Ch.155The End of Revenge – 1

The vivid memory that remained was the massive darkness that engulfed my vision.

One arm was literally crushed, and the wrist of the other was twisted.

That’s how I managed to keep the Cyclops’s attention on me.

…Well, I suppose it was worth it since it allowed Sujin Hyun to use her last resort?

The problem is, I don’t remember much of what happened next.

I struggled to open my eyes that kept trying to close and attempted to get up.

Surely that monster couldn’t have survived that attack.

If that one-eyed beast actually lived, this goes beyond serious.

After all, Sujin Hyun is a former S-class ability user.

That was her final strike, drawing out everything she had.

It was enough to make someone completely unsuited for direct confrontation charge straight ahead.

If it survived that… I don’t know. I can’t figure it out no matter how much I think about it.

“…Wake up!”

“Argh!”

I screamed at the sudden sensation of my arm being on fire.

It hurts less when it was being crushed! Why is this damned woman touching where it hurts…

“Looks like you’re coming to your senses now, Seojin. Can you see me?”

“…Yeah. Huh? Is that you, Jiyoon…?”

I wasn’t hallucinating. The person beside me wasn’t Sujin Hyun.

Rather, it was Jiyoon Han, who had been searching everywhere trying to track down Sujin Hyun.

“Wait. Let me give you a painkiller first.”

I don’t know when she started carrying this around, but Jiyoon gave me an injection.

“When… when did you arrive?”

“Just now! I’m sorry I’m late. I came as fast as I could, but I was still too late. You’ve been through a lot. And congratulations. You’re now truly an S-class ability user that no one can deny.”

“Me…?”

“You took down an S-class monster, the Cyclops! That’s more than enough!”

At those words, I finally managed to raise myself and look around.

Just as Jiyoon said, I could see that massive body collapsed nearby.

It had clearly taken the final blow head-on, as its head was completely gone.

“Ah, Jiyoon. By any chance, was there anyone else…?”

“Anyone else? Was someone else here? When I arrived at the scene, you were the only one I found.”

For a moment I hesitated, but there was no reason to hide it anymore.

While Sujin Hyun had done villainous things, it was also true that she fought against the monster.

For that reason, I carefully explained to Jiyoon what had happened earlier.

“…No, wait. Just a minute.”

Of course, this would be completely incomprehensible to Jiyoon.

A woman who had betrayed her country and colleagues long ago to become a villain suddenly acting like an ability user again.

She did something that none of the other Elders would ever do.

“That’s impossible. Why would that traitor suddenly…? Why would she help you?”

“Well…”

More detailed, and including the more ugly parts.

I told Sujin Hyun’s former colleague, Jiyoon Han, things that Sujin herself hadn’t been able to say.

I added that the underground facility below us was evidence of all this.

Of course, Jiyoon still clearly looked like she couldn’t believe it.

I understand. Considering Sujin Hyun’s actions after becoming an Elder, it’s more than understandable.

To those who lost loved ones because of her, she’s an even more vicious existence.

“It’s the truth. I didn’t just fall for her words. I followed her and examined the entire facility, and there are other reasons too. At the very least, that part is absolutely not a lie, Jiyoon.”

I mustered all my strength to speak in the most serious voice I could.

This is ridiculous. Trying to set the mood while both my arms are wrecked is quite amusing.

“…For now, let’s get you treated first. We can talk about the details after that.”

In the distance, I could sense people approaching with commotion.

Are they rushing in now that they’ve confirmed it’s safe? Come quickly and do something about my arms.

If I develop aftereffects, it’ll be a national loss now.

“Jiyoon. How are things on the other fronts? It seems like this wasn’t the only gate that appeared.”

“That’s right. Dozens of gates appeared around the urban areas too. The damage is quite extensive, I hear.”

“That’s terrible.”

“No. It could have been terrible. The S-class one was handled by you and… we’ll talk about that traitor later. The A-class ones in the urban areas were handled by our reliable juniors.”

Reliable juniors?

“Don’t give me that look. They’re people you know well.”

People I know? The only people I know are those guys…

“Could it be my team?”

“Why not? Those four have emerged as top aces now. In fact, two dual-class users emerged from your team. The ability user Hyunwoo Lee and Chairman Kang’s granddaughter, Soohyun Kim.”

The situation was resolved much faster than expected.

Personnel dispatched from various regions arrived at the devastated urban areas, bringing stability.

The damage could have been severe, but fortunately, it was prevented thanks to clan members who were already deployed.

It’s really great news that my team members performed so admirably during all this.

However, if there’s one uncomfortable thing, it’s that underground research and experimentation facility.

