Chapter 5
As Han Seorin walked back to Association headquarters on foot.
Only then did I let out a sigh of relief, tear my eyes away from the mirror, and slump to the floor.
[Time until current body collapses: 6 days 13 hours 58 minutes 32 seconds]
‘With five extra days, I’ve at least bought myself some time.’
……My head was spinning.
The impending collapse of my body was a headache in itself,
but every time Han Seorin swung her whip, I felt the strength draining out of my whole body.
On top of that, my entire body felt shriveled, and my heart was squeezed with pain.
Had lending her the devil’s power literally meant lending her the power inside me?
‘What kind of power is residing in my body that lets a C-rank Devil Hunter go on a rampage like that?’
……It made no sense by any reasonable standard.
No matter how high-ranking a C-rank Devil Hunter was, they would struggle against even dozens of D-rank devils, let alone a hundred.
And yet, someone who had nearly died to a D-rank gargoyle just a few days ago was now dominating other D-rank devils.
Was the devil’s power really that incredible?
Come to think of it, I’d been a C-rank Devil Hunter too, and I’d made it to S-rank in just a few years.
‘Haa, I’m exhausted…….’
I could still feel a dull ache inside me, but I decided to put it out of my mind.
Then, letting my whole body go limp, I stretched out on the hard, cold floor.
The ceiling was still pitch-black, swallowed by darkness without a speck of light.
Since it was dark either way, I closed my eyes.
I was missing my bed more than ever.
*
Meanwhile, Han Seorin arrived at Devil Hunter Association headquarters.
After tapping her ID badge against the turnstile and entering the lounge, she immediately headed for the ward where her younger siblings were.
Just then, a woman in a suit who had been sitting on the lounge sofa approached her.
She stopped in front of Seorin, pushed up her glasses, and spoke to her.
“……You’re C-rank Devil Hunter Han Seorin, correct?”
Han Seorin was bewildered by the woman’s sudden appearance, but answered politely.
“Yes, I am……. And you are?”
“I’m Baek Seol-a, representative of Extermination Division, Section 5. Could I have a moment of your time?”
“……”
Han Seorin looked her over as if scanning her appearance.
Long white hair, elegantly braided, and clear sky-blue eyes as fresh as the open sky.
……Han Seorin knew who she was.
The representative of Extermination Division, Section 5, which commanded top-ranked Devil Hunters in each rank and was responsible for security in this area.
What could someone like her want with Seorin……?
Feeling inexplicably uneasy, Han Seorin tried to politely refuse.
“I’m afraid now isn’t a good time. If it’s possible, perhaps later…….”
“You exterminated the D-rank devils in the underground parking garage, didn’t you? That area was originally assigned to our Extermination Division, Section 5.”
“……!”
“I heard you saw a report on the community site and took charge of the area in our place. But the community is nothing more than an unofficial information network. Entering the scene alone without even verifying whether a report is true is a violation of regulations.”
“I-I’m sorry. But I thought no one might come…….”
“That would never happen. Not while Extermination Division, Section 5 exists. Our goal is to contain every incident swiftly and flawlessly.”
Baek Seol-a took out a tablet, deftly tapped at it, and then showed Han Seorin a photo.
……The hundreds of spider-devil corpses left in the underground parking garage.
As Han Seorin flinched at the sight of the photo, Baek Seol-a continued.
“Exactly like this.”
“……”
Baek Seol-a met Han Seorin’s eyes and raised the corners of her lips.
“We were also the ones who rescued you and your siblings a few days ago. You exterminated dozens of D-rank gargoyles then, too.”
“……”
“Han Seorin, I’ll be direct. Would you like to join Extermination Division, Section 5? Of course, we’ll offer terms you’ll find satisfactory.”
The moment Baek Seol-a finished speaking,
everyone nearby turned their attention to the two of them.
It was a rare offer to join Extermination Division, Section 5.
The representative of the division, which only the highest-ranked Hunters in each class could even hope to apply to, was personally asking Han Seorin to join her team.
Flustered by the countless gazes suddenly falling on her, Han Seorin
scratched her cheek and asked Baek Seol-a cautiously.
“Th-the terms you mentioned, would they be……?”
“Access to a suite at Devil Hunter Association headquarters. And a salary and benefits guaranteed to be at least two or three times what you make now. That’s just the baseline. Your personnel file says you live with your siblings in an old villa. Wouldn’t it be more comfortable for them to stay in a suite?”
“W-why would you do so much for someone like me……?! I’m near the bottom even among C-rank Devil Hunters…….”
“At this point, modesty is just false humility. You have the strength to deserve it, Seorin. I’m simply placing my hopes in that strength.”
……That strength.
At those words, Han Seorin thought of Asmode’s voice, the devil she had contracted with, and swallowed hard.
“If that’s the case, then I understand. If you’re all right with someone like me, I’ll join Extermination Division, Section 5…….”
“An excellent choice. From now on, you’ll protect the world alongside us. I look forward to working with you.”
Han Seorin’s answer stirred a commotion around them.
But even amid the commotion, Baek Seol-a calmly tucked her tablet under her arm and smiled.
She started to leave the lounge, then hurriedly turned back and spoke to Han Seorin.
