Contractor Sin Jahun (1)
His base was in Juan, Incheon.
The exact location was detailed in the documents left by the regional head.
Dealing with devil-related matters always risked entangling unnecessary connections, so once again, I chose to move alone.
‘However, the number of followers tagging along is a nuisance.’
The night sky was obscured, making it difficult to see, but a considerable number of observers were stealthily trailing me.
Among them, the Jester’s observers were particularly noticeable.
Being private observers, their shape and color were subtly different, easy to identify.
‘You should be watching over your avatar, Minah.’
Well, currently, Minah was busy experimenting with her abilities, so there wasn’t much to watch.
There was no main quest at the moment, and the game system had not yet support sub-quests.
The fifth main quest had to be completed before sub-quests and other features were unlocked.
“Let’s avoid detection unnecessarily. What’s the point of an ambush if observers can see it.”
Whether they heard me or not, the observers began to stealthily hide themselves.
They concealed their presence completely.
Such a feature would’ve been useful much earlier.
Akateros’s observer was nowhere to be seen.
‘Well, he’s been restricted.’
I wouldn’t be seeing his observer for a while.
The majority here were public observers.
A public observer could be rented for a certain period of time using points, a tool used when one needed an observer for any reason.
Using them to monitor players was extremely rare, but considering how many were gathered here, it appeared they were willing to sacrifice points just to watch my play.
In one sense, it was flattering, but on the other hand, it was troubling.
Being the center of gods’ attention can be quite bothersome.
‘Huh?’
Among them, I spotted one public observer that hadn’t concealed itself.
It looked like the others but there was something distinct about it.
I could feel a sticky desire and admiration in its gaze.
‘Could it be?’
My heart practically skipped a beat.
There was only one who would watch me with such a gaze.
I tried to get a better look, but by the time I stood up, the observer had long since vanished.
‘…A witch’s observer?’
While I couldn’t be certain, the feeling was unsettling.
I checked the community, but there was no sign of that ‘somebody’ who might be a god.
Well, the witch wasn’t one to chat anyway.
‘No, it can’t be.’
If she was watching me with the same gaze as before, she would already have sent an avatar request by now. Although many avatar requests were coming in, the witch’s name wasn’t among them.
“Anyway, the important thing is how to deal with those guys.”
Above the dark sky, crows dark as night flitted around.
In contrast to morning, the black crows quietly roamed the night sky, unnoticed by players.
‘Their number doesn’t compare to the Hwagok-dong branch.’
Since arriving in Juan, I realized demons’ minions were scattered everywhere here.
Dozens were sprawled around the building, and there may have been as many inside.
The number of demons’ minions belonging to ‘Heukcheonhoe’ could be in the hundreds.
Considering the ‘guild’ hadn’t been established long, it was a significant size.
At this rate, they might amass thousands of minions and confront ‘The Scene’ later on.
Although ‘The Scene’ had a much larger scale, thousands of minions could match the strength of dozens of ordinary players.
“With this number, even I would strain against a head-on confrontation…”
Not knowing how many contractors of the devil were present, I couldn’t just rush in.
By my memory, there were about five, but that information was outdated and incomplete.
Thump.
“What now?”
Something tapped my shoulder.
I didn’t need to look around to know what it was.
It was the Jester’s observer.
The Jester probably thought that I only acknowledged it as Minah’s observer.
It was just as well. Knowing just that much was better for both of us.
In any case, the observer seemed to be asking me a question.
‘Don’t you really have any way?’
‘As if.’
Admittedly, the number of enemies was large.
Entering rashly would lead to being surrounded, and all the minions in Juan would be mobilized.
It wouldn’t be easy to escape the city.
Even for someone like me, that was an option I wouldn’t want to choose.
So fighting would be postponed.
“For now, I’m going to rescue those underground.”
The document held by the regional head indicated as much.
They were using children to awaken an ‘artifact’ in the basement of the building.
Therefore, before dealing with the minions, I planned to save the children first.
The rest would come later.
***
Nearly all of my skills were currently optimized for ‘stealth.’
Noise cancellation, shadow dash, and even the black veil were all designed for covert movement.
Thus, I could say with confidence that I could move more secretly than any other player on Earth right now.
Sneaking into the base and descending underground was a trivial matter.
“Damn, that’s irritating.”
As I descended underground, I was greeted by crude swearing.
I melted into the darkness, eavesdropping on the conversation echoing from the basement.
“Hurry up, the atmosphere is off today.”
