Chapter 131: The First Quest

Episode 131

Karen nodded after reading the quest details.

“It’s a tailor-made quest for us. And it pays well.”

_And it’s a perfect opportunity for revenge._

…Karen swallowed those words because of Cesare’s presence.

‘And it’s the perfect place to set a trap.’

Karen’s eyes gleamed slightly as he turned to Kim Jinsung and asked,

“What do you think? Since this is a quest for the two of us, your opinion is the most important, considering your exceptional skills.”

Kim Jinsung nodded without hesitation, signifying his agreement.

He might have hesitated before learning the new Internal Injury Technique from Dantalian, but now, he was confident even if the entire Nature Animal Clan came at him.

Kim Jinsung pulled out the quest document from the file and handed it to Cesare.

Cesare looked at the document, then at the two.

“Are you sure about this? You shouldn’t dismiss the rumors about Nature Animal being involved with the Triunfo Clan. Considering the circumstances, it’s more likely to be true than a mere rumor.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Karen immediately replied. His relationship with the Triunfo Clan couldn’t get any worse anyway.

Cesare, unaware of this fact, looked surprised.

“Do you know what kind of clan Triunfo is?”

“Do you think I wouldn’t know that?”

“…Huh. I guess you’ve become fearless after surviving by sheer luck…”

Cesare muttered, seemingly puzzled, then nodded.

“Do as you please. The worst that could happen is you die.”

“Thank you, Cesare.”

Cesare then turned to his monitor and started typing. He asked Karen at the same time,

“You remember the precautions when taking on a quest from ‘Adria’, right?”

“All information about the quest will be kept confidential by both parties until death. Adria is not responsible for any incidents that occur to the clients after the quest is completed.

And the reward will be deposited only after Adria’s secretly dispatched employee confirms the results.”

Cesare nodded at Karen’s fluent answer.

“You remember well. Here, take this.”

Cesare handed them a few printed documents.

The first page of the document had the title ‘Quest Contract’ written in large letters.

“You need to fill out all the blanks on this first page. Especially the account number, make sure it’s correct.”

Kim Jinsung took a pen and started filling out the contract.

Cesare asked him as he was filling out the blanks,

“When are you planning to depart? I need to dispatch an employee accordingly.”

Kim Jinsung answered immediately,

“Dawn today.”

* * *

After signing the contract, the two left Cesare’s room.

However, they didn’t return to the B15 district but booked a room on the third floor of the same building.

They planned to rest and wait until dawn instead of staying elsewhere.

“This is a pretty safe place to stay. Not as safe as the Alpha Hotel, of course.”

Karen tapped a radar installed in the corner of the room with his finger.

“These state-of-the-art surveillance radars are installed not only in this building but also from about five blocks away.

Probably only a handful of people in this city can infiltrate this surveillance network silently.”

“They should at least provide that much for charging 1 million Blanc for half a day’s stay.”

Kim Jinsung replied, laying out his equipment on the bed.

Karen chuckled.

“Again, it’s much cheaper than your life. And you’ll earn ten thousand times that amount if you succeed in this quest.”

Karen then subtly asked Kim Jinsung, who was silently checking his equipment,

“But… You’re not planning to keep all that reward money for yourself this time, are you?”

“We’ll see.”

Kim Jinsung replied briefly and started attaching the newly purchased potions to his belt one by one.

He had bought them from a potion shop near the building.

Perhaps because Adria was operating secretly, the prices were much lower than elsewhere.

“It depends on how helpful you are. If you just hide like you did in the dungeon, you won’t get a single penny.”

“…Alright. I’m going to the bathroom for a bit.”

Karen casually took his smartphone and went to the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

He turned on the faucet to create the sound of running water, sat on the toilet, and immediately turned on his smartphone.

A welcome text message had arrived.

He read the message.

– It’s Cesare. You can contact me at this number.

Karen immediately typed and sent a reply.

– As I recall, ‘Adria’ also operates as an information broker, correct?

The reply came back immediately.

– I don’t answer unnecessary questions. Get to the point.

‘So curt…’

Karen grumbled inwardly and started typing his request.

– I need Jacob’s contact information, the master of Nature Animal. The sooner, the better, but I need it by today at the latest.

Karen waited for a reply after pressing the send button.

Unlike before, it took quite a while for the reply to arrive.

– I can get it within an hour. The price is 1 billion Blanc. Payment upfront.

– I’ll deposit it right now.

After replying, he opened a banking app called ‘Super Cash’ that he had installed beforehand.

Despite being called a bank, ‘Super Cash’ was practically a loan shark.

He had opened this app because the funds he had accumulated during his time with ‘Ukobachi’ were in a ‘Super Cash’ account.

‘Please let the account be active…’

Karen typed in his ID and password with trembling hands.

His ‘Sselepoh Bank’ account, which had the most money, had been frozen by the Paladins as soon as he became a wanted criminal.

If his ‘Super Cash’ account was also frozen, he wouldn’t even be able to execute his plan.

The ‘Super Cash’ app screen changed after he successfully logged in.

Account Number: XXXX-XXXXX-XXX-XX

Balance: 2,360,885,470 Blanc

‘It’s alive!’

Karen’s face brightened.

The account opened under his real name, ‘Allen’, was still active.

‘I’m glad I set aside emergency funds just in case!’

