
The sounds of something exploding, being severed, and slashing through flesh carried through the walls. The building shuddered as if struck by an earthquake. Ju Georyeong, the officer in charge of the Myeongdong branch, hurried toward his office.
That intruder bastard. How savagely is he fighting?
He had already watched the staff on the first-floor store being subdued via CCTV. Thanks to that, he also knew the intruders’ identities: the three summons under Minho’s command. They wore casual clothes, so he hadn’t recognized them at once, but a look at their faces confirmed it.
I’ve never seen that pretty-boy type before, though.
Zaug, out for the first time after gaining a body. Even with the formidable information network of the Chinese intelligence agencies, they could never have known about him yet. Besides, Zaug’s identity was hardly important at the moment.
I raised shock-absorption barriers, and it’s still this bad…
The Myeongdong branch served as the command center for Chinese intelligence activities inside Korea. Their defenses against intruders were accordingly thorough. Forces that no one short of an S-rank hunter could break through were standard, and barriers that absorbed nearly every impact had been layered throughout the building. And yet the shocks were reaching all the way to the office—proof that the battle raging underground was that fierce.
Just in case, I’ll destroy the documents.
Ju Georyeong put strength into his legs. When the Myeongdong branch came under attack, the absolute priority was erasing every scrap of material related to intelligence work. There was always the chance the intruders might break through the hunters stationed as security.
The last raid failed, after all.
A large-scale operation that had mobilized ten A-rank hunters and one hundred seven B-rank hunters. Even in Southeast Asia, operations of that scale were rare. With the board properly set, they had fielded enough power to somehow suppress even an S-rank hunter. Yet Minho had returned perfectly fine.
The Rift Bureau must have sent support quickly.
Ju Georyeong reasoned from common sense. How could a hunter who had only reached B-rank a few months earlier possibly withstand the combined assault of ten A-rankers? His summons were all outstanding, true, but judging by the combat power they had displayed so far, they were not enough to handle every single Tu Lang fighter sent on the raid.
The Rift Bureau must have caught the scent for certain.
He did not fear the three summons. Crushing them inside the Myeongdong branch’s secret space would weaken Minho’s forces—an outright gain. The real problem was the Rift Bureau’s intervention behind them. That was why Ju Georyeong was running so hard.
I have to destroy every last piece of data before they storm in.
Beep—
His fingers flew across the keys. Minor data could be wiped later. First he had to turn the truly important information into dust…
“See that? Told you he’d lead us straight here, that is.”
“Ohhh. Not bad at all, you little thief.”
“Hehehe. These types always think the same way, they do.”
In an office that should have held only him, unfamiliar voices rang out side by side. Startled, he snapped his head up—and found a red-haired woman and a man with seaweed-like hair looking down at him.
“Shouldn’t you be getting on with your work, that is?”
“Who the hell are you?!”
“Talking down to someone you’ve just met isn’t polite. Looks like you need a lesson in manners, that is.”
Manners? What was that supposed to mean? Every question rising in his mind vanished under a searing pain as if he had been branded by fire.
“Gyaaaaaaah!”
“I only cut off one toe, that is?”
“Gueeek. Khek.”
“That one just now didn’t even hurt much, it didn’t.”
“Y-you crazy bastard!”
“Don’t you worry, that is. The first one’s always light.”
Crunch!
“Gyaaaaah!”
“If I raise the intensity little by little, you won’t adapt to the pain, so no need to worry, that is.”
Zaug grinned from ear to ear. Beside him, Ingrid frowned.
“We’re wasting time. Finish him with one stroke and just grab the data.”
“Friends like this tend to hide all the important stuff, they do.”
Zaug smirked and pointed at the safe he had just opened. While Dame Isra ran wild, the two subordinates had slipped away, concealed their presence, and quickly scoured the underground. That was how they had ended up here.
“Your ability’s pretty good.”
“All thanks to the Great Lord matching my breathing so well, that is.”
As a Death Warrior granted the privileges of a Resurrected, Zaug could still use a good portion of the skills from his previous life. With Dark Stealth reinforced by Stealthy Footsteps, he had even hidden Ingrid. The near-total darkness of the underground made that variable application possible.
“Wouldn’t work in an open space, it wouldn’t.”
“Not like I’m planning to stick right next to you ever again, you hear?”
Ingrid snapped back.
I was tailed?!!!
Ju Georyeong ground his teeth. He had never expected them to split their forces with five A-rank hunters standing right in front of them. No—even if they split their power, was it really possible to slip past the eyes of A-rank hunters and infiltrate? Even most assassination-type hunters could not manage that.
“Our dear teacher here seems to be thinking an awful lot, that is.”
Slice!
“Gyaaaaaah!”
“The pain you just felt was about stage two, that is.”
“T-two… stage two?”
“For reference, pain goes up to stage ten, it does.”
Zaug grinned wickedly.
“Last time those friends only lasted up to stage five, which was a real shame. Do try to hold out longer for me, that is.”
This damned summon. What the hell was he saying right now? Stage two this, stage five that?
It already hurts like hell—what’s this about stage five!!
Ju Georyeong barely held back tears. He was a non-awakened. Unlike hunters, he was not used to physical pain. He had often inflicted pain on others, but pain inflicted on his own body was completely foreign. A weak-hearted man who teared up at even a single needle prick.
That crazy summon bastard!!
