Crimson Knight’s cruise ship.
In the middle of the deck, there was a swimming pool and a bar selling alcohol.
The cheerful music filled the ship thoroughly.
There were various kinds of people on the deck.
People enjoying swimming.
A man flirting with a woman.
Someone checking the time while waiting for another person.
They had all come to this neutral ground for different reasons.
Thud.
Thud.
Someone climbed up the stairs.
A new visitor.
At first, everyone thought it wasn’t anything significant.
After all, people constantly came and went.
But soon, their appearance caused panic.
“D, Dark Knight!”
“Why are you here…!”
Those with a guilty conscience quickly drew their weapons.
‘Dark Knight’ ignored them and walked past.
The ones who had drawn their weapons were restrained by the ‘Guards’ and had to put their weapons away again.
The Guards were all Awakened Ones equipped with anti-sword suits, mana coats, and rifles.
They were responsible for maintaining order onboard and defending against external threats.
“Are you kidding? How can we let a psycho like him on board?”
“He’s a guest.”
“Guest? That guy is a crazy kille—”
The one who had been about to call him “a crazy killer” suddenly stopped and shut his mouth after remembering who he was.
That description fit himself the most.
Shinnoda headed straight for the cabin.
The person he was supposed to meet according to the information wouldn’t be inside.
But a Guard stopped him.
“Dark Knight-sama. Crimson Knight-sama would like to see you once.”
After hesitating for a moment, he decided to follow.
‘Judging by the tone, he doesn’t seem to have any intention to harm. It could just be a greeting.’
Besides, this was Crimson Knight’s territory.
It wasn’t easy to defy her recklessly.
‘Dark Knight’ followed the Guard for a while until they entered a certain room.
Looking around the room, he thought.
‘Quite a lavish type.’
From the interior decoration to the furniture.
Everything was of the highest quality.
The shelf on one wall was filled with precious metals.
Shinnoda didn’t know much about characters unrelated to the Academy like Crimson Knight.
In the game, unless they were main villains, such characters were only mentioned briefly.
The story of attacking the cruise party also took place when Crimson Knight was absent.
“Well met, Dark Knight. It feels different seeing you in person.”
A beautiful woman dressed in a red silk dress that left her cleavage entirely exposed.
She was lying on an elegant leather sofa as she greeted Shinnoda.
“What do you want?”
“I thought we awakeneds could strengthen our camaraderie. I heard your mission is about finding information? That’s something you can deal with quickly. Let’s talk a bit.”
Crimson Knight tapped the sofa as if inviting him to sit.
Having no other option, Shinnoda sat opposite her.
This was Crimson Knight’s territory.
There was no need to provoke a conflict.
Close up, the woman called ‘Crimson Knight’ looked far younger than her supposed age of forty.
“Would you care for a drink?”
She filled a glass with brandy and handed it to ‘Dark Knight.’
He accepted it without refusing.
“Cheers?”
“……”
Awkwardly, they toasted and took their drinks.
Crimson Knight drained hers with one shot, while Shinnoda pretended to drink and secretly discarded it inside his robe.
The ‘Leather of the Sage’ effect prevented her from knowing whether he had actually consumed it.
‘There’s too much karma in drinking anything that came from here.’
He was well aware that he was a hated figure among villains.
Crimson Knight evaluated ‘Dark Knight’ out loud.
“You’re not A-rank, but… Is your strength and agility S-rank?”
Although inwardly surprised, she concealed it with a lascivious smile.
‘I wouldn’t win against him without buffs. He’s stronger than I expected.’
‘Dark Knight’ questioned her with his characteristic voice.
“Why ask so many things?”
In truth, this was her attempt to seize the upper hand.
Proclaiming that she was strong enough to see through his level.
“Just a thought. We S-ranks should be friends.”
Shinnoda, finding it absurd, didn’t show it on his face.
“Indeed.”
Crimson Knight moved on to the main topic.
This meeting had been arranged for this reason.
“Hey… What exactly are you? Chinese?”
The S-ranks in Korea were curious about his identity.
If she could figure it out first, it would give her an advantage in their gatherings.
“I’m Korean.”
“Huh, no way. All awakeneds in this country are under the control of our Inner Circle. If there were irregulars like you, we would know. Even prestigious academies can’t escape our influence.”
The ‘Inner Circle’ she mentioned referred to the covert alliance among S-rank awakeneds.
While they didn’t actively cooperate, they would assist each other when in danger.
The original intent had turned into nothing more than a group of entrenched powers.
Some members left, feeling disillusioned.
“If you won’t believe me, don’t ask.”
Crimson Knight took another drink of brandy, her face reddening.
“One more question. Answer honestly. You know how short my patience is?”
A palpable killing intent targeted Shinnoda.
Laura intuitively sensed impending combat and warned in advance.
[Her dispel won’t work on you.]
Crimson Knight faced ‘Dark Knight’ seriously, her eyes sharp like an eagle.
An intensity that would make an average person cower.
“Dark Knight. What is your purpose?”
“To protect the world.”
The strength left her face immediately as Crimson Knight burst out laughing.
“What? Puhahahaha! That’s ridiculous, isn’t it? Puhahah.”
“What’s so funny?”
In an instant, a dagger flew toward ‘Dark Knight’.
It was thrown by Crimson Knight.
He deflected it with his Dragon Sword.
Crimson Knight’s expression twisted.
Her beautiful face contorted into something demonic.
“Damn it. Are you playing with me? Do I look like an idiot to you?”
“I already told you not to ask if you won’t believe it.”
“Ah, you’re completely insane, aren’t you? Fine, let’s say you’re here to protect the world. But why kill villains? Isn’t that just indirect justice?”
