Chapter 7 (1/2)

Black Market (1)

Sitting in the back seat of the car that Secretary Kim was driving, I closed my eyes and focused my mind on the Mana core that resided within my body.

Its capabilities could not even measure Seo Jin-wook’s core.

Perhaps it was because the body was not in the awakened state yet, so [The Successor’s Eyes] did not quantify Seo Jin-wook’s Mana.

I was busy trying to pre-activate an amount of Mana while in transit.

No matter what artifacts I obtained today, I needed to spend Mana to let myself be recognized as the user.

Normal people could not activate it until they awakened, since they did not feel the Mana in their body, but I had a different situation. As I focused my mind for a long time, indeed, the expected phenomenon happened.

Wow!

I could only inwardly scream as I did not want Secretary Kim to notice.

‘Okay, it’s reacting!’

Until now, the latent Mana that had been lying dormant in the core, declaring its presence like the weight of seawater, filled in a huge aquarium and had stayed still.

But now, a tiny fraction of it had created a faint wave.

To activate latent Mana meant to draw it into an area where you could control it at your will.

Unlike Seo Jin-wook, who uncontrollably activated the Mana in a state of rampage before the possession, I got to control and activate it with an extremely focused mind.

It was all thanks to the memory of the hardship of having to practice as Choi Seung-hyun, who had a relatively small Mana like a water droplet. Perhaps it was moisture compared to Seo Jin-wook’s potential Mana that was like the ocean.

The ingredients were abundant, and the chef’s skill to handle them was indeed top of the class.

So, I succeeded in activating quite a bit of the Mana.

“Wake up, Team Leader. We’re here.”

I stopped pretending to be asleep and open my eyes. I saw an area lined with warehouses like that of Incheon Port.

Concealing my joy, I talk to Secretary Kim while stretching in an unnerved manner.

“Do you remember all the precautions?”

“For sure.”

He frowned as he began to answer.

“But, Team Leader, how did you know about a place like this?”

“Well… Firstly, it’s because I am the successor.”

Secretary Kim tilted his head but was eventually convinced.

I did not know if the Celestial Dragon Guild shared this type of information with Seo Jin-wook at this point. He hadn’t even awakened as a Hunter yet, so perhaps not.

“Okay, get this.”

Secretary Kim handed me an item from the guild warehouse.

Slop! Slop!

An opaque, colorless jelly-like thing was bouncing around slowly, one on each hand of Secretary Kim and mine.

They were called the Mask Slime. This item was captured in the dungeon.

It was an academic controversy, arguing if it was a living thing or not, to the day I lived. Of course, it was only until the days when the academic society remained to exist.

“I brought it with me because you, Team Leader, told me, but is this a must?”

I nodded.

“It is a complicated place to let your identity be known.”

Secretary Kim sighed and then spread the slime that was the size of a fist in his hand with both hands. Then, the slime began to stretch out like cellophane.

I also spread the slime that I was holding in the same way as Secretary Kim did. I pulled it out to a size covering my entire face, like a flat dough, and wrapped it over my face, like a mask pack.

Guruk!

Rumble!

Rumble!

Then, the opaque slime on my face gradually changed to a color similar to human skin. Afterwards, it started to shape the facial features of a person, completely different from my face.

It was an unpleasant sensation that I felt after a long time. This was also a reason why Secretary Kim was reluctant. If I dared to compare it, could I say that it felt like wiping your face with a cow tongue?

After waiting for a while in that manner, my face completely changed to that of a strange man.

There was a slight difference in texture when I touched it with my hand, but it was difficult to notice that it was fake if one were to look at it without touching it. There was no sense of difference in the connection between the face and neck.

I then spoke, looking at the man with sharp eyes in the mirror.

“It seemed that we have faces of people who have nothing to do with the Celestial Dragon Guild, right?”

The big-headed Secretary Kim took longer to prepare to increase the slime to the size of his face, and he couldn’t immediately answer because he was still putting it on his face.

After a while, Secretary Kim, who had transformed into another person’s face, nodded.

“Yes, I have perfectly prepared for it in advance.”

The Mask Slime had begun to reshape into the face it previously covered when used the next time.

So, if I were to take off what I was wearing now and someone else were to use it, then it will take on the shape of my face.

Of course, the guild would do something about it before putting it back into the warehouse. Things would get complicated if someone were to walk around, pretending to be the successor of the Celestial Dragon Guild.

A small office building was attached next to the four-story warehouse. I saw a shabby sign saying ‘Tae-Ju International Logistics.’

I stood in front of the office door, knocked twice, and open the door without waiting for an answer. What I could see was the interior that was so simple that it looked almost bare. A middle-aged man with a brutal wound was sitting at a desk.

He rolled his eyes as if the sight of us annoyed him.

“Who are you? How can I help you?”

I spoke in a straightforward manner. “Please give me an account.”

Then the middle-aged man’s expression subtly changed.

He double-tapped the latest device on his wrist. At the same time, a clear hologram began to float in front of us.

At the top of the screen, a large number said 30, and below was a European bank account number. I then glanced at Secretary Kim. Then he also operated the device on his wrist. And after a while, it sounded.

Ding!

As Secretary Kim nodded, I spoke to the man.

“I just deposited 3 billion won.”

Then the man guided us to the inner door without confirming. It was a door placed opposite the entrance door we entered from.

“Please wait here for a while.”

His tone had abruptly changed. We entered as he led the way.

There was a reception room with a modern and luxurious interior that was completely different from the office we had just seen before.

When Secretary Kim and I sat on an expensive-looking sofa, the man closed the door and disappeared. Secretary Kim, as only two of us were left alone, whispered in my ear.

“Have you ever come here? It’s too natural of you.”

“No… Of course, it’s my first time.”

“Hmm… It’s really weird. Anyway, how long do we have to wait here?”

“It won’t take too long.”

Probably, checking the deposit was the job of another employee than the man a while ago, so a little waiting time was inevitable.

The amount we remitted must be checked to see if it came from a third country, and if the account was untraceable to the financial authorities.

After 5 minutes or so, the door across opened, and a woman in a clean suit entered.

Nodding, she bowed to greet us. Then she lifted her head and spoke, with her eyes shining through the old-fashioned glasses, which were rare even today.

“I’m sorry to have kept our special guests waiting for a long time. I am Director Oh Jin-hwa. I will guide you inside.”

Our special guests?

This wasn’t something the people of this field of work would say. No… Was it the usual greeting in this era? Something felt unpleasant.