A three-story house with a garden located on the outskirts of Seoul.
At first glance, the area and size suggested an expensive luxury residence, but strictly speaking, such housing was not highly favored.
For one, it was far from the bustling downtown, resulting in an insufficient infrastructure compared to the city, and most importantly, it was a disadvantage when emergencies arose, making assistance from guardians and the like difficult.
Although Korea’s security had improved recently, that didn’t mean the crime rate was zero, did it?
Of course, it was true that the risk of exposure to large-scale terrorism targeting crowded places was low.
However, petty crimes that weren’t reported in the news were closer to everyday life.
Especially for thieves who rarely revealed themselves, such residences were literally the best prey.
‘That’s the place.’
Thus, those who used such residences typically fell into one of two categories.
They were either Awakened Ones confident in their ability to protect themselves and their property, or they had the capital and power to hire such individuals.
Well, there weren’t any cases of people simply hoping for good luck and coming in at a low price, but when not accounting for the danger of what could happen, it had to be said that it was top-notch in terms of cost-effectiveness.
‘I wonder which category they fall into?’
A spacious garden surrounded by high walls, with a serene three-story house standing in the middle.
The self-proclaimed ‘master thief,’ who had recently begun to gain fame in the underworld, licked his lips while observing the target through his telescope.
In truth, a thief’s best virtue was secrecy, and being famous was already disqualifying, but he thought such beliefs were outdated prejudices.
After all, aren’t there countless stories of globally adored thieves?
‘As long as my true identity isn’t exposed, that’s all that matters, right?’
And he had absolute confidence in that aspect.
In the early days of entering this world.
After having his Unique Skill taken by a master who had taken notice of him, he inherited all abilities, and until his return to Earth, he had shown a clear progression without being detected even once.
‘I want to feel that thrill again. No, even more than that…!’
For someone like him, this Earth, where the wonders of various worlds intersected, was more than enough to stimulate his burning competitive spirit.
Of course, if he really wanted the highest difficulty, he could go to places like the Returner Association or the Blue House, but honestly, the thought of directly challenging such places made him a bit anxious.
‘Let’s go step by step, step by step. I’ll get fully accustomed to the ways of this other world first….’
In this way, he had already targeted a considerable number of luxury residences.
Considering that it hadn’t even been six months since he returned, it meant he had been quite diligent.
‘What’s a Hahoe Mask or Phantom to me? They won’t know where I am or what I’m up to, so how could they catch me? The Ability Management Bureau and the Association, even the Dark Alliance’s blood ties have only recently begun to notice my existence.’
He was different from the poor souls who had been caught due to a lack of skills.
Even if the well-known monsters were chasing him down openly, he had enough confidence to escape.
‘So what about this hunting ground? Let’s see if I can test my skills a bit?’
With that confidence, he quietly approached the residence using his signature skill, “Ghost Step.”
Other skills activated at once as he thoroughly erased his appearance and presence.
In this state, any ordinary Awakened One wouldn’t detect him even if they were doing a tap dance right in front of him.
Thus, the master thief smoothly approached the mansion’s wall.
However, at the next moment, he unconsciously paused as an inexplicable sense of unease struck him.
‘…What is it?’
A shiver tingled down his spine, awakening his instincts.
This was the first time he had felt such a sensation since a perilous moment in his early days when he ignored his master’s advice and relied solely on his Unique Skill, landing himself in danger.
If his master hadn’t followed after him back then, he wouldn’t be standing here now.
‘Tsk.’
At that moment, his pride was wounded.
He was not the naive fool he once was.
Although he couldn’t make a direct comparison since his master had retired before he could truly hone his skills, looking simply at his subsequent actions, he had long since surpassed his past self in skills and experience.
‘Yeah, I can’t just keep picking easy targets and show off. It’s time to move on to the next stage. This incident will be a stepping stone to leap forward beyond my past.’
Of course, he had no intention of ignoring this sense of danger.
He utilized all his sensory abilities along with his magical equipment to carefully analyze and calmly judge the situation beyond the wall.
