Chapter 37

〈Chapter 37〉 Part 1 Chapter 3 (6)

<7:00 PM, Blue Wind Sect Guro Hideout>

No one knows yet how to awaken special abilities.

The academic world has proposed numerous hypotheses but none have presented convincing evidence, and all experiments attempting to awaken special abilities have failed.

So when Cheon Gaeul heard Deokbae’s explanation, she could only look at him with skeptical eyes.

“Is that it?”

“Yeah. That’s all I know.”

Deokbae explained to Gaeul what he had learned from Phoenix about the ‘attributes of magic power.’

“Seriously, I can’t grasp a single thing. Attributes of magic power? I can’t even sense magic power in the first place, so how am I supposed to extract its attributes?”

Gaeul pulled her hair while rolling around on the couch. Deokbae felt sorry for her.

“Just wait a few more days and then go down to New Seoul quietly.”

“No way!”

Gaeul shouted as she stood up from the couch.

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

“…Halfway?”

Deokbae had been the witness to the bet between Phoenix and Gaeul.

“How did you awaken your special ability, Mr. Jo Deokbae? Weren’t you already a special ability user?”

Gaeul asked while gulping down water. Deokbae, who was lying on the opposite couch touching fragments of rock that had fallen off his skin, sat up straight.

“I used to work in an organized crime group and got into a fight with a neighboring gang. I almost died after getting hit with a metal pipe, but then a monster attacked Yeongjong Island. While running away, I miraculously awakened my special ability.”

“…I won’t ask about your past. But didn’t you feel anything special? Like energy flowing inside your body or something.”

“Nothing like that. How about you?”

“H-HIIIEEEK?!”

Ji Hwa, who had been sitting on the stool with knees together, jumped when Deokbae’s gaze fell on him. Ever since Deokbae confessed to being a former gangster turned rock monster, Ji Hwa had been acting submissive.

“You were a special ability user before becoming this big rock guy, right? Aren’t you in a special category?”

“…? Wasn’t that Deokbae-ssi’s special ability?”

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

“This isn’t my original special ability. The rocky skin is a power I gained after becoming a monster.”

Phoenix told him that his original special ability had mutated after mixing with the monster core.

Of course, the explanation took a full thirty minutes without pause, but Deokbae summarized it briefly.

“Eh…so am I also a monster?”

Ji Hwa pointed at his own eyes.

When talking to his subordinates, he claimed this change was due to his special ability evolving further, but it was impossible to ignore how everyone flinched whenever they looked at him.

“So what exactly is a monster anyway?”

“…It’s when you implant a monster core into a dead person to revive them. Kind of like zombies.”

“…HIIIEEEK.”

Ji Hwa’s eyes trembled. According to Deokbae’s explanation, he had already died once and had a monster core implanted in his heart.

“But isn’t that more like bringing the dead back to life rather than a zombie? Zombies lack reason, right? But both Deokbae-ssi and Ji Hwa-ssi seem to act reasonably.”

“Y-Yes! I mean, hearing that I died…it’s hard to really grasp, you know. I just woke up and thought ‘Oh, my special ability got stronger.'”

Suddenly, Deokbae let out a fierce laugh.

“Hey, Ji Hwa.”

“Y-Yes?!”

Ji Hwa swallowed nervously as he tensed up. Though the chairman said Ji Hwa had reached B-Rank level, for some reason he still felt intimidated by Deokbae, who was supposedly only C-Rank.

“Have you ever killed anyone?”

“Deokbae-ssi?!”

Gaeul glared angrily at Deokbae.

“Asking someone outright if they’ve ever killed anyone…”

“…Are you asking about before I became a monster or after?”

The demonic energy in Ji Hwa’s eyes darkened. Though Ji Hwa acted submissive, he had the highest amount of magic power among the three people currently in this office.

“…”

Gaeul closed her mouth at Ji Hwa’s words. Ji Hwa was also a villain. According to Phoenix, he had kept future Cheon Gaeul as a sex slave for several years.

Deokbae stroked his chin while asking,

“I’ve never killed anyone before I became like this, so I can’t compare. Do you become completely emotionless and indifferent after killing someone?”

“No way.”

Ji Hwa shook his head violently.

“…The first person I killed was my supervisor. He always made me fetch his coffee and nitpicked constantly. One time, I was so tired from working overtime that I told him I couldn’t do it anymore, and he kicked my joints with his heels.”

Ji Hwa crossed his arms.

“But that day, a monster attacked our office building. There was no alarm. We had turned off all the lights and put down the blinds, so they probably thought everyone had gone home.”

“Ah. That’s the Guro Incident…”

Ji Hwa nodded. Deokbae had already heard about this event.

“About four years ago, right? A monster came into a building at night and went up to the fifth floor where there was no one.”

