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Chapter 23
After the strange entity that Pi Gwang-seok had turned into was eliminated, Jang Sunam and the members of the Linesis Guild began an interrogation inside the large tent at their base camp.
“Spit out everything you know.”
The target was none other than Pi Gwang-seok himself.
It seemed that over the past ten days, he had been stockpiling enough life force to revive. The moment he was defeated by Jang Sunam, he reverted back to human form.
“…I invoke my right to remain silent.”
Pi Gwang-seok clamped his mouth shut.
But Jang Sunam had already anticipated such defiance. Extending his palm sideways, he received something from Domael—an item prepared in advance.
It was none other than Domael’s handmade truth serum.
“Any side effects?”
“Nothing serious, aside from… severe hair loss.”
At Jang Sunam’s nod, Ha-il—waiting at the side—forced open Pi Gwang-seok’s mouth.
“W-wait! Hold on!!! I’ll talk! I’ll talk!!!”
His face went pale with desperation. But it was already too late. Jang Sunam wasn’t the type to give second chances.
“Don’t spill a drop. Swallow it all.”
Gulp, gulp, gulp!
“Uurrrggh!!”
Bound hand and foot, Pi Gwang-seok writhed in futility as the entire dose was forced down his throat.
“Ah, I almost forgot to mention. The proper dose is just one-tenth of that.”
“…And if someone drinks the whole thing?”
“Their hair falls out faster.”
“I see.”
Domael’s sly grin made it clear that he had intentionally withheld that information. His laboratory had been raided earlier; clearly, he was still furious about it.
“Now. Tell me everything.”
“…Kh.”
The drug’s effect kicked in, and Pi Gwang-seok began to talk obediently.
“The Seed of the Evil God… comes from another world’s religion. I don’t know the method, but… they must be brainwashing people with some unknown power to secure believers.”
It was a plausible explanation. Without such a method, there was no way the cult could have risen into such a powerful faction in just a few months.
“You were one of the brainwashed, then?”
“I don’t think so. I wasn’t a believer—just an ordinary recruit. The condition was simple: a chance to grasp power in this new world.”
Power.
A simple yet irresistible lure. That was why villains like Pi Gwang-seok had so obsessively gathered the chaotic energy to feed the Seed of the Evil God.
“And the one who teleported you away—was that a high-ranking member?”
“No. It was a one-time item. They only used it to strip me of my money and equipment.”
‘So he wasn’t rescued at all? Hah. The bastard had no allies worth saving him.’
“They said they had marked me beforehand with the item’s function, so they’d been targeting me for a while.”
According to Pi Gwang-seok, the culprit entered the underground after Jelly had already robbed him blind. Since the timing was so tight, the man never discovered Jelly’s abilities, and before Jang Sunam could finish him off, he was warped away.
“They wanted my wealth transferred first, then planned to kill me and frame you for it.”
If his story was true, then non-believer recruits truly weren’t brainwashed. Otherwise, they wouldn’t betray one another for loot.
“And that’s when they forced the Seed down your throat?”
“…No.”
Pi Gwang-seok shook his head.
“That man left after sealing me in. Several days later… someone appeared. He called himself the Observer.”
A new piece of information.
First the Collectors, then the Retrievers… and now an Observer.
“He wore a hooded robe, hiding all features. He shoved the Seed down my throat and vanished. That’s how I ended up like this.”
“An Observer, huh…”
As the name implied, his role was probably to administer the Seed and record its effects. Perhaps even now, hidden among the hunters, he was watching Jang Sunam’s every move.
‘So the only fresh intel is that an Observer exists.’
“…If you spare me, I’ll give you one more hint.”
“Speak.”
Whether or not there was a deal, Pi Gwang-seok convinced himself of it and relaxed slightly.
“The one who kidnapped me—I saw one feature. His clothes were torn, just enough for me to glimpse a tattoo.”
‘Oh?’
“A skull with a serpent crawling over it… and the number 4885. It was on his left shoulder. He was an E-rank hunter.”
‘Wait… that tattoo… I have seen it somewhere.’
Jang Sunam flipped open the Regressor’s journal and searched for “skull tattoo.”
And there it was—recorded on the very day Jelly had been hunted during the tutorial. Among the gathered hunters had been a man with that exact mark. One of the first NPCs to attempt spreading the Evil God’s gospel.
Though his face had been obscured by distance, Jang Sunam recalled enough of his features to identify him.
