Chapter 46
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: You, Exactly How?
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Si-woo was driving along, one hand on the steering wheel while the other fiddled with his smartphone.
The recipient on the screen read Baek Chang-gi.
"Mr. Baek. It's me."
[Yeah, how've you been?]
"I was hoping you could lend me a hand, so I gave you a call."
[...Help out?]
"Yes. I need your help, Mr. Baek."
[Why should I? It's not like I can't, but there's no reason for me to.]
"This is about finding Choi Min-seok's wife. If you help with this, I think it'll be good for you too, Mr. Baek."
[...Is that so?]
"Yes."
[Fine, but I've got conditions.]
There was a hint of playfulness in Baek Chang-gi's voice, for some reason.
"Go ahead. If it's about Choi Min-seok's next contract..."
[The next S-grade has to contract with our guild directly, not just lease.]
"...Pardon?"
Si-woo was momentarily at a loss for words.
[I won't ask questions or pry. Just say you got it. Another S-grade's bound to pop up anyway.]
Baek Chang-gi was certain.
That Si-woo would pull off another miracle.
"......"
[Not quick enough? You asked for help.]
"..."
'I thought he was just a muscle-headed brute who only knew fighting.'
[Answer me.]
"Got it."
[Send the address. I'm heading out.]
"Yes. Lee Ji-ah will be joining you, so take good care of her."
[Works for me. Might as well get friendly while I'm at it.]
Si-woo hung up and texted the address in Gangwon Province.
He then immediately called Kim Joo-hyung to request security for the Miracle headquarters.
Kim was baffled at first, but when Si-woo explained it was just to protect the girl named Ji-yu in the CEO's office, he agreed without hesitation.
For him, it was an unexpected windfall.
Protecting one little girl and fulfilling a favor for Miracle's CEO? No downside there.
Mokpo: Kim Ye-eun.
Gangwon: Lee Ji-ah and Baek Chang-gi.
Incheon: Himself and Choi Min-seok.
Thanks to Lee Ji-ah's contract wrapping up, they could strike all at once.
'...Just worried Kim Ye-eun might cause damage to civilian homes.'
The place Si-woo arrived at looked like an abandoned building in the middle of nowhere.
It must have been a hospital once; the atmosphere was downright eerie.
Through the shattered windows, the interior was shrouded in darkness.
Weeds choked the entrance, untouched by human feet for ages.
As he searched the area frantically, a sound cut through the air like a knife.
Si-woo's instincts kicked in, and he twisted his body aside.
'Heart's Eye.'
Si-woo activated it immediately, locking eyes on the intruder's face.
Aka the villain Flicker.
Why was he in South Korea?
'Why the hell is an American villain here?'
And this guy wasn't even a modified human—he was a genuine S-grade.
Top of the FBI's most-wanted list, a brutal criminal.
What was a heavyweight like him doing hiding in a Korean ruin?
Flicker lunged, closing the distance in a blink.
His movements were swift and light.
Then, with a casual flick, he swung his left arm.
His fist tore through the air, aiming straight for Si-woo's skull.
Si-woo ducked, dropping low and charging in.
Whoosh-!
The punch grazed past his ear, the wind pressure slamming into his eardrum like a hammer.
It felt like his skin was ripping.
The dagger in his left hand sliced toward Flicker's armpit.
But the moment the blade touched, it skidded off with a shower of sparks.
Screeech!
'His skin's like...!'
Harder than steel.
Then Flicker's knee rocketed toward Si-woo's gut.
"Not bad."
Thud!
Si-woo crossed his arms to block, but the impact sent him flying backward into the air.
Pain rattled his bones.
"Let's see if you can dodge this too."
Flicker, still airborne, clasped his hands together and hammered down at Si-woo.
"Guh!"
Si-woo's body crashed into the floor, a spine-shattering shock ripping through him.
He swallowed the agony, rolled, and kicked at Flicker's shin.
Flicker grinned, snatched Si-woo's ankle, and hurled him toward the wall.
Boom-!
"Urk!"
Si-woo's back slammed into the wall, cracks spiderwebbing out as dust rained down.
He tasted blood rising in his lungs.
Without Choi Min-seok's body hardening, he might've been dead.
"Cough..."
He hit the ground and vomited blood.
Then, someone appeared.
Strolling in casually, like he was out for a walk.
A man in a gray suit and horn-rimmed glasses.
Ordinary-looking, but the aura he exuded was anything but.
One glance at his face, and Si-woo knew.
Clozer.
Right in front of him.
And the door he'd emerged from.
Looking closer, the dust marks showed it had been opened repeatedly.
Like it got a lot of traffic.
'Means frequent comings and goings.'
And for some reason, they'd been waiting for him.
Set a trap.
Like they'd lured him here on purpose.
Which meant they had some goal involving him.
"Finally... the famous Han Si-woo?"
Si-woo gathered mana to his vocal cords.
Then mimicked Lee Chae-i's voice perfectly.
His throat burned, vocal cords tearing in pain.
"Don't move."
Si-woo shot forward like a bullet.
His target: one place.
The door Clozer had come from.
She had to be there.
Why target him?
Clozer's words as he emerged sealed it.
Finally.
They'd built this trap for him.
'At the very least, they planned to negotiate with me.'
Otherwise, no need to come out, show himself, and say they'd finally met.
The only reason to face him like this was to talk.
Sure, it was a gamble.
They might gamble again.
But.
Would they go this far for a supposed civilian?
Even when Red attacked, Choi Min-seok stepped up, so they couldn't gauge his power.
Even if they'd monitored the lab raid, they knew he wasn't S-grade.
That's why they brought Flicker, a real S-grade.
Two S-grades, including Clozer. That should suffice.
He burst through the door and ran.
