Chapter 115: Slum (1)
Chapter 115: Slum (1)
“So, let’s go make some money.”
While everyone else was happily tearing into hot slices of pizza, I spoke up with a grave expression.
“Y—Yes?”
“It’s unsightly. Finish eating before you speak.”
Answering me no matter what is a good attitude, but answering with a mouth full of food is not.
Of course, Han A-bin only looked curious and didn't speak with her mouth full, so Baek Si-hyun was the only one responsible for the disaster.
Perhaps because of the scolding, Baek Si-hyun shoved the pizza she was holding into her mouth, chewed quickly, and opened her mouth.
“Master, about that. Ow, hot. Hot, hot….”
It seemed the hot cheese had stuck to her throat.
“Here, Si-hyun. Have some cola.”
To Baek Si-hyun, who was causing a catastrophe over such a simple task, Han A-bin—who had finished her pizza quickly—handed over a plastic bottle of cola.
One was in that state because she rushed to answer, while the other was helping her after finishing at a leisurely pace. How absurd.
Han A-bin turned her head toward me as I stared blankly at their foolish comedy routine.
“What do you mean all of a sudden, Senior? Go make money?”
“That wasn’t the original purpose, but….”
I said, glancing at Baek Si-hyun as she poured cola down her throat.
“Someone went and caused an accident.”
The culprit herself was still busy struggling to hold back a burp, continuing her slapstick routine.
I wondered if she even realized that the costs would be withheld from her pension and salary.
Technically, it didn't affect my own wallet, but I couldn't just stand by and watch my disciple’s future go up in flames in real-time, could I?
“Did Si-hyun do something again?”
Han A-bin asked calmly, as if she were already used to Baek Si-hyun’s antics.
“I’ll just say she caused an accident with damages in the hundreds of millions.”
“She’s definitely going to need money then….”
The moment Han A-bin said that.
“They said I could pay it back in installments! It’ll be fine if I just leave it!”
Baek Si-hyun, having finally cleared her throat, chimed in.
Sure, installments. What, a million won a month for sixty years?
Since there was no greater futility than that, I sighed and tossed a small document onto the table.
“Read it.”
The two of them leaned their heads in to read the contents of the paper.
The document tilted left and right several times as each tried to make it easier for themselves to read. Eventually, it settled in a position comfortable for both, and their eyes scanned the text.
By the time they had both finished reading.
“So, we’re going to catch some bad guys, right? I’m in!”
Baek Si-hyun, whose head was as clear as a summer sky today as well, gave her answer after a cursory glance.
“…Senior, is this an official mission?”
Only Han A-bin noticed the secret hidden within the document.
Though I had scrubbed away the darkest phrases to make it look like an official mission, the murky darkness lurking within couldn't be entirely hidden.
The document surely described it as the simple disposal and securing of an illegal armed group.
“Han A-bin.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. This isn't a command.”
I knew that saying this was a form of pressure in itself. However, because I meant it, I continued.
“There are things in this world that are better left unknown if you’re living a normal life. This is one of them.”
Of course, the moment they became Heroes, they were far from living a normal life, but even within this world, there are things one is better off not knowing.
“What about Si-hyun…?”
She’s quick on the uptake.
“Originally, this request was a designated mission meant to be handed directly to Baek Si-hyun.”
Hyun-seok had called me to prevent that, but right now, I was completely ignoring Hyun-seok’s consideration.
“And I intercepted it in the middle using my connections.”
Well, I was planning to take it anyway, and Baek Si-hyun just happened to get caught up in it.
Gulp.
I heard someone swallow hard. Was it both of them, or just one?
“Baek Si-hyun, if you want to continue being a Hero, this is a request you must accept.”
As I spoke, I pushed the document closer to Baek Si-hyun.
To tell her to look closer.
She quietly picked it up, as if trying to find the parts she had missed.
