Chapter 66
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Changes Coming to the Slums
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‘The weight on my shoulders just got heavier.’
Manager Kim, standing inconspicuously in a corner of the shop, scratched his head.
Having witnessed Nam Giseok’s pure-hearted devotion, he knew he had to accelerate his research on the hair loss treatment.
‘Come to think of it, he did say the liquid metal was effective for hair loss. The amount produced is small, but… I should try to formulate a new equation with it.’
He would give him a fuller head of hair than anyone else. Manager Kim watched Nam Giseok and silently steeled his resolve.
Cheon Doun patted Nam Giseok on the shoulder before turning to the siblings.
“Do you need any more clothes?”
“This is enough. We’ll change back into our old clothes when we get back anyway.”
The siblings still felt awkward wearing modern clothing.
More than anything, these kinds of restrictive clothes were inconvenient for freely extending and retracting their wings.
President Park, who had been listening nearby, spoke up.
“Then please allow me to gift you these clothes.”
“That’s sudden. Why?”
“I can’t possibly take money from those who helped me. If it weren’t for you, I would have had to close the shop for a while to go to the hospital.”
He had been prepared for that much when he was about to be slammed onto the asphalt.
From the moment he escaped without a single injury, he had wanted to offer them a set of clothes as a gift.
“If you insist. By the way, the atmosphere of the shop seems to have changed quite a bit. Are you planning on closing the clothing store?”
Cheon Doun asked, looking around the shop.
Adorable children’s clothes, hunters’ guns and swords, a cleaning supplies corner.
The shop’s displays were divided into thirds, showcasing all sorts of items.
“Haha. It’s a bit of a mishmash, isn’t it? It’s hard to get by with just a clothing store. Now I’m selling a little bit of everything.”
“Do people actually come, even with it like this?”
“Surprisingly, the number of customers has increased. Maybe the strange atmosphere of the shop actually worked in its favor, but it seems word has gotten around.”
President Park said as he tidied up the store.
“If you need anything, just let me know. I’ve converted to a general store, so I’ll stock whatever you’re looking for.”
Cheon Doun smiled at President Park’s words.
Even in a moment like this, he was still trying to make a sale. A true merchant.
* * *
After leaving the clothing store, the group walked to a nearby vacant lot.
“I’ll be on my way from here.”
Manager Kim said, picking up his bag.
“I left in the middle of my research, so I should get back. Plus, dressed like this, it’s a bit much to be walking around.”
Manager Kim, who had ended up accompanying them here, was still wearing his teddy bear pajamas.
Since his house was nearby, he planned to just run home.
“Alright. You head on back, Manager Kim.”
The group waved goodbye to him.
The gang member, who had been nervously watching from the side, tried to slip away as well but was caught by Cheon Doun.
“Where are you going? You need to stay and be our guide.”
“A guide? To where…”
“Your gang’s headquarters. I told you I was taking it over.”
The gang member’s eyes darted around, his expression complicated. He couldn’t tell how seriously he was supposed to take that statement.
‘What do I care? If he wants to walk right into the lion’s den, that’s great for me.’
He figured he could get backup there. The gang member immediately nodded and led the way.
“Follow me.”
“Your words are a bit short, aren’t they?”
“Pl-please follow me.”
The gang member, who had spoken informally out of habit, immediately backed down.
“How long will it take to walk?”
“About thirty minutes.”
“Okay. Then tell me about your organization on the way. How many members are there?”
“Including me, two hundred and fifty-eight.”
“Is that all?”
As if expecting Cheon Doun’s reaction, the gang member continued.
“We don’t just take anyone. You can think of us as a small, elite group. Most are F-rank Awakened, so they’re stronger than ordinary people. We even have quite a few who used to be D-rank Hunters.”
“What does the organization do?”
“Just, you know… we go around to shops and collect protection money.”
“Is that it? No human trafficking or anything like that?”
When Cheon Doun asked, the man shook his head.
“Our organization doesn’t do that stuff. The boss has his principles when it comes to things like that.”
“A gang with principles? Give me a break.”
Yu Beom, who was listening, scoffed.
The gang member looked sheepish and scratched his head.
“You’re not wrong… but still, we don’t do anything other than collect protection money. We have a dirty image among the merchants, that’s all. We don’t sell drugs or people, we don’t cross those lines.”
“Right, I get it. So there’s a difference, like between food waste and recyclable waste.”
The gang member fell silent. He had no way to refute what Cheon Doun had said.
As they talked, the scenery slowly began to change.
If the area with the clothing store had the feel of an old city, this place now exuded the atmosphere of a dilapidated and neglected ruin.
“This is District 11 from here on out.”
A place where the police presence was thin.
In the slums, the higher the district number, the worse the quality of life.
“How many districts are the slums divided into now?”
“Thirteen.”
“That hasn’t changed.”
The very center was District 13. The closer you got to the outskirts, the lower the number and the better the living conditions.
Cheon Doun looked back at the siblings.
“What do you think? This is District 11. Does anything come to mind?”
