episode_0058

*****

Nothing is going right. Dumping Cat thought of this as he ran down the empty hallway.

It was a mistake to bring in outside personnel into the company in the first place. What does it mean to take a team forward? For her, who had a good external image of the team, the manager’s offer to participate in the internship was nothing but a hindrance.

Rabbit never asserts himself, and Ryan generally follows Cat’s opinion. So originally, there was no need to do an internship or anything like that, but it was Hatter who got involved.

Damn it, he succeeded in getting the sponsor’s permission by talking about research samples for the drug. By that time, it was as if the work had already left the manager’s hands.

It was obvious what Hatter was aiming for when he agreed to the internship.

‘He was probably trying to increase his potential.’

Hatter’s Robbery is a powerful ability that steals the opponent’s potential if the conditions are met, but there is a time limit of several weeks. Unlike her and her colleagues, who could apply abilities periodically, it would have been attractive to constantly receive new abilities.

However, he could not avoid being robbed by the Hatter. Of course, the medicine I received from Genesis was strong, but it couldn’t be used unless I controlled my outburst with Hatter’s ability. If I were not careful, I might end up just like the other monsters down there.

‘I can’t even laugh at the result.’

It’s good to have strong power. But what are the results? One way or another, he couldn’t kill the wizard student. Not only that, but because almost all of his magical talent has been sucked away, he can’t even use common movement speed assistance magic.

I realized that relying on others for strength was meaningless. Since it was caught by a student at Cheonmyeong High School, it is only a matter of time before the association finds out. I didn’t know whether the sponsor would be able to resolve this issue or not.

However, she was tired of being controlled by others anymore.

‘found.’

As a skilled wizard, she had one foot in this experiment. Of course, contacting the results of the experiment was a piece of cake.

Looking at the USB in her hand, she felt a little more relaxed. Forcibly transforming humans into monsters and arbitrarily strengthening their potential. There were plenty of people who wanted either one.

Even so, it may be impossible in Korea… . china? europe? If anything, you could probably go with Genesis. She has already made too many mistakes to be called a villain.

‘And I have to take revenge.’

Not only to Hatter, who took away his abilities at a critical moment due to his careless actions, but also to those little kids who ruined everything.

First, she thought, she would have to make this laboratory self-destruct. It’s not impossible if you have the power of two people, Ryan and herself. And Ryan has never refused a request. There’s no way I can refuse… .

As she thought that far, she felt a small flow of magical energy. A movement that could originally be thought of as a magic trick within the lab or the subject’s magical power. However, hatters will be running rampant where the subjects are, and most of the lab’s own functions are currently turned off.

He might be one of the people who broke in here today. With that in mind, Cat carefully headed towards the place where she could feel the magic. In order to cause the lab to self-destruct, this place must not have been taken over yet.

And she found a huge coffin.

A huge box that emits a very faint mechanical sound. The reason she decided it was a coffin was because there was an inverted cross drawn on what could have been the lid. Magical power was leaking out of the device.

It was not the laboratory’s equipment. It was probably brought by one of the intruders. Considering that this was the center of the research center, it might have been some type of bomb.

When Kat reached that point, she turned around. This is because I decided that it would be quicker to join Ryan while I was thinking about this unknown device.

But the coffin lid flew off faster than she disappeared from this space.

Coo!

The flying iron plate made a loud noise as it hit the ceiling and floor. Reflexively, Cat hid herself.

She unconsciously used her magic power and realized that her potential had returned. No, on the contrary, all the reinforcements that Hatter would have normally taken were returned.

I wondered what had happened to Hatter, but immediate survival was more important to her. She quietly chanted and kept a close eye on the coffin.

Inside, a human figure stood up.

“Sir, I would have said that I had no intention of entrusting myself to such a tasteless box. … Phew. It’s already past.”

‘He’ who came out of the box looked around as if he was looking for something or someone, and then shook his head. Finally, he took out a piece of paper from the box and read it carefully.

His appearance was quite distant from that of a human. Two pairs of horns on its head, a thick tail quietly wrapped around its body, and even blue scales revealed under dim lighting.

But to Cat, those things were really good little information.

From the moment she saw him, there was only one word that came to Kat’s mind.

