Chapter 27: Entry
“Let’s see… this one looks good.”
Layla muttered as she gazed at the factory in front of her.
Jacob spoke reluctantly.
“Do we really need to do this, Layla?”
“Of course we do. Consider it a little reminder for our arrogant Min to know his place.”
“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to meet him in person?”
But Layla paid no attention to Jacob’s words and simply released her mana.
Crack—!
The factory building immediately began to crumple from the roof downward.
At the same time, the walls and pillars collapsed inward, sinking deep into the ground.
Layla’s unique ability: Gravity Manipulation.
The factory couldn’t withstand the gravity that had multiplied dozens of times in an instant and was buried underground.
“How dare he try to produce a cure without GODS’ permission. Our Min has really grown up, hasn’t he?”
Layla dusted off her hands as if she felt refreshed.
“Do you really think destroying one cure factory will end things? You’d have to destroy the formula and kill everyone who knows it.”
At Jacob’s words, Layla wagged her index finger back and forth.
“You’re always so practical. I told you—this is just for fun. Aren’t you curious how Min will react?”
“You’re not worried this might affect the plan?”
“Do you think our Min is just arrogant? The guy’s ambition is huge. For now, he’ll probably just bow his head even lower.”
“……”
Jacob gave up on further conversation and simply shook his head.
Excited, Layla skipped ahead and said,
“Shall we have one more round of fun before we go meet Min?”
“Have you ever once listened to my opinion?”
“Why? Do I have to accept your opinion just because I asked?”
“Fine. My mistake for even answering.”
The two vanished beyond the ruins of the shattered factory.
***
Underground secret laboratory of the National Monster Research Institute.
Jin-young had come to visit the new recruit to the lab.
“You’re here, Hunter-nim.”
Jeon Yu-hwan greeted him with an awkward smile.
After rescuing him from the Black Society’s attack the other day, Jin-young had brought him here out of concern for retaliation.
Jeong Bo-hoon hadn’t been thrilled about accepting someone from the black market, but he had allowed it because of Jeon Yu-hwan’s exceptional craftsmanship.
Crafting 2nd-grade mana crystals wasn’t something just any artisan from a major guild could do.
For the Intelligence Department, which lacked such skilled craftsmen, he was a valuable asset.
“Is the mana crystal finished?”
“Well… thanks to the lab’s technology, progress has been fast, but removing the polluted mana is proving difficult.”
The 1st-grade monster’s brain and heart that Jin-young had brought back after purifying the Buan Contaminated Zone were saturated with polluted mana.
Jeon Yu-hwan had tried to preserve as much of the original power as possible while removing only the polluted mana, but the sheer amount and complex entanglement made it nearly impossible.
His own mana capacity also had its limits.
“If we can just remove the polluted mana, it’ll be complete?”
“Yes. Wait… are you saying you can do it?”
Jin-young didn’t answer Jeon Yu-hwan’s question. Instead, he approached the two black mana crystals.
Squelch—
Black tentacles burst from his chest.
The tentacles latched onto the black mana crystals and rapidly absorbed the polluted mana.
As the black mana disappeared, the crystals began regaining their original blue and red glow.
Once all the polluted mana was gone, Jin-young retracted the tentacles.
Then he began absorbing both mana crystals simultaneously.
Tsukwa-kwa-kwa-kwa—!
Red and blue light wrapped around Jin-young’s body, creating a swirling vortex in the surrounding air.
It felt like an earthquake had struck Jeon Yu-hwan’s workshop—equipment rattled and was pushed outward in all directions.
Ssssssh…
Finally, the absorption ended.
Jin-young could clearly feel that his body had changed dramatically from before.
His body felt much lighter, and he could sense the powerful surge of mana raging inside him.
He had finally escaped 9th grade and become an 8th-grade Hunter.
“……”
Jin-young felt a deep sense of emotion.
In truth, becoming an 8th-grade Hunter wasn’t all that impressive.
With just a simple application of psychokinesis, he was already far stronger than most 8th-grade Hunters.
But reaching this milestone for the first time carried a special meaning.
Before the regression, no matter how many years he struggled, he could never touch this level.
To think that absorbing two 1st-grade mana crystals had finally pushed him over the edge—it felt a little anticlimactic.
Still, it gave him some insight into why grade progression had been so difficult before.
Most likely, the amount of “experience” required for him was overwhelmingly greater than for ordinary Hunters.
Filling a vessel hundreds of times larger than others’—how could it possibly be easy?
Jin-young lightly activated his newly acquired skill to test it.
Swoosh—
His body shot forward like an arrow.
Instant Acceleration.
A momentary burst-speed skill.
“Good work today.”
“Haha, no need to say that. Honestly, you were the one who completed it, Hunter-nim.”
“Soon there’ll be a large supply of monster materials coming in. Until then, take some rest. Also, share your techniques with the researchers here.”
Not only the Hongcheon Contaminated Zone he was about to enter, but the dungeons he planned to conquer later would yield plenty of materials as well.
“As long as there’s work to do, I’m always welcome. Preferably high-grade ones, if possible.”
Leaving Jeon Yu-hwan’s words behind, Jin-young stepped out of the workshop.
Before leaving the secret lab, he stopped by one of the testing rooms.
Inside were Director Kim Jeong-moon, the overall supervisor of the secret lab, along with several researchers.
“Come in, Agent Psycho.”
“It’s been a while, Director Kim. How’s… the Mad— I mean, Eun Ji-eun adapting?”
Jin-young stopped near Kim Jeong-moon and looked through the glass wall at the woman beyond.
Eun Ji-eun, perhaps bored, was squatting on the floor, rubbing her finger against it.
