44 Devil Hunter VII

In the Devil Hunter's clubroom, a hubbub is raised.

I am helping Hajin on setting up the place. I carry various paraphernalia Hajin will be using, and set them up as he instructs me to do. Our clubroom is modest, but sizable enough for us to use. This must be the result of the Rank 1 and Rank 2 clout. And there is also the celebrity clout that Kim Hajin carries... And heck, if I am to be more generous, my name might also have weight considering that we four have a hand in dealing with the museum terrorism incident.

I feel bad for Yeonha being left out...

Still. I can only imagine how confused the faculty instructors are after learning that the Club that Rank 1 and Rank 2 freshman cadets are founding has lower rank cadets as leaders. Now, that's comedy.

"I know who is going to be the next target…" Hajin softly intones while he boots up the main computer.

Of course, Hajin knows. "Is that so?" I offhandedly comment. There is no way he doesn't know. He is the Author. I listen closely to him.

"I still want to save them…" Hajin adds. "Attacking the Djinns in a bloodbath might be too reckless. But that is the easiest method I can think of to save the others… If Nayun and Suho manage to off Yun Hyuk, then all the better. But we are lacking in manpower."

Kim Hajin carries a rather big apparatus I don't know what use for and slots it in on the space between the refrigerator and the kitchen-looking place I reckon to be an Alchemy Table. He proceeds to carry more stuff and arrange them around, while I listen to him ramble.

"We cannot place bodyguards on them 24/7 though I know who will be next. Instead of bodyguarding Yeonha who is the next immediate victim, I should have you, the bodyguard to do something more meaningful, but I cannot risk it… Remember, Hyon… Yeonha must not die… Among the protagonists, no one among them must die…"

"And what is there something better to do than guarding Yeonha?" I ask while I arrange the more inconsequential furniture to places I deem fit. "Don't get me wrong. Bodyguarding just by the sound of it feels boring as hell."

Hajin snickers at my words. "Yeah, but boring is best. I am initially thinking for you to assassinate Yun Hyuk. Exciting, isn't it? And that sure sounds better to the ears than just bodyguarding, right?"

"..."

That makes me think a lot... and slowly, I begin to realize it is actually feasible... If someone is to assassinate Yun Hyuk, I might actually be the best pick. I don't leave traces at all! And with Hajin's Setting Intervention, will I not be able to make the perfect kill?

"I will do it..." I slump on the comfy sofa that remains stuck on the door. "I think I can do it," I repeat, gaining confidence on this wild task.

But Hajin simply shakes his head in disapproval. "Your life will be put too much at risk. We don't know Yun Hyuk's power level considering the changes, moreover, even if you manage to infiltrate, it is certain that there will be a fight. The ruckus it will create will be bad for you... and for us... no matter what amount of tampering we do, it will not help unless we do it within a timeframe. So if we are going to do it, we must bring our full force on him to avoid complications. On top of that, we will be doing the 'attack' on a time limit which increases the difficulty much further."

"Basically, if I am strong enough, I can assassinate him by myself and be rid of the problem easy peasy... I can even go as far as interrogate him by my lonesome to find where the F is the Devil's Seed." I self-depreciatingly reply.

"..." Hajin scratches his chin. "Yeah, it is basically that. But that doesn't complete our objective of getting rid of the Devil's Seed. If it is only that easy to erase a Devil's Seed. Killing Yun Hyuk is the first objective, and even if that fails, we'll need to scour Cube and kill the Djinns in a systematic manner. We will be committing lots of crimes at D-Day..."

"Now that Kum Seungyeon has disappeared, Yun Hyuk must be on the move already. Killing him will not really solve the problem about the Devil's Seed... so we might as well assume cleansing Cube of the Djinns' presence is our safest choice..." It is hard to swallow, but this is the most practical option. I shudder at the thought of killing so many.

I understand why Hajin wants to massacre the Djinns hiding within Cube. Since the story is already changing, there is no use to preserve the original story to avoid distorting the timeline. Thus, we now have the luxury to do as much as we want. This is the result of my hard work in bringing the main cast together. My gamble since the first day of class is paying dividends in ways I cannot imagine.

