Geumho Station

Geumho Station, Exit 4.

We raced to the place the woman had weakly indicated and jammed my harpoon into the narrowing gap of the closing bulkhead.

"Wh-what the fuck?!"

"Open the door."

"N-no! You can't come in! Get lost!"

"We have a wounded person."

"This place is already at capacity! We don't need any more people!"

"Like I give a damn about that."

I seized the harpoon wedged in the gap and heaved upward, forcing the wall open.

"Ugh—aaaagh!"

"R-run!"

Once inside the safe zone, we set down the supplies and the woman.

Kim Dokja immediately took the lung she had been holding in her mouth and pressed it to the woman's lips.

"Over there! That's the bastard!"

The same ones, back again without a shred of shame.

And among them, the one who looked like their leader stepped forward.

"Who the hell are you people?"

"Dokja-ssi."

"Dokja? That your name?"

"Yeah."

"Should we just leave them alone?"

"Hard to say. For now…"

"H-hey! That woman…!"

Extra Number One, who had been watching from the back, spotted the woman leaning against the wall and shouted.

"What the—that's the girl from the outcast group! Weren't you supposed to come back with her?"

"Well, uh…"

"Ahhh~ so that's how it is? Cute little bastards."

My brow furrowed hard.

The disgusting conversation unfolding right in front of me was souring my mood fast.

Even Kim Dokja, a woman herself, twisted her expression the moment she heard it.

"Hey, hand that woman over to us… huh? And what the hell is that?"

"Boss, that looks like food!"

"Oi. Leave that and your bitch, and get the hell out."

"We'll let you live, at least."

…Absolutely revolting.

Having that conversation with the person in question sitting right there had reached a level of shamelessness that almost inspired awe.

"…Dokja-ssi. I'll handle this."

"…Alright."

I adjusted my grip on the harpoon and took one step forward.

A blue window bloomed before my eyes.

"This is all your fault, you thug!"

"Wh-what?"

"The bounty on your heads right here!"

"The fact that I'm pointing this harpoon at you!"

"It's all your fault!"

"What the hell is this crazy bastard saying?!"

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠man swung a fist at me.

Pretty fast, sure.

But compared to the high-grade Fixers of the City, it was nothing.

I tilted my head, letting the punch slide past, and drove my knee up into his gut.

"Guhk!"

His body lifted clean off the ground.

I smashed him with the harpoon I'd already prepared.

Thwack—!

The thug flew and slammed into the wall.

"Who's next?"

"Ch-Cheolsu hyung-nim…!"

I went down the line, beating them one after another.

The bounty target was neutralization, not elimination—so I couldn't kill them.

After the conversation they'd just had, the urge to drive the harpoon straight through someone's brow was boiling up, but I held it back. If I slipped up, it could come back to hurt Kim Dokja too.

After a while, every last one of them was subdued.

I walked slowly toward the one who had looked like their leader.

"Kh… kheheh…"

"What's so funny?"

"So you're one of those types too… You've killed a fair number of people, haven't you?"

"Hmm… ambiguous."

"…What?"

It was true.

The Identity I was currently wearing had killed quite a lot of people.

But the original me had never killed anyone.

"Not sure which standard I should use…"

"What the hell kind of bullshit have you been spouting this whole time…"

Thud—!

"Gyaaaaah!!!"

I drove the harpoon through his wrist.

Daring to try a mental attack on the Captain?

"Doesn't seem like the right situation for you to be running your mouth, does it?"

Ah. Running out of time.

"Better wrap this up. Doesn't look like I have any more time to waste on the likes of you."

"Wh-what? Wait, hold on!"

Thud—!

My harpoon cracked across his jaw and he went out cold on the spot.

Did he really think I was going to kill him?

400 Coins. Nice and easy.

Leaving the unconscious man behind, I walked back over to Kim Dokja.

"Is she doing a little better?"

"Yes. Her color's improving bit by bit."

"Good to hear. Then… now it's your turn."

The moment my gaze landed on them, the remaining thugs flinched hard.

"Guide us to where your group is. Or else…"

I smiled coldly and stroked the harpoon. They seemed to understand exactly what that meant, because they started leading the way without further protest.

Following their guidance for a short while, we soon came upon a place crowded with people.

