Chapter 25 : The Butterfly Effect. (3)
Chapter 25: The Butterfly Effect. (3)
At the very moment when The Twins and Choi Yong-gi were locked in fierce battle.
Seo Gwang-pal and Lee Yu-seol’s group arrived at the Seventh Factory.
It was the place where the former gangster had stored Black Pearl, and the two-story building where Cha Chi-do’s safe had been kept.
“Everyone, move!”
Seo Gwang-pal rammed his body into the tightly locked door.
“Hrra-cha-cha!”
The iron door crumpled like a sheet of paper and shattered.
Lee Yu-seol and her group walked inside with steady steps.
The interior looked crudely converted into a makeshift living space.
Beds and lockers were scattered around, and the cement floor didn’t even have linoleum laid over it.
Seo Gwang-pal pouted.
“There’s no one here. Did they all bail? Hey! You all hiding ‘cause you’re scared!”
Leaving the noisy Seo Gwang-pal to himself.
Lee Yu-seol quietly closed her eyes.
As she focused her mind, her unique Talent [Sense] activated.
Space-time unfolded in the darkness.
Her specialty was sensing life force in all directions.
It was a detection type.
There was no one left here, so nothing particular stood out.
However, mana was like air.
It existed everywhere on Earth and seeped faintly from all living things.
The mana lingering where Lee Yu-seol stood was faintly detected.
‘A fierce battle took place here…….’
The clash between two individuals had been so intense that their energies lingered in the air like a mana afterimage.
Fragmented images flickered chaotically through Lee Yu-seol’s mental landscape.
Someone swung a dagger, and someone else avoided it.
Thud!
At last, the man who’d held the dagger met his death.
The corner of Lee Yu-seol’s lips lifted.
The identity of the body buried in the woods behind the industrial complex had been revealed.
‘As expected, he’d been murdered.’
One mystery unraveled.
The skilled man who’d been here was equivalent to an A-rank Hunter.
And the one who killed that powerful fighter.
‘That person is Purple Devil!’
Seo Gwang-pal’s voice rang out.
“This team… no, Boss! You should look at this.”
He called Lee Yu-seol by a different title—ironically the same one Cha Chi-do had been called in life.
Lee Yu-seol opened her eyes.
Seo Gwang-pal, standing on the second floor, waved his hand.
She ascended the stairs with the Dio Guild agents.
A small room at the end of the hallway.
The doorknob there had been destroyed.
‘Did someone break in?’
When they pushed the door open and entered, dazzling ornaments revealed themselves.
Inside a tank was a merfolk; on the floor lay a sabertooth tiger pelt; on the wall was the taxidermied head of a werewolf.
Seo Gwang-pal pointed at an empty safe.
“Tch. Looks like someone already cleaned it out.”
“…….”
Without a word, Lee Yu-seol turned and went back down the stairs.
“Everyone, come down.”
When the guild members gathered on the first floor, Lee Yu-seol searched every corner.
Then, by chance, she found a black powder beneath a bed.
‘This is……’
She lightly touched it and brought her fingertip to her tongue.
Everyone grimaced at her action.
She ignored them and savored the spicy sting on her tongue.
‘Huh. Interesting.’
A corpse, a safe, and even drugs.
‘This place is no different from a dungeon den.’
The outside world was far more brutal than a gate teeming with monsters.
Lee Yu-seol let out a hollow laugh alone.
Seo Gwang-pal shrugged.
“Nothing worth seeing here.”
They’d followed her this far trusting her abilities.
But there was nothing useful to gain.
“Seems like our Boss’s instincts have gotten rusty?”
Seo Gwang-pal deliberately provoked her.
But Lee Yu-seol ignored him and activated [Sense] once more.
Not far from the living quarters.
There was a tall awakened individual there.
‘Found him.’
Lee Yu-seol opened her eyes.
“Shut up and follow me.”
The group followed her toward the inner part of the factory.
From within the factory, where smoke billowed, came loud noises like metal being cut.
“Hey. Octopus Head.”
“Y-Yes.”
Seo Gwang-pal answered with swagger.
Lee Yu-seol pointed at the Seventh Factory with her index finger.
“Purple Devil is in there.”
At those words, Seo Gwang-pal’s eyes turned sharp.
The very bastard who had stolen Big Lava’s mana stone and humiliated him in front of everyone.
His nemesis was right before him.
