**Chapter 7: Cursed Object (3)**
The Hunter Management Bureau is, quite literally, the agency that manages Hunters across the country.
While they provide general support for Hunter activities, their primary duties were slightly different.
Their main job was to literally "manage" civilian Hunters.
They handled the management and distribution of firearms and worked with the police to investigate crimes committed by Hunters.
However, there was one task that was considered the most important of all.
"Section Chief! Section Chief! Trash Can No. 6 has burst again!"
Kim Jung-ho, Section Chief of the Hazardous Material Containment Division at the Hunter Management Bureau, moved with a look of utter exhaustion.
"What is it this time!"
"It’s the Containment Division staff getting bewitched by a Cursed Object, what else! I told you! All the trash cans are at full capacity!"
"Who do you think doesn't know that? But what am I supposed to do when there’s no land to put them on!"
The Hazardous Material Containment Division, or the Containment Division for short, is the department that manages and isolates Cursed Objects collected from Dark Zones.
By nature, a Cursed Object has the characteristic of seeking out a host to corrupt them.
Therefore, the purpose of the Containment Division is to isolate these objects so they cannot be released.
They called these storage facilities for Cursed Objects "trash cans."
"These damn Cursed Objects bewitch people even when they’re locked away in a shelter! I’ve blocked off all access, yet they still bewitch people remotely!"
The problem is that if Cursed Objects cannot find a host, they emit a power that bewitches everything in their vicinity.
This "bewitchment" becomes stronger the longer the object goes without a host, and the more powerful the object is.
Armed forces began to assemble one after another around Section Chief Kim Jung-ho as he headed toward Warehouse No. 6.
From riflemen to anti-tank rocket teams, and even the Special Task Force agents who specialize in clearing Gates.
The emergency protocol triggered by a Cursed Object seeking a host and going berserk had summoned the forces in an instant.
"It burst again, dammit."
"This is the third time this month. Section Chief Kim, when are you going to build a new warehouse?"
They each threw a comment at the Containment Division Chief.
After all, he was the one responsible for the task of isolating the Cursed Objects.
"I don't know either. If it were up to me, I’d throw them all away somewhere, but I can’t do that."
The number of Artifacts discovered every time a Gate appears has been increasing.
If it were an Artifact that could be used normally, it wouldn't be a problem, but if it were a Cursed Object, it had to be isolated.
Because of this, the number of Cursed Objects in the Containment Division's warehouses grew day by day.
Before long, the Bureau agents were lined up in front of Warehouse No. 6.
Among them were Team Leader Park Do-kyung and Agent Kang Cheong-hwa of Special Task Force 2.
"Section Chief Kim, you've arrived."
"Team Leader Park. Where are the other team members?"
"They’ll be here soon."
The Containment Division Chief agonized over whether to enter the warehouse immediately or wait for more reinforcements to gather.
Every time a Cursed Object went berserk, someone ended up dead.
"We’ll suppress it as soon as the team members arrive."
"Understood. We’ll do some maintenance on our gear as well."
"Sigh... those wretched things. Isn't there some kind of dedicated trash can for Cursed Objects? So I could just throw them all away."
If he could just dump a few of the truly dangerous items, he might be able to breathe a little easier.
"......"
At the Containment Division Chief's lament, Team Leader Park Do-kyung thought of a certain young man.
***
The corrupted Hunter Kim Tae-jin sniffed the air, scanning his surroundings.
His sense of smell didn't seem to have actually improved, but it seemed to be a side effect of being based on a human.
However, he reacted sensitively to even the smallest sounds, which was all the more pronounced since there were no living creatures around other than me and Hunter Kim Tae-jin.
*Thwuck!*
I carefully plunged Black Heron into the goblin carcass.
The goblin, already dead from gunfire and motionless, was pierced without resistance; Black Heron is a remarkably sharp Cursed Object, even if it can't stop bullets.
"Come on, drink up."
【Wait! Everything takes time!】
It grumbled and urged me on, but that didn't make the blood-drinking speed up any.
For something that’s always shouting "Blood! Blood!", it sure has a small mouth.
【Kuh-uh...! This is it. It’s cold and doesn't taste as good, but at least it fills my belly.】
Every time Black Heron absorbs a dead goblin, I feel my strength surging.
It’s absorbing the blood and Karma, just like when I killed the first goblin.
"Hey, but isn't it a bit less than before?"
【Obviously. Since you didn't kill them yourself, your rights to it are diminished.】
"There’s a condition like that?"
