#27. Cleaning Up
#27. Cleaning Up
I stared blankly down at my feet.
'I won.'
It still didn't feel real, but there lay Agail, breathless. Looking at the body, I had no room for denial.
'......'
At the very end, he'd laid his desire bare. Greed. What he'd wished for was probably...
'No. Don't need to think about it.'
That wasn't mine to carry.
I started to conjure fire to burn the body, then stopped.
'I need it.'
I picked up the corpse in my jaws and headed for the upper floors. Hardly any floors were left in Building A, so the elevator was pointless now.
'What about the fairy dragon?'
My first worry was whether the little guy had gotten caught up in the mess. But luckily, he seemed to be okay. Yeah. Except...
'Why are you two together?'
Eun Ja-rim. Changseon's disciple, the Clan Leader of the Hermit's Forest. She had the fairy dragon perched on her neatly gathered hands and was looking at him with a rapturous gaze. The little guy, meanwhile, had his head turned away with a thoroughly unimpressed expression. Like a sulky cat.
'......?'
I pushed the thought aside. Getting closer was a dilemma. I wasn't confident I could run if Eun Ja-rim decided to attack right now.
'I've got almost no mana left, either.'
If not for my mana regeneration, I would've collapsed from mental exhaustion. That was the only thing keeping me standing. While I hesitated, the fairy dragon spotted me and fluttered his wings.
Scattering light powder, he drew the gaze of the enraptured Eun Ja-rim. Her eyes followed, then she started violently when she saw me and leveled her spear.
'Was she always this kind of character?'
I didn't recall her ever having such an airheaded side in the novel...
"You! Let go of Eun Gong!"
The words made me burst into a hollow laugh.
'What bullshit.'
Eun Gong, she said. Eun Gong.
Putting aside the fact that she was talking to a monster like me. I stared blankly at the fairy dragon, who tilted his head as if to say, Don't look at me, I don't know anything. If I'd had hands, I probably would've facepalmed.
'Still, at least she's not attacking.'
She seemed to think he was a hostage, even though he was openly yawning right on top of my head. Truly, you see what you want to see. A quick look revealed a healing wound on Eun Ja-rim's abdomen.
'Did this little guy heal her?'
I hadn't seen any such skill with Insight, but maybe it was an inherent power of the Fairy Dragon species.
'......'
I watched her for a moment, then chucked the corpse I'd been carrying. Eun Ja-rim recoiled, shielding her stomach, and the body tumbled twice before flopping over onto the floor.
***
"No way."
Eun Ja-rim had been questioning why the Wolf tossed the corpse when a sudden thought struck her, and she flipped it over to check the face.
"This man is...!"
The mage who'd been fighting until just moments ago. From what she'd overheard—Agail. That was the name, wasn't it? She recognized the name. The successor of Purple Square, the mage who had cornered her.
What about the Three Swordsmen and the female mage—and why was this monster carrying this man's body?
"......."
Eun Ja-rim sharpened her wariness and glared at the Wolf. A Skull Wolf scattering an eerie aura. She felt like she'd heard something about it recently. Stories about a Skull Wolf that the Daybreak's Dawn had been chasing.
'Can I win?'
Her wound had mostly healed with the fairy dragon's help, but... The moment her spear-wielding gaze met the Wolf's empty eye sockets—and the Ghost Flame (C) burning beyond them—she froze solid.
'.......'
She felt cold sweat slicking her hands around the spear shaft.
'Then the one who killed Hunter Lee Baek-seom was...'
The monster right in front of her.
She was certain of it. The mana signature they'd been tracking, the black fur. The claw marks of a beast. Everything made sense now... The tension was deepening when words burst from the Wolf's mouth, and Eun Ja-rim's eyes flew wide open in shock.
"—Chase the Prodigal Sons."
"......?!"
"Downstairs. Behind the lab. There's a space."
A chilling voice.
Not a bestial howl, but unmistakable language. A voice that carried no overt killing intent but was laced with a palpable coldness. Under that calm, watching gaze, Eun Ja-rim found herself nodding before she knew it. After staring at her for a long time, the Wolf leisurely turned and vanished into the darkness.
"Haaaah."
Eun Ja-rim exhaled deeply and rubbed her temples. She felt pathetic for having been so intimidated by the creature. If they'd fought, right then...
