Chapter 137
In a dark alley.
A Holder was igniting flames and knocking down the men around him.
“Die, die!”
“Ugh – spare me, ugh…!!”
A huge sword and scorching flames.
A multi-holder using two talents simultaneously.
He was a capable 2nd year student recognized within the academy.
His name is Koo Myeong-hoon.
Koo Myeong-hoon paid no heed to the pleas of the men around him asking to be spared, and continued to mercilessly cut them down.
After all, these guys were Out-Holders.
They were Holders who had abandoned society and were beyond redemption.
On top of that, they were trash who he had received intel from….
When dealing with guys like them, there was no need to show any mercy.
Swish – Whoosh –
“Ugh…!!”
Around six or seven?
When he had cut down all of the nearby Out-Holders, and their screams started to die down…
The sword dance that had filled the alley finally came to a stop.
“Huff, haa…”
Koo Myeong-hoon took rough, heavy breaths as he looked behind him.
The blood-soaked surroundings.
The Out-Holders strewn about covered in all kinds of wounds.
Not a single one of them could be confirmed alive.
However, Koo Myeong-hoon had gone all out with his flames and sword without considering his opponents’ level.
While he didn’t know for sure, it was obvious that most of the men had met their deaths.
Murder.
Koo Myeong-hoon had committed murder.
However, his eyes, still filled with rage, showed no signs of realizing this shocking truth.
Clap, clap, clap –
At the sound of applause coming from somewhere, Koo Myeong-hoon’s bloodshot eyes moved to look in that direction.
Dark brown hair and eyes as dark as an abyss.
The black long coat reaching his legs added to the mood, but there was something lacking, an empty feeling.
The owner of the demon sword, Hwang Seong-yeon.
And next to him was Ji Yoon-jae in an extremely low bow, assisting him.
“Interesting. An interesting level of skill. How was it, did you find it uncomfortable?”
Hwang Seong-yeon looked at Koo Myeong-hoon with a rare smile.
Or rather, at the black longsword in his hand.
It wasn’t on the level of Hwang Seong-yeon’s legendary worst demon sword, [Tyrving], but… it was at least a special magic sword of that grade.
He was asking if there was any discomfort in using it.
Koo Myeong-hoon swung the sword this way and that, still with a gaze filled with rage that had yet to subside.
“Not at all. The bastards I was up against were just too weak, it got boring.”
“That’s too bad. We should have at least confirmed you could use that sword first.”
After letting out a laugh, Hwang Seong-yeon took out a potion from his coat pocket and handed it to Koo Myeong-hoon.
A black, swirling mysterious drug.
It was a potion Koo Myeong-hoon had drank once before.
“Drink up. It’s the rest of the potion I gave you before. It’ll probably make wielding the sword easier.”
“I don’t need it.”
“As expected. But don’t refuse and drink it. To slay the spy, you need to borrow more power.”
“Spy… Do Jae-hyun….”
At that name, Koo Myeong-hoon’s expression…
Began to swell with rage once more.
Do Jae-hyun.
While claiming to have created the circle <Anti-Villain> to catch spies, that bastard was actually a spy working for <Villain>’s side.
By forming a proper organization within the academy and building trust externally, he had instead solidified <Villain>’s foothold from within.
When Ji Yoon-jae first told him this story, Koo Myeong-hoon had been skeptical.
It seemed too baseless and logically flawed to be true.
“Yes, I need to catch Do Jae-hyun.”
But at some point when his mental strength weakened and his judgment clouded with rage…
Instead, he had become convinced.
That Do Jae-hyun is a <Villain> spy.
His friend Park Jin-woo is also a spy.
His role model and idol Yoon Ji-ah had been tricked by that trash and co-founded the circle with him.
And finally Koo Myeong-hoon was able to understand everything.
The reason he had lost to Park Jin-woo was because <Villain>’s side had used dirty tricks.
It was to get rid of the obstacle to making Yoon Ji-ah the president.
That’s why they had made their move ahead of time.
That’s why he needed to become stronger.
To save Yoon Ji-ah from those dirty hands.
And to slay the bastards who were spies for <Villain> yet claimed to catch <Villain>.
Gulp, gulp –
Koo Myeong-hoon downed the potion Hwang Seong-yeon held out in one go.
His expression was without a shred of hesitation or consideration.
Seeing that, Hwang Seong-yeon opened his mouth.
“Ji Yoon-jae.”
“Yes, mas…Team Leader.”
Ji Yoon-jae barely stopped himself from calling him ‘master’ and hastily changed it to ‘team leader’ as he replied.
