๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐: ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ
The assassin gritted his teeth, holding back a scream as his emerald eyes flickered.
Siwoo’s gaze, meeting his, was different from that of a mere assassin.
A predator at the top of the food chain.
A being capable of devouring any opponent.
“Tch!”
The woman who had restrained Siwoo bit her lip and activated her skill.
Rose stems sprouted from the carpet beneath their feet, wrapping themselves tightly around Siwoo’s body.
“What are you doing! Kill him now!”
At the cry of her companion, the Hunter blocking the entrance cast his spell.
Intricate runes etched themselves in the air as a magic circle spun, and from it emerged the massive, skeletal hand of a giant that seized Siwoo.
The man muttered, retrieving a doll from his pocket.
At that moment, a surge of electricity coursed through Siwoo’s body, charring the rose stems and skeletal hand that had ensnared him.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!!!
The power of [Takemikazuchi], bestowed upon him by Seigen.
Siwoo shook off the black ash.
That annoying bastard at the entrance was the one casting voodoo, wasn’t he?
And as he lunged at the man,
Bang!
A shotgun blast erupted from the hands of the man who had stabbed him in the lung.
Siwoo coughed up blood.
It was a counterattack he had not anticipated.
A heteromorphic ability user whose body parts transformed.
The assassin aimed his wrists again, firing the shotgun in rapid succession.
Bang!!! Bang!!! Bang!!!
Siwoo quickly erected a mana shield.
The buckshot, which would have easily bounced off an ordinary shotgun, was gradually breaking through Siwoo’s mana shield.
‘๐ฟ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ช๐จ๐ ๐๐๐จ ๐๐ช๐ก๐ก๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐?’
Siwoo let out a hollow laugh.
To think there was an assassin who would go to such lengths, even with a punctured lung.
Then, small dolls began to emerge from Siwoo’s shadow.
โGiggle
โKukiki
The grotesque-looking dolls attached themselves to Siwoo’s body, one by one.
Siwoo infused his bracelet with mana once more, preparing to release another surge of electricity.
It was then that he noticed the woman licking the blood that had spilled from Siwoo.
‘๐๐, ๐ฃ๐ค.’
Before he could react, the shotgun was turned on the woman, and the buckshot tore through her upper body.
Bang!!!
“Ugh. . .”
But it was not the woman who collapsed, coughing up blood, but Siwoo.
A curse-type skill that returned all the damage he received to the medium of his blood.
“Isn’t the cost-benefit ratio a bit too skewed? How many skills do you have?”
The woman exclaimed hysterically, looking at her body riddled with holes.
“I have no choice but to demand more money. Harry, drink the potion quickly.”
Harry, whose lung had been punctured, gulped down the potion given to him by the voodooist, Aquila.
“You really can’t stand up now, can you? Even if you say it doesn’t hurt, it’s strange how you feel when there’s a hole in your body!”
“Shut up. Just bear with it for a while. I have him restrained with my dolls, so you can’t move.”
Each of the dolls attached to Siwoo resonated with Aquila’s main doll, controlling Siwoo’s body.
“Harry, once you’re healed, shoot Sharaki in the heart for the last time.”
“Got it. It’s been a while since I’ve stabbed a lung.”
Harry raised his hand and aimed the gun at her heart.
Aquila stared at Siwoo.
Siwoo was smiling faintly, blood dripping from his mouth.
“Why are you smiling. . .”
ใ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐ !!ใ
Akilla was so startled when a monstrous creature lunged at her face from the darkness that she momentarily lost her focus on the dolls she was infusing with mana.
Siwoo did not miss that brief moment.
He picked up the dagger that had fallen to the ground, severed Harry’s arm, and electrocuted the surrounding dolls and Aquila’s body with [Takemikazuchi].
Crackle-crackle-crackle-crackle!!!
And then he plunged his hand straight into Sharaki’s abdomen.
Siwoo coughed up blood so she thought he was going crazy.
“Don’t you know that you’re synchronized with me? If you attack me. . .”
“There must be a limit to the damage.”
“What. . .?”
“Shall we see who dies first, you or me?”
Siwoo pumped as much electricity as he could into her.
Siwoo’s internal organs burned and regenerated countless times.
Sharaki watched him with trembling eyes.
