Chapter 38

“This is the Ilsan Potion factory complex, isn’t it?”

Hong Gyeong-pyo said slyly as he looked over the mission briefing.

“I know this place well. We’ll have to go by car. Did I mention I’m a good driver?”

“Choi Gi-woong. Do you know how to drive?”

I nodded at Im Han-na’s question.

Hong Gyeong-pyo immediately retorted.

“Knowing how to do something and being good at it are two different things. I’m a good driver. This complex is a bit complicated, so it’s easy to get lost.”

“Someone I know will be there to meet us.”

“Byeon Hui-yong? I should say hello, it’s been a while. Should I grab the test sheets first, Seonbae?”

“It’s complicated enough with the two of you, and you want me to look after you too? If you have time for this, go look after the kids under you, you punk.”

“You don’t have to look after me. If it gets dangerous, I’ll be the first to run. It’ll be Choi Gi-woong’s first time dealing with a Demon, so someone needs to be by his side. And my kids grow up just fine without me saying anything.”

It was like watching a spear determined to pierce a shield that could never be broken.

Her lips twitching, Im Han-na looked at Hong Gyeong-pyo pathetically.

“Is this because of Choi Gi-woong, or because of the Demon?”

“Both.”

Im Han-na clicked her tongue and asked me.

“If I don’t take him, I feel like he’ll wander the nine heavens and die. Is that okay with you?”

“I don’t mind either way.”

To be precise, it was closer to me not being interested.

Right now, the desire to test my Divinity was much greater.

In the end, Im Han-na raised the white flag.

“Tsk. Follow me.”

“Yep!”

What Hong Gyeong-pyo said was true. He was an exceptionally good driver.

Aside from the unpleasant incident where he tried to fasten my seatbelt for me, we arrived at the Ilsan Potion factory complex relatively quickly.

“Aigoo! You’ve come a long way!”

As we got out of the car, a man in work clothes with a pleasant impression greeted us.

Since the number of Association agents was so small, there were many cases where civilians were planted in each region, something like HUMINT.

In the Ilsan area, Byeon Hui-yong was one such case.

“You’ve been well?”

“Of course! Han-na, you get prettier every time I see you. Wait a minute, who is this! Squad Leader Hong Gyeong-pyo!”

He had been active as a civilian agent for over 20 years, so he seemed to be almost friends with Im Han-na and Hong Gyeong-pyo.

“And I see a new face next to you? Must be a new recruit! May I ask your name…?”

“……”

When I said nothing, Hong Gyeong-pyo, who was next to me, patted my shoulder and spoke.

“This is Agent Choi Gi-woong.”

“Looks like you’re a rookie. I can see you’re shy. In any case, I look forward to working with you.”

Byeon Hui-yong, who had been smiling and smoothing things over, suddenly wore a serious expression.

Glancing around, he spoke cautiously.

“You’re here today because of what I said, right?”

Im Han-na nodded.

“Yes. Daesung General Potions. Where is it?”

Letting out a troubled sigh, he scratched the back of his head and opened his mouth.

“But what do I do about this? That Daesung General place, I don’t think it was a Demon.”

“…Why?”

“The reason I reported it was because they were gathering a bunch of strange chemicals and doing suspicious things at night. But on second thought, isn’t that kind of thing usually done by the Black Market?”

“Demons do that kind of thing a lot too.”

“Yes, yes. That’s true. But… even if it really was a Demon, it’s no use now.”

“?”

“They must have caught a whiff from somewhere, because those bastards all bolted.”

He was right.

There wasn’t a single soul on the old factory grounds. Only fresh potion ingredients were scattered here and there.

“Ogre blood, Xiphos semen… They’ve gathered everything they’re not supposed to sell. Seeing the traces of recent manufacturing, they couldn’t have gone far.”

Hong Gyeong-pyo, who was looking around with a serious face, reported to Im Han-na.

“But there’s no clue to definitively identify them as Demons. No traces of a ritual either.”

As if this happened often, Im Han-na shrugged without a change in her expression.

“It’s not the first or second time we’ve come up empty. Let’s go back.”

“Aigoo, what do I do, making you come all this way for nothing because of my useless chatter.”

“We’ve caught over thirty Demons thanks to your tips, mister. It’s worth checking out even if it’s a false alarm.”

Im Han-na looked back at me.

“You seemed to be looking forward to it. Too bad.”

