Chapter 73 : Chapter 73
Chapter 73
Choi Jaejin.
A cadet from the Investigation Division who had teamed up with Kim Muung, the Combat Division dropout, to frame me and get me expelled.
Back then, I had survived the crisis with Do Minyeong’s help.
Meanwhile, Choi Jaejin and Kim Muung’s group had been driven out of Hero Prep.
Well, the past was the past.
What mattered to me now was only one thing: why Choi Jaejin was involved in this incident.
And on top of that, as someone affiliated with the Psychic Mafia Camellia…
“…Did you join the Psychic Mafia?”
Even at my question, Choi Jaejin merely stared at me in silence.
As if he resented me.
“Ji Seokhyeon! Did you catch him?”
At that moment, Do Minyeong caught up.
She recognized Choi Jaejin immediately.
“Choi Jaejin, why in the world…?”
“….”
Once again, Choi Jaejin offered no answer.
With my sword still leveled at him, I spoke to Do Minyeong.
“Did you reach them?”
“He is not picking up. It looks like he left on purpose.”
“That bastard… For now, report to the branch chief. While you keep an eye on him, I will drag Gwon Chihun back here.”
“Okay. I understand.”
The case was serious, but if it came to light that Gwon Chihun had abandoned his post, the replacement assignment would be ruined.
My practical scores were already at rock bottom. I could not afford to lose a written subject too.
And Do Minyeong, who was just as serious about points, moved behind Choi Jaejin to restrain him.
Then she hesitated and asked,
“Wait. But where are the handcuffs?”
There had been a single pair of handcuffs that we had received from Gwon Seongjun earlier.
Gwon Chihun had been the one to take them.
It would have been nice if Do Minyeong and I had also been issued a pair, but these were handcuffs made for awakened people, so there were not enough spares to distribute them to everyone.
“…It must be with Gwon Chihun.”
“….”
While we were flustered, Choi Jaejin did not miss his chance. He slipped a hand into his robe, threw something onto the alley floor, and detonated it.
FWOOM—.
Black smoke billowed up at once.
In an instant, our vision was swallowed by darkness.
“Cough!”
“It is a smoke bomb…!”
A portable smoke bomb made from cheap gunpowder, the sort the Psychic Mafia often used.
It was one of the methods we had heard about to the point of nausea in Investigation Division lectures, yet we had been caught by it in the most ridiculous way.
I quickly closed and opened my Demonic Eye.
As expected, Choi Jaejin had already vanished.
The one thing I could say for certain was that he had fled toward the opposite end of the alley, where the crowd was thickest.
We pushed through the smoke.
It had spread deep and dense enough that even after we emerged, it continued to sting the tip of my nose for a long time.
Staring toward the opposite alley, I spoke urgently.
“Find Gwon Chihun first. Then contact the branch chief!”
“What are you planning to do?”
“We have to chase him. He cannot have gone far. We can find him quickly…!”
“Are you saying you will go alone?”
Do Minyeong grabbed my wrist and continued,
“What if Choi Jaejin joins up with other mafia members? And can you even beat him if you fight?”
“We can ambush him like we just did. And we do not even have to fight. If we just figure out where he is hiding, the branch chief will handle the rest.”
“No. Move with me. If we keep contacting him, Gwon Chihun will have to pick up sooner or later. We can tell him what is happening and make him bring the branch chief.”
“You…”
The grip on my wrist spoke for Do Minyeong’s stubborn resolve.
I could have tried to persuade her further, but if we wasted any more time, the situation would worsen.
More than that…
“Are you going to push me away again?”
I could not bring myself to look away from those eyes fixed on me.
***
We pursued Choi Jaejin.
I had left a message for Gwon Chihun, so once he noticed the missed calls, he would come scrambling out of the fighting arena.
We followed Choi Jaejin to an abandoned bus depot on the very edge of Seoul’s outskirts.
On the map, it lay along the border between Seoul and Gyeonggi-do, and it was secluded enough that there were no other people in sight.
A place where, even if someone were murdered, the body might not be found for at least three or four days.
“I did not know Seoul had a place like this… He really found a spot like this.”
“Avoiding Dispel’s eyes must have been his priority.”
