Chapter 119 – Parasite

“Boss.”

The members of the Black Sea Guild bowed their heads in respect.

Although they didn’t know Ahn Gwang-hyun’s real name, they were familiar with his face.

They had met the boss during their initiation tests.

That’s why they didn’t doubt for a second that the middle-aged man in front of them was their boss.

In reality, it was Min Do-jun, who had only changed his face.

‘They don’t react even after seeing my face.’

That meant they had been completely fooled.

‘Since Weakness Detection also works, it’s confirmed.’

It also meant their combat power was low.

Min Do-jun could see all the information and weaknesses of his subordinates.

‘They’re all members of the Black Sea Guild, ranging from C-grade to A-grade.’

They were all assassins, and their levels were lower than Min Do-jun’s.

‘There are 23 of them, right?’

Counting the number of members, Min Do-jun was slightly disappointed by the smaller-than-expected size of the guild.

‘It’s fine. I was planning to keep only 20 anyway.’

As he looked around, Min Do-jun noticed a man bowing his head closest to him.

‘This must be Kim Jae-won.’

According to Weakness Detection, Kim Jae-won was the only one with that name.

He was Ahn Gwang-hyun’s right-hand man and the second-in-command of the guild.

Although it was the first time seeing his face, he was definitely the one Min Do-jun had exchanged messages with.

‘His level is 1,532, the highest among the guild members.’

But that level was far from enough to make Min Do-jun nervous.

‘If I need something done, I can just tell this guy.’

To him, Kim Jae-won was nothing more than an obedient servant.

Min Do-jun spoke to Kim Jae-won, who was still bowing his head.

“Raise your head.”

Startled by the unfamiliar voice, Kim Jae-won looked up in surprise.

But no matter how many times he looked, it was the face of the guild master he knew.

The other guild members felt the same.

Even though they noticed the voice was different, the face was the same, so they couldn’t help but be unsure.

“Why are you staring like that?”

“N-no reason.”

The tone and commanding presence were the same, so the guild members dismissed their doubts.

“Did you gather everyone without exception?”

Kim Jae-won answered Min Do-jun’s question.

“Yes. But the members who went to the villa yesterday haven’t been in contact.”

He was referring to the four guild members who had been with Ahn Gwang-hyun.

“Don’t worry about them. I sent them somewhere else for a separate task.”

“Ah, I see.”

Unaware that “somewhere else” meant the afterlife, Kim Jae-won nodded in understanding.

“By the way, you must be wondering why I gathered everyone like this.”

The guild members’ eyes sparkled as they looked at him.

After drawing their attention, Min Do-jun asked a question instead.

“Before I tell you, let me ask you something. What is it that you do?”

The sudden question made the guild members look at each other.

What they do?

Isn’t it killing people?

But no one thought such an obvious answer was the right one.

‘What is this? A test?’

‘Is he testing us?’

While they hesitated to speak, someone broke the silence.

It was Kim Jae-won, the second-in-command.

“When we receive assassination requests, we eliminate the target as discreetly as possible.”

It was a somewhat textbook answer, but the guild members nodded in agreement.

They couldn’t describe their job more accurately than that.

“Right. Contract killings are our business.”

When Min Do-jun acknowledged it as the correct answer, Kim Jae-won’s expression brightened.

But only for a moment.

“From now on, no killing without my permission.”

The guild master’s stern warning made the guild members’ expressions harden like stone.

‘No killing for assassins?’

‘Did I hear wrong?’

They had joined the guild because they could make big money by killing people.

That’s why they had killed without hesitation during their initiation tests.

But now, they were being told not to kill without permission, leaving the guild members bewildered.

Kim Jae-won was no exception.

“Um… Boss, when you say no killing, does that mean we shouldn’t take assassination requests either?”

“Yes. From now on, whether it’s assassination requests or anything else, you’ll all be on standby until I give the order.”

“Huh? But what about the income from the requests…?”

“We’ll give up the income for now.”

“May I ask why?”

The guild master’s expression turned cold.

“Do you need a reason to follow my orders?”

“N-no, but…”

“Don’t ask for reasons. Just follow my orders.”

“……”

“If anyone wants to disobey, speak up now. I’ll show you my skills.”

The oppressive atmosphere prevented anyone from stepping forward.

But that didn’t mean they weren’t dissatisfied.

‘Is the boss out of his mind? No more assassination requests?’

‘Are we supposed to sit around and do nothing?’

‘He’ll at least provide living expenses, right?’

The dissatisfaction soon turned into suspicion.

‘Is this really the boss I know?’

‘The face is the same, but…’

‘The voice sounds like someone else.’

Even Kim Jae-won, who was highly loyal, couldn’t understand the boss’s decision, let alone the other guild members.

The only one satisfied with this decision was Min Do-jun.

‘Not like they can do anything about it. If they don’t want to die, they’ll have to follow my orders.’

As long as they knew the boss’s strength, no subordinate would dare to defy him.

That’s why Min Do-jun, disguised as Ahn Gwang-hyun, had stopped the contract killings.

He didn’t want to see them killing others to fill their own pockets.

