Chapter 9 · 12 min

Chapter 9

How much it hurt

The team leader of Etherix's external manpower operation team was Park Gyeong-ho, the son of Park Han-seong, Etherix's representative and owner.

Etherix was outwardly a solid mid-sized company. Its main business was manufacturing and selling diagnostic devices for various diseases or viruses.

It also concurrently operated various businesses, and recently had invested a lot in bio-tech research and was producing fairly decent results.

That was Etherix as seen from the outside, and the actual Etherix was a company that manufactured and sold simple magic props using simple ether circuits in the hidden world.

The sales itself was much larger in the outwardly shown business scale, but the hidden world side business was more important.

And Park Gyeong-ho was proceeding with various plans for Etherix to take one step further in the hidden world.

Among them, what Park Gyeong-ho regarded as most important and had approached closest to success was exactly the work proceeding here.

Park Gyeong-ho was in the laboratory on the 5th basement floor of the building, the place that was the center of that plan.

This building was not Etherix's headquarters but a building personally owned by Park Gyeong-ho, and among Etherix's various businesses, a small franchise and a few businesses making common electronic products had entered.

It was also a business Park Gyeong-ho would inherit in the future. Of course Park Gyeong-ho had no intention of being satisfied with that.

So what Park Gyeong-ho chose was exactly obtaining new power in the hidden world.

In the family they make magic props, but the possibility that that would be given to Park Gyeong-ho was high. No, it won't. Because the first son Park Gyeong-min will take that.

So what can he do. He has to pioneer anew.

He has to achieve it when he can receive help from the headquarters, that is, when his father Park Han-seong is tightly gripping everything of Etherix in his hand.

He tried all sorts of things, and each time massive funds went in, but Park Han-seong supported without a single nag.

That wasn't something he did only to Park Gyeong-ho but an opportunity given fairly to all of Park Han-seong's sons. Even to half-brothers.

Park Gyeong-ho was confident that he was ahead the most.

Anyone who saw this would regard it that way.

A huge glass tube was erected, and inside it was something in human form well over 2 meters and a bit short of 3 meters.

Countless tubes were connected to the glass tube, and through the tubes various drugs continuously flowed in. And through another tube the liquid that was inside flowed out.

The existence inside the glass tube was grotesque.

The form was a human appearance, but long sharp claws and toenails stuck out jaggedly.

There was one more eye on the forehead so there were three eyes, and the balance of the facial features was broken so the face itself was grotesque. It was an appearance as if someone had sculpted the face with clay then mashed it this way and that.

The arms and legs were similar. An appearance as if someone had carefully sculpted them then twisted and wrung them out by hand. Places were twisted, and it was dried and twisted as if wringing out moisture.

The body was also equally grotesque. As if flesh lumps had been obtained from somewhere and attached little by little. An appearance of that being mashed and flowing down then hardened.

"Section Chief Lee. What do you think was the problem this time?"

At Park Gyeong-ho's question, Section Chief Lee who was beside him answered.

"It seems they failed in the fine control of the ether mixed when culturing the flesh pieces. Shouldn't it be designed exactly matching the recovery power the skeleton has?"

"As expected, right? A werewolf is a werewolf. Even with only bones left, it's extremely picky."

"Still, isn't accumulating data like this important? Where else would we obtain a skeleton that can endure even after repeating experiments this many times?"

"That's true. The money broke to the point of making a billion-won sound but I'm very satisfied."

"Once sufficient data is obtained, it will be possible to apply well to human bones too."

"It has to. Because that's the goal we're running toward."

Park Gyeong-ho grinned.

"If only successful, we can completely overturn the landscape of this field, right?"

"Of course. Who could withstand mass-producing soldiers that contain mystery. If we just put in a bit of time, the team leader might even eat up all of this field."

Park Gyeong-ho chuckled.

"I'd like that, but that's impossible. Because there are so many monstrous guys. We have to succeed at this and pour in money and time to gather soldiers, but there are also guys who just do that with their own ability."

Section Chief Lee looked at Park Gyeong-ho with a surprised expression as if he couldn't believe it.

Park Gyeong-ho said calmly.

"This field is originally like that. Not easy. There are many variables too. So we have to do it desperately when we can. No matter what means we use."