White bands were wrapped around the backs of her hands and the nape of her neck, with long cables extending from them up to the ceiling.
This wasn’t how she lived every day—when there were no tests, she stayed in accommodations near the National Monster Research Institute.
“Her psychological state is a bit unstable, but she doesn’t seem to have any major issues living normally. The only concern is the final test.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Eun Ji-eun doesn’t even know what her ability is, or how to activate it. And we’re in the same boat.”
“I see.”
Jin-young nodded.
In truth, he had a vague idea of what Eun Ji-eun’s ability might be.
He recalled the footage of Daejeon Metropolitan City frozen solid, reminiscent of an ice age.
It had to be something related to ice.
“If her mana had been ordinary, it would have been easier to help, but since it’s a completely unprecedented form of mana, that’s been difficult too.”
Before Kim Jeong-moon could finish speaking, the tentacles muttered.
『A power far too dangerous and excessive for mere humans to handle.』
“You said the mana is red, right?”
All Hunters’ mana was blue.
Only Creepers eroded by the Creep or those polluted by Black Rose turned black.
No other colors had ever been recorded.
“That’s right. It’s a new case, so we’ve run various studies and tests. Other than the fact that it’s far more unstable than normal mana, we haven’t discovered much yet.”
Jin-young also had no recollection of ever hearing about red mana.
Information about Eun Ji-eun had barely been released at all, and even if people knew about the red mana, identifying its true nature would have been nearly impossible.
“If it’s unstable, then it must be difficult for Eun Ji-eun to control as well.”
“That’s why we have a 4th-grade agent on standby just in case. The special mana-reinforced glass wall won’t be easy to break through, but still.”
As Kim Jeong-moon said, among the researchers stood a senior Intelligence Department agent in a black suit.
Since Jin-young didn’t know him, he didn’t bother acknowledging him.
Meanwhile, Kim Jeong-moon spoke into the microphone.
“Alright, Ms. Eun Ji-eun. We’re about to begin the test now. If it gets too hard or you don’t want to continue, just say so right away.”
Eun Ji-eun nodded while looking at the glass wall.
Following Kim Jeong-moon’s instructions, the researchers began operating the equipment.
A slight stimulation was transmitted through the long cables connected to her body.
A faint stinging sensation, like receiving a low-frequency massage.
However, there was no noticeable reaction from her mana.
The intensity of the stimulation gradually increased.
Eun Ji-eun began to grimace, but she still didn’t say it was too hard.
Watching her closely, Jin-young caught the uneasy aura leaking from her body.
“Raise it a little more.”
The researchers, including Kim Jeong-moon, didn’t seem to sense anything, and even the 4th-grade agent showed no particular reaction.
“One more level.”
The moment the stimulation increased another step—
Ssssssh—
Red mana burst out from her body.
Before the 4th-grade agent could even rise from his seat—
Crack-crack-crash!
The reinforced glass wall shattered in an instant.
A freezing cold swept through the testing room, scattering ice shards in every direction.
“Huuurk!”
A researcher fell backward in shock as a sharp ice fragment flew right past his nose.
The 4th-grade agent hurriedly deployed a mana barrier, but—
Krrraaack—
The barrier tore apart like paper, and ice poured through.
Just when everyone thought they were dead—
Szzzz— Szzzzzz—
The cold air and ice chunks stopped at an invisible boundary.
The ice fragments were finely pulverized.
Then, the chill filling the testing room began gathering in one place.
Crack— Krrraaack—
Compressed by Jin-young’s psychokinesis, the ice debris fell to the floor and quickly melted away.
“No… how…?”
Kim Jeong-moon couldn’t believe that Eun Ji-eun, who had just awakened, could unleash this level of power—and the fact that Jin-young had blocked it so casually made him seem even more monstrous.
As the cold cleared, Eun Ji-eun’s figure became visible.
She wore an expression of complete confusion, as if she had no idea what she had just done.
It seemed the intense stimulation had triggered her ability unconsciously.
“Looks like we don’t need any more tests, Director.”
“What are you planning to do now?”
Jin-young smiled as he answered.
“When you create a person, there’s always somewhere to put them to use, isn’t there?”
***
In front of the Hongcheon Contaminated Zone.
Reporters holding cameras were noisily clamoring beyond the barricades.
Soldiers and Gangwon Province civil servant Hunters guarding the barricade kept the reporters from crossing.
And beyond them—
SP Guild Master Min Hae-joon and his elite guild members were gathered.
A reporter shouted toward Min Hae-joon.
“There have been many voices saying that restoring the Hongcheon Contaminated Zone is impossible. Do you believe this operation will succeed?”
“Of course, the Hongcheon Contaminated Zone is not a place that can be purified overnight. We plan to carry out gradual restoration work and complete it by next year at the latest.”
Despite the barrage of annoying questions from the reporters, Min Hae-joon maintained his smile and answered kindly.
Then came the final question.
“Even for the SP Guild, experts say sacrifices are inevitable. There are growing concerns that this could negatively impact Korea’s overall Hunter strength. Could you give us a word on this?”
“That’s a good point. However, we believe restoring the contaminated zone is not a choice but a necessity. If we don’t want Korea to end up like North Korea. We have made every possible preparation, so please trust us and wait. The moment we return, the level of Korean Hunters will rise dramatically.”
After finishing the interview, Min Hae-joon entered the contaminated zone together with Chae So-young and the other guild members.
And far off in the distance, three figures watched.
Senior Advisor Choi Hee-yeon, using her ‘Measurement Eye’ skill to observe the scene, spoke.
“All targets confirmed to have entered.”
“Let’s go.”
Jin-young, Choi Hee-yeon, and Dolsae stepped into the contaminated zone.