Chapter 132
Chapter 132
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: The Hyena Digging Behind the Heavenly Demon (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Undercover employment, you say?"
"It's certain."
Jeong Changwook, the section chief, said with a lollipop stick in his mouth.
"They must be here to smuggle relics or dungeon materials out of the country."
Korea had the most abundant dungeon materials in the world and the highest number of dungeons that produced expensive relics.
Because of this, there were frequent cases of awakeners from other countries entering as ordinary laborers and smuggling out relics and dungeon materials.
If they got a job as an awakener, they'd have a huge chunk taken out in taxes.
"No way."
The female office worker glanced at the Heavenly Demon's documents and shook her head.
"I was a bit suspicious too, so I asked earlier. But he knew way more about interior design than the manager who consulted on our newlywed home."
"It could be a skill."
"Pardon?"
Jeong Changwook smirked and said.
"There are all sorts of skills out there. Some can cram knowledge into your head all at once in a short time."
"Oh, come on. That guy could barely speak Korean properly earlier."
"Is that so?"
He crunched down on the candy in his mouth.
Then he looked at the female office worker and gave a strange smile.
"But that guy earlier. Where's his address listed?"
* * *
Shield Boundary Zone.
This place, far from residential areas, was lined with dilapidated, empty buildings like a ghost town.
Vrrr. Vrrrr.
At the edge of the boundary zone, an old car struggled up the narrow road climbing the hill.
It was an outdated electric vehicle that was hardly produced anymore, with a globe-like logo on the side.
Click.
The car finally reached the top of the hill and stopped. The door opened.
"Ugh."
Jeong Changwook stepped out of the driver's seat, loosening his tight necktie slightly, and looked up at the sky.
At the end of that boundary zone stood a rundown building that seemed to touch the blue shield stretching out.
"Living in a place like this..."
Jeong Changwook shook his head as he gazed at the old building with a rooftop room.
This Shield Boundary Zone was a place where you could run into hidden monsters popping out unexpectedly at any time.
There had been several major incidents, and not just ordinary people—even awakeners had packed up and fled.
Yet a plain foreign laborer living here?
"The address is fake."
Caught red-handed.
Now it was clear that burly foreigner had put down a false address and was sneaking into dungeons.
"Wait, what's that?"
Jeong Changwook rubbed his eyes.
Surprisingly, at the edge of this boundary zone, not only was there a rooftop room, but a proper villa had been built too?
"Awakener Association?"
Incredibly, there was a monster truck marked with the Awakener Association logo in front of the villa.
Looking closely, the villa only looked like a private home on the outside—the rooftop was packed with relay equipment and radars.
"Strange."
Jeong Changwook shook his head as he stared intently at the villa.
No way this was a barracks for Association awakeners?
"That can't be..."
As he stroked his chin, a clear voice came from behind him.
"How did you get here?"
Turning around, he saw a remarkably handsome blond young man blinking at him.
'When did he get here?'
Jeong Changwook nodded inwardly as he looked into the eyes of the young man who had approached without a sound or presence.
'I see. An Association awakener.'
Having dealt with illegal alien awakeners for years, Jeong Changwook recognized that the young man's colored lenses were the protect lenses worn by high-speed movement awakeners.
"Ah, excuse me."
Jeong Changwook gave a friendly smile to the young man and pointed to the rooftop room.
"I have a question. No one lives in that building up front, right?"
"Someone does."
"Someone lives there? No way."
Jeong Changwook's mouth fell open at the unexpected answer.
"No way."
"Look. There's a blanket hanging up there."
Sure enough, a large blanket was drying on the rooftop the young man pointed to.
"Then, do you happen to know who lives there?"
"Ah, Heavenly Demon? Of course..."
As the young man opened his mouth, the front door opened and a woman in an apron stepped out.
"Eunho, what are you doing? Didn't you go buy eggs?"
"Oh, right."
The young man, Yoo Eunho, clapped his hands and pointed to Jeong Changwook.
"This person was asking something..."
"Who are you?"
The woman in the apron, Cho Hong, tilted her head at Jeong Changwook.
"You're not from the Association. What organization are you with?"
Jeong Changwook couldn't hide his surprise that this round-faced, kind-looking woman had immediately pegged him as a civil servant.
'Is she the person in charge here?'
Her appearance was modest, but her eyes were no joke.
Noticing the considerable authority in her gaze toward the blond young man, Jeong Changwook bowed his head.
"Ah, excuse me."
He quickly pulled a business card from his inner pocket and handed it over.
"Immigration Investigation Section, Foreigner Policy Headquarters?"
Cho Hong's eyes widened as she looked at the card she received.
Why would a civil servant from the department investigating foreigners entering Korea come to the Shield Boundary Zone?