“Hmm… not really. The city’s atmosphere feels familiar, but it was so long ago, nothing specific stands out.”
“Me neither. But it does feel kind of nostalgic. Like, this was my hometown.”
Yu Jia said, her face filled with a sense of novelty. Yu Beom, who was looking at the city beside her, added.
“It’s a bit disappointing, though.”
“What is?”
“I expected it wouldn’t be a pretty sight since it’s the slums. But this is beyond my imagination.”
At Yu Beom’s words, Cheon Doun looked around.
Broken streetlights and cracked asphalt roads left in disrepair.
Most notably, more than eighty percent of the walls of every building were covered in spray-painted graffiti.
That alone made the city look filthy.
“In my memory, I don’t think it was this bad. Or was it always like this, and I’m just looking back with rose-tinted glasses?”
“Who knows. Now that you mention it, it does feel that way.”
Cheon Doun replied, surveying the street.
If District 11 was like this, what had District 13, where he used to live, become?
“Even a place like this is still my hometown, in a way. It needs a bit of a cleanup.”
As he muttered to himself, they arrived in front of a four-story building.
“Looks like we’re here. What’s the plan now?”
“We push through. Ah, don’t kill them. I’m going to use them as cleaners.”
“Cleaners?”
Cheon Doun looked back at the siblings and smiled.
“He said they’re all Awakened.”
Even an F-rank Awakened had better stamina than an ordinary person.
“As Awakened, they should be good at cleaning.”
The siblings, catching on to Cheon Doun’s train of thought, looked dumbfounded.
Who would ever think of using gang members like that? They let out a disbelieving laugh but didn’t try to stop him.
There was no reason to object to their hometown getting cleaned up.
“Then let’s begin. It’s a four-story building, so we can each take a floor. I’ll take the fourth. That’s probably the boss’s room.”
“So Jia and I get the second and third floors?”
“Then I can take the first floor.”
The conversation flowed nonchalantly. The gang member who had guided them there was left with a stunned expression.
Were they really planning on just walking in?
“Mister. What should I do?”
“Kim Nari, you wait here. Keep an eye on that man so he doesn’t go anywhere. He’s going to have a lot of physical labor ahead of him, so don’t be too rough.”
“Got it.”
Kim Nari nodded. The gang member was once again dumbfounded.
He was confused about how to react to being left alone with a child.
‘What if I were to hit this kid?’
The gang member looked at Kim Nari. Although she had projected a scary aura during their first meeting, he wasn’t trash enough to actually strike a child.
But he was capable enough to ditch the kid and run. After confirming that Cheon Doun’s group had entered the building, he tried to make a break for it.
“Mister.”
“Uh, y-yeah?”
“Don’t go. I don’t want to break you.”
The gang member froze. Break what? He was curious but didn’t dare ask.
He was rendered speechless by the innocent face looking up at him.
‘Whoa… I just got goosebumps. What the hell are these people?’
He didn’t know the details, but he knew it would be wise to listen to this child.
The gang member instinctively felt this and quietly stayed put.
* * *
I Ducheol, the head of the Space organization.
He was once a C-rank Hunter. The sole reason he ended up as a gang leader in the slums was simple.
“Money really is the best. Money never betrays you.”
Ever since he was backstabbed by a B-rank Hunter and nearly died, he had quit being a Hunter.
Chasing after money, he had somehow become the leader of a slum gang.
“I don’t know why I used to risk my life crossing Gates back then. There are much easier ways to make money.”
Just as he was looking at a bundle of cash with satisfaction, a series of loud bangs echoed as if a bomb had dropped.
The building shook like there was an earthquake, and I Ducheol fell out of his chair.
“Boss! We have a big problem!”
His closest subordinate burst through the door.
“A strange group of four has invaded our organization!”
“What are you talking about? A strange group of four? Is it another gang?”
“I think so! They’re calling themselves the Co… ahem.”
The subordinate’s face reddened slightly as he continued.
“They’re identifying themselves as the Coconut… Family. They said they’re going to take over our organization.”
“The Coco-what?”
“Coconut. The Coconut Family.”
I Ducheol was speechless for a moment. He thought it might be a joke, but his subordinate’s expression was serious.
What kind of family name was that? It sounded like they should be selling coconut juice on the street.
He stood up, his face hardening.
“They must think our family is a joke. The Coco-something? Ha! I don’t know what small-fry group they are, but I’ll have to teach them a lesson about the real world.”
There were always guys who bit off more than they could chew.
I Ducheol, unfazed, stretched his body and opened his office door.
In that instant, the door shattered. By the time he realized it, he was already flying through the air with the door.
‘Ugh, wh-what the hell!’
He caught a glimpse of a casually dressed man. It was him who had kicked the door.
I Ducheol crashed through a window and landed in the front yard outside the third floor.
“Ugh, my back…!”
He groaned from the impact with the ground, but a moment later, he looked at the building and his jaw dropped in horror.
‘P-people are falling from the sky.’
One by one, the building’s windows shattered with a crash. People were being thrown out of them.
The bizarre sight of men raining from the sky made I Ducheol’s mind go blank.
