Chapter 151: Reality (27)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 151: Reality (27)
A dark, gloomy space.
Eight shadows sat gathered around a round table.
Each was seated in a unique posture, exuding a subtle madness under the irregularly flickering lights.
One of them spoke in a leisurely voice.
"Hey, Boss. That thing we stole this time, what's it for?"
The sound of a finger snapping echoed in the darkness.
Another figure spoke with a sly smile.
"Yeah. Everyone's dying to know. We even threw that gay bastard we were experimenting on to get our hands on it. It's about time you showed us."
Tap.
The man in the white mask, sitting at the head of the table, tapped his finger, and the space was instantly plunged into silence.
"It's nothing much. Just the first key to opening a new world."
In that moment, the shadows around the table looked at one another.
Their reactions were a mixture of intrigue, anticipation, and wariness.
"A new world..."
The one with the sly smile tapped his finger on the table.
"Sounds grand, but you're not showing us anything."
"That's right, Boss. Whatever it is, we need to see it with our own eyes to believe it."
Tap.
With another tap, the masked man extended his hand.
"This is the key that will complete our experiment."
At that moment, the air distorted, and a massive coffin descended onto the center of the round table.
Thud.
A heavy, intense impact shook the room.
The surface of the coffin was old and rough, but it was engraved with strange patterns. It wasn't mere decoration; it radiated an energy that seemed to be sealing something within.
A wave of tension washed over the figures at the table.
"A coffin...?"
"What, is there a corpse inside or something?"
One man scowled, glaring at the coffin.
The masked man said nothing and simply gestured with his hand.
Creeeak.
With a harsh grating sound, the coffin slowly opened.
"......!"
Instantly, the expressions of those at the table shifted subtly.
Lying inside the coffin was a corpse with a form similar to a human.
But it was no ordinary human.
Horns protruded from its head, its skin had a blackish hue, and a strange, dark energy faintly emanated from within it.
The tension was so thick the very air seemed to freeze.
"...What is this?"
One of them muttered in a low voice.
"Boss, what the hell is this?"
The man with the sly smile leaned forward, showing his interest.
The masked man then spoke quietly.
"It's a corpse, just as you see. But it's not the kind of ordinary corpse you're familiar with."
"Then?"
"An Otherworlder."
"...An Otherworlder?"
That single, short word subtly changed the atmosphere around the table.
"So you're saying this corpse is that Otherworlder?"
"Correct."
"But what are you going to do with a damn corpse?"
At that question, the masked man slowly raised his hand.
As his fingertip sliced the corpse's skin, black blood oozed out and seeped into his finger.
Gazing at the blood, he slowly began to speak.
"Do any of you know about the incident that occurred in the north 60 years ago?"
They frowned and looked at each other.
"60 years ago?"
"No, how would we know about that?"
After a brief silence, someone muttered under their breath.
"60 years ago... If I'm not mistaken, wasn't that the Baekdusan Great Explosion?"
"Oh, the Queen knows her history."
"The Baekdusan Great Explosion... that's the incident where the entire surrounding area was completely devastated, right?"
"Correct."
The masked man nodded, looking satisfied.
But the others still looked unconvinced.
"So what does that have to do with this?"
Despite their prodding, the masked man maintained his relaxed demeanor as he continued.
"It's officially recorded as a simple natural disaster... but the truth is different."
He moved his finger slowly as he spoke.
"The one that devastated the area around Baekdusan is this very corpse before you."
His voice grew lower.
"According to a secret document from the World Association, it was a monster that massacred ability users who were considered S-rank at the time. The records state that it vanished without a trace."
"But it's right here in front of us as a corpse."
"Correct. The records say it vanished, but in reality, it was already as good as dead. And the Korean government was the one who spirited it away."
"So? Just because this corpse is that thing, how are you planning to use it?"
The masked man looked at the black blood on his finger and smiled faintly.
Then, he violently grabbed the chin of the man sitting next to him, forced his mouth open, and shoved his blood-stained finger inside.
"Doubleface. No. Kang Dae-sik, the Association's spy."
"Guh—!"
The moment he was forced to swallow the blood, the man's body began to convulse violently.
"Kuh... Kaaah!"
His veins turned black, and his entire body trembled.
His skin darkened, and his muscles suddenly expanded at a rapid rate.
