Here's an Opportunity
Chapter 64: Lee Chil-Sung (2)

Chapter 64: Lee Chil-Sung (2)

Cha In-Joon, the caporegime of Old Wolves, was dead.

As the number of Awakened criminals dwindled, Cha In-Joon shifted to pure defense while searching for an escape route. Despite his considerable skill, he couldn't handle multiple enemies with just one good arm. Under a coordinated assault by the suppression force, his other arm got severed as well.

Escape was impossible now. Accepting that, Cha In-Joon planned to at least take a few more people down with him as he died. But that, too, failed. The serial killer addicted to murder soon found himself surrounded by Hunters, swarmed from every angle, and facing his demise.

"What a shame," Kim Ki-Rok remarked.

A yacht that had been rushing toward the pier suddenly veered off course. Having grasped the situation at the dock, it fled immediately.

"Maybe we should've tried to detain it longer?" Kim Ki-Rok questioned.

Min Gwang-Cheol shook his head. "No. The Awakened criminals were stronger than we expected. And it's not like we completely lost track of their reinforcements."

Pointing to the sky, he replied, "You've got people monitoring from above, don't you?"

"Yes, we do."

Kim Ki-Rok stared upward. "People make a big deal about abilities, but nothing beats good old science if you ask me."

"Hahaha!" Watching the fleeing boat's light grow ever smaller, Min Gwang-Cheol asked seriously, "So, is it all true?"

It was obvious what he was asking about.

"It's all true. Old Wolves had a potion-maker who successfully brewed a Mana Block Potion. The effects are short-lived, but we confirmed through testing that it can, in fact, break mana armor."

"How difficult is it to brew?"

"The ingredients are fairly easy to gather in Gates that feature forests or mountainous terrain."

"We'll have to stay on guard, then."

"As I explained earlier, as long as it doesn't directly touch the skin, there shouldn't be a problem. Or perhaps you could research a potion that forcibly activates mana to counter its effects," Kim Ki-Rok suggested.

"That's not something I can handle."

"Everyone has their own place and role. Combat Hunters specialize in brawling, after all. That's not to say a combat-oriented Hunter can contribute nothing to research."

"What do you mean?"

"Human experimentation."

Min Gwang-Cheol paused. "Excuse me?"

"Seeing is believing, right? No matter how thoroughly you might theorize something, it's nothing compared to putting it into live practice. Otherwise, you could at least help with acquiring the ingredients."

After a moment of deliberation, Min Gwang-Cheol made up his mind. "Uh... yes, well... I think I'll handle the errands part."

"Hahaha!"

***

Lee Chil-Sung ran like a madman.

From Incheon to Ansan, he pushed himself to the limit, burning through mana to enhance his body as he sprinted. Once his mana ran out, he spotted someone on the street with a motorcycle, tossed them a large sum of money, and took off on it.

Well, "took it off their hands" might be more accurate, since he had practically snatched it away. But considering he had handed over enough cash to buy a brand-new model twice over, the owner of that motorcycle had been all too happy to let it go.

Screeeeech!

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Without waiting for the elevator, Lee Chil-Sung scaled the building wall, panting all the while.

He climbed through the balcony and flung open his younger sibling's bedroom door. Finding them fast asleep in bed, Lee Chil-Sung approached with the glasses that Kim Ki-Rok had given him. The sight of his sibling put him in an odd, chilling calm, but a flicker of worry crept in.

Just in case, he thought.

"Appraisal."

[Glasses of Clairvoyance (C)]

Description: Glasses imbued with clairvoyance magic

Incantation 1: "Enlarge" – Doubles your field of vision

Incantation 2: "Reduce" – Halves your field of vision

Effect: Clairvoyance

The word "clairvoyance," indicating the power to see clearly through solid matter, was plainly stated. Next, he looked at the medicine on the bedside table.

"Appraisal."

