Chapter 43

Chapter 43

A deserted warehouse complex by the port in Incheon, where few people ventured.

Arriving before it, Dojae checked the photo in the text message again.

‘Despicable bastards.’

The photo showed Do-jae’s younger brother, Lee Do-young, crying.

Behind him, container warehouses and the sea were visible. Several pairs of legs belonging to people in black suits could be seen beside Do-young.

‘He doesn’t seem to be hurt.’

Fortunately, there were no visible signs of beating.

He wasn’t blindfolded, gagged, or bound.

However, a sharp knife was pointed at his younger brother’s neck.

To kidnap a child who was barely an elementary school student and threaten to kill him.

Do-jae felt rage boiling up inside him.

‘If you’ve done anything to Do-young…’

Do-jae vowed to punish them using every means and method he possessed and knew.

Having lived solely for his younger brother, his rage would not easily subside.

No, anyone would find it unbearable if their family were in such a situation.

But a vow is just a vow.

“Huuu…”

Dojae exhaled a long breath in front of the warehouse.

He worried about Do-young, but he couldn’t just let his emotions drive his actions.

‘I’ve seen many hunters die to monsters weaker than themselves, swept away by their emotions.’

In battle, emotion can be a good motivator, but an agitated mind clouds judgment.

The fight against monsters and the current situation were vastly different, but both involved human lives at stake.

With his brother’s life threatened, he needed to maintain cold, clear-headed rationality.

‘Jang Ji-woo… Extermination Corps Intelligence Command MID 1st Shadow Unit…’

Do Jae recalled the man who had been watching and ambushing him days ago.

He belonged to a special unit called MID, a name Dojae had never heard before.

Now, this secret organization kept targeting people around him.

But since they were a secret organization within the Suppression Army, their size and scale were unknown.

Thud.

Then, a man dressed in a black suit appeared before Dojae.

Do-jae asked, his guard up and suppressing his anger inside.

“Where is my brother?”

The man stared intently at Dojae, then gestured silently.

Then he walked deep into the warehouse complex.

Realizing the man was merely a guide, Dojae began to follow him.

‘Their target is definitely me, not Do-young.’

Dojae thought as he followed the man.

Do-young is merely a hostage.

Even from the photos, it’s clear they only threaten him; Do-young’s body shows no signs of harm.

In other words, he’s merely a means to lure Dojae out; Do-young’s existence itself holds little significance to them.

‘No, it’s probably that rather than the country.’

Dojae recalled an object within the sub-space.

A half-broken bead.

‘The memory of the sealed left foot.’

MID’s objective is undoubtedly this half-sphere.

Dojae learned about the Transcendence Stone while training with Kim Hwan-su.

Before this sealed memory of the left foot became half, MID named the complete sealed memory of the left foot the ‘Transcendence Stone’ and used it to evolve the abilities of ordinary awakened individuals several more levels.

However, this half of the Transcendence Stone leaked out and ended up in Dojae’s hands. MID, knowing Dojae possessed it, lured him out through Do-young.

‘Think calmly.’

At least until Dojae made contact with MID, there should be no immediate danger to Do-young.

Otherwise, his value as a hostage would diminish.

But the problem lies in what comes next.

‘If he refuses to hand over the Transcendence Stone…’

They would undoubtedly try to take it by force.

A battle will ensue afterward, and MID will absolutely never be able to extract the memories sealed within the left foot.

How could they possibly take something contained within a sub-space?

But then, Do-young’s life wouldn’t be guaranteed.

What if they kill Do-young in a desperate move?

Similarly, what if an awakened being stronger than Dojae appears and kills him?

The information was woefully insufficient.

‘I need help.’

Do-jae realized he needed an ally.

A powerful Awakened One.

An Awakened One as strong as himself, or even stronger.

Tap tap tap.

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.

Several faces came to mind.

One of them took root in Dojae’s mind.

Do-jae kept his eyes fixed on the man while moving one hand swiftly.

Then, taking advantage of a moment when the man wasn’t looking, he quietly pulled out a golem and hid it between the storage units.

***

Clank-.

Clank-clank.

Deep within the warehouse complex.

The man opened the door to a large warehouse located right next to the seashore.

Even though it was past noon, the warehouse interior was pitch-black with not a single light on.

Only the faint sunlight filtering through the small windows in the outer walls sparsely illuminated the interior.

‘One, two, three… ten, eleven. Eleven people.’

Do-jae counted silently as he entered the warehouse.

The dark warehouse seemed empty, but he distinctly sensed the presence of the awakened ones.

The golem’s nerves made such things possible.

Thud-thud-.

A man emerged from the darkness.

Unlike the previous man in a suit, this one wore everyday clothes and had an ordinary appearance.

“Thank you for coming.”

The man had a truly enigmatic face.

It was a face without any distinctive features, the kind that seemed forgettable the moment you turned away, lacking any memorable impression.

Even his expression revealed no emotion whatsoever, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

His skin was relatively clear, except for a scar beneath his eyebrow that seemed to be fairly recent.

