Chapter 39

I didn’t threaten to not kill him gently like Im Han-na did. Nor did I choke him to death like Hong Gyeong-pyo.

I hadn’t even unleashed much Divinity.

In Awakener terms, it was barely F-Rank, if that.

“Wh-what is that?”

And yet, Byeon Hui-yong, tied to the chair, was reacting much more vividly than before.

Byeon Hui-yong struggled this way and that, trying to break free.

“Agent Choi. Please get that away from me. Huh?”

His eyes were still fixed on my fingertips, his teeth chattering.

“L-let’s talk. What are you curious about? Huh? Tell me what you want to know. Should I start by telling you where the others are?”

His reaction was so extreme that even I was taken aback.

I’d heard there were Hunters who deliberately tormented Monsters without killing them, but I had no such twisted hobbies.

Besides, the report I saw at the Association definitely didn’t say this.

-A common trait among Demons, regardless of their class, is that they do not fear death. Therefore, it is impossible to obtain information through physical or mental harm.

It didn’t say it was difficult, but that it was flat-out impossible, didn’t it?

I think Hong Gyeong-pyo said something similar earlier.

I extinguished the Divinity gathered at my fingertip. In its place, the heavy shaft of a spear appeared in my hand.

I swung the Crimson Flame Spear and brought it to the man’s neck.

“……?”

So I was right.

The fear filling Byeon Hui-yong’s eyes right now was of me as a person. Not of magic or a Skill.

To be precise, he was scared to death of my Divinity. So much so that he was volunteering information I hadn’t even asked for.

“A-Agent Choi. Let’s talk. Please?”

Talk, huh.

Right. This was an experiment, in a way.

This would be the first time a Demon was interrogated in this world.

“When did you become a Demon?”

“A week ago!”

“From the beginning, in detail.”

“So, what happened was…”

He’d happened to discover a group of Demons nearby, they tried to talk to Byeon Hui-yong, and for some reason, he was tempted.

It was the same old story.

The part that gave me pause was something else.

“To become a Demon, you have to make a contract, and to do that, you have to sacrifice one Awakener, so…”

There were gaps here and there. When I pressed him relentlessly, he finally confessed.

“At first, I was just going to work on the Awakener, but his family saw the scene…”

At that, the man faltered. I didn’t need to hear the rest of the story.

“Agent Choi. I told you everything honestly. So now…”

[Silence]

I forcibly shut the noisy man’s mouth.

I changed my plan.

“……!”

I grabbed his head. From that moment, I began to unleash my Divinity. This one didn’t deserve a gentle death.

After finishing my work, I went outside.

A light drizzle was starting to fall from the dark sky.

Im Han-na and Hong Gyeong-pyo were staring at the falling rain, lost in thought.

When I quietly made my presence known, Im Han-na composed her face and spoke.

“You said you were testing a Skill.”

When I nodded, Im Han-na asked, “Just in case.”

“Did you kill him?”

“You said I had to keep him alive, so I left him.”

“Did you hear any weird nonsense? Like he’d raise your Potential Rank, stuff like that.”

“I didn’t.”

“Really? That’s strange. There’s no way they wouldn’t try to pull something on someone like you, Choi Gi-woong.”

“It’s probably because he’s just a grunt. If he were Apostle-Class, he would’ve thrown a fit.”

Hong Gyeong-pyo, crushing his cigarette, added.

“He probably taunted you, saying it tickled and to do it harder, right?”

Then he patted my shoulder.

“Don’t take it to heart. It’s not that you’re weak, Choi Gi-woong, it’s that those things don’t even flinch at an S-Rank.”

He didn’t just flinch; he was begging me to kill him.

“I think it would be faster for you to see for yourself than for me to explain.”

“Me? Why?”

“He said he’d tell us where his other colleagues are.”

“Uh, um. Really? He doesn’t seem like he’s lying?”

“No.”

Im Han-na gave a troubled smile.

It looked like the smile of an adult trying to protect a child’s innocence.

Sensing the mood, Hong Gyeong-pyo cut in.

“I’ll go check it out.”

“Okay. If he’s alive, just kill him. I got worked up earlier because memories of working together came up.”

“Don’t worry.”

Hong Gyeong-pyo rolled his shoulders and went inside.

A moment later, he came back out.

A look of utter bewilderment was plastered on his face.

“Did you kill him?”

“No, it’s not that.”

He blinked, looking disconcerted.

“I think you need to see this, Seonbae.”

There were no external injuries.

But his condition was serious.

Byeon Hui-yong was cowering so much that he didn’t even need to be tied up. The way he kept glancing at me and trembling, anyone who didn’t know would think I was the bad guy.

“What’s wrong with him?”

At Im Han-na’s words, Hong Gyeong-pyo shook his head and said.

“He’s been like this since I came in.”

“Have you ever seen a Demon act like this?”

“No.”

“Even among the Acolyte-Class?”

“No. Never.”

Im Han-na and Hong Gyeong-pyo asked and answered in soulless voices.

Im Han-na’s lips parted, then she whipped her head around to look at me.

“It seems your new Skill is very effective against Demons.”

“I suppose so.”

Since he was just a minion, I couldn’t go all out, but I confirmed very clearly that Divinity was effective against Demons.

I was confident I could kill a Demon of the same Level with a single gesture.

Around then, Im Han-na spoke, her voice a mix of many emotions.

“Where did he say the others were?”

“He was right.”

