A Cold Calculation
Ha Dojin first learned of the man’s name when Death Seong-il died at his hands.
Just another ordinary awakened individual.
Since he had no affiliation with the Hunter Association, Dojin had assumed he’d operate in the shadows.
But then came the impossible rise.
He received the backing of Gu Jinmo, Chairman of SW Technology, and played a major role in clearing the Red Gate dungeon.
That was only the beginning.
Though his true identity remained hidden, the hunter who had solo-cleared a newly appeared Red Gate in Southeast Asia was almost certainly Dojin.
And he had also taken down the strongest man in Korea himself—Kang Seungho.
Impressive, to say the least.
“……Are you feeling better?”
“Hm? Ah, yes. Yes…… Yep……”
Kim Gyeongtaek’s question caused Han Sohee to tremble slightly.
Even now, she could not forget the shocking scene she had witnessed earlier.
‘How… how did he…?’
Gi Yerim of the Black Moon.
Her estimated level sat in the mid-200s; she had not yet reached 250. Yet the combat power of Black Moon members far surpassed that of ordinary hunters at the same level.
Simple reason: they fought awakened beings, not monsters.
Abundant data and efficiency.
And experience had strengthened them even further.
Among Black Moon members, Gi Yerim stood out as the most skilled assassin-type hunter.
The reason was her unique skill—Aerial Field.
It had completely nullified the speed and stealth of the assassins Dojin faced.
Yet……
“What happened to that mage?”
“Could it be…… you’re part of their group?”
“No, no! Absolutely not!”
The instant Gyeongtaek’s gaze sharpened, Sohee answered with firm denial.
At that, Gyeongtaek smiled gently once more.
“That’s fortunate. The company is in a rather sensitive state right now……”
He set the teacup he had brought down in front of her and spoke softly.
“I have no idea what became of him. I simply asked Hunter Ha Dojin to interrogate the matter directly.”
However, that interrogation……
likely did not feel modern at all.
He had isolated the room so completely that no one could enter.
“Still, judging by Hunter Ha Dojin’s eyes……”
“I doubt he’ll let her leave so easily.”
At those words, Sohee involuntarily swallowed hard.
* * *
“Ugh……”
An eerie groan escaped her.
Gi Yerim hung suspended in mid-air by chains, both arms severed at the shoulders.
Dojin stood before her.
“Who hired you?”
“……Spit!”
Regaining her senses, Yerim spat out a mouthful of blood-mixed saliva.
Dojin tilted his head slightly to the side and placed his hand on her shoulder.
“I didn’t expect you to speak willingly. And…… I didn’t want you to, either.”
“What did you say?”
“I hope you endure it a while longer. Your pride is quite important, after all.”
“……What are you planning to do?”
Yerim’s pupils trembled.
No barbaric torture tools were present.
Yet the razor-sharp killing intent that flowed from Dojin’s eyes made her feel as though invisible blades were carving into her heart.
‘T-that killing intent……’
It alone felt like a dagger repeatedly stabbing her.
Dojin began drawing in mana.
“It’s very simple. I’ll force my mana through your veins and spread it throughout your entire body.”
Particles of that mana could be reshaped at will according to his control.
Of course, only someone capable of extreme mana control could achieve that.
“You’ll feel something like veins being scraped by blades.”
The corner of Dojin’s mouth lifted slightly.
“How long do you think you can last?”
In his previous life, the longest he had endured was roughly one hour, or perhaps he had died while holding out.
His memory was unclear, but no one had lasted longer than that.
Dojin poured his mana into her body.
“Endure it.”
And the moment the mana pierced her veins——
“Kiiiiaaaaaaaaah!”
Gi Yerim, chained and bound, thrashed violently and began screaming.
How much time passed? About a minute.
Dojin stopped the mana flow and slapped her cheek hard.
Smack!
When Yerim’s eyes cleared again, he asked,
“Who hired you?”
“Ki-kill……!”
Gi Yerim barely opened her mouth and spoke.
Her voice sounded weak, as though she had lost almost all strength from the shock moments earlier.
Dojin nodded.
“That’s right. I haven’t even started yet.”
Squelch.
“Wa-wait! Wait!”
“This time I’ll go longer. Feel it thoroughly.”
Puak!
“Kiiiaaaaaaaaah!”
Dojin stared at her with even colder eyes amid the tearing screams echoing through the room.
* * *
In a rather spacious room.
Various kinds of pictures hung on the walls, and quite unusual hunter equipment was displayed.
At the far end of the room, a woman approached a man who was sitting there.
“I can’t get in touch with Yerim.”
“Suddenly?”
“I sent her to handle Han Sohee, but…… Ha Dojin appeared.”
Seeing Ha Dojin move against Han Sohee had been expected to some degree.
That was why Gi Yerim, the most specialized assassin among Black Moon, had not been sent earlier.
Yet suddenly, no contact at all.
“Let’s follow the manual and wait two days first.”
“Five minutes ago. That was exactly two days after contact was lost.”
“……”
The man’s expression hardened.
Eventually he asked the woman before him,
“Then…… he could have died?”
“Who knows? We haven’t found any body. And…… if he just died, that would be the best outcome. But if he was captured and spilled our secrets……”
“Enough.”
