Chapter 25: Min Hae-joon (1)
“……”
In the end, Dolsae passed out with his eyes wide open.
This had been a precious opportunity to test just how far his body could endure.
Truly pushing past one’s limits wasn’t something easily achieved on one’s own.
Unless, of course, one had the professional guidance of someone like a master.
“Among all the Hunters I’ve seen so far, he’s the one who endured the best.”
Jin-young inwardly admired Dolsae’s tenacity.
The day he had first been… no, “trained” by his master in Renard—he hadn’t lasted even a few minutes before blacking out.
Of course, comparing the frail Jin-young of that time to the muscular Dolsae was a bit unfair.
Still, with such a solid foundation, the more he was pushed, the greater the results would be.
Thanks to his strong mental fortitude, Dolsae woke up not long after passing out.
“Senior Dolsae, come back tomorrow as well. Taming your Berserk state will take more time.”
“……”
“I know you’re listening.”
“Damn Psycho bastard…”
Dolsae gave up pretending to be unconscious, stared blankly at the ceiling, and muttered a curse.
“My codename is accurate, but hearing it used like that kind of pisses me off.”
Ignoring him, Dolsae turned to Jeong Bo-hoon and groaned.
“Director… Where the hell did you find a monster like that…?”
“I’m curious about that myself.”
Jeong Bo-hoon shook his head slowly.
According to Na Ji-hwan’s report, it was presumed that he had awakened his power after the gate outbreak at Gangseo Han River Park.
No matter how many times he looked at it, the idea that someone could display such monstrous strength without using mana didn’t make any sense.
“Advisor, was it this guy who purified the Buan Contaminated Zone?”
“Yes.”
A short answer, but none could have been clearer.
After a moment of thought, Dolsae spoke.
“You said you could tame my Berserk state. Were you serious?”
“If you’re willing to put in the effort, then yes. It’s possible.”
“…Fine. Let’s meet every morning at 9 a.m. in the Intelligence Department’s exclusive training ground.”
Jin-young nodded, then turned to Jeong Bo-hoon.
“Director, for the time being, please arrange for the Intelligence Department to take control of all raid rights for 4th-grade and higher dungeons occurring within Gyeonggi Province.”
“Raid rights? Are you suddenly planning to go around clearing dungeons?”
The sudden mention of dungeons piqued Jeong Bo-hoon’s curiosity.
Jin-young turned his gaze toward Choi Hee-yeon and said,
“I’m going to conduct special training for Senior Advisor.”
The moment the image of Dolsae rolling on the floor flashed through her mind, Choi Hee-yeon’s face stiffened for an instant.
But then she remembered what had happened in the contaminated zone not long ago.
If Jin-young hadn’t appeared at that time, not only her long-time colleague Executor but she herself would have died right there.
If only she had been just a little stronger.
Would things have turned out differently?
Choi Hee-yeon didn’t want her own weakness to cause harm to Jin-young or Dolsae ever again.
With her resolve firm, she spoke.
“Anytime is fine.”
“No need to rush ahead too far. You’ll have to go through the basic tests first anyway, Senior.”
At Jin-young’s words, Dolsae let out a gleeful voice.
“Yeah, now it’s your turn to suffer! Kwahaha… hngh! Argh, I’m dying.”
Jin-young pushed the groaning Dolsae aside to one corner and began guiding Choi Hee-yeon.
***
Flash!
A burst of blue and red light erupted from the workbench.
An enormous amount of mana filled the entire workshop.
“I did it… I actually did it!!”
Jeon Yu-hwan raised both arms high and let out a roar of joy.
On the workbench lay two mana crystals, each the size of a human head, placed side by side.
They had indeed been crafted from a monster’s brain and heart, but they were completely different from ordinary mana crystals.
The red mana crystal had been made using a whopping twelve hearts.
The blue mana crystal had likewise been crafted from twelve brains.
Chae Jin-young had taken materials from twelve 3rd-grade monsters in the contaminated zone and compressed them into a single 2nd-grade mana crystal.
Until now, no one had ever succeeded in such a thing—let alone even attempted it.
That was why Jeon Yu-hwan was drowning in a sense of accomplishment.
But he quickly calmed himself and moved on to the next workpiece.
He placed the blackened monster brain and heart onto the workbench.
“Alright. With this much, I think I can finally begin.”
These were the monster brain and heart that Chae Jin-young had left with him not long ago.
From a 1st-grade boss monster in the contaminated zone, no less.
Just looking at them sent chills down his spine and filled him with dread, but at last, he had gained the confidence to work on them.
It was at that moment.
Creak—
The door to the workshop opened, and several men stepped inside.
The moment Jeon Yu-hwan recognized who they were, a shadow fell over his face.
He hurriedly tried to hide the 1st-grade monster brain and heart,
“Hey, freeze.”
At a single word from one of the men, Jeon Yu-hwan had no choice but to stop.
The Black Society.
The villain organization that controlled the Yongsan black market.
They had come to “inspect” the workshop.
Sudden visits weren’t uncommon, but today the timing was the worst possible.
“…You’re here? Is there… an order you’d like to place…?”
