Chapter 115 - Morning Soap Opera

* * *

<Are you sure that's all right?>

Hyeonyul couldn't help asking again. He had been matching Sinu's pace.

<You've been matching my pace, haven't you? I'm not tired at all. I'll keep up as if I'm squeezing out the last of my strength, so go ahead.>

<Yes. Understood.>

Hyeonyul asked no further questions. Sinu had said he could do it; refusing would be impolite.

After a few quick breaths, Hyeonyul plunged straight into the wall. The darkness was a vast ocean. If he wished, he could race through it unhindered.

He set off, like a mermaid swimming freely underwater. Nothing could hold him back.

It took him less than fifteen seconds to survey the entire first floor. Even as everyone's position was marked, not one person noticed him. He headed straight for the second floor, as though swimming up a waterfall.

'... Wow. That's terrifying.'

Sinu marveled at the red dots multiplying without pause. How could anyone move that fast?

'Even running wouldn't be enough to keep up.'

Still impressed, Sinu stepped out of the storeroom. His eyes met those of the villains patrolling the corridor. For a moment, everyone froze.

SNAP.

With the snap of his fingers, his power swept out of the first floor and through the entire building, following the ever-increasing red dots on the map to the second floor, then the third.

It was so quiet that no one could tell what had happened. Yet the repercussions were considerable. Everyone wore a look of incomprehension: this was a place where powers couldn't be used.

"You'd better stop if you don't want to die."

Sinu walked on with his hands in his uniform pockets. He could kill every villain here if he chose. What stopped him, even now, was probably his lingering hesitation at the knowledge that they, too, were someone's family.

'... I'm so weak.'

Silently praying for the souls of those who had died, Sinu climbed to the second floor.

* * *

Around the fifth floor, Hyeonyul spotted a mass of villains, as though announcing that this was where the real target lay. They were clearly there to protect their leader.

He continued racing along and reporting their positions. Swimming like a fish through rooms, corridors, examination rooms, and countless other spaces, he abruptly stopped.

'...?'

It was a face he had seen many times. He slipped deeper into the wall for a closer look and held his breath. No matter how he looked at it, there was no mistaking that face.

To think he would find him here.

'You're still alive?'

Was this delight at seeing him again? He wanted to rush over and tear out that throat with his teeth.

The man could be called Shin Daeho's left-hand man. His name was Park Pyochan.

Considering that the Black Eagles would have gutted Shin Daeho's company using Hyeonyul's information, it explained why they had targeted Baek Taejin, the chairman of a major corporation. After Shin Daeho's death, Pyochan had clearly done whatever it took to escape the Black Eagles' pursuit.

For a ruined faction to survive, its only option was to absorb a powerful one.

That was practically suicide, but this bastard Park Pyochan seemed to have changed tactics: plunder a major corporation run by ordinary civilians. It might have looked like an easier target than a villain faction.

'Now I see why there were so many of them.'

Everything fell into place, one piece at a time: the abnormal numbers, and why a Black Eagle had died. Park Pyochan had brought every remaining member of his faction and packed them into this place. This was his final gamble.

But the Black Eagles hadn't known. Their defeat had stemmed from that gap in information.

"... You still haven't found him? Still? How does that make any sense?"

At Pyochan's agitated words, Hyeonyul tilted his head slightly.

'They still haven't found him? Why?'

With this many people searching, failing to find him made no sense. In other words, either Baek Taejin had a skilled bodyguard at his side, or he himself possessed some sort of power. That much was certain.

'Did he get outside? Or is he still in here?'

Taejin was a hostage too, so Hyeonyul was concerned.

"Well... we've searched all the hostages and the buildings inside, but there's... no sign of him."

"It's this ward. It's definitely this ward. Otherwise, why would I! Why would I be using my power?"

Anyone could hear the anxiety in Pyochan's voice. It was as though something were chasing him.

'Is he high on something?'

Hyeonyul wondered. The look in his eyes was certainly different from before.

