The Ultimate Villain: Cheol-su Kim

Saeya's silhouette sliced through the shadowed cityscape, swift and precise like a streak of black lightning.

Cheol-su Kim's cold voice echoed in her wireless earpiece.

"How are you planning to draw them out?"

Saeya asked, her breaths coming in quick, measured intervals as she sprinted through the dark streets.

— It's simple.

Cheol-su's voice was calm.

— We cut off their money flow.

"Their money flow?"

— Red Mask and Spark are middle managers. They're the ones collecting money from gangsters and passing it on to someone else. If the flow of money stops, they'll have no choice but to come out of hiding.

"So your plan is…"

—Eliminate the remaining gangsters. Every last one of them.

"And, of course, that's only possible because you can read their memories."

—Exactly. But what about you? How did you end up as an assassin?

Cheol-su's sudden question left Saeya silent for a moment.

"Well, you could say it's in my blood."

—In your blood?

"Our family has been raising assassins for generations. We amassed wealth through contracts and eventually took over an entire country."

—Wait, you… took over a country?

"The contracts were expensive. I've arrived, by the way. Starting now."

Standing before a sturdy-looking factory, Saeya focused her mind and prepared to begin the operation.

It looks like an ordinary factory… Are they really manufacturing the 'Seeds of Oblivion,' no, drugs, here? So blatantly?

The entrance was easy to spot—a nondescript metal door—but its heavy locks and reinforced frame screamed of secrets hidden behind it. Following her prior research, she leapt onto the roof and located an air vent.

"Let's see who's inside before I go in. Pulse Vision."

Saeya's eyes turned bloodshot as she activated her ability to detect lifeforms within the building. The factory appeared empty.

Sliding through the vent, she entered the factory. Inside, rusted machines creaked in the darkness, and the dusty floor showed signs of long neglect. Yet, this was all a facade.

The real lab must be hidden deeper inside.

Her gaze shifted to the factory floor. Using her Pulse Vision, she sensed the rhythmic beating of hearts beneath her.

"The basement. Eleven of them. Just as Cheol-su said, this is a decoy. The basement is the real deal."

Carefully maneuvering between workbenches and shelves, she scanned the floor. A faint vibration emanated from a large metal plate.

"The entrance should be around here… and the code panel should be nearby."

Scanning her surroundings, she spotted a small control panel connected to the machinery. It was old and rusted, with faint signs of frequent use.

This should be a piece of cake.

Entering the six-digit code Cheol-su had extracted from a memory, she heard a soft beep followed by a green light.

The metal plate slid aside, revealing a hidden passage leading underground.

"Now the real work begins."

Before stepping in, Saeya activated her ability.

"Phantom Cloak."

Her figure shimmered and vanished into invisibility.

Sliding into the passage, she descended a narrow metal staircase, ensuring her footsteps made no sound. At the bottom was a thick metal door, behind which wafted the pungent smell of chemicals and the faint hum of machinery.

This must be the drug lab.

Saeya cautiously opened the door and stepped inside.

The underground lab exuded an eerie stillness, akin to the suffocating depths of the ocean. Steel beams loomed overhead like silent sentinels, while wisps of colored smoke curled lazily from workbenches laden with volatile chemicals. The sharp clinking of lab tools echoed, and the workers in their uniforms moved with machine-like precision.

The men, clad in protective suits, meticulously handled beakers, while at the center sat a man who appeared to be the boss, lounging arrogantly.

"The next shipment needs to be ready by dawn. You know the consequences if it's not," he barked, his voice sharp enough to cut through the thick chemical air.

The workers quickened their pace at his command.

Saeya approached the first worker. As her fingertip brushed his arm, she whispered softly.

"Mark of Death."

The worker remained oblivious, his movements mechanical as he stirred the glowing liquid. Saeya moved like a shadow, her fingertips brushing against each target with surgical precision, leaving behind an invisible yet fatal trace. Her hands moved with speed and precision.

Finally, she approached the boss. Even with her so close, he didn't sense her presence, reclining casually with a cigarette in his mouth. Saeya left her final mark on his shoulder.

With all targets marked, she slipped back into the shadows. Exiting the lab, she sealed the heavy metal door and ascended the staircase, careful not to make a sound.

Back on the factory floor, she stopped in a corner and reactivated her ability, observing the movements below.

Through her Pulse Vision, the eleven heartbeats were still visible. They were alive—for now. But their time was up.

Saeya's blood-red eyes glowed brighter as she murmured softly.

"Mark of Death, activate," she whispered, her voice carrying the weight of a death sentence. From her fingertips, a crimson wave erupted, slithering like a sentient predator, consuming the room in its fatal embrace.

The air grew heavy, and the wave engulfed every corner of the underground lab.

