Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Go Deok-hyun.

He was a C-rank Hunter.

No, he had been.

Now he’s just a Level 3 subject under the Hunter Association’s supervision.

Why?

Because he was a convict, just five days out of prison.

‘No one will take me in. Guess this is the only thing left for me to do.’

Go Deok-hyun kept his hands deep in his pockets as he surveyed his surroundings.

The subway car was bustling with people coming and going, and they were all Go Deok-hyun’s targets.

‘This place isn’t very promising. Should I go to another station?’

After scanning people’s attire, Go Deok-hyun began moving to another spot.

His main source of income was pickpocketing.

His skills, countless hours of practicing hand movements, and seasoned expression management allowed him to steal anytime, anywhere, whenever he felt like it.

‘Heh. With this skill, I could just take it right out in the open and no one would notice, right?’

Go Deok-hyun possessed the skill [Cognitive Reduction].

It was a skill that lowered cognitive ability in specific situations, preventing people from remembering.

Go Deok-hyun had discovered the optimal use for that skill, and that was pickpocketing.

‘That lady’s carrying a really expensive bag, huh?’

Go Deok-hyun had chosen his target.

The criteria were threefold:

Middle-aged, female, and carrying a designer bag.

In his mind, she was the perfect pickpocketing target.

Thump-thump-.

Thud-.

“Oh my, I’m so sorry.”

Go Deok-hyun bumped into a middle-aged woman as he passed by, then apologized naturally.

It wasn’t a hard collision, just enough to make them both stagger slightly.

“Oh dear, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

The woman asked with a concerned look.

Go Deok-hyun was short and so thin his cheekbones stood out, naturally evoking sympathy.

And this physical build made it impossible to imagine he was a pickpocket.

“I’m fine.”

Go Deok-hyun gave a kind smile.

It was genuine, not an act.

Because the middle-aged woman’s wallet was already in his pocket.

He then used a skill to blur the thoughts about his face and the wallet.

“Have a good day.”

Go Deok-hyun left with a satisfied look on his face.

The woman’s wallet was a high-end luxury brand.

Regardless of its contents, selling the wallet alone as stolen goods would surely bring in a hefty sum.

But then.

Thud-.

“Ma’am!”

A man grabbed Godeok-hyeon’s arm and called out to the middle-aged woman.

“What?”

Go Deok-hyun tensed his muscles to shake off the man, Do Jae’s, grip.

But he wouldn’t budge an inch.

“Ma’am, is this wallet yours?”

Do Jae pulled the wallet from Go Deok-hyun’s pocket and waved it at the middle-aged woman.

The middle-aged woman was startled and hurried over.

“Oh my goodness, oh my goodness. When did the wallet…?”

A short while later, Go Deok-hyun was led away by the police, restrained in a mana-sealed shackle.

Do-jae, who had stayed put until the police arrived, received thanks from the middle-aged woman.

“Young man, thank you.”

“If I hadn’t seen it, you would have been in big trouble. I hear awakened crime is on the rise lately, so please be careful.”

As the number of Awakened individuals grows, the crime rate among them is also on the rise.

Especially since Awakened ones use their skills as criminal tools, they’re far more difficult to deal with than ordinary criminals.

If it hadn’t been for Dojae just now, this woman would have only remembered her wallet much later.

And she probably would have thought she’d dropped it somewhere or left it behind, completely unable to recall the situation with Go Deok-hyun due to the skill’s effect.

“Yes, I must be careful. This is really… I’m so grateful, but how can I ever repay you…?”

“Not at all. I just did what anyone should do.”

“Oh my, you’re so kind. How old are you?”

“Thirty.”

“Oh my? The same age as my son. You’re handsome, have a good heart, and grew up well.”

“Haha, no, not at all.”

The middle-aged woman looked at her smartphone.

There was a photo of a man who appeared to be Dojae’s age.

After glancing back and forth between her friend’s son’s photo and Dojae’s face, she seemed to make up her mind and said.

