Chapter 30

A pitch-black sedan slowly made a left turn into a ㄱ-shaped alley. A residential complex where affluent individuals reside.

The car slowly descended into the underground parking lot.

It was a shared parking lot beneath a 5-story officetel.

There weren’t many residents, so the parking spots were scattered. The filled spots were occupied by expensive foreign cars. The sedan parked in the most densely packed area, squeezing between other vehicles.

*Click.*

The smart key was pressed, turning off the engine. The engine noise faded, and the surroundings fell silent. Being underground, the outside sounds echoed faintly.

“Is this the place?”

“Yes, this is it. Just wait a bit longer.”

“Understood.”

National Intelligence Service agent Lee Ok-bun wiped the window with a cloth and glanced around. A few minutes of brief silence passed. The heater was off, and the car gradually grew colder.

Around that time, a signal came in: ‘All clear.’

“Let’s wrap it up.”

“Yes.”

This time, a fly had stuck to the car.

Fortunately, it wasn’t hard to remove. It seemed like they were dealing with amateurs.

The National Intelligence Service’s 10th Bureau, the Supernatural Affairs Division, was often exposed to external media, making them easy targets for tracking.

Organizations like the CIA, Japan’s Public Security Intelligence Agency, and China’s Ministry of State Security were the main culprits.

For them, the Korean Peninsula was a meeting ground to recruit talented individuals.

Moreover, rumors of a Double Awakened One appearing had spread, intensifying their efforts.

Lee Ok-bun, who had been tapping the steering wheel, broke the silence first.

It was because of the VIP sitting in the passenger seat.

“Team Leader, we’ve arrived. Thank you for your hard work.”

“You’ve worked hard too, Deputy Lee.”

Kang Jin-young expressed her gratitude.

Kang Jin-young quietly got out of the car, retrieving her belongings from the glove compartment. Lee Ok-bun’s car also quietly left the scene.

It was always like this.

Kang Jin-young let out a sigh as Lee Ok-bun’s car disappeared into the street.

She was tired. Exhausted again.

“Ugh, I’m so tired.”

She entered the officetel via the underground elevator. The elevator ascended and then came to a sudden stop.

5th floor.

The corridor was somewhat long but lifeless. The heating wasn’t on, making it chilly, and there were no other residents on the 5th floor besides her.

Kang Jin-young approached the door at the end, unlocked it, and entered her home.

A small officetel.

It had everything she needed within a 1km radius. But even as she entered her home, Kang Jin-young felt uneasy.

“When am I ever going to clean all this?”

It was a mess. The house was cluttered with all sorts of junk. Anyone seeing it would think a hoarder lived there. Kang Jin-young ignored it and unpacked her belongings.

No matter how much she cleaned, it never ended. Perhaps it was because she rarely had time to return home, making it worse.

She had given up on cleaning altogether.

*Ring ring.*

“Huh? Wait, just a second.”

The ringing phone interrupted her. Thinking it might be Lee Seong-han, she hurriedly answered.

Of course, life wouldn’t be interesting if things went as expected.

Her mood, which had just lifted, plummeted straight back down.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

– Are you coming back?

“Not yet.”

– The Intelligence Bureau has sent over some documents related to the special recruitment of Awakened Ones. There’s also personal information on Lee Seong-han.

“Send it over. Anything else?”

– There’s some paperwork you need to handle.

She knew it. The National Intelligence Service was notorious for its lack of work-life balance.

Every time she met Lee Seong-han, she vented, but it felt like she was just sticking thorns in her own mouth.

Lee Seong-han. The best asset she could have, the one she needed to have.

Kang Jin-young felt that way. She had never been in a relationship, but she had an instinctive feeling.

This man would be just fine.

“Visualize.”

She had always been skilled in magic.

Since childhood, she had been told she had a rich imagination, but magic was about pulling the imaginary into reality.

– The hypnotic solution is written here. Uh… it says, ‘sexual intercourse.’ Well, what can you do?

*Splash—!*

As soon as she heard the voice, the water in her mouth surged back. She spat it out as if vomiting. The floor was soaked.

She wiped the water dripping from her lips with her arm. Did the water taste off?

Was it spoiled?!

She sniffed it.

It smelled like normal water.

It was definitely fine. Then, had her taste buds been ruined from eating hospital food? Hmm. That couldn’t be.

“Have I really not been sleeping lately? My head, ugh.”

She had only been taking short naps, but she never imagined her mental state would deteriorate this much.

The magic of foreseeing possible futures, [Prophecy].

Even high-level mages could end up in the psychiatric ward if they weren’t careful.

It was a high-tier magic that consumed a tremendous amount of mental energy.

*Whoosh—!*

Even with her [Mental Barrier] and other blocking abilities, the damage was significant. On the contrary, her stress levels skyrocketed.

Kang Jin-young knew it too. She cast the magic again.

– The hypnotic solution is written here. Uh… it says, ‘sexual intercourse.’ Well, what can you do!

The same scene repeated. Crazy, this can’t be real. Does this mean it’s true?!

*Drip.*

A trickle of blood ran from her nose.

Her head felt heavy. She knew her sister’s mental state was fragile, but not to this extent.

It was like, the situation wasn’t good.

Once is a coincidence.

Twice is a pattern.

If it overlaps, the likelihood of it happening increases.

*Ding!*

A message floated in the air.

[Interference magic is active!]

Interference magic too?

This is bad.

She immediately turned on her smartphone.

Self-control?

This wasn’t the time for that. Kang Jin-young sat on the sofa, chewing her nails as if she were about to bite them off.

“Please, please, please.”

*Thud.*

“Seong-han! Are you okay—”

– …The power is off. After the beep, you will be connected to voicemail, and charges will apply.

