Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 021
Chapter Title: Two Fortuitous Encounters (3)
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Heading back to the safe house from the dungeon.
The scenery rushing past outside the bus window had already been dyed in crimson sunset hues before I knew it.
On my wrist, propped against the window frame, sat the "Breath of the Morning Star" I'd just acquired from the dungeon.
Its fantastical design was far removed from modern sensibilities, but no one around me batted an eye. In a world where hunters strolled around openly carrying greatswords the size of a house, what was a mere bracelet?
And I wasn't paying it much attention either. My mind, blankly staring out at the passing scenery, was filled with what had happened in the dungeon just moments ago.
"......Looking back now, I was pretty fearless myself."
The encounter with the angel, a subordinate of the Blissful Heavenly Demon.
At the time, rage had clouded my judgment, but thinking about it later, it had been an incredibly dangerous situation.
Countless what-ifs raced through my mind.
What if that angel had harbored hostility toward me?
What if that angel had been capable of harming me?
What if that angel had tried to impose some kind of penalty on me, even if not physical harm?
And even if none of that were true, what if another angel or the Blissful Heavenly Demon had noticed our meeting?
If even one of those hypotheticals had come to pass, I probably wouldn't be heading home unscathed like this.
I'd been lucky. Really lucky. That was the only way to put it.
The feeling was strange. Ever since possessing this body because of that Blissful Heavenly Demon bastard, I'd only known misfortune, and yet ironically, the one moment I met his subordinate was the one time luck was on my side. What kind of twisted joke from fate was this?
"It all worked out in the end, so that's fine......"
I'd gotten the Breath of the Morning Star. But what about the fortuitous encounters I was supposed to claim tomorrow and the day after? That was the real question.
Given what happened today, the Blissful Heavenly Demon might have already made his move. In possession stories, the original author's interference was supposed to be minimized. But that guy? He'd ignore such unwritten rules without a second thought.
"Guess I'll find out tomorrow."
After getting off the bus, I soon arrived at the safe house. After going through the tedious security procedures and entering through the front door, Chae So-yeon came rushing out as if she'd been waiting.
"Hey! Ahn Su-ho! Where the hell have you been? It's about time you showed up!"
A few days after the battle, Chae So-yeon had returned to her original body type. She was still small, but at least she didn't look like a neighborhood elementary school kid anymore.
"You go wandering outside, so I had to stay cooped up here all day instead! Do you have any idea how bored I was?!"
"Quit complaining. You got to slack off without doing any work. Shouldn't that be a good thing?"
"What are you talking about? I don't do any work even on normal days when I go in!"
She was bragging, plain and simple.
"What about dinner? Did you fend for yourselves?"
"Huh? Yeah. I whipped something up from what was in the fridge."
"And Ye-won?"
"Yeah, she ate too."
Chae So-yeon fidgeted with her lips after answering, as if she had something to say.
"What's up?"
"Uh, Ji Ye-won... she's acting a bit off."
"Off? Did her wounds reopen or something?"
Chae So-yeon shook her head vigorously.
"Not physically. Mentally, she's weird. Her injuries should all be healed by now, but she looks so listless. Her movements are sluggish, and her expression's all dark."
"So, like she's depressed?"
"Yeah, exactly. She gave off total clinical depression vibes."
That gave me a rough idea of the situation. Her gloom was probably because of Kim Min-ah.
From what the axe-wielding assassin had said during the battle that day, and the info we'd gotten from interrogating the sniper locked in the basement, Kim Min-ah's well-being was far from good—in fact, it was downright dire.
Min Chae-ryeong and I had predicted she was probably dead. Even if alive, she'd be a shell of herself from torture and drug aftereffects.
And Ji Ye-won knew that much.
Ji Ye-won hadn't said much about Kim Min-ah. I didn't know the exact nature of their relationship, but given they'd plotted to betray the organization together, they must have been close.
Of course she'd worry. On the day of the battle, hadn't she lost her cool and charged at the enemy just because they taunted her about Kim Min-ah?
"I'm still awkward with her, so I didn't wanna ask directly. You're on better terms, right? Could you check on her?"
"That's surprisingly sensible coming from you. Sure, I'll head up."
"Thanks, I owe y... Huh? Sensible coming from me?"
Leaving Chae So-yeon blushing belatedly behind me, I headed to the bedroom where Ji Ye-won was resting.
Knock knock.
"Ye-won? It's Ahn Su-ho. Mind if I come in?"
