Evidence — Part 1
“Why, though?”
I fell into thought as I looked down at the headless corpse.
As I mentioned before, when Human Hunter gets cornered, he either makes a final desperate struggle or surrenders.
Surrender is, by far, the more common choice.
So this was unexpected.
Why would Human Hunter choose to struggle to the end?
And even go so far as to induce a mutation using a specialized drug.
Once mutated, there’s no going back to being human.
“There must be a reason.”
I searched Human Hunter’s body.
I checked his belt, the pockets of his protective suit, and the clothes he wore underneath.
All I found was a single item—a slim leather wallet.
Not even a smartphone in sight.
Instead, the wallet was crammed with an ID card, a key card, and several credit cards.
The ID caught my attention.
The face was the same, but there were multiple names.
Each key card had a name and an address written on it.
[Jongno-gu Sajik-dong A State Building B, Unit CDE]
[Kim Daesik]
Written in that manner.
Whoosh.
The flames were closing in.
The fire, which had started at the gas station, was spreading out of control.
But there was no sound of blaring alarms.
And, of course, no fire trucks rushing in.
Instead, the locals, along with some rough-looking types, were putting out the flames themselves.
“Damn it! Who’s the bastard responsible?”
“Another mess, huh.”
“Shit. We should get out of this hellhole already.”
“And go where? Unless it’s Gangnam, everywhere’s the same. The government bastards couldn’t care less about people like us.”
“Because there’s no shortage of people.”
This was clearly not a rare occurrence.
The way they handled the situation, spraying water and deploying powder bombs, was practiced and efficient.
I activated my [Stealth] trait and slipped away.
There was no good reason to cross paths with those guys.
“This really is lawless territory.”
I walked a long way east.
Only after passing Dongjak-gu and arriving in Sillim-dong did I feel at ease.
“Whew.”
Finally, I could relax.
It was nearly dawn, though the sky was still dark. There wasn’t a soul in sight along the roadside.
A pack of hungry wild dogs paused from hunting a stray cat to bark at me.
“Woof! Woof!”
More than one or two.
The wild dogs began to gather.
At least ten of them.
I must have looked like easy prey, just sitting there.
I let out a dry laugh and swapped one of my traits.
[Intimidation]
“Get lost.”
I said it in a low, menacing tone.
The effect was immediate.
“Yipe! Yipe!”
The wild dogs whimpered and fled in fear.
Watching them, I felt a renewed realization sink in.
This isn’t the world I used to live in.
A pack of wild dogs attacking people?
If that happened in my old world, it’d be all over the news.
Especially if wild dogs in Seoul looked at people like prey.
“Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue and stood up.
There was no time to waste lying around.
Human Hunter was fundamentally a contract killer.
In the game, when he targeted a player, there was always someone pulling the strings behind him.
It was no different here.
If I let my guard down, I’d end up as dog food to human predators.
Cornered and hunted by contract killers, eventually getting my head lopped off!
Now was the time to keep moving.
I pulled out the wallet I’d taken from Human Hunter.
I carefully checked each key card.
[Jongno]
[Hongdae]
[Kondae]
[Gadeok]
[Banpo]
Five places in total.
I searched the addresses on my smartphone; all of them were luxury apartments.
Each residence had a different name and identity listed.
“Five houses?”
Are these safehouses?
Just like in a spy movie.
It would make sense if he’d set up bases all over Seoul.
Easy to stock up supplies, and if things got dangerous, he could abandon one identity and escape to another place.
“Take me to Gadeok.”
I hailed a cab.
The driver, wearing sunglasses, took me to Gasan Digital Complex without a word.
I paid in cash and got out.
This place was alive with light.
It was 2 a.m., but every building was brightly lit.
Wide roads, well-maintained trees lining the streets, and not a single low-rise building in sight.
A stark contrast to nearby Daerim-dong.
“This must be it.”
The apartment I was looking for was nearby.
I went to a convenience store and bought a mask and a hat to cover my face.
I stashed everything except my pistol into a golf bag and headed inside.
The security guard was fast asleep, oblivious to my entry.
Beep!
I scanned the key card and got into the elevator.
The high-speed elevator shot up and stopped at the top floor.
Looks like a nice place.
Even a Level 1 superhuman can pull in a seven-figure salary with ease.
