Ch.663Chapter 25. Let it Unfold (13)

Opening ceremony, 21 hours before.

“Ugh, it’s cold.”

Kim Gwang-hyun, a Haeundae Park caretaker and D-rank ability user, shivered in the management lighthouse built like a tall spire at Busan’s Haeundae.

“Even the heater is useless… Sigh, I’m cold even with layers on.”

The Taegeuk Watch showed an outside temperature of 12 degrees Celsius, but inside the management room, even a brief exhale produced visible breath.

“Snow White is really going too far. This isn’t the Winter Olympics. Brr…”

“Senior. Just bear with it a little longer. Only three more hours to go.”

Park Min-young, a fellow ability user and junior staff member, handed Kim Gwang-hyun a warm can of coffee.

“The next shift comes in three hours, so we just need to hold out until then.”

“Ugh, I’m worried one of us might freeze to death.”

“They say if you keep your thoughts pure, you’ll be fine.”

“What? Are you saying I’m feeling this chill from Snow White’s ice palace because I have impure thoughts?”

“Isn’t that the case?”

Park Min-young twisted her lips into a smirk as she extended the coffee can, and Kim Gwang-hyun frowned as he took it.

“Someone might get the wrong idea about us. You know?”

“Oh really? You were the one who suggested we go for drinks after our shift.”

“That’s just because it’s cold and nothing warms the body better than alcohol. Hey, do you think I’m trying to take advantage of my precious junior by asking you out for drinks?”

“Hand on your heart.”

“Fine.”

Kim Gwang-hyun placed his right hand over his heart.

“I, Kim Gwang-hyun, offered Park Min-young a drink with approximately 19% ulterior motives. Happy now?”

“…Hmm. At least you haven’t forgotten the hero’s oath.”

“Of course not. So, are you coming?”

“Hmm… I’ll give you my answer in three hours—”

“Wait.”

Kim Gwang-hyun pointed at the surveillance camera.

“Did something just pass by there?”

“What?”

“Here. Rewind the footage by 30 seconds. Slow motion.”

At Kim Gwang-hyun’s serious tone, Park Min-young gulped and rewound the CCTV footage.

And then—

Bzzt!

The power in the management room went out.

All cameras went black, and the only light inside came from the Taegeuk Watches on their wrists.

“…….”

Just as both of them raised their hands to their wrists.

BOOOOOM!!

A deafening explosion rang out.

The impact was strong enough to shake the entire management room, and both of them immediately rushed outside.

“T-that couldn’t be…?!”

“Ugh, I knew it…! That thing that flew by earlier was an ability user!”

Before them, a “battle” was unfolding.

Yellow and purple lights flashed rapidly, becoming beams that collided violently with each other.

“Park Min-young! Go request emergency support from the Association! I’ll try to stop them!”

“Senior! Are you crazy?! Those people are definitely S-rank!”

“I am an agent of the Korean Hero Association!”

Kim Gwang-hyun shone light from his Taegeuk Watch as he headed toward the center of the explosion.

“Hey! Stop!! Don’t move!!!”

He shouted desperately, but the two S-rank users didn’t stop fighting.

WHAM!

“Argh?!”

“Senior, you’re bleeding!!”

“Stay back!!”

Despite taking a direct hit to his forehead from a rock sent flying by the two combatants, Kim Gwang-hyun pressed his hand against his wound and continued forward.

“Stop!! Any further disturbance at the World Cup—”

[That’s not how you do it.]

Suddenly, someone stepped in front of Kim Gwang-hyun, blocking his path.

[This is how you should speak in this situation.]

“Y-you are… Seonbital?”

Seonbital, the Haeguneul Breaker, nodded firmly and stepped forward.

BOOM!

With a light roll on the ground, sand exploded forward from the beach, and a sandstorm flew between the yellow and purple trajectories, forcibly separating the two fighters.

[Ahem.]

On one side stood a blonde woman with blue eyes.

On the other, a black-haired man with dark eyes.

Both appeared to be foreigners, and they glared at Seonbital while pointing their weapons at each other.

[That’s enough nonsense. S-ranks.]

Seonbital slowly walked between the two S-rank ability users, hanging his daegeum flute over his shoulder and extending one hand forward.

[If you’re so eager to fight, I’ll be your opponent.]

“…Ha. You seem to have made quite a name for yourself in Korea….”

“We were engaged in a legitimate duel, sir.”

[A duel at this late hour at Haeundae, right in front of the opening ceremony venue? Even a passing dog would laugh at that.]

Seonbital lightly wiggled his extended hand as he reprimanded the two heroes.

[I’ll just break about three ribs each, so you can still attend the opening ceremony parade.]

“How insolent!!”

“How dare you…!!”

[Yes, I do think you’re pathetic.]

Whoosh.

Kim Gwang-hyun saw it.

[Be grateful that I’m still registered as a ‘villain’.]

By the time they heard Seonbital’s voice, which had vanished like the wind.

[If you had participated in the preliminaries as so-called heroes, you would have been eliminated without question.]