“Boss.”
Grinding his teeth at the memories of the past, Seo Gwang-pal bowed his head to Lee Yu-seol.
It was a completely different, respectful attitude from before.
“Please leave this matter to me.”
Their official goal was to recruit Purple Devil into the Dio Guild.
But they had an unofficial objective.
To make him pay dearly for provoking the Dio Guild.
Lee Yu-seol felt the anger rising off Seo Gwang-pal’s body.
Seo Gwang-pal couldn’t defeat Purple Devil.
However, the Dio Guild had brought more than twenty agents.
Among them were B-rank combatants stronger than Seo Gwang-pal.
No matter how fearsome Purple Devil was.
It would be impossible for him to take on all of them at once.
“Good. Go…….”
Lee Yu-seol pointed toward the factory with her chin.
“Bring him back.”
“Yes!”
The moment Lee Yu-seol finished speaking, Seo Gwang-pal put on his elephant mask and strode confidently into the factory.
“You all follow him in.”
“Understood.”
While watching the guild members’ backs, a call came in for Lee Yu-seol.
The caller was none other than the Dio Guild’s representative, Go Ju-hoon.
Lee Yu-seol’s cheeks flushed red in an instant.
Go Ju-hoon almost never called her directly.
She cleared her throat, then held the phone with both hands.
“Yes! Representative!”
Go Ju-hoon’s voice flowed from the receiver.
— Team Leader Lee. How’s the situation progressing?
“We’ve just found Purple Devil.”
— That was quick.
“You know me. As long as I use my ability, this much is nothing. Heheh.”
— Good. I reviewed the CCTV footage again. That person……
Go Ju-hoon’s voice trembled slightly, as if he was excited.
— He’s quite strong.
Lee Yu-seol realized Go Ju-hoon was unusually interested in Purple Devil.
— Please make sure to bring him. I want to meet him in person.
Lee Yu-seol grasped the intent hidden between his words.
Make sure to bring him. Want to meet him personally.
Meaning—
Use whatever means necessary.
“Don’t worry, Representative. I’ll make sure you meet him today.”
— I trust only you, Team Leader Lee.
“Oh, and Representative, about Black Pearl by any chance—”
Bang!
Lee Yu-seol froze with the phone still in hand.
The factory door burst apart, and someone came rolling out.
It wasn’t Purple Devil, nor did the person look like him.
“Urgh.”
Seo Gwang-pal groaned, blood dripping from his lips.
— Team Leader Lee?
Sensing something strange, Go Ju-hoon asked again from the other end.
— Is something happening?
Right after that, the Dio Guild members came pouring out of the factory.
It looked less like they were leaving on their own and more like they were being driven out by someone.
Then, a group appeared before Lee Yu-seol.
“You motherfuckers.”
“You think you can act up here?”
“Hey. Which crew are you from?”
Rough speech, glimpses of tattoos.
Some were large, intimidating men with harsh faces.
Lee Yu-seol narrowed her brows.
‘A gang?’
She’d heard rumors that each factory had resident groups these days.
She hadn’t expected to run into them here.
The Dio Guild agents, wearing hats and masks, looked suspicious enough to attract trouble.
Lee Yu-seol gripped her phone tightly.
“Representative, I’ll call you back.”
As soon as she ended the call, a man walked out from behind.
A tall, lanky man.
Seo Gwang-pal shot to his feet.
“You bastards! Do you know who we are? I’m from the Dio Gu—”
“Hey. I told you to shut it.”
The cold voice made Seo Gwang-pal close his mouth.
Lee Yu-seol looked only at the tall, lanky man.
‘Is that him?’
Seo Gwang-pal was a C-rank Hunter.
This man clearly appeared to be above him.
But—
‘……To that extent?’
They hadn’t begun fighting yet, so it was too early to judge.
He also looked older than she expected.
‘Let’s watch a little longer.’
The lanky man cracked his neck loudly.
“Gang? What bullshit. We’re not some cheap-ass group.”
About twenty Dio Guild agents.
Roughly twenty on the opposing side as well.
The two sides faced off.
Wiping the blood from his lips, Seo Gwang-pal snorted.
“Then what the hell are you?”
The lanky man, Ki Yeong-cheol, scratched his head roughly as if thinking.
“Well……”
He hesitated a moment, looking embarrassed.
Then he straightened his back and stood firm.
