Chapter 128: The Well of Chaos (1)
Chapter 128: The Well of Chaos (1)
"Are you all packed?"
"Do you know how many times you've asked that?"
Who knows. I wasn't really counting.
But A-bin, do you know something? The fact that I’m repeating myself means things are that urgent.
That’s what I thought, but I kept my mouth shut, knowing exactly what kind of earful I’d get if I said it out loud.
Instead, I sat down on the handle of my hammer, which I’d rested on the ground, and surveyed the hideout where we’d spent the past week.
It certainly looked different from when we first arrived.
The filth-smeared stone floor, the tattered cloth, and the crumbling furniture were all gone. In their place were polished floors, thick blankets, and a metal table that was actually decent to look at.
We’d only lived here for a little over a week, but the place had been transformed from a beggar’s den into a habitable cave.
Though even that tidiness was currently vanishing under the frantic movements of the children and my disciples.
They really hid a lot of stuff.
That was the thought that came to mind as I watched the scene unfolding before me.
A small ring emerged from beneath a stone slab.
A fragment of a gemstone popped out when a curtain rod was twisted.
Gold dust spilled out from inside a torn seat cushion.
Up to that point, it was within the realm of understanding. It’s common practice to hide small, high-value items all over a house.
However, the items that followed were somewhat unexpected.
A white, hardened substance pulled from a hidden space beneath a salt jar.
A metal rod that slid out when a pair of chopsticks was twisted.
I felt the need to say something about those.
"Are you planning on taking those, too?"
I stood up from my hammer and spoke to Dam, who was gathering the two items.
"Ah… well… that is…"
Dam froze, looking flustered, and hid the objects behind her back.
She likely knew it wasn't exactly proper.
"Hey, I’m not trying to scold you for having stuff like that."
I wasn't about to lecture her for having drugs or whatever. This was Nanjido, after all.
If she were passed out on the floor high as a kite or acting as a dealer, that would be one thing, but I had no intention of criticizing someone for holding onto items that were easy to liquidate or good for bribes.
"Those will be useless once you're outside. You’ll get arrested just for carrying what’s in your left hand, and the thing in your right is just a piece of Scrap Metal."
That was the reality.
Drugs were impossible to trade outside without the right connections.
And that long metal rod might pass for currency in Nanjido, but outside, it was just a stick of common alloy.
It might contain some rare metals like gold, so it could be worth something if melted down, but the labor costs would probably exceed the profit.
"What? But… this…"
"You probably don't understand. But that’s just how it is. What you’re holding is nothing but cumbersome trash in the outside world."
Dam stared at the items in her hands, looking like she couldn't wrap her head around my words.
Well, of course she couldn't.
If someone told you that the things you’d believed were valuable your whole life were actually trash, you’d be confused too.
I didn't intend to force the issue. If she wanted to take them, she could; if not, she wouldn't.
A moment of silence passed.
After shaking her head a few times in confusion, Dam held something out to me.
"Then… is this the same…?"
With her teeth clenched, Dam showed me a thick gold ring.
"No, keep that one."
Gold holds its value wherever you go.
"I see…"
Dam threw the refined drugs and the metal rod aside.
"Is that everything?"
"…I have a few more things. Let me show you."
Deciding to trust me fully since she’d already started, Dam ran off and returned with her hands full of various trinkets.
"You really collected a lot."
Let’s see. This is silver.
This is just a piece of glass.
This is junk.
This is jewelry.
After sorting through them, I was able to return more items than I expected.
When I nodded to signal I was finished, Dam bowed her head in gratitude and returned to the others to finish the final packing.
Now we could finally leave.
The packing, which I’d initially considered a waste of time, was nearing its end.
Even though I’d told them bombs would soon be falling on their heads, my disciples had acted unexpectedly.
They insisted on taking the children with us, and despite the delay, they started helping them pack.
Honestly, I didn't feel like criticizing the act itself.
Saving the children’s lives was the obvious thing to do. However, helping them pack their belongings felt like going a bit too far. We’d done enough just by saving their lives.
Or so I’d thought until a moment ago.
With a bitter smile, I looked down at the ring remaining in my hand. I’d tossed the rest of the junk aside, but this was an exception.
It was definitely a piece of junk.
However, to someone who knew its value, it would look different.
A crude metal ring fashioned from a ground-down nut, with a short Latin phrase engraved on it.
‘Homo sum’
The only Latin phrase I knew.
Quite a fateful encounter, isn't it?
I didn't know how this object ended up in those children’s hands.
Perhaps it was something their parents had left behind.
Or maybe a teacher they once had gave it to them.
Or maybe it was just stolen goods.
It didn't really matter.
Regardless, the moment they possessed this, those children became connected to me. So, I tucked the ring into my pocket and leaned against The Wall with a lighter heart.
If the worst comes to the worst, I’ll just have to stop the bombardment myself, I thought.
* * *
Clatter.
The hallway we emerged into after opening the manhole cover was silent.
I’d asked to come out as close to the exit as possible, so we’d surfaced in a location away from the market.
Just in case there was trouble, I climbed out first, followed by my two disciples. Finally, the children, carrying their bundles, scrambled up.
I extended my senses to secure the perimeter, but I felt nothing.
That’s strange.
Shouldn't the Management Bureau’s special forces be storming in and firing grenades by now?
Or was the situation so sudden that they didn't have enough personnel to enter yet?
I pondered for a moment, but since it didn't affect my plan either way, I stopped thinking and turned around.
