Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Caught in the Act
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‘Hey, what do we do? I think he spotted us.’
Do-jae glared into the narrow alley, his expression furious.
It was where Song Ji-yoon and Yuk Hyeon-jae had been hiding and watching.
‘I don't know. You figure it out.’
‘Figure it out? We were spying on him together!’
‘I told you we shouldn't do this.’
Song Ji-yoon and Yuk Hyeon-jae bickered in hushed tones.
They thought they had been tailing him perfectly, but they were wrong.
‘Should we say we just happened to be passing by?’
‘Be serious. You think the squad leader would believe that?’
‘Then what should we do!’
‘What else? We have to go and beg for forgiveness.’
‘Ugh. What if the squad leader hates us now?’
Song Ji-yoon looked like she was about to cry.
More than anything, she was worried about Do-jae disliking her.
‘If it were me, I'd be pretty mad... But the squad leader is different. If we just apologize as sincerely as we can, maybe he'll forgive us?’
‘You think so? Really? *Hoo. Hoo.*’
As Yuk Hyeon-jae tried to be as positive as possible, Song Ji-yoon calmed down slightly.
She took slow, deep breaths, preparing herself for the scolding.
But then, Do-jae's voice cut through the air again.
"I don't want to cause a scene. Come out now."
His voice was even sharper than before.
His words completely shattered Yuk Hyeon-jae's attempt at comfort.
‘Hyeon-jae. Thanks for everything. I don't think I'll be able to show my face at the base anymore.’
‘Stop being so dramatic, it's not like you. Let's just go out.’
‘Okay...’
Slumped shoulders, a bitter gait.
Just as Song Ji-yoon was about to step out of the alley.
*Grab-.*
‘Wait.’
Yuk Hyeon-jae grabbed her wrist.
Then, he watched as a man with a small build slowly appeared before Do-jae.
***
He couldn't have been more than 160cm tall.
Maybe 50kg, or even less.
This small man had appeared before Do-jae without a sound.
"How long have you known?"
The man spoke in a rather high-pitched voice.
If not for his masculine frame and flat chest, one might have mistaken him for a woman.
"A while. Since we left the café, I think."
The man was surprised.
Do-jae had acted completely normal, despite knowing he was being watched.
"Hoh... Then why didn't you do anything?"
"I didn't want to have my rare day of fun ruined. Though you were a bit of a nuisance."
For Do-jae, today had been a truly special day.
He had worn nice clothes and had his hair styled.
He had relaxed... well, at least sat, in a café with a nice atmosphere and visited a popular restaurant.
Strolling along the riverbank in the cool breeze was, without a doubt, wonderful.
He didn't want to ruin such a perfect day because of a single gnat buzzing around him.
"I don't know how you found out, but that's some nice confidence. But do you know that overconfidence is just recklessness?"
"Whether it's recklessness or not isn't for you to judge. Why were you following me?"
"Hehe. If I were going to tell you that, would I have followed you in the first place?"
"Fair point."
The man reached inside his jacket.
Now that the target had spotted him, the mission was a failure.
There was only one thing left for the man to do.
"A shame, but you'll have to come with me."
His hand closed around a dagger inside his clothes.
The blade itself was unremarkable, but it was coated in a deadly neurotoxin.
A poison so potent that even an A-rank physical-type Hunter would be paralyzed for a while if struck.
His plan was to quickly incapacitate Do-jae with the neurotoxin, kill the two people watching from over there, and then disappear with him.
*Ssk-.*
The man vanished into the darkness.
The night was his ideal stage.
And he only needed one chance.
A single strike. He was confident he could plunge his dagger into any opponent, no matter who they were.
How many Hunters had lost their lives at his hand?
Let alone Do-jae, who was reported as a C-rank Awakened?
He didn't know how Do-jae had managed to detect his stealth, but he was certain he wouldn't be found in an ambush from the darkness.
‘If Section Chief Kang finds out I was spotted by the target, he's going to lose his mind. He's been riding our asses ever since he got chewed out by the captain.’
The man moved slowly through the shadows.
Do-jae looked toward the end of the alley.
‘Where are you looking!’
In that moment, the man had gotten completely behind Do-jae.
‘Alright, let's go. Time to spill everything!’
The dagger, carefully hidden inside his clothes to prevent any reflection from the streetlight.
He thrust its sharp tip toward Do-jae's back!
*Tak-!*
*Whoosh-.*
*Thud-.*
*Thump-!*
***
What had just happened?
When it was over, Do-jae was holding the man's arm, pressing down on his back.
"Sorry, but these are borrowed clothes. Can't have them getting torn."
Just moments ago, in the span of a few seconds.
Already aware of the man stabbing at his back, Do-jae had spun around and kicked his wrist.
Then, grabbing the arm of the man as he lost his balance, Do-jae threw him to the ground, pinning his back with a knee and pressing his forearm against the man's neck.
"Gack! Gack-gack!"
With his neck constricted, the man struggled to breathe and his blood circulation was cut off. He coughed several times in succession before finally passing out.
Do-jae picked up the dagger the man had dropped.
A slick, oil-like liquid was smeared on the blade.
[Equipment Information]
Name: Dagger
Type: Blade
Description: A simple dagger, hard and sharp. The blade is coated with Kriul's neurotoxin.
Effect: Central Nervous System Paralysis
Skill: None
"A Kriul, huh."
The Kriul is a very strong Grade 3 monster.
The secretions it uses when attacking can cause stiffness and paralysis just by touching the skin.
According to Do-jae's prized 'Monster Encyclopedia'.
If this neurotoxin enters the bloodstream, it paralyzes the central nervous system, causing the entire body to stiffen.
