Chapter 66
I’ll translate the full chapter into HTML-formatted prose, preserving the novel’s tone and the special in-universe block styling where needed. First I’m checking the chapter structure and then I’ll render the complete translation in one pass.CHAPTER_TITLE: Chapter 66
Flames were all I could see.
Embers filled my vision and blinded me. I couldn’t hear a thing, and no sound would come from my throat.
Maybe I was already screaming.
- Jinwoo……!
A voice I could barely remember brushed past me.
Ah.
Mom.
The voice I had longed to hear so badly pierced straight through me.
- Jinwoo……. Jinwoo……. Run…… run away.
The voice that had once held me in the middle of the inferno.
It trembled in the searing heat, then faded away little by little.
Mom.
Urgent hands grazed my face.
I wanted to ask.
I wanted to ask just once.
- Hurry……!
My mother had told me to run, and yet why hadn’t she run herself?
What had she been trying to do, standing with her back to that hellish blaze?
- Heh-heh-heh-
Laughter slipped through.
Then the fire roared—whrrrsh—!!! and swallowed the world whole.
- ……woo.
- Lee Jinwoo!
“……!”
My eyes flew open.
* * *
“Jinwoo. Are you okay?”
“……Mm.”
I lifted my head, exhausted. Yu Jin was looking at me with concern.
Did I fall asleep?
When had that happened? I hadn’t even noticed. Was I really that tired? Well, I hadn’t slept at all. I’d stayed up the entire night before coming here.
Still.
To think I’d doze off in front of this guy.
I must have been more worn out than I thought.
“Sorry for waking you. I wasn’t planning to, but……. You looked way too bad. Were you having a nightmare?”
“……Something like that. Thanks for waking me. And sorry for falling asleep.”
“Oh, come on. If you’re tired, of course you can fall asleep.”
Yu Jin said it as if he truly didn’t mind.
……Damn it.
Of all things, I’d ended up dreaming about something I hadn’t dreamt of in years. Maybe it was because of what I’d heard before we left?
……About meeting that superhuman again.
The terrorist I’d first faced. The being who used flames. Maybe the fact that I’d encounter him again had gotten under my skin.
I’d gone and had a nightmare I hadn’t seen in ten years.
“We’ll arrive in about ten minutes.”
“Not much longer, then…….”
“Yeah. Once we get there, we’re meeting the people first.”
“Will you start the search right away?”
“No. It’d be best to do it immediately, but……. We need the other side’s cooperation for that.”
“If you mean cooperation, didn’t you already get it?”
“We already have their cooperation. The problem is…….”
Yu Jin’s gaze drifted somewhere else in the car. Someone who had been sitting quietly in the corner up until now.
“……I still haven’t gotten that from your brother, so I think I’ll need to get it from him.”
At that, the man in the corner jerked hard.
Park Deokin visibly shook all over.
“I-I…… I don’t really need to come along…….”
Everything on his face gave him away. He looked as if he had no idea why he was even here.
Seeing that, I gave an awkward smile.
“Hyung, sorry. I figured it’d be better to bring someone who could actually conduct a search.”
“Th-tha…… that…… um…….”
I could practically see the sweat breaking out on him. Just how rattled was he?
“U-um……. Is it really okay to bring someone like me……? I’m still…….”
“It’s fine.”
Yu Jin spoke to Park Deokin.
“People with search skills aren’t exactly common, and besides……. We’re on the same side, aren’t we?”
“T-the same side?”
At the words, that little tremor inside Park Deokin’s eyes went wild behind his glasses.
“Thank you for agreeing to this on such short notice, Mr. Park Deokin.”
“M-mister……!”
He reacted to every single word of address like that. There was nothing I could even say.
Well, I suppose so.
The one speaking to him was a superhuman who represented South Korea, practically a symbol in human form.
You could almost say he was the superhuman among superhumans, so it made sense that Park Deokin was overreacting like that.
No, not overreacting.
Given the value attached to the existence called Yu Jin, this was probably only natural.
“I’ll be in your care.”
“I-I’ll do my absolute best.”
Park Deokin looked half-broken already.
