Judul: "DEATH MORTGAGE: The Hunter's Liquidation"

Chapter 10: An Unsecured Micro-Loan From The Devil's System

The heat in the corner of VVIP room 402 had surpassed the limits of human skin tolerance. The burning Persian rug released a thick, black smoke that smelled of synthetic chemicals, choking Jihan's lungs every time he tried to breathe. The storm raging through the shattered window did nothing to help extinguish the fire. In fact, the night wind acted like a giant fan, fanning the flames even more fiercely as they licked at the ceiling.

Jihan leaned against the concrete wall, which was starting to feel like it was cooking his back. His right leg was bent at a disgusting, broken angle at the knee. Fresh blood continued to trickle from his temple, mixing with the black soot that covered half his face.

In front of him, less than twelve feet away, Alpha stood blocking the only path to the exit.

The assassin laughed cynically. His right hand glowed a bright orange again, gathering oxygen to form a second fireball. The flames reflected in Alpha's eyes, which were filled with the arrogance of a winner.

"Hey, porter! Where's that great power you used to kill an S-Class monster?" Alpha taunted, spitting on the heating marble floor. "You're just a sewer rat who got lucky and had his moment in the spotlight! Now you can die and burn to a crisp!"

The fireball in Alpha's hand grew to the size of a tractor wheel. The heat from it distorted the air around the assassin.

Jihan pressed the back of his head against the concrete wall. He gritted his teeth hard, fighting the pain that wracked his entire body. His muscles were numb. There were no more IV bottles. No cables. No oxygen tanks.

"Fucking system!" Jihan screamed hysterically inside his skull. "Open the screen, you bastard! OPEN IT!"

There was no response. The room just kept getting hotter.

"I know you can hear me, you bloodsucker!" Jihan clenched the burning carpet beneath him until his palm blistered. "My balance is zero! But I still have my life! I still have my lifespan! Give me any kind of loan right now or you lose your most important asset forever!"

Dzing.

The air in front of Jihan's eyes vibrated. A binary distortion tore through the black smoke.

The Death Bank's virtual interface appeared. This time, the screen didn't emit a luxurious golden or clean neon blue light. It was a dull, flickering gray, like a '90s CRT monitor that was low on power.

Corporate text appeared in a rigid font.

[DEATH BANK CREDIT AND FINANCING DEPARTMENT]

[Client Status: INSOLVENT (Defaulted / Balance Rp. 0).]

[Warning: Your account has been blacklisted by the Bank. Access to Regular S-Tier Loans (Knight of Light / God-Tier Power) is PERMANENTLY BLOCKED.]

"To hell with your blacklist!" Jihan cursed internally, his eyes locked on Alpha's fireball, which was now being pulled back, ready to be thrown. "Give me a super cheap package! A broke-ass package! Anything, as long as I can move, you bastard!"

The gray screen crackled, displaying a new sub-menu with a broken coin logo.

[Detecting emergency financing request from a High-Risk Client.]

[Opening Catalog: MICRO-CREDIT FACILITY (ECONOMY PACKAGE / NO PRIMARY COLLATERAL).]

[Available Product: Shadow Speed (C-Tier).]

[Duration Limit: 60 Seconds.]

[Terms & Conditions: As the client does not have a financial Down Payment (DP), the system will enact Micro-Financing Clause 99. The client must agree to an Instant, Non-Fatal Post-Use Penalty.]

[Accept Offer? Y/N]

Jihan didn't bother reading the details of the damn clause. Alpha's eyes were already locked on his chest. The assassin's arm swung forward. The giant fireball shot through the hospital room's air.

Jihan's bloody, soot-covered thumb slammed into the 'Y' icon on the virtual screen.

[Micro-Credit Contract Approved.]

[Disbursing facility: Shadow Speed…]

WUSSH!

There was no magnificent explosion of golden light. No holy aura that made enemies bow. All that came from the gray interface was a thick, gray smoke that smelled like dirty oil and seeped into Jihan's pores.

A red digital number lit up in the right corner of his retina.

[00:59]

At the same moment, Alpha's fireball hit Jihan's position.

BOOOM! A second explosion rocked room 402. The concrete wall where Jihan had been leaning shattered, showering the area with hot rubble.

Alpha smirked with satisfaction. The man lowered his hand, blowing the residual smoke from his fingertips. "Done. You're now a roasted pig."

But Alpha's smirk only lasted for two seconds.

[00:54]

From behind the shadow of a burning concrete pillar to Alpha's right, a voice as cold as ice whispered.

"Who did you say was roasted?"

Alpha slowly turned his neck. His eyes went wide.

Jihan was standing there. His posture was slightly hunched, wrapped in a thin gray fog that blurred his movements. His broken right leg hadn't been healed by the system—this was a cheap economy package, after all—but the pain had been completely suppressed. Jihan was hovering a few millimeters above the marble floor, using shadow manipulation.

"Y-You bastard! How did you—" Alpha panicked, his hand fumbling at his waist, trying to draw a backup knife.

[00:48]

Too slow. Jihan shot through the smoke like a gray phantom. His speed surpassed Alpha's visual reaction time.

