Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Residents' Meeting
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A bit out of the blue, sure, but refusing wasn't even an option.
"Of course."
It's not like I'd become a purifier for some cushy nine-to-six office job.
These kinds of things usually mean dropping everything the moment shit hits the fan.
If anything, I'd been lucky so far to get jobs I could schedule at my convenience.
So Boss must've pulled some strings behind the scenes while pretending otherwise.
-Alright, then. I'll send over the file, so check it out.
"Got it."
I hung up and opened the file he'd forwarded.
The destination was a nearby subway station.
Let's see... some psycho pulls off a terror attack at a subway station, turns the whole area into a pollution zone, and now people are trapped inside?
"What the fuck."
My face scrunched up the second I read it. Totally understandable reaction.
I jumped to my feet and headed straight to my room.
There was a good reason So Boss had called it urgent.
This insane terror attack right in the heart of Seoul? Every second counted.
No wonder they were scraping the barrel for rookies like me who hadn't even shaken off beginner status.
Still, a cat's paw was better than no paw at all.
With that in mind, I hurriedly grabbed my gear and was about to head out when...
"Meow."
Meow had snuck up and planted itself in my path.
Was it just being its usual cute, clingy self wanting pets? Sorry, no time for that right now.
"Meow, sorry. Got something urgent—I'll be back soon."
"Meow!"
"Huh?"
But Meow shook its head, like that wasn't it at all.
Roll roll.
And then it rolled that black marble it'd shown me a few times before right to my feet.
Still no proper conversation, but the intent was crystal clear.
"...You want me to take it?"
"Nya."
Meow nodded up and down.
I picked up the black marble.
This made three already. What the hell even is this thing for?
Last time, I'd used one to pay rent to Ro Boss, and she kept telling me to stockpile them, so there had to be something special about them.
But that was as far as it went. No clue what they were actually used for.
'Collect seven and it grants a wish?'
I shook my head at the random thought.
No way it was something that childish, and this sure wasn't the time to be thinking like that.
"Whatever it is, thanks. I'll make something tasty when I get back. If Boss comes looking, tell her I stepped out for a bit."
"Meow."
I gave its head a quick ruffle and headed outside.
Asking a cat to pass on a message felt kinda weird, but Ro Boss said she could talk to Meow, so it'd be fine.
The moment I stepped out, I called So Boss again.
-Hey, Han-sik. You see the file?
"Yeah, but what's my exact mission?"
The file was just a rough summary of the incident.
No specific objectives or pay laid out.
Meant the situation was too dire to pin those down.
Too bad I didn't have enough experience to freestyle in a place like that.
Obviously I'd rescue any trapped civilians I could, but if there was a clear goal, I'd prioritize that.
And So Boss gave me my marching orders.
-Follow the tracks inward till you hit a sealed-off station. There should be some kind of altar there.
"Got it."
-Smash it. And if you can, wipe out anyone hanging around it.
"...Huh?"
I couldn't help but double-take at what came next.
No, I got the words fine.
This guy's practically ex-special forces, so military lingo: destroy the objective, assassinate the hostiles.
I could follow that far.
But...
"Me?"
Me doing the deed?
For a split second, I thought So Boss had lost it.
I'd been brawling vampires with a telescoping baton just the other week—a total scrub.
Asking a guy like that to assassinate terrorists? Wasn't the difficulty spike insane?
Honestly, I'd figured I'd just show up, help with some rescues, maybe save a few lives.
But So Boss said it all deadpan.
-Yeah, you said it yourself. You're that rare type who can't even perceive pollution at all.
"True, but..."
-Everyone else can barely even approach that close. They could muscle through with time, but we don't have that luxury.
Ah.
Bottom line: to everyone else, the subway looked like a total clusterfuck of pollution. So they'd send the one guy who could ignore it all.
This actually made sense.
"...But can I handle it solo? Getting there, sure, but taking on the terrorists hiding there alone?"
-Heh heh.
Honest concern, but So Boss chuckled like it was absurd and called my name.
-Han-sik.
"Yes?"
-You're the one chosen by that otherworldly mystery, right?
"Otherworldly...? Oh, Tome-y. How'd you know?"
Had Kiki spilled the beans?
-Not from her, got my own ways. Tome-y?
"Nickname. We're gonna be together a while, so calling it by its full name felt too formal. Trying to get on friendly terms quick."
-What? Khhkh, this guy's nuts.
Why?
What's the problem?
No way other mages don't nickname their grimoires. C'mon, it's an ego item—gotta be too impersonal otherwise.
Apparently not. So Boss caught his breath after a short laugh.
-Whew, whatever. Doesn't matter how quirky you are—that grimoire will do the trick. Even if it seems impossible, it'll work. So don't sweat it. If anything...
"If anything?"
-...Nah, forget it.
What now!
This guy was great otherwise, but he had this habit of trailing off or dropping breadcrumbs without payoff.
Bet even picking dinner he'd go, 'Tonight's menu is... nah, I'll tell you before we eat.'
God knows who'd end up with him, but I already pitied his future wife.
'And the bastard's got solid credit on top of it all.'
Hell, just listening to him had shifted my mindset from 'Can I pull this off?' to 'Yeah, I got this.'
