The front door, fortified with many Astral Relics, swung open.
Kwon Oh-Jin whistled softly as he scanned the dimly lit area. I knew the association had facilities underground, but this is my first time actually seeing it.
“I’m here to interrogate the criminals,” he said, showing his ID.
The employee guarding the room stood to attention and saluted sharply. “Yes, sir! Your identity has been verified, Special Agent!”
“Make sure no one else comes in.”
The door to an interrogation room opened, and Kwon Oh-Jin stepped inside to find nine Owls tightly restrained.
The elite Owls before him were Cheon Woo-Seong's direct subordinates. Though they were among the strongest in their faction, they couldn’t withstand the combined assault by the Valhalla Guild and the association’s special agents.
Well, Cheon Woo-Seong bolted the moment the ambush began, so...
Their quick demise was no surprise, considering their commander had fled at the onset of battle.
Kwon Oh-Jin smirked as he glanced through the file Han Jun-Man had handed him. “Twelve died during the fight, and only nine survived, huh?”
Nine's more than enough.
Since these individuals had provided the intel on the number of members stationed at their headquarters, they would definitely know its location as well.
They can't just tell us about it even if they want to because of the spell placed on them, but I've already thought of something for that.
He opened his status window.
1. Status: Four-Star Enlightenment
The three traits that he started with had now doubled over time.
He lightly tapped on the trait labeled Domination in the list, and a detailed description appeared, along with several warning messages.
[The higher the target’s star level, the stronger their resistance to Domination.]
[The more targets Kwon Oh-Jin attempts to dominate, the weaker the effect of Domination.]
[The effectiveness of Domination increases depending on the target’s psychological state.]
Their spell is just another form of my newly acquired skill,
The effectiveness increases based on their psychological state, huh?
He would need to pressure his targets enough to make rational thought impossible. Approaching one of the restrained Owls, he dragged them forward and removed their gag.
The rugged man gasped for air. “Pwah!”
“All right, I’ve got a few questions for you.”
“I already told you everything I fucking know! What else do you want from me?!” Veins bulged in his neck. “I couldn’t tell you the headquarters' location even if I wanted to!”
Kwon Oh-Jin dragged a chair in front of the man and sat down. Then, he pulled a dagger from the holster strapped to his thigh, causing the man to flinch.
“W-What are you doing? Ha, are you trying to threaten me with that? Try me if you can!” The man laughed mockingly. “But you know what'll happen if news gets out that a government-affiliated agency used violence during an interrogation, don’t you?”
If reports of torture during interrogations leaked to the public, it would undoubtedly cause trouble for the association regardless of how much influence it held.
“Haha! Then why don’t you put that knife away and—”
Kwon Oh-Jin unhesitatingly drove the blade into the back of the man’s hand.
“Aaaargh!” The man writhed in pain, his chair shaking violently. “Y-You bastard! Do you really think you’ll get away with this?!”
“Why? Are you gonna file a complaint or something?” Kwon Oh-Jin twisted the dagger embedded in the man’s hand.
“Aaaahhh! Th-This is a violation of human rights!”
“Yes! I demand a fair trial! Call me a lawyer now!”
Surprisingly enough, even a terrorist who summoned demonic beasts in the middle of the city and massacred hundreds of civilians technically had rights. They could go through official procedures to have a trial with legal representation. Of course, that was only technically speaking.
“What a load of crap.” Kwon Oh-Jin twisted the dagger even harder, grinding harshly against the man's flesh and bone.
“Since when have any of you cared about human rights?”
“Those people you killed, didn't they have rights too?” Kwon Oh-Jin leaned in close, tilting his head with a menacing glare.
“If you’re going to trample all over someone’s life, you should at least be prepared to have yours trampled on too, don’t you think?”
It seemed like he still wasn’t ready to face the consequences. After all, a few words could rarely change a person’s resolve.
“Call me... a lawyer right—”
“Ha, you really are all about following the procedures, aren’t you, my friend? In that case, I’ll have to do the same.”
Kwon Oh-Jin pulled the dagger out of the man’s hand.
“But did you know this, buddy?” He casually wiped the blood off the blade and handed the dagger to the man. “If a special agent is attacked during an interrogation, they have the right to take immediate action.”
“W-What are you talking about?”