Watching him, I smiled bitterly.
Was it really okay to bring him?
I had my doubts, but…….
He does have a search skill.
Not only was he someone with the rare search skill, but also—
[Park Deokin: Spirit Doctor > Spirit Master]
—I’d asked him along for the sake of that unknown potential he carried.
It had been a sudden request, but Park Deokin had agreed without hesitation.
- I-I can help, then I’ll do whatever I can……!
He’d come with determination, but the moment he saw that the person on our team was Yu Jin, he’d nearly lost his mind.
And now he was like this.
He really did seem half-broken, stammering in a way that was almost impressive.
While I was watching him, the driver spoke up.
“We’ve arrived.”
At that, I leaned forward and looked outside.
The Incheon Association branch I often came and went from was right there.
* * *
“It’s an honor to meet you, knights. I’m Yong Woojeon, the branch head of the Incheon Association.”
A middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties welcomed us.
……Superhuman Yong Woojeon.
I knew who he was. He had once worked as a knight-class superhuman and was now the branch head of Incheon after retiring early.
“It’s a pleasure. I’m Knight Yu Jin.”
“I’m Knight Lee Jinwoo.”
“K-knight…… Park Deokin.”
“It’s refreshing to see such young hope. Welcome.”
Smiling warmly, Yong Woojeon spoke.
“Please, come inside. I’ll guide you.”
“Thank you.”
Following his lead, we entered the Association building. It wasn’t the usual entrance I always used.
So there was a place like this, too.
I hadn’t known there was a hidden passage in the back. Back then I’d only ever come as a visitor, so I hadn’t noticed. Apparently there was also a route reserved for staff.
Once we went inside, I saw a space built within the Association.
“This way leads to the investigation team.”
It was where the superhumans who worked as the Association’s investigative force were stationed.
There were other superhumans inside.
And their eyes all turned to Yu Jin at once.
“It’s Yu Jin.”
“……Wow. I can’t believe I’m seeing him in person.”
“His face is really about the size of a fist. How can a man be that pretty?”
At the murmurings, Yu Jin gave a slightly embarrassed smile.
“Hello. I’m Knight Yu Jin. It’s an honor to meet the Association’s investigation team.”
He bowed politely as he spoke, manners overflowing from every gesture.
“I heard he has a great personality. Looks like it’s true.”
“He looks like that and even has a good personality? Life really is unfair.”
Most of the reactions were favorable. It certainly seemed that way at a glance.
“I’m Lee Jinwoo. Please take care of me.”
Even about me, I caught bits and pieces—calls of the hero of Yeouido and the like—but compared to Yu Jin, that was nothing more than a drop in the bucket.
“First, let’s exchange greetings……. As for Knight Park Deokin, we can talk in a room.”
“Would it be enough if only the person in charge goes?”
“Ah, yes. It should be fine if only Mr. Yu Jin comes.”
“Understood. See you in a bit?”
“Yeah.”
Yu Jin disappeared with Yong Woojeon, and just as Park Deokin and I were left alone, someone approached us.
“Hello. My name is Jeong Hoyoon. I’ll be in charge of guiding the knights.”
“Hello……”
Eye of Enlightenment activated.
Hidden information is being revealed.
Jeong Hoyoon > Ma Dongin: Mage of the Tide > White Tower Lord
“…….”
I stopped mid-sentence.
Oh, damn.
I’d wondered whether there might be a spy in the Association, and yet here he was, found almost immediately.
It looked like we’d uncovered him right from the start.
* * *
I entered the lodging provided inside the Association. The Ma Dongin who was using the name Jeong Hoyoon had guided us there.
“Here we are.”
When I checked the rooms, each one was a single. Apparently they’d given us three rooms total.
“It’s late, so please get some rest.”
The Ma Dongin bowed and left, and the two of us went into the rooms by ourselves.
“Should we unpack first and meet again?”
“Ah, sure.”
I’d decided to drop formalities with Park Deokin. He’d said that was more comfortable for him, too.
“Then I’ll unpack and come to your room.”
“No, I’ll come to yours. That’d be easier.”
“Ah……. Okay.”