'I can't imagine that I would have won.'
The moment the Wolf disappeared, Eun Ja-rim simply collapsed to the floor.
"......."
Her trembling hands gave away her true state of mind.
***
[Intimidation (E) Lv.1 proficiency at maximum. Intimidation (E) Lv.1 → Intimidation (E) Lv.2]
I'd handed over the body, so they could sort out the rest.
'Good thing we didn't fight.'
I'd been worried about facing Eun Ja-rim, but luckily, that didn't happen. Guess my Intimidation skill had paid off. When I emerged from the hideout, a crowd of people was gathered outside.
'Not surprising, given all that commotion.'
I whipped up a Gust. The sudden gale split the crowd apart. While everyone was blinded by the swirling wind and flying dust, I slipped away smoothly under Stealth.
'Is it over?'
Heukrin tapped at the corner of my mouth, then vanished as if she'd lost interest.
[Heukrin skill has been removed.]
She appears whenever she wants and leaves whenever she wants. I let out a small sigh. I'd expected as much anyway...
'What about Derek?'
Derek Clark. Finding him wasn't hard. My sense of smell located his position. He was already stone-cold. I'd figured as much when I pierced his chest, but it seemed he was truly dead.
'......'
Lee Baek-seom. Derek Clark. Agail Morest. And Blind Spot—everything in Daejeon had reached its conclusion.
'Even though it wasn't in the original plan.'
If anything, this was better. And as if it had been waiting, the System sent a message.
[Destruction Probability 99.78% → 97.93%]
[1.85% Karma acquired.]
[Karma: 1.97%]
'......?'
I tilted my head. Then my breath caught. The destruction probability, which hadn't dropped for anything no matter how hard I ran around, had suddenly plummeted by nearly 2% in one go.
'That's insane.'
Then what the hell was everything I'd done up until now?
The Sewer Calamity. The Gyeongsan Cobalt Mine. Gu Ma-jun trying to infiltrate the Temple. The Phantom World dungeon. Even after handling all of that, the number had barely budged...
"Kyuruk?"
The little guy coiled on my head tilted his own. Thinking about it again, it made sense.
'I cut off the tail.'
I killed the tail—Lee Baek-seom. As a result, the Hermit's Forest was cleared of suspicion, and Eun Ja-rim would never be doubted in the future.
'And Blind Spot.'
Just thinking about that name made my blood threaten to boil again. I forced down the heat and considered. Going forward, Blind Spot would have grown into one of the organizations that tripped up humanity. I had stopped the future where dozens of "proper mages" would have been born under Agail. Whether I liked it or not, the method of grinding people down to extract mana had indeed been viable.
'It's a future that won't happen now.'
I'd saved people who were originally meant to die. I didn't know how many, but maybe an outstanding hunter would emerge from among them. On top of that, once the existence of such an organization came to light, humanity would be on its guard.
'Definitely.'
The chaos had been too large in scale. There's a limit to how much you can turn a blind eye. This incident absolutely cannot be covered up.
'Those bastards will have to lie low, too.'
The Prodigal Sons, along with other organizations, would be forced to pull in their horns. This was definitely going to deal them a blow. ...Come to think of it, there hadn't been a single unfinished product in the hideout.
'Was that why Agail wasn't here?'
Because he'd gone to hand over the unfinished products.
That was why his return had been delayed, and it gave me the chance to hit the hideout first?
'That roughly lines up.'
Maybe the reason the Three Swordsmen and the female mage had been together was because of that. It seemed they'd been lying in wait for an opening.
'It's the only thing that explains it.'
The female mage's level was embarrassingly low compared to Agail. Even with Gu Jin-ha there, she couldn't compare to Agail. It was a burglary of an empty house. Their plan must have been to wipe out Blind Spot in one sweep while Agail was away.
'Right. Agail.'
That bastard had kept cards hidden right up to the end.
In fact, considering my Ghost Flame (C), I'd thought I could put up a fight even if Greed revealed itself.
'Black Rose.'
I never imagined that even when cornered that badly, he'd been holding onto a reserved 5-verse incantation. Honestly, my fight with Agail was luck.
'Unplanned luck.'
Without Heukrin, I'd be the one dead, and the imitation Elixir would've been taken back. Naturally, humanity would've been destroyed just as the predetermined ending dictated.
'...Still.'
