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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Silverriver
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The Thousand Tigers Gang.
One of the three major forces controlling the Chinese underworld.
With the overall power level elevated due to Returnees, criminal organizations were naturally obsessed with recruiting them.
This was especially true in South Korea and China, where strict government regulations on abilities drove many Returnees seeking wealth and power into the underworld. The tight regulations intended to ensure public order had ironically backfired.
Therefore,
Even though it was merely an overseas branch, the Incheon branch of the Thousand Tigers Gang was filled with formidable individuals.
The gatekeeper guarding the front entrance was no exception.
“Hmm.”
The gatekeeper on duty that day was Wang Chen.
His long, flowing hair and beard, along with his ornate dobok that looked as if it had been taken from a movie set, clearly displayed what kind of world he had returned from and how much pride he took in his past.
Standing guard for extended periods could be tedious, but Wang Chen showed no signs of weariness. With hawk-like eyes, he scanned every passerby, looking for anything suspicious.
“Hm?”
Then, his radar went off.
A man was approaching from afar, walking straight towards him.
At first, seeing the man’s unkempt hair and scruffy beard, Wang Chen assumed he was a beggar coming to ask for alms.
However, the man’s gait was too confident. His eyes were fixed on Wang Chen. He clearly had a purpose.
‘He doesn’t look that strong.’
Wang Chen sensed the man’s internal energy. It was there, but nothing impressive. Not even worthy of being called first-rate. He seemed to be someone who had luckily learned some martial arts after stumbling upon a discarded manual.
“Stop. Don’t come any closer.”
But Wang Chen didn’t lower his guard. There was a saying in the martial world: Beware of the elderly and the children.
In other words, complacency was a dangerous thing. The seemingly unremarkable man continued to approach, ignoring Wang Chen’s warning.
“What’s your business? If you try anything funny, I’ll cut you down.”
Wang Chen placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. He remained vigilant. But the man’s unassuming appearance lulled Wang Chen into a false sense of security.
“This is your last warning. If you don’t retreat-”
“Quite the gentleman for a criminal organization. You’d give a hotel receptionist a run for their money.”
“Gah!!!”
Unable to tolerate it any longer, Wang Chen drew his sword with lightning speed.
‘I warned you! You brought this on yourself!’
The power imbued in the sword, the posture and speed of the swing – everything was flawless, befitting a first-rate martial artist.
-Whoosh!!
But in the next instant, an unbelievably intense energy erupted from the man before him. Like a collapsing dam, a torrent of power was unleashed.
“What?”
A peak master? No, definitely beyond that-
-Thwack!!
“Ugh?!”
A fist slammed into Wang Chen’s stomach before he could react, and his body crumpled.
If Wang Chen’s sword strike was a gale, the man’s fist was a bolt of lightning.
Not only was the attack invisible, but Wang Chen didn’t even have a chance to use any of his prized seventeen Taegeuk Sword techniques. He reached out desperately, but the man ignored him, stepping over his fallen body.
“Excuse me.”
Having breached the entrance, the man, Kwon Tae-ho, opened the door and walked inside.
“Huh? Who the hell are you?!”
“How did you get past Brother Chen-”
Tension rippled through the men in the first-floor lobby.
On his way to the building, Kwon Tae-ho had suppressed his energy to avoid detection. But now, inside, there was no need for such restraint.
As he unleashed his full power, the gang members assessed his strength in their own ways.
Those skilled in martial arts sensed the profound internal energy emanating from him.
Those proficient in magic felt the maelstrom of mana churning within his heart.
Those who had awakened superpowers perceived the potent psychic energy swirling around him.
Though their methods differed, everyone quickly understood. The man before them was no easy opponent. And he had come here as an enemy.
“W-who are you?!”
To the man who finally managed to stammer out a question, Kwon Tae-ho responded by pulling his Enforcer license from his pocket.
“An Enforcer? What’s an Enforcer doing here?!”
“Wait, Kwon Tae-ho? Kwon Tae-ho, could you be-”
Even a Chinatown gang wasn’t completely isolated from the outside world. Chinatown was just a base of operations. Their criminal activities reached far and wide.
Therefore, they knew very well what the name Kwon Tae-ho meant.
Someone had said, if you want to live peacefully in the underworld, never cross paths with an Enforcer. And Kwon Tae-ho, especially… if you ever see him, run.
Unfortunately for them, this was their headquarters. There was nowhere to run, and they couldn’t run even if they wanted to.
“By the authority vested in me as an Enforcer, I am now conducting a forced search of this building. No one will leave until the investigation is complete. You’re welcome to resist. If you can, that is.”
A death sentence, delivered in a calm voice.
As Kwon Tae-ho quietly raised his fist, the gang members steeled themselves for a desperate fight.
“D-damn it…!”
“What are you all standing around for! He’s only one man!”
“Get the guys upstairs down here, now!”
“G-get him!!”
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaagh!!”
Even with gang members charging at him from all sides, Kwon Tae-ho was completely at ease.
‘Alright, I’ve got their attention.’
Distraction and rescue. Of those two roles in this operation, his was distraction – the bait.
So, his task was simple.
‘I’ll leave the rescue to you, Assistant Director.’
