It's Not Over Yet
"It's not over yet."
"Uweeegh!"
The backlash from the spell sent a wave of nausea through him, and a torrent of blood splattered across the floor. What little remained in his throat forced its way into his airway, triggering a fit of coughing. Any ordinary human would have gone into shock and died from the trauma, but he was different. Even if a sorcerer's body was only relatively fragile compared to other Awakened, it was still far sturdier than that of a healthy, trained adult male.
"Haaah… I thought I'd be able to respond in time…"
Failure. The attack had been too fast to avoid, even when anticipated, and it had come from an angle he never expected. Even if he had reacted, he doubted he could have blocked Ha Dowol's sword in time.
"As expected of the Awakened who took down the Mountain Lord alone."
Even assuming she had possessed some special advantage when she slew the Mountain Lord, her presence had been overwhelming.
"But no matter how I look at it, that was all staged."
His surveillance had not been lacking. He had watched them through spells, listened to their conversations, even monitored their pulses. Of course, the protective talismans and Ha Dowol herself had been impossible to observe due to the violent backlash of qi, but everything else had been nearly perfect.
"…Water Blossom? Probably. They are a special forces unit, after all."
All he needed to assume now was that they could deceive his eyes and ears inside the pocket dimension. At Ha Dowol's level, she could do anything short of deliberately making noise.
"And she's definitely still alive. At the very least, Ha Dowol herself is…"
—Ding♪
The bell rang, cutting through his analysis and monologue. The man's expression twisted, not because the sound had interrupted him, but because that bell was never supposed to ring.
"I thought I'd hidden it well. And the response time… they're moving incredibly fast."
He couldn't help but admire the government's swift action. Then he cursed it.
"…If they can move this quickly, why the hell did they pull that stunt earlier?"
His teeth ground together in fury. He had to admit it.
"Amateurs really do have their limits."
Just as he had set his trap assuming sorcery would be involved, his opponents had responded with sorcery of their own. He had to assume they possessed enough raw power to ignore such measures entirely.
"Still…"
In the very end, it seemed his final card had not yet been discovered.
"Burn it all. And don't even think about inhaling the smoke."
"The smoke is fine. The fruit loses its effect the moment it touches flame. The real danger is direct contact or if the juice reaches the water source."
"…Driving without your turn signals is illegal, you know."
As Nam Hongryeon watched the field of Dream-Soul Play Fruit burn, a black carrier pigeon appeared behind her. Her party members immediately raised their weapons toward it.
"You're being rather rude to your client."
The black carrier pigeon raised both hands in a nonchalant gesture, signaling he had no intention of fighting. The party lowered their weapons.
"Then would you mind explaining properly? You knew what this field was, but the ones guarding it… what the hell is that?"
Nam Hongryeon pointed at the mannequin sprawled beside the burning field. It was the kind of adjustable mannequin found in clothing stores or department stores. Talismans were plastered all over it, and some even held weapons.
"Ah, it's simple. They're familiars. I believe the West calls them security golems?"
"So why is something like that in reality? Our level isn't anywhere near—"
"We've reached it. I couldn't believe it when I first observed it, but I had to accept the truth. Someone has the skill to create familiars, and the only fact that matters is that this person is an enemy of the state."
Silence fell. The worst possibility was beginning to take shape. It wasn't just fools relying on brute strength anymore—properly skilled villains were starting to appear.
"Do we have a countermeasure?" the mage asked cautiously.
They had only just begun to get a feel for offensive and defensive magic, but the level of these golems was far beyond them. Of course, someone among them might eventually catch up. But that also meant the one who created them would continue to grow. If these could be mass-produced, Korea would suffer a massive blow.
"I'm not the one who thinks up countermeasures, so that question is meaningless. But… there's always a way."
"Roughly two hundred casualties or more. It's a stroke of luck the internet and communication networks were down."
The black carrier pigeon, having arrived at the scene, gave his rough estimate. If communications had been intact, the incident would have spread nationwide. But that was the old standard—nowadays, that number of deaths was practically routine, and it could be covered up somehow. This count didn't even include civilians, so it might be possible to divert attention by leaking other incidents to the press.
The real problem was that this wasn't the work of monsters. It was man-made.