The children were just standing there, staring at me blankly.
"Hey, you. Dam?"
"What is it?"
Blunt as ever.
"You said you could lead the way out of here, right?"
"Yes. Should I take the lead?"
I waved my hand to signal not yet, then took a breath to steady my words.
It was time to part ways.
"We’ll split up here."
"Pardon?"
"Master! What are you talking about?"
My disciples reacted vehemently. The children just watched, likely because they hadn't become close enough to me to care.
"I’m saying we’re moving separately from here on."
"But…"
Han A-bin tried to say something, but I cut her off.
"No 'buts.' Who are you two going to lose to? Dam knows the way, so get those kids out of Nanjido quickly. Before the bombs start falling."
I spoke faster than she could protest.
I hadn't originally planned to part ways this early. I’d intended to get the kids out myself, even if it meant smashing through walls, but since Dam knew a way out, I changed the plan.
So, get going.
I even shooed them with my hand, urging them to hurry.
"What about you, Senior?"
Of course, the disciple who never listens asked the obvious question.
"Huh? Why are you asking something so obvious?"
It was plain as day.
"I have to evacuate the people of Nanjido. If only we escape, the people here will be slaughtered. Massacred."
The Management Bureau wouldn't even consider them human. Hyun-seok might think differently, but his opinion alone wouldn't be enough to overturn the United Nations' decision.
"Master! Then I’ll go with—"
Excited by my statement, Baek Si-hyun swung her summoned hammer around as she shouted, but I stopped her.
"Are you going to leave A-bin alone, Si-hyun?"
The moment I said that, the swinging hammer came to a halt.
She likely understood my meaning immediately. The hidden implication was that Han A-bin wouldn't be able to protect all the children by herself.
Han A-bin also seemed to understand, as her face flushed red and she lowered her head.
"I won't call it a trade-off, but if you run into Management Bureau people on your way out, feel free to use my name. You can do the same once you're outside."
That should be enough for my disciples…
"Oh, and Dam?"
"What?"
The moment I said I wasn't coming along, the brat’s tone turned blunt again. Did she think she didn't need to be on her best behavior anymore?
What a shrewd little kid.
"Take this."
I tossed an item I’d bought earlier to Dam.
I’d originally intended to give it to my disciples, but the ring from earlier had changed my mind.
"Huh? Wait, what is—"
Because I’d thrown it so quickly, Dam scrambled to catch it.
Once she finally secured the object I’d handed her, she stared at it with a bewildered expression.
It was a black plastic device with buttons.
Dam tapped it and pressed the buttons, examining it before looking up at me.
"What is this?"
"It’s a pager. A beeper."
I told her, but she just looked at my disciples with a 'What’s that?' expression.
She probably expected the two of them to answer, but they were also looking at me with blank faces.
What? Is this a generational gap?
How annoying.
"Just think of it as a communication tool. Normally it only receives messages, but I modified it to send signals to my phone. If there’s an emergency, just type 1111 and send it."
It was something I’d happened to find in the market. I’d heard it was good for internal communication in Nanjido if modified.
"How do I type 1111?"
I heard Dam muttering to herself, but I ignored her and turned away.
"I’m off then. Stay safe."
"…You too, Senior."
"Master! We can come back after we get the kids out, right?"
Han A-bin, still blushing, and Baek Si-hyun, looking disappointed that she couldn't come with me, gave their farewells.
"Don't you dare come back."
Fearing I’d get sucked into those idiots' pace if I said any more, I spoke firmly and leaped toward the hallway.
I could sense my disciples moving away rapidly.
I’d brought them here for a field trip to the underworld, but the situation had become far too complicated. As a result, they’d only gained information about the reality of the slums and the lives of the people there.
Though that seemed to have been shocking enough for them in its own right.
The real underworld field trip starts now.
A society where power rules everything.
It was a shame I couldn't show them that, but I’d save it for next time.
With that thought, I shed the facade I’d maintained in front of my disciples.
I saw a pipe ahead.
I ignored it and ran right through it.
Sewage poured out as a result, but I was already long gone.
Electrical wires blocked my path.
I snapped them all as I ran.
What did the inconvenience of my surroundings matter?
I was simply carrying out my mission.
Fast and efficient.
Secure Kim Tae-jun.
Thud.
To reach the upper levels, I burst through the ceiling.
Concrete debris scattered everywhere, but it wasn't my concern.
I continued to sprint, destroying everything in my path.
What I told my disciples wasn't a lie.
I was heading toward Elder Li to evacuate the people of Nanjido.
However, I was only doing that because it was a necessary task.
My true goal was everything Kim Tae-jun possessed.
The higher-ups he knew.
The organizations he was connected to.
The things he had done.
I would extract it all, even if I had to use torture.
Of course, this was a major deviation from the negotiation terms with The Society.
Hadn't they played their hand to reveal themselves just so the Management Bureau wouldn't hold my mission failure against me?
In a way, this was a blatant act of betrayal.
But.
Boom.
Once again, I surged up another floor.
Since I didn't know the way to the market via Spatial Teleportation, I took the shortest path, destroying everything in my way.
I kept running.
The deal with The Society. Yes, I should keep it.
They seemed to have been the first to breach the contract anyway, but we’d made a new one.
However.
As long as I didn't hand him over to the Management Bureau, there was no breach of contract, right?
Even if I turned him into a vegetable after sucking out every bit of information.
Technically. There was no problem with the contract.