Ch.237237. Villain (1)

In reality, the issue with Awakened individuals within Seorabeol wasn’t something that had just started recently.

While stability had been restored, police established, and public order was being maintained, the sudden power of becoming an Awakened was a force with demonic charm that could make even ordinary people go berserk.

There were more than a few Awakened who thought about using their suddenly granted powers for their own benefit, and such Awakened wouldn’t be satisfied with ordinary jobs and income.

Many preferred to make one big score while active as an Awakened, then clean up and disappear. For such people, the path of crime was extremely attractive.

Moreover, Seorabeol didn’t yet have the public authority and CCTV systems from the Republic of Korea era. Until recently, the internal situation had been chaotic due to the war with the Cult of Immortality, and now that escape routes to other countries had opened up, these half-baked criminals were entering the path of crime without hesitation.

“Hey. Don’t tell me you were involved in this recent incident.”

“What nonsense are you talking about, suddenly showing up like this? Sister.”

Police Commissioner Han Seong-geun’s aide and Police Mobile Unit Captain Jin A-yeon had been suffering major headaches over the recent crime reports.

She hadn’t been too concerned about outsider raiders causing trouble within Seorabeol, as that was common in this apocalyptic world.

However, recently, even Awakened within Seorabeol seemed to have become immersed in strange ideologies and started going berserk, turning to crime. They had even begun forming criminal organizations. From Jin A-yeon’s perspective, having to eliminate all of them was overwhelming.

So she summoned Gyeon Gwan-im, a former raider and warlord, to question him about the situation, but Gwan-im felt wrongfully accused this time.

“I’m a loyal and faithful subordinate of the Daegu Governor. I’ve long since cut ties with raiders. Sister, look at my bright eyes. Is this the face of someone who would betray Seorabeol?!”

Indeed, the outcome was already determined, and frankly, betraying Seorabeol now would only result in him being leveled down due to his current contract and dying miserably.

In this situation, Gyeon Gwan-im had no reason to betray Seorabeol, nor would he get involved in such illegal activities.

Even as the Governor was being urged to cause trouble and collapse pathetically, Gwan-im had no intention of getting involved in this incident and hadn’t even considered it.

“Damn. Not here either. Do you have any connections or anything like that?”

“If I did, I would have offered them to you long ago, Sister. You beat me up and arrested me, remember?”

“Ah, right?”

Above all, Gyeon Gwan-im had no intention of opposing Jin A-yeon.

When they first met, she was a superhuman with monstrous strength who had subdued and arrested Gwan-im and his royal guards single-handedly. Even after time had passed, the gap between them hadn’t narrowed at all.

Jin A-yeon, who could even wear the Dragon Armor granted only to Hwarang, still maintained her reputation as Seorabeol’s strongest Awakened, while Gwan-im was merely listed as a subordinate of the Governor.

“But I think I understand why they continue to go berserk.”

However, having lived as a proper raider, Gwan-im understood the psychology of raiders well.

As if criminals have a certain understanding of each other, Gwan-im confidently stated that he could help Jin A-yeon.

“Oh? What is it?”

“It’s because their growth has been blocked.”

And the reason he gave was that civilian Awakened had hit a growth ceiling.

“Growth has been blocked?”

“Yes. In the territories controlled by Seorabeol, monster populations have been depleted, and undead are immediately eliminated by the military upon discovery, so civilians can’t even find them.”

This wasn’t actually Seorabeol’s intention. Due to civilian Awakened’s growth desires, undead and monsters within Seorabeol had been hunted indiscriminately until their populations were depleted.

Seorabeol authorities had tried to regulate hunting when they realized the abnormal pace, but once the monster populations decreased, they didn’t recover. Instead, people tried to bypass Seorabeol’s legal framework and attempted poaching, further reducing monster numbers within Seorabeol.

The populations had essentially become extinct, which allowed native Korean life forms to flourish again… but from the Awakened’s perspective, it was like killing the goose that laid golden eggs.

