Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Hahoe Mask (4)
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Click! Click!
In the park just before dawn broke.
Bright lights illuminated here and there, pushing back the darkness.
"What the hell is this now..."
Park Hanchul, an agent from the Ability Management Bureau's Crime Investigation Division, stood under a streetlamp smoking a cigarette as he surveyed the scene.
A police line had been set up in one corner of the park, and inside it, several people bustled about busily.
In the center, marked off with crime scene preservation tags scattered across the ground, lay a sea of blood alongside a single message.
-Death sentence carried out
"Death sentence, my ass..."
Park Hanchul sighed and stubbed out his cigarette in his portable ashtray.
He trudged toward the police line and approached a colleague who was on the phone in one corner.
"...Yes, understood. I'll leave it to you then."
The man pocketed his smartphone, having just finished his call. Park Hanchul clapped him on the back and spoke up.
"Anything turn up?"
"Oh, Senior."
Right after the dispatched paramedics discovered the scene, the police were notified, and soon after, it reached the Ability Management Bureau's Crime Investigation Division.
"It's definitely human blood. And all from one person."
"...So they're definitely dead, then."
The amount of blood left at the scene far exceeded a lethal dose.
Results from the forensics team were coming in one by one after securing the scene and collecting evidence.
"And they detected large amounts of black magic in the blood."
"Black magic? Was the victim a black magic user?"
"Doesn't seem like it. They say the cells necrotized from overexposure to black magic... That's likely the cause of the bleeding."
"...You don't think it was a demon, do you?"
Demons—returnees from another world who gained inhuman powers.
The term originally referred to vampires or werewolves, but these days it encompassed anyone abusing powers like curses or necromancy.
Prolonged use of such impure forces often corrupted the user's mind, turning them into criminals.
"CCTV footage from nearby... as expected, it's clean. Nothing but the female victim shows up."
"For someone bold enough to do this out in the open, that's no surprise. But no body bothers me."
Bzzz~
A vibration buzzed from Park Hanchul's pocket.
He pulled out his smartphone, checked the message, and nodded.
"The victim's come to. They're going to calm her down—she's terrified—and get the details."
"Good. We were stumped without any info."
The woman found unconscious at the scene had been rushed to the hospital.
She hadn't woken up until now, leaving them spinning their wheels, but things were finally moving.
As they chatted while eyeing the scene, a forensics team member approached them from their investigation.
"The fingerprints match the belongings and samples from her home. We've confirmed multiple pieces of evidence for murders there and started analysis."
The items left at the scene.
Aside from what appeared to be the female victim's smartphone, the rest contained evidence of multiple killings.
A recorder with victims' screams, a smartphone with photos, and a wallet with the owner's ID.
They'd identified him and raided his address immediately, and now the results were in.
"Serial killer, huh? Definitely deserved to die."
"Tch, even so—vigilante killing. Adults with powers playing hero is as dangerous as it gets."
In a nation of laws, ignoring the law for personal beliefs.
From the perspective of those upholding order, they were no better than terrorists.
Another call came in soon after.
"Got it. Yes, yes. Understood. Good work."
Park Hanchul ended the call and scanned the scene once more.
"...They got her statement."
"What'd she say?"
"About what we expected. She was passing through the park when the killer showed up. Right before he could kill her, someone appeared and saved her, or so it seems."
"'Or so it seems'? Not sure?"
"Tch, here's the tricky part... Her reaction's off, they say."
Park Hanchul grimaced, scratched his head vigorously, sighed, and continued.
"She says she blacked out the moment she saw him. But from her statement, she seemed more terrified of him than the killer."
"...That scary-looking, huh?"
"Nah, she didn't see his face. He was wearing a mask."
He paused and pointed to one side of the scene.
A message written in blood remained there.
"A Hahoe Mask."
Next to the writing was a drawing.
His junior peered at it closely for a moment, then scratched his head.
"Ah~ So that's a Hahoe Mask? I thought it was some weird grinning face."
"I just realized when they told me."
"Well, a lunatic in a Hahoe Mask at midnight would scare anyone. But more than the killer holding a knife right in front of her?"
"Who knows... You'd think so, right."
They talked as they watched the dawn sky lightening, then sighed in unison.
"Another all-nighter."
"I wasn't expecting much from the start. Could've at least let us sleep."
They shuffled off with slumped shoulders to write their reports.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Korean Returnee Association, Seoul Southern Branch.
"Branch Manager, the Ability Management Bureau sent a cooperation request."
"Again? They're always like that. What's the issue this time?"
Branch Manager Yoon Jiyoon grumbled as she took the document from her secretary and began reading slowly.
"Hm? This feels familiar..."
"I attached related materials in the back."
"Oh! As expected of Secretary Kim. So competent."
