Episode 141: Ulleungdo (1)
* * *
Emilia’s elaborate cooking was well received by everyone.
Everyone enjoyed the food except for Takashi’s clone, who couldn’t eat the food for practical reasons.
In particular, Elizabeth repeatedly asked Emilia to fill her with more food.
Contrary to the expectations of other members that they might fight with each other, the two talked amicably.
However, a smiling face may not always contain a good heart.
Vincent, who is quick-witted, noticed that Emilia and Elizabeth were having a strange war of nerves.
A unique competitive spirit that wants to be at least more attractive and beautiful than the other person.
In order to hide their feelings, the two were close to acting friendly and kind.
Yu Qinghua, another female hunter, was not at all interested in this war of nerves.
Like Vincent, she seemed curious about who the owner of the hidden skill was.
Yu Qinghua said to Vincent.
“Vincent.”
“uh.”
“Is there an assassin you can pinpoint?”
“I don’t know much about Korea. “Do you know anything?”
Yu Chenghwa shrugged his shoulders in response to Vincent’s question.
For a brief moment, someone else’s face came to mind.
The man whose name I recently learned was Kang Hu.
Until Kang Dong-hyun posted all the information about Kang-hoo on the Eclipse official website.
Yu Cheong-hwa did not know Kang Hu’s pseudonym or real name.
I just remembered him as a skillful assassin who completely blocked his mental skills.
And it was only when I saw the names written on the kill list not long ago that all my doubts were answered.
I thought he was a fairly skilled assassin, and my guess was not wrong.
If he provoked Kang Dong-hyun’s anger, it was obvious even without looking at how much he made Kang-hu angry.
but.
No matter how high potential the assassin was, his hidden skills were impossible at Ganghu’s level.
As Vincent said, the hidden skill is a skill that is impossible for a ‘lucky idiot’ to acquire.
It was thought that Kanghu was not qualified to become the master of the hidden skill, which only has 77 in the world.
“I don’t know.”
Yu Qinghua shook his head.
No matter how much you think about it, he is not a strong man.
There were probably other skilled assassins in the raiding party. It’s not like there isn’t a named assassin.
Vincent groaned in frustration.
“When on earth are Jang Si-hwan and Chae Gwan-hyung coming out? “They have to cooperate to find it or not.”
Vincent was already excited.
Maybe it’s because I’ve had quite a bit of a cooling off period since the last murder?
I desperately wanted to cover my face with hot blood.
Like a pressure cooker shaking with steam rising, his desire to kill continued to stir.
* * *
Meanwhile.
Just before boarding the plane, Kang-hoo received a call from Master K and changed his destination.
After takeoff, the plane reached its normal altitude and stability began to arrive.
Kanghu was listening to a recording of his phone call with Master K.
Because the conversation was conducted so quickly and frantically before takeoff, there were some parts that were missed.
– I found out where you can ‘indirectly’ get a micro amulet with an ejection option.
– Where are you? Is it a dungeon?
– I looked around the world for a place to buy it, but there is currently nothing available for sale.
– Is there another way?
– that’s right. There is a way to make it by combining ingredients. I’m going to synthesize the core of emission into a colorless talisman.
-What should I get?
– First of all, you can obtain the emission core through my wife, so don’t worry. The colorless talisman is the problem.
– yes. Please tell me.
– I think we can go to Ulleungdo. Kim Shin-ryeong is there. You can probably buy it from that friend.
– Are you Kim Shin-ryeong?
– okay. Kim Shin-ryeong. He is a talented man who is also called an all-powerful hand. Do you know anything?
– I don’t know the details.
Kim Shin-ryeong, the all-powerful hand.
Although she is a middle-aged woman in her late 50s, she looks like someone in her 20s and has the ability to undergo surgery and remodeling.
Surprisingly, the reason she looks young is because she wears a mask that closely resembles a human face.
Making such masks was also one of her skills.
It was at a truly surprising level. Of course, there are quite a few wrinkles in the parts that cannot be disguised with a mask.
When does Kim Shin-ryeong’s name appear in the original work?
It was the time when Gong Tae-su, the butcher of Ulsan who lost his arm to Ganghu, planted a magic stone on his left arm.
At that time, the name was only briefly mentioned, but now it has become quite an important name to Kanghu.
– Anyway, it looks like the friend is resting at his villa on Ulleungdo. Come visit us sometime.
– All right. Just tell me the location and I will go there myself.
– no. I’ll send Hyungseo to Ulleungdo, so let him guide you. I will also bring my recommendation letter.
– Oh, you mean that young guy?
– okay. I’ll make sure to warn you not to be rude, so you don’t have to worry too much.
– All right. Then, let’s head straight toward Ulleungdo. Thank you for caring me.
– What about nerves? You’ll pay for everything later, so prepare plenty of money.
– of course.
– ah. And… you know? Kim Shin-ryeong says his villa is a huge trap.
– I know that.
– okay. Don’t overdo it. It’s good to take the test, but that doesn’t mean you have to open the coffin lid and go in.
As K said at the end, Kim Shin-ryeong did not easily meet people who wanted to meet her.
Usually, to meet her, you have to go to a villa that is used as a hideout.
A characteristic feature was that the road from the front gate to the villa was covered with all kinds of mazes and traps.