Hong Gyeong-pyo said, scanning the area around the warehouse.

“There are traces of a ritual, and leftover residue from making drugs. They were here until recently, then they bolted.”

The two of them didn’t seem to care at all that they had escaped.

No, it wasn’t just that they didn’t care; it looked more like a positive emotion.

“The fact that he spilled a real secret, rather than just trembling in fear, is more…”

“Surprising.”

“Yes. Is it possible that Byeon Hui-yong is just a special case among Demons?”

“We don’t know yet.”

Im Han-na gestured at me with her chin.

“But the possibility that our Agent Choi’s Skill is the special case sounds more plausible.”

Then she quickly looked at me and said.

“Don’t say it.”

“?”

“Don’t say what kind of Skill it is. We have to make it so they can’t identify it even if you get caught later.”

She then gave Hong Gyeong-pyo a stern warning.

“If word of this gets to the wrong people, we’re in big trouble. I know you’re tight-lipped, but be careful.”

“Of course.”

“And kill that thing now. If we take it with us, there will only be more ears to hear.”

“What should we do about them? Should we chase them?”

“No.”

“They couldn’t have gotten far.”

Exactly. Since they couldn’t have gotten far, isn’t it better to chase them down and kill them for sure?

I wanted to try using my Divinity properly in a real fight, too.

But Im Han-na shook her head very firmly.

“No. Reporting this is the priority right now. Of course, I’m going to report directly to the Association President. Without anyone else knowing.”

That last part seemed to be for my reassurance.

There was no room for me to interject.

But this was getting to be too much. They were so full of hope, like explorers who had just discovered a new continent, that it was becoming burdensome even for me to watch.

They were both extremely excited but trying hard to hide it.

I might not be the most perceptive person, but it seemed that these things called Demons were more deeply entangled with the Association than I thought.

If I had known it would provoke such a strong reaction, I would have looked into it more thoroughly.

Well, that’s something I can figure out as I go.

A picture naturally formed in my mind of how much I could gain from my Divinity in the future, and in what direction I should build my achievements.

The more I did, the more not only I, but my team, and even Han Seung-hoon…

Just as the thought was about to continue, Im Han-na spoke as if tossing a comment.

“I think I finally understand why Jung Hye-in was making such a fuss.”

The door burst open.

“Not even a knock anymore.”

At Head of department Kim Yoon-joong’s disgruntled voice, Im Han-na shrugged.

“You called for me?”

“Yeah. I did, but… what’s with your face?”

“What’s wrong with my face?”

“You’re all excited like a dog in the rain. What, did something good happen?”

Im Han-na, rubbing her face, licked her lips and answered.

“I’m always smiling.”

“That’s a fake smile. This one’s real.”

“No, it’s not. Anyway, why did you call me? I have a lot to do.”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong, who had been narrowing his eyes, clicked his tongue and said.

“Why did I call you? To scold you. Where have you been?”

“I went to Ilsan to deal with a Demon, then I saw the Association President, and came straight here.”

“The Association President? Did you get scolded by any chance?”

“Scolded? Why would I?”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong frowned.

“Why do you think? Didn’t you take Choi Gi-woong with you to hunt a Demon?”

Only then did Im Han-na nod as if she understood.

“Is that why you called me?”

“Is that why? You don’t understand the gravity of the situation. Why did you drag him to such a dangerous place? A guy who’s just barely a B-Rank.”

“Didn’t you send him to Ilseong, basically to his death, Head of department?”

“The situation then and now is completely different.”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong waved his hand with a frustrated look.

“The Association President just called. He told me to take good care of Choi Gi-woong. Judging by the timing, it seems it was right after he saw you.”

“…Really?”

“What. You’re not surprised? It’s the first time I’ve heard the Association President use that kind of wording, my heart is pounding.”

“I had too many surprising things happen earlier. Anyway, doesn’t the Association President dislike playing favorites? I know Seong Yo-han and Jung Hye-in were raised to be tough.”

As if they were finally on the same page, Head of department Kim Yoon-joong let out a sigh.

“Exactly! I was shocked when I got the call, too. He’s not the type to… What are you thinking about now?”

“They say if you can’t solve a problem with money, you should consider if you just don’t have enough money.”

“What?”

“Maybe Seong Yo-han and Jung Hye-in aren’t at that level, but Choi Gi-woong is, so he gets that kind of treatment.”

“…I guess. Seeing as Choi Gi-woong’s Potential Rank came out as unmeasurable… If only his team could be dealt with somehow, wouldn’t that be great?”

“About that team.”

“Them?”

“Didn’t Choi Gi-woong say it? That if he raises them properly, he’ll collect on the debt you owe him.”

“He did.”

“Doesn’t that sound a bit meaningful?”

“What are you talking about? How is being good yourself the same as raising others? Why do you think Seong Yo-han and Jung Hye-in work alone?”

“Seeing how there was all that noise about Buff Magic at Ilseong for a while, it doesn’t seem entirely impossible.”

“That was watering a promising tree. Kids with low Potential Ranks are a lost cause no matter what you do.”

“You never know. If it’s Choi Gi-woong.”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong scoffed as if it were ridiculous.

“If that really happens, he should just start a new Association.”

“Maybe he really will someday…”

“What?”

“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”

Clicking his tongue at how anticlimactic that was, Head of department Kim Yoon-joong added.

“Anyway, right now, whether it’s the Association or anywhere else, anyone who messes with Choi Gi-woong won’t see a good end.”