Chapter 2243 – 2243. Rezo
The man stared at the spell Mi-ryung had cast for a while, then said with admiration,
“That’s a traditional form of magic. It’s clean. I may not know about other things, but your magic deployment is among the best in the country. I admit, your magic deployment is better than mine.”
“No, it’s not magic, it’s a spell!”
Mi-ryung canceled the spell and corrected him. Her voice was laced with annoyance. The man didn’t even blink.
“Spells, Taoist arts, curses, Yin-Yang arts… It’s true that the types are divided when you delve into magic, but in the modern era, any phenomenon caused by artificially manipulating mana is generally called magic. In other words, your spell is also magic.”
“By that logic, even I, who knows nothing about magic, am a magician?”
“Yes. You are an excellent magician.”
Mi-ryung stared at the man as if she couldn’t believe her ears. The man continued to speak shamelessly.
“I’m late with my self-introduction. I’m Kim Ji-hak, the director of the Magic Affairs Bureau of the Association. I’m in charge of all magic-related incidents that occur in Korea. Curses are also magic, so we are involved in the bio-bomb terror incident that happened today. Since it’s a major incident, the police are also involved.”
“Ah, I don’t know much about this kind of thing. Anyway, you’re a high-ranking official, right? Since you came here yourself, I guess you’re accepting my proposal?”
“Normally, I would have ignored it. Mi-ryung, you’re not a hunter, and there are quite a few suspicious things about you. But given the situation, we need your help. We can’t track the human bomber at all. …Even though it may not seem like it, we’re desperate.”
They can’t track him at all?
It made me wonder if the Association was okay, but I also realized that I didn’t have any particular method either. ‘Come on Baby’ didn’t work, so if Mi-ryung hadn’t been there, I would have just given up and gone back to my own business.
“The plan… it’s not something we can discuss here, so please follow me. Hunter Sung Yu-jin, you too. Chief Baek, you come along as well.”
Following him, we entered the emergency response room.
There were men in suits gathered in the conference room. They had the typical aura of high-ranking officials. I ignored them. There was only one person who dominated the room. A woman with short, half-gray hair. She looked middle-aged and was sitting with a cigarette in her mouth. There was an ashtray in front of her, which suggested that the conference room was a non-smoking area, but no one said anything to her.
“I’m Lee Yeon-sook, the chief of this bio-bomb terror incident.”
She spoke in a stiff tone. Her voice was rough, like scratching an ear. Smoke billowed from her mouth.
I was surprised to hear her name. It was a famous name that no hunter could be unaware of. No, it was a name that even non-hunters knew.
“Lee Yeon-sook, the Hell Tiger!”
One of the five S-class hunters in Korea, including Han Ah-young.
“You brat…. Don’t call me by that nickname.”
Lee Yeon-sook growled. The atmosphere in the conference room instantly turned hostile. Some of the men in suits were trembling.
I assessed her strength. Could I win if we fought? I wasn’t sure.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Yeah. If it were 20 years ago, I would have punched you in the face. Be grateful that I’ve matured. I heard you’re a hunter with S-class potential… You’re even more impressive than the report suggested. You might reach S-class within a few years. Those intelligence guys… they’re not doing their jobs properly.”
She clicked her tongue and put a new cigarette in her mouth.
I understood why she was called the Hell Tiger. Her personality was incredibly fierce. And looking at the ashtray, it was already full of cigarette butts. It reminded me of the saying, “back when tigers smoked.”
“Um, weren’t you retired? I heard you were enjoying a healing life in a place with good air and water.”
“Officially, yes. Unofficially, I’m working for a government agency. My main job is teaching brats.”
I felt like I had learned a secret of Korea.
“Wow. You have quite a barrier around your body? You’re an interesting person.”
Mi-ryung said, sounding impressed. I checked Lee Yeon-sook’s body. From the outside, she was simply wearing a well-fitted suit. When I used the Heavenly Eye, I could see the barriers she had around her body. I didn’t know what kind of barriers they were since I didn’t have knowledge about barriers. However, I could tell that each of those dozens of barriers was extraordinary.
Lee Yeon-sook’s eyes turned to Mi-ryung. She scanned Mi-ryung from head to toe and clicked her tongue.
“You’re a sly fox. You’re exactly the type I hate.”
“Hey. Calling someone a fox. That’s too much.”
“Let’s get to the point. You’re going to spread a barrier across Seoul to identify the curse and reverse-track the bio-bomb curse to find the terrorist. Is that right?”
“Yes. But I need a large amount of mana stones. Oh, and I’d also like a few other things. Like a jujube tree struck by lightning?”
“…That’s not for the barrier. It’s for the reverse-tracking.”
“You know it well. And you have barriers around your body… Are you a spellcaster? Or, according to the Association, a magician?”