In my opinion, a Hero is not someone who turns their eyes away from the darkness. They are beings who, even when in contact with the darkness, do not let it consume them and instead shine their own light.
Therefore, this would be a turning point for Baek Si-hyun.
How would she react when shown the dark side of Hero society, she whose mind was pure white?
The worst-case scenario would be that white being stained black, but if Baek Si-hyun’s heart was upright, it might become a white without a single blemish.
Just as one of us once did.
“So, in the end, it means we’re going to beat up The Enemy, right? Master!”
And, after looking over the document again, she spoke simply.
“Yes.”
There was no lie in that. From a general societal perspective, they were definitely villains.
“Then I’m definitely following you, Master! I’ll go first and think later!”
That’s very like Baek Si-hyun.
Now then.
“Han A-bin, what about you?”
“…….”
Despite my question, Han A-bin remained silent, lost in thought.
It wasn't that she hadn't heard me; she had reacted when she looked at me. She probably just needed time to think.
“If it’s hard to say right now, you can give me an answer by tomorrow morn—”
“…I’ll go too.”
Han A-bin cut me off, having made her decision.
“Can I ask why, for starters?”
“…Senior, you recommended a Command Position to me before, didn't you?”
Han A-bin answered my question immediately without hesitation, as if she already had the answer ready.
“I did.”
“So, while you were gone, Senior, I looked into that path a bit.”
Han A-bin’s words flowed smoothly.
“Hero experience is a must, and there wasn't a single good thing mentioned—confidentiality clauses, no private life, having your brain tinkered with, and so on.”
All important positions in the Management Bureau are like that.
“Still… it was quite attractive.”
Han A-bin’s voice rose in pitch.
“Since my story isn't progressing anyway, I might not be able to retire, and there’s the fact that I can actually do something. Besides, the requirements for a Command Position are in fields where I can use my powers well.”
Sniping, healing, and mental-type abilities. All of them are indeed suitable for a Command Position.
“So… I decided to seriously aim for a Command Position, but….”
Her smooth flow of words paused for a moment. As if this was the question she really wanted to ask, she took a breath and cleared her throat.
“The confidentiality clauses in the Command Position are because of incidents like this, right?”
A dry smile played on Han A-bin’s face, as if she expected that this wasn't a one-off occurrence.
Her piercing gaze was fixed on me, as if she already knew everything.
“Yes.”
And I confirmed that her guess was correct.
“Then I’ll go too. It’ll be a field trip to society, personally led by you, Senior.”
“Then I’ll take it that both of you are going. You don't need any special supplies, but be prepared to see some ugly things.”
Saying that, I reached for the pizza on the table.
The pizza had gone cold.
I should have said all that later.
* * *
Standing on the roof of the last building that remained relatively clean next to a pile of abandoned structures, I looked down at our target location.
There are several slums in Seoul, including the alley where The Society’s branch is located, but none are as filthy as this place. At one point, there seemed to have been plans to clear it out and build something new, but it was a place abandoned due to the chaos.
The largest slum in Korea, located on the outskirts of Seoul.
“It smells like rot….”
“A-bin. Give me that, the Olfactory Anesthetic….”
My disciples were already groaning from the stench wafting from down there.
What are you going to do if you’re like this already? It’ll be even worse once we go inside.
With that thought, I looked up and saw a building made of trash piled higher than the building we were currently standing on.
Was it about fifteen stories high? A heap of trash piled up recklessly in an attempt to create a place to live and expand the land.
The reason that tall building didn't collapse, even with blackened plywood and wooden boards used as walls, was because some kind of power was at work.
Water pipes protruding from the walls, still spewing filth, would only weaken the building’s durability, not improve it.
“Did you take the medicine?”
“I did, but… the smell won’t leave my nose. Sniff.”
“I’m glad Senior advised us…. How terrible would it have been without it?”
The two of them tried their best to get rid of the smell in their noses by blowing them and such, but it wasn't a smell that would go away like that.
