Taehyung glanced around.
After a brief contemplation, he found himself abandoned in the room, like a limb tied up and left neglected.
“These guys seem more refined than I thought.”
I expected to get beaten up badly, but it didn’t happen.
Just got slapped around a bit, maybe a broken nose?
Though my body was throbbing and in pain, it was bearable.
I guess they didn’t deem me worthless enough to kill?
Wasn’t it the woman in the gown who didn’t do that?
She must be someone sent by someone else, judging by her demeanor.
These guys clearly saw themselves as regular civilians, not hunters.
“Well, where would you find a hunter who looks this shabby in the world?”
Even looking in the mirror, he didn’t resemble the hunters on TV.
Just someone who had exercised a bit to improve his physique?
Though his left arm was awkwardly shaped.
Nevertheless.
It was certain that these guys wouldn’t leave him alone.
He would probably be left to die here.
“Well, I don’t plan on dying. But seriously, where’s the toad?”
I have no idea where it is.
But it doesn’t matter. It’ll come when summoned.
The place where Taehyung was trapped was a vast, dilapidated space that resembled an abandoned factory.
He didn’t know where this was, but he was sure it was underground.
When he was brought here, he pretended to be unconscious, subtly releasing mana to confirm his senses.
Even without that, he was sure it was underground, given the sensation of descending stairs.
“This must be their hideout.”
It was eerie here. Blood stained the walls here and there, just like in a horror movie.
And occasionally, there were inexplicable screams, disturbingly close.
Like screams echoing from the abyss. It was definitely not a human voice.
There was only one thing it could be.
A monster.
A cursed creature solely bent on slaughter was inside this underground chamber.
“Seriously, Jack was right.”
Jack had definitely said so.
The leader was focused on recent research regarding dealing with monsters.
Perhaps this place was a secret laboratory for experimenting with monsters.
Suddenly curious.
The fact that they were dealing with monsters was unknown to the public.
So, did the government know about this tremendous fact?
Are they hiding it? Or are they unaware because these people are conducting research in extreme secrecy?
“What’s the point? I just need to take down the leader and get paid.”
I’ll think about that later; for now, it’s time to investigate this place.
Taehyung condensed mana into a thin blade-like form, infused it with strong determination, and swung it forcefully.
Slice!
The ropes binding him were cut. This much was easy now.
“Okay, let’s move.”
Taehyung opened the tightly shut door. Two Black Ones were standing outside.
“What? How did you get out?”
“Me? I walked out.”
“I don’t know how you did it, but get back inside gracefully.”
“I don’t want to.”
The two Black Ones drew their daggers. They brandished them threateningly.
Swish! Swish!
He quickly ducked his head.
“You dodged?”
“Yeah. I did.”
His reaction speed from before was still intact.
Even with danger looming, he didn’t feel particularly scared. Surprisingly, even to Taehyung himself.
Was I always this fearless?
“I guess I was a real fighter after all.”
The two Black Ones, with a gleam in their eyes, swung their daggers repeatedly.
As Taehyung stepped back, he waved his hand. Black mana emanated from his hand, creating a powerful shockwave.
Boom!
“Ugh!”
The two Black Ones flew and crashed into the distant wall.
“Wow… they’re really tough.”
But he felt drained. Using mana directly seemed inefficient, consuming too much.
I probably can’t use this frequently.
Then, unexpectedly, a system message rang out.
“You’ve awakened the skill ‘Mana Release’!”
“Huh?”
The recent attack was registered as a skill.
“I’ve been practicing that move repeatedly, but it never got registered as a skill before.”
It seemed that directly striking the enemy with mana caused the skill to register.
“Great.”
Let’s go.
Taehyung promptly set off.
—
“The group called the Bruce Axe doesn’t exist.”
“What? So, that guy was lying?”
“It seems that way.”
“Ugh, unbelievable. How dare that arrogant guy spout such nonsense here?”
Erina chuckled.
“No way. I was planning to kill him so elegantly that he’d end up as food for the monsters.”
“Erina, what’s gotten into you?”
“We gotta crush them. Until they’re completely destroyed.”
Erina sharpened her teeth.
“Well, before we die.”
