49. The Company’s Hunting Dogs (4)

There are three more organization members upstairs. Before leaving, I should check my purchases and rewards first.

First, after killing these four lackeys who kidnapped me, I now have about 4,068 points in my possession.

On top of that, I received an additional 2,400 points as quest completion rewards.

That brings my total to 6,468 points.

This is just the right amount to purchase the Shadow Race.

“Purchase immediately.”

The Shadow Race materialized before my eyes. A fluttering piece of black silk-like fabric-that’s the Shadow Race.

When draped over the body, it automatically grafts onto the skin. It reduces your presence and increases speed when infused with magic power. Moreover, if you pour in even more magic, it can enhance physical abilities by over two times.

“Nice.”

I immediately wrapped the Shadow Race around myself. It passed through my clothes, adhered to my skin, and seamlessly grafted onto my body.

Now I’ve equipped a 4,000-point item.

I have 2,468 points left. Time to check the quest completion reward.

[Hazy Garment: A black robe. While worn, it reduces your presence and makes you less noticeable. In dark places, it dramatically diminishes your aura. When the hood is pulled up, your face becomes unrecognizable.]

“Perfect.”

I was already more adept at stealth thanks to the Shadow Race, and with this robe, I could move around like a full-blown insane assassin.

“If I save up another 8,000 points to buy the Book of Immortality…”

Flawless. Finally, let’s accept a new quest.

[Quest: Massacre 100 HP Bio researchers (0/100)]
[Reward: 5,000P, Rahma’s Solitude, Rahma’s Accelerator]

“What the hell are Rahma’s Solitude and Accelerator?”

I don’t know what they are, but since they’re offering 5,000 points, I accepted immediately. Killing 100 powerless researchers shouldn’t be too difficult.

Now that I have tools for infiltration, I just need to pick a day and wipe them all out.

“All set.”

Now everything I needed to do in this basement is finished.

I walked up the stairs and opened the door.

“Huh?”

“Wh-what the-?”

Three lackeys stared at me with bewildered expressions as the door opened.

I charged straight at them.

“Gyaaaaah!!!!”

With Regina’s axe, I severed the wrist of the closest lackey, then fired a bullet into the forehead of the one raising his gun. Finally, as the last one tried to flee, I threw a needle through his back, piercing his chest.

“Done.”

Three non-Awakened-total of 45 points. Pathetic.

But I got firearms. I’ll take what I can get.

I picked up the pistols and submachine guns they dropped and stored them in my inventory.

“They said there was a barrier artifact here.”

This was one of the many hideouts they had set up across the other world.

They even mentioned setting up a barrier to keep monsters away.

I planned to take the medium of that barrier with me.

“This must be it.”

I pulled out all four iron stakes embedded around the building. The stakes had talismans attached, supposedly preventing monster invasions.

[Spirit-Warding Iron Stakes: When placed at the four corners of a building, they form a barrier that repels evil spirits.]

Perfect for setting up a base. I’ll plant these around my own hideout, Happy Villa.

Not that I need them in the real world, but they’ll be useful in the other world. That way, the chances of monsters lurking around when I come and go will be lower.

‘I don’t know where the Gatekeeper is, but I’ve gathered some intel on the higher-ups’ general locations. And the black market’s location too.’

I’ll use this to either contact or kill the Gatekeeper.

The black market is in Paju, so I should visit when I have time.

Moreover, there are hidden entrances to the other world scattered across South Korea.

They’re Gates fixed by the Gatekeeper, thoroughly concealed so the Hunter Association wouldn’t know about them.

‘One each in Incheon and Daejeon, two in Sinan, three in Busan, and-would you believe it-five in Seoul alone.’

No wonder they always appeared so suddenly in the novel. There were just too many entry points.

And they were all being used for human trafficking and drug distribution.

I’ve memorized all their approximate locations. Not that it matters much-I can open and close Gates on my own anyway.

“Huuuuh. My happy home.”

Finally, I arrived at Happy Villa. Time to unpack and rest. I can plant the stakes tomorrow…

“Huh?”

But the closer I got to the house, the more something felt off.

“What the hell?”

Gone.

The Divine Tree Cult Leader, Numbers 1, 2, and 3, even Jin Seon-mi-all gone.

Even the frozen seal and miscellaneous items I stored in the basement-completely vanished.

“Fuck.”

While I was unconscious in the other world, someone raided the villa.

