Chapter 1120

〈 Chapter 1120 〉 1120. Extreme Resolve

Ha Seung-hui suddenly changed the meeting spot. I grumbled at her, but it didn’t even phase her a little bit. In the end, instead of our original meeting place, we agreed to meet at a small café on the outskirts of Seoul.

I walked into the store, ignoring the CLOSED sign, and made sure not to forget locking the door. Ha Seung-hi was seated deep inside where she couldn’t be seen from outside. Her long black hair and calm face still felt less human and more like a doll no matter how many times I saw her.

“Why did you suddenly change the location?”

“This place has way more charm than a pool hall, doesn’t it?”

“A pool hall has its own flavor. I wanted to have sex there.”

Meeting in ordinary hotels or motels for sex had grown tiresome. I craved unique locations to spice things up.

“Did you rent this café? How much did it cost?”

“It didn’t cost anything. I borrowed it from a friend who runs it as a hobby.”

“I don’t get it. Why did you want to meet here?”

“Ha Joon-soo, wasn’t your older brother approaching your senior? If he’s decided to step in officially, it wouldn’t be strange if either you or me were being tailed. This café is surrounded by open space, making it perfect for checking if anyone’s following us. Plus, there’s no need to worry about bugging here.”

“It looks like an ordinary café, but you say it’s safe?”

“Hmm… You should see for yourself. Follow me.”

Ha Seung-hui stood up and headed toward the café kitchen. There was a small door at the back of the kitchen. When she opened it, a wide corridor and staircase appeared. We descended the stairs, and a room came into view.

“What is this…?”

A giant TV. A plush sofa. A long table. Dim lighting—it resembled a VIP room in a club.

“A secret party spot for third-generation heirs?!”

“It’s a place friends use occasionally. Too many people take excessive interest in us just because we were born into wealthy families.”

“Perfect for sex or drug parties.”

“No men come here. Sex isn’t allowed. The best part about this place is that even top-tier psychometry ability users of A Rank can’t figure out what happened here.”

“If you think about it that way, isn’t it already too late? We’ve met elsewhere before.”

“Psychometry has various conditions. Were any of the places we met particularly special to us?”

“Not really.”

“Unless there’s attachment to an object or location, even the most skilled psychometrists can’t uncover events older than ten days.”

“So why choose this place now?”

“Because your older brother noticed something.”

“You mean Ha Joon-soo? He might have just been probing.”

“You don’t know him, Senior. That man doesn’t move unless he’s certain. Meaning, his movement indicates he’s already sure.”

“About our relationship?”

“How long are you going to joke around? You already know what your older brother is after.”

Hebil’s Catalyst.

The item I gave to Ha Seung-hui, which she’s currently studying.

If Ha Seung-hui successfully mass-produces Hebil’s Catalyst, she’ll have a high chance of securing the group’s successor position. Naturally, Ha Seung-jun, who also covets the position, wouldn’t find this pleasing.

“Has he discovered Hebil’s Catalyst?”

“He hasn’t. If he did, he’d have acted more openly by now.”

“Are we continuing our contract?”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to talk about. We need to expand the contract further…”


“Let’s get down to business.”

“……”

I glanced around the room and sat on the couch. Then I noticed it – powder stuck in the crevices.

“You said you weren’t having drug parties or anything, right?”

I scooped up some powder with my finger and shoved it toward Ha Seung-hui. She widened her eyes in panic.

“W-well, there’s no law saying this HAS to be drugs…”

“Wouldn’t it be less suspicious if we found flour or salt here instead?”

“…Sigh. This is beyond me too.”

“Seems like you don’t keep great company.”

“They’re not people I’d call close friends.”

Ha Seung-hui pulled out a contract from her bag and placed it on the table.

“A new contract? Seriously? I’m fine with our current one.”

“Our current deal isn’t something we can show others, now is it? To avoid pointless disputes later, I want to establish a proper contract with you, Senior.”

“…Did you create Hevil’s Catalyst?”

“Soon we’ll see results. Though it’s inferior compared to the original Hevil Catalyst, there’s no denying it’s still an incredible substance. The world will flip once we announce it officially.”

“HB-1 is the name for Hevil’s Catalyst?”

“I mean the replica of Hevil’s Catalyst. Now, take a look at the contract.”

“…There are so many clauses. Can you summarize?”

“We won’t transfer or sell the Original Hevil Catalyst to anyone but me. In exchange for the rights to the Original Hevil Catalyst and HB-1, I’ll pay 30 trillion won… Other than that, it’s mainly about confidentiality.”

“There’s something missing though.”

“…What is it?”

“Our relationship. This contract doesn’t mean our partnership ends, does it?”

To me, my relationship with Ha Seung-hi was more important than money.

“…To ensure your silence, I’ll continue this contract. You’re unpredictable when things go wrong, after all.”

“Haha. You know me well. Then… shall we seal the contract?”

As I reached toward her, skillfully grabbing the hem of her top to pull it off, she grabbed my wrist.

“I have a favor to ask, Senior.”

“A favor?”

“Could you guard our lab for about a week? My older brother will likely use force to steal the HB-1 data soon.”

“…So siblings are going to fight using violence?”

“My family’s a bit unusual. For special cases like this, we’re allowed one violent conflict. Of course, killing each other is forbidden between siblings, and that rule applies to employees too. So, Senior, you can’t kill any intruders at the lab.”