"Team leader. What's the Immigration Investigation Section?"
Yoo Eunho, peering at the card beside her, asked. Jeong Changwook nodded inwardly.
"Ah, it's the department that investigates illegal residents. Including illegal alien awakeners."
"I see."
As Yoo Eunho nodded, Jeong Changwook glanced at the villa and said.
"That house up front. I heard a foreigner lives there..."
"Heavenly Demon?"
"You know him well?"
"Oh, sure. The Dark Knight who saved us several times..."
"Dark Knight?"
As Jeong Changwook blinked, Cho Hong pinched Yoo Eunho's back lightly and said.
"Dark Knight... We sometimes gather to play games like that."
"Oh, I see. You must be close."
"Well..."
As Cho Hong started to speak, she furrowed her brows.
Now she saw—this middle-aged man was subtly prying about Heavenly Demon.
"Are you investigating Heavenly Demon?"
At Cho Hong's direct question, Jeong Changwook wore a faint smile.
"Yes."
"Heavenly Demon isn't an illegal resident, so there's nothing to investigate."
"No. It's not exactly an investigation... Just a bit suspicious."
"What's suspicious?"
A strange smile played on Jeong Changwook's lips as he looked at the rooftop room.
"Huge muscles, red eyes. Clearly an awakener, but doing interior work? That's odd."
As a sharp glint flashed in Jeong Changwook's eyes, Cho Hong bit her lip.
'No way they found out Heavenly Demon is going into dungeons?'
As a department handling illegal alien awakeners, this middle-aged man in front of her must be a capable awakener too.
Well aware of Heavenly Demon's double life with dungeons, Cho Hong feigned ignorance and said.
"You're doing unnecessary investigating."
"Pardon?"
"Heavenly Demon works hard at interior jobs every day. If he were an awakener, we would know."
"We..."
"Special Response Team Leader under Strategic Planning, Cho Hong. This is our team's barracks."
'Strategic Planning...'
A gleam rose in Jeong Changwook's eyes.
He knew agents under Strategic Planning had judicial authority to arrest awakeners who broke the law.
"I see. If it's the Association, then..."
"Of course."
Cho Hong answered brazenly, but her heart pounded.
'Me, lying for that rock of a man.'
Jeong Changwook suddenly looked into Cho Hong's eyes and gave a strange smile.
"You must be close."
"Pardon?"
"No. Just surprised that a foreign laborer doing manual labor is friends with an Association agent."
There was a thorn in his words.
Yoo Eunho, who had been silently listening beside Cho Hong, had his eyes turn cold at the same time.
"That's, um, quite amusing."
"Pardon?"
"Feels like being interrogated by some high-and-mighty lord."
In the past, before dungeons, Korea's power was divided into three branches: legislative, judicial, executive.
But after First Busters, the Awakener Association rose as a new power institution and independent body.
The Republic of Korea Awakener Association controlled all awakeners in the country. Exaggerating a bit, it was like a fourth branch.
"No way. A lowly civil servant like me wouldn't dare..."
Jeong Changwook waved his hands and gave an awkward smile, bowing his head.
"If I've upset you, I'm sorry. I apologize."
It wasn't sarcasm—it was true.
A section chief from the Foreigner Policy Headquarters couldn't afford to offend a core Association agent.
"Then I'll be going."
Jeong Changwook bowed once more and turned toward his car.
"Heavenly Demon doesn't need investigating. If he's an illegal awakener, we'll handle it."
At Cho Hong's words, Jeong Changwook's steps halted.
"But you see."
Turning back, Jeong Changwook grinned and said.
"He's not a citizen—he's a foreigner... So it's our jurisdiction."
With a soft smile, Jeong Changwook said in a low voice.
"Even the Association can't..."
Vroom.
Jeong Changwook got into his old car, bowed his head out the window once more.
"Then, excuse me."
Vrooom.
Watching the departing car, a cold flash gleamed in Yoo Eunho's eyes.
"That guy's annoying."
Gripping his fist, Yoo Eunho ground his teeth.
"Why's a lowly Justice Ministry civil servant investigating Heavenly Demon? Did he cause some incident?"
"If he just said it was suspicious, he probably doesn't know anything specific."
Cho Hong narrowed her eyes at the vanishing old car.
That Jeong Changwook's gaze was no ordinary thing. And though he called himself a lowly civil servant, a section chief was basically a team leader in most departments.
"Looks like I need to meet Heavenly Demon."
"Pardon?"
"We can't just let them poke around while Heavenly Demon sits idle."
"What will you do?"
"Talk to him."
At Yoo Eunho's worried expression, Cho Hong stared at the rooftop room and said.
"If not, I'll use my authority to make him a dungeon pass or something."
Evening.