Too bad? It hasn’t even started yet.

I glanced at Byeon Hui-yong and said.

“Since it’s come to this, can’t we just look around the area?”

“Pardon?”

“Whether it’s the Black Market or a Demon, it’s clear that something is here. It’s a waste to just leave after coming all this way.”

At my words, the three of them made reluctant faces.

It was the kind of look a senior gives a passionate new employee.

“If I were as young as you, Agent Choi, I’d try running for president.”

Byeon Hui-yong said placatingly with a smile.

“But what to do. If we’re to search every single place here, it’ll take over a month. There are over 300 workshops and more than five thousand workers…”

“Then how about we split up and search?”

“We can’t do that.”

This time, Im Han-na shook her head.

“A Demon might pop out, and you’ve never faced them before, Choi Gi-woong. We don’t know what might happen, so we have to move together today.”

When entering a Dungeon, the leader’s word is absolute.

If you apply that to the Association, the leader’s word is absolute during a mission. Right now, that was Im Han-na.

“Still, it’s not like he’s saying he doesn’t want to work, he wants to search more. Let’s spend a day or so rummaging around.”

“If that’s the case, I guess there’s no choice. I’ll be your guide.”

Byeon Hui-yong nodded with a look of resignation.

It was the face of someone deciding to play along with a passionate rookie for once.

I snickered inwardly. He’s a good actor.

The stench coming from him since a while ago was making my nose dizzy.

Was it thanks to learning Divinity? The smell of Demonic Energy was reeking from Byeon Hui-yong.

The only reason I’d left him alone until now was to use a tracking spell.

But I had just finished analyzing the Demonic Energy.

I didn’t know the exact principle, but there would be no problem tracking their traces.

I spoke casually to the others who were about to leave.

“Before we go, why don’t you get tested too, Byeon Hui-yong?”

“Me?”

Byeon Hui-yong pointed at himself, bewildered.

“Yes.”

“…Aigoo.”

He burst into a hearty laugh as if he couldn’t be helped.

“Agent Choi, you must not know. It hasn’t even been a fortnight since my last test. I’m someone who works after getting thoroughly tested.”

“So?”

“……”

Byeon Hui-yong scratches his cheek and looks at Im Han-na. His face said, ‘do something about this guy.’

Im Han-na and Hong Gyeong-pyo weren’t showing it because of the outsider, but they were just as reluctant.

Should I just say it outright?

As I was thinking, Im Han-na stared at me intently.

Then she nodded.

“Let’s do as Agent Choi says. Get tested.”

At that, Byeon Hui-yong openly frowned.

“…Yes. I’ll do that. But this is making me very uncomfortable. It feels that way, being treated like this from our first meeting.”

There was something called a Demon test sheet.

It worked on a very simple principle: you draw a drop of blood and put it on the sheet.

Clicking the electric lancet Hong Gyeong-pyo handed him, he dabbed his blood on the sheet and spoke.

“Is that enough for you, A.gent.nim? I’m going to use the restroom before we leave.”

“No. You have to stay and see the results.”

The results would be out in five minutes. White meant normal, black meant Demon.

Byeon Hui-yong roughly picked his ear and stared at me.

“The reason you’ve been looking down on me since earlier, is it because you think I’m a Demon?”

“I’m just confirming.”

“Have you ever caught a Demon before?”

“No.”

“If we’re counting by the number of Demons caught, I’ve probably caught more than you, Agent Choi.”

“Good for you.”

Seeing that he couldn’t get through to me, his face turned to Im Han-na.

“Agent Im Han-na. If you had just asked me to get tested, I wouldn’t have acted like this. I would have cooperated obediently. But to treat a person like a Demon so openly…”

Was it said that civilian agents like Byeon Hui-yong were hard to find and even harder to keep?

Perhaps that was why he was so confident in his dealings with Im Han-na, known as the Association’s Grim Reaper.

As expected, Im Han-na did not take Byeon Hui-yong’s side.

As Byeon Hui-yong’s words grew longer, Im Han-na’s gaze had slowly started to change.

“What’s there to be upset about? We just have to wait five minutes.”

“Do you trust this person’s words more than mine?”

“You’re stating the obvious.”

Not realizing that his agitation was only increasing suspicion, Byeon Hui-yong said with a flushed face.

“If this is how it’s going to be, I can’t work with you in the future.”

