A Modern Fiend - 1

Dr. Kim Mi-ryeo's face went blank for a moment when the report came in: the anomaly that had appeared in Yeouido had shown up again nearby.

Number 322 had been telling the truth.

Immediately afterward, Dr. Kim Mi-ryeo sank into thought. Her dilemma was simple — whether or not to incinerate Number 322 right then and there.

Number 322 was, without question, an extraordinarily unusual specimen even among anomalies. The containment facility holding her had three, even four layers of Specter Energy Barriers running at full capacity — and still Number 322 had sensed an anomaly outside.

The single decisive reason B.A.R.I. could isolate inhuman entities known as anomalies at all was those Specter Energy Barriers. Once the barrier successfully cut off an anomaly's energy, even the most powerful specimen had no choice but to submit to containment. Escape incidents were not unheard of, but the vast majority occurred because of humans who'd fallen under an anomaly's thrall. That was how thorough the Bureau's facilities were.

And yet Number 322 had brazenly ignored the Specter Energy Barriers and detected an outside anomaly anyway.

Dr. Kim Mi-ryeo thought it over. She doesn't seem particularly hostile… If anything, she was being so cooperative it only deepened the suspicion. What kind of anomaly in this world went out of its way to warn humans, There's an anomaly nearby — be careful?

Of course, Number 322 hadn't told the Bureau a single lie. The vast majority of what she said was true. B.A.R.I. was a transnational organization, and its technology operated in the realm of super-science; distinguishing truth from falsehood in a subject's speech was something it could do with near-perfect accuracy. Which only made this more confusing.

There's no way to know the limits of her ability.

Even if she might prove useful later…

…it might be better to eliminate her now.

B.A.R.I.'s first principle was absolute control. After considerable deliberation, Kim Mi-ryeo reached her conclusion: Number 322 was an uncontrollable entity. Even a weapon humans could put to good use was worse than useless if it couldn't be controlled.

She nodded to herself. Have a little more conversation first. Then, barring something unexpected, proceed with incineration.

Field agents had already been dispatched to deal with the anomaly Number 322 had warned them about. Naturally, they ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were agents of a far lower caliber than the ones who'd captured Number 322. The Specter Energy reading was a mere 20 — no need for containment; they'd incinerate it on site. So there was no reason to spare any attention for some trivial anomaly right now.

She initiated a third conversation with Number 322.

When the doctor returned, I spoke with complete confidence.

"Well, Doctor? Did you verify it?"

"I'll get straight to the point," she said. "Number 322 — just as you claimed, an anomaly appeared in a location near this facility."

"Hmph. Though this body of mine may have changed, the fact that I am Joseon's finest mudang remains unaltered!"

…Well, there was my master, who was far more skilled than I — but that one had long since vanished from the world of men. It wouldn't have been strange if they'd already ascended as a spirit of renown.

The doctor asked me, "How did you know?"

"Simple enough. As a spirit-possessed mudang, I can sense the presence of fiends through divine power. Well then, Dr. Kim Mi-ryeo! I'd say this sufficiently proves that I am human, and a being of use to you all."

Of course, I hadn't warned them of the fiend's presence purely for my own safety. To a mudang, fiends were things to be beaten down and destroyed. Call it an instinctive revulsion. Even before I'd held any official post, I'd driven out fiends for the barest scrap of payment.

Convinced things were going my way, I let my expression ease a little.

"I, Ara-gun, swear it upon the heavens — I have never once lied to you. I have been honest in this conversation from the very start."

But Dr. Kim Mi-ryeo's next words made my chest tighten with frustration.

"That isn't what matters. What matters right now, Number 322 — is you."

"Aaaargh, how stifling! An unprecedented fiend of pure malice has appeared, and still you waste your strength on me, a human! If something terrible should happen at this rate—"

"Nothing will. Field agents have already been dispatched to incinerate the anomaly you warned us about on site."

"Kh… By field agents, do you mean those men who bound me?" I conceded, "I admit it. They were formidable sorts. Especially the leader of that band ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠— sharp as a blade, keener even than the junior second-rank officers of the coup army during the rebellion…"

"No."

"…"

"…Then you mean weaker agents?"

"Of course. There's no comparison."

"Dr. Kim Mi-ryeo." I cut her off, my face hardening. "Recall your soldiers at once."

