< 115. Shock and Terror (13) >
***
The wizard is said to have stopped accepting any requests after his discharge, leading police to assume he was concentrating on recovering from his injuries.
Until today, that is.
Kim Cheol-su, who searched his house, delivered bad news.
“The house in Hannam-dong where I used to live was empty.”
I also asked Lakefield, but the spirit couldn’t find anyone with the same appearance.
But it’s not like there were no clues at all.
“I tracked his cell phone signal and his last known location was a pension near Seoul. The owner is a ghost company that exists only on paper.”
Of course, he could be recuperating. He could have gone out of town to get some rest and turned off his phone.
but···.
“I haven’t used my credit card once since I was discharged from the hospital, and I’ve kept my phone turned off ever since I got a signal at the pension.”
Minjun came up with a more attractive hypothesis than distancing himself from the secular world.
“I wonder if they might be moving there as a base.”
Minjun decided to hit that place.
At first, he had planned to move alone, but Kim Cheol-su earnestly requested that he proceed with a joint operation with the police.
“Teacher! No matter what, we can’t send you to a place like that alone! Please let us help you!”
The Minjun he saw was still a weak-hearted teacher who couldn’t even catch a dog. Even the explanation that he had been working at the immigration office for decades did not change his fixed idea.
In the end, Minjun accepted under one premise.
“Then I’ll take the lead, and the police just provide cover. If you can’t accept this, I’ll just move on my own. Mr. Kim, you know that I can do whatever I want with just one phone call.”
Kim Cheol-su eventually agreed.
It was deep in the night when the magic investigation unit and special police force he led, and Minjun arrived near the pension. Police cars arrived one after another, far enough away that they could not be heard in the building.
Minjun approached the pension right in front of it while wearing a stealth spell. Kim Cheolsu waited nervously behind him.
Minjun thought as he received their gazes on his back.
‘It’s a pretty elaborate barrier.’
To be honest, this is the best of the dragon race barriers I’ve seen recently. Considering that it’s untouched by dragons, it’s a barrier that can be considered a masterpiece.
To that extent, even Minjun couldn’t see the situation inside at all.
‘That wizard didn’t have such great skills, you know.’
This kind of barrier isn’t something you can buy with money from the Witch’s Guild.
‘That Ego Sword, is he also skilled in magic?’
Could this be a barrier built by a wizard under the control of the sword?
The answer will come soon.
Minjun raised his hand. The level was too high to be quietly dismantled. This kind of thing could only be destroyed.
The agent gathered magical power in his hand.
***
The assassin, Eric, is very nervous.
He is a partner-level killer for Abrams Helper Services, which has dominated the global contract killing market in recent years.
Beyond simply sharing the commission with the company, he owned shares in the company and received a large dividend from the company in addition to the commission. Such privileges came with obligations. From his perspective as a shareholder and also a member of the management team, the assassin who suddenly started to run wild was a huge headache.
‘The blade killed a comrade.’
Eric knew that he sometimes manipulated others to kill his targets instead of doing it himself.
I was curious about what kind of ability it was, but I didn’t ask because of the unwritten rules of the industry. In the first place, I didn’t have a chance to have such a leisurely conversation. We’ve never met face to face, and we only exchange opinions through encrypted documents.
Also, if you only do your own work well, it is natural not to touch the useless parts, but Blade was a killer who was very good at his job.
So Eric was shocked when Blade killed the troll who was the assassin stationed at the Seoul branch and the one who was in contact with the headquarters.
‘Are you crazy? Or are you senile?’
No one knows how old Blade is, but rumors in the industry have been around for decades, so he could very well be an old man.
Was he finally getting dementia? He couldn’t sacrifice a killer belonging to his company without going crazy.
‘Handle the blade.’
If a traitor is left alone, the organization will be shaken and the trust of its members will be damaged.
The partner-level killers exchanged opinions and unanimously decided to dispose of Blade.
Eric, a partner-level killer, and his team of assassins were dispatched to assassinate a legend in the hit industry. And they found Blade’s traces in Korea.
But the pursuit soon became a labyrinth.
‘The kidnapping of Choi Pan-seok’s daughter also failed.’
The starting point of Blade’s irrational behavior was Choi Seon-ah. I still couldn’t understand why he was interested in a mission involving such an ordinary woman in the first place.
Also, after being dispatched to Korea, instead of killing Kwak Do-chul right away, he wasted time. The few days Blade spent in Korea. What was he engrossed in without even reporting his whereabouts to the headquarters? Coincidentally, it was the exact same time period that Choi Seon-ah went missing.