It pissed me off.
I wanted to win. But in the end, I'd still had to rely on something. Escaping that illusion had been possible thanks to the System and the fairy dragon's help. It wasn't me who'd burned the Black Rose to ash—it was Heukrin. Some might call it good fortune, but that unplanned luck chafed at me. That final bare-bodied brawl with Agail. That refusal to borrow Heukrin's power. That was why Heukrin had mocked me as a fool.
'I'm annoyed.'
I understood that I'd had no choice but to rely on others. At the very least, the Black Rose was not something I could have overcome on my own.
Yeah. I get that it was an unavoidable force.
'......'
I know that. I know it, but...
I let out a deep breath. I had kept my oath. That fact alone would never change. The sensation of biting through Agail's throat still felt vivid. Yet the wretchedness remained. I had ended up relying on unplanned luck.
'Yeah. This time, that's what happened.'
Still.
'Next time,'
I'll become strong enough not to rely on that kind of luck. That aspiration etched itself fiercely into my chest.
'There are still mountains of Calamities left to deal with.'
The heretical Prodigal Sons. The Neverland Incident. The Purple Black Tiger. The Calamity of the Sea... Just what I could list off the top of my head was hard to count on my fingers. There were undoubtedly Calamities I didn't even know about. To stop all of them, no amount of legwork would be enough. That was why humanity needed to be galvanized.
'1.85%.'
Thinking it over again, it was a fitting figure. The destruction of Blind Spot and the death of Agail. Plus, the imitation Elixir I'd taken from them. Just thinking about who would have ended up drinking that imitation Elixir sent a chill through my chest.
'This was a good outcome.'
It was the best possible result.
I don't know for sure, but securing that imitation Elixir probably contributed more to lowering the destruction probability than even killing Agail or destroying Blind Spot. While I was walking along, lost in thought, I'd already left the city behind and found myself looking down at Daejeon.
'One hell of a view.'
Spectacular.
I stared blankly at the scenery, and the fairy dragon tilted his head.
'Come to think of it, why did this little guy even come?'
I'd come alone because I was worried it would be dangerous, but he'd followed me anyway. I'd worried the fairy might have followed, too, but that didn't seem to be the case.
"Kyururuk~"
The little guy dangled his tail and tickled my ear. Yeah. At last, it finally felt like it was truly over. The dizzying Night of the Great Battle had passed, and at long last, morning had dawned.
[Evolution Routes are now available.]
***
"Wake up."
A strong surge of mana roused the Three Swordsmen.
Disoriented, he shook his head vigorously to clear away the dissonance between illusion and reality.
"...When did it even start?"
Everything was a mess. The only certainty was that he'd been hit by Agail's magic. Why hadn't he realized it sooner? Looking back on the events inside the illusion, they'd been riddled with a sense of wrongness.
"......."
His mind was a storm of confusion.
Gu Jin-ha looked up blankly at Eun Ja-rim, who had woken him.
"Did you defeat Agail?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the greater question became, "Why am I still alive?" And as if in answer, Eun Ja-rim pointed with her spear.
"......!"
Agail's corpse. And hunters were searching through every corner of the hideout.
"He's dead, then."
Hard as it was to believe, it seemed Agail had been taken down. Gu Jin-ha looked at Eun Ja-rim with the obvious question.
"Were you the one who defeated him?"
"No. A monster... It was the Skull Wolf."
"Skull Wolf? You mean Alpha?"
Gu Jin-ha frowned.
The last memory he had before being caught in the illusion was clearly... Agail firing the 4-verse incantation he had reserved.
"Alpha would have been hit, too..."
Was he saying the wolf had escaped it by its own power?
If it were a chimera immune to illusions, that would be one thing—but was it even possible for a 4-verse spell to simply have no effect? Or had he somehow dodged the magic?
'......'
Everything about that beast was a question mark.
"First... thank you for waking me. Do you happen to know how long I was unconscious?"
Instead of answering, Eun Ja-rim stepped aside. Sunlight streamed brighter through a gap in the collapsed ceiling. That meant it hadn't been very long... but the sense of dissonance was strong, as if he'd spent decades inside the illusion.
'A 4-verse incantation.'
It hadn't even been 5 verses. Yet it had taken down both Anella and himself in one shot. That spoke volumes about how high Agail's level was. He'd never imagined he would be so utterly outclassed when fighting a mage.
