Chapter 20

The Association executives glared at Head of department Kim Yoon-joong instead of me.

‘What kind of bullshit is this kid spouting now?’

‘Get him out of here before he embarrasses us further.’

That was the exact meaning behind their gazes.

They figured the fledgling wouldn’t listen, so they were blaming Head of department Kim Yoon-joong, who had brought me here.

Kim Yoon-joong tried his best to ignore their stares and said.

“Try the ring first. Sit here and do it.”

At this point, even the people from Ilseong looked dumbfounded.

Park Cheol-hyeong openly scoffed.

“What is this. Hey, you punk, do you think this place is some kind of…”

“You told us to break the Seal on it.”

Before I could even step in, Head of department Kim Yoon-joong growled.

“He’s saying he’ll do it, so what’s the problem now?”

“Because it’s an absurd claim. This is a time when you should be on your knees begging, and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

“Anyone hearing you would think we said we couldn’t do it.”

“I’m warning you before we really take this to the end.”

“Didn’t you bring him here to see it through to the end?”

The atmosphere between the two was ominous. It seemed the situation was more serious than I had thought.

“Let him try. I’m also curious to see how far this will go.”

The headquarters director, with a look that said ‘let’s see what you’ve got,’ took off the ring and necklace.

In response, I took out the key.

Wooooong-

The people who saw the key tilted their heads.

Everyone here was at least B-Rank.

Even if they didn’t know its exact effects, they should have the eyes to see how deep the Mana contained within the key was.

“Uh…”

Where did you get it, how did you obtain it.

I didn’t give them a moment to speak. In times like these, it’s best to get it over with quickly.

I brought the key to the ring.

Pzzzzzt-

As if letting off a spark, the Mana in the ring pushed the key away. It was resisting in its own way.

I ignored it and pushed the key in.

Pzzzt-

The next moment, the Barrier enveloping the ring shattered, turning into particles.

The Mana that had formed the Barrier didn’t completely disappear.

It drifted through the space in the form of a wave, leaving behind its unique pattern as it returned to nature.

Which meant that before it completely vanished, something like this was possible.

Swaaaah-

The residual Mana of the Lizard that had been drifting in the air entered my body.

The sticky substance struggled, trying to escape my body. I forcibly suppressed it and crammed it into my Mana Heart.

The Lizard’s Mana was a high-purity Elixir. At least, it was for me.

Look at this. The Mana Heart, which had been pumping, screamed in delight.

Feeling the ticklish sensation, I opened my closed eyes.

-The Seal on Abraxas’s Absolute Ring (S) is released.

People were staring at me in silence.

The key, the Seal Release, and taking the sticky Mana into my heart.

The same process was repeated.

-The Seal on Abraxas’s Absolute Necklace (S) is released.

As I went through the process, something ticklish brushed past my mind.

It was a feeling I had experienced countless times when dreaming Ian’s Dream. It was always like this when I gained an epiphany.

Whether it was the necklace or the ring, I felt like I would understand if I could just touch it one more time.

“……”

But the stares fixed on me were too intense to continue that thought.

“Is that… released now?”

“I think, so.”

“Isn’t that Choi Gi-woong? The one who… the Association President’s pants… How did he?”

“I don’t know. Don’t ask unnecessary questions and just stay quiet. It doesn’t seem like the right atmosphere to ask something like that.”

I glanced at the headquarters director.

His face was a chaotic mix of deep satisfaction and shock. I needed to flip that expression.

“Headquarters Director?”

It was Executive Director Bae Hyeon-jo who broke the silence.

“Ah.”

The headquarters director, barely escaping his trance, looked back and forth between the Items and the contract, then nodded.

“Let’s act as if this never happened.”

He tore up the contract without hesitation.

“There aren’t many things that can surprise me at my age, but I think today will be memorable. In many ways.”

The way he looked at me had also changed. From an annoying punk to a talent he regretted letting go.

From then on, the atmosphere became as smooth as honey dissolved in water.

“It would be best to release the article tomorrow.”

“We were thinking of calling the reporters and stating our side of the story first.”

“Of course, you should do that.”

The sudden 180-degree change in the air was hard to get used to.

Is this why they say people who have been in the professional world for a long time are like foxes with snakes in their bellies?

“The young man has done a great thing.”

