4. Doksahoe
4. Doksahoe
His younger sister was a model student.
Unlike himself, she had never missed being ranked first in the entire school, always had good friendships with classmates, and was an object of envy for everyone.
That A-yeong had joined a criminal organization and become a wanted person was something Shingen couldn't believe at all.
"How on earth... how did it come to that...?"
"She started going astray after you disappeared. It seems your existence meant a great deal to A-yeong."
"......."
He hadn't spent that much time with his sister.
Like any other siblings, they fought a lot, bickering and squabbling, and even hated each other at times.
To hear that his existence meant a great deal to such a sister was quite shocking to him.
"She's already left our hands. She won't listen no matter how much we try to persuade her."
"......."
"So you should just forget all this and live a new life. That would be for the best for you too, Geon-hyeok."
Forget about his sister and live on.
Why did those words feel like flying daggers stabbing into him?
"...I understand."
Shingen nodded and said nothing more.
Outwardly, he probably looked like an obedient son who listened to his parents... but that was just a well-intentioned lie to reassure them.
"It seems I'll have to look into this separately."
He had absolutely no intention of giving up on his younger sister.
He would bring her back somehow and make her apologize and repent for tearing their parents' hearts to shreds.
That was the way that would be best for everyone.
He spent the night with his parents and had breakfast with them the next morning.
It wasn't a lavish feast, but having meat side dishes and various vegetables was more than enough.
Above all, sharing a meal with his real family held the greatest meaning.
'I wonder if those guys are doing alright.'
Thinking of his family brought the members of the Gurenkai to mind.
Leaving behind the direct lieutenants who followed him and the countless members bothered him a little, as it inevitably would.
But a Gate had suddenly opened and sucked him in, so there was nothing he could do about that part.
Did Shingen himself expect to suddenly return to Earth?
After finishing his meal, Shingen did the dishes, got dressed, and prepared to go out.
The soiled black suit had been neatly laundered overnight, so there was no problem wearing it.
"Geon-hyeok-ah. Where are you planning to go this early in the morning?"
Just as he was putting on his shoes to leave, his father, who had been watching him intently, spoke up.
"...I just thought I'd go for a walk or something. I figured it's better to do something than just sit still."
It bothered him to lie so naturally, but there was no choice.
He didn't want to cause unnecessary worry.
"...I see."
But his father nodded in acceptance without any question and slowly went back into his room.
'Does father already know?'
He didn't show any reaction, but not everything is visible to the eye.
While his mother might not know, his father definitely knew what Shingen was going to do.
He could have stopped him, but he didn't.
Perhaps deep down, his father also wished for his younger sister to return home.
'...I mustn't disappoint him.'
Shingen turned on his smartphone and dialed the only saved phone number.
[Ah, you contacted me quickly. Shingen-ssi.]
"I have some information I want. Can you get it for me?"
The Association said they would support returnees with all their might, so it should be okay to request this much support, right?
For now, he had no choice but to boldly go out and ask for information.
[The organization your sister joined, Doksahoe, is one we've been keeping an eye on as well.]
Shingen drove the car while listening to Ban Yeo-hee's story.
As Hunters and special abilities appeared, organized crimes utilizing those abilities also increased exponentially, she explained.
Once you gain strong power, you don't necessarily use it in the right direction.
Moreover, since Awakening occurs randomly, regardless of whether one is a criminal or an ordinary person, such problems were bound to happen even more.
The world named these people Villains and was doing its best to eradicate them from society.
[The organization's name is Doksahoe. It's not a very large organization, but it's based on the outskirts of Seoul, expanding its influence by smuggling drugs and distributing Awakening agents for Hunters. Currently, it's disguised under the name Doksahoe Pharmaceutical Company.]
"Drug smuggling."
That was something that happened as commonly as eating meals in Noir Earth, where Shingen was from.
Cheap drugs had penetrated so deeply into society that picking them up off the ground wouldn't even matter.
Of course, after Shingen took power, he completely banned drug smuggling and changed the business direction to walk a tightrope between legality and illegality.
"The information seems reliable, but why haven't you caught them until now?"
However, a question arose in Shingen's mind.
If the Association knew this much about the criminal organization, why hadn't they eradicated them completely?
[Dealing with awakened criminals isn't that easy. We also lack absolute manpower.]
Just as there are powerful Hunters, there are also powerful Villains.
[The ability itself didn't have eyes.]