‘The guy who sent to kidnap Choi Seon-ah has also lost contact. If he succeeded in committing suicide, that’s fortunate, but what if he was caught?’
The only good thing was that he was a low-level killer, so he didn’t know the critical information or where Eric was currently hiding.
‘I have to do it quickly. The longer I stay here, the higher the opportunity cost…’
It was at that moment that I was lost in thought.
Boom!
The entire secret hideout he was hiding in shook. A deafening noise.
Instead of screaming in panic, a skilled killer grabs a weapon.
The Weapon Master’s beloved sword was covered in a blue aura. The killers who had been staying here also came down to the first floor and looked at the entrance. Their faces were filled with murderous intent and tension.
‘How is that barrier?!’
Guess the opponent’s identity.
‘No way… Blade?! Did he know we were chasing him and counterattack?’
The night wind of the forest blew through the fallen door. A man standing in the square darkness looked inside. Then he let out a voice as if he was dumbfounded.
“···What the heck, where did the wizard kid go and why are there so many weird guys here?”
***
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Minjun, who broke the barrier, was dumbfounded.
I opened it expecting it to be the hideout of a wizard possessed by the Ego Sword, but what I found inside was… men radiating a mixture of murderous intent and horror.
Those who showed their faces openly and those who tried to hide in various places in the pension. I engrave the locations of all of them in my head.
fault!
It was the other side that moved first.
There was no signal. There was no cheer.
The assassins attack, led by Eric who kicks and runs towards them.
‘It doesn’t seem like all these kids are possessed by Blade.’
Minjun thought as he avoided the violent storm that threatened his life.
‘It feels similar to the kid I saw yesterday.’
Even though the goal of strangling the opponent is the same, there are some unique characteristics that emerge from the method used.
The smell of blood is felt in the attack. It is different from the characteristic bitterness of the black magician. These authors do not exchange blood for magic power. They are the ones who exchange blood for gold.
‘assassin.’
If it’s assassination, I’ve been doing it for hundreds of years. I’ve killed criminals, and I’ve killed special targets that the committee has pointed out. I can’t even count how many.
His senses could not be fooled. All of these people are in the industry. At this point, only one group comes to mind.
‘Abrams?’
I relayed this situation to the police outside. At the same time, I thought.
Did these guys subdue the wizard already? Is that why the cell phone signal is cut off here?
Minjun, who had been trying out several assumptions, soon erased all such thoughts from his mind.
Minjun’s life was already complicated enough without him having to worry too much about this complicated situation.
So Minjun decided to simplify the problem a bit.
‘Once we beat him up, we’ll find the answer!’
A shadow rises from the agent’s back.
Kyaaaaaaaah!
Minjun put his long-held belief into action: Too much tongue isn’t necessarily a good thing.
He had no intention of letting all these assassins live. A black flash of light appeared on the face of the assassin who was rushing at him with bloodshot eyes. It was the arm of the shadow monster.
puck!
“Ugh!”
Minjun clicked his tongue.
‘Hey, you won’t die in one hit?’
The most suitable abilities for an assassin are magic or weapon mastery. Most of them seem to fall into the latter category. Those with bodies that far surpass the limits of their species.
The monster floating over Minjun’s shoulder took back its fist and stabbed him twice more.
Thud! Thud!
The second time, the nose and cheekbones collapsed, and the third time, they were completely crushed.
After chopping off one of the guys’ heads, Minjun took the next step.
WHEEK!
Shadows slash like whips, cutting through the skin of assassins. Enemies splattered, spilling blood and entrails. Contractors rushed over the corpses. Auras danced in the air. Darkness seemed to blend in with it, then devoured it without mercy.
It was then that the police poured in to provide cover. Kim Cheol-su, who was in the lead, shouted.
“Everyone, protect Teacher Yes… Huh?!”
He couldn’t finish his words. He barely managed to swallow a pale scream.
‘Black magic?!’
He couldn’t believe his eyes.
Minjun swept through the assassins like a storm. But the method he used was completely different from what Kim Cheolsu had expected.
A hideous shadow monster hovered over the teacher’s shoulder, slaughtering the enemies. Everyone was helpless and bursting to death.
‘Yes, teacher, black magic?!’
The shadow flowing behind him formed a tail and snatched one of the assassins. It wrapped around his neck. The killer struggled, but soon fell to the ground with a thud!
Kim Cheol-su felt goosebumps all over his body. That great person uses black magic? Was the author who just summoned a monster and snapped a person’s neck really Mr. Ye?
But the confusion was short-lived. The wizard chanted a spell while directing his men. Flames rippled from his hands like a snake’s tail. The spell cut off the assassins’ escape route.