‘Die.’

There are many reactions that people show when they encounter something they cannot resist with their own strength. In the case of Dumping Cat, it was resignation.

Like a person being swept away by an avalanche, or a person praying while sitting on a crashing plane.

She just hoped that the monster in front of her would not see her and pass by.

But unfortunately, the eyes of the monster were definitely focused on her. Her blank, white mind did not notice the remnants of the magic power she had just shed while chanting. Of course, even if I noticed, it wouldn’t have changed anything.

“Hey, human, bitch, woman, you, her, um… . What title do you want?”

“ㄴ, yes yes yes, yes?”

“I asked for your title.”

“Ho, nickname, title, do you mean… .”

“No intention to intimidate.”

In reality, the man did not put any pressure on Kat. Because what was possessing Cat was fear, and her own trauma that fear caused.

Trauma tends to weaken over time, but the man seemed dozens of times more powerful than the monster in the trauma. It was enough for her to be haunted by her memories.

She may not have been aware of it, but it also proved that her struggle to not want to end up like this was futile.

The man just stared at the motionless Cat and eventually stretched out his hand. Kat doesn’t know, but the paper the man was reading had a ‘favor’ written on it. A request that a man would have no problem ignoring, but would be reluctant to ignore.

Scales and claws sprout from the man’s outstretched hand. Eventually, Cat’s head was in the man’s hand. Only meaningless moans came from Cat and the man tried to tighten his grip.

“There, take those hands off!”

The man turned his head when he heard a voice from next to him.

It was a girl who came in. A smaller body than the woman in front of me right now. Beneath the blonde hair is an expression full of caution.

But what caught the man’s attention were the horns on the girl’s head and her eyes, which were different from those of a human.

“Sure, it is as per the contract.”

The paper fell from the man’s hand and grazed the floor.

The last line said:

──From then on, do whatever you want.

***

“, first of all, I had my consent──”

“No matter how much he is a hero, he is still a minor. You probably don’t know why the Association bothers to treat awakened people with sufficient skills as students, right?”

“Of course, I am sorry that it was approved after the fact… .”

Manager Lee Seong-jin, head of the management department at hero dispatch company HS and manager of Team Galaxy. It was a social title that one would rarely hear of being bowed down to.

However, it is nothing compared to the opponent in front of you. No, it was almost burdensome to even talk in the same place like this in the first place. Thanking his narrowed eyes for not showing his expression well, Manager Lee Seong-jin accepted the reprimand from the S-class hero in front of him, Joo Sia.

“In modern society, what is required of heroes is not just combat power. The experience of filming a commercial must have been a good experience for Hero Fafnir.”

“A good experience? Do you mean taking pictures wearing clothes like this?”

“Keuhum, khum. It is a composite using CG, and what was actually worn on the filming site was──”

The conversation seemed to be continuing, but the two people were already talking about the same thing several times, just changing the words. One of them was spinning around to avoid being questioned, and the other wasn’t really tightening up his pursuit.

Originally, hitting Sia’s head the moment she appeared would not have been enough. In fact, Manager Lee Seong-jin was prepared to throw down a grand prize if the situation arose.

But as we talked, something strange caught my eye. Although it seemed like an interrogation at first glance, Sia’s protest was not very serious.

Perhaps they are planning to dismiss the fact that they did not obtain permission from the association with a lengthy investigation and accept the advertisement itself. Manager Lee Seong-jin secretly had such expectations. The demand to bring sponsors further inflated expectations.

“Hmm, I feel a little thirsty after talking. Shall we take a break?”

“Yes, I will do that. Do you have any drinks you want?”

How many breaks has it been already? I didn’t actually say a word to the sponsor who brought me in. When Manager Lee Seong-jin sighed inwardly, imagining that he would be squeezed several more times in the future.

The curly-haired sponsor who had been silent until now—Suseongshin—opened his mouth.

“Hasn’t this been enough to achieve your goal? Let’s slowly get into the main topic.”

Bonje? Manager Lee Seong-jin was taken aback by those unexpected words. When I hurriedly looked at Sia, I saw that she was looking at the Holy Ghost with eyes that made it difficult to tell what she was thinking.