His job was to cause as much chaos as possible, showing no mercy, until Yoo Seol contacted him to confirm the employee’s rescue.
It was what he did best.
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Kwon Tae-ho blocked the front entrance, drawing the enemy in.
However, a building used as a headquarters by a criminal organization wouldn’t have only one exit.
There was an emergency exit at the back, and naturally, a guard was stationed there.
-Crackle!
“Intruder in the first-floor lobby! It’s an Enforcer! Requesting immediate backup! I repeat! An Enforcer is here! Request immediate backup!”
The guard tensed at the message from his shoulder-mounted radio. But he remained at his post.
His job was to guard the exit. In a situation like this, he couldn’t abandon his position. Someone might try to infiltrate through here, taking advantage of the commotion at the front.
Just like now.
“Um, hello?”
Yoo Seol approached the guard, greeting him gently. Confusion was written all over the guard’s face.
He had been expecting intruders, and instead, a beautiful woman had suddenly appeared.
Kwon Tae-ho rarely showed it, but Yoo Seol was incredibly attractive. With her distinct, delicate features and tall, curvaceous figure, she wouldn’t have looked out of place on TV or in movies.
Normally, the description would include something about her closed eyes giving her a mysterious air, but…
“Could I speak with you for a moment?”
Today, Yoo Seol was different. Her eyelids were partially open, revealing violet irises that glowed softly.
These were no ordinary eyes. Where pupils should have been, a seven-pointed radial pattern was etched, and behind it, bright, intersecting lines of light, reminiscent of circuitry, pulsed continuously.
These unnatural eyes, like beautiful jewels, held a captivating power, drawing the gaze of anyone who looked at them. It was impossible to look away.
“Uh… what… what is it?”
The guard responded instinctively, even as he wondered why he was being so polite. His usual reaction was to yell at anyone who approached and tell them to leave. Why was he acting like this?
“Is there an employee in this building who used to work at a bar called Sleeping Dragon Pavilion? A Taiwanese woman named Liu Feifei.”
“Feifei…? Uh…”
He shouldn’t answer.
He knew that, but a warm, pleasant feeling was clouding his judgment. He felt an overwhelming desire to help the woman before him.
“Downstairs… that is, in the basement… the warehouse where we keep the smuggled goods… she’s being held there…”
“Oh my, is that so? Thank you! You’ve been very helpful!”
Saying this, Yoo Seol moved closer to the guard. Her soft hand brushed against his shoulder and neck, sending a shiver down his spine.
“Sleep tight.”
“Yes… hehe, huh?”
-Thump!
With a soft thud, the guard collapsed. A small syringe was now in Yoo Seol’s hand.
“Ha-yeon, you can come out now. It’s over.”
Her tone and voice were now cold and sharp, a stark contrast to the gentle voice she had used moments before.
“Whoa…”
Lee Ha-yeon, who had been waiting around the corner, stared at the unconscious guard in surprise.
“Assistant Director… how… how did you do that? Was it magic?”
“Similar, but different. It wasn’t magic. It was a curse.”
“A curse?”
“I lost a bet with a nasty witch a long time ago, and my eyes changed like this.”
Yoo Seol opened her eyes, revealing the same patterned irises as before. This time, they were green, not violet.
“Wow… the more I look at them, the more I’m drawn in. They’re so beautiful…”
“Don’t look too long. They make people obsessed. It’s that kind of magic eye.”
“Magic… eye…?”
The Seven-Colored Eyes. Or the Rainbow Magic Eyes.
It was an ability – forced upon her – that Yoo Seol had received from a witch in the past.
Each of the seven colors of the rainbow corresponded to a different ability.
The orange she had used during her conversation with the Chief Superintendent was the Eye of Truth, which allowed her to discern lies.
The green she was now showing Ha-yeon was the Eye of Clairvoyance, which she used to perceive her surroundings even when her eyes were normally closed.
And the violet she had just used on the guard was the Eye of Enchantment. It instilled an unconditional affection in its target, making them susceptible to commands. A basic, but extremely effective, magic eye.
“Wow, that’s incredibly convenient! Can you make anyone do anything with that?”
“Of course not. It mostly works on weaker opponents. Against someone of a certain level, it only induces a slight sense of affection. Beyond that, it’s ineffective.”
“Who… who did you test it on?”
“……!!”
Yoo Seol’s cheek twitched at Ha-yeon’s pointed question. But she quickly recovered, smiling dismissively.
“Well? That’s not important right now, is it? We know where Liu Feifei is. We need to rescue her.”
“Oh, right!”
“My magic eyes can only use one ability at a time, and most of them are difficult to use on multiple targets. So, I’ll leave the fighting once we’re inside to you, Ha-yeon.”
“Leave it to me! I may not look like it, but I’m quite strong!”
Ha-yeon pumped her fist and took the lead. Yoo Seol followed, sighing quietly to herself.
‘The magic eyes don’t work at all on strong people. If I’d known that beforehand, I wouldn’t have made that mistake…’
It was in the past, but it was a mortifying memory that made her want to kick her blankets every time she thought about it in bed.
Pushing the memory to the back of her mind, Yoo Seol followed Ha-yeon into the building.
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