They were attacked in the middle of the night and had no idea what was happening.
‘Why on earth are they here!’
‘Korean police? How did they know where we were?’
‘Who is that ridiculous warlock!’
The situation was desperate. Eric finally made a decision.
“Everyone, retreat! Retreat!”
Minjun laughed.
“Where are you going!”
Minjun’s movements, which were running wild like a demon, became more violent. A brutal slaughter followed. In an instant, the assassins’ hideout turned into a hellish place with blood, flesh, and severed limbs strewn about.
Eric stopped him.
“Stop, you devil!”
The longsword wrapped in aura glowed in his hand. He drew out all his strength as if he was going crazy. Minjun thought as he struck it away with his shadow.
‘This kid is the best. He’s got a brain. I shouldn’t kill him.’
He tried to cut off one of its limbs, but it was a very nimble creature. Minjun changed the part he was going to attack.
‘I guess I’ll have to knock him out.’
If this is such an outstanding weapon master, then the physical strength of his body should be considered to be that of a golem rather than a living being. In order to incapacitate him without killing him…
‘Oh, right.’
At that moment, Minjun’s thoughts came to a point.
‘I’m thinking of doing a performance test before selling it.’
It was such a light thought.
Minjun, who had completely left the attack to the shadow monster that was half-integrated with his body, was actually waving his own two hands. His right hand reached into the air and pulled something out of nowhere.
“······?!”
Eric, who saw that, quickly tried to turn his body. However, even at that moment, the monster’s attack continued, and in the end, he was unable to respond.
That gap was what Minjun was aiming for.
At this moment, Minjun had four arms. He was holding a newly acquired weapon in his empty right hand. It was a blunt weapon shining brilliantly silver. Eric’s astonished eyes caught sight of the heavy metal mass.
‘Fry···?’
Those were Eric’s last thoughts.
Kwajik!
Minjun swings his sword with all his might, intending to hit Eric in the temple and knock him unconscious.
But it failed.
“······?!”
Minjun anticipated the trajectory of the frying pan, which would bounce back after giving a moderate impact to the enemy’s skull.
That expectation was neatly betrayed. Minjun’s right hand completed a large horizontal slash. It was a clean trajectory.
After that, there was nothing left on Eric’s neck.
dump!
Minjun turned his head slightly. There was something like a crushed grape stuck to the wall of the pension’s living room. It was Eric’s head.
That’s not what I was trying to do···?
It is true that the summoner’s strength also increases when summoning a shadow monster and absorbing some of it.
But even with such control, Minjun was the one who had a history. He clearly hit him with the intention of knocking him out, but his head flew off. Like a soju bottle cap snapped off with a finger.
He looked down at the orichalcon frying pan. It was rippling strangely, with blood and bone shards smeared around the edges. It was a sound that Minjun had never intended.
‘Del… what on earth have you done here?’
In the meantime, the assassins began to be sorted out. From then on, Minjun was careful not to kill anyone. Since it was like this, there was no way to know who would have relatively more information.
The four survivors were subdued and forced to their knees. Measures had been taken to prevent them from committing suicide.
“Sir?”
Kim Cheol-su approached with a dizzy expression. His eyes were full of worries. He looked like he didn’t know what to ask first.
Minjun raised his hand.
“Wait a minute, let’s start interrogating these guys.”
“Yes? Are you talking about here?”
Minjun put the silver frying pan into the subspace without answering. Then he touched the air again. This time, what he was holding in his hand was a pitch-black frying pan, in contrast to the one he had just seen.
He approached the assassin with it, but Kim Cheol-su was terrified and tried to stop him.
“Sir, if you kill me by blowing my head off like before!”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Kim.”
Contrary to the wizard’s fears, Minjun did not repeat the same thing.
Instead.
Kwajik!
He broke the assassin’s jawbone. Then he turned over a black frying pan and stuffed the handle into his mouth.
“······.”
Everyone, including Kim Cheol-su, was speechless.
Because I couldn’t understand what the meaning of that act was, and I was afraid to ask about it.
The old wizard was troubled. How on earth did Mr. Ye become like that? How harsh were the past years that made such a young person change like that?
“teacher···.”
Kim Cheol-su’s voice trembled.
“What on earth has been going on?”
Minjun didn’t even want to bother coming up with a plausible lie. It would be better to just gloss over it. So instead of explaining in detail, he looked into the air with the eyes of a man who seemed to have a lot to say.
“···Don’t ask anything, Mr. Kim.”
< 115. Shock and Terror (13) > End
