Mad Dog Hunt (1)
Out of countless competitors, Karina had been the one to scout Seowoon and bring him to Sweden. Yet recently, she hadn't been able to leave South Korea.
This was a time of rapid change—some even called it the greatest upheaval since the First Industrial Revolution.
Every time you woke up, new information about Cloyd was being released.
Player communities that once operated behind high entry barriers on the deep web were now openly active on ordinary portal forums. Confidential map data and rare monster item info had begun spreading to the public.
There was even a balding group raising money via crowdfunding, claiming they needed a poorly made skin treatment.
Given the situation, Sweden had no choice but to leave Karina—the one with the closest relationship to Seowoon—in Korea, allowing her to keep in contact and build rapport with the Seowoon Quad.
Bored after finally adapting to life in unfamiliar Korea, she answered her phone the moment Kichan called.
"Kichan?"
—Karina. Can you book a flight to Russia right now? And check on entry procedures…
"Russia? Why there…?"
Trailing off, she tapped away at the laptop in front of her.
"If it's a private jet, I can arrange something right away. Is it urgent?"
Even as she spoke, the word "Russia" weighed heavily on her mind.
Russia was one of the most aggressively invested countries in the Cloyd business—on par with Japan.
It was especially infamous for player assassinations and the illegal item trade.
Even now, most black market items were routed through Russia.
—We're going to take down the Mad Dog Brothers.
Her hands froze mid-application for use of the private jet.
"…What did you just say? You're not talking about the Arseniy brothers, are you?"
—That's exactly who. Bornin Arseniy, Bornin Andrei, and Bornin Boris.
As Kichan listed the names, her heart sank.
"No. Absolutely not!"
She shot up from her seat, shouting so loudly that Seowoon, sitting nearby, took the phone from her.
Hearing his voice through the receiver, Karina suddenly realized how overly emotional she'd just been. She slumped back into her chair, defeated.
—Karina. I may have changed my citizenship to Sweden, but that doesn't mean I take orders from you.
His voice was cold, drawing a clear line. Karina quickly tried to recover.
"I-I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry if I offended you. But they're dangerous. They're not like the Japanese players."
—I've heard they recently joined Crown. But I've learned during this last ranked match that not all Crown members are the same.
The quiet anger in Seowoon's voice still hadn't subsided. Karina sighed.
"Did they do something to you?"
—Not yet. But word is, I'm their next target.
Karina's brow furrowed instantly.
"Seowoon. Please listen to me just this once. They've killed players stronger than themselves. They're not the type to face you head-on. They'll use any means necessary to eliminate a target."
Her fists clenched as she spoke.
She could never forget the day they murdered a promising Swedish alchemist—and even her commanding officer, someone she had trusted and followed.
—If it's a dirty fight… well, I do enjoy those.
Seowoon's unexpected response left her stunned.
She had no idea how he played the game, so her reaction was understandable.
But Kichan, who had been listening beside him, simply nodded in agreement.
In real life, Seowoon was soft-spoken and a bit naive, like someone with their "switch turned off." But once that switch flipped, he became a master of dirty tactics.
You're glad he's on your side—but if he were your enemy, he'd make your blood boil.
That was how Kichan evaluated Seowoon—having experienced him both as an ally and an opponent.
"This isn't like the game... Haah. Fine. Entering Russia won't be a problem. But… those three are former Russian intelligence operatives. The Russian government denies it, but they're still clearly connected. The moment you enter the country, you'll be under intense scrutiny."
—Doesn't matter. We're going to end this quickly and come back.
"You're bringing the whole team, right?"
—Just Kichan and me.
"…Understood. I'll see you at the airport."
***
After ending the call, the two men ran down to the house nestled at the mountain's base, their expressions still stiff.
"I'm coming too."
After hearing the full story, Lilingwei said this with an icy gaze.
Naturally, Juriel stepped forward with her.
"I'll go as well. If they're that dangerous, we should make sure it's done right."
But Seowoon shook his head.
Just as the two women were about to protest, they caught a glimpse of his cold, sunken eyes—and immediately fell silent.
That look, which he only showed during the most critical moments in a game, carried an undeniable authority. Both women had seen it before, and neither could resist it.
"There are people here who need protecting."
Realization dawned on their faces.
"My parents, and Kichan's younger sister. I need you to protect them."
Although Swedish agents were already secretly watching over them, the enemy's expertise in such matters meant they couldn't afford to rely on that alone.
"Leave this to us. We'll protect them with our lives."
"Yeah. Don't worry. But… are you going to be okay?"
Lilingwei looked straight at him. He met her gaze in silence.
"You've… never really killed anyone before, have you?"
As the daughter of a martial family, she'd spent her life among warriors and could tell, just by looking, who had killed and who hadn't.
In Cloyd, Seowoon had racked up more kills than anyone, but that wasn't the same as real-world murder.
