Demon
“So how are you planning to handle the Ganjeol bastard?”
At that, it wasn't Yeom-gwi who moved — it was Allium. She strode to the office doorway and pulled it open, and the people of Bohwacheon came streaming in.
“There was no need to ask.”
“I told you we came prepared, you rascal.”
Pfft.
Gong Won-goo let out a faint smile at that.
He figured this deal had left him with quite a bit of surplus.
The fact that Bohwacheon had come out far more cooperative than before was a gain in its own right.
So Won-goo tossed out a question that hadn't been on the agenda.
It was just as the Bohwacheon people were carrying Ganjeol away.
“Let me ask one thing.”
“What is it?”
“How much do you fetch for a member of the Number Society?”
“Kukuku. So the wealth the Cheon offers was to your taste, was it?”
“It didn't look bad.”
“That depends on which member of the Number Society. Small fry are meaningless. Though… if you knew something interesting, like what happened today, that could change things.”
“I'm not talking about small fry — I mean the numbered executives. The likes of Number Four.”
“……?”
“……?”
Then both Yeom-gwi and Allium simply stared at him.
The look on their faces clearly said: why would you even want to know that?
Won-goo, sharp as ever, couldn't have missed it.
“You think this isn't something I should be curious about?”
“Kukuku. Quick on the uptake, aren't you.”
“You never know with people.”
“Even if I don't know, I doubt you'd do it. Getting tangled up with the Seju of the Number Society. Would you really make that choice?”
“Already tangled up with them, actually?”
“Cut the wordplay. But since you asked, I'll answer: we could offer you something very fine indeed. Against the Number Society, we might even hand over the very best we possess.”
“Then I asked the question wrong. Should have been more specific. Against something like the Number Society, how many rewards like today's could I get?”
“An irritating question, but it's better to have it settled. At least ten rewards like today's.”
“Not bad.”
“Kukuku… but it will never come to that. Treat the Number Society lightly, the way you'd treat Seal Collectors, and we may never meet again. And I'd like to see my face again. It's best not to show too much interest in the Number Society.”
“That's not for grandma to meddle in. Anyway, it was a good deal.”
“A good deal on my end as well, you rascal.”
* * *
The moment the Bohwacheon people were out the door, Mu Beob-sa fired off his question.
“What is this Capsule Sticker meant to do, that's the part I'm asking about?”
“You stick it on a capsule and it gets an enhancement.”
“What kind of enhancement?”
It was Geum Chul-soo who asked. Normally Chul-soo rarely butted into the group's conversations.
He had a timid streak, and he'd always figured he had no standing to intrude on important discussions.
But this matter concerned him directly, so he was taking an active part for once.
“Think of it as the same thing as a Seal. Stick it on a capsule and it gets reinforced.”
“So it's essentially a Seal for a capsule monster, then?”
“Pretty much. Like Seals, the ability granted depends on the shape of the sticker. The difference is that a sticker takes effect immediately — the owner of the capsule monster knows right away.”
“Nice.”
“One more difference. Once a sticker goes on, that's it. No reuse, the way Seals can be recycled.”
“An unfortunate part, that would be.”
“So it's a no-refunds deal.”
“That's right. If we get more stickers, we'll have to think carefully about where to place them. But the first sticker doesn't carry that much weight, so go ahead and put it on.”
“Me?”
“It's your capsule, Chul-soo. So it's yours to stick.”
He handed the sticker over.
Chul-soo pressed the sticker — about the size of one finger joint — straight onto the capsule.
GrRRRRR!
The instant the sticker adhered, the capsule shuddered violently. The vibration was intense enough to make Chul-soo's whole body tremble.
It carried on for about ten seconds.
“Now bring it out.”
“Sir.”
Geum Chul-soo summoned Dulla again.
And something interesting happened.
Hiiiiiiiing!
A horse as massive as the Dullahan itself filled the office from wall to wall. It had the shape of a horse — but it was not alive.
