Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Operation Name: Police
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We ducked into an empty gas station for a quick break.
"What should we do? Keep digging for goblin intel?"
Jang Ho-seop's ability is Veiled Administrator.
At first glance, with its invisibility power, it seems like an aggressive skill.
I thought it was great for escaping at the start...
According to him, he figured he was some kind of thief.
He'd even used terms like assassin or close-range dealer.
Jang Ho-seop said that shortly after awakening, he realized the invisibility was just a secondary ability.
"What do you want to do?"
The main power of Veiled Administrator is checking information.
That's why he classified himself as support-type.
Oh, and the type classifications are Jang Ho-seop's concept too.
I'm a close-range dealer.
"I'd rather dig for info on mana stones than goblins."
"Then let's do that."
Jang Ho-seop can ask the System one question per day.
But not just any question.
There are heavy restrictions.
He says they'll ease up gradually as his level rises.
And the System's responses will get more detailed too.
'What's happening in the world?'
That was Jang Ho-seop's question on the first day of the cataclysm.
No answer came back, and his question chance for the day vanished.
'Have goblins appeared across the entire Korean Peninsula?'
His question on the second day.
The System's reply: 'Yes.'
From that, we concluded the world was done for.
It was a bit of a leap, but it matched what we'd seen and felt.
'Do goblins have poison?'
Yesterday's question.
Answer: 'No.'
Just knowing they weren't poisonous wasn't enough to relax, so we'd planned more goblin questions.
But we switched it to mana stones.
"Hyung-nim."
"Yeah. Asked it?"
"Yep. I asked if humans can use mana stones."
While I was recalling past questions, Jang Ho-seop finished using his skill.
He has to close his eyes to activate it.
"What'd it say?"
"We can use them."
"Alright, then we keep collecting them."
For now, it only gives yes or no answers.
But one thing suddenly bugged me.
He said once a day, but why does the cooldown reset in the morning?
It's around 6 a.m....
If the System understands human time, shouldn't it reset at midnight?
Accounting for time zones and all.
"Got a question."
"Yes, hyung-nim."
"Why does the cooldown reset in the morning?"
"Huh? Uh..."
He'd said it before.
The cooldown turns over at the end of the day.
I'd assumed midnight.
"People usually think of night as the end of the day."
"It's... tailored to me."
Jang Ho-seop stammered it out.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yes... because of the job I did..."
I could sense his embarrassment.
No skill needed—just looking at his face told me.
"You were in college... oh, right, on leave. What'd you do?"
"Well... um. It's a bit complicated to explain..."
His fluster grew.
He wanted to dodge the topic.
"No need to say if it's tough."
"No, it's fine. I... managed multiple galleries and monitored them regularly."
I hadn't planned to pry.
But he seemed to think he had to answer.
"Galleries?"
"Yeah. Like internet servers."
"Got it. Not my area."
"Yes... haha."
As Jang Ho-seop gave an awkward laugh, Aunts-nim returned from her solo errand.
"Sounds like you had late nights a lot."
"Pardon? Oh... yeah. Pretty much."
"I pulled my share of night shifts too."
We finished resting and stood up.
Aunt Kim Soo-jung tilted her head.
"Work? What work? Ho-seop?"
"Ah... Mom. Not that... Oh! Grab your stuff quick! Time to go."
"Huh? Oh... okay."
People who've worked nights know.
How inconvenient it is living on a different schedule from everyone else.
I'd thought Jang Ho-seop was a totally different type from me, but we had this in common.
We're entering the National Assembly grounds through the back gate, heading toward the front.
The National Assembly building is completely collapsed.
Like something crushed it flat—no skeleton left.
It's quiet.
Up till yesterday, we'd run into lone goblins on the roads.
No stray monsters around here.
No people either.
As we exited the National Assembly grounds...
Whoosh
The fog suddenly lifted.
Our stifled view opened up.
"Oh... ah."
Jang Ho-seop let out a quiet gasp.
That's...
There was a massive monster in Yeouido.
One so huge it wrecked your sense of scale.
Impossible, but it looked made of stone, not flesh and blood.
Two arms, two legs, and wings.
Its bulk dwarfed the nearby office buildings.
"That's straight-up a Garius..."
Strangely, no emotions or aura came from that colossal thing.
Still, we needed to change course.
I'd hoped for no surprises.
Thud
"Mom!"
While I was thinking that...
Kim Soo-jung suddenly collapsed.
"Ugh."
She couldn't speak, eyes fixed on the stone monster.
"You okay? Scared?"
She barely nodded.
"We should head back. Something that size... its range would be insane."
From what I knew, it was perched near the broadcasting station.
Right now, eyes closed, not twitching.
If a beast that big rampaged, Yeouido was toast.
Assuming it could move, anyway.
"Hyung-nim. But it's kinda weird."
"What?"
"That... thing looks blurry, right?"
I could sense fear from Jang Ho-seop too.
But unlike his mom, he stared straight at the stone monster.
"Yeah to me too. Blurry above the chest."
"Right? And there's that ring-thing in the air."
"Yeah."
Like a planet's rings.
"Blurry above the ring, sharp below."
"Huh, true."
"What if that's a gate too? Something that big should've been visible from the hospital roof... but we didn't see it yesterday."
