A back alley in Daegu, far from the main road, was littered with all sorts of junk. The place was incredibly gloomy, with hardly any light, a spot a regular citizen wouldn't even glance at.
Even though Korea's public safety has improved recently, there are still limits. While crime prevention might work for normal cases, you couldn't guarantee your safety if you ventured into such a blatantly shady area, even out of curiosity. This was especially true for regions not as heavily influenced by the Blood Alliance as Seoul.
"Heh heh heh, what a loser. That dumbass gambled again and lost it all."
"Seriously? Again?"
"Shut up, man. I'm already in a bad mood."
"I knew it. You gotta live an honest life. How can you only ever go for a big score?"
However, for the residents of the underworld, such a dangerous environment was just a normal part of their daily lives. A group of young men, their faces flushed with drink, were stumbling down the alley, laughing boisterously.
"I said, shut up! And honest life, my ass. What kind of honest life can guys like us have...?"
Were they so drunk and engrossed in their conversation that they weren't paying attention?
Thump!
The young man leading the group, who had been complaining, didn't see the figure approaching from the opposite direction and collided with their shoulder.
"Ah, damn it! What the hell is this?"
"Heh heh! What's he doing?"
"Heh heh heh."
He fell to the ground as if he'd hit a steel pole, then grimaced and staggered to his feet. The alcohol numbed the pain, but that wasn't the important issue. The guys around him, who had been gossiping, were now openly pointing and laughing. His temper, already at its limit, snapped.
"You bastard, who do you think you are, bumping into someone's shoulder and...!"
"Huh? Me?"
As he glared and unleashed his fury at the person in front of him, a large figure emerged slowly from the darkness of the alley.
"Well, damn. My apologies. It's been a while since I had to worry about things like that."
The well-built man with sunglasses scratched the back of his head casually, explaining that people usually got out of his way, so he hadn't expected to bump into anyone.
"You think 'sorry' is enough? Just give me the money for treatment."
"Yeah, yeah, and your clothes and sunglasses look nice, too. Leave them here."
But unfortunately, the young men, completely numb with alcohol, weren't receptive to his sincere apology. Although the man looked extraordinary, his appearance wasn't a major concern for them, as they belonged to Daegu's largest underworld organization, the Black Dragon Society.
"Consider yourself lucky. Back in the day, it wouldn't have ended like this."
"Heh heh, we would've just broken your shoulder right away."
"And even then, you'd be lucky to get away with your life."
Even though they were part of a gang, these men, who were strolling around this dangerous zone while drunk, weren't just ordinary thugs. An aura filled with a Mystic Power flickered around them, ready to half-kill anyone who dared to resist. Their skill levels weren't high, but their status as Returnees made their threat undeniable.
A man surrounded and threatened by a group of Returnee thugs—Harley smacked his lips as he arrived at the scene, acting on information from his newly recruited employees.
'This is a fresh experience. It must be because I'm suppressing my aura as much as possible with this 'Director Ha' body.'
Still, most people would feel an instinctive apprehension. It seemed the alcohol had completely dulled not only their reason but also their instincts. Given the situation, there was only one thing he could do.
"Tsk, I guess there's no choice. I really didn't want to perform illegal medical procedures."
Despite his words, he grinned brightly, rolled up his sleeves, and got ready to begin his physical therapy.
"Oh? You wanna go?"
"Let's break all his limbs first."
What happened next didn't need a detailed explanation.
"Agh..."
"Cough! Cough!"
It didn't take long for the previously cocky men to be crumpled up like garbage and strewn all over the alley. They fit the surrounding decor perfectly.
"You... Do you have any idea who we are?! You'll never get away with messing with the Black Dragon Society in Daegu!"
As he was admiring the scene, one of the men who seemed relatively fine, perhaps due to the effectiveness of the intricate 'treatment,' yelled with a sobered rage.
'As expected, it's just the initial treatment. Seems he's not fully cured yet.'
From his words, it looked like he needed additional treatment. Harley nodded and strode toward the patient who still seemed lively despite being on the ground.