‘Indeed, an extraordinary security barrier. And it’s very well concealed. Is this the source of the unease?’
With this level of security, it was among the highest he had seen so far.
Perhaps it could be comparable to a government building.
‘For a mere house in the suburbs to have this level of protection….’
Curiosity sparked rapidly within him.
If one could establish such defensive capabilities, there must be considerable forces involved.
They must have something to hide to prepare this extensively.
‘Concealing slush funds? Or perhaps hiding a lover? No, it could also be an attempt to cover up something more heinous. Drugs? Human trafficking? Organ trading?’
Various dangerous thoughts surged through his mind.
At the same time, a gut feeling hinted that getting wrapped up here would become quite troublesome.
‘Logically speaking, it would be wise to retreat now….’
For a brief moment, he closed his eyes before opening them again, revealing a peculiar resolution.
This was a crossroads.
Would he remain just another common thief or become a legendary master thief like those in stories?
He had already made up his mind.
Of course, the equipment inside might be dangerous, but there were limits to what could be revealed.
It might be difficult, but he was convinced that this level of challenge wouldn’t stop him.
‘Let’s go!’
He activated his Unique Skill, “Wormhole.”
A power that could pierce through space, ignoring all defenses.
Although its effective range wasn’t very long, it was a crucial lifeline optimized for both infiltration and escape.
‘I’ll uncover what secrets you’re hiding within!’
Confidently taking a step forward, the master thief entered the mansion.
“······?”
He found himself trapped in a formation set up in the garden.
‘Huh?’
What was happening?
Amidst dense foliage and towering trees stretching over ten meters, everything was disorienting.
“…What is this? How?”
His voice escaped him involuntarily.
He had clearly tried to sneak into the mansion while avoiding detection from the security measures.
His distance calculations had been perfect, and he hadn’t felt anything amiss during the process.
So if something like this were happening, there could only be one reason.
‘Damn! A level of spatial distortion that even ignores my “Wormhole”? No, that wasn’t even detectable from outside…!’
As an alarm rang in his head, he instinctively realized.
What he had been aware of was only the tip of the iceberg.
And he had unknowingly walked into a trap, lulled by his own overconfidence.
Zzzap!
He tried using “Wormhole” again, but only white sparks erupted in the air, and no passage was created despite repeated attempts.
‘Ugh, this is… holy power? Was this surrounding the trap!’
With his last resort blocked, he had no choice but to find an exit from within.
However, even after leaping to the treetops with the aid of the wind, all he could see was the endless expanse of the forest.
A formidable barrier.
To establish such a barrier, one would have to be at least a great mage, possibly one who has transcended!
No, considering the holy power involved, it was possible that two or more transcendent beings had joined forces…
‘For just a residential garden to have such a high-level barrier? What exactly is this place? Is it a base for a secret organization aiming to overthrow the state?’
In a way, it was similar.
It was indeed a place for a group aiming for world domination and those opposing it.
Of course, only one official member belonged to that group.
The master thief moved rapidly, as if to prove that his reputation was not in vain, searching for a flaw in the barrier.
Even the most elaborate traps could never be flawless.
But in reality, while the world may not have anything perfect, it certainly had things that were infinitely close to perfect, and he felt that all too painfully.
“Ha— ha—.”
As time passed, he felt his strength and energy rapidly depleting as if being sucked into something.
His body, once in pristine condition even after a week of sleepless nights, was now limp like a soaked cotton ball after less than a day.
“…Ha, ha ha! This is insane… How ridiculous. What kind of lunatics have set up this magical realm in Korea…!”
Plants that had been peacefully rooted suddenly came to life and attacked him.
He could not relax even for a moment under the suddenly activated magical traps.
Foul monsters made of blood relentlessly pursued him, tightening around him like a noose accompanied by the thick stench of blood.
Even when he barely tried to catch his breath, curses and nightmares filled the air, robbing him of even proper rest.
Rather than find an exit, merely holding out was becoming an unbearable struggle.
In truth, he had already reached his limit.
Lasting close to a day was nothing short of a miracle.
“Damn, this fucking place… How did I end up here…?”
