Chapter 21: Storm eve

Across South Korea.

Personnel dispatched from various countries, centered around the Dawn’s Light Guild, dispersed and began full-scale investigations.

The purpose of the investigation was to trace the remnants of Cataclysmic Horrors and ascertain Phantom’s whereabouts.

They tracked dozens of horror occurrences daily.

Large and small horrors still appeared every night, and there were a few incidents suspected to be Disaster-class or even higher.

However.

“As expected, it’s not coming out easily.”

A briefing on the recent investigation results was underway around a long table.

Dispatched personnel from various countries and key executives of the Dawn’s Light Guild were present.

Despite nearly a month of continuous investigation and surveillance, ‘the entity’ they sought had not revealed itself.

“Not only Cataclysmic Horrors, but even Phantom, the unidentified horror, seems to be nowhere in sight.”

An agent from the French Guild crossed his arms, expressing skepticism.

His voice was tinged with annoyance.

“We’re still struggling to accept the concept of ‘Cataclysmic-class,’ and we don’t even know if it has a real existence, so isn’t this just a waste of effort?”

“Indeed.

I doubt if it truly exists.”

An agent from the American Guild also nodded.

“This country may have created a new ‘Cataclysmic-class’ rating, but from our perspective, Ruin-class was the highest.

But a class above that… do you really believe such a thing exists?”

The conference room began to buzz with murmurs.

The Korean side asserted the existence of Cataclysmic-class, while the overseas dispatched personnel still couldn’t grasp the concept.

Their dissatisfaction and doubts stemmed from a single reason.

A Cataclysmic Horror had never actually been confirmed.

“But during the Bosingak Incident, didn’t the ‘Cataclysmic-class’ rating appear in the Underworld?”

Elissa, the representative of the British Guild, propped her elbows on the table and raised the question.

“That information could be incorrect.”

However, a counter-argument immediately followed.

“What?”

“The Underworld itself often undergoes chaotic mutations.

Even the beings we considered ‘Ruin-class’ didn’t have completely defined criteria.

So, creating a new class based on just one incident, isn’t that a premature judgment?”

“So, it’s too early to draw conclusions from a single case?”

“Yes.

Moreover, the entity known as Phantom is similar.

It hasn’t been seen once since it vanished at Bosingak.

Energy was detected during ‘The Forgotten One’ incident, but no one saw its form.”

“But how do you explain the existence of such clear photos?”

“Perhaps the crowd, gripped by extreme fear, mistook the dark red horror’s aura for a human-like form?

Or maybe the photos were taken that way by chance.”

He, who had been raising objections without hesitation, concluded his statement with his own reasoning.

“The photos are too clear to be a delusion.

And people’s testimonies about Phantom are almost identical.”

Leon, the representative of the American Guild, stood up and offered his opinion.

“What’s certain is that ‘something’ was there at that time.

And it’s a clear fact that ‘something’ calmed the horror.

Don’t you think it’s similar to the [Eclipse Incident]?”

Suddenly, the conference room fell silent, and some personnel from the Japanese Guild stiffened their expressions.

“It was an incident in Japan in the past, a powerful horror that plunged an entire city into darkness.

I heard that horror could also be temporarily sealed by some entity…”

His cold blue eyes were fixed on Ren.

Ren didn’t respond, but his hands were trembling slightly.

His composure seemed to have broken a little due to old memories.

Leon watched Ren for a moment, then looked away and reorganized his thoughts.

‘What happened that day at Bosingak.’

‘A Cataclysmic Horror Collector appeared, and an entity called Phantom emerged to stop her.’

‘As a result, the unprecedented horror, the Cataclysmic-class, vanished.’

‘But it hasn’t shown itself at all since then….’

“In my view, two possibilities exist.

First, the entity known as Phantom did not originate in Korea.

It’s possible it merely appeared by chance during the Bosingak Incident and was not an entity that resided here from the beginning.”

“Then what’s the second?”

Ren asked with an expectant gaze.

“Second, Phantom is still here.

However, it’s moving in a way that we cannot detect.”

“Phantom is hiding?”

“Or it exists in a completely different way from us.

Whether it’s physical stealth, or our very perception of it is different.”

“So, there’s no way to find it?”

“There isn’t no way.

Hehe.”

This time, Elissa stepped forward with a gentle smile.

“If we can directly draw out a powerful horror, we might encounter Phantom again.”

“Draw it out, you say…”

Ren, his red eyes gleaming, mulled over her words.