Even if you gave 100 billion or even 1 trillion won, a free pass was impossible. I had to pass her ‘test’.
For that reason, there were more than one hunter who died unexpectedly while trying to meet Kim Shin-ryeong.
Since they did not even collect the bodies, it was not uncommon for colleagues who came to collect them to die.
‘It’s a colorless talisman…’
It’s the first time I’ve heard this name.
What meaning does it have that gave it the name colorless amulet?
Perhaps the answer can only be found by meeting Kim Shin-ryeong. It’s time to get really nervous.
Kang-hu closed his eyes and began to recall all the memories and details about Kim Shin-ryeong that was created in the original work.
Even the smallest details should not be missed. Because we need to properly understand her personality and characteristics.
* * *
We arrived at Ulleungdo just as dusk was beginning to set.
Perhaps because I took a boat for 3 hours from Gangneung, it felt awkward to step on the ground as soon as I got off.
People with severe motion sickness often vomited even after getting off the plane, but Kanghu was insensitive in that regard.
‘It’s exactly the same as what I saw in reality.’
As Kang-hu looked at the familiar scenery, he felt a sense of warmth, as if he had returned to his hometown.
This is because when I was writing the original work, Ulleungdo was the place I occasionally visited when I wanted to live in a foreign country.
I used to stay at well-equipped guesthouses all over Ulleungdo.
At the shortest, I stayed for more than a month, and there were times when I stayed for more than a year.
Perhaps thanks to the fact that what I personally saw and felt at that time was faithfully incorporated into the description in the original work, the world was realized in the same way.
But right then.
“…?”
Kanghu tilted his head when he saw the back of someone who looked familiar.
A man walking somewhere carrying a laptop bag and a large 1L bottle of Americano.
‘Isn’t that what I look like?’
It was clearly the same clothes, attire, and behavior he wore when he stayed in Ulleungdo.
I quickly followed behind him.
What is it? Is this someone who resembles me? Or does it seem like something in vain? Is it just a coincidence?
I tried to catch up with the man who had just turned onto a side road, but before I knew it, he had disappeared.
It disappeared without a trace, as if it had never existed in the first place.
“hmm.”
Since he couldn’t see anything and couldn’t follow it, Kang-hu stopped.
It was a strange experience.
Maybe it was a momentary memory of my life before being possessed that overlapped.
It seemed like that was the way to go.
After a while.
When Hyung-seo Moon also arrived at Ulleungdo, an awkward reunion took place in front of the port.
As soon as Hyungseo Moon saw Kanghu, he bent his waist to 90 degrees and greeted him politely.
Just looking at him, he looked very polite, as if he had received a sharp warning from Master K.
Maybe it’s because, unlike before, I took down my bangs and wore casual clothes.
Hyungseo Moon appeared to be much less poisonous than usual and appeared to be gentle. I really felt like a college student.
“I will guide you right away. Forgive me for being late.”
“The time is different for each ship, so I’m sorry I’m late.”
“I should have taken the front boat and come early and looked around. Please forgive me.”
“That’s it. “Let me guide you.”
With an awkward smile and a hand gesture, Kang-hoo asked Hyung-seo Moon to go ahead.
Since it was my first time meeting Kim Shin-ryeong, I didn’t move too excitedly.
While moving.
Hyungseo Moon continued to look around and looked alert.
Although it is important to always be careful, there are times when it goes beyond that.
“What is the issue?”
“Um… it’s information that was obtained unofficially.”
“uh.”
“It appears that ten hunters living on Ulleungdo have disappeared without a trace over the past ten days. “Afterwards, there was no response to life at all.”
Kang-hu frowned slightly at Hyung-seo Moon’s words.
Ulleungdo had no public security office and no core management force, so it was virtually a place where people lived on their own.
So it was also a place with many variables.
Of course, there were many civilian residents, so there was an atmosphere in which hunters implicitly refrained from bloody conflict among themselves.
This is because if civilians get caught up in a fight between hunters and die, the Hunter Public Security Agency takes action.
The emergence of the Public Security Agency meant the emergence of the Purification Guild, so everyone ‘behaved’ well.
However, there is a disappearance issue.
If hunters continued to disappear in a concentrated form in the recent period, it could hardly be considered impulsive.
“Since there are quite a few open dungeons on Ulleungdo, hunters must come and go frequently.”
“So everyone seems to be cautious, but it seems like disappearances are happening nonetheless.”
Sigh!
Hyeongseo Moon took out the miniaturized spear, infused it with magical energy, and expanded it to its original size.
It seems that it can be shortened or expanded like the strong long spear that Kanghu has as an emergency weapon.
Of course, compared to the grade 4 strong polearm, it had a much higher level appearance.
Even at the bare minimum, it seemed to be a grade 2 long spear. If you are at the same level as Moon Hyeong-seo, this is a suitable grade.
at that time.
“for a moment.”
Kang-hoo stopped at the strange feeling he felt behind his back and at the same time grabbed Hyung-seo Moon and stopped him.
This was because a heavy and cold chill suddenly rushed in from behind.
It was a sudden, yet daunting feeling that made my whole body stiffen.
There was a guy that came to mind at that moment. Kang-hoo shouted at Hyung-seo Moon.
“damage!”