“From the sixth floor onward, there were people. Everyone pretended to have gone home but was actually hiding in their offices.”

Ji Hwa took a sip from his cup to wet his throat.

“Anyway, when the monster attacked our floor, everyone panicked. My supervisor tried to chase me out while hiding in the break room. We struggled. The monster was right there. I don’t know where I got the strength from.”

“…Was that the awakening of your special ability?”

Gaeul asked with a disturbed expression. Ji Hwa shook his head.

“No. The awakening came later. The monster attack and locking the break room door went fine, but we had no way to check the outside situation. My smartphone was in the office, and my watch was broken. I managed to survive for a few days using the items in the break room.”

Ji Hwa pointed at his eyes as he continued.

“When I regained consciousness after fainting, I found I could do this. At first, I could only see outside the door, then gradually the floors above and below, and eventually the entire Guro district. However, when I finally got out, the monster was gone, and four years had passed.”

“Does that even make sense? A person surviving without nutrition for nearly four years while unconscious?”

“With magic power, everything is possible.”

Phoenix added an explanation with a warm aura. Ji Hwa quickly stood up and bowed deeply.

“Madam!”

“That’s enough. After hearing your story, I decided doing that makes me like your old supervisor. Feel free to relax.”

“No! This is what feels most comfortable for me!”

“You might stab someone in the back like you did to your supervisor later… Ah, just kidding. So stop trembling so much.”

Ji Hwa shook with cold sweat out of fear. Phoenix placed the coffee she had been holding onto the table.

“Let’s drink while we talk.”

“…Where did you get these?”

“Incheon. The Starbucks in front of the bus terminal.”

“…?”

Deokbae pulled up a mental map. From Guro to Incheon.

“Didn’t you meet me here thirty minutes ago and tell me to gather here?”

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

There were four different drinks in cardboard boxes. Deokbae calculated the order time and decided to clear his mind as he picked up his Americano.

“Hurry up and grab one each. Let us know if you want anything else.”

Phoenix picked up a strawberry yogurt smoothie.

“…”

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

“Thank you.”

Gaeul grabbed the strawberry yogurt. Ji Hwa hesitated standing there until his eyes met Phoenix’s.

“Please choose first.”

Ji Hwa grabbed an iced tea and sat on the stool.

“…”

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

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

“Now, in this kind of atmosphere?”

Phoenix nodded.

“Gangnam S Hospital. It’s the location where villains will hold a ‘summit’ tonight at midnight. Thanks to Ji Hwa’s hard work, we were able to find the place in time.”

“Ah, hahaha. It wasn’t much.”

Ji Hwa still had heavy dark circles under his eyes.

“But midnight? I didn’t hear anything.”

Gaeul’s question made Deokbae nod as well.

“I was going to ask that too. How did you know about the midnight thing?”

Phoenix clapped her hands.

“Well, you see, villains always meet at night, right? This is a universal rule wherever you go. We gathered after sunset too, didn’t we? The Villain Union is the same. Villains in Seoul decide the date and location of meetings through the black market. The pattern of the Villain Union is—”

“Can you just get to the point?”

Gaeul cut her off by placing her yogurt on the table. Phoenix spun her hand like a windmill before freezing it in place.

“…According to the investigation, they will meet tonight at midnight at Gangnam S University.”

“Good. So we’re going to raid them, right?”

Deokbae tilted his head and asked. Ji Hwa waved his hands again, terrified.

“No, it’s hosted by <Sky Castle>! A villain almost at S-Rank, like a monstrous creature!”

On the screen floating above the table, there was a man in a fedora getting out of a car in the parking lot of S University Hospital. Phoenix calmed Ji Hwa with her drink.

“Ji Hwa-ssi, there’s no such thing as quasi-S-Rank in the world. They are just special ability users whose powers have stagnated artificially trying to differentiate themselves. No matter what level it is, to move to the next rank requires an awakening…”

Phoenix glanced at Gaeul. Surprisingly, Gaeul nodded encouragingly.

“You’re not blocking me this time?”

“Maybe I’ll catch a hint about awakening special abilities.”

“……Then I won’t explain.”

“What? There’s no such thing?!”

Phoenix shrugged and continued.

“If you’re going to say something like that exists here, just shut up. It makes the listener irritated.”

“…I’ll explain after the strategy meeting ends. Is that okay?”

Phoenix gritted her teeth and bowed her head. Gaeul smiled slightly at Deokbae, who awkwardly turned his head away.

“What? Why? What.”

“Ah, nothing.”

Ji Hwa fixed his gaze on the iced tea. Phoenix cleared her throat and guided the conversation again.

“The so-called summit where villains gather doesn’t amount to much. Hey, two S-Rank heroes are coming to Seoul. The government is sending a large number of heroes to Seoul this time. Are they planning to exterminate all the monsters? Will we be swept away or arrested too? They gather out of such worries.”