A sudden burst of light followed by intense energy eradicated every trace of life within.

Short screams and the sound of metal tools clattering to the floor echoed briefly before everything fell silent.

Saeya reactivated her Pulse Vision. Her glowing red eyes scanned the area, but no signs of life remained. The eleven heartbeats had stopped. The silence confirmed her hunt was complete.

She reported to Cheol-su through her earpiece.

"Target eliminated. Moving to the next phase. Report."

***

A dark night.

When Cheol-su Kim arrived at the warehouse storing the Black Dragon's drugs, a call came through from Saeya.

—I'm done. How about you?

"What? Already? That was fast. I just got here."

—That's why I'm the pro, and you're the amateur.

With that curt remark, Saeya ended the call.

Maybe I've found a reliable partner after all.

Cheol-su stood silently in the shadow of the building. His gaze burned with vengeance, and his fingers carried a cold, lethal tension.

This is the place.

Recalling the information he had extracted from the memory of a dead gangster, he clenched his fists. The faint light spilling from the warehouse windows marked the start of his mission.

"Let's erase this place—quickly and thoroughly."

Cheol-su stepped inside. The scent of rusted machinery and chemicals stung his nose, and the dim light cast long shadows, making the warehouse feel like a den of crime.

"Who's there?"

Gangsters guarding the stash turned toward him, their burly figures filling the space.

"I'm the Executor. You've probably never heard of me before."

"The Executor?"

"Do you even realize how many lives have been destroyed because of the drugs you sell?"

Cheol-su's voice was sharp.

"Hey, what's this guy on about? Is he some kind of saint?"

One of the men laughed boisterously.

Then again, words were never going to reach these kinds of people.

Shwick. Thud.

[The souls of the deceased have been absorbed.]

[The souls of the deceased have been purified.]

[The 'life memories' of the deceased have been stored.]

"Drug stash, done."

Cheol-su reported to Saeya through his earpiece.

— "I'll head to the Black Dragon's human trafficking site next."

"And I'll take care of the drug suppliers."

After setting the warehouse ablaze, Cheol-su moved swiftly. Following the clues extracted from memories, he headed toward the hideout of those distributing and selling the drugs. His rapid steps raced against the quiet streets of the night.

"Word is the cops have been sniffing around lately."

"So what? How are they going to catch us? This is our turf, and they're all in our pocket anyway."

Inside a secluded building, the drug dealers gathered, their conversation loud and complacent.

Cheol-su burst through the door, his gaze sharp as a blade.

"This is the place for the sellers and couriers, right?"

The men, seated and mid-conversation, froze in confusion.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Judging by your reactions, this is the right place."

"Wait, who the hell—"

Without further delay, Cheol-su sprang into action. His movements were becoming more skilled, efficient, and relentless. He allowed no room for error.

After annihilating the drug stash and the sellers, he headed for his final destination: an illegal arms trading site.

Inside the building, the traders laughed as they exchanged bundles of cash for weapons.

Clunk.

Cheol-su shut the door behind him, taking a moment to steady his breath as he scanned the room.

"This ends here."

His cold gaze glinted like a razor's edge.

"What's this guy doing here?"

One of the gangsters sneered.

"No one leaves this place tonight,"

Cheol-su declared.

The battle erupted before his words had fully settled. Armed opponents stood against him, but Cheol-su's abilities far exceeded human limits.

He darted through the room like lightning, dismantling his foes with inhuman precision. The gangsters barely had time to aim their guns before their heads were smashed apart by his fists.

By the time the fight ended, the room was an inferno of chaos, littered with headless bodies.

Together, Cheol-su and Saeya executed their missions swiftly and discreetly. By the end of the night, the so-called "Three Great Organizations" of South Korea—the Black Dragon, Tigers, and White Panthers—had been utterly dismantled.

—I'm done.

Saeya's voice came through the earpiece, calm yet tinged with a trace of disappointment.

"I'm almost done too. Just one left."

In front of Cheol-su, a trembling loan shark from the Tigers' organization knelt, tears streaming down his face.

"P-please don't come any closer, you monster!"

Cheol-su stared down at him and spoke softly.

"You won't feel any pain."

Thud.

[The soul of the deceased has been absorbed.]

[The soul of the deceased has been purified.]

[The 'life memories' of the deceased have been stored.]

The familiar notifications echoed in his mind. But this time, a new message followed, halting him in his tracks.

[Kill count: 100.]

[Soul Level 1 achievement conditions met.]

[Promoted to 'Soul Level 1.']

[Bonus ability 'Infiltration' unlocked.]

Cheol-su's eyes flashed coldly, a faint glow betraying the surge of newfound power flowing to his fingertips.