Chapter 109 : Here, it's yours.
Here, it's yours.
The Sura guild in China was a guild with a long and storied history.
Even before the Gate incident, China had organizations as massive as the Sura guild.
One such organization was the Heaven and Earth Society, the group that ruled the entirety of the underworld across China and the broader Chinese cultural sphere.
They were a so-called mafia group of enormous influence, reaching deep not only into the shadows but also into the public sphere.
Managing gambling and drugs was just the basic level—forcibly meddling in delivery companies, food chains, and even transportation companies was where they flaunted their power.
Even big corporate security firms were in the palms of their hands, and controlling the law and the police was a piece of cake.
Thus, Heaven and Earth Society, enjoying unchecked power, one day faced a grave ordeal.
─The sudden death of their boss.
Along with him, the core heads of Heaven and Earth Society who had followed and believed in him also died of unknown causes.
The subordinates struggled to find the culprit, eventually growing suspicious of one another.
As they suspected that the person who killed the boss was amongst them, they began fracturing from within.
But that was just the superficial reason.
Who wouldn't crave a now-vacant boss seat?
So there was a need to drive out the thorn in each other's side.
In the end, members tried to pin the boss's murder on each other, using fabricated evidence and continuing political struggles.
Countless people died in the underworld as a result.
Yet through much sacrifice, a new boss was eventually chosen.
The man who suddenly appeared and took the boss's seat toyed with the members through a peculiar trick.
─A bizarre phenomenon where swords floated in the air like ghosts. And a body that could not die, no matter how much it was struck.
With such strange abilities, he began to take over the dark underworld across the Chinese sphere, one step at a time.
Ruling with a power that defied human understanding, leading the organization was not difficult for him.
And later—after the Gate incident occurred, they were no longer called Heaven and Earth Society.
They were reborn in a new era under a new name: the Sura guild.
The man who became the boss still sits at the top, ruling the Sura guild to this day.
At the same time, the organization that once only reigned over the darkness found a new purpose.
― Praise Sura! -Praise Sura! -Praise Sura!
Simultaneously, all trace of the dignity Heaven and Earth Society once had was lost.
By now, they had long since degenerated into nothing but a cult following a woman.
The Sura guild's hunters who missed the days of Heaven and Earth Society were displeased with it all.
****
The Sura guildmaster's office was several times larger than those of other guild masters.
It was so grand that it resembled a palace audience chamber, as if to boast China's greatest guild.
Jay Hoon, the Sura guildmaster, sat on a throne-like chair and looked at the girl standing before him.
The idol of the Sura guild, known as Sura.
Though her face was hidden by a veil, her indifferent attitude towards him remained unchanged.
"Why did you even go out to the field that time?"
"...."
"If the situation hadn't ended as it did, you could have died."
Before the all-out war with the Hwasan guild, Jay Hoon told Sura not to interfere.
The stage was too high for someone as inexperienced as her.
But Sura disobeyed and went out on her own.
"What's so bad about that?"
"What?"
"Thanks to me heading out then, weren't we able to clean out the spies that had infiltrated our guild?"
She had sensed something suspicious from Yoo Hwayeon, the executive managing the Sura guild's airship.
Eventually, she uncovered and purged all the subordinates who had been following Yoo Hwayeon.
It was good to have uncovered the spies from the Poison guild.
However, nothing already lost because of them would come back.
"We're already in a situation where we wasted an S-rank spirit stone. We've lost one of our precious resources!"
That was clearly the responsibility of Jay Hoon, who operated the Sura guild.
Criticism circulated as it was Sura, not the guildmaster, who ousted the spy.
Of course, Jay Hoon himself acknowledged that fact.
But even more precious things than S-rank spirit stones must not be lost.
"If we lose you, there is no future for our guild!"
Jay Hoon had been preparing since he swallowed up Heaven and Earth Society and the Gate incident broke out.
He would fully awaken the vessel of God, Sura, and descend god.
If only he could do that, the world that Jay Hoon and his companions desired would be realized.
"How ridiculous."
At those words, Sura... Ah-rin, said with a snort.
"You tormented me as if you meant to kill me back then... and now?"
"...."
"Don't tell me you've forgotten what you did to my grandfather and grandmother?"
Jay Hoon fell silent, feeling the sudden change in the temperature around Ah-rin's body.
In fact, Jay Hoon had no right to make any excuse.
"That incident back then...."
"You probably never expected I'd be chosen as Sura, did you?"
"...."
Ah-rin occupied a high position in the Sura guild, but in truth, she had no good memories here.
Her only family—her grandfather and grandmother—had lost their lives because of this guild, and she was forcibly dragged in and used like a slave.