“Where’s my brother?”

To Dojae, the man’s face didn’t matter.

Do-jae spoke only what was necessary.

“Ah, don’t worry. Your brother is nearby, safe and sound.”

Click.

Just as expected.

Dojae had expected it.

That they wouldn’t show his brother right away.

Unless they were fools, they wouldn’t easily show his brother until they achieved their goal.

Dojae maximized the golem’s nerves.

The man’s words about being nearby.

He spread the golem’s senses to every corner of the surroundings and began searching.

“First, allow me to apologize. I beg your pardon for resorting to such drastic measures to summon you, Mr. Dojae. This was not our desired course of action either.”

The man bowed his head to Dojae.

But Dojae spoke without changing his expression.

“Do you really think that apology is appropriate right now?”

Hearing the man’s words, Dojae found it even harder to understand.

After all, an organization called an intelligence agency was acting like a bunch of thugs.

If they had tried to negotiate in a more planned and gentlemanly manner, Dojae might have understood to some extent, but this crossed the line.

Though Dojae usually showed respect to everyone, he simply couldn’t muster any courtesy for such low-level scum.

“Yes, I know. Kidnapping a child and then apologizing? That’s ridiculous. But our boss wanted this handled quickly.”

“That must be tough. Having a boss who assigns tasks like this.”

“Haha, what can you do? When they tell you to jump, you have to jump, right? Anyway, why don’t we sit down and talk for a moment? If we can just communicate properly, everything will be resolved without incident.”

As the man finished speaking, men in black suits emerged from the darkness.

They positioned themselves in a circle around the man and Dojae.

It was an unmistakable threat.

Thud.

One of the men appeared from somewhere carrying a desk and chair.

He placed them between Dojae and the man before rejoining the formation.

Swoosh.

“Now, please sit down.”

The man sat down on the chair and urged Dojae to sit as well.

But Dojae didn’t particularly want to sit.

Standing allowed him to prepare for combat slightly faster than if a fight broke out while seated.

One might think it was just a matter of sitting down and standing up, but given the caliber of the men present, they could launch a devastating attack even in that brief moment.

Dojae answered while remaining standing.

“There’s only one thing we need to discuss. Kim Soo-kyung, get straight to the point. Is what you want the Transcendence Stone I possess?”

For the first time, a significant change came over the man’s face.

His eyes widened to twice their normal size, and his tightly closed mouth slightly parted.

But in an instant, his face returned to normal.

“Hmm. You know who I am? Then you must know about our organization too… Correct. If you return half of the Transcendence Stone, we will safely escort your younger brother to the hospital.”

Do-jae sat down and confirmed Kim Su-kyung with the golem’s eyes.

Sure enough, Kim Su-kyung was indeed MID, and since the mention of the Transcendence Stone had come from his mouth, Do-jae’s prediction had hit the mark.

Now it was Dojae’s choice.

Would he willingly hand over the memories sealed within his left foot and retrieve his brother? Or would he eliminate these individuals here and then search for his brother wherever he might be?

But neither path offered any guarantees.

He could easily end up suffering heavy damage from their attacks after handing over the sealed left foot’s memories, let alone getting his brother back. Or they might continue using his brother as leverage to exploit Dojae.

So Dojae made a bold move.

He deliberately mentioned Kim Su-kyung’s name to unsettle him.

It was only a fleeting moment, but Kim Su-kyung’s expression shifted. Dojae began speaking with a touch more bravado.

“I have no intention of giving you the Transcendence Stone. Kim Su-kyung, you shouldn’t have come out personally. If you do anything to my brother, your family won’t fare well either.”

“…Why is this conversation going this way? If you just give me the Transcendence Stone, this could end easily…”

“When dealing with someone who uses family as bargaining chips, I have to do the same. I don’t know how much you know about me, but you know I can control golems, right? Right now, several of my golems are heading towards your family. And Song Ji-ho, Yoo Kwang-jin, Im Mu-seok, Choi Rak-hoon…”

Do-jae scanned the room, calling out the names of the men in black suits.

Some of them flinched at the sound of their names.

“If anything happens to my brother, your families won’t be safe either.”

“Gulp…”

Now the pressure was on Kim Soo-kyung’s side.

For now, the advantage had shifted to Dojae’s side.

But his brother’s safety was far from certain.

The golem’s senses had detected his sister’s location.

But beside her was another powerful presence.

It was impossible to predict whether the summoned golem or that presence was stronger.

He couldn’t act rashly just because he held the advantage.

“It seems this is entirely our mistake…”

Kim Soo-kyung’s expression completely twisted.

There was no longer any need to maintain the poker face she had been holding onto.

“Bring my brother here immediately.”

Kim Soo-kyung nodded, her gaze fixed on the man in the black suit.

The man in black vanished into the darkness in an instant.

How many minutes passed in that chilling silence?

A voice thick with tears echoed through the warehouse.

“Brother!”