“Why did these kids die so quickly? They should’ve lasted at least two more days.”
“I don’t know. Damn it. Hwagok-dong branch is wrecked, and we might need to find some new brats.”
The conversation between the two men reached my ears.
Peeking in, they were removing children’s corpses from the cells.
‘Have I arrived too late?’
Though I came as soon as I could, it seems I was too late.
“But do we just leave them out like this?”
“Usually, Team Leader Sin Jahun takes care of this directly…”
Sin Jahun, team leader?
That was a new name to me.
Had such a person been a member of ‘Heukcheonhoe’ in my previous life?
Since I wasn’t very familiar with the demon side of things, this was particularly troublesome.
It was like trying to fit together a puzzle with many missing pieces.
‘There’s no use listening further.’
Hearing more about the children’s deaths would only worsen my mood.
I calmed myself and stepped inside the basement.
Step.
Entering the basement, I intentionally made noise with my footsteps.
The two men dragging the corpses paused, sensing the presence, and slowly turned around.
“Huh? Who’s that?”
“Don’t know the face. A newbie, perhaps?”
There was no tension in their demeanor.
Evidently, they thought I was an ally.
“Come on, lighten up. You look young.”
“Looks like they sent us a newbie since they knew we had a rough job.”
They didn’t hold an ounce of suspicion.
They fully considered me to be another minion of the devil.
I unconsciously rubbed my face with my palm.
‘Do I resemble a minion of the devil that much?’
And to be told to lighten up my face.
I thought I had been quite relaxed compared to my previous life.
“What are you standing around for? Get on with… urk!”
“What the… suddenly… ugh!”
Thud.
Before they could chat further, I dispatched them quickly.
It was a waste of time dealing with their pointless chatter.
Flick.
The Jester’s observer tapped my shoulder again.
This time, it seemed to ask if I was annoyed by the comment about my expression.
“Not at all.”
I replied shortly and then reached out to touch the children’s lifeless bodies.
Their faces were pale and bodies cold.
Clearly dead bodies.
“Something’s off.”
But something didn’t sit right with me.
The dead children’s faces were utterly serene.
‘The Mask of Sorrow consumes grief.’
Those consumed by it die steeped in sorrow until their last moment.
Peaceful expressions should have been impossible.
“Moreover, the power accumulated in the Mask of Sorrow is less than expected.”
The Mask of Sorrow was hanging on the wall inside the cell.
The power emanating from it was strong but based on the documents seen in Hwagok-dong, it should have held much more power.
At the very least, it should have been absorbing life from countless children for two weeks.
“Wait, this is…”
I spotted a small bead rolling around inside the cell.
It was an item.
Not easily found, but its effects were pronounced.
After a set duration, the bead emits a gas that renders living beings within range unconscious.
The catch is, ‘excluding monsters.’
Typically, it’s used by someone under threat from monsters, applying it on themselves. Since many monsters ignore already dead humans, it saves one from a dire situation.
Of course, creatures like goblins might desecrate even a human corpse, turning its use into an effortless suicide.
‘This item lasts for about three hours.’
For children, it could last even longer.
Simply put, these children were not dead but unconscious.
‘Who would use this?’
The intent behind its use was baffling.
Used to save the children? Would a minion or contractor of the devil entertain such a thought?
“I don’t understand.”
I could only assume it was to save the children.
Otherwise, there was no need to use this item and deceive the other minions.
“…”
I pocketed the bead.
Without understanding the purpose, my priority was to get the children out.
Only then could I bring an end to this place.
***
“Still can’t find who did it?”
“Yes, Jahun is looking hard, but no traces were left.”
“How could someone like that just appear?”
Guild Leader Kang Cheon-woo of ‘Heukcheonhoe’ was fuming inside.
His smoothly running operation had been suddenly disrupted.
“We must ask Nebiros to wait a bit longer.”
“Yes, gathering new children will take some time.”
“Sigh…”
Finding children to roam outside in the current world was difficult.
With so many people dead, the number of children had decreased.
Furthermore, outside cultivated areas, monsters were still a threat, so any sensible parent wouldn’t let a child out.
“A man in black clothes, probably another minion of the devil.”
Cheon-woo knew most contractors, but none who manipulated crows.
It was unclear why someone would control crows. Whether it was a skill that did this, or if they tamed the crows for use.
“Whatever minion or contractor, they’re no match for you, Guild Leader!”
“Of course. Except for that Jahun kid, they’re all beneath me.”