Although Koo Myeong-hoon had been brainwashed to an extent and was obsessed with the demon sword, they still needed to be wary of unexpected situations.
“Go to Japan.”
“Japan…you say.”
“Yes. Check on the progress of our friend’s skills there…”
The corners of Hwang Seong-yeon’s lips quirked up slightly as he looked into the alley.
“And make it so he can slay the targets as well. Lee Soo-yeon will already be there.”
“Lee Soo-yeon…?”
“Ah, you’re more familiar with the name Cha Soo-yeon right? Anyway, work with her to slay Villain… I mean, them.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The order was given, and Hwang Seong-yeon soon left.
The alley with just Ji Yoon-jae and Koo Myeong-hoon remaining.
The night still resonated with the smell of blood.
***
Ippotranslation
***
The weekend was here.
This weekend would mark the official start of activities for the <Anti-Villain> circle.
Heading directly to Japan themselves to investigate the smuggling of illegal items by those involved in the trade with <Judgment of Fire>.
It was a large-scale collaborative project with dispatched personnel coming from <Judgment of Fire>’s side as well.
It took quite a bit of effort to narrow down who would be sent.
Since it was the first step in the circle’s activities, many members wanted to participate in the investigation, but it turned out not as many were needed for the investigation itself.
“…….”
After lots of thought and deliberation, the final picks were 4 people.
First was me as the president, and the vice president Yoon Ji-ah.
The two of us were the core of running the circle, so we needed to take the lead at the forefront of the investigation.
I had thought Yoon Ji-ah would be too busy with <Judgment of Fire> admission interviews lately and couldn’t make it, but fortunately her schedule was free this week so she could participate in the investigation.
The third was Kang Juyeon.
She was the link between our circle and <Judgment of Fire>, and there was no one else in the circle who knew as much about this investigation as she did, so she was a natural choice.
After all, the original discussion about this method was from a conversation with her, so it was an obvious selection in a way.
And the last one was…
“Oh, a trip to Japan! I’m so excited.”
“Please, this isn’t a trip, it’s an investigation.”
“2 nights and 3 days can be both an investigation and trip, haha.”
Park Jin-woo, looking around with an excited face.
He was the fourth selected member.
Originally, I had intended to quickly go and return with just 3 people including Kang Juyeon, but added him just in case anything unexpected happened.
If a fight somehow broke out, we needed a combat-focused Holder on the frontlines.
Especially since Park Jin-woo was the protagonist in the original work.
With his astonishing growth rate, awakening new abilities one after another and explosively rising up from the bottom.
Broadening that growth with new experiences could be helpful in some way.
His inclusion was also in anticipation of the opportunities that could arise with him.
Having already joined the mainstream and become colleagues with major characters, Park Jin-woo’s growth was just as important as my own.
“President. Shall we get going if everyone’s ready?”
Yoon Ji-ah next to me asked.
Right now we were at the ‘International Travel Warp Gate’ located in Incheon.
After [Warp Gates] became activated worldwide, transportation between countries also became much more convenient, but interestingly the locations where [Warp Gates] were established were still at international airports.
This was because international airports were the most suitable places to accommodate the massive crowds pouring out from [Warp Gates].
Since Holders arriving at airports could still move to central cities in each country through [Warp Gates], the Holder Association had established this ‘International Travel Warp Gate’ at Incheon International Airport.
Thanks to it, the airport was bustling with ordinary people looking to board planes and Holders looking to use the [Warp Gate].
I looked over the crowds and shook my head.
“No, not yet. The <Judgment of Fire> clan members will be coming too.”
“Judgment of Fire?”
“Yes. We’re going together with the dispatched personnel coming from their side.”
I turned to Kang Juyeon and asked.
“When did they say they’d get here?”
“…3 minutes. Running late because of equipment checks.”
“Okay.”
We needed the <Judgment of Fire> personnel for an accurate investigation anyway.
Exchanging casual conversation while leisurely passing the time.
And exactly 3 minutes later, as Kang Juyeon had said.
An unusual group of Holders approached us.
Even at a glance, the level of their magic and unique appearances were high.
And as they drew nearer…
Very familiar faces I had seen for a long time.
“Long time no see, Do Jae-hyun.”
“Do Jae-hyun, hi!”
“Hmm~ So the intern has become president now?”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kwon Oh-jun, the dispatched team leader and senior clan member of Judgment of Fire, in charge of this investigation.”
My former colleagues from my intern days.
The <Judgment of Fire> Hunting Team 5 members I had worked with were joining this dispatch together.
