Ch.217. Security Dispatch Mission (4)

“Level 3 security alert?”

Level 3 security alert isn’t just a caution—it’s a warning. Like seeing rain drawn on a weather forecast. It means there’s a very high probability of a villain attack.

The security hunters stationed in the park immediately changed their movements. They bustled about, their eyes constantly scanning the surroundings.

“Level 3 means the control system must be anticipating a villain attack,” Yuri said.

She was right. Awakened individuals under surveillance—those villains. It meant their suspicious movements had been detected.

While the atmosphere at the venue where the event was taking place remained peaceful, it suggested that somewhere around here, a villain was hiding.

‘And their purpose…’

Though defined by the term “desire incident,” villains are as diverse as human desires themselves. A villain whose mana heart has already been corrupted by a desire incident is essentially no different from a sexual deviant.

In other words, there’s no telling what they might do.

“The location couldn’t be worse. With so many people here…”

As Yuri said, if a terrorist attack were to occur, casualties would inevitably be high in a place like this.

The air around us felt colder. It meant Yuri, the ice mage, had heightened her awakened senses.

And the hunters moving busily around us were likely doing the same.

‘The hunters stationed here. That list…’

Naturally, the association’s control center doesn’t disclose all detailed information to the public. There’s a high chance villains could hack that information.

‘But Team Leader Seo and I already know.’

Team Leader Seo had real-time information on the number and ranks of hunters stationed here, and I had personally confirmed their faces with my own eyes.

While I couldn’t know the faces of all ordinary hunters ranked B or below, I had memorized the faces of all A-rank hunters and above before joining Flame.

You never know when or what might happen, and they could also be villain collaborators.

Normal hunters wouldn’t go that far, but I had committed all their faces and profiles to memory.

‘A-rank hunter Choi Shinwoo seems to be in charge here.’

Unlike hunters from private companies who are like celebrities to the public, association hunters are civil servants. They handle matters quietly, so many don’t know each other’s faces even among fellow hunters.

Moreover, the association’s hunter ranking feels quite different from the A-rank of private guilds. Hunter rank evaluations, unlike awakening rank assessments, are based solely on a hunter’s achievements.

‘Association hunters who quietly handle major villain cases are naturally underestimated.’

I recalled Choi Shinwoo’s profile in my mind. Seoul, the capital. He’s skilled enough to frequently take on anti-villain missions in the most densely populated area of South Korea.

His relationship with Flame is neutral, and when it comes to handling matters, he’s a rigid character who strictly follows the manual.

‘Choi Shinwoo is giving orders.’

With him in charge, I could feel somewhat at ease. Even if we ended up working together.

With the security alert raised, the wireless channel opened not only to the association’s security hunters but also to cooperating hunters in the vicinity.

[Attention to security hunters and patrol cooperating hunters. We’ve received a warning that a wanted villain has infiltrated this area. Please move to the points I’m about to specify.]

Uniformed hunters moved to their designated positions. It was a good deployment, leaving no blind spots for danger.

“They completed the deployment quickly. The positions are good too. The hunter in charge seems quite competent.”

I nodded at Yuri’s words. A moment later, Team Leader Seo relayed information from the control center through my earpiece.

“A stalker villain?”

Yuri’s expression showed slight bewilderment. A C-rank wanted criminal, specifically a stalker who persistently followed famous female idols.

“So it’s a petty criminal, not a terrorist. Still, since they’re awakened, we should be careful as we don’t know what they might do.”

Yuri’s voice seemed somewhat relieved. To her, who had faced higher-ranked, more dangerous terrorists, this was indeed just a petty criminal.

It seems the villain’s movement pattern had been traced to this location. I subtly observed the security hunters.

‘They all seem relieved. The tension has eased.’

A C-rank wanted criminal with an awakening ability also rated below C-rank—a third-rate villain. It made sense they’d relax. But I couldn’t be at ease.

I looked at the criminal record of the stalker villain distributed by the control center. From E-rank to C-rank, this guy had risen through the ranks very quickly.

Starting with paparazzi activities, then breaking into residences, and eventually attempted kidnapping. There was a reason for the rise in rank.

