Chapter 1: E Between D And F - Shooting Star (1)

Oh God.
Where are You?
Why have You ignored our suffering and vanished?
Why did You abandon us to this deep darkness and leave?
Return. Come again.
Do not put us to the test any longer.
Deliver us from evil.

-Stage starts in 3 minutes! Please hurry and prepare!

A voice reached the ear of the woman kneeling on the floor.

She tucked the crucifix necklace she held into her clothes and stood up.

She turned her head and looked at the mirror beside her.

Red eyeliner and blue lipstick.

Her pale face was covered in heavy makeup.

“Smile.”

She said it to her reflection.

She forced a smile, but her gloomy, sorrowful eyes remained unchanged.

Even acting the emotions proved difficult.

“Fighting…”

She took a deep breath, opened the waiting-room door, and stepped outside.

-Waaaah!

The empty corridor echoed with cheers leaking over from the stage.

At the end of the corridor, three women dressed similarly to her waved their hands.

They waited with bright smiles.

“Come on, sister, hurry!”

“You’ll get scolded by the boss if this keeps up!”

“You went and ate by yourself again, didn’t you!”

She did not approach her colleagues and instead turned her head to the side.

She looked at the door that led out of the stadium.

The iron door, which she had never opened herself, was firmly shut.

“…”

She forced herself to ignore the door and moved forward again.

She threw herself toward the place where the cheers surged.

-Waaaah!

-I_Vu! I_Vu!

-I love you, I_Vu!

---

Kugugu—

Today, Baek Ho’s office was again noisy with the sound of trains passing.

“You should move the office or something…”

Baek Ho leaned back on the sofa and stared into the air.

His right ocular implant activated and a Smartbone window appeared before his eyes.

There was a message from the fence Holiday.

-VIP customer.
-We received the PhantomSurge-666 you sent. The engine condition is very good. However, regrettably, the adamantium attached to the ceiling had too low a purity…

Baek Ho smiled in satisfaction.

“Nice.”

As expected, Sophia’s honey pot.

Besides the money from selling the stolen goods, he received a larger commission than before.

Because it involved a gang, there was a hazard pay or something.

His Fixer license points also accumulated significantly as a result.

If he completed the next job, he’d probably jump straight to grade B.

“By the way…”

He hadn’t heard from Sophia for days.

He wanted to drain the next honey pot quickly, but there was no news.

Even when he called directly, it went to voicemail with a prompt to call later.

When he contacted Mujin, Mujin said he was busy working as a private bodyguard these days.

When asked about Sophia, Mujin stammered.

‘Who is that? Ah, no. Damn, mistake. I don’t really know either.’

He couldn’t shake the feeling that Mujin was deliberately avoiding the topic.

‘…Is another Fixer team doing better work?’

While fretting over Sophia,

he sensed commotion behind the sofa.

“Take it down a notch.”

Baek Ho turned his head back and said.

There was Frank in a black tuxedo.

He wore the tight outfit as if it might burst and moved about restlessly.

“You…”

He wanted to say something but held back.

Today was the concert day Frank had been longing for.

He didn’t want to ruin the guy’s mood for no reason.

“But why is your face so red?”

“My heart feels like it’s going to burst so I was holding my breath.”

“That idiot…”

Frank’s large hand shoved itself into Baek Ho’s disdain-filled gaze.

He was holding several colorful placards.

[I_Vu 64 I_KILL FOR YOU]

[What good is resurrection without I_Vu]

[The Star of Underheaven 64 I_Vu]

[Forever - I_Vu - Love you]

He wondered what he’d been making all night.

He’d painstakingly torn paper to make Necroshells for tearing apart demonic beings.

“You’re really losing it.”

“The two at the bottom are for Baek Ho.”

“…Don’t talk bullshit.”

“Don’t like it? Then I’ll go get surgery again.”

“Hey, didn’t you say you’d use that money to upgrade your Necroshell?”

“I don’t remember. Must be a brain problem.”

“Fine. Okay? Anyway, do you really have to wear that outfit?”