Thud—
As his consciousness began to fade.
In deep regret, he realized for certain.
The place he had entered was not some relatively difficult level-up dungeon.
It was the very worst magical den, meticulously designed by super-high-level entities.
*
“Hmm, is it over? That took longer than expected. This intruder has quite the talent, it seems.”
I leisurely sipped my coffee as I closed my eyes, watching the fading response of the intruder.
Then, I caught sight of a man trapped by blood creatures, the Blood Spawn, in a state of exhaustion and near death.
‘Hmm… what should I do with him? He appears quite useful.’
At that level, he was far beyond just a simple thief.
While I wasn’t sure about his combat abilities, if limited to stealth, with thorough preparation, the target’s negligence, and a bit of luck, he might manage to fool even a transcendent being for a short while.
‘It’d be a waste to just kill him off like usual.’
I had encountered several similar situations previously, and each time, I made the same choice.
To prepare for any eventuality, I would go through an interrogation process, then clean up any related parties that knew about him.
None among those sharing his crime plans were innocent, so in such cases, I had no hesitation at all.
‘If they were truly innocent, I might have settled it by tampering with their memories.’
During this time, a few magical items he had with him caught my eye.
Among the items being pulled out for safety inspection from the spatial pocket were some that undeniably piqued my interest.
For good reason…
“I sold these.”
To be precise, they were some magical items I had sold through the Hubert Association.
Of course, this wasn’t surprising.
The stable supply of magical items was smoothly facilitated by explosive demand, allowing both Hubert Association and the blood alliance to smoothly rise to their current positions.
Even though the blood alliance was an underground force, its growth was so pronounced that people often said it dominated Korea’s nightlife, thanks to the crumbs from the magic goods trade and its cautious approach.
Had I not wetted the wheels in advance, no matter how cooperative they might have been, facing various sanctions would have been unavoidable, and their forces would have become weakened.
‘…Alright, I can send him to the blood alliance. Turn him into a vampire and bind him to my will as well as place a few restrictions on him.’
Turning people into vampires on Earth required a huge expenditure of power, but for a talent like him, it would be an acceptable sacrifice.
In fact, for Heinz II, who could gather blood without mental contamination, such restrictions were minimal.
“Good, that’s settled.”
Just as I made a decision regarding the intruder who dared to invade my territory.
I slowly surveyed the surroundings once more, gently nodding my head with a satisfied smile.
‘Good, things are progressing smoothly.’
The situation in the Ganghwan Realm was unfolding exactly as I had expected.
Since everyone was aware of the seriousness of the current situation, there was no need for complex maneuvers.
‘After all, this is a matter concerning everyone living in the Ganghwan Realm.’
Although some remained skeptical until the end, recent events had completely flipped those responses.
The thick evil energy mixed clouds that had covered the sky over Beijing.
It was so distinct that it could be observed throughout the entire Hebei province surrounding it, and even those in more distant areas could sense something unusual in the currents.
As that fact spread through informants, networks, and even the footage left behind by sorcerers watching Beijing from Gonmudo, everyone’s sense of crisis soared drastically.
Subsequently, it was easy to coordinate opinions and move on to the next stage.
‘As quickly as possible, gather the strongest elite to strike against the demon cult in Beijing.’
Even the Shaolin Temple, having already suffered significant damage, saw the one-armed Shin Seung directly participating.
With the entire Wulin now aware of the situation, failing to act would ensure significant damage to their reputation and credibility, regardless of whether they were正 (righteous), 邪 (evil), or 军 (military).
‘Of course, among them, there will be those trying to be passive until the very end for their own interests.’
Those individuals wouldn’t last long after everything settled down, whether it was through the hands of the Wulin alliance or by mine.
“The only thing left is time.”
The plan was steadily progressing.
In the meantime, I defined what I needed to do.
Chunk— thud—
With a flurry of motions, various items began to stack up on the table.
Each exuding an unusual energy.
‘Let’s see how this goes.’
Prepared to use the “Power of Consumption” in the most efficient way.
These were potions from Auterica and the Ganghwan Realm, along with various worlds collected from Earth.