The buses lined up in the depot were reduced to bare, skeletal frames, grotesque and uncanny.
Even the bus where Do Minyeong and I were hiding reeked of rusted metal, and every so often the stench of rancid oil stabbed at my nose.
Choi Jaejin, who had arrived at the depot before us, was crossing the grounds with relative ease.
He seemed to believe he had shaken us completely.
Soon, he reached a van parked at the far end of the depot.
With mafia members stationed around it, it was clearly Camellia’s vehicle, and as Choi Jaejin approached, the passenger-side window rolled down.
A woman came into view beyond the glass.
Do Minyeong kept her gaze fixed and asked,
“Who do you think that is?”
“I do not know…”
From this distance, identifying the person inside the vehicle was not easy.
This area technically fell within Seoul, so there was no moonlight, and the interior shadow neatly obscured the woman’s face.
But I recognized who Choi Jaejin was facing almost immediately.
Because with the heightened sensitivity of Agility 20, I could faintly hear their conversation.
“How did the contact go?”
“It was a success. At this point, you could say the contracts with the businesses in District 26 are almost finished.”
“Hm. You really are clever, as expected of someone from Hero Prep.”
“You flatter me, Allie.”
Allie.
How could I pretend not to know that name?
She was the one pulling the strings behind the Psychic Mafia Camellia, a troublesome Demonic Being who used mental-type abilities.
And she was also the one responsible for summoning the Poisonous Golem in District 27.
Demonic Being Allie had one of the most captivating appearances in the original story among those outside the main cast. She was described as someone starved for dominance, commanding the greatest number of ghouls, and she had even troubled Lee Eunho in the original story, if only briefly.
Of course, she was ultimately stopped by Lee Eunho.
“You said you wanted power, did you not? If you finish this well, I will personally report your accomplishments to the Boss. Then you will be able to take on a vital post that becomes the foundation of your strength.”
“Th-Thank you.”
“You do not need to thank me. You are more than worthy of that treatment. Honestly, I would like to give you even more.”
“…Allie.”
Allie’s hand extended out the window and stroked Choi Jaejin’s cheek.
Slowly, cloyingly.
Watching that scene, I clicked my tongue.
From the look of it, Choi Jaejin was not going to die neatly.
Still, why had he joined Camellia in the first place…
Why did he have to get entangled in an episode tied to the main narrative…
Was this also the Reader’s intent?
While I was lost in thought, Allie continued.
“However… it seems you have brought a tail.”
A tail…
She was clearly referring to Do Minyeong and me.
Do Minyeong did not realize it, but I was currently maintaining Stealth on the both of us.
Yet she had detected us anyway, which meant this truly was Demonic Being Allie.
Choi Jaejin hurriedly looked around the depot.
“…Ah! I-I am sorry. I thought I had shaken them off…”
“Do not worry. They are not worth much anyway. More importantly, would you like to get into the car? We can leave the uninvited guests to the others here.”
“What? But… the tail is on me, so I should be the one to handle it…”
“Hm. If that is what you want, do so. I only… think I may have time to relax before returning to the ‘big house.’ And I would like it if you kept me company.”
“Relax… you say…”
Without even a moment of hesitation, Choi Jaejin climbed into the van.
The engine started, and Do Minyeong urgently tapped my shoulder.
“It looks like they are going to leave. What do we do now…?”
“Any word from Gwon Chihun?”
“Not yet.”
“…He is useless at times like this, that bastard.”
While we hesitated, the van quickly left the depot.
The remaining mafia members bowed deeply until it disappeared, and the moment they straightened, they began drawing their weapons.
“You rat bastards! I know you are hiding in here! If you come out now, I will spare your lives!”
One mafia member shouted.
It was the kind of line you would hear in some ancient era.
Do Minyeong tugged at my clothes.
“Let us run first. There is nothing to gain by fighting in this situation.”
“That is the best choice, but…”
As Do Minyeong said, there was nothing to gain by winning a fight.
The fact that they were the Psychic Mafia was enough reason for arrest, but that was not the fundamental purpose of this stakeout.
And the suspected courier, Choi Jaejin, had not even committed an overt crime.
“….”
More than anything, would the Reader really announce an episode for a development this bland…?
