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His ribs felt like they had cracked, and his internal organs were in turmoil, sending waves of agony through his body.

How… How is The Dark Empress here?

He immediately recognized who had struck him. How could he not? She was the pinnacle of assassin-type rankers, just like himself.

“…Gi Soyul?”

That made it even harder to comprehend. She had always been distant, never involved in others’ conflicts, solely focused on her growth—the ultimate role model for all assassins.

Why is she here at some little workshop run by a B-rank hunter?

Shadow Walker shook his head slowly, unable to believe the situation.

Did something happen recently?

Since becoming a mercenary for the Ohsung Group, he had been busy wasting his time in debauchery, utterly unaware of any recent news.

“Disappointing, Shadow Walker. I thought you were a decent hunter but never expected you would stoop to such dirty work.”

—Step, step.

Gi Soyul approached him slowly, her dagger darkly gleaming as she walked. Each step seemed casual, but not a single opening could be seen in her movements.

“Ugh…”

Enduring the pain, Shadow Walker gripped his sword and forced himself to stand. He had no choice. If he didn’t, she would indeed pierce his heart instantly.

“Gi Soyul… how are you here…?” he managed to say.

“What do you mean? Isn’t it natural for me to be here? I’m part of Demir’s Workshop now.”

“What?”

That was absurd. When did Gi Soyul become associated with Demir’s Workshop?

“Since when? Weren’t you always with Parang?”

Confusion clouded his thoughts. A ranker in the 300s could go anywhere and be welcomed with open arms. Why would someone like her possibly be in a tiny, barely profitable workshop like this?

“…”

—Spit.

Shadow Walker spat on the ground, staining it with blood.

Damn that brat, Shin Jongoh.

Of course, now it made sense. No wonder Shin Jongoh had thrown out such an outrageous sum of 30 billion won.

Regret washed over him like a tidal wave. If he had known Gi Soyul was involved, he wouldn’t have come for any price, let alone 30 billion. His life was more valuable than money.

—Sshk.

Gi Soyul didn’t bother answering his question. She simply adjusted her stance, raising her dark blade ever so slightly.

“W-Wait!” Shadow Walker raised his hand hurriedly.

“What is it?” Gi Soyul responded coldly.

“I’ve made a mistake. This is all just a misunderstanding. Can’t we talk this out?”

“A misunderstanding, you say…” Gi Soyul smirked. “Do you usually point a blade at someone during misunderstandings?”

“Th-That’s because of Shin Jongoh, that bastard…!”

“Don’t make excuses. You were about to take a life, and that alone is reason enough for you to die.”

Her voice dripped with icy finality. A suffocating aura of murderous intent swirled around her.

This is…

—Gulp.

Shadow Walker swallowed hard. For some reason, the Dark Empress seemed genuinely furious. It was like he had angered a mighty dragon, something no one could stop.

It seems there’s no choice.

There was no other option now. He had to fight. She might be strong, but he was still a ranker!

—Whoosh!

Shadow Walker lowered his stance and slipped into the shadows around him. In an instant, dark energy surged toward Gi Soyul from multiple directions—her flanks and her rear. It was a perfect ambush, executed with all the speed he could muster.

“…”

But Gi Soyul didn’t react. She neither flinched nor attempted to dodge. She simply flicked her wrist, waving her dagger twice. It was a clean execution, devoid of any wasteful movement.

—Shik! Slash!

The sound of something sharp slicing through the air echoed in the space.

“Guh! Urgh!”

The clone meant to attack Gi Soyul from the side vanished, while Shadow Walker, the real one, clutched his shoulder, blood dripping down.

He had twisted his body at the last second, or else it wouldn’t have been his shoulder that got cut—it would have been his throat.

—Tremble.

His body shook uncontrollably.

This is just… There’s no way I can match her.

He realized the overwhelming difference in their skill in just a single exchange. Gi Soyul was ranked 379th worldwide, while he was ranked 720th. He’d considered it a difference of only 341 ranks, but that was not the case.

An assassin is this strong without even relying on shadows?

The gap between them felt insurmountable, like trying to crack a boulder with an egg.

Suddenly…

—Whoosh!

Gi Soyul disappeared.

“H-Huh?”

Shadow Walker quickly whipped his head around in panic.

Where? Right? Left? Behind? Above?

But no matter where he looked, he couldn’t see her.

—Stab!

At that moment, the sound of something slicing through him echoed in his eardrums. Simultaneously, he felt a heavy pain in the left side of his chest.

“Wh-What…?”

In a daze, Shadow Walker looked down at his heart.

“When… When did this happen?”

A dagger was stabbed deep into his chest, and standing before him was Gi Soyul. Her cold, detached gaze locked onto him. Her movements had been ghostly, untraceable.

At the same time, tremendous pain surged through his body.

“Gahhh!”

Agonizing pain flooded his senses. He tried to swing his sword to knock her away, but…

—Stab! Stab!

She swiftly pulled out the dagger, stepped back, and once again stabbed it into his heart. The time it took for the dagger to be withdrawn and reinserted wasn’t even a second.

“Don’t feel too wronged. You’re just getting back what you tried to do to someone else,” she whispered coldly.

“U-Ugh…”

He could no longer speak. Blood gurgled up in his throat, and all the strength drained from his body. It felt like some dark power within the dagger had pierced his heart and shattered it completely.

—Thud.

His body collapsed to the ground, blood trailing from his lips as his eyes slowly closed.