Park Deokin smiled as he said it, and we each unpacked in our own rooms.
Hoo.
I steadied my breathing. I hadn’t expected to meet someone so soon after arriving.
This is a problem.
What was I supposed to do now? If Yu Jin’s information was right, there really did seem to be something going on inside the Association.
And if that was true—
It means that superhuman is really here, too.
The masked terrorist who wielded flames.
That he was hiding somewhere in Incheon suddenly felt a lot more believable.
That bastard.
The man who had tried to kill me was somewhere in this region.
In Incheon, the city where I lived.
I’ll find him.
I had to find the terrorist somehow. Especially if they were really connected to the incident from ten years ago.
Just as I was thinking that—
Knock, knock.
- Jinwoo. Can I come in?
It was Park Deokin’s voice.
“Ah, yeah.”
I opened the door. Park Deokin had changed into comfortable clothes at some point and was now standing there.
Then he came into the room and said,
“Hyung, first thing tomorrow—”
“Hold on.”
“Huh?”
Park Deokin covered my mouth and looked around the room. Somehow, the man who’d been stammering earlier was gone, replaced by a deeply serious gaze.
“My little search.”
Wuuung—!!
Energy spread around Park Deokin’s body and swept through the room. The sudden situation made my eyes widen, and then—
“Found it.”
Park Deokin moved toward something. It had been a flower arrangement beside the table, but he suddenly examined the pot. He lifted it and checked underneath.
Crackle.
“Huh?”
Park Deokin tore away something from the bottom of the flowerpot. It looked like a tiny device.
“It seems to be a wiretap with enchantment on it.”
“……A wiretap?”
“Yeah.”
Crush—! He pressed down with his hand and smashed the device.
What the hell?
Hero’s Super-sensory didn’t pick it up.
Was that because it was a wiretap? My skill hadn’t triggered at all. But Park Deokin had found it.
“How did you know that, hyung……?”
“There was one in my room, too. I used to work somewhere, so whenever I go into an unfamiliar room, I check first.”
Something he picked up from working?
That was an unexpected side of him.
“I should check Yu Jin’s room when he gets here later, too.”
Even after finding a wiretap in his own room, he looked about as calm as if nothing had happened.
This guy…….
There seemed to be a side of Park Deokin I didn’t know about.
And a very unexpected one at that.
* * *
Branch head office of the Incheon Association.
“Here’s the compiled file.”
Yong Woojeon handed the file to Yu Jin. Taking it, Yu Jin began to examine it from side to side.
“We’ve identified suspicious individuals and patterns to the best of our ability, but…….”
“So the accuracy isn’t very high.”
“Unfortunately, yes. And while there are also locations we suspect, even the search itself isn’t easy.”
Yu Jin checked the places listed in the file. Seeing them, he narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Wolmi-do.”
“That’s right.”
“……Mm.”
I could see why the search would be difficult. If it was Wolmi-do—
Wasn’t that where the old deep-sea beast incident happened?
Deep-sea beast.
Not the name of a monster, but the title of a superhuman.
The problem had been that the rampaging superhuman’s previous life belonged to the divine beast lineage.
During that incident, the sea around Wolmi-do had been thrown into a completely uncontrollable state.
Because of that, there were still areas there that remained inaccessible to this day.
Could they be hiding inside that area?
The possibility was more than enough.
“So I’d like to assign someone with a search-related ability, but……. That part may take some time.”
“That’s fine. Fortunately, I do know a superhuman with a search skill.”
“Ah, perhaps. The one who was beside Knight Lee Jinwoo earlier.”
“……Yes.”
As he spoke, someone flickered through Yu Jin’s mind.
Park Deokin.
Along with that name, someone surfaced in Yu Jin’s imagination.
……What’s going on?
The superhuman Lee Jinwoo had supposedly passed. Someone so low-ranked that, under normal circumstances, he shouldn’t even have made it into the knights.
But—
Is there something he knows?
The Park Deokin Yu Jin knew was different.
He wasn’t merely some low-ranked superhuman.
Demon King Park Deokin.
Because in the far future, he would be called the Demon King.