024- If You Die by My Hand

Ma Doo-sik's warning wasn't wrong.

Ma Doo-sik didn't know the full extent of Jinwoo's abilities. All he knew was that Jinwoo showed a talent for detection and possessed the unique ability to sense the Core of an Erosion.

It was only natural for him to object, not knowing about the considerable advantage Jinwoo's abilities gave him against assassins.

But after much deliberation, Jinwoo decided to go.

There was no other reason for it; after finishing his bath, he had checked the email from Tokyo.

「 The monsters appearing from the Erosion seem to be Elves who were turned into monsters in the past... 」

That phrase was in the middle of the explanation about the Erosion.

Jinwoo went to find Ma Doo-sik, who was in the middle of slathering lotion on his face, and asked.

"Mayor. Did you hear that Elf-type monsters are coming out of the Erosion in Tokyo?"
"What? Ah, yes, I did hear something like that. They say it's making the search for the Core even more sluggish. Elves firing arrows from a distance can be incredibly tricky."
"If Elf-type monsters are appearing, then there's a high probability the Core is also an Elf-related object, wouldn't you say?"
"We can't be certain, but it's a possibility. Are you interested in Elven artifacts?"
Of course he was extremely interested. If he destroyed an Elven artifact that had become a Core, couldn't he gain an ability related to it?

That settled it. Jinwoo was going to Tokyo.

In the end, he decided to accept the request for aid. Ma Doo-sik, who had opposed it for various reasons, now did his best to accommodate Jinwoo once the decision was made.

"There can be many opinions before a leader makes a decision. But once a decision is made, it must be carried out to the best of one's ability."
"Why am I the leader? You're the leader of this city, Mayor."
"It's just an expression, hahaha."
Although it was just a single E-class Hunter going to provide support, it was a matter between nations. Ma Doo-sik said there was plenty to gain on a diplomatic level, and he would take responsibility for squeezing it all out.

He also promised to assign security personnel through the Management Bureau to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, as well as an interpreter.

That very evening, someone from the Bureau came to visit.

"Jinwoo! Is it true you're going to Tokyo?"
"Chartia?"
The guard and interpreter assigned to Jinwoo through the Management Bureau was Chartia.

"How did you end up... Is it okay for an S-class to be doing this kind of menial task?"
"Menial task? Do you know how dangerous Tokyo is!"
An S-class acting as a guard for an E-class on a support mission. Wasn't that putting the cart before the horse?
The thought crossed his mind, but Ma Doo-sik had said she would be paid reasonably, and more importantly, Chartia herself had apparently volunteered.

He'd felt it before, but Chartia seemed to be quite overprotective.

"This is reassuring. It'll be more comfortable than going to an unfamiliar land with a stranger."
"You just got back from a Gate, you should be resting more..."
"I've had all the rest I need. Right now, I want to get stronger."
After crossing swords with Rona for days on end, this idle time now felt incredibly empty.

No matter how much he swung his sword alone in his yard, it didn't bring the same thrill and joy as that time.

Not only that, but he wanted to acquire an ability suitable for his new Sky Sword. Did Bulkar say it had an affinity for wind, water, and lightning?
He didn't know if the Core in Tokyo would grant him such an ability, but either way, he wanted to go destroy it.

"Sigh, alright. Then I'll get ready quickly, too. When do we leave?"
"In two days. They said the Management Bureau has a private jet."
Two days later, the two, perfectly prepared for their trip abroad, headed to Gimpo Airport.
An employee from the Management Bureau was dispatched to handle all the departure procedures for them. And so, the two of them boarded the Seoul Management Bureau's private jet.

"Whoa."
It was his first time on a plane, let alone one this luxurious.
The narrow, cramped seats he'd seen in movies and dramas were nowhere to be found; instead, it looked like a hotel room had been set up inside.
The spacious area had seating for twenty, which could be folded down to become ten beds. Not only that, but there was a separate cabin for entertainment equipped with a large screen, and there were two bathrooms, not just one.
In that opulent space, aside from the flight attendant, there were only two people.