Human Hunter, a Level 3 contract killer, was probably raking in billions or even tens of billions of won.
Ding.
I unlocked the door with the key card and went in.
There might be an accomplice inside.
In the game, there wasn’t, but this is reality.
I gripped my pistol tightly and crept in, activating [Stealth] as I scanned the place with every bit of [Detection] and [Insight] I could muster.
A typical two-room apartment.
Clean and stylish, with a white-toned interior.
Through the large windows in the living room, I could see the city lights sparkling outside.
And the open bedroom door.
I could make out some expensive-looking furniture at a glance.
A young woman lay sprawled on the king-sized bed, blankets kicked off, her figure fully on display as she slept.
She looked young.
Early twenties, at most.
With her striking looks, she could easily pass for a celebrity.
His daughter, maybe?
Considering Human Hunter appeared to be in his fifties, it wouldn’t be strange if he had a daughter in her early twenties.
“No way.”
I scoffed inwardly.
Their relationship was obvious.
A girlfriend, of course.
Bound together by money and power.
In this world, it’s common for superhumans to keep multiple lovers.
Not that it’s any different back in my old world.
Wherever people live, things are often the same.
“Did I come to the wrong place?”
I channeled mana into my visor, maximizing my [Detection] abilities.
Nothing came up.
All I could see was the gentle rise and fall of the woman’s chest as she breathed.
Let’s think this through rationally.
Would Human Hunter stash something important in his girlfriend’s apartment?
If it were me, I definitely wouldn’t.
Some emergency cash, maybe a gun, sure.
Those are useful in a pinch.
But sensitive things like a secret ledger, client list, evidence of transactions, heavy weaponry, or magical traps?
No way.
They’re not married, nor related by blood.
In the end, they’re practically strangers.
If she’s threatened or bribed, there’s every chance she could betray him to his enemies.
I could interrogate her, but… she’s 99% likely to know nothing.
Just as I was about to turn away.
“Mm…”
The woman exhaled softly in her sleep.
Did she sense my presence?
Impossible.
I was still cloaked in [Stealth].
Unfazed, I hid behind the wall.
As expected, the woman just shifted in her sleep and muttered.
“Mmm… steak’s so tasty…”
Dreaming of steak, huh?
I counted silently to ten, then slipped out the door.
Nothing stirred behind me.
Once in the elevator, I let out a sigh of relief.
“That took ten years off my life.”
I felt the key cards in my pocket.
If this apartment was anything to go by, the others are probably similar.
Most likely, they’re places he’s set up for his lovers.
He probably visited each once or twice a week to satisfy his needs.
Could it be that his real residence is only in his memory?
“No, that’s not it.”
I was sure.
Because that’s how it worked in the game.
Whenever you looted Human Hunter’s corpse, you’d always find a key card, which would lead you to his hideout.
There, you’d uncover the equipment he used, along with clues to the real mastermind who hired him.
A world that’s similar yet different from the game.
But the core framework was almost identical, so I doubted the fundamentals had changed.
As I thought, I was right.
The last place, Banpo.
From the very atmosphere, it was clear this place was different.
As soon as I stepped in, unlike the other four places that had a faintly sweet scent, a familiar smell hit me.
The smell of gunpowder.
And… drugs.
“Bingo.”
Looks like Human Hunter had used this place to heavily modify bullets and concoct poisons and drugs using his [Alchemy] trait.
I stood in the entrance and calmly surveyed the house.
This place was much bigger than the others I’d been to.
A four-room layout, around 50 pyeong (approximately 1,800 square feet).
But it felt barren.
There was no sense of someone actually living here. Almost no furniture, no TV in the living room, just a lone sofa.
The only visible objects were piles of documents strewn about haphazardly.
“That’s just overkill.”
Did I seriously have to find evidence in this mess?
I started by checking the rooms.
The largest one was a gun workshop.
The workbench was piled high with finely ground gunpowder, magical catalysts, and empty shells.
The real prize was in the back.
A perforated wall lined with firearms.
“Impressive.”
There was a wide variety.
Pistols, submachine guns, rifles, shotguns, machine guns, sniper rifles, and more.
Even rocket launchers, grenade launchers, and portable missiles.
Several sets of protective gear, goggles, and gas masks were also lying around.
I wanted to take everything, but unfortunately, I only had two hands.
