Part 1 Chapter 3 (6)

7 PM, Guro Azure Syndicate Hideout

No one yet knows how to awaken as an ability user.

The academic world put forth numerous hypotheses, but none could provide plausible evidence, and countless experiments to awaken ability users all ended in failure.

Therefore, Cheon Gaeul, having heard Jo Deokbae’s explanation, couldn’t help but look at him with skeptical eyes.

“Is that all?”

“Yes. That’s all I heard.”

Deokbae told Gaeul about the ‘mana attribute’ he had heard from Phoenix while getting beaten.

“I really can’t get a grasp on this. Mana attributes? It doesn’t make sense to try and draw out attributes when I can’t even feel mana in the first place, does it?”

Gaeul tore at her hair and rolled around on the sofa. Deokbae felt quite sorry for her.

“Why don’t you just wait a few more days and quietly go down to New Seoul?”

“No!”

Gaeul shouted and stood up from the sofa.

“Deokbae-ssi, do you trust Phoenix-ssi? Do you think they’ll keep that promise?”

“…Half?”

The one who notarized the bet between Phoenix and Gaeul was none other than Deokbae.

“Jo Deokbae-ssi, how did you awaken? You said you were originally an ability user.”

Gaeul gulped down water and asked. Deokbae, who had been lying on the opposite sofa, touching fragments of rock that had fallen from his skin, straightened his posture.

“I was working as a gang member when I got into a fight with a gang from the next neighborhood. I almost died from a steel pipe, and coincidentally, a monster attacked Yeongjongdo. I miraculously awakened my ability while escaping from there.”

“…I won’t ask about your past. But did you feel anything special? Like energy in your body or something like that.”

“No. How did you awaken?”

“Hiiik?!”

Kim Jihwa, who was kneeling on a stool, was startled when he met Deokbae’s gaze. From the moment the 2-meter rock monstrous human confessed he was a former gang member, he had been submissive.

“My ability is cheap physical enhancement, but isn’t yours a special type of ability?”

“…? Deokbae-ssi, wasn’t that your ability?”

Gaeul pointed at the rock fragments that had fallen from Deokbae. Deokbae paused for a moment before speaking.

“My original ability isn’t this. The rock-like skin is an ability I gained when I became a monstrous human.”

Phoenix told him. That his original ability and the monster’s core had mixed, transforming into a new ability.

Of course, he had listened to the explanation for a full 30 minutes without a break, but Deokbae summarized it very briefly.

“Uh… that monstrous human thing. Am I one of those too?”

Jihwa said, pointing to his own eyes.

He had told his subordinates that it was a change that occurred as his ability advanced another stage, but he couldn’t help but be bothered by how his subordinates flinched every time they saw him.

“What exactly is a monstrous human anyway?”

“…It’s like reviving a dead person by implanting a monster’s core? Like a zombie.”

“…Hiiik.”

Jihwa’s eyes trembled. According to Deokbae’s explanation, he had already died once, and a monster’s core was embedded in his heart.

“It’s more like necromancy than zombies. Zombies don’t have reason, do they? But Deokbae-ssi and Jihwa-ssi act rationally, don’t they?”

“Yes, yes! Uh, they say I died, but I don’t really feel it. I just opened my eyes and felt like, ‘Ah, my ability has gotten stronger.'”

Suddenly, Deokbae laughed fiercely.

“Hey. Kim Jihwa.”

“Yes?!”

Jihwa gulped and tensed up. According to the leader, he had reached B-rank ability user level, but for some reason, he kept feeling intimidated whenever he encountered Deokbae, who was supposedly C-rank.

“Have you ever killed anyone?”

“Deokbae-ssi?!”

Gaeul, startled, glared at Deokbae.

“If you just abruptly ask if someone’s ever killed anyone-“

“…Are you talking about before I became a monstrous human, or after?”

