The Shadow Looms. (1)
In a skyscraper in Gangnam, Seoul, the Dio Guild had its representative’s office on the eightieth-eighth floor.
Lee Yu-seol, the leader of the combat team and an A-class hunter, was delivering her report with her back to someone standing nearby.
“Starting next week, we’ll officially begin activities to improve Dio Guild’s image.”
She usually wore a full-body suit, but today she had gone out of her way to dress in a white shirt and skirt.
“First, as part of our affiliated hunters’ volunteer work, we’ll visit an animal shelter for abandoned dogs, and then...”
With her bobbed hair and crisp enunciation, she looked for all the world like a sleek cat.
Of course, the icy personality hidden beneath that beauty was notorious even within Dio Guild.
“We’ll also set up a free meal service for the homeless at Seoul Station. If you show up personally to hand out the food, that should be enough to draw the right kind of attention. I’ll make sure the reporters are lined up in advance. Ah, that reminds me—about the reporters...”
Yu-seol was usually composed, but today her tension showed plainly.
The person she was reporting to was no ordinary man.
He wore a dark navy suit and stood with his back to her, gazing out the window.
His name was Go Ju-hun.
He was one of the few S-class hunters in the Republic of Korea, and the representative of Dio Guild.
“As for the National Daily... they attacked us again this morning.”
Dio Guild employed hunters who had once been criminals, as well as others with long histories of trouble.
Because of that personnel policy, public opinion toward the guild was far from favorable.
The reporters from the nation’s three major papers would take any chance they got to publish a negative article about Dio Guild.
“If you want, I’ll handle them myself. Just like always.”
In a world as ugly as this one, making a few reporters “die naturally” was easier than boiling water.
“What would you like me to do, Representative?”
Yu-seol stood quietly, waiting for his order.
Go Ju-hun didn’t turn around. He merely crooked one finger.
“Yu-seol. Come here.”
“...”
To call her like that—like she was some pet being summoned with a snap—should have made her angry. And yet Yu-seol said nothing and walked over to him.
She was the type to obey anyone stronger than herself without complaint.
Yu-seol came to stand beside Go Ju-hun.
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling glass, the streets of Gangnam spread out beneath them.
People hurried along the sidewalks.
Buses and cars moved over the eight-lane roads like toy models.
Go Ju-hun looked down.
“When you look at them like that, don’t they seem like a swarm of ants?”
“...Yes.”
Yu-seol didn’t think much of it.
What drew her attention more was the sharp scent of perfume drifting off the representative.
She glanced sideways at his profile.
His hair had been slicked back with pomade, not a single strand out of place.
His smooth skin and straight nose made him the textbook image of a handsome man.
He had the kind of face that would earn the favor of almost any woman.
But Yu-seol knew exactly what kind of ambition lurked beneath that polished exterior.
Go Ju-hun said, “My father gave me whatever I wanted from the time I was a child. He always bought me the best food, the best clothes. Especially toys—I had more than I could ever use. I had a rich childhood, thanks to him.”
He had a habit of bringing up his father whenever the opportunity arose.
“There was only one time he ever scolded me. It was when I killed an ant at the playground.”
Go Ju-hun’s father had founded Dio Guild and was one of Korea’s famous first-generation superhumans.
Yu-seol knew the rest.
His father had dreamed of entering politics, but he’d been dragged into a web of schemes and spent his final years wrongfully imprisoned before dying alone and forgotten.
“My father told me this, Ju-hun.”
Go Ju-hun turned toward Yu-seol.
His piercing gaze ran straight through her.
“The weak aren’t meant to be bullied. They’re meant to be ruled.”
Fierce mana smoke rose from Go Ju-hun’s body.
Yu-seol’s heart seemed to freeze, and she swallowed hard.
Then Go Ju-hun withdrew his aura.
“Leave them alone. One day, they’ll all be beneath our feet anyway.”
He turned back to the city.
Yu-seol felt relieved at the word our.
Yes. This man will stand at the very top someday. And when that day comes...
Go Ju-hun rested a hand on her shoulder.
“You’ll help me until then, won’t you?”