Regretfully, I settled for grabbing one set of protective gear, a sniper rifle, an assault rifle, and a few miscellaneous supplies.
“Good thing I found new gear.”
The protective suit I’d been wearing had been ruined in tonight’s battle long ago.
This would serve as a temporary replacement until Jo Chul finished crafting the magic-enhanced suit.
“Damn, this guy had a lot of money, too.”
Beside the perforated wall was a transparent storage container set up like a tower.
It was filled with yellow gemstones, all faintly radiating magical energy.
Magic traps.
The very same type Human Hunter had thrown at me when he tried to make his escape.
Earth-element magic traps—a useful tool for me as well.
After all, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as tying someone down and beating them senseless.
My golf bag was filling up fast.
Not only had I replenished all the resources I used today, but I’d gained a bunch of extra supplies.
High-grade protective gear, several guns, and even some magic traps.
Those customized bullets weren’t bad either, but…
“It’s better to stick with factory-made rounds.”
Custom bullets might boost firepower, but they also damage the gun over time.
I could cover any lack of firepower with my own traits.
Leaving the golf bag aside for a moment, I moved on to the next room.
The second room was a drug lab.
Poisonous liquids simmered in flasks, and sealed glass cylinders flickered with lights of various magical hues.
Drugs.
I wrinkled my nose, intending to just pass by, but then paused.
“A potion… could be useful, right?”
I already had traits for crafting, modification, and repair.
With only his [Alchemy] trait, Human Hunter had been able to create magic traps, modify bullets, and produce poisons and drugs.
If I acquired [Alchemy] as well, I could probably do the same.
Forget the drugs; their side effects are too severe. But taking a potion in a critical moment wouldn’t be a problem.
After all, I had used the Berserker Glasses back when I fought Park Daeyeop.
“As for poison… best not to bother with it.”
There are better options than poison.
If I were building an assassin-style skillset, maybe I’d consider it, but that’s not really my style.
“This one… and this one… and this one.”
I left the finished products alone and only took some essential ingredients.
I remembered all the crucial potion recipes from the game.
With just those, I could gain the [Alchemy] trait, which would be helpful in more ways than one.
The third room was a bedroom.
A large bed took up most of the small room.
There was nothing else in terms of furniture.
I gave it a quick glance and moved on.
Now, for the final room.
This one was set up like an office.
An entire wall was lined with high-quality wooden bookshelves.
The shelves were packed with leather-bound books with titles in Chinese characters.
In front of the bookshelves stood a polished wooden desk, a sleek laptop, and a camera mounted by the door.
I understood immediately.
This was a setup for video conferences.
Which meant…
There was probably evidence hidden on that laptop.
I reached out to grab the laptop without thinking, but suddenly, a chill ran down my spine, and cold sweat beaded on my forehead.
“What?”
The ring on my left index finger began to vibrate softly.
[Danger Sense] had triggered.
I quickly activated [Insight] and could feel it clearly now.
The moment I touched the laptop, something catastrophic would happen.
Was it booby-trapped?
But aside from the laptop, there was nothing else in the room that felt dangerous.
Even with my [Trap Detection] trait activated, I couldn’t find anything else.
After carefully inspecting every corner of the office for a long time, I reached a conclusion.
“Wow, what a sneaky bastard.”
The laptop itself was a trap.
To be precise, it was a bomb disguised as a laptop.
The moment I touched it, it would explode, taking out the entire house with it.
If not for [Danger Sense], I would’ve been toast.
Who would’ve thought he’d set up a trap and make it look like an ordinary work tool?
I took a step back, folded my arms, and glanced around the study, then cast my gaze across the messy living room and the gun workshop, drug lab, and bedroom I’d already checked.
Where could it be?
There was a trait perfect for this situation.
I activated [Track].
A trait gifted by Human Hunter himself.
A small arrow appeared in my mind.
At first, it spun around aimlessly, unable to find a direction.
Then, as I focused my mind on Human Hunter, on the evidence he must have left behind, the arrow suddenly steadied, pointing in a single direction.
The bedroom.
The room with nothing but a king-sized bed.
The arrow pointed directly at that bed.
Sure enough, there it was.
Somewhere deep inside the thick, plush mattress.
Too deep to find by feeling around. I had to tear open the mattress and reach my arm inside to find it.
My fingertips finally brushed against a small USB drive.
–TL Notes–
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