Guns and the Intruder
Woo Suho grabbed a pistol and a shotgun, then headed toward the intruder. Though the man who called himself the Sword Lord hadn't been affected by them, firearms were universally acknowledged as humanity's deadliest weapons. Besides, Naram noona's drone was watching him. That was the biggest reason he didn't want to reveal his true abilities. How would it feel for someone he'd always thought of as a little sister to realize he was actually a mysterious monster that devoured Hwanjong and stole their powers? Being a monster with nothing but resurrection was enough for him. Of course, he couldn't even imagine the kind and beautiful Naram noona despising him, but you never knew how people would react.
"The intruder just entered the S Area. He's about three hundred meters from you... right in front of you, so be careful."
Kang Naram's voice reported the intruder's movements through the security cameras. Good.
"Got it."
She was watching him right now. This was the perfect moment to show off something a man could fall for. He mimicked the way the 2nd-class agents moved when they stormed in with pistols, stepping forward with purpose. He struck a pose straight out of a Hong Kong noir film.
"Suho, this is a crisis situation. Don't play around."
"......"
It stung, but he had no choice but to swallow the shock that his carefully practiced ultimate move had a flaw.
The intruder came into view. The lighting was dim, so he could only make out the vague shape, but he clearly saw the figure weaving between pillars in the corridor, glancing around warily.
"He's full of caution, but he still hasn't spotted you."
Every little detail. Perfect.
He aimed the muzzle—not at the intruder, but slightly to the side.
Bang!!
The bullet punched a hole in the corridor wall exactly as intended. At the sound of the gunshot, the intruder turned toward him with a startled expression. Staring straight at him like that would only backfire. Amateur.
"Stop. From now on, don't move and—"
The warning wasn't even finished before the intruder spotted him, shouted, and charged straight ahead. Hot-tempered type.
The intruder wasn't as fast as the Sword Lord from last time. Still, he clearly had something to rely on—lightning suddenly crackled and surged into his right arm. It was a strange sight.
"Be-be-be-be-be careful! Suho!"
Contrary to Kang Naram's worry, his mind and body were perfectly calm. The intruder was breaking all common sense with his flashy charge, but in the end, it was still human speed. Clearly something he could react to with his eyes. The advantage was his.
Bang!! Bang!!
Two gunshots. One hit.
The raging lightning faded. The intruder collapsed forward. Woo Suho looked at the blood flowing from the leg. The sweet scent of a Hwanjong still hadn't appeared.
"It hurts, ugh, it hurts... What kind of magic did you use, damn it..."
Like the Sword Lord, the intruder spoke in a language he could understand even if he couldn't identify it. The voice of a boy who hadn't fully grown yet.
"Hello."
Now they could finally have a proper conversation. He pointed the gun at the intruder's head.
"Don't even think about moving a single finger from now on. I'll send you straight back to your dead mother."
"Suho..."
Someone who attacked without listening to a word didn't deserve mercy. Maybe he really didn't have parents, which was why he acted like that. But this Woo Suho was weaker than anyone when it came to Kang Naram. He took back the earlier insult and softened his words.
"...I'll send you back to your dead grandmother instead."
"Uuuuugh..."
The intruder gave up resisting. Realizing the gap in power, he glared back and forth between the gun and Woo Suho before finally biting his lip.
"From now on, answer my questions honestly."
"Yes."
"Don't speak informally."
"...sir."
"State your name, age, affiliation, and reason for coming here."
There were several reasons he'd spared the intruder who attacked him. In life, people faced moments where they had to make decisions. Those who acted on emotion in those moments never ended up well. Anyone swept away by mercy or sympathy and made the wrong judgment always paid the price. Of course, that wasn't from his own experience—it was one of the lessons he'd learned from the countless deaths of 4th-class agents at the institute.
His heart hadn't raced when he killed the Sword Lord, nor when he saw the researchers' corpses. If necessary, he could kill anyone without hesitation. Kang Naram was the only exception.
"If you don't tell me, I'll kill you."
That said, he wasn't some murderer who killed people indiscriminately. He wasn't the type to beat or kill a passerby just because he needed fifty thousand won and wanted their wallet. He had basic ethics. He simply didn't feel guilt when he did kill. The only times he committed murder were when it felt completely rational.
Besides gathering information and Kang Naram's gaze, this was another reason he'd spared the intruder. He hoped this time the intruder wouldn't turn him into a murderer.
"Three."
He placed his finger on the trigger.
"Two."
"Adam."
The intruder's mouth finally opened.
"Sixteen years old, Sunflower Town, affiliated with the arena... sir. I came here because I needed money. I swear on my little sister's honor... that everything I just said is true."
He looked at the sparrow drone.
"M-m-m-maybe we should hear him out first?"
He slowly lowered the pistol.
***
He never expected the day would come when his medical knowledge would be needed—him, who always resurrected in perfect health. Since Adam had surrendered, he couldn't just leave him there, so he decided to at least give basic first aid.
"May I use magic..."
When he nodded without thinking, a warm light resembling plants bloomed from the boy's hands. When Adam placed his glowing hands on the wound, the embedded bullet was pushed out and the injury began to close.
"Whoa."
Kang Naram and he exclaimed at the same time.
How could this not be a Hwanjong?
"That's amazing."
"It's my only ability."
"You were using lightning earlier too."
"That was the power of an artifact. Besides common magic, other spells require being born with magic circuits. Um..."
"Call me Woo Suho. Or just Suho."
"...It seems Sir Suho is surprisingly ignorant about magic. Judging from how you attacked me earlier and our current conversation, I thought you were a highly skilled mage..."
Last time the intruder had called him a demon, and now he was calling him a mage.
"Suho, switch to speaker mode."
Kang Naram sounded like she had something to say. Her voice was strangely excited.
When he complied with her request, sure enough—
"Hi friend my name is Kang Naram I work at the Supernatural Research Institute and my favorite foods are malatang and tanghulu..."
Kang Naram fired off her words like a machine gun. Adam's eyes went wide as saucers.
Realizing that a smooth conversation with Adam wouldn't be possible like this, he switched back to normal call mode.
"Why'd you change it!! Switch back to speakerphone!!"
"I'll do it again after I finish talking. If this friend really is from another world like you said, he'll be confused, so we should be considerate."
"Uuuung..."
After calming Kang Naram down, he spoke to Adam again.
"Don't worry about the voice just now. There's one more person listening to our conversation."
"Ah, yes..."
"There are probably a lot of things we want to ask each other, but first, let me introduce myself too."
He briefly explained his situation. He'd been working at this facility when a major accident occurred, and when he opened his eyes, everything had become strange. Since the intruder had tried to kill him last time, he'd had no choice but to react sharply. He still didn't know why they could communicate. He left out detailed parts like the Supernatural Research Institute. Rambling on with unnecessary information wouldn't do any good.
The boy listened quietly to his words and seemed to understand to some extent.
"I should introduce myself again. I'm Adam, a mage who works at the arena in Sunflower Town, located nearby. Sunflower Town is a city with two thousand residents, under the protection of the Baron of Decline..."
Adam had clearly grasped that he wasn't familiar with this world. The way he added unnecessary explanations showed how considerate he was being.
At this point, he could clearly understand the situation. Just as Kang Naram had said, he and Naram had been sucked into another world due to the Wormhole's influence, and Adam standing before him was a resident of that other world.
He didn't think it was impossible. He was confident he knew as well as Kang Naram how the mysterious Hwanjong performed their miracles.
In that case, while the detailed decisions would have to wait until after he talked with Kang Naram, the general direction seemed set. For now, he would use this boy named Adam as his compass. In an unknown place, a guide was always necessary.