There Are No Bad Dogs in the World
The side effect of brainwashing magic. It was truly regrettable.
It came with the effect of constant sexual arousal—known as "heat"—and on top of that, social ostracism. The brainwashed victim had no idea what was happening as they turned into a societal menace. That was the cruelest part.
Cheon Ji-hoo let out a long breath, propping his feet on the railing of a high-rise rooftop, arms crossed as he gazed down below. The neon signs on the streets glowed brightly. Even after the incident in the bustling district, the people of Hunter Way continued living vibrantly. It was hard to believe terrorists lurked in a place like this.
"Found you."
Cheon Ji-hoo blinked as he inhaled the breath he'd just exhaled. In an instant, the space around him shifted, and his position changed from the rooftop railing to a dark corridor—right behind the man he'd brainwashed last time. Thanks to the pre-cast Perception Impairment and Aura Concealment, he went undetected.
Not too far from Hunter Way, huh.
Hunter Way was on the site of old Yeouido. Judging by the direction, it seemed to be somewhere south of Seoul—around Sinlim, perhaps. That famous neighborhood near Seoul National University.
"Hm? What the hell? Suddenly feeling a chill."
The man in front of Cheon Ji-hoo glanced around, scratched the back of his head, and started walking somewhere. In the meantime, Cheon Ji-hoo discreetly used Detection to scan how many people were in the building. The number wasn't high. About twenty in a five-story structure.
Too few.
For the international criminals that Hong Ji-hwa's unit was chasing, it was suspiciously low. Maybe they'd split into small cells to avoid total annihilation if attacked. Annoying.
It was so much easier to wipe them out when they clustered together.
Cheon Ji-hoo sighed softly. This had happened in the other world too, back when he was an ignorant young mage. A thieves' guild had gotten on his nerves, so he'd ambushed and wiped them out—only to face endless assassination attempts from who-knows-where. Turns out, that was just one branch, and they had thousands across the continent. He'd kept sweeping them until he couldn't take it anymore, captured and killed their leader, and only then did things quiet down.
These guys were probably the same. Taking out one branch wouldn't end it.
Following the man, he arrived at a room. When the man opened the door and entered, another figure in a similar drab robe was scribbling on some papers inside.
"Boss. Looking sexy as ever today."
The man blurted it out of nowhere. Cheon Ji-hoo thought, Is he insane? but quickly realized he was the one who'd turned the guy that way and nodded impassively. Brainwashing really was a mad spell. He didn't even want to imagine it happening to him.
"......Don't you ever get tired of it?"
"The boss isn't the kind of man who gets tired."
"You crazy bastard."
"Haha! Thank you!"
"That guy's a real psycho...... What the hell happened to him all of a sudden? Give me the report."
"Yes. This rift opened successfully. We even safely induced the backdraft from the one in Seongnam, so right now, four political bigshots are trapped in that B-rank rift."
"Good work."
"Then shouldn't you reward me? I'll be waiting in bed~?"
"Be grateful I'm not taking your life."
The one called Boss snapped his pen in half. He was keeping the guy alive only because of his skills. Otherwise, he'd have been dead long ago.
Standing there amid the palpable fury, Cheon Ji-hoo crossed his arms, thought for a moment, and spoke.
"Maybe it's better to just kill them all."
With those words, Aura Concealment and Perception Impairment dissipated. The Boss and the man's eyes turned toward him.
A stranger. Long white hair, blue eyes. An emotionless, indifferent face.
"Who the hell are you! How did you—!"
The man shouted and reached out frantically, but Cheon Ji-hoo merely tapped his side with a finger. The man's form crumpled like his soul had been yanked out, eyes rolling back as he collapsed.
The Boss shot to his feet and froze. He couldn't comprehend what had just happened. No hunter could take down the man with the Indestructible Diamond skill with a single finger.
The guy must have activated his skill the moment he saw Cheon Ji-hoo. Indestructible Diamond absorbed any attack beyond a certain damage threshold. Yet he'd gone down with one poke and wasn't even breathing.
Dead.
The Boss swallowed hard. Judging the man before him as extremely dangerous, he opened his mouth.
"What the hell are you?"
He needed to buy time. To escape or alert others.
But nothing was allowed.
"I'm the one asking questions."
His body froze. It felt bound tight by something invisible. Barely managing to look down, he saw thin wooden vines from the desk wrapping around his limbs.
What the—!
What kind of ability was this? He racked his brain for matching skills, but nothing fit. If it was simple plant control, how had he killed that guy in one hit?
Incomprehensible.
Cheon Ji-hoo spoke.
"Answer me."
"......What about?"
