Conspiracy
He hauled Im Seokhun’s body upright—the man revived by Revive.
“Let’s begin the interrogation.”
A purple abyss settled into Hanul’s eyes.
Abyss Spectrum
Lilith’s bewitching arts layered over it, boring straight into Im Seokhun’s shattered mind.
Sizzle—!
Black smoke rose from Im Seokhun’s head. Even after remaking him into a familiar and seizing control of his flesh, the seal remained brutally strong.
Another soul-bound seal. Far more vicious than I expected.
A formula of this caliber could never have been laid by mere Axis Stage or Severing Stage cultivators. Higher-ranking Immortals had to be involved directly.
“Typical of those sly bastards from the Immortal Realm.”
“Exactly.”
They had planted the seeds of these seals through returnees heading to Earth. In other words, the Immortal Realm already knew of Earth’s existence. Whether they meant to turn it into a playground or a banquet hall, their intentions were never going to be kind. They were Immortal Realm scum, after all.
“Still, we got a harvest.”
Just before Im Seokhun’s brain fried completely, information on the other workshops spilled out—the locations of more hidden nests scattered across the entire country.
“Ugh… uhhh… The ones above won’t leave me alone. They’ll definitely try to kill me.”
“Don’t worry. You won’t be allowed to die.”
Hanul seized Im Seokhun by the scruff of the neck. The limp body scraped across the floor as it was dragged outside.
Clang—
The heavy iron door of the slaughterhouse swung open and cool night air rushed in. In the distance, sharp sirens tore through the silence. Red and blue emergency lights were already surging up the mountain road—the result of the call Hanul had made before entering.
“Team One, secure the entrance! Multiple critically injured inside! Medical teams, move in now!”
“Police, lock down the perimeter! No civilians allowed near!”
Urgent shouts filled the slaughterhouse yard. Officers carrying stretchers sprinted into the hellish facility.
“What you’re seeing is the site believed to be a pill manufacturing facility!”
“Is it true that a large number of Awakened corpses were discovered inside?!”
Right behind them, reporters came running with cameras already rolling.
“Shocking developments! The true face of the so-called ‘nests’—where Awakened bodies were used as raw materials to manufacture spiritual pills—has been revealed. Under a lightning operation by the Hunter Special Affairs Bureau, five major strongholds nationwide have currently…”
Footage showed the grotesque cauldrons inside the slaughterhouse and the mountain of victims’ belongings. Public fury exploded.
Under the command of newly appointed Director Kang Hanul, the Special Affairs Bureau showed no mercy. Resisting criminals were executed on the spot. The only living prisoner kept as evidence was Im Seokhun himself.
…
Comment reactions. Eunha watched them from the Minister’s office. Exhaustion filled her eyes, yet beneath it lay deep concern over the gravity of the situation.
“You don’t look well. Did I handle things too roughly?”
“I don’t know. This case is more serious than anything I could have imagined.”
Hanul tossed a thick stack of reports onto the desk, then picked up the remote and changed the TV channel.
“What’s being reported in the media isn’t everything. Human trafficking is only the tip of the iceberg.”
On another news channel, the situation in what used to be Beijing was being broadcast. Total devastation. The Demon Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara still roamed the streets, continuing its rampage of destruction.
And then—breaking news that the Central-South, North, and Tibet had each established independent governments. Hunter warlords were rising everywhere, fighting for power. Taking advantage of the chaos, Southeast Asian nations were already seizing southern China.
“Are you saying this entire situation is connected to everything happening in China?”
“I’m still digging into the details, but simply put, returnees from a place called the Immortal Realm are behind it.”
“I know about the Immortal Realm. Among returnees they’re said to be quite strong. I heard one of them even founded a cult in Japan.”
“Right. Those Immortal Realm bastards stirred up the Chinese cultivators and orchestrated this whole board.”
While listening to Hanul, Eunha continued reading the report. Starting from the northern Korean Peninsula, through Southeast Asia, Mongolia, Tibet, all the way to Siberia—their black hands had already engulfed the entire Asian continent.
“My god… this is international crime syndicate level…”
She hadn’t even finished speaking when—
Ring—!
A phone rang in Hanul’s pocket.
“Found anything more?”
—Still investigating. But I contacted you because there’s an urgent matter I need to report.
It was Office Manager Seo Jihun.
—…sir.
“Heh. Is that so.”
Hearing the news Seo Jihun delivered, Hanul let out a contemptuous snort of laughter.
—The National Assembly members currently trying to frame the Director… they’re the same ones we background-checked years ago when the Veteran Guild was forced to dance under China’s thumb, specifically for dealing with Japan.
“Perfect. I’ll head over later myself. Have the materials ready.”
—Yes, sir! Then…
“Ah! Did they drag Eunha into it as well?”
At that exact moment, Chief Secretary Min Sehee rushed in with a deathly pale face.
“Minister, it looks like you’ll need to visit the National Assembly soon.”
Apparently Seo Jihun’s answer was no longer necessary.
Ranked second among the top ten guilds. The White Dragon Guild—established in Korea by China’s Black Dragon Guild as its infiltration arm—had been attacked. Blood painted every surface.
“Ghhh…”
“Khak!”
Thud! Thwack!
With dull impacts, the White Dragon Guild Master and his elite Hunters tumbled across the floor.
“White Dragon Guild wasn’t much either. Or maybe I’ve just gotten stronger.”
“The Black Dragon Guild won’t sit still! Can you handle that?!”
“Looks like you still haven’t grasped the times.”
“…Khuhurk!”