‘Desire incidents are like drugs. The threshold for pleasure keeps rising.’

Just as drug addicts develop tolerance and need increasing doses, villains dominated by desire incidents are the same.

‘This is dangerous. Even with a low awakening ability, the wanted rank rose by two levels in such a short time.’

Perhaps I was being overly concerned about a small-fry villain, but I trusted my instincts.

“Guild Master! Hurry to the stage!”

“The stage? Got it!”

Despite the sudden instruction, Yuri moved immediately without any question, following my direction.

***

[Who’s that woman? Stop her right now!]

A transmission came through the earpiece connected to the security hunters’ channel. The security hunters seemed flustered seeing Yuri quickly heading toward the stage.

I hurriedly spoke on the channel.

[This is Hunter Yuri Tarkovskaya from Flame Guild. Don’t stop her!]

[Flame? Still, this area is under the responsibility of our association hunters! Don’t interfere arbitrarily! What are you trying to do when the villain hasn’t even appeared yet…]

A hunter objected to my words over the wireless. I immediately countered.

[Yuri Tarkovskaya is an S-rank hunter. She has the privilege of field intervention, so there’s no issue according to Hunter Law.]

[S-rank hunter? How can such a young woman be S-rank…]

Since Yuri was in disguise, it was understandable they didn’t recognize her at first. But soon, another hunter spoke in a calm voice. It was Choi Shinwoo, the security manager of this place.

[I’ve confirmed the channel code. It is Flame. And regarding intervention privileges…]

S-rank is proof of having superior skills compared to other hunters.

‘It means they’ve accumulated that much achievement.’

That’s why they’re given special rights like this in the field. That’s the intervention privilege.

But even for an S-rank, conservative hunters might dislike a young woman like Yuri rushing into the field.

[If it’s Yuri Tarkovskaya, she’s definitely an S-rank hunter. For now, let’s not interfere and observe her actions.]

With Choi Shinwoo’s words, the hunters fell silent. He seemed to have considerable trust among the association’s hunters, as well as other hunters who had come to support.

And I could feel the security hunters’ gazes turning toward me. Since we shared the channel, my location information was also disclosed.

‘They must be displeased with my arbitrary action.’

But I casually brushed off those gazes and moved locations.

Right in the middle of where the audience was gathered, to a spot with a better view of the stage. I hurriedly moved there.

And indeed, my instinct was right. Just as the idol’s performance ended and applause and cheers erupted, at the same moment Yuri reached the stage, what I had anticipated happened.

“…Die…! Die with me…! Let’s die together and… be together forever…!!!”

One of the staff members on stage lunged at an idol who was greeting the audience. Then he grabbed the idol from behind and pulled out a weapon.

“Kyaah!! P-please save me!!”

“Y-you’re going to live with me… f-forever…”

The staff member shouted in a voice filled with madness and simultaneously slurred speech. The typical speech pattern of a drug addict, and of a villain unable to control their own desire incident.

‘This is dangerous. No telling what he might do in this state.’

The channel became very busy.

[Hurry to the stage! And don’t provoke that staff member, I mean villain, recklessly! Citizens are watching!]

Choi Shinwoo quickly gave instructions. But Yuri’s reaction was faster.

A hostage situation was unfolding in real-time. Just before chaos could erupt among the audience witnessing the scene,

Yuri summoned an opaque ice wall that completely covered the stage.

‘Phew. That’s a relief.’

Confusion like this among ordinary people. Fear. Terror. Such negative emotions rapidly increase the ambient MCI.

And the magi in the air, mixed with those emotions, induces a pleasure and addiction far stronger than drugs in villains.

‘Doubt Specter. That’s why he too…’

The tragedy of Eins. The cadets there fell for the Doubt Specter’s scheme.

The rational judgments made by the cadets themselves. And when the cadets realized that those rational judgments had produced the worst outcome.

The despair that began with the cadets was so dark and strong that it instantly shot the MCI up to 100.

The face of the Doubt Specter, looking at the cadets with an expression soaked in ecstasy at that time, is still unforgettable.

‘No. Now’s not the time to think about that.’

