Chapter 99

The first thing I had to do was access the Ability Management Bureau’s servers.

The Bureau’s network held all the personal information of Special Unit agents, as well as their specialties and whether they were suitable for particular missions.

The first operation was to modify Alexei’s profile so that he could be prioritized for deployment to the Thirteen Palaces of Emptiness mission.

If it had been me just after arriving on Earth, I would’ve struggled even with basic computer use—but not anymore.

“Hayan, being here at this late hour is dangerous. The mana from Ground Zero disrupts communications…”

“Shh. Quiet.”

It was a dark night.

Alexei and I were wandering Sector 11 of Ground Zero when I raised my hand and stopped.

On a bench under a flickering streetlight, a man in a coat sat reading.

“From now on, don’t say a word. Walk slowly and follow me.”

“…?”

I stepped forward, clutching the envelope in one hand.

He glanced up, finally setting down the magazine he was reading, and pulled a lighter from his pocket.

Click, click!

Each time the flame ignited, the streetlight coughed in response.

Finally, as he inhaled the smoke, our shadows merged.

Swish, thud!

With skilled hands, we swapped our items, passed each other, and exchanged glances.

Then, his voice came through the channel.

『This month’s generous. What’s the job?』

『The mural… the leak is finally fixed. Also, the item I asked for at lunch—this should be it, right?』

『Tch, it’s completed somehow, but I need more money. Including the hazard pay and fast delivery, the same amount until next month.』

『Why?』

『This isn’t a prank to reduce Commander Ha Yeri’s height like last time.』

『Understood. I’ll continue to rely on you.』

Having been caught hacking the Bureau’s network by the Counterintelligence Unit last time, his tone was unusually tense.

After finishing the handoff with the hacker, Alexei immediately asked me about the man’s identity.

“Brother, who was that just now?”

“An awakened from the Black Serpents faction.”

“Black Serpents?”

“Yes. They’re a crime organization running Ground Zero, and by extension, all of South Korea. I thought they’d disappeared, but they’re surprisingly still around.”

Personally, dealing with them wasn’t something I enjoyed.

The Black Serpents were like an inheritance from a childhood friend.

But to sneak past the Bureau’s security and adjust Commander Ha Yeri’s profile height, I needed the best specialist available.

I didn’t know who was running the organization now, but since no rumors had surfaced, it was likely someone I hadn’t met before.

“So, the lighter—what’s that for? You can hack the Bureau’s servers with it?”

“You’ll see.”

I held the lighter confidently and headed for the Bureau’s main gate.

I went up to the floor where the servers were located and greeted the security staff with my usual smile.

“Hayan! Night patrol again today?”

“Yes, sir. I just got back. Oh, and this…”

“Ah, you finally came!”

The man scratched his head under his cap, then, seeing the lighter I handed him, bolted over.

He quickly opened the back cap and plugged the USB port inside into his workstation.

“It appeared—the ‘One Hair of the Month’!”

“Did it come out correctly?”

“Thanks. Without you, I would’ve lost hope in life long ago.”

“It’s nothing. This contains the latest industry trends, so I had no choice but to source it through Ground Zero. Of course, it’s not officially approved, so secrecy…”

“Got it, I’ll protect it! A technique for hair transplantation using psychokinetic magic, submitted to the Canadian Hair Loss Society… just a little longer and salvation will come…!”

The lighter—or rather, the USB—contained a magazine.

But it wasn’t just any magazine. It was published solely for those suffering from hair loss.

Even in a world overrun by abilities and anomalies, no miracle existed to regrow lost hair.

For the Outer Gods, this was an impossible domain. For humanity, it remained one of the final hopes yet to be uncovered.

Even as most countries collapsed, hair-loss sufferers survived, continuing their research in harsh conditions.

The magazine I handed the Bureau’s security officer was the crystallized result of their sweat and tears.

Poor things… maybe later I should introduce Sebas to them as well.

Of course, this was for a time when I no longer had any reason to access the Bureau servers.

“Mind if I do a bit of Minesweeper first?”

“Sure, go ahead! Even the big guy can grab some coffee while you’re at it!”

The files on the USB contained the latest information on hair-loss treatments—but the hacker had also embedded malicious code using their ability.

