Chapter 120: Who the Hell Are You Again? (2)
Chapter 120: Who the Hell Are You Again? (2)
With no particular destination in mind, I wandered through the market until a butcher shop caught my eye. I pushed the door open.
I expected a greeting, but I was met with total silence.
The butcher seemed to have no interest in doing business; despite the door opening and a customer walking in, he remained deeply engrossed in a book.
"I have a few questions."
"Hmm? How annoying..."
The man, who had been reading a grimy, blackened book, finally reacted as if he had just noticed me.
"Huh? Aren't you that Awakened who thrashed those thugs earlier?"
His voice suddenly grew louder.
"That’s me. How did you know?"
An 'Awakened,' huh? Good grief. I suppose calling me a 'Hero' might be a bit much in a place like this, where even Villains roam free.
Back in the day, even in Nanjido, everyone was called a Hero regardless of whether they were a Villain or not. It seems the term 'Awakened' has firmly taken root again lately.
It feels a bit awkward, but I suppose it’s better than being called 'kid' or 'young lady.'
"Ha, the rumor has already spread all over the market. Those bastards were making it impossible to get anything done with their constant pestering. You did us a real favor."
Despite his rugged, muscular appearance, the shopkeeper seemed to be quite the chatterbox as he suddenly poured out words.
"So, you want some meat? I don't carry Mutant meat here, though."
The man said this as he lifted his heavy frame from the chair.
He was a mass of muscle with a square face. If one were to personify a literal lump of muscle, he would look exactly like this. Usually, one expects a butcher to have a bit more of a belly.
Setting that aside, Mutant meat, huh...
"I don't need anything like that."
Even if he offered it for free, I’d pass.
"I just wanted to ask you something."
"Ask away. Those punks were getting on my nerves so much that if they’d stayed any longer, I might have chopped them up myself."
As he spoke, the man glanced toward a Chinese cleaver embedded in the chopping block.
Compared to a normal cleaver, the blade was much thicker, and the handle was unnecessarily long—a truly vicious-looking thing. No matter how I looked at it, that was an axe. If those guys come back, they’re going to get buried by that thing.
...Not that it’s any of my business.
"Do you know someone named Elder Li? He used to be an information broker around here."
"Hmm. Elder Li... I know plenty of old farts with 'Li' in their names."
It probably wasn't his real name anyway. That Old Man chose it specifically for that reason.
"...I don't know him. Sorry. I do know other brokers, though..."
"No, that's fine."
The one I need is that Old Man, not some fools who would try to jerk me around with suspicious intel.
"A shame. Well then, how about some meat instead? I'll give it to you cheap."
Meat, huh.
At his suggestion, I looked at the meat displayed on the counter. Flies were buzzing around, but the pinkish flesh didn't give off a rotten stench.
"Worried it's spoiled? Don't be. At worst, you'll just get a stomachache."
At worst, a stomachache. That’s a hell of a sales pitch.
"You don't have beef or pork, do you?"
"I do, but it'll cost you."
I naturally assumed it would be meat from some strange monster, so this was quite surprising.
"Then give me about two geun."
"What's a geun?"
Oh, for heaven's sake.
"...One kilogram."
"Got it. I'll pick out the good cuts for you."
With those words, the man began to swing his cleaver.
The axe-like blade traced a boisterous arc, slicing through the meat. For some reason, as I watched him, the image of the thugs I’d beaten up earlier overlapped with the meat. I silently prayed they would never set foot here again.
Once the meat was processed and wrapped haphazardly in newspaper, I prepared to leave the shop.
"Stop by the other merchants too. If it's you, they'll all welcome you with open arms."
"I'll do that."
As I turned to say goodbye, the shopkeeper, unable to wait even a second, was already back to his book.
He’d been reading it earlier, too. What kind of book was it?
Seeing such a hulking brute so focused on a book piqued my curiosity, so I leaned in to get a better look at the cover.
Water Margin – The Tale of Li Kui
...Li Kui?