I could hear the hunters’ conversation through the earpiece channel.

[That woman, I mean Yuri Tarkovskaya, stopped the villain!]

[Arrest the villain! And move the people on stage somewhere else for now!]

Fortunately, it seems Yuri successfully completed the task. The massive ice wall remained in place, but it seems Yuri subdued the villain simultaneously with that spell.

[As expected, S-rank hunters are different…]

[To subdue a villain who took a hostage in just a moment…]

I inadvertently heard other hunters talking through the channel. At the same time, the security alert level here was lowered one step to Level 2, caution.

‘Does the control center judge there’s no more threat?’

No. Although we’ve stopped that villain, I was feeling an instinctive unease.

Just like when confronting the Doubt Specter. Like during that tragedy at Eins.

***

The hunters’ conversation continued to come through the channel.

[That was close. If that idol taken hostage had died, the reputation of association hunters would…]

[Well, it’s fortunate it ended like this.]

[Enough idle chat. Wait for the city’s instructions regarding the event until further notice.]

Thus, a kind of lull set in. And Choi Shinwoo spoke through the venue’s announcement system.

“There was a brief disturbance. But the hunters have subdued everything, so please don’t worry and calmly follow the subsequent guidance. Until then, please wait in your places for a moment…”

Thanks to Yuri’s quick response, it seemed the citizens hadn’t properly seen what had happened.

“Is this a safety event planned by the Hunter Association?”

“Maybe? Like a surprise civil defense drill?”

“I mean, if a real villain had appeared, would it end so anticlimactically?”

“Ah, what a waste. If I’d recorded this properly, it would’ve been perfect for YouTube.”

“The event’s continuing, right? The next performers are my favorites…”

Everyone seemed to be relaxing with such chatter. I moved carefully among the crowd, busily working with my earpiece.

‘Something’s still off. There’s more to this.’

Although the control center had lowered the security alert and the association hunters seemed at ease, my instinct kept screaming that something was wrong.

The portable MCI oscilloscope I received as a reward from the last business trip. I still had it turned on and linked to my earpiece.

The MCI waveform curve constantly moving in my field of vision. Since only ordinary citizens surrounded me, the curve was drawing an almost horizontal, ordinary line.

‘But there’s noise.’

Although the oscilloscope manual clearly stated that noise exists, my instinct whispered that this was different from that noise.

I had directly confirmed the difference between noise and magi in the waveform curve when Yuri and I had eliminated the black mist earlier.

‘Hurry. Keep thinking about that difference.’

My head and eyes moved busily.

Villains. Those awakened individuals whose mana hearts are consumed by desire incidents, definitely emit magi with a waveform similar to magical beasts.

Of course, they don’t draw a sharply rising waveform graph like magical beasts, but during rehabilitation, I analyzed numerous graphs from the data provided by Professor Seong Chaerin.

I had to trust that experience and memory.

Perhaps even a high-level information team, even Team Leader Seo Dooho, might not be able to distinguish it, but with my sensitive perception due to Hong-ok, and the villain waveform patterns I had memorized like engraving them in my head.

I focused on that noise, which was similar to but subtly different from the citizens’. And finally, I was convinced that my unease wasn’t just a feeling.

‘A villain is hiding among the citizens.’

The place where the portable oscilloscope’s noise spiked the most. No, one person. I hurriedly approached that guy.

‘A villain completely concealing their appearance. Dangerous.’

The lower a villain’s rank, the more magi they emit, unable to suppress themselves. A villain indistinguishable from ordinary people like this is definitely A-rank or above.

‘If they cause trouble now when everyone is off guard, the worst outcome…’

And they must have set things up for this. The preliminary intrusion of a clumsy small-fry villain. But he was subdued very easily.

Now, when both citizens and hunters believe everything is over, is the ideal moment to launch a terror attack.

That panic would bring the villain a pleasure incomparably deeper than the earlier disturbance.

I finally stood behind one person. And whispered quietly into his ear.

“Don’t do anything rash and stay still. Unless you want to live as a blind person for the rest of your life.”

Simultaneously, I summoned two fireballs right in front of his eyes.