“They don’t want to run away, but they’ll meet first and see.”

“That’s right, Gaeul-ssi. Currently, the Villain Union lacks any particular center of gravity. It’s just a grandiose name; in reality, they’re just refugees settled in various regions of Seoul. Ah, this doesn’t apply to Ji Hwa-ssi’s organization.”

“It’s fine.”

Ji Hwa smiled bitterly. The monster right in front of him had instantly transformed hundreds of refugees in Guro into a vigilante group.

“By now, the riffraff have already fled Seoul. Those currently joining the Villain Union are the larger factions among them and those who can’t leave Seoul.”

“…Can’t abandon ten Gangnam apartments and move to New Seoul. Without cash either.”

“Yes. Since facilities in areas south of the Han River haven’t been destroyed by monsters yet, they can recover the value of their real estate once repairs are made.”

“But…”

Gaeul raised her hand.

“If it’s just about waiting for Seoul’s real estate issues to be resolved, shouldn’t they just wait? The government will compensate, right?”

“That’s…”

“Would the ones who stayed in Seoul be in their right minds like you? At minimum, someone like this must have drowned another person.”

“…Seoul has already become a lawless land. Even if it returns to the government’s fold, it won’t go back to the good old days. The penthouse in Gangnam where I’m illegally staying now, once Seoul is restored, the original owner will return. I’ll end up homeless again. That’s how it is.”

As Deokbae and Ji Hwa explained, Phoenix leaned back in her chair.

“…The residents of Seoul have already been largely disconnected from modern civilization. Their way of thinking has changed as they’ve become accustomed to crime. Just look at Deokbae-ssi and Ji Hwa-ssi here, for instance.”

Phoenix alternately pointed at the two.

“One was barely surviving in the crumbling city, while the other was practically living as a refugee. Despite the short distance between Incheon and Seoul, which can be traveled within an hour.”

“…Why has the government left Seoul in such a state until now?”

Gaeul asked in exasperation.

“Phoenix-ssi said the president is trying to restore Seoul. Isn’t it because Seung-hyeong… Hero Lee Seung-hyeong achieved S-Rank awakening, so now they have the power?”

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

“For national strengthening.”

When Phoenix spoke sarcastically, the others were puzzled. She crossed her legs and continued.

“They had the power to restore Seoul but saw no need to do so. President Sun Icheol’s base is entirely in New Seoul, and Seoul is merely a burden.”

Phoenix tapped her smartwatch, projecting a map onto the table.

“A buffer zone between humans and monsters. Monsters periodically descending from Pyongyang have become prey for the S-Rank stationed at Seoul City Hall.”

With a snap of Phoenix’s fingers, several flames appeared in mid-air, forming distinct shapes.

“To the monsters descending from Pyongyang, it’s a place with new prey.

For the monsters settled in Seoul, it’s a place where monsters come from above and humans from below, swarming as prey.

For hunters, it’s a prime hunting ground where they can mine monster cores.

For villains, it’s a lawless land where they can indulge their desires freely.

With all bridges destroyed and an S-Rank monster as a massive threat stationed in northern Seoul, a very peculiar balance emerged along the river. Sun Icheol exploited this all the way. New Seoul was safe, after all.”

“…Then why try to restore Seoul now? Is it just to show off having one more S-Rank? Because it’s his nephew?”

“No way. Absolutely not.”

Phoenix reached into her inner pocket.

“Did you mention the purpose of our Blue Wind Sect before, Deokbae-ssi? Back at the Incheon café.”

“…That toy cube we need to gather for the peace of the world?”

Phoenix grinned.

“When you reach the level of a nation’s leader, there are certain things you inevitably learn. Sun Icheol already knew about the existence and value of that cube back then. But…”

Phoenix zoomed in on the map. At the edge of Yeouido, where the National Assembly building was reduced to a charred skeletal frame after being consumed by fire, a satellite image appeared in real-time.

“During the Seoul retreat operation, someone stole this from the president and fled here. That honest and straightforward congressman who was having a heartfelt conversation with the president at the time.”

“What? Wait. Could that toad…”

“Indeed, Deokbae student, your reasoning skills are sharp. The shard of divinity that can create both monsters and special ability users. The congressman who stole it out of greed turned into a monster due to the influence of the cube. I’ve been saying repeatedly that we need to go to Yeouido.”

Phoenix raised her clenched fist from her inner pocket.

“Now, the National Assembly building caught fire with the cube sleeping inside. If the only person who knew the cube was sleeping in the National Assembly building, what would they try to do now?”

“…I heard the former president committed suicide at his New Seoul residence, unable to bear the guilt.”

Phoenix opened her clenched hand.

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

In Phoenix’s hand, laughing like a delinquent, was a cube marked with strange patterns.