Whoooosh.
Smoke scattered through the moonlight that seeped in.
"Quite useful, isn't it."
Camilla looked at the Soul Veritas ring on her finger.
A ring that could only be used when the opponent was dead.
It wasn't for nothing that the century's greatest necromancer had possessed it.
"Did you write down everything you needed?"
"Yeah, perfectly. Good work, Camilla."
"Not at all. But it seems that woman didn't know our master very well."
Camilla curled the corners of her lips.
Anastasia lay dead, her face smashed in.
Not only had she tried to lure Cheon Se-yeon in to kill her, but she had also targeted Jin-hyeok's life until the very last moment.
And yet she thought she wouldn't be killed because she was a general.
Well, it happens often enough.
The kind of people who live in a greenhouse without realizing it's a greenhouse.
"Kheh."
He stretched and rolled his neck and shoulders.
Then he stared at Camilla for a moment before speaking.
"Now let's run. We can't have rumors spreading that we killed a Russian general."
"Hmm. That would be problematic."
Camilla dispelled her manifestation as the smoke dissipated.
She looked out the window at the commotion outside.
The barrier that had concealed Babel Tower had vanished, causing a huge uproar.
'Can I even call this Babel Tower anymore?'
Babel Tower was so shattered in places that it wouldn't be strange if it collapsed at any moment.
It seemed more fitting to call it 'what used to be Babel Tower.'
"Damn bastards. A historic castle like this."
He clicked his tongue as he walked down the corridor.
Half of it was probably destroyed by him, but that was force majeure.
It was all the Russians' fault.
He grumbled for a while before turning his gaze to the status window.
A message had appeared some time after he finished off Anastasia.
-[You have acquired 'In the Darkness,' the unique trait of Nia, the great sin of Sloth and Gluttony born from the darkness!]
A satisfied smile spread across his lips.
It was the first time since he had raised the Black Knights' swordsmanship from beginner to intermediate without using a blank card through Seira's harsh training.
The first time he had automatically learned a unique trait.
Probably because he had fought relying only on fighting spirit and presence detection in a dark place.
'Interesting.'
He closed his eyes and took a slow breath.
After acquiring the unique trait, every sensation felt in the darkness became much clearer.
Objects that were barely distinguishable in the dark were now clearly visible.
But what was most fascinating was the sound.
It wasn't just that the sound was louder; it carried a wealth of information.
'It's like becoming the night's king, an eagle owl.'
He praised himself for the apt metaphor and continued walking.
Ring, ring, ring.
"Oh, yes."
# I'll arrive in 2 minutes. I'm driving it myself, so you don't need to worry about security.
"Thank you! I'll go up to the rooftop!"
Captain Dominic had come to pick him up in less than 30 minutes after he called.
It made him curious again.
What kind of organization was Black Wings that they could just churn out vehicles?
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.
Soon, the loud sound of a helicopter rotor was heard.
"Mmm! So this is the sound of a 2 billion won helicopter."
Of course, Black Wings wasn't a charity organization.
From the options Dominic had given him, he had chosen a large transport helicopter capable of long-distance travel.
Since they had to cross borders and go to dangerous areas, a danger pay was added.
"Momo!"
"What is it, what is it!"
He handed his phone to Momo, who had manifested and slammed on the brakes.
"Slip this into Se-yeon's pocket. Just like this screen."
"That's suuuuper easy! Master can do it too!"
He had the Great Empress's unique trait, 'Hands Are Faster Than Eyes,' inscribed.
As Momo said, he could probably do it without much difficulty, but he'd save it for next time.
"I have to go right now."
"Got it! Momo will put it in without anyone noticing!"
He gave a thumbs up and went up to the rooftop.
Alright, let's go.
Time to see that damn face.
* * *
Whoosh! Thump! Slip! Dodge!
Agent Mo, entrusted with a special mission by her master Yoo Jin-hyeok, stealthily changed positions.
Momo poked her head out and shouted with the most serious face in the world.
"All clear ahead! Clear!"
"What clear? There's no one here. Just go."
Momo looked back.
"Is someone following us!?"
"Who's following? We agreed to go together from the start. Have you lost your mind?"
Agent Mo's chubby fists trembled.
She was carrying out a top-secret mission, and this guy was following her in stealth mode, ruining everything.
Unforgivable.
"Yaaaaaah!!"
She shouted like a thunderbolt and launched a dropkick.
But Kancho wasn't there.
Since she couldn't see him in stealth mode, she had aimed roughly, and it missed cleanly.
Agent Mo sliced through the air and fell with a thud.
"...Mission continues!"
Momo got up as if nothing had happened and scurried behind Cheon Se-yeon.
Kancho, who had been watching, shook his head.
'No hope.'
Still, thanks to his dust-like presence and the unique trait 'Energy Suppression,' he managed to get behind Cheon Se-yeon.
Momo crept closer and smoothly slipped Jin-hyeok's phone into Se-yeon's pocket as she leaned against the wall.
Momo, who had given a thumbs up in a completely wrong direction where Kancho was presumed to be, turned around.
'Where is she going now?! She needs to pull the pocket!'
She had put it in so quietly that she couldn't just leave like that.
Kancho, startled, dispelled his stealth and gestured.
Momo noticed him, flicked her finger, and pulled Se-yeon's pocket.
Then, timing it with Se-yeon turning around, she dispelled her manifestation.
'Phew. Without me, the deputy commander, the unit would be a mess. It's a complete Ming dynasty army. This is.'