“Young man, I’m so grateful I’d like to at least buy you a cup of tea…”

“It’s alright. It’s not that serious…”

Before Dojae could finish speaking, the middle-aged woman patted his back.

“It won’t take long. Have a nice cup of coffee and go.”

Do-jae looked awkward, while the middle-aged woman seemed to have ulterior motives.

They headed to a cafe inside the station.

***

“Ha ha ha ha! So that’s how it is?”

Inside an antique-style study.

A middle-aged man laughed heartily.

“Did our side orchestrate it? Really? I don’t know which fool did it, but it’s welcome news for us. Just to be sure, investigate it more thoroughly. Scour every connection, down to distant relatives. And that guy, CEO Choi—secure him quickly. It might already be too late, but investigate again anyway.”

Click.

Those punitive expedition troops had been creeping closer and closer anyway.

If it reached his ears, chaos must already be brewing internally.

“Kekekeke. Serves them right.”

Though usually a man of unparalleled solemnity, this matter brought him such delight that laughter kept bursting out.

This incident would keep the suppression forces quiet for a while.

Not only that, but their influence would steadily diminish, and their voices would gradually fade away.

Knock knock.

“Honey, what’s going on? You’re laughing so hard.”

A middle-aged woman opened the study door and entered.

A fork is in her hand.

“Nothing much. Things are going well.”

The man had already returned to his solemn and serious expression.

For some reason, he always became stony-faced at home.

“Is that so? Work is work, but come down and have some. It’s sweet and delicious.”

A moment later, the man came down from the study and sat on the living room sofa.

As he took a bite of the apple, the woman spoke in an agitated voice.

“Honey, do you know what happened today? Well, I almost got pickpocketed!”

“Pickpocketed? Nothing else happened?”

“Yeah, but a young man helped me out, so nothing serious happened.”

The man sighed quietly.

His position and name put those around him in danger.

Especially for his family.

Therefore, his non-awakened wife had been trying to keep him from going out as much as possible, but a person can’t live without doing anything.

In the end, she experienced something minor, yet still unpleasant.

“Honey, take a look at this photo for a moment.”

Meanwhile, the woman showed him a photo on her smartphone.

It was a photo of a man smiling brightly alongside a young boy.

“He’s tall and handsome, so I thought I’d introduce him to our daughter and even got his number.”

“Don’t get so excited. Like she’d ever agree to meet him. Don’t you know she hates that sort of thing?”

The middle-aged man says, ignoring the photo.

What father would like his daughter’s boyfriend?

Even if it was someone he hadn’t even met yet, it was a natural reaction of rejection.

“Oh? You just don’t know. She’s been feeling lonely lately, and you, her father, don’t even realize it.”

“Enough. She’s already thirty. Should parents still be worrying about her at that age? You stop worrying too. If she’s my daughter, she’ll figure things out on her own.”

Even if he said that, there was no way he wouldn’t be concerned.

No matter how capable a child was at navigating their own path, that was just how parents were.

“Oh dear? Your subordinates are so considerate even at this late hour. Our daughter must feel neglected. Isn’t that right, Chairman?”

“Anyway, just let her handle it herself.”

“Hmph. Got it. Anyway, they’re just trying to help our daughter with her love life…”

Beep beep beep beep-.

Beep-beep-beep-beep.

Just then, the door opened at the perfect moment.

A stylish young woman entered.

“Mom, Dad, I’m home.”

Their pride and joy, their one and only precious daughter.

The middle-aged woman greeted her with a bright smile.

“Is that our Eun-hee? Come on in and have some apples.”

***

“Which bastard is it! Bring that bastard here immediately! Now!”

MID, an undisclosed unit under the Suppression Force Intelligence Command.

The commander of this classified organization, boiling with rage, bellowed at the top of his lungs.

“How long has it been?!”

“About three weeks…”

CRASH!

The captain slammed his fist down on the metal desk, and it collapsed instantly.

Everything on top—documents, computer, potted plant—crashed down in a heap.

