Chapter 23

At that moment, the car that had been cruising smoothly lurched to a halt with a violent jolt.

Min Seolah frowned, glaring straight ahead.

“What’s going on all of a sudden?”

The car she rode in was a top-rank vehicle.

It possessed enough durability to absorb most impacts without issue.

Looking ahead, Min Seolah realized the road had been damaged.

The car body tilted downward, and gravity sent the vehicle clattering.

A chill.

In that instant, an ominous premonition struck her.

This was a road passing through the outskirts of the city.

A place with little foot traffic.

Yet of all moments, the road had to crumble now.

Could this really be a coincidence?

‘The bodyguards?’

Why weren’t they coming?

Her security detail was supposed to follow her at all times.

But now, even with something clearly wrong with the car, they weren’t rushing over.

It was too quiet. Unnaturally so.

What broke that silence was a different sound entirely.

Ttok, ttok.

Someone knocked on the window right beside the driver’s seat.

Min Seolah’s head slowly turned to the side.

Beyond the darkly tinted glass, a familiar face was smiling.

“How…”

Lee Siyoon.

The man she had believed to be dead.

Startled, her phone slipped from her hand and clattered to the floor.

In an instant, warning lights blared through her mind.

Danger. Her instincts were screaming it.

The fact that her security team wasn’t answering calls was proof enough.

Under normal circumstances, they should have picked up within a second of her calling.

‘That bastard… must have taken care of them. Otherwise, none of this makes sense.’

Min Seolah assessed the situation as calmly as she could manage.

The half-destroyed road. Driving out on her own was impossible.

The one saving grace was that Siyoon could no longer harm her.

This vehicle was a top-rank model.

It was sturdy enough to withstand most attacks without so much as a scratch.

Moreover, it was equipped with every conceivable mechanism to prevent unauthorized entry.

‘I just need to hold out like this, then send a distress signal.’

Of course, that meant remaining trapped inside this car until then.

She picked up the fallen phone.

That was when it happened.

Dalchak.

An ominous sound reached her ears.

A light noise, like something opening.

‘…What?’

At the same time, a breeze drifted in from somewhere and brushed her cheek.

Min Seolah instinctively whipped her head around.

There, looking down at her with sharper clarity than before, was Siyoon.

He had forced open the locked car door.

“Your expression is quite the spectacle.”

At his coldly murmured words, Min Seolah couldn’t say a thing.

* * *

Siyoon had been observing Min Seolah all this time, waiting for his chance.

He hadn’t approached recklessly.

He knew that the moment she sensed something was off, her defenses would only grow stronger.

Squandering an opportunity through careless action was no longer something he could afford.

‘Opportunities don’t come often.’

Siyoon had been given only one chance.

He had to end everything with a single strike.

Especially considering the retaliation an enraged Min Seolah would unleash if he missed.

It was no easy task.

But difficult didn’t mean impossible.

Siyoon had surveilled Min Seolah’s schedule.

Using items recovered from the assassins, he had concealed himself and waited.

They called it concealment gear.

But it wasn’t designed for extended periods of hiding.

Even so, he endured.

For roughly two weeks.

It had been a grueling time, but eventually, an opportunity presented itself to Siyoon.

‘She’s on the move.’

He happened to overhear Min Seolah’s conversation.

Right before getting in the car, she had given her informant the destination and a few instructions.

Thanks to that, Siyoon was able to go ahead and prepare.

‘I didn’t expect her to take a deserted road on her own accord.’

She planned to travel along a road running through Seoul’s outskirts.

According to this information, Siyoon’s task was simple.

All he had to do was stop Min Seolah’s car.

Kwakwang―!

Siyoon waited.

Quietly, he watched for the moment her car arrived.

Then he detonated the bomb he had planted.

He hadn’t targeted the car from the start.

Her sedan was a top-rank vehicle.

A car that could withstand sniper rifles wouldn’t break easily.

But there was an opening.

The road.

The road was ordinary concrete, unlike Min Seolah’s car.

Unable to withstand the explosion, the road simply crumbled.

‘Good.’

Siyoon watched as Min Seolah’s car came to a complete stop.

With that, the preparation was complete.

Siyoon quickly approached the vehicle.

* * *

As he approached, he steeled his resolve.

‘I have to kill Min Seolah here and now.’

An opportunity like today’s wouldn’t come again.

Siyoon drew closer to Min Seolah’s car.

The surface of the tinted glass was smooth.

He stared at it, then gripped the handle and pulled.

Teok.

Unsurprisingly, it didn’t open.

Just as expected.

A top-rank vehicle wasn’t premium for nothing.

Even an ordinary car wouldn’t open like this.

Let alone a premium one.

‘Proceeding as planned.’