An executive who had been glaring at me just a moment ago was now patting my shoulder. Others also threw in a word or two.

It seemed they had all agreed to ride the current mood for now and figure out how it was done later.

Amidst it all, the headquarters director smiled and offered a handshake.

“I think it would be good to clear up any misunderstandings between us.”

I smiled, but did not accept the handshake.

“Is there anything to misunderstand between us?”

“Is there perhaps something you want?”

“There is, but you probably won’t be able to grant it.”

As the headquarters director withdrew his hand with a bitter smile.

My gaze was fixed on Executive Director Bae Hyeon-jo.

Sending him a signal that it was now his turn.

He nodded.

“I’m not sure if it’s alright to say this in such an atmosphere. But I’d like to make a report to the Association.”

“A report?”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong tilted his head.

“Is there someone you need us to scold?”

Because the remark was made in a relaxed atmosphere, everyone laughed.

The executive director also smiled and pointed to the side.

“Yes. Headquarters Director Lee Tae-jin, I think he needs to be punished.”

The headquarters director, playing along with the mood, nodded.

“I am indeed a sinner. I’m the bad guy. Everyone has suffered a lot because of me, so please punish me as much as I’ve made you suffer.”

The sound of people’s laughter grew louder.

“Should I submit the documents here?”

After a burst of boisterous laughter at the executive director’s playful words, he took out a thick stack of papers from his briefcase.

“Embezzlement is a given, along with murder for hire, and illegal drug administration.”

The laughter died down abruptly. With each point the executive director made, people tilted their heads in confusion.

They were slowly sensing that the atmosphere was taking a strange turn.

“Especially this. Controlling Im Seong-joon for over 10 years with brainwashing magic, illegal drugs, and even poison seems a bit too vicious.”

On the stack of papers he tossed out, a doctor’s opinion and an autopsy report were clearly written.

-High probability of long-term exposure to a high-rank mental-type Skill. A specific person’s Mana Wavelength is partially present.

-A Xiphos-type host is lodged in the brain. Appears to be intentional.

“We had quite a hard time finding Im Seong-joon’s body, Headquarters Director.”

The executive director looked at the headquarters director. People’s gazes naturally followed.

The headquarters director was neither flustered nor angry. Instead, he was calmly examining the documents the executive director had prepared.

After looking through them all, he plopped down in his chair. The headquarters director chuckled and said.

“You’ve prepared a lot.”

“You have to do this much to raid a Boss Monster.”

“Can you handle the consequences?”

“We’re going after him because we can, aren’t we?”

People’s eyes spun in circles at the sudden turn of events.

In the midst of it, Head of department Kim Yoon-joong looked at me.

Do you know something? He mouthed the words.

Even I didn’t know the headquarters director had used Mental Magic on Im Seong-joon.

No wonder the executive director had been so confident.

As expected, the headquarters director started by denying the most fatal accusation.

“Let’s say the other things are what they are. But I brainwashed Im Seong-joon? Me? Why on earth did you write such a nonsensical novel?”

The headquarters director shook his head with a gesture of disbelief.

“How could I? How could I possibly cast brainwashing magic on an S-Rank like Seong-joon?”

“I’m curious about that too. Seeing as the Mana Wavelength left in Seong-joon’s head is identical to yours, Headquarters Director.”

A Mana Wavelength is like a trace unavoidably left behind when using a Skill. Like the energy that spread when the item’s Seal was released earlier.

“It’s impossible for them to be identical. But Head of department Kim. Just because the wavelength from using magic is the same, does that make it a crime?”

The headquarters director asked, looking at Kim Yoon-joong.

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong shook his head.

“There are quite a few cases where wavelengths are identical.”

The headquarters director snorted as if to say, ‘See?’

“If you’re going to have a family feud in someone else’s house, you should at least prepare properly. How embarrassing.”

“Still… I think we’ll have to look into it.”

“Of course, you should. Go right ahead. Investigate.”

The headquarters director nodded confidently, as if telling them to do as they pleased.

Amid the commotion, I had been examining the documents since earlier.

Definitely.

The headquarters director would take a hit. If they gathered all this, spread it to the media, and shook Ilseong. Yes. This would be enough to grab them by the leash and shake them.

The problem was that I wanted more than that.