“That comment just now is not very wise. I’m sorry, it was my mistake, and if you apologize politely, I’m willing to pretend I didn’t hear you for once.”

“You heard correctly. Ah, Manager Seongjin Lee. Thank you for your effort I’ll take charge from here on out.”

His words were polite, but his posture while sitting on the sofa was already crooked. It was too much provocation for an S-class hero.

Do you believe in the power of your family, or is there another reason? After thinking that far, Manager Lee Seong-jin quickly shook his head. Either way, he felt that this matter was out of his hands.

However, Manager Lee Seong-jin’s eyes widened as he heard the following story.

“Do you know what happens in that lab?”

“Of course. It’s my company to begin with. Are there any CEOs who don’t know what their company does?”

“As far as I know, human experiments were conducted down there.”

“It’s not just human experiments. There were many problematic incidents such as injuries to awakened civilians, kidnapping, illegal drug handling, and unauthorized conduct of anti-human rights experiments.”

“Boss, what on earth is that!”

Manager Lee Seong-jin was so shocked that he got up from his seat, but Seong-shin didn’t even look at him. Rather, it was Shin-ah who raised her hand and stopped him.

“It seemed like you were in a hurry to send the kids away. Well, I won’t deny that I was actually caught off guard. But we’re not stupid enough to just throw our hands away.”

“So, were you prepared?”

“Yes. No matter how many students from Cheonmyeong High School they are, it would not be enough to deal with an A-class hero.”

When Sia heard those words, the corner of her mouth trembled slightly but did not respond. Rather, it was Manager Lee Seong-jin who was silent.

The research institute that would conduct the human experiments even had a sponsor protect the research institute. Based on the sponsor’s attitude, it seemed very unlikely that the Galaxy team had anything to do with the experiment.

“So what do you want? Are you going to threaten me with kids?”

“That is not the case either. It’s simple. Please send back the investigation team that will be dispatched soon. Isn’t it a simple task for an S-class hero?”

Once again, Sia made no reply, and the Holy Spirit raised her voice even more as she accepted it.

“It would be better to make a decision quickly. I told the Galaxy team not to look into the situation. The longer a decision is made, the more likely it is that an unfortunate accident will occur. Oh. Did you say you also have a younger sister there?”

“You’re so confident. What are you going to do if evidence of collusion with Genesis comes out? There is already evidence of contact with an unidentified organization. If this gets caught, it’s a big company and it’s an instant?”

With a tap, a bundle of documents was lifted from Sia’s hand. If evidence comes out that that unidentified organization is Genesis, it will be the end of the sponsor’s company. Manager Seongjin Lee decided that way and swallowed his saliva.

But the Holy Ghost’s attitude did not change.

“Oh my, be scared. Why do you always call investigators for things like that? Let me tell you. It’s true that you had a secret relationship with Genesis. That lab processes the drugs provided by Genesis and delivers them back to Genesis. If anything, I can at least record it for you.”

Even Sia’s pupils got bigger when she heard these words. A sudden confession. Finally, Manager Lee Seong-jin couldn’t stand it anymore and intervened.

“Boss! What the hell is this… . No, no. Titania. Please wait a moment. There must be some misunderstanding. How could it be otherwise… !”

” Manager, why are you so surprised? Genesis: They are people too. There’s a lot of money too. Are you a great customer? Is there a law that says you can’t make money off of them? Oh. There was a law.”

“Genesis is a terrorist group that aims to destroy humanity.”

“Puhaha! Manager, did you hear what that hero just said? They say the destruction of humanity, the destruction of humanity. Have you watched too many movies? Genesis Aren’t they humans?”

Seongshin was now crossing his legs and taking on a blatant attitude. Sia looked at him calmly.

“What group would put forward such a goal based on common sense? It’s all propaganda by the country’s high-ranking officials to create external enemies. I never thought that someone who was an S-class hero would say something like that.

Times have changed. Genesis has advanced technology. Just this time, the Awakened Enhancement Drug came out. There is no law preventing us from using that technology either.”

“Did the government tell you to say that?”

I flinch. Seongshin’s body, which had been making exaggerated gestures, stiffened. As if chasing it, Sia continued speaking with a smile.