Having anticipated this, Siyoon immediately moved to his next action.

Ttiring!

[ Using ‘Skill: Enhancement’ to enhance ‘Car Door Handle’. ]

[ Enhancement successful! ]

[ Using ‘Skill: Enhancement’ to enhance ‘Car Door Handle +1’… ]

That was enhancing the door handle.

It wasn’t as though Siyoon had spent all this time watching Min Seolah without any preparation.

He had studied Enhancement, the most valuable skill in his arsenal.

Though he called it research, in truth, he had simply deepened his understanding of the Enhancement skill.

This method was a workaround discovered during that research.

Enhancement.

Enhancement. Enhancement.

And eventually, failure.

When enhancement fails, something happens.

[ Enhancement failed. ]

Kwang!

It explodes.

After rapid-fire enhancements, failure finally appeared.

Simultaneously, a bursting sound came from the door handle.

When Enhancement fails, the object loses its function and explodes.

Siyoon had exploited this in reverse to open the door.

And thus, he came face to face with Min Seolah.

“…It’s been a while.”

Could she really not have known Siyoon would open the door?

Her panic was unmistakable.

Siyoon smirked at her words.

“Are we really on those terms?”

“Of course. Weren’t we partners who once worked together?”

“Ha.”

Partners, after all this time.

She certainly had the audacity to say such things with a straight face.

It was so absurd he let out a dry laugh.

“You must have lost your mind.”

“Mr. Lee Siyoon, you must have a reason for seeking me out.”

“You don’t need to spell it out.”

She wasn’t a woman who wouldn’t know.

Vicious, perhaps, but not stupid.

Min Seolah spoke.

“A hundred billion won in reward. Whatever you do from now on, I promise to fully support you.”

“Are you haggling with me right now?”

“I’m proposing a deal.”

Attempting a deal in this situation.

She certainly had nerve.

Or she was crazy.

“I don’t know. Why would I?”

“Because dealing with me is clearly the more advantageous option for you.”

“No, I don’t need any of that garbage.”

“What?”

“The deal is refused.”

Min Seolah’s brow twitched.

What surfaced on her otherwise attractive face was unmistakable fury.

“Hah, I was going to let you go nicely… but you really don’t know your place.”

“Isn’t it you who doesn’t know their place?”

“Haha! How stupid. Do you really think you can kill me?”

Min Seolah said.

“What makes you think I can’t?”

“Look at yourself. All you have is a high-rank skill you got lucky on, nothing more.”

Min Seolah gestured with her chin toward Siyoon’s equipment.

“Standard-issue equipment at best, clothes from who knows where. And those bloodstained earrings—you killed an assassin and looted them, didn’t you?”

“So what if I did?”

“You think you can kill me wearing that trash equipment? Don’t make me laugh. You can’t lay a single finger on me.”

Siyoon looked at Min Seolah’s equipment.

Harsh as her words were, they weren’t wrong.

Compared to her equipment, Siyoon’s was little more than trash.

Up close, Min Seolah’s Magic Tools even emitted a faint glow.

The protective magic woven into them had activated.

Min Seolah had reason to be confident.

‘Her defensive equipment is impressive. But she has zero combat ability.’

Min Seolah was confident that he couldn’t harm her.

After all, her ability to analyze an opponent was remarkably sharp.

But this was a clear mistake.

“Is that so?”

“What?”

“I’m not sure how much that equipment you trust so much will actually protect you.”

At Siyoon’s words, Min Seolah’s face contorted like a demon’s.

“What do you mean…”

“I waited for two whole weeks. What do you think I was doing all that time?”

Before she could say anything, Siyoon grabbed her delicate hand.

“What are you doing! Get your filthy hands off—”

“I’ll show you myself.”

Siyoon held her hand forcibly and placed his other hand on the car seat.

[ Using ‘Skill: Enhancement’ to enhance ‘Car Seat’. ]

Hwaak!

When light suddenly erupted from the seat beneath her, Min Seolah’s eyes flew wide open.

“What is…!”

After the flashing light faded, the seat had become plusher than before.

An Enhancement success message appeared before his eyes, but Siyoon ignored it.

He simply repeated the Enhancement.

Beonjjeok, beonjjeok.

“Wait, what are you doing! Stop!”

Min Seolah thrashed about, trying to pull her hand free from Siyoon’s grip.

But it was no use.

She was outmatched in both strength and build from the start.

Would it have been different if she had even a shred of combat ability?

Wearing nothing but defensive equipment, she lacked the strength to break free from Siyoon.

Pagak.

[ Enhancement failed. ]

With the sound of something shattering, the Enhancement finally failed.

And then.

Kwaaang!!

The car seat exploded immediately after.