“Wait a minute.

Draw out a horror…?”

However, the majority of agents vehemently opposed her opinion as soon as they heard it.

“That method is too dangerous!

Summoning a horror with a horror.

Isn’t it obvious what kind of situation will unfold?”

“Calm down.

I merely stated a possibility.”

Elissa slowly took a sip of her tea.

“Looking at previous cases, we can see when Phantom appeared.

It’s always where ‘powerful and dangerous horrors and people in danger’ are present.”

Phantom, who saved hundreds of thousands from the Collector.

Phantom, who protected the city from The Forgotten One.

Even with just these two cases, her reasoning seemed quite rational.

“What do you think?

While it’s a hypothesis, I believe it’s quite persuasive.”

“Elissa.

Your suggestion sounds like we should unleash a dangerous horror in the middle of the city if we want to draw out Phantom.”

Leon immediately sensed the dangerous implication hidden within her hypothesis.

“Oh, Leon.

I didn’t say that, did I?”

“We are not amateurs.

You don’t seriously think we wouldn’t know, do you?”

“Hehe.

Don’t be so sharp.

This is just a briefing, isn’t it?

You can just dismiss it as a foolish opinion.”

Elissa concluded the meeting with a laugh.

However, her opinion left everyone with a distinct lingering impression and an inexplicable sense of unease.

****

“Luna, I’m heading off to work.”

“Sihyun…”

Luna, lying on the bed, stretched her arms out towards Sihyun.

“Haha, Luna, you seem to like the new bed, don’t you?”

Sihyun, who had gained the powerful force of a regular salary, recently replaced his cramped bed with a larger one.

‘The old one was a bit cramped for the two of us to lie in.’

‘Originally, I was going to buy a separate bed for Luna, but it seemed pointless since the girl always held onto me tightly every night.’

‘Well, I’ve also gotten so used to sleeping while holding Luna.

It’s kind of like a comfort doll, I guess.’

No, no.

Hold on!

Even if Luna is quiet and cute these days, I shouldn’t get too complacent!

‘Luna is a Cataclysmic Horror.

If I slip up even a little, who knows what could happen.’

Cataclysmic-class, which transcends Ruin-class.

In novels, they are extremely rare, but once they occur, they far surpass Ruin-class, which can shake an entire nation.

‘It’s not called ‘Cataclysmic’ for nothing.

There have been cases where Ruin-class horrors were resolved, but never a Cataclysmic-class.’

An entity capable of ending a world.

One of those was Luna, whom he was holding.

‘No one would believe such a small girl possesses such power.’

“Sihyun… what’s wrong…?”

“Oh, sorry, sorry.

Just got lost in thought for a moment.”

“Thinking about… another woman…?”

“What.”

Luna’s grip on his back gradually tightened.

‘Luna often gets like this ever since she said I smelled like another woman last time.’

Sihyun just thought of it as a child’s possessiveness over her favorite toy.

“There’s no way I’d do that when I have a beautiful princess like you right in front of me.”

“Rea…lly?”

“Of course, really.

So, Luna, could you loosen your grip a little?

I feel like I’m going to be squashed, hahaha.”

“Mmm…”

Luna slightly loosened her grip on Sihyun.

“I’ll be back soon today, so you wait nicely, okay?”

“Okay… Sihyun.”

“And I won’t come back smelling of other women, so don’t worry.”

****

“Sihyun.

What are you thinking about?”

“Oh, nothing, Elissa.”

‘Damn it!

What kind of situation is this, right after I made a promise with Luna?’

During lunchtime, Elissa suddenly appeared in front of him as he peacefully drank coffee alone at a cafe.

She casually approached, asking if he’d like to talk since she was bored.

“But what do you need from me?”

“Oh, I think I just mentioned it.

I simply wanted to chat.”

“I’m just an office worker, so I don’t have much to talk about.

The field agents probably have more stories.”

“Sihyun, do you not want to talk to me?”

‘It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that I’m worried about getting caught later when I go home!’

‘I just made a promise with Luna this morning, and now I’m breaking it already?’

‘If our princess gets angry, I’ll be finished before the world ends!’

Sihyun wanted to leave quickly, feeling that staying with Elissa any longer would lead to big trouble.

“Anyway, I need to go back to work, so I’ll be leaving now.”

“Ten minutes.”

“What?”

“Just ten minutes is enough.

Surely, a man who had his face against my chest wouldn’t be unable to spare that much time, right?

