MRUCM 05

Chapter 05

Now it was time to have a conversation with Han Man-su.

However.

Someone needed to look after Baek Ha-yoon in the meantime.

He asked Ha-yoon for a moment’s understanding.

“Wait here for a bit. I need to call someone.”

Baek Kang-jin pulled out his smartphone from his pocket. It was the latest model that Min Seol-hui had given him.

“Hello? Baek Kang-jin-ssi?”

They answered as soon as the signal went through. It meant they had been waiting.

“Where are you?”

“I’m on standby nearby. Did something happen?”

“No, that’s not it. Just come to the playground for now.”

Less than five minutes after he hung up, a black sedan glided into view. The car door opened and Min Seol-hui stepped out.

She was still wearing her black suit. She looked around, spotted Baek Kang-jin, and ran over.

“What’s going on? Calling me so suddenly.”

“Say hello. This is my niece.”

Baek Kang-jin pointed at Ha-yoon. Min Seol-hui’s eyes went wide.

“Ah… Hello.”

“Oh, hello.”

Ha-yoon greeted her with a bewildered expression. This was Min Seol-hui, an S-rank Hunter she’d only ever seen on TV. And such an amazing person had come running within five minutes of receiving her uncle’s call?

Just who exactly was her uncle?

“I have one favor to ask.”

“Please, tell me.”

“I need to step out for a bit. Can you watch the kid for me?”

“Excuse me? Where are you going?”

At Min Seol-hui’s question, Baek Kang-jin grinned. The smile was so chilling that Min Seol-hui unconsciously swallowed dryly.

“To take out the trash.”

“……”

“To legally gain custody, I need to have a conversation with the current guardian, don’t you think?”

Baek Kang-jin’s eyes looked less like he was going for a conversation, and more like he was going to drown someone. Min Seol-hui instinctively realized.

Someone was going to have a very, very bad night.

But she had no intention of stopping him. She was a member of the Association. And the Association’s top priority was to secure Baek Kang-jin, a transcendent being, as an ally.

“Understood. I’ll keep Ha-yoon-ssi safe.”

“Thanks. I’ll be back soon.”

Baek Kang-jin patted Ha-yoon’s head once and then walked toward the apartment complex.

—

*Fwoosh—*

The front door melted away. Baek Kang-jin didn’t bother taking off his shoes as he stepped inside.

The moment he entered, the stench of alcohol hit his nostrils. Leftover chicken bones and soju bottles littered the living room floor.

“*Huuuurk…* *Zzzzz…*”

Han Man-su lay on the sofa, mouth agape, fast asleep. His carefree snoring was the picture of peace.

‘Disgusting bastard.’

Without hesitation, Baek Kang-jin raised his foot.

*Thump!*

“*Huh?!*”

His foot struck Han Man-su’s side with perfect accuracy. With a strangled cry, Han Man-su rolled off the sofa onto the floor.

“*Grrk…* Who the hell are you?!”

Han Man-su clutched his stomach, his eyes bulging. He seemed fully sober now, his eyeballs looking like they might pop out.

A shadow loomed over him. Baek Kang-jin looked down at him with an indifferent expression.

“Get up.”

“Wh-who are you?”

“Think carefully. You’ve seen my face before.”

Han Man-su stared blankly for a moment, then racked his memory.

Now that he thought about it, that face. He looked like his brother-in-law’s younger brother who had gone missing ten years ago.

“B-Baek Kang-jin?”

“So you remember.”

“You, you were alive? No, more importantly, what the hell are you doing breaking into someone’s house?!”

His anger overpowered his surprise. He sprayed spit as he shouted.

“This is trespassing! I’ll report you and you’ll be eating prison food!”

“Go ahead.”

Baek Kang-jin plopped down onto the sofa and crossed his legs.

“It won’t matter even if the cops come.”

“You crazy bastard…”

“Anyway, let’s get to the point. Hand over Ha-yoon’s custody to me.”

Han Man-su’s expression twisted.

Just as he’d expected. He knew that bastard would try to pull something to take Ha-yoon. But that was out of the question.

To him, Baek Ha-yoon was a walking ATM. The monthly government subsidies and the part-time money his niece earned were a honey pot. He couldn’t let that slip away.

“You’re out of your damn mind! I’m the guardian. For my dead sister’s sake, I can never hand her over.”

“Guardian? You mean cash cow, don’t you?”

“Watch your mouth! Do you know how much I’ve suffered raising that brat? I fed her, housed her, raised her, and this is the thanks I get!”