Kim Suho. Chae Nayun. Kim Hajin. These people are terribly strong that when together, they might as well aim for World Domination, and succeed within the span of months. I doubt if it is overconfidence, but that is how much I hold in high regard these people.

However, with the threat in front of us now, forget about dominating the world.

We must do anything we can to achieve our goals... and our current goal is to take capture of the Devil's Seed, suppress it, and find ways to kill it. This is quite early in the story, and we are already facing a possibly world-ending disaster... It is just so funny if you think of it that it is a normal Tuesday for another person.

In retrospect, failure is not allowed as a single mistake may lead to a disaster. I dread that day failure does come. I realize the pressure on us, and while crushing, I persist to rise beyond it.

"Stop lazing around... will you?" Hajin scolds me.

I am already lying comfortably on the sofa at this point. "Yeah, sorry about that..." I stand up and help with more heavy lifting. What is this? Is this a coffee vending machine? Bah! I turn a suspicious eye at Hajin. I lift the coffee vending machine and bring it to another corner. 

My thoughts run in the background as I think of the lack of manpower that Hajin keeps on complaining about.

"Then, what if we involve Rachel? We do lack the manpower. We can protect Yeonha better too if she is aware of the danger in her life. I am the one who suggests we use Yeonha as bait, but if we can save the others' lives, then all the best, isn't it? We can put another bodyguard to another possible victim, right?"

"No," Hajin shakes his head in denial. "As I am saying, we cannot risk their lives. Not until they have achieved their destiny, their best versions of themselves…"

I sense paranoia in Hajin's voice.

From Hajin's writings as the author, the reason why Yun Hyuk is kidnapping women is to use them as sacrifices to improve his own Djinn powers. But what if in this timeline, there is a different reason why Yun Hyuk is kidnapping women?

"Hajin… Is there something wrong?"

"I…" Hajin looks hesitant, but he answers nonetheless. "I think we must consider the worst-case scenario."

"What is that?" I fiddle on my smartwatch, checking up on Yeonha. Hajin has my smartwatch connect and hack Yeonha, using his SP to aid my bodyguarding duties. 

Hajin shortly answers. "The worst case scenario is that Yun Hyuk is using the women he kidnaps to advance the incubation of the Devil's Seed…"

***

It is evening, and the class dismissal ought to allow Suho and Nayun to do as they please.

Suho and Nayun head for Yun Hyuk's dorm side by side. They plan to converse with him in private, pressure him into admitting his Djinn origins, and after hearing his confession, Suho and Nayun will then proceed to exterminate the Djinn.

"Hey, Suho… are you really fine on doing this?" Nayun worriedly asks Suho as she knows how much of a righteous character he is. Assassination is not really the nicest thing to do.

Suho simply shakes his head. "Don't worry. Killing someone is not beyond me…" After all, he has his fair share of killings when he is in Akatrina. "Moreover, I am planning to interrogate our quarry. If we can avoid as much bloodshed as possible then all the best…"

"Nah, I agree with Hajin… It is best if we kill all the Djinns here within Cube. If they are really converting other Cadets into Djinns, then Cube is suffering from severe cancer that we must cure no matter what."

Planet Earth is at war. People have achieved some semblance of normalcy thanks to the Heroes, but they are always at war against monsters, Djinns, and sooner, the Devils.

"I never take you for a bloodthirsty person…" Suho says in surprise as he feels that Nayun's motivation is quite something else. From what he knows, Nayun's hatred must come from the fact that her brother is afflicted with the Devil's Seed.

At this moment, Suho feels bad as he plans to murder her brother after this fiasco in Cube. The Devil's encroachment is something he wishes to stop at all costs.

The two of them arrive at Yun Hyuk's dorm.

~Bzzzt ~Bzzzt

Suho presses the electronic buzzer to call Yun Hyuk. However, after several minutes of insistently pressing the electronic buzzer, there is still no response.

A senior third-year cadet calls them. "If you are searching for Yun Hyuk, then today is not the day. He is outside Cube and is taking care of personal matters…"

Suho and Nayun share a frown, feeling that there is something wrong going on.

***

Yoo Yeonha has been feeling uncomfortable lately. She feels that many eyes keep on watching her, and she doesn't like it. She hopes she is just being paranoid, but she senses the dangers in her guts. 

