Chapter 51 : I, Descend (1)
Chapter 51: I, Descend (1)
Whenever you lived in the City, there were times when you found yourself wondering if this world had day and night reversed.
The night of Lake City lit its neon signs brightly, as though trying to overcome the damp, fishy smell of the water.
Yet even in such a City, there was a district shrouded in darkness.
And that was exactly where Lee Taebaek had come.
Step, step.
He moved his feet while looking around.
“What kind of damn neighborhood is this? It's so dark.”
The darkness swallowed the light as it steadily accumulated. Even straining his eyesight to the utmost, achieving Dark Adaptation was difficult.
Step, step.
An alley with not a single person in sight. Every time he stepped on the cracks in the broken concrete, filthy water splashed up.
Feeling the chill around his ankles, he thought.
This place wasn't merely deserted—it was a ghost town.
Not even the vagrants and outlaws wandering through the shadows could be seen. Then again, there had to be people walking around before anyone could rob them.
The ironic part, however, was that this neighborhood stood on the boundary between the Upper District and the Lower District.
‘District 28.’
Ordinarily, land prices should have been the highest in the Lower District, yet the reason this neighborhood was so eerily quiet was because it was the headquarters of the Ten Gang Alliance.
Apparently, before the gangs took root here, it had been the finest downtown area in the Lower District.
Relatively tall buildings, Western-style streetlights, neatly laid-out side streets.
Fragments of its once-glorious past still lingered here and there.
“So this is what they call the NIMBY phenomenon.”
Lee Taebaek clicked his tongue briefly.
“Taebaek, when you make a lot of money someday and buy your own house, make sure you check carefully. Whether there are any gangster bastards living nearby.”
Perhaps he had heard the muttering.
Kang Hyunseong laughed out loud.
Lee Taebaek tore his gaze away from the darkness.
“With how expensive housing is in the City, as if I'd ever own a home. Even you don't own one, Battalion Commander.”
“Hm, that's true. Hahaha!”
For once, today wasn't a solo mission.
It was the day of a large-scale operation involving the entire Resistance.
The operation was called ‘War on Crime.’
He looked back.
Following behind him in order were Yoo Dahee, Humito, and Rock.
Come to think of it, this was probably the first time the entire 9th Battalion had moved together.
After arriving at Lukaken Pharmaceuticals, they had split into two groups.
‘The five of us are attacking the headquarters of the Ten Gang Alliance.’
The 9th Battalion was an elite unit.
That was Battalion Commander Kang Hyunseong's philosophy.
His claim was that having a lot of members was useless.
In reality, though, it was because people avoided joining them of their own accord...
“Heheh, I wonder how many I'll get to kill today.”
Humito had been grinning ever since earlier.
“My fortune today said murder was a no-go.”
Yoo Dahee, the doctor, casually talking about murder.
“Hiss Hiss.”
And even Rock, cosplaying Darth Vader.
‘That's why we're an involuntary elite unit.’
In any case, because of the battalion's nature, infiltration missions usually fell to the 9th Battalion.
That naturally meant they were also more dangerous.
It was almost miraculous that all five of them were still alive.
The 9th Battalion was the only battalion that still retained all of its original members.
‘Maybe that's why I feel reassured even in a situation like this.’
Right now, we were stepping into the Ten Gang Alliance's stronghold.
By any normal standard, it was complete madness.
But.
‘It's different when the 9th Battalion is involved.’
Regardless of their popularity within the organization, the trust placed in them was immense.
The 9th Battalion had repeatedly succeeded in missions that were considered impossible in theory.
Because every member had such an overwhelming personality, their actual abilities tended to be overshadowed.
‘The prevailing opinion was that, when it came to skill, they were beyond question.’
Now I was fighting alongside people like that.
Excluding me(?) every last one of them was insane, but their abilities were genuine.
That fact alone gave Lee Taebaek tremendous reassurance.
Even if the starlight was drowned out by the city's glow.
Even if this was a bottomless abyss devoid of a single ray of light.
His path ahead felt brighter than all the countless districts pouring out endless light.
Thud.
Once they had gone deep enough, Kang Hyunseong, who had been leading the way, abruptly stopped and raised his fist.
It was the signal to halt.
Lee Taebaek and the others did exactly that.
Slide.
Kang Hyunseong cautiously peeked only his head around the corner of the alley.