“Oh, and I’ve already checked on your siblings’ health. Apparently, they can be discharged right away. If you speak to the hospital director, they’ll give you the suite keycard.”
“……Yes, thank you!”
“Well, I’ll be going.”
Baek Seol-a left the lounge.
Only after Baek Seol-a went upstairs did Han Seorin begin to feel the reality of what had happened, her heart pounding.
‘Was all this thanks to that devil……?’
Still dazed, she stood alone in the lounge, staring into space.
……What devil?
Wasn’t it an angel that had let her save her younger siblings and even provided them with a proper place to live?
*
“Whoa, this room is so big!”
“The bed is huge, too!”
“Sis, you’re the best!”
The moment Han Seorin’s younger siblings stepped into the suite, they ran around the house, checking out the rooms.
Han Seorin also took off the beret on her head and wandered through the spacious living room, looking around in a daze.
“This is the living room……?”
The chandelier and enormous sofa in the living room.
And a TV so large it could have taken up half the home they used to live in.
Han Seorin felt a strange sense of déjà vu at how suddenly her life had changed, but deep down, she was happy.
Just then, her younger brother Seojun, who had come back from looking around the bedroom, ran over to her.
“Sis, did you see the bedroom? It’s as big as the living room in our old place! And there are four beds like that!”
“……That’s incredible. Seojun, this is our home now. Isn’t it nice?”
“Yeah! You’re the best, Sis!”
-Splaaaaash!
“Ah! Seoa, don’t spray water at me!”
“Hehe, it’s a water-pressure attack!”
At the sudden sound of the shower, Han Seorin rushed into the bathroom.
Then she snatched the showerhead from Seoa, turned off the water, and spoke sternly.
“You guys. What if you slip and fall doing that?!”
“Aww, sorry…….”
“……I know you’re happy, but don’t get too excited. Places like this are even more dangerous. Got it?”
“Yes, Sis.”
She said that, but of course Han Seorin was excited, too.
She shooed her younger siblings out of the bathroom and began to look around it slowly.
……The bathtub even had a built-in spa function.
To her, this place was practically another world.
As she absently fiddled with the tub’s spa switch, she happened to glance at the mirror.
“……”
Han Seorin’s eyes in the mirror were still inverted.
She had been contracted to a devil less than a week ago, but Han Seorin’s life had changed drastically.
In other words, even this luxurious life could turn bleak again in just a few days.
……Seeing her younger siblings happy in the suite, Han Seorin made a firm resolve.
She would somehow keep living this life.
No matter what happened, she would make sure her siblings could continue to live happily.
……Even if that meant relying even more on the devil’s power.
*
“That punk went off to some amazing place all by himself.”
In a space where everything was pitch-black,
I’d grown tired of sleeping, so I was spying on Han Seorin’s life through the mirror.
It seemed Han Seorin had joined Extermination Division, Section 5 and settled into a suite with her siblings.
……I was the one who lent her my power, so shouldn’t I get something out of this, too?
Anyway, Extermination Division, Section 5.
Had Han Seorin gotten into too good a place?
A division responsible for security in central Seoul.
They were such a capable team that people said Seoul would have been overrun by devils long ago if Extermination Division, Section 5 didn’t exist.
In particular, Baek Seol-a, a high-ranking A-rank Devil Hunter, was renowned as a future S-rank Devil Hunter.
To be personally chosen by a woman like that……
It meant the devil’s power residing in Han Seorin was that incredible.
“I’d like to get a little something out of it, too. Being a devil is hard.”
Resting my arms on my knees, I propped my chin up and sighed.
Then, just like Han Seorin fiddling with the spa switch in the bathtub, I idly fiddled with my status window to pass the time.
At that moment,
a new button caught my eye.
[Soul Shop]
‘……What’s this? Was this here before?’
It hadn’t been there as recently as yesterday.
Could this feature have unlocked because Han Seorin absorbed the souls of those lesser devils?
I immediately pressed the button and carefully read the explanation of the Soul Shop.
[Soul Shop]
- The souls of devils defeated by your contractor can be used as currency.
- Spend devil souls to unlock new powers or purchase various features.
[Souls in Possession]
[Low-Rank Souls: 37]
‘I can spend souls to buy all kinds of things. Not sure I need to.’
As soon as I scrolled down, thinking that, products that piqued my interest began to appear.
[Low-Rank Contractor Draw Ticket]
[Price: 300 Low-Rank Souls]
- Randomly detects the prayers of humans with strong survival instincts, allowing you to make soul contracts.
[Low-Rank Contractor Enhancement Ticket]
[Price: 500 Low-Rank Souls]
- Increases the contractor’s abilities. (Soul erosion rate increases.)
[Mortal Realm Descent Pass]
[Price: 1,000 Mid-Rank Souls]
- Allows you to descend into the mortal realm for a set period of time.
[Contract Space Interior Design Pass]
[Price: 3,000 Low-Rank Souls]
- Allows you to use souls to decorate the Contract Space.
‘……Not bad?!’
It hadn’t been long since I’d thought, Not sure I need it.
That was the moment I decided to make active use of the Soul Shop.