Pandora -2-

Reverse Praise Society and Black Hand.

The shadows of this world maintain a bizarre structure, ruled by two massive organizations that have joined hands.

These groups flaunt their camaraderie by jointly issuing a product and currency called Judas's silver coins, and there's never been any notable conflict between them to date.

And that's not all.

Digging deeper into those who hold real power reveals a symbiotic relationship between Reverse Praise Society and Black Hand that's far tighter than one might imagine.

The decisive reason these prideful, prickly entities can unite without major clashes boils down to their shared devotion to a single being.

Reverse Praise Society bolsters its strength through relentless research based on the researcher Hex, who lacks any ethical compass whatsoever, and his pinnacle specimen, Omega.

Black Hand provides the capital and expands the influence.

From drugs to human trafficking, organs, loan sharking, black markets, illegal auctions—any foul business reeking of money in the shadows is invariably touched by Black Hand.

Even the money, monsters, and humans used in Reverse Praise Society's experiments.

It's safe to say more than half come from Black Hand.

Though Omega's unintended death prompted Hex to visit Black Hand personally and wail preemptively like he was striking first.

In the end, the key was that they hadn't lost Hex too.

Omega's death was an absurdly massive loss, but what happened, happened—no helping it.

All they needed was to invest more time, track progress diligently, and pour in every last coin.

Just make everyone hustle harder.

Omega's death, unaccounted for in any plans, began triggering a butterfly effect.

Thus, Pandora consumed a precious artifact and made the trip straight to Academy City herself.

It wasn't meant for this, but shortening the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠timeline to her goal made today critical.

Pandora's field of expertise differed from Hex's, after all.

Her curiosity, bearing the name Pandora, was simple.

Could she create a dimensional rift at will, provided certain conditions were met?

An ideal set of conditions ripe for testing was now forming inside this Academy City shopping mall.

Her heart raced.

Verification through experimentation was the first task toward His descent.

The rewards had gotten generous at some point? But right now, my eyes weren't on that.

I mulled over the name alone.

'Pandora...?'

Definitely a face I'd never seen before.

But that name alone stuck in my memory. It popped up occasionally while playing Abyss City.

If the game's story had stretched another year or two, I'd probably have run into her.

Not from Reverse Praise Society, but one of Black Hand's heads—Pandora.

'How the hell did she get into Academy City... even the bustling shopping district?'

Academy City Elysium's security isn't a joke.

With all the sprouts growing here, it's crawling with folks obsessed over protection. The stronger and more notorious the villain, the harder it is to slip quietly into the heart of it.

So this was weird.

'Some special artifact? A skill?'

Nothing else came to mind.

I wouldn't have even noticed her without the alert window—her presence blended seamlessly with the passersby.

If not for the ominous chill lurking in Pandora's shadow, I'd have doubted the alert itself.

'Breathe easy. In... out... in.'

As quietly as possible. Shallow breaths repeated.

But the sticky dread crawling over my skin wouldn't fade.

No matter how she pulled it off, if a human traitor like her harbored malice, this mall would turn into a bloodbath in an instant.

Even if Juyeon rushed over, she couldn't outpace this woman reaching for the civilians right in front of her.

"..."

I pulled out my phone, pretending everything was normal, to contact Juyeon.

Just tap her name in the contacts and hit call.

My finger hovered right over the screen.

Then stopped.

I glanced around.

"..."

This mall was packed with innocent civilians.

Calling Juyeon might turn this into a battlefield—was that really the best move? Or just needless provocation?

Could Juyeon calmly handle a powerhouse rivaling Omega amid all these hostages?

'...Stay cold. Stay calm. Think harder.'

I bit down hard on my tongue. The metallic tang of blood filled my mouth.

Pain forced my brain into gear.

'Why's she even here in the first place?'

To a criminal with guilty hands, Academy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠City is hell.

Not just Juyeon lurking here.

Top instructors, security officers, even the headmaster-level heavyweights. It's enemy territory smack in the middle.

'Snuck in for a massacre?'

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Low odds. Sure, crowds here, but plenty of spots with even denser civilian packs.

And the gains from stirring shit up? Murky at best.

As one of Black Hand's heads, she'd weigh costs and profits razor-sharp.

Hell, if she was some thrill-seeking perv pulling off mindless terror, she'd belong in Reverse Praise Society.

Conclusion.

'She's not here to fight. She has a purpose.'

As I calmly pieced it together,

'Wouldn't it be better if she never learns my face? And grabbing her ankle is key? Whatever the experiment, stopping it is good?'

Doubts flooded in the instant I saw it, but my course of action was set.

"..."

I'd been hoping a quest would pop soon amid the point drought.

And here it was, with rewards so lavish they made me mutter "insane" under my breath.

Still.

The quest description was suffocating.

Pandora checked the time on her phone.

Her eyes sharpened at the unwelcome situation.

'Timing's awkward.'

She'd calculated perfectly, but the mana dispersed in the air kept throwing minor errors and anomalies.

Thus, the artifact's power was nearly spent.

She knew she had to bail now.

Yet she could see it—the mana flow she desired forming splendidly.

Once complete, adding an artificial line of mana would verify her hypothesis.

'What to do.'

Even after burning a rare item, should she ditch the greed and leave?

'Come this far?'

If she maxed out suppressing her presence and power, maybe a minute without detection.

As she pondered,

Pandora halted her clicking heels and glanced back.

She'd sensed eyes and footsteps homing in on her.

A tall man stepped up, flashing a smile.

A pleasant grin, and he extended his hand.

A card-like thing sat in his palm, like a credit card.

"Did you drop this, by any chance?"

"What's this? Not mine."

Pandora arched one eyebrow in reply.

Normally, she'd enjoy such a happenstance lightly, but no room for leisure now.

In stark contrast,

I felt an indescribable revulsion from this woman named Pandora.

First impressions like this? A first for me. Just looking at her made bile rise.

But no point showing it.

I swallowed it down. Hid it inside. Curled my lips up.

"Oh, really? I could've sworn I saw it fall..."

I scratched my head in a boyish, awkward way that didn't match my build.

Pandora scanned me top to bottom, snorted with piqued interest.

"Orion Academy cadet?"

"Yeah. Spot on. But... how'd you know? I'm not even in uniform."

I widened my eyes in mock wonder.

Pandora's lips curved at the pure reaction, a slight thrill bubbling up.

"Eh, y'know. Not a bad level, either."

She checked the time again.

Escape was locked in, but she needed to settle her pre-exit actions within a minute.

"You an academy grad too, sis?"

"...Sis?"

"Yeah? You're not a dude, right?"

My lip service deepened Pandora's smile.

Hex's research results were impressive, huh.

Getting called "sis" by a young guy like this at her age—if she weren't pressed, naughty thoughts might've stirred.

"Sorry, sweetie, this sis ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠didn't go to academy. Spotting levels? Well... strength's essential for survival."

Pandora said that, then glanced at the time once more.

Confirming the move, I probed carefully.

"You seem busy—did I bug you?"

To my words, Pandora kept smiling.

And reached into empty air.

"Nah? You actually helped me decide on a good note."

I followed her hand's direction with my eyes.

Space ripped open with a crack! A monster crawled out.

By the time I snapped back to the front.

Pandora was already gone.