Chapter 60: Blood Phantom — 1

Time passed, and the day of the operation arrived.

Kim Hyeon-jun was currently in a special vehicle, on the move.

The number of personnel deployed for the Blood Phantom annihilation operation was about forty. There were a few privates first class here and there, but corporals and sergeants made up the majority.

'I guess even the special forces are just places where people live.'

Everyone was silent, but it was easy to tell they were nervous.

He heard it was because the Special Mission Unit had granted permission to kill.

'Well, it makes sense. It just means the villains we’re dealing with this time are that vicious.'

The primary objective was suppression. The secondary objective being permission to kill meant they were expected to respond aggressively. It was also a testament to how dangerous the situation was.

As Kim Hyeon-jun prepared for this operation, he learned about the Blood Phantom in detail. Much more than he had before his regression.

'I wondered how they were getting the blood of Hunters, but I never expected them to use a method like this.'

Their method was indeed kidnapping, but more accurately, it was luring followed by kidnapping.

Kidnapping a person was no easy feat. At least, not in South Korea. CCTV cameras were installed everywhere people walked, and the streets were filled with cars, meaning dashcam footage was abundant.

It was naturally difficult to kidnap a Hunter, who possessed more strength than an average person, unless the kidnapper was a high-level Hunter or possessed a specific trait or skill.

[Looking for high-paying short-term part-timers. Hunters only.]
We are looking for Hunters who can provide a small amount of blood. Room and board provided. 10ml of blood per day is sufficient.

So, they chose to lure Hunters who were desperate for money to secluded locations. They specifically handpicked only the weak ones.

Anyone could see the flyer was suspicious, but the method still worked. In the era of Hunters, there were many people who were strapped for cash.

'How many did they say have died so far?'

That was only an estimate. If they investigated further, more casualties might come to light.

Kim Hyeon-jun quietly clenched his fist. He had no intention of showing mercy to such trash. They were the most vicious among all the villains he had encountered so far.

— Hyeon-jun, are you really going to be okay? You can back out if it feels like too much pressure. The Special Mission Unit said they would respect your wishes.

Because of that, his squad leader, Second Lieutenant Kim Dong-woo, had expressed his concern several times during the preparations. Though he didn't know the exact details of the operation, he seemed to know what kind of people they were going to face.

However, Kim Hyeon-jun had no intention of doing that. He could earn achievements and a reward while getting rid of a cancerous growth that was eating away at society.

'Let's aim to cleanly catch the villains that the officers missed before my regression.'

If they surrendered without resisting, he would only poke one hole in their bodies; if not, he wouldn't hesitate to poke several. He made that vow to himself.

***

That night.

Several villains gathered inside a secluded, abandoned building. They were sitting around a worn-out round table for their regular meeting.

Their identity was the Blood Phantom, a villain group consisting of about sixty members.

"We will begin the regular meeting."

A villain draped in a black robe spoke. Then, as if he had been waiting, the villain sitting across from him voiced his opinion.

"I mentioned this last time, but hasn't it been too much lately?"

His opinion was that they should lie low, as their recent activities were becoming too noticeable.

"We are luring and kidnapping Hunters too indiscriminately. To be honest, even now is dangerous. What if the Hunter Army has noticed something?"

The reason the Blood Phantom had survived until now was that they knew their place. They used to take only small amounts of blood from Hunters. At most, they took an amount equivalent to a single blood donation and then paid them a fair amount of money.

They also made sure to move their residence periodically and worked hard to destroy evidence. This was all to avoid becoming targets for the Hunter Army or the civilian police. It seemed the authorities prioritized cleaning up groups that caused significant harm to society first.

However, that was the story until a few months ago. Recently, the Blood Phantom had started to go out of control. Several deaths had even occurred. They were Hunters who had died of shock because too much blood had been drawn. Despite this, the executives only pushed them to bring in more blood.

"...Ahem. Since the topic has come up, I've been feeling the same way lately."

It seemed the other villains felt similarly. Everyone let out a low groan, saying they should exercise restraint now. Even if they had grown stronger, there would be no answer if the Hunter Army came storming in.

But the robed villain remained adamant.

"He says he is on the verge of obtaining a new power."

Not much was left until their great cause was fulfilled. The moment He obtained that power, they would also be able to taste it. He persuaded the villains in that manner.

"There will be no change to the plan for the time being."

"...Understood."

The meeting seemed to be wrapping up like that, but then—

"W-We're in trouble!"

Suddenly, a villain came running in. He must have been in a great hurry, as his face was drenched in sweat.

"The Hunter Army bastards have invaded!"

At those words, the villains' expressions turned grim. What they had feared had already happened.

"I'll go to the executives and ask for help. Block them somehow!"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

The villains scattered to gather their equipment.

***

The Blood Phantom annihilation operation was executed in the middle of the night. Based on the data collected, they targeted the time when the guard was the laxest.

"Team 1 will go with me. Rescuing the detained Hunters is the priority."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Team 2 will follow Staff Sergeant Son. Draw their attention and suppress the villains as much as possible."

"Yes, sir!"

The deployed forces were divided into two teams: Team 1, led by Second Lieutenant Park Ah-young, and Team 2, led by Staff Sergeant Son Geun-woo.

Kim Hyeon-jun was part of Team 2.

Although the surroundings were dark without a single light, everyone moved swiftly. Not only had they memorized the building's structure through a preliminary briefing, but more importantly, they were wearing high-performance night vision goggles.

'The performance of the Special Mission Unit's equipment is incredible.'