‘They’ll be unhappy, but they’ll have no choice but to obey.’

However, he couldn’t fully trust them, so he needed a way to control them.

The trait he had obtained from Ahn Gwang-hyun would serve that purpose.

“Boss, I have a question.”

When Kim Jae-won spoke up, Min Do-jun replied bluntly.

“What is it?”

“Since yesterday, the pain you inflicted on us has disappeared. Did you forgive our sins?”

Min Do-jun looked at him with an indifferent expression.

“I accidentally deactivated it.”

“Huh?”

“In that case, everyone line up in front of me. I need to punish you.”

While going through the phone, Min Do-jun had discovered that Ahn Gwang-hyun had used the Parasite trait on his subordinates under the guise of “punishment.”

That’s why he quickly understood what Kim Jae-won was talking about.

“P-punish us…?”

“What crime have we committed?”

When the subordinates, who knew about the pain punishment, protested, Min Do-jun spoke in a calm voice.

“The crime of doubting and questioning my orders. That’s why I’m imposing a lifelong punishment.”

“……”

“Of course, I won’t inflict pain without reason. But if you provoke me, you’ll experience pain so severe you’ll wish you were dead.”

In other words, he would use the pain punishment to control them.

The subordinates understood this, and for the first time, someone openly rebelled.

“This is too much. First, you tell us assassins not to kill or take requests. The guild atmosphere was free and enjoyable, but now you’re being so oppressive… Gah!”

The rebellious subordinate was instantly grabbed by the throat.

“I can’t tolerate this any longer.”

As Min Do-jun tightened his grip, the subordinate’s face turned red.

“I want to kill you right now, but I’ll show you mercy out of generosity.”

When he released his grip, red marks remained on the subordinate’s neck.

His grip strength was terrifying.

But what shocked the guild members more was Min Do-jun’s speed.

‘He closed a 20-meter gap in an instant…’

‘He didn’t even use a skill like Shadow Step.’

‘To achieve that speed with pure stats…’

‘I didn’t even see him approach.’

The guild members were in awe, realizing that their boss truly lived up to his reputation as the leader of the Black Sea Guild.

If they misspoke, they could die in the blink of an eye.

But Min Do-jun had no intention of killing anyone yet.

‘If I kill someone here, I’ll unintentionally reveal the trick of making bodies disappear.’

That would make things very complicated.

Since he had decided to take control of the guild, he had to act thoroughly like Ahn Gwang-hyun.

“Line up.”

The subordinates obediently gathered in front of Min Do-jun.

Seeing their colleague still clutching his neck, they didn’t dare to defy.

‘Parasite.’

Placing his hand on their heads and uttering the activation word, a deep green energy seeped into them.

[You have implanted a parasite in the target’s head.]

[Infected targets: 1/20]

[You can share their vision or adjust the pain level by closing your eyes and thinking of the target.]

[The default pain level is set to 0.]

‘So this is how it works.’

While inwardly amazed, Min Do-jun spoke indifferently.

“Next.”

Seeing this, some of the subordinates dismissed their doubts about the boss.

Even if the face was the same, the abilities couldn’t possibly match.

“Next.”

Placing his hand on their heads and uttering the activation word, he quickly filled all 20 slots.

‘Done.’

Now the Black Sea Guild members were under his control.

He could monitor them at any time and inflict unbearable pain if he wished.

When a subordinate stepped forward for his turn, Min Do-jun raised his hand.

“That’s enough.”

“Huh?”

“Then what about us…?”

Three guild members were still left, but the Parasite slots were full.

‘The remaining three are unnecessary.’

But he couldn’t just say there were no more slots.

“You three are exempt from punishment.”

“Huh?”

Earlier, twenty of their colleagues had received the pain punishment.

Even Kim Jae-won, a key figure in the guild, was among them.

But they were exempt?

“Th-thank you!”

“Thank you so much!”

They didn’t know the reason, but not being punished was a good thing.

While the subordinates kept thanking him, Min Do-jun inwardly sneered.

‘Don’t get too happy, you fools. I’ll kill you three secretly when I get the chance.’

Since the Parasite wasn’t applied to them, he couldn’t monitor or control them.

‘It’s better to get rid of them.’

It would be better to use only twenty and kill the rest to obtain their traits.

But since the bodies disappearing would raise suspicions, he had to kill them secretly.

However, the other subordinates, unaware of his dark intentions, thought he was unfairly favoring the three.

Reflecting this sentiment, Kim Jae-won stepped forward as the representative.

“Um, Boss. All of us have been punished, so isn’t it unfair to only take care of them…?”

“Are you questioning my decision again?”

“N-no, Boss.”

Kim Jae-won immediately backed down.

No matter how much he was called the second-in-command, he was still subordinate to the boss.

He didn’t have the power to overturn the boss’s decision.

“Boss.”

“What now? Are you going to complain about unfairness again…?”

“N-no, it’s about organizing the dungeon raid party.”

“Dungeon?”

“Yes. Don’t we have an unregistered dungeon? It’s been empty for a while because we were carrying out operations, but it’s time to raid it now. We need to organize the party members soon.”