‘Good. This one I can find.’
“That’s useful information.”
“I’m glad… then… what will you do with me?”
“I’ll give you a choice. Prison… or lab rat?”
Pi Gwang-seok panicked.
“P-prison! I’ll take prison!”
“Congratulations, Domael. You’ve just gained a new volunteer test subject for your latest drug.”
“Splendid! He’ll be invaluable in improving the zombie virus cure.”
“NOOO!!! I said prison! Please, prison!!”
Pi Gwang-seok screamed, but his fate was already sealed. He would serve as a living test subject—for the sake of humanity’s future.
Not long after, Jang Sunam traveled via portal to Gasuwon-dong, the former headquarters of White Authority. A mini-Ha-il stationed there allowed for swift travel. From there, he headed straight toward the neighboring district—Gwanjeo-dong.
‘Finally. I’ve reached the higher zone.’
This E-rank district was on another level entirely compared to the F-rank area.
‘And now, I can finally unlock the Base Construction System.’
The condition was simple: become an E-rank hunter. Simple, but far from easy.
“Grrraak!”
“Kyakk!”
The E-rank monsters that prowled here were called Goblbics—towering goblins over two meters tall, akin to elite goblins, only vastly stronger.
‘Avoid the packs… pick off the loners.’
Jang Sunam crouched between abandoned cars, scanning for prey.
That’s when he noticed an E-rank hunter party lying in wait, preparing to ambush a Goblbic group.
‘Perfect. I’ll take advantage of the chaos.’
After a tense few seconds, the party charged.
“Kyahk?!”
The Goblbics roared and swung their colossal clubs.
Thud!
One hunter failed to block and was hurled away with a sickening crack—instantly dead.
‘Not exactly a seasoned team, are they?’
Jang Sunam slipped past the chaos and found his target: a Goblbic Mage. Standing apart from the fray, it raised its staff high.
“Jelly.”
“Leave it to me-nyan.”
With a gesture, the Goblbic Mage fired a massive ice boulder like a cannonball.
Boom!
Another hunter went down, unconscious. Still, the hunters had the numbers advantage.
“Kyiiik?!”
The mage suddenly shrieked in alarm.
Jelly, disguised as a cat, had crept behind it and ensnared its limbs with shadowy tendrils.
“Nyaa?! Stronger than expected-nyat!”
The gap in rank meant Jelly couldn’t hold it completely, but the distraction was enough.
‘Thunder King Swordsmanship, Third Form.’
Jang Sunam dashed in, blade flashing.
Clang!
The strike bounced off as if striking metal.
‘Defense skill? Damn it!’
The surprise attack failed.
“Jelly!”
“Got it-nyan!”
She released the binds and covered the mage’s face in shadow, forcing acidic tendrils into its mouth.
“Gghrk! Urghh!”
But even as it convulsed, the acid burned slowly.
“Nya?! It’s not melting fast enough!”
That was the difference of rank.
“Klein Ha-il! Make another one!”
At his order, a new mini-Ha-il was created and sent to him.
Snatching it up, Jang Sunam hurled it skyward with all his strength.
Whoosh!
Boosted by his +3 Body Training, the tiny figure shot into the heavens.
“Jelly, pull back!!”
A portal opened beneath the Goblbic Mage’s feet.
“Nya?!”
Jelly barely withdrew in time. The mage dropped straight through—disappearing into the sky.
“Where did you send him-nyan?”
Jang Sunam simply pointed upward.
“…Ah.”
High above, the Goblbic Mage plummeted, flailing helplessly.
“Let’s see just how many levels of defense you stacked.”
Whiiiiish—CRASH!!
The hulking creature slammed into the ground with earth-shaking force. Dust billowed up, obscuring everything. Moments later, a small portal opened nearby and the mini-Ha-il popped back out, landing lightly at Jang Sunam’s side.
As the dust cleared, the Goblbic Mage’s body came into view. Still intact, but motionless. Lifeless.
Victory belonged to Jang Sunam.
“At last… an E-rank weapon.”
He pried the staff from the corpse’s hand.
The system messages rang out immediately:
[You have equipped Goblbic’s Staff (E).]
[Representative equipment rank has been updated.]
[Condition fulfilled. A new system has been unlocked.]
[Base Construction is now available.]
At long last, Jang Sunam had unlocked the power to build his own stronghold.