【Absorbing the opponent's Karma is just like that. You only gain the right to it if you achieve it yourself. Don't try to get a free ride in this world.】
To think I’d be hearing this from a Cursed Object that parasitizes its host.
Anyway, I’d absorbed all the goblins in the area.
The problem is that most of the goblin carcasses are gathered in one place...
Hunter Kim Tae-jin is standing right there in front of the pile of goblins.
【Now! Fight! You’ve absorbed enough, haven't you! It’s time for a true warrior's death match with that guy!】
Look at it talking big because it’s not its own life on the line.
There’s no way I can face a monster like that head-on just by absorbing a few goblins.
It’s true that the Cursed Object is sharp, but Hunter Kim Tae-jin, who had bullet holes in him, had somehow even recovered.
The risk was too high to fight with nothing but a sharp blade.
"Be honest. Do you think I’d win if I fought him now?"
【You’d die. But if you’re lucky, you might be able to take him down with you! If you’re even luckier, you might survive while dealing him a fatal blow!】
Who is this crazy Cursed Object trying to get killed!
【It’s not that you have no chance of winning. Even if he is corrupted, he’s only just begun.】
"What does that mean?"
【It’s the same reason the host who held me was so weak. He didn't have time to accumulate Karma. Besides, that guy. He didn't make a proper contract.】
Now that I think about it, that’s true.
The Cursed Object Hunter Kim Tae-jin wore had asked me to offer "three" people as a tribute.
But the tribute he offered at the time of the contract was only two. And he hadn't even killed them himself.
If the Karma that can be absorbed from goblin carcasses killed by others is reduced, it must be the same for Hunter Kim Tae-jin.
Of course, he had gained monstrous strength that could kill a person with his bare hands, but still.
Then, let’s think.
For one, Hunter Kim Tae-jin is still looking for me, and he reacts sensitively to sound.
In that case...
*Whoosh!*
【Huh?】
Black Heron went flying. It bounced off the ground, making a loud clatter.
"Kru?"
Hunter Kim Tae-jin reacted immediately. I could hear him running over.
But when he arrived at the source of the sound, I wasn't there.
【You fool! Using me as bait again!】
Black Heron, retrieved into my hand, made a fuss, but thanks to it, I was able to lure Hunter Kim Tae-jin away.
Taking advantage of his absence, I arrived at the place where the goblin carcasses were gathered.
"Black Heron, eat up!"
*Thwuck!*
As I plunged it into the goblin carcasses, Black Heron went in without resistance.
【Hehehe! A feast after so long!】
"Yeah, yeah, hurry up and eat."
While Black Heron was drinking blood, I couldn't stray more than 3 meters away.
How much time had passed like that?
"Black Heron, are you done..."
"Kuh-ur."
"Ah..."
I turned around to see Hunter Kim Tae-jin drooling as he looked down at me.
"Kuh-wooooar!!"
Hunter Kim Tae-jin roared fiercely and swung his fist.
It was a good thing I had anticipated the attack; if I had been hit properly, my face would have been blown off.
"Black Heron! Are you done yet!"
【Slurp! Slurrrp! Just wait a sec──】
I couldn't get away from Black Heron while it hadn't finished eating.
I started a game of hide-and-seek with Hunter Kim Tae-jin, using the pile of goblin carcasses as cover.
"Kuh-woar!"
Left! Right! Pretending to go left, then right!
While dodging Hunter Kim Tae-jin, I tried to get him to come to his senses.
"Mr. Tae-jin! Calm down! Fight the darkness within! You can do it!"
"Kuh-woooooar!"
Ah, I guess he can't.
Why can't he? I did it just fine. Is his effort lacking?
Hunter Kim Tae-jin’s fist swung wildly.
His fingernails had grown long like a wildcat's, and he seemed to be losing his human form.
Fortunately, dodging Mr. Kim Tae-jin’s attacks wasn't that difficult.
I suppose it was worth all the effort I put into dodging the "rod of love" the orphanage director would swing at me from time to time?
「Gaon. Keep dodging. Until you get hit.」
Ah, Director. Did you foresee even a moment like this?
Right now, I miss the Director’s rod of love.
Because even when he hit me with it, he did it with technique so I wouldn't get hurt.
"Kuh-woar!"
Hunter Kim Tae-jin raised his voice, seemingly frustrated that I wouldn't get hit.
Just as Black Heron said, Hunter Kim Tae-jin hasn't awakened his true power properly.
