14 — Chapter 14

“You’re SenaChok… no, the Butcher of Bishkek?”

“I didn’t even realize it until Hayan pointed it out. You’re the one who survived after seeing my back?”

“Wait, I’m the Spear of Thunderclouds! I’m still your direct senior, you know—”

“Is that all you’ve got left to say?”

Training Ground 3, managed by the Ability Management Bureau’s Division 3, where the Frontline Breakthrough Unit carried out drills.

Kang Ha-neul, a second-year Special Unit member, was facing down Alexei Mikhail Gorgochov—the Butcher of Bishkek—at the risk of having his bones and flesh torn apart.

Meanwhile, the real culprit who had gotten bored last night and doodled tentacles across Alexei’s back like a canvas was currently on their way to—

A Gate overconcentration zone. One of Seoul’s outer districts, classified as a danger zone.

---

Strictly speaking, the existence of the Outer Gods had been proven at almost the same time the Gates first appeared.

Four of them, in fact.

But worshipping them as gods—that was another matter.

The Bureau’s official stance was: “The powers of the Awakened are clearly related to the emergence of the Outer Gods, but the magnitude of that power does not necessarily connect to faith.”

Still, after beings close to transcendent showed themselves alongside demons, it was only natural that sects worshipping the Outer Gods sprang up.

Believers who served the Outer Gods as deities. And the place where such people gathered: a Prayer House.

Even the guild in charge of managing the site carried a strong religious tone in its name.

The mission briefing was simple: a sect devoted to the Outer God of Revelation had cut off contact. Go and check what happened. A difficulty level that seemed reasonable enough.

That was the mission I chose as I arrived in the Gate overconcentration zone.

To be honest, it wasn’t because the mission looked reasonable. I just wanted to come back here again.

The place commonly known as “Ground Zero”—my hometown.

A lawless zone where Gates erupted sporadically, drawing in Awakened chasing jackpots.

Most who lived here were either destitute or criminals.

The orphanage I grew up in used to stand around here, too.

Back then, I’d carry an iron crowbar together with the other orphans and mug passersby for their valuables. A bittersweet memory that still lingered in my chest.

With the Gate radius expanding far wider than fifteen years ago, the orphanage seemed to have vanished completely.

I sat at a quiet café just outside the walled district, sipping coffee while checking my smartwatch.

As a zero-years experience rookie who couldn’t take on missions alone, having a partner was everything.

The Blue Tower’s state-of-the-art constellation system would automatically assign me the most compatible partner among the Special Unit members who picked the same mission.

Or so it should have…

What, were they dragging someone over from an old Atlantic slave ship?

If this were a game, people would be raging about how the queue never popped—calling it a trash game on life support.

Fifteen years, and the system was still just as inefficient.

Well, what else could you expect from a government program outsourced to the lowest bidder?

“Of all things, they just had to send Alexei away, so now I’ve got no one to team up with. What am I supposed to do?”

『Fear not.』

“No, let’s be honest—if I went a whole month without making a single teammate outside of the one friend I forced into existence with the Tentacle of Suggestion, then the bigger fault lies with you, Mala-nim, not me.”

『F-fear not…!』

“You disagree? They say parents are a mirror to their children. I was a blank sheet of paper, and since I had only you to serve, how was I supposed to develop social skills?”

—Crack, creak.

Teasing my Outer God, I wandered through the old neighborhood that had been my home.

The wall had been extended further since then, but on the surface, things seemed relatively under control.

Drunkards, beggars, and thugs picking fights with whoever looked easy enough were still around—but overall, it was almost ordinary.

The two entrances in the barrier surrounding Ground Zero were the same as ever.

On one side, day laborers lined up. On the other, Awakened dispatched from guilds gathered, preparing to tackle Gates.

Back in the day, I’d been so jealous of that side—the one that didn’t have to wait in line.

Of course, now I was a full-fledged Special Unit member. As long as I had a mission, I could walk right in without issue.

As long as I had a mission…

God, this was infuriating.

I was just about to cancel outright when a commotion rose from behind me.

A group of burly men had surrounded a single woman.