"Please have a comfortable flight."
After finishing her tour of all the cabins, the flight attendant bowed politely and left for the crew's quarters.
Jinwoo and Chartia unfolded a side table, sat down, and spread out some documents.

"It's a short flight to Tokyo, so we don't have time to play around. First, let's look over the local data."
"Kurenai... Is this guild the number one guild in Tokyo?"
"Not only are they number one, they're the guild that has Tokyo completely under its thumb."
Tokyo's assassination guilds each had their own territory and power, but at present, there was no guild stronger than Kurenai.
It was an organization of several hundred assassins, headed by Guildmaster and S-class Hunter Kurenai Masato.
Masato was the man who had assassinated the previous mayor to bring down the government and was also the godfather of the current mayor.
He was, for all intents and purposes, the power behind the throne in Tokyo.

"Then the Tokyo Management Bureau must be under Kurenai's control as well."
"You can pretty much assume so. There might be a few other factions, but their voices won't be very loud."
While other guilds were also a risk, the Kurenai Guild was by far the number one threat.
Knowing that Chartia, let alone Jinwoo, was coming with him, they would certainly make some kind of move.
The entry of an S-class from another country was enough to put them on high alert, and of all people, that S-class was Chartia.
An S-class who was on completely hostile terms with Tokyo's ally, New York.

'I'd better be prepared.'
The chance of them finishing their work and returning peacefully without a fight... seemed rather slim.

Leaving aside the delicate positions of New York and Tokyo's relationship or Chartia's involvement, the citizens of Tokyo were trembling in fear.

ㄴ When are they going to resolve the Erosion that appeared outside the city? It's already spread so much you can see it getting dark outside the barrier!
ㄴ I heard they can't find the Core. They can't scan it from the outside, and they can't work on it from the inside either.
ㄴ Why can't they find it from inside?
ㄴ They say monsterized Elves are appearing, and it's extremely difficult to search for the Core while dealing with them.

An Erosion had appeared outside Tokyo.
If it had appeared far away, they wouldn't have cared, but the Erosion was very close to the city.
Those living on the outskirts could see it with their naked eye, and you could even see the boundary of the Erosion if you looked closely from a tall building.
Seeing the boundary of the Erosion grow day by day, the citizens of Tokyo couldn't help but tremble.

ㄴ Good news! There's a Hunter in Seoul who can detect the location of the Core, and he has agreed to come to Tokyo at their request!
ㄴ Really? Then we'll be able to get rid of the Erosion soon!
ㄴ His name is Hunter Kang Jinwoo, does anyone know him?
ㄴ I checked the Seoul Management Bureau's website, and he's an E-class...? Is it okay to entrust this to an E-class?
ㄴ I'm worried this will just add one more corpse to the pile...
ㄴ What's there to worry about? Tokyo's Hunters can protect him. Hunter Kang Jinwoo just needs to detect the Core from a safe place.

They believed. They believed in the sight of Tokyo's Hunters protecting Kang Jinwoo while he found the Core and dispelled the Erosion.
They rejoiced as if the anxiously spreading Erosion in the distance had already been cleared away.

Greeting Jinwoo upon his arrival at Haneda Airport was a balding employee from the Tokyo Management Bureau.
He was wearing a shabby suit and sweating profusely from his forehead, clearly on edge.

"A-Are you Hunter Kang Jinwoo? And you must be Hunter Chartia? Welcome. I am Ikeda from the Tokyo Management Bureau."
"A pleasure to meet you. Your Korean is very good."
"I was obsessed with Korean dramas when I was younger."
Guided by Ikeda, Jinwoo got into a van waiting at the airport.
After seating Jinwoo and Chartia in the back, Ikeda took the wheel.