If a Main Episode was an editorial point meant to highlight Lee Eunho to the Reader’s taste, then an Extra Episode was a side story meant solely to torment me.
At least, every Extra Episode I had experienced so far had been exactly that.
Which meant that if we ran now, it was highly likely to count as a failure.
In other words, a decrease in stats.
I finished my reasoning and spoke.
“There are seven mafia members. Escaping with the two of us against armed men will be difficult. And this area will be more familiar to them.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You should go alone. I will buy as much time as I can.”
“…You really!”
Do Minyeong’s voice was low with anger, and she gave me a look as if she was sick of me.
I thought she would turn her back on me, but oddly enough, her choice was to draw her own sword.
“Wait, Do Minyeong… Do not tell me.”
“I do not know why you always make choices I cannot understand, but… you know I cannot break your stubbornness anyway.”
“You are going to fight the mafia? There could be former Hunters among them.”
“Hmph. I am not afraid of low-level mafia members, even if they come at me in a group. How many crises do you think I have endured before I even set foot in Incheon Airport?”
“…”
I knew it instinctively.
I could not persuade Do Minyeong as she was now.
And there was no time left to keep debating either.
The mafia had already scattered throughout the depot and were closing in on us.
With half a resigned expression, I drew my sword.
“Fine. Do what you want. Just do not hold me back.”
“You should worry about yourself. You have never beaten me once.”
With that, Do Minyeong moved first, slipping away from our position.
I canceled the Stealth I had been maintaining on her.
If I kept the perception-inhibiting ability active, it would only raise suspicion.
“Then I suppose I will… move as well.”
After confirming that Do Minyeong had gone far enough, I used Stealth again.
Then I activated my Demonic Eye and spotted a mafia member approaching cautiously.
In general, the Investigation Division taught two recommended methods for subduing a suspect.
Inflicting a status condition with ammunition, or severing body parts to prevent the use of potions.
In the distance, Do Minyeong seemed to have chosen the latter, but I had no intention of swinging my sword.
Because as long as our shadows touched, if I bound their movements and restricted their mana…
“Ghk!”
They would collapse helplessly.
I approached the fallen mafia member and took his gun.
In case he regained consciousness, it would become troublesome.
“But are they really low-level mafia?”
Using Bind had felt strangely heavy…
Before I could dwell on the question, another mafia member drew near.
This time, I did not even approach. The instant the mafia member appeared, I used Bind.
“Keugh.”
The mafia member fell unconscious.
Yet again, the weight of Bind felt unusually heavy.
“Was Camellia always this high-level…?”
The mana I saw with my Demonic Eye did not look that dense.
Then several gunshots rang out.
It seemed Do Minyeong was struggling on the opposite side.
With no ability and a sword in hand, facing mafia members who had rolled around in the criminal underworld would not be easy.
Especially if they were as skilled as the weight I had felt through Bind suggested.
I placed the mafia member’s gun into my inventory and hastened my steps again.
Only after knocking out three more mafia members did I finally reach Do Minyeong, who was catching her breath.
Seeing the two mafia members collapsed around her, I boasted.
“Looks like I won, at least for now.”
“What? Are you saying you dealt with all five in that short time?”
“Yeah, I got lucky. Their skills were terribl—”
That was when it happened.
The ground of the depot began to ripple.
“D-Did a rift open…?”
“It cannot be a rift! This is still Seoul!”
The tremors did not come from a single direction.
Two, three—no, precisely from the direction I had come from, the vibrations began to spread.
“…No way.”
I turned my back to Do Minyeong and activated my Demonic Eye.
The source of the tremors revealed itself in gruesome clarity.
“Ji Seokhyeon, look over there…!”
Now Do Minyeong could see it too.
Monsters of a bizarre form, unlike anything we had seen before, not even listed in the Bureau’s published compendium.
“Chimera…?”
“That is impossible…”
Five monsters, each a little larger than a bus, charged at Do Minyeong and me all at once.
One on four legs, one on two, and another flapping incomplete wings.
“…”
In an instant, countless possibilities eroded my mind.
But among them, there was one fact I could state with certainty.
“Do Minyeong… do you have any intention of leaving on your own, even now?”
“Not at all.”
We could not run.