The emblem stitched onto their shoulders was instantly recognizable to any Korean.

The guild Wings of the Blue Sky.

“Yeon-hwa, come back to the guild already.”

“Staying over there won’t get you any info about the former Guild Master.”

“The Special Unit’s nothing special except for the commanders. That Gate they cleared last time? We threw it away first.”

“You’ve seen the guys you worked with—do you really think they’re that strong?”

In front of more than a dozen Awakened, the hooded, masked woman stood silently with her hands stuffed in her pockets.

Having lived here all my life, I couldn’t help but feel anger boil up at the sight.

Even in a place like this, there were unspoken rules.

Ground Zero might have been infamous for poor security, but members of big guilds didn’t stoop to robbing people or driving them out of hunting grounds with threats.

Pick the wrong target, and you’d end up sparking a guild feud.

Above all, a giant guild pulling stunts like that was a direct threat to the livelihoods of Ground Zero’s struggling residents.

I set my coffee down and rose from my seat.

“Disgraceful. Has order really fallen apart this badly while I was gone?”

『Fear not.』

“When they gang up and extort people like that, the rest can’t even make their day’s wages.”

『Fear…?』

“Sure, seasoned locals like me can always shake down the same victim twice. But the younger pickpockets and muggers will starve… This won’t do.”

『???』

Squaring my shoulders, I strode toward them.

Unlike the me of the past, I was now wearing the badge of the Special Unit.

“Excuse me. I’m here because a complaint was filed.”

“You Bureau staff?”

“I’m Sae Hayan, Division 3, Special Unit. Are you harassing an innocent citizen right now?”

“You’re mistaken. We were only trying to persuade her to come back to the guild.”

“Wait—did you say Special Unit?”

The moment they realized I was Special Unit, their eyes turned sharp.

For some reason, they shifted their target from her to me, closing in step by step. Instinctively, I took one step back.

Hold on—wasn’t I the one backed by state authority here?

I was flustered, but I had prepared for a situation like this.

I quickly raised my wrist, showing them the black snake doodle I’d drawn with a marker back at the inn.

“You’ll regret laying a hand on me! You know this symbol, don’t you? I’m from the Black Serpents—used to rule Ground Zero, and I’m one of the Shedded!”

“What the hell is he talking about?”

“Hey, bring him over here.”

“Sorry, sir. Please, just let this slide once.”

I immediately tucked my tail between my legs.

Fifteen years ago, the Black Serpents had been a decent outfit. Had they gone under?

Come to think of it, considering their boss’s piss-poor judgment, it was a miracle they’d lasted as long as they did.

I remembered the snake-eyed Awakened who’d once approached me while I was mining mana stones, telling me to join up. I quickly shoved that memory aside and bowed my head.

“All I’ve got are ten kilos of pre-boiled octopus I cooked this morning and fifteen boxes of nearly expired combat rations. If you let me off this once, I swear I’ll never set foot here again—”

“What’s all this crap?”

“A subspace storage? Wait, this guy’s a mage?”

An avalanche of food spilled from the inside of my robe.

I kept pulling out all the precious things I’d stashed away like a squirrel in winter: empty toothpaste tubes, bottles I used to store tentacle lotion, even a strand of Alexei’s hair and one of Yoo Se-byeol’s used socks.

The Wings of the Blue Sky members stared blankly, exchanging confused looks.

Not enough, huh?

Out of options, I reached for the secret stash I’d saved for a “review event”—the all-powerful Tentacle Cheese Balls.

But before I could pull them out, the hooded, masked woman beside us stepped forward with an exasperated look.

“Ugh… enough. Hey, quit following me and get lost.”

“Urk!”

“Wait, Yeon-hwa!”

Like puppets with their strings cut, the guild thugs bolted the instant her words left her mouth.

Wait, they knew each other?

I’d thought she was just getting shaken down.

Either way, I shoved everything back into my robe and approached her.

“Hello. I saw what was happening and thought you looked troubled, so I stepped in.”

“……”

“Not saying anything, huh? A little thanks would—”

“……”

“Right. Well, I noticed you kept your hands in your pockets this whole time. Something important in there?”