Erina suddenly realized something. The voice sounded oddly familiar.
“Yeah.”
“You’re the one who called?”
“Yeah. Finally recognized me, huh?”
“You jerk…!”
“Erina, step back.”
Three men pushed Erina aside and stepped forward.
“Where are Jack and John?”
“They’re dead.”
“What?”
“They’re dead. Kim Gyohun and Kim Jackson.”
“…”
The expressions of the three men hardened.
“It was quite entertaining. Begging for mercy~ crying and clinging desperately while hanging on by a thread. Hehe. You guys didn’t see it, did you?”
“······.”
“Your comrades died so miserably.”
“······.”
“But can I ask one thing? Where’s your leader?”
At that moment, footsteps were heard. Taehyung turned around.
People were rushing from beyond. They were all armed and mounted.
Clearly, they were members of the Black Society.
Suddenly, Taehyung found himself surrounded by dozens of people.
Taehyung scratched his head as if in dismay.
“Oh, surrounded.”
“It seems quite difficult for you to survive here.”
“Yeah. Right. So, can I ask one thing before dying? Where’s your leader?”
“We’re going to get him for you.”
“Because you want to claim the 5 billion, right?”
“What?”
“If we capture your leader, we’ll get 5 billion.”
Three men realized the meaning behind his words and chuckled.
“He was obsessed with money.”
“Well, who isn’t? Who in this world doesn’t want money? I was planning to catch your leader, claim the 5 billion, and move to a better place. Don’t you like money?”
“I hate it.”
The man in front laughed cynically, then suddenly turned serious.
“Alright. Since you’re going to die anyway, why not spill the beans? Where’s our leader?”
He pointed upwards.
“He’s on the top floor. Satisfied?”
“Is that so?”
“Now that we know, should we go catch him? How? How do we get through all these awakened ones?”
“I wonder?”
Taehyung smirked.
“Got it. Thanks.”
He raised his right hand. Suddenly, the surroundings began to glow.
“Argh! My eyes!”
And then, figures appeared.
What appeared were a dozen or so burly orcs.
“Insane. How did this suddenly happen?”
“Damn it! Was he a summoner?”
“But, didn’t that guy clearly not use attack magic? Wasn’t he a mage?”
The orcs immediately surrounded Taehyung, protecting him.
“Master. Why did you call us just now? We’ve been waiting for a while.”
“Yeah. It turned out like this.”
Amidst the silence, Karim turned his head to survey the surroundings.
He saw the astonished gazes of the humans.
“Are they our enemies?”
“Yes. There are members of the Black Snake Society, right? We’re on the same side as them.”
“So these are the trash bastards.”
Taehyung raised his hand.
“Guys, crush them.”
“Got it.”
The orcs brandished their axes.
Karim shouted, “The master has commanded!”
“Yarrgh!”
“It’s our master’s first mission in this world! Let’s give it our all and wipe them out!”
“Yarrgh!”
The orcs rushed forward without hesitation, swinging their axes.
*
A commotion echoed. Black Snake, the elderly head of the Black Society, frowned.
“Things have really gone awry.”
He was monitoring everything happening below through sixteen CCTV monitors.
The one-sided slaughter by the orcs.
In the face of their overwhelming force, all his subordinates were being slaughtered.
And not just them?
Even the monsters they had imprisoned, sealing their demonic powers, were being slaughtered by those orcs.
Despite his subordinates and research results dying out, Black Snake’s expression showed no emotion whatsoever.
His eyes were fixed on one person precisely.
The man who summoned the orcs.
“He’s the one responsible for Jack and Kim Gyohun’s deaths.”
He immediately grasped the situation.
It was all because of him. He made things turn out like this.
“······.”
Silence fell. He said nothing, just stared at the monitors expressionlessly. But, it wasn’t just surface level.
Inside, he was boiling with rage.
“I have to discard everything.”
His choice was to flee.
He could have fought and perhaps won, but that was a risky move.
“The authorities of the Extraordinary Abilities Bureau have probably already caught on. Even if I win the fight, I’ll still be at their mercy.”
Normally, he wouldn’t stay in one hideout for more than two days. But this time, he stayed much longer.
