Shelter Newly Established

Shelter expansion.

It was a major decision for selecting the next base after Unregistered Team. It required the utmost caution, so information from drones or CCTV just wasn't enough.

The intel you get from personally inspecting the site is on a whole different level.

And so, my two agents—Jenny and Ollie—who were the core forces of the shelter, were carrying out the [First Agent Dispatch for Shelter Candidate Inspection] smoothly.

That's when it happened.

"Gasp!"

Jenny, who had been zealously exploring the site, let out a startled scream.

"...No way!"

The culprit: strawberry tanghulu.

While checking out a shelter candidate site, they'd stopped by a tanghulu stall.

Jenny crunched into the strawberry tanghulu with her molars.

Thinking of the fruit candies the Captain only allowed one of per day due to cavity concerns... And then—

"!!!"

Shock and awe.

"Th-this is amazing! Oh my god! It can't be this sweet!"

Crispy on the outside.

Juicy fruit inside.

The hardened sugar syrup melted like snow in her mouth, blending perfectly with the fresh strawberry juice.

"No way!!!"

Of course, this was all just an essential check on [food procurement conditions] for shelter site selection.

It was unavoidable as part of agent duties. Gotta push through with enthusiasm—what choice did she have?

"Delicious, huh? You must get a big allowance from your parents."

The tanghulu shop owner smiled kindly.

Jenny had already demolished five skewers.

Ollie, standing beside her, poked at a tangerine tanghulu.

"Hmm. Tasty, but..."

Chewing a mouthful of tangerine tanghulu, Ollie judged that choco pies were better.

Growing bored, he set down his seventh skewer and grabbed the sleeve of Jenny, who was shivering all over in delight, before heading to the next destination.

"Over there. Detecting some serious energy flows. Gotta include elements perfect for a shelter."

"Huh?"

As the core agent for operational control and a mana-tech expert, Ollie could tell.

【Ice Cream Shop】

This place... it's constellation-grade.

Jenny and Ollie charged straight into the ice cream shop.

"We'll take all of these!"

Cash handling was Ollie's job—he'd mastered Earth's transaction methods and currency.

He handed over the money left from the 100,000 won the Captain gave him after buying tanghulu.

A kid with a weird mustache. Is it Halloween today?

The ice cream shop owner eyed Ollie's mismatched mustache curiously, but after the cataclysm, people with flashy appearances had surged, so he didn't think much of it.

Next: tornado potatoes.

"Gasp!" "Whoa."

Churros.

"Impossible!" "Wow!"

Hot dogs, blueberry cake, fruit smoothies.

"So good!!!"

"Deca is trash. Deca is trash. Deca is trash."

At that moment,

"...Am I forgetting what I'm seeing?"

I was watching my agents' sweet-and-sour dispatch in real-time from the ops room.

Yeah. This is what outings are for.

Being a shut-in sniper is my thing— the kids are innocent.

Letting them run around outside, soak up sunlight, and blow off steam ensures they'll stay healthy and happy for future missions.

Should've given them more pocket money.

"Oh ho. That spot looks spacious—perfect for a shelter. Jenny. Ollie."

Their balance finally hit zero.

The two agents, bellies bulging, headed off to the next shelter candidate site.

"Excellent! What's the next stop!"

"Proceed!"

.

.

.

"Alright. Check that spot and head back. Good work."

The agents, who'd been deep into their dispatch survey, would soon return.

They'd zipped across the country via spatial jumps, scouting sites with efficiency no criminal could dream of.

Of course, they'd done a ton of unavoidable snacking along the way, so upon return: brushing teeth and balanced Korean meals for nutrition.

That's when—

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The connection rang deafeningly loud in my ears.

A man's scream.

Gruesome sound. Had to drop the volume to minimum.

"......"

The man's screams continued, then abruptly stopped.

On the call screen: inside some unidentified container, a formerly human thing—limbs bound, head slumped—being tortured.

Beside it, a long-haired woman in a form-fitting black dress.

For a torturer, her outfit was impeccably neat and clean.

In her hand: a dagger dripping blood, plus three large nails not yet fully hammered in.

I sent my input via text, no voice.

Seol rolled her eyes, pondering how long, then—

She panned the camera to show the villain executive's body parts neatly arranged nearby.

Info on more people inside the Management Bureau.

Detailed descriptions unknown even to the executive himself.

Hearing that much, I double-checked the screen showing my agents safely scampering around outside the shelter.

Even before dispatch—back when I didn't know about the villain targeting Jenny—I'd prepped excessive defense items and countermeasures. Plus,

Muscle monster and blind swordsman summonable to designated spots on my command.

But no need for that now.

The agents' outing was wrapping up peacefully.

Here's the full situation.

Right as the agents headed out,

I got a call from Hongmaehwa.

A Necrophilia executive was hunting Jenny.

A spy hiding in the Management Bureau.

Claimed he could ID her rough appearance and mana residue.

Location data showed him—coincidentally or not—searching near Jenny and Ollie.

Hearing his intent:

Grab the agent (Jenny), torture her, uncover Unregistered's identity.

"......"

I immediately had Hongmaehwa capture and turn him into the torturee.

Seol interpreted my words appropriately and resumed work.