When accessed, the code automatically modified whatever documents the hacker designated on the Bureau’s servers.

This time, I had preemptively altered Alexei’s profile to make him look like the perfect candidate for the Thirteen Palaces of Emptiness operation.

On top of that, I paid a little extra to add the title “Light Mage” to my profile.

Hmm… it’s been in the news, so why hadn’t anyone registered it already?

Even Division 2 had missed it.

A short while later, we finished Minesweeper and headed back to the dormitory.

Lying in bed with Mala-nim and Digestion pressed against my sides, I closed my eyes and spoke to Alexei, who was lying on the first floor.

“I’ve at least bumped you up to a priority, but we can’t get complacent. The system only recommends suitable candidates; the final decision is still made by humans.”

“…….”

“We don’t even trust the Star System, so how could it? We won’t know what choice Commander Ha Yeri will make, so we should eliminate the sure-fire candidates in advance. As for the captains… we’ll have to try persuading them first.”

“…….”

“Alexei?”

Was he already asleep?

No answer came.

Well, tomorrow will be busy, so I decided to sleep early too.

After covering myself and turning off the light, some time later, his voice came to me in a sleepy tone.

“Thank you, brother.”

“…It’s nothing.”

I yawned and replied, half-asleep.

“We’re brothers, after all.”

“What’s going on!? Why would food poisoning break out in the Special Unit at a time like this!?”

“We’re currently investigating the cause as well.”

“From our speculation, it seems a mutant tentacle containing toxins was mixed in with recent cafeteria lunch servings.”

“Sigh… and the West Sea ended up like that because of it.”

“Well, at least the Sea of Decay disappeared…”

“My apologies.”

Upon receiving the Bureau’s summons, the commanders and executives gathered at the headquarters—and were met with a thunderbolt of news as soon as they arrived.

A massive gap had appeared in the Special Units assigned to the Thirteen Palaces of Emptiness operation.

It wasn’t just the food poisoning.

Each reason was peculiar enough to make one wonder if all of this was caused by the Seeds of Calamity.

“Is the Spear of Thunderclouds okay?”

“He wasn’t affected by the food poisoning, but while patrolling, he was attacked by an unknown assailant and hospitalized. His finger bones are fractured, so he can’t wield the spear.”

“That’s fine, as long as we have the Saint of Salvation…”

“Unfortunately, Moon Ah-rin will not be participating in this operation.”

“What!? Why?”

“She’s been at Cheonsan since last night. Tartaruga must have had a nightmare and suddenly started desperately looking for her mother…”

“Ugh…”

Ha Yeri was delivering the string of bad news.

The expressions of the executives grew increasingly grim.

Here they were, called into a meeting, only to hear that this agent couldn’t go for this reason, and that agent couldn’t go for that reason.

From their perspective, it almost looked like the Special Unit were being passive about the Thirteen Palaces of Emptiness operation.

“This is unacceptable.”

“Exactly. We’re barely able to select volunteers while still preparing for the disasters…”

“Sorry~ I’m a little late, aren’t I?”

Just as people were about to voice their complaints, the conference room door opened, and a woman entered.

It was Seona, the Supreme Commander of the Special Unit, in her wheelchair.

“Commander Seona?”

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Yeri.”

“You weren’t having lunch at the cafeteria just now?”

“Yeah, it was perfectly tasty. I guess my digestion has improved.”

Her arrival immediately deflected the executives’ dissatisfaction toward the Special Unit.

Some of them even tried to stand cautiously.

As the first awakened and the commander of the Special Unit, Seona appearing on the frontlines was extraordinarily rare.

“Everyone, don’t worry so much. It’s true a minor accident happened, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to run away.”

“But…”

“Yeri, how do you plan to cover the gaps in personnel?”

“I plan to draw from the reserve forces, including those assigned to manage the Gyeongbu Line. The awakened allied forces who’ve pledged to follow our command will also be arriving soon.”

“See? We’ve prepared plans for situations exactly like this.”

There was no gap in the Special Units’ capabilities.

Seona’s confident smile sank the uncertainty in the room to the depths of the sea, as if it had never existed.

What surfaced instead was expectation.

A young man sitting near the door raised his hand and stood.

