On the way out of the black market.

Dragging a suitcase now filled with weapons instead of money bags, Dung Beetle followed Jangman.

"If you're planning to use those weapons in the city, you'd better plan your escape route first. After a fight, having the police on your tail becomes a real hassle."

Jangman didn't ask Dung Beetle any questions. Nothing about necromancers or the revenge he sought.

"The weapons you bought don’t have much range. If possible, you should aim to finish fights quickly and up close."

It was a simple piece of advice, said like a passing breeze from an old man. It wasn’t delicate, but it carried a hint of concern and wisdom.

Perhaps, this was Jangman’s way of showing some care.

With that thought, Dung Beetle quietly followed behind him.

After walking back along the path they had come, exchanging only silence, they eventually arrived at the entrance of the warehouse with the rusty stairs they had descended earlier.

Waiting there to greet them was a familiar masked figure.

"Hello? We meet again, don't we?"

The woman wearing the black dog mask. She was casually sitting atop the three guards who had been stationed at the warehouse entrance, now knocked out beneath her.

"Tsk, persistent little girl, aren’t you?"

Jangman clicked his tongue, and Dung Beetle slowly put down the suitcase.

"Listen, old man, I’m not here to fight. These guys? Just a little misunderstanding is all."

"Is that so? Then can we leave without any misunderstandings?"

"Eh, that won’t do. You see, I’ve been waiting here specifically for you, old man."

The masked woman hopped down lightly from the unconscious guards.

"Why don’t we strike a deal?"

"And if I refuse?"

"I get why you’d be suspicious, but I promise, it’s not a bad deal. In fact, it’s a very profitable one, considering the work you’re doing."

Though she spoke lightly, Dung Beetle could feel something coursing through her body.

It was a strange sensation. Feeling something flowing through another person’s body that wasn’t his own.

But despite his newfound senses, Jangman and the masked woman continued their conversation uninterrupted.

"Care to listen to my offer?"

"I’ve no interest in talking to crazy people."

"Hmm... A sensible answer, but I’m in a bit of a hurry myself."

With that, she stamped her foot.

A brief jump. She flew towards Jangman at lightning speed.

In that instant, Dung Beetle reflexively threw himself in front of Jangman, blocking her attack.

Smack!

The first strike was a kick. Dung Beetle raised his right arm to block her attack. But the force of the blow lifted his body, sending him flying to the side.

‘What the hell.’

Dung Beetle tumbled twice before crashing into the alley wall, finally finding his feet again.

Bzzz!

The kick had been so powerful that a high-pitched ringing filled his right ear.

"Lucky me, two superhumans in one day... I don’t know if this is good or bad luck."

Jangman’s voice reached his ears just as the masked woman charged towards Dung Beetle again.

Thud!

Before Dung Beetle could react, another kick landed in his side. But unlike the first, it didn’t stop there.

She struck his abdomen, thigh, side, shoulder, and finally... his jaw.

Smack!

A series of heavy blows, each one perfectly precise. She landed a finishing kick right to Dung Beetle’s face.

"Hmph."

After Dung Beetle collapsed to the ground, the woman casually turned her back on him and looked at Jangman.

"Ready to talk now?"

"No, not just yet."

"Not yet?"

At that moment, something triggered her senses.

She immediately jumped back, putting distance between herself and Dung Beetle. His hand, which had been aiming to grab her ankle, sliced through the air.

"...How?"

The woman tilted her head in confusion as she watched Dung Beetle stand up.

Even a superhuman should’ve been knocked out by that kind of beating.

"Your durability is insane. Did you eat something special?"

Ptuh! Dung Beetle spat blood from his mouth. His head was still ringing from the impact, but he raised both fists, ready to fight again.

"Stop talking. Let’s go."

"If that’s what you want."

The woman stamped her foot again. She moved so fast it was impossible to track her, but there was one difference now.

Dung Beetle’s eyes.

Focusing all his nerves into his sight, Dung Beetle could now see the trajectory of her incoming kick as if it were a long line drawn in the air.

‘I can see it.’

Dung Beetle twisted his body out of the attack’s range. Compared to her footwork, it was painfully slow, but it was enough to create a small opening.

Swoosh! The kick aimed at his chin barely grazed his hair.

And then came the counterattack.

Dung Beetle swung his fist towards her face, twisting his body back into place.

But just before the punch could connect, she used her peculiar footwork to narrowly escape the range of his attack.

"...Not bad, huh?"

This time, Dung Beetle charged in first. Unlike her, his attacks were nothing more than wild punches, but Dung Beetle was still a superhuman.

Of course, so was his opponent.

Though his punches sliced through the air with a deadly force, not a single one connected.

It was her strange footwork.

No matter how Dung Beetle attacked, she evaded his range with just a single step.

And every time she dodged, she struck back with a short kick, piling up damage on Dung Beetle’s body.

It was the difference between someone bouncing across the ground and someone plodding along.

‘What is this?’

However, at some point, the masked woman began to frown. The opponent she was facing was improving at an alarming speed.

When she had first struck him, he had been nothing more than a rookie. His movements were awkward, and he couldn’t even land properly after being hit.