It didn't work. If the medicine was really made from ingredients that were obtained from the Gate like they said, it would have been appraisable. Instead, the so-called "cure" seemed to have been created without any magic or ability, just a blend of regular materials.

According to Kim Ki-Rok, the cause of the illness lay within his sibling's head.

Lee Chil-Sung's expression stiffened as he carefully examined his brother's head using the glasses. His face hardened when he confirmed what Kim Ki-Rok had said. "There really were..."

Bugs could be seen nesting in his brain, visible to the naked eye.

Lee Chil-Sung gritted his teeth. He had been deceived by the doctor whom Black Money had bribed. Would it have been a different story if he had changed hospitals?

He shook his head. What was done, was done.

"But the medicine was effective... He regained consciousness after taking these pills."

But if that were the case, why did his sibling still periodically collapse and lose consciousness after taking them?

"Could it be...?!"

Suddenly recalling something, he jumped to his feet. A young man lived next door. Living next door was a young man—likely around college age—who often came by around the same time he left for work. A few days ago, his sibling had mentioned, "The neighbor gave me candy again. That guy next door... He's always giving me sweets."

Lee Chil-Sung turned the room upside down until he found the candy. Ripping the bag open, he peered at it with the Glasses of Clairvoyance.

"Shit..."

Unlike him, his sibling had no peach allergy, a fact which the criminals seemed to have exploited. Since he was allergic, he would never eat the candy his sibling offered, which meant he wouldn't find the parasite hidden inside.

There's no concrete evidence...

Although there was no evidence, only an idiot wouldn't realize what was happening by this point. Lee Chil-Sung let out a bitter laugh and downed a mana potion he had placed in his bedroom.

He moved from his balcony to the neighboring balcony, passed through the dim living room, and approached a door with light seeping out from under the crack. Opening it, he was met with a sight atypical of a normal household.

"Ha! Really... Damn..."

Dozens of monitors were set up, all displaying real-time footage of his own home.

"W-wait a minute!" the young man in the room stammered.

"Shut up."

Sensing the danger, the young man hastily raised both his hands, but it mattered not to Lee Chil-Sung.

Thud! Thwack! Crack!

The young man was beaten so badly that not a single intact tooth remained in his bloody mouth. The only reason he refrained from channeling mana was that the neighbor was a regular civilian, not an Awakened. Some faint thread of rationality kept his anger in check, stopping him from outright killing the man.

Lee Chil-Sung, who had calmed down enough to return home using the route through the balcony, stood before his younger sibling lying on the bed.

He hesitated."Can I keep giving this to him?"

Up until now, he would have immediately fed him the medicine without a second thought. Now that he knew the truth, however, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He used to trust it implicitly, but that was no longer the case.

In the end, Lee Chil-Sung gathered his sibling into his arms and stepped out the door.

Incheon... No, not there. The Association? Or that guild?

Stewing over it for a moment, he made his choice and started to walk.

***

The Hunters decided to take a break at a cafe across the Incheon Container Terminal while waiting for the vehicle sent by a nearby branch of the Association.

"Hah... Hoh..."

"Damn, it's cold. Let's get inside, quickly." Having slipped into a nearby alley for a smoke with other Hunters, Min Gwang-Cheol finally quenched his nicotine craving and entered the cafe.

Inside were the non-smoking Hunters who had arrived earlier. Evidently, they had placed orders in advance; a variety of drinks and slices of cake were lined up on tables with no one seated, so the latecomers headed for whichever drink they preferred.

Making his way toward a table where an iced Americano sat, Min Gwang-Cheol asked a nearby Hunter, "Huh? Where is Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok?"

"He went to make a call. Oh, there he is," a Hunter replied.

Kim Ki-Rok was seen with his phone on the outdoor terrace, vacant due to the cold weather.

"Did he make the call? Or is he picking up a call?" Min Gwang-Cheol asked.

"He made the call."

"Hmm..."

Perhaps he was calling his informant in the black market.