His forearms swelled, veins popping as if they would burst, and the aether radiating from his body overflowed abnormally.
It was as if he was shedding his human form.
"Aaaargh!! It's hot!! Help me!! My, my body...!!!"
A scream erupted.
At the same time, his forehead twisted and split open, and from the crevice, a hideous eye emerged.
The eye, glowing with a bizarre red light, scanned its surroundings before locking onto the masked man.
The mutated man charged at the man in the mask.
However, with a single gesture of his hand...
Swish.
The charging man's body was instantly split in half.
A spray of blood scattered in all directions, staining the floor black.
The creature, having lost all reason and turned into a monster, collapsed without even registering its own death.
Amidst the thick smell of blood that filled the air, the masked man spoke quietly.
"As you can see, simply drinking the blood will only turn you into a mindless monster."
A dark energy rose from his fingertips. The remaining figures at the table held their breath as they watched.
"...Then, how do we use it properly?" one of them asked, their voice cold and low.
The masked man looked at his hand, from which blood was dripping, and slowly opened his mouth.
"We'll have to research it. That's why we brought the doctor and are cooperating with Oh Jeong-seok."
At those words, one of the figures at the table snorted in displeasure.
"Ah, Oh Jeong-seok... Do we really need to work with that guy? He was completely useless this time around."
"I'm not cooperating with him because I need his help."
The masked man's eyes gleamed quietly.
"I just need Oh Jeong-seok's body."
As soon as he said that, everyone at the table reacted.
"Huh? Why his body?"
Their gazes focused on the masked man.
Then, one man's face hardened as if he'd realized something, and he muttered.
"...Don't tell me. The government's research on the Otherworlder corpse...?"
The masked man quietly nodded.
"That's right. Oh Jeong-seok is a human created from the Otherworlder's genes."
A chilling tension gripped the room.
"Well, he himself is unaware of that fact."
"Hoh... Interesting. Then, if Oh Jeong-seok is a test subject, his abilities must also come from the Otherworlder's power, right?"
"Does that mean Oh Jeong-seok's blood contains the Otherworlder's genes?"
The masked man nodded once more.
"It's not just included. Oh Jeong-seok is an experimental subject created based on the Otherworlder's blood. The government tried to create the perfect weapon by combining the Otherworlder's genes with a human's."
With those words, the atmosphere at the table grew even heavier.
"Haha... Are they insane?"
With a sly laugh, one of them quietly revealed his greed.
"Then if we analyze his blood, can we obtain the same power?"
At that moment, another person at the table suddenly raised their hand and spoke.
"Wait! That bastard Oh Jeong-seok, he has a kid, right? Does that mean cross-breeding between a human and an Otherworlder is possible?"
"Ah, you mean Oh Gyeong-hun."
The masked man nodded, looking intrigued.
"I've been watching him with great interest myself."
Another man snickered.
"But isn't that bastard a half-ass? I heard he's C-rank."
A chuckle erupted from across the table.
"Yeah. Even if he inherited the Otherworlder's blood, a mediocre C-rank ability user is pretty much useless to us, isn't he?"
"He didn't inherit the same immense power as Oh Jeong-seok. He's just an ambiguous case."
However, the masked man still wore an expression of interest.
"That's a simple misunderstanding."
As his low, deep voice cut through the space, the figures at the table focused on him again.
"Oh Gyeong-hun's abilities are not what's important. What's important is the blood that flows within him."
Instantly, a few of them smiled knowingly.
"...So, you're saying we can use him as a test subject too?"
"Correct."
The masked man slowly nodded and continued.
"Oh Jeong-seok was created based on the Otherworlder's genes, making him too much for us to handle, but..."
Another person at the table then muttered in a low voice.
"I heard Oh Gyeong-hun was completely ruined recently... Doesn't that make this the perfect opportunity?"
"In that case... we should make the first move."
The moment those words were spoken, the eyes of those around the table glinted with greed.
"If we can get stronger using Oh Gyeong-hun's blood, we should be able to handle Oh Jeong-seok."
Someone said quietly.
At that moment, the masked man slowly rose from his seat.
"If you wish to obtain great power, shouldn't you get moving? Before someone else gets their hands on it..."
As his words ended, the eyes of those around the table flickered with an even deeper, darker desire.