“New power is flowing into this world. You should have seized it first and grown stronger.”
Clouds parted beyond the window and moonlight spilled across the night sky, revealing the face of the man currently stomping on the White Dragon Guild Master. It was Kwon Taejun—leader of the Iljin Party, party representative, and National Assembly member.
“Especially those masters you all trust so much. Black Dragon Guild? By now they’ve probably become our master’s pills.”
“What?”
“Be grateful you met me. Will you become pills, or will you swear loyalty as my limbs?”
Judging by Kwon Taejun’s current martial power, it was no empty threat. Chaos had erupted in China. He had ears of his own and had picked up bits and pieces about the Immortal Realm. And yet he had already built this much strength?
“I… I’ll become your limb…”
Thud!
In that instant Kwon Taejun’s foot crushed down on the Guild Master’s head.
“If you’d shown even a shred of backbone I might have considered it.”
Kwon Taejun gestured. Subordinates waiting behind him pulled out body bags.
“Just become pills. Collect them.”
“Yes!”
Like the rest of the guild members, the White Dragon Guild Master was dragged into a collection bag. He had been one of the few remaining S-class Hunters in Korea, yet the dismantling of the White Dragon Guild ended in an instant.
What remained were the spoils—the industrial shares the White Dragon Guild had controlled.
“Jo Taeheung, from now on you swallow the White Dragon Guild.”
“Yes! Thank you! I will devote my full loyalty!”
A National Assembly member. Moreover, the leader of an entire party was doing this kind of work. But ever since the Hunter era began, the world had already changed. The National Assembly didn’t stage open combat like this place, yet battles of presence had always existed. That was why every party recruited Hunters as assembly members.
Among them, Kwon Taejun had risen all the way to leader of the Iljin Party. He hadn’t done it alone. He had caught the eye of Japan, which stood behind him.
“Next. Hand over the list.”
“Here it is, but…”
Written on the list were the guilds that had served as China’s lackeys. Roughly half had already been consumed by those who followed Japan. The other half were crossed out with notes that the United States or Russia had claimed them first.
“Tch. So America and Russia already snatched the rest?”
“Still, the ones we’ve secured are in excellent condition. And there are plenty of them.”
Kwon Taejun lit a cigarette. Acrid smoke scattered into the darkness. The corpses of White Dragon Guild Hunters his men were collecting would be smuggled overseas and turned into pills—in places like Cambodia or Myanmar in Southeast Asia.
Damn it! Originally I could have taken the pills within a few days, but that bastard Kang Hanul made everything complicated.
Over ten years of cultivation and pills, Kwon Taejun had raised his rank from C-class to A-class. After the catastrophe in China, his progress had accelerated even further. He had just subdued the White Dragon Guild Master—known as an S-class Hunter—without much difficulty. Now he would reach SSS-class.
Special Affairs Bureau Director Kang Hanul? With this current high, he felt he could win. He needed to ride this momentum, take the pills, and grow even stronger!
I still can’t read Master Myojin’s or Senior Brother Seomungyeol’s intentions. Pulling out not only the domestic nests but even the ones in the northern Korean Peninsula…
Buzz—
A vibration shattered the silence.
“Yes, Master. I just finished the job, as it happens. We’re collecting the bodies now.”
—Well done. Once the pills are manufactured, I’ll share them with you.
“Thank you!”
—More importantly, an emergency meeting will be held at the party headquarters shortly. Go there. We’re redrawing the board. Separate instructions will be sent.
“Yes, I’ll head there immediately.”
Kwon Taejun ground the dying cigarette under his heel. As he turned, a brief wave of dizziness hit him.
Ever since my power increased, the dizziness has become more frequent.
But compared to the rapid rise in rank he had achieved, it was nothing more than a trivial side effect.
Iljin Party headquarters. Key party figures were already gathered inside—core assembly members who had colluded with the Japanese faction to receive and offer up pills.
“We can’t just sit here and take this. We have to strike first!”
“Let’s arrest Kang Eunha and that Kang Hanul behind her immediately. We can invent the pretext later, can’t we?”
Kwon Taejun quickly grasped how the wind was blowing.
These old men are making an even bigger fuss than I am. Non-Hunters stuffing themselves with elixirs like pigs.
When a Hunter took pills or elixirs, they grew stronger. Ordinary people rarely awakened, but even without awakening they became healthier and lived longer. These men had become little more than slaves to the pills. Many had practically donated their entire fortunes to the cult Myojin publicly fronted—the so-called Pill Church.
“Will the other parties just sit quietly? The backlash won’t be light.”
When someone raised that question, Kwon Taejun—who had been waiting for the right moment—cut in.
“They find Kang Eunha and Kang Hanul just as irritating.”
“True enough…”
“I’ll handle any resistance from the Special Affairs Bureau or Kang Hanul. Assemblyman Park and Assemblyman Kim, please take care of the backroom negotiations.”
“Understood.”
“We’ll leave it to Representative Kwon.”
The air inside the conference room grew heavy.
“Mobilize the media as well. While this disaster was unfolding, what exactly were the Dungeon Management Department and the Special Affairs Bureau doing? Stir up public opinion that way.”
“Excellent idea!”
“While we’re at it, let’s drag President Namgung Hyun into it and pull him down too.”
“And the national audit is coming soon. Drag both Director Kang Hanul and Minister Kang Eunha out and…”
“Make sure the arrows of blame all point at them. Haha, leave it to us.”
At Kwon Taejun’s orders, the Iljin Party assembly members nodded in unison.