Chapter 163
Chapter 163
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: Hahoe Mask Rise (3)
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Inside a laboratory packed with all sorts of cutting-edge equipment.
"There we go~ All done. Now open your eyes! A whole new world awaits you!"
A high-pitched, cheeky man's voice echoed noisily through the room.
And then, a man in his thirties, lying on the operating table as if awakening from sleep, slowly opened both eyes and gazed up at the ceiling.
"Whoa-ho! What a revolutionary eye! Heh-heh~ I'm so jealous, so jealous. You got really lucky! Truth be told, I was planning to use it first myself..."
Ignoring the chattering voice, Yulryeongja propped himself up on his elbows and looked around.
Sure enough, the field of vision limitation on his left side from the incident two months ago was gone.
"I was going to rip out my own eye and replace it, but wouldn't you know it, the Chairman caught me right before. Man, was he pissed! Thinking back on that scolding still makes my head hurt."
The 'Doctor' kept babbling away to himself despite no response, which was annoying, but since he'd gained a new eye thanks to him, Yulryeongja said nothing.
'It wasn't simple blindness—the soul itself was damaged, so no transplant would work...'
A permanent loss that medicine couldn't explain.
But even that problem had been circumvented in another way.
"...Of course, since your unique skill manifests through your eyes, it's a shame! Still, you have one left, and this was a chance to fulfill my dream. Reform and evolution are the ultimate values humanity should pursue!"
Whirr—click—
Ignoring the exaggerated fuss, he noticed a faint vibration from the newly transplanted eye every time he shifted focus.
But the mechanical click, like a camera aperture adjusting, was so quiet only he could hear it faintly; no one else would notice.
He peered into a mirror on the side, examining the area around his eye.
In contrast to his ordinary black right eye, the left iris border glowed mysteriously with a subtle blue ring, filled inside with intricate geometric patterns.
This ultimate prosthetic eye, born from mechanical and magical engineering, fit into the eye socket like a real eyeball but operated on completely different principles as a magitech device.
As he admired his new eye...
Grab! Whoosh—!
Someone yanked his shoulder, and his vision whipped around to fill with eyes gleaming with madness.
The Doctor, now right in his face, thrust his bushy-bearded mug forward and gripped Yulryeongja's head firmly.
He pried open the left eye with prosthetic and inspected it closely again.
"Wow~ Kallikas dimension tech really is revolutionary, huh? I should've gone there myself! Experiencing it only indirectly like this—what a tragedy!"
Yulryeongja sighed at the man spittle-flecking his face while ranting.
A disheveled Westerner in his middle years, wearing a rumpled lab coat with unkempt graying brown hair.
His shabby appearance belied a man not to be underestimated.
Being a first-generation returnee caught in the initial otherworld transfer was secondary; he was the genius driving the Bancheon Society's technological prowess.
Gathering and refining mysteries from magic, shamanism, alchemy, magitech, and more across dimensions would have been impossible without his demonic intellect and his 「Eyes of Truth」.
"Wah-ha! Lucky for us a returnee came back with this prosthetic. Heard it's super expensive even there!"
"Indeed. Such a precious item... Thank you again, Doctor."
The existence of this on Earth implied someone had brought it.
A returnee who'd poured his life's savings, scraped together right up to departure, into buying a new eye.
Of course, he was no longer of this world.
"By the way? I have one question for you, Yulryeongja."
"...Yes."
As always, hard to keep up with this guy's vibe, Yulryeongja replied reluctantly.
"That thing that messed you up—Ha... Ha-hae?"
"Hahoe Mask."
"Anyway! That smiley mask guy? Super intriguing. I poked around out of curiosity and heard some fun stuff!"
Ignoring him, the Doctor pressed on excitedly.
"As you know, Korea's the first place we've been totally smashed like this. Sure, plans fail elsewhere too, but our whole foundation getting wiped out? Wow! Not blaming you or anything—the Chairman approved, so I'm not in a position to complain."
His face beamed with that usual goofy grin.
But his clear eyes sparkled with dangerous intensity.
"So, when do you plan to restart operations in Korea? No rush, so no issue if not immediate. Still, shouldn't we do something?"
Yulryeongja's eye twitched at the subtle question laced with desire.
His eye issue was fixed, but it'd only been two months since he'd been beaten to a pulp by Hahoe Mask.
He'd suffered injuries needing years of recovery, barely able to breathe, let alone walk—wheelchair-bound.
But the problem was the Doctor, head of overall tech, outranked him, East Asia branch chief.
"...I was already planning preliminary preparations. Can't leave it abandoned forever, so better to lay the groundwork early."
"Whoop! Good man, Yulryeongja! Call on me anytime I can help. Looking forward to fresh test subjects! What to start with~!"