She wanted to go with him—wanted to bloody her hands in his place.
The more accustomed he became to life on Earth, the more she feared real killing would change him. She didn't want that blood to be on his hands.
"Don't worry. I don't see them as people. I'm not going to kill humans—I'm going to put down a pack of mad dogs."
Hearing his words and seeing the resolve in his eyes, Lilingwei's worry melted away like snow under the sun.
"Then… be careful. We'll go straight to your families."
"I'm counting on you."
With that, the four of them split—each heading in a different direction from Wonju.
Riding their bikes to the airport, Seowoon and Kichan were greeted by agents waiting at the parking lot entrance.
"Leave the bikes with us and proceed."
The two of them were escorted with full clearance to the private jet.
Boarding the plane, they found Karina already waiting.
"You're coming too?" Kichan asked.
She nodded, her face still hard.
"We'll need someone local to coordinate once we land. Let's work out the plan during the flight."
As the plane took off, she turned to Seowoon.
"What's the plan?"
"Find them... take them out quickly. That's it."
"..."
Kichan had heard that kind of answer enough times that it didn't faze him anymore. But for Karina, the shock was substantial.
"Y-you're saying we just go find them and kill them?"
"What more do we need?"
"But... didn't you say something about dirty fighting...?"
"I said I liked it. I didn't say I'd be fighting them that way. I'm not heading into battle against worthy opponents. I'm going hunting—for mad dogs."
It was only then that she realized Seowoon didn't even recognize the Mad Dog Trio as proper enemies.
"If you underestimate them..."
"Karina. Do you know how they managed to kill so many players all this time?"
Seowoon cut in with a question, locking eyes with her as she scrambled to think.
She had read countless reports about their operations.
She knew exactly how they took players down.
But still, she shook her head as she met Seowoon's gaze.
"It's nothing special. They chose targets, made a plan, and attacked first. They've always been on the offensive—hardly ever on the receiving end. They were safe in their own country. First strike wins."
He said it simply, but the words cut right to the core of the issue. Without realizing it, she found herself nodding.
Of course, she knew that basic principle. The problem was that many players still fell for it.
"Russia is a huge country. Just finding where they are in that vast space..."
Her words were interrupted as Seowoon pulled a file from his subspace and handed it to her.
As she opened it, her face filled with disbelief.
She'd worked in the Swedish intelligence agency's talent division herself, but she'd never seen information this detailed.
The trio's safe houses in Russia, their usual movements, and where they tended to stay—none of this was easy to come by.
"So Korea's Homeland Security is actually functional, contrary to the rumors."
"That information came from China."
At that, her head naturally nodded.
"Guess they're on high alert, being neighbors and all. Digging this deep... I suppose it makes sense. China's suffered plenty at the hands of those three too."
She closed the file and handed it back to Seowoon.
"I'll just say this in case it matters—if you do take all three of them out... you're looking at a bounty of just over ten billion won."
"A bounty? How much did you say?"
"Ten billion. Just Sweden alone has an unofficial bounty of three billion won on their heads. If you add what China, India, and several Middle Eastern countries have put up, it totals around twenty billion. About ten billion of that can be claimed even without proof of their bodies. Sweden will vouch for their deaths, so you don't need to worry about the reward."
Hearing that he could earn more than he ever had from selling rare items just by taking down a few targets, Seowoon's eyes narrowed.
"Do normal governments really put bounties on people's heads?"
"Officially, of course not. But unofficially..."
"I see."
The three arrived at a Russian airport and slipped past immigration without inspection, using a high-speed bypass.
"That was easier than I expected. I thought we'd at least have to shake off local agents," Karina said.
Seowoon smirked.
"Guess we looked easy to handle."
They checked into a shabby hotel in Moscow.
As soon as they entered their room, Seowoon spoke.
"From now on, stay in the safe house here in town. We'll handle the rest ourselves."
"But..."
Seeing the two already donning cloaks of concealment from subspace, she had no argument left.
She realized she'd only get in the way once they entered combat mode.
"Understood. Keep me updated on any changes."
Before she even finished her sentence, Seowoon pulled out a folded paper he'd received from her on the plane.
"Here. Here. And here. Memorize these."
Kichan nodded.
"These are the key junctions, right? Cut these, and their power gets shut down. I've already memorized them."
"Check again. Even the slightest error could be a problem."
"Got it."
With that, the two threw open the hotel window.
"The city lights are bright—must be the capital," Kichan remarked.
"Doesn't matter."
With that, Seowoon leapt out the window, Kichan following close behind.
They moved along the hotel's outer wall, quickly scaling up to the roof.
Though the area was brightly lit, their dark cloaks concealed them well enough that no civilians would notice the two figures streaking across the night sky.
—Two kilometers ahead, to the left.