"Have you already gotten drunk on victory just because those Eagle bastards backed off? Is that it?"

Unable to contain his temper, Pyochan approached his subordinate and seized him by the throat.

"What the hell do you know to be running your mouths? Do you know the Black Eagles...? Do you know how fucking insane those bastards are?"

"I-I'm sor... ghk."

"How? How could they know where we were? How did they find out? That shouldn't be possible! He... Lord Shin Daeho, a man like him couldn't possibly be discovered by mere Eagles! He couldn't possibly... be dead!"

Hyeonyul nearly laughed. To speak of Shin Daeho that way—that fucking degenerate who cared about nothing but booze.

Apparently Shin Daeho was the reason for that strange look in his eyes. Was this what they called a sense of loss?

Leaving an ear there, Hyeonyul moved on.

"Where the hell did that bastard go? Is he dead? Is that it? After everything he did for him, why did he suddenly disappear? He should've protected him, whatever it took, huh...?"

'Is he talking about me?'

Even as he marked positions, Hyeonyul couldn't help wondering. That was too much bullshit to simply ignore.

After marking positions all the way to the end of the building, Hyeonyul returned to Pyochan.

'There are no hostages here.'

Certain of that, he gripped his dagger and used a shadow to seize Pyochan's legs and pull him in. Leaving him submerged for the moment, Hyeonyul emerged.

He started by taking off the head of the enemy in front of him. Before the blood could reach the floor, he silently approached his next target and drove his blade through their throat.

As his gaze shifted, he sensed something approaching. Apparently Pyochan's power had been released.

CRACKLE.

Electricity-like light spread in every direction, enveloping the entire corridor in a powerful glare. It had the effect of a flashbang. It should have suddenly disrupted his vision and left him writhing in pain, but it didn't work on Hyeonyul.

He could see everything.

Hyeonyul rushed the caster, seized their head, and smashed it into the wall.

CRASH!

He dealt death to the throat of the villain embedded in the wall, then turned his head. The light was fading. Shadows stretched long. Villains were charging at him.

As Hyeonyul moved, a thick black line extended as though cutting through the light with scissors. When it reached the very edge of the light, the heads of everyone along that line fell.

Only then did he stop his dagger. Watching blood pool across the floor, he pulled Pyochan out of the darkness.

"... Aaaaargh!"

As Pyochan screamed, Hyeonyul drove a fist into his abdomen.

"Guuugh."

Pyochan sank to his knees and vomited up the contents of his stomach. Hyeonyul grabbed his hair.

"Being in there makes you feel as though you're going mad, doesn't it?"

"... Uuugh."

Like a newborn, Pyochan couldn't even form words.

"But I was very pleased to see you."

Hyeonyul lowered his head slightly and spoke in a near whisper.

"Shin Daeho. I'm the one who killed that bastard."

The instant he heard Shin Daeho's name, Pyochan shuddered. Trembling, he turned his head. You? That was precisely what his eyes seemed to ask.

"Yes. I did it."

"... H-how?"

"I'm a Black Eagle, aren't I?"

Hyeonyul kindly offered him a lie.

They had clearly been looking for him. Why? Had he been that useful? If so, surely they could have honored a single employment contract.

His worth hadn't amounted to that much. Having spent time here, he had come to understand his own value to some extent.

"Oh. You had someone fairly strong on your side. A fellow with scars on his face who used a strange power."

"... D-d-did you kill him?"

Pyochan stammered. Yet his expression was even more contorted than before.

'It does seem he's talking about me.'

Hyeonyul waited, wanting to be a little more certain.

"D-did you kill him? You...? Th-that, that..."

An expression that could only be described as loss spread over Pyochan's face.

"You killed... the treasure?"

'Treasure...?'

Hyeonyul tilted his head.

'Isn't he talking about me?'

That word was strange. Surely he couldn't be a treasure. Had his question been too broad?

"Who is this treasure?"

He had to ask.

"Urk."

When Pyochan retched, Hyeonyul lifted a foot and pressed down on the back of his head.