People from the government arrived, saying they were recovering the S-class monster’s corpse.

But as soon as they arrived, they set up restricted access fences around the area and wouldn’t allow anyone to approach.

Even Jiyoon Han, an S-class ability user, was no exception.

To those who don’t know anything, it might look like a normal response.

But to me, it looked like they were trying to hide the underground facility, not the monster’s corpse.

“…This seems extremely suspicious.”

“I told you. There’s a secret research facility.”

Noticing that something was off, Jiyoon decided to call for reinforcements.

“Yes, Chairman. I need you to come to Changwon right away. It’s not about the monster problem, but something much bigger seems to have happened.”

Perhaps he was already planning to come to Changwon, because the Association Chairman appeared in less than an hour.

But he wasn’t alone. Beside him was Minseong Kang, who usually refrains from external activities.

“What on earth is going on? I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jiyoon Han act like this before.”

“Seojin here will explain the details.”

Fearing they might erase all evidence, I quickly explained everything.

Why Sujin Hyun became a traitor, why she accepted that label while seeking revenge.

The fact that those unethical and horrific things are right there underground.

“…Arbiter Seojin Baek.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Is what you’re saying really true? You weren’t deceived by Sujin Hyun?”

“No, sir. I’m certain.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Minseong Kang’s doubt is reasonable. There’s no concrete evidence in what I’m saying.

In this case, I have no choice but to reveal something deeper. That evidence, I have to provide it.

“…Actually, I’m also connected to that facility. To be precise, I was created there.”

My words were clearly shocking, as Jiyoon, the Chairman, and even Minseong Kang.

They all stared at me wide-eyed, unable to say anything.

“Is that… true?”

“Though the memories are hazy, they’re definitely there.”

Upon hearing this, Minseong Kang bit his lip with a crunch.

Then, fingering the sword at his waist, his expression contorted.

“These bastards have truly gone mad. Not content with recklessly collecting genetic material, they’re creating people? To use as weapons? Hey, Chairman. Did you know about this?”

“No, senior. This is the first I’m hearing of it. This is truly… shocking.”

The Chairman holds his forehead and sighs in disbelief.

Then, looking at Jiyoon standing beside him, he speaks.

“Jiyoon Han. This is a chairman’s order. Go to the scene right now and force all personnel to withdraw. I don’t care whose orders they’re following. This is an issue that needs to be made public immediately.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

Jiyoon quickly disappears toward the scene.

No matter who’s there, no one will be able to stop her.

“This is truly absurd. These lunatics. Did they not realize that such actions directly negate the sacrifices of all ability users who have fought until now?”

“I apologize, senior. I should have paid more attention.”

“It’s not your fault, Chairman. How could you know when these scum deliberately hid it?”

Then, with a sigh of “Ah,” Minseong Kang turns his gaze to me.

“Sujin Hyun. So that child, despite knowing all this…”

“She was already framed as a traitor by them.”

“Why didn’t she explain her innocence? She could have easily done so.”

“Because as an S-class ability user, she couldn’t achieve the revenge she wanted.”

What Sujin Hyun wants isn’t for those involved to face legal punishment.

She wants to inflict maximum pain with her own hands and ultimately take their lives.

Wishing they would suffer the same fate as her fiancé.

How could she do that while living as an ability user integrated into society?

So instead of clearing her name, she willingly became a traitor.

To satisfy a greater anger, a greater desire for revenge.

“Hakjun will be devastated when he learns this. He was someone who secretly looked after Sujin Hyun.”

“The other S-class users will be the same. They’ve been treating her as a traitor and an enemy, but to find out that wasn’t the case will be a huge psychological shock.”

Speaking in a somber tone, the Chairman suddenly gestures to me.

“Arbiter Seojin Baek. I think we need to keep the fact that you were born in that facility a secret.”

“A secret, you say?”

At my question, the Chairman nods and continues.

“They’ll be looking for any loophole. In such a situation, you’d be a good excuse. Look at this. A remarkable result came from that research and experimentation. We can now create weapons capable of defeating S-class monsters. Unethical? With gates appearing randomly and monsters getting stronger, do we have the luxury to worry about that?”

“…”

“If they start talking like that, there will be people who are swayed. People’s fears can always serve as a big shield.”

It was a plausible opinion. If they spread such rhetoric, there would be those who nod in agreement.

I had been considering that too. Public reaction is always crucial.

“Chairman. Then, how about this?”

So I decided to link these two issues together.

“The S-class gate that appeared this time. Let’s say it was drawn out because of the experiments at the research facility.”

If they’re trying to hide their wrongdoings at all costs.

Then we’ll just have to grit our teeth and bring it to the surface.