Only 5% Lee Uk-hwan
That doll was only 5% Lee Uk-hwan.
In that instant, a sudden urge to ask for an autograph welled up inside him.
"Got a notebook on you?"
"Why?"
"Hand it over. And a pen."
Sa Yeonggyo eyed Kim Jun's serious expression and pulled out her battered leather notebook and pen—the ones she always carried—but didn't hand them over.
"What's the reason?"
"I want an autograph."
"...An autograph? From that doll?"
"Laugh if you want."
Kim Jun snatched the notebook and pen from her outstretched hand, then wormed his way through the cluster of examinees toward Lee Uk-hwan.
Sa Yeonggyo snickered and followed behind.
Park Hyun-woo swung his arms in wide circles, twisting his waist lightly. It looked like a long-still person slowly stretching out knotted muscles.
Lee Uk-hwan strode forward, glaring fiercely at the examinees.
"Anyone who wants to join Cheonhondan, raise your hand."
The wax doll's mouth moved with eerie softness, like real flesh, emitting a voice that sounded utterly authentic.
Kim Jun nearly raised his hand, caught up in the presence of someone he'd idolized. If he weren't with Uramata Guild, he might have shot it up without hesitation.
"Those Park Hyun-woo and Lee Uk-hwan wax dolls? Do Jong-man made 'em himself."
Sa Yeonggyo sidled up and whispered in his ear.
Kim Jun's eyes widened.
At first, no one raised a hand.
Then two shot up.
Lee Uk-hwan marched straight toward them. The examinees parted like the sea, dodging the life-sized wax figures.
"Name."
"Lee Taeseop, sir."
"Awakening score?"
Before Lee Taeseop could answer, Lee Dongju jumped in from the side.
"74 points, Captain. This examinee was selected as Raider King in this test."
"74? Not bad. But nothing to make you gasp in awe. And you—your name?"
Lee Uk-hwan turned to the second examinee.
"Gong Yunju."
"Score?"
"...37 points."
The round-glasses-wearing female examinee replied.
"......"
Muscles rippled across his cheek like waves. Lee Uk-hwan narrowed his eyes at her, then turned away entirely. She wasn't even worth mentioning.
Lee Uk-hwan's massive hand clamped down on Lee Taeseop's shoulder. He addressed the examinees.
"Only one of you dreams of Cheonhondan? I'm disappointed in your grit and your caliber. Why not aim for the top? Don't you want to be the strongest Raider? Raider King—the best among you—chose Cheonhondan. Doesn't that make you want to follow? If not, you're already dead. Living a worthless life means you're buried in a grave. I'd just bite my tongue and end it right here."
The examinees stayed silent. Wax or not, this was the founder of Cheonhondan.
Kim Jun stared at Lee Uk-hwan with cold, sunken eyes. His expectations lay shattered.
The hero from The Indomitable Tanker, Lee Uk-hwan and the wax puppet blathering up front... were completely different people.
Dismissing someone for a 37 awakening score!
Lee Uk-hwan swept his gaze around and bellowed.
"Who's the Raider Queen?"
All the examinees turned to Sa Yeonggyo in unison.
Lee Uk-hwan approached and stopped before her. He didn't spare a glance at Kim Jun standing nearby.
Kim Jun tucked the notebook and pen away.
"Oh ho, Do Jong-man's belt. Sa Gyeongbaek wore it—any relation?"
"...My grandfather."
"Sa Gyeongbaek was great in every way, but he started wrong. He could've been the strongest tanker, yet he picked dealer. Worse, he became a Jushin dealer."
At the dig against her grandfather, steel entered Sa Yeonggyo's eyes. But she didn't need to step up—
Park Hyun-woo cut in.
"Nonsense. He became Jushin's dealer precisely because that's why he's Association President now, leading the Dungeon Association. If he'd joined your ignorant Cheonhondan? Hoo, he'd be running some backwater hole-in-the-wall shop."
"What? You parasitic little—!"
"Talking like a bandit chief. Some things never change, no matter the years."
Right in front of the examinees, the wax dolls started bickering.
Kim Jun nearly burst out laughing.
Only then did he truly grasp Sa Yeonggyo's words: they weren't real. Made via some special Demo Ben process, they held fragments of memory, mimicked voices and eyes—but they were fakes imitating the originals.
His heart settled back to calm.
Lee Wan-yeol, Lee Dongju, and Park Myeong-seop intervened, finally prying them apart.
Panting with rage, Lee Uk-hwan glared at the examinees.
"Cheonhondan's doors are wide open. If you want success, to be the best—Cheonhondan is your top choice. Of course, if you wanna wander aimlessly and die, Jushin ain't bad either."
"If you wanna brawl like idiots till you drop dead, Cheonhondan works too."
Park Hyun-woo added.
The fight reignited.
Sa Yeonggyo lightly grabbed Kim Jun's arm and slipped away from the commotion, heading toward the wall lined with portraits.
"First time I saw 'em at seven, it was magical. Now they fight every time—kinda boring."
"I get it."
Kim Jun handed back the notebook and pen.
"They're fakes. Don't mistake 'em for the real Lee Uk-hwan."
"Got it."
Kim Jun glanced at the sealed entrance door.
"Wanna bail?"
"Can't right now, right?"
"Gotta grab the Memorium."
"...Do we have to?"
"It's free. Of course."
Then, a voice echoed from above.
"What're you two up to? Don't tell me you're... that kind of close?"
A portrait spoke.
The plump-cheeked, full-figured middle-aged woman gawked, then darted to another portrait. Pointing at Sa Yeonggyo and Kim Jun, she gossiped—and soon the rumor spread through the entire Honor Hall.
Luckily, the examinees were too fixated on Park Hyun-woo and Lee Uk-hwan's fight to notice.
* * *
The iridescent core Awacum, passing through the transparent pipe, slotted neatly into the center of the core bag.
"Awacum, 100 grams. Good."
Maeng Gyu-pil double-checked the cores he'd pulled from the storage room using the forged requisition.
Lyrium 3g, Podum 5g, Sneakiram 3g, Spiritium 8g, Gravitium 3g, Flgorium 50g, Wirium 100g, Cansertun 140g, and finally Awacum 100g.
"This oughta do it."
A satisfied smile. Pulling any more risked tripping the security system—complicating things.
Clattering footsteps echoed again.
That woman.
Maeng Gyu-pil's eyes gleamed cold. Just escape now, and he could roast that arrogant bitch in agony.
Flodziston seeped from his body, floating invisibly like a cloud.
Song Jae-ok entered the core room.
"O Deputy, you hear about that?"
"What?"
Maeng Gyu-pil sensed the Flodziston enveloping her. A tiny spark, and it'd turn her into a human shish kebab.
"Friend in security told me—villain broke in."
"What?!"
The Flodziston dispersed.
"Scary times. Last week, chopped-up bodies off Incheon coast. Villain work, I bet. And now one hits HQ? What're the investigators doing? Should just drag all lawbreakers to Haegok. O Deputy, you okay? You look pale."
"...I'm fine."
Maeng Gyu-pil's mind raced.
How'd security know? Even if they'd found the real O Jae-gyu stuffed in that motel, police wouldn't move this fast.
Suddenly, blaring sirens shook the air.
Floors, walls, ceiling glowed yellow.
First Lockdown.
"O Deputy, that villain's in Core Country! What do we do? I don't wanna die."
Song Jae-ok trembled.
"You said you know someone in security? Call 'em. Confirm if it's really in here."