"The operation is a failure. Let's withdraw."
Captain Lee Gwan-ho spoke with a heavy heart. They had gained nothing. The sorcerer leading the magical side of the operation was dead, and the ordinary gangsters who had participated had all been reduced to carbon beads.
'No, wait—has Incheon gotten a little cleaner? No, absolutely not.'
Lee Gwan-ho had briefly entertained the simple thought that Incheon might be a bit cleaner without the gangs, but he immediately realized how wrong that was. Even in peacetime, the sudden collapse of an organization would throw the underworld into chaos. Ambitious small-timers would rush to fill the void, only for even greater turmoil to follow. And now, looking at the aftermath, an entire large-scale organization hadn't just collapsed—it had been completely wiped out. Who would people think had done it? Even if the culprit was identified, they couldn't be arrested, and a police special forces unit had been deployed. If conspiracy theories started circulating, it was only natural for people to suspect the authorities.
"…A week. Can you delay the announcement for just one week?"
Ha Dowol asked, looking at the black carrier pigeon.
"Do you have a method?"
"What kind of ghosts are contracted to the pigeons? A dog would be ideal."
"…Those ones won't be enough."
The exchange between the black carrier pigeon and Ha Dowol was difficult for the police to follow—though even ordinary civilians could understand the gist. Ha Dowol had not given up yet.
"It's enough. I'll summon whatever I can through them."
Ha Dowol's eyes gleamed with venom. This wasn't mere frustration at letting an enemy escape.
"…Please calm down. Whether we pursue or not is up to the higher-ups to decide. Permission will likely be granted, but they're skeptical about letting you track alone. For now, let's all return to Seoul. The pursuit comes after."
The black carrier pigeon spoke, trying to soothe Ha Dowol and the police—though in truth, he was only calming Ha Dowol. The officers already wanted nothing more than to return to their own nests.
'If we keep going with this operation, am I going to die like that too?'
'What if they hit us with some kind of curse?'
'We'll die if we run into them with our current police forces.'
Anxiety began to rise. The enemy's achievements had far exceeded expectations in both speed and scale.
—Beep beep beep♪ Beep beep beep♪
At that moment, a ringing sound came from inside the black carrier pigeon's coat. It wasn't the static-filled radio—it was clearly the ringtone of a telephone.
"Excuse me."
What he pulled out was a satellite phone with a thick antenna, the kind that might have come out in the 2000s. He answered.
"Yes, this is Pigeon One. We failed to secure the highest-priority target. No, it was a clone using his own organs as a medium. He wasn't there from the start. Yes, she's here right now. Yes, yes. Understood."
The call ended. Though his expression was hidden beneath the conical hat, Ha Dowol could sense the shift in his demeanor.
"Three carrier pigeons, and depending on the situation, one five-man party of competent West Awakened. That's the best the government can provide. Depending on the location, we may have to abandon the pursuit altogether."
"When do we depart?"
"In four hours, from Seoul Airport."
'Well, at least I'll have time to speak with Dohwa and Yuseong before leaving.'
Four hours. Short if you thought of it one way, long if you thought of it another. Ha Dowol slowly rose, gathering her sword—now wrapped in cloth instead of its shattered scabbard—and her talismans.
"I suppose this is where we make our exit."
Captain Lee Gwan-ho spoke bitterly. He knew it. Compared to what they had set out to do, they had been of little help. That was why he had no choice but to accept this somewhat awkward departure. Clinging any longer would only bring harm to the police—and that harm would undoubtedly be measured in lives.
"By the way, there's something I'd like to ask."
"What is it?"
"That pocket dimension was obviously under surveillance… so why did you write the message right on my back like that? And in Korean, where it would be easy to see?"
Lee Gwan-ho couldn't understand why such an absurd plan had worked. The note had said they were negotiating while actually preparing an attack. If the enemy was watching, the message should have been delivered more discreetly. The fact that it had been so openly exposed yet the target hadn't reacted still bothered him.
"…It was a gamble. I suspected that guy had set up his entire trap with sorcery, including his surveillance system."
"And if it was just a regular security camera?"
"We would've been caught. But we weren't… so we found the loophole."