Soon after, one person jumped down on his own. It was the man who had kicked him.
“That’s everyone on the fourth floor. How about your side?”
As Cheon Doun asked, the siblings emerged from the building’s entrance.
“We’re all done over here. Nam Giseok’s floor is finished too.”
As they spoke so casually, I Ducheol had a gut feeling.
These were not the usual small-fry who picked fights with them. They were not opponents he could handle.
As a former C-rank Hunter, he could feel the gap in power between himself and the people before him.
‘Hah… I thought my life was going too well. My organization ends today.’
I Ducheol was a man who grasped reality quickly.
He didn’t know where these monsters had come from, but seeing them dismantle his organization without a single hair out of place, he immediately admitted defeat.
“Boss! It’s them! They’re the ones who attacked our organization!”
His underlings, oblivious to his thoughts, shouted from nearby.
As I Ducheol just stood there, sweating, a few of them yelled out in frustration.
“There are only four of them!”
Did they not realize what was strange about being instantly wiped out by just four people? I Ducheol wanted to scream.
“This is no good. Let’s go on our own! Everyone, charge!”
“Yeahhh!”
A few gang members charged forward, activating their respective abilities.
“St-stop…”
He tried to stop them, but his voice was too quiet.
With the sound of impact, he saw his underlings fly into the air.
Once again, men fell from the sky.
“I told you… not to do it.”
I Ducheol let out a pained groan and covered his eyes with his hand.
* * *
‘My god. What is all this? I don’t think it’s even been five minutes since those people went in.’
The gang member being watched by Kim Nari couldn’t believe the scene before him.
He looked at the yard with trembling eyes.
There, the boss and every single member of the organization were forced to kneel on the ground.
“Is this everyone?”
“Yes, Boss. I found every last one of them, even the ones who were hiding. Man, some guys were shamelessly hiding in the bathroom while their comrades were getting beaten.”
At Nam Giseok’s words, a few gang members averted their gaze.
Meanwhile, Kim Nari came out from inside carrying a large nameplate.
“I took down the thing you told me to.”
The organization’s nameplate, which had been hanging in I Ducheol’s room.
Kim Nari propped the plaque, which had “SPACE” written in large English letters, against the building wall.
Even though their organization’s sign had been taken down, no one dared to speak up.
“Alright. From now on, this building is under the control of our Coconut Family. Any objections?”
The area was silent.
Is the organization’s name really Coconut? I Ducheol wanted to ask but tactfully kept his mouth shut.
“No objections, I see. Kim Nari. Erase the letters.”
“Got it.”
A laser shot out from Kim Nari’s eyes. It burned the surface of the sign evenly.
The gang members who saw this were horrified.
They had no loyalty to the organization, so they didn’t care if the sign was burned or not, but they couldn’t help but be shocked at a laser shooting from a child’s eyes.
‘That little kid is an Awakened?’
They couldn’t connect the human-looking Kim Nari with a Machine Lifeform.
“Mister. I erased it all.”
“Good job. Now, write ‘Coconut.’”
Kim Nari fired her laser again.
After deeply engraving the word “Coconut,” she hesitated and looked at Cheon Doun.
He understood what she wanted and nodded.
“Go ahead if you want to.”
Kim Nari beamed and fired her laser again.
Next to the name “Coconut Family,” a round fruit was drawn.
‘That’s just… a cafe sign.’
It looked like a place that would sell especially good coconut drinks. I Ducheol couldn’t bring himself to say what he was thinking.
“Good. From now on, you are a subsidiary organization of our Coconut Family. I will now tell you what you’ll be doing.”
At Cheon Doun’s words, the men swallowed nervously. When a gang was taken over by another, there were only three possible outcomes.
They were all killed, used as cannon fodder in a war with another organization, or absorbed as members into the new group.
‘The best case would be to be accepted as members of the Co… ahem. The Coconut organization. But since he said subsidiary, he probably intends to keep us separate. What is he going to make us do?’
They were Awakened. They wouldn't be used as easily disposable pawns.
The gang members pinned all their hopes on this last chance of survival and looked at Cheon Doun.
“You will be in charge of cleaning this area, District 11.”
“Cl-cleaning?”
“That’s right. We’re going to clean up this area. You will take the lead.”
“Ah…”
At the words “clean up this area,” the members groaned.
That had to be a euphemism for being used as cannon fodder in a turf war with other organizations.
“You will procure your own tools.”
So we have to buy our own guns and knives. The thought that they wouldn’t even be provided with weapons made their faces grim.
“There will be a lot of stains on the walls, so it’ll probably take a while to erase them. It’s going to be a long-term battle, a test of stamina. Be prepared, it might take years.”
Stains. Did he mean there would be a lot of blood splatter? Just what scale of war was he planning?
‘People with that much power… they must be planning to take over all the gangs in every district of the slums.’
And they would be placed at the very front. They were going to be used as meat shields.
‘Oh, please… God. I’ll live a good life from now on. Just let me survive this war.’
The gang members groaned, imagining their own brutal fates.