It was then.

“Oh, the results are out.”

At Hong Gyeong-pyo’s words, everyone’s eyes turned to the test sheet.

Naturally, the sheet was stained black.

Simultaneously.

Byeon Hui-yong rushed toward me.

His eyes turned black, and he tried to scratch my face.

Even then, I just stood there with my arms crossed, watching him.

I figured there was no need for me to step in.

The next moment, Hong Gyeong-pyo tripped him.

“Ugh!”

Im Han-na moved like a flash and held a Dagger to his neck, saying.

“There’s no one to trust in this world.”

Byeon Hui-yong was tied tightly to a chair.

Naturally, he was bound with all sorts of magic, from Restraint to Binding.

“He’s D-Rank by Awakener standards.”

“A small fry.”

“Probably because he hasn’t been a Demon for long.”

Hong Gyeong-pyo clicked his tongue as he looked at the man.

All the while, Im Han-na was looking at me instead of Byeon Hui-yong.

“Did you know he was a Demon?”

“His words were suspicious, so I tested the waters.”

“You’ve got good instincts.”

With that, Im Han-na kicked Byeon Hui-yong in the stomach.

Thwack!

“Why did you become a Demon? Who made you like this?”

The affectionate titles and expressions from before were gone without a trace.

The same was true for him.

“Ptui!”

Byeon Hui-yong spat in Im Han-na’s face.

“Go ahead and torture me like you guys are so good at. See if I say a single word.”

Wiping her face, Im Han-na said.

“This way, you won’t die a clean death. Where are your friends?”

Unyielding, Byeon Hui-yong shook his head.

“My friends? There are plenty in the Association, too.”

“Han-na. You’ve been betrayed before, haven’t you? Huh? That’s why you work alone. Instead of doing that, why don’t you just come over to our side? Gyeong-pyo, aren’t you in a similar boat? You told me yourself. Your parents, the Demon… Gack!”

Without warning, Hong Gyeong-pyo choked him. Even with his face turning red as if it would burst, Byeon Hui-yong stammered on.

“I was only caught because I’ve only served Him for a short… time. How many of our kind do you think can be caught by a detector…”

The man cackled. Knowing he would die, his spirit was not broken.

“Han-na Seonbae. These things never talk. Let’s just kill him here.”

“No. I can’t let him die peacefully.”

Ever since the talk of betrayal, Im Han-na’s aura had changed.

“Stop it and let him go. Let’s take him to the Association.”

“Great. I get to see the Association too. This is great. Look closely into my eyes. The one I wink at is one of us.”

“Han-na Seonbae. I’m telling you, let’s just kill him.”

“Put him in the car.”

Im Han-na spat out curtly and walked out of the abandoned factory.

Even then, Byeon Hui-yong was cackling and saying something to Im Han-na.

Sighing deeply, Hong Gyeong-pyo glared at the man as if to kill him and said.

“These things, they have a strong sense of unity for what they are, so they won’t say a word. That’s why torture is useless.”

The atmosphere was different from usual, so I decided to play along.

“Then what should we do?”

“We have to kill them in one blow. They’re experts at getting under your skin, so talking to them too much will only hurt you.”

Hong Gyeong-pyo clicked his tongue and shrugged.

“It’s an order, so what can I do? We have to take him.”

I, who had been waiting for the right timing, spoke.

“By any chance, can I check one thing before we take him?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“I want to test a new Skill I learned.”

Hong Gyeong-pyo nodded.

“Well. That shouldn’t be a problem, but you might get hurt… No, wait. Who am I to worry.”

Turning his head, Hong Gyeong-pyo brought a finger to his lips and said.

“Alright, then. Just don’t kill him. I’ll be outside having a smoke, so call me when you’re done testing.”

After Hong Gyeong-pyo left, I slowly approached the man.

Byeon Hui-yong cackled as he looked at me.

“What, you want to torture me too? Wanna make a bet? On whether you can make me talk?”

“No. Don’t talk.”

All I had to do was widely cast [Trace Tracking] based on the smell coming from him.

“Don’t even open your mouth.”

Don’t want any sound to leak out.

Since I can’t kill him anyway, I should just control my strength as much as possible and run my test.

The Mana that erupted from the crown of my head transformed into light at my fingertips.

Fwoosh!

Seeing my glowing fingertips, the man’s eyes widened.

“W-Wait a minute!”