NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10
Chapter 10: A Familiar Face? (2)
He’d come to pitch something to Shin Dae-ho.
—This is a really great item.
Whatever it was, Hyeon-yul couldn’t see it from his position.
From the atmosphere, it looked like some kind of new weapon.
…Not from the Poison King’s side.
He hadn’t heard any mention of that.
In fact, it seemed to be from someone else.
What was it again…
—The Witch wishes to distribute it quietly.
The Witch.
He hadn’t heard the first part clearly since he was already heading out, but he heard Witch loud and clear. Judging by the fact she was still alive, she must’ve had some sharp business instincts.
Hyeon-yul covered his ears and focused entirely on their conversation.
“Did you check that the area’s been completely swept?”
The arrogant voice belonged to the man who was his target.
“With all the poison spread, who could still be alive?”
“Check anyway. If those Eagle bastards get their hands on anything, it’s gonna be a pain. Clean up the poison, make sure it’s handled.”
“Yes. I’ve already ordered full retrieval.”
“Then how long will it take to finish hacking into the company’s internal data?”
Hacking…?
Hyeon-yul’s eyes flicked sideways.
Hacking usually had two meanings:
First, stealing a company’s internal data.
Second, completely disabling the company itself.
Not like these guys cared about keeping up appearances.
Why bother with industrial spies when paralyzing the company and extracting whatever they wanted would be faster?
Whichever one it was, Hyeon-yul didn’t care to think too deeply.
He just needed to take down the target.
“…I’ll finish it within an hour.”
“An hour?! You son of a—those Eagle bastards are probably on their way by now! Get it done in twenty minutes!”
The man snapped, then turned on his heel.
Behind his gas mask, Hyeon-yul’s eyes narrowed.
They’d split into two teams.
One was handling the hack, while the arrogant one seemed to be heading somewhere to rest.
Perfect.
This would make things a lot easier.
Ding.
Just as Hyeon-yul was about to move, a faint ping rang in his ear and words floated up in front of his eyes.
It was a real-time alert.
A spell converted sound into text, transmitted through the wireless earpiece Na-yoon had insisted he wear.
He touched the earpiece and responded.
She even managed to transmit her laughter through text.
Hyeon-yul quickly stopped her.
How many question marks did she need?
Seeing the barrage of questions, Hyeon-yul cut in.
He suddenly stopped.
He thought he heard footsteps—then a strong gust of wind swept past.
Shhhk.
A soft sound.
As his head turned, he caught a glimpse of someone’s foot not too far away.
Hyeon-yul asked.
A wave of dark power spread out from Hyeon-yul and dissipated.
No one was around.
He casually walked over to the bodies.
There were two?
One had been shot clean through the head—the second was underneath.
A dead-accurate shot, even from a distance.
To hit that precisely from so far…
He was impressed.
He checked what they were holding.
It was a small object, slightly larger than his palm.
What is this?
He opened it.
Inside were empty vials.
Some still had trace amounts of liquid.
—Clean up the poison you spread.
The poison from earlier?
Hyeon-yul removed his gas mask and tasted a drop of the liquid.
…Poison.
The sharp, tingling taste told him everything.
It matched the toxin currently in the air.
Hyeon-yul waited as Na-yoon pulled it up.
Now, he had an even better reason to go in.
Seeing it for himself was the only way to be sure.
Just as he was about to cut off contact—another message popped up.
<…Understood.>
Hyeon-yul replied and cut the line.
Shin-woo, Na-yoon—none of them made sense to him.
Everything here was so drastically different from the company run by villains.
The thought that he needed to prove his worth before getting fired was starting to slip.
Focus.
He had to take care of his health, no matter what.
Health required time and money.
To manage both, he needed a stable job.
So he had to adjust—no matter what.
Guess I should read that book again when I get home.
101 Tips for a Smooth Workplace Life.
That’s what he needed now.
But right now… I need to clock out.
Today was his hospital visit day.
He gripped the daggers at his waist, moved out of Na-yoon’s sight, and vanished.
***
Hyeon-yul moved to the floor he had scouted earlier.
There were plenty of people here—but there was no need to wipe them all out.
Efficiency was key.
Target the core.
First, the guys in the hallway.
He pulled back and blended into the wall.
Dead bodies lay sprawled on the floor—people who had tried to flee the poison and died.
One person had died holding their phone, fingers frozen mid-message.
The screen showed only: ‘Mom…’
Clearly, they’d tried to send a final message.
Every one of them had a hole somewhere in their body.
Not poison—gunshots.
Hyeon-yul shifted his gaze.
Two men were patrolling the hall.
He threw a dagger from the wall.
Shhk!
It pierced the neck of the man closest to him.
“Just now, did y—”
The second man turned, startled by the unfamiliar sound—only to freeze.
A masked figure was closing in.
Before he could react, a hand reached out and blood sprayed from his neck.
“Guh-hhk…”
“Shh.”
Hyeon-yul covered the man’s mouth, lifting a finger to his own hand in a quieting gesture.
The shadow swirling around his body spread out, engulfing the two men and their blood.
When the darkness receded, nothing remained.
Hyeon-yul melted into the shadows and moved on.
Clack.
A door opened down the hallway.
“…Huh?”
Someone glanced around.
“Where’d the guys go?”
“…I don’t know.”
“Didn’t I tell them to keep a close watch? I swear—”
The irritated voice stopped mid-sentence.
A blade jutted out from the speaker’s throat.
“I’m sorry! I’ll be more careful nex—T-Team Leader!”
The subordinate instinctively tried to catch the man who fell forward—only to lock eyes with Hyeon-yul.
A spark flickered in the subordinate’s eyes.
Ping!
Their blade clashed, and Hyeon-yul’s hand was knocked back.
A sharp pain tingled through his palm.