Han Man-su huffed and puffed. His shamelessness knew no bounds. Baek Kang-jin let out a hollow laugh.

“Brother’s life insurance payout, and the money from selling the apartment. Where did all that go?”

“I-I spent it raising the kid!”

“You didn’t blow it on gambling and stocks?”

Baek Kang-jin’s eyes narrowed. He had already looked into everything.

“You even collected my assets. Impressive. Was it fun gambling it all away?”

“Slice me open then! Or take me to court!”

Han Man-su thrust his stomach forward. He didn’t seem to know that the law was far away, but fists were near.

“Fine. You said to slice you open, so I’ll slice you open.”

Baek Kang-jin dispersed a virus. Microscopic particles entered Han Man-su’s respiratory tract.

‘*Neural ignition virus.*’

It caused absolutely no physical damage to the body. It only forcibly activated the nociceptors—pain receptors in the peripheral nervous system.

“……?”

Suddenly, Han Man-su’s pupils constricted.

“Uh… U-ah…?”

At first, it was a warm sensation.

But one second later.

That feeling transformed into being engulfed in flames.

“*AAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!*”

A scream burst out. Han Man-su rolled on the floor, clawing at his own body.

“It’s hot! Burning! My body is on fire! *AHHHHH!*”

His skin was perfectly fine. Not a single burn mark. But his brain was currently registering that his entire body was being deep-fried in a vat of boiling oil. Even the brush of his collar felt like sandpaper scraping his flesh.

“Save me! Fire! Put out the fire! *AHHHH!*”

Saliva dripped from his mouth, tears and snot mixing into a mess. His hair was disheveled from rolling around so much. Baek Kang-jin watched dryly.

“Stop exaggerating. You don’t have any actual injuries.”

“*AHHHHH!*”

“I’m just playing a little trick on your nervous system.”

Baek Kang-jin snapped his fingers.

*Click.*

As if by magic, the pain vanished. Han Man-su gasped for breath, sprawled out on the floor. His entire body was drenched in sweat.

“*Huff… huff…* Wh-what was that… just now…”

“Ready to talk now?”

Baek Kang-jin asked. Han Man-su nodded, his eyes filled with terror.

“Write a custody waiver. Right now.”

“I’ll… I’ll write it! I’ll write it!”

Han Man-su crawled to find paper and a pen. His hands trembled so violently that his writing looked like wriggling worms. In reality, writing on a piece of paper and stamping it doesn’t create legal effect. A family court ruling takes precedence.

But it didn’t matter. For now, breaking Han Man-su’s will was the priority.

“Good. Custody is settled.”

“Th-then are you leaving now?”

“Leave? Where? I still have things to do.”

“……?”

Han Man-su’s face turned ashen. Looking at him, Baek Kang-jin spoke.

“Now it’s time to settle our financial obligations.”

“Financial obligations? I’ve never borrowed money from you!”

“Brother’s insurance, apartment money, my assets. And…”

Baek Kang-jin folded his fingers one by one.

“The past eight years of Ha-yoon doing your laundry, cleaning, and cooking for you—domestic labor costs. Plus compensation for mental damages from child abuse.”

A rough calculation came to nearly a billion won.

“Pay up.”

“I-I don’t have money! I’m serious! I lost it all!”

Han Man-su whined. It wasn’t a lie. He really was penniless. His bank balance was in the negative, and he’d even taken out loans from loan sharks.

“I know. You’re a broke piece of trash.”

“Then why are you—”

“If you don’t have money, you pay with your body.”

Baek Kang-jin’s eyes glinted coldly. His goal wasn’t simply to collect money.

For the crime of squandering the inheritance left by his brother and sister-in-law.

For the crime of using his young niece as a source of income.

The price for that couldn’t be paid with money.

“Alright, shall we start again?”

“A-ah, no! Please! I was wrong!”

*Click.*

“*AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!*”

Hell began again. Han Man-su was foaming at the mouth. This time, it lasted longer.

About three minutes. He pushed him to the brink of insanity with pain alone. And then stopped.

“*Huff… huff…* Kill me… Just kill me…”

“Die? Why would you die. You have to pay back what you owe while you’re alive.”

Baek Kang-jin whispered into the ear of the curled-up Han Man-su.

“The virus remains inside your body. In a dormant state.”

“……!”

“I’ll set a condition. Deposit 2 million won into Ha-yoon’s bank account every month.”

“T-two million? How am I supposed to come up with that kind of money?”