Yet he paid it no mind whatsoever, showing just how furious he’d become.

“You damn fool! Why are you reporting this now?!”

“I’m sorry! It took time to track down the missing employee… Getting that bastard to talk was also quite…”

“No excuses! And you call yourselves MID!”

Raging mana.

The captain’s hair began to turn red.

This was the phenomenon that occurred when he was truly enraged.

The subordinate who made the report, afraid even of meeting his gaze, couldn’t lift his head and answered in a trembling voice.

“Resignation… I’ll write it…”

“Hah, resignation? Trying to dodge responsibility now? Where do you think you’re running off to! I’ll give you exactly one week. Solve this within a week. If not, you won’t get off with just a resignation.”

“Yes. Understood.”

“Get out now!”

Thud.

The boss couldn’t calm down at all. He stood up from his chair and started pacing in circles.

The very people he’d hired for their competence had made an utterly ridiculous mistake.

He couldn’t understand how this had happened; it was utterly absurd.

‘What kind of magic stone is that?!’

The magic stone MID lost was the Transcendence Stone. Its precise designation, as they named it, was the [Mana Limit Transcendence Magic Stone].

It was a separate item from the Awakening Stones used during forced awakening.

It was a magic stone capable of drawing out abilities beyond what a typical awakened individual possessed.

It could be seen as a kind of doping, but it was a dangerous item with significant side effects and a low success rate.

‘My temples are throbbing.’

The captain massaged his throbbing temples.

What was the reason the Extermination Army grew to rival the Association?

Wasn’t it precisely because of the Transcendence Stones?

They produced B-grade, A-grade, even S-grade ones.

Of course, the quality might still be lacking, but quantitatively, they now overwhelmed the Association.

Their trump card, the Transcendence Stones, had been leaked.

‘Is it an Association mole?’

He reviewed the reports even more thoroughly, just in case.

No matter how much you filter, finding a hunter trained as a professional spy is like finding a needle in a haystack.

If they were spies, it would only confuse him further.

However, the Transcendence Stone manager had poured his heart and soul into the selection process, confident he had chosen them through rigorous verification upon verification.

While subordinates might cause a ruckus and leak information, those handling the Transcendence Stone could never be spies.

‘Hmph, it’s not like you can say it’s just the Transcendence Stone.’

The thief was likely blinded by greed for the Transcendence Stone and tried to handle it alone, but such a crucial artifact cannot be fully managed by one person.

The technology required for its proper function was divided among multiple people, and precautions were taken to prevent the technology from being leaked if it were ever seized.

In other words, without the proper facilities and equipment, it’s nothing more than a pretty rock.

‘Choi Woo-seok shows no particular signs of guilt.’

The report also included information on Choi Woo-seok.

He was an ordinary merchant.

While his transaction volume has steadily increased over recent years, this is merely due to the industry boom caused by the rise in monsters; there is nothing unusual about him.

‘The psychic investigation is complete.’

Using psychic skills, the investigation was completed swiftly.

It could be considered criminal, but it was better than the old method of extracting information through torture.

Given the gravity of the matter, he couldn’t afford to wait for him to talk willingly.

Next is the man who recently bought a transcendence stone from Choi Woo-seok.

This is the report on Lee Do-jae.

‘Lee Do-jae… This guy has been a hunter for a long time, but he has no major ties to the Association. But why did he buy it? And why did he join the extermination force? Does he know something about the Transcendence Stone? Even a hunter couldn’t know that just from the stone itself.’

The information on Do-jae is also detailed.

For some reason, he recently enlisted as an officer in the extermination force.

That alone was reason enough to be suspicious.

However, the name of the unit Dojae joined made the captain uneasy.

‘Of all units, that one.’

A man whose rank was lower than his own, yet whose skill was second to none.

The place where that man, whose difficult personality caused friction over every single matter, served as unit commander.

He picked up the fallen direct line phone and contacted someone.

“Yeah, it’s me. Keep a 24-hour watch on the guy I’m sending over starting now.”