Not a Conspiracy: The Black Cow Massacre
According to Katarina, it wasn't some shadowy plot after all—the thugs were just gangsters trying to steal the magic stone.
But the problem was that she'd wiped out all several dozen of them and looted the entire branch's assets.
In short, she'd committed mass murder and a multi-billion-won special robbery. Naturally, a familiar's actions fall under the summoner's responsibility by law.
In other words, I'd become a major criminal overnight.
Ughhh, I was way too naive about this!
Come to think of it, hadn't Katarina casually talked about killing people before? It wasn't just talk.
She was the type—er, vampire—who actually did it!
My orders were just to punish any bad guys and bring back fair payment for the magic stone. I never imagined she'd interpret that as total annihilation and plunder...
Am I seriously getting arrested?!
I eyed the stacks of yellow bills and gold bars anxiously.
Money's great, but dirty cash like this is scary!
The one silver lining? Katarina said she'd destroyed all the CCTV footage and moved stealthily, so no one would trace it back.
I finally exhaled the breath I'd been holding.
"Ah, Master. While clearing out those rat bastards, I uncovered something."
"Uncovered something?"
"Yes. Information tortured out of the one who seemed to be their boss."
...Torture? She tortured them?
"Those vermin are backed by an organization called 'Black Cow,' apparently."
Katarina said it impassively.
Black Cow.
That name sent chills down my spine.
Crazy. Black Cow?!
I'd heard of them. They popped up constantly in the news and Hunter Gallery.
Korea boasts world-class law enforcement and public safety these days.
Even so, powerful individual awakeners or massive guilds wielded mafia- or cartel-like influence in the shadows.
And Black Cow was one of the three major dark guilds dominating Seoul's underworld.
Does that mean I just robbed a cartel-level crime syndicate of their slush funds...?!
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
To survive, I needed to know what I'd messed with and what their game was.
I hurriedly booted up my computer and opened a browser.
Time to deploy my dark gamer specialty: info scavenging.
Tap, tap.
Darkgram's flooded with posts about buying magic stones for cash, no questions asked. Looks like they're pulling slush funds for war lol
Big clash incoming soon with some major guild or rival dark guild. Seoul hunter bros, stay safe
I pieced together the scattered info around that post. Hmm.
A picture was forming.
So Black Cow was gearing up for a massive turf war with other crime guilds. That's why they were scooping up magic stones cheap or by force on places like Darkgram to build their war chest.
They got unlucky and hit the wrong mark. The branch Katarina wiped out must've been a big one. Of course, this was amateur-hour sleuthing compared to police intel. No clue on their real HQ or key execs.
Just a rough outline from patching together online rumors.
Sigh. Doesn't change that I touched money from insanely dangerous guys. Gotta be extra careful for a while.
I shared my findings with Katarina.
"...So those rat bastards were pooling slush funds for an internal turf fight."
"Indeed. That explains the backdrop."
I wanted to warn her never to kill so recklessly again, but even that felt unbecoming in my noble speech.
"Ahem. My splendid servant. Thou hast done well. Henceforth, crush any rats who dare block this one's path without mercy."
"Ahh, Master...!"
Katarina's face lit up in ecstasy.
No...! Don't praise her! I meant to scold her!
I wanted to slap my own mouth.
"That said, you are truly magnificent, Master."
Moments later, Katarina gazed at me with awe-filled eyes.
"Sitting quietly in this room, piercing human society's hidden currents with mere gestures—what omniscience!"
She clasped her hands over her chest, voice trembling with emotion.
"You are truly omnipotent!"
Eh?
No, that's not it.
Panicking, I half-hid the laptop screen.
This was just cobbled-together internet gossip. Especially brainfarts from the gallery.
But in her eyes, I looked like some info-mastermind.
The misunderstandings are piling up solid.
I opened my mouth, aiming for casual.
"Ahem. 'Tis but a trifle."
But no.
"Huhu. Such petty schemes from lowly beasts cannot deceive this True Ancestor's eyes."
The Noble Bearing skill wrapped my words in arrogance again.
Katarina bowed deeper, profoundly moved by the haughty reply.
"This Katarina is once more awestruck by Master's infinite wisdom!"
I averted my gaze, sweating bullets.
Agh, this damn skill...!
Same time.
Gangnam's heart, atop a luxury skyscraper penthouse.
Ornate chandeliers glowed; priceless tiger-skin rugs covered the floor of the absurdly spacious room.
Men in designer suits and luxury leather sofas scowled fiercely.
They looked like tycoons or execs, but sleeve tattoos and rough speech betrayed their roots.
This was a top cadre meeting of Seoul underworld ruler, Black Cow.
Through thick cigar smoke, the boss at the head broke the heavy silence.
"...So. Viper's entire abandoned factory turf got blown away?"
His menacing tone made the reporting underling tremble like a leaf.
"Yes, sir! All forty crew on site... completely annihilated, no survivors."
"Bodies?"
"They're... too mangled to even identify. Even Brother Viper was found dead. Looked like extreme torture."
Murmurs erupted among the execs.
Forty armed awakener gangsters wiped out in a blink. In the city outskirts, no less.
"CCTV or traces?"
"All CCTV smashed. No sign of the perp. Our site sweep says... the massacre took maybe one minute."
"......"
The boss paused, then hurled his crystal glass at the TV.
Crash-!
Shards flew; suffocating silence blanketed the room.
"Turned forty men into ground meat in one minute and vanished without a trace...?"
His face twisted in demonic rage.
This surpassed typical underworld squabbles.
Clearly a calculated, organized plot.
Underworld has rules. Turf wars happen, but this was a war declaration.
"Daring to cross the line? Those motherfucking...!"
One exec spoke up.
"Boss. This has to be rivals who sniffed out our Gangnam play and slush fund buildup."
"Yeah. Government spec ops or some other dark guild's elite assassins. No doubt."
The boss ground his teeth.
"This is a blatant declaration of war!"
The room filled with fear and fury.
That unknown overwhelming force—they figured state power or rival elites.
Sure, no lone wolf could vaporize a branch tracelessly. Common sense.
The boss shot to his feet, veins bulging.
"Sound the alert base-wide! Arm every member and prep for total war! Find who's gunning for us and make an example!"
"Yes, Boss!!"
Black Cow HQ erupted into war prep chaos.
"Ahhhn."
My cozy one-room.
Laptop on the bed, I sprawled face-down with chopsticks.
Red raw beef and fresh blood sausage.
Special delivery from Katarina at the butcher.
I peeled a couple 50,000-won bills from the gangster stacks to pay.
Blissfully, I wrapped blood sausage in raw meat and popped it in.
Nyamm.
Hnnng...! So good!
Vampire taste buds made it divine. Like premium sashimi. Chewy meat melted with my sharp fangs.
Even blood sausage—usually skipped—raw? Insanely savory, umami explosion!
Too yummy; my legs kicked under the covers unconsciously.
Blood power maxed at 100 already.
Can't eat this alone.
I called my precious familiar.
"Katarina. Come hither and partake of this."
"I gratefully accept!"
Mmm. Beef really is the best.