Then they looted everything-my belongings and my slaves.

“Which bastards…”

Rage boiled inside me. I was planning to rest quietly, but they had to pull this shit. My plan to turn Happy Villa into the ultimate hideout was ruined.

‘The culprit… Who the hell did this?’

Did the mutts from Pax catch the scent? Or did Osung Group intervene?

Maybe the Blue Cross Group… No. If it were them, they would’ve brutally slaughtered everyone except Number 2 and Jin Seon-mi, the only humans.

‘Even if it was Pax, it doesn’t make sense they’d clean it out this neatly. They definitely would’ve raped Jin Seon-mi-she’s busty and pretty. There’d be traces left, but there’s absolutely nothing here.’

That actually narrowed it down.

The remaining possibilities are Osung Group’s covert ops team and HP Bio’s retrieval squad.

Only those two organizations could’ve cleaned up the scene this thoroughly.

‘Where? Who touched my stuff?’

I was racking my brain when-

“Huh?”

I sensed something and twisted my body to dodge an attack.

Aiming for my back was a man in a black mask.

“Hmm. There’s more.”

No, men-plural.

They had already surrounded me.

About seven of them.

‘Seven men-must be the Seven Cleaners.’

HP Bio.

They appeared in the novel.

HP Bio has retrieval teams that kidnap anomalous creatures or Awakened for experimentation, and then there’s the Cleaners-used for evidence disposal and other dirty work.

And the Cleaners always operate in teams of seven. Though they handle evidence disposal, only the leader is usually an official Hunter.

They don’t have enough Hunters to spare for cleanup duty. The retrieval teams have more Hunters.

Anyway, these bastards were waiting for me here. They must’ve thought I was a complete idiot. Trying to capture me with mere Cleaners?

“Elena Filgrin. If you resist, we’ll cut off your limbs. Come quietly.”

The one who seemed like the leader assumed a combat stance and urged me to surrender peacefully.

“…”

I can’t open my inventory. The longer I stay near these bastards, the worse my luck and fatigue will get.

And right now, I’m exhausted.

I just want to rest.

Already pissed about all my stuff getting stolen, and now this? “Cut off my limbs if I resist”?

“Bullshit, you fucking trash.”

I charged straight at him.

HP Bio. I knew I’d crush them eventually, but I didn’t expect them to come to me first.

Now I have a perfect justification to storm their place and slaughter everyone. Killing 100 researchers would complete the quest perfectly.

Not that I needed justification-I’d have done it anyway.

“Guhhk!!?”

With instantaneous Blood Flow Acceleration, the Shadow Race’s speed boost, physical enhancement, and Stun Fist’s shockwave, the head of the man who tried to negotiate with me exploded in three seconds, splattering bone marrow everywhere.

“Shit!!”

The others attacked me simultaneously.

Dodging everything in this tight space is impossible. So I’ll just tank it. No point risking getting stabbed by some mystery spike and passing out.

“Astral Form!?”

“H-how!?”

I turned intangible, slipped past them with Darkness Stealth, and reappeared behind two of them, phasing my hands into their chests before solidifying again.

Squelch!!!!!

“Gyaaaaaah!!!!!”

A sound like muscles tearing echoed as my arms, reinforced with Scale Skin Armor for maximum durability, burst out from their chests.

A physical collision caused by two objects occupying the same space.

The harder one wins.

No way I’d lose.

Three dead in an instant. 360 points acquired.

The leader I killed first dropped 300 points. As expected, he must’ve been an official Hunter from the Hunter Academy. But surprise attacks trump all.

“Number 5! Escape and report-guhk!?”

The one giving orders had his neck sliced off by the Light Sword. A Blood Arrow pierced the back of the one trying to flee over the balcony.

That’s it. Cleaners capturing me? Not a chance. You’d need at least ten official Hunters to take me down now that I’m halfway to becoming a munchkin. But please don’t actually send ten.

Ten official Hunters would still be tough.

“Two left.”

“Tch..!”

“Crazy…”

Using over five abilities freely in an instant sent them into panic.

Astral Form nullified all their attacks, while every one of mine was lethal-no wonder they were scared.

Astral Form and Scale Skin Armor combo is just too broken.

Dodge with invincibility, then pump durability stats by jamming Scale Skin Armor into their chests-what can you do?

“One of you two gets to live. Start selling yourself.”

I’ll keep the more useful one alive for a while.

No need for both, so one dies here.