Chapter 23 : The Butterfly Effect. (1)
Chapter 23: The Butterfly Effect. (1)
A large truck drove into the Ilsan Hunter Industrial Complex.
Seo Gwang-pal whistled as he turned the steering wheel.
“Finally, we’re here!”
The thought of revenge alone made his spirits rise.
“Purple Devil, that rat bastard. So this is where you’ve been hiding!”
Unlike the boisterous Seo Gwang-pal, Lee Yu-seol, who was sitting in the passenger seat, had her eyes closed, focusing her mind.
Her talent was [Sense].
When she closed her eyes, she could feel the life force of everything around her — a detection-type ability.
Not only could she perceive through walls, but her expanded perception also allowed her to grasp enemy movements with ease.
Lee Yu-seol’s detection range extended up to one kilometer.
If she pushed herself to the limit, she could even sense a small caterpillar crawling up a tree.
Her eyelids twitched.
‘There are a few Awakened here.’
That only three percent of humanity had awakened was merely what the government announced.
It wasn’t that difficult to come across hidden Awakened individuals in everyday life.
However, most of those in hiding were amateurs — Awakened who didn’t know how to properly use mana.
‘Of course. A bunch of nobodies... Ho? There’s one who seems decent.’
What Lee Yu-seol detected was none other than the man nicknamed “the tall one,” Ki Yeong-cheol.
‘About a B-minus if we’re comparing by Hunter standards. Is he the Purple Devil? Or...’
As her perception swept across every corner of the complex, she suddenly froze.
Her awareness brushed against a corpse buried in the mountain behind the complex.
The one buried underground was the former gang boss, Cha Chi-do.
‘Oh? This one must’ve been pretty strong.’
Of course, since he wasn’t alive, she couldn’t gauge him precisely.
But to some extent, she could still make an educated guess.
‘Around A-rank? Just a notch below me?’
A faint smirk appeared on Lee Yu-seol’s lips.
To think someone that capable had been hiding in such a remote place.
The saying was true — the world was wide, and masters were many.
‘This place is quite interesting.’
For the Dio Guild, which recruited solely based on skill, ignoring personal reputation or past crimes, Cha Chi-do would have been a very appealing recruit when he was alive.
‘Too bad he’s already dead. No, wait.’
Lee Yu-seol bit her lip.
That powerful man had become a corpse — meaning someone had killed him recently.
‘Who could it be?’
Was it the one she had classified as B-minus?
‘No, that tall guy alone couldn’t have done it.’
Her judgment was right.
Ki Yeong-cheol couldn’t have defeated Cha Chi-do even if he came back from the dead.
‘Then who on earth…’
Just then, someone faintly entered Lee Yu-seol’s radar.
A man near the Fourth Factory.
Other than the fact that he was an Awakened, there was nothing remarkable about him.
‘F-rank? Maybe even lower. At best, a greenhorn who just awakened.’
More importantly—
‘...He has no talent.’
The mana flow running through his body was unstable, and he possessed so little energy that it was hardly worth mentioning.
A level of ability below what could even be called potential.
That was Lee Yu-seol’s conclusion.
‘Unless he risks his life over and over or undergoes an extraordinary training program, that guy will stay at the bottom forever.’
Of course, there was one more possibility.
‘If he somehow obtained a ridiculously overpowered talent, that’d be a different story... But that’s impossible.’
Suddenly, a strange thought crossed her mind.
He was a nobody.
Then why was she wasting so much time thinking about him?
She was a woman drawn only to the strong — she never spared the weak even a glance.
Yet somehow, her “Sensor” was fixated on that man.
‘...Maybe I’m just not in good shape today. Forget it.’
She blamed her lack of sleep from the night before and forced herself to dismiss it.
Then Lee Yu-seol opened her eyes.
At that exact moment, Seo Gwang-pal brought the truck to a stop.
At the entrance of the complex, a security guard lowered the barricade.
“Stop right there. I don’t recognize this vehicle. May I see your entry pass?”
Seo Gwang-pal didn’t roll down the window.
The truck’s license plate was already covered.