Section Chief Lee slightly bowed his head as if understanding.

Park Gyeong-ho glanced at such Section Chief Lee and asked.

"How did the request entrusted to Obsidian turn out?"

"It's in progress. They gathered about ten toward the homeless, and they say they'll bring more from the China side to fill one hundred."

"Anyway the Management Bureau guys are too fussy. Does 200 a day make sense?"

Section Chief Lee couldn't answer and made a bitter smile.

The Management Bureau Park Gyeong-ho was talking about was a national institution under the National Intelligence Service that manages the hidden world, and the official name was the Supernatural Ability Management Bureau.

The Supernatural Ability Management Bureau prevents hidden world figures from harming ordinary people using their powers, and manages so that the dangerous power and information called supernatural ability doesn't spread outside.

The reason the compensation for Etherix's weekend side gig was set at 2 million won was also because of the Supernatural Ability Management Bureau.

"So that's why we borrow the hands of dirty guys like Obsidian, right? Isn't it?"

Section Chief Lee couldn't answer this time either. In fact, if using Obsidian the cost decreases dramatically.

Honestly the risk isn't that big either. Of course this side has to manage well.

"Anyway if we receive one hundred from Obsidian this time, there won't be occasions of struggling due to lack of ether for a while."

"Yes. We're expecting that."

"Since we don't know if that will be lacking, put in an additional request in advance at an appropriate time."

"Yes. I'll do that."

Park Gyeong-ho nodded while listening to Section Chief Lee's answer and turned his gaze back to the glass tube.

"Tsk. When did we decide to dismantle that?"

"We decided to watch for three more days, extract data, then dismantle and attach new."

"I hope there's decent results next time."

Park Gyeong-ho ended with those words, turned around and went outside. Section Chief Lee quietly followed behind him.

When the two people left, vitality finally returned to the laboratory.

There were about a dozen researchers inside the laboratory, and after Park Gyeong-ho and Section Chief Lee entered they couldn't even breathe properly and were as if dead mice.

The researchers began to move busily again.

And at that time, one eyeball suddenly popped out from the dark place on the floor.

* * *

Seo I-hyeon scratched the back of his head hard.

"Haa. Since it's been too long I forgot to put in the ear."

Eyes are materials needed when using magic that involves space. Ears or nose can also be used for space systems, but efficiency drops.

Instead ears are very useful when eavesdropping like this.

If mixing ears when making the shadow eye one can hear sound too, but now because he omitted that he had to be satisfied with seeing.

Still, he could roughly infer the content from the mouth shapes.

Well, in fact even if he couldn't hear what was said it didn't matter much. Because just by seeing the guy inside the glass tube he could know a lot.

He confirmed one word from that guy's mouth shape.

Werewolf.

So the grotesque lifeform inside that glass tube seems to be a werewolf. Or something made based on a werewolf.

The exact thing he'll have to check directly to know.

'Would I be able to know if I check directly?'

Being dull to mana is a bit inconvenient at times like this. Those sensitive in mana sense analyze patterns and find out anything quickly.

Representatively the witch was like that. Well, since the people Seo I-hyeon experienced themselves aren't many, he can't help but think based on the witch for most.

'Anyway that is a werewolf, right? It's just appropriate.'

The reason Seo I-hyeon left one arm was to make one subordinate using that.

More precisely a skeleton.

To make a skeleton quite a lot of materials are needed. That is, an intact corpse, more precisely the bones that corpse holds are needed.

Whether it holds mana or not doesn't matter. But a corpse that holds mana makes a higher quality skeleton.

An ordinary black mage would be able to raise a corpse with just that and make it into a zombie or ghoul or refine it into a skeleton.

But Seo I-hyeon is a bit different.

As known, Seo I-hyeon must use materials that came from his own body.

So to make a skeleton, he has to mix materials that came from his own body into the corpse that will be the base and use it.

If he wants to make the most excellent skeleton he can use his own corpse. But how would he do that. To do that he has to cut the neck twice.

Just thinking briefly was too terrible so he trembled his body several times.

The pain of the neck being cut is beyond imagination.

It's not simply feeling pain when the neck is cut and ending, the pain when the body is generated again is beyond whatever one imagines.