Min Gwang-Cheol took a seat and sipped his iced Americano. He disliked sweet drinks and insisted on iced coffee even in winter. Looking around at the Hunters, he could tell they were finally calming down after the intense battle.

As Kim Ki-Rok wrapped up his call and returned from the terrace, Min Gwang-Cheol waved at him. "Over here."

Grinning, Kim Ki-Rok approached the table where the Awakened Criminal Pursuit Team sat.

Taking a seat, he addressed one of the members, "Oh, Mr. Jin-Hyuk. How's it going?"

"They said it's possible, but that they will prepare it only after finishing all the other orders."

"I see."

At their cryptic exchange, Min Gwang-Cheol frowned in puzzlement. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I had to contact someone urgently, so I asked Jin-Hyuk to order for me," Kim Ki-Rok answered.

"I see..."

It seems like Kim Ki-Rok had ordered a complicated drink. Resolving that minor curiosity gave rise to a new question.

"A call all of a sudden, were you talking to your informant?"

"Hm? Oh, no. I warned my informant before the raid began," Kim Ki-Rok lied smoothly. He had fabricated the whole idea of being in contact with a "long-term informant" in the black market.

"I see. Then was it something about your guild? Right, the DG Guild must be busy tackling Gates all the time, so you're worried, huh?"

"Not exactly. I contacted the Association."

"What?"

"Because there's a chance Lee Chil-Sung might show up."

Although he had been involved with those criminals, Lee Chil-Sung had been manipulated by Black Money, and his actions were more defensive than malicious. Even when conflicts had arisen between him and the Awakened Criminal Pursuit Team, he had subdued Hunters without causing any fatal injuries. Given his exceptional combat strength as an Awakened, there might be grounds for leniency.

"Well, he might come to our guild, but there's always the possibility he'll seek out the Association." With a shrug, Kim Ki-Rok took out his tablet from the subspace pocket.

"Hm?" He quickly navigated the Hunters Association's homepage.

From December 10th to 15th, 56 Gates labeled 'Contaminated' have been discovered in Korea and confirmed by the Hunters Association. They are being cleared at a rapid pace. It is now December 22nd, 11:23 p.m. Only three contaminated Gates remain. Their respective locations are...

Three Gates were expected to Break on the twenty-fourth. A heavy silence gripped the cafe's second floor, where only Hunters were present.

"Haa... Looks like it's not over yet," one of the Hunters bemoaned.

Kim Ki-Rok offered him a few consoling pats on the shoulder. "But at least the wildcard of Awakened criminals has been dealt with, right?"

Although it was true, involuntary sighs still escaped the Hunters.

Kim Ki-Rok flipped through the website, confirming the locations of the Gates on the verge of Breaking.

Things are looking good this Attempt.

Thanks to Pegasus Mandong's information, the Association had responded far more proactively to the contaminated Gates this time, efficiently dispatching guilds to raid them. In previous Attempts, even his best record had left nine Gates going into a Break.

On top of that, Awakened criminals had often launched surprise attacks. But this time, they had prevented those ambushes.

The last three Gates weren't bad, either. Since they had prioritized clearing any Gate in densely populated areas first, these remaining Gates were all located in the countryside, with far fewer residents.

In the best-case scenario, it could end with little to no civilian casualties.

"Good news," Kim Ki-Rok said.

"Huh? Aren't you participating in the Gate defense operation, Guildmaster?" a puzzled Hunter asked.

"I am."

"Oh, but you seem pleased? Are you the type who enjoys fighting?"

"Heh, of course not. I'm a pacifist."

Then what's there to be happy about? Confused, the Hunter tilted his head. Kim Ki-Rok only smiled back without offering an explanation.

At that moment, a barista approached. "Y-your iced chocolate is ready."

"Oh! That's the one with two extra pumps of chocolate, topped with whipped cream, plus three and a half circles of caramel and chocolate drizzle. Excellent. I'll go pick it up."

The mere description was enough to make anyone's arteries ache.

Kim Ki-Rok stood up from his seat to get his drink.

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