Chapter 31
Outskirts of Seoul. The Association’s secret meeting room.
Kim Tae-Seong sat in the space that had been meticulously designed for just one person.
The only person beside him was Baek Eun-Seol.
She was participating under the pretext of attending, but her actual position was that of a Bodyguard.
‘…It’s almost time.’
Kim Tae-Seong lowered his gaze to his wristwatch.
23:58.
According to the True Ancestor’s words, her Servant would arrive in an “outfit that would be recognizable at a glance.”
Just what kind of appearance would it be?
If it were the True Ancestor’s Emissary, it was highly likely they would also be far from ordinary.
Just then.
A voice came through the in-ear monitor.
- Association President. A person presumed to be the VIP has arrived at the building.
A report was received from the 1st Floor Security Team, who had detected the approach.
Kim Tae-Seong adjusted his posture and sat up straight.
This was where the real thing began.
And not long after.
Exactly at midnight, the door to the meeting room opened, and a woman walked in.
A neat black suit and short hair as dark as ebony.
And beneath that, a white Cat Mask.
“…!”
Kim Tae-Seong calmly assessed the other Party.
Overwhelming Intimidation wasn’t radiating from her.
Rather, it was the exact opposite.
Not a single trace of aura could be felt.
But that only served to prove that this woman was no ordinary person.
What stood out in particular was that Cat Mask.
“What does that signify?”
If the purpose had been simply to hide her face, there would have been no need for it to be in that shape.
A cat.
A beast that moves without a sound, stalks its prey in the dark, and only reveals its claws at the decisive moment.
“Is it a Suggestion of what kind of being she is?”
It might be a symbol representing the position she held within the 'group' led by the True Ancestor.
While Kim Tae-Seong was having such thoughts.
Baek Eun-Seol was also paying close attention to the woman.
‘It’s not her.’
That was the first thing she confirmed.
Her physique and aura were different from the Vampire who had saved her in Seollim-dong.
If it had been she, she would have recognized her at once.
“…But.”
Baek Eun-Seol’s gaze subtly swept over the masked woman’s entire body.
“That woman, too, is absolutely not ordinary.”
Just looking at her posture and movements, one could tell she was a considerable powerhouse.
Above all, there was no sound of footsteps whatsoever.
Even if there was a carpet laid out, at this distance, it would be normal to hear at least a faint sound.
Yet not even that could be heard from that woman.
Overall, her aura was like that of a well-trained Assassin.
At that moment.
“…”
The masked woman turned her head.
Her gaze met Baek Eun-Seol’s for a brief moment.
What was briefly seen beyond the eyeholes of the mask was - .
Crimson eyes.
They were red pupils.
Baek Eun-Seol instantly felt goosebumps rise all over her body.
Of course, just because someone had crimson eyes didn’t mean they were all of the Vampire race.
Among Awakeners, those with peculiar classes often underwent physical mutations.
However,
Was it because she had recently encountered strong Vampires in succession?
For some reason, Baek Eun-Seol had a strong intuition that that woman was also a Vampire.
Meanwhile, Kim Tae-Seong stood up from his seat as politely as possible.
“True Ancestor-nim’s Emissary. Thank you for coming all this way. Please, have a seat.”
The masked woman gave a single, silent nod and walked over soundlessly to sit in the designated seat.
Kim Tae-Seong followed suit and sat down.
“I would like to express my deep gratitude once again for your understanding regarding our past disrespectful communications and for accepting this meeting.”
He bowed his upper body slightly.
“We have prepared the tributes to offer to True Ancestor-nim, so may I explain them to you?”
“…”
The masked woman merely nodded once again.
Kim Tae-Seong carefully pushed the black box resting on the Round Table toward her.
As the box opened, an ID card and a card luxuriously finished with gold on a black background came into view.
Kim Tae-Seong pointed to the ID card first.
“This is a Special ID Card for True Ancestor-nim. It is an item that can be used anywhere. All records of this status will be sealed as the Association’s Top Secret, and even our side will not view them.”
“And this one is - .”
He then pointed toward the card.
“It is a Physical Card linked to a Completely Anonymous Account. The account number is written in the enclosed document, and the default Password is written at the very bottom, so you may reset it to your desired number and use it.”
The ID card and the account.
The masked woman quietly looked down at them, then reached out and tucked them into her inner pocket.
And for the first time, she opened her mouth.
“There are no lies in your promises; I assume.”
A cold and stiff voice.
Kim Tae-Seong replied immediately.
“I swear there are none. Every promise made to True Ancestor-nim will be fulfilled in the name of Kim Tae-Seong and the Republic of Korea Hunter Association.”
“…”
The gaze beyond the mask stared at him for a moment.
Eventually.
“Master said…”
The woman spoke again.
“As long as you keep your promises, she is willing to treat the Association amicably.”
“…!”