It also stated that even a minuscule amount of the neurotoxin could be fatal.
Carrying such a dangerous poison, he couldn't be just some ordinary guy.
"Then again, no ordinary person would have a reason to watch me."
Do-jae flipped the unconscious man over so he was facing the sky.
"Alright. Even if he wakes up, I doubt he'll reveal his identity."
*Rummage, rummage-.*
Do-jae searched through the man's pockets.
But there was nothing.
No wallet, no smartphone.
Nothing that could identify him.
But that wasn't a problem.
Not when Do-jae had the Eye of the Golem.
*Flash-.*
[Character Information]
Name: Jang Ji-woo
Level: 48
Class: Human
Description: 29 years old, Male, 161cm, 47kg. Member of the Suppression Corps Intelligence Command, MID 1st Shadow Unit. Currently on a surveillance mission targeting Lee Do-jae.
Status: Unconscious
[Stats]
Strength: 42 / Stamina: 28 / Agility: 93 / Spirit: 10 / Resistance: 0
[Skills]
Passive: Dagger Arts Lv Max.
Active: Stealth Lv 7, High-Speed Movement Lv 5.
The man's name, seen through the enhanced Eye of the Golem, was Jang Ji-woo.
He belonged to a unit Do-jae had never heard of.
"MID 1st Shadow Unit?"
Do-jae took out his smartphone and searched for it.
But only strange acronyms came up; there was not a single result related to the Suppression Corps.
So why was the Suppression Corps Intelligence Command watching him?
And from a secret, unknown unit, no less.
*Vmm-.*
Do-jae opened his Subspace and took out a hemispherical orb.
‘Is it because of this?’
Sealed Memory of the Left Foot (Damaged).
At first, he only knew it by feeling and didn't know its name, a fact he learned only after acquiring the Eye of the Golem.
Unlike the Sealed Memory of the Right Hand, this one showed no reaction, so he had just kept it stored in his Subspace.
‘If I had to find a connection to the Suppression Corps, this is the only thing. MID, Transcendence Stone, Sealed Memory of the Left Foot... There's something here...’
Do-jae lifted Jang Ji-woo and propped him up against a wall.
He figured someone would find him and report it, or he'd manage on his own after waking up.
Whether the man got reprimanded or fired for failing his surveillance mission was none of his concern.
‘Dealt with the unpleasant part. Now what's left is...’
Do-jae looked toward the end of the alley.
He thought they would have left once a fight broke out, but they were still hiding.
Do-jae scratched his head and called out to Song Ji-yoon and Yuk Hyeon-jae.
"You two might as well come out now, don't you think?"
***
*Hesitantly-.*
"I'm sorry..."
"We're sorry..."
Song Ji-yoon and Yuk Hyeon-jae mumbled.
Do-jae chided them, his tone slightly angry.
"You should have stopped at some point and gone back. Did you really have to follow me all the way?"
"We were just so curious..."
"Even so. Tailing someone and invading their privacy is a crime. If you'd turned back after the café, I would have let it slide. But you followed me to the restaurant, and even the park?"
"Hup! You knew the whole time?"
"Of course. If you're going to tail someone, at least do it properly. The way you were doing it, a passing grandma would have noticed."
"*Sob...*"
Do-jae had noticed them the moment he stepped outside the base.
He was aware of them from the very beginning but had decided to turn a blind eye.
He had a pretty good idea of what they were thinking, after all.
But the nerve of them, following him so blatantly.
Moreover, he was worried about what Jang Ji-woo, the other person watching him, might do to them.
"Let's go back."
"Huh? You're not going to scold us anymore?"
"You're not kids. What's the point of a verbal scolding? It'll just hurt feelings."
"As expected... Squad Leader..."
"We're sorry, Squad Leader. We won't do it again."
Do-jae nodded and smiled.
To Song Ji-yoon and Yuk Hyeon-jae, that smile seemed nothing but kind and merciful.
The next day, however, when they saw that same smile from Do-jae again, they realized it wasn't a smile of forgiveness.
"I have good news, everyone. From today until the day we pull out, Song Ji-yoon and Yuk Hyeon-jae will be in charge of all cleaning duties. And I mean spotless! Of course, their usual daily tasks will remain the same."
"Huh? Really?"
"Whoo! Sweet!"
"What did you two do?"
"Mmm. I think I have an idea."
The squad members cheered at the news that they wouldn't have to do their share of the cleaning.
Son Jeong-gyu looked at Song Ji-yoon and Yuk Hyeon-jae and asked, while Kang Eun-taek, reading their devastated expressions, chimed in with a look that said they deserved it.
"Squad Leader! You acted like you'd forgiven us yesterday!"
"When did I do that?"
"You said you wouldn't scold us with words!"
"You understood correctly. Starting today, you'll be scolded with actions."
"Kyaaaak! You're so mean!"
Song Ji-yoon shrieked, tearing at her hair.
The barracks, set up in an empty field.
It got dirty with just a little foot traffic, and a half-hearted cleaning job wouldn't even make a dent.
It took ten people cleaning their assigned areas diligently to make the place feel even remotely clean. The thought of the two of them having to do it all every day made Song Ji-yoon and Yuk Hyeon-jae's futures look bleak.
"Alright, everyone else, take a break. Ji-yoon, Hyeon-jae, shall we start with the latrines? Let's go together."
Do-jae walked out of the barracks with a satisfied smile.
Behind the slumped shoulders of Song Ji-yoon and Yuk Hyeon-jae, the remaining squad members cheered them on.
"You got this!"
"Make it sparkle!"
"Work hard!"
None of them had known.
But they learned through this incident.
That Do-jae, surprisingly, was the type to hold a grudge.