Kim Hyeon-jun was also wearing night vision goggles, and he had no trouble securing his vision. Aside from the fact that the structures didn't look completely sharp, it almost looked like daytime. He heard it was state-of-the-art equipment using mana stones, and each one cost an astronomical amount.

"A-Ambush! It's an ambush!"

"Aaaargh!"

Kim Hyeon-jun, who was in Team 2, boldly broke through the front door. A few villains on lookout were spotted, but they were helplessly beaten and suppressed. Armed villains appeared afterward in a panic, but they couldn't exert much strength.

"Shit! Where's the light? Turn on the light!"

"Turn the lights on!"

The first problem was that they couldn't see because it was dark. The second was that the long, narrow corridor had turned into a chaotic brawl.

"Don't stab me, you crazy bastard!"

The villains began slashing and stabbing each other during the battle, and the frequency increased as time went by. This was due to a single Hunter Army soldier who had deeply infiltrated their ranks.

That soldier was Kim Hyeon-jun. He stabbed and slashed the villains as they appeared, using his spear to trip and floor them.

"Kill that guy first!"

There was no issue even when he was surrounded by villains. He just had to use the shaft of his spear as a support to lift himself into the air and leap out of the encirclement. He was utilizing the acrobatics he had trained in during his spare time.

Because of this, the villains fell while spraying blood, unable to put up any significant resistance.

'Was that why Second Lieutenant Park Ah-young told me not to interfere with him for most things?'

Meanwhile, Staff Sergeant Son Geun-woo, who was some distance away, marveled inwardly as he watched Kim Hyeon-jun fight. Although he knew the boy had caught a villain before, he didn't expect him to be this proficient in combat.

'He's confusing them by utilizing the terrain while definitely drawing their attention.'

Since the villains were flocking toward Kim Hyeon-jun, his side had more breathing room, and they were able to suppress the remaining villains with ease. At this rate, they would be able to finish the situation sooner than expected.

Just as he was thinking that — 

*Sssssss* — 

Smoke began to slowly rise.

"Urgh."

"Gah!"

At the same time, the Special Mission Unit soldiers began clutching their throats and gagging.

"Fall back and put on your gas masks! Don't go any further!"

Staff Sergeant Son Geun-woo quickly pulled the soldiers back. A situation that wasn't in the plan had occurred.

'This is... miasma!'

A suffocating pressure and a foul smell. It was too dark to see, but if he looked closely, it would probably be purple.

Miasma. It was a power emitted instead of mana by a Hunter who had awakened a dark magic trait. Unlike mana, it was toxic in itself. Just breathing it in caused damage. Miasma emitted by a high-level Hunter was so dangerous that it could rot the skin just by coming into contact with it.

"Huff... huff..."

"Haaa..."

Looking around, the soldiers who had put on their gas masks were breathing heavily. Since they had to take off their night vision goggles to wear the masks, it would hinder their combat for now, but... the safety of the soldiers was the priority in this situation.

'Damn it. There was no mention of this in the investigation.'

Miasma wasn't a common trait, so they hadn't prepared a countermeasure for it.

'Still, it's a relief that he's not a high-level one.'

He could tell because his skin was only slightly stinging. If a high-level Hunter had released miasma, many of them would have already perished.

"Hehe. What's this? These guys handle things better than I thought."

After a moment, a villain revealed himself with light footsteps.

"You are..."

Staff Sergeant Son Geun-woo's face contorted. The man was Yang Buk-cheon, a Level 6 Mage Hunter and a villain. He had been on the wanted list for several years, and it turned out he had been part of the Blood Phantom.

'Damn it. Level 6 won't be easy.'

Even an ordinary Level 6 Mage would be difficult, but this guy also had the miasma trait. He was a villain they had to be prepared to sacrifice many lives to face without perfect preparation.

'A mana bullet... no, it's meaningless.'

Mana bullets didn't work on Hunters above a certain level. Moreover, since the operation area was an old, abandoned building, permission to use mana bullets hadn't been granted in the first place. It would be a disaster if the building collapsed.

"Hey. I can hear you thinking all the way over here."

Yang Buk-cheon grinned wickedly and offered to let them go if they backed off.

"I don't do more work than necessary. It's a hassle for both of us, right?"

He said his role was simply to guard this place.

"The one just now was a warning. What do you think would happen if I got serious?"

Staff Sergeant Son Geun-woo bit his lip. What the villain said was true.

'To complete the assigned mission under any circumstances.'

That was the mission and role of the Special Mission Unit. He knew that, but the situation was too unfavorable. More than half of the soldiers would have to be prepared to die.

As he was agonizing over what to do — 

"What's this smell? It's stinging my nose."

Kim Hyeon-jun walked up from the distance. He acted as if nothing were wrong.

"...Huh?"

Staff Sergeant Son Geun-woo's eyes widened. He thought Kim Hyeon-jun had retreated on his own when the order to fall back was given, but that wasn't the case. He had been busy chasing down the villains who were trying to escape.

Over Kim Hyeon-jun's shoulder, villains could be seen collapsed and clutching their legs.

"Who the hell are you?"

Yang Buk-cheon was equally surprised. Even now, he was slowly releasing miasma, but the boy with the spear didn't seem to care at all. It wasn't a bluff. He truly wasn't being affected by the miasma.

"Who am I? I'm the Hunter Army soldier who's going to poke holes in your bodies."

Kim Hyeon-jun grinned. The Paladin's Spear, which was glowing faintly, was still purifying the miasma flowing into him.