Kim Tae-Seong felt an electrifying thrill.
“This is a massive achievement.”
The True Ancestor’s Declaration of Amity.
That was far more valuable than all of today’s tributes combined.
The strategy had succeeded spectacularly.
Kim Tae-Seong replied, struggling to maintain his composure.
“I am deeply honored by those words. The Association will not break its promises under any circumstances.”
“Understood.”
The masked woman answered briefly.
“Then, I will ask one more thing.”
She tilted her head slightly.
That sight was strangely chilling.
“Association President, you told Master that you could help to the fullest extent even if it was something outside the laws of the World.”
“Yes, that is correct.”
Kim Tae-Seong nodded.
“If we employ all the means we can mobilize at the Association Level, we can provide Unofficial Assistance for a fairly wide Range of matters.”
“If so.”
She asked in a low voice.
“”
- -
Does killing hundreds of humans also fall into that category?”
“?!”
A bloodcurdling remark that popped out of nowhere.
Kim Tae-Seong’s heart sank with a thud.
“Even if such a thing were to happen, would you be able to assist?”
The masked woman said, staring intently at Kim Tae-Seong.
“What does this mean?”
His mind raced rapidly.
Is it a threat? Or a Display of Power?
His head was a mess.
However, he couldn’t give the impression of weighing his options by dragging out his answer too much.
Kim Tae-Seong made a quick judgment and calmly opened his mouth.
“If such a thing were to happen… it would surely be because True Ancestor-nim had a grand purpose for doing so.”
For now, he made a gesture of guaranteeing and respecting her domain as much as possible.
“As long as it is not the massacre of innocent citizens, we will, of course, help you.”
In exchange, he clearly drew a single Red Line.
Causing massive casualties without any reason was the one thing they could not tolerate.
What was the reason for offering tributes to a disaster?
Was it not to ask it to spare the people?
Even if the True Ancestor were to become enraged at this remark, saying, “Who are you to dare try and restrict me,” it couldn’t be helped.
“Just how will she react, I wonder…”
Kim Tae-Seong stared at the masked woman tensely.
She listened quietly, and then.
She stood up from her seat without a word.
And just as she had entered, she left the meeting room without a sound.
Click.
“Phew…”
Only after the door was completely closed could Kim Tae-Seong let out a long breath.
The hands he had been clenching tightly without realizing it were drenched in cold sweat.
“Hunter Baek Eun-Seol.”
Kim Tae-Seong looked at Baek Eun-Seol sitting next to him.
“What did you make of it?”
She, too, must have been quite tense, as her face looked a little exhausted.
“…I’m not certain, but that woman seemed to be a Vampire as well.”
“As expected.”
Kim Tae-Seong nodded as if he had known it.
“Judging from various pieces of circumstantial evidence, it’s highly likely that the True Ancestor, befitting the weight of that name, is the Leader or a High-ranking Official of a Vampire Faction.”
In the minds of the two, their perception of the True Ancestor was solidifying into that of a Ruler of Darkness.
“Still, after seeing her earlier, it’s a relief that she doesn’t seem to have any intention of harming innocent citizens.”
Kim Tae-Seong said.
At that moment, Baek Eun-Seol spoke up as if something had suddenly occurred to her.
“By the way, Association President. That remark earlier. About killing hundreds of people.”
“Yes.”
“Could she perhaps have been talking about the Black Cow Incident?”
“…!”
Kim Tae-Seong’s eyes snapped wide open.
The annihilation of the Giant Dark Guild.
If she had been talking about that incident in a roundabout way.
“…So that was it.”
Everything fell into place.
She was subtly hinting that they were a group possessing that level of Military power, while simultaneously testing the Association’s stance.
It wasn’t a simple question, but a test layered with multiple intentions.
“The True Ancestor. Not only her martial prowess, but also her strategic intellect is of a considerably high caliber.”
Kim Tae-Seong marveled inwardly.
“…It seems you are right. Still, it’s fortunate that she is someone we can reason with. She also said she would treat us amicably if we kept our promises.”
“That’s right.”
Baek Eun-Seol agreed as well.
Originally, monsters were fundamentally hostile to humanity, but they sometimes suppressed that instinct with reason, in the case of high-intelligence monsters.
There were even cases of their colluding with humans to create demonic humans.
However,
That didn’t mean they could ever let their Guard down.
When monsters did that, it was usually because they had a special “reason” for doing so.
The True Ancestor and the Vampire Faction would be no different.
Furthermore, seeing how they had remained thoroughly hidden until now, only to surface and make their move at this specific time, it was clear that they had some distinct intention or grand plan of their own.
Just what could it be?
The two fell into deep thought.
* * *
“Si-Yeon! Welcome back. You’ve worked hard.”
“Yes, Master. And I didn’t forget to buy the melon-flavored ice cream you ordered.”
“Ooh, good job!”