Chapter 71: You, Become a Spy (2)

Episode 71

—

Soon, the “Eye of Surveillance” began to descend slowly. The eyeball descended right in front of Lee Deokgu, looked at his smartphone screen, and then turned its gaze to him.

Lee Deokgu nodded with a trembling heart. He had no other options.

‘If Yang Junggeun keeps holding the reins, I’ll end up dead.’

Lee Deokgu didn’t have the confidence to beat Yang Junggeun, and he was completely ignored within the seekers team. As the preliminary round’s end time approached, if there weren’t enough people to secure the pass, it was obvious Yang Junggeun, who disliked him, would somehow incite his subordinates to kill him first.

‘But I can’t kill Yang Junggeun on my own.’

Among the people left on this island, the only one who could kill Yang Junggeun was the user of the “Eye of Surveillance,” Kim Jin-sung.

‘More than anything, I need to see Yang Junggeun dead to feel relieved.’

At first, Lee Deokgu tried to endure Yang Junggeun’s oppression. It was clearly Lee Deokgu’s fault for causing the death of many Hunter comrades early on. But at some point, Yang Junggeun began treating him like an emotional garbage can, pouring all his unpleasant words onto Lee Deokgu. Even if he was at fault, the treatment was too harsh. Lee Deokgu had long passed the limit of what he could endure.

‘I hope Kim Jin-sung understands my sincerity…’

Looking at the “Eye of Surveillance” again with a desperate heart, Lee Deokgu saw it slowly rise back to its original position.

‘…Huh?’

Suddenly, something rose from beside the window frame. Startled for a moment, Lee Deokgu looked closely at the window frame. A small black puddle had formed there. It bubbled for a moment, and then the puddle disappeared, leaving only the smartphone behind.

As soon as he saw it, Lee Deokgu realized.

‘It’s Kim Jin-sung!’

That black puddle closely resembled the Shadow Hiding skill Kim Jin-sung had used during the first preliminary round.

Lee Deokgu picked up the remaining smartphone and checked the screen. The “Hunter Code” program was activated.

‘…It’s a chat room with only two people invited.’

The smartphone provided for communication among the Hunters. However, since Yang Junggeun preferred to talk, few Hunters used the chat function. The chat room participants’ names were Lee Deokgu and another Hunter.

But Lee Deokgu knew immediately that the other was Kim Jin-sung. That Hunter was already dead.

—

Kim Jin-sung:

– Let’s talk via chat. Our calls might be eavesdropped on.

– I saw everything you went through since you returned from the east to the main base.

—

Lee Deokgu’s eyes widened as he read the messages that came up promptly.

‘Did he see us removing the Eyes of Surveillance while moving?’

If so, it meant Kim Jin-sung’s Eye of Surveillance had a wider detection range than Lee Deokgu’s radar skill.

‘He probably knows that Pung Bitgaram betrayed them.’

But he didn’t bother to ask through the chat. There was no need to ask sensitive questions when they weren’t in a perfect alliance yet. Lee Deokgu checked his surroundings with his radar skill again and then typed a message on the smartphone.

—

Lee Deokgu:

– If you saw, you must know I’m sincere now. Tell me what you need. If I can see Yang Junggeun die, I’ll do anything.

– But I’ll refuse anything too dangerous that might kill me. I don’t want to die on the same day as Yang Junggeun.

—

After leaving the lengthy message, Lee Deokgu anxiously waited for Kim Jin-sung’s reply. A few seconds later, Kim Jin-sung responded.

—

Kim Jin-sung:

– I guess you never thought Yang Junggeun might have been tormenting you on purpose.

“……?!”

Seeing the message, Lee Deokgu’s eyes wavered. On purpose?

While he was confused, more messages followed.

—

Kim Jin-sung:

– What if all of this is part of Yang Junggeun’s plan? What if his strategy was to push you towards me?

“!!”

Kim Jin-sung:

– For Yang Junggeun, nothing could be better. He could lure me in and simultaneously frame you as a traitor.