"Hmph! My older brother is an executive in the Black Dragon Society! You think he'll just sit back if something happens to me?! The rumors about Black Yaksha Gwon Cheol-yong must have reached you, right? Black Yaksha, the head of our Black Dragon Society! My brother, Jang Tae-hyeok, serves directly under him! If something happens to me, he'll immediately...
Huh? The boss will get involved. If you understand what I'm saying, you better..."
"Oh? Looks like I came to the right place."
A nonchalant voice cut off his frantic babbling. The man, stunned, looked up from the ground.
Against the dim lights of the alley, a shadowy figure's teeth gleamed brightly. They looked genuinely happy, as if they had just stumbled upon a great stroke of luck.
'...Shit, I think I messed with the wrong guy.'
At that moment, the effects of the 'special prescription' seemed to kick in, and his lost reason and instinct returned to their rightful places.
"I was actually looking for that guy. Since it's fate, how about you give me a little tour?"
But it was already far too late.
The Blood Alliance had been an organization in Korea's underworld for over 15 years. While most of their forces have now relocated to solidify their influence in Seoul, the Blood Alliance was originally a confederation with crews spread across the country.
CRASH!
"Damn it! These rotten scumbags...! They're supposed to be a public safety organization, but instead of hunting down vampires, they've become the dogs of those bastards? How disgraceful!"
As such, it was no surprise that they caused various problems and repeatedly clashed with local underworld powers for dominance. In fact, the casualties from these fights were likely far greater than the publicly known damages. For vampires, harvesting blood through conflict in the underworld was much easier and more efficient than getting blood from the public.
'This is problematic. It's truly problematic. It seems we haven't been caught yet, but considering how persistent the Guardians are, it's only a matter of time.'
Gwon Cheol-yong, the boss of Daegu's Black Dragon Societyand Black Yaksha, was one of those who had built a grudge with the Blood Alliance during this period. While it wasn't difficult to protect Daegu's dominance against the scattered forces of the Blood Alliance at the time, many of his men, whom he considered brothers, were sacrificed in the process.
"Ha! The nerve of those bastards. Do they really think they can live under the sun now that they're operating in the open? The smell of the blood they've spilled in the past is still so vivid. How can they even claim that?"
When the Blood Alliance took control of the Korean underground and became the masters of the night, he grudgingly became their subordinate. After all, this world operated on the logic of power. No matter how much resentment he held, he had no choice but to accept the result when the clear victor had been decided.
'But this is different. They're the ones who broke the rules of the underworld first.'
They operate in the open while controlling crimes in the underworld. How can they still be considered part of the same underground world? They're more like another police force. It wasn't unfair for him, a devoted member of the underworld, to cooperate with an outside force and betray the BloodAlliance.
'Damn it, the plan has gone wrong. The bomb terror attack was a secondary concern, but I never imagined they'd immediately subdue the entertainers who caused the commotion and hand them over to the Returnee Association. They didn't handle their own problems and pawned them off on a law enforcement agency. Do they have no pride as masters of the night?'
The bomb attack to eliminate Licorice was a 'nice-to-have' plan. What he was truly aiming for was the next phase. If the entertainers who had just had a run-in with them were all assassinated, who would the public blame first?
'If the bomb attack succeeded, it'd be 100%. Even if it didn't, they'd still first suspect Licorice[1] and the vampires behind her.'
With so many witnesses, it would be useless to deny it. With the additional preparations he had made, public opinion would ignite, and the government and the Association would be burdened with supporting the vampires. His plan was to systematically tear down the trust the Blood Alliance had built and completely destroy their foundation in the open world.
"Damn, all that planning has gone to waste. Now I have nothing to say to them..."
Gwon Cheol-yong bit his lip, thinking of his secret collaborator. The most crucial part of this operation, the assassination, was impossible for him to do alone. Even as a strong individual who had reached the rank of Master, assassinating well-known Awakened individuals like Cheon Seol-hyang was absolutely out of the question. To be honest, he wasn't even confident he could defeat her in a direct fight. Therefore, the one designated for the assassination had to be someone of a similar caliber.
