Chapter 255. The Matter of Making a Living (6)

A pale pink mist spread through the air like drifting flower pollen. It covered the target’s eyes, nose, and ears, trapping them inside the haze. Finally, it would slip into their clouded mind and turn them into a puppet. Such was the unique skill of the Operations Bureau director, Mu Ah.

“Right. Aside from lifting women’s skirts, what can he actually do?”

“His bloodline is his only talent.”

Not all the gossip whispered by his retainers was wrong. Mu Ah’s ability was mostly used in bedchambers at night, simply because there was seldom any need for him to act during the day. With a single stretch of his hand, rare treasures were presented to him. With a single glance, people trembled and groveled.

However, Mu Ah’s Seduction wasn’t simply a trick to charm women. Most abilities that invaded a target’s mind had obvious weaknesses proportional to their destructive power. After all, they erased the target’s rational thought and overlaid commands in its place. Though the success rate was high, they were vulnerable to outside shocks. People with strong survival instincts or exceptional mental fortitude could sometimes resist them.

Mu Ah’s Seduction, however, worked differently. It seeped into every corner of one’s being, coaxing the mind before planting love inside it. A blind, obsessive love would twist the target’s very thought structure by their own will.

Naturally, the object of that love was Mu Ah himself. If he called, they came. If he told them to go, they left. If he ordered them to die, they died. In extreme cases, they would even harm their own parents or lovers. Body and soul devoted entirely to him. Of course, because it awakened love rather than suppression, reactions varied depending on the individual.

“Lee Eun-Ho,” he called out.

How would he change? Would he maintain the same upright, insolent posture he had shown during that speech? No, probably not, Mu Ah thought.

Once caught in the Seduction, anyone would struggle desperately just to receive one more glance or one more touch.

Mu Ah slowly blinked with idle curiosity.

[Target has been secured!]

[Entering the mist’s sphere of influence.]

[Seduction Mist has infiltrated the target.]

Sss—

A pink cloud gathered in his palm like spun cotton candy. Within, a lone figure walked through the haze. It was Lee Eun-Ho.

“He looks better in person,” Mu Ah muttered.

He had replayed the footage of Eun-Ho countless times, enough times to memorize even the short speech word for word. At that point, one would expect to grow bored, but he hadn’t.

The moment he imagined Eun-Ho as his possession, a hot pulse of unpleasant excitement made his heart race. “I should make him say it again.”

Mu Ah would order him to repeat those pitiful words again with that petty little talent of his. Then, he would crush that arrogant face beneath his foot.

If the man licked his toes like a dog while repeating, “I stand here because I am weak...” what a delicious moment that would be. Mu Ah believed that groaning beneath an enemy’s feet was what the weak were meant to do.

“Phase two.”

[Phase two of Seduction Mist has been initiated.]

[You have been designated as the Master of the Flesh.]

The pink haze thickened into a deeper rose color.

[Pheromone density has increased.]

[Triggering physiological reactions in the target.]

Eun-Ho’s pupils would loosen, his mouth falling open. As drool dripped from his parted lips, a tingling heat would gather in his lower abdomen, quickening his steps.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Yes. Just like that.

“Ah.” Lee Eun-Ho emerged from the mist, walking forward. “There you are.”

Except, he wasn’t panting. Instead, Eun-Ho stopped and bowed his head slightly.

“Operations Bureau Director,” he said calmly. “It’s an honor to meet you.”

Huh? How is he the same?

Eun-Ho’s shoulders were squared. His stride was confident, while his gaze was steady. Every so often, Mu Ah came across people like this—the upright, scholar-type. Still, this was far better than those fools who collapsed into drooling devotion from the very beginning. At least this way, conquering them was far more satisfying.

“Just call me Mu Ah,” he said.

“Yes, Mr. Mu Ah,” Eun-Ho replied.

“Wait.” Mu Ah paused. A faint sense of discomfort brushed the back of his neck like a stray breeze. “Do you know who I am?”

Since the chairman himself had ordered him to keep an eye on Eun-Ho and the union from the start, it was only natural for Mu Ah to know Eun-Ho. However, how could the other party know he would be waiting here?

How? Wait a second...

Eun-Ho broke into a small grin. “It’s not hard to recognize you.”

“Huh?”

“Golden hair that looks like it captured sunlight,” Eun-Ho said lightly. “And a beauty so androgynous it’s almost unreal.”

“Oh.”

Then, my guess had been right after all, a follower. This man must be one of my admirers, Mu Ah thought.

He didn’t recall ever meeting Eun-Ho before the speech, but that wasn’t unusual. Countless admirers appeared every time he passed through the company halls, staring at him in dazed fascination.

Good. Moving from seduction to control would be effortless.

If that was the case, then there would be no resistance from the beginning.

Eun-Ho stepped closer. “And also...”

This was almost too easy, even a bit dull, perhaps, but not unpleasant. If Mu Ah could drag Eun-Ho before the chairman while he was hopelessly infatuated, it would make for quite a spectacle.

