๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐: ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ
An old man stood up.
Swish.
The chains binding his hands and feet restricted his movement.
He fumbled around for the bowl of rice next to him.
He could feel the metal bowl in his hands.
The contents were the same as always.
A single rice ball and a boiled potato.
He tried to eat the food in a hurry, but the wounds in his mouth made it difficult to chew.
The old man endured the sharp pain and chewed the rice ball carefully.
He didn’t know how many days had passed.
The old man, who had been blinded in both eyes long ago, couldn’t tell if it was day or night.
Therefore, he didn’t even know if the place he was currently tied up in was a dark prison or a bright torture chamber.
He could only tell that he was alive by the occasional pain he felt.
‘๐๐จ ๐๐ค. 2 ๐จ๐๐๐?’
The old man, or No. 3, was worried about the well-being of No. 2, who was locked in another room.
There was nothing to be gained from torturing her anyway.
‘๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฎ ๐ข๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ ๐ ๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ ๐๐๐ง.’
All No. 3 could do now was think aimlessly.
He couldn’t escape, nor could he fight back against his interrogators.
This was because his mana veins and dantian had been damaged while reading the powerful magic of Siwoo, rendering him unable to use his skills.
โCheon Soo-ae must have already died when No. 2 and I were captured. Or, they might have only kidnapped us.โ
No. 3 considered several possibilities.
He hadn’t been able to see the end of the battle because he had fainted halfway through.
Moreover, the men who had brought him here were extremely taciturn.
Usually, in such situations, they would have a short conversation with their opponent to gather information and hear news from the outside world. However, these men seemed to be experienced and didnโt say anything.
They occasionally muttered useless things, but nothing that was helpful to No. 3.
No. 3 touched his eyes, which he had lost many years ago.
He remembered being sent to deal with someone on behalf of the organization, only to be defeated by the enemy and barely escaping with his life.
The opponent had been a monster.
Even then, several of the ‘Ghost Corps’ had lost their lives.
But that was before No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4 had joined.
On the other hand, the Ghost Corps was now in its heyday within the organization, and there weren’t many opponents who could defeat this force.
‘๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ก ๐ฌ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฅ๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ง. . .’
The destructive power that had instantly killed No. 4 upon its appearance.
The opponent who had made him, who had only read his magic power, faint.
Was it because he was tired from his battle with Kang Yeo-hwa?
Creak.
In the midst of his wandering thoughts, the sound of a door opening was heard.
No. 3 turned his head towards the direction of the sound, even though he couldn’t see it.
“The rice ball doesn’t taste good. I’d rather have some youtiao (Chinese fried dough).”
“Heh heh. You still have a sharp tongue.”
“Since I’m an old man with a broken dantian anyway, why don’t you just let me go? I’ll make sure my testimony is satisfactory.”
“You know very well that you can’t be traded for money.”
The man who spoke was an old man with a similar age as him.
He wouldn’t be able to win with mere wordplay.
“It’s not about money. Or are you saying you’re after this old man’s body?”
“Heh heh heh. The master has arrived today, so it would be wise to choose your words carefully if you want to eat your rice properly.”
“Master. . .?”
This was a first.
Until now, only insolent fellows who spoke informally and dismissively had come, even though they were few in number.
Was he finally going to find out who had imprisoned him?
No. 3 felt a slight sense of tension and fear.
If he could just coax the so-called master into liking him, he would be able to find out No. 2’s situation.
Furthermore, he might even be able to become a free man through an appropriate deal.
“So, when is this master of yours coming?”
“He’s already here.”
A strange voice suddenly spoke.
No. 3 felt a sudden chill run down his spine.
โWhen did he get here?โ
He couldn’t see, but he was confident in his hearing and nose.
He could tell that there was only one person present based on the sound of their footsteps.
โ. . .I thought you said master, so I thought it would be an old man who was the leader of your organization. Is this young hunter who killed No. 4?”
No. 3’s question was met with silence.
He couldn’t even tell if the person was still there.