With permission from beyond the door, I opened it and stepped inside.
Immediately, a burst of raucous laughter greeted me.
"Ahahahahaha!"
"Huh?"
The laughter came from Ji Ye-won. She was half-propped up in bed, watching a variety show on TV. When some unnamed celebrity dropped a punchline, another peal of laughter erupted from her.
"Ahahaha! Oh man, that's hilarious. Oh, you're here?"
There wasn't a trace of gloom on Ji Ye-won's face as she turned to me. In fact, she was laughing so hard her eyes were tearing up—180 degrees from what Chae So-yeon had described.
"Heard you went to a dungeon to prep for the Special Countermeasures Division exam? Killing a few monsters won't make you strong overnight, but good work anyway."
"Y-yes. Thank you."
"What's with the bracelet? Haven't seen it before. Wait, is that an artifact? No way—you found it in the dungeon today?"
I nodded awkwardly, and Ji Ye-won dramatically covered her mouth.
"Whoa. Artifacts don't just drop like that. You got lucky."
"Yeah. I did."
"Makes sense. The guy who beat talisman odds wouldn't have bad luck. Nice design too. What's the effect?"
I almost recited its effects on reflex but caught myself. Artifacts from dungeons needed an "appraisal scroll"—also dungeon-exclusive—to reveal their powers. Knowing the effects of one I'd just found today would look suspicious.
"Don't know yet. Gotta get it appraised at the local association branch tomorrow."
"Gotcha. Thought you'd already done it since you were wearing it."
"Too annoying to carry around otherwise."
"Mind if I take a look?"
I handed the Breath of the Morning Star to Ji Ye-won without hesitation. Unlike talismans, most artifacts could be worn and transferred freely like this.
As a test, she slipped it onto her wrist and let out a soft "ooh."
"Feels like energy's surging through me. Strength boost or something? Simple, but that's one of the most useful effects. Seems like a solid artifact."
As I stared at her unusually hyped demeanor, she let out a hearty laugh and joked.
"What? That look. Relax, I won't steal it. I didn't even ask for your talisman—think I'd covet this?"
"You couldn't take the talisman anyway."
"Wrong. Kill you or chop off your finger, and it's mine. Didn't know that?"
"So you'd kill me?"
"Ahaha! As if. You're my lifesaver—how could I? I'd settle for a finger. Cut it nice and clean, no pain."
Ji Ye-won made a V-sign with her fingers, pressing it to her cheek and folding and unfolding them while making snappy snip snip sounds with her mouth.
Her playful, almost cutesy gesture made me chuckle despite myself, and she grinned triumphantly, pumping her fist.
"How's your condition?"
"Perfect. Too perfect—I'm bored out of my mind. Thinking of jogging around the neighborhood starting tomorrow."
"No going outside."
"Ahaha. I know. Just kidding."
"Need anything?"
"Nah? Other than cabin fever from being stuck in this room all day, everything's fine. Oh, right. Could you grab me some novels? Tired of TV and my phone."
"Easy enough. I'll bring some tomorrow."
"Thanks."
After finishing, Ji Ye-won looked up at me intently.
"......Something you want to say?"
She averted her gaze slightly at my question, then met my eyes with an awkward smile.
That smile told me she was finally getting to the point.
"Uh, being cooped up here is driving me nuts. When can I get out?"
"That's......"
Since arriving at the safe house, Ji Ye-won hadn't stepped foot outside even once. It had to feel suffocating.
But her question wasn't one I could answer. Min Chae-ryeong decided her fate, not me.
"Please stay inside the safe house for the time being. Outside's still dangerous. The Dawn Corps is probably scouring everywhere for you."
"I know. But just a quick breather outside? That'd be fine, right?"
"Probably not."
"You think I'll run? I won't. You've got trackers on me anyway. Pointless to try—what would I even gain?"
She shoved her wristwatch under my nose. As she said, it had a built-in transmitter tracking her location.
'Not just a transmitter, though.'
She didn't know, but there were electric shock electrodes on the underside. The moment she stepped out, an alarm would alert Min Chae-ryeong, and a powerful jolt would knock her out.
Ji Ye-won was protected in name only—essentially imprisoned. Min Chae-ryeong's measures were that thorough and harsh.
"Doesn't mean anything. I just want some fresh air. If not outside, maybe the inner courtyard?"
She asked as if it were no big deal. But her eyes burned with desperate longing.