Yu-seol’s face flushed like a sunset.
She secretly admired Go Ju-hun.
She had already decided that when his ambition was finally fulfilled, she would tell him how she felt.
“Yes. I’ll stay by your side, Representative.”
Just as the air had begun to soften into something pink and sweet—
“Team Leader!”
The office door burst open, and a bald head poked in.
“Ah, you were in the middle of something. Good day to you too, Representative!”
Seo Gwang-pal’s booming voice filled the room.
Yu-seol’s brows drew together.
...That bald bastard. We had a good atmosphere going too.
A secretary followed close behind Seo Gwang-pal.
“Honestly, you can’t just barge in like that!”
“Oh, sorry about that, Representative. I had something urgent to report to the team leader. Should I step back out?”
Go Ju-hun smiled indulgently.
“It’s fine, Secretary Kim. Go ahead and take care of your work.”
“Understood, Representative.”
As the secretary withdrew, Seo Gwang-pal strode forward and snatched up the silver kettle sitting on the shelf.
“I ran all the way here, so I’m parched. Representative, mind if I have some?”
Running was just an excuse.
He had been drunk to the gills the day before and was still suffering from the hangover.
Before permission was even granted, Seo Gwang-pal had already stuck his mouth to the kettle and started gulping.
There was not a shred of dignity in the man.
And yet Go Ju-hun only smiled calmly.
Yu-seol, on the other hand, clenched her teeth.
That octopus-headed bastard. Just wait until we’re outside.
She imagined tossing Seo Gwang-pal straight out the window.
Go Ju-hun spoke.
“So. What’s this urgent report?”
“Ah, right. Well...”
Seo Gwang-pal wiped his lips with his collar.
“That bastard. I found him.”
He took a photograph from his pocket.
It was a frame captured by CCTV.
“I ran myself ragged gathering every scrap of information I could, and I managed to track down the motorcycle he rode off on!”
Seo Gwang-pal shrugged proudly, clearly expecting praise.
“That quick-delivery punk kept his mouth shut like a corpse, but once I threatened to kill his girlfriend, he finally started talking...”
Yu-seol couldn’t take it anymore.
“Get to the point.”
“Ah, yes. Ilsan Hunter Industrial Complex, sir. They dropped him off at the entrance there.”
Yu-seol nodded.
“Fine. Now get out. And don’t make a scene in front of the Representative.”
Seo Gwang-pal only then realized how sharp her eyes were.
“...Ah. My apologies.”
Just as he was about to leave—
“Who did you say you found?”
“It’s nothing, Representative.”
Yu-seol covered for him smoothly.
“There’s someone who caught my interest. I was just checking to see whether we might be able to recruit him to the guild.”
Go Ju-hun’s eyes, which favored strength above all else, narrowed slightly.
“Is he strong?”
“...Yes. Extremely.”
At her honest answer, a glint of excitement flickered in Go Ju-hun’s gaze.
Before he was a guild leader, he was a hunter.
For Go Ju-hun, the pursuit of strength was as natural as breathing.
“Tell me more.”
“He’s the one who took down Big Lava recently.”
“That purple mask? The one they called the Purple Devil?”
Because the incident had been all over the news, Go Ju-hun knew of him too.
“That’s right.”
“Hmm. Then bring him to me. If he’s really that capable, I’d like to meet him myself.”
“You personally, Representative?”
“Why? Is that a problem?”
When Go Ju-hun smiled faintly, Yu-seol waved a hand.
“Of course not. Understood. Hunter Seo, you heard the Representative. Bring him in now.”
“Ah, well...”
Seo Gwang-pal scratched his bald head hard enough to make it look painful.
“I know the area he went to, but that industrial complex is huge. There must be thousands of workers there.”
That moron. Then why did you even come here?
Yu-seol forced herself to remain calm.
“Hunter Seo, why don’t you and I take some staff and investigate it together?”
“Well, I suppose that’s true.”
Yu-seol bowed her head.
“Then, Representative, please rest. I’ll take my leave.”
“Wait.”
Go Ju-hun stopped them both.
“Take the Twins with you too.”
“Pardon?”