Watching him snicker over how much pain someone could endure sent fury boiling up from his gut. The surging emotions raced straight up his throat and out his mouth.
“Tell me what you want! I’ll tell you everything!”
Honestly, it just hurt too much. For a desk-bound non-awakened specialist like Ju Georyeong, the stimulus was far too intense to endure.
“Ah. No need for that, that is.”
“Ueeeegh.”
“You already opened the important materials for us just a moment ago, didn’t you?”
“E-even so, you need to know what they’re used for!”
“Aww. I don’t care about that, I don’t.”
Zaug’s smile deepened. Ingrid listened to the exchange with a blank expression. Sweat soaked Ju Georyeong’s back.
The real power is that woman.
This would not do. To stay alive, he had to make himself useful.
“It’ll take time to find everything. Tell me what you need first and I’ll point it out.”
“Hmm. He’s begging so earnestly—maybe we should hear him out once, that is?”
Only then did Ingrid smooth her furrowed brow.
“Your speech is awfully casual.”
“I’m sorry! Please just spare my life!”
“Locations of the other branches.”
Now that the office had been cleaned out, concealment was impossible. With everything already over, what was the point of holding out further? Word of the attack on the Myeongdong branch would already have reached the other places.
Nothing changes even if I keep my mouth shut.
After running the calculations in his head, Ju Georyeong opened his mouth at once.
“I’ll tell you!”
As the information on the other branches poured out, Zaug glanced sideways.
Was I right or was I right, that is?
Ingrid answered telepathically without relaxing her stiff expression.
You’re pretty good at this.
Trailing Ju Georyeong and putting on a scary face without a word—that had all been Zaug’s request as well.
Hehehe. This field is my specialty, it is.
Let’s wipe out the rest in one go too.
The other branches are probably already prepping to pull out, they are.
Then we should move fast.
Tie him up, grab the data, and move quick, that is.
With Ingrid’s agreement, Zaug grinned.
“Then I’ll put a sleep spell on you, that is.”
“You can use magic too?”
The moment Ingrid’s face showed surprise—
Whack!
“Kehk.”
Struck on the nape of the neck, Ju Georyeong face-planted.
“Tada! A splendid sleep spell, that is.”
That day, three of the Chinese intelligence agencies in Seoul were smashed to pieces. The remaining ones all took down their front signs and pulled out.
The undead creation experiment I attempted while the subordinates were out. The results were not exactly satisfying.
“The Blood Demon’s stats only went up a little, huh.”
I had placed a primitive man’s heart into a raptor corpse and opened additional mana circuits. I thought raising the output might make the ‘Primitive Species Factor’ react, but there were no great results.
Corpse Processing
I currently only had one primitive man’s heart. They said there was no stock for now, so I had to use what I had sparingly. I disassembled the finished undead, erased the mana circuits, and re-inscribed them over and over. Before I knew it, a whole day had slipped by.
“It’s all ragged now.”
The primitive man’s heart could no longer be used as a catalyst or material for undead creation. After repeatedly erasing and reopening mana circuits, using it in undead creation and continuously testing mana output, its durability had hit rock bottom. I would have to put the experiment off until next time.
“My Lord will surely find the answer. Of that I am certain.”
“Right. Thanks.”
“Until my Lord finds the solution, he never rests. I believe in my Lord.”
“……”
You’re not just nagging me to get to work, are you? Right?
When I looked at Dame Isra with a sideways glance, she instead looked surprised.
“My, my. Looks like that iron-headed one has nothing but thoughts of overworking Master.”
“W-w-what are you saying! I was merely cheering my Lord on as he seeks the answer.”
“Disguising a curse to work without sleep as elegant encouragement… Do all knight maniacs talk like that?”
“Hmph!”
You two. Weren’t you getting along a bit better?
I looked at Zaug with questioning eyes. Say something, will you. You all had fun yesterday, didn’t you. Right? Yeah?
“Heh, hehehe. Yesterday was truly a most beneficial time, that is.”
Is “beneficial” the right word for it. I don’t know. Come to think of it, they didn’t even use the card I gave them to eat something tasty. There were almost no usage texts from the card. While working I had entered the Death Blacksmith and hadn’t paid attention. I only noticed it this morning. Well, it didn’t matter. If the three of them had a good time, that was enough.
“I’m getting ready to go out, so you all put on some decent clothes too.”
“Where are we going, my Lord?”
“The Rift Bureau.”
The original schedule was gate conquering, but with the recent unpleasant incidents there were things to discuss. We took the car the Rift Bureau sent and headed straight for Gwacheon. When we arrived at the building, a staff member came out to greet us.
“Hunter Park. I’ll escort you to the Commissioner’s office.”
“The Commissioner’s office?”
“Yes. Commissioner Choi Jiung wishes to see you, Hunter.”
Not the Director today. A meeting with an even higher-up. Looks like this matter is that serious. Well—over a hundred hunters of unknown nationality had entered our country’s territory. It would be weirder if it weren’t a problem.
Is this the second meeting with the Commissioner? Maybe because I’ve been meeting big shots one after another lately, I didn’t feel particularly nervous. What kind of talk could come up, anyway.
But then.
“Yesterday, five of China’s secret branches were attacked.”
Commissioner Choi Jiung brought up an unexpected topic the moment he saw me.
“Secret branches?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good news for us, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. However, near the attacked branches, we secured CCTV footage like this.”
What appeared on the CCTV was… the three subordinates.
What are you three doing there?