The phone was off. I told him to keep it on.

Her trembling hands, as if she had Parkinson’s, wouldn’t stop. Where’s the medicine? No, this isn’t about medicine.

Losing her lover? That’s ridiculous. Even the most absurd drama scripts aren’t this bad.

She had tried so hard to build a connection, to deepen the relationship!

‘Stop messing around.’

Kang Jin-young hurriedly put on her coat and prepared to leave.

She took a deep breath. Right, getting worked up would only escalate the situation. Maybe she was under some kind of hypnosis.

[Self-rationalization]

– Any negative actions ‘Kang Jin-young’ takes towards you are justified, inevitable, and natural.

[Extreme possessiveness]

– ‘Kang Jin-young’ applies various psychological pressures to possess you.

This is insane. She couldn’t be wrong. She hated the thought of her sister taking him away. A life where the person she loved disappeared into someone else’s arms.

She stepped on the accelerator. She wasn’t wrong.

Absolutely not.

* * *

Kang Jin-young’s message was quick but clear.

Or rather, the meaning behind the message was.

｢Is everything okay?｣

No. It’s a mess here.

｢I know what happened. Stay put.｣

Stay put? If I stay still here, monsters will swarm me. What am I supposed to do?

｢I know my sister did something weird. So I’m going to kill her and take Seong-han with me. Be ready.｣

There were some typos, but it wasn’t hard to understand.

Originally, Awakened Ones had a direct message (DM) function.

Of course, not many used it.

It was like throwing money away.

Kang Jin-young was an exception.

“By the way, how am I supposed to deal with that?”

Kim Seo-jeong woke up from her sleep.

With her [Sleep Recovery] trait, her injuries had healed in no time.

Kim Seo-jeong glared at her.

[‘■■■■ ■’ cooperates with ‘Super-Recon’ to pierce the essence.]

[‘Super-Recon’ responds to the call.]

Her vision cleared.

《System: Information》

『Kim Seo-jeong』

□ Job: [Assassin-Thief]. [B-rank Hunter]

□ Traits

⤷ [Advanced-Dagger Arts (A)], [Concealment (B)], [Adaptation (B)], [Information Gathering (C)], [Life as Thin as a Thread (D)]

An ordinary job.

Ordinary skills.

An ordinary rank.

Now she could even have an ordinary conversation. What a normal human being.

‘By the way, that “Life as Thin as a Thread” trait is still there.’

Maybe it’s a trait added to puppets. It’ll be useful for classification later.

Seeing the thin threads connected to her limbs swaying with every movement, she thought about slitting her throat for a moment.

But there was a quest involved, so it was tricky.

‘Besides, Hong Seo-min’s puppet didn’t have threads. Maybe it was disguised.

And if the puppet could switch places with her, then there’s nothing to say.’

Kim Seo-jeong gasped as if she had just woken from a nightmare, realizing she was still alive, and let out a deep sigh.

Soon after, she hugged Kang Mi-young, who was closest (and keeping watch), expressing her gratitude.

“Th-thank you! I don’t know how to express this feeling…”

“No need to say anything.”

Kang Mi-young spoke coldly.

She probably didn’t want to waste time.

“No! I-I’m really grateful. Hunter Kang Mi-young. I never thought I’d meet someone I admire so much!”

The woman, with tears and snot wiped away, clasped her hands together. Lee Seong-han slowly shook his head.

Kim Seo-jeong.

This woman was also an Awakened One.

A navy-blue leather jacket, tight black stockings, shoulder-length bob hair, and a crop top.

Lee Seong-han, standing a bit away, didn’t know where to look. Was the exposure always this extreme? He wasn’t sure.

Even the hunters in the workshop district weren’t this revealing.

‘Hong Seo-min.’

He rolled his eyes and shot a cold glare.

She claimed to be a B-rank Hunter.

She had ‘accidentally’ entered the Awakened Market Gate during a patrol request in the workshop district.

After enduring all sorts of hardships, she had reached the fountain in the plaza.

How impressive.

A B-rank Hunter.

And an assassin at that, with a weak body. Lee Seong-han quietly approached.

“So you’re not a civilian.”

“Huh? Uh, uh…”

She seemed momentarily confused before nodding repeatedly. Her face flushed red. Upon seeing the hunter uniform, she seemed to realize and started exclaiming in admiration.

“Ah, are you a hunter?”

“B-rank. Just like you.”

Lee Seong-han showed his license. The hunter license was a wet white color, with the letter Ⓑ prominently stamped on it.

“Hoh.”

Kang Mi-young seemed to have noticed something, letting out a low exclamation.

Hunter licenses were originally unalterable.

Of course, they were for identification purposes.

But Lee Seong-han could alter his. Any rank, name, or identity. It was like a special privilege granted to him.

“B-rank.”

Kim Seo-jeong whispered quietly. She seemed to have realized something, giggling softly.

“Oh, if there’s anything I can help with, please let me know!”

“There isn’t.”

“Huh? I-I was the ace of the攻略 team—”

“This gate is quite different from the usual ones. It’s fine to just stay put. Besides, the backup team will be here soon.”

Lee Seong-han was confident he could get an A+ in Kang Mi-young psychology.

If someone came in this state, thinking they were after his life…

Lee Seong-han would just distrust humans altogether. That’s what he thought.

“By the way, do you guys have a quest too?”

“A quest?”

“Yes! Mine said to gather three people. Including me.”

Right, of course, Kim Seo-jeong (Hong Seo-min).

“What’s the quest about?”

“Uh… stopping a summoning?”

“What’s being summoned?”

Kim Seo-jeong’s face turned pale.

“A dragon’s body. Its name is Mirginos.”

Ah.

That bastard is coming again?

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