Gate Invasion

I don’t know how much time passed as I stood beside the guards.

Under the darkening night sky, three cars approached the abandoned factory.

A guard spotted them and moved to block their path, but I had already cast ‘Devil’s Whisper’.

“They’re with us. Don’t worry. We’ll handle security, so you can all get some rest.”

“Ah, understood. I won’t worry. I’ll get some rest.”

The guards filed into a container next to the factory, which seemed to serve as their break room.

“Guild Master!”

Park Eun-su ran up to me.

“Oh, Eun-su. You got the telepathic message I sent, right?”

“I did, but… are you really going to do this?”

“Why? We’ve done it before. Remember when Kim Hee-an suddenly went off the rails and we took over the black market? It’s the same thing. We’re just swapping out the leadership, just like last time.”

“But—”

“Look on the bright side. This place is full of nothing but dregs. They must have just been leeching off the Chinese, but now the Chinese leader is dead. And more importantly… this is the only way.”

“…I’ll do it.”

“Shall we head in, then? Se-hyuk, Hee-an, and Yoon are here. Gi-woo… didn’t make it.”

“We couldn’t reach him.”

“Well, it can’t be helped. Telepathy… Chae-woon is here, too. Is… Ahn Yu-su at Blue Forest?”

“Yes. He said he’s not suited for combat and would rather handle the cleanup at the black market.”

“Good. Let’s end this quickly. I’ll go in first. Once I’m inside, I’ll assess the situation and send a telepathic signal. Got it?”

“Yes!” “Understood!” “Yes!” “Yep.”

I stepped through the gate, and a guard inside turned to look at me.

“…You’ve arrived.”

“Yes. Ah, my porters will be coming in to carry my things. They’re allies, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Porters… I won’t, worry.”

“Thank you.”

“Yesss…”

‘Come in quietly. I told them you’re allies, so act as naturally as possible.’

One by one, the members of Narak began to appear.

I approached them and whispered.

“You know the plan, right? First, we take this place. The Chinese side is next. I’ll handle the leader here, so you all make sure no commotion breaks out. Stick close to Chae-woon and listen for my telepathic messages.”

A tense look settled on everyone’s faces.

This was the first time we were pulling off such a brazen, open takeover.

“Alright. If anyone looks suspicious, just pretend to be Chinese. It seems like they don’t know each other very well here. I’m heading in.”

“Good luck, Guild Master.” “May you fight we—”

“Quiet.”

*

I had intended to assassinate the Korean guild master—

“I-I’m sorry!”

But the moment I kicked the door open, he saw the flames and lightning wreathing my fists and quickly threw his hands in the air.

Looking closely, he was barely B-rank. How did he become a guild master?

Still, he seemed to have an impeccable grasp of his own limitations.

Tsk, what a letdown…

“Excuse me, but what is this about…?” a fawning voice emerged from his portly frame.

His eyes darted nervously over the robe I was wearing.

“We’re taking this place over.”

“What? But—”

“You know what? The owner of this robe is dead. I killed him.”

The man’s eyes went wide.

The naked women who had been surrounding him scrambled to grab their clothes and flee.

“Since it’s come to this, I figured I might as well just replace the entire leadership—”

“Please spare me!”

He immediately prostrated himself. He certainly knows his place… Is that how he climbed his way to guild master?

“Y-You’ll definitely need me.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

“From what you said, the man you killed… he had black hair and a dragon tattoo on his right arm, didn’t he?”

“That’s right.”

“Killing him—that bastard—isn’t the end of it.”

“Is that so? Your enthusiasm and attitude just saved your life. Tell me more.”

“There are three gates here connected to China, and all three have their own managers. They might be a little weaker than him, but you still need to be careful.”

He followed with a long, detailed explanation.

The elemental affinities, skills, and strengths of each manager, right down to their personal affairs. A satisfying stream of information poured out of him.

This guy… he’s too useful to kill here.

“Ah…! Thank you for seeing it that way!”

“…You haven’t heard anything, have you?”

“Pardon?”

“About the director here being dead.”

“Ah, no. To be honest, I was a bit puzzled. It’s never this quiet.”

“And you still surrendered? What if I was lying?”

“Haha… When your life is on the line, what wouldn’t you do…?”

“I suppose so. Well… he hasn’t been dead for long, and everyone probably thinks he’s just sleeping. If no one is there to wake him, it’s not strange that nobody knows.”

“There probably won’t be anyone to wake him. He throws such a tantrum if his sleep is disturbed… a tyrant, through and through. Good riddance. Haha.”

“In that case… I need to handle this as quickly as possible. I have a favor to ask.”

“…What is it?”

*

“Is something going on today?”

“Ah, Lord Tang Yuyan. The Koreans said they’re disinfecting today and will be temporarily rearranging the merchandise. They said they’ve already finished with their own cave.”

“Making a fuss over nothing.”

“Should I tell them to stop?”

“No. They’re just goods to be sold anyway. Let them do what they want, it’s just a hassle. Just supervise them appropriately.”

“Besides, those Koreans are weak. They’re probably afraid some epidemic will break out and they’ll all drop dead—”

“I heard there was a gift.”