Startled, I looked down at the bag of meat I had just received.
Surely, it couldn't be. No matter how bad things are, he wouldn't be that crazy.
Leaving with a slightly uneasy feeling, I walked out of the butcher shop.
* * *
Following the butcher's advice, I visited several other shops.
There were decent shops established in actual buildings.
There were roadside stalls that looked somewhat honest, though not as nice as the buildings.
And then, there were the suspicious displays in the back alleys.
The butcher hadn't been lying; as I walked through the market, I could feel the goodwill directed toward me.
That didn't mean missing information suddenly appeared out of thin air, though.
I stopped at a clean general store with a proper sign and price tags.
"Do you know someone named Elder Li?"
"I'm not sure. Sorry. How about a candy instead?"
"I'll buy some, so give me a good amount."
I should take these as gifts for the kids.
* * *
Next was a bakery cart being pushed along.
"Do you know an information broker named Elder Li?"
"Ah, that elder? Come to think of it, I haven't heard anything about him in years."
"Did he... pass away, perhaps?"
"I haven't heard any news like that."
Well, that’s a relief, I suppose.
"How about some bread instead? I'll give it to you cheap."
"Give me a whole bunch."
I should stock up and use it as a meal replacement.
* * *
Then there was a stall with finger-sized white rods laid out on a mat.
"Do you know Elder Li?"
"No."
Man, he’s a man of few words.
As I scratched my head and prepared to stand up, the man spoke quietly.
"...To be precise, even if I knew, I couldn't tell you. That Old Man is dangerous."
"So his influence still remains. Thanks for telling me. I won't cause any trouble for you."
"I appreciate that. Then, how about a rod? I can't give it to you cheap, though."
"...Go ahead and eat them all yourself until you drop dead."
What the hell is this guy trying to sell?
"Tsk, how cold."
I continued to look around other shops, but the only thing that increased was the bundle of food hanging from my waist; I gained no useful information.
Having made a full circuit, I sat down on a chair in a corner of the market and pulled out a candy.
It was a cheap candy that wasn't even a perfect circle, covered in gray flour to keep it from getting sticky. The only good thing about it was its size.
Considering how much of a mess Nanjido is, this was probably decent quality. The kids would likely enjoy it.
With that thought, I popped a candy into my mouth. A faint sweetness spread across my tongue.
To pass the time, I crunched on the candy and looked up.
What filled my vision were countless scraps of cloth and tangled electrical wires. Natural light, whether from the sun or the moon, was blocked by those artificial vines, leaving not even a slender ray to be seen.
A place forever shrouded in darkness, completely disconnected from the outside world.
After the Management Bureau was established, the Korean government tried to use the Bureau’s power to bulldoze this mess of a place. However, numerous Villains, Mutants, and monsters resisted fiercely. Furthermore, the Management Bureau couldn't focus all its strength on Nanjido alone.
The Enfield Abandoned Factory in the UK.
The High-Rise Union in France.
The Yangtze Line in China.
The New World in Japan.
Las Vegas in the US.
Every country had at least one massive slum.
Thus, the Management Bureau left the slums alone for fifteen years, believing that controlled chaos was better than total disorder.
In the end, enough time has passed for a generation to change. Enough time for children to grow up inside these massive slums without ever knowing the world outside.
Children.
My friends and colleagues never felt it because they were far removed from marriage, but it seems such an era has truly arrived. Of course, there’s Linshua, but she belonged to this side from the very beginning...
"Children who don't know the past..."
In the future, there will be more children like that. Crossbreeding with Mutants will likely become more common as well.
And then, we will be forgotten.
I didn't do this for a reward in the first place, but facing the reality of it now brings up many thoughts.
It’s not regret for my life as a Hero.
It’s wondering if I could have done better.
Could I have compromised with reality and bulldozed this entire place to build something new?
If I had waded through even more filth myself, perhaps people like the twins, Dam and Yeon, whom I met yesterday, wouldn't have had to exist.
I was drawn into a chain of thoughts, an endless cycle of regret for an unchangeable past.
