Regional Balance (3)
"Track him right now!"
Yu Jihun roared, grabbing the government officials by their collars.
"If we lose Kang Hae-il like this, we're finished! Do you all want to get screwed over in the next chapter!?"
"T-that's not the issue... Kang Hae-il doesn't have a phone on him! Logically, how could any phone survive those flames!?"
"What did you just say? His clothes are perfectly intact, so what the hell are you talking about!"
"That's because a production-class Awakened used a special flame-resistant enchantment on the fabric..."
The explanation dragged on.
None of it reached the ears of the short-tempered Yu Jihun.
"Useless government hacks! You don't seem to grasp the situation at all!"
Shouting that, he stormed over to Kim Ri-el.
"Kim Ri-el! Use your wind to fly every last one of us there!"
"......?"
Kim Ri-el, who had been casually playing a mobile game amid the rescue operation, gave him a completely dumbfounded look.
"There's no way that would work."
"And why the hell wouldn't it? You haven't even tried it, you lazy brats!"
"Huh?"
Kim Ri-el clearly decided the conversation wasn't worth his time. He pulled his cap down lower and turned to leave.
"Just go home. Seriously. Kang Hae-il will come back alive on his own. Isn't that why he's S-rank?"
"You don't know what kind of place Incheon is."
"I do. Demon realm Incheon."
"That's not what I..."
Yu Jihun tried to explain further, but Kim Ri-el cut him off.
"But weren't you the one who hated Kang Hae-il, uncle?"
Yu Jihun viewed Kang Hae-il as his rival. He harbored the fierce ambition that someday he would defeat him. The feelings a second-place student holds for the one ranked first naturally go beyond simple healthy competition.
Yu Jihun was jealous of Kang Hae-il.
It was obvious enough that even the young Ri-el could see it.
"What? Huh? Isn't that obvious?"
Yu Jihun didn't bother hiding it.
"Then what's there to worry about? If Kang Hae-il disappears, you'll be number one."
"That's not the way..."
Yu Jihun hated Kang Hae-il. He wanted, more than anything, to surpass him. But that victory only held meaning if he achieved it himself.
"What the hell is the point of becoming the best through sheer luck like that!"
He had to defeat Kang Hae-il when the man was at his absolute peak. Only then would the burning thirst inside him be quenched.
Yet here Kang Hae-il was, kidnapped at the very moment he lost consciousness. And in Incheon, of all places...
That city was plagued by terrible rumors. What if he died there?
Then Yu Jihun would never be able to surpass him. It was no wonder the usually composed man had lost his cool.
"If anything happens to that son of a bitch Kang Hae-il, I'll kill every last one of you...! Hey! Government dog! Get us a helicopter right now!"
"Ha..."
Lee Suyeon, who had been watching from the side, shook her head and sat down next to Ri-el.
"It's Kang Hae-il this, Kang Hae-il that with all of them... Seriously. Must be nice. So popular with the guys."
"......"
Ri-el stared at Suyeon for a moment before asking.
"Noona, are you not popular?"
After staring at her, Ri-el's gaze had already shifted back to his phone.
"Popular? Hmm."
Suyeon pondered what counted as being popular before shaking her head.
"What good is that? Just a bunch of useless guys swarming around you."
"So you are popular."
"Huh?"
"That's what I thought."
Tap.
Suyeon placed her hand on Ri-el's head and laughed.
"Hey, kid. You've got quite the eye, don't you? Ahahaha!?"
At that moment, Ri-el's face hardened like stone. He smacked her hand away.
Smack!
"Don't touch me."
Whooooosh!
A fierce wind swirled violently around Ri-el.
"......Huh?"
"I told you not to touch me like that without permission ever again."
"W-why are you... that's scary..."
It was then.
"E-excuse me! All the Awakened who participated in the World Boss raid!? Huff... huff..."
Gu Hae-young, the rescue worker who had run off earlier, came sprinting back.