WHAM!

The two S-rank heroes were face-planted into the Haeundae sand, unconscious and motionless.

[If I hadn’t stepped in, you would have… well, you’re already in big trouble.]

And then Kim Gwang-hyun saw it.

Crackle!

Pink flames covering the sandy beach.

“Seonbital!!”

[Oh my. The Firefox has arrived.]

Korea’s true S-rank hero appeared, containing the two S-rank troublemakers with fox fire.

[Even though I’m not participating, I have no intention of fighting a pregnant woman. I’ll withdraw now. There are similar incidents happening elsewhere.]

“Y-you mean?”

[I was just contemplating what chicken to eat for the World Cup opening ceremony. For the ceremony to be successful, I need to be able to enjoy my chicken in peace.]

Seonbital bowed gracefully, then mounted a horse that came galloping across the sand.

[Well then, hiya!]

“…….”

Kim Gwang-hyun watched.

The back of Seonbital riding away from Haeundae on a mechanical-looking white horse.

“…Sigh. Headquarters. This is Firefox. The confrontation between two S-ranks at Busan Haeundae has been resolved. Yes, Seonbital showed up ‘again’ and knocked them out.”

“…….”

Though he shouldn’t be eavesdropping on an S-rank’s report, Kim Gwang-hyun perked up his ears at Yoon Yi-seon’s words.

“Could it be…?”

“Ah. Well. You’re surprised, right?”

Firefox pointed with a troubled expression at the two S-rank heroes she had captured.

“Right before the opening match, ability users claiming to be having ‘practice matches’ are causing disturbances all over the country….”

Throughout the Korean peninsula.

“They’re engaging in duels.”

S-ranks were running rampant.

“Without permission.”

* * *

[Ah, the Korean peninsula is full of incidents.]

Just when I try to take a break, there’s no time to rest.

I was trying to leisurely soak my entire body in the Ulleungdo hot springs to fully recharge the external core depleted from fighting 17 opponents at once, but I had to get out of the water after feeling only about 97% charged.

[They’re picking fights all over the country.]

Unrest has broken out.

It would be fine if domestic heroes were just sparring with each other, but the current “clashes between heroes” happening across the Korean peninsula are clearly intentional disturbances.

[And they’re not even heroes participating in the World Cup.]

Either villains or ability users who weren’t called to serve their country.

[Whoa, whoa.]

I pulled on the reins like brakes and stopped in the street.

The dot blinking on my Syndicate Watch started flashing red near Busan—on the eastern side of Ulsan.

[Who’s suddenly fighting like this again.]

I changed my direction and headed toward Ulsan.

-…Cosmos here! I’m heading to Gyeongju! Five minutes to Daereungwon!

-You need to get there faster! Those fighters probably don’t even know it’s a royal tomb!

-…Request for backup from Jinju!!

Heroes were already dispatched to Gyeongju where I was originally headed, and it’s too late to go elsewhere.

Moreover, the Hero Association communications I’m currently intercepting show no awareness of the “combat situation” my Syndicate Watch has detected.

They must be fighting quietly somewhere others don’t know about.

Or if not—

[I’ve got them.]

The white horse gallops quickly along the road.

Previously I rode through mountain paths and unpaved roads, but now the situation allows for road travel.

VROOOOOM!!

Running right next to the guardrail on the four-lane highway, I overtake even speeding cars in the first lane as I head straight for Ulsan.

While I’m rushing to quell the disturbance—

[Jump.]

Clatter-clatter!

Since I’m not equipped with a Hi-Pass, I have no choice but to jump over the toll booth.

“Huh?!”

It’s not that I don’t want to pay the toll.

Although it’s a violation of traffic laws, it can’t be helped for the sake of a peaceful World Cup opening ceremony.

The damage from the battle currently taking place in Ulsan will surely exceed the Busan-Ulsan highway toll I didn’t pay.

And my prediction was not wrong.

BOOM!

Black smoke began rising from a large factory.

I thought a villain alert might sound, but only fire alarms were blaring loudly, not villain or demon alerts.

Could it be an explosion from an oil leak in the chemical complex?

Did a cigarette ignite vaporized oil, causing a pillar of fire?

It would be nice if it were such a “simple” accident, but this is a man-made disaster caused by ability users.

Click.

I stopped my horse, then leaped toward the site of the explosion.

There were no people around, but at the spot where the red dot on my Syndicate Watch was blinking, two ability users were facing off against each other.

“Hand over the crest!”

“…….”

A black-haired ability user with a sporty haircut had flames burning in both hands, while the other had lowered a bow made of magical energy as she glared at the young man.

Atalante.

The awakening crest given to her by the patriotic master Do Ji-hwan was glowing on her abdomen.

“I will not surrender this crest. Especially not to a man.”

“Ha…! In that case…!!”

The male ability user, presumed to be a Chinese “hero,” brought his hands together as if in prayer, filled with flames.

“I, [Divine Flame Emperor], will burn you and take only the skin marked with the awakening crest—”

[Ambush.]

WHAM.