“Why are you so surprised, boss? I wonder if you came here without even knowing that?”

“No, I’m surprised. In fact, if you had known, it would have been a good thing because the conversation would have gone faster. you’re right. We have the government behind us. So──”

“So?”

“Well, so… .”

Swish, the Holy Ghost’s eyes darted here and there. The illusion that the air around him was becoming heavier made Seongshin’s breathing difficult.

As he meets S-class heroes, Seongshin also brings equipment to protect his body. However, the equipment was not worth spending a lot of money on and did not help at all.

Seongshin kept his mouth shut, feeling like a rabbit in front of a tiger. Sia, who saw that, smiled brightly and continued speaking.

“Boss, I think you are misunderstanding something. We don’t know what’s behind you.”

“It’s the government, it’s the institution that runs this country! Oh, are you saying that the association is an anti-social organization?”

“Ah, it’s definitely not a good thing for us if the government openly criticizes us. But do you think the government will help you?”

“Of course. Do you know how much money is at stake on this project? No, it’s not just money. Enhancement of the Awakened. Perhaps even the artificial awakening of non-awakened people. There’s no way high-ranking people would pass up the opportunity to steal Genesis’ technology!”

Artificial awakening. At that point, the pressure on the Holy Spirit became slightly stronger. Of course, Seongshin had no time to worry about that.

Sia sighed in front of the enraged Holy Spirit. At this point, I feel rather pitiful. No, he was actually in a pitiful situation.

“Hey, boss? Do the Genesis kids look like idiots?”

“You mean stupid? No way. You are a precious customer. Customers who bring money and technology. Rather, I think they are seeing it much more clearly than you who claim that their goal is the destruction of humanity, right?”

“That’s their goal. And it’s true that you’re looking at me like an idiot. Otherwise, there’s no way Genesis wouldn’t know that this was a ploy to steal their technology, right?”

“Well, that’s… , the government… .”

“No matter how much the government is, there are limits. In fact, we were caught like this too.”

It was a slightly ambiguous statement. The actual missing people were unrelated people and were covered up at the government level. If it weren’t for this mistake, it would have been difficult for the association to discover.

However, that is because the association was connected to the government to some extent. It was an overly hopeful observation that Genesis, which deals directly with the company from the outside, would not notice.

And when thoughts reach this point, they are bound to reach other places as well.

Did the government really not know that Genesis would notice?

“I think you finally understand. You were used as a meat shield.”

Seongshin’s face turned pale when he heard Sia’s sentence. Pretending to make a deal with Genesis, he steals Genesis’ technology. The resulting retaliation against Genesis will be borne by the company, and the country will absorb the technology.

“What nonsense… ! No, even if that’s the case, isn’t it time for you heroes to step forward? What kind of association, what kind of hero… can’t even stop those terrorists… , Ini… , peel… .”

That damn terrorist. At those words, Sia’s smile grew even deeper.

It was just a change, but the Holy Spirit could not move even a fingertip. Cold sweat flows down my back like rain. I didn’t want to see that smile, but I couldn’t look away.

If the air had felt heavy just now, it felt like the raw air was strangling his throat. Of course, the Holy Spirit was unable to resist in any way.

“That guy, is that you? Ugh. Well, it’s been almost 10 years since Genesis was at its peak. Even back then, there were some civilians who couldn’t feel it, so if there’s nothing you can do, there’s nothing you can do.”

“Kuhk, kuhk… .”

“The problem with this is that the senior worked too hard. ‘Isn’t it cool that a hero fights alone even when people around him don’t recognize him?’ Rani, no matter how much you think about it, you’re not cool, you’re just a faggot.”

“Please… . Ugh… . This is a bit… .”

“Well, I really know those aspects of my senior, right? On the contrary, if you don’t know that much, you won’t know, so even if other people say they don’t know, there are some things that can’t be helped.”

Huh, the pressure that had been squeezing my Holy Spirit just a moment ago disappeared like a lie. Sia stood up, leaving Seongshin lying on the floor and shaking.

“There, cluck, stand! Do you think you can just treat me like this and get over it!? I’m from Samhwan Enterprises! You haven’t forgotten that your little sister is still in the lab!?”

