The Speed Is 120km
It happens all the time. You tell yourself you'll just have one bite, but the next thing you know, the whole bowl is empty. Or you swear you'll watch just one video before bed, only to look up and see the sun rising. Life is basically an endless series of improvisations, right?
“So from now on, we're changing the mission. We're moving past reconnaissance and investigation straight into extermination.”
I had no idea why Prince Hyun's lackey, Sama Jun, was in this abandoned factory, but it was obvious he had some connection to the guy they called Yama—Yeom Hun. The most wanted criminal we'd been hunting with the police was right inside that factory. There was no way I could just stand by and do nothing.
But Deok-sun looked completely flustered as she spoke up.
“B-but I heard a Grade 3 Awakened can produce firepower on the level of a military company all by themselves. A company is a proper military formation, which means they can operate with independent tactical authority, and…”
“Miss Deok-hee, that analogy isn't landing at all! Can you explain it in simpler terms?”
“A company is usually commanded by a captain, so… that would put them at the same rank as our D-class captain, Captain Kang Cheol-min. Our D-class formation is basically the size of a company too, so… a Grade 3 Awakened has about the same firepower as our entire D-class combined…”
In other words, fighting a Grade 3 concept holder was the same as turning the entire D-class into your enemy. The fact that a single person could project that much destructive power was honestly awe-inspiring. Human potential truly knew no bounds.
Of course, from my perspective, Deok-sun's analogy had one fatal flaw. But showing it would be a lot more effective than trying to explain it with words.
“…What do we do? Ha-Nam-jjin, what's your plan?”
Ppang-daeng-i studied my expression carefully. After hearing Deok-sun's explanation, she seemed to finally realize just how reckless and dangerous it would be to charge into that factory.
The odds are high that Yama's comrades are holed up in there too.
There was no guarantee that the only Grade 3 inside that factory was Yama. According to the information I'd gotten from Seo Gaeul and Yu Yeoreum, the illegal organization Villainers spotted in this area was made up of psycho terrorists—all first-generation graduates from Youngsa High. That meant they were a group. A collective. A gathering.
We had to assume there was at least one or two more bastards on Yama's level. If you had multiple Grade 3 Awakened with company-level firepower, did that make it battalion-level? Regiment-level?
A group of Grade 3 Awakened—.
The weight of that realization seemed to hit the kids who hadn't even graduated high school yet. I could feel the tension and fear spreading across everyone's faces like paint on white paper.
Pathetic—.
What the hell did company-level or battalion-level even matter?
“Hey! Everyone, stop worrying! We've got national-level backing on our side! This is a fight we can't possibly lose!”
“My friend, national-level backing? You have something like that? What exactly is this backing you speak of!”
“112!”
In a ruined world, maybe not, but in a society where the system was still properly established, reporting to the police was both a citizen's right and duty. Some people might curse the cops, calling them pigs or lazy civil servants, but if you actually lived through a post-apocalypse, you'd realize just how much you missed those uniformed brothers….
“The police are the staff of the people. I can say that with absolute certainty.”
“…Oh…”
Baek Yeoul's mouth fell open in a perfect circle. The look on her face didn't sit right with me.
“Ppang-daeng-ah. What?”
“No, I just never expected to hear you suggest calling the police. You're actually way more sensible than I thought? I figured you'd say we should just burn the factory down.”
Burning down an abandoned factory to catch a Grade 3 Awakened? It was definitely one of the options I'd considered. The problem was that the opponent was Yama. That bastard had walked around laughing inside a department store where steel beams were melting, completely unfazed by the flames consuming people. I still sometimes see those smiling eyes behind his gas mask in my dreams.
“Ignition-type abilities are incredibly powerful. But they have a fatal weakness. In the 21st century, where law and order are this firmly established, it's an especially deadly flaw. We need to exploit that.”
“Weakness…?”
Vroom—.