It seemed Magno-Strom's base was beyond it.
Lee Taebaek pressed himself against the inner wall of the alley.
Steadying his breathing, he waited for Kang Hyunseong to speak.
Whooooo...
The chill of the concrete wall against his back was as cold as ice.
Just like the silence surrounding them.
A faint breeze drifted in from somewhere and brushed against the back of his neck.
“...Three guarding the entrance, and around fifteen or so patrolling the area...”
Kang Hyunseong murmured.
He estimated the enemy's numbers with almost perfect accuracy.
Lee Taebaek had no way of confirming the details, but what Kang Hyunseong saw had to be correct.
Because he possessed the Skill ‘Hawk Eye.’
‘A technique that honed Presence Detection to its absolute limit.’
It was a realm above Presence Concealment, erasing the user's own presence to the greatest possible extent, allowing the presence of others to stand out for detection.
As had been emphasized repeatedly, mastering Presence Concealment alone was proof that someone was among the strong.
As previously mentioned, it was a secret technique only superhumans beyond ordinary people could use.
Kang Hyunseong had gone even further and mastered Presence Detection beyond that realm.
It really was impressive.
Though that was probably because I was always giving him a hard time.
‘Well, that's also because he's unusually kind for someone living in the City.’
He wasn't the only one.
Despite the way they talked, every member of the 9th Battalion had a surprisingly easygoing side.
Since Kang Hyunseong had personally recruited them, it made sense they resembled him.
“Let's do this.”
After quietly speaking, Kang Hyunseong turned his head.
“The patrol squads are organized more thoroughly than expected. About two people will have to draw their attention before the rest of us can get deeper inside.”
“So we're splitting into two teams again?”
Lee Taebaek asked abruptly.
“If infiltration is the goal, wouldn't it be better to quietly kill them all? Our unit's lineup is specialized for that anyway.”
“That's true. But the 9th Battalion's objective isn't wiping out Magno-Strom. More precisely, we're either kidnapping the leader of the Ten Gang Alliance or eliminating him on the spot. Those are the Supreme Commander's orders.”
“Just hearing that makes it sound like we're making things unnecessarily complicated. The word ‘needlessly’ keeps echoing in my head.”
At that, Yoo Dahee, standing beside him, added an explanation while rotating a cylindrical piece of metal.
She was attaching a suppressor to her sniper rifle.
“We're trying to minimize casualties. Magno-Strom's greatest strength is its unity. And yesterday, Taebaek, I heard you slaughtered quite a few of them. They've definitely heard about that, so naturally they'll be on guard. And above all...”
She paused before continuing.
“If Dojon joins them, then honestly, it's hard for the Resistance to guarantee victory. Even if we win, there's a high chance our overall strength would be cut in half.”
Her lips trembled slightly as they formed his name.
It was a reminder of the overwhelming prestige of The 10 Wings.
They were reapers who harvested lives.
“The Supreme Commander knows that too, which is why the plan is to simply eliminate the Ten Gang Alliance's leader. He's the only one in the Alliance who has a connection with Dojon.”
“But would taking care of just the leader really be enough?”
This time, the question came from Shohei Humito.
Aside from matters related to religion, he was just as ignorant about worldly affairs.
At that moment, Rock placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Hiss, Hissss.”
The mask glowed faintly.
A moment later, Humito nodded.
“Oh, I get it... So Dojon... the Mercenary King only moves for money... and since he works on payment afterward, if the client dies, he won't even give it a second glance. And... hiring someone of that caliber would've required even the leader of the Ten Gang Alliance to beg desperately... so the one with something to lose isn't Dojon, it's the Ten Gang Alliance. Dojon would walk away without any regrets. That's what you mean, right?”
Rock proudly placed both hands on the hips and lifted the chin.
Lee Taebaek was left speechless.
Humito had perfectly deduced the meaning from nothing but breathing sounds and a mask.
‘Is this bastard a genius?’
“Looks like everyone's caught up. We can start right away, yeah?”
Kang Hyunseong looked over each member one by one.
His deep-set eyes seemed ready to inspect even the hangnails on their lips.
The battalion members widened their eyes in response.
Grin.
Kang Hyunseong curled the corners of his mouth upward.
Then he spread both palms and lowered his stance.
