Marking (2)

Lee Hanshin.

Research Director of the Korean branch of the Control Bureau.

Ever since his days as a Bureau researcher, he had drilled the regulations into his skull until they were second nature. Condensed into a single principle, they went something like this:

The Control Bureau manages and contains BMS entities. When a new specimen appears, the objective is to minimize civilian casualties, capture it in the shortest time possible, and deliver it to headquarters for analysis.

There were countless clauses, but only one rose to the surface in the present crisis.

Emergency Clause 13.

Lee Hanshin's hand trembled over the red button before him.

Should I press it?

The moment that button went down, Seoul would be sealed. Chaos would erupt. And chaos would birth new BMS entities. In other words, pressing it meant Seoul's collapse.

He simply could not do it.

As Research Director, it was a disqualification. As a human being, he could not bring himself to press it.

I'll take responsibility and handle this myself.

Yes. That would work.

Lee Hanshin contacted the agents preparing to enter the apartment complex.

The agents silently followed Lee Hanshin's orders.

From what he had confirmed via satellite, the one who had killed the BMS entities was a single man.

A man wreathed in lightning. Most likely an ability user.

Which meant he was human — someone who could potentially be reasoned with.

Lee Hanshin squeezed his eyes shut.

"Please. Let him be someone I can talk to."

The moment the agents began evacuating people from the apartment complex—

Sunghyun frowned.

"What the hell is that now."

While drinking beer and tearing into chicken, his senses had picked up multiple people.

They didn't seem to be BMS, but their movements were those of soldiers.

"Lightning sure has been striking out of clear skies a lot lately."

Judging by the situation, the other side didn't seem eager to make any rash moves either. They were simply relocating people elsewhere.

Still, he couldn't just sit around doing nothing.

"Changsik, you done eating?"

"Huh?"

"...Let's talk after you finish."

Status window.

In a single day, he'd earned quite a lot of coins.

Hmm. Looks like I need to buy a weapon.

There was a limit to swinging lightning around like a weapon forever. If that eight-cheok devil hadn't been a demonic entity, Exorcising Evil wouldn't have worked on it. The fight would have dragged on.

Against something stronger, his limits would be exposed in an instant. Fighting purely on instinct had its problems. If he stopped generating those flashes of inspiration that let him grow, he was finished.

Of course, he didn't think that situation would actually arise.

"Just in case."

The 1.8 million coins he had now. There ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was something he'd always had his eye on.

An SS+-rank weapon: the Vajra.

Indra's weapon — it seemed like it would pair perfectly with him. Whenever he looked at the Vajra, he felt drawn to it. He'd wanted to buy it, but the opportunity never came.

This was the perfect timing. A shiver ran down his spine. The feeling was excellent.

Whew...

I'm broke.

A golden rod with three prongs on each end tore through a dimensional gate and appeared.

Thinking it might be a new BMS, Changsik's eyes and mouth went wide.

"Wh-what is that?"

The moment Sunghyun picked up the Vajra—

Crack—. Crackle-crackle-crackle—.

The scenery changed.

A pure white space where up and down were indistinguishable. A man stood before Sunghyun.

Who is this?

The man with Middle Eastern features carefully examined the area around Sunghyun's heart — because Thunder Purification was seated there.

He recognized Zeus's lightning and broke into an innocent smile.

His vision shifted again.

Back in Changsik's house. The Vajra was already ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in Sunghyun's hand.

He roughly understood how to use it. The moment he gripped the Vajra, the knowledge had flashed into his mind. The man from earlier must have taught him.

That guy was probably the Vajra itself.

Crack—.

Sunghyun generated a faint lightning around himself.

"Nice."

The lightning was a blend of two colors. A mixing of mental images — made possible with the weapon's assistance. If he just figured out the method, even more seemed possible.

Everything that had felt burdensome when using lightning had been dramatically reduced. If he'd had the Vajra, he probably wouldn't have collapsed after dealing with those dragons.

A shame.

He no longer needed this kind of barrier.

Sunghyun deactivated Sacred Duel.

Clatter-clatter-clatter—.

The brilliant golden chains shrank in size.

"Huh? Are you okay now?"

"Yeah."

Crack— Crackle-crackle—.

Sunghyun released the Vajra from his hand. The Vajra began floating on its own in midair.

That way.

The Vajra moved exactly as Sunghyun willed. Directed to the center of the room, it unleashed lightning.