Not what he'd expected, but it was unmistakably a lab.
Machines humming, much like the place he'd rescued Lee Chae-i from.
"Hack!"
Blood poured from Si-woo's mouth.
His throat was wrecked; it kept refluxing.
But he didn't stop.
They'd be moving soon.
Something caught his eye.
A long-haired woman lying on an exam table.
Pale skin.
Instinct screamed it.
That's her.
He sprinted like mad, pouring every ounce of strength into kicking off the floor.
The moment he reached the table and scooped her up.
A roar exploded from the entrance.
Flicker stood there, growling like a beast on the prowl.
Clozer followed, face full of shock as he clapped.
"Wow. Your judgment is insane. How do you deduce that and act in a split second?"
He stared at Si-woo in genuine admiration.
Si-woo barely registered it, brushing back the woman's hair to check her face.
'Heart's Eye.'
'Found her.'
Han Si-woo lifted his bloodshot eyes, glaring at the two.
The entrance was blocked.
Voice mimic again?
Could his throat take it?
No time for second thoughts.
This wasn't the moment to be picky.
"Hold up. I know what you're thinking. Let's talk first."
"Why should I?"
"I was nice enough to bring her to you. Didn't kill her. Isn't that worth a chat?"
"..."
"Just one thing I want to know."
"..."
"You... exactly how do you induce re-awakening?"
"......"
As expected.
He'd figured something like this would happen eventually.
One coincidence after another.
Re-awakenings one after another.
Even full blooms.
Three coincidences make a pattern.
Someone might think Han Si-woo was at the center of it all.
No—of course they'd think that.
Without knowing the basis, they hadn't voiced it without evidence.
And he'd made the worst villains harbor those suspicions.
"Think we waited, handing over K-21, just like that? Didn't it strike you as odd? We gave up Red, but stuck around. Why no retreat? Why? If we'd pulled out all facilities, we'd have brought every S-grade."
"Sounds like you were dead certain I'd come here."
"High probability. I'd have come too. Now you're wondering why us? Why target you?"
"..."
"You know better than anyone why we're after you. Right? That's why you only sent Choi Min-seok solo?"
"No clue."
"Felt off at first. What gives? They know we have mod-humans, so why just one guy? Ah— this bastard sniffed us out! Should've known sending Red was a tip-off."
"..."
"Ah, don't wanna talk? Makes sense, you're the CEO. Hate one-sided losses. Hmm... How about this? I tell you one thing, you answer one."
"Nothing to tell, nothing I wanna know..."
"Why we experimented on Kim Yun-seo for five years. And why we're handing her over now. Not curious? Why keep a test subject alive that long?"
It was exactly the nagging doubt Si-woo had.
Why experiment on her for five whole years?
Why treat her and Lee Chae-i differently?
Something special?
'That's why they experimented on Ji-yu in secret too, maybe.'
"I can hear the gears turning. Curious, huh? Listen up. One day, we found out awakeners' abilities are etched into their genes. Thought: transplant those genes, make S-grade mod-humans?"
Clozer suddenly spilled his tale.
Like an obsessed scientist geeking out to a peer.
A mad scientist itching to brag about his breakthroughs.
"After endless failures, we realized humans need something to accept another's awakening genes."
The more Si-woo heard, the heavier the dread grew.
He understood Clozer perfectly—and worse, he could predict where this was going.
"Getting it now? That missing piece? It's the woman in your arms."
"...Why?"
"Her ability: absorption. Absorbs others' damage—a wildly unique power. Not healing, mind you. Takes in pain to heal others. Impressive on paper, right?"
"Kim Yun-seo's power helped make them?"
"Not that simple. Listen. We kept injecting her with the side effects from transplanting awakening info—so her brain would register it as damage. She classifies the harm, so..."
"Not interested. Don't wanna hear more."
"...That so? Then how about this: Why hand over such a key subject at this timing? Why now?"
"..."
Si-woo realized the answer without thinking.
Himself.
Clozer suspected him, concluded he could make pure S-grades without mods.
If the goal wasn't mod-humans but creating S-grades, making real ones beat fakes as the ultimate prize.
It clicked why they'd brought Flicker to greet him.
"See now? Why I want you?"
"No idea. It was just coincidence that they..."
"All coincidence? World Awakener Alliance data: 99% chance re-awakening shatters the mind—death or insanity. You pulled it off flawlessly for three. Coincidence?"
"..."
"Flaunting 'I can re-awaken successfully' and calling it coincidence? Either you're dumb enough to think we wouldn't notice, or you're that confident we won't catch on."
"...Speculation."
"Then what? Certainty. No one can figure it out. So? Conclusion: You force re-awakening on others."
"If I had such a ridiculous power, I'd have churned out S-grades nonstop."
"If you're gonna play dumb to the end, guess we'll grab you and chat leisurely. Don't worry, I'll treat you precious-like. You're my top priority."
Si-woo scanned for escape routes before Clozer finished.
Desperate for any way out.
"No way you think you can slip us in that state."
"...Who knows."
"With that judgment you just showed? You'd have to."
"..."
"Think Choi Min-seok can get here? That we didn't prepare?"
Probably.
That's exactly what he'd do.
But.
'You're not the only one with plans.'
"Found Kim Yun-seo."
"Who doesn't know that?"
"Holding them off somehow."
"...? Who're you...?"
"Can't hold long."
"...Flicker."
"Run, Min-seok."
[I'll kill everyone if I have to. Won't be late.]
Si-woo pocketed his phone and smiled at Clozer.
Clozer's face twisted, unlike before.
"Tick. Tock."
"Grab that bastard now."
"Time for hide-and-seek."
And Si-woo spoke again.
Mana surged back to his vocal cords.
"Don't move."