Chapter 15 – A joke can be violence to someone

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Tracking down an organization called “Rabbit’s Foot” wasn’t an easy task.

More than anything, the biggest reason was the complete lack of any trace.

Not only were their motives unclear, but it was also uncertain if they even existed. The only evidence suggesting such an organization was the testimony of that strange woman who requested the job.

At least, that was the case until yesterday—until I finally found a trace of Rabbit’s Foot.

Last night, I saw a peculiar man attempting to persuade a gang of thugs without wielding any weapon—just his words alone.

Even more bizarrely, the thugs were actually listening to him seriously.

Incheon is a lawless abyss where criminals and monsters run rampant.

And yet, in this chaotic city, a seemingly powerless man was convincing thugs using nothing but rhetoric, occasionally mentioning the name “Rabbit’s Foot.”

Once he had said everything he wanted, he politely bowed and disappeared like dust. It was only logical to suspect that he was a member of Rabbit’s Foot.

I hadn’t been close enough to hear what he said, but I could always track down those thugs and find out.

As I pursued them, my skepticism toward Sung Mina—the woman who hired me—and the organization behind her grew.

It was rare for me to question my clients. Most were just passing figures in my life, and I had plenty of secrets of my own.

But this time, it seemed like one of those rare cases.

How could that woman speak with such certainty that this organization was here?

Or rather—was everything she said even true?

Once I started doubting, my suspicions spiraled endlessly.

Even if everything she said was the truth, I still had no idea how she knew that Rabbit’s Foot was in this city.

She hadn’t told me, and maybe she had reasons why she couldn’t.

What if she was a spy planted by the government to hunt me down?

…No, I doubted that. Even the most loyal government dogs would spill the truth if they had a shotgun aimed at their face.

Besides, if she were from the government, she would know exactly how many of their hounds I had put down. She wouldn’t have tried deceiving me with a flimsy lie that would be exposed in an instant.

Then again, what if the government had planned such a deception?

I knew full well that if I kept doubting like this, I would never stop.

And yet, I couldn’t shake the fear that I was cutting off the very rope that could pull me out of this hell.

If the woman had been truthful, she might see my suspicions as proof that I was unworthy of becoming part of their “family” and abandon me.

…Next time I see her, I need to demand the truth and a display of mutual trust.

I felt pathetic, unable to stop doubting even when I told myself not to.

I don’t think I used to be like this. Just how much have I deteriorated?

Mocking my own downfall, I focused back on my mission. If I wanted to keep meeting that woman, I had to complete this job first.

But when I arrived at the thugs’ hideout, all I found were dried-up corpses strewn across the ground.

Judging by their clothes, they were indeed the thugs I had been tracking.

…Were they attacked? I had never heard of a monster that could dry a human out like this.

This was Incheon, though. Nothing was too strange in a city like this.

Was this Rabbit’s Foot’s doing? If so, it made sense why they were so hard to track. Maybe they killed anyone they failed to recruit, leaving no loose ends.

If that were the case, this was bad. Losing my only lead might mean I’d never get another chance to track them.

And if they had noticed me following them, they might go into hiding.

I had to find any survivors.

Fortunately, I managed to locate one—a young boy.

Unfortunately, he was in the grasp of an unknown entity.

…Strangely enough, this being resembled Sung Mina, but their overall aura and demeanor were entirely different.

Above all, it couldn’t be her. There couldn’t be another being like me, one that could shift between human and monster.

“Let go of the boy.”

Now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. That kid was my only lead, and I had no room for hesitation.

“Are you talking to me?”

As I spoke, the entity turned its gaze on me, and my body instinctively tensed.

…Even from a mere glance, I could tell. This being was absurdly powerful—so much so that I couldn’t even begin to estimate the difference in our strength.

“…That boy is my prey. Whoever you are, I can’t let you take him.”

Still, I had no intention of backing down. This might be my last chance at a lifeline.

I couldn’t let it slip away.

“If you had asked, I might have considered it. But an order? How arrogant. Know your place, you worm.”

The entity’s glare darkened, clearly displeased.

The air itself trembled—not my imagination.

…Looks like I’m going to die at least a few dozen times today. I should demand extra payment from that woman. Or at least, more information.

“So that means you won’t let him go.”

I conjured a shadow in midair and reached into my sleeve, retrieving a hidden weapon. I was ready to fight.

Could I win?

I had no idea. But I could certainly buy time.

After all, no matter how much I wanted to die, I couldn’t.

Who would have thought I’d one day be grateful for the cursed abilities I gained from that laboratory? Then again, if not for that place, I wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with.

“If you want him, take him by force!”

How did my life come to this?

I flung the boy aside and fired my shotgun at the charging enemy, who wielded a crimson lance.

The blast should have been devastating at such close range, but the entity’s form blurred for a split second.

Before I knew it, the lance was stabbing into my back.

…Super-speed movement? Time manipulation?

I had no time to figure it out. The entity lifted me and hurled me into a concrete pillar.

Pain surged through my body, but I ignored it, summoning blades from the shadows and pulling a rifle from my coat’s darkness.

The enemy easily deflected the daggers mid-air and vanished once more before reappearing beside me, dodging my rifle shot just as effortlessly as the shotgun blast.

“Did you really think those toys could defeat me?”

The entity sneered, thrusting the lance at me again.

—Now.

I reached for the spear’s blade, summoning a shadow behind the enemy’s head.

The lance passed harmlessly through me—only to emerge from the shadow, aiming directly at the enemy’s skull.

But just before impact, the entity casually tilted its head, avoiding it.

“How adorable. That’s your trick, is it?”

Pulling the lance free, the entity swung it like a bat, sending me flying.

The impact shattered the pillar behind me.

Before I could recover, the entity grabbed my head and gripped my “boundary.”

“I see… You’re more like a hole in space than a being. Fascinating.”

…So the difference in power really was insurmountable.

I hadn’t expected them to figure out my ability so quickly.

“You… monster…”

I muttered sincerely.

“If anything, you’re more of a monster than I am.”

That… might be true.

After all, my ability made my body nothing more than a gateway to a void.

I was darkness incarnate.

“You know you can’t win, right?”

The monster shook my boundary lightly while mocking me, as if asking if I was seriously trying to win.

“There are times when you know you can’t win, but you have no choice but to fight.”

“Hoh, for something that looks like a monster, you’ve got some decent words. Are you really a monster? With how you speak, I thought you were human.”

The monster spoke casually, as though it had seen right through me.

At least, it was fortunate that this was the emotionless face of the monster.

If it were a human face, I would’ve been caught immediately.

“Well, whatever you are doesn’t matter.”

The monster said this, then threw me right in front of the boy.

“I don’t like that impudence of challenging the strong when you’re weak… but I don’t mind the desperate resolve, even if you know the difference in power.”

After a brief groan of pain, the monster turned and began walking somewhere, step by step.

“I’ll see you again, unnamed soot. I expect you to entertain me more next time. For now, I’ll let you go.”

…Just like that, it’s leaving? Suddenly?

I stood there, dumbfounded by the monster’s incomprehensible behavior, before quickly securing the boy.

He had fainted, but he was unharmed.

“Wait, just who are you…!”

But the mysterious monster had already disappeared without a trace.

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