“I’m a barrier specialist. I’m specialized in one area, but… I have some knowledge of curses as well. There’s one condition that’s essential for your plan to succeed. The skill of the barrier specialist. Spreading a barrier across Seoul? That’s a difficult task even with support.”
“Ah, so you mean you want to see my skills? Hehe. That’s not difficult.”
*Snap.*
Mi-ryung snapped her fingers.
Since I was using the Heavenly Eye, I could see the barrier spreading out from her. In the blink of an eye, her barrier enveloped the space. There were only two people besides me who realized this.
The director of the Magic Affairs Bureau, Kim Ji-hak, and the Hell Tiger, Lee Yeon-sook.
Kim Ji-hak swallowed a groan, and Lee Yeon-sook’s eyes sparkled with interest.
“Did you see it? Now it’s our turn. I want to know more about this incident. It’s strange that a formally retired S-class hunter suddenly appears and participates in this. It’s not like you’re the only S-class hunter.”
Lee Yeon-sook hesitated for a moment, then gestured to the men in suits around her.
“We need to talk separately. Get out.”
The men in suits, including Kim Ji-hak and Baek Ji-eun, left. The only ones left in the smoke-filled conference room were me, Mi-ryung, and Lee Yeon-sook.
“Actually, I don’t have any reason to explain everything to you.”
“I have to know what I’m curious about. Well, it’s okay if you don’t tell me. I can guess. The reason a retired S-class hunter is getting involved… it must be because you have a direct connection with the human bomber.”
“You have many tails. Are you a nine-tailed fox instead of a fox?”
“Huh?”
Mi-ryung was startled and brought her hands to her hips. Of course, there was no tail. Lee Yeon-sook, who didn’t know Mi-ryung’s true identity, looked at her with a pathetic expression.
“This is classified information. If the rumors spread, I won’t let it slide. …I’ve warned you. Before I speak, what’s your relationship? If it’s not important, I’d like to talk to this fox alone.”
“That’s not okay! The reason I’m working is all for my husband! And we have a very important relationship. We are one in body and soul! A community of destiny! We’re a married couple who have made a thousand-year vow!”
“You’re not married.”
“Huh? We’re practically common-law partners!”
I was about to argue, but I realized I couldn’t. The years we had lived together in the [Ascension of Light] world were not just a few.
“Save the theatrics for your own home.”
Lee Yeon-sook growled again. Mi-ryung and I looked at each other and nodded.
“…Ten years ago. The human bomber Rezo was defeated by S-class hunters in Europe. That was certain. I saw his corpse with my own two eyes.”
It was different from what I knew.
“You participated in that subjugation, Lee Yeon-sook?”
“The World Hunter Association led the operation. I participated through a deal with the World Hunter Association.”
“What kind of deal?”
“It’s personal, so I can’t tell you the details. There were quite a few S-class hunters who participated unofficially besides me. The World Hunter Association judged Rezo’s abilities to be too dangerous at the time. They said that if they didn’t intervene, there would be more than a million casualties.”
Mi-ryung crossed her arms.
“Hmm. You’re sure that the culprit in this incident is Rezo, whose corpse you confirmed?”
“…The fact that the terror incident happened in Korea is proof. He came to Korea to take revenge on me. The subway terror is a claim and a warning that he will torment me in the future.”
“Wasn’t Rezo killed by European hunters? It’s strange that you’re the target of revenge?”
“The most difficult part of the Rezo subjugation was finding the hidden Rezo. I secured Rezo’s son, Bian, and used Bian as a hostage to find Rezo’s location. Later, I killed Bian. Bian was also a curse user and terrorist like his father.”
“Revenge for his son? That makes sense.”
Rezo’s target was not me or Mi-ryung. But our influence must have played a part in his breaking his silence and taking action after the past 10 years.
“The reason I’m getting involved is because it’s my business. I thought it was over, but it’s not, so I have to finish it. Now it’s your turn. You just need to find Rezo. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Since the Association has accepted our proposal… we’ll do our best. If there are no variables, we should be able to find him.”
Lee Yeon-sook glanced at her smartphone.
“It seems the mana stones are ready. Do you need a special place?”
“The rooftop of this building. Can we use it? It’s more efficient to do this barrier in a high place. And this building is over 50 stories.”
“Okay. I’ll have someone send the mana stones up.”
“If you’re sensitive to mana, you can detect the barrier.”
“How sensitive do you have to be?”
“Hmm. About as sensitive as my husband? Normal people won’t be able to feel it.”
“I’ll have to send a message to the A-class hunters.”
“Rezo won’t be able to feel it and run away.”
“Rezo won’t be in Seoul. He’s probably in a safe place, thinking about where to detonate the human bombs. Old habits die hard.”