She flipped through the pages, then paused.
"Jewelry store robbery—three perps caught... Yeah, their statements mentioned it too. Hahoe Mask."
"High chance it's the same person."
"Yeah, probably. Hand over our files for now and cooperate as requested."
She set the documents down, instructed her secretary, and leaned back in her chair.
As the secretary left, she propped her legs on the desk and tilted her head back.
'Well, honestly, I don't think the Hahoe Mask is a bad thing...'.
Public safety kept deteriorating, and they were short on manpower to protect it.
If bad guys got culled like this, she didn't see it as a bad deal.
Plus, they'd helped her out before.
'But of all things, murder. If they'd just subdued and handed them over like last time, it would've been perfect for everyone.'.
Vigilante killing.
No matter how vile the serial killer, the state had to take it seriously.
'If they're going to operate anyway, it'd be great if they joined our Guardians.'.
Even if the Ability Management Bureau—a government agency—tracked them down, the punishment wouldn't be harsh.
They'd probably offer amnesty in exchange for scouting.
With their skills and sense of justice, they'd make a fine steed if leashed properly.
"Haa, time to work. Work."
She sat up straight and dove into her tasks.
With public safety worsening lately, the workload had piled up.
Complaints from her subordinate Guardians were rising too.
'Ah, I just want to smash it all.'.
That was her honest feeling.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "As expected, smashing it all feels so refreshing."
I nodded in satisfaction at Hans, back from his night patrol.
The first real-world use of Servant Magic had been highly satisfactory.
At first, I focused solely on movement, casting spells as broadly as possible.
The magic's detection network improved over time.
Infected entities would spread it further, and I could selectively maintain the useful ones.
So in this early stage, I had to keep the detection range narrow.
'But even then, five incidents last night alone.'.
The biggest was punishing the serial killer.
The rest ended with implanting curses of fear and moderate punishment.
Castrating rapists? That seemed fitting enough.
'Not like I killed them.'.
Merciful, if I said so myself.
I glanced at Hans briefly, then sent him back out to refine the network.
It grew over time, but hands-on work would expand it faster.
'At minimum, cover all of Seoul.'.
This drove it home.
Public safety was absurdly bad.
'And I need to look into those guys too.'.
The cause of this mess.
The Villain organization that formed factions.
"Alrighty then~ Hans handles that. Now, time to check on the other world."
I stretched and reviewed Heinz 2nd's situation.
Over a month since leaving Azantu.
With young siblings, we didn't rush.
We stayed in comfy inns in villages and cities, toured with the kids, and took it slow.
But we couldn't wander forever with children in tow.
We'd put some distance from Azantu, so now it was time to find a settlement spot.
Conveniently, while pondering their future, Diana mentioned something.
'Um... Mister. Not sure, but I heard our uncle has a small shop in Rapella City.'.
'We couldn't go far from Azantu before, so I forgot. But Rapella's on our way, so it came to mind...'.
It was a story from their parents years ago.
We'd headed blindly toward the kingdom's heart to flee Azantu at first, but switched destination to Rapella after hearing it.
No guarantee the shop still existed or its exact spot, but better than nothing.
I couldn't look after them forever.
I had a plan, but blood relatives were preferable.
The uncle's family might not welcome sudden nephews warmly...
'A little warning and generous child support should do. I'll visit periodically anyway.'.
Even non-merchants liked more money.
Offer ongoing support based on circumstances, and they'd treasure them more than their own.
This was my first real bond in this world.
Teleportation circles made it effortless.
Of course, if we couldn't find them, backups were needed.
I eyed the avatar back from outdoor training.
One usable with .
"Hm... Let's call this one 'Heinrich'."
👤 Entity Information 👤 📛 Entity Name: Heinrich 🔗 Common Traits: 「Mind Hub」, 「Persona」, 「Super Recovery」, 「Clear Mirror Still Water」 🦴 Entity Trait: 「Martial Bones」 📝 Special Notes: Han Seonghyeon's fourth Avatar. 「Martial Bones」 boosts training effects, with additional bonuses to physical combat and skill acquisition. Heinz 2nd wandering as a sheep herder was reaching its limit.
His race was born to lurk in shadows.
Not getting caught so far was sheer luck.
Though it took considerable effort.
'Demi-Lich, Vampire— all my combat assets are shadowy. Heinrich goes full daylight operative.'.
I had a method in mind.
His given skills suited physical training perfectly—ideal.
As I prepared Heinrich's deployment, I shifted focus to Heinz 2nd, who had just arrived in Rapella City.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ At that moment, on an anonymous internet message board guaranteeing privacy.
📰 New Post -Story: Spotted the Hahoe Mask Freak in the Dead of Night Terrifying Hahoe Mask sightings began spreading one by one there.
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