Thump. Thump. Thump.
His heartbeat pounded so loudly that anyone standing close could hear it.
“You figured it out, didn’t you? I told you—if you’ve got any evidence to lock up a criminal, bring it to me.”
Cha Eui-sung’s body visibly stiffened at the pointed remark that struck right at the core.
Lee Sang-jo, clearly savoring the reaction that was practically a confession, leaned in and blew softly into his ear.
“But you know what? I wasn’t expecting much anyway. You seemed… sentimental. When you heard your friend was a criminal, you didn’t panic. You looked more worried than scared.”
His tone was slow, almost casual—like someone who knew the upper hand was his. Lee Sang-jo tapped Eui-sung on the back, continuing with that same razor-sharp calm.
“And look at that. The second I mentioned that bastard might be lurking around, you showed up and started acting all suspicious. That’s your idea of hiding evidence? What, came to bury it before I searched your place?”
“Kh…!”
“You didn’t call anyone. Figured I left, didn’t you?”
When Cha Eui-sung quickly pulled his clenched fist into his chest, laughter burst from Lee Sang-jo again.
He giggled like he was watching a comedy skit, shaking with amusement—then suddenly stopped. His hand shot out and seized a fistful of Cha Eui-sung’s hair.
“Aaagh!”
“Damn, that’s wild. Even with your face all scrunched up, you’re still handsome.”
“Let go! The Bureau of Regulation will hear about you laying hands on a civil—ACK!”
“They won’t. But they also don’t know you’re here, do they?”
“…!”
“Pull any harder and your scalp’s gonna peel off. And if that happens, what do you think comes next, huh?”
The already-dangerous air turned deadly in an instant. The suffocating threat of death made Cha Eui-sung’s body start to tremble uncontrollably.
“You think you’d be the first to disappear without a sound?”
“N-No.”
“Then maybe you should read the room. I wouldn’t have to go this far if—oh wow, why’s your skin so soft? Must be your age.”
“N-No! Please, no!”
As if sensing his life was truly in danger, Eui-sung’s voice rose in a desperate pitch. Even in this remote spot, a scream at this hour could cause trouble. But Lee Sang-jo showed no hint of concern. He pressed down on Eui-sung’s cheek.
Like he’d anticipated it all, he stuffed a wad of cloth into the slightly parted mouth.
“I told you—I’m from the Bureau of Regulation. Think I can’t pry open one little finger?”
“Ugh! Mmgh!”
“Wanna bet how long you can hold onto it?”
“Mmgh! Mmmfff!”
“Is that a no? You don’t want to? Then answer properly.”
“Mmgh…”
“I don’t feel like getting blood all over me, so let’s just do what I say, yeah?”
Tapping Eui-sung’s cheek as a warning, Lee Sang-jo let his hand slide down his exposed neck.
Through his forcibly tilted-up vision, Eui-sung could see Lee Sang-jo baring his fangs in a wide grin. He looked truly delighted—like he was admiring the finally-submissive Cha Eui-sung.
Click!
Eui-sung couldn’t hold out any longer. He handed over the fragment he’d been gripping. The hand at his throat withdrew with unexpected gentleness.
“See? You should’ve just done that from the start. Would’ve saved yourself some pain. And I could’ve gotten home earlier, too.”
But that fragile ceasefire didn’t last.
As Lee Sang-jo inspected the item with satisfaction, a slow change crept over his expression. His smile faded.
Thud!
Without warning, he shoved Eui-sung hard, throwing him to the ground. Cha Eui-sung rolled several times over the dirt before scrambling to crawl away on all fours.
Lee Sang-jo—no longer smiling, no longer cursing—turned toward him with eyes blazing. In his hand was the broken part of the fake cam Eui-sung had tried to destroy.
“Mmgh—ptoo! The damn thing. I—haa—need it, you bastard.”
He’d bought enough time. Made enough noise. Moon Tae-young was definitely up to something in this village, and both Eui-sung and Lee Sang-jo had their eyes on this place.
If something happened here in this clearing… would Moon Tae-young notice?
Thunk!
A shard from the cam flew past and stabbed deep into the ground.
Dodging it, Eui-sung fumbled in his pocket and pulled out his phone.
But just as he hit 112, Lee Sang-jo lunged and snatched it away, twisting his arm in the process.
“Ugh!”
His neck was seized at once. The grip was tight—furious, but not yet out of control. Lee Sang-jo hadn’t completely lost his mind.
“I was gonna let this end peacefully. Guess not.”
He glanced at his wristwatch, then reached toward his belt with an ominous mutter. Was he planning to beat this insolent, pitiful civilian half to death now?
It wouldn’t be easy pretending to get hit in sync with every punch. Maybe it’d be easier just to lie down and play dead while getting stomped on.
But that thought didn’t last long.
Shnk!
Before Eui-sung could respond, a sharp pain pierced his side and he collapsed onto the dirt.
What the fuck?!