And then, at some point, the damage exceeded her limits, and she let out a puff of black smoke and died.
Siwoo staggered towards Harry.
“Who ordered this?”
Harry bit the inside of his lip.
There was nothing worse for an assassin than to divulge information about their client to their target.
But if he didn’t. . .
“By the way, there is no option of not answering. Do you want me to make you squeal like a pig right now?”
“I’m sorry, I’ll answer.”
Siwoo’s tone was calm, but the sincerity behind it was anything but calm.
“Cargill Juan. He ordered it.”
“I see.”
“Cargill Juan of the former HSIU President faction?”
“Y-Yes.”
Siwoo nodded and plunged the dagger between the man’s eyebrows.
๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท
๐๐จ๐๐๐ค๐ต๐๐ซ๐๐๐จ.ฤฬ๐จ๐ฆ
A deep valley nestled between Yanggu and Goseong in Gangwon Province.
“If you don’t rest for too long, your body temperature will drop once you sweat.”
Park Tae-min, a novice herbalist, was working as a climbing guide today.
It was unusual for him to be doing this, but foreigners who were researchers from far away had come looking for someone to guide them through the mountains.
Park Tae-min had cut some fresh kudzu roots into small pieces and handed them to them that morning.
“I’m not sure if this will translate well. This is kudzu, kudzu. It’s a medicinal herb that’s good for your body, so please try some. It will have a nice flavor if you chew it in your mouth for a long time.”
“Oh, thank you. The mountains of Korea are wonderful.”
“Thank you.”
The green-haired Caucasian young man replied with a cheerful smile.
The gray-haired old man next to him received the kudzu with an impassive face, his gaze fixed on the scenery.
They said they were looking for something.
Park Tae-min asked them several times if he could help, but they stubbornly refused to say anything but ‘something.’
“If you could just tell me if it’s a medicinal herb or a mushroom, I could help you find it.”
“Ahahaha. No, it’s something a little unfamiliar to ordinary people. We’ll look for it slowly while enjoying the mountain.”
The Caucasian young man laughed brightly, brushing his green hair back.
Park Tae-min had no choice but to nod at his innocent face.
He had wanted to help them, not because he had received a lot of money as a guide fee, but because he felt sorry for them.
‘๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก, ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐’๐จ ๐ฃ๐ค ๐๐๐ก๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ฃ’๐ฉ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐. ๐ ๐๐ช๐๐จ๐จ ๐’๐ก๐ก ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ช๐ก ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ค๐ ๐๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐ช๐ฃ๐.’
After that, they spent nearly two hours traversing the rugged mountain ridges and climbing steep slopes.
At first, Park Tae-min had taken on this guide job with some trepidation.
It was because of the old man.
‘๐๐ ๐ก๐ค๐ค๐ ๐จ ๐จ๐ค ๐๐ง๐๐๐ก. . . ๐๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ช๐ฅ? ๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐ข๐ช๐๐ ๐๐ค ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐จ๐ก๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ค๐ฌ๐ฃ?’
But he had been wrong.
The old man had followed him much better than he had expected.
He couldn’t tell how old the foreigner was, but he guessed he must be at least 80 years old.
For him to be able to climb mountains so well at that age, Park Tae-min had to reconsider his own abilities.
“Guide, let’s take a break here.”
The young foreigner said with a smile.
Park Tae-min checked the time and nodded.
“Yes, let’s rest. Both of you are amazing. You’re not beginners, are you?”
“Oh my God! Really? I’ll have to brag to my girlfriend when I get home!”
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked around as he spoke.
“Oh, but guide, this place is a bit dark.”
“Yes, it’s because it’s a shady place. But once we pass this fork in the road, we’ll have good sunlight again. Are you okay, sir?”
“. . .I’m fine.”
The old man looked exhausted, but he replied with a slightly relaxed expression after drinking some water from his thermos.
“Shall we start heading back? It will be difficult to go down the mountain once the sun sets.”
“No, there’s no need for that.”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, I think we’ve found it!”
“Found what?”
In the midst of their confusing conversation, Park Tae-min froze as the young man’s hand pierced his chest.
“โUgh!”
A short gasp escaped his lips.
The hand that had pierced him pulled out his heart.