Anyway Seo I-hyeon decided to take that werewolf.

At this level it seems it will be just appropriate punishment.

'No, am I a bit at a loss? Fuck how much it hurt.'

He pulled out eyeballs and cut the arm too. Since they are the guys who made him experience that pain, even if he can't repay exactly the same he should give corresponding pain, right.

Seo I-hyeon had to suppress his anger while huffing for a while after that.

After calming the anger a bit like that, he suddenly became bored.

He can't seize the werewolf right now.

Seo I-hyeon is immortal but not invincible.

He has a body that exceeds the limits of a human, but it's only a degree that precariously crossed the boundary.

And he doesn't have much experience fighting with his body so if he actually fights there's not much he can do.

It's not that he has no combat experience, but he mostly used subordinates.

Since there were countless subordinates who fought well there was no reason to move his body directly.

Well, there weren't many occasions to fight either.

Anyway so right now charging in boldly and seizing is close to impossible.

Of course he has to go in quietly and secretly and bring it.

To do that wouldn't he have to move at night.

It's still morning.

'I have to wait until night like this?'

Seo I-hyeon stood up from his seat.

Since it's become like this, first eat lunch, and calmly make a plan nearby.

* * *

Before he knew it the sun had set. And time flowed after that and it became night.

Originally darkness should settle everywhere, but where is the city's night like that.

Lights shining from here and there brightly illuminated the night.

Seo I-hyeon was sitting by the window of a coffee shop different from the morning.

It wasn't a place where the Etherix building is visible from the front like earlier, but a seat where he could see it obliquely.

During the day he also wandered around here and there and found a park and sat on a bench while thoroughly examining the inside of the Etherix building.

Now since he has to enter inside directly, he has to plan well from the infiltration route to the escape route.

The operation was very simple.

Enter the underground laboratory, break the glass tube, put the werewolf into the shadow warehouse, then escape immediately and it's the end.

It's a simple plan, but execution is by no means simple. He will also set appropriate devices here and there for disruption, and he has to handle the remaining researchers well too.

He planned in a direction of not fighting as much as possible.

If it was after making a skeleton with the werewolf maybe, but the current Seo I-hyeon was still too weak.

There are still many people inside. And among them there will definitely be mana users.

That could be a mage or a knight.

If one or two maybe he could try somehow, but if the number increases there's no answer.

Seo I-hyeon waited a bit more. People are still leaving.

Anyway it's good to move when there are as few people as possible.

But that doesn't mean he should wait unlimitedly. He has to think about returning too.

He has to finish and return before the subway stops.

Seo I-hyeon stood up from his seat and went outside. And headed to the building next to Etherix.

Etherix has thorough access control, but the next building was not like that.

Seo I-hyeon who entered the next building went up by stairs. The goal is the 7th floor. There is one open window on the 7th floor of the Etherix building.

Seo I-hyeon who went up to the 7th floor went outside through the window. And ran toward the open window of the Etherix building.

The building interval was neither close nor far. Seo I-hyeon could easily enter inside through the window.

There was no one nearby. He had already confirmed before running. Through the shadow eye.

There was also no one who watched the process of Seo I-hyeon crossing over.

The shadow eye was not a magic that only has the function of watching something through the shadow.

The real efficacy of the shadow eye was gaze detection.

If someone looks at Seo I-hyeon he could accurately feel that gaze. When he was in the other world he confirmed that it even notices magical observation.

And not long ago he confirmed that gaze through cameras is also felt.

Like that Seo I-hyeon infiltrated the Etherix building.

Now he just has to go down to the basement.

Using the elevator would be convenient, but the risk of being caught also increases. There is also CCTV inside the elevator.

"Ah, I should cover my face."

Seo I-hyeon put his hand into the shadow and scooped up blood.

Blood filled in his hand flowed down to the floor but he didn't care. Anyway it will all go into the shadow.

Seo I-hyeon smeared the blood on his face. And recited a spell.

"Mask. Form correction. Adhesion. Block."

The blood covering Seo I-hyeon's face undulated then caught a clever form. Soon Seo I-hyeon's face shape began to change subtly.

When all the process ended, it became a completely different face.

Seo I-hyeon went down by the stairs.

Now it's time to go get the werewolf.