“There’s a photo time after the show. Frank is taking a photo with them.”

“You didn’t actually buy those expensive tickets with money, did you?”

“I did. I bought them with this commission fee.”

“You fucking madman…”

Baek Ho clenched his fist tightly.

He screamed inwardly.

I want to hit him!

I want to beat him senseless!

He had reserved five seats just to go to the concert with Frank.

Because of his large size, he had to book the seats on both sides and front and back as well.

On top of that, he even bought a photo time ticket with I_Vu.

In the past one might say “spent a lot,” but now, when money was tight, it was a significant expense.

“You…”

“It’s my last wish before I die. A perfect chance to take a photo with I_Vu.”

Baek Ho unclenched his tightly held fist.

“Who the hell’s dying… Fine. Just keep your promise.”

“Promise? What promise?”

“…”

“Alright. Sorry. Don’t glare at me. I won’t get surgery.”

“Let’s get going soon.”

Baek Ho got up from the sofa and put on the black long coat hanging on the wall.

The outer pockets were packed with coal candles and bullets, and inside his pocket hung a revolver and a purple stick.

The purple stick with a round bead was a limited-edition cheering stick from I_Vu.

It was Baek Ho’s surprise gift.

“Frank, I picked something up on the way…”

As he spoke, a hologram window popped up before his eyes.

He quickly pressed the area below his ear for the call he’d been waiting for.

“Hey, it’s me.”

-Have you been well, Baek Ho?

A stiff, mechanical voice.

The voice was modulated so the gender couldn’t be determined.

“Thanks to you.”

-It seems you were waiting for me.

“Not at all.”

-Analysis of Baek Ho’s voice detected slight changes in heart rate and breathing patterns. This is a sign of anticipation. Is my judgment incorrect?

“…Same as always.”

-There is a saying that if a person changes, they die. In any case, to be kept waiting by someone destined to be humanity’s savior… it’s an honor.

“Cut the crap. Get to the point.”

-Yes. Today is the same as before. I will transmit a new technique to you.

The mysterious X who contacted him shortly after he left his family home.

Had abruptly offered to teach the Bari Sect’s necromancy that had been declared lost.

Baek Ho accepted.

At first it was simple curiosity.

He was drawn to the fact it was summoning magic not taught at the academy.

Once he learned it, he became fascinated by the uncanny power and continued practicing; it became an essential discipline.

It had become linked to his goals.

“Teach me or don’t. Ahem… so when can it be?”

-Come to the address I’m sending you now.

“…Now?”

-You must hurry. I’m outside. You are in Underheaven, and a great distance away. There are limits even to hacking the EM shield. It will be restored soon, so there is no time.

A crease appeared between Baek Ho’s brows.

It was true he had been eagerly awaiting contact from X.

He had been looking forward every day to what dark divine beast he might contract with this time.

But not today.

It couldn’t be today.

He knew better than anyone that today was extremely important to Frank.

“Um…”

Baek Ho turned his head to look at Frank.

He was awkwardly shaking his shoulders and practicing waving the placards.

Would he go if told to go alone?

If it were anything else, maybe not, but for an I_Vu concert, wouldn’t he go?

No way.

That bastard would follow to the end.

Especially since it’s magic taught by X… he’d be shaking with anticipation.

“Can’t it be tomorrow?”

The mechanical voice answered Baek Ho’s question again.

-It is impossible. If not today, it could be a month later. A year later. I cannot guarantee. Do you know that Yeomra strengthened the EM shield a few days ago? Major. Upgrades.

“…Feels like you’re blaming the day?”

-Baek Ho.

“Why?”

-You said you wanted to become stronger, didn’t you? With such passion, I will look for another successor.

“If that’s a threat, cut it out. Have you forgotten who I am? I can restore that so-called boss-level dark magic data. You know Yeomra’s tech.”

-Do you think the data stored in Underheaven and the original copy I possess are the same?

“Do you have proof they’re different?”

-Believing is up to you.

The mechanical voice went silent for a moment, then returned.

