Chapter 16 - #7 Illegal Gate (2)
There's a saying that a gentleman's revenge is never too late, even if it takes ten years. I'm no gentleman—I've lived my whole life as a scheming villain—but even so, I could finally settle the score with my enemy after a mere ten years.
━Regressor, are you?
I considered brushing it off with some vague excuse, but Ray and I were in the same boat now. Besides, I'd heard all about his circumstances, so it felt wrong to hide mine.
"If I weren't, how could someone like me with no abilities have found you?"
━So you knew the guy who got me in your previous life. Figures. I was wondering how a nobody like you ended up connected to me.
"Mind thinking about the feelings of the nobody who's listening?"
He sure had a way with words, even with me right here. I'd thought he'd warmed up to me a bit, but apparently some resentment lingered.
Tch. I clicked my tongue inwardly and continued.
"The guy who had you in my previous life had zero interest in saving the world. He just used you for his own selfish gains."
The Park Se-un I'd seen was as far from a savior as you could get.
He had no intention of sharing his luck with anyone. Just look at how chummy he was with Seol Rokjin—that said it all.
Here he was nagging me while fawning over that guy as an S-rank Awakener. Unfair, right?
"High rank doesn't mean everything."
Sensing my irritation, Ray stammered a response.
━Well, I can't know what past-me thought, but he must've had his reasons, right?
"Reasons my ass. Spend three days watching that guy, and you'd know exactly what he's made of."
Park Se-un was never cut out to be the world's savior. And yet, to think he'd been chosen—talk about a long tongue.
━And what's your estimate like?
I knew my own limits. Calling myself this world's savior would be a stretch.
But when it came to dealing with scum, no one knew better than me. I'd peered so deep into the abyss that I'd become it myself.
Still, wasn't I trying my best?
"Me? I'm like a stock that's gonna explode in the future."
━What's a stock?
Never mind. What was the point of explaining to this old fogey from another dimension? I sighed inwardly as Ray's voice echoed in my head.
━Anyway, like you said, you're my owner now. Like it or not, we're stuck together from here on out.
"Good. Hope you keep thinking that way."
Since I couldn't shake him off, we were in the same boat—or rather, the same body. Better to get along.
━By the way, what the hell happened in your previous life to make you so pissed?
I was barely holding onto my sanity, but Ray, who could read my mind, probably already knew.
How many times I'd suppressed my killing intent in front of Im Hyun-su.
"Let's just say it was too horrific to even explain."
━Hmmm.
With that, Ray fell silent. I didn't really want to talk about the past anyway—his silence was a relief.
Composing myself, I double-checked the info from Im Hyun-su.
Bupyeong Station, 3 p.m. today.
"Know what's most important when crushing bad guys?"
━You know I can read your mind anytime, right? Why ask me?
"Doesn't it make conversation more fun?"
━Sigh. Fine. What's the most important thing?
No real back-and-forth spark, but it beat nothing. I grinned and said,
"Timing."
These guys were ready to fold up and bolt the second one spot got hit.
So this one shot had to gut them properly—info, money, whatever.
━Always acting cool when no one's watching.
I ignored Ray's snide remark echoing in my skull.
I arrived at Bupyeong Station. After checking the gear I'd bought from the black market and grabbing a fish cake from a street vendor, it was right on time.
Parked in front of me was an old Sonata that looked at least ten years past its prime. A man with a soot-blackened face stuck his head out from the driver's seat.
"You Kang Ishin?"
"Yeah."
"Get in."
I bowed slightly and climbed into the Sonata, wrinkling my nose. The stench of stale cigarettes and the lingering body odor of whoever had ridden in here with him was numbing.
━What the hell is this horrific smell!
Even Ray was yelling about it.
My stomach, weakened after days of delicate eating, was churning. Noticing my grimace, the driver gave an awkward smile.
"Sorry. Just dropped off some guys from a site. You know how it is—the smell sticks no matter how much you air it out. Plus, the place is kinda far, right?"
Chilseong-gun Gate was pretty remote, which made illegal mining possible. No wonder the stink clung after shuttling sweaty workers back and forth. I nodded vaguely and clammed up.
No point wasting energy on chit-chat. He glanced at me a few times in the rearview, then focused on driving once I seemed tired.
He dropped me off and vanished elsewhere.
━You're okay leaving a witness like that? Weren't you planning to kill a bunch here?
Ray, knowing what I planned for that illegal gate, sounded uneasy.
"That's the point of the witness. I'm ditching the Kang Ishin identity today."
Geum Doctor could spoof my recognition tag's signal for max two weeks. So Kang Ishin had to vanish naturally.
"Nowhere more natural for disappearances than a gate."
I'd brought the GPS Geum Doctor gave me. Planned to toss it inside the gate.
━How do you close the gate? You can't clear it.
"Gates miners go into are all already cleared. They just use a gate sustainer to keep 'em open."
━Those exist?
"Yep. So I handle business, yank the device, gate closes, evidence gone."
━Ah, got it.
"Exactly. Gotta show my face properly."
To prove Babel's disgrace, Kang Ishin, came here—and never left.
Time to work. I stepped toward the glowing green gate midway up the mountain.
"Back again."
Idiots. Kim spat on the ground. Perfect timing—hands were short.
Hope this one lasts a while.
He looked up with that expectation.
Scrawny, ragged clothes. Looked like he'd keel over by tomorrow, let alone last.
Gonna drop dead if you poke him.
He knew the stories of guys who washed up here, but sending this? Kim cursed Im Hyun-su inwardly. At least feed him something. Three days tops? Two? Quotas were tight from above already.
Still, a hand was a hand.
Kim approached.
"Here to work?"
Usually, they'd nod tensely. With tattoos covering him like notebook paper and a 2-meter frame, who wouldn't?
But this guy was different.
His posture shifted at the words—shoulders back, spine straight. The sleazy vibe vanished. When he looked up into Kim's eyes, Kim swallowed hard.
How could the atmosphere change like that in an instant?
"Yeah, here to work."
Kim didn't even register the casual banmal.
Not like the usual trash. He had that high-up aura.
What? The frail body suddenly felt like a mountain.
The man continued leisurely as Kim stood speechless.
"The bosses sent me to check if things are running smooth."
"Wh-what?"
Kim froze at the sudden term. Bosses? He bit his lip. No way this punk knew them, but meeting the guy's eyes killed the retort.
Looked like a bum, but impossible to dismiss.
Damn, really from the top?
Doubt lingered. Top guys visited sometimes, but never trash like this.
Kim eyed him suspiciously.
"Not inspection day, is it?"
"Yeah, heard one of you is skimming quotas on the sly. Gotta check quietly."
Kim swallowed, eyes darting. Now it clicked why the guy looked like this.
Those bastards! We were supposed to skim lightly!
Long tail gets stepped on. They'd been careful, but busted. Damn.
"You wouldn't know anything about it, would you?"
The man's lips curved, killing intent flashing in his eyes. Kim gulped.
"No, sir. I just handle outsiders coming and going. No clue what happens inside."
The man scanned him.
"Fine, I'll buy that for now."
Kim sighed inwardly in relief. If this guy marked him...
"Open the gate."
"Y-you're going in?"
"Yeah. Bosses want a thorough look. I'll stick around a few days."
Really rooting it out this time. How to slip this? What if he took the guy out first?
The thought flashed, but Kim shook it off. Even looking weak, if from the top, way out of his league.
No confidence against that.
Kim opened the gate obediently. As he turned with a fawning smile to call the man—
"Thanks for the guide."
Agonizing pain hit, then darkness.