To do that, I had to prove he had brainwashed Im Seong-joon, even if I let everything else go…

Suddenly, a plausible idea came to mind.

“May I leave now? I’m too petty to watch a fire in someone else’s house.”

“…You may. We will contact you.”

“Anytime. If there’s a crime, he’ll be punished, and if not.”

The headquarters director glanced at the executive director for a moment, then stood up.

“A bloodbath will just have to blow through, won’t it?”

Right. Let’s not overthink it.

It’s good if it works, and if not, oh well. I’ll just cast the bait.

“You must have analyzed the Mana Pattern as well.”

All eyes shot toward me. Even the headquarters director, who was about to stand up. If I hadn’t been able to break the Seal earlier, I wouldn’t have gotten this kind of reaction.

“If it’s the Mana Wavelength…”

“No. Not the wavelength, the pattern. The unique Mana Pattern. It should still be on Hunter Im Seong-joon’s body.”

It’s left behind like a fingerprint every time magic is used, and in the world where Ian was, they used this to track people. Of course, I knew how to use it too.

But the people here.

Tsk. I guess they really don’t know. I understand. This place doesn’t use real magic, but Skills…

“Ah. I think I’ve heard of something similar.”

An executive sitting next to me snapped his fingers.

“I heard you can see it if your Skill Comprehension Level gets high enough. They say everyone’s Mana shape is different, like a fingerprint.”

“…There was something like that?”

There was.

It existed in this world too.

“I just heard it through the grapevine. But well, they say you have to be S-Rank to see it, so not many people probably know about it? I don’t even know if it has any legal validity.”

“That, back when we were taking down the Black Market, didn’t Jung Hye-in turn the tables with that?”

“Ah, I remember. But Jung Hye-in is on Jeju Island right now.”

People’s eyes once again turned to me. As if asking how I knew about it.

Among them, I could also see a glimmer of hope, a ‘what if.’

Just as I was about to slowly open my mouth.

“I’ve never heard of the word ‘pattern’ before, so I’m not sure. But.”

The executive director stepped forward first.

“There is someone who would know. Vint Nasser.”

“That person. Isn’t he the Oracle’s Rogue Monk? Is he in Korea?”

“He should be staying at our hotel. He’ll probably be able to see this ‘pattern’ this young man mentioned. Since he’s an S-Rank.”

“Then that settles it.”

Kim Yoon-joong said with a nod.

“Headquarters Director. Are you alrigh…?”

Then he paused.

Unlike before, the headquarters director was visibly flustered.

“Headquarters Director?”

The atmosphere turned strange.

Park Cheol-hyeong’s face, who had been watching quietly, also contorted with bewilderment.

“Headquarters Director. It’s not true, right? Seong-joon, Headquarters Director.”

He was struggling to deny it, unable to even speak properly. Regardless, the headquarters director’s gaze was fixed on me. I smiled, telling him to look all he wanted.

Having grasped the situation, Head of department Kim Yoon-joong stroked his chin and said.

“Seize him.”

It happened in a fleeting moment that even I hadn’t grasped. The executives surrounded the headquarters director, exuding an aura that suggested they would slit his throat if he made the slightest wrong move.

Surprisingly, the headquarters director did not resist.

He just kept glaring at me as if to kill me.

“You.”

I figured he had a rough idea, so I gave him a nod.

And I whispered so only he could hear.

“If you were going to use the stick instead of the carrot, you should have done it like this.”

Han Seung-hoon had said it. To give them room to breathe.

Well. I have no intention of doing that, now or ever.

Even after the headquarters director was dragged away and Park Cheol-hyeong left with a confused look.

The conference room remained in a state of disarray and confusion.

I was slowly watching it all.

“Follow me for a bit.”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong forcibly pulled me out.

Then he said with a complicated expression.

“You. By any chance…”

“Just a moment.”

The executive director, who had appeared out of nowhere, cut him off. In his hands were the ring and necklace.

“Chief Choi Gi-woong. Or is it Secretary Officer now. Could I borrow you for a moment? I have something to say.”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong, looking at the executive director, showed his displeasure.

“Let’s not make strange proposals to members of another family.”

I could understand why he would say that. Even from my perspective, the executive director’s gaze towards me was too blatant.

That was the look of someone openly coveting me.