But after being knocked down, something changed.

His reactions to her kicks were growing faster, and his strikes were becoming more precise.

Where she kicked, his hands blocked. Where she landed, he rushed.

It was as if he knew exactly how she would move.

‘Is he adapting in real-time?’

She felt both intrigued and irritated.

Intrigued by an opponent who could learn her hard-earned techniques so quickly, and irritated by his seemingly indestructible endurance.

She could try using a different technique to win the fight, but...

‘My pride’s on the line here.’

The ensuing exchange was a stalemate.

Dung Beetle took hit after hit but continued charging in, while the masked woman kept her distance, launching kick after kick.

The balance finally broke when Dung Beetle started mimicking her footwork.

"...!"

It wasn’t exactly like hers—more like pushing off the ground rather than bouncing—but it was enough to close the gap in speed.

The masked woman gritted her teeth and moved her feet even faster.

Up until that moment, she had been certain of victory. She had landed dozens of blows, and her stamina was still high.

In this situation, she had no doubt she would never lose to a rookie superhuman.

...But she was wrong.

During their drawn-out exchange, Dung Beetle suddenly slipped through her steps.

"Huh?"

It was a perfect move, timed just right to leave her no chance to escape.

"Shit...!"

By the time she realized, it was too late. Dung Beetle grabbed her leg and hurled her.

Thud! The masked woman slammed into the same alley wall where Dung Beetle had crashed earlier.

Dust flew into the air, and her mask was knocked off, flying far into the distance.

"Ugh..."

She groaned as she rolled on the ground, then slowly got back on her feet.

"Damn, that hurt..."

As she raised her head, the face hidden beneath the mask was revealed.

A beauty.

At least, a beauty beyond any that Dung Beetle had ever seen.

Her sharp features were striking, like they had been crafted by a god. Her black hair, as dark as ebony, cascaded down her forehead, and between the strands, her cold blue eyes locked onto Dung Beetle.

"Not bad, huh?"

Two breaths, and then a light bounce off the ground.

She charged at Dung Beetle again.

Her peculiar footwork was still mixed into her kicks, but by now, Dung Beetle had fully adapted to her attacks.

He dodged the long arc of her kick, sidestepping out of range.

And in that narrow space, he mirrored her move, launching a kick at her torso.

Thud! With a heavy sound, his kick landed squarely on her. Like Dung Beetle’s first encounter with her kick, she lost balance and flew backward.

But unlike Dung Beetle, who hadn’t known how to break his fall, she quickly regained her stance. She glared at him in disbelief.

"My flying kick technique! How did you learn it so fast?"

"Flying kick technique?"

"...Yeah, it’s a cheesy name, I know. I think so too."

She sighed deeply and brushed her hair back. A thin line of blood trickled from her nose, likely from a burst blood vessel.

"Ugh, how long has it been since I’ve had a nosebleed?"

She rubbed her nose with the back of her hand, her brows furrowing in irritation. Seeing the blood only seemed to make her angrier.

"Anyway, flying kick technique may have a tacky name, but it’s not an easy skill. For you to copy it in real-time... Damn, I don’t even know what to say."

She mumbled a curse under her breath, then lifted her head again.

"Alright, I admit it, I’m not doing too well in hand-to-hand combat. If I pull out my weapon now... one of us is going to die. How about we settle this with words?"

Her question was directed at Dung Beetle, who frowned and clenched his fists. If you start something, you should finish it.

But before he could answer, someone else spoke up.

"Talking, eh? I don’t mind. Just don’t move anything but your mouth."

Click.

Jangman, holding the submachine gun one of the downed guards had dropped, aimed it directly at her.

The woman glanced at the gun but remained unfazed, responding with her usual confidence.

"Sure, I’ll play along. My proposal shouldn’t be a bad deal for you either."

"Let’s hear it."

"I need to buy something from Josef, but it seems he has no intention of dealing with me."

"Given Josef’s reputation, it’s no surprise he won’t deal with a rookie."

"Well, hearing that as the rookie feels a little unfair."

She exaggeratedly sighed and continued.

"But since you seem to know Josef, if you could buy it on my behalf, I’d pay you not only for the item but also a generous fee."

"A fee?"

"Five billion won, aside from the item’s price. If the item costs less than I expect, I’ll throw in more. What do you think?"

Five billion?

Dung Beetle, who still had a cleaner’s sense of money, raised an eyebrow at her willingness to throw around that much cash for a fee.

"A tempting offer always comes with risks. What exactly are you trying to buy?"

"It doesn’t look like a weapon, but... hmm, how do I describe it?"

She paused for a moment, thinking, then spoke again.

"A stick made from a unicorn horn... that’s the only way I can explain it. The name doesn’t really match, though."

As soon as she said this, Jangman and Dung Beetle exchanged glances.

Behind their snake and sun masks, a strange look passed between them. The girl, suddenly excluded from the conversation, tilted her head.

"...What’s with the atmosphere? You’re not plotting something weird, are you?"

Though she didn’t realize it, her suspicion was absolutely correct.