That was Mu Ah’s thought as he stepped forward as well.

However, Eun-Ho added, “And the scent of roses is strong enough to make someone’s head spin.”

“Hmm?”

“You must be the owner of this mist.”

Mu Ah froze. “Of cou—”

Eun-Ho’s eyes were sharp. Mu Ah saw them move, following the drifting currents of mist, which should only have been visible to himself.

That’s impossible. There’s no way.

Yet Mu Ah found himself asking anyway, “Wait. Can you see the mist?”

Eun-Ho blinked. “Oh. My mistake.”

His wandering gaze suddenly stopped, snapping wide open. The gentle expression on his face shattered like a broken mask. What remained in its place was chilling like the edge of a perfectly honed blade. The man was a sword-demon incarnate.

Eun-Ho tilted his head slightly. “Was I not supposed to see it?”

***

From the start, it had been obvious that this whole incident was the work of the Operations Bureau.

[Order to correct prices at all business sites.]

[Target Customers - Union Members]

[Multiplier - Minimum 1,000 times]

The administrative directive sent to the managers of each branch carried the official seal of the Operations Bureau Director.

“Twins.”

That was why the moment Eun-Ho stepped out of the Clock Room and saw the pink wind blowing toward him, he had immediately sent the twins away and activated Defense Mechanism.

[Defense Mechanism has been activated!]

[All mental intrusion and abnormal mental effects have been blocked.]

[Remaining duration: 32 minutes.]

It was the reward he had earned after completing the consent-form objective.

Thirty-two minutes, Eun-Ho thought.

Out of a hundred-minute ability, thirty-two minutes still remained. Considering that four people’s worth of abilities had been used when fighting the monster earlier, it seemed no one had touched this one afterward. Even though he had told them not to hesitate to use it in a crisis, they still saved it.

Well, whatever.

“You can see this mist?” Mu Ah frowned so deeply that a crease formed between his brows. “But how?”

Sss—

The moment Eun-Ho saw the thing drifting through the air like microscopic dust, he knew it was part of the director’s Seduction ability.

“So this is what you call pheromones?” Eun-Ho asked casually.

“What?!”

“Honestly, it’s more ordinary than I expected.”

Mu Ah appearerd as if his eyes might pop out.

It was a little embarrassing to say out loud, but Eun-Ho indeed was the Master of Pheromones.

[You have acquired the title Master of Pheromones!]

He could see those so-called pheromones.

[You can emit Seduction Pheromones that entice targets.]

[You can emit Alert Pheromones to nearby allies.]

[You can emit Taunt Pheromones that lure enemies.]

He hated the name, of course. Besides, he had never really seen an advantage compared to the existing system, hence he hadn’t bothered using it. Apparently, nothing in this system was truly useless.

“What kind of trick did you pull?” Mu Ah demanded.

A trace of confusion appeared on his face, only to be replaced by irritation moments later.

“If you recognize the scent of roses, that means you inhaled it,” he said coldly. “And if you inhaled it, you shouldn’t be able to suppress the lust it stirs.”

Actually, Mu Ah was right. Simply seeing the pheromones wasn’t enough to block their effect.

“Were you perhaps born—”

“No,” Eun-Ho interrupted calmly. “Nothing like that. I just prepared a little.”

“Mr. Soeju, I need a favor,” Eun-Ho had said earlier.

He had asked for a way to counter the director’s signature ability, Seduction, the power of a decadent hedonist who indulged in pleasure and luxury.

[Sage’s Grass]

- A mysterious herb cultivated by an unknown sage said to have comprehended all the truths of the world.

- Upon consumption, the user instantly enters a State of Sagehood, temporarily transcending worldly desires and troubles both mentally and physically.

- However, be cautious as continuous consumption may result in a permanent state.

- Duration: 30 minutes

“This company really loves sending its higher-ups down the moment something happens,” Eun-Ho said.

“So you resorted to a dirty trick,” Mu Ah replied.

His lips tightened as if to say, “I knew it.”

Eun-Ho shrugged. “Seems to me you’re the one who used a trick.”

He gestured lazily at the swirling mist around them.

Mu Ah ground his teeth. “I was going to take you in while you were still sane.”

“Thanks for the concern,” Eun-Ho replied dryly, as if that was ever going to happen.

“Well, perhaps it would be easier if you simply lost your mind entirely.”

Thirty minutes. No, I’ll finish this in ten.

Mu Ah spread both hands. “Don’t resent me.”

In response, Eun-Ho raised his sword.

Despite the fury boiling inside him, Mu Ah’s eyes had grown eerily calm. “You brought this upon yourself.”

His golden hair, flowing down to his waist, lifted into the air, glowing faintly red.

Pzzzzt—!

The dense atmosphere around them rose, twisted, and began to whirl. The pink mist darkened, turning red like droplets of blood. At the center of it all, Mu Ah floated upward as if gravity had ceased to exist.

Pzzzt—!

Then, a sudden spark of light burst from his eyes, staining his pupils red. The tense stillness before a storm tightened around Eun-Ho’s chest.

