Splitting the Flames
Ganjeol was enjoying the company of his women and their offerings, even though it was the middle of the day.
This was Ganjeol's true face, known only to his closest confidants.
Addiction to pleasure. Especially since the new world had opened and his body had grown strong, Ganjeol had indulged more deeply than ever. After all, a world without any constraints had finally opened its doors to him.
Knock. Knock.
"Enter!"
Even when his subordinate came in, Ganjeol didn't stop what he was doing.
"Report. Did he fall into the trap?"
"Yes, sir."
"And the body?"
"We haven't recovered it yet."
"And yet you say he fell into the trap?"
Ganjeol's movements froze for a moment.
"It appears the Fourth Pillar Master has arrived."
"Number Four?"
"Yes, sir. A great wildfire has broken out."
"Then there's nothing to be done about it. Once the fire has burned out, go and confirm it yourself."
"About that... will anything even remain? This was power wielded by the Fourth Pillar Master..."
"Confirm it anyway."
"Yes, sir."
When his subordinate closed the door and left, Ganjeol began moving again. Then he let out a slimy smile.
"Director Gong. Along with Black Shelter, you're leaving me yet another gift."
Survivors had gathered at Shelter Ark, the hideout provided by Montage.
Yeongyeong was still breathing, but her condition showed no visible improvement.
"There's really nothing you can do? Kiss. I heard you were good."
"My specialty is bringing back someone who's stopped breathing. Anything past that stage is..."
"Pacific. Your drugs won't work either?"
"I'm not a burn specialist, and what know-how would I have? In a case like this, you go with the proven method."
"Which is?"
"Dumping every kind of reinforcement pill into her to crank up her recovery rate. That's the only option."
"So in the end we're leaving it to natural healing?"
"That's about the size of it."
"Then do it. What, you're stingy with the drug money? I'll pay for it."
At that, Pacific's eyes went wide and he looked up at Won-goo, indignant.
My money's too precious, is it? We're out of drugs, you idiot, out.
"Don't get worked up."
"I got no intention of acting stingy when things've come to this. If you're gonna be petty about it, Gong So-jang, that stings."
"Fine. You little brat."
"Gong So-jang, listen. There's a gal around here who handles medicine better than anyone. Potion."
"Ah! Right, Potion."
"Potion's real good with this kinda thing. But..."
"But if she finds out we left her out of this, she'll be hurt, won't she."
"Ain't that so, though?"
"Still, it's better she didn't come along. Honestly, she might be the lucky one..."
"That's how it looks to me too."
"I'll handle that part myself. I'll beg on hands and knees if I have to and ask for her help."
"You'll manage?"
"Just get her on the line for now."
Since they had snuck into Ark and were hiding out, the only person who could move around freely was Montage.
Montage nodded to Joce, and Joce hurried out with his men.
"Now what do we do?"
One of Montage's subordinates helpfully brought out liquor — a whiskey that had been quite famous before the end of the world.
"Pour everyone a drink."
A mug filled to the brim, one round each. Everyone downed it in a single gulp.
That was because none of them could get even slightly drunk on liquor this pure anymore.
"Not bad. Can't believe stuff like this is still left."
"Wine's a local specialty, boy. If you poke around the shops, there's still wine left here and there."
"As for our countermeasures... let's all put our heads together. I can't just decide and expect everyone to agree."
"Wouldn't expect 'em to? Everybody knows — any group with too many captains at the helm don't run right. And here, you're the best fit for captain, Gong So-jang."
"Even if the decision's mine, let's build the plan together. But first things first — let's keep that girl Yeongyeong alive."
Yeongyeong, charred pitch-black, hadn't regained consciousness and was breathing only in faint wisps.
At the sight of her, everyone's expressions hardened.
"You know, something's been nagging at me."
"What is it?"
"What if all of this really is just coincidence? What then?"
Montage's words. But the possibility of coincidence was nonexistent — at least, that was what Won-goo believed.
"You don't know if it's shit or soybean paste till you taste it, right?"
"Fair point, but still."
"And we'll prove it at Ganjeol Point."
Pacific spoke up.
"Right? They'd naturally try to expand their territory."
"Probably. But Gong So-jang, I get the feeling there are an awful lot of Ganjeol straws stuck in Sabbath."
"There would be. How could there not be?"
With that, Won-goo stole a glance at Mu Beob-sa, who was quietly reading a book.
It wasn't that he suspected Mu Beob-sa of being one of those straws. Rather, he looked because Mu Beob-sa, too, had acquaintances inside Ganjeol Point.
"Sabbath's a bigger town than this one, ain't it? Would it really fall that easily?"
"Something happened there recently. All the big gangs got swept out. So from Ganjeol's perspective, if we're gone too, they'd judge they could walk in without spilling a drop of blood. And Pacific — it's true things are noisy inside Ganjeol, right?"
"That part's accurate."
"Then the situation's perfect for them. Just set your conscience aside a little... no, scratch that. Ganjeol never had one to begin with."
"They drag the Number Society in to get rid of Gong So-jang, then swallow Sabbath while tightening internal discipline. Clever use of the head, I'll give them that."
"The oldest trick in the book — expanding territory while your house is in disarray. You see it all through history. If unity's broken, just manufacture a common enemy. They call that national unity, don't they."
"Ain't that history always a history of failures, though?"
"Exactly. And we're going to make sure it fails this time too."
They had each downed another drink when Potion arrived.
"Potion, about this whole affair..."
The moment Potion walked in, Montage stepped forward first, ready to explain himself.
"Save the explanations. If you can't understand this much in this line of work, you can't keep working in it."
"Whoa... that is one cool customer."
"Glad you understand."
