Chapter 206: A Pathological Existence

Episode 206

“…Hold on.”

The middle-aged man, his expression grave, raised his hand to interrupt Lee Sung-choon.

“Yes, Director.”

Lee Sung-choon replied.

There was only one person called ‘Director’ within the Paladins.

Graham.

The Director who oversaw all Paladins, known as the ‘Distorter’.

The middle-aged man talking to Lee Sung-choon was Graham.

“So you’re saying those Ukobachi bastards have grown strong enough to wipe out an entire dimension?”

Wiping out a dimension wasn’t an easy feat.

It was like saying that aliens from another dimension had invaded Earth and wiped out the entire human population, including all the Awakened, which numbered in the billions.

Of course, wiping out a small dimension was much easier than wiping out Earth.

Especially if it was a dimension filled with only monsters, lacking rational thought like humans. Most dimensions conquered by Major Clans were like that.

But it still required a massive army and firepower.

“I find it hard to believe myself… but based on the evidence, it’s the only conclusion we can draw.”

Lee Sung-choon replied, his expression troubled, understanding Graham’s concern.

“We’ve checked the CCTV footage of the entrance and exit portals of the level 45 dungeon where the incident occurred, going back a week.

But there was no sign of anyone sneaking in, or anyone resembling Kim Jinsung entering the dungeon.”

“And you’ve checked the identities of everyone who entered and exited during that time?”

“Yes, sir. It was mostly Triunfo Clan members, who have exclusive rights to the dungeon, and one team was from the Alpha Clan.”

Graham frowned and fell silent, a sign that he was deeply troubled.

“…If they’ve really conquered a dimension, then nowhere in the New Continent is safe anymore.”

“You’re saying they could launch surprise attacks by teleporting to the New Continent?”

“Yes.”

‘Dimensional rifts’ weren’t limited to dungeons. Teleportation, as it was commonly known, could create a passage to any dimension, as long as you knew the coordinates.

Even Earth, where the Middle Realm was located, was just another dimension.

“But very few people in the New Continent know how to do that. You don’t think the coordinates to the New Continent, a top-secret information, could have leaked to Ukobachi, do you?”

“Always investigate a case assuming the worst-case scenario. Have you forgotten this basic rule?”

“…No, sir.”

Graham looked at Lee Sung-choon, who had lowered his gaze, and continued,

“Inform all Major Clan Masters about this. Tell them that Ukobachi might have access to the coordinates to the New Continent.”

“Yes, Director.”

“We’ll also deploy more troops to key facilities for the time being. Especially to vulnerable areas not covered by CCTV cameras or sensors, we’ll station rotating guards…”

At that moment,

“……!”

Both Lee Sung-choon and Graham suddenly turned their heads in the same direction.

They stared at the ground in the corner of the room, and Lee Sung-choon said,

“…Something definitely exploded and collapsed.”

They had both felt a faint tremor coming from deep underground.

“There’s a ‘Top Secret Transport Subway’ tunnel deep underground on the left side.”

Graham immediately jumped to his feet.

“Gather all remaining troops and deploy them to the ‘Top Secret Transport Subway’ tunnel!”

“Yes, sir!”

* * *

Meanwhile,

a man stood on the tracks of a station in the ‘Top Secret Transport Subway’ tunnel that Lee Sung-choon and Graham had just mentioned.

It was Kim Jinsung.

Bodies, bleeding profusely, lay scattered around him. They were the guards who had been stationed there.

“They really built a tunnel this deep.”

He estimated that they were at least 100 floors underground, if this were a building.

Despite the depth, the gravity and oxygen levels were the same as on the surface.

“It’s ‘top secret’ for a reason.”

He muttered to himself, remembering Park Do-joon’s explanation before he came here.

[‘The Top Secret Transport Subway’ has stations only in specific designated areas, centered around the central district.

And what are those designated areas? All places related to Major Clans and government agencies.

In other words, it’s a secret transportation system built exclusively for Major Clans.

Many executives use it to travel. It’s safe and secure. They also use it to transport goods and troops that they don’t want to be seen in public.

You know, things like bribes, illegal stimulants, or human weapons enhanced with those things.

If you destroy this subway, it’ll be a huge inconvenience for Major Clans.

They might not care in normal times, but now that they’re aware of Ukobachi’s activities, they’ll have to transport their goods on the surface, where they’re vulnerable to attacks.

So, for your own convenience, it’s best to eliminate this place.

Location? Of course, I know! That’s why I’m recommending it to you. I’ll tell you right now.]