He stared in disbelief at the knife now lodged in his flank—a sleek, black dagger, plain in design. He almost rubbed his eyes, thinking he’d seen it wrong.
“Don’t pull it out. Think it hit a bone—it’s not going in clean.”
“H-Hrk, hhh…?”
“You can cry if you want, but scream and you know what happens.”
This son of a bitch…
He really stabbed someone? Here? Now?
How the hell had he been doing shit like this all along and never gotten caught? For the first time since discovering Moon Tae-young, Cha Eui-sung felt an overwhelming wave of curiosity.
How had this psycho managed to repeat this in his past life without any fallout?
Wait—did he just kill everyone? So there’d be no witnesses?
If that was true, he’d be swimming in corpses by now. No way a lone guy could cover that up without major backup.
As Eui-sung gaped in disbelief, more stunned than in pain, a sudden chime cut through the air.
Ding—!
A red screen blinked into view before his eyes, wiping away his doubts with cold finality.
[The effect of ‘The Silent Blade (A)’ has been activated.]
All information related to the owner is now protected.
—Any attempt to express this information verbally, visually, or through any other direct or indirect means is strictly prohibited.
The Silent… Blade? Oh. So that’s what it was.
***
“If you’d just done what I said from the start, none of this would’ve been necessary.”
Scrape, scrape—
“There’s no point collecting one or two half-assed pieces of evidence now. You know how annoying it is trying to push shit like that through court?”
Tap, tap! Tap!
Lee Sang-jo had been cleaning up the clearing for several minutes now—stomping over holes in the ground, scrubbing away bloodstains. He was, in his own way, quite thorough.
Cha Eui-sung lay nearby, clutching his side. Whatever the bastard was muttering, it didn’t matter. His mind was consumed with one thing: the item.
The most urgent issue for now was the injury this guy had just inflicted. As he groped around the wound, he could tell—even that short dagger had barely gone halfway in.
Hell, after panting a few times, it’d even slid out by a few centimeters. At this rate, forget pretending to be a civilian—just standing up might make the blade fall right out.
“Touched the bone,” my ass. It barely scratched the skin.
Cha Eui-sung knew his own body well. Even if the injury got a little worse, as long as it didn’t hit any bones or organs, recovery wouldn’t be a problem.
Feigning weakness, he felt around the blood trickling from the wound and quietly gripped the dagger’s handle. He took a deep breath…
And shoved the blade into himself, without a second’s hesitation.
“Ggh… haaa…!”
The sensation of cold metal slicing through flesh—no matter how many times you felt it, it always sent a chill down your spine. Even knowing it wasn’t a fatal wound, your brain couldn’t help but conjure up the image of death.
He’d made sure to avoid any vital organs, but pain was unavoidable. His pupils contracted sharply, adrenaline rushing straight to his head.
Damn it. Just as he feared, the excitement he’d been trying to suppress started boiling over again. And when that happened, the spikes in aggression and emotional volatility could get… hard to control.
It wasn’t uncommon among S-rank Awakened. When there was no real threat to their life, even pain could trigger a bizarre sense of euphoria.
The stronger the body, the more the mind spiraled. It was practically built into the system.
This is… fascinating.
No wonder things felt off. What a dirty little item.
So this is why there’d never been a single complaint or report about Lee Sang-jo’s brutal methods. None of the petty thugs he’d injured could’ve laid a finger on him.
And of course, he never needed to gather evidence himself either. Just a few slashes of the knife, and their mouths were sealed shut. The rest—friends, witnesses—probably handed everything over out of pure terror.
To think he’d been so close to dying just to learn this simple trick. And to think he once considered that maybe there was something to learn from Lee Sang-jo… The memory was so laughable he almost burst out laughing.
“Nggh…”
Or maybe he was laughing already.
Every time the pain flared from his side, a strange giggle leaked out. This wasn’t good. He wasn’t done here yet.
If he wasted all the effort he’d put in—getting stabbed and everything—it’d be a damn shame.
He had to focus. Think of something sad. Soul-crushing labor, the nursing that only left him with debt, the second life that was nothing but work, that goddamn Meteor that blew his skull open…!
He bit the inside of his cheek, forcing himself to suppress the laughter. Eventually, he managed to choke it back.
The occasional snort slipped through, but thankfully it blended in with the fake sobs well enough.
No matter how deranged Lee Sang-jo was, he wouldn’t possibly guess that Cha Eui-sung was laughing. His trembling body, the tears glistening in his eyes—it would all look like sheer terror.
If anything, the bastard would probably get a kick out of it.
The thought of that bastard savoring the sight made him resent the dagger stuck in his side even more.
That thing’s too good for him.
If Cha Eui-sung had that item, it wouldn’t take ten years to take over the Hunter Association. Hell, even back when he was just an F-rank, no matter how deep in debt he’d been, he wouldn’t have been cornered that hard.
And yet, with this precious item… this was the crap Lee Sang-jo was using it for? It was so ridiculous, the corner of his mouth twisted in disbelief.