"We've secured another helicopter! We have permission! Let's go rescue Kang Hae-il!"
"!"
Current Constellations Watching: 3,890
Junil walked down the hallway, glancing sideways at the floating number.
The number of constellations has increased quite a bit. It definitely dropped sharply earlier.
It seemed that with the protagonist in danger, the only one he could rely on was the porter.
That's good.
The more constellations watching, the stronger Junil's power became and the greater his stability.
The only problem was that the faster his power rose, the faster it drained away.
I'm starting to feel sleepy.
Even though he had taken a short nap in the middle of the World Boss fight, he had been far too active.
It was hard to gauge how much longer he could keep going.
"Ya, Choi Kkang-pae. Didn't I tell you to stop squirming?"
Thwack!
Junil smacked the back of his head, venting his irritation.
"Uuuup!? Uup!?"
"If you're gonna act like that, I shouldn't have tied your legs? How am I supposed to know if you'll try to run, dumbass!"
He stuffed the gag back into Choi Kkang-pae's mouth and continued downward.
He couldn't just leave Kang Hae-il behind, so he had materialized the wind spirit to carry him on its back.
To others, it probably just looked like a regular summoned beast.
They reached the first floor.
Ding!
The moment the elevator doors opened, chaos erupted.
"You... what the hell are you!?"
"This bastard has our boss!"
As expected, the first floor was packed with gang members.
The instant they saw their boss wrapped up like a mummy in duct tape, they all shifted into combat readiness.
"Now, now."
Junil casually pressed the blade against the boss's throat, and they froze, unsure what to do.
No matter how many there were, there was nothing they could do.
All they could do was whisper among themselves.
"Isn't... isn't that the porter?"
"What? The porter?"
A few of them recognized him.
"Yeah, the porter. That F-rank guy."
"What the F... Then he's not even an Awakened, right?"
"No, didn't you see the news? They said even after the World Boss died, he still showed up as F-rank on camera."
"Crazy..."
Junil stepped out of the elevator, shoving Choi Kkang-pae forward.
"Everyone drop your weapons, raise your hands, and step back."
When they hesitated, he pressed the blade closer.
"You want to watch your boss die!?"
"...U-understood!"
Clatter!
They all dropped their weapons and raised their hands.
"This bastard's lost his mind."
"Damn it, all because of some measly F-rank..."
"But how did the boss end up like this with that guy?"
"Wasn't it Kang Hae-il next to him who did it?"
Even though Kang Hae-il was currently unconscious and being carried by the spirit, they assumed it was Kang Hae-il, not the porter, who had done the deed.
"Kang Hae-il must've woken up for a second, killed them, then passed out again."
"I see... As expected, he's strong."
"Don't you guys have a workshop here that makes weapons?"
"...H-how do you know that?"
The gang members looked stunned.
The production line was one of the organization's most tightly guarded assets.
"You there. You're a researcher, right?"
"?!"
Junil had identified the man's job just by looking at his face, despite everyone wearing similar clothes.
"You will guide me."
"......"
The researcher glanced at the other members before nodding.
"U-understood. This way."
The researcher led them.
The production line was underground. The elevator was blocked off, so they had to use a separately built staircase.
Junil's steps suddenly halted.
Wait. If we go down here, I won't be able to keep the first floor in check.
He turned around and observed the gang members again.
They were glaring at him with murderous eyes. There were easily dozens of them.
The moment Junil went underground, they would probably start making calls for reinforcements and surround the entire area.
No matter how strong Junil was, if too many people swarmed him it would be hard to handle. He also had to protect the unconscious Kang Hae-il.
Junil eventually made his decision.
Let's see... who deserves to die...
Countless tattoos and vicious faces. They were clearly all trash.
They can all die.
Having arbitrarily come to that conclusion, Junil slightly shook the dagger pressed against the boss's throat.
Swoosh.
