A Debt to Settle
Lim Dojun waved his hand dismissively.
"This isn't about conquering China. Why would I bother with something so troublesome?"
Overthrowing a nation, ruling its lands... He had zero interest in that kind of hassle. There were people better suited for such things anyway.
"Fair enough. You've got a point," Go Wonjin agreed, nodding along.
"It's not that. I just have a personal debt I need to repay."
"Ah, got it. If that's the case, it's much simpler. Back in my day, I did plenty of debt collection myself."
Go Wonjin let out a gleeful cackle, clearly entertained by the prospect.
Lim Dojun shrugged.
"We'll talk about that later. For now, let's focus on the job at hand, shall we?"
The Pope's sudden illusion had caught them off guard, but they had come to Seoul to dismantle its illegal organizations. There were three major ones operating in the Gangnam area, and Go Wonjin stepped forward eagerly.
"Little brother, you take it easy. I'll handle all the annoying stuff!"
Go Wonjin wasn't usually the type to volunteer for this kind of work, but right now he was more enthusiastic than ever. After all, a man needed to have some conscience!
"No. I'll be joining you."
However, Lim Dojun politely declined the offer.
Crack!
An ice club formed in his hand.
"I feel like moving around a bit myself."
The shock from the Pope had left him needing an outlet for his stress.
* * *
The Tehran faction.
Originally based in Apgujeong, they had somehow expanded their influence until they ranked among the top three organizations in the Gangnam area. In a place like Gangnam—the very heart of Seoul—such power meant they couldn't be dismissed as mere underworld thugs.
The capital they handled spanned both legal and illegal territories, rivaling that of a decent mid-sized corporation. Among their members were not only awakened individuals but returnees as well.
Boom!
Chaos had erupted inside the Tehran faction's building.
"Intruder! We have an intruder!"
"The enemy is... just one person!"
"He's insanely strong! The basement's been breached and he's entering the first floor... Aaaargh!"
When the radio report came in, the returnee Park Boseong jolted in surprise.
"What? Is this an attack from a rival organization?"
There were a few groups competing with the Tehran faction—Sangcheol's crew and the Gangnam faction among them. For those bastards to storm in here would be pure insanity.
What era did they think this was? Solving things with brute force? If they made too much noise, the government or the Returnee Union would step in, and everyone would be wiped out.
That was why they usually stuck to underground negotiations or sneaky assassinations rather than all-out war. But...
Wait. Did he just say one enemy?
One person was raiding the Tehran faction?
Park Boseong's expression hardened.
There was an urban legend in the Returnee Union about how they occasionally teamed up with the government to target illegal organizations. Maybe a powerful awakened or returnee had set their sights on the Tehran faction.
The thought sent a chill down his spine.
"Boseong. What are you doing?"
The door burst open and one of the faction's two returnees, Choi Youngcheol, strode in.
"Some crazy bastard's downstairs. Let's finish this quick. I was in the middle of a game."
"...Understood."
Choi Youngcheol, a notorious gaming addict, didn't seem to care about the situation. He was simply annoyed at having his playtime interrupted.
Park Boseong felt uneasy, but if an intruder had come, they had to move. That was the price of the massive sums the Tehran faction paid them.
Tap tap tap!
Not wanting to waste time waiting for the elevator, they leaped down the stairs to the first floor.
When they reached the lobby...
"......"
"......"
Both men froze.
It hadn't been long since the radio call, yet countless organization members already lay scattered across the floor. Amid the fallen men encased in ice stood a figure wearing a robe and mask that revealed only his eyes, gripping an ice club.
Suddenly, Park Boseong recalled a post he'd seen on a community board not long ago.
That robed, masked returnee at the Cheongla Gate supposedly wiped out both regular monsters and the boss with a single spell. For real!
...No way.
Right. It couldn't be.
He was overreacting.
Why would someone as incredible as that returnee come storming into a small-time outfit like the Tehran faction?
Still, the thought of fighting made Park Boseong hesitate. He tried to initiate some kind of conversation, but Choi Youngcheol charged forward.
Whoosh!
"Looks like you've got some decent moves. Well, so do I."
Choi Youngcheol's mind contained only one thought: resolve this quickly and get back to his game.
Park Boseong tried to stop him, but it was too late. Choi Youngcheol had already closed in on Lim Dojun.
Acceleration ability.
It was Choi Youngcheol's secret weapon. Thanks to it, he excelled at surprise attacks. The ability only let him charge straight forward, so it was easy to block if you knew it was coming. But if you didn't, it could land a solid hit.
Good. Once he lands the first blow, I'll join in and we'll—
That was what Park Boseong was thinking when a sudden chill ran through him.
The masked opponent's eyes were locked directly onto them from above the mask. He had completely read Choi Youngcheol's movement.
Thud!
The robed figure swung his club with lightning speed, smashing into Choi Youngcheol. His jaw shattered as he flipped backward, eyes rolling back before he collapsed unconscious.
Crackle!
As he hit the ground, ice spread from the floor and bound his hands and feet.
"Not a bad hit."
Lim Dojun muttered quietly.
Unlike the regular members, returnees could actually take a beating. The satisfying weight of the strike without killing them was quite pleasing.
Tap tap tap tap!
Park Boseong didn't even look back. He simply ran.