-But one thing is certain. We know a way to fix your friend. We know what Yeomra’s chief engineer gave up on. It lies at the end of the Bari Sect’s necromancer. Did you not verify this?

“…”

-Your friend. Your benefactor. Don’t you want to save them? Was your goal only words?

Baek Ho turned his head and looked at Frank.

He looked at the only friend who had willingly given his life for him.

After a moment of silence, he spoke.

“Give me the address.”

---

The place they arrived at was the top floor of a nearby mega-building.

Before, he’d asked to meet atop a pile of Undead incinerator corpses, but now it felt like a sterile room in comparison.

Of course, the path up here hadn’t been particularly pleasant.

Creak—

He opened the iron door and stepped onto the rooftop.

A vast panorama of the city unfolded before him.

Neon signs shone brilliantly between the towering buildings.

Gloomy, convoluted back alleys.

The roar of advertisements and car horns filled his eardrums.

For some it was an endlessly beautiful nightscape, but not for Baek Ho.

He was utterly sick of it.

“There it is.”

A TV sat in the middle of the wide rooftop.

With a bezel about 1cm thick and a translucent screen, it looked like an old piece of equipment.

Baek Ho did not immediately approach.

He leaned against the rooftop railing beside it.

Below was the city’s deep abyss, above was the black sky surrounding him.

“Perfect spot to jump off.”

Probably no one had realized that gruesome thought.

A building manager with a sane mind would have locked it up tight.

“Frank, come over and take a look.”

Frank, who had followed quietly, stood beside Baek Ho.

“…”

“Stop crying.”

“Ugh…”

“I’ll book it again for the next concert. This time standing tickets.”

“Undead can’t go to standing sections. Don’t you know?”

“Do you know who I am? You think I can’t manage that?”

“Yeah.”

“…Look over there.”

Baek Ho pointed somewhere.

The vast edge of Underheaven.

Where countless mega-buildings clustered into a massive fortress.

Among them, four Babel Towers rose skyward, far larger than the other buildings.

Necro Plaza.

It was the area known to people as the mecca of necromancy.

“What am I supposed to be looking at?”

“My house. No, the house I used to live in.”

One of the four Babel Towers seemed to touch Baek Ho’s fingertip.

Its distinctive exterior stood out.

It looked like a traditional Korean hanok house from the distant past, elongated upward.

Eaves reminiscent of tiled roofs wrapped the building in tiers, and multicolored alloys blended like dancheong paint.

“You mean Yeomra headquarters?”

“I’ll call them there. Actually, I’ll talk directly to my aunt.”

“If it’s the chairman aunt, I trust her.”

“If you’re satisfied, let’s stop now.”

Baek Ho offered a fist bump first.

Frank reluctantly tapped his fist against his.

“Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

Baek Ho reached the old TV in the center of the rooftop.

He took a short breath and began to speak.

“I’m here.”

The TV screen powered on with an even voice.

On a red, noisy background, a white hieroglyph in the shape of an X appeared.

-It’s a pleasure to see you again like this.

“Not really. An important appointment of mine was ruined because of you.”

-How unfortunate. Something more important than meeting me. Were you meeting a woman?

“Don’t be ridiculous. Give me a chair.”

A single-seat sofa appeared in front of the otherwise empty TV.

It had a luxurious look with red leather upholstery.

“Oh, it’s the same model as the one in my living room.”

So it even knew something like that.

He didn’t ask about X’s identity despite his curiosity.

They wouldn’t tell him anyway.

Baek Ho plopped into the chair and crossed his legs.

He nodded toward the TV.

“Alright X. Start quickly.”

-I personally prefer being called Master rather than X. Teacher is also fine.

“Shut up, X.”

-Again, it’s not the letter X but the Roman numeral Ⅹ (10).

“Are you stalling on purpose now? Do you need time to chant a spell?”

-Haha. Of course not. Then I will proceed with the transmission of the technique immediately.

With the stiff voice, the noise on the TV screen trembled violently.

Baek Ho casually dismissed the Smartbone warning window before his eyes.

And in the blink of an eye, the surrounding scenery had completely changed.