Chapter 29

“Some fools only learn once they’re dead.”

No Yeon-hwa of Division 1—sharp-tongued, and sometimes downright toxic when she used her Word-Spirit.

She’d never once messaged me first, but on days like today, when our missions overlapped, we ended up running into each other on the field.

Inside a Rank-2 Gate that had swallowed an abandoned housing complex.

Like an apartment, it was full of empty rooms and carried a risk of collapse—one of those places regular guilds preferred to avoid.

It was a group mission for five, and the two of us had climbed all the way to the top floor to clear out the remaining monsters.

“What was that you just said? I couldn’t hear over the sound of the glass shattering…”

“I told you to go die.”

…What?

Just then, a Grim Orc hiding behind a bookshelf bolted for the window and hurled itself straight down to the ground.

Screams rang out from outside, but No Yeon-hwa calmly adjusted her mask.

Then she shot me a cold glare—because I hadn’t slipped on the blood pooled across the floor and followed the orc into a freefall.

“Nothing to say for yourself?”

“Your work was as swift and precise as a new landlord evicting squatters after winning an auction.”

“Did I ask for compliments? If something that important happened, you should’ve reported it to me immediately.”

“Huh? Oh, you mean about me gaining access to the research lab?”

After surviving that deadly date and earning the right to use the Red Tower’s sublevel facilities, my days had changed.

I no longer had to hole up in the dorms after work.

I still wasn’t sure why Cheon So-baek had given me access to her personal lab, but the equipment inside wasn’t something you’d find just anywhere.

So I’d been dropping by regularly once Special Unit activities wrapped up.

“Your status always says ‘Busy,’ and Peer Evaluations keep noting that you disappear right after missions. I thought I was just unlucky with the matching system, but it turns out that’s why.”

“Unlucky? Don’t tell me you were… sniping me to get on the same mission?”

The constellation-based matching system gave a slightly higher chance of being paired with someone if you applied for the same mission at the same time.

Rumors went around about people abusing this—sniping the queue—just to get teamed up with skilled or famous members of the Special Unit.

It let you clear missions with less effort, and if luck was on your side, you could even land in a squad with a Commander.

But me? I wasn’t the kind of guy others would bother sniping for.

And yet… No Yeon-hwa had sniped me?

Even after saying it herself, I had trouble believing it.

“If you wanted to team up, you could’ve just sent me a message. I’d have cleared my schedule.”

“Sh-shut it. Wipe off that blood. And get my canteen, open it, and feed me. I’m thirsty.”

Yep. She was pissed.

She felt more on edge than usual today. Maybe because it had been a while since we last met?

Mask pulled down, snapping at me in that oddly forced way, she used her Word-Spirit to demand “water.”

And my body moved on its own.

For a second, I considered resisting—but I had a bad feeling that would just make things worse.

Gulp, gulp—

After quenching her thirst with me as the unwilling middleman, No Yeon-hwa wiped her lips with her sleeve, looking satisfied.

“At least you didn’t go blabbing weird things.”

“Because if an outsider were seen entering the Deputy Tower Master’s private lab, rumors would spread like wildfire.”

“I wasn’t talking about that. I meant the date. Anyway, just keep being stupid. It suits you.”

“Stupid? I won’t stand by and take that insult!”

“Then how about you go on a date with me too?”

“…Would you like another sip of water?”

“…Idiot. Drink it yourself.”

I played the dutiful fool, keeping her appeased as we stepped out of the building.

Outside, some people were taking commemorative photos with the Grim Orc’s corpse.

When the shutter clicked, its burly arm twitched reflexively, and the Special Unit members quickly rushed to push the civilians back.

“Hey, rookie! Don’t just stand there—get over here and help!”

“Ah, y-yes!”

I rushed over to lend a hand, thinking as I did.

What a scene—something straight out of the end times, with a hint of dark comedy.

If they wanted photos with tentacles, I could summon some any time. But taking a “last shot” with a living monster? That kind of keepsake wouldn’t age well for about five hundred years.

So I left them to it and turned away.

“It’s No Yeon-hwa, the Word-Spirit user!”

“Would you mind giving us an interview?”

“Is it true the Commander-in-Chief’s health has declined recently?”

“Tch.”

Reporters who had been pestering other members immediately swung their cameras toward Yeon-hwa.

She turned her body sharply in the opposite direction, clearly wanting to avoid the hassle. Then she suddenly asked me:

“So, you’re heading to the Red Tower after this?”

“I’ve got research to do. Just reporting in, then I’ll cross over to Gangbuk.”

The possibilities in that Red Tower lab were endless.

Cheon So-baek herself was usually too busy to be there, which meant the space was mine—no, mine and Mala-nim’s alone.

The perfect stage for opening a new trial.

Right now, my focus was on loading Extreme Magic into the Magical Siege Turret.

Just imagining a turret equipped with Endless Outer Path for an unbreakable barrier, blasting Singularity to tear through Gates… it made my chest tighten with excitement.

If it worked, it would be as revolutionary as the first tank rolling onto the battlefield in World War I.