On the road, it was no different from an unregistered vehicle.
He grinned slyly and muttered,
“Man, what a pain.”
Just as he was about to step out, Lee Yu-seol spoke.
“Hide your identity. I’ll say it again — today, we are not the Dio Guild.”
A government-approved major guild raiding a normal industrial complex — even in this insane world, that would make massive headlines.
“Yeah, yeah, got it.”
Seo Gwang-pal smirked and put on an elephant mask.
It was a children’s size, barely covering his eyes, nose, and mouth, leaving his bald head fully exposed.
Clunk—
Masked, Seo Gwang-pal stepped out of the truck.
“Who am I, you ask?”
The security guard, who had stepped out of the booth to check, tilted his head.
“Hm?”
No matter how you looked at him, the man’s appearance screamed suspicious.
“Wh–Who are y— Aagh!”
Before the guard could even finish his sentence, Seo Gwang-pal rammed the barricade with his whole body.
Had the guard not moved out of the way in time, he would’ve been crushed.
The metal barrier crumpled like paper.
Seo Gwang-pal raised both arms menacingly.
“The villain has arrived!”
“Eek!”
Pale-faced, the security guard bolted toward the small crawlspace behind the booth.
Scraping his palms and knees, he crawled through it in a frenzy and fled without looking back.
“Heh! Where do you think you’re going?”
Seo Gwang-pal smashed through the reinforced concrete wall around the crawlspace.
Just as he was about to attack the fleeing guard,
Lee Yu-seol rolled down the truck window.
“We don’t have time. Get in.”
Seo Gwang-pal pouted.
“Yeah, yeah. Got it, Team Leader.”
“Don’t call me that. Are you stupid? Is that why your hair doesn’t grow?”
Despite the unbearable insult, Seo Gwang-pal had no choice but to obey.
“Ugh, fine. Let’s go.”
He rubbed his bald head, climbed back into the truck, and they headed deeper into the Ilsan Hunter Complex.
Thunk.
Meanwhile, the security guard who had been running for his life stopped in his tracks.
Panting heavily, he made a call.
“...Yong-gi. They’re here. Get ready.”
His expression was suddenly calm — as if nothing had happened.
“Yes, understood. You’re not hurt, right?”
To enter the Ilsan Hunter Complex, one had to go through the main gate.
Sure, someone could climb the wall or sneak in, but Seo Gwang-pal didn’t seem like the type to come alone.
‘They’ll come in a pack. Like hyenas.’
That was why Yong-gi had told the security guard in advance — if anything suspicious happened, just run.
Trying to fight back would only get the guard hurt.
‘Good thing we prepared ahead.’
He heard the security guard sigh through the receiver.
— Whew. Scared me half to death. Good thing I listened to you, Yong-gi. That octopus-headed freak almost turned me into jerky.
‘If he said “octopus head,” then it’s definitely Seo Gwang-pal.’
My suspicions turned into certainty.
— Those guys don’t look ordinary, Yong-gi. What the hell is going on?
He tried to sound calm, but the security guard’s voice was trembling.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”
I lowered my phone and glanced around the factory.
Everyone was still busy with their work.
For a brief moment, the image of Ma Seon-woong lying in the hospital crossed my mind.
I refused to let anyone around me get hurt again — even if it killed me.
‘I’ll protect this place, no matter what.’
I approached the foreman.
“Foreman.”
I didn’t say much — just gave him a look.
Like the security guard, I’d already briefed the foreman beforehand.
He was sharp enough to catch on immediately.
“Everyone, stop! Let’s take a snack break. Professor Jang, go boil some ramen!”
“Wow, a snack break? It’s been ages!”
The foreman gathered the workers and led them away somewhere.
Their noisy chatter gradually faded into the distance.
Only Kkalkki came up to me.
“Boss. Those bastards are here?”
He was right.
Those damned bastards had arrived.
“Yeah. Let’s track their route.”
“Got it, Boss!”
Together, Kkalkki and I headed to the Fourth Factory office.
CCTV footage was displayed on the computer monitor.
A large truck that had just passed through the main gate had stopped.