“Wow, he was a boring person until the end. Do whatever you want. You know the power you have based on common sense, but you couldn’t have put in less power than that, right? It was quite difficult to hold back laughter when that topic was brought up earlier. About level 99?”

After that, Seongshin kept shouting something, but Sia ignored him. Her gaze was already directed not toward the Holy Spirit but toward the outer laboratory.

An overwhelming presence that can be felt even from this distance. It was too much power to destroy just one company. No one would use a nuclear bomb to demolish a building.

They probably realized that the Korean government was behind this incident. A small bitter smile appeared on Sia’s face as she felt the will to at least cause damage at the national level.

‘We’re going to suffer for at least a day or two because of these idiots.’

“Then, it should work as insurance.”

This effort will also be turned into a benefit by the Association’s Information Department. Sia, working hard to motivate herself, smashed the window of the building and jumped out of it.

“Well, well… !”

Manager Lee Seong-jin was scared and ran towards the window, but soon stopped. This is because I could already see Sia flying far away.

Looking at Seongshin, who was still lying down, the manager held his head, not knowing how to accept the pouring information.

***

Dangerous. Dangerous. Dangerous.

Alarms kept going off in my head. A chilling sensation is screaming that I must run away right now. The limit is to holding on to your leg as it tries to turn.

It’s good to hear Ryan ask Cat (Hyosung-eun, 23 years old) to stop. Let’s also say that we heard about how she lost her colleague. It was a good trend as far as the fact that there was research-related data in the central control room and the information that the Surtur kids’ location could be determined through the cameras there.

But the current situation was difficult to accept rationally.

After fighting with Mr. Cat and persuading or subduing him, he joins the Surtur kids and escapes. We anticipated various variables that could arise in that situation. Countermeasures were also established.

But who could have predicted that such a monster would fall from the sky?

Phew. I took a deep breath. I am so weighed down by the enemy’s presence. Anyway, it didn’t make sense for such a monster to fall near Seoul. There had to be some reason.

Fortunately, I was able to recall the consideration I made a little while ago about the relationship between this research institute and Genesis.

“Hey, you. Is it Genesis by any chance?”

The man just said that it was as per the contract. Maybe he was a mercenary hired by Genesis like the Sword Demon. If so, I might have to secure that piece of paper… .

“It wasn’t until just now. But now I have to say it’s true.”

The man’s answer was, in some sense, the worst answer. I wanted to throw a bunch of curses at my terrible prediction for coming true, but right now I felt like even a little bit of time was wasted.

I immediately spoke to the people who followed me. I was really glad the kids hadn’t turned the corner yet.

“Run away.”

“… ? Suddenly, what do you mean?”

“I will speak as an interim leader. Run away. Go and somehow join the Surt kids. And leave the lab right away. I don’t care if anyone catches me. It’s definitely the fastest. Got it?”

“Wait a minute. What are you going to do? Who the hell is over there──”

[go.]

I didn’t want to write about kids, but I had no choice. When I even used Dragon Fear, I could feel the complexions of the three people – Quicle, Raon, and Mare – quickly becoming pale.

Perhaps sensing my firm attitude, Mair grabbed Quickle and turned around. There seemed to be a few tears in Raon’s eyes, but there was no time to apologize. We need to evacuate quickly while that monster can’t see these kids.

“Are they friends?”

“Thank you for waiting. You have manners.”

The guy tilted his head as if he was puzzled. A sense of composure is evident in each and every attitude.

His appearance was similar to mine in some ways. Two horns, vertically torn pupils. Looking at its thick tail, sturdy body, and armor-like scales all over its body, it looks like an upgraded version of me.

If you combine that with the powerful presence felt, it wasn’t difficult to guess what kind of being he was.

Perhaps, ‘this’ is a dragon. That’s right too.

Of course, I am not a suicide aspirant. If the purpose of Genesis that I have inferred is correct, there is no room for negotiation with the being in front of us to some extent.

Of course, this area will be devastated… . No, there is even Sia here. Just taking time has meaning.

But it wasn’t me who spoke first, it was that guy.

“There is no need to be thankful to this extent. Aren’t we a couple?”

“… What?”

“Let’s go back home. We have work left to do.”

What kind of nonsense is this!?

*****