As Ppang-daeng-i tilted her head in confusion, several vans pulled up in front of the abandoned factory.
“Huh?”
Someone let out a dumb sound. It was probably Ppang-daeng-i. I could relate.
Sama Jun and a few other shadows, including Yama, came bursting out of the factory and quickly piled into the vans.
Vroom—.
As the vehicles sped off into the distance, I felt like I was about to foam at the mouth. If we just stood here, we'd miss this golden opportunity.
“Changsik! I'll give you my business card—call this number and tell them everything that just happened! If you drop my name, it'll work out somehow! Somehow!”
“Ha-Nam-jjin! What the hell are you trying to do?! They're already in the cars!”
“I'll chase those cars and buy us time! You guys contact the number on the card like I said and wait for backup!”
“Ah, fuck. How long do we have to keep living like this, hiding in the shadows? Ugh—. I'm sick of moving bases. Can't they at least assign us somewhere nice? Like a hotel. A hotel would be perfect.”
“Yeom Hun, are you actually braindead? Because you fucked up that job two years ago, we're all wanted now. You really think we're going to a hotel? Just shut your mouth.”
Vrrrr—.
Inside the violently rattling van, Sama Jun— a student from Youngsa High's F-class—sat squeezed between a man and a woman, trembling with extreme anxiety. The people sitting on either side of him were all members of Villainers, the group known as super terrorists and super villains.
Sama Jun had heard from his father, a high-ranking broadcasting executive, exactly what kind of atrocities Villainers had committed—and what else they were capable of. That's why he was terrified.
At the same time, he thought they were cool.
They look just like characters from a movie.
Sama Jun was an Awakened. A super-elite who possessed the Explosion concept. It was a concept born from the rebellious urge he'd felt every time he had to listen to his nagging father's drunken rants—I just want to burn everything down.
The ability to create flames just by clapping? Sama Jun had never doubted that he was a chosen one, the protagonist of the world.
But after enrolling at Youngsa High, he'd started to wonder if maybe he wasn't the main character after all.
You could say he'd been crushed by too many walls and fallen into despair. And recently—.
Because of that son of a bitch Ha Namjin, that Star of Destruction video spread everywhere… even the old farts are yelling at me now. And that bastard Prince Hyun suddenly started ignoring all my calls. Fucking bastards. Just wait.
Sama Jun wanted to reclaim his specialness. That's why the madmen of Villainers, who acted like movie villains, felt like cool sunbaes living the kind of life he admired.
“Hey, high schooler. I heard you're an ignition-type like me?”
At Yama's words, Sama Jun jumped in surprise. The man once called the representative ignition-type Awakened was showing interest in him.
Sama Jun was flustered but quickly pulled himself together. This might be his chance to learn know-how and techniques from a senior with similar abilities.
“I-I possess the Explosion concept.”
“Explosion? Whoa, simple and powerful. But your personality must be pretty fucked up, huh? What kind of thoughts do you have to have to desperately crave Explosion? Are you a psychopath?”
“Uh, well…”
“I'm Flame. I wanted to burn alive all the bullies who used to press cigarettes into my neck. Ugh—. Look at this. Fucking disgusting, right?”
Swish—.
Yama – Yeom Hun lifted the hair that mostly covered his neck, revealing the burn scars to everyone. Sama Jun immediately recognized that the grotesque holes were cigarette burns.
Vroom—.
At that moment, the line of vans split off in different directions. One headed toward the city center, while the one Sama Jun was riding in began circling endlessly through a neighborhood full of old, empty houses.
“Ah, shit. We're doing stakeout duty in a neighborhood where it takes twenty minutes just to buy cigarettes at the convenience store? Why the hell do I have to be treated like this? Sniff—. Huuuup—.”
Already sick of the boring stakeout, Yeom Hun grumbled and pulled out an asthma inhaler, taking a deep puff. They continued circling the quiet neighborhood in meaningless repetition.
“In a shithole like this, who the hell would even be tailing us—.”