“Handle it with care. It’s a valuable offering.”
“Hehe, Doctor. Do you think I’m that stupid?”
“Crowel. Hand it over before the heart’s life force runs out.”
“Roger that.”
Crowel handed the pulsating heart to the doctor.
The doctor drank the black liquid he had brought in his thermos again.
Then, a jet-black magic energy surged from his hand.
“Kehehehe. . . Yes, yes, this power.”
The doctor breathed his magic into the heart with all his might.
Gurgle-gurgle-gurgle
The heart, which had been crimson, gradually turned black and eventually became completely black.
“Hand that over.”
At the doctor’s words, Crowel handed him a jewel he had kept in his inner pocket.
The ‘Emperor Stone,’ the purest of all magic stones.
The doctor embedded the Emperor Stone into the heart he was holding.
And then he placed the heart on the ground, knelt before it, and began to chant from a grimoire.
“โตโดโตโดโตโดโตโดโตโดโตโดโตโดโตโดโตโต.”
Like a whisper or a choked groan.
The doctor muttered strange words without pause.
Drip. . . Drip-drip-drip-drip.
The blood that had been seeping from the heart slowly began to pour out as if a faucet had been turned on.
A jet-black magic energy surged into the sky, and darkness gathered.
“It’s finally done.”
The doctor’s eyes, filled with ecstasy, glowed with madness.
“This is what was only passed down as knowledgeโ”
“An artificial gate.”
Crackle-crackle-crackle. . .!!
The magic energy twitched and emitted an ominous aura in all directions.
Crowel looked at the doctor with a grin.
A voice of awe escaped his lips.
“ใAll things under ใPandemoniumใ.ใ”
“ใAll things under ใPandemoniumใ.ใ”
๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท
๐ข๐ด๐ส๐จแดศฏฬ๐ณiฬฬ๐๐ด.๐๐จ๐ฎ
Half a day later, in the conference room of the ใKorea Hunter Associationใ.
“Thank you all for responding to our urgent request.”
Kim Eun-ju, the association’s vice president, greeted the people around the table.
There were seven people sitting at the large round table.
They were all the top rankers in South Korea, the leaders of major guilds, and also the apex members of [Heptagram].
“Time is of the essence, so I will keep this brief. A massive magic energy has been detected in an area of Gangwon Province. I will now show you a picture.”
A picture appeared on the large screen.
It was a picture of a forest with a long, black, fog-like thing gathered together.
“What is that?”
Lee Ye-ji from the [Frosthorn Guild] asked with a blunt expression.
“According to the association staff who were dispatched urgently to confirm it. . . It has been identified as a gate.”
“A gate? Can a gate like that exist?”
“The ‘magic concentration analysis device’ confirmed it with a 97% probability.”
Kim Eun-ju answered Choi Sung-il’s question from the [White Lion Guild].
“It has not yet reached the stage of rampage, but gates like this are rare worldwide, so it is impossible to predict when it will rampage.”
“Damn it, goddammit. Isn’t that why we pay taxes to the association, to figure that out?”
Ryu Ji-hwan, who had been listening with his chin tilted, burst out in dissatisfaction.
“Junior, let’s save the nitpicking for later. This is an urgent situation.”
As Min Si-joon openly expressed his hostility, Ryu Ji-hwan’s expression twisted into a sneer.
“Kukuku. Are you the head honcho here? Order this and that, like an old fogey.”
“You, punkโ”
“Shut your mouth.”
At that moment, a majestic voice overwhelmed the room and captivated everyone’s gaze.
“You’re all so noisy. If you want to fight, go outside and fight.”
Do Kyung-hoo, the 2nd ranked Hunter in South Korea and the head of the [Brawler Guild], barked.
With his untamed beard and long hair tied back, the aura of a seasoned warrior radiated from him, and even Ryu Ji-hwan shut his mouth with a click.
“. . .Let’s continue the meeting. Therefore, I would like all Guild Leaders to gather their elites and meet again by 2:00 AM.”
“You want all of the [Heptagram] to reinforce. . . What is the estimated rank of the gate?”
At Do Kyung-hoo’s sharp question, Kim Eun-ju hesitated and answered.
Something that had never happened in South Korea before,
“Estimated S. . . S-Rank Gate.”