Chapter 75

The Association wasn’t located solely in the capital region; it had branches in each province. Among them, the Busan branch was the second most influential location after Seoul.

This wasn’t due to Busan being called the second capital because of its large population, nor was it because Japanese ability users were more likely to visit, thus necessitating the deployment of many Association ability users.

It was because of the historical Busan revolution recorded in Korea’s history. The government heavily invested in the Busan Association to prevent such an upheaval from happening again.

Even though the revolutionary of Busan had died, investing too many resources into preventing another revolution could cause regional conflicts. However, certain supernatural abilities transfer to others even after the original wielder dies. Thus, the country intended to either thoroughly eliminate or co-opt anyone who inherited the revolutionary’s true power.

In a way, it was more difficult to create trouble in Busan than in the capital, due to the Busan branch’s concentrated force.

“Is this the Busan branch?”

A woman wearing a sunhat tilted her head back to look up at the towering building that stretched beyond 20 stories. She muttered under her breath. Typically, people who visited the supernatural ability user “management” association fell into one of two categories:

They were either employees working there or visitors coming with business. There were hostile visitors, as well as those who came seeking help. However, this woman had come for a “varied” set of reasons.

Without even folding her sunhat, she walked into the building. Despite the vast interior being much larger than it appeared from the outside, the woman didn’t seem fazed. She headed directly toward the elevators, which were only accessible to staff.

“Excuse me…? Oh, never mind. You may proceed!”

The receptionist attempted to stop her due to her bold actions but upon seeing the woman’s face, quickly reconsidered. The guards who had been about to intervene were instead told not to.

The Association had one renowned individual.

A monster who swiftly quelled the revolution initiated by Busan’s revolutionary. Later, this monster eliminated all incidents before they could escalate into a rebellion among supernatural ability users, stabilizing society.

The receptionist judged that the person who had just entered was this very famous individual and therefore halted the guards. The identity of this famous individual was unknown; it was precisely because no one knew who it was that the guards were stopped. It was common knowledge that without permission, the famous person’s face could not be seen.

Even if it were an attacker with the power to obscure their face, confidence remained that the staff within this branch were more than capable of subduing them.

When the receptionist noticed the identity pass of the Association, which could activate the elevator and move freely across any branch regardless of its origin, her hand instinctively moved to the alert switch.

However, this woman, who paid no mind to the receptionist’s actions, proceeded as the elevator arrived at the fourth floor. Still wearing her sunhat, she entered the branch manager’s office, the only room on that floor.

Inside, someone sat in a chair facing away. Turning at the sound of the door opening, this person surprisingly had the appearance of a girl.

Because it was Busan, the girl wearing a captain’s hat immediately crossed her arms and spoke with an air of authority upon seeing the woman.

“Who would’ve thought the most famous person from the Association would come to this place of exile. Tell me, was there another uprising here you needed to deal with? We have our fair share of troublemakers flaunting their overpowered abilities… Anyway, I’ll let you handle it yourself.”

“Do you know about the recent incidents where people have been attacked at night and gone missing?”

“What do you take me for? Of course I know! And also, I know these incidents are unrelated to us… But, just in case, did any of those culprits happen to cross over here?”

“I didn’t come here out of certainty. However, the last message left by the immortal pointed toward here, so I decided to stop by while I’m at it.”

You heard the voice of the dead?

Or did they leave a dying message?

The d*ath of an immortal was preposterous news, yet only someone of immense strength could justify the Association’s strongest moving to Busan.

The girl in the captain’s hat solemnly nodded. The most powerful weapon of the Association and the nation at large—this person moved only when such power caused disturbances.

“Then the main reason for your visit is even grander! Indeed, is this why you are here!”

After contemplating for a moment, the girl in the captain’s hat brightly smiled and clapped as if she had come to a realization.

“That’s right. My younger sister came here to visit, and I would appreciate it if you could directly oversee her safety.”

“…What did you say?”

Though she was smiling, the girl in the captain’s hat froze.

While wearing the captain’s hat might give the impression that the girl was merely cosplaying, in reality, her age was far from young.

