Urban Legend
Alexander Valentine stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows of his penthouse, gazing down at the sprawling metropolis of Arcadia. His eyes lingered no longer on the breathtaking view. They were fixed instead on the data streaming from his terminal.
A moment earlier, a report had arrived: Kang Jinwoo had wiped out the entire mercenary unit known as the Chronos Mercenary Band.
“Kang Jinwoo… He really is no ordinary man. His handling of this was flawless.”
A satisfied smile curved Alexander’s lips.
His veteran instincts whispered a warning.
The man was dangerous—but also incredibly useful.
He was exactly what Alexander needed to fulfill his long-standing revenge.
“Now it’s time to move to the next phase.”
He immediately routed his most trusted ally, the veteran mercenary Gray Wolf, through the secure channel.
**Infiltrate the former mining district where Jinwoo had cleaned up, and recover the target.**
Gray Wolf would complete the mission flawlessly.
The shadow among shadows—the elite who left no trace, no evidence, no body.
Hours passed. Alexander waited.
No word came.
Frustrated at last, he issued an emergency order to a backup mercenary team already on standby.
Not long after, a message arrived.
**[Alexander-nim, on-site report. Gray Wolf’s mecha wreckage and… the target mecha wreckage have both been found. Both mechas… are completely destroyed.]**
The messenger’s voice shook with shock and horror.
“Gray Wolf… died like that?”
Alexander’s ears rang.
Gray Wolf had survived every crisis. He was the best of the best.
To be annihilated in a mutual destruction…
**[That isn’t all, Alexander-nim. Every combat log in the vicinity has been wiped clean, as if it never existed.]**
The messenger’s voice trembled.
**[The black box from Gray Wolf’s mecha, along with every nearby surveillance system log… every single trace has been erased. This is…]**
The messenger’s voice cracked.
‘Data erasure…?’
Alexander’s brow furrowed deeply.
This was no ordinary system glitch or jamming.
Someone had deliberately and perfectly erased every trace.
‘What the hell is going on?’
He dialed Jinwoo’s contact with a shaking hand.
****
When Asura touched down above Sector 7 of Terminus Station, I had already sent Scarlet a brief “I’m returning” message.
Her workshop roof came into view.
Built from special reinforced alloy, it featured a sliding-panel structure designed for large mecha entry.
Thanks to Scarlet’s pre-programmed sequence, the massive panels opened smoothly with a low metallic groan.
I deployed the landing gear, fine-tuned booster output, and descended with extreme caution.
**KRRR—!**
Asura settled onto the lift with a heavy metallic clank.
The landing had been barely successful, but ominous smoke rose from the left leg actuator.
The panels slid shut again. I opened the cockpit hatch and exhaled.
“Kang Jinwoo!”
Scarlet had set her welding torch down on the workbench and spun toward me.
The moment she saw Asura’s wrecked state, her face twisted with horror and fury.
“How many nights and days have I spent fixing this thing! How can you keep coming back looking like this?!”
She clenched both fists, trembling as she marched toward me.
“Last time you came back with your face painted like a villain. Now you’ve got multiple lives, don’t you? Or do I look like I’m easy pickings? Does my reasoning sound unreasonable to you?”
She hurled the words like a runaway locomotive.
Every crushed armor plate, every snapped left arm, every energy claw scar and plasma burn made her voice rise another notch.
“Scarlet, calm down and listen to me…”
“Calm down?! Am I the one who looks calm?! You madman! Do you know how much I worried last time? You swore you’d stay quiet for a while, and the moment you finish the mecha, this happens?!”
She lunged as if she were going to grab my collar.
“I-I’m sorry, Scarlet. This time the opponent was just too strong. I really had no choice…”
“Apologizing won’t fix it! Are you doing this on purpose?!”
Scarlet’s voice cracked at the end, her eyes reddening.
“I was fighting for my life too… and ended up like this. Still, we won, right? Look, I’m back alive and well.”
She let out a long sigh and circled around Asura.
“Ugh… the left arm has to be completely rebuilt. The armor… well, you can guess. The internal frame is probably twisted. The reactor and energy systems… who knows how badly they’re damaged. Just thinking about it gives me a headache.”
She pressed her hand to her forehead and muttered.
“You…”
She strode straight up to me, wrapped her arms around me in a tight embrace, and held on.