But who would have imagined that Ah-rin, forced to toil away, would be chosen as Sura?
Suddenly, Ah-rin became the leader of the very enemies who oppressed her.
"It's all things you brought on yourselves. Whatever I do, it's my decision."
A setback in what had seemed to be a smooth god descent plan.
As Ah-rin said, it was none other than the Sura guild's fault.
What one does to a child always returns as their own karma.
"So what will you do now? If you stay like this, you'll simply become the vessel of God per our wish. The only reason we treat you as precious is for that alone."
If Ah-rin continued to live, she'd be fulfilling her enemies' wishes.
However, the Sura guild didn't want her to die.
Once a vessel of God is determined, it can never be changed.
Of course, Ah-rin had no intention of obediently dying.
If she simply died, her valuable life would be wasted; if she survived, the Sura guild's wish would come true.
"If you want to live, you'd better do as we say. The ones after your life aren't only outside the guild."
Back in the Heaven and Earth Society days,
Hunters who missed those times were dissatisfied with the current guild, now a cult.
If Sura, their object of worship, died, perhaps the dignity of Heaven and Earth Society could be restored.
They were likely harboring such plans.
"Are you on the side of living or dying? Which is it?"
As always, it was none other than the Sura guild that protected Ah-rin.
Living at the mercy of her most hated enemies for safety and power—it was ultimately humiliating.
They were the ones who took away her family, yet also guaranteed her safety and gave her authority.
In such a cowardly life that was neither one nor the other... Ah-rin pictured a boy's face in her mind.
A gentle boy who still remained in her heart, someone with a fragrance utterly absent from these wretches.
"I..."
Ah-rin spoke, thinking of Ma Seongjin.
"I'll never die."
"Then, as we wish...!"
"But that doesn't mean...! I'll ever become the god you want."
Kang Ah-rin cut off Jay Hoon's words and answered sharply.
Yet Jay Hoon only snorted at her reply.
"But you will inevitably become the god we want. Once the descent happens, your ego will be taken by the god!"
Losing her ego would essentially mean death.
As the Sura guild wished, with the descent of the god, the troublesome presence of Kang Ah-rin would be completely erased.
If this all came to pass, Ah-rin's life would end in the ultimate humiliation.
"Want to bet on it, then?"
"What?"
But even when faced with such grim facts, Ah-rin smiled.
"If I don't lose my ego, then what will you do?"
Jay Hoon was dumbfounded by Ah-rin's confidence.
This was a plan he had steadily prepared since swallowing Heaven and Earth Society.
If Ah-rin didn't lose her ego, the long years of planning would become nothing.
Considering the weight of that time, her confidence was truly laughable.
"Hahahahaha! If that happens, I'll hand over the entire guild to you. Though, of course, that'll never happen."
"You said it, right?"
Leaving those words behind, Ah-rin exited the guildmaster's office.
Although both appeared confident, as soon as Ah-rin left, Jay Hoon exposed his hidden anxiety.
"That little brat...!"
The Sura guild was originally a group that abhorred non-humans.
Needless to say, their attitude toward Mutamit, but ever since Ah-rin became Sura, everything changed.
"Jin Rain."
"Yes!"
In response to Jay Hoon's call, a man in a suit suddenly appeared before him.
Like the wind, he arrived—Jin Rain, an S-rank hunter of the Sura guild tasked with Sura's security.
"You called for me."
"I know this is absurd to say now, but..."
Hesitating, Jay Hoon finally spoke after a moment of thought.
"We have to replace Sura."
"Is that possible?"
"Of course, we mustn't kill her."
If they kill her, the vessel within Sura will vanish as well.
Jay Hoon's aim was only to remove the vessel.
"Once the vessel of the archdemon finds a suitable bearer, it becomes fixed. But if you make her unfit, it's possible."
"How...?"
"Despair."
Those in the grip of utter despair burn away at themselves, believing all is lost.
People become so damaged that death seems preferable.
There are records showing the vessel of the archdemon rejects the host and leaves, triggered by such despair.
Given the Sura guild's power, driving someone to such a state is easy, but Ah-rin has already tasted despair once.
"But Sura's family is already..."
All dead.
Not just her parents—her grandfather and grandmother no longer exist either.
There wasn't even an event left that could drive her to despair.
"No, there must still be something she's holding onto."
How had a girl, only a middle-schooler, managed to endure such a harsh life?
It would be impossible unless she clung to something.
They needed to find out what Sura was holding onto so tightly.
"Come to think of it... when we arrived at the airport in Korea, she went looking for a boy."
"A boy?"