In the blink of an eye, Jihan was right in front of Alpha's chest. Jihan's right hand shot down, grabbing Alpha's wrist just as it touched the hilt of the poisoned Manticore knife.

With a rough twist that utilized the shadow speed, Jihan broke Alpha's wrist.

CRACK!

"ARGHHH!" Alpha screamed hysterically. The knife fell.

Jihan caught the hilt of the black, poisoned knife in the air with his left hand. Without a shred of hesitation in his eyes, Jihan reversed the blade and plunged it directly under Alpha's jaw, piercing through the roof of his mouth until the tip of the knife came out the top of the assassin's head.

STAB! CRAAT!

Dirty black blood sprayed onto Jihan's hand. Alpha's eyes rolled back. The body of the elite assassin from the Viper syndicate went rigid for three seconds before finally collapsing to the floor, killed instantly.

[00:12]

Jihan released the knife hilt from the dead man's jaw. He stood in the middle of the blazing room, surrounded by the three corpses of professional killers. His breathing was heavy. His chest rose and fell, inhaling air that smelled of burnt flesh.

He had survived again. He had slaughtered his enemies in less than fifty seconds.

[00:03]

"I won…" Jihan hissed, looking at his own reflection in the cracked bathroom mirror across the room.

[00:01]

Jihan prepared to strike a cool pose. He wanted to lean against the wall with a cold demeanor. He imagined himself walking out of the VVIP room to greet the Association team with the eyes of a veteran killer.

[00:00]

The Death Bank's virtual screen suddenly expanded to the size of a doorway, blocking Jihan's view of the mirror.

[Micro-Credit Loan Period: Expired.]

[Shadow Speed Facility Withdrawn.]

[Initiating collection of Administrative Fees and execution of Minor Penalty…]

The gray smoke that had enveloped Jihan's body was sucked back into the screen.

As the smoke vanished, gravity slammed back into his body. His broken right leg immediately folded beneath him, forcing him to fall into a sitting position on the ash-covered marble. The pain in his knee flared up again, but that was nothing compared to the next notification that appeared in front of his face.

[Economy Package Clause (No DP): As the Client has no financial collateral, the System reserves the right to seize the Client's 'Social Dignity' as fiduciary security.]

[Executing Minor Penalty…]

[Seized Object: Adult Vocal Cords.]

[Modulation Status: All Client vocal frequencies have been rerouted to 'Crying Toddler Whine' mode (Pitch: 500Hz).]

[Penalty Duration: 12 Hours 00 Minutes.]

[Corporate Advice: Do not attempt to give speeches or threaten enemies during the penalty period. We are not responsible for the destruction of your reputation.]

Jihan froze. His eyes bulged as he read the damn corporate text line by line.

"V-Vocal cords? A toddler?!" Jihan thought in a panic.

Jihan's ego, which had just soared after killing three assassins, was instantly crushed by a giant sledgehammer. This system wouldn't let him look cool. This system was a psychopathic loan shark that enjoyed every second of its client's mental suffering.

Jihan clutched his chest. He wanted to curse. He wanted to scream the foulest profanities at the interface screen. He took a deep breath, opened his mouth wide to let out the furious roar of a killer Hunter.

"FUCKING SYSTEM! GIVE ME MY VOICE BACK!"

However, the sound that came out of his mouth was not a deep, masculine roar at all.

"Waaah! Dyamn syiwstem! Giwe me my woice baaack!"

The sound was high-pitched, whiny, and filled with the pathetic intonation of a three-year-old who had just had his candy stolen.

Jihan immediately clamped both his blood-covered hands over his mouth. His face turned red with shame and horror. His eyes trembled violently. He tried to clear his throat, to force a deep voice out.

"Ahem… waaaah! Pwease don't do thiiis! Hewp!"

The sound was loud and ridiculous.

Jihan's mental anguish reached its peak. If anyone heard him speak now, his dignity as an S-Class monster slayer would be gone without a trace. He would rather be stabbed with a poisoned Manticore knife than have to speak in this disgusting, whiny tone.

Jihan crawled frantically, looking for a cloth or a bandage to gag himself with.

At that exact moment, the sound of a loud crash cut through the roar of the storm from the corridor door.

BAM!

The already half-burnt door of VVIP room 402 was kicked open from the outside, its steel hinges breaking and the door itself flying off and slamming onto the floor.

The black smoke parted.

Someone stood in the doorway. Luna.

The woman was wearing a black tactical vest with "ASSOCIATION AUDITOR" written on it. Her thin-framed glasses were wet with raindrops. Luna's right hand was tightly gripping a large-caliber semi-automatic pistol, its muzzle still smoking from having shot out the security lock.

Luna's sharp eyes swept over the hellscape inside room 402. She saw the burning curtains, the destroyed concrete wall, the three corpses of assassins in nurse uniforms, and finally… Luna's gaze locked onto Jihan.

The young man was sprawled on the floor, his body covered in filth and soot, staring at Luna with wide eyes, both hands covering his own mouth like a child caught stealing cookies.