Chapter 1347 – 1347. Special Operations
After confirming the ending of Ghost Romance, I was momentarily stunned. The ending was so unexpected.
‘To think I’d actually go through with exorcism until the end.’
If it were me, I would have given up on exorcism long ago and lived a life of luxury with a harem of women. I might hunt down ghosts for fun when I got bored, but… not to the extent of traveling around the world to exorcise them.
‘…It seems I did a lot of exorcism in this world.’
I must have actively killed ghosts to lower my demonic energy because I was trying to capture the heroines. Especially killing the ghosts of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons must have been the deciding factor.
‘Still, it was fun in its own way.’
A life like the ending of Ghost Romance. I kind of want to live it myself. A life of traveling the world, bedding beautiful women, and getting them pregnant…
After closing the game app, I took a shower and immediately lay down on the bed. My body wasn’t tired, but I felt mentally exhausted, probably because I had been in the Ghost Romance world non-stop. Or rather, I felt like I was exhausted.
‘Come to think of it, I hardly ever rested properly in the Ghost Romance world.’
I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
***
For a while, I didn’t enter the game world and focused on reality. I had been neglecting the real world while focusing on the game world. I needed to regain my sense of reality. And I also needed to adapt to my increased physical abilities.
‘I need to clearly distinguish between what I can and cannot do.’
The me in the game world has different abilities.
I shouldn’t mistake what I can do in the game world for what I can do in reality. If I did, problems would arise at crucial moments.
‘My current physical abilities are above the average of an A-class hunter. It’s a bit lacking to call it top-tier.’
An A-class hunter’s strength isn’t just about physical ability. There are variables like combat experience, awakened abilities, and equipment. My actual strength can be considered upper A-class.
‘But I don’t have much experience meeting actual upper A-class hunters, so it’s just a guess.’
Vroom, vroom.
My phone rang.
I took my smartphone out of my pocket and checked the caller ID.
Baek Ji-eun.
A woman who had secured a low-ranking position among the association executives. Under hypnosis, she thinks of me as her childhood friend and a sex partner.
I narrowed my eyes and stared at my smartphone. It was rare for her, who was busy with her career, to call me directly.
‘Should I answer it?’
-Seong Yu-jin! Are you free?!
Baek Ji-eun’s voice rang out. As soon as I heard her lively voice, I knew it. She was probably going to ask me to do something. Frankly, I wasn’t in the mood.
“I’m busy.”
-Don’t be ridiculous. I know you’re free. You only go into B-class dungeons. How are you ever going to become a proper A-class at this rate?
My rank was still B-class, despite having the skills of an A-class.
It couldn’t be helped. To become an A-class, I needed not only skills but also achievements. There were ways to gain achievements through illegal means, but… my goal is S-class. I’m trying to avoid anything that could be used against me later.
The reason I only go into B-class dungeons was simple. Unlike A-class dungeons, there are hardly any variables. Moreover, it’s not easy to raid an A-class dungeon alone.
“I’ll take care of my hunter work myself. Or is there a high-paying job?”
-Hehe. There is a good job, that’s why I called you.
“What is it? I won’t do anything annoying.”
-You’d better do it, even if it’s annoying.
I could sense the joy in Baek Ji-eun’s voice. She seemed confident that I wouldn’t refuse.
‘She’s underestimating me too much. I’m a man who can refuse any offer.’
-This time, it’s a decision made by the higher-ups. It’s a bit of a hassle, but they suggested entrusting it to promising talents.
“…Promising talents?”
-Yeah. Promising talents who have the potential to become S-class candidates.
“So, if I solve this, they’ll recognize me as an S-class candidate?”
-That’s not it. The higher-ups are just checking your potential. It’s something they do every quarter, gathering young A-class hunters, so… it’s not that special.
“I’m not A-class, I’m B-class.”
-Your skills are close to A-class. Plus, your growth rate is insane. Even though you started later than others, you’re already eyeing A-class. The higher-ups have enough reason to pay attention to you. In my opinion, it’s even a bit late.
“…What’s the benefit if I succeed? Do I become A-class right away?”
-Not exactly, but you’ll be able to become an A-class hunter quickly. And the Korean Association will focus on you. In a good way.
“This is… something I can’t refuse. What do I have to do?”
-It’s related to the Thousand Hands Guild. Did you see the news?
“I don’t have time to watch the news… but I know the Thousand Hands Guild. They’re a pretty famous guild.”
The Thousand Hands Guild was one of the mid-sized guilds active in Seoul. They treated hunters well and accepted inexperienced rookie hunters. Because of that, they were highly regarded in the hunter community for a mid-sized guild.
-That Thousand Hands Guild was designated as a black guild three hours ago. The association is currently occupying the Thousand Hands Guild’s headquarters.
“…The Thousand Hands Guild as a black guild? Did they commit tax evasion? No, they wouldn’t be designated as a black guild for just tax evasion… What did those guys do?”