Outside Cube, inside a café, she sips on her tea to calm herself. She wants to drink some coffee but she might get acid reflux from too much stress lately. She is not one to trust gut instincts, but there is value too on listening to hunches.

Rachel sits opposite her. Yeonha feels that Rachel has been a little bit uncooperative lately.

"So, are you suggesting that there is a Secret Society in Cube that fights the forces of Djinns that hide in Cube?" Yeonha asks Rachel, but the way Yeonha understands it is kind of weird.

"No, I am not saying it like that…" Rachel calmly explains herself, as she finds it difficult to pierce through the veil that is Yeonha's overly active imagination. "There is no Secret Society… I am just saying… There is already a group of people cracking on the matters of Djinns within Cube."

There is no need for the two of them to interfere, lest they might become a burden as Hajin has emphasized to Rachel over and over again.

"No, we cannot sit idly by…"

Before Yeonha can finish her sentence, someone sits at their table. The familiar blonde hair enters Yeonha's sight. It is Yun Hyuk.

"Wow, what a pleasure… For two beauties to accompany me like this… I am flattered…" Yun Hyuk says with fake ingratiation. "So how may I help you? To think Lady Yeonha will be inviting me this far from the Cube grounds... And here I am hoping it is a date..." He eyes Rachel warily.

Yeonha glances at Rachel, and with a smile of her own, she tells Yun Hyuk her purpose. "I want to become a Djinn…"

Rachel does not react but simply maintains her poker face as she already knows of the deception Yeonha plans on doing. "I don't feel the same… But I want to make business dealings with your resources, Mr. Yun Hyuk, Djinn or not…" The Princess of England makes the outrageous suggestion with a smile.

"Heh~!" Yun Hyuk snickers at the two's preposterousness. "Hehe hehe…"

The concentrated pressure of magic power gathers on the two of them. Rachel is able to withstand it to some extent, but Yeonha has it worse. Yeonha is very tempted to attack right now as she is reminded by the Djinn she is confronted with back in the museum.

Yun Hyuk is an intermediate grade just like the Djinn from the museum!

Judging by the pressure Yun Hyuk emits, he should be stronger than the Djinn that Yeonha has fought from the museum. 'This is… good…' Yeonha thinks to herself out of cold logic and not optimism. 'He is showing his true colors!'

With little provocation, she should be able to fool the heinous Djinn who is disguised as a human to reveal his true self in front of her.

"Why? Just so you know, I don't want to be contracted under you… I want a contract that will give me enough power so that you will be subordinated to me…" Yeonha adds in a whisper, playfully toying with the other party.

Yun Hyuk leans forward to Yeonha. "I am not a fool… But to think you know of my identity… I wonder how you know of it… That aside, if you think the Heroes you brought from your Guild can suppress me, then best of luck… You should have at least brought your dad, the guild leader."

Yeonha realizes that there is something wrong. None of the Heroes she brings from her Guild seems to realize that she and Rachel are being subjected to such magic power consisting of such heavy pressure.

"You know," Yun Hyuk's face gets closer to Yeonha's. "I really like you… Alas, I cannot have you… Still, I am a nice guy… Djinn or not."

For a moment, Yeonha imagines herself being killed. But that is not what occurs next. Instead, Yun Hyuk leans forward a little bit more and kisses Yeonha on her lips. The disgust and humiliation in Yoenha are immeasurable.

After Yun Hyuk removes his lips from Yeonha, Rachel's rapier is already caressing Yun Hyuk's throat. "You!" She angrily grips her rapier so close to murdering the Djinn disguised as a human.

There is no sufficient proof, but Yun Hyuk's confession is as good a proof as any. The problem is… they cannot act on the confession as Yun Hyuk is stronger than they anticipated. Additionally, he was more daring.

The members of the Essence of the Strait Guild have also drawn their weapons at this point, but they cannot act on it as Yeonha is not giving them permission. Yeonha knows that it will be her loss if she decides to attack Yun Hyuk. One wrong move, and with Yun Hyuk's superior strength, he'll be able to kill her.

"Yoo Yeonha, that kiss is the deposit… You want to be a Djinn... Oh~  I can do you better…" Yun Hyuk says these words as a farewell to Yeonha, walking away from the café unimpeded.

Yoenha bites her lips until it bleeds red.