Chapter 362: The Society's Daily Life Returns (1)
Chapter 362: The Society's Daily Life Returns (1)
A bit of time has passed, and the cleanup regarding the Public Enemy is nearly finished, yet I’m still staying at the Geneva Branch.
There are several reasons for this.
Most of them stem from the battle with the recent Public Enemy, the one known as The Lowest—Di Lowist.
That’s right. That guy already got a name. Even the second Hole Tentacle guy hasn't had his name decided yet.
Regardless.
Even though the battle with that "lowly" guy—The Enemy of my Story—was somehow resolved without issue, my actions during the process were deemed far too reckless, resulting in a disciplinary suspension.
As for that, I consider it a fairly reasonable punishment.
Just listing the things I pulled during this incident:
I lost my cool and got into a messy brawl with my own allies.
I ignored the orders of the Management Bureau’s command center based on my own arbitrary judgment without any particular reason.
Since I still hold Command Authority from my days in the Assassination Unit, I could technically argue that those actions were the judgment of the field commander to cover my tracks, but since I didn't report that to the higher-ups myself, that’s another black mark on my record.
No, I thought it was fine since I told Hyun-seok.
I suppose my instincts for that sort of thing have dulled after being away from active duty for so long.
Anyway, my sins don't end there.
Even if they let that slide, my "solution" was to go face the Yellow King.
Even with the proper authority, one should prepare thoroughly before facing the Yellow King. From an outside perspective, my actions looked like I just blindly charged in while a Public Enemy alert was active.
And to top it off, I even used The Yellow King’s Play.
It wouldn't have been strange if a single misstep had led to a total catastrophe.
And finally.
The charge of failing to submit a report after defeating the second enemy.
When you break it down like this, I’ve committed quite a few serious offenses. Perhaps a mere suspension is actually a light sentence.
However, there was one thing that truly surprised me.
"I didn't think they'd cut my base pay even further from here."
It was already lower than the minimum wage, but to think it could go even lower.
I’m starting to wonder if I’d make more money wandering through the ruins of old cities picking up Scrap Metal.
Most of my income comes from Free Subjugations and bonuses anyway, but the fact that my base pay has practically vanished is quite a shock in its own right.
Since most of my earnings disappear into donations, I haven't looked into it much, but as a thirty-year veteran Hero with a flashy lineup of qualifications—Grade 5 classified clearance, Command Authority, unlimited Free Subjugation rights, authority to requisition field Awakened and form temporary units, and special vehicle rental rights (currently suspended)—I suspect my base pay is now lower than that of a first-year Hero.
…No, wait. Come to think of it, I was already making less than A-bin even before this pay cut.
If I run short, I’ll just have to squeeze some funds out of the kids from The Society.
Anyway, putting the money issues aside.
Because of these problems, I’m continuing my cohabitation with the "delightful" mages who absolutely despise me.
"Die! And praise me from hell! Crimson★Hammer!"
"Just drop dead, you brat."
Like Magic Weaver, for instance, who never fails to develop a new spell and fire it at me while I’m sitting idly on the grass, staring at the clear sky.
The one he used just now seems to be a high-tier variant of Spatial Severance.
Until the moment of activation, the flow of mana is so faint that it’s impossible to pinpoint the trigger location.
Then, at the moment of discharge, five or six Spatial Severance spells swarm the coordinates in a chaotic mess.
Since Spatial Severance literally cuts through space itself, it has plenty of power and immediacy. However, those who have faced it before can usually dodge by predicting the trigger point just by looking at the flow of mana.
This improved version likely sacrifices a bit of speed and consumes significantly more mana to hide the activation point until the very last second, allowing for a sudden, massive burst of attacks.
"You idiot. I told you before, the starting point of a Spatial Severance spell feels like a vacuum the moment it manifests. You just have to watch for that and dodge."
In the first place, I wasn't dodging by looking at the flow of mana, so I had no trouble avoiding it.
In fact, the more starting points there were, the faster I noticed them. After dodging the Spatial Severance with a short backstep, I stood behind Magic Weaver, who was confidently extending his hand toward where I had just been after finishing his chant.
"That's why I increased the number! What is with that reaction speed? Are you some kind of beast that's reached the realm of pure instinct? With that many starting points, it's logically impossible for your brain to calculate the intersection points—"
"Shut up."
Thwack.
I drove a "Form"—the one used to knock someone unconscious by striking the back of the neck, which I’ve been using a lot lately—into Magic Weaver’s neck.
And so, Magic Weaver fell asleep today as well, face-planting into the dirt.
I sat down on top of Magic Weaver’s body, staring blankly at my hand, lost in thought.
This new "Form" I developed has actually given birth to a new magic school.
A few days ago, the mages had practically swarmed me in excitement after seeing me use this Form on Magic Weaver.
They showed immense interest in this new method of manipulating the Otherworldly Power residing within another person's body.
They quickly gathered a group, set up a laboratory, and dragged me—despite my protests—around to test various things. They eventually succeeded in creating a new school of internal manipulation, distinct from mental-type magic.
…They’re absolute lunatics, seriously.
Even if they had a "Completed Specimen" like me to study, to think they could grasp what I learned as the Black Marauder and lay the foundations for a school in less than a week.
One of the people who pulled it off was that crazy mage who claimed his graduation thesis was ruined because of me.
Seeing that young mage raving like a madman, shouting, "With this, I’m a doctor too! Suck it, Professor!" was honestly a bit terrifying, even for me.
…I don’t know if a doctoral thesis in magic will actually pass with just that, but he’ll figure it out.
Whether it goes well or not, he’ll likely secure a spot as an elder of a new school, so I suppose it’s a good thing for the young mage.