Cheon-woo laughed heartily, reminiscing about Sin Jahun.
It was fortunate that Jahun followed him.
Jahun’s strength, admired even by Nebiros, made him the hero who helped establish ‘Heukcheonhoe.’
“Speaking of Sin Jahun… is he alright?”
“Hm? What are you on about?”
“Isn’t he too strong? If he ever has a change of heart…”
“Stop that talk. Even so, Jahun thinks of me as a big brother and will never betray.”
“Do you truly believe that?”
At the man’s words, Cheon-woo fell silent.
‘Never’ was never guaranteed.
If Sin Jahun were to betray him, attacking him directly, he was doubtful of his own victory.
“What matters now isn’t that subject.”
“Yes, but you should keep it in mind.”
“Fine, but what about that player with the crows…”
Cheon-woo’s words halted abruptly.
“What happened? Why stop talking?”
“Hey, what do you make of that?”
Cheon-woo looked perturbed, a sight seldom seen.
The man became curious about what had so shocked Cheon-woo.
“Gasp.”
And he too was struck speechless.
Because outside the window, countless crows were flying towards them.
Crash! Crash!
Crows flew in through the broken windows. Not just on the top floor where Cheon-woo was, but throughout the building, crows swarmed in through the shattered glass.
“What’s going on? Why are these crows flying in all of a sudden?”
Cheon-woo was alarmed by the sudden appearance of the crows.
Yet something seemed odd.
Plenty of crows breaking into the building by smashing the glass was strange, but the ensuing behavior of the crows was also peculiar.
Crows continuously crashed against the walls and floor, desperately trying to move forward, hardly the behavior of ordinary crows.
Observing the bizarre crows, the man commented.
“Boss, there’s something stuck to the crow’s feet.”
“What?”
Cheon-woo closely inspected a crow scrabbling on the ground.
Indeed, there was something attached.
“What is this… a bomb?”
The only logical conclusion was some sort of bomb. It looked like a type meant to be attached to a wall, but instead, it was stuck to the crow’s feet.
“Bombs, did you say?!”
Cheon-woo panicked and hurried away from the crow.
He dashed toward the shattered window with full strength.
──Too late to make any difference.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
With a series of loud blasts, the ‘Heukcheonhoe’ building exploded.
Contractor Sin Jahun (1)
His base was in Juan, Incheon.
The exact location was detailed in the documents left by the regional head.
Dealing with devil-related matters always risked entangling unnecessary connections, so once again, I chose to move alone.
‘However, the number of followers tagging along is a nuisance.’
The night sky was obscured, making it difficult to see, but a considerable number of observers were stealthily trailing me.
Among them, the Jester’s observers were particularly noticeable.
Being private observers, their shape and color were subtly different, easy to identify.
‘You should be watching over your avatar, Minah.’
Well, currently, Minah was busy experimenting with her abilities, so there wasn’t much to watch.
There was no main quest at the moment, and the game system had not yet support sub-quests.
The fifth main quest had to be completed before sub-quests and other features were unlocked.
“Let’s avoid detection unnecessarily. What’s the point of an ambush if observers can see it.”
Whether they heard me or not, the observers began to stealthily hide themselves.
They concealed their presence completely.
Such a feature would’ve been useful much earlier.
Akateros’s observer was nowhere to be seen.
‘Well, he’s been restricted.’
I wouldn’t be seeing his observer for a while.
The majority here were public observers.
A public observer could be rented for a certain period of time using points, a tool used when one needed an observer for any reason.
Using them to monitor players was extremely rare, but considering how many were gathered here, it appeared they were willing to sacrifice points just to watch my play.
In one sense, it was flattering, but on the other hand, it was troubling.
Being the center of gods’ attention can be quite bothersome.
‘Huh?’
Among them, I spotted one public observer that hadn’t concealed itself.
It looked like the others but there was something distinct about it.
I could feel a sticky desire and admiration in its gaze.
‘Could it be?’
My heart practically skipped a beat.
There was only one who would watch me with such a gaze.
I tried to get a better look, but by the time I stood up, the observer had long since vanished.
‘…A witch’s observer?’
While I couldn’t be certain, the feeling was unsettling.
I checked the community, but there was no sign of that ‘somebody’ who might be a god.
Well, the witch wasn’t one to chat anyway.
‘No, it can’t be.’
If she was watching me with the same gaze as before, she would already have sent an avatar request by now. Although many avatar requests were coming in, the witch’s name wasn’t among them.