And as habit kicked in, I nearly told her to empty her pockets right then.

But before I could, a notification pinged from my smartwatch.

“…Even an idiot like this made it into the Special Unit? God, did I join the wrong place?”

The sound came from her pocket.

When I finally checked her profile, cold sweat broke out on my back.

Division 1—the most elite unit in the Special Unit. And she was already Middle Level.

That was close.

If I’d tried to shake her down without realizing she was a coworker—no, worse, if I’d reflexively used my tentacles to subdue the Wings of the Blue Sky members in front of her…

The thought alone was terrifying.

I steadied my pounding chest and extended my hand.

“So you’re Special Unit too. Name’s SenaChok. Division 3.”

A hoodie, a mask, and eyes sharp as a cat’s.

What struck me most was that she was also a zero-years experience rookie like me.

And yet—seventeen peer reviews. Which meant she had burned through an absurd number of missions in just a single month.

---

Peer Review Score: 4.7/5
★★★★★: Power and judgment on par with the entry tier of Upper Level. Deserving of her reputation as one of the Wings.
★★★★☆: The epithet “Word-Spirit” isn’t exaggerated at all. Just be careful—her ability can drag you in.
★★★★★: Hard to believe she’s a rookie this year. Heard she ranked first in every aptitude test except Division 3’s. If you party with her, just relax and enjoy the carry.
★★★★☆: Lacks stamina, but refuses all support. Difficult to work with. Also scores teammates way too harshly.
★★☆☆☆: Strong, but way too scary ㅠㅠ
★★★★☆: She gave me a 1, too… Sure, she carried, but she didn’t let anyone else do anything.

---

Some called her prideful, but overall her scores were high.

She didn’t acknowledge my greeting. Instead, as if she’d never spoken earlier, she turned her body and started walking toward the barrier.

First Alexei, now her. Was social ineptitude a trend among the younger Awakened?

I sighed internally. Just then, my smartwatch buzzed.

— No Yeon-hwa: Don’t follow me. You get lost too.

“So you really are my partner. But why are we chatting through the watch? You spoke just fine earlier.”

— No Yeon-hwa: None of your business. I don’t need to see your skills to know what they’re worth. Just sit tight and wait here until the mission completes.

She clearly had no intention of talking to me.

Same rookie year or not, there was only distance between us.

“That’s… No Yeon-hwa, the Word-Spirit, isn’t it?”

“One of the Wings of the Blue Sky. What’s she doing here?”

“Heard she joined the Special Unit. Don’t tell me she’s here on a mission?”

Apparently, she was famous.

I was the only one in all of Ground Zero who didn’t recognize her. Awakened nearby were already scattering the moment they realized who she was.

I’d bothered with a hood and robe to avoid being noticed—what a useless precaution.

But leaving things cold and distant wasn’t an option for me.

Her reviews showed she gave almost everyone a 1.

In a world where the “review event” meant you had to hand out 5 stars, her stinginess was something I could never tolerate.

『Fear not…』

Mala-nim muttered that she’d probably carry me anyway, so why not stay quiet?

But no way.

My heart thumped with anticipation. Today, I was going to make another person open up.

“It’s odd, though. Just the two of us got matched? I thought rookies weren’t paired together.”

“……”

“Did you pick this mission for a reason? I came because I’ve got ties to the area—figured I’d see how much it changed. Looks bigger than before. Oh, see that watchtower? I hauled bricks for that one.”

“……”

“By the way, did you apply for the review event? You left it blank, so normally it’d be random. But since you’re my first partner, I’ll let you choose. I can whip up Tentacle Cheese Balls on the spot, or I’ve got a Mala-nim photocard. Took it with my watch’s camera, so it’s a little shaky, but it came out cute. Want to see—”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“…Pardon?”

Unlike Alexei, who took me five hours to crack, No Yeon-hwa spoke within five minutes.

She glared at me through her purple bangs, slowly tugged down the mask covering her mouth, and hissed:

“You’re noisy. Shut your mouth.”

The instant the words left her lips, a heavy silence dropped over the area.