‘Dark Knight’ paused to think for a moment.
‘I can’t explain without revealing my Succession skill.’
After a brief pondering, he made a decision.
If he couldn’t explain, that was fine.
“There’s no obligation to answer.”
“Does the world belong to you? People here just like you and act as if you’re someone. This is my territory. Do you really want to die?”
This was her home field.
They had differing abilities, she couldn’t use dispel, and a battle would likely end in one of them dying.
Even Shinnoda couldn’t guarantee victory here.
‘Dark Knight’ calmly responded.
“If we fight, one of us won’t see tomorrow. We’re both doing well right now. Do we really need to take such a risk?”
Crimson Knight had always considered herself superior to ‘Dark Knight’.
But his lack of fear unsettled her.
‘Is this guy hiding his power? How is he like this?’
The former S-rank Hunter, Crimson Knight.
Her infamy and strength were unmatched, and anyone she intimidated always cowered.
Even politicians and presidents were no exception.
Other S-ranks gave her a wide berth, treating her like a mad dog.
Yet he showed no signs of wavering whatsoever.
Moreover, what ‘Dark Knight’ suggested earlier was reminiscent of the original motto of the Inner Circle:
S-ranks should enjoy everything they can, why fight each other unnecessarily?
The younger Crimson Knight would have acted irrationally and attacked despite all this, but with age, she had become more pragmatic.
“So boring… The mood’s ruined. Get out. Cause any more trouble, and I’ll really kill you.”
Crimson Knight maintained her pride, issuing the order to leave.
Still, she had learned something important about him.
‘Dark Knight doesn’t seem to have any intention of opposing our Inner Circle.’
This much alone would suffice to make her look good at the next gathering.
‘Dark Knight’ left the room quietly without further provoking her.
*
Shinnoda exhaled deeply inside.
‘Phew, lucky. It would have been dangerous if we fought.’
He knew almost nothing about Crimson Knight’s specific abilities or strategies, as her character only had a general set-up in the game.
Even if their powers were compared, there was no need to take unnecessary risks.
‘I’ll become much stronger with time thanks to my Succession skill anyway.’
In time, he would surpass Crimson Knight in ability.
Time was on his side.
Shinnoda headed straight for the information merchant.
On the way, people in the corridor either panicked, drew their weapons, or fled upon seeing ‘Dark Knight.’
A commotion broke out wherever he moved.
‘If only I had an ability that could identify the sins of others, I’d clean everyone up whenever Crimson Knight is absent. It would be a great way to farm stats….’
But since this was also a place where non-villains came, indiscriminate attacks wouldn’t be wise.
‘Dark Knight’ could only move freely after the guards restored order.
He took the opportunity to request their guidance, which was doubly beneficial: avoiding getting lost on the complex ship and preventing further disturbances.
The guard kindly guided him.
“Here you are, Dark Knight-sama.”
“Thank you.”
The door clicked open.
‘Dark Knight’ entered.
The room resembled an office, with a desk and about three customers waiting in line.
The last customer in line turned around, his face turning pale as he screamed.
“Dark Knight! I’m not a villain!”
Others turned around, startled by the shout, and began panicking.
“Ah! Neither am I! Not an Awakened One either!”
Terrified, they all fled the room.
Only the merchant at the counter and ‘Dark Knight’ remained in the office.
They awkwardly locked eyes.
The information merchant reacted predictably.
He fell backward off his chair and begged for his life.
“S-spare me, please! I’m not the type of villain you’re imagining!”
“Are you someone who deals in information?”
“I.. it is, somewhat. But buying and selling information isn’t always bad! For example, I help find lost children or locate runaway kids… I’ve lived honorably! Please…”
Shinnoda shook his head side to side.
It seemed every single person on this cruise had something shady about them and immediately panicked and begged for their lives upon seeing him.
‘What kind of people are these, seriously?’
He took a seat opposite the information dealer.
“I’ve come to buy information.”
The merchant finally calmed his trembling body, showing an expression that he was about to cry.
“A…Ah! You’ve come for information…! Oh my, this…”
The merchant righted his fallen chair and sat.
“What kind of information are you looking for?”
“I need detailed info about biological experiment laboratories within the country. Specifically, ones dealing with ‘Designer Babies.’ I believe it was somewhere underground.”
The merchant’s eyes widened.
Surprisingly, he had obtained this information recently while researching Chinese spies.
It wasn’t his prime target, but it was relevant.
“Ho ho, irony at its finest. It feels as if this information is meant for you… Anyway, I’ve just recently acquired these details. Seems there’s an experiment using China’s Superhuman DNA samples going on somewhere.”
‘Dark Knight’ immediately realized this was the information he was seeking.
“Right, that’s it. How much?”
“How much have you brought?”
“100 million won.”
“Hm… Then all of it will do.”
The merchant asked smoothly for the entire amount.
“Are you serious? Don’t try to rip me off, or it won’t end well.”
“Ho ho. Let’s put the threats aside, sir. This is worth it. Even someone as famous as you should avoid causing trouble, right? The owner of this ship is Crimson Knight-sama.”
The merchant spoke confidently, showing no signs of the fear he had shown before.
Dealing with organized crime, villains, etc. had toughened him.
“Fine.”
“Understood. Please wait over there while I fetch the documents.”
The merchant fiddled with his computer.
A printer loudly spat out a batch of papers.
He picked them up and handed them to ‘Dark Knight’.
“Here it is.”
“Thank you. I’ll leave the money here as I go.”
Shinnoda quickly scanned the papers.
He’d review the details later but located the key point first—location.
Busan Metropolitan City.
CK Biochemical Research Institute.
‘So, it’s Busan.’
‘Dark Knight’s’ next destination was decided.