To survive, he had to flee with everything he had!
* * *
Not every returnee could join the Union.
Those who returned from the other world without gaining any real power weren't treated as proper returnees. Park Boseong and Choi Youngcheol were low-ranking returnees who barely met the Union's entry requirements.
And among such people, many chose not to join the Union. Working directly like this earned far more than the jobs the Union or government arranged.
Damn it! Damn it! Why did a monster like this come to our organization?
Even as he sprinted toward the emergency exit with all his might, Park Boseong's mind raced.
Unlike his empty-headed personality, Choi Youngcheol's skills were quite decent. In terms of pure combat power, he might even be slightly stronger than Park Boseong.
Yet that guy had been taken down in one hit and even restrained with what seemed to be ice magic or some supernatural power.
This was an opponent from an entirely different weight class.
The Returnee Union must have marked the Tehran faction.
"This is so unfair. I didn't even touch drugs or anything because I was afraid of getting targeted!"
The drug trade was originally the most profitable illegal business, but he hadn't laid a finger on it. That area could get you properly crushed if you messed up.
Instead, they'd focused on running online gambling sites and voice phishing operations. The police were always one step behind, making it hard to get caught, and even if you were, the punishments were laughably light. It was a gold mine.
You didn't even need to risk your body, and the profits were solid. So why had a monster like this shown up out of nowhere?
"Huff! Hah! Made it...!"
Lost in thought, he finally reached the emergency exit door.
"...W-what the hell?"
He was horrified.
The entire door was frozen solid! It wasn't a door anymore—it was a wall of ice.
Bang!
Clang!
He kicked it and struck it with the sword he'd been carrying, but the ice wall didn't budge.
And soon, further attempts became impossible.
Lim Dojun had approached from behind and brought the ice club down on him.
Thump! Thump!
Crack!
"Guh... Uuurgh...!"
All Park Boseong could do was curl up and scream.
* * *
The Returnee Union had designated three organizations for elimination.
Originally, Go Wonjin had planned to handle them all alone. He couldn't possibly make his heaven-sent little brother do the work. The older brother should step up.
But Lim Dojun had said: "If we take too long, the others might notice and run. I want to stretch my body too, so let's do it together."
The three largest organizations in the Gangnam area were rivals, but they would band together if a real threat emerged. That was simply how these groups operated. They could shake hands one day and stab each other in the back the next.
No matter how quickly Go Wonjin dealt with them, physically striking three organizations at once was impossible. He'd have to handle them one by one, and during that time, they might contact each other and scatter like cockroaches.
That was why Lim Dojun had stepped in.
Crackle!
"All set. Let's go in."
The plan was simple. Using the building blueprints obtained from the government in advance, they froze all the doors and windows.
Windows on the outer walls, doors connected to the outside, and the roof access. Freezing just those allowed them to enter freely.
One building for Go Wonjin. Another for Lim Dojun.
And the last remaining organization...
"Haha. Looks like I'm the latest one here."
Was handled by Lee Sehan.
The large, bandit-like man with a massive beard shrugged his shoulders at the meeting point.
"I thought I came pretty quickly myself."
Lim Dojun had simply asked Lee Sehan for help.
"Understood. I felt bad that only Mr. Go Wonjin received punishment when I was with you during the Ghost Temple attack. This works out perfectly!"
The Union had focused their punishment on Go Wonjin, so Lee Sehan had gotten off with just a fine. This was why a person's reputation mattered. Because Lee Sehan usually conducted himself cleanly, people even wondered if "Go Wonjin must have forced him to come along."
But Lee Sehan himself felt guilty about it, which was why he gladly accepted the request for help this time.
"I'll make the report that it's finished."
Lee Sehan took out his phone.
He couldn't ask Lim Dojun to do it, and Go Wonjin couldn't either, so it naturally fell to him.
Watching him, Lim Dojun fell into deep thought.
I'm going to need more people from now on.
The Pope's illusion hadn't simply startled them. Thanks to it, Go Wonjin had become completely his ally. He had gained a powerful returnee comrade on Earth.
It taught him many things.
During his military days, Lim Dojun had viewed returnees as half-enemies. Since he mainly dealt with returnees from illegal organizations, it couldn't be helped. As a result, he'd unconsciously concluded that he could never fully stand with returnees.
But one person couldn't do everything alone. No matter how capable you were, a human only had two arms and two legs.
He would be going to China and increasing his activities on Earth. For that, he needed comrades to work with. People who shared his mindset, like during his time in the Special Counter-Abnormal Team.
Ability is important, but character is essential.
People who could fully trust each other and stand together even when their lives were on the line.
Go Wonjin seemed like he could be one.
What about Lee Sehan?
Still uncertain.
He was the closest returnee, and Lee Sehan surely felt he owed Lim Dojun a great debt. But was it enough to risk his life? Not quite.
In that case, he just needed to make it more certain.
Lim Dojun had a way to do that. If he revealed a bit more of his power, it should be possible.
It should be fine to show this to close associates now.
Lim Dojun took out a smartphone from his pocket. It was a burner phone he carried in Astelgard. He had taken countless photos and videos of Jeomi on it, preparing for a moment like this.
"Sehan. Would you take a look at this?"
He held the phone out to Lee Sehan, playing a video of the chubby cat rolling around.