Of course, Mala-nim wasn’t optimistic.

Extreme Magic, born from my personal realization, was fundamentally different from conventional spells. By its very nature, it would be difficult—if not impossible—for anyone but me to use.

But evolution always started with the smallest steps.

I’d begun by redesigning the turret’s exterior to resemble tentacles, refining the aesthetics piece by piece.

“Want to come over? Alexei and I are having a snack party today.”

“No thanks, idiot. And seriously—what kind of grown men have a ‘snack party’…?”

I grabbed her arm and pressed on, unwilling to give up.

I’d earned an A in Yeon-hwa Psychology—a class where everyone else failed. So I knew better than anyone that her cranky rejections were just part of the act.

“Come on, just close your eyes and join us. If you come now, you’ll be one of the founding members of our hideout. Huge benefits await!”

“Keep your membership perks. I wouldn’t take them even if you begged.”

“You could even sign one of my projects! It’s the prototype I’ve been working on—an amphibious version of the siege turret, with legs added…”

“Not happening. Even if I wanted to, I can’t. I’m leaving Seoul soon, so give this to Commander Ha Yeri instead!”

…She was serious?

A hastily scribbled mission report smacked into my chest.

“Where are you going?”

“Mission.”

“But we just finished one.”

“Not that. This came straight from Division 1.”

Division 1? Direct orders? A classified mission?

Just hearing those words made my heart race.

The Archduke Extermination Unit, Yeon-hwa’s division, often handled secret assignments alongside the Counterintelligence Unit.

Since I’d joined the Special Unit, I’d wanted more than just the same routine jobs as everyone else. Something clandestine.

It might even involve an Archduke.

Definitely not because it sounded exciting.

“Can I come with you?”

“Of course not.”

“Then at least tell me where. I’ll follow you in secret.”

“No way. The destination and the details are both classified. And if you think the chain of command in the Special Unit is sloppy enough that even a rookie like me would know everything, you’re dreaming.”

So in the end, she didn’t even know the details of her own mission. Just a grunt without any real role.

I gave her a disappointed look, and No Yeon-hwa, clearly stung in her pride, snapped back.

“If Division 1 is this restless right now, there’s only one possible reason! You, wandering in and out of the Magic Tower without a clue, are the weird one here!”

“And what reason is that?”

“Ugh, you seriously don’t know?”

That day, the Han River banks looked unusually quiet.

“The sea level on the west coast is rising,” she said, watching the dwindling number of souls drifting peacefully through the water.

“You want a classified mission?”

In Division 2’s office, after handing in my report.

The moment Ha Yeri heard my request, she set down her teacup and dabbed her lips with a neatly folded napkin.

Her expression said it all: utterly ridiculous.

But I wasn’t backing down.

“I want to do more than just stop civilians from snapping photos with monsters. I’d like something with actual meaning.”

“Classified operations are handled exclusively by Divisions 1 and 2. That’s how we maintain secrecy.”

“Don’t you sometimes pull in other members if needed? Like during the reinforcement training?”

“Cheon So-baek really taught you nonsense. Training and actual missions are not the same. And regardless, there are no missions at present that someone like you could be assigned.”

In other words: hand in the report and go back to my dorm.

Yeah, no thanks.

I raised the papers high, out of her reach.

“Not until you give me a classified mission.”

“What are you doing, acting like this in front of someone who isn’t even your direct superior? Do you want me to kick you?”

“Even if you do, I won’t hand it over—argh!”

The contest between her specially reinforced boots—designed to add eleven centimeters to her height—and my shin bone ended in one sharp crack.

But even hopping around on one leg, I achieved my goal.

Because a single slip of paper fell from between the sheets of my report.

Ha Yeri’s eyes narrowed when she saw it: the “Wish Coupon” she herself had given me.

“This is…”

“You said when I joined that you’d grant me any wish, didn’t you?”

“Sigh. You really want a classified mission that badly?”

“Yes!”

“Then listen carefully. Don’t expect anything glamorous. Unlike other tasks, a single mistake here could be fatal. Success is the only option.”

“Of course!”

As long as I was entrusted with it, I would deliver. I’d never once failed a mission, after all.

My confident smile only made her sigh harder. She moved behind her desk, fetched a stepstool, and reached up to take down a heavy ring of keys.

Unlocking a drawer, she pulled out a sealed document.

“Take it. The risk is high, but it’s one of the rare missions where your involvement could be considered.”

“Same thing No Yeon-hwa’s on?”

“No. I’m only taking her report because the Commander-in-Chief is occupied. Division 2 missions fall under me.”

“…Tch.”

“Don’t make that face, as if you’re disappointed with the rank. The core issue is the same. The sea level on the west coast is rising.”

“I heard that before coming here too. What does it actually mean?”

“Read it yourself.”

She tore the seal and handed me the file.

“It means one of the Seeds of Calamity we failed to eradicate has begun to stir.”

On the very first page was written:

Mission Plan Regarding the Reclamation of the Sea of Decay.