It was all because of that orc summoner.
If it weren’t for him, there would have been hardly any chance of attracting the attention of the Extraordinary Abilities Bureau.
“Thanks to Erina, I’ve learned how to control demons. Starting the organization anew won’t be a problem.”
What mattered most was his life. He had to survive to rise again.
He extended his hand to cover his face. Invisible energy flowed from his hand, beginning to envelop his face.
Then something amazing happened. His face began to change gradually.
His gray hair turned pitch black, wrinkles on his face disappeared, and his gentle eyes turned sharp.
His transformed appearance was completely different from the kind-faced old man he was before.
“Shall we move somewhere else?”
He stood up. And just as he was about to move.
Huh?
Suddenly, a strange sound came from beneath his feet.
Ribbit? Ribbit!
A thick toad was standing there, looking up at him.
“A Frog?”
Ribbit!
“Where did you come from?”
Ribbit! Ribbit!
Without any suspicion, he picked up the toad and placed it on his palm.
Toads are poisonous. But a toad’s poison was no problem for him.
“You’re the sole witness to this transformation, aren’t you?”
Ribbit! Ribbit!
He hesitated. His subordinates didn’t even know he could change his appearance.
Then, should he kill this toad, the sole witness?
“It’s a waste of energy.”
It’s absurd to doubt even a mere toad.
Ribbit? Ribbit?
The toad puffed up its cheeks.
“Why, what are you trying to tell me?”
Hm?
“Well, a toad can’t possibly speak.”
At that moment,
the toad opened its mouth wide.
Croak!
Splat!
And spat out greenish fluid. The greenish fluid hit his face precisely.
Ssss!
“Aaargh!”
The black snake writhed, its face stinging.
It felt like his face was melting. The pain was unbearable.
He hastily used a defensive skill on his face. But the greenish fluid even dissolved the defense.
“Ughhh!”
He forgot everything. The pain was too intense to bear.
The thought of fleeing vanished from his mind.
Hm?
The toad that made him feel this way.
Buluk just grinned and looked at him with bulging eyes.
Taehyung glanced around.
After a brief contemplation, he found himself abandoned in the room, like a limb tied up and left neglected.
“These guys seem more refined than I thought.”
I expected to get beaten up badly, but it didn’t happen.
Just got slapped around a bit, maybe a broken nose?
Though my body was throbbing and in pain, it was bearable.
I guess they didn’t deem me worthless enough to kill?
Wasn’t it the woman in the gown who didn’t do that?
She must be someone sent by someone else, judging by her demeanor.
These guys clearly saw themselves as regular civilians, not hunters.
“Well, where would you find a hunter who looks this shabby in the world?”
Even looking in the mirror, he didn’t resemble the hunters on TV.
Just someone who had exercised a bit to improve his physique?
Though his left arm was awkwardly shaped.
Nevertheless.
It was certain that these guys wouldn’t leave him alone.
He would probably be left to die here.
“Well, I don’t plan on dying. But seriously, where’s the toad?”
I have no idea where it is.
But it doesn’t matter. It’ll come when summoned.
The place where Taehyung was trapped was a vast, dilapidated space that resembled an abandoned factory.
He didn’t know where this was, but he was sure it was underground.
When he was brought here, he pretended to be unconscious, subtly releasing mana to confirm his senses.
Even without that, he was sure it was underground, given the sensation of descending stairs.
“This must be their hideout.”
It was eerie here. Blood stained the walls here and there, just like in a horror movie.
And occasionally, there were inexplicable screams, disturbingly close.
Like screams echoing from the abyss. It was definitely not a human voice.
There was only one thing it could be.
A monster.
A cursed creature solely bent on slaughter was inside this underground chamber.
“Seriously, Jack was right.”
Jack had definitely said so.
The leader was focused on recent research regarding dealing with monsters.
Perhaps this place was a secret laboratory for experimenting with monsters.
Suddenly curious.
The fact that they were dealing with monsters was unknown to the public.
So, did the government know about this tremendous fact?
Are they hiding it? Or are they unaware because these people are conducting research in extreme secrecy?
“What’s the point? I just need to take down the leader and get paid.”