“Seduction Re—”

“Acceleration.”

“eeeeq...”

The fight had begun.

***

Forty seconds, Eun-Ho thought.

“uieeeem...”

In the slowed flow of time, Eun-Ho gripped his sword and charged at his enemy. As the distance between them shrank, the drawn-out cry above stretched like a strip of tape hanging in midair.

Boom—!

Two enormous speakers slammed down in front of him, blocking his path.

Too slow!

However, Eun-Ho slipped beneath them right before they landed. Only then did Mu Ah seem to realize that their times were flowing differently.

Biting his lower lip, Mu ah hurriedly turned the speakers toward Eun-Ho. A thunderous wave of sound erupted.

Before the mournful resonance even had time to settle in his ears, Eun-Ho shouted, “Sword Gale Tempest.”

Swoosh—!

The wind born from his blade tore through space. A spiraling vortex appeared, spinning forward like a massive top.

Thuuuud—!

It crashed straight into the source of the ear-splitting sound waves, the two speakers standing like walls. For a moment, it seemed to weaken.

“Wind alone won’t—”

“It will.”

The vortex swallowed the attack whole. The gale shattered the massive speakers, ripping them apart before surging forward in search of new prey. Its momentum only continued to grow.

Thirty seconds.

Eun-Ho used the opening to circle behind Mu Ah. The tip of the Sky-Shattering Blade, wrapped in sword energy, aimed straight for the back of the director’s head.

“You rat!”

“Sword Force.”

The dark-blue blade of energy, capable of severing limbs, shot outward from his sword. Suddenly, Mu Ah flung his hands outward as if calling for help.

Fwoosh—!

Tick—!

Space trembled, and the pure white clock surface beneath Eun-Ho’s feet shuddered and warped.

At the same time, a red system window flashed into view.

[Caution!]

[The Primordial Time Axis rejects the touch of a mortal.]

[Eliminating the disturbance within sacred time.]

It was a message he had never seen before. He had no time to interpret it.

[The Time Axis is returning to its proper position.]

Time snapped back to its natural flow.

Tick—!

Then, a flash split the sky as the ground shook violently. As the raging storm died down, red mist rose from the director’s fingertips once more.

The moment Eun-Ho saw it, he pulled back immediately, but the space warped.

Ripple—

“Hey, rat. Rebellion loses its charm if you keep it up,” Mu Ah, whom Eun-Ho should’ve already distanced himself from, suddenly whispered right behind him.

“You manipulated time?” Eun-Ho asked.

“The clock is simply on my side.”

Time and clocks, clocks and time, they were similar, yet different. However, in this Clock Room, they seemed to function as the same thing.

Just as expected, this won’t be easy...

Still, it wasn’t the first time. The Personnel Bureau director, Seung Gi, had required the entire team to subdue. The Audit Bureau director, Yeon Seol, would have executed Eun-Ho without hesitation if not for Sarah and Harona’s help.

Therefore, Eun-Ho just had to leap again.“Summon. Activate.”

Pitch-black wings spread from his back as he soared upward into the blood-red sky.

“Running away?” Mu Ah taunted.

Whenever Eun-Ho approached, the distance widened.

“Oh dear. Now you’re too close.”

Whenever Eun-Ho retreated, he closed the gap.

“Ha?”

However, Eun-Ho fought his own way. He shut his eyes.

“Are you going to close your eyes completely now?” Mu Ah asked.

Eun-Ho did it because distorted vision was meaningless. He focused every sense on the flow of qi. As his power boiled like blood, his sword energy crackled like lightning and burned like flame. The sensations originating within him extended outward.

He felt the flowing air and the sweet, suffocating mist thickly filling the space between. Using the sticky qi saturating the mist, he sensed its entire domain. Eun-Ho perceived the enemy, himself, and even the vast space surrounding them both.

A surge of blue sword energy exploded outward, scattering aimlessly in every direction. Sweat poured from his pores like rain as a massive chunk of his mental energy vanished. Just then, a small portion of the qi was drawn somewhere.

That’s the director’s inhalation. He’s over there!

The Sword Aura that had been expanding outward like waves halted.

Whoosh!

Unable to stop its momentum completely, it surged upward. However, Eun-Ho forced it down, shaving it into strands just like pulling silk threads from a cocoon.

Fwoosh—!

Then, thousands or even tens of thousands of Sword Threads burst outward, weaving through space like a massive spiderweb.

“Block it!”

At that moment, a molten aura gathered in front of the shaken director. The thin mist layered itself hundreds of thousands of times, forming a wall to protect its master.

There’s only one chance! Eun-Ho thought.

It was the fight between millions of mist barriers versus thousands of razor threads, a clash of blue spears against a red shield.

In the end, thousands of spears pierced through the wall.

Crack—!

Fwooooosh—!

With nothing left to stop them, they surged forward. At that moment, Eun-Ho opened his eyes. The director had been caught in the sharpest spiderweb in the world.