Now that his dantian was broken, his ability to sense mana had weakened.
‘๐๐ฉ’๐จ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐จ๐ค๐ฃ, ๐๐ฉ’๐จ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐๐ค๐ฃ๐’๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ช๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐ค๐ง ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ก ๐ฅ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐.’
It was a difficult opponent to get a sense of.
Just from this alone, he could tell that this was not an opponent to be taken lightly.
“You’ll see when you see him. . . But I’m just a blind old man. I don’t know anything. I’m just a small fry in the organization.”
No. 3 began by explaining his situation.
Even the most beastly of men would have some sympathy for a disabled old man.
“I don’t know why you brought me here, but I’m just. . .”
“Why was it you?”
The man’s soft voice cut in at that moment.
“I don’t know. I understand that the master has misunderstood.”
“Misunderstood.”
Siwoo stood up from his chair.
Thud. Thud.
No. 3 pricked up his ears at the sound of those small footsteps.
As a blind man, he could glean simple information from the other person’s voice and footsteps alone.
Gender, physique, age, weight, personality, mana usage, and so on.
It wasn’t foolproof.
However, with his years of experience and senses that were more acute than others, he could make a close guess.
‘. . . ๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ?’
No. 3 was taken aback.
A personality that was calm and collected despite his age.
A level of experience that was not lacking when compared to the numerous masters he had seen throughout his life.
“One is a battle maniac who doesn’t use his brain and only likes to fight. So he’s out.”
Siwoo spoke up at that point.
“Another one has a good head on his shoulders, but he’s a bit of a screwball, so he’s out.”
“. . .”
“The last woman is a puppet who moves at your command, so she’s out.”
“. . .”
“That’s why I brought you. You must be at least an executive of the organization, and you’re the one who has been effectively running the Ghost Corps.”
No. 3 opened and closed his mouth several times.
He couldn’t find anything wrong with what he said.
There was only one thing, though.
“The puppet who follows me is just a naive girl who only listens to me. She’s not a bad person.”
“That’s why I spared her.”
“. . . Yes?”
“For now.”
He had learned that No. 2 was still alive.
She must have been through a lot.
A secondary thought came to mind, but No. 3 decided to be relieved for now.
“Then what happened to No. 1?”
“Who’s No. 1? That little black mage?”
The old man nodded, and Siwoo continued without missing a beat.
“I killed him. By burning him.”
โThe golden must have been very strong. The masterโs mana seems to be very strong.โ
“He was able to handle his abilities well for his age. He wasn’t very strong, though.”
“. . . You’re saying something that would make the organization faint.”
Cheon Soo was a crazy monster.
A figure who had been raised and trained as a black mage by the famous Wu family in the Chinese underworld.
He was undoubtedly one of the strongest people in the organization.
“The Ghost Corps is finished now.”
No. 3 laughed in disbelief.
Jang Chen must have ordered the organization to clean up the Ghost Corps.
They were shadows who had lived by the sword of the organization, so it wouldn’t be strange for them to suddenly disappear.
“State your terms.”
“What?”
“I will heal your eyes and dantian.”
“. . . What??”
“Give me all the information you have on the organization.”
“Heh heh. Are you kidding me? I’m not some old man who eats for free.”
No. 3 retorted with a laugh.
It was ridiculous.
He had tried everything to heal his eyes.
It was no exaggeration to say that he had spent all his money on treatment.
He had tried healing potions and had paid a lot of money to a good healer.
He had also sought out healers who were said to have come from the gates and people who could heal through their abilities.
The conclusion was always the same: failure.
“I even met someone who used to be a high-ranking priest in the Agape Order. I’ve met everyone except the saintess, but they said it was too late to heal me.”
No. 3 now spoke candidly to Siwoo, even addressing him familiarly.
“If you wanted to make a deal, you should have come with proper terms. Don’t try to feed me that kind of crap.”
“Is that so?”
Siwoo covered the old man’s left eye and temporal lobe with his hand.
“To me, you’re the one who’s full of crap.”