“Anyway, the important thing is how to deal with those guys.”
Above the dark sky, crows dark as night flitted around.
In contrast to morning, the black crows quietly roamed the night sky, unnoticed by players.
‘Their number doesn’t compare to the Hwagok-dong branch.’
Since arriving in Juan, I realized demons’ minions were scattered everywhere here.
Dozens were sprawled around the building, and there may have been as many inside.
The number of demons’ minions belonging to ‘Heukcheonhoe’ could be in the hundreds.
Considering the ‘guild’ hadn’t been established long, it was a significant size.
At this rate, they might amass thousands of minions and confront ‘The Scene’ later on.
Although ‘The Scene’ had a much larger scale, thousands of minions could match the strength of dozens of ordinary players.
“With this number, even I would strain against a head-on confrontation…”
Not knowing how many contractors of the devil were present, I couldn’t just rush in.
By my memory, there were about five, but that information was outdated and incomplete.
Thump.
“What now?”
Something tapped my shoulder.
I didn’t need to look around to know what it was.
It was the Jester’s observer.
The Jester probably thought that I only acknowledged it as Minah’s observer.
It was just as well. Knowing just that much was better for both of us.
In any case, the observer seemed to be asking me a question.
‘Don’t you really have any way?’
‘As if.’
Admittedly, the number of enemies was large.
Entering rashly would lead to being surrounded, and all the minions in Juan would be mobilized.
It wouldn’t be easy to escape the city.
Even for someone like me, that was an option I wouldn’t want to choose.
So fighting would be postponed.
“For now, I’m going to rescue those underground.”
The document held by the regional head indicated as much.
They were using children to awaken an ‘artifact’ in the basement of the building.
Therefore, before dealing with the minions, I planned to save the children first.
The rest would come later.
***
Nearly all of my skills were currently optimized for ‘stealth.’
Noise cancellation, shadow dash, and even the black veil were all designed for covert movement.
Thus, I could say with confidence that I could move more secretly than any other player on Earth right now.
Sneaking into the base and descending underground was a trivial matter.
“Damn, that’s irritating.”
As I descended underground, I was greeted by crude swearing.
I melted into the darkness, eavesdropping on the conversation echoing from the basement.
“Hurry up, the atmosphere is off today.”
“Why did these kids die so quickly? They should’ve lasted at least two more days.”
“I don’t know. Damn it. Hwagok-dong branch is wrecked, and we might need to find some new brats.”
The conversation between the two men reached my ears.
Peeking in, they were removing children’s corpses from the cells.
‘Have I arrived too late?’
Though I came as soon as I could, it seems I was too late.
“But do we just leave them out like this?”
“Usually, Team Leader Sin Jahun takes care of this directly…”
Sin Jahun, team leader?
That was a new name to me.
Had such a person been a member of ‘Heukcheonhoe’ in my previous life?
Since I wasn’t very familiar with the demon side of things, this was particularly troublesome.
It was like trying to fit together a puzzle with many missing pieces.
‘There’s no use listening further.’
Hearing more about the children’s deaths would only worsen my mood.
I calmed myself and stepped inside the basement.
Step.
Entering the basement, I intentionally made noise with my footsteps.
The two men dragging the corpses paused, sensing the presence, and slowly turned around.
“Huh? Who’s that?”
“Don’t know the face. A newbie, perhaps?”
There was no tension in their demeanor.
Evidently, they thought I was an ally.
“Come on, lighten up. You look young.”
“Looks like they sent us a newbie since they knew we had a rough job.”
They didn’t hold an ounce of suspicion.
They fully considered me to be another minion of the devil.
I unconsciously rubbed my face with my palm.
‘Do I resemble a minion of the devil that much?’
And to be told to lighten up my face.
I thought I had been quite relaxed compared to my previous life.
“What are you standing around for? Get on with… urk!”
“What the… suddenly… ugh!”
Thud.
Before they could chat further, I dispatched them quickly.
It was a waste of time dealing with their pointless chatter.
Flick.
The Jester’s observer tapped my shoulder again.
This time, it seemed to ask if I was annoyed by the comment about my expression.
“Not at all.”
I replied shortly and then reached out to touch the children’s lifeless bodies.
Their faces were pale and bodies cold.
Clearly dead bodies.
“Something’s off.”
But something didn’t sit right with me.
The dead children’s faces were utterly serene.
‘The Mask of Sorrow consumes grief.’
Those consumed by it die steeped in sorrow until their last moment.
Peaceful expressions should have been impossible.