And as always, evil organizations were black companies through and through.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Phew—feels refreshing."
After my usual indoor gym session and shower, I lounged in the massage chair, using the TV as background noise, eyes closed.
With a big house and plenty of money, everything I needed was ready—no need to go out unnecessarily.
Come to think of it, lately I've been holed up except for 'Entity Projection' outings...
'Eh, still counts as going out. Meeting people daily—super social!'
Using Entity Projection felt more like moving avatars than myself as Han Seonghyeon, and most met were criminals anyway—putting that aside.
Digging deeper would just make me feel too pathetic.
"Hmm, that black mage... An Seongjin, was it?"
I cranked the massage chair to max, recalling last night's recruit.
Hard to judge precisely across worlds, but by Auterica standards, he was just shy of grand mage level.
Considering domineering black mana traits, his burst combat potential wasn't lacking either.
'But combat power isn't what I want.'
Luckily, he'd gladly accepted my peaceful scouting offer.
With mutual contract and slight coercion possible, betrayal was out of the question now.
'Promises are sacred. He doesn't seem evil, so no harsh treatment, but no slacking either.'
No intention of overworking him anyway.
Just his best effort gathering our desired info—that sufficed.
Good performance? I'd hook him up with perks.
'Turning the Thousand Kills Demon Emperor into an undead is going smoothly too...'
Obviously leagues above past corpses—not to be handled carelessly.
Top material demanded time, effort, resources.
The Thousand Kills Demon Emperor's corpse, sent via Avatar Cloud to original Hans in Auterica, was undergoing undead prep.
'When needed, pull from heart's sub-space. Capacity limits numbers, but Earth doesn't need armies anyway.'
Pouring premium ingredients? 'Salma' would rebirth impressively.
Soul damage from abyss overdose was a minor minus, but undead were always a bit screwy—no big deal.
"Karma points... Oh?"
Sorting leisurely in the chair, my eyes widened slightly.
Hans had used 640k 'Mental Fortitude Enhancement' just before assaulting the imperial capital, but the massive follow-up yielded hefty points.
'Home turf advantage is real. 800k already after so little time.'
Steadily climbing fast—other awakeners would faint at the rate.
Unique skill upgrade needed 1.2 million now.
Not far off.
-Now, onto the next topic? You've probably heard—'Hahoe Mask,' the hot-button awakener!
-Ah, yes! All the buzz lately.
Then the TV, my radio substitute, delved into him.
As always, speculation on his identity led to debates on his actions' legitimacy.
-...Uncontrolled brute force is dangerous! Judgment by personal whim in a rule-of-law state? Absurd...
-...Can't say it's always right, but he's undeniably boosted national security. Just check overseas news.
-Right, huge mess in Japan recently too? Hundreds dead in the disaster...
Modern Earth was utter chaos.
Superhumans returned from otherworlds numbered tens of thousands in Korea alone.
Worldwide? Incalculable.
Protector factions held stronger thanks to family, duty, etc., maintaining order—but ticking bombs everywhere.
'Not just black mana users or mines—awakeners drunk on power and greed are huge risks. Even with Hans suppressing like tyranny, they pop up steadily. Without that...'
That was the overseas status quo.
Other countries had powerhouses too, mercilessly hunting criminals like Hans.
Some even had crime-detection like his servant spells...
'But none match Hans's all-in-one prowess, plus stealth and mobility.'
Plus Korea's small landmass per population helped.
Those factors birthed current peace.
"Phew."
I rose and headed to the terrace.
The vast garden, possible in cheaper Seoul outskirts, was impeccably maintained, with landscaping rocks and ornaments evoking serenity.
'Of course, barging in means hell.'
This was a magical fortress woven with Hans, Heinz 2nd, Heinrich, and Harris's abilities.
Ornaments were spell conduits, placements meticulously planned via Path of Magic Arts.
And I was its core.
Inside here? Absolutely safe.
'Yeah, Korea's sorted—time to expand horizons.'
Especially learning Bancheon Society had schemed deeply on 'Salma' long ago.
Not a one-off.
Likely worldwide.
'Left them pull back from Korea too long. Start nearby countries.'
Couldn't patrol regularly like Korea, but one sweep would help.
The minor hassle worth screwing them over.
But visiting chaotic abroad directly? Hesitant.
Unlike casual Entity Projection strolls in stable spots—leagues apart.
'Hmm... Hans's schedule?'
Salma's undead conversion was long-term—no issue.
Demon lord basics like sending minions to level hero party? Olivia handled.
'No problems. Issues? Recall instantly.'
Avatar recall's prime perk.
Thus, Hahoe Mask's overseas debut was set.
For now—to closest, fitting-sized Japan.