No. 3 flinched, but remained still, considering the other party’s strength.
In an instant, a warm golden light filled his left eye, emitting a brilliant glow.
Of course, he couldn’t feel ‘light’, but strangely enough, the old man could feel the warmth of the palm covering his eyeball.
“Wh. . . Wh. . . What?”
His heart pounded like mad.
This was a sensation he hadn’t felt in a long time.
The old man trembled all over.
Siwoo’s hand removed the cloth bandage that the old man had been wearing around his eyes.
“Ah. . .”
A small gasp escaped his lips.
As if he had been living in a dark prison and had now become a free man outside,
The old man took in everything that came into his left eye,
And shed thick, clear tears.
“Have you changed your mind now?”
At Siwoo’s teasing words, No. 3 dropped to his knees and prostrated himself.
“I will serve you as my true master.”
๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท
๐๐จฤฬ๐แนกฬ๐ฉ๐คแนฬ๐ขฤฬ๐.แด๐ แน
Incheon Airport International Departure Terminal.
“Sister! We’re finally here!”
Kumo exclaimed excitedly, looking around.
It was his first time traveling abroad, so he was very excited.
“Kumo, calm down. I’m a little tired.”
“I understand!”
Hayakawa raised a folding fan to half-cover her face.
Although she attracted many glances because of her kimono embroidered with cherry blossoms, Hayakawa was preoccupied with something else.
‘๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ข๐๐๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ค๐ง๐๐. ๐ฝ๐ช๐ฉ ๐ ๐จ๐๐ค๐ช๐ก๐๐ฃ’๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ, ๐จ๐๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐? ๐ผ๐~ ๐๐๐๐จ ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐.’
Just as her useless thoughts were blooming like flowers in her head, someone wearing an HSIU hunter uniform approached them.
“What are you doing?! If you’re after my sister, I’m first in line, so get lost!”
A young boy in a school uniform stepped forward and shouted.
“Stop it, Kumo. Sister has been popular for more than a day or two.”
“But sister! This parasite-like man won’t be able to protect you!”
“That’s right. I will never give my heart to anyone but a strong man.”
Siwoo made a slightly annoyed expression.
‘๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ค ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ค ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ. . .?’
He had been enjoying his free time after being exempted from paperwork when he received a call from Hwang Jeong-gu.
He was asked to go and meet and guide some employees from the Japanese HSIU who had come on an investigation.
โSenior! Who do you think has been busy with paperwork and cleaning up after everyone else??
He couldn’t bring himself to say no.
Quite a few hunter personnel had been called away to clean up the aftermath of Siwoo and Choi Dae-soo’s battle, so he couldn’t help it.
“I’m Min Siwoo from the HSIU Gangbuk Branch, Team 2. Are you from Japan?”
“Oh my.”
Hayakawa realized her mistake and blushed slightly.
“I’m sorry. I’m Hayakawa, the deputy chief of the Investigation Department of the HSIU Tokyo Branch.”
“Ah. . . I’m sorry. I’m her assistant, Kumo.”
The two of them bowed to Siwoo.
At least they seemed like good kids.
Siwoo guided them to his vehicle.
Sitting in the back seat, they occasionally exclaimed “Wow!” or “Oh my!” as they looked at the city scenery.
They entered Seoul like this and arrived at their reserved hotel accommodation. Siwoo carried their luggage and guided them to their rooms.
“Ms. Hayakawa, this is your room, and Mr. Kumo, you can stay in the room next door.”
“That’s fine! I’ll guard my sister in front of her room!”
“Kumo, sister is happy. Iโll allow you to have my pillow and blanket.โ
“My sister is so generous!”
Siwoo thought to himself that he should get away from these crazy people as soon as possible.
“Well then, whether it’s sightseeing or work. . . I hope you have a good time. I’ll be going now.”
“Wait a minute!”
“?”
Siwoo looked at her.
โDo you know anything about this?โ
She took a small item box out of her bag and opened it.
And he could see that Siwoo’s eyes lit up slightly.