Chapter 97.

Paolo Bettina Fermun and Vanessa Jeriel Fermun .

The two Fermun brother and sister were looking out of the window in Leolen Mansion’s hallway . They could see Siemens yelling at waiters in the garden below .

“…I hope it’ll go well . ”

In truth, Venessa Fermun was the one who requested the Jeronimo Mercenary to assassinate Siemens . She did not want a dirty cockroach like him tarnishing the honor of their godfather .

“I’m sure it will . They’re the Jeronimo after all . ”

“No… I think we provided too little compensation . What if they do things half-heartedly?”

To the infamous Jeronimo Mercenary, killing a member of the Italian Mafia was a trivial matter . Venessa Fermun didn’t offer that great of a reward either .

Of course, Venessa and Paolo Fermun considered taking the matter into their own hands, but they quickly changed their mind when they realized how big of a risk it entailed .

To the Mafia, killing a member of one’s own family was the most heinous crime . It was looked down upon even if it was through proper procedures, and Siemens was even an individual who gained the trust of the branch chief .

“What does Uncle Ezio see in that man?”

Venessa muttered with her teeth clenched . It was then .

She met eyes with Siemens through the window . Siemens looked at Vanessa with a lustful smile . The way his serpentine eyes scanned her grossed Vanessa out .

“Tsk… I hope the Jeronimo will show no mercy . ”

Vanessa prayed inwardly .

“May he burn to ashes . ”

**

“… . ”

I didn’t pull the trigger . It was because I saw a faint blue light surrounding the garden . If my eyes were correct, that should be a mana barrier, a defensive mechanism that blocked attacks from the outside .

Of course, it would have been stranger if there wasn’t any security for a Mafia family’s fellowship party .

Breaking that barrier… seemed possible . It didn’t look particularly strong .

Since the party hasn’t started yet, they probably had the intensity lowered to save mana .

The anti-magic attribute should be able to easily penetrate a mana barrier of that degree .

“Haa…”

I poured almost all of Stigma’s remaining magic power into the bullet, giving it the property of anti-magic .

Then, I took a deep breath .

Once I pulled the trigger, there would be no going back .

With my hands, I would be killing someone who I didn’t know to be human or Djinn .

However, it was a resolve I needed to make .

I needed to stay in this world for at least the next ten years .

During that time, I would need to kill many people . These murders would be by necessity .

As such, I needed to be more bold . My emotions needed to be worn down even more .

I hoped today’s experience would serve as the trigger .

I clenched my teeth and placed the target in my eyes . Was he a human or a Djinn?

I hoped he was a Djinn .

But if that was the case, what was the difference between a Djinn and a human? Were Djinns deserving of death? What about humans? Was I supposed to hesitate to kill them? Also, was I trying to kill a character in a novel, or was I trying to kill a living, breathing human being?

All sorts of thoughts emerged in my head, and my mind became chaotic .

I closed my eyes, then reopened them . I cooled my heated head .

I couldn’t come to a conclusion to a problem without answer . I also didn’t have time to distinguish between reality and imagination, and question my morals .

I put my finger on the trigger and pulled it slowly . The trigger was pushed softly, then was hooked to the end with a click .

I pushed the trigger through .

There wasn’t a loud noise, only the sound of the forest’s leaves rustling at the raging wind pressure .

The bullet that flew out of a muzzle shot through the air at an incredible speed .

There was a tiny gap between the firing of the bullet and its impact . However, the target couldn’t escape during that time .

The bullet’s anti-magic attribute crushed through the mana barrier, and the target who was standing in the garden… was shot dead with his eyes still open .

**

Boss watched the scene from afar . Kim Hajin’s bullet shattered the mana barrier and pierced the target’s head . The shattered crumbs of the mana barrier fell down on the collapsed target like snow .

A white bullet, blue glass-like fragments, and crimson blood . The harmony of the three drew a beautiful picture, and Boss quietly closed her eyes .

Crimson blood .

Hot blood .

The target wasn’t a Djinn .

Bodyguards in the scene quickly rushed up to the target . They guessed the position of the sniper through the target’s collapsed posture and began racing forward .