"What's your purpose?"
"You from HCU?"
"I didn't allow questions."
The Boss realized he wouldn't get answers. This guy didn't negotiate. To prolong his life, he'd have to talk. And now, the second question.
"Answer me."
"We fight for freedom! We'll shatter the system through rifts and build true freedom!"
"Finally, something worth hearing."
But it wasn't enough. Since he'd answered, Cheon Ji-hoo granted a reprieve.
"Are there more of you?"
"We're infinite. As long as rifts exist, we'll keep growing. You can't make us disappear."
"I see......"
Cheon Ji-hoo was convinced: these were lunatics. Fanatics. Delusional types who thought they were justice itself. If there were societal issues, protest or something—not terrorism.
"The backdraft rift in Hunter Way—was that you?"
"No."
"Figured as much."
Then why ask?
If it had been them, Cheon Ji-hoo would've known.
Cheon Ji-hoo exhaled deeply and extended his hand. The thin roots binding the man's limbs burrowed into his skin all at once.
The Boss couldn't resist. They pierced flesh, fat, and muscle, then latched onto blood vessels, sucking blood voraciously. He convulsed from massive blood loss and collapsed, never learning Cheon Ji-hoo's identity.
"As long as I don't make the same mistakes as before."
Back then, he'd killed them all but left a mess. Too many witnesses. That made it easy for the thieves' guild to peg him as the culprit, turning him into a target.
But now it was dim evening in a remote spot. No onlookers. Kill everyone in the building and clean up the evidence—done.
Starting with these two in the room.
"Erosion."
He snapped his fingers, invoking the spell. Blue magic circles appeared over the Boss and the man, and their bodies began dissolving from fingertips and toes, breaking down into mana.
Erosion gradually devoured lifeless bodies, decomposing them into magical energy. Perfect biodegradable magic for times like this.
Confirming the corpses gone, Cheon Ji-hoo turned and opened the door he'd entered through. As he walked out steadily, he cast two spells—the same ones from the rift before: Coordinate Setting and Magic Bullet. And to avoid detection, Magic Concealment.
With the three spells chained, the ordinary magic bullets transformed into homing shots that would fly to their targets anywhere.
The victims wouldn't even know death was coming.
"Fire."
Shaping his fingers like a gun, he murmured lowly. Magic bullets materialized in the air and shot down the corridor at high speed, twisting around corners. Their paths, plotted via Detection, were already programmed into the equations.
Soon, explosions echoed from below—bullets smashing CCTVs and piercing skulls. With every head pierced simultaneously, no screams rang out.
Cheon Ji-hoo descended the stairs, deploying Erosion again. Blue circles appeared on each floor, devouring blood and bodies.
Reaching the first floor, he opened the front door of the remote building. Nothing remained inside.
Stretching languidly, Cheon Ji-hoo muttered.
"The rest...... When the others realize this branch is gone, they'll come crawling into the country."
That part he could leave to HCU. Hong Ji-hwa would love it—busting suspicious movements would rack up achievements. He'd smashed all CCTVs, so no traces. Magic residue was erased too, so even psychometry users couldn't read it.
Self-satisfied, a clean job. If only he'd done this in the other world.
No use regretting now. He cast Spatial Transfer and flew home.
* * *
"Ha, fuck...... I just wanna sleep in."
Hong Ji-hwa spat curses thickly as she stared at the rift before her. A B-rank backdraft rift. The one in Seongnam that had swallowed nearly twenty people.
Normally, local guilds handled structure ops like this. But with VIPs trapped inside, HCU Commander Hong Ji-hwa was personally leading the available forces.
Orders: rescue them somehow.
"Should I buy some stocks before going in?"
If they came out alive, stocks might jump. With that idle thought, she geared up for the rift dive. Custom equipment unlike the suit she wore with Cheon Ji-hoo—made to maximize her hunter abilities.
A full-body tights suit hugging her curves, an outer coat styled like salamander leather. Red helmet protecting jaw, temples, and nape. Matching red boots and gauntlets.
This was the true form of Hong Ji-hwa, the "Crimson Flame Devil" of HCU.
"Yeah, been too long since I hit the field."
All she'd done lately was run her ass off in rifts with Cheon Ji-hoo. Her running and ability control had improved, though.
Was that bastard training me on purpose?
The thought narrowed her eyes before she shook it off. No way. Absolutely not. That psycho just enjoyed watching people suffer.
"Let's go."
"Suppress!"
"Suppress!"
At her command, HCU agents in gear followed. As Hong Ji-hwa stepped into the rift, a chill ran through her body.
Fuck, why do I suddenly feel like shit's about to hit the fan?