"I will take you to your hotel. If you have any questions, please ask anything."
"Then please tell me about the Erosion."
Jinwoo promptly asked about the current Erosion.
He had information from the email and data that Ma Doo-sik and Chartia had separately researched, but the information grasped by the local Management Bureau was also crucial.
Ikeda wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and answered.

"Yes, yes. As you've received in the email, Elf monsters are appearing in this Erosion."
At the words "Elf monster," Chartia's expression unknowingly hardened. Still, she didn't interrupt and listened calmly to Ikeda's words.
"As you know, Elves are quite tricky, aren't they? They're fast, good with swords, but above all, their archery skills are on another level. And as it happens, this Erosion is spread across a mountain."
"A mountain would make it even more difficult."
"The Japanese archipelago has a lot of mountainous terrain. Erosions appearing over mountains aren't rare, but with Elves showing up there, searching is nearly impossible."

Since the Core couldn't be detected from the outside, they had to go in and search with overwhelming numbers, but that was also impossible due to the Elf monsters on the mountain.
If only they knew the Core's location, they could withstand the Elves' attacks and charge straight for it, but the problem was there was no way to find it.
It was then that someone learned of Jinwoo's existence and made a proposal.
There was a Hunter in Seoul said to have the ability to detect Cores; they should invite him.

"What exactly is a 'monsterized Elf'?"
"They are, literally, beings that are both Elves and monsters. The monsters that appear from an Erosion are those who were swallowed by an Erosion in the past. It's likely that those who fell victim to an Erosion in the Elven world have become monsters and are appearing here."
"Those who were swallowed by an Erosion in the past..."
A frightening thought occurred to him. If an Elf swallowed by an Erosion appears as a monster in this world, then the reverse is also possible.
He, swallowed by an Erosion, could lose his ego and reason, and appear as a monster in another world.
No, it might not even be another world. A human swallowed up on this Earth could reappear on Earth and go around killing people. They might end up killing their friends and family with their own hands.
The thought was both terrifying and tragic. In the end, they were just victims being used as a perpetrator's tool.

"Jinwoo. If you don't mind, please kill all the Elves inside."
"Chartia?"
"Elves do not fear death. Instead, they fear being unable to be reborn. The Elves swallowed by the Erosion are pitiful souls who cannot die, but also cannot be reincarnated."
Hearing that, Jinwoo understood why Chartia had followed him.
It was true that Chartia cared for him, but that alone was a slightly weak reason to follow him all the way to Tokyo.
She had accompanied him to grant death to all the Elves inside the Erosion.

'If they die by my hand, can they be reincarnated?'
A small doubt arose in Jinwoo's mind.
The Dark Elves had feared him, calling him a swordsman who reaps souls. Rona had said he was a demonic spirit that consumes souls.
Could it be that being cut down by his sword would prevent reincarnation, just like being swallowed by the Erosion?
If so, was he no different from the Erosion to the Elves...?

'A useless thought.'
His stray thoughts were getting longer than necessary. Shaking his head to clear it, Jinwoo agreed to Chartia's request.
Being slain by him might not be a blessing for the Elves, but it would at least be better than being used as a tool of the Erosion.
Just then.
"We're starting to see it. It's that hotel over there. Tokyo's pride, a 5-star..."
CRASH!
The car's front windshield shattered. A dagger flew through the completely broken glass, aimed at the driver Ikeda's forehead.
Ikeda, being just an employee, couldn't react. His eyes were wide with the realization that something had happened, but he didn't even perceive the dagger flying toward his own forehead.
Vines rapidly grew from Chartia's hands, reaching out to block the dagger.
But Jinwoo was faster.

'Jinwoo!?'
Chartia was greatly surprised by the fact that he had moved before her plants. At that moment, Jinwoo had already drawn his Fang Dagger and deflected the incoming one.
However, more than one dagger had been thrown, and several rained down on the driver's seat.
"Uwaaaargh!"
Thanks to Jinwoo, Ikeda's head was saved, but daggers lodged in his forearm and shoulder. He frantically turned the wheel, and the van slammed into the guardrail.