“My name is Lee Hee-chan, a mage and the guildmaster of ‘Mist of Silence.’ May I ask a question?”

“Nice to meet you, Hee-chan. Go ahead.”

“Commander Seona, will you be focusing on defending the capital again this time?”

“Me?”

Mist of Silence was a small guild of White Tower mages, modest in scale compared to the other guilds gathered here.

Yet no one tried to stop Hee-chan from asking his bold question.

It was a question everyone in the conference room had been wondering about.

Would she—Seona—declare that she would join the Thirteen Palaces of Emptiness operation?

Carefully, almost apologetically, she spoke.

“Hmm~ Honestly, I’d love to just say I’m going along…”

“……”

“But I don’t think I need to step in personally. The awakened you’ve sent from your guild are already quite formidable.”

“Not at all, compared to you, Commander…”

“Wouldn’t it be hard to downplay your abilities as insignificant? After all, there’s already one of the Seven Immortals included in the strike team besides me.”

“R-Really!?”

“Isn’t that so?”

The sudden remark stirred a ripple of whispers through the room.

Seona’s gaze fell on Seol Si-heon, who sat there calmly and nodded.

“That’s right.”

“Chief-of-Staff Seol Si-heon?”

“The Sword Immortal has personally decided to participate in the operation.”

“Why were we kept in the dark about such an important detail!?”

“Because it hadn’t been officially confirmed internally yet. I was worried that speaking prematurely would cause confusion among everyone.”

In an instant, the atmosphere in the conference room brightened.

One of the Seven Immortals would participate in the operation.

And for Yoo Chae-seon, the Sword Immortal who had long retired from the frontlines, to personally take up her sword and descend into the operation—it practically meant there was almost no chance of failure.

“Did the elder really say it personally?”

“For now, yes.”

“Ha… Sword Immortal, really. I wish we had even a hint beforehand…”

“Speaking of which, what about Thunder Immortal?”

“As far as I know, there’s been no news. I heard he’s been considering his successor recently.”

Even as the tension eased and small talk began to flow, Seol Si-heon remained silent.

His attention was entirely on Seona.

Hayan had been firmly monitored.

Even Ha Yeri, head of the Counterintelligence Unit, seemed surprised by what she’d just heard.

There was no way information could have leaked outside the management building.

So how did the Supreme Commander of the Special Unit—who hardly ever left the building—already know that the Sword Immortal would participate in the Thirteen Palaces of Emptiness operation?

‘Definitely not an ordinary person.’

The Awakened who listened closest to the voice of an Outer God, and the Awakened who held a blade to an Outer God’s neck.

Even if their relationship wasn’t particularly bad, they could not let down their guard.

“Let’s take a short break.”

“Good idea. Let’s get a cup of coffee downstairs.”
“Shall we make it an espresso?”

“Espresso? What’s that?”

During the brief break, Seol Si-heon stood to light a cigarette, and Seona approached him.

“I’m sorry… I feel like I shouldn’t have brought that up.”

“Not at all. I hesitated about whether I should speak, but it was fortunate that the Supreme Commander spoke first.”

Receiving her sincere apology, he bowed his head slightly.

No matter her relationship with an Outer God, she was, after all, the Supreme Commander of the Special Unit.

The continued survival of the Old Gods’ Wound reliquary, despite being watched warily by other sects, was due to the close cooperation with the Ability Management Bureau.

For her—the Sword Immortal among the Seven Immortal—even an apology over something this minor was hardly necessary.

“But you said their participation hasn’t been confirmed yet. Is there a reason?”

“It’s difficult to explain in detail, but there’s some internal noise in selecting the personnel.”

Specifically, whether Ha Yeri herself would join the operation could affect the Sword Immortal’s decision.

Yet upon hearing Seol Si-heon’s explanation, Seona simply nodded.

“Ah… if that’s the case, it should be fine, I think.”

“What?”

Even now, ambulances from Seoul Capital Hospital and sanitation vehicles from the building kept arriving at the Ability Management Bureau.

Seona sighed, seemingly unable to restrain herself, yet a faint, enigmatic smile lingered on her face.

“Judging by the mess that’s been made, it seems they’re definitely willing to take responsibility.”.”