Black guild. A term for a criminal guild. In other words, the Thousand Hands Guild was a criminal organization.
A successful mid-sized guild falling into ruin in an instant. I was curious about what had happened.
-They joined hands with a Chinese black guild and distributed drugs. The money they made from drugs is estimated to be 800 billion won.
“Drugs, huh. But isn’t it over? The association occupied their headquarters, right?”
-Unfortunately, they missed the guild master and a few of the top executives. They must have prepared for this, because they had acquired expensive artifacts. What you have to do is track down the remnants of the Thousand Hands Guild with other promising talents. Capturing them alive is best… but killing them is fine too.
“Haa. It’s annoying… but I can’t refuse… Do you know where they are?”
-Don’t underestimate the Korean Association. We’ve already located them.
I didn’t bother asking how they found their location. It was obvious. Magic, artifacts, awakened abilities, etc. There were many ways. They might have even used the power of science.
“Okay. What do I have to do?”
-I’ll send you a text. Come to the location by 6 PM.
“6 PM? That’s in an hour. That means I have to leave right away.”
-You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.
“I said I’m going.”
***
I arrived at the meeting place.
There was a van parked in front of a closed hardware store, and I got into the van without hesitation. Three A-class hunters were already there, except for me.
“We don’t have time, so let’s leave right away.”
The man in the driver’s seat said. He was a man wearing a navy blue baseball cap.
“This is unexpected. To think a B-class would join us.”
The man in the passenger seat said. His voice was indifferent, despite his tone. Because of that, I didn’t feel like he was looking down on me. He was big and muscular.
“……”
The person sitting next to me was the only woman. She was tall and thin, with very sharp eyes. She seemed the most uncooperative of the group. Her looks were above average, but it was a bit ambiguous to call her a beauty.
“Everyone. I’ll say this in advance. Just do your part. Just your part.”
The man in the passenger seat chuckled at my words.
“You’re straightforward. I like it. Here’s information about us and the enemy. Memorize it.”
He stretched his hand holding the documents behind him and handed them to me. I took the documents and started skimming through them.
First, I checked the information of the three people I would be working with.
The man in the driver’s seat wearing the navy blue baseball cap was Kim Si-eom. An A-class hunter. His ability was enhancement. He could enhance his own body or his armed weapons.
The muscular man in the passenger seat was Jang Ju-seok. He was also an A-class hunter, and his ability was blood control. He could control blood.
The woman with the slanted eyes next to me was also an A-class hunter. Her ability was Hammer Crash. Just by the name, it sounded like she could smash hammers… but in reality, it was the opposite. It was the ability to temporarily create hammers. She could create a total of six hammers, all with special effects. She could only create one hammer at a time.
These three were all A-class hunters and promising talents that the association was keeping an eye on. At least, they wouldn’t be a burden.
I read the information about the target.
‘Ignore the small fry and aim for the boss.’
The Thousand Hands Guild Master, Oh Kang-hoo.
He was an A-class hunter with the nickname “Master of Ten Thousand Poisons.” His ability was poison creation. As his nickname suggested, he could create all kinds of poisons. The documents also stated that he could create drugs that temporarily enhanced his body.
‘An ability to create poisons and drugs… Could this bastard also create elixirs?’
I had doubts, but I didn’t have any expectations. If he could create elixirs, he wouldn’t have been distributing drugs.
And he would have become an S-class hunter with the elixirs he created and lived a life of luxury.
“Oh Kang-hoo is our opponent. We can’t let our guard down. Seong Yu-jin, there are antidotes in the back seat that the association provided. Take three. I heard there are some poisons that can’t be detoxified… but at least it will prevent you from dying instantly from poisoning.”
Kim Si-eom said, turning the steering wheel. I casually took the antidotes. I didn’t need antidotes because I had Complete Recovery and Thousand Hearts, but there was no reason to reveal my cards to them.
I continued to look at the documents. I doubted my eyes because of the ridiculous words written there.
“…Oh Kang-hoo is heading north? Is it the north I’m thinking of?”
“That’s right. Oh Kang-hoo is heading to North Korea. We’re going to chase him to the end.”
Jang Ju-seok said, looking straight ahead. I was dumbfounded and asked again.
“Wouldn’t that become a national issue?”
“The association will take care of it.”
A hopeless answer came back.
I was about to call Baek Ji-eun and complain because going to North Korea seemed a bit too much. That’s when Kim Si-eom added.
“The association has already received permission from North Korea. The condition is that this mission is not made public.”
“It’s surprising that North Korea gave permission. Do you know why?”
“I don’t know for sure. However, since Oh Kang-hoo is involved with a Chinese black guild… they probably don’t want to cause problems with China. Recently, North Korea and China haven’t been on good terms. Or maybe they want to gauge our strength.”
I frowned and then nodded. Come to think of it, it wasn’t my problem. The association would take care of all the minor details.