At Kichan's clumsy telepathic message, Seowoon abruptly changed direction.
Kichan's tablet displayed both their current location and the destination.
—That penthouse is one of Boris's safe houses. He usually brings women there.
—Looks like he's in. The lights are on.
Seowoon looked up at the top of a nearby skyscraper.
Kichan shook his head.
—The file said the lights stay on 24/7.
—Guess they've got oil money to waste on electricity. Let's check it out.
The two figures moved like shadows up the side of the high-rise.
Seowoon's light-step technique was even faster and more stable than Kichan's, letting him ascend without a single misstep.
They reached the rooftop, styled like a sky park, in seconds. There, Seowoon closed his eyes and extended his senses.
***
Meanwhile...
"So you just let them go?" Arseny asked.
Andrei smiled slyly.
"Of course not. While I was creating a distraction, I slipped in a team—six guys with clean records. They'll be closing in on the target's family soon. I'm heading to Korea tomorrow through an unofficial route. You guys take your time. I'll have everything ready."
At the words of Andrei—the youngest of the fraternal triplets—Arseny picked up the barbell he had briefly set down.
"Don't draw attention before we arrive."
"I know. It's not my first time. What about Boris?"
"Probably with some woman again."
"That guy gets worse every time something happens. Tell him to keep it in check. He killed three last time, and even command had to step in. We all came out of the same hellhole—why's he the only one like that?"
Arseny shook his head at Andrei's grumbling.
"Who knows? The higher-ups seem more interested in his abilities anyway. Especially that item from Subaru—they're practically drooling over it."
"That's non-negotiable. Just make up a convincing excuse and fill in the gaps with something else. Those old men are getting greedier by the day."
"And it's thanks to their greed that we get to enjoy this lifestyle."
The two continued chatting for a while.
Most of their conversation revolved around how to divide up the loot from Seowoon's squad.
Then, Arseny's phone rang.
"Boris," read the screen as he picked up the call.
***
"Ugh... s-stop..."
The hoarse words came from the mouth of the naked woman being strangled. But the grip around her neck only tightened.
—Bzzzt.
Just as Boris's crazed eyes gleamed with intensity, a sudden power outage caused his strength to fade.
With a scowl, he let go of the woman's throat.
"Cough! Cough!"
Ignoring the terrified woman clutching her throat and gasping for air, Boris stood up from the bed.
"What the hell?!"
Irritated, he yanked open the blinds of the floor-to-ceiling windows.
As the bright city lights stretched before him, his scowl deepened—only for him to suddenly feel leather wrapping around his body.
Before he could react, he was yanked violently backward.
—Ding! You are bound by an irresistible restraint. You cannot resist unless you break the whip or until the skill user finishes relocating you.
As the notification flashed, Boris's eyes narrowed.
—Squelch.
"Gah!"
A groan slipped from his lips as a hand pierced through his chest.
"Borinin Boris. That's you, right? Or would you like to say otherwise?"
A voice, translated through a phone app, spoke clearly.
"Wh-who are you? What the hell are you—argh!"
With a hand plunged into his chest and clutching his heart barehanded, Boris couldn't speak further to the shadowy figure in front of him.
Then came another translated voice through the phone.
"If I even sense the tiniest bit of mana moving toward the heart I'm holding, I promise I'll crush it right then and there. Same goes for not answering my questions properly. Got it?"
Boris, who had never imagined in his life that someone might one day clutch his heart with their bare hand, nodded furiously.
Only then did the hand gripping his heart ease, and his racing heartbeat began to return to normal.
—Tap tap!
As the man tapped Boris's lower abdomen twice with a finger, a sudden blockage of his internal energy made it clear—he was completely at the mercy of someone far beyond him.
"Where's your phone?"
At the man's command, Boris turned his head with difficulty.
Following his gaze, they saw the phone clearly sitting on the nightstand next to the bed.
Kichan, walking over to the bed where the woman trembled under the blanket, picked up the phone.
"Forget what happened here and tell no one. That guy makes a hobby of killing the women he sleeps with. You're better off staying far away from people like him."
The woman nodded furiously in response to the translated voice coming through the phone.
Despite the man's hand having just pierced through Boris's chest and gripped his heart, there wasn't a single drop of blood on his skin—leaving Boris too petrified to even twitch a finger.
The woman, still terrified, quickly threw on her clothes and ran out of the room. Not long after, the power returned.
"You on good terms with your brothers?"
Boris nodded in silence.
Even as he nodded, he tried to get a look at the intruder's face, obscured under a dark cloak.
"Eyes down. If you see my face, your chances of surviving drop to zero."
He's a pro.
That was the immediate instinct that flashed through Boris's mind.
"Call your brother. Arseny would be best. Make it a video call."
At that moment, Boris quickly weighed the strength of his brothers versus that of this enemy. Internally, he smiled—and began dialing the video call.
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