Chapter 30: Myrginos is back again

A sleek black sedan slowly made a left turn into a narrow alley. It was a residential area where affluent individuals resided.

The vehicle descended slowly into the underground parking lot.

It was a public parking lot for a five-story office building.

There weren’t many residents, so there were empty spaces here and there. The parked cars were all expensive foreign models. The sedan parked in the most concentrated spot, between other vehicles.

Click.

The smart key was pressed to turn off the engine. The engine noise faded, and the surroundings became quiet. Being an underground parking lot, the outside noise echoed in.

“Is this okay?”

“Yeah, this is it. Wait just a little longer.”

“Alright.”

Lee Okbun from the National Intelligence Service wiped the windows with a cloth and looked around. A few minutes of short silence. The heater was off, so the car was getting colder.

It was around that time that the ‘all clear’ signal came.

“Wrap it up.”

“Yes.”

This time, a gnat had attached itself.

Fortunately, it wasn’t difficult to remove. They were all newbies.

The 10th Bureau of the National Intelligence Service, the Supernatural Department, was exposed to the external media, making it easy to be tracked.

Organizations like the US CIA, Japan’s Public Security Intelligence Agency, and China’s Ministry of State Security were prime examples.

To them, the Korean Peninsula was a meeting place where they could recruit talented individuals.

Moreover, recently, rumors of the emergence of a double-awakened individual were rampant, further intensifying 

Lee Okbun, who was tapping the steering wheel, spoke first.

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

“Section Chief. We’ve arrived. Good work.”

“You too, Agent Lee.”

Kang Jinyoung expressed her gratitude.

Kang Jinyoung, who took her belongings from the passenger seat glove box, quietly got out of the car. Lee Okbun’s vehicle also quietly left the area.

It’s always like this.

As soon as Lee Okbun’s car disappeared into the street, Kang Jinyoung sighed.

Tired. And exhausted again.

“Ugh, I’m so tired.”

She entered the office building through the underground elevator. The elevator ascended, and the pulley stopped with a click.

5th floor.

The hallway was fairly long, but lifeless. It was chilly because there was no heating, and besides her, there were no other residents on the 5th floor.

Kang Jinyoung approached the door at the very end. She unlocked the door and entered her home.

A small studio apartment.

It has everything you need. Everything necessary for daily life is within a 1km radius. Even as she entered her home, Kang Jinyoung didn’t feel at ease.

“When will I clean all this up?”

It’s a mess. The house was filled with all sorts of junk. Anyone who saw it would think a patient lived there. Kang Jinyoung, unfazed, unpacked her belongings.

No matter how much she cleans, it’s never-ending. It was even more so because she was rarely home, as if she had itchy feet.

Now, she has given up on cleaning.

Ring.

“Huh? W-wait a minute.”

The phone rang. She was about to take off her clothes, but thinking it might be Lee Sunghan, she hurriedly answered the phone.

Of course, life isn’t fun if things go as expected.

It was her subordinate who had just left. The tension that had risen fell vertically again.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

-Are you returning?

“Not yet.”

-The intelligence department sent data regarding the special recruitment of awakeners this time. Lee Sunghan’s personal information is also included.

“Send it to me. What else?”

-There are some documents you need to process.

I knew it. The National Intelligence Service is notorious for giving work-life balance the middle finger.

Every time she met Lee Seong han, she complained, but she felt like she had a thorn in her mouth because she blamed herself.

Lee Seong han. The best asset she could have, and must have.

Kang Jinyoung felt that way. She had never met a man before, but she felt an instinctive feeling.

This man would be okay.

“Visualize.”

She was always proficient in magic.

It was a familiar thing for her, who had been told she had a rich imagination since she was a child, but magic is about bringing forth the fictional.

-The solution for hypnosis is written here. It says… s-sexual intercourse. You. It can’t be helped, can it!

Poof.

As soon as she heard the voice, the water that had been swirling in her mouth regurgitated. She spat it out like a spray. The floor became soaked.

She wiped the stream of water flowing from her lips with her arm. Does the water taste strange?

Did it go bad?!

She thought so and smelled it.

The smell of ordinary water.

It’s definitely normal. Then, does that mean my taste buds were destroyed while eating hospital food? Hmm. That can’t be.

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

She had been taking catnaps, but she never imagined her mental state would be this bad.

The magic that predicts possible futures, [Precognition].

Even high-ranking magicians can easily end up as a vegetable in a mental ward.

It’s a high-ranking magic that consumes a lot of mental power.

Flicker!

[Mental Barrier] and other blocking traits, the damage to her is considerable. On the other hand, her stress skyrockets.

Kang Jinyoung knows it too. She cast the magic again.

-The solution for hypnosis is written here. It says… s-sexual intercourse. You. It can’t be helped, can it!

It’s the same scene again. Crazy, it can’t be. Does that mean it’s real?!

Drip.

A trickle of blood flowed from her nose.

Her head is fuzzy. She knew her sister’s mental state was poor, but not to this extent.

In a way, the situation was not good.

Once is a coincidence.

More than twice is a necessity.

If they overlap, the probability of realization is high.

Ding!

A message appears in the air.

[Interference magic is activated!]

Interference magic too?

It’s ominous.

She immediately turned on her smartphone.

Self-control?

Now is not the time for that. Kang Jinyoung sat on the sofa and bit her nails with the intensity of wanting to tear them off.

“Please, please, please.”

Tap.

