Pursuit (3)
Early that morning, I stepped out of the house. I turned on my smartphone, checked the map, set my destination, and just started walking.
Normally, I'd take a bus or taxi for convenience, but the place I was heading to was one of those bizarre spots that normal methods couldn't reach easily, so I had to stick to the sidewalk.
"Hm."
About ten minutes in, I'd arrived at a row of shops, and I could sense a strange flow of mana.
It wasn't an anomaly or anything yokai-related. If I had to describe it, it was like natural mana had been nudged into unusual patterns by human intervention.
"Here it is."
Following the flow led me to a small cafe. A quaint wooden structure with tiled roofs that felt out of place amid the urban sprawl—a serene traditional rest spot. It should've drawn eyes, but for some reason, people didn't even seem aware it existed.
"Feng shui or something like that?"
Everything on Earth holds mana. Even meaningful furniture arrangements can produce unique effects. In this case, it looked like they'd used feng shui principles to slip it outside normal human perception.
Of course, it didn't work on me with my mana sight.
"Excuse me."
I pushed open the front door and stepped inside. The interior was clean and modern, with a wooden floor for lounging and a pavilion visible. There was a kitchen and even a traditional hearth over there—overall, it had a very classic layout.
"Welcome."
"Hm?"
As I was taking in the cafe, an older woman emerged from the kitchen and greeted me. From her outfit, she seemed to be the owner, and I could sense faint mana from her. She was in the business too.
"This way, please."
"Sure."
She led me to the meeting room. We took off our shoes at the entrance, slid open the sliding door, and a familiar face greeted me.
"Hey, mister!"
"Hey there."
Her name was I Se-ah. Not long ago, during the clash with the Cheondo-hoe bastards, she'd fought as their mercenary but switched sides mid-battle to help us out. She'd given me her contact info back then, and yesterday, I'd called to set up this meeting.
"Try this. You'll like it."
"Tasty."
The room had a low table with simple refreshments. I sat across from her and picked one up. It had a natural sweetness, not artificial. Pretty good—first time trying this kind of snack, and it suited my taste just fine.
"Bring more refreshments. Oh, and something to drink!"
"Right away."
I Se-ah called out to the owner waiting by the door, who bowed and closed the sliding door on her way back to the kitchen.
Now it was just me and I Se-ah in the room. We shared a brief silence, picking our words, until she spoke first.
"You contacted me sooner than I expected."
"Things just worked out that way."
"I figured you'd forgotten all about me."
"Well... not wrong."
Truth be told, I'd half-forgotten her. If Go-seo hadn't dug up her business card, she might've faded from memory entirely.
"Kinda hurts. Hiiing..."
"Why should I trust you enough to call?"
"You're saying you suspect someone as cute as me?!"
"Spies always start with honey traps, kiddo."
"...Fair point."
I remembered the atmosphere being pretty hostile when we parted ways. But here she was, bantering casually. Fearless? Or just oblivious? Either way, better than cowering.
"Speaking of, what's with the face? It's different from last time."
"Magic."
"Looks pretty creepy."
She munched on a snack while asking about my face. I was using perception distortion magic right now—not just hiding my presence, but blurring my features into something vague.
"Can adjust the body size too."
"...You are a guy, right?"
"Who knows?"
I stretched and shrank my height in front of her for fun. Tried adding breasts to mess with her, but it felt weird, so I erased them quick.
[Ehehehe]
'I hate gender swaps. Told you beforehand.'
I ignored the pervert god's chuckle echoing from somewhere and refocused on I Se-ah.
Ice broken. Time for the main topic.
"Reason I called you? Something big came up."
"What kind?"
"One question first before I spill."
She'd revealed her identity to me before: shaman with the Daehan Mu-dang Association, calling herself a civil servant. From what she'd said, they seemed like a large, organized group.
"How strong is the Daehan Mu-dang Association?"
"What do you mean?"
"Straight up—strong enough to protect people from anomalies?"
Just checking, you never know. What if they were just an "association" full of desk jockeys? My plan was to get their help stopping the terror attack. No fighters? Total overhaul needed.
"That's ridiculous!"
"?"
Suddenly, she scoffed. As I looked at her puzzled, she shot up and jabbed a finger at me.
"We're the best in Korea!"
"Not exaggerating?"
"No way! Pure facts, no lies!"
Hoo... alright then. I tossed out names of groups that came to mind, probing further.
"Management Bureau?"
"Just a bunch of headcount!"
"Holy See?"
"What are a pack of nose jobs gonna do in Korea?!"
"Stronger than the monks?"
"Hm... monks are pretty tough."
Groups the Cheondo-hoe feared? Most were weaker or on par, she claimed. Not 100% reliable, but they weren't lightweights getting pushed around.
"Why ask?"
"No biggie. Terror attack coming soon—need some help."
"Whaaat?!"
Handy. No plan changes needed.
****
I filled I Se-ah in on everything I'd pieced together: Cheondo-hoe's goals, the full terror plot. She didn't buy it at first, but when I played the recordings, she finally got it.
"Last terror was less than two weeks ago..."
"Actually a week. One hit last week too."
"Huh? I didn't hear!"
"Management Bureau cleaned it up."
"Those Management Bureau jerks? They were supposed to share intel...!"
She fumed at the Bureau, but I'd gotten their help, so no skin off my nose. More curious if they could help.
"So, can you?"
"We'll investigate, but probably yeah."
"Good."
That halved my worries. They'd handle cleanup, civilian safety. I could just smash the Cheondo-hoe bastards worry-free.
"Mister... just to be sure."
"Yeah?"
"You're not planning to fight yourself, right...?"
Random question. What?
"Of course I am."
"Ehh?!"
"Tell your association folks ahead of time. Stay back, don't get caught in the crossfire."
She looked flustered, but I was the baffled one. They'd failed to stop how many attacks already? Why trust them to hold the line from behind?
Plus, I had another reason I couldn't back off.
'Time for punishment.'
They'd invaded my turf. Touching me? Fine, whatever. But storming my workplace and messing with the people around me?
Messing with my people? That's not a declaration of war—it's total war.
Until those bastards were wiped from the earth, I wouldn't sleep easy.
[Kyaaak. So cool, oppa~]
'Ahem...'
Felt a bit chuunibyou, but hey, brainwashing from the wife—what can you do? Blame Shin-nim? Impossible. She was too cute to badmouth.
Just gotta crush Cheondo-hoe. Smash 'em flat.
"No way! I won't tell the association about y—!"
"I'm out. Get ready."
Anyway, talk over. I headed out, then immediately sliced space for instant teleport.
Low odds, but just in case pursuit followed home—I'd prepped a trap.
"Told you so."
The deep-sea sea cucumber died on teleport. I watched its powdered corpse vanish.
Then headed home.
I Se-ah said something at the end, but probably imagination.
"Time to prep, then."
With Daehan Mu-dang Association on board, just personal prep left. The bookshelf of devoured tomes was waiting—might as well study those.
....
..
.
"The fuck?"
Back home, I found the place trashed and, smack in the middle, the stone slab fuming alongside Go-seo.
Was I dreaming? Please say yes...