The back door of the truck opened, and people poured out.
They weren’t wearing the helmets or combat suits provided by the Dio Guild.
With hats pulled low and masks covering their faces, they looked like hired thugs.
Though they wore ordinary clothes, it was obvious they were concealing weapons under their thick coats.
‘They’re armed.’
There was also someone who appeared to be a woman.
As she gave out instructions, the others moved in perfect order.
‘That’s their leader.’
The image quality was poor, so I couldn’t clearly see her face or features, but it wasn’t hard to guess who she was.
‘Lee Yu-seol.’
I’d already completed all the background research on the Dio Guild.
She was notorious for manipulating the media.
— The Dio Guild’s only female Hunter!
— A powerhouse whose beauty hides her strength!
— Even the entertainment industry is after her!
...Something along those lines.
I didn’t care.
There was only one person I was after.
Seo Gwang-pal.
From the overhead camera angle, I could see him hesitating.
‘He’s deciding where to go.’
From Factory 1 to Factory 9 —
It would take them at least a month to search the entire complex, inspecting every person one by one.
‘Well then, what’ll you do?’
If they knew who I was, they would head straight for the Fourth Factory without hesitation.
Because that’s where the Purple Devil was.
But Lee Yu-seol pointed elsewhere.
‘The Seventh Factory.’
Why that one?
By principle, a Hunter’s talent was kept strictly confidential.
Personal abilities could determine life or death in battle — making them top-level secrets.
Yet, absurdly enough, Lee Yu-seol’s ability had been mentioned in an interview.
Q: As a Hunter, what’s your unique trait? Ah, you don’t have to go into detail — just curious.
A: I have a knack for seeing through people. No matter how well they hide, it doesn’t work on me. By the way, Reporter, you were with your boyfriend last night, weren’t you?
Q: Wh–What? How did you—?
A: Hmph. I have my ways.
The Seventh Factory was where the former gang — now the Yeong-cheol Guardian Squad — was stationed.
‘Lee Yu-seol must’ve used her detection ability to sense the Awakened.’
And she mistook Ki Yeong-cheol for me.
That too was part of the plan.
‘They’ve walked right into the trap.’
Unless an Awakened deliberately suppressed it, faint mana would always leak from their body.
Experts could gauge someone’s strength based on that.
I wasn’t yet skilled enough to conceal my mana.
So I used that against them.
I let myself be completely exposed.
Seo Gwang-pal would come with Lee Yu-seol, and she would use her detection ability.
She would sense me — but dismiss me.
‘And that’s why she’s heading for the Seventh Factory instead of the Fourth.’
The strategy I’d devised several steps ahead had worked perfectly.
Now all that was left for me to do was—
“Kkalkki. Prep P2.”
“Yes, sir! Boss!”
I immediately donned the newly crafted suit.
I pulled over the purple mask with a coarse texture that prickled against my skin.
“Huh? Boss.”
Kkalkki pointed at the monitor.
“Who’re those guys?”
Among the group led by Lee Yu-seol and Seo Gwang-pal, there were two who stood out.
Just two.
They were wearing yukatas of different colors and patterns — distinctly unique designs.
‘Japanese?’
There was no record of any Japanese members in the Dio Guild.
Moreover, their heights and builds were nearly identical.
Almost like twins.
“……”
A new variable — but I didn’t panic.
War was always full of uncertainty.
The Twins headed not to the Seventh Factory, but to the Ninth.
Kkalkki bit his fingernail.
“Uh-oh. That’s where Khan is.”
He was referring to his best friend and roommate — a foreign worker.
They bickered all the time, but I knew better than anyone how close they were.
Though my actions had been fluid so far, this time, I hesitated.
It was a dilemma straight out of a comic book hero’s story.
A hero could protect people —
But not everyone.
‘What should I do.’
I placed a hand on Kkalkki’s shoulder, trembling with worry.
“I’ll go.”
Kkalkki nodded.
“Please, Boss.”
Unaware of what kind of butterfly effect this decision would bring,
I rode my motorcycle toward where The Twins were.