“Do manual labor, go work on a deep-sea fishing vessel, sell your organs—figure it out yourself. But if you’re even one day late on the deposit?”

Baek Kang-jin tapped Han Man-su’s shoulder lightly. Even that light touch made Han Man-su flinch in terror.

“Then the virus will reawaken. At the same intensity of pain you just experienced.”

“……”

“For a year, or ten years—it will continue until you die. Understood? So you’d better work hard every day to pay it off, right?”

Han Man-su realized it. He had lived like a parasite his entire life. But from today onward, he had to work harder than anyone else. To escape that horrific pain.

“Answer me.”

“A-ah, I understand. I’ll do it…”

Han Man-su pressed his forehead to the floor. A liquid—whether tears or sweat—soaked the ground.

“Live diligently. So you can have the decency to face my sister-in-law.”

Baek Kang-jin turned away without a hint of regret. There was no reason to stay in this stinking house any longer.

—

At that same moment.

In the heart of Gangnam, Seoul, South Korea. A skyscraper stood tall, piercing the sky.

The Ether Tower.

The headquarters of the Korean Awakened Association and the holy ground for Hunters.

In the Association President’s office on the 100th floor, where the night view of Seoul could be seen at a glance, two men were present.

Association President Go Jin-hyeok.

And his Chief of Staff, Park Jin-young.

“Mr. President. Here’s the report.”

Park Jin-young handed over a tablet PC. On the screen were on-site photos and analysis data from the Gate incident on Teheran-ro.

—Soul Centipede eliminated

—Combat time: approximately 15 seconds

—Fatalities: 0

—Injuries: 0

—Special note: No physical impact marks. Presumed biological decomposition.

Go Jin-hyeok’s eyebrows twitched.

“A Class-7 monster melted away, you say…”

“This is the testimony of Hunter Min Seol-hui, who was on site. She said that with a single snap of his fingers, the werewolves were annihilated.”

“Magic?”

“Magical energy waves were detected, but they differ from the existing magical system. There was no incantation, no casting time. It just… happened like a natural phenomenon.”

Go Jin-hyeok rested his chin on his hand. Interesting.

“Identity confirmed?”

“Baek Kang-jin. 35 years old. A civilian who went missing 10 years ago.”

“A civilian?”

“Yes. No Awakened registration records. He appears to have returned today after being caught in a Gate and going missing.”

A returnee. Rare, but not unprecedented. However, it was the first time someone had returned with this level of individual power.

“Have we measured his rank?”

“We haven’t contacted him yet. Hunter Min Seol-hui is currently accompanying him, but bringing him to the Association… his intentions are uncertain, so we’re waiting.”

Go Jin-hyeok tapped his fingers on the desk.

“Chief Park. Do you understand what this means?”

“…We should consider him a national-level asset.”

“Yes. It seems our country has gained an SSS-rank as well.”

South Korea was an IT powerhouse with a well-established Hunter system. But it had a fatal weakness.

The lack of a transcendent being with overwhelming power.

Japan had the Sword Saint. China had the Heavenly Demon. Even the US was packed with out-of-spec monsters. They were treated as strategic weapons capable of destroying an entire nation single-handedly.

And South Korea?

They had a few S-rank Hunters, but none on that level. That’s why South Korea always had a weak voice at international Hunter Federation meetings. Gates were taken from them, and they were forced into humiliating treaties.

“But heaven has helped us.”

Go Jin-hyeok zoomed in on Baek Kang-jin’s photo on the screen.

“With this level of ability… SSS-rank is more than achievable.”

“Then…”

“We must secure him at all costs.”

Go Jin-hyeok clenched his fist.

“Before China or Japan catch wind of this, we need to secure him first. If this talent leaks overseas? I’ll retire that very day.”

“Understood. I’ll form a dedicated team immediately.”

“No. No team needed. We can’t afford mistakes.”

Go Jin-hyeok rose from his seat. He grabbed his jacket.

“I’ll go myself.”

“Sir? You’re going personally?”

“The opponent is a national-level asset. The protocol should match that. Have Hunter Min Seol-hui pinpoint his location. We’re leaving right now.”

Park Jin-young was taken aback but immediately bowed his head.

The Association President was moving personally. This was unprecedented in Korean Hunter history. It was proof of just how valuable Baek Kang-jin was.

‘Just what kind of monster is he…’

Park Jin-young hurriedly picked up his phone.

Tonight.

The landscape of South Korea was about to be completely overturned.