Boss opened her notebook . Kim Hajin’s location was being displayed in real time . Currently, he was in the middle of running away . He quickly reached the city streets, then slowed down when he reached a certain point . It seemed he got off his bike .

Boss began to run to where he stopped .

One minute was enough .

He was sitting on the terrace of a coffee shop wearing a pair of sunglasses and a suitcase on one side .

“… . ”

Boss felt a bit proud . Was that the attitude of a person who just killed a man?

However, she soon realized she was wrong . His hands were shaking, and his forehead was dripping with cold sweat .

Boss approached him slowly .

“Little Apprentice . ”

When she called him, his shoulders shook . Boss sat down in front of him and stared at him . His eyes were hidden beneath his sunglasses .

“You did well . ”

“…Did I?”

“Yes . ”

Kim Hajin stared at her for a long time without a word, then spoke in a shaking voice .

“That’s… good . ”

Boss didn’t have anything to say to him . At that moment, a staff brought over a cup of Americano coffee . Kim Hajin picked it up with shaking hands, and…

“Aak! Fuck, that’s hot!”

“… . ”

He stuck out his tongue as if to cool it off, then carefully blew on the surface before taking another sip .

He looked fine from the outside, but it seemed his mental state was all over the place .

Boss gave him a compassionate look .

“Kuhum . Ah~ damn it . I ordered an ice coffee too… . ”

Embarassed, Kim Hajin let out a dry cough . Boss nodded and asked back .

“How was it?”

“…People say there’s a first time for everything . That was it . ”

“Right, it’s not easy to make money . ”

Boss held the coffee cup Kim Hajin put down . Then, she unleashed her magic power and blew away the heat .

“But Little Apprentice, money is the only thing you can trust, especially for people like us . ”

“…Us?”

Kim Hajin tilted his head, looking confused .

“We don’t have a family . We grew up without ever having a family . ”

“… . ”

Kim Hajin seemed to fall in thought at Boss’ words . He then nodded and replied with a grin .

“Well, I guess so . ”

Boss liked his answer . She liked him the more she got to know him .

Today was especially so .

His bullet broke the mana barrier and killed the target . What broke the mana barrier was undoubtedly the power of anti-magic .

‘My eyes weren’t wrong . Kim Hajin will certainly become the silver bullet that will kill him . ’ Boss thought joyfully .

“Oh right, can you give me the reward as an item?”

Kim Hajin suddenly spoke .

“Item?”

“Yes, item . ”

Kim Hajin knew Boss had many precious and valuable items . Since Boss didn’t know much about their market price, he knew that choosing an ‘item worth 300 million won’ would net him a rarer and more expensive product .

Simply put, Boss was bit of a pushover . Kim Hajin was also aware of the incredible luck he had .

Boss, who didn’t know about Kim Hajin’s thoughts, nodded after a little bit of thinking .

“Understood . I will prepare your reward myself . ”

“Great . Then since I’m done with the mission, I’ll go back now . Have a nice day, Li Xiaopeng-ssi . ”

‘If I knew it would end so quickly, I wouldn’t have bought that cat…’ Kim Hajin got up as he muttered incomprehensible things .

However, Boss grabbed his sleeve before he took off .

“Wait . ”

“…Yes?”

“From now, don’t call me Li Xiaopeng . ”

Boss raised her head and looked at Kim Hajin .

“Call me Boss instead . ”

“… . ”

In that instant, a cool breeze blew past them . Boss’ hair fluttered in the air, and Kim Hajin stared into her eyes .

After swallowing hard, he slowly moved his mouth .

“I don’t want to . ”

“Good… Huh?”

Boss, who was full of confidence, suddenly fell into a daze .

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I haven’t decided yet . ”

“…What?”

Boss frowned .

However, Kim Hajin wasn’t fazed in the slightest and even spoke more daringly .

“It’s up to me to decide where I belong . Now is too early to decide, so… hahaha . ”

**

Late night .

I returned to Cube . I felt drowsy, but the sensation of the trigger and the image of fresh blood shooting up into the air were still vivid in my mind .