"It seems the Hunters are also suffering from a severe manpower shortage."
[That's right. Just blocking the Gates is already considered doing their job well.]
The biggest reasons Hunters enter Gates are fame and money.
However, capturing villains doesn't earn you as much as entering Gates does, so there are hardly any people who volunteer for such work.
'If the government and the Association forced it, the backlash would be huge.'
From their standpoint, there was nothing to do but watch from the sidelines.
But now the situation had changed a little.
Because Shingen had made up his mind to deal with those bastards himself.
"I'd like to make a proposal. Will you hear me out?"
...
..
.
[...Is that really true?]
"Yeah. They're guys I have to deal with anyway. Since no one is stepping forward voluntarily, I'll step up."
Upon hearing Shingen's words, she fell silent for a moment.
That was understandable, as while Shingen's request was tempting, it required a lot to give in return.
"I'll take on the role of dealing with villain organizations. In return, the Association provides me with information on villain organizations and pays a certain level of compensation. I think this level is beneficial for both sides."
He didn't want to get blood on his hands after returning to his hometown.
But he had come to realize that in this world, you could never protect precious things without getting blood on them.
[...Certainly, it is a good proposal for everyone.]
"I won't demand a high price. It's enough if you just pay me appropriately."
Shingen began to persuade her, speaking in a friendly tone.
[For now, let's decide after this matter is resolved. It's not something I can decide unilaterally on my own.]
"Then let's do that."
While living in the Noir World, Shingen had gotten a lot of blood on his hands.
He had killed countless people, piled up mountains of corpses, and moved forward.
For someone like him to step forward and say he'd eradicate criminal organizations was completely out of character.
'Of course, I did try to live decently....'
He had reduced illegal businesses as much as possible, leaving only enough to avoid severe backlash.
He had engaged in legitimate work, and though he couldn't go as far as volunteer service, he believed he had lived honorably over there in his own way.
The blood he had stained his hands with wouldn't disappear, but he would strive to set everything right from now on.
The first start of that was the eradication of villain organizations.
To be precise, it was the cleanup of the Doksahoe, the organization his sister was involved with.
Screech.
A sedan stopped in front of a shabby building on the outskirts of Seoul.
Getting out of the car, Shingen looked at the one building that stood tall among the shabby structures.
[Doksahoe Pharmaceutical Company]
The sign said it was a pharmaceutical company, but according to information from the Association Chairman, this was just a shell.
Its true body was a villain organization called the Doksahoe.
As if to show they were no ordinary guys, two burly, vicious-looking men in tailored suits were standing in front of the building.
Shingen slowly moved his steps toward them, heading for the entrance.
"Halt right there."
Seeing the man approaching, the two giants stopped him.
"This is the private property and building of Doksahoe Pharmaceutical Company. Unidentified persons cannot enter."
A bald man with a large, diagonal scar on his face warned in a thick voice.
But the man didn't stop at all, taking step after step forward.
From the beginning, Shingen had only one method in mind.
"If you take one more step, we will have to subdue you by force-"
At the same moment the giants tried to pull something from their suits.
BOOM!!!
A sound like a bomb exploding was heard.
The giant on the left turned his head at the explosive noise coming from the right.
There, his colleague lay planted in the ground like a plant, his face crushed into pulp.
A single punch had turned a person's face into pulp.
"An, an attack-!!!"
The moment the man, overwhelmed by superhuman strength far surpassing an ordinary human's, urgently tried to call his comrades.
"What happened to all that bravado? Now you're just desperate to call your comrades."
Along with a low voice, a pain as if his head was being crushed descended.
BOOM!!!
Another explosion sounded as the guy hit by the fist had his body smash through the building's main door, flying in and slamming into the wall.
As Shingen entered through the shattered door, men in black suits holding blades appeared from all around.
"Who, who are you!"
"You damn bastard, do you know where this is!!!"
The men were enraged, taking stances as if they would rush at him any moment.
But after slowly scanning them once, Shingen let out a hollow laugh at the sight.
"Pathetic bastards, trembling in fear yet waving knives around. Let this life senior give you one lesson."
At the same time, he stomped the floor once with his leg.
Crunch. Crrrrumble!!!
The building floor cracked and upheaved, collapsing the bastards' formation in an instant.
"If you're not certain, don't risk your life. My fists have no eyes."
He had chosen to break through head-on with just his fists.