” Seong han! Are you oka-“

…The phone is turned off. After the beep, the call will be forwarded to voicemail, and call charges will apply.

The phone is also turned off. She told him to keep it on all the time.

Her hand, which seemed to have developed a tremor again, wouldn’t stop shaking. Where, where are the pills? No. This isn’t a pill problem.

Losing a lover? It’s absurd. Even trashy dramas don’t have such a scenario.

She was trying to somehow, somehow create a connection and build a relationship?!

‘Don’t be ridiculous.’

Kang Jinyoung hurriedly put on her coat and prepared to leave.

She took a deep breath calmly. Yeah, getting stressed won’t help, it will only make things worse. What if she’s under hypnosis.

[Self-Justification]

-Any negative action ‘Kang Jinyoung’ takes against you is judged to be right, necessary, and natural.

[Extreme possessiveness]

-‘Kang Jinyoung’ exerts various psychological pressures to possess you.

Crazy talk. There’s no way she’s wrong. She hated the idea of being taken by her sister to death. A life where a loved one disappears to another person.

She pressed the accelerator pedal urgently. She was not wrong.

Never.

****

Kang Jinyoung’s messages are fast but firm.

To be precise, the meaning of the message.

「Are you okay?」

No. It’s a mess here.

「I know something happened. Stay there.」

Stay put? If I stay put in a gate, monsters will attack, what do I do?

「I know my sister did something weird. So, I’m going to kill her and take Seong han, so be prepared.」

There are some typos, but it’s not difficult to understand.

Originally, awakeners had a direct message function. In other words, a DM function.

Of course, there are not many users.

Only those who deal in cash.

Kang Jinyoung is an unusual case.

“By the way, how do I deal with that.”

Kim Seojeong woke up from her sleep.

The [Sleep Recovery] trait must have healed her injuries.

He glared at Kim Seojeong.

[cooperates with ‘Ultra Reconnaissance’ to pierce the essence.]

[‘Ultra Reconnaissance’ responds to the call.]

His vision clears.

《System: Information》

『Kim Seojeong』

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

□ Traits

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

An ordinary class.

Ordinary skills.

An ordinary rank.

Now she can even have an ordinary conversation, what an ordinary person.

‘By the way, that life as thin as a thread keeps appearing.’

Is it a trait added to dolls? It will be easier to classify them later.

He thought about cutting her throat, seeing the thin threads connected to her limbs move whenever she moved.

But it’s ambiguous because of the quest.

‘Moreover, Hong Seomin’s doll didn’t have strings. She might be disguised though.’

Also, if she can switch places with the doll, then there’s nothing to say.

Kim Seojeong seemed to be having a nightmare, gasping for breath, then sighed deeply as she realized she was still alive.

Then she embraced Kang Miyoung, who was the closest (and monitoring her), and expressed her gratitude.

“Th, thank you! I don’t know how to express my gratitude…”

“There’s no need to say anything.”

Kang Miyoung said coldly.

She must be reluctant to waste time.

“No! I, I’m really grateful. Hunter Kang Miyoung. I never thought I’d meet someone I admire like this!”

The woman, with tears and snot running down her face, clasped her hands together. Lee Seong han slowly nodded.

Kim Seojeong.

This woman is also an awakener.

A dark blue leather jacket, tight black stockings. A medium-length bob that just reached her shoulders, and a crop top.

Standing at a distance, Lee Seong han didn’t know where to look. Is the level of exposure always this high? He doesn’t know.

The hunters on the streets of Gongbang-ro weren’t like this.

‘Hong Seomin, huh.’

He raised his eyes and sent a cold gaze.

She’s a B-rank hunter.

During a patrol mission in Gongbang-ro, she ‘unintentionally’ entered the Gakryeong Market gate.

After going through all sorts of hardships, she reached the fountain in the square, or so she says.

It’s too amazing.

A B-rank hunter.

Even an assassin with a weak body. Lee Sunghan quietly approached.

“You’re not a civilian then.”

“Uh, uhhh?”

She was momentarily taken aback, then exclaimed, “That’s right, that’s right!” repeatedly. With a blush spreading across her face, she seemed to have finally noticed the hunter’s uniform and let out exclamations of admiration.

“A, are you a hunter?”

“B-rank. Just like you, Hunter.”

Lee Seong han took out his license and showed it. The hunter’s license was a water-stained white, with a large number 8 in English printed on it.

“Oh ho.”

Kang Miyoung expressed a low exclamation as if she had realized something.

Hunter licenses were originally unalterable.

Naturally, because it’s for identity verification.

But Lee Seong han could alter it. Any rank, name, even identity. It was like a privilege given to him.

“B-rank.”

Kim Seojeong whispered quietly. She smiled as if she had realized something.

“I-if there’s anything I can help with, please tell me!”

“There isn’t.”

“Huh? I, I was the ace of my party.”

“This gate is quite different from the usual ones. You can just stay still. Besides, the backup team will be here soon.”

Lee Seong han was confident that he would get an A+ in Kang Miyoung psychology.

If someone comes in this state and you think they’re after your neck.

Lee Seong han would just distrust people. He thought so.

“B-by the way, do you have a quest too?”

“Quest?”

“Yes! Mine said to gather 3 people. Including me.”

Yeah, right, Kim Seojeong (Hong Seomin).

“What is the content of that quest?”

“Uh… stop the summoning?”

“Summoning what?”

Kim Seojeong’s face turned pale.

“It says an adult dragon. Named Myrginoth?”

Ah.

That f*cker is coming again?