Her body trembled.
“Scarlet…?”
Startled, I called her name. Her voice, muffled against my shoulder, grew wet with tears.
“Last time too… and this time… you always move like someone who’s about to leave forever. I’m terrified you’ll just disappear one day… that’s why I’m so scared…!”
The warmth of her body, the trembling, and the sincere voice whispering in my ear left me speechless.
Her hands gripped my back tightly, as if refusing to let go.
“If money’s that important, tell me! I’ll find a way! So please… don’t do mercenary work anymore, okay? …Right?”
The plea was heartbreaking.
Hot tears or sweat—whatever they were—dampened my shoulder.
The emotion flowing through her was far deeper than simple friendship: desperate, raw, and terrifyingly close to dangerous.
A possessive obsession that went beyond worry, born from the primal fear of losing me.
The same desperate clinging of a child who might lose her only friend at any moment.
“Scarlet…”
I called her name softly. Her sobs against my shoulder grew louder.
“Don’t cry. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
At my words, she lifted her head slightly and looked up at me with tear-filled eyes.
Her reddened eyelids and wounded expression were nothing like the Scarlet I knew.
“Liar… You always say that, then jump into danger anyway…! I can tell from your eyes! You… you’re someone who can’t stop!”
She buried her face in my chest again and sobbed.
The sight was pitiful, yet somehow endearing.
“Yes… you’re right. I probably will keep living like this. But that doesn’t mean I’m leaving your side.”
I gently stroked her hair and said.
“I’ll come back to you anytime. There’s no one else who can fix this thing or make it stronger.”
Her trembling eased.
She still clung to me, voice small.
“Really… really?”
“Yes. I promise.”
I met her eyes and spoke sincerely.
I couldn’t give her the answer she wanted right now—namely, to quit mercenary work.
But I could promise this much.
“As long as you’re with me, I’ll always return. So stop crying and fix this mess of an Asura. Show me your skill once more.”
I deliberately grinned and lightly pinched her cheek.
Scarlet stared at me blankly for a moment, then let out a short, **Pfft-**, and burst into quiet laughter.
She punched my chest lightly.
Her eyes were still red, but the usual fire was returning to her voice.
She pulled away from me, wiped her tears, and cleared her throat.
“Ah, anyway! The customization fee and repair costs from last time—I’ll bill you properly! This time I’m really gonna overcharge!”
“If you have a gift, can’t you cut me a little discount?”
I smiled slyly and pulled out the design schematics. Scarlet’s eyes widened.
“W-what is this?! How did you…?!”
The earlier teary act vanished. Her eyes sparkled with the curiosity and excitement of a technician.
Scarlet was Scarlet.
“I obtained it through the data file.”
I couldn’t say it came from a system reward, so I improvised.
“Knightfall… I’ve heard the name before.”
*Scarlet would probably know what it is.*
The in-game bait about who created Knightfall had never been revealed.
Players called it a discarded bait for the next DLC—after the company cut support, nothing more came of it.
This wasn’t a game. I could find out who created Knightfall for real.
“Have you heard of it?”
“Yeah, back in the era before the Allied Government collapsed—there was a secret research group.”
*A research group?*
“I don’t know if they were disbanded or moved to another planet. They were trying to create perfect autonomous combat weapons that judge and evolve without human intervention. It’s like an urban legend.”
“Urban legend. Creepy.”
“Knightfall is probably one of their results.”
*The prototype Knightfall… That name. Was it never completed?*
I recalled the message that had appeared when I destroyed the mecha.
Scarlet sighed heavily and traced the spider tattoo on her left arm.
“Do you know why I got this tattoo?”
“…No idea.”
“Strange. I can’t remember my face, but I still clearly remember the spider tattoo my mom had.”
She touched it bitterly, then immediately put on a sad expression.
“If I ever meet my mom again, I hope this tattoo can serve as a medium. That’s why I got it.”
*She knows something.*
There was no reason to suddenly sing a tattoo song.
Scarlet’s past had a high probability of being connected to that research group.
“Hand over the schematics. While I’m fixing it, I’ll install this too. And today, don’t think about anything—help me all night.”
“You can’t be serious…”
**Ting-ring—!**
A notification chimed from my terminal.
**[Alexander Valentine.]**
*He’s here.*
I wondered how the fox-like old man would react.