Anyway, since the friction with the mages has decreased significantly, being under suspension at the Geneva Branch doesn't feel so bad.
Of course, our relationship is still one where they use flashbangs as alarm clocks for me every morning out of spite, but at least they aren't trying to nail me to a cross and burn me anymore.
They still challenge me to fights occasionally, but most of them are more like sparring matches.
So, while my relationship with the mages has settled into a state of being moderately friendly yet moderately hostile, several other relationships have been newly established.
First, there’s the tentacle.
I have no memory of ever agreeing to this, but at some point, the Gaji tentacle became my roommate.
After leaving our side briefly for various tests, it returned in less than a day wearing a necklace that looked like a choker, acting as if it were the most natural thing in the world for it to be among us.
The Management Bureau wrote a long-winded report on several sheets of A4 paper regarding the tentacle's test results.
To summarize, it basically said:
"We have no idea even after testing it, so do whatever you want. As long as you don't cross the line, we won't say anything about the spoils you obtained during the Story."
It was a moment where I realized the Bureau had become quite lenient.
Of course, underneath that, there were notes about entrusting management responsibility to Lee Ha-ram’s name and so on, but considering my reputation is in the gutter, it’s obvious they just dumped it on me because they couldn't be bothered.
Anyway, that’s how I ended up with one more pet.
And then there’s one more relationship.
In the vacant lot beyond the grass where I’m currently sitting on Magic Weaver, three women are fighting hard.
Two of them are Baek Si-hyun and Han A-bin as usual, but the one caught between them boasts a rather unique appearance.
A brown-haired woman, slightly shorter than Han A-bin, is fighting while swinging a gun that is much longer than she is tall.
Aside from occasionally reinforcing the gun or pulling bullets out of thin air, she clearly has no other special powers.
Yet, she continues the duel, toyed with her disciples who are using a variety of attacks.
At first, the disciples were a bit skeptical of her skills, but after being hit by several of her paint bullets and having their entire bodies painted in various colors, they are now continuing the fight with gritted teeth.
Even their combined techniques only manage to graze the hem of Meteor’s clothes; the disciples can't seem to find any opening for victory.
And after a few more minutes.
Once the disciples' bodies have turned as colorful as an Abstract Painting drenched in ink.
"I... I surrender."
"Again! Again! I can hit you next time...!"
The disciples cried out as they admitted defeat.
"You could do this for a lifetime and you still wouldn't hit me."
The woman with the gun spun the barrel with a strangely smug air.
…I really can't get used to this.
I don't know what went wrong, but this generation's Meteor was female again, and she’s even younger than the previous Meteor I ran over with my car.
I’m starting to wonder if there’s some kind of plague spreading around me that turns everyone into women.
Still, it didn't seem to hinder her combat ability; her talent for completely toyed with my disciples was exactly the same.
However, perhaps because her personality has changed, her fighting style has shifted slightly compared to the Meteor I knew.
The original Meteor was the cold type who strictly stuck to necessary attacks, but this generation's Meteor has a bit of a playful streak. She shows unnecessary movements and the frequency of her feints has increased.
As I was analyzing Meteor like that.
"Masteeeeer!"
A multicolored Baek Si-hyun came charging toward me.
Having no desire to be covered in paint like my disciples, I shifted my body slightly to dodge her charge.
"Ugyak!"
As a result, Baek Si-hyun collided with Magic Weaver’s body, making a mess of his clothes, but that wasn't really my concern.
Baek Si-hyun, seemingly uninterested in the now-colorful Magic Weaver face-down on the ground, looked up and spoke to me.
"Please avenge us!"
"Avenge what?"
"Meteor! She could have gone a little easier on us!"
Baek Si-hyun wailed, tears and snot flying.
Seeing a grown girl acting like that makes me feel a bit bad for her.
But Si-hyun, that was your own fault.
If you had gone in with a bit of a plan, you could have dodged half of those.
But since you charged in blindly like a Wild Boar, it was only natural that you became a huge target and got hit by everything.
In fact, although Han A-bin was also turned into a colorful Abstract Painting.
At least 50% of Han A-bin’s skin color was still visible.
However, even A-bin slowly approached me and spoke.
"…Master. Just this once, please."
"What about you?"
"No, it's just… the skill gap is so large that it feels like we're just being toyed with…. I think I need to see it from the outside once."
"Ho-oh."
An exclamation escaped my lips involuntarily.
Unlike Baek Si-hyun, it seems Han A-bin noticed.
That even in that state, Meteor was holding back.
Baek Si-hyun seems to think she can hit her with just a little more effort because Meteor dodges by a hair's breadth, but that too was intentional.
Meteor swings her gun while perfectly matching the level where the disciples feel like they can almost do it.
That is Meteor.
The one who reached the pinnacle of the Bureau’s combat division through pure combat technique, excluding that very specific special ability.
To be blunt, even I couldn't guarantee a win in a formal sparring match.
Still, well…
Since it’s a request from my disciples, shall I give it a go?
Just as I was about to head toward Meteor with that thought.
"Hey, let's fight, stupid Lee Ha-ram."
A cocky voice echoed through the area.
"…What?"
When I reacted and looked at her with a sideways glance, she was resting her gun on her shoulder, beckoning me with a flick of her index finger.
"I’m going to pay you back for that traffic accident, so let's fight. Are your ears plugged?"
It seems this generation's Meteor is quite arrogant.
I let a smirk crawl onto my face as I walked toward her.
As I closed the distance, I rested my hammer on my shoulder and spoke.
"It seems this generation's Meteor is already eager to hop into a different body?"
"Ha! You're the reason I ended up in this body, you bastard. If you've got a problem, try and land a hit with that hammer. Not that you can."
And so, the battle began.