“Jeon Yu-hwan. Looks like you’ve got yourself a real regular customer lately. What kind of insane materials are you working with to produce mana like this?”
Before Jeon Yu-hwan could even make an excuse, one of the villains who had looked at the workbench let out an exclamation.
“Whoa, this bastard. You were capable of crafting at this level? This has to be at least 2nd-grade, right?”
“What a waste to have left a guy like this rotting away. The boss is gonna be thrilled when he hears.”
Without asking Jeon Yu-hwan anything, the villains began grabbing the mana crystals.
The moment Jeon Yu-hwan widened his eyes and tried to step forward—
“That basket over there. Hearts and brains, huh? Just looking at them, they’re clearly no ordinary stuff. Did the same guy commission those too?”
“……”
Jeon Yu-hwan thought that if even these were taken, it would be a disaster.
At that instant, Chae Jin-young’s earlier warning suddenly came to mind.
‘He told me to accept whatever demands the Black Society made, no matter what. Did he… anticipate even this…?’
The moment he recalled Chae Jin-young’s emotionless eyes, his head cooled down instantly.
The fear toward the men in front of him faded, replaced by a strange sense of pity.
Clang—
One of the Black Society thugs finally drew his sword.
“I’m asking you. Did the same guy commission them?”
“Y-Yes, that’s right. So if I lose them, it’ll cause a really big problem…”
“What, did the SP Guild Master commission them or something? Or maybe Crystal? You think you’re better than their craftsmen now?”
“Of course not.”
Jeon Yu-hwan’s pride was hurt, but he didn’t dare resist.
He was confident in crafting, but taking on the Black Society thugs with force was impossible.
In the end, he handed over even the basket containing the brain and heart.
For now, surviving and reporting the truth to Jin-young was the priority.
“Nice. With these mana crystals, the boss will be pleased.”
“The brain and heart alone could sell for a fortune.”
Jeon Yu-hwan could only watch helplessly as the men walked away.
And then—
『■■■…』
A bizarre voice echoed in his ear.
‘Hallucination? Wait…’
The moment an inexplicable chill ran down his spine—
Ssssssh—
A pitch-black vortex tore through the space right in front of him.
The Black Society thugs turned around at the suspicious sound.
“Jeon Yu-hwan, you son of a bitch…”
The men who had started charging toward him froze in place.
Kugugugugu—
Black tentacles emerged from the portal.
Dozens of eyes sprouted across the tentacles and opened wide.
The Black Society thugs who met those gazes froze in place, as if their bodies had turned to stone.
The tentacles slowly scanned the brains, hearts, and mana crystals in the thugs’ hands.
『Anyone who touches what is ours will die.』
In the next instant—
Pshwaaaaak—!
The bodies of the Black Society thugs exploded all at once.
***
“This is the scene of the incident, Hunter-nim.”
“Thank you.”
The handsome man gave a light, warm smile in reply.
The female officer who had guided him covered her mouth and shyly looked away, as if she had just met her favorite idol.
Just as the media portrayed him—his gentle appearance was matched by an equally captivating demeanor.
Moreover, when people listed the strongest Hunters in Korea, his name was always mentioned third without fail.
The Guild Master of SP Guild, Min Hae-joon.
He was evaluated as the next strongest after the only two 1st-grade Hunters in the country.
There were only seven officially certified 2nd-grade Hunters in Korea, and among them, Min Hae-joon was considered the absolute strongest.
There were even rumors that his mana had already reached 1st-grade levels, and each of his three unique abilities boasted top-tier mastery.
Min Hae-joon entered the VIP room of the club where Oh Jong-yeon had last been seen.
The incident had occurred during the short time he had been away on a brief business trip to China.
“I’m truly ashamed, Master.”
Shin Hye-yeon, the head of SP’s secretary office who had accompanied him, bowed deeply.
“Why are you apologizing, Secretary Shin? It was Team Leader Oh who messed up.”
He had every right to be in a foul mood, yet Min Hae-joon still spoke with a smile.
However, Shin Hye-yeon, her face stiff, didn’t stop—she bowed all the way at the waist.
“It is my great fault for failing to manage my subordinate. And I should have resolved the matter before the Master had to step in personally…”
“Enough. I understand your remorse, Secretary Shin. I’ll forgive you generously.”
“Thank you so much, Master.”
Only then did she let out a small sigh of relief, though she kept her expression neutral and composed.
Min Hae-joon casually scanned the completely charred luxury sofa and walls before letting his gaze linger on the two corpses.
Then he passed over the scattered liquor bottles on the table and the empty glass bottles on the floor.
Finally, he stared long and hard at the center of the room.
An ordinary person wouldn’t even be able to guess what he was looking at, but Min Hae-joon, a 2nd-grade Hunter, knew exactly.
As one of the seven officially certified 2nd-grade Hunters in Korea, he couldn’t be fooled.
The traces left by black mana.
The exact spot where Oh Jong-yeon’s hidden unique ability—the makeshift portal—had been activated.
When Min Hae-joon extended his hand toward that point—
Ssssssssh—
The faintly remaining mana instantly amplified, forming a black cloud.
