Into the Creations 1702

Chapter 1702 – 1702. Hunter Vs Vampire

“Hello~”

Kang Sumi greeted everyone she passed as she entered the shantytown.

The elderly watched Kang Sumi with warm smiles. The relatively younger people simply nodded as they passed by. Of course, not everyone was friendly. Some were wary.

“I don’t recognize you kids in this neighborhood. What brings you here?”

“My brother is going to be living in Seoul next month, so we came to look at houses!”

She patted my shoulder as she spoke. I gave an awkward smile and said to the old man as planned.

“I took a leave of absence from school because of the military, but I’m planning to go back next month.”

“You were in the military? Your hair is long for someone who was.”

“I’ve been playing around for a few months since I was discharged.”

“Hmm. I see. This neighborhood is a bit dark and hilly, but the rent is cheap, so it’s not bad for living while going to school. Take a good look around.”

He lowered his guard. He was about to leave. Kang Sumi greeted him with a bright voice and asked.

“Yes! Thank you! Do you live here too, grandpa?!”

“You see that building? I live there. If you have any questions, come and ask! I’ve lived in this neighborhood for 30 years! 30 years!”

“Yes! I’ll definitely ask if I have any questions!”

He turned his back and left again. Kang Sumi waved as if she was saying goodbye, but she was actually reflecting the old man’s back in the witch’s mirror. The old man was reflected as he was. The old man was human.

‘Well, I figured as much.’

Vampires don’t take the form of old people. Vampires who live forever can adjust their appearance even at the common level. Most of them maintain a young appearance in their 20s or 30s. Even older-looking faces are only middle-aged at most.

There’s no reason to take on the appearance of a shabby old man unless there’s a special purpose.

‘Kang Sumi wouldn’t be unaware of this… Well, it’s her job, so it’s right to check everyone, even the elderly.’

Kang Sumi walked ahead. I followed behind her.

I looked up at the sky. The sun was starting to set.

“Found one.”

Kang Sumi said in a low voice. I lowered my gaze from the sky. Kang Sumi was sticking to the corner of a wall, secretly watching a person passing by.

“That’s a vampire? He looks like an office worker?”

“Take a look for yourself.”

She showed me the witch’s mirror. The college student in the mirror was a monster with a muscular body and insect-like antennae.

I reflexively touched the knife hidden in my clothes.

‘Judging by the big difference between his true form and his disguised form, he’s a common-level vampire.’

I can easily win in a one-on-one fight. If I use the momentary burst, I’m confident I can finish him off in 3 seconds.

“We’re not here to fight. Don’t forget that our purpose is to gather information, right?”

“Of course.”

I took my hand off the knife. The one I really need to be wary of is Kang Sumi, not the vampire.

“Let’s tail him. We need to find out where that vampire lives and install a bug. Information is what the company needs right now.”

“Right. I forgot for a moment.”

“Follow me carefully. If you tail him carelessly, you’ll get caught.”

Kang Sumi moved.

She was quite skilled at tailing, probably because she was trained.

‘It’s not easy to follow a vampire who has senses superior to humans… Does she have a manual or something?’

The vampire stopped by a nearby convenience store and then went into a semi-basement house. It seems that vampires aren’t immune to financial difficulties.

“Are we going to install the bug after going inside the house?”

“Going into that house is crazy. We’ll get caught right away if we go in. In this case, we memorize the location… and install the bug near the entrance.”

“Are we going to go inside the house later to install it?”

“We’ll confirm that the vampire has left the house, then go inside to install the bug and come out. You’ll be surprised when we do that. It makes my heart pound. I’ve done this over 20 times, but my heart still races every time.”

“What if we determine that there’s no information to be gained?”

“Then the job gets passed on to the combat or special forces. In neighborhoods with a lot of these people, the combat forces usually storm in all at once and wipe them out.”

“Have you ever seen the combat forces in action?”

“About three times. It’s almost like a war. Armored vehicles are standard, and they even use helicopters.”

She walked forward as she spoke. When people passed by, she changed the subject. At the same time, she subtly checked the vampire with the witch’s mirror. If it was a vampire, she would tail them to find their residence and install a bug, even if it was a rough job.

“Next is over there.”

“Are you sure it’s over there?”

What she pointed to was a fortune-telling house in the corner of an alley. There was no sign. It only had ‘Cassandra’s Fortune House’ written on the front door.

‘Even if it’s a fortune-telling house, why would they do business in a place like this?’

It didn’t look like they had any intention of doing business at all.

“It looks suspicious to you too, right? Since it’s posing as a fortune-telling house, let’s go inside as if we’re customers.”

Kang Sumi moved confidently.

I was nervous. Maybe this was a trap set by Kwak Suhyuk.

I pressed the doorbell. With a beep, a woman’s voice came from the intercom.

-Come in.

The gate opened.

We went inside.

There was no yard, just a short passage. There were a few potted plants decorating the passage.

