Trapping the Poison Sorceress
Luiza seemed to have gained rock-solid confidence after sleeping with me. Confidence that she could take down Titi. Or maybe even enough to handle both Titi and Chichi at once.
"It would've been nice if they'd come together..."
Her mutterings at first left me clueless about what she meant.
"Where are we headed?"
Luiza said she'd meet Titi that evening. But I had no idea where to find her.
"There's only one place, right?"
Valentina said it with an obvious look on her face.
"Where's that?"
As soon as I asked, it hit me.
"Ah!"
Realization made my heart race. I reached for my phone, but Luiza stopped me.
"Darling, no need to rush. Titi won't move until later anyway. From what I know, she and her sister both love Korea. They'll probably go shopping first. Hitting up all the spots, even the hidden gems."
"Korea?"
"Yeah, before they awakened, they were famous YouTubers. Their faces and vibes have changed a lot since then, but back in the day, their main content was makeup, styling, vlogs—that stuff. Half their popular videos were shot in Korea."
"They were YouTubers?"
"Yep, super cute and blew up because of it. Obviously, their accounts are gone now. Only insiders know they're poison sorceresses ruling the underground with their rep."
"Hmm... so they won't move during the day?"
It felt like thin reasoning. With Kim Se-in's life—and her guild members' and staff's—on the line, I couldn't rely on guesswork.
"Poison sorceresses love the night. They start operations after sunset. It's better for toxin release, and easier to track scents and colors."
That made sense. Titi was here on a job and would want to wrap it up clean and head home. Committing murder in broad daylight drew too much attention, and she'd likely fly back to Thailand the next day without issue.
Kang Mancheol had shelled out 5 billion won to hire Titi directly but hadn't mentioned facing an S-rank hunter. So he'd probably pegged the target as Kim Se-in.
Mess with Kim Se-in, and I'd move. Expecting a fight to break out naturally in the process? Had to admit, it was a clever play.
"Anyway, let's head there. We need to prep for our guests."
I had no clue what Valentina meant by "prepping for guests," but we all agreed to go to Kim Se-in's guild office together.
"That bastard, to the very end..."
Kim Se-in was furious after hearing the story. She'd sent her staff and members home, leaving just me, her, Valentina, Kang A-jin, Luiza, and Lisa in the Violet Guild office.
More people would boost our numbers, but this wasn't a fight won by sheer count. If it were, we wouldn't have needed Luiza.
"This could work out for the best. The Thai group indirectly hurt you, Kim Se-in. Broadly speaking, they're in cahoots with Kang Mancheol. Better to eliminate loose ends."
Strictly, Titi and Chichi had just sold their poison. But without it, Kim Se-in wouldn't have suffered so badly.
We wouldn't have sought them out otherwise, but they were still a nagging threat. Wiping out future worries like this wasn't bad. Poison-wielding underground assassins leading killer crews? The world was better off without them.
"So they'll come here?"
Kim Se-in's face was resolute. She looked ready to handle the kill herself.
"Se-in, stay back. Regular hunters facing poison sorceresses is too dangerous."
"What? But this happened because of me. How can I just sit it out!"
She acted like she'd have no face to show if she didn't step up. Luiza spoke softly to her.
"Such a pretty girl, and brave too~ But leave this to big sis~ You can repay the favor over time, right?"
Kim Se-in flinched back a step at Luiza's sultry tone and expression.
"Who's this...?"
"From Brazil. Top-tier poison sorceress. Best to fight poison with poison."
My explanation clicked for her.
"Sorry. Because of me... I'll repay this favor forever, as you said."
"Don't call it a favor. We'll keep helping each other from now on. Like family."
Saying "family" out loud made me awkward. Defining us that way was basically polygamy, nothing more or less.
But I'd meant something else too by telling her not to worry about repaying. Luiza's gaze on Kim Se-in had a lecherous glint.
Kim Se-in was top 0.1% beauty, even by Valentina's standards. I agreed. Luiza wouldn't pass up eyeing a stunner like that.
Promising favors lightly could lead to trouble. Valentina and Luiza respected boundaries, but risks remained. Their sorcery and poisons could seduce even S-rank hunters into losing reason.
I'd fallen for Valentina's charms helplessly at first.
"It's about time..."
Kang A-jin broke the mood. No time for chit-chat now. Sun hadn't set, but prep was needed per Valentina.
"Okay~ Lisa! Let's get ready."
"Yes."
Lisa was key to Valentina's prep. Watching them work reminded me of their setup against Jo Dong-geun.
Dolls floated in the air, Lisa's scrolls unfurled wide—sorcery in motion.
When these two teamed up, it meant serious power. The room's air shifted. Mana rippled, linking to somewhere distant.
At first, I thought they were opening a dimensional rift for battle. But no—similar, yet different. A mix of rift and warp zone sensations.
With my sorcery basics, I could sense what was coming.
"This is..."
Kim Se-in, seeing sorcery unfold for the first time, clung to my side. Anxious, she grabbed my hand.
Visually, nothing obvious changed. But S-ranks sense big shifts intuitively. She knew now—how extraordinary her new group was.
Valentina and Lisa's ritual lasted about ten minutes. Long for their level.
"Whew, now we just wait."
Valentina caught her breath lightly. Dolls and scrolls still hovered.
Kang A-jin, peering out the window, spoke up.
"They're here."
I joined her. A black van pulled up and stopped.
Pretty shabby for Thailand's elite assassins. They weren't taking this seriously.
Why would they? If targeting an A-rank, it was easy money for Titi. 5 billion might not seem huge for days of work, but with her and Chichi loving Korean tourism, it was a sweet side gig.
People emerged from the stopped van. Agile, controlled moves screamed non-civilians. Each at least B-rank—underground killers specialized in assassination, not standard hunters.
No threat at all. The real deal was...
I spotted the woman stepping out last. Tall and slender. Hard to picture her as a killer in that chic outfit: sleeveless leather top, miniskirt, high-heeled boots, bobbed hair.
Distance meant nothing to my S-rank eyes. Enemy or not, she was pretty. With a unique allure.
Anyway—the fight was on.