It was Sirvelis's Sacrificial Sword.
'Grozya.'
At the call, a massive figure materialized.
Kuuuung...!
The moment it appeared, the ceiling of the hospital's first floor shattered and collapsed.
Its overwhelming size dominated the space.
"W-what the...!?"
"What is that!?"
"Is this guy insane?"
The gang members trembled at the sudden appearance of the giant monster.
Moreover, it was a being no Awakened could fail to recognize.
"Uahahahaha...! I have finally returned to this world!"
He appeared before them in the exact same form as before. The only differences were that he had grown even larger and his level had risen.
Originally, the strength of summoned entities was determined by their master. Since Sirvelis was stronger than Sar, Grozya had grown more powerful as well.
"I can feel even stronger... even stronger magi! Uahahahahaha!"
Junil shouted, pretending to be shocked.
"What the hell is this!? As expected of demon realm Incheon! A demon has been summoned!?"
"Run awaaaay~!"
He shoved the researcher aside and dashed underground.
At the same time, he gave Grozya a mental command.
Kill them all.
The corners of Grozya's mouth split into a wide grin.
"Kill... every last one of them!!"
Immediately, shells forged from magi shot from Grozya's mouth.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
Three Awakened turned to dust, and a massive hole was blown through one side of the building.
"C-crazy!"
"Catch that monster!"
"I-its level is 47! It's higher than our boss's level!?"
"How many people do we have here! Just kill it somehow, you idiots! You want to hand over the entire facility!?"
The gang members all agreed that they had to take down Grozya first.
Most of the members here were in the late 30s in level. That was still quite high by current world standards, but it was nowhere near enough against Grozya, who had been empowered by Sirvelis's authority.
Slaaaaaash...!
With a swing of Grozya's massive arm, another four Awakened collapsed.
"Kugh!"
"Aaaargh...!"
Grozya, who had been summoned by Sar and hadn't even gotten a proper taste of blood, felt like he had arrived at an all-you-can-eat buffet after starving for ages.
"Kahahahaha!"
On the other hand, the gang members' faces turned deathly pale.
"W-what about the boss!? What do we do about the boss?"
"Only a few of you follow him! Once they go underground it'll be safe anyway!"
In the end, only a handful went underground to protect their boss while the rest stayed to stop Grozya.
The ones following Junil numbered only five at most.
"W-wait! We're coming too!"
"...Whatever, fine."
Junil nodded.
This many people were still easy enough to control. There was no reason to create unnecessary conflict.
As he headed underground, Junil glanced back at the battle on the first floor.
The gang members, who had been panicked at first, were gradually organizing their attacks. Their resistance was growing fiercer.
It doesn't look like Grozya can kill them all. Well... buying time is enough.
It might be too much for a single Grozya to wipe out everyone here.
* * *
They had gone down about half a floor when they encountered it.
A massive secure door stood in their way.
The researcher stepped forward, scanned his face, and swiped a card.
Clunk!
The door opened—and Junil witnessed an astonishing sight.
What the hell. These crazy bastards.
An enormous number of people. Every single one of them was seated and continuously manufacturing items.
Clang! Clang!
Some were forging weapons like blacksmiths, while others were imbuing magic that caused explosions.
Boom!
"Ah, shit... Reinforcement failed."
When the reinforcement failed, the nearby gang member threatened him.
"Do it again! The boss is going to use this!"
"Yes..."
There were nearly fifty of them. Fifty E-rank Awakened gathered together manufacturing items.
This is...
A huge grin spread across Junil's face.
Isn't this a total jackpot?
Thump. Thump.
His heart raced for the first time in a while at the thought of swallowing Choi Kkang-pae's entire enterprise.
Huh?
Junil's expression stiffened as he looked around the workshop.
In a corner visible only after completely descending the stairs, there was a research space enclosed in reinforced glass.
A gate?
There was a gate there. And it was a bright red gate.