Thus ended a ranker’s life.

The global rankings were about to shift once again.

Shadow Walker was dead. The fearsome ranker had drawn his last breath.

And it had only taken three strikes.

“My lord…” Sunny murmured. “I’m sorry. We let you get into danger because we couldn’t handle someone like that…”

“I need to train harder too. My body still can’t fully keep up with what I want it to do.” Eldrin added, sharing in the guilt.

Their voices carried a clear sense of regret.

“…”

It wasn’t their fault. The issue was that I was still B-rank. Because I wasn’t a ranker yet, their growth also had its limits.

They must have felt frustrated too. They would have easily been stronger than Gi Soyul if they were at their full strength.

You guys did great.

We held off a ranker for this long thanks to their experience and battle-hardened skills, allowing them to hold him off with minimal force.

“Donghoon.”

Gi Soyul approached me after carefully wiping off her dagger with a disposable cloth. There was something… different about her. Maybe it was because of the recent battle, but she seemed unusually angered, her fingers trembling slightly as she gripped her weapon.

“…Are you alright? You would’ve been in great danger if I’d come a second later.”

“Thanks to you, Dark Empress, I’m fine. Thank you for saving me.” I bowed my head in genuine gratitude.

Once again, I owed her my life.

That dagger was well worth it.

A satisfied smile crept onto my face.

Treat your benefactors with the highest respect.

This was the creed I had set for myself, and this moment was proof of its value.

When my blacksmithing skills reach their peak, I’d make her an even better weapon. VIPs of Demir’s Workshop would always remain VIPs. That’s how you elevated a brand’s worth.

“By the way, what was that about earlier? You said you left Parang?”

—Flinch!

When I asked, she visibly tensed.

Huh?

What was that about?

Come to think of it, I’d also heard her say something about being part of Demir’s Workshop.

“Well, uh… About that. Actually…”

As she hesitated, Kim Jinah came down from the third floor, now looking calm and composed after the earlier chaos.

“Dark Empress, I’ve heard so much about you. Thank you for your help.”

“No, it’s nothing… But, uh, who are you…?” Gi Soyul scratched her cheek awkwardly, tilting her head in confusion.

For the record, this was the first time she and Kim Jinah were meeting.

“Ahaha, I’m Kim Jinah. I’ve recently taken the role of vice master of this workshop.”

“Kim Jinah…? Wait, are you the Kim Jinah from the Hunter Bank?”

“You’ve heard of me?”

“My brother’s mentioned you before. He always said you were someone Parang desperately wanted to recruit… But how did you end up here?”

“It just so happened to be. It’s a great honor that Parang evaluated me that highly.”

Kim Jinah smiled gently as if she knew her worth well. Her confidence was evident as if it was a matter of fact.

Soon, Gi Soyul turned to look at me again. “I’ll be honest… I anticipated this sort of thing happening after announcing the S-rank weapon. It just took me a little longer than expected to sort everything out.”

“I see.”

“Donghoon.”

“Yes?”

“You’re a hunter who has received the recommendation of the Five Stars of Seoul. I have an obligation to protect you.”

“…”

“Frankly, Donghoon, you’re still weak. Not as a person, but rather there’s hidden potential within you that needs to grow. And for that to bloom, you need protection. The world is a tough place.”

I understood perfectly what she was saying. She wanted to join Demir’s Workshop. That was why she had left Parang to come here. It was a sentiment I was deeply grateful for.

But…

The old man had told me once:

“That girl who once challenged me… How long do you plan on keeping her by your side?

“You’ve got someone too strong watching over you.”

I couldn’t become stronger by just hiding behind someone else. No matter how harsh the world might be, I had to face it head-on and fight.

“…Oh my gosh. Shop Master? What need is there to even think about?” Kim Jinah cut in, seeing me lost in thought. “You should be celebrating! The Dark Empress herself is offering to join! Do you even know who she is? She’s ranked 379th in the world! 379th!”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“Oh my goodness.” Kim Jinah shook her head in disbelief before smiling brightly at Gi soyul. “Teehee, Dark Empress!”

“Y-Yes?” Gi soyul seemed slightly taken aback.

“If you’re joining us, we’ll welcome you with open arms! Come on in! Any hiring issues can be discussed with me, the vice shop master!”

“…Is that so?”

“Of course! Our shop master here tends to overthink things! Come right on up to the third floor. Let’s have a chat in the consultation room! Would you like some coffee? A sweet latte? Or maybe an iced Americano?”

Hmm.

Kim Jinah shot me a sharp look as I hesitated.

Stay quiet. If you don’t want to accept the blessings that fall into your lap, at least don’t kick them away, her eyes seemed to say.

True…

It wouldn’t hurt. The old man’s words were out of his desire for me to grow stronger. But in reality, Gi Soyul’s presence was necessary. Especially in situations like the one I’d just faced—situations beyond my control. Her involvement would undoubtedly be a huge benefit to the growth of the workshop as well.

Most importantly, my heart wanted to accept her presence. As I embraced this realization, a smile crept onto my face.

Honestly, when have I ever fully obeyed the old man?

I turned my gaze forward once again.

Gi Soyul was still quietly watching me, waiting for my response rather than Kim Jinah’s chatter. She wanted to hear it from me.

Alright then.

“Dark Empress.”

“Yes?”

One of my strengths was making decisions quickly.

“Thank you for coming. I look forward to working with you.”

And so, Demir’s Workshop gained its first ranked hunter.