Yeom Hun couldn't stand the boredom anymore. Then his eyes landed on the high schooler sitting next to him, looking nervous.
The kid was dressed in expensive, high-quality clothes that practically screamed wealth and status. Yeom Hun didn't know the brands, but they were clearly expensive.
“Now that I think about it, the bastards who used to bully me had dads who were company presidents or city council members. No matter how many times I reported them or told the teachers, nothing ever changed. What about you?”
“…Excuse me?”
“You were one of the kids who bullied others like crazy, right? You're a top student. They put you in F-class at Youngsa High? I thought only kids with powerful parents got into F-class. Poor kids were supposed to be in D-class.”
Sama Jun felt nervous and flustered. He didn't know what would happen if he answered wrong here.
“Th-that's not how D-class and F-class are divided… it's not because of background…”
“Huh?”
“…If anything, I'm the one who gets bullied… Do you know the Je-wang Group? Their son, Wang Ja-hyun—he treats me like his personal bread shuttle. He… he…”
“Bread shuttle?”
“He gives me allowance money, and if I carry his bag he gives me steak house gift cards… Honestly, every time I take the money, it hurts my pride so much…”
“Holy shit, how the fuck can someone do that?”
Sliiide—.
Yeom Hun draped his arm around Sama Jun's shoulders. Then he whispered quietly into the trembling boy's ear.
“Hey, you. Can I be your bread shuttle instead? Let's switch. Carrying bags in exchange for steak house gift cards? I'd love to be that kind of bread shuttle.”
Khhhh—.
Everyone in the van burst into dumbfounded laughter.
Yeom Hun pulled something out of his pocket and held it out to Sama Jun. It was a small, fingernail-sized stone.
“This is called a Concept Stone. We've been researching them a lot lately. There are some tiny side effects, but if you have this, that Wang Ja-hyun guy you hate so much—”
BAAAAAANG—!
Suddenly, something slammed into the van. A frontal collision. Everyone was too stunned to react. The van flipped completely over, tumbling through the air like a gymnast.
CRASH! BOOOOM—!
“Ah, fuck, what the hell?! Ugh—.”
Creak—.
Yama Yeom Hun crawled out of the crumpled van door. Sama Jun desperately scrambled out after him.
In front of the men sprawled on the ground, a single young man stood tall.
The experienced Yeom Hun could tell the guy had crashed down with monstrous force, completely destroying the front of the vehicle.
“Who the fuck are you? Hey, Sama Jun. Is this the new practical trainee you mentioned? Yu Yeoreum? I heard she was a tomboy, but this is clearly a guy.”
“Th-that's not Yu Yeoreum, he's…”
Sama Jun couldn't understand what was happening. Why had the male student he hated most in the world, Ha Namjin, suddenly appeared?
Ha Namjin brushed the dust off his legs and spoke.
“I thoroughly explored the area this morning. Since no one lives around here, it means no matter how loud you scream, nobody's coming to help.”
“What? What the hell are you talking about?”
As Yeom Hun tried to stand up, Namjin asked,
“Question. If someone runs 100 meters in 3 seconds, what would their speed be in kilometers per hour?”
“What the fu—”
Before he could finish, a massive foot was already right in front of Yeom Hun's face.
CRAAAAACK—!
With a tremendous noise, Yeom Hun's body shot into the air. It felt like getting hit by a car on the highway. His mind went blank.
It was an ambush he hadn't seen coming. It was so fast that even the experienced Yeom Hun couldn't react.
Fuck, is he a speed-type Awakened?
The real problem came next.
The male student drove his foot straight between the fallen Yeom Hun's legs.
No matter how much of a villain he was, as a fellow man, that special 'empathy' kicked in. The merciless kick aimed at that most delicate and sympathetic part of the male anatomy—the groin.
“Ultimate technique— Namjin Kiiiiiiiiick!!!”
Its speed was 120km per hour.