Human greed had once again led to foolish actions, and with undead and monsters completely gone from Seorabeol, the methods for Awakened to grow were very limited.

“Repetitive actions or training can build up strength as an Awakened. But that has its limits too, doesn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

And everyone knew that was difficult and arduous work.

Even though Jin A-yeon, understanding the importance of such training for an Awakened, never stopped her practice, how could everyone be like her?

Everyone wanted to become stronger effortlessly, and humans couldn’t resist the desire to gain strength easily.

“From the perspective of an Awakened seeking power, could they resist the temptation to level up quickly? Especially when there’s a method that’s even easier than hunting undead or monsters?”

“…Ah. I get it now.”

So one by one, driven by their desire for power, they began crossing the line and eventually fell into a life of crime.

The desire for power was that attractive, and committing just one or two crimes could significantly increase one’s chances of reaching a higher level.

Perhaps this tragedy occurred because Seorabeol regulated Awakened, but…

“Still, don’t sympathize with them, Sister. Even though growth was blocked within Seorabeol, this problem could have been solved by joining the military or a guild, but they made it worse with their twisted thinking. It’s not like Seorabeol’s cabinet prohibited civilian Awakened from hunting monsters or undead. They’re just opportunists seeking quick power or amateurs who’ve accidentally tasted blood.”

In reality, Seorabeol hadn’t prohibited civilians from hunting monsters or undead.

Seorabeol, needing every soldier it could get, had no reason to stop civilian Awakened who voluntarily hunted monsters. These were merely opportunists who, without Seorabeol’s guaranteed safe zones, chose the easier path of crime.

Gyeon Gwan-im firmly advised Jin A-yeon not to hesitate by explaining this fact.

“You think I’d sympathize with those guys? Don’t worry. More importantly, with that clever mind of yours, do you have a solution?”

Jin A-yeon agreed and seriously asked Gwan-im if he had a solution.

At that question, Gwan-im shook his head as if troubled.

“No. How can anyone control human desire? To control it, you’d need a budget to satisfy the desires of those low-level guys. Does the police special forces have such a budget?”

“Well… no.”

Realistically, with a large enough budget, there might be means to solve it.

But if asked whether it could be solved with the budget allocated to the police special forces by the country, Jin A-yeon would firmly say NO.

She would rather spend money on fully equipping her unit members or vehicles for transportation, not on civilian Awakened. After all, weren’t they the ones who were misbehaving and going berserk first?

“It’s the fate of those enthralled by the primal desire for power. In the end, it’s an issue that will be resolved over time, through education or consensus on Awakened ethics.”

“This is a headache. Not my style.”

In the end, he said time was needed, but frankly, that wasn’t Jin A-yeon’s style.

Her style preferred quick and simple solutions, and knowing this, Gwan-im smiled and said:

“Simply put, just beat them down.”

“That’s easy to understand.”

Just beat them down and everything would be solved.

Accusations of police brutality from civic groups?

Oh! Citizens, do you really need to sympathize with Awakened criminals who see you as experience points? They are full of end-of-century logic, always thinking of turning citizens into their own power through experience points!

“Moving on, I came to get your advice on something else. Foreign Awakened criminals… villains, are flowing in.”

“That’s later than I expected. I thought they’d come in before the war started.”

Jin A-yeon sought Gwan-im’s advice on the next matter, and his response was that it was quite late.

In other words, the influx of villains was a somewhat anticipated situation according to Gwan-im, and Jin A-yeon looked at him with surprise.

“Huh? You predicted this?”

“Yes. From what you’re saying, it seems an enormous number of villains are entering under the guise of being Yamato Union or American citizens.”

In reality, a number of villains and criminals beyond what the police could handle were entering Seorabeol.

They were being caught before entering Seorabeol through international cooperation and information sharing, but despite this, the influx of villains and criminals continued unabated, as if Seorabeol had been smeared with honey.

What value did this small land have that made them rush in with such burning desire?

“It’s really troublesome. We still don’t know their purpose for coming.”