'......'
From the incantations to the formation of hand seals, Agail had transcended every bit of common knowledge Gu Jin-ha had about mages. And Alpha had defeated an Agail like that?
"Wait a moment. Are you saying you know that...?"
Eun Ja-rim nodded.
"It sought me out. It threw the body at me and spoke."
"Spoke...? It actually spoke?"
Kang Tae-ho had mentioned it, but with Eun Ja-rim confirming it like this, there could be no more doubt. The beast possessed intellect. Not mere thinking, but an intelligence sufficient to comprehend social structures and grasp language. Eun Ja-rim nodded at Gu Jin-ha's question.
"It told me to chase the Prodigal Sons."
Eun Ja-rim pointed toward the people being rescued by the hunters.
"And it told me about the space behind the lab downstairs."
"......."
"Now it's my turn to ask. Answer me, Three Swordsmen. What exactly is this Wolf—this Alpha—that you've been chasing?"
Eun Ja-rim squeezed the haft of her spear tightly.
"Why is Eun Gong—no, why is a fairy dragon submitting to it?"
Submitting... The thought struck Gu Jin-ha belatedly.
'Right. The Fairy Dragon was helping Alpha.'
The Fairy Dragon. The dungeon at I-hyeon Park. The scales left at the scene. So it hadn't been his imagination after all. Eun Ja-rim had used the word "submitting." Did that mean Alpha was coercively suppressing the Fairy Dragon? Organizing his thoughts, Gu Jin-ha answered Eun Ja-rim's question.
"I don't know. We've simply been chasing it since Jirisan. If anything, I'm the one who wants to ask."
"Ask what?"
"Although you aren't formally affiliated with Gowon, it's a fact that you are Changseon's disciple."
As Eun Ja-rim nodded calmly and met his eyes, Gu Jin-ha wrestled with himself internally. This was an opportunity that might never come again. A perfect chance to probe her. Having already spoken, he made up his mind.
"The one who passed us the information on Alpha was Gowon, led by your teacher, Changseon."
"Gowon?"
A puzzled reaction. Examining her expression, she didn't look like she already knew.
"Gowon. The intel they provided anonymously. That's where our pursuit of Alpha began."
That's where everything had started.
Beginning with Gowon's information, they'd chased Alpha from Jirisan. His teammate Lee Eun-ha had been attacked... and the beast had fled. Though, for some reason, it hadn't killed her.
'Now that I think about it, the very fact that she was there is itself a question.'
The Girl he'd met at Beopgyesa Temple's Iljumun Gate.
Of course he knew. How could he not know someone who held the seat of a Square Master?
'......'
But why in the world had she been there?
She, who should have been holding back Disease and Plague, had said that what happened at the Iljumun Gate was "more important than blocking Disease." The attack on Lee Eun-ha at Beopgyesa Temple. Could that really have been an event worthy of moving a Square Master? If so, why hadn't she rescued her? Why had she blocked the path instead? Or was there something else at play?
'What on earth happened there?'
He didn't know. Only she would know the truth. Just as he was sorting his thoughts, he lifted his head at Eun Ja-rim's words.
"I have no idea. My master never said anything like that to me. Are you seriously suspecting Gowon right now?"
A question can't help but reveal its intent. It was an unavoidable risk. At Eun Ja-rim's return question, Gu Jin-ha acknowledged it.
"I don't want to, but it's true that I have questions about Gowon."
"Master would have no reason to—!"
"We don't know. The full story of what happened hasn't come to light at all. All we know is that Alpha, who was nothing more than a special-species Warg, has grown to that extent in barely over a month."
"......."
"Who can guarantee what will happen next? Can you guarantee that Alpha won't transcend its species? Can you promise that another monster like the Purple Black Tiger won't appear?"
"That's..."
The two stood opposed. Gu Jin-ha spoke firmly, as if driving home a warning: don't be mistaken.
"Alpha is still alive, and the fact that a mysterious organization called the Prodigal Sons exists is clear and undeniable."
"......."
"If Gowon is truly entangled in this matter... Dawn will never stand idly by."
Turning his head, he spotted Anella crouched in front of Agail's corpse.
"......."
A heavy feeling in his chest, he took a cigarette from inside his coat.
Morning had definitely arrived, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that nothing was truly over yet.