“You’ve seen that kind of thing in movies, haven’t you? A criminal suddenly pulls out a hidden weapon in the interrogation room and causes chaos!”
“I'm not hiding any weapons!”
“What do you mean?” Kwon Oh-Jin pointed to the dagger in the man’s hand. “See? It’s right there.”
“D-Don’t spout nonsense, you bastard! You’re the one who gave me this—!”
“It's not for you to decide whether it’s nonsense or not.” Kwon Oh-Jin grabbed the man's hand and forcefully guided it forward.
“H-Huh?” The man squirmed, desperately trying to free himself, but failed to overpower Kwon Oh-Jin.
The dagger plunged into Kwon Oh-Jin’s temple, from where it cut deeply downward until it reached his chin. The severe wound, far from a shallow nick, revealed the bone beneath his skin with blood pouring down and drenching his clothes.
“Y-You’re out of your mind!” the man yelled.
The level of injury looked nothing like faked self-defense. If the blade had gone even a millimeter deeper, it would have been life-threatening. With a wound , there was no question where suspicion would fall.
“So, don’t you think this makes for a solid case of self-defense?” A wide grin beamed on Kwon Oh-Jin's bloodied face.
The man turned deathly pale.
“Alright then.” Kwon Oh-Jin grabbed the dagger back from the man’s trembling hand. “Let’s start again.”
Then, he stabbed the man repeatedly.
“Aaaahhh! S-Stop! P-Please stop!”
He was now completely psychologically cornered. Overwhelmed with terror, the man screamed in agony while trembling pitifully.
Kwon Oh-Jin’s eyes gleamed. Now...
He grabbed the man’s head, emitting a black cloud that seeped into his skull.
[The target's star level is high. Domination will be resisted.]
As expected of a direct subordinate of Cheon Woo-Seong, he wouldn’t be dominated so easily. However—
[The target’s mental state is extremely unstable. Resistance to Domination is decreasing.]
[Domination was successful!]
Kwon Oh-Jin’s effort to instill fear had paid off.
The man’s eyes turned hazy and unfocused. “Heh...”
“Well then, can you answer my questions now?”
The once raging man nodded like a submissive lamb. “I’ll... answer... anything you ask.”
“First, where is the Black Star Society's headquarters located?”
“Seoul... in Yongsan...”
Kwon Oh-Jin was stunned. What the hell? Yongsan? That’s so close.
“How have you guys been hiding there?” he asked. With the entire country on high alert, there’s no way over three thousand members of the Black Star Society could remain undetected in the heart of Seoul.
“There’s... a h-hidden gate....”
The headquarters wasn’t in Yongsan exactly. It was inside a gate located in Yongsan.
No wonder they weren’t caught.
Some gates were as small as a door, making them easy to hide. The Black Star Society could easily conceal the gate and set up a base inside.
The man continued, “There’s a seven-story building in Yongsan... called the Changhyun building.”
Kwon Oh-Jin had never heard of this building before.
“If you operate the elevator buttons in a specific sequence, it’ll take you to the eighth floor,” the man added.
The fuck is this, some kind of Gonami Code? It's no surprise no one could find it even though it was right under our noses this whole time, Kwon Oh-Jin mused. I figured they’d be hiding in a mountain cave or some underground bunker, but who would’ve guessed their base was inside a hidden gate in the heart of Seoul?
“Well, fine.” He'd at least figured out the location now, but he needed to find out one more thing. “Where’s Cheon Do-Yoon?”
“We... lost contact with him... several weeks ago.”
“Yes... He said he’d be away for a few months... for something important.”
Is that why Cheon Do-Yoon hasn’t been making any moves? Kwon Oh-Jin thought. “Hmm... So, did he leave by himself?”
“No. He left along with the Night Hunters.”
Who the hell are those people?
“They’re Cheon Do-Yoon’s direct subordinates... all high-ranking executives.”
“Yes, but we’re nowhere near their level.”
Hmm. That means the core combat forces are essentially out of the picture for now.
Of course, Kwon Oh-Jin couldn’t just take this man’s word for it. He needed to cross-check with the other eight captives through Domination.
But if what he’s saying is true... Kwon Oh-Jin’s eyes gleamed.
“This could be a chance... to crush the entire Owl faction in one swoop.”
The corpses of the destroyed Owls would naturally serve as a convenient feast for him.