What kind of hypnosis or brainwashing was this? Scary dude.
-Anyway, handle the job right and the money's yours, guaranteed. Countin' on ya.
"Sure thing, I trust you."
-For real, man. One of the bastards down there's got a 500-million-won bounty.
"What."
500 million?
500 MILLION!!!!
-Nab him, it's all yours. Can't get him? Smash the altar and I'll hook you up fair. No worries.
"Heh heh, roger that. Who do you think I am?"
-Sauce Ne's ace. I know, I know—hanging up.
Click.
Sheesh.
I narrowed my eyes at the abruptly dropped call.
A little miffed, but hey, emergency situation. I'd get it.
Not like I wasn't power-walking myself while talking big.
'Oh, right.'
I glanced at the grimoire in my hand.
It was worth two grand easy, and I'd felt its power firsthand, so I knew it was top-tier.
But hearing it was some amazing grimoire...
A vague illusion flickered before my eyes.
The grimoire, arms crossed, sneering like 'Took you long enough.'
Dunno why, but seeing that made me wanna smack its butt—not once, but three times. Was this what cute aggression felt like? Grimoires' magic was terrifying.
Just a hallucination, of course.
Had to be stray dopamine from the 500 mil talk messing with my brain.
Squeeze!
But for some reason, I gripped the grimoire tighter and picked up the pace.
It wasn't long before I reached the subway station So Boss had marked.
Cops had already cordoned off the area with police tape, standing guard.
But unlike before, they weren't controlling foot traffic.
Just holding the line like the signs said—a common sight these days.
Couldn't be helped. Ever since Constellations showed up, superpowered folks were everywhere.
Try to control them and some psycho ability user flips out, 'Who the hell are you to stop me?' Cops couldn't handle the fallout.
Mass brawls, even murders if it went south. After a few incidents, governments naturally shrank back.
'Pollution Investigation Bureau excepted, of course.'
Those psychos didn't hesitate to shove guns in faces of good citizens like me, so whatever.
Anyway, I slipped past the police line and into the subway.
The station inside was total chaos.
Pollution still invisible to me.
This was just a normal subway station to my eyes.
But the people moving through it? Not so much.
Passengers slumped everywhere, gas-masked figures frantically hauling them away.
I recalled the file from So Boss.
Chimera—artificial monsters—roaming the subway, hallucinogenic gas filling the place.
Honestly, none of it felt real to me.
'Match patches, my ass.'
But seeing this scene drove home how serious it was.
Invisible or not, those collapsed people were real. Hard not to feel something.
Whew.
Still, I let out a short sigh and walked past them.
Helping them wasn't my job.
Squeezing in, best I could do was drag three or four up to the surface.
Meaningful, sure, but not urgent.
So here, I'd stick to So Boss's plan.
'...Good luck out there.'
I cheered the rescue teams on in my head and pressed deeper inward.
He'd said follow the tracks to the sealed station, so still a ways to go.
And after a bit...
Fewer bodies on the ground.
Under the subway lights flickering from spotty power, an urgent voice echoed.
"Block it! Don't let it out!"
"Senior! Behind you!"
"Gahhh!"
Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew as steel clashed all around.
I glanced over and saw five people in assorted gear fighting... something invisible.
Describing what I saw: straight-up freaky.
Patron Constellation blessings? Bodies moving beyond human limits, scaling walls.
Steel ringing in midair, sparks bursting.
Wall surfaces cratered all over.
But it wasn't funny or confusing.
It hit me so hard I froze without thinking.
Clang!
"Damn it! My sword!"
Something snapped—a big burly guy's blade shattered and flew backward.
His gaze swung my way as he turned, eyes locking with mine. Desperation etched on his face.
"Civilian? You haven't evacuated?!"
Thud! Thud!
The floor shook, and the turnstile blocking my path crumpled.
"Run! It's coming this way!"
Seemed some mystery monster was barreling toward us.
Urgent shouts rang out. But oddly, I felt calm. Really calm. Surprised at my own boldness.
'No.'
Thinking it over, it wasn't boldness.
Difference in perception, maybe.
I knew that invisible monster wasn't charging me.
Just coincidence—my standing in its path to the exit.
Even if I did nothing, I'd walk away unscathed.
Borrowing Kiki's words: no data on that monster existed for me.
'Wonder if I'll feel a breeze as it passes.'
But I didn't just stand there.
The images of those collapsed people still lingered fresh in my mind.
Couldn't let it through.
And besides, this was a chance.
To test the grimoire's power.
So...
"Tome-y."
Your turn, I think.
Make it good in front of those guys—no embarrassing me.
"Or I might get disappointed."
I whispered that, flipping open the grimoire.
"Know thyself as dust within the world."
Hitting the red button, my only worry was whether the ability users nearby might get caught in the crossfire.
But luckily, no such thing happened.
Krunch!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Some whooshing wind sound later, and the ability users were fine.
Only bummer: I couldn't see the red button's handiwork myself.
But I knew right away it'd worked.
Because...
"...Huh."
No other reason those guys would've stopped fighting and pulled those dopey faces.
Hmph.
Felt like the grimoire was humming smugly, arms crossed.
My imagination, of course.