She knew I wouldn't approve—and that I didn't have the authority anyway. So what was driving this desperation?
I already knew the answer.
"......Because of Kim Min-ah?"
Silence.
Caught off guard by my question, Ji Ye-won clamped her mouth shut. Her bright facade from moments ago shattered, her face darkening instantly.
No, it had been fake. She'd been forcing cheer until my question stripped the mask away.
As I'd thought earlier, she had a rough idea of Kim Min-ah's situation. But without seeing for herself, it wouldn't satisfy her.
I understood her feelings. I did—but I couldn't let her go.
As a re-enrolled academy student and major character, her life was tied to mine. If she died, so would I.
'Gotta persuade her to give up somehow.'
I knew a few words wouldn't sway her, but I couldn't just sit idle.
"I get you're worried about Kim Min-ah. But Ye-won, like I said, outside's still dangerous. Staying here's safest for now."
"I know. But—"
"We don't even know where Kim Min-ah is. Even if outings were allowed, how would you find her? Raid Dawn Corps bases one by one?"
"Interrogate the sniper in the basement."
"We already concluded he doesn't know. We had a lie-detection esper with us. He truly has no clue about her location or condition."
"That's true, but......"
Ji Ye-won clenched her fists tightly. Her eyes trembled as she looked up at me.
"......Min-ah had a higher rank in the Dawn Corps than me. She knows way more. You guys need Dawn Corps intel, right? She'd be useful! So we have to find her before she dies—before she dies!"
Hearing that, a deep sigh escaped me. The conversation was going in circles, giving me a throbbing headache.
As Ji Ye-won said, Kim Min-ah outranked her and knew more intel.
But that didn't justify the risk. The potential reward didn't outweigh it.
With Ji Ye-won, we just had to protect her from assassins. For Kim Min-ah, we'd need to storm her holding cell blind. We didn't even know where.
Even she had to know pushing for an impossible rescue was futile.
Yet her stubborn persistence gave me a migraine.
I already had the Special Countermeasures exam and angel crap weighing on me—why was Ji Ye-won piling on?
"Haa."
My frustration showed plainly with the sigh. Reading my face, Ji Ye-won's expression stiffened.
"......Sorry. Shouldn't take it out on you."
I composed myself and looked at her. She hung her head like she'd done something wrong.
"......No need to apologize. It's just the circumstances. Once the Dawn Corps quiets down, the team leader might bring it up."
Min Chae-ryeong seemed somewhat interested in Kim Min-ah too.
Ji Ye-won looked up with faint hope in her eyes.
That gaze weighed on me. Even if Min Chae-ryeong was interested, the odds of her moving to rescue Kim Min-ah were near zero. My offhand addition was just a soothing lie for the moment.
"......Thanks."
Her thanks fell weakly. I had to turn away. It felt like sitting on pins and needles.
In the end, I wrapped up vaguely and left the room. No point staying longer.
Glancing back just before exiting, Ji Ye-won's face was as dark as Chae So-yeon had said.
'Fuck.'
I swallowed the curse threatening to spill. The original story hadn't even started, and here I was buried in headaches.
As I stepped out, Chae So-yeon approached in the hallway, anxiety on her face.
"How is she? Doing okay?"
I shook my head silently. Not even a white lie could call it okay. When I said she might try escaping soon, Chae So-yeon sighed in distress.
"Should I tell the team leader and ask for more surveillance......?"
"That'll be tough. The team leader wants as few people as possible knowing about Ji Ye-won."
Not just her Dawn Corps ties, but the illegal acts Min Chae-ryeong committed rescuing her were issues too.
I alone had collapsed a building and killed someone in the process. Even with her connections to cover it, more people knowing wouldn't please her.
"So it's just you and me for a while. Hey, you're not going anywhere tomorrow, right?"
"Sorry. I'll be gone another night and day—two days total."
"Again? Wait, overnight? What, camping in a dungeon?"
"Not a dungeon. Or, well, it is a dungeon."
"Is it or isn't it? Where the hell are you going?"
"Baekdu Mountain."
Chae So-yeon's mouth fell open in shock at my answer.
Baekdu Mountain. One of Korea's three great demonic realms.
Changed by a gate's environmental effects, fierce mana storms raged year-round, making it unclimbable even for superhumans, let alone normals—the pinnacle of the peninsula.
"......Baekdu Mountain? Are you insane?"
The next fortuitous encounter I had to claim—no, meet—was right there.