There was no other way to deal with that horrific stench other than slowly getting used to it.
“Then, let’s go.”
“Senior? What about your medicine?”
“I don’t need it.”
Because I’m used to it.
My disciples followed me as I jumped down from the five-story building, covering their noses with one hand. Once I landed on the ground, I boldly marched toward the slum.
“Are we going s-straight in?”
Baek Si-hyun asked, her voice sounding nasal because she was holding her nose.
She sounded like an idiot.
“If you want to hide, we’d have to crawl through sewers spewing filth.”
Splat.
As if agreeing with my words, black filth emitting an indescribable stench fell right next to us.
“You don’t want to do that, do you?”
The disciples looked at the fallen filth and nodded with pale faces.
“Word will spread as soon as we enter anyway, so don’t worry about it and just walk confidently.”
Ting.
I flicked away a stone fragment flying from somewhere with my hammer and instructed my disciples.
Behind flimsy curtains, around stalls selling black food, from the sewers beneath our feet.
Feeling the countless gazes pouring toward us from various places.
We squeezed our bodies through the narrow gaps between the walls.
Into Nanjido.
Into the largest slum in Korea.
* * *
“Unlike the outside, the inside is cleaner than I thought….”
Han A-bin expressed her impression as she pushed aside some annoying wires above her.
“People live here too. They clean around their homes.”
Of course, it was 'clean' by their standards, so sticky filth on the walls was still common.
“Senior. While we’re at it, I have one thing to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Where exactly are we going right now?”
Well, obviously.
“I don’t know either.”
“Pardon?”
Han A-bin’s face contorted amusingly.
Perhaps because of the Olfactory Anesthetic, her facial muscles didn't seem to work well, and watching her subtly stiff face was indescribably entertaining.
“Then where are we going?”
“Master must have a plan! We just have to follow him!”
Baek Si-hyun, who had looked mindless while swinging her hammer since a while ago, finally joined the conversation.
“Si-hyun, you’re going to hit something like that.”
“It’s fine!”
Ah, right.
“And A-bin? You asked where we’re going?”
“Yes.”
Han A-bin replied with a serious face. She was probably worried that we’d have to search the entire maze.
“To be precise, I know the place we need to go, but I don’t know where it is.”
“…Then isn't that basically the same thing?”
“That’s why we’re walking around like this to find a guide.”
“A guide? Do you know where they are?”
She was probably thinking something silly, like whether I was looking for a guide to guide us to the guide.
“If we walk around like this, a guide will probably find us on their own.”
“What does that even mean—”
Smash!
Ah, they’re here.
An alleyway filled with pipes, wires, and nonsensical protrusions, so narrow the ceiling was low.
People appeared at both ends.
They looked like skin and bones, as if they hadn't eaten well, and the clothes they wore were rags that had been patched so many times with stained cloth they looked like quilts.
The shattering sound from a moment ago must have been the sound of a liquor bottle being smashed against The Wall.
Because the man in the very front was holding it as if it were a weapon.
“What brings the Hero lords to a place like this?”
His tone was filled with clear hostility.
No doubt they had swarmed here to commit robbery, thinking there were only females. That’s how the scum living in the slums are.
Normally, they were the type to be annoying, but right now, I couldn't be happier to see them.
“See?”
“See what?!”
Han A-bin, who had already summoned her bow and notched an arrow, spoke in a sharp voice, but I replied with a voice full of cheer.
“The guides found us on their own.”
“…….”
Han A-bin’s face twisted as if she had something to say.
But what could she do? This was Nanjido. She’d have to get used to it since she’d be experiencing this many more times from now on.
“Si-hyun, go.”
In that sense, let’s give the disciple an order.
“I just have to knock them all down, right!”
The Wild Boar, Baek Si-hyun, let out a roar and charged.
That girl is definitely strange, no matter how I look at her.
“Oh, leave one alive.”
“Yes!”
Boom!
The robber disappeared.