Hehe.”

“Haa.

Alright, I’ll sit for a bit then.”

Even after Sihyun sat down, Elissa didn’t say anything particularly significant.

Just trivial small talk.

Like whether the coffee was good, or how work was going.

She continued with only the kind of conversations ordinary colleagues would have.

‘No, was she really just here for small talk?’

“Sihyun, your reactions are quite interesting, I’d say.”

“What reactions?”

“Like emotional fluctuations… They’re not very strong.”

“Elissa, can you read things like that?”

“Hehe.

It’s my special ability.

Of course, what kind of ability it is, is a secret.

You’ll naturally find out once we get a little closer.”

‘No, if you’re going to do that, then don’t even say anything in the first place!’

‘To use the communication style Koreans dislike the most.

It seems I need to teach her a lesson.’

“Elissa, would you like me to tell you a way to make someone’s emotions fluctuate?”

“Oh, Sihyun, you know something like that too?”

“Yes.

Limited to making them angry, though.”

“I’m curious what it is.”

“There are largely two ways to make someone angry.

The first is to stop talking mid-sentence, and the second is—”

Sihyun cut off his words and just stared intently at Elissa.

“Sihyun, aren’t you going to tell me the second one?”

Elissa’s voice rose slightly in pitch.

“That’s exactly what you did to me earlier, Elissa.

How was it?”

“Hmm.

My emotions certainly did change a little, didn’t they?”

“Well, it’s not uncommon for Awakened individuals to hide their abilities, but I just felt like playing a prank, haha.”

“Sihyun… I’ve felt this since I first saw you, but you’re an interesting person.”

Her sea-colored eyes gleamed for a moment as she looked at Sihyun.

“Sihyun, I’ll ask you one last thing.”

“What is it?”

“What do you think about Phantom?”

“…Phantom?”

“Yes.

Everyone talks a lot about that entity.”

“So the rumor that you’ve been asking staff members about Phantom was true, Elissa.”

“…Oh my.

I really didn’t expect you to know that, Sihyun.”

‘How many years of work experience do I have?

This is easy as pie.’

Sihyun, who grew up alone without parents, had accumulated various experiences, so his social skills were quite considerable.

“Hehe.

I just went around asking out of personal curiosity.

I’m very interested in Phantom.”

“Is it because you think it’s another Cataclysmic-class?”

“That’s also true, but…”

Elissa suddenly trailed off.

Her expression seemed to hold a secret she couldn’t yet reveal.

But as if nothing had happened, she smiled kindly again.

“Opinions on Phantom are quite divided.

Some say it’s an entity that protects us, while others call it an unknown, threatening horror.”

“What do you think, Elissa?”

“I…”

She seemed lost in thought for a moment, then Elissa suddenly looked up at Sihyun.

“Sihyun, you have a talent for drawing out conversation, more than I expected.”

“It’s nothing special.

I’m just good at listening.”

“Hehe.

But you’re still not quite good enough to get what you want from me, are you?”

‘It would be stranger if an elite British agent easily spilled information.’

Sihyun decided he had drawn out as much as he could from Elissa’s thoughts and began to state his own opinion.

“Honestly, I wonder if Phantom doesn’t exist at all.”

“…A non-existent entity?”

“Right?

It’s said to have appeared a few times when horrors occurred, but there’s no evidence, and no one has seen its exact true form.”

Sihyun shrugged and added.

“Perhaps it’s just a baseless rumor created by people.”

‘Please, think that way.’

Its identity must absolutely not be revealed.

‘Dealing with Cataclysmic-class horrors is already a headache; if more bothersome things are added, I’ll really go bald.’

Sihyun’s wish was for Phantom to quietly be forgotten this way.

“Do you really think so?”

Elissa smiled and slowly leaned forward.

“If Phantom truly isn’t an enemy of humanity, and if it truly pities us…”

Her voice had an strangely lingering quality.

“…wouldn’t it come to rescue us when we’re in danger?”

‘Do you think I’m crazy enough to step into such a dangerous situation?’

‘My notification window is also dead, and unless I’m forcibly dragged there, I’m absolutely not going!’

“Elissa, just in case, you’re not planning anything dangerous, are you?”

“Of course not.

I’m not such a bad woman.”

She chuckled lightly, as if making a joke, and took a sip of her coffee.

“But… who knows.

Perhaps some ‘bad person’…”

“…?”

“…might be having some ‘bad thoughts’?

Hehe.”