The Problem (1)

"We are looking for seven victims, seven possible deaths, so the sooner we identify the people who have been marked by whoever awakened this demon, the faster we will end it," said Anton, reviewing the information from the legend.

The legend stated that the demon's red eye should pass through seven vessels, which are actually humans who should have been marked by their blood or a ritual from some sect. The form is unknown, but to awaken the demon, seven different types of blood must be used; only then will the demon awaken and begin to possess each of the victims one by one.

The deaths will be obvious for that very reason, so the Association of Light was looking for deaths reported as murders, and by chance, they found two of them on the same night the dark entity was released.

That's why Anton will now check if that murder is related to the dark entity, because that means it is in motion and is becoming stronger as it passes from one body to another.

"Are you an exorcist with ten years of experience?" Anton unbuttoned his jacket and looked at the man in front of him, who seemed very friendly.

Jang looked at Anton and nodded enthusiastically. "It's an honor to meet you, Bishop Guardian. I've heard a lot about your incursions."

"Oh, that's nice," said Anton as he received a handshake from Jang. "Can you tell me why most people have very different names? Some seem foreign."

"It happened a long time ago; people from abroad helped a lot in this country when a dark entity attacked us from the sea... Many foreigners stayed in the country, and that's why many have two names, one foreign and one they use only with Koreans. My foreign name is Terry; you can call me that." Terry said, smiling humbly.

"Definitely a more pleasant name," Yoshio said, not having a foreign name, so he wanted to think of one.

"We're all scared; we don't have very good exorcists, but we do have hunters... It's a pity that Kiran Jones is currently on a mission on an island." Terry couldn't help but be proud of the famous hunter named Kiran, who was equally legendary as Anton.

"Is he that good?" Anton was surprised and immediately searched for information about Kiran, finding more than three hundred incursions. He was a natural-born hunter who had undergone an operation where his body mutated, giving him the ability to confront very powerful dark entities in hand-to-hand combat.

"He's a great hunter; I would like to meet him at least once." Anton stopped investigating other people's personal information.

Inside the car, Anton calmly looked at the streets outside the window. Everything was proceeding as usual: work, eat, and live.

"Sir... I'm relatively new as the leader of an exorcism expedition. If you allow me, I want to learn how to be the leader of an elimination group." Terry said it with a nervous voice.

"Let's not rush; maybe it's just a multiple homicide that is not related to our work or what we are looking for. But you can learn by watching what I do." Anton smiled, proud that many new exorcists would take on more important roles.

After saying that, Anton looked at Terry more attentively. His face seemed to show a very enthusiastic attitude, demonstrating his lack of experience in such a large operation.

Anton hesitated a bit before saying, "Although we must demonstrate a calm attitude and not relate everything around us to our work, it would be a pleasure and an honor to lead this situation."

Terry nodded and said, "Daegu has the lowest percentage of dark entities around the country; my experience is little as a leader of an operation like this. I will learn under your guidance; let's work hard."

"Good." Anton nodded. Looking at the smiling Terry, who had the most authority in this city, Anton couldn't help but think of his early days as a leader.

"I guess, in the end, I am changing; I don't know if it's good or bad." Anton thought to himself. He decided to remain silent for the rest of the trip; he needed to focus and look for clues about his stay in the hotel where the scene was.

Upon arriving outside the hotel, Anton saw that the metropolitan police had already cordoned off the crime scene. "It's a mess now; I hope the forensic team hasn't made too many changes."

"Very well, I will personally take care of everything." After saying that, Anton didn't speak to Terry anymore.

Getting out of the car, Anton looked around and felt the humidity. Walking towards the entrance of the building, some police officers who were guarding the perimeter looked at Anton and Terry with confusion as they entered, as if there was nothing in this place.

"You can't get closer; please, step back." Said a police officer as he approached.

While observing the place, Anton saw footprints in the mud in the bushes leading to the mountain.

"Did it come from the mountain?"

If Anton wasn't mistaken, these footprints were left by the possible murderer who entered the hotel.