Jang Ho-seop helped his mom up as he shared his guess.
"It's getting sucked into the gate. That's why it stopped moving."
His theory sounded plausible.
But no way to confirm.
"Let's bail. Auntie's struggling."
"Got it."
We'd just decided to backtrack when...
"Hey! Police guy!"
A voice called from a nearby building.
We talked with the group.
Not me—Jang Ho-seop.
"What'd they say?"
He relayed what he'd heard.
"It's been there since day one. Started at the National Assembly, took a few steps, then froze."
"A few steps got it all the way there?"
"Yeah, seems so. They said... from when the System mentioned immunity on day one, it's just stood there like that."
The stone monster crushed everything underfoot as it walked.
Just walking was a disaster for people.
"Monsters?"
"All fled. Some got cleaned up by these folks."
There used to be more people.
Most left; the ones left called us over.
"Oh, and Mom'll be fine soon. They said they felt terrified and blank-minded at first too."
"Hm... how long?"
"About 30 minutes."
Kim Soo-jung sat dazed.
Debuff, per Jang Ho-seop.
"But you? Why're you fine?"
"Huh? Yeah... Hyung-nim's always gutsy... wait, why?"
We figured it out quick.
Thanks to Kim Soo-jung's skill.
"Makes sense. I felt kinda listless too."
While waiting for her to recover, we swapped info with the building's survivors.
Too bad—they didn't know much.
Just hunkering down, waiting for rescue.
"Ho, Ho-seop."
"Mom? Feeling better?"
About 30 minutes later, as they'd said, she snapped out of it.
"Mom, check yourself in the mirror and use your skill. See if it works on you."
"Huh? Oh... okay, trying."
Auntie used her skill on herself.
Soon after, she beamed that it worked.
"How's it now? Feel the difference?"
"Yes. Much better. Still a bit scary... but okay."
We confirmed her skill's effect faster than expected.
Regrouped and headed out again right away.
Stick to the plan: cross Yeouido.
Timing of it stopping matches... and if that gate's descending bit by bit...
Jang Ho-seop's guess seemed right.
Yeouido has a park running along the Han River.
We're following the road beside it.
"Whoa, cherry blossoms."
Jang Ho-seop murmured at a fallen tree.
This road's famous for them.
Normally, it'd be packed with hanami crowds.
Now, the vibe was downright gloomy.
Some trees intact, but rain had stripped most petals.
"We'll hit that department store."
"Yep."
After Mapo Bridge, there's a big one.
Grab supplies there.
Auntie's needs, food.
Weapons if possible.
My rebar's dented everywhere—on its last legs.
Moments later.
As the department store entrance came into view, rain started again.
"Grab her!"
The doors burst open to a man's shout.
A hooded woman bolted out.
"Fuck, chase her down!"
She sprinted hard over cracked asphalt.
Ran well.
Several guys pursued.
"Hyung-nim, what now?"
"Just focus on resupply."
"Got it."
No reason to meddle.
But things don't always go our way.
The woman suddenly veered toward us.
"Huff... haah. Hah."
She pulled up beside Jang Ho-seop and me, gasping for breath.
"Huh? Police..."
"Damn."
That's why we kept the bloody uniforms on.
Convenient.
Felt it at the hospital.
People cooperate more with cops.
"Help me."
But it has downsides.
Like those survivors earlier—folks assume we'll help.
"Those guys were gonna rape me..."
"Bullshit! We caught the bitch stealing!"
A man cut her off, retorting instantly.
"Stealing what? That yours?"
"Ungrateful slut..."
"What favor? I never got any."
The guys and hooded girl clashed sharply.
Yelling around us.
She looked early 20s tops, but didn't back down against the men.
Haa.
Headache brewing, I glanced at Jang Ho-seop.
He stepped forward on cue.
"Everyone! Hey, hold up."
"Officer! These punks are total thugs!"
"Thugs? What about you? Debut's already tanked..."
"My fault?"
They knew each other?
Jang Ho-seop tried mediating, but voices rose higher.
Soaked in the downpour, spilling their insider drama.
Just let 'em fight and go...
As I moved to take Jang Ho-seop and Auntie to the store...
The quiet guy stepped up.
Suit, mid-30s.
The others shut up when he did.
"Enough. It's raining. Save energy and head in."
"Back off! You don't know what I'll go through."
"Sigh... then we'll drag you."
The woman looked at me.
"You heard?"
The men turned to me too.
That's why I'd pushed Jang Ho-seop forward.
"Officer? World ain't what it was."
I nodded.
True enough.
But hostility poured off him.
Like he hated cops on principle.
"You know how rare attack skills are? Awakening's hard enough..."
News to me.
Jang Ho-seop noted skills from folks we'd met, but small sample.
"Gonna keep playing the people's stick? Or mind your business and move on?"
Group leader, huh.
He gestured; the men spread out.
Like encircling us threateningly.
"FYI, I awakened an attack skill. High level too."
Suit guy approached me.
"For old times' sake as a cop, I'll be nice. I'm..."
He patted my shoulder twice.
"Level 6."
Face said that should sink in.
"Crazy... Level 6..."
Jang Ho-seop's awe drew a smirk.
"Help with your decision?"
Suit guy leaned in close.
I nodded.
Huge help.