[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 215: Interference (2)

Inside a cluttered private forge, Kwon Hanul stood before a mirror, getting dressed.

He wore a trench coat that reached down to his thighs, paired with high-waisted, pleatless suit trousers—an ensemble crafted from “Evening Sky,” a reengineered piece of equipment based on Gamotmoe, the gear once used by Kwon Hyunmoon, the founder of Hyukcheon.

“So? What do you think? You like it?” asked Park Tae-sik, standing beside him.

Hanul, tightening his tie, replied, “Yes. I’m very pleased with it.”

“Hmph, of course you are.”

Despite his words, Park Tae-sik’s face was glowing with pride.

“To be honest, ‘Evening Sky’ doesn’t come with any flashy features. It’s just extremely durable, and it amplifies the wearer’s abilities. Nothing more. But that’s to be expected—after all, it was made in the early days.”

Among all hunter-related technologies, the crafting sector had evolved the fastest.

Whether it was repurposing relics found in dungeons or refining materials harvested from monsters, the gap between early-era gear and modern equipment had become enormous.

“But even if you gave me the same materials now, I would still craft it the way ‘Evening Sky’ was made.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because the source of the material is a Black Dragon, and the wearer is of Hyukcheon bloodline.”

It was a vague explanation, not something easily grasped at face value.

“Dragons are monsters that manifest their power through the Dragon Pearl. Their physical bodies aren’t inherently special. They’re just vessels to receive and amplify the power of the pearl.”

“That makes sense.”

“To maximize materials harvested from a dragon, you can’t bog the gear down with unnecessary features. You need to stick to the basics. Only then can its true value shine through.”

Thirsty, Park Tae-sik took a sip of water before continuing.

“When you wear this, your physical capabilities increase by about 1.5x. But if you’re someone with Black Dragon bloodline, the boost is nearly 2x.”

In the hunter world, even a 50% boost in overall performance would classify something as top-tier gear.

A twofold amplification—like that of Evening Sky—was virtually unheard of.

“It also offers excellent resistances and defense. I guarantee it—there’s no relic in the world that could even scratch Evening Sky. It’s practically a fortress disguised as clothing.”

Usually a man of few words, Park Tae-sik was uncharacteristically talkative today. His pride in Evening Sky was obvious.

“Anyway, that covers the armor. Next up is this.”

He pulled out another item.

At first glance, it looked like a pair of leather gloves—but there were distinctive features: The knuckles and the backs of the hands were rugged, like embedded stones.

“Your custom knuckle gloves. I melted down Shura-class weapons for the metal plating, and overlaid it with Rainbow Phoenix hide.”

Hanul slipped them on and flexed his fingers.

To his surprise, his hands moved just as freely as if they were bare.

“Shura weapons are monstrous on their own, so I didn’t modify them much. They're already exceptional enough as is.”

Hanul infused the gloves with mana to test them.

Like a sponge soaking up water, the gloves instantly absorbed a vast amount of magical energy.

A sleek, black aura wrapped tightly around the gloves—clear, refined, and powerful.

From mana responsiveness to transfer rate and actualization—every aspect outperformed any equipment Hanul had used before.

“Master, thank you.”

“No, I should be thanking you. Not every artisan gets the chance to handle materials like this.”

With that, the two stepped out of the forge together.

Outside, the three members of the Dark Shade Unit were already prepared and waiting.

“Hey, Hanul’s here!”

Kwon Hudon was the first to notice him and waved.

Mei Hong and Gael Garcia turned to greet him as well.

All three of them looked different from when they’d first arrived—each now donned in new gear.

These were products freshly completed by the workshop’s craftsmen.

And judging by how carefully the artisans had hidden them before, their performance needed no further explanation.

“Heading to the main house now?”

“Yes. I need to stop the Vice Chairman.”

Hanul answered Park Tae-sik without hesitation. The old craftsman’s face darkened with worry.

“You should be careful.”

“I know. The Black Mark Unit is stationed at the main house, after all.”

The Black Mark Unit)—overshadowed in fame by the Hyukcheon Corps, but in truth, equally formidable.

In recent operations, they had even outperformed the Hyukcheon Corps.

But what truly made them infamous was their ruthlessness.

Their motto: “Complete the mission, no matter the cost.”

That made them fundamentally different from other units in Hyukcheon.

“That’s not what I’m worried about.”

“Sir?”

“There’s… a monster at the main house.”

At that, Hanul blinked. A monster?

“You’ve heard that a Famous Division was completely wiped out trying to support the main house, right?”

“Yes.”

“One of those squad members managed to escape and made it here. One of our artisans hid him—but the Black Mark Unit found out and dragged him away.”

Park Tae-sik scowled—clearly still angry he couldn’t stop it.

“But that squad member said something before he was taken: ‘There’s a monster in the main house.’ He claimed that just one creature annihilated the entire unit.”

The word “monster” could be used figuratively—but it didn’t seem like the squad member meant it that way.

“I don’t know what kind of monster he meant, but I do know Kwon Hyuk doesn’t know restraint. So be very, very careful.”

Hanul nodded grimly.

“How do you plan to get there? Want me to lend you a car?”

“Ah, no need. I’ve got a better method.”

At those words, the three Dark Shade members flinched—then turned pleading eyes toward him.

“H-Hanul? You’re not planning to use that again, are you?”

“Captain, can’t we just run there instead?”

“I’d rather run, too…”

Hanul looked genuinely confused by their reactions.

“Why? This way’s faster, isn’t it?”

“Well, yeah, but…”

Kwon Hudon made a troubled face.

“It’s… uh… very dizzying…”

“Yeah, I almost puked. My stomach couldn’t take it.”

“Same here…”

Apparently, it had been that bad. The three all voiced their grievances.