“Ah, yes. The Director apparently captured a rather fine Transformation-type woman…”

“Hoh, Transformation-type? What does she turn into?”

“That… do you know what a Harpy is?”

“I do. The one with a human body but bird wings for arms, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“Is that so? Hmmm… I’ve never been with a Harpy. It should be a good experience.”

“But there are conditions, sir.”

“Conditions? Fine. For a Harpy, what must be done?”

“The Harpy was apparently part of a group of rather strong Awakeners.”

“…And?”

“It seems those Awakeners were trying to free the merchandise… so for now, we’re using the merchandise as hostages and have ‘escorted’ them to the prison.”

“…Do they not know? That their companion has been captured?”

“The other two were taken to the prison after the rest of their party was captured by the Director, so there was a time lag…”

“So we just need to dispose of those Awakeners?”

“Not necessarily… but that would be the best-case scenario. However, they were said to be truly strong.”

“Hah, then why would such powerful bastards meekly surrender just because we took some merchandise hostage?”

“Who knows. Human trafficking probably isn’t common in Korea, so maybe some misplaced sense of morality…”

“Hmph, don’t they do it on the sly over there too? Just in case, it would be better to attack together with Wei Jin-tao.”

“The Director is currently sleeping.”

“Is he? Well… it must have been tiring. I’ll just manage my condition until then.”

“Just in case, you must not touch the Harpy.”

“I know. Are there any new women? They all get loose so quickly after a few rounds here.”

“Well… I heard a fair-faced Korean woman with a good figure came in…”

“And?”

“It seems the Director is quite fond of her.”

“…Is that her?”

“Ah, yes. The woman wearing the Director’s robe.”

“Oho, that robe can’t hide her curves. Look at that pale skin. I’m curious about what’s underneath.”

“Lord Tang Yuyan—”

“I know, I know. I can’t have the Harpy and then go after a woman he’s already claimed. …But there’s no harm in just talking to her, right?”

“Sir?”

He approached her. Hearing his footsteps, she turned to face him.

“Oho.”

She’s truly beautiful.

His gaze drifted to the opening of the oversized robe. He could see the swell of her breasts, perfectly matching her curves.

Blood rushed to his groin.

Ah… If I was going to lose her, I should have at least met her before that bastard did. Then couldn’t I have had at least a taste?

“A pleasure to meet you. My name is Tang Yuyan.”

She looked like she didn’t understand.

Ah, right. She’s Korean.

He gestured to his translator, who came scurrying over.

“Introduce me.”

“Ah, yes. Understood.”

Korean words soon followed. She nodded as she listened, then her face lit up with an ‘ah’ of recognition.

Did Wei Jin-tao tell her about me?

She extended a porcelain-white, slender hand—a true work of art.

Ah, to have that hand on my—

“#$#@^!”

“She says, ‘A pleasure to meet you,’” the translator said.

“Ah, I see. Tell her the pleasure is all mine.”

When he looked up, he was met with her smile. In that moment, he felt his heart melt.

Fuck, how did a woman like this end up in that bastard’s arms—

A flash of murderous intent rose within him, but he suppressed it. If he let his bloodlust show and she became alarmed or uncomfortable, it would be a disaster.

…I want to be alone with her.

It was a good thing that bastard was sleeping right now; he would never let a woman like this wander around by herself.

He seemed to have marked her by giving her his robe, but… maybe I should give it a try.

I could just insist I didn’t know she was his woman, that my subordinates failed to inform me…

My subordinates would die, but would he do the same to me? Of course, I’d get a few good beatings…

She’s worth it. She’s absolutely… worth it.

…The translator is getting on my nerves. But what can I do? Our languages are different; without him, we can’t communicate at all.

I wanted to use the translator on my phone, but electronic devices didn’t work properly inside this cave. Even if they did, they malfunctioned frequently and broke easily.

I heard it worked in other gates, so why not ours?

…Should we step outside for a moment? Then I could turn on my phone and use the translator.

The closest exit was on the Korean side. Since the headquarters was built at a point equidistant from all three Chinese gates, the subsequently discovered Korean gate was actually the nearest.

Would that be better? It’s Korea, not China… Since it’s her homeland, she might feel less burdened about being alone with me.

“Relay this.”

“Ah, yes. Please speak.”

“Tell her that this place will soon be crawling with filthy people for the disinfection, so she should take a walk with me on the Korean side for a while.”

“…Sir?”

The translator looked bewildered. As a member of the headquarters staff, he must have heard the rumors.

“Hurry up!”

He flinched at my shout and finally began to translate, his eyes darting back and forth between me and the robe.

When he finished, she thought for a moment.

Then, she smiled brightly and nodded. It was an unmistakable sign of acceptance. Perfect.

“I’ll guide her from here, so you can leave. And I expect you to keep your mouth shut.”

“…Understood.”

“Well then, shall we?”

He turned to her, forcing the kindest possible smile onto his face.

*

Nice.

I was just wondering how to deal with him.

And he’s offering to be alone with me, all on his own?