Mana settled low in Jihwa’s demonic eyes. Even though Jihwa was being submissive, among the three in this meeting room, his mana quantity was the highest.

“…….”

Gaeul closed her mouth at Jihwa’s words. Kim Jihwa was also a Villain. According to Phoenix, he was the Villain who had kept the future Cheon Gaeul as a sex slave for several years.

Deokbae stroked his chin and asked.

“I’ve never killed anyone before I became like this, so I can’t compare. Is it normal to feel indifferent and emotionless after killing someone?”

“Of course not.”

Jihwa shook his head vigorously.

“…The first person I killed was my boss. The section chief who always made me run errands to get his coffee and was a pain in the ass. One time, I was so tired I felt like I was going to die, so I said I couldn’t work overtime, and he kicked me in the shin with his shoe.”

Jihwa clasped his hands together.

“But that day, a monster attacked the office. There was no alarm. All the lights were off, and the blinds were down on the windows, so outside, everyone must have thought we’d all gone home.”

“Ah. That Guro Incident…”

Jihwa affirmed. It was an incident Deokbae had also heard of before.

“Was it four years ago? A monster entered a building late at night. A building that was empty up to the 5th floor.”

“From the 6th floor up, there were people. Everyone was holed up in the office, pretending to have gone home.”

Jihwa picked up his cup and wet his throat.

“Anyway, when the monster attacked our floor, everyone panicked, and the section chief hid in the pantry and tried to kick me out. There was a struggle. The monster was right in front of us. I don’t know how I got such strength at that moment.”

“…Was that the awakening of your ability?”

Gaeul asked with a troubled expression. Jihwa denied it.

“No. The awakening was after that. It was good that I escaped the monster and locked the pantry door, but I had no way to see the situation outside. My smartphone was in the office, and my watch was broken. I managed to survive for a few days with the things in the pantry, but then…”

Jihwa continued, pointing to his eyes.

“After I lost consciousness and collapsed, I opened my eyes and this happened. First, I could see outside the door, then up and down the building. Eventually, I could see all of Guro. But by the time I got out, the monster was gone, and four years had already passed.”

“Does that make sense? Someone was unconscious for nearly four years without any nutritional supply?”

“With mana, anything is possible.”

Phoenix added an explanation with a warm aura. Jihwa hastily stood up and bowed.

“You’ve arrived!”

“It’s fine. If I act like that after hearing your story, I’ll become like that section chief. Be comfortable.”

“No! This is comfortable for me!”

“Or will you stab me in the back later, like you did to the section chief? …Just kidding. So don’t tremble like that.”

Jihwa trembled in fear, even breaking out in a cold sweat. Phoenix placed the coffee he was holding in his hand onto the table.

“Let’s talk while we drink.”

“…Where did you buy this?”

“Incheon. The Star Cafe in front of the bus terminal.”

“…?”

Deokbae brought up a map in his mind. From Guro to Incheon.

“Didn’t you tell me to meet you here 30 minutes ago?”

“Yes. It’s close, so I went and came back quickly.”

The four drinks, each in a cardboard-colored box, were all different types. Deokbae, who was calculating the order time, simply cleared his mind and picked up an Americano.

“Go ahead and grab one each. If you want something specific, tell me beforehand.”

Phoenix picked up a yogurt with fresh strawberries blended in.

“…….”

His eyes met Gaeul’s. Phoenix subtly put down the strawberry yogurt.

“Thank you.”

Gaeul took the strawberry yogurt. Jihwa stood hesitantly before his eyes met Phoenix’s.

“You pick first.”

Jihwa took an iced tea and sat on the stool.

“…….”

Phoenix took the remaining cafe latte. After taking a sip, his gaze briefly swept over the yogurt and iced tea before returning.

“Then, let’s start the strategy meeting.”

“Suddenly, in this atmosphere?”

Phoenix nodded.