It was a horse made of bone.
“Oh! Isn't that a ghost horse?”
“Better to call it a skeletal horse than a ghost horse.”
No one could hide their astonishment.
Even Pacific, whose entire attention had been fixed on the Nightmare Dokkaebi Mask, was no exception.
“This is…”
“A good sticker, it seems.”
“There were stickers that gave horses, was that a part of it?”
“That'd be the one, wouldn't it. Adds a single option that suits the capsule monster. And since our Dulla's already been made giant-sized, the horse came out big to match.”
“This is really going to help a lot, isn't it?”
“It is. We've gotten something very good. Among our recent rewards, this is top-tier.”
The Dullahan was no weak monster.
Its prowess in one-on-one combat was considerable — Lee Hyun-sung had only barely beaten it in a duel not long ago.
And now that monster had gained intelligence, learned to use both hands, and undergone gigantification.
On top of all that, it now had a steed worthy of its enormous frame, letting it fight as cavalry.
“Its horsemanship is quite impressive, isn't it?”
Jo Mu-sa remarked. Dulla was riding the horse in a slow circuit around the office.
It was at Geum Chul-soo's command.
“It's a monster modeled on a medieval knight. Horsemanship is a given.”
“But Boss, is there actually a Dullahan that rides horses somewhere?”
Pacific asked.
“As far as I know, yes. And of course it rides well. It carries its own head around one-handed — naturally it'd be good in the saddle.”
With that, Won-goo checked the time. It wasn't that they had spare time to burn at the Shelter.
They had been waiting to close the deal with Bohwacheon.
The Arctic Giant had turned out to be a harder opponent than expected, and he'd judged that upgrading their combat strength was the only way to make things easier.
“Everyone, get ready to move out. Hyun-sung.”
“Yes, Hyeong-nim.”
“Go fetch Dinosaur.”
“Understood, Hyeong-nim.”
Lee Hyun-sung dashed out of the office at once.
“Dan-shin!”
Dan-shin came sprinting over, dropping the item he'd been sorting.
“I need to head into the warehouse and bring out feed. We have it sorted, right?”
“Yes, sir. Just tell me how many days' worth and I'll bring it.”
“We'll need plenty. The intel brokers may not have found a strategy guide. This time, we're not coming back until it's dead.”
“Shall I bring a month's worth, then?”
“Do that. Suwon, Jo Mu-sa — give him a hand.”
“Yes, sir.”
The Trailer was already well stocked with provisions.
With enough food to feed the crew comfortably for several months, there was ordinarily no need to make special requests of Dan-shin like this.
Jeon Hye-ji automatically packed exactly as much as they needed.
But things were different now. They'd be working alongside other crews, and food-related issues were bound to come up more than once.
In situations like this, overpacking was the right call.
“A month's worth” meant enough food for survivors — all of them notorious gluttons.
Even with Dan-shin's Coin enhancements, it was more than he could carry alone.
Having the crew help was only proper.
Meanwhile, Hyun-sung returned to the office and bowed his head.
He'd gone out and found Dinosaur already waiting.
“You got here fast?”
“I was passing through the area, Director.”
“Good. Everything ready that I asked for before?”
“I was just about to contact you about it, Director.”
“Good. Bring it out. Hye-ji will settle the bill.”
Dinosaur handed over a prepared box straight from his warehouse.
They weren't heavy armor but undergarments meant to be worn inside, so neither the bulk nor the weight amounted to much.
Lined with heat-generation enchantments, they would let them endure far harsher cold than anything they'd faced so far.
“What's this?”
Inside the box sat a bottle of wine they'd never ordered.
“Even a single sip of that will have you sweating buckets, Director.”
“What? Is this a new drug too? Which pharmacy's this from?”
“It's from a different Shelter. I went to special lengths to bring it back.”
“Dinosaur, you little—!”
“Y-yes?”
At Won-goo's sudden bark, Dinosaur blinked rapidly and shrank into himself.