“Think about who our grandfather is.”

“Our grandfather is the chairman of Sejin Group… and known as ‘Monstrous Spirit,’ an S-rank Hunter.”

The path he took to build Sejin Group is infamous for its brutality. It’s easy to find rumors online about him teaming up with criminal organizations to grow his empire. Judging by Ha Seung-hui’s reaction now, those might not just be rumors.

“I’m only B-rank. It’d be better to hire reliable A-rank power.”

“Unfortunately, there’s no one I trust. My older brother has astronomical wealth and could easily buy anyone off. My network pales in comparison to his… The only Hunter I trust is you, Senior.”

“Will we be facing A-rank opponents?”

“…Yes.”

“If we can’t kill them… what about crippling them?”

“As long as they don’t die, it’s fine. Honestly, I think the chances of success are slim. If it seems like we can’t win… please destroy part of the HB-1 data. That way, I’ll still have a chance.”

“I’ll do it for you. Don’t worry.”

This is a rare opportunity to fight an A-rank Hunter without worrying about life or death, unlike Jin Se-yeong. It’s not bad from my perspective. And if things work out well for Ha Seung-hui, I’ll benefit too.

After hearing my answer, Ha Seung-hui began undressing herself. She wore pink lingerie with a split design, her bra highlighting her bright pink nipples and her panties leaving her exposed vulva clearly visible.

But that wasn’t all. She took out a cat ear headband from her bag and put it on, her face turning bright red


Goo mumbled something with his mouth and climbed onto the table, assuming a cat-like posture.

“Meow~!”

“Hahahaha. So cute, Seung-hui!”

I pulled her into my arms by grabbing her shoulders.

•••

As promised with Ha Seung-hi, I ended up guarding the research facility.

The lab was filled with state-of-the-art equipment I didn’t understand. According to Seung-hi, they were using alchemy to replicate Hevil’s catalyst, creating something called HB-1.

“And this… contains some data on HB-1.”

I fiddled with the USB in my hand. If the intruders overpower us, I’m supposed to destroy it to erase the data.

Today is the third day of my guard duty. Bored out of my mind, I idly played with my smartphone. It was somewhat fun chatting with Seung-hi before she left work, but now that everyone’s gone, it feels incredibly dull.

“Seung-hi is 100% sure Ha Junsu will send someone. Well, if she says so, then it must be true. Wish they’d hurry up and come already.”

After reading the latest webtoon, I clicked my tongue in dissatisfaction. It wasn’t good at all. The same old art style, the same old story, even the world-building lacked any originality. Honestly, it feels like subculture isn’t progressing—it’s regressing as time goes by.

“At least give us some decent female characters. None of them are interesting.”

I clicked my tongue again and searched for another webtoon.

Crack!

The fluorescent light suddenly started flickering erratically. Its light turned on and off repeatedly. I frowned deeply, glaring at the malfunctioning light.

“What the heck is this now?”

The light continued its erratic blinking like it was possessed. It was seriously irritating. Maybe I should just remove it altogether.

I climbed onto the chair and reached toward the light. The moment I touched it, the flickering ceased, and the light went out completely.

“Hello?”

A woman’s voice echoed. Then, two hands emerged from the ceiling, grabbing me by the neck. The slender fingers were surprisingly strong, their sharp nails digging into my throat. I could feel blood trickling down.

“You’re Sung Yoo-jin, right? I’ve heard a lot about you. People say you might become the next S-Rank Hunter. You’re enviable.”

“…”

I focused mana into my eyes and looked upward. Her arms extended from the ceiling, yet I couldn’t sense her presence at all.

She’s completely masking herself from my perception.

‘So, she specializes in this kind of thing.’

I grabbed her wrists and unleashed a surge of lightning. Zzzt! Her ghostly arms disappeared. Rubbing my tingling neck, I stepped down from the chair.

“Quit playing ghost and show yourself.”

“You’re bold. Even though you don’t know where I am.”

The woman’s voice echoed from all directions. There was no trace of her presence, and pinpointing her location by sound alone was impossible. Still, one thing was clear: she was hiding somewhere here.

‘When she grabbed my neck earlier… She wasn’t trying to kill me; she wanted to knock me unconscious. That means she’s not here to kill me, which fits with her being sent by Ha Junsu.’

An idea struck me on how to make her reveal herself.

I took a deep breath and moved my mana. It flowed outward from within me, stirring the air around.

Zzzt.

Blue electricity crackled at my fingertips. Swinging my arm, I scattered the current in all directions.

Yeontcheonryu (Shadow Sky Style) Ultimate Technique: Scattered Thunder.

Zzzt, Zt!

The electricity dispersed through the empty air, suppressing and scattering mana.

“What?! What is this? My mana won’t respond properly…!”

The startled woman’s voice came from behind me. I turned around. A red-haired foreign woman wearing tight clothing stared at me, her eyes darting around. On the left side of her face was an intricate tattoo. Though she could be considered pretty, her broad face ruined the look.

I immediately lunged to grab her by the neck, but she kicked off the wall and dashed through the air, landing smoothly on the ground. Her legs slowly sank into the floor as if trapped in quicksand.

“Your mana’s back to normal after a few seconds, huh? You’ve been a hunter for such a short time, yet you use unique skills?”