As though it had been planned beforehand, Yoo Dahee and Humito leaped.
The instant they landed on his palms—
Hup-!
Kang Hyunseong inhaled sharply and thrust upward.
The two of them shot into the air as though they would catch on the crescent moon.
His palms had become launch platforms.
They floated briefly through the night sky before landing separately on the rooftops to either side.
Yoo Dahee on the left.
Humito on the right.
Then Rock followed in the same manner, joining Yoo Dahee on her rooftop.
His monstrous strength was astonishing.
The building was roughly four stories tall.
The battalion members' agility was equally remarkable.
Now I understood why the Supreme Commander favored the 9th Battalion so much.
Thud.
Yoo Dahee rested her sniper rifle on the rooftop railing.
Bracing the stock against her shoulder, she looked through the telescopic sight.
Rock crouched three steps away.
After tapping the temple, a holographic window materialized in midair.
Recording had begun.
Shiiing.
The sound of a sword resonated through the night breeze.
Humito held two Japanese swords firmly in his hands.
The night wind split as it struck the blades.
“The people up there will open the way. Once they do, the two of us will infiltrate as quietly as possible.”
“So speed is just as important.”
“Exactly.”
Kang Hyunseong immediately fell silent and signaled to me with his fingers.
Three, two, one...
Thunk-.
The recoil shook Yoo Dahee's shoulder.
Along with a shrill groan, a silhouette staggered.
Unbelievable.
Lee Taebaek, who had only been peeking out with his eyes, slightly parted his lips.
‘She killed him while he was still standing.’
If one gangster collapsed, the others nearby would notice immediately.
Only someone with an extraordinary understanding of the human body could pull off something like that.
Before the echo of the gunshot had even faded, her long fingers worked the bolt, ejecting the spent casing with practiced speed.
Clink.
The casing struck the paint-chipped rooftop.
The next shot was fired at the exact same moment.
Whoooosh!
Humito kicked off the railing and launched himself.
Debris scattered from where he had stepped.
Because the blade had been blackened with soot, it reflected no glint of light.
Slash!
A black arc swept through the air.
The Humito who had been standing on the rooftop was suddenly behind the gangster.
As though he had teleported.
Click.
The blade slid back into its scabbard.
The instant the guard struck the tsuba—
“Ghk...!”
The severed head sank into its own blood.
Every eye within roughly three meters turned toward him.
Their attention was diverted.
The tightly guarded entrance was left exposed.
Kang Hyunseong signaled to Lee Taebaek.
“Now.”
Debris burst beneath Kang Hyunseong's feet.
Lee Taebaek kicked off the ground and followed immediately.
The wind roared.
Whoooooosh...!
Thanks to having over 30 Agility, the surrounding scenery stretched into blurred lines.
Whenever the gangsters sensed the disturbance and turned their heads, Yoo Dahee shot them down.
Just before entering the entrance, Lee Taebaek's eyes briefly met Humito's.
For that brief instant, he gave a slight nod.
It was thanks for keeping the gangsters occupied.
Humito's fangs gleamed in the darkness.
His lips seemed to form the words:
Leave your back to me.
It was such a stereotypical line from a Japanese shonen manga that it almost made me laugh.
The funny thing was that, because he was actually Japanese, it somehow looked perfectly natural.
Ah, damn it.
Here I was walking into a tiger's den, yet a grin kept creeping onto my face.
Tap tap tap-!
We rushed down the narrow corridor.
As we rounded a corner, we came face-to-face with a group of gangsters.
The sudden appearance of unexpected visitors flashed across their gas masks in alarm.
They hurriedly shouted while raising their rifle muzzles.
Watching their idiotic reactions, Lee Taebaek muttered inwardly.
‘These idiots never learn.’
They squeezed the triggers of their shock rifles.
But by then, I had already snapped my fingers.
【Cooling】
The freezing cold robbed the bullets of their kinetic energy.
At once, countless incandescent bursts began erupting one after another.
The sudden change in temperature was the cause.
The dimness that swallowed light exploded through Magno-Strom.
The area instantly descended into utter chaos.
Listening to the screams, Lee Taebaek twisted the corner of his mouth.
‘Why the hell is my heart pounding again?’
A strange exhilaration spread all the way to his fingertips.
With that eager feeling, he pressed the door control button.
Click—
It was time to level up, Lee Taebaek.