“Picking up a sense for business now, are we? This kind of sense — I like it. Very much!”
Only when Won-goo laughed did Dinosaur finally relax, twisting his huge frame with a grin.
It was an odd sight, no matter how many times you saw it.
“So how much is it?”
“No charge, Director.”
“Huh? You're just giving it away?”
Dinosaur groveling in front of Won-goo didn't make him any less a merchant.
He collected payment for his goods nine times out of ten.
That was why Won-goo reacted with such surprise.
“In exchange, Director…”
Dinosaur let his words trail off, sneaking a glance at Pacific.
Won-goo caught on instantly.
“Ah! You rascal! I told you not to worry, didn't I? We only handle the sweet stuff. Anything else gets sold in other neighborhoods, all right?”
“Please, I beg you… or I'll starve to death.”
“You know business has been booming lately — why would you starve? And listen, Dinosaur. I'm about to get a little sad here?”
“Yes?”
“If you keep asking even after I've told you I won't do it, doesn't that mean your trust in me has plummeted through the floor these past days? Isn't that the part of it?”
“No! No, sir! I would never think anything so disrespectful! Never!”
“What part of it isn't, then? Damn it! The very fact that you asked again is the part where my mood takes a nosedive!”
Won-goo needled Dinosaur, aping Mu Beob-sa's speech pattern.
“Let me say it once more — if I say I won't deal it, I won't deal it. And that Pacific bastard specialized in fishing gear to begin with; he doesn't have so much as a single general item.”
“Understood. I'll trust only you, Director.”
“That part's up to you. Keep your tension where it is. Don't revert to how things were — got it? Remember, always, forever, that I am the living proof that there's an exception to the bald rule. Understood?”
“I will engrave it in my memory, sir!”
* * *
Won-goo's crew, bundled in their winter gear, entered the Arctic Giant Sector.
A great many survivors had gathered there, and an air of exhaustion hung over the camp.
Snow was still falling steadily, and some of the survivors were laboring at snow-clearing without rest.
There Won-goo met Yang Jin-seon, who had been waiting for him. More intel brokers stood behind her, and Won-goo acknowledged them with a brief nod.
“So? What's the verdict?”
“It's the Arctic Giant, just as you said, Director.”
“See? Told you.”
“Only, I think you lowballed the estimate a little.”
“Why?”
“It's no ordinary monster.”
“I said it wasn't ordinary.”
“I mean it's not just a Large Species. It's making subordinates right now.”
“Making subordinates?”
“Yes. It's fusing the monsters that have come under its sway, infusing them with its own power to create new beings. None have appeared yet, but they'll start showing up before long.”
“Hold on… so the bastard that swallowed this whole sector isn't just luring monsters in — it's manufacturing them?”
“That's why I said something felt off. The Arctic Giant is an unknown, yes, but even calling it a giant, it should only be a few tiers above that.”
“I distinctly told you it was a worshipped entity.”
“Even so. And at this point, it's nearly demon-class. We might as well classify it as a Demonic Species.”
“Even the species classification hasn't come back?”
At that, Yang Jin-seon nodded quickly.
“It hasn't. It's definitely the Arctic Giant. But it was neither a Large Species nor a Demonic Species.”
“What did it look like?”
“Exactly like a giant in appearance. The only difference is its ice attribute. Vincent?”
At her call, one of the brokers behind her stepped forward and opened his sketchbook.
And there it was — the face of the sector's master.
An exquisitely detailed drawing.
Done in pen alone, yet the figure was unmistakable.
“It looks like a giant, all right. But what's this?”
What Won-goo had pointed at was a small horn-like protrusion on the Arctic Giant's head.
“What I saw was a horn.”
“A horn?”
“Yes. Small, but it was a horn of some kind.”
“Giants don't have horns.”
“……?”
“Giants don't have horns. Essentially they're the same as humans. Have you ever seen a human with a horn?”
“Then….”
“Damn it! This bastard is a demon.”