‘…A subway shared only by Major Clans…’

He opened the bag he was carrying.

He reached into the bag, which was equipped with the ‘Subspace’ ability, and took out a Mana stone, larger than the bag itself. He then placed it on the subway tracks.

‘They share even these convenient facilities among themselves, that’s why the number of Major Clans hasn’t changed for centuries.’

He thought to himself and channeled Mana into the Mana stone.

As soon as it activated, he started running in the opposite direction.

‘I need to plant these at every station and blow them up. That way, they can’t repair it.’

Park Do-joon had said that the self-destructing Mana stones were the most powerful explosives he could personally acquire.

He planned to use them to destroy all the stations.

‘Let’s hurry before the enemies arrive.’

He ran faster, activating the ‘Flash’ trait. His speed was truly like lightning.

Moments later,

**Boooom!**

A deafening explosion echoed from behind him, and the tunnel collapsed.

* * *

A few hours later,

the conference room, which had been occupied only by Lee Sung-choon and Graham earlier, was filled with Major Clan Masters again.

It was the second time this week that Lee Sung-choon had witnessed this scene, a sign of a major emergency requiring an ’emergency meeting’.

“Thank you all for attending this meeting despite your busy schedules…”

“Get to the point!”

“…Yes, sir.”

Just like last time, he was interrupted by Yong Hangil’s outburst and immediately got to the point.

He changed the screen and started explaining,

“As you all know, all the stations of the ‘Top Secret Transport Subway’ have been destroyed by a series of terrorist attacks that began at 1 pm today.”

“All of them?”

“Yes, sir. Every single station has been bombed. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, it will take at least three months to restore the subway to its normal operation, even if we work as quickly as possible.”

“Huh…”

Many of them sighed.

In this modern age of advanced technology, a three-month restoration period meant that the damage was truly extensive.

“The culprit, as you all expected, is ‘Ukobachi’. CCTV footage from inside the subway shows Kim Jinsung planting self-destructing Mana stones.

No other individuals were captured on camera, so it seems to have been a solo operation by Kim Jinsung.”

“Alone?!”

“Yes, sir. It’s not impossible, considering our current estimation of Kim Jinsung’s power level.”

“Hmm…”

They all nodded in agreement.

They knew that the Top Secret Transport Subway wasn’t heavily guarded.

“The problem is how Kim Jinsung found out the location of this subway.”

Lee Sung-choon got to the heart of the matter.

The main reason for the lack of guards was that the subway was ‘top secret’.

“This subway has never been attacked before since its construction. Because very few people know its location.”

The Masters nodded.

Only executives and a select few elite members of each Major Clan knew about the subway.

Even within the Alpha Clan, the strongest clan, probably less than 1% of their members knew about its existence.

Now, of course, everyone knew about it.

“And even if you knew the location, all the station entrances are located within Major Clan headquarters, making it impossible to infiltrate.

But Kim Jinsung somehow managed to sneak into this subway undetected.”

“Did you find out how he got in?”

Graham asked Lee Sung-choon.

“Did he use a dimensional rift, as we feared earlier?”

He couldn’t think of any other possibility. Even Kim Jinsung couldn’t infiltrate a Major Clan headquarters.

It was more likely that he would have forced his way in.

“That’s not the case, sir.”

Lee Sung-choon answered immediately and changed the screen a few times.

An image of a crude tunnel, clearly not part of the subway’s original construction, appeared on the screen.

“According to our investigation, Kim Jinsung used this underground tunnel, which he dug himself in the Red 14 Zone, to enter and exit the subway.”

“……!”

Graham’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected answer, and Lee Sung-choon continued,

“Surprisingly, this tunnel was built at least two years ago. Experts believe that Ukobachi dug it in advance for a surprise attack.”

“…Those crazy bastards.”

Graham cursed under his breath.

This was Ukobachi.

A pathological existence that constantly plagued the Paladins with their unpredictable terrorist attacks.

Even Graham couldn’t help but clutch his forehead in frustration.

“The most important thing here is that the enemy knew the exact location of the ‘Top Secret Transport Subway’. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to dig a tunnel that perfectly intersects with it.”

Everyone looked at the image of the vertical tunnel on the screen.

“There’s only one way they could have found out the location of this subway.”

“There’s a spy among our executives.”

“…That’s right, sir.”

The Masters’ faces hardened.

One of their executives was a Ukobachi spy!

This was a serious matter. It could shake the very foundation of their clans if it was exposed.

—