"…What do you mean by that?"

"I mean they'll be torn to shreds and die, so recall your soldiers this instant. That fiend — it's no ordinary brute."

"No. It's nothing special. Number 322, there are four layers ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of Specter Energy Barriers installed around the facility where you're contained. Your detection ability is probably malfunctioning because of the barriers—"

"I know not what nonsense that is, but allow me to cast a free fortune for you."

I had no mugu, and my whole body was restrained so I couldn't perform a proper gut — but that fiend's energy was so overwhelming that simply looking at Dr. Kim Mi-ryeo beyond the transparent wall was enough to read her fortune.

A grinding sound. My eyes flooded entirely black, and the doctor's startled breathing rasped loud in the air. Visibly rattled, Kim Mi-ryeo frantically worked the controls. The restraints tightened; a sharp sting pricked my elbow. Sudden drowsiness crashed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠over me. She'd clearly administered some kind of measure — but I paid it no mind. At the crumbling edge of consciousness, drowning in sleep, I began to recite the blood-soaked future I could see beyond the doctor's face.

"…Are you threatening me right now?"

"No. It is your fate, and your future."

Surrendering my body to the fading senses, I spat my last words like a sneer.

"Fate is mutable. You had best move with haste."

Lee Jung-man — a D-class field agent attached to B.A.R.I.'s Seoul Branch, and deputy leader of D-Alpha Team — was thinking one thing.

Ah, I just want to finish this quick, go home, and take a bath.

Incinerating a Specter Energy-20 anomaly on site was a genuine pain. There was a reason B.A.R.I. preferred containment over incineration. By their nature, anomalies were far easier to contain than to burn. But if you tried to lock up every anomaly that appeared in the world, you'd run out of facilities. So miscellaneous specimens with a Specter Energy of around 20 were typically incinerated in the field. Not particularly dangerous — just, as stated, a hassle. The anomaly would put up every scrap of resistance it could to avoid being burned, after all.

Lee Jung-man yawned and gave the order.

"No need to drag this out. Authorization just came through for Tier-1 firepower weapons, so—"

"…Hm?"

"Deputy Leader, what is it?"

"…Authorization just came through for Tier-2 firepower weapons."

The squad members cheered at their deputy leader's words.

"Khhhaaaa, Tier-2!"

"How long has it been?!"

"Looks like the Bureau's decided to send us home early, huh?"

Unlike his celebrating squad, Lee Jung-man's face darkened. The Bureau treated the lives of field agents — especially D-class field agents — like flies. To them, incinerating or containing an anomaly mattered far more than human lives. And those same people were authorizing Tier-2 firepower?

As an experienced deputy leader, Lee Jung-man thought: This is no ordinary situation.

He quieted his excited squad and spoke.

"All of you, listen carefully. The moment the anomaly appears, open fire with Tier-2 weapons. Don't worry about damage to the surrounding facilities. Don't hesitate for even a tenth of a second."

It didn't land.

"Deputy Leader, you scared or something?"

"Puhahaha! Our deputy leader always was a bit of a coward!"

That was the problem with D-class field agents. Everyone except Lee Jung-man was a violent death-row convict who could die at any time, so proper control was impossible. Of course, disobeying orders would detonate the bombs around their necks and kill them on the spot — but there was a clear difference between simply following orders and following them well.

After that, D-Alpha Team made contact with the anomaly.

The Specter Energy reading was still 20. A nobody. The Bureau must have made some kind of mistake. Lee Jung-man exhaled in relief and ordered his subordinates to open fire.

"Shoot."

"…"

"…"

"What are you doing? I said shoot! You want your heads blown off?"

But the squad members said nothing. The reason was simple.

Pshhk. Pshhk.

Thud. Roll.

Their heads had already left their bodies. Blood sprayed in every direction; squad members' heads bounced and rolled across the ground. In stunned horror, Lee Jung-man frantically activated his Emergency Self-Sealing Device. Unlike the other D-class field agents, whose lives were worth less than flies, a deputy leader's life was valuable human capital even from the Bureau's perspective — so the quality of his gear was considerably better.

As he worked the self-sealing device, he thought: I knew it. The Bureau screwed up.

It shouldn't have been Tier-2 firepower.

They should have authorized Tier-3.