Karen immediately pressed the ‘Transfer’ button. He was depositing 1 billion Blanc to Adria.

‘I’ll withdraw the rest after the operation is successful and I’m a free man.’

If he withdrew it now and deposited it into an account under the name ‘Karen’, Kim Jinsung might take it all again, using his life debt as an excuse.

‘…Ah, right!’

Just as he was about to transfer the 1 billion Blanc, Karen realized he had missed something and opened the messaging app again.

He started typing a message to Cesare.

– I have one more request. This needs to be done without my companion, Jin, knowing.

– Don’t worry and tell me.

Cesare replied immediately.

* * *

The sun set, and a dark night fell.

After a long time, the two started moving in a taxi.

The taxi stopped at a gas station on the outskirts of the B15 district.

The drug factory, their destination, was about 10 kilometers south of there.

Kim Jinsung and Karen got out of the taxi and ran towards the factory.

They reached the vicinity of the factory quickly due to their incredible speed.

It was 3:00 AM.

“…This is a good environment for hiding.”

Karen said quietly, looking around the factory.

There wasn’t a single streetlight around, except for the lights inside the factory.

As long as they were careful not to make any noise, it would be very difficult for anyone inside the factory to spot them.

“To enter, we need to avoid the surveillance cameras and detection radars surrounding the area.”

Karen continued, looking at his smartphone screen.

The screen displayed a detailed indoor map of the factory’s layout.

It was one of the pieces of information Cesare had provided them with after they signed the quest contract.

“The map shows that there are also radars installed on the roof of the building. Don’t even think about jumping over the walls.”

“The security room is in the basement of the factory building, right?”

Karen nodded, looking at the map, in response to Kim Jinsung’s question.

“That’s right. If we can take control of that room, we can control all the surveillance systems in the factory. But getting there is the first problem, isn’t it?”

“Wait.”

Kim Jinsung suddenly vanished from Karen’s sight like a ghost.

He had used his Stealth skill.

‘……!!’

Karen’s eyes widened.

‘What? This guy, he also has a Stealth ability…?’

While he was surprised, Kim Jinsung had already moved near the main gate.

A notification appeared before his eyes.

—

▶ Upgrading the ‘Stealth’ skill to ‘Complete Invisibility’ through skill enhancement.

▷ Complete Invisibility – From now on, the ‘Stealth Approach’ trait will be activated even if you move at 50% or less of your maximum speed while in Stealth mode.

Users in Stealth mode will no longer be detected by enemies of similar level.

▶ 10,000 Beast Karma points have been used for skill enhancement.

—

He had enhanced his Stealth skill one step further just in case.

It was definitely effective.

None of the radars reacted even though he walked all the way to the main gate.

‘As expected.’

Kim Jinsung quietly climbed over the main gate and entered the factory grounds.

After moving a good distance away from the gate, he pressed the microphone button on the earpiece he was wearing.

He had bought it before coming here for communication with Karen.

“I’m inside. I’ll head straight to the security room.”

Kim Jinsung’s words were transmitted to Karen’s earpiece.

Karen looked through his telescope towards the main gate.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t see Kim Jinsung, who was in ‘Stealth’ mode.

‘I need to be able to see him to know if he’s moving properly…’

He gave up and lowered the telescope.

‘…Wait.’

A good idea crossed his mind.

‘Shouldn’t I run away now?’

If Kim Jinsung was really heading towards the factory, which was far from the main gate, it would take him a while to notice if he ran away now.

Moreover, if he chased after him, he would have to avoid the surveillance systems like radars and the muscleheads inside the factory.

Therefore, Kim Jinsung would have to move slowly until he safely escaped the factory.

Every situation seemed to be telling Karen to run away now.

‘Then…!’

Karen slowly backed away from the factory and turned around.

Just as he was about to run with all his might and reach into his pocket,

[Freeze.]

“……!”

Karen’s movements automatically stopped at Kim Jinsung’s firm voice coming from the earpiece.

[One more step away from the factory, and I’ll consider it as you running away. You’ll pay for your life debt with your own neck.]

Karen gulped at Kim Jinsung’s chilling words.

‘…Let’s stay put.’

Kim Jinsung, who he thought would take a while to notice, seemed ready to chase after him the moment he ran away.

‘I guess I’ll have to stick to the plan… But how did he know?’

Karen was currently behind a tall wall.

In other words, it was impossible to see him from inside the factory unless someone went up to the roof.

But Kim Jinsung had seen through his actions perfectly, as if he were watching him right in front of him.

‘Is he outside the factory, watching me in Stealth mode…?’

Karen began to have other suspicions.

But his suspicions were soon dispelled by the sounds coming from the earpiece.

[…W-what?!]

[Thud!]

[Crash!]

After a brief commotion, Kim Jinsung’s voice was heard again.

[Come inside now.]

Karen obediently walked towards the factory.

He reached the main gate as slowly as possible.

None of the radars reacted until then.

‘…He really took over the security room.’

Karen climbed over the main gate and entered.

He walked cautiously, wary of any patrols.

He then tried to communicate.

“I’m inside the main gate. Where are you?”

But there was no answer.

‘Why isn’t he answering… Eek?!’

Karen almost screamed as Kim Jinsung suddenly appeared before him like a ghost.

Kim Jinsung was staring at him with a cold gaze as he stood there, startled with wide eyes.

—