One of Min Hae-joon’s unique abilities: Mana Control.
The power to amplify or condense the concentration of mana floating in the air.
As long as mana was released into the surroundings—whether by himself or an opponent—it became a target for Mana Control.
The amplified black mana cloud took on the exact shape of Oh Jong-yeon’s makeshift portal.
Of course, it didn’t function as one.
When Min Hae-joon condensed the mana again, the cloud shrank into a faint dot.
“Why do you think Team Leader Oh did this?”
Min Hae-joon suddenly asked.
Shin Hye-yeon hesitated, unsure how to respond.
Based solely on the clues inside the club and the traces of mana—
It appeared that Oh Jong-yeon had consumed five bottles of Black Rose, gone berserk, incinerated two guild members, and then escaped through the makeshift portal.
But the fact that he had done such a thing wasn’t what mattered most.
The real question was: why?
Oh Jong-yeon was the type who never hesitated to kill others, yet valued his own life above everything.
As long as he received reasonable compensation for his work, he was satisfied.
He was simple-minded and easy to handle, which was why they had kept him around without issue until now.
So why had he suddenly done something so foolish?
Neither Shin Hye-yeon nor the other guild members could make any sense of it.
That was why things had escalated to the point where Min Hae-joon himself had to step in.
“From the thorough investigation into the relationship between Team Leader Oh and the two sacrificed guild members up to now… we’ve uncovered evidence that Team Leader Oh had been monopolizing the shares that should have gone to the guild members.”
“And?”
“There are also numerous instances where tasks that Team Leader Oh should have handled personally were forced onto those guild members.”
“So the guild members harbored resentment, and before they could do anything to him, Team Leader Oh killed them first?”
Min Hae-joon was smiling, but Shin Hye-yeon felt a chill run down her spine from that smile.
“Of course, I don’t believe that alone explains this incident. It’s likely due to an overdose of Black Rose…”
“Secretary Shin. Do you remember the Jeon Su-yong incident?”
“Yes. Overdose of Black Rose. And then he went missing along with members of Dark Horse. It’s different from this case, yet there are similarities.”
“And Lee Cheol-ho disappeared in a similar way. What do these three have in common?”
“They all possessed Black Rose.”
Min Hae-joon slowly shook his head.
“There’s one more thing.”
“I’m ashamed to say I can’t quite guess it.”
“9th-grade civil servant Hunter, Chae Jin-young.”
The name had already been mentioned before, so it wasn’t surprising.
He was Chae So-young’s older brother—that was the only notable point.
Min Hae-joon himself had never paid much attention to the man, so naturally he had ruled him out.
“Surely not him…”
“Of course, it’s impossible for a 9th-grade Hunter to pull something like this off. But what if someone used a 9th-grade Hunter as a puppet and carried out the operation secretly behind the scenes?”
At Min Hae-joon’s words, a certain organization came to Shin Hye-yeon’s mind.
“All three missing individuals were under surveillance by the Intelligence Department.”
Hearing Shin Hye-yeon’s response, Min Hae-joon gave a sly smile.
“It seems I’ll have to go meet the Intelligence Department Director.”
***
The night before, after experiencing something bizarre, Jin-young pondered the possibilities of the tentacles, subspace, and portals.
The tentacles had sensed Jeon Yu-hwan’s crisis and opened a makeshift portal to appear in his workshop.
They even had eyes, and it seemed they could share vision with Jin-young.
『The emotions of those marked with the imprint are transmitted to me.』
‘How do you imprint someone?’
『By letting them experience our mental world.』
The answer was vague, so Jin-young tried to infer it himself.
There was only one incident where Jeon Yu-hwan had been connected to the tentacles.
The time he had stared for a long time at the tentacles emerging from Jin-young’s body and eventually fainted.
He had said he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the abyss and heard hallucinations before losing consciousness.
If that was the “imprinting” the tentacles spoke of, it was something he couldn’t recklessly attempt on just anyone.
A single mistake could shatter their mind, and in the worst case, kill them outright.
‘I need to think of a safer, more stable way to use it.’
With that thought, Jin-young entered the building.
It was the exclusive building for the Awakener Intelligence Department within the National Intelligence Service.
Wearing one of his fake faces, he scanned his access card and headed toward the elevator.
Inside the elevator, someone had already boarded and was holding the door-open button with a light smile.
A man wearing a disgustingly fake smile.
The Guild Master of SP, Min Hae-joon.
“First time seeing your face. Are you a new agent?”
For a brief moment, Jin-young considered tearing up the big picture he had drawn so far and just eliminating the man right here.
But killing him in this place would be meaningless.
Even if this one man died, the rest of SP’s trash wouldn’t vanish with him.
And the moment he did, the villains of GODS would simply intervene in a different form.
GODS, the cancer that had spread like a plague across the entire world.
Hunting them down one by one was no ordinary task.
But if he had Min Hae-joon as bait…
He could reel them in easily.
Like luring ants into an antlion pit.
“I’m not sure whether what I’m seeing right now is real.”
At Jin-young’s words, the smile on Min Hae-joon’s face faded slightly.