Perhaps this place, which hasn't changed much from the past, was making me feel this way.
In the darkness, in a corner of the market, under a flickering lightbulb, I sat on a greasy chair. Overcome by an indefinable sense of ennui, I rolled the candy in my mouth and closed my eyes.
.
..
...
How much time had passed?
"Are you asleep?"
"I'm awake."
I opened my eyes at the sound of a voice.
"I've come on an errand for Elder Li. Are you the Hero Lee Ha-ram?"
This was unexpected.
"Did he hear I was looking for him?"
"The market is a place where information gathers."
I see.
So this was the faster way. I thought I was wasting my time, but to think they would come looking for me.
"Will you come now? The Elder is waiting."
At those words, I slightly turned my head to look at the person I was talking to.
A plain-looking man wearing plain rags.
However, seeing that his left arm wasn't pressed against his stomach and his right arm was slightly raised, he likely had a weapon tucked into his side.
Wary of a trap, I checked him over and confirmed he had a gray pouch hanging from his waist—the mark of Elder Li’s family.
It wasn't a trap, then.
"I can't go right now."
"Is that so? Then when should I come to fetch you?"
Should I throw out a lure here?
"Does your side know how many people are in my party?"
When I asked the question, the man looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking.
"Isn't it three? We haven't been able to confirm the exact number."
Seeing his slow reaction, he’s likely not from the information side but the combat side. And to consider one more thing...
"Do you really think it's three?"
"According to the information we've gathered."
It seems they haven't realized I met those children. Well, it’s not like they have clairvoyance; they can't know everything.
"Let's meet here tomorrow at lunch. I'll come with my party, so be prepared."
"Pardon me, but what is your relationship with the other two? We cannot allow suspicious individuals inside."
Well, that’s only natural.
"They are both my disciples."
"...Do you intend to introduce them?"
My chest tightened at those words. I wanted to exhale a cloud of emotional cigarette smoke, but...
"Yes. If things get complicated, they might end up coming here often."
Since I had no cigarettes, I bit down on the candy instead. The candy shattered as a result, but my heart felt lighter, as if my emotions had been displaced into the candy.
"I will relay that message. However, please keep in mind that the outcome may vary depending on the Elder's word."
"Whatever."
If they aren't accepted, there’s nothing I can do. I don't plan on coming here often anyway, so it’ll just be a bit inconvenient. Experience and data prove that forcing your will on a local collaborator never yields good results.
"Then, I shall see you tomorrow."
The man gave a polite bow and vanished into the crowd.
Perhaps it was because of that peculiar plainness of his; my gaze drifted for just a moment, and I lost sight of his back.
"I wish the Management Bureau’s tailing teams were half as good as that."
To have tailing skills on par with a professional despite having the power of a Hero... Is it the difference created by the pressure of knowing a mistake could mean death? Or is it the difference in how one was trained from the start? I don't know. It’s not like I can do anything about it.
However, the restless feeling in my heart wouldn't stop, so I pulled a silver rod from my breast pocket and bit down on it.
And so, I exhaled my emotions.
I didn't want to go back just yet.
* * *
Having achieved today's goal more easily than expected, I spent some time in quiet reflection.
To steady my heart once more.
Using regret and emotion as fuel, I forged my resolve within my heart again.
I pulled the rod from my mouth, tucked it back into my pocket, and stood up.
Then, I took in the surrounding scenery.
A place twisted by violence and pollution, completely different from the outside world where peace and rest had taken root, at least on the surface.
In the past, when humanity stood on the brink of extinction, the world looked much like this.
A society ruled by violence, anger, irrationality, and incitement. I cannot allow such a society to return. Humanity must never lose to the Otherworld. Because the result of that loss is exactly what lies before my eyes.
A filthy, fundamentally repulsive mass of the abyss.
And at the end of it...
I looked down at my feet.
"...Pointless."
I slowly straightened my body and began to move toward the place where I belonged.
Toward the future, toward my disciples.