The Twins he was referring to were A-class hunters under Dio Guild.
They had both served multiple life sentences for beating up hunters inside a Gate.
Yu-seol let out a short breath.
Those battle-crazed lunatics are a pain to deal with.
Go Ju-hun picked up the silver kettle with both hands.
CRUNCH.
With a slight squeeze, he crumpled the kettle as if it were paper.
It had been made from Burn Light.
“You said he was incredibly strong, didn’t you? You never know.”
Go Ju-hun was still smiling, but the other two felt an inexplicable pressure pin them in place.
“Understood, Representative. We’ll do as you said. Come on.”
Yu-seol grabbed Seo Gwang-pal by the nape of his neck and led him out of the office.
“Boss, I’m so, so nervous!”
In the middle of work at the factory, Karki looked around nervously and spoke in a hushed voice.
“About what?”
Karki trailed after me as I hauled Burn Light materials along.
“All that money—we left it under the bed, remember? I’m so worried I can’t even live!”
We had stripped Cha Chi-do’s safe and walked away with cash and gold bars.
Every stolen thing had been stored beneath Karki’s bed.
There were dormitories at Ilsan Hunter Industrial Complex for the foreign workers.
Two people shared a room the size of a small goshiwon.
“Why? You think Khan’s going to steal it?”
I brought up the name of Karki’s roommate.
“That punk doesn’t have the guts for that kind of thing.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“That’s not what I mean, boss!”
We were still arguing when the foreman came over.
“Are you two dating or something? Why the hell aren’t you working?”
I pointed at Karki.
“I’m working hard. He’s the one slacking off.”
“Whoa, Boss! That’s full-on cheatin’ pants! Are you tattling on me right now?”
“It’s not tattling. It’s the truth.”
The foreman muttered, “What the hell is wrong with you two?” and looked around the factory.
“Where’s the boss again? Why haven’t I seen him much lately?”
“Boss went to meet Madam Shin.”
“Jesus. This factory really is running itself.”
I kept working in silence while thinking.
Now that I had secured a massive amount of funds, I was ready to buy this factory out whenever I wanted.
Soon.
The foreman checked the time.
“All right, everyone, lunch. Take a break.”
“Yes, sir!”
Everyone removed their protective gear and stopped working.
“Boss, do you know what’s on the menu today? It’s that Pikachu pork cutlet again. Damn it. What, did some ghost who died without eating pork cutlet possess this place? We get that cursed pork cutlet every damn day.”
As I headed toward the cafeteria with Karki, my phone started ringing.
The caller was an unfamiliar number.
“Hello?”
“Hello, do you happen to know Ma Seon-ung?”
“Ma Seon-ung?”
It was the first time I’d heard that name.
“I don’t. Who is this?”
“I’m Seon-ung’s girlfriend.”
The woman’s voice on the other end was trembling.
“The thing is...”
Just as she broke into a sob, something clicked in my head.
I pulled out what I’d shoved carelessly into my factory jumper.
It was a crumpled business card.
Dalbong Quick — Bullet-Express Service!
Ma Seon-ung.
He was the man who had given me a ride on his motorcycle the day I dealt with Big Lava.
I’d sent him a message afterward to thank him.
Thanks. I’ll buy you a meal sometime.
It had been a short text.
He must have saved my number after that.
The woman sniffled and continued, barely able to get the words out.
“Seon-ung oppa told me not to say anything, but he’s been hurt really badly.”
“Hurt? Was there an accident?”
“No. It looks like someone beat him up.”
For a moment, a bad feeling crept over me.
Maybe he’d gotten dragged into trouble because of me.
“Where are you now?”
After I confirmed her location, I ended the call.
“Foreman, I’m going to eat lunch outside.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Boss, where you goin’? I’m coming too! That’s so unfair—trying to sneak off and eat something good by yourself!”
“I’ll bring you back a cream bun.”
“Mm. Okay, boss! Come back soon.”
I hurried onto my motorcycle.
Before I even realized it, my grip had tightened hard around the handlebars.
I swung the bike around, kicking up dust.
And then I tore down the road faster than I ever had, slicing straight through the wind.