‘It doesn’t look like vampires are hiding here. Is it not a trap?’

Having experienced countless traps, I had a feeling that this wasn’t a trap. Still, I didn’t let my guard down, just in case.

We reached the end of the passage. Kang Sumi grabbed the doorknob and said in a small voice.

“Just in case, be prepared. There might be a vampire. I’m going in.”

Kang Sumi turned the doorknob and opened the door.

There was a strong smell of incense.

The room had black curtains and was lit by candles. The limitations of candlelight meant that the room was basically dark. It was exactly the kind of atmosphere that vampires would like.

“Hehe. Interesting people have come.”

In the center of the room. A woman covered from head to toe in black cloth was sitting at a black desk. On the desk was a large crystal ball.

The only parts of the woman that were visible were her eyes. The wrinkles around her eyes were undeniable. She was a rather old woman.

“I am Cassandra. Now, come and sit here.”

“Ah, yes!”

Kang Sumi answered and walked slowly. Since the woman was watching, she couldn’t openly take out the witch’s mirror to check. If the woman was a vampire, she would attack the moment she saw the witch’s mirror.

I sat down at the desk next to Kang Sumi.

“We are.”

“It’s okay. Let me guess. You two are… not lovers, but siblings.”

“Oh, how did you know?!”

Kang Sumi made a fuss.

Well, of course. Would lovers come to a place like this on a date? Absolutely not. Besides, Kang Sumi was even wearing a middle school uniform. It was normal to see them as an older brother and younger sister rather than lovers. Kang Sumi knew this too, but she still made a fuss.

“Hmm. I see a very interesting future….”

“Really?! What kind of future?!”

“That will be 200,000 won.”

The woman said flatly.

200,000 won.

I don’t know much, but it seemed like a pretty expensive price for a fortune-telling house. It didn’t seem like she was doing tarot readings or writing amulets.

“Oppa! This person is really amazing! She knew we were siblings right away! Please, Oppa!”

“Uh, well. Okay. If you want to… But I don’t have 200,000 won in cash right now.”

“We accept cards. Of course, bank transfers are also possible.”

“Please charge my card.”

I swiped my card. It was too obvious that she was a fraud.

“I have received payment. Now, now, let’s steal a peek at the heavens. First, the lady… Crystal, crystal, show me!”

The crystal didn’t shine! Nothing like that happened. She was just rubbing the large crystal ball with her palm. It was somewhat clumsy and crude.

“Oh? The lady is not her real age.”

“Yes, yes?!”

Kang Sumi was genuinely flustered. She was suddenly hit with the truth.

“Are you perhaps an early birthday?”

“Yes! That’s right! It’s amazing that you could tell!”

Kang Sumi spoke exaggeratedly, desperately hiding her agitation. Her hand was trembling slightly under the desk.

“Hehe. It’s basic for me. Oh my, young lady, you have lived a difficult life.”

“D, difficult?”

“You know better than I do. What I see is a flame reflected in a lake. Everything except the lake is burning.”

“……”

Kang Sumi closed her mouth. She was already agitated, even though she didn’t know what it was about. Cassandra continued to rub the crystal ball and speak, not caring about Kang Sumi’s reaction.

“Young lady. There is an obstacle in your life. The obstacle is sparkling and tempting you. It’s making you do the wrong things, but there’s only destruction at the end. But fortunately, there is a benefactor who can remove the obstacle. If you follow that benefactor… Yes. A smooth path will unfold in your life. Follow the benefactor. Then you’ll be able to do almost anything.”

Kang Sumi was drawn into Cassandra’s words. It was impressive. I was also listening to Cassandra’s words.

“A benefactor… Who is that?”

“There’s a saying in this country. ‘It’s always darkest under the lamp.’”

“Yes?”

“Don’t you understand yet? You’ve already met your benefactor.”

“Met… What do you mean….”

Kang Sumi glanced at me. We were pretending to be siblings, but she and I were meeting for the first time today. If the benefactor that Cassandra was referring to was me, then she had already seen through the fact that Kang Sumi and I were not siblings.

“Young lady, you just need to believe in your benefactor. Then you’ll be able to achieve your goal.”

“Ah, yes….”

“Now, let’s read the man’s fortune. Crystal, crystal, show me!”

Cassandra rubbed the crystal ball enthusiastically.

I looked at her with a bored expression. I didn’t know how she was able to sway Kang Sumi, but it wouldn’t be easy with me.

“Oh my. You’re very unique.”

“What’s unique about me?”

“Your life has changed recently. No, should I say your life has begun? You were born recently.”

“I’m over 20 years old.”

“Hehe. I’m just saying what I saw. You know best what I’m talking about.”

“……”

“You’re a truly amazing person. So much so that I can’t dare to judge you.”

“What does that mean….”

“The crystal ball is telling me. This world is flowing around you. You are the center of this world.”

“Yes?”

“Are you perhaps a god?”