Hanul blinked.

“But when we first arrived, you all looked fine.”

“That’s ‘cause the Black Mark Unit was there. We were just putting on a brave face…”

“Couldn’t show weakness in front of the enemy.”

“Exactly.”

Hanul gave a slow nod.

“Well… if you insist…”

The three looked visibly relieved.

“But the distance to the main house is much shorter than when we came. Shouldn’t be as bad this time.”

And just like that, their faces turned grim again.

They tried to protest—but Hanul flared his mana, and they gave up.

Moments later, a storm swept in and launched all four of them toward the main house.

* * *

The storm that had been soaring through the skies suddenly dipped sharply and crashed toward the ground.

As the storm dissipated, a fierce gust of wind blew out—and from it, four figures stirred and rose.

“Uuueeek!”

To be precise, only one of them stood up. The other three were clutching their stomachs, dry heaving.

“Is it really that dizzying?”

Kwon Hanul looked at the three members of the Dark Shade Unit, puzzled.

The Dark Shade members stared at him with eyes full of reproach.

“Wasn’t it bearable since the distance was shorter this time?”

“I… I don’t think that’s how it works…”

Kwon Hudon groaned with the voice of a dying man. Hanul could only let out a wry smile at the sight.

“Well, look who decided to show up. Unwelcome guests, no less.”

A voice, unfamiliar and hostile, rang out. Hanul and the others looked around.

At some point, nearly thirty Hunters had surrounded them.

Despite their numbers, what stood out most was the sheer oppressive force of magical power radiating from each of them. It was chilling.

“For the infamous Black Mark Unit to come greet us personally… I’m overwhelmed.”

At Hanul’s remark, one of the Hunters sneered. It was a woman with striking red hair.

Despite being female, she was more massive than any of the men present.

Her muscles bulged so intensely that it looked like her clothes were ready to burst. It made one wonder what kind of training could create such a physique.

“I’m Kwon Mun-ju, Vice-Captain of the Black Mark Unit.”

Kwon Mun-ju stepped forward, casually cracking her knuckles. Calluses like stone clustered around each knuckle.

“First time seeing the son of a traitor in the flesh. You’ve got the shameless face I expected.”

Son of a traitor.

It had been a while since Hanul last heard that insult. He couldn’t help but scoff.

“What’s so funny?”

“Just… been a while since someone called me that.”

“A while, huh? Yeah, I guess that makes sense. These days, all the young ones in Hyukcheon seem to worship you. Pathetic.”

Kwon Mun-ju clicked her tongue, clearly disgusted.

“Doesn’t change the fact that you’re still the son of a man who betrayed the clan and ran away.”

“It was kind of funny hearing it after so long. But you’re starting to ruin it.”

“Not enjoying it? Then how about you shut up and prove yourself instead?”

Mun-ju sneered. And at that moment, Hanul’s entire presence changed.

A wave of murderous intent and immense pressure radiated outward.

The Black Mark soldiers, caught in that presence, instinctively stepped back—then flushed red when they realized what they’d done.

They had backed down from nothing more than killing intent. It was shameful and pitiful.

“Honestly… I don’t know what you were thinking, showing yourselves before me.”

Hanul could acknowledge that the Black Mark Unit was strong.

But he had already reached the realm of absolute power.

At this point, maybe five people in the entire world could stand against him.

“Was it Kwon Hyuk’s orders? Or do I just look that easy to you?”

At some point, Hanul’s tone had dropped into informal speech.

Yet not a single person noticed—because it flowed so naturally.

“Doesn’t matter either way. I don’t have time. I’ll finish this quickly.”

Hanul surged with mana, and the energy exploded outward like a storm.

Faces among the Black Mark Unit paled—Kwon Mun-ju’s included.

“...We already know we can’t beat you, even with all of us attacking.”

“And yet you still chose to stand in front of me?”

“Because we’ve got other plans, too.”

Mun-ju cleared her throat, then shouted to the troops—

“Listen up! I’ll take care of Kwon Hanul with the executives. The rest of you—take down the Dark Shade Unit!”

The moment her command rang out, the Black Mark Unit moved.

Several of them rushed toward the three members of the Dark Shade Unit, surrounding them.

“Really? This is the grand strategy you came up with?”

Hanul looked genuinely unimpressed.

Just then, Mun-ju gave a wicked smile.

“Oh, there’s one more thing.”

And that was when it happened.

From behind Mun-ju, something shot out.

Like a cannonball, it blasted straight toward Hanul and struck him.

Hanul instinctively blocked it with his fist, the impact forcing him to slide backward and carve twin furrows in the ground beneath his feet.

“...Fast.”

Even Hanul hadn’t been able to dodge it. The best he could do was block it—barely.

He looked at the assailant, surprised.

And in that moment, only one word came to Hanul’s mind: Monster.

It looked human, but one arm had mutated grotesquely.

It was enormous, covered in black hide, and ended in vicious claws.

Scales protruded from various parts of its body—irregularly shaped, almost like a child had stuck them on randomly.

“So you’re the one who wiped out the Famous Division?”

The creature’s face was hidden behind a mask. Its identity remained unclear.

“I don’t know who you are, but you won’t like what happens if you get in my—”

“Kwon Hanul.”

Hanul’s eyes widened.

The voice was raspy—like metal scraping against metal.

But the subtle intonation beneath it was unmistakably familiar.

“It’s been a while. You’ve grown… incredibly strong.”

The more Hanul listened, the more certain he became.

Staring at the creature, he demanded—

“...Kwon Chan-seong?”

In response, the creature removed its mask.

And there, beneath the reptilian eyes, was the mutated, barely recognizable face of Kwon Chan-seong.

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]