The same way the well-known figure in the Association couldn’t be estimated in age by mere appearances.

This was due to the nature of the erosive type ability, which allowed humans to live beyond the normal lifespan by gradually consuming their physical body.

Although the supernatural ability had only been revealed in this world for a few decades and was rarely experienced by the general populace, there were those whose growth halted the moment they obtained it or when it reached a certain level of growth. Information confirmed that those with erosive-type supernatural abilities could live much longer than the average human lifespan.

“Do you think it makes sense that the reason you traveled here is merely to ask us to protect your younger sister, even surpassing the importance of capturing a mass murderer?”

“Protection…? Huh huh huh.”

The woman wearing a sunhat inside laughed after repeatedly saying one word. Her face, which seemed distorted to the girl in the captain’s hat, briefly returned to normal before distorting again.

“Your protection isn’t necessary. No matter what this side intends or what happens in this Busan, no one needs to step in; she won’t d*e.”

“Then there was no need to request our branch for protection, was there?”

This younger sister’s protection seemed to require the strength of a place often regarded as a land of exile for those who fall out of favor with the Association.

But this younger sister doesn’t d*e in any scenario?

The experienced branch manager of Busan couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at this incomprehensible statement within the constraints of her own understanding.

“If you’ve killed an immortal, it implies that you’re a user with the ability to weaken abilities or one who can nullify them entirely. Aren’t you underestimating the other side too much?”

True, the puzzled expression didn’t end there; it was voiced aloud in words.

The Busan Branch Manager had met many ability users. She knew how incredibly rare it was to find an ability user who could weaken others’ powers—a person like that might be hard to find even in an entire country.

It might be that other nations were hiding information about such power-weakening or nullification ability users, or perhaps they were being concealed by this country too, just in case.

Concealment meant they were valuable. Being valuable also meant they were that powerful. Thus, the girl with the captain’s hat wondered: how strong was this younger sister to withstand the weakening ability user?

—Surely, they wouldn’t have been handed a g*n just to respond to situations so trivial.

“My younger sister doesn’t d*e. However, she might face some tough situations, and I simply wanted to prepare for such possibilities.”

“If we know she’s your younger sister, wouldn’t she also be in danger of being taken hostage? Why did you make that judgment? I was unaware until you mentioned it.”

If one requests protection, it naturally becomes known to those ability users sent to provide it. Without specifying whom they’re protecting, they can’t be sent.

The girl with the captain’s hat thought she had raised a reasonable question and had extended goodwill by verbalizing it. However, subsequent dialogue quickly revealed her misunderstanding.

“That’s a problem for my younger sister to handle.”

“Hmm?”

“If my younger sister requests protection, you can provide it. If I ask for help from others, they might also offer it. However, any consequences that arise must be entirely borne by her. That responsibility isn’t mine.”

The head of the Busan branch could not understand her reasoning, even after hearing the explanations aimed at clarification. Was this a thought process someone would have if following their younger sister’s request?

Though erosive-type supernatural abilities turn people into something non-human in various ways, was it really so severe as to be completely cold toward family?

“And if she encounters a threat that she can’t handle by herself, she can call me. When that time comes, helping her and clearing our debts will allow us to finally become a real family.”

The subsequent words only deepened the confusion and bewilderment of the Busan branch manager. This implied that until now, they weren’t a real family.

“And in simpler terms, I will tell you her location and if you wish to hold her as a hostage afterward, that’s fine. There will be compensation in return.”

“…There will be no retaliation later, right?”

“Surely not. I don’t lie about matters concerning her, at least not now.”

The woman removed her sunhat while leaving that remark behind.

Then, as if she’d never been there from the beginning, she vanished from the office.

“What’s the matter?”

BANG!

The branch manager sighed as she saw the Association ability users the receptionist had called bursting into the room. It felt like she’d been caught in a bad dream.

But if she dismissed this event as a mere dream, she knew that the next time the Association’s strongest person visited Busan, it wouldn’t be for a similar request but something entirely different.

“There’s a task for you, kids.”

The Busan branch manager had no choice but to inform them that there was finally something to do after a long while.