The man shook his head.
Even though Yerim was a mage-type awakened being——
“She couldn’t have revealed our information under ordinary torture. If she died, she died. She isn’t the type to betray us.”
The man’s trust in Yerim was quite high.
She was indeed hot-tempered, but her endurance was just as remarkable as her skill.
Yet the woman shook her head.
“Still, we should prepare for any unforeseen situation. After all, such a thing is possible.”
“……Do as you wish.”
The man gave permission, and the woman turned with a faint smile.
The Black Moon.
The deepest darkness spewing from the shadows of the underworld.
And among them, the Asia branch chief, Gangmu.
He simply remained silent, recalling the scene of Gi Yerim showing off her flashy magic.
* * *
It had been roughly one hour since Dojin emerged from the sealed room.
He looked clean, nothing like when he had entered.
Yet his gaze remained as sharp as ever.
Kim Gyeongtaek asked,
“Did it go well?”
“I managed to trace the ones who terrorized Junseo. Still……”
Dojin glanced at Gyeongtaek’s arms and face covered in bandages.
“Can you move around now?”
Only a few days ago, he had been so severely injured he was considered a critical patient.
Even with the help of potion-using and healing hunters——
“You shouldn’t be moving like this.”
“I can’t just lie still in the hospital.”
Pain accompanied every step, but Gyeongtaek felt better now.
He simply could not stand the idea of lying in a hospital bed while he had no idea how the situation was progressing.
At Gyeongtaek’s words, Dojin exhaled softly.
The killing intent that had been seeping into his body moments ago had been somewhat reduced.
“Where is Chairman Gu?”
“He’s at the company. He visited the hospital this morning and came here a moment ago. Shall I have him meet you?”
“No. Let’s finish this first…… and then I’ll see him.”
Protection for Gu Jinmo would undoubtedly continue to be demanded.
And so would the Black Moon.
‘They’re not the type to stop at just one attempt.’
As long as Gu Jinmo refused to back down, attacks would keep coming.
Even if they captured the Black Moon, other monsters would appear.
‘The only way…… is to keep going until the end.’
He would never have started otherwise.
A vast black hand moving the world——starting with Kang Seungho.
Every year, millions of people were losing their lives for the whims of those people.
In his previous life.
The Yongin dungeon break, one of the most shocking events in Dojin’s life, had been part of it.
If such people existed——
‘……There was no guarantee that the people around him would remain safe.’
Dojin closed his eyes.
He, too, had been unaware.
‘Just because I believed it was the right thing……’
He had trampled on the lives of others.
This was both atonement for his past self and the act of protecting the precious people in his life.
Dojin tightened his resolve once more.
And……
“I have something to say.”
Ha Dojin, who had come to find Han Sohee, looked at her with a calm expression.
* * *
Han Sohee ran a rather large information brokerage in the shadows.
Of course it was incredibly dangerous, and longevity was not to be expected.
Yet the reason she had survived that perilous world for so long was simple.
She had accurately distinguished what could be eaten and what should be avoided.
But……
“This is madness. You’d participate in such things?”
“Whether I participate or not doesn’t matter. But if I go back the way I came now, I’ll die.”
“Blackmail?”
Sohee’s eyes flashed dangerously.
But Dojin shook his head.
“I’m not going to kill you. If I intended to do that, I would have killed you before you came here.”
The reason Dojin had brought Sohee to SW Technology was one thing.
“To protect you.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re useful.”
He did not soften the words.
Calling the person he had met for the first time yesterday various reasons would be ridiculous.
Moreover, being this direct worked well with this type of person.
“I saved you from certain death once. If you go back now, there won’t be a next time.”
“Hide. You’re good at hiding so no one can find you.”
“How long can you hide while avoiding their eyes? They have no reason to spare you, especially since you were already investigating them.”
Unlike SW Technology’s massive shield——
She was just an individual.
In their eyes, she was as easy to kill as an ant.
And Sohee knew that all too well.
Clench.
Her clenched fist radiated frustration.
The reality of being unable to do anything because she was weak.
“I’ll ask one last time. If you refuse this time too, I won’t force you.”
They weren’t even together because of coercion anyway.
It would be a little troublesome, but she had no choice but to find another suitable target.
At Dojin’s words, did her heart change?
While remaining silent, she asked him,
“Then…… what can I gain?”
“……”
Dojin stared at her steadily.
Even in this situation, she was trying to gain an advantage.
Should he call that typical?
‘Originally……’
He would have told her to be satisfied with just surviving, but this time he would go a little easy.
Given the circumstances——
“What do you want?”
“Money.”
“How much?”
“When this is over…… 3 billion won.”
“I don’t promise.”
At those words, Sohee’s eyes flickered slightly.
Had he almost invited her to ask for more?
It seemed so.
“Don’t overthink it. That alone is enough.”
“……Understood.”
Sohee nodded.
At that, Dojin said,
“First, finding the Black Moon comes priority. The most important thing right now……”
“Finding Gangmu’s hideout, right?”
The leader of the Black Moon’s Asia branch.
How did Sohee know that name?
But Sohee looked puzzled.
“Why are you staring like that?”
Dojin had given her the answer she wanted.
“I already know where he is.”