CRACK!

His face struck the floor, then was dragged into darkness, making him flail his arms. Hyeonyul grabbed his hair again and pulled.

"I'm the one who's disgusted."

He shoved that filthy face into the darkness. Filthy and disgusting.

"Answer me unless you want to be shoved in farther."

At Hyeonyul's threat, Pyochan shook his head from side to side before looking at him with unfocused eyes.

"O-on his arm... was there a number on his arm?"

'A number...?'

The unexpected words shook Hyeonyul for a moment. Impossible. He couldn't know about that. Hyeonyul had never shown it to anyone. He hadn't worn short sleeves even in summer.

'What's going on?'

Was it real? Had he really seen it? Or had those words come out by sheer coincidence?

"Was there? Was there a number...!"

Just as Hyeonyul drew back to avoid Pyochan's suddenly grasping hand, a sphere of power, round like a droplet, enveloped him.

Pyochan panted, his despair plain.

"... Tell me no! Say it wasn't him, damn you!"

He brought his palm down as though striking the top of his clenched fist. He seemed to pour all his power into it. The sphere around Hyeonyul was compressed from above and below, only for the pressure to suddenly release.

"You do the talking, you bastard!"

Along with that murderous voice, swords appeared in both of Pyochan's wrists.

"Aaaaargh!"

He screamed, unable to move. It felt as though his wrists would be severed if he did. He gasped for breath.

Hyeonyul swung his dagger, broke Pyochan's power, and stepped out. He acted so calmly that Pyochan stared at him in incomprehension.

He had definitely prevented him from using his power. He shouldn't have been able to use it.

"I could have gotten out. I simply wanted to let him feel despair."

Hyeonyul turned to Sinu.

"I know."

Sinu wasn't smiling.

SNAP.

He snapped his fingers. The instant the swords piercing Pyochan's wrists vanished, several more descended from above and impaled him. Unable to resist their force, Pyochan was driven face-first into the floor.

The pain was so overwhelming that he couldn't even scream. He could barely breathe. Thick blood soaked the floor.

"It's just that I'm angry."

Of course Sinu had believed Hyeonyul could get out. But the emotions seething inside him were another matter.

Sinu turned his head.

SNAP.

A sword appeared and shot sideways.

THUNK!

Whether they had come down from the floor above or not, every last one of them was pinned to the wall with arms and legs pierced. Swords pressed against all their throats, as though warning that any movement meant death.

"Today, I might actually kill them all."

One of Sinu's eyebrows rose slightly.

"I'll handle the killing."

"You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"

"No. I'm perfectly fine. They were even less impressive than I expected."

If their leader was this pathetic, what could one expect of his subordinates? Once his ability was exposed, all he had left was numbers.

"It's thanks to you, big brother Baek Sinu."

Hyeonyul acknowledged Sinu's strength. His power was in a different league from that of anyone in the villain company Hyeonyul had belonged to.

"Save the compliments for later. What were you going to ask him?"

"He's Shin Daeho's subordinate. His name is Park Pyochan. Apparently he intended to swallow up Baek Taejin's company to expand his own faction."

"So that's why there were so many of them?"

"Yes. This is probably Park Pyochan's entire faction. You've immobilized almost all of them, big brother Baek Sinu."

At Hyeonyul's continued praise, the corners of Sinu's mouth twitched despite his efforts to suppress them. How was he supposed to stay angry now?

"I only did the cleanup. You did this, Hyeonyul."

"...?"

Pyochan reacted sharply to the name.

'Hyeonyul...?'

Why did it feel so familiar? Surely not. It wasn't a common name.

Seeing his contorted expression, Hyeonyul silently approached Pyochan and rolled up his sleeve. He knelt on one knee and held out his arm so Pyochan could see it clearly.

REX―3333.

Both Pyochan and Sinu were startled by the sight, each for a different reason.

"How do you know about this?"

Hyeonyul asked calmly, then lowered his sleeve again.