[No need to explain. I've already grasped the situation.]
"Huh! When?"
Just like that, at a moment even a Master like Gwon Cheol-yong hadn't noticed, a figure had appeared behind him.
[Tsk, this is a complete failure. If only the Southern Seoul branch of the Guardians wasn't so heavily protected by the Lightning Empress, I could've tried something.]
The shadow, which communicated through the air instead of with its voice, shook its head slowly. Even though he was a specialist in assassination and on the verge of Transcendence, he wasn't confident he could fool the senses of a true Transcendent and kill them stealthily.
"...Still, there's a chance. They can't hold them for long..."
[The timing is already off. It's better to plan anew.]
The shadow, known as Heukyeong[2], inwardly clicked his tongue as he watched the man cling to his hopes. He had chosen him because he seemed useful, but it appeared he wasn't the kind of person you could work with for long.
'I'll just finish this job and get rid of him. Bringing a guy like this along would only lead to a longer tail.'
Now that the Heaven- turn societyhad completely withdrawn from Korea, this was the perfect opportunity for the Black Dragon Society to infiltrate the country. To survive, they had to shake up the Blood Alliance and take advantage of the chaos, as their society was on the brink of collapse in the parts of China that the Heaven turn society fully controlled.
'But if my collaborator is like this, I'll only put myself in danger.'
If they messed up and got attacked by both the Blood Alliance and the Heavenly turn society, it would all be over. He needed to find a more reliable and competent person to handle things.
Knock, knock—
"Brother, it's Tae-hyeok. I have an urgent report to give..."
At that moment, the voice of his subordinate was heard from outside the office. Gwon Cheol-yong exchanged a quick glance with Heukyeong and then snapped at the door.
"I'm busy now, come back later!"
"It's urgent. For some reason, a Guardian investigator has suddenly appeared in our territory, and he won't listen to reason. If we don't respond immediately..."
But he could only scowl at the frantic answer that followed. He was the only one in the organization who knew about this plan. Everyone else had just indirectly collaborated without knowing what they were doing. How could the trail have led here so soon?
Heukyeong, understanding the situation, slowly nodded and melted into the shadows of the room.
"...Come in."
Click—
And the moment the security door's barrier was disengaged in response to Gwon Cheol-yong's words, a stranger burst into the office.
"Sniff, sniff! I smell it, I smell it! The smell of a conspiracy is reeking in here! Khahahaha!"
The stranger was a muscular man with slicked-back hair and a suit, looking exactly like a thug. A flustered Gwon Cheol-yong quickly turned to his subordinate, Tae-hyeok, but...
"...I'm sorry, brother."
"You, you...! How could you...!"
The man standing at the door simply hung his head, his face a mess.
As Gwon Cheol-yong raged at the betrayal, Harley, who had just entered the office, smiled brightly at the darkness in the corner.
"Wow~ What a catch! I came to rough up the perpetrator, just like my capable new recruits told me to, and it seems the mastermind is here too!"
Immediately after, the shadow in the darkness tried to escape quickly, but...
[Guh!]
"Hey now! I just got here, where do you think you're going?"
While it might have been possible to escape from a distance, there was no way to get away once it was within his sights.
BOOM!
The office, surrounded by a strong barrier, exploded in an instant. The shadow, trying to slip away like an eel, was pursued by Harley like a peregrine falcon. After a brief chase, the hunter finally grabbed his prey by the neck, a fierce smile on his face.
'I might have actually missed him if I wasn't careful. I'm lucky.'
His escape skills were beyond imagination, as all his abilities were focused on stealth instead of direct combat. He would have certainly missed him if he had just barged in and destroyed everything as he usually did.
'People really should live good lives.'
Who would have known that the method he chose—to minimize the commotion in 'Director Ha' mode—would lead to this result? It was all thanks to the 'physical therapy' he so graciously gave the young men on the street.
Just like that, Harley was able to steadily accumulate more violence points today. As he always did.
[1] llycoris
[2] Black Shadow