Chapter 52

“…I really didn’t expect you to make coffee. I like it.”

What on earth is this?

A client?

Or someone who came for another reason?

I observed the woman wearing something resembling a black uniform, trying to figure out who she was.

But since she appeared so suddenly, even with my knowledge of the original work, I couldn’t figure out anything.

“What’s your name? And why did you come looking for me?”

“Nothing helps calm the mind and body like coffee, right?”

“Answer.”

“Impatient, aren’t we? I’m Kim Ina.”

What is this girl suddenly appearing and talking about?

Should I just kick her out?

“If you have business, hurry up and say it.”

“Right, I was on vacation.”

“Let me at least finish my coffee.”

This is…annoying.

But since she might be a ‘customer,’ I decided to play along.

She looks suspicious, and suspicious customers usually pay well.

Of course, since it’s my vacation, I don’t plan to take on any requests right away.

“Boss. Should I make you some coffee too?”

“Make me one too.”

“One more for me.”

“…This isn’t a café.”

“A café?”

Ah, we don’t have that here.

We do have a bar, though.

“Anyway, hurry up and state your business. You seem to be from the Viper’s side.”

“You’re sharp.”

“Can’t miss it when you’re so obvious.”

Regular hunters or Crocodile Birds wouldn’t approach like this. They usually operate within common sense.

Only someone out of their mind would pop out of a wall and ask for coffee.

In this world, even instant coffee is expensive, so someone who casually asks for it must have thick skin, and those types are usually from the Viper’s side.

“Then do you know who sent me?”

“Not really interested, just state your business.”

“After I finish my coffee. Oh, do you have any snacks?”

“Should I kick her out?”

“Oh my. I’ll talk soon.”

“Good. Hurry up.”

“The Vipers are going to attack soon.”

“What?”

“Since you messed up their den, they’re in chaos. The higher-ups are saying they need to take you down.”

The Vipers are coming for me.

Not that surprising.

I’ve already taken down two factions, so the others must be on edge.

As they say, the law is far, but fists are damn close.

Killing me to quell the unrest is a decent plan.

Except that the target is me.

But here’s the thing.

Why is this girl telling me this?

She’s from the Vipers too.

…Are the factions divided?

Does one faction want me dead while another wants me alive?

“Interesting.”

“Isn’t it?”

“So, is this an order? Or your own initiative?”

Either way, it’s quite intriguing.

If it’s an order, one faction doesn’t want me dead, or they want to use this situation.

If it’s her own initiative, she wants something from me.

This is significant information, and I might have to pay a hefty price for it.

“Who knows?”

“Probably that sneaky old hag.”

Let’s take a guess.

Fortunately, my guess based on my original knowledge seemed to hit the mark, as the woman’s eyes widened.

“I didn’t expect you to know that much. It was supposed to be a secret—”

“It’s not hard to figure out if you try. And the only person who’d give me this info is the old viper.”

The oldest Viper faction, the old viper, specializes in sneaky schemes rather than direct confrontation.

Given her abilities and demeanor, she’s not from the straightforward Mamba or the simple-minded lizard factions.

She doesn’t seem like the type to work under those guys.

“So, the old viper wants to deal irreversible damage to Mamba and the lizard.”

“My, are you a shaman?”

“In a way, yes.”

Not that I plan to explain what that means.

They wouldn’t believe me anyway.

“Uniting the factions… The Crocodile Birds won’t like that. The Viper factions couldn’t expand because they were busy keeping each other in check.”

“Originally, the five factions were united, but thanks to someone, that system completely collapsed. So, even Seoul is subtly reaching out.”

“Whoever did that did a good job.”

“How shameless.”

“Coming from you?”

“Me?”

“Whatever. Anything else?”

I’ve got quite a bit of info, so I need to sort my thoughts.

At my question, the green-haired beauty smiled suspiciously and opened her mouth.

“Can I get a job here?”

“I’m not hiring.”

“Too bad.”

She’s the type to raise my blood pressure, so I don’t want her around. Mina and Seolhwa are enough.

“Then, see you next time.”

“If there’s a next time.”

Ina got up and walked out of the building.

Through the wall.

“That lady is like a ghost!”

“She’s a bit eerie. But boss, about what she said earlier…”

“Sigh. Why does this always happen… Both of you, be ready to run if things go south. They’ll probably target you.”

The Viper factions aren’t stupid; they know they need to take down these two to get to me.

Of course, they could try brute force, but two guys who tried that are already dead.

They’ll want to minimize risks.

So, this was supposed to be a sneak attack…

But I got tipped off?

Then it’s already half-failed.

The most crucial part of a sneak attack is that the target doesn’t know, but I do.

“Boss, where did you get that info… It’s amazing.”

“Just a guess. I’ve heard some rumors about the Vipers.”

“Oppa, you’re amazing!”

“…Let’s eat first.”

Even Mount Geumgang is best seen after a meal. Let’s eat and then plan.

Not that there’s much to plan…

“Let’s eat heartily today. Who knows when they’ll come.”

“Two fried eggs?”

“I bought some meat too.”

Honestly, it’s not the best quality, but it’s something.

I headed to the kitchen, wondering how to get rid of the gamey smell.

—————————

Basic principles for dealing with a sneak attack.

If a sneak attack is inevitable, don’t let it show.

If the enemy realizes you know, they’ll change the timing.

That could put you in a very tricky situation.

Worst case, they drag it into a long-term battle to wear you down or lure you out.

So, I was testing out my new weapon.

Honestly, it’s more like playing around.

Stabbing, slashing, swinging, thrusting.

Trying out all the moves you can do with a spear, even throwing it.

Sadly, I don’t know any spear techniques, and finding someone who does is hard, so it’s all self-taught.

Not that many people in this world know how to properly use weapons.

“Boss, you look cool handling the spear…”

“…I’m just winging it.”

It’s a bit much to be admired like that.

“Oppa! Oppa! Let me try!”

“This isn’t a toy.”

“Can’t I?”

With those puppy eyes, it’s hard to refuse…

Ah, whatever.

“…Don’t swing it around wildly.”

“Okay!”

I smiled as I watched Seolhwa run to the center of the front yard with the spear.

Despite everything, she’s pure at heart.

I watched her play around with the spear for a while.

Mina quietly approached me.

Somehow, the distance between us seems to be shrinking.

“Boss… Will we be okay this time?”

“We’ll be fine. We’ve done well so far.”

“But still…”

“If I didn’t know about the sneak attack, maybe. But I won’t let them catch me off guard.”

I patted Mina’s back to ease her anxiety.

“…Because it’s you, boss. You can win.”

“Yeah. I have to.”

To protect what I’ve achieved so far, and to uncover the secrets hidden within me, I can’t die yet.

So, let’s prepare thoroughly.

I started planning in my head to welcome the uninvited guests.