Chapter 214: it’s him

The small wooden lugger rode the outer maritime shelf like a bruised leaf, its oak frame groaning with a steady, low rumble as the twin diesel props pushed the hull through the ink-black water. Outside the small porthole windows, the gray ocean mist hung so thick it completely swallowed the high concrete sea walls of the city sectors, leaving only the dark, cold expanse of the unranked zone ahead.

Down in the narrow crew hold beneath the center deck hatch, the air was dense, wet, and intensely hot. The raw copper boiler pipe running along the iron bulkhead was leaking thin, white columns of hot steam that smelled of heavy engine grease, dry salt, and the rich, spicy scent of the ginger broth simmering over the valves.

Jun-ho sat flat on the long cedar storage chest, his large rubber boots planted firm on the damp floorboards. He had unbuckled the thick stone-gray slabs of the Ashen Monarch Core Plate from his chest, setting the rock panels down near his ankles with a dull thud. His plain gray shirt was completely damp from the sea spray, the thin cotton fabric clinging flat against his shoulders and chest, outlining the powerful, dense lines of his muscles which had expanded after the double level-up inside the vault.

Right at the lower edge of his vision, the solid black blocks of text were waiting, perfectly silent.

[ Level: 28]

[ Unassigned Attribute Points: 15]

[ Mana: 1700/5000]

[ Current Asset: The Ash Remnant (Phase 3 Form)]

He didn’t waste his thoughts on the broken white alloy armor pieces or the sinking Ministry lines behind them. He focused his mind entirely on the fifteen gray numbers floating in his eye. To stabilize the Phase 3 domain against the high-density maritime waves of the outer islands, his internal resource limits needed a massive, permanent expansion.

"Put 10 points into Mana," Jun-ho whispered into the quiet room. "Put 5 points into Strength."

[Attribute Allocation Detected: 10 Points to Mana, 5 Points to Strength.]

[Applying 100x Multiplier to Resource Logic...]

[Mana increased by 1,000. Current Mana: 2700/6000.]

[Strength increased by 500.]

The reaction inside his chest was completely silent. The frozen lake behind his ribs broke its banks, turning into a massive, heavy reservoir of six thousand mana points that made his skin feel warm and tight. The air right around his cedar chest grew cold, a thin layer of gray frost opening across the wood grain of the floorboards, a small disc of white ice forming exactly where his rubber boots were planted.

Rea slid onto the cedar locker right next to his side, her wet yellow rain jacket thrown over the corner rail to dry. She wore only the thin black silk tunic underneath, but the deep V-neck line had pulled wide when she leaned forward, exposing the smooth, flawless porcelain curve of her collarbones and the rounded fullness of her breasts.

The heat from the boiler pipe had made her skin slick with a fine sheen of sweat, the black silk fabric sticking tightly to her narrow waist and highlighting the perfect, voluptuous curve of her hips. Her wide golden-blue eyes spun slowly in the yellow lamp light, her full crimson lips parting into a lazy, slow smile as she leaned her entire weight flat against his arm. She shifted her position with a slow, deliberate swing of her hips, her long bare legs dangling over the edge of the locker box, the high-slashed silk parting all the way to her upper thigh to show her smooth skin.

"Your internal density is getting very heavy, big guy," Rea whispered, her voice a deep, sultry purr that carried the heavy scent of wild orchids through the close cabin air. She reached out her bare hand, her fingers tracing a slow line down his forearm with a teasing, light friction that made his skin prickle against the frost. Her warm thigh pressed firmly against his denim trousers, her breath hitting his neck in soft, rhythmic puffs.

"The ledger inside your duffel bag is already running the Phase 3 framework. If we hit the offshore trading hub tomorrow, I can find an unranked fence who can turn those newly acquired primal cores into a legendary-grade class core upgrade."

Eun-bi sat across the narrow cabin aisle on the edge of the canvas cot, her canvas bag slung tight across her waist. She had the six high-tier primal cores pulled out of her pack, her sharp eyes narrowing as she looked at the two of them sitting close on the cedar chest. She didn’t shift her position back; her gray flannel shirt was left undone at the throat because of the heat, showing the sharp, neat line of her collarbones. She used a dry towel to wipe the salt water off her heavy trauma shears, her bare thigh staying pressed firmly against the side of Jun-ho’s rubber boot for stability against the heavy rolling of the boat.

"The six cores are secure," Eun-bi said, her voice dropping into that flat, quiet public-sector drawl as she tapped her silver scissors against her wrist ring with a sharp, impatient click. "But the shortwave wire just picked up a fresh log entry from the central harbor. The regional director has placed a forty-million-won bounty on your name, Jun-ho. They aren’t just sending the second line enforcers anymore—they’ve listed your registration number on the black-market contract boards."

Jun-ho took a slow drink of the hot ginger broth, the spicy liquid clearing the dry salt taste from his throat. He reached out his right hand, his fingers closing around Rea’s waist under the loose silk fabric. Her skin was smooth, burning hot from the boiler line, her body firm and athletic as she leaned her entire weight flat against his chest. Her dark hair brushed softly against his jawline with a silky friction that made the suppressed mana behind his ribs give a sudden, deep throb.

"The contract boards require a live target," Jun-ho said, his voice low and steady in the small room. He turned his head slightly, his lips brushing light against the soft skin of Rea’s neck before looking back at Eun-bi. "The boards don’t check the outer sidings anyway."

Eun-bi let out a short, sharp chuckle through her teeth, her fingers slowly releasing the grip she had kept on her shears as she sat back on the canvas mattress, her posture relaxing completely as the old wooden lugger slid deeper into the dark gray mist of the open sea.

By the time the single-cylinder diesel engine let out a final, coughing pop and went quiet, the sun had risen over the Black Slipway Market.

The boat bumped against the dark timber planks of the pier with a heavy, wet thud. Tae-woo and the four elite vanguards burst out of the forward hatch, their massive new Tier 4 frames forming a solid line of leather and muscle against the salt wind. Each man held his wide block of dark basin rock slung over his back like a massive stone shield, their iron knuckles clean and steady as they looked through the fog.

Jun-ho stepped onto the dark wood of the pier first, his large rubber boots making a quiet, firm thud that didn’t make the old structure creak an inch. With his level sitting at twenty-eight and his mana capacity extended to six thousand points, the air right around his gray hood turned cool, his Phase 3 domain keeping a slow, silent perimeter thirty meters wide across the floating market lane.

Rea climbed over the wooden rail right behind his shoulder, the high-slashed silk of her black tunic rustling loudly against her long bare legs as she stepped onto the wet wood. Her golden-blue eyes spun slowly under the gray sky, her full crimson lips curved into that same lazy smile as she reached out to catch the frayed thread near his elbow, her hip wedged tight against his side as they walked toward the red-roofed stone barn at the end of the lane.

"The fence’s name is Old Man Jo," Rea whispered, her breath warm against his bare neck as she led the way through the narrow aisle between two rusted containers. "He trades with the offshore red runners. If anyone can clear these six primal cores and unlock the legendary class upgrade, it’s him."