The lightning was static. It embraced everything. Electricity flowed outward with Changsik's house as the origin point.

Crackle-crackle-crackle—.

Curious, Changsik touched it, but felt only a gentle warmth.

"Hey, this is fine to touch?"

"I set it so people without hostility can touch it safely."

"What about BMS?"

"Speak of the devil."

A teddy bear stood in front of the front door.

The moment Sunghyun opened the front door, the teddy bear latched onto his hand.

If he let go, something would come out of it. It felt like he was holding something ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠extremely grotesque.

"Hey Changsik, want to see something fun?"

"Something fun?"

"Hmm... ever been to a stream?"

"No, it's too dangerous there so I've never gone."

Ah, right — even streams were dangerous in this crazy world. He'd forgotten.

"If you go there, there's this thing called marsh snails. When you put them on a grill, creatures that normally hide their true forms come crawling out. Squirming around."

"Uh...... wait, you don't mean—?"

"Exactly."

Sunghyun dragged the teddy bear doll. The moment the doll touched his electric field, it split in half, and something horrific came squirming out from inside.

"AAAAAAAH!"

Changsik screamed at the sight.

"Hey hey, calm down. Just think of it as watching a movie. Want to come closer?"

"A-are you insane? That's 'Hug Me'! I thought it was just some teddy bear!"

"Oh, you know it?"

The creature that emerged from the doll rolled its eyeballs, scanning the surroundings.

Gurgle-gurgle.

The moment its eyes met Sunghyun's—

"KIIIIIEEEK!"

Without reason or warning, it lunged at Sunghyun.

But the attempt failed.

Crackle-crackle-crackle-crackle—.

It couldn't pierce the electric field in front of Sunghyun. The more it rubbed against it, the more it burned.

Only then did the creature start to panic. It tried to hide its grotesque form back inside the teddy bear doll.

Grab!

"Not happening. That's valuable coins right there."

Sunghyun grabbed beneath its eyes with his other hand and yanked. The creature's body was forcibly extracted from the teddy bear doll.

Brrrrrrrrrk—.

Making a sound like boiling bubbles, the moment the creature fully emerged— Sunghyun's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyes glowed gray.

Flash!

Lightning from Sunghyun's heart flowed through his hand into the creature's body. In that instant, the teddy bear doll began burning with white fire.

Exorcising Evil and Annihilation.

The combination of the two unleashed considerable power even with minimal force.

Lee Hanshin was watching that scene as well.

Observing Kim Changsik's house via satellite, Lee Hanshin broke into a cold sweat at the sudden appearance of Hug Me.

"Damn it, how the hell was this managed? That thing was in the lab."

Not long after the golden chains had transformed into an electric field, a man emerged from inside.

The ability user who had been using lightning. Sunghyun. The camera broadcast the image of him snatching Hug Me with one hand.

The moment he pulled on Hug Me, enormous energy erupted around them. In that instant, Hug Me tore through the teddy bear doll and appeared.

This is bad.

Hug Me's danger grade was low only because its conditions were simple. That didn't mean the entity inside was Grade 3.

As Lee Hanshin expected, the creature that tore free from the teddy bear had a thoroughly grotesque form — every corpse forcibly stitched together and studded with eyeballs. If that monster fought the ability user, there was no telling how far the fallout would spread.

"What the hell is that!"

But a fine electric field, barely visible to the eye, was continuously burning the creature. Hug Me couldn't even break through it.

When it tried to retreat back into the doll, Sunghyun snatched it with one hand — something flashed, and Hug Me was burning.

In that moment, Lee Hanshin felt exhilaration and terror simultaneously.

Stronger than any ability user he'd ever seen!

If this man joined the Control Bureau, they could finally execute the operations that had been postponed until now.

Lee Hanshin's lips twitched. But what if he was someone who couldn't be reasoned with?

Lee Hanshin looked at Sunghyun's mouth and discarded that thought.

A guy walking around with chicken crumbs on his lips? No way conversation won't work...

An everyday appearance completely at odds with the situation.

"Absolutely do not provoke him. Treat him with the utmost courtesy."

Sitting on the sofa after dealing with the teddy bear BMS, Sunghyun heard multiple sets of footsteps approaching.

Thud-thud-thud-thud.

Changsik heard it too and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Ah, again? This is driving me crazy."

But Sunghyun smiled instead.

"Hey, looks like we can get the marking off today?"

Someone carefully knocked on Changsik's front door.

Knock knock.