"In exchange, there won't be a next time, right?"
Potion asked, looking squarely at Won-goo.
Perhaps because they were inside the shelter, her outfit was utterly ordinary — not the armor she always wore, but a sweatshirt and jeans.
It was an oversized, plain sweatshirt, but her exceptional volume could not be hidden.
"Am I wrong?"
Potion asked again.
Won-goo nodded and gave his answer.
"We'll do our best to see there isn't."
"And the patient?"
When she looked at Yeongyeong, Potion's expression twisted.
She set down the backpack she'd been carrying.
"It's magic, isn't it?"
"That's what we understand, yes."
"How did you keep her alive?"
Won-goo pointed at Kiss.
"Kiss's help was huge."
"Gong So-jang's quick response mattered too."
"How, exactly?"
Potion asked, staring with sharp, clear eyes.
"If I tell you, does this whole incident get forgiven?"
"I said it would, didn't I?"
"The heart and the mouth don't always match."
"..."
Potion shot him a grave look.
"I've seen wounds like this before. That's all."
"Something you went through yourself?"
"I couldn't save them."
"Flames made of magic are nothing like ordinary ones. This kind of fire often doesn't stop until it has burned its target to death."
"So?"
"So you increase the number of targets. Spread the fire thin, and its power drops."
With that, Won-goo rolled up his sleeve and showed her the faint burn scar that remained.
Even that scar would vanish in a few days at his recovery rate. He was also taking the medicine Pacific had given him on the hour, every hour.
"You threw yourself in and split the flames between you... what a strange method."
"I stumbled onto it by accident, honestly."
"Even that accident... anyway, let's start treatment. But I'll warn you — a wound this severe, I can't guarantee even a survivor comes back looking the way she used to."
"She can't return to normal?"
"It's that serious."
The faces around the room hardened all over again.
"Still, we have to save her. Let's begin."
Potion pulled several syringes from her bag and began injecting them into Yeongyeong.
After the assortment of drugs came the IV drip.
"First, we stress that Ganjeol Point is trying to expand its territory and pull the surrounding shelters to our side."
Ganjeol Point was the largest coalition in the region.
With Black Shelter gone, everyone would surely be on edge if the coalition started reaching for more land.
"Fresh."
"Yeah?"
"Any place around Mt. Yuhyang we could get help from?"
"I operate small, so... if it's a contract, maybe, but getting actual help's going to be tough."
"You don't know any gangs? Dangle some loot in front of them and they'd jump over, wouldn't they? Ganjeol Point is a goldmine right now."
"I know a few, but... would they actually come? There are rumors about Ganjeol Point. Gangs don't tend to gamble their lives for loot."
"Draw up a list anyway. Either we crush Ganjeol Point now, or we end up under them later. You think those bastards will sit still after swallowing Sabbath?"
"Haah... I just never really tangled with gangs, that's all."
Fresh answered, tilting his head.
"Some Named you are. Not a single gang you're friendly with."
"Hey, who was the guy who used to go around saying there was nothing to gain from getting deep with gangs? Wasn't that you, Gong So-jang?"
"That's not the same thing."
"Anyway, my connections there are thin... Yeongyeong would help you more than I could. She's got her kids, after all."
"What do you mean, kids? More than one?"
"Yeongyeong used to run an orphanage."
"She did something that noble?"
"She'd take in teenagers, teach them the skills to survive, then send them out to live independently. That was Yeongyeong's real line of work. She doesn't have a single kid under her wing anymore, but the bonds are tight. If they find out she ended up like this, every last one of them will come running."
"Then what about the kid who crossed the Samdo River a while back?"
"That one's her actual son."
"What a fancy family tree. So Yeongyeong has adoptive sons, is what you're saying?"
Yeongyeong's condition had improved considerably. But she still hadn't regained consciousness.
And her original appearance was nowhere to be found either.
"A lot of them, I mean."
"How good are they, all of them?"
"Never heard a whisper of any of them dying a screaming death somewhere. Isn't that good enough?"
"Good enough. Nice. Then how about the Mosquito Gang?"
"The Queen's crew? That's exactly the type you'd hate, Gong So-jang?"
"I know. Half a cult, that place."
"Well... people don't dig too deep because of that image, but honestly there aren't many weird rumors about them."
"I already know that part."
"Right, or you wouldn't have gone to see her yourself. It's just a tight-knit gang built around the Queen. No rumors of backstabbing, either."
"Can we pull them into this?"
"If the pay's right, they'd join. Their Queen's a bit fond of money."
"Who doesn't love money? Which is exactly why she's honest about it. So she's someone you can lure with coins, then?"
"That's about it."
Having finished, Won-goo turned his gaze toward Pacific.
"And you?"
"I'm a merchant, aren't I?"
"Still, your reach is wider than ours."
"You're all asking too much. And lately I've been doing almost nothing but Ganjeol work, remember?"
"Ugh... can't even hit you, can't squeeze a drop of help out of you, huh?"
"In exchange, I'll take at least thirty Ganjeol heads myself."
"Thirty, he says. Forget that — you fill a hundred, minimum. Roll them until their hearts burst."
"Got it, got it."
Won-goo grumbled and muttered, but Pacific knew that this was the signal they'd crossed the critical point.
When things were truly dire, Won-goo didn't mix in jokes at all. Which meant Yeongyeong had just cleared a major hurdle.
"What about you, boss?"
Won-goo asked, looking at Montage.
"Already looking. Joce went out, so we'll have good news soon enough."
At that, a satisfied smile spread across his face.
"See that? That right there is experience. Learn something, learn it. You bastards calling yourselves Named... tear those name tags off already."
And with that, Won-goo raised a thumb toward Montage.