“We’re the Yeong-cheol Guardian Squad.”
Silence settled over the vast factory.
Seo Gwang-pal was the first to burst into laughter.
“Puhahaha!! What? What Guardian Squad?”
Lee Yu-seol didn’t laugh. She stared closely at the lanky man.
She still couldn’t be certain he was Purple Devil.
“Bullshit. You guys are full of crap. Are you Purple Devil?”
Who would’ve thought Seo Gwang-pal’s reckless question would be useful for once.
Lee Yu-seol focused on the man’s response.
“…….”
Ki Yeong-cheol, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward.
“Check for yourself.”
The moment Ki Yeong-cheol finished speaking, Seo Gwang-pal charged at him headfirst.
Swoosh.
Ki Yeong-cheol’s body bent like taffy, slipping past Seo Gwang-pal’s attack.
Then he reached toward Seo Gwang-pal.
Clack.
He grabbed the top of Seo Gwang-pal’s bald head and roared.
“Wipe them out!”
“Yes, sir!”
The Dio Guild and the Yeong-cheol Guardian Squad clashed.
Dust rose over the dry ground as a full-scale battle erupted.
* * *
The twins, caught by the scruff of their necks in my grasp, flailed at my fingertips.
“Ghh…….”
“Khak!”
What would happen if I used <Judgment of the Superhuman> here?
Their necks would probably explode with a pop, killing them instantly.
For a moment, I imagined that scene.
The twins’ miserable end as they bled profusely and died in my hands.
Did they sense my killing intent?
The older twin spoke urgently.
“……S-Save us!”
His face flushed red as he barely managed to continue.
“Please! I-I beg you. I’m fine. Just… spare my little brother.”
The older brother looked at the younger with a desperate expression.
The younger twin said,
“No! At least spare my brother!”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
‘Such tear-jerking brotherly love.’
I didn’t know who these guys were.
But they attacked me without a shred of hesitation.
No doubt they’d committed countless evil acts.
They had surely killed innocent people without batting an eye.
What was I hesitating for?
Why couldn’t I kill them?
Because I felt sorry for them?
Or…….
Could it be that I was afraid of killing someone with my own hands?
‘I don’t know.’
The “twins” variable had twisted things in an odd way.
Even though their lives were literally in my hands, I couldn’t bring myself to make a firm decision.
But instinctively, I knew.
Today, standing against the Dio Guild—
There was nowhere left to retreat.
If I wanted to become a hero, I had to choose.
How I would deal with evil from here on.
Right before the twins’ eyes rolled back,
I loosened my grip.
The twins collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.
“Gkeuk!”
“……Huk…… Th-thank you.”
Looking down at them, I said,
“You two, follow me. We’re going to the Seventh Factory now.”
The place Seo Gwang-pal had gone with his group.
I planned to head there with the twins.
Once they caught their breath, the twins exchanged uneasy glances.
“Don’t roll your eyes. I might just kill you.”
They probably wouldn’t dare attack recklessly, but I needed to make sure they didn’t pull anything stupid.
Even if they tried to run, I could easily catch them by using Speeder’s <Infinite Acceleration>.
‘Better to save money as much as possible.’
I took something out of the hardtack pouch near my thigh and tossed it in front of them.
Two thick bands.
The ends lit up with LED when fastened.
Glow bands used at night as substitutes for blue-element night-vision gear.
“Put one around your neck.”
“Huh?”
“This thing?”
I glared at the twins and drew up all the mana I could.
“……Ah, understood!”
“We’ll put it on. But… what is it?”
As they fastened the bands around their necks, they looked at me anxiously.
The function was simple.
They were merely for efficient activity in the dark.
But I was a hero who lied well.
“It’s a bomb.”
Pointing at the P on the center of their foreheads, I continued,
“If I press this button—boom! It explodes.”
“…….”
“…….”
“And for the record, if you try to force it off—boom. Same result.”
The twins trembled as they watched my finger slowly move closer to the P.
“Try running away if you want.”
I lied without blinking an eye.
“I’ll really kill you then.”
The older twin straightened the open front of his yukata.
“Little brother.”
“Yeah, big brother.”
Wearing their dog collars, the two turned into docile sheep as they chatted.
“Let’s go, Mr. Purple Mask.”
“We’ve traveled all over the world, so we’re great with directions!”
And so, with the twins leading the way, we headed to the Seventh Factory.