“It’s smuggling, of course.”

“Smuggling, I see. Explain in detail.”

Gwan-im simply answered that it was smuggling.

Yes, they came to Seorabeol for smuggling. At this statement, Jin A-yeon smiled fiercely and demanded an explanation from Gwan-im.

Even Gwan-im flinched at that smile, like a fierce predator finding its prey, but he was relieved knowing that predator was on his side, and gradually explained his thoughts to Jin A-yeon.

“To put it simply, not all raiders or criminals are fools obsessed with power and violence. Some are dead men blinded by profit or money. They’re the same. If a villain is coming from overseas, they’ve likely already established themselves somewhere, but if they’re sneaking into Seorabeol, it must be for smuggling.”

Not all criminals thought alike.

Some wanted power, others wanted profit, and they committed crimes for various reasons. Gwan-im explained that those coming from overseas were likely entering Seorabeol illegally, blinded by profit.

As Gwan-im provided a plausible explanation, Jin A-yeon seemed convinced, nodding her head heavily in agreement.

“We’ll know what they’re smuggling if we interrogate them. But what’s their real purpose?”

She asked about their true objective.

“Outflow, I suppose.”

“Outflow? Are there such valuable cultural assets or treasures in Seorabeol?”

To this, Gwan-im simply answered that outflow was the goal.

Outflow, well, that was a common story wherever people lived, and it seemed like a relatively small operation for something they risked their lives sneaking in for.

But Gwan-im, as if that was enough, pulled out an item from his pocket that was commonplace in Seorabeol.

“There certainly is. Something that’s worth its weight in gold overseas, isn’t there?”

“What is it?”

“Bahamut coins.”

At those words, Jin A-yeon glared at Gwan-im with an expression of incomprehension.

After all, Bahamut coins functioned as currency used for transactions in Seorabeol during normal times.

But she couldn’t understand why Gwan-im was explaining that these common coins were the reason villains were illegally entering Seorabeol.

“Huh? The coins? These?”

“We use them daily, so we don’t feel anything special about them. But overseas, they’re in such short supply they can’t get enough.”

But that was only true in Seorabeol, where Bahamut supplied coins daily. Overseas, where the supply was extremely limited, they were incredibly valuable magical materials.

Overseas, the supply of Bahamut coins was so insufficient that civilians were struggling with coin shortages, and consequently, the price of coins continued to rise endlessly.

“But there’s an official exchange rate.”

“Just because there’s an official exchange rate doesn’t guarantee that the currency value is exactly that. Currently, the official exchange rate for Bahamut coins is 100 won to 1 dollar. But if you smuggle these overseas and sell them on the civilian market, you can get more than the value of gold of the same weight.”

Of course, there was an official exchange rate.

However, in this apocalypse, that official rate was unlikely to be maintained, and considering that countries where currency value had disappeared might not uphold official exchange rates even if they existed, the current value of Bahamut coins exceeded the official rate.

Gwan-im claimed they could fetch more than the value of gold of similar weight, and recognizing this fact, even Jin A-yeon’s gaze at the Bahamut coin became serious.

“Really?”

“Yes. Literally, one of these coins is worth more than gold of the same weight. Basically, they can be used as catalysts for magical tools, enchantments, or materials for crafting powerful weapons. The coin design itself is structured so that demand inevitably increases as powerful Awakened grow in number. Since only countries trading with Seorabeol have a monopoly, civilians are desperate for coins.”

Gwan-im had already understood the structure of the coins and had predicted their demand.

Since they were coins for Awakened, as high-level Awakened increased, the demand for coins gradually increased. With limited supply and continuously growing demand, the value of the coins kept rising endlessly.

Moreover, Yamato Union and the United States, which traded with Seorabeol, essentially monopolized Bahamut coins at the national level. So while civilian demand was increasing, supply wasn’t growing at all, leaving them parched to the point of dying.

“So that’s why illegal immigrants are increasing.”