"Please, retreat." The police officer insisted, as he saw that no one paid attention to him.

"We are special agents of the NIS. Terry showed identification and said, I am Jang Jin-chul, and we are investigating the scene that possibly connects with an ongoing investigation. I would like to know if there are detectives inside the hotel."

The police officer nodded. "There are two detectives inside the building; the forensic team is probably finishing analyzing the area."

"How many people died?" Anton walked towards the police officer and asked.

"From what my partner observed, there are no less than seven people." Said the detective with a nervous voice.

Anton let out a sigh of relief.

The few people remaining in the hotel possibly died, which would cause a lot of problems if it was a different dark entity that has not yet been identified.

Therefore, his priority now is not to investigate the scene but to identify if it is a dark entity.

Just as he was about to enter the building, three large trucks stopped in the distance.

"The special team has arrived, sir; how do we proceed?" Terry asked. He was curious about how Anton works; according to rumors and statistics, he was possibly the most experienced man in leading large incursions.

From the beginning, the entire building was sealed by the police while the scene was investigated. Therefore, Anton didn't want to act hastily.

"First, we will check if it's a dark entity; call the investigation team and let's go in." Anton said as he walked towards the building.

"Yes sir." Terry nodded and ordered, "Only the investigation team will enter with us; the others wait for orders."

"Yes sir!"

The police officer didn't know what to do because of the strange people entering the building without being notified in advance.

Just as Anton was about to enter the building, a loud and furious scream echoed in the distance.

"Who are you?"

"Please cooperate; we are from the INS and are here for a special investigation." Terry said this while showing his identification.

"I wasn't informed about this; I can't let you pass just because you're from the NIS." Said Detective Ko with a somber expression.

"What is your name?" Anton asked as he looked inside the hotel reception.

"I am Detective Ko Han-min." Detective Ko said as he showed his identification.

"Pleasure to meet you, Detective Ko. I'm Anton, and now I will investigate the crime scene." Anton extended his hand and said it with a friendly smile. "In a few minutes, you will receive a call from your captain; until then, you can accompany us in our investigation. We just need to verify if the crime scene falls within our jurisdiction; if not, we will withdraw as soon as possible."

"If that's the case, only you two can enter; the others will stay here until I have been informed." Detective Ko said it with a tense expression.

"Thank you very much for your cooperation." Anton smiled and followed Detective Ko while inspecting the surroundings.

"Terry, we will investigate only us for now; we must make sure if it is a dark entity." Anton stretched out his hands and put on rubber gloves to avoid damaging the scene.

"Do you think it's the same dark entity we're hunting?" Terry asked, knowing that the abnormality of these murders was different from others.

"It could be, but we need to check." Anton nodded with a serious expression.

Detective Ko walked inside and looked at another man who was waiting in silence. "Sir, who are these men?"

"Jack, just explain the scene and ignore them." Ko said as he put on gloves.

"Who called?"

"The hotel owner."

"Are there any witnesses?"

"It's a very remote place and a very rainy day. There were no other guests besides the ones who died." Jack said. As he spoke, he handed over some shoe covers.

"Is the camera in this hallway working?" Anton asked, as he noticed a rotten smell.

"Yes sir. Yesterday around 11:45 p.m., the suspect—I mean, the victim—" The detective named Jack explained with confusion in his words.

Anton frowned upon hearing the confusing explanation from the detective, which made no sense.

From the current information he knew, it couldn't be a dark entity, but at the same time, the dead in this crime exceeded expectations of being unrelated to the dark entity.

Not only that, Anton felt a strange smell that was not related to the stench of a decaying body. Looking around, there were almost no bloodstains or footprints visible, as if nothing had happened.

"One of the dead is the suspect? Jack, what you're saying doesn't make sense." Ko said it with a frustrated voice.

"See for yourselves." Jack entered the room first. Anton analyzed the entrance to the room and couldn't help but cover his nose at the strong stench of decay.

Waving his hand, a red aura appeared in the air visibly, and Anton, who was the only one who could see this, couldn't help but feel a bit suffocated. "It has begun..."