—

Reading the messages, Lee Deokgu’s eyes shook violently. He had never considered the possibility that this was all part of Yang Junggeun’s plan.

He recalled how Yang Junggeun had relentlessly tormented him. Even though the hierarchy had been established for a while and there was no need to keep him in check, why had Yang Junggeun continued to harass him?

‘If it’s true… if Yang Junggeun deliberately made me betray him, if this was his plan all along…’

His spine chilled at the thought. Lee Deokgu swallowed hard, his throat dry.

‘What should I do to survive?’

While Lee Deokgu trembled, a new message appeared in the chat.

—

Kim Jin-sung:

– There’s no need to be too alarmed. There’s a way for you to survive and pass.

—

Reading the message, Lee Deokgu quickly replied.

—

Lee Deokgu:

– What should I do?

Kim Jin-sung:

– It’s simple. Make it so that no matter what you do, Yang Junggeun can’t get rid of you.

Lee Deokgu:

– What do you mean?

Kim Jin-sung:

– Just follow my instructions from now on.

—

Lee Deokgu read through Kim Jin-sung’s messages. Then, he nodded.

It was a pretty good plan, even in his opinion.

—

* * *

**Clap Clap Clap!**

“Alright, finish up your lunch and start packing your gear!”

About 30 minutes later, Yang Junggeun, having finished his lunch, shouted loudly.

“If there are any of you who haven’t joined the new ‘Hunter Code’ channel, ask the leaders now and don’t forget to join!”

Upon discovering that Pung Bitgaram had been eavesdropping on their communications, Yang Junggeun created a new channel to eliminate any chance of other spies eavesdropping.

“If anyone uses the old channel for communication during the hunt, you’ll be dead! Got it?”

“Yes.”

“Hey, clean up my stuff too.”

Yang Junggeun spoke to Pung Bitgaram, who was moving to dispose of his lunchbox, then turned away. Pung Bitgaram looked at him with a bewildered expression.

‘Is he treating me like a subordinate just a few minutes after meeting me?’

Pung Bitgaram, unable to hide his displeasure, reluctantly cleaned up Yang Junggeun’s spot as well. Yang Junggeun, ignoring Pung Bitgaram’s look, put a cigarette in his mouth and slowly walked towards the window.

“…Huh?”

His steps suddenly stopped. He caught the sound of someone talking near the tightly closed steel door of the warehouse outside the base.

“How many times have I told you not to eat inside the warehouse…!”

With his eyes blazing, Yang Junggeun walked right up to the warehouse door. Just as he was about to open the door, he heard a familiar voice from inside.

“Hey, have a drink!”

Yang Junggeun’s face grew even more menacing. Wasn’t that Lee Deokgu’s voice?

“Thank you, hyung!”

“Wow, where did you get this whiskey?”

“How many times do I have to tell you! I found it while scavenging an abandoned house on the way here!”

“Oh, right. You said that, didn’t you? Hehehe…”

“Pfft! Is this guy already drunk?”

Listening to the conversation, Yang Junggeun quickly understood the situation.

‘The scouting team members are drinking secretly without my knowledge?!’

The voices he heard all belonged to the scouts and detection experts centered around Lee Deokgu. The problem was that all of their voices were slurred from drinking.

“What time is it? Wow, it’s already been 40 minutes. Let’s have one last drink and head out.”

“Sure. But hyung, are you using your radar skill?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll let you know immediately if I sense someone approaching!”

Having heard this much, Yang Junggeun couldn’t hold back any longer and kicked the iron door.

With a loud bang, Lee Deokgu and five Hunters, their faces flushed from drinking, looked at Yang Junggeun in shock. Yang Junggeun walked straight towards Lee Deokgu and,

Thud!

swung his fist with all his might at Lee Deokgu’s jaw. With a crashing sound, Lee Deokgu fell backwards ungracefully. Yang Junggeun then grabbed Lee Deokgu by the collar with one hand and started dragging him outside.

Thud!