“Moreover, the power accumulated in the Mask of Sorrow is less than expected.”
The Mask of Sorrow was hanging on the wall inside the cell.
The power emanating from it was strong but based on the documents seen in Hwagok-dong, it should have held much more power.
At the very least, it should have been absorbing life from countless children for two weeks.
“Wait, this is…”
I spotted a small bead rolling around inside the cell.
It was an item.
Not easily found, but its effects were pronounced.
After a set duration, the bead emits a gas that renders living beings within range unconscious.
The catch is, ‘excluding monsters.’
Typically, it’s used by someone under threat from monsters, applying it on themselves. Since many monsters ignore already dead humans, it saves one from a dire situation.
Of course, creatures like goblins might desecrate even a human corpse, turning its use into an effortless suicide.
‘This item lasts for about three hours.’
For children, it could last even longer.
Simply put, these children were not dead but unconscious.
‘Who would use this?’
The intent behind its use was baffling.
Used to save the children? Would a minion or contractor of the devil entertain such a thought?
“I don’t understand.”
I could only assume it was to save the children.
Otherwise, there was no need to use this item and deceive the other minions.
“…”
I pocketed the bead.
Without understanding the purpose, my priority was to get the children out.
Only then could I bring an end to this place.
***
“Still can’t find who did it?”
“Yes, Jahun is looking hard, but no traces were left.”
“How could someone like that just appear?”
Guild Leader Kang Cheon-woo of ‘Heukcheonhoe’ was fuming inside.
His smoothly running operation had been suddenly disrupted.
“We must ask Nebiros to wait a bit longer.”
“Yes, gathering new children will take some time.”
“Sigh…”
Finding children to roam outside in the current world was difficult.
With so many people dead, the number of children had decreased.
Furthermore, outside cultivated areas, monsters were still a threat, so any sensible parent wouldn’t let a child out.
“A man in black clothes, probably another minion of the devil.”
Cheon-woo knew most contractors, but none who manipulated crows.
It was unclear why someone would control crows. Whether it was a skill that did this, or if they tamed the crows for use.
“Whatever minion or contractor, they’re no match for you, Guild Leader!”
“Of course. Except for that Jahun kid, they’re all beneath me.”
Cheon-woo laughed heartily, reminiscing about Sin Jahun.
It was fortunate that Jahun followed him.
Jahun’s strength, admired even by Nebiros, made him the hero who helped establish ‘Heukcheonhoe.’
“Speaking of Sin Jahun… is he alright?”
“Hm? What are you on about?”
“Isn’t he too strong? If he ever has a change of heart…”
“Stop that talk. Even so, Jahun thinks of me as a big brother and will never betray.”
“Do you truly believe that?”
At the man’s words, Cheon-woo fell silent.
‘Never’ was never guaranteed.
If Sin Jahun were to betray him, attacking him directly, he was doubtful of his own victory.
“What matters now isn’t that subject.”
“Yes, but you should keep it in mind.”
“Fine, but what about that player with the crows…”
Cheon-woo’s words halted abruptly.
“What happened? Why stop talking?”
“Hey, what do you make of that?”
Cheon-woo looked perturbed, a sight seldom seen.
The man became curious about what had so shocked Cheon-woo.
“Gasp.”
And he too was struck speechless.
Because outside the window, countless crows were flying towards them.
Crash! Crash!
Crows flew in through the broken windows. Not just on the top floor where Cheon-woo was, but throughout the building, crows swarmed in through the shattered glass.
“What’s going on? Why are these crows flying in all of a sudden?”
Cheon-woo was alarmed by the sudden appearance of the crows.
Yet something seemed odd.
Plenty of crows breaking into the building by smashing the glass was strange, but the ensuing behavior of the crows was also peculiar.
Crows continuously crashed against the walls and floor, desperately trying to move forward, hardly the behavior of ordinary crows.
Observing the bizarre crows, the man commented.
“Boss, there’s something stuck to the crow’s feet.”
“What?”
Cheon-woo closely inspected a crow scrabbling on the ground.
Indeed, there was something attached.
“What is this… a bomb?”
The only logical conclusion was some sort of bomb. It looked like a type meant to be attached to a wall, but instead, it was stuck to the crow’s feet.
“Bombs, did you say?!”
Cheon-woo panicked and hurried away from the crow.
He dashed toward the shattered window with full strength.
──Too late to make any difference.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
With a series of loud blasts, the ‘Heukcheonhoe’ building exploded.