…Hah.
Hyeon-yul let out a chuckle.
He hadn’t expected to run into a psychic.
But judging by the clumsy way the guy used his powers, it must have only just awakened.
Hyeon-yul’s hand melted away—then reappeared behind the subordinate’s neck, a blade bursting forth.
With a swift slice, he dropped him beside his dead superior.
He glanced down at his hand, the one that had clashed with the psychic’s ability.
That glove was reinforced enough to withstand an explosion.
The man must have had a decently powerful ability.
Well, he’s dead anyway.
Hyeon-yul took the glove off and checked his hand.
The skin had scraped off slightly.
…Hah.
Annoyance bubbled up.
Because of the drugs administered during his time as a test subject, his blood didn’t clot easily.
He immediately extended his other hand, summoning a medical kit from the shadows.
He applied a special bandage.
With how wrecked his body was, even a minor wound couldn’t be taken lightly.
If it got infected, who knew how bad it could get?
Gripping his dagger with one hand, Hyeon-yul used the bandaged hand to shield his eyes, scouting the room where the target was located.
Two guards.
Security’s pretty loose. Must think the poison’s enough protection.
That worked in his favor—easier to take them down.
His hand melted again.
This time, it appeared midair beside one of the guards.
It slashed his throat cleanly and silently.
“…?”
The guard had no time to react.
He died with confusion in his eyes, unsure what that floating hand even was.
Before the body hit the floor, Hyeon-yul had already cut down the second.
As both guards knelt in pools of dark blood, the target finally lowered his phone.
“...Wh-What the hell!”
His eyes widened with panic.
“What do you think?”
A figure stepped out of the shadows.
The swaying darkness that clung to him made him look like living malice itself.
The man swallowed hard.
Before doing anything else, Hyeon-yul asked:
“Are there any survivors?”
The man shook his head slightly.
He didn’t believe him.
Hyeon-yul gently stepped forward.
Dark mist rippled out from his foot, passing through the floor and spreading downward in thin, branch-like tendrils.
Then he smiled.
“There are survivors. This is why no one can trust you people.”
Three of them, in fact.
It was a miracle they were still alive.
Hyeon-yul tapped his earpiece.
He couldn’t believe he was about to say this.
After a small sigh, he spoke.
Even as he said it—and after—the sensation of his fingers curling in discomfort lingered.
Once the communication ended, Hyeon-yul grabbed the man’s hair.
“Close your eyes and hold your breath.”
“W-Wait! Okay, okay, I’m holding it!”
He inhaled sharply, and with that, they sank into the shadows.
***
The survivors were in the basement.
Possibly trapped in a warehouse—they’d somehow managed to avoid the poison.
“...Ughhh.”
The man retched violently, but Hyeon-yul ignored him.
“This is Black Eagle. Here—put on gas masks. You too.”
He pulled several masks from his bag and handed them over.
“B-Black Eagle…?”
The survivors looked at him differently now.
Their expressions lit up instantly.
Hope was practically radiating from them.
Hyeon-yul wasn’t used to that kind of gaze.
…So he’s with Black Eagle?
Only then did the man finally realize who he was.
Up to that point, all he saw was a gas mask.
“I’ll ask why you were here later. For now, you should start thinking about what you’re going to say.”
Hyeon-yul instructed the man.
He already assumed the guy would lie.
He planned to search the place later anyway.
Right now, the priority was clearing out every last villain inside.
Once everyone had their gas masks on, he contacted Na-yoon.
Na-yoon didn’t hesitate.
Curious what she was planning, Hyeon-yul covered one eye and peered outside.
In the distance, he saw a glimmer of light—then something rained down.
It was too fast to clearly see what it was.
Lines of light followed one after another, perfectly aligned.
Those are bullets?
The moment the bullets struck the barrier, a loud boom echoed down into the basement.
BOOOOM!
The building shook.
Na-yoon’s message popped up.
With the barrier gone, the poison outside would begin to spread freely.
“If you take off your mask, you’ll die. Keep them on at all times.”
Hyeon-yul spoke firmly to the survivors.
Safety equaled health. He couldn’t let them be careless.
“Stay here.”
“W-Wait! Where are you going?”
“This place is safe.”
“But—”
“I have a few things to discuss with this villain. You want to see what that looks like?”
He pointed to the man.
“...No.”
“Then stay put. Someone will come for you soon.”
He hadn’t been briefed on that part, so he just improvised.
The survivors still looked uneasy.
With a sigh, Hyeon-yul gripped the man’s hair again and vanished.
Haa, haa…
The man’s breathing grew erratic.
Poison had flooded the area, and the subordinates who had been handling the hack were all dead.
Their skin had turned black—just like the rest.
His heart pounded out of control.
…This is Black Eagle?
Did this guy even know how many of his men had been stationed in the building?
This wasn’t just death—it was slaughter.
This is what we do…!
His rage boiled.
He wanted to tear Hyeon-yul apart.
To avenge his fallen men.
“Let’s begin.”
Hyeon-yul glanced around as he spoke.
The man lunged, reaching toward him—ripping off Hyeon-yul’s gas mask.
“You’re gonna croak just like my men—”
He stopped mid-sentence.
Hyeon-yul exhaled slowly, completely unfazed.
“Oh? So you want to die?”
He asked calmly and grabbed the man’s mask.
“W-Wait! Wait!”
“Do you know Shin Dae-ho?”
The name made the man flinch instinctively.
Why is he bringing up Shin Dae-ho…?
“Ah, I should’ve asked if you were one of the Poison King’s men first. My mistake.”
Hyeon-yul spoke lightly, casually correcting himself.
“But this works too. So you’re not one of his—and yet you know Shin Dae-ho.”
The man’s eyes darted wildly.
…What the hell does he know?