I’ll think about that later; for now, it’s time to investigate this place.
Taehyung condensed mana into a thin blade-like form, infused it with strong determination, and swung it forcefully.
Slice!
The ropes binding him were cut. This much was easy now.
“Okay, let’s move.”
Taehyung opened the tightly shut door. Two Black Ones were standing outside.
“What? How did you get out?”
“Me? I walked out.”
“I don’t know how you did it, but get back inside gracefully.”
“I don’t want to.”
The two Black Ones drew their daggers. They brandished them threateningly.
Swish! Swish!
He quickly ducked his head.
“You dodged?”
“Yeah. I did.”
His reaction speed from before was still intact.
Even with danger looming, he didn’t feel particularly scared. Surprisingly, even to Taehyung himself.
Was I always this fearless?
“I guess I was a real fighter after all.”
The two Black Ones, with a gleam in their eyes, swung their daggers repeatedly.
As Taehyung stepped back, he waved his hand. Black mana emanated from his hand, creating a powerful shockwave.
Boom!
“Ugh!”
The two Black Ones flew and crashed into the distant wall.
“Wow… they’re really tough.”
But he felt drained. Using mana directly seemed inefficient, consuming too much.
I probably can’t use this frequently.
Then, unexpectedly, a system message rang out.
“You’ve awakened the skill ‘Mana Release’!”
“Huh?”
The recent attack was registered as a skill.
“I’ve been practicing that move repeatedly, but it never got registered as a skill before.”
It seemed that directly striking the enemy with mana caused the skill to register.
“Great.”
Let’s go.
Taehyung promptly set off.
—
“The group called the Bruce Axe doesn’t exist.”
“What? So, that guy was lying?”
“It seems that way.”
“Ugh, unbelievable. How dare that arrogant guy spout such nonsense here?”
Erina chuckled.
“No way. I was planning to kill him so elegantly that he’d end up as food for the monsters.”
“Erina, what’s gotten into you?”
“We gotta crush them. Until they’re completely destroyed.”
Erina sharpened her teeth.
“Well, before we die.”
Erina suddenly realized something. The voice sounded oddly familiar.
“Yeah.”
“You’re the one who called?”
“Yeah. Finally recognized me, huh?”
“You jerk…!”
“Erina, step back.”
Three men pushed Erina aside and stepped forward.
“Where are Jack and John?”
“They’re dead.”
“What?”
“They’re dead. Kim Gyohun and Kim Jackson.”
“…”
The expressions of the three men hardened.
“It was quite entertaining. Begging for mercy~ crying and clinging desperately while hanging on by a thread. Hehe. You guys didn’t see it, did you?”
“······.”
“Your comrades died so miserably.”
“······.”
“But can I ask one thing? Where’s your leader?”
At that moment, footsteps were heard. Taehyung turned around.
People were rushing from beyond. They were all armed and mounted.
Clearly, they were members of the Black Society.
Suddenly, Taehyung found himself surrounded by dozens of people.
Taehyung scratched his head as if in dismay.
“Oh, surrounded.”
“It seems quite difficult for you to survive here.”
“Yeah. Right. So, can I ask one thing before dying? Where’s your leader?”
“We’re going to get him for you.”
“Because you want to claim the 5 billion, right?”
“What?”
“If we capture your leader, we’ll get 5 billion.”
Three men realized the meaning behind his words and chuckled.
“He was obsessed with money.”
“Well, who isn’t? Who in this world doesn’t want money? I was planning to catch your leader, claim the 5 billion, and move to a better place. Don’t you like money?”
“I hate it.”
The man in front laughed cynically, then suddenly turned serious.
“Alright. Since you’re going to die anyway, why not spill the beans? Where’s our leader?”
He pointed upwards.
“He’s on the top floor. Satisfied?”
“Is that so?”
“Now that we know, should we go catch him? How? How do we get through all these awakened ones?”
“I wonder?”
Taehyung smirked.
“Got it. Thanks.”
He raised his right hand. Suddenly, the surroundings began to glow.
“Argh! My eyes!”
And then, figures appeared.
What appeared were a dozen or so burly orcs.