Feeling somewhat dirty, I walked along the dark road blankly .

“Huu . ”

Before I noticed, I was inside my dorm, standing in front of my room .

When I opened the door using the fingerprint scanner, I saw Evandel and Hayang sleeping on the couch in each other’s embrace .

I walked up to them and stroked Evandel’s sleeping head .

“… . ?”

Evandel opened her eyes narrowly . With a face full of drowsiness, she smiled sweetly . I held her in my arms . Evandel rubbed her cheek on my shoulder and asked .

“Did you bring yummy food…?”

“Ah . ”

I had forgotten . I should have brought some Italian food .

“Uun?”

“Tomorrow . We can eat it tomorrow . It’s late now, so you should sleep . ”

I went into the bedroom and put her on the bed . As the bed was Evandel’s sleeping place, I slept on the living room couch .

“You’re up too?”

When I went back to the couch, Hayang was sitting straight and yawning . I smiled and lied down on the couch . Hayang looked at me for a moment, then hopped onto my stomach . After taking a big yawn, she curled herself into a ball .

“…Hayang’s surprisingly cute . ”

I stroked Hayang’s back and slowly fell asleep .

**

The midterms began . However, Cube’s second semester midterm period was more bleak and desolate than the first midterm period . It was because entrees of reporters and family members were prohibited due to the trouble that happened during the last midterm .

There were even rumors that Cube was planning to get rid of midterms entirely .

Although things were going a bit differently than in the original story, I didn’t care too much . Even in my novel, I glimpsed over the second semester, so I didn’t know much of what would happen in the first place .

—Today’s test was way too hard .

—Yeah, what was up with that hell-mode difficulty? Shouldn’t we sue the professor?

After the end of the first written exam, I could hear many cadets complaining .

They were saying how the exam was unfair, but for a first place cadet like me, written exams were just days where classes ended early .

“Hey, Kim Hajin . ”

At that moment, someone ran past me and blocked my path .

It was Chae Nayun .

I tilted my head silently .

It seemed Chae Nayun didn’t know what to say after her grand appearance as she fiddled with her fingers and glanced at me . After a little while, she finally spoke .

“…Are you going to the library?”

“No, I’m going back to my room . ”

Then, Chae Nayun’s eyes narrowed .

“What, you’re not going to study?”

“Nope . ”

I retorted bluntly and began walking once more . Chae Nayun followed after me .

“Then um, you don’t have study guides or anything?”

“No . ”

Chae Nayun’s shoulders flinched . In the next moment, she blocked my path again and stared into my eyes . Her eyes were a bit pitiful .

“…Can you help me out? I bombed today’s exam too . ”

“Now? It’s the middle of the exam week . ”

“I can stay up and cram . Apparently just having key points memorized will boost your score by 10 points . ”

“I think you’re better off asking Yoo Yeonha for something like that . ”

“But I… had a fight with Yoo Yeonha . ”

At that moment, I received a message on my smartwatch .

It was from Kim Hosup .

[Hajin-chan! I found out who Agus Benjamin is!]

Immediately, my eyes widened .

Agus Benjamin, or his real name Fernin Jesus .

Tomer’s father had finally been located .

[Where is he?]

I quickly sent a reply .

[Nowhere . He already passed away . ]

“…Huh?”

[What do you mean? Can you explain in more detail?]

[He was living in a Korean retirement center until 4 years ago, which was when he passed away . Who would have thought? What a twist, what a twist . ]

“… . ”

I finally understood why the Book of Truth couldn’t locate Fernin Jesus .

It was because he was already dead .

[Got it . Thanks . ]

[By the way, Hajin, I decided to quit my job . I put in my resume at the place you recommended . ]

[That’s a good idea . For now, can you tell me the location of that retirement center?]

After sending this message, I checked today’s date .

September 7th .

The next main story was coming up . If I could deal with Tomer before then, that would be a great burden off my back .

“Come on, I’ll buy you something delici—”

Ignoring Chae Nayun who was murmuring to herself, I ran to the Portal Station .

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