The more Karma Black Heron absorbs, the more the advantage shifts to me.
The moment to turn the tide will surely come.
【Hoo...!】
And that moment is now.
"Hoo...!"
I take one more step back from Hunter Kim Tae-jin.
Naturally, Hunter Kim Tae-jin chased after me, but at that moment, I moved 3 meters away from Black Heron.
"Kuh-ur?"
Hunter Kim Tae-jin tilted his head, confused by the sword suddenly held in my hand.
【Swing it with all your might!】
I swung Black Heron at Hunter Kim Tae-jin.
At that moment, a sinister, shimmering crimson energy emanated from the sword.
A blood-red light, as if the souls of the dead goblins were echoing, cleanly severed Hunter Kim Tae-jin’s right arm.
It wasn't even a sword aura.
"Kuh-woooooooar!"
【Now is the time! Kill him!】
I threw my body at Hunter Kim Tae-jin, who was writhing in pain from his severed arm.
To pierce him right then and there.
If I stab his heart now, Hunter Kim Tae-jin will die.
But the place I was aiming for wasn't his heart.
*Thwuck!*
"Kuh-ur!?"
At that moment, I collided with Hunter Kim Tae-jin and knocked him down.
Having pierced him exactly in the shoulder, I shouted to Black Heron.
"Hey, hey, eat up quickly."
【Wait, what are you...】
Black Heron, though flustered, began to devour Hunter Kim Tae-jin.
His blood and... his "Karma."
"Kuh-woooooooar!"
Hunter Kim Tae-jin struggled, but as I pinned him down—now with only one arm remaining—he couldn't easily break free.
Just as his body began to wither from having his blood drained,
"That's enough!"
*Squelch!* The Black Heron I pulled out thrashed about.
【I haven't finished eating! Blood! Bloooood!!】
Can you really not be satisfied even after eating that much?
I quickly snatched the ring off Hunter Kim Tae-jin’s finger and observed his condition.
They say Hunters become corrupted when their Karma Index rises.
And the Cursed Object, Black Heron, was said to absorb blood and Karma.
"Ugh, ughhh...?"
Hunter Kim Tae-jin looked around, drooling.
The blackness that had encroached upon the whites of his eyes had vanished completely.
***
Hunter Bureau interrogation room.
I never thought I’d be back here so soon.
I knew they’d be watching me for a while, but I didn't expect to be back this quickly.
However, this time, even Park Do-kyung’s expression looked more serious than before.
"So... you simply refused the Cursed Object's contract, and... you absorbed the blood of someone already corrupted to restore them to their original state?"
"According to Black Heron, it’s Karma, not blood."
"And you’re communicating just fine with a Cursed Object..."
Park Do-kyung kept glancing at the Cursed Object at my waist.
Bound to me and unable to escape, Black Heron was emitting an even more ominous aura than before.
"So... I’ll ask, just to be sure. You’ve committed the evil acts the Cursed Object induced, you’ve accumulated Karma... and now you’re saying you can even use things like sword aura?"
"Ah, it said that’s a technique I can use by absorbing blood. It’s called Blood Energy; looking at it, it seems more like a technique where it spits out what it couldn't finish eating."
【Spitting out! Do not describe the power of this Black Heron in such a way!】
Black Heron is still noisy.
I give it everything it asks for, and it still acts like this.
"Huuu..."
Team Leader Park Do-kyung sighed repeatedly, seemingly agonizing over what to do with me.
"Gaon. Just a moment."
He pressed the measuring device he was holding against me again. *Beep!* The Karma Index meter emitted its characteristic signal.
How many times has this been now?
"1,865.59665... It’s dropped even further than before."
When I rescued Kim Tae-jin and exited the Gate, a Bureau official had measured my Karma Index.
It was in the 6,300s back then, then it dropped to the 4,000s on the way to the interrogation room, and now it’s below 2,000?
It’ll be back to normal by tomorrow, won't it?
Karma Index?
Isn't that thing completely pathetic?
After struggling to accept this situation for a while, Team Leader Park Do-kyung looked at me as if he had made a decision.
"Gaon. This is just a proposal. I’ll check with the higher-ups, and it will likely be approved... but your will is the most important thing."
What on earth could he be planning to propose?
I nodded at Team Leader Park Do-kyung’s solemn expression and waited for his offer.
"Would you be willing to become our Hunter Bureau’s trash can No. 7... no, Warehouse No. 7?"
A trash can?
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