“S Hospital in Gangnam. That’s where the Villains are holding their ‘meeting’ tonight at midnight. Thanks to Jihwa-ssi’s hard work, we were able to find the location without delay.”

“Ah, haha. It was nothing.”

Dark circles were still deep under Jihwa’s eyes.

“But midnight? I haven’t heard anything about that.”

Deokbae also nodded at Gaeul’s question.

“I was going to ask earlier but didn’t, how did you know it was midnight?”

Phoenix put down his cup and clapped his hands.

“Well, you see, villains always gather at night, don’t they? It’s a universal rule, no matter where you go in the world. We’re gathering after sunset right now, aren’t we? The Villain Alliance is the same. Villains in Seoul set the date and location for their meetings in the Black Market. The Villain Alliance’s pattern is-“

“Could you just get to the point?”

Gaeul interrupted, placing her yogurt on the table. Phoenix was spinning his hand like a waterwheel, then froze.

“…According to the investigation, they’re gathering at S University in Gangnam tonight at midnight.”

“Alright. So we’re attacking that place?”

Deokbae asked, craning his neck. Jihwa, scared again, waved his hands.

“No, Haneulseong is hosting it! A monstrous Villain who’s almost S-rank!”

On the screen displayed above the table was a man in a fedora who had just gotten out of a car in the S University Hospital parking lot. Phoenix wet his throat with his drink and calmed Jihwa.

“Jihwa-ssi. There’s no such thing as ‘quasi-S-rank’ in this world. It’s an artificial distinction made by ability users who are stuck and can’t move on to the next stage. Whatever the stage, you need an awakening to advance to the next rank, but….”

Phoenix glanced at Gaeul. Gaeul, surprisingly, nodded as if telling him to continue.

“You’re not stopping me this time?”

“Just in case there’s a hint for ability awakening.”

“……Then I won’t explain.”

“What? Where is such a thing?!”

Phoenix shrugged and was about to continue speaking.

“If you’re going to say ‘such a thing is right here,’ then just shut up. It pisses off the listener.”

“…I’ll explain after the strategy meeting. Alright?”

Phoenix gritted his teeth and bowed his head. Gaeul smiled gently at Deokbae, and Deokbae, embarrassed, turned his head away.

“What. Why. What.”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

Jihwa fixed his gaze on the iced tea. Phoenix cleared his throat and led the conversation again.

“A meeting where Villains gather isn’t much. ‘Hey, two S-rank Heroes are coming to Seoul. The government is sending Heroes to Seoul on a large scale this time, aren’t they? Won’t they wipe out all the monsters? Then will we also be swept away or arrested?’ They gather out of such concerns.”

“They don’t want to run away, but they gather just in case, huh.”

“That’s right, Gaeul-ssi. Currently, the Villain Alliance doesn’t have a central figure. It’s grandly called an alliance, but in reality, they’re just refugees settled in various parts of Seoul. Oh, not that Jihwa-ssi’s organization is like that.”

“It’s fine.”

Jihwa smiled bitterly. The one who had instantly transformed over 400 refugees into Guro’s vigilante force was none other than the monster before his eyes.

“The riff-raff have probably already left Seoul. The ones joining the Villain Alliance now are those with considerable power among them. And those who can’t leave Seoul.”

“…They can’t just abandon ten Gangnam apartments and move down to New Seoul. They probably don’t have cash either.”

“Yes. The facilities south of the Han River haven’t been destroyed by monsters yet, so once it’s recovered, they’ll be able to regain the value of their real estate.”

“But then.”

Gaeul raised her hand.

“If it’s just a matter of Seoul’s real estate, couldn’t they just wait for Seoul to be recovered? The country would compensate them for everything.”

“That’s….”

“The guys who remained in Seoul wouldn’t be in their right minds like you. At the very least, they would have killed someone, like this guy.”

“…Seoul is already a lawless zone. It’s land the government has already abandoned. Even if it returns to the government’s embrace, it won’t go back to the good old days. The Gangnam penthouse I’m illegally living in right now, if Seoul is recovered, its owner will reappear. I’ll become homeless again. That’s how it is.”