Even at min volume, the screams pierced the system—I ended the call.

Agents due back soon.

Screen showed them hiding in a deserted spot, forming a warp point.

I left the ops room and stood by the agents' beds in my room.

Then—

The two agents safely returned, plopping softly onto their beds.

"Captain! Agent Jenny has completed dispatch and returned safely!"

Jenny threw a salute she'd learned who-knows-where,

"Ollie reporting back!"

Ollie proudly hoisted an ice cream bag.

That's all melted by now.

They'd soon face the disaster inside.

"Ah, already ate it all! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠This is just trash—gonna [Clean] it. Can't leave traces along the route!"

......Flawless kid.

Korea Rank 8 = Baek Yeon

She'd been hounded all day by Rank 7 Paeng Je-won's 【★UNOFFICIAL★】 join invites.

"Unregistered is a god. Don't you get it yet, miss?"

"Not the words for a Hell Gate crisis."

"Pardon? Saying not to seek gods in war feels off."

Baek Yeon shook her head and ignored Paeng Je-won, walking down the hall.

Her silver-maned wolf waiting in the corridor, she entered the director's video conference room without knocking.

Something only Director Baek Moon-seong's granddaughter could do.

"Grandpa."

"......"

But Baek Moon-seong didn't respond even to his cherished granddaughter.

His eyes glued to a tiny status message, pouring all focus into it.

"......!!!"

Baek Moon-seong's expression turned inscrutable.

Necrophilia had finally crossed the line. No clue what or how, but one thing was clear.

They'd pissed off Unregistered's ire.

Big time.

Tsk tsk. Rushed in blindly. If they'd stayed quiet, half might've survived.

Until now, Unregistered only reacted to unknown reasons or Power Fragments, wiping villains.

Moved solely for its own goals, no distinction between foe or ally.

The off-spec hunter indifferent to humanity itself.

Now explicitly designating Necrophilia as extermination target.

Doesn't mean humanity's an ally, though.

Sure enough, the follow-up:

No ally definition.

Only enemy specified.

Got it. I'll keep this to myself for now.

Unregistered hates hassle.

No need to broadcast—just manage so trends align with the declaration.

If not cooperative... publicize, and let them bear responsibility.

Baek Moon-seong, mid-video conference, spoke.

Aimed at Tanaka, Japan's stand-in.

"Hmm... Shall confirm with Unregistered Hunter re: gate interior subjugation—no, Necrophilia holy relic recovery support."

"!!!"

Tanaka half-rose from his seat.

Korea's Unregistered offering help?

"Can't guarantee. Just checking. But first, prep solid compensation for mission. Matches Unregistered's stance from past Bureau experience. Astronomical sums, of course."

"H-how much, Director Baek?!"

"Additional inter-nation pact, or Unregistered support?"

"......"

Irresistible for Tanaka.

"Great job, really! Jenny! Ollie!"

"No problem! It was an epic dispatch! But Jenny pulled through! Captain! I'll keep hitting tanghulu—er, dispatches hard!"

Jenny bounced around, tanghulu sugar still on her lips,

"Captain, any chance [Cooking] can whip up choco pies or screw bars?"

Ollie tried hacking [Cooking] on the spot but hit a wall—unexpectedly untouchable—and slumped in defeat.

Then, the three of us held a shelter meeting.

Reviewing details on existing candidates based on Jenny and Ollie's analysis data.

World Tower top floor contamination nearing 0%—far better than Bureau data, with on-site analysis even more detailed.

Even first-person footage from the top with full directional views, but stealth concerns still needed improvement.

Other new candidates: Third Tunnel, Unification Observatory, Incheon abandoned factory site.

63 Building, Namsan Tower, Jamsil high-rise apartment roof, parking lot abandoned office, underground mall, military supply depot—even Gonjiam Mental Hospital.

Every site Jenny and Ollie scouted personally had serious appeal.

"Now it's just my call."

"Yes, Captain!" "ROGER!"

Truth be told, I'd decided early on. Dispatch was just for extra intel.

The agents, reading me perfectly, nodded.

They'd felt it firsthand—no better spot post-inspection.

【Abandoned Subway Station】

My order given,

"Before new shelter setup, last-checking unconfirmeds like essentials, misc items, ops data transfer!"

Ollie handling final checks on potential oversights.

This room stays our main base,

But a new home—properly now.

"Thanks, you adorable things."

Watching the bustling agents,

I checked one file.

Ollie's find during today's abandoned subway re-scout.

"......"

The similar church we'd found before—with the summoning stone in the side room—we'd CCTV'd and monitored constantly, but it wasn't the one.

I'll find it.

The church the bishop used as hideout.

Where he dreamed impossible dreams, awaiting doom.

Covered walls in bizarre murals.

That exact place.

"......"

After [shelterizing] the subway station, I could start remaining work from that control center.

I grabbed [Massacre] and headed to the training ground.

Time to live up to the name.

Chambering. Semi-auto sniper rifle still needs manual bolt for first round,

"......"

Gripped too hard—bolt kept jamming.

"We'll meet again."

Unregistered and his agents

Accept Constellation Anubis and his followers

as extermination targets.

"......We'll definitely meet."

End