"Huh? It's the Cheoldu faction! Someone's hurt!"

"Help support them over here…!"

People bustled around, busy supporting the so-called Cheoldu faction members. Kim Dokja and I set down the woman we had been carrying as well.

"…Dokja-ssi? Hayeon-ssi?"

I turned toward the familiar voice and saw—

Yoo Sangah staring at us with a look of pure shock.

"Oh my god… Dokja-ssi! Hayeon-ssi!"

When Yoo Sangah called our names, Lee Gilyoung and Lee Hyunsung, who had been beside her, spotted us too and came running.

Gilyoung threw himself into Dokja's arms while Yoo Sangah and Lee Hyunsung gathered around us as well.

"Dokja-ssi! Hayeon-ssi! You're safe!"

"I'm so glad… truly, so glad…!"

"Dokja-ssi…! Hayeon-ssi…!"

"But Hayeon-ssi, your appearance…"

"Ah. Right."

I was still wearing the Captain's Identity.

Apparently keeping the Identity active for four straight days inside the sea monster's stomach had drained my mental strength. I released it.

The hat, the pipe, and the harpoon strapped to my back all vanished.

My original clothes returned.

Haa… I'd missed this.

"Ha-Hayeon-ssi?! Your appearance changed—!"

"Shh, shh! Sangah-ssi! Keep it down a little…!"

"Ah…!"

Yoo Sangah clamped a hand over her mouth at my warning.

No good would come of letting people know my appearance could change.

And that bastard was here, after all.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're all safe."

"I'm so sorry about back then. Leaving Dokja-ssi and Hayeon-ssi behind…"

"It's fine. There was nothing you could do in that situation."

"It's a real relief that Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi's words turned out to be right."

"Yoo Joonghyuk?"

Ah, right.

That girl had already come through here once, hadn't she?

Since Dokja was here now, she wouldn't be around…

Then that meant it was almost that guy's turn next?

"Everyone, move!!"

In an instant, people surrounded us and leveled their weapons.

And from the center of them, one man revealed himself.

"Y-you…!"

"Throw those bastards out! They're pure evil!"

"They shouldn't be allowed to stay here!"

Han Myungoh.

A truly remarkable specimen who somehow managed to hit peak unlikability every single time I saw him.

And from behind that Han Myungoh, another figure approached with a sly smile.

"Haha, Hyung. Survivors should get along, shouldn't they? Why the hostility?"

"A pleasure. You must be the new arrivals today. Might I ask your names?"

"I am Cheon Inho."

Cheon Inho.

A bat-like personality and gaslighting skills that rivaled even the Captain's.

Honestly, he ranked high on my list of people I thoroughly disliked.

"Kim Dokja."

"Park Hayeon."

"I've already heard about you from the people who came with you."

"They say you fought monsters and saved members of our group."

What kind of nonsense was that?

"Everyone, gather around!"

"These brave new group members went out and brought back food for us themselves!"

"Whoa, it's food!"

Wow… already stirring them up.

"Welcome to Geumho Station, Dokja-ssi. Hayeon-ssi."

I'll deal with you later, you piece of shit.

Leaving his words behind, we first gathered and shared information.

The current headcount and factions at Geumho Station.

The mainstream group and the outcast group.

And Cheon Inho, who led that mainstream group.

A situation I thoroughly disliked.

The woman we had rescued outside—Jung Heewon—belonged to the outcast group and had been volunteered for a scouting party, which was how she ended up like that.

It was obvious at a glance: the mainstream group ruled this place, and the outcast groups scraped by under their thumb.

I hated it.

"Hyunsung-ssi, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you somehow managed not to go over to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠their side."

"I figured they would've given you the hard sell."

"Ah, that…"

"…I just felt like I should stay."

"I don't really know much about grand morals or ethics…"

"But something about them just felt… wrong."

"Thinking about right and wrong at a time like this might be hypocrisy, but…"

"Hyunsung-ssi."

"Y-yes?"

"Hypocrisy is still a kind of good. So isn't that fine?"

"Hayeon-ssi…"

"Dokja-ssi. Hayeon-ssi."

Cheon Inho's voice ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shattered the warm atmosphere. I turned my gaze toward him with open irritation.

"Could we speak for a moment?"

Bring it on, you bat bastard.