“Yes. They plan to sell smuggled goods, then smuggle out the Bahamut coins they earn for massive profits. I’m certain not just Awakened criminals but also greedy ordinary people have joined this venture.”

Villains who noticed this enormous demand were illegally entering Seorabeol to somehow smuggle out Bahamut coins to their home countries. This likely involved not just villains but also civilians who understood the value of Bahamut coins.

Realizing the scale of the situation was larger than expected, Jin A-yeon swallowed hard and nodded at Gwan-im’s words.

“Isn’t that dangerous? They’re items that can be used as weapons, right?”

“It is dangerous. Even if customs catches them, human greed knows no bounds. They’ve probably bribed some customs officials to gain collaborators. We’ll need to find them too.”

He warned that they had likely made extensive preparations for this.

This wouldn’t end with just one or two incidents; they might bribe customs officials or even stuff cash to local guilds or politicians.

With such a large-scale outflow, the stakes were undoubtedly enormous, so the smugglers needed to leave Seorabeol as quickly as possible and take the coins back to their countries.

“We’ll leave that to the NTS.”

“…Isn’t that an agency that catches people?”

The fortunate point was that Seorabeol’s NTS was a direct agency under the Dragon Priestess, essentially an agency that even devoured people.

It was a terrifying hound that tracked down and caught improper money flows or tax evasion to the end. Jin A-yeon said she would ask the NTS for help, and even Gwan-im was startled, saying the NTS was a bit extreme.

“The NTS catches money, not people. Yeah, they probably won’t catch people… probably.”

Jin A-yeon, being a fellow civil servant, didn’t criticize them too harshly, but it was difficult to completely deny the rumors that the NTS devoured people.

With ominous rumors that the NTS had detained several Awakened for tax collection, it couldn’t be helped.

“Thanks for the advice. I’ll be going now.”

“Wait.”

Having finished her business, Jin A-yeon rose from her seat and casually bid farewell to Gwan-im. Gwan-im grabbed her forearm and stared at her with an incredulous look.

Jin A-yeon tried to avoid his astonished gaze by turning her head, but unfortunately…

“Sister, this makes me feel worse. I came all the way to the police headquarters, making time in my busy schedule. Can you really treat me so coldly?”

Isn’t it too much to leave without compensation for the advice?

He was a busy person because of the Governor, but he had made time to come here!

Claiming that there should be some reward for him, Jin A-yeon scratched her cheek as if she had nothing to say and opened her mouth.

“Ah, well, you see. I keep sending you signatures, and your Governor complains.”

“The Governor is just the Governor. I believe if you received advice from me, there should be appropriate compensation. Don’t tell me you’re the kind of person who doesn’t show gratitude to those who help you?”

Jin A-yeon did want to give him something.

However, due to a certain Prime Minister who disliked Gwan-im, it was difficult for her to provide compensation.

It was clear that if she gave compensation this time, she would face a barrage of nagging later, so Jin A-yeon wanted to end it without payment. But when Gwan-im gently scratched her pride…

“Ah. Fine. Damn, I’ll hear complaints again.”

“Thank you as always. This will reduce the contract period.”

Jin A-yeon reluctantly stepped back and signed the contract Gwan-im handed over.

Gwan-im expressed genuine gratitude, saying the contract period had been reduced, and Jin A-yeon, smiling brightly, watched him retrieve the contract and spoke.

“How much time is left?”

“Well, it’s still far from civilian status. But don’t worry, Sister. I plan to wash my hands of this cleanly.”

Though it was still early to end his servitude, his continued contributions were gradually bringing liberation closer.

This signature was just a small step, but believing that such steps would accumulate and eventually return as something significant…

“Right. I’m tired of catching you too.”

“…Gasp. That just sounded like a death sentence.”

“Want to die?”

Reminding himself never to mess with Jin A-yeon in front of him, Gwan-im clutched both arms with a good-natured expression, saying her warning was scary.

No, he seemed genuinely frightened, as his complexion turned pale blue for a moment.