Ahem! Kancho, after clearing his throat a couple of times, also dispelled his manifestation.
Anyway, Agent Mo's mission was a success.
"Huh? What was that?"
Se-yeon looked around.
Something had definitely tugged at her clothes, but there was nothing there.
Come to think of it, why was her pocket so heavy...?
She frowned.
Why was Jin-hyeok's phone here?
Figuring there must be a reason, she touched the screen.
A memo app appeared before her eyes.
Her eyes widened as soon as she saw the contents.
It was a list.
A list of personal information and departments of the people involved in this Babel Tower incident.
"Hey, Cheon Se-yeon! Are you alright?"
"What in the world happened?"
The Ban sisters, belonging to the Player Hunter Agency, waved their hands.
They were support forces who had been on a mission nearby and arrived after receiving a call from Yoon Mi-ri.
"As expected, the shield of South Korea! Not a scratch!"
"Gang-san ahjussi should learn from Se-yeon. He's practically in rags. Anyway, don't worry now that we're here! We'll support you until you get to Korea! But what's that?"
Ban Yu-won, the older of the twin sisters, leaned in.
Her younger sister, Ban Yu-jin, followed suit.
Se-yeon raised her head and lowered her voice.
"Yu-won, Yu-jin, did the NIS come too?"
"Yeah. There's some person in charge of European affairs or something over there."
"Perfect timing."
A man who looked to be in his mid-thirties walked over, holding a large cigar.
He was young to be the head of European affairs; he must be quite capable.
"Hunter Cheon Se-yeon, I'm glad you're safe. I'm Team Leader Lee Hyeong-jin."
"Cough!"
"Oh, sorry."
Ban Yu-won and Ban Yu-jin coughed, and Lee Hyeong-jin quickly put away his cigar.
He pushed up his glasses and continued.
"First, we'll move to Krakow University Hospital. Hunter Lee Gang-san and... who was it?"
"A personal acquaintance of mine. They got hurt helping me."
He decided not to mention the name.
It might cause trouble for Roche.
"Yes. After your initial treatment at the university hospital, we'll escort you to Korea on a plane we've reserved. The NIS European Security Team and Hunters Ban Yu-won and Ban Yu-jin will accompany you as escorts. Shall we move now?"
"Before that, I have something to show you."
He held out Jin-hyeok's phone.
Lee Hyeong-jin's face grew more serious the further down he read.
"Where did you get this?"
"Let's just say from a very reliable source."
Lee Hyeong-jin looked at Se-yeon, then pulled out a few documents from his pocket.
He shrugged his shoulders.
"We were also in the middle of investigating this, but I guess we can stop now."
"This is...?"
"Recently, we received intelligence that some Polish security agencies and parts of the Player Hunter Agency were contacting Russia. We judged they were plotting something and were conducting an investigation."
Lee Hyeong-jin, who had said this much, wore an embarrassed expression.
The people and information they had gathered through their investigation were far inferior to the memo Se-yeon had handed him.
"But we never imagined it would be such an outrageous act. Have you shown this memo to anyone else?"
"No. I just received it myself."
"I see. Let me take a picture for a moment."
After sending the photo somewhere, Lee Hyeong-jin wore a strange smile.
"Could you keep the acquisition of this memo a secret? It's unthinkable to hand this over to the Polish side when they dared to try to kill a ranker, our nation's most crucial asset."
When the Ban sisters and Se-yeon nodded, Lee Hyeong-jin made a phone call.
"The NIS may not be the Player Hunter Agency, but we have our own blades."
Lee Hyeong-jin took a breath into the connected phone.
"Let's begin."
It was a short phrase, but it was enough.
Soon, a bloodbath would ensue.
For those who had dared to touch someone else's precious assets.
* * *
A safe house in Krakow, Poland.
"Hurry up and pack! Burn all the hard drives! What's the status on Babel Tower!?"
"The Korean hunters and the NIS have arrived! No unusual signs yet!"
The person in charge here, Michał Nowak, was biting his nails.
'Those Russian bastards!!'
They said they would handle it quietly so no one would know.
Not only did they smash the castle to pieces, but they also failed to kill the target ranker.
Once this chaos was over, the Korean side would officially intervene.
He had to leave Poland quickly before that.
"T-Team Leader Michał. Is this okay? You said there would be no problems!"
The trembling security chief made Michał frown.
"Where were you when you were taking the money saying it was good, and now you're trying to shift the blame to me!? Listen carefully! We're all in the same...?"
Michał stopped talking and turned his head.
"Was it always this foggy?"
"Huh? Fog? Today is... huh?"
It had been about five seconds since the team members had question marks on their faces.
A gun barrel emerged from the fog.
Bang!
The Polish hunter collapsed, bleeding.
"What the hell?!"
They responded immediately, but it was futile.
The intruder's form scattered like it was never there and returned to the fog.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots rang out from all directions, and the standing team members began to fall one by one.
Michał Nowak and the security chief backed away hesitantly.
Bang!
"Aaaah!!"
Michał, left alone, fell on his backside.
What the hell was this...?
Shhhh.
A man wearing a gas mask emerged from the fog and aimed his gun at Michał.
"Y-You, what the hell are you, you son of a...?"
Bang!
The man put away his gun and picked up his phone.
"This is Seo San-ho. B target eliminated. Moving to C."
After finishing, Seo San-ho looked at the sprawled Michał Nowak.
Starting today, he intended to teach them a lesson.
That South Korea was no longer a silent nation.
That they must be prepared to face retribution if they dared to strike.
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T/N:
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