At Deokbae and Jihwa’s explanation, Phoenix leaned back in his chair.

“…The residents of Seoul have already become largely detached from modern civilization. As they grew accustomed to crime, their way of thinking itself changed. Just look at Deokbae-ssi and Jihwa-ssi here, for example, aren’t they like that?”

Phoenix pointed at them alternately.

“One was barely surviving in a decaying city, while the other was living almost like a refugee. Despite the distance between Incheon and Seoul being only an hour’s travel.”

“…Why has the government left Seoul in this state until now, exactly?”

Gaeul asked, as if dumbfounded.

“As Phoenix-ssi said, the President is trying to recover Seoul, aren’t they? Seung-hyung-ssi… because Hero Lee Seung-hyung awakened to S-rank, they have the power.”

“I’m curious about that too. Is it because of the dimensional gate? Or is there another reason?”

“It’s for national prosperity and military strength.”

When Phoenix said it sarcastically, the others looked puzzled. Phoenix crossed his legs and spoke.

“They had the power to recover Seoul, but there was no real need to. President Seonui Cheol’s base is entirely in New Seoul, and Seoul is just a burden.”

Phoenix tapped his smartwatch and spread a map on the table.

“A buffer zone between humans and monsters. As monsters, still being created in Pyongyang, periodically came down and became prey for the S-rank individual stationed at Seoul City Hall, Seonui Cheol thought: ‘Let’s leave Seoul as it is.'”

Phoenix snapped his fingers, and several flames erupted in the air. The flames began to take on various shapes.

“For the monsters coming down from Pyongyang, a place with new prey.

For the monsters settled in Seoul, a place where prey-monsters from above and humans from below-flocked.

For hunters, a natural hunting ground where they could extract monster cores.

For Villains, a lawless zone where they could unleash their desires without restraint and run wild.

With all the bridges destroyed and the massive threat of an S-rank monster settling in northern Seoul, a very strange balance formed centered on the river. Seonui Cheol exploited that to the very end. Because New Seoul was safe.”

“…Then why are they trying to recover Seoul now? Is it to show off that they have one more S-rank? Because it’s his nephew?”

“No. Absolutely not.”

Phoenix put his hand into his inner pocket.

“Deokbae-ssi. Did I tell you about the purpose of our Azure Syndicate before? At the Incheon cafe.”

“…That toy cube you said we had to collect for world peace?”

Phoenix grinned.

“When you become a leader of a nation, there are things you learn whether you like it or not. Seonui Cheol already knew about the existence and value of that cube back then. However….”

Phoenix zoomed in on the map. At the edge of Yeouido, where real-time satellite images were visible, stood the National Assembly Building, completely burned down, with only its skeletal frame remaining.

“During the Seoul retreat operation, there was someone who stole it secretly from the President and fled here. He was a National Assembly member with whom the President used to have candid conversations at the time.”

“What? Wait. That toad, surely not.”

“As expected, Deokbae-haksaeng, your deduction skills are excellent. That’s right. A fragment of God that can create monsters and ability users. The National Assembly member who stole it out of greed and fled became a monster due to the cube’s influence. I told you, repeatedly. We have to go to Yeouido.”

Phoenix raised the fist he had taken from his inner pocket in front of him.

“Alright. So, the National Assembly Building, where the problematic cube was supposed to be dormant, burned down. What do you think the only person who knew it was dormant in the National Assembly Building will try to do now?”

“…I heard the former President committed suicide at his New Seoul residence, unable to bear the pangs of conscience.”

Phoenix opened his fisted hand.

“It’s truly fortunate that the President isn’t an ability user. Otherwise, they would have come looking for this a long time ago.”

In Phoenix’s hand, as he grinned impishly, was a cube with a grotesque pattern drawn on it.