"Name's Ma Seongjin. He's the son of a prosecutor with the Korean Prosecution Service."
"And this Ma Seongjin boy means what, exactly?"
"Apparently, they were childhood friends from elementary school. But just hearing that boy's name provokes a marked response from her."
The son of a prosecutor... a childhood friend...
At that, Jay Hoon's lips curled in a smile, as if he'd just had a great idea.
Just from the fact she's so obsessed with that particular boy, he couldn't help but laugh.
"So the god was on our side after all."
Jay Hoon's eyes were now filled with a strange expectation, his head brimming with sinister thoughts.
****
A splendid mansion, likely belonging to a conglomerate.
On the upper floor, there was a lavishly decorated room.
White walls maintained a sense of cleanliness, the floors unspoiled and pristine.
Curtains spread out like wings blocked the light beyond the windows, and the furniture inside, despite the lack of sunlight, bore noble patterns.
At the center of the room, a winged girl sat on a chair, painting a picture.
It looked just like an angel had descended from heaven to pick up a brush.
Ssssh—
Was her hand endowed with natural talent?
Though not on the level of a masterpiece, the brush in the girl's hand produced a delicate work.
Having set down her brush, the girl held up the painting and said,
"It's finished."
The painting was simple yet beautiful.
It showed a winged girl, just like herself, and a boy watching fireworks burst in the night sky.
It was so exquisite that it was hard to believe it was drawn by a girl only in her mid-teens.
Knock knock knock—
"Miss Eunseol, it's time to go."
A woman, seemingly a maid, knocked on the door from outside.
"I-I'll be right out!"
The girl, as if she'd suddenly remembered, put down the painting and hurried to change clothes.
She flapped her wings without thinking in her haste.
White feathers scattered across the floor.
"Ah... Made a mess again."
"Miss Eunseol! You'll be late for Hand!"
"Okay! I'm coming!"
"And it's still cold outside, so put on your winter coat!"
At the maid's reminder, the girl moved again.
After some bustle, she finished changing into her outdoor clothes.
She was now dressed in the uniform of Hand's middle school division, Korea's training institution for awakeners.
"Which coat should I pick?"
After wondering what winter gear to wear, the girl suddenly remembered something and opened a drawer beneath the mirror.
Inside was a red scarf.
It resembled the one worn by the winged girl in her own painting.
"I hope I get to see him..."
The girl, whose name tag read 'Baek Eunseol,' wrapped the cherished scarf around her neck.
With her heart firmly braced, she set out for the school she would now attend.
****
"Then, goodbye."
Karen cheerfully bid farewell as she left the house.
Though she did look a bit ghostly, even my family came to the doorway and saw her off.
Being a member of The World, she would have made my parents quite uneasy.
"What exactly did you talk about with her?"
"You're not involved in something weird, are you?"
Both parents asked with deeply worried faces.
No parent would want their child involved with The World.
As an international organization, even if my father is a prosecutor, it'd be hard to cover for anything related to them.
Smiling at my concerned parents, I said,
"No need to be so worried. At least for now, nothing you should be concerned about."
"Then what did she come for?"
"A good thing happened."
"..."
They couldn't help but be suspicious.
And honestly, I didn't know how to explain.
'Ta-da! That person was my subordinate just now!'
... Would they believe me if I said that?
Anyway, what's important is that there's no risk of that massive organization becoming my enemy.
Who could have guessed that the group was actually created by those guys.
"Hey, Seongjin! Come here for a sec..."
Standing nearby, Sang-ah suddenly dragged me off to my room.
Once inside, she looked tense and her lips trembled as she spoke.
"T-that person just now... is she..."
Sang-ah was too startled to get the words out properly, but her freakish hearing had caught all she needed.
"Right. She's one of my subordinates from the Demon King's army."
"No way... someone from The World...?"
If Sang-ah had heard everything, she would have overheard how Karen and the rest of my army got to Earth.
There was no need to elaborate.
"Wait, come to think of it, I had something for you."
"What is it?"
I pulled a book from my bag and handed it to the astonished Sang-ah.
She blinked at it, clearly surprised.
"Is this a skill book?"
"I got it as a drop from the Golden Gate. Didn't suit me, so I never used it."
It seemed too good to throw away, so I kept carrying it.
Who should I invest an unused skill book in?
While pondering that, someone suitable appeared nearby.
"It would have been difficult for the old you to learn it—but what about you now?"
"..."
I'd inspected the skill book several times, but it was useless to me.
I wasn't of the right race, and only those who succeeded in breaking their shell could learn it.
"Here, it's yours."
A being who had successfully completed 'molting'—the breaking of the shell.
Standing right before me now.