“Insane. How did this suddenly happen?”
“Damn it! Was he a summoner?”
“But, didn’t that guy clearly not use attack magic? Wasn’t he a mage?”
The orcs immediately surrounded Taehyung, protecting him.
“Master. Why did you call us just now? We’ve been waiting for a while.”
“Yeah. It turned out like this.”
Amidst the silence, Karim turned his head to survey the surroundings.
He saw the astonished gazes of the humans.
“Are they our enemies?”
“Yes. There are members of the Black Snake Society, right? We’re on the same side as them.”
“So these are the trash bastards.”
Taehyung raised his hand.
“Guys, crush them.”
“Got it.”
The orcs brandished their axes.
Karim shouted, “The master has commanded!”
“Yarrgh!”
“It’s our master’s first mission in this world! Let’s give it our all and wipe them out!”
“Yarrgh!”
The orcs rushed forward without hesitation, swinging their axes.
*
A commotion echoed. Black Snake, the elderly head of the Black Society, frowned.
“Things have really gone awry.”
He was monitoring everything happening below through sixteen CCTV monitors.
The one-sided slaughter by the orcs.
In the face of their overwhelming force, all his subordinates were being slaughtered.
And not just them?
Even the monsters they had imprisoned, sealing their demonic powers, were being slaughtered by those orcs.
Despite his subordinates and research results dying out, Black Snake’s expression showed no emotion whatsoever.
His eyes were fixed on one person precisely.
The man who summoned the orcs.
“He’s the one responsible for Jack and Kim Gyohun’s deaths.”
He immediately grasped the situation.
It was all because of him. He made things turn out like this.
“······.”
Silence fell. He said nothing, just stared at the monitors expressionlessly. But, it wasn’t just surface level.
Inside, he was boiling with rage.
“I have to discard everything.”
His choice was to flee.
He could have fought and perhaps won, but that was a risky move.
“The authorities of the Extraordinary Abilities Bureau have probably already caught on. Even if I win the fight, I’ll still be at their mercy.”
Normally, he wouldn’t stay in one hideout for more than two days. But this time, he stayed much longer.
It was all because of that orc summoner.
If it weren’t for him, there would have been hardly any chance of attracting the attention of the Extraordinary Abilities Bureau.
“Thanks to Erina, I’ve learned how to control demons. Starting the organization anew won’t be a problem.”
What mattered most was his life. He had to survive to rise again.
He extended his hand to cover his face. Invisible energy flowed from his hand, beginning to envelop his face.
Then something amazing happened. His face began to change gradually.
His gray hair turned pitch black, wrinkles on his face disappeared, and his gentle eyes turned sharp.
His transformed appearance was completely different from the kind-faced old man he was before.
“Shall we move somewhere else?”
He stood up. And just as he was about to move.
Huh?
Suddenly, a strange sound came from beneath his feet.
Ribbit? Ribbit!
A thick toad was standing there, looking up at him.
“A Frog?”
Ribbit!
“Where did you come from?”
Ribbit! Ribbit!
Without any suspicion, he picked up the toad and placed it on his palm.
Toads are poisonous. But a toad’s poison was no problem for him.
“You’re the sole witness to this transformation, aren’t you?”
Ribbit! Ribbit!
He hesitated. His subordinates didn’t even know he could change his appearance.
Then, should he kill this toad, the sole witness?
“It’s a waste of energy.”
It’s absurd to doubt even a mere toad.
Ribbit? Ribbit?
The toad puffed up its cheeks.
“Why, what are you trying to tell me?”
Hm?
“Well, a toad can’t possibly speak.”
At that moment,
the toad opened its mouth wide.
Croak!
Splat!
And spat out greenish fluid. The greenish fluid hit his face precisely.
Ssss!
“Aaargh!”
The black snake writhed, its face stinging.
It felt like his face was melting. The pain was unbearable.
He hastily used a defensive skill on his face. But the greenish fluid even dissolved the defense.
“Ughhh!”
He forgot everything. The pain was too intense to bear.
The thought of fleeing vanished from his mind.
Hm?
The toad that made him feel this way.
Buluk just grinned and looked at him with bulging eyes.