“Ugh…”

Yang Junggeun threw Lee Deokgu onto the ground in front of the warehouse, then pointed angrily at the people inside.

“Don’t move a step!! After I deal with this bastard, you’re next!!”

Then, Yang Junggeun glared down at Lee Deokgu with eyes burning with fury.

“Have you lost your mind? Who told you to drink before the operation? Huh?!”

Thwack!

“Ugh! Bleugh…”

Lee Deokgu, having been kicked in the stomach, started vomiting. Yang Junggeun immediately stepped on the back of Lee Deokgu’s head with all his weight, forcing his face into the vomit.

“You bastard… Fine! This works out well. I never liked you anyway, now I can beat you up justifiably.”

Yang Junggeun rolled up his sleeves and prepared to continue the beating. Just as he was about to punch Lee Deokgu in the back of the head with all his might,

“……!”

he felt an immense surge of mana behind him and reflexively turned his head.

He saw a huge black hole forming on the warehouse floor, with black tendrils extending out and swallowing everything around the table, including the scouting team members.

“W-What?!”

“What’s going on?! Aah…!”

The drunken scouting team members were sucked into the black hole without being able to resist.

“No!!”

Yang Junggeun shouted in desperation and sprinted into the warehouse. But it was too late.

By the time he arrived, the black hole had disappeared without a trace.

“Damn it!! Noooo!!”

Yang Junggeun started throwing everything he could grab in a fit of rage. Lee Deokgu, lying on the ground, smiled slyly as he watched.

‘It worked!’

Now, only Lee Deokgu was left with scouting abilities in the Hunter team. And it seemed as if Yang Junggeun himself had left him behind.

—

At that time, the kidnapped scouting team members…

“Mmpphh!!”

“Mmph! Mmph!”

were bound in spider webs, hanging from the ceiling of a cave. As they struggled in terror, Quagmire summons approached them. Watching the frightened Hunters from a distance was none other than Kim Jin-sung.

‘Lee Deokgu followed the instructions better than I expected.’

The plan was to gather the scouting team in one place and kidnap everyone except Lee Deokgu.

‘I didn’t expect him to get caught by Yang Junggeun on purpose, but it wasn’t a bad move.’

With his last remaining “Eye of Surveillance,” Kim Jin-sung had watched as Lee Deokgu texted him, “It’s now,” just as Yang Junggeun reached the warehouse door. The timing was impeccable.

‘This fused skill is pretty good.’

Kim Jin-sung recalled the notification window about the fusion skill he had just created.

—

▶ Through skill fusion, the ‘Shadow Hiding’ skill has been equipped with the ‘Warp Hole’ skill.

– You can now use the ‘Warp Hole’ skill only while using the ‘Shadow Hiding’ skill.

– When using the ‘Warp Hole’ skill, an entrance is created immediately, and another use of the skill creates an exit at the desired location.

– The time to create the exit has been reduced to 30 seconds.

– The Warp Hole exit can be created up to 30 km away from the entrance.

▶ The ‘Warp Hole’ skill has been removed.

▶ 5,000 Beast karma points have been used as the cost for skill fusion.

▶ Remaining Beast karma points: 15

—

While the Hunter team leisurely ate lunch, Kim Jin-sung was hunting Quagmire underground without rest to earn points for the fusion skill. As a result, he successfully created an exit in the warehouse using the new fusion skill.

Using the ‘Shadow Hiding’ skill, he moved to the exit and immediately generated multiple tendrils with mana to pull the entire scouting team into the exit.

‘With the casting time reduced to about 15 seconds, it’s definitely useful for operations that require precise timing.’

Due to his ‘Demon Physique’ trait, the casting time, already reduced to 30 seconds, was further halved to 15 seconds. This allowed him to quickly create the Warp Hole exit before the scouting team could scatter outside the warehouse.

‘Now there’s only one person with detection skills left in the Hunter team: Lee Deokgu.’

And that Lee Deokgu was essentially Kim Jin-sung’s spy.

So, the Hunter team was now in a worse situation than if they had no one with detection abilities at all.