As the sun set, a fairly chilly wind blew in.
Having finished all his work and clocked out, Heavenly Demon returned to the rooftop room and skillfully parked the Ramas.
Clunk.
Heavenly Demon shifted the now-rare manual transmission to neutral, pulled the side brake fully, and got out.
"Hmm."
With Nameless on his shoulder, about to head up to the rooftop, Heavenly Demon suddenly stopped.
He stared intently at the dark back of the parking lot where no lights were on, muttering in a low voice.
"What is it."
As Heavenly Demon's low voice echoed, a small shadow stepped out from behind the parking lot. It was Cho Hong.
"Busy?"
"Busy."
At Heavenly Demon's curt, cold reply, Nameless scratched its head and said.
[Recently, Heavenly Demon has been hooked on dramas.]
Nameless started explaining embarrassedly.
[The auditor from 'My Auditor' that ended recently has a season 2 airing. It's romance genre but has plenty of action scenes. Fusion historical with light, fun story—recommend Team Leader watch it too.]
Cho Hong looked dumbfounded.
She'd heard the little nanobot's language pack was set weirdly, but it spoke this fluently?
"It'll only take a moment."
Cho Hong stood in front of Heavenly Demon as he entered the building and said.
"It's important to you."
"Important to this lord?"
"Today, Immigration Investigation from Foreigner Policy Headquarters came investigating you. So..."
Cho Hong explained in detail what happened that afternoon.
"They definitely suspect you're entering dungeons illegally."
Recalling Jeong Changwook's languid yet sharp eyes, Cho Hong added.
"The head of a department handling illegal alien awakeners won't be a pushover."
"No matter."
As Heavenly Demon waved it off, Cho Hong said with a serious expression.
"Heavenly Demon. No matter how much you go into dungeons for good deeds, no matter that you don't pocket relics... With your current status, just entering is illegal."
As Heavenly Demon fell silent, Cho Hong spoke again.
"All our team members are worried about you. Honestly, me too."
"Done talking?"
"No. Not yet."
Cho Hong stared straight into Heavenly Demon's eyes and said.
"I'll make you an awakener registration card."
Taking a deep breath, she clenched her fist.
"I'll roughly input your skills and physical awakening level. That should work, right?"
"What are you saying."
"Your physical awakening and skills are so insane they'd cause a uproar if revealed, so you can't register. Right?"
Cho Hong thought the reason Heavenly Demon hadn't registered as an awakener was because his skills and physical awakening level were too overwhelmingly powerful, beyond common sense.
"I'll do that for you. So register now and enter dungeons openly."
"Nonsense."
"I know it's forceful. I know if you suddenly register, Immigration will suspect more."
"..."
"But doesn't matter? If it's known you're going into dungeons to help people, not for relics or money..."
Instead of answering, Heavenly Demon calmly walked past Cho Hong.
Was it because his goodwill was ignored? Or pity she couldn't hold back?
Cho Hong lowered her head and bit her lip. Then a thought flashed.
'No way he wouldn't?'
That's right.
That man, despite his immense power, didn't flaunt it to the world, saving awakeners in danger as a righteous Dark Knight.
He would never harm others to protect himself.
[Heavenly Demon.]
Nameless hurriedly entered the rooftop room and said to Heavenly Demon, who had turned on the TV.
[Even for high-rank Association awakeners, forging an ID is a major crime.]
"What are you saying."
[If caught, Team Leader Cho Hong would face severe discipline and punishment, and never be able to register as an awakener for life.]
Nameless spoke in a sorrowful voice to Heavenly Demon, whose gaze was fixed on the TV.
[Don't you get it? She tried to help you without caring for her own safety.]
Heavenly Demon gave no reply. Or rather, he couldn't.
His red eyes were fixed only on the actors on TV, his ears hearing only their lines.
[Heavenly Demon...]
Nameless's sensor eyes flashed helplessly.
In the end, only one person could resolve all this.
* * *
"What? Immigration Investigation?"
Next day, morning.
Nameless, who had gone to work with Heavenly Demon, didn't go to the storage room but straight to Jang Chaewon's desk.
And relayed everything Cho Hong had told them the night before.
[Yes. Moreover, this Jeong Changwook section chief has a flashy record. Started as a lowly civil servant in Investigation at over 30, caught only illegal alien awakeners, rose to 6th Grade section chief.]
Having already hacked the Foreigner Policy Headquarters' network, Nameless continued quickly.
[As a civil servant, no Association registration, but single-handedly dismantled organizations aiding illegal stays multiple times, so likely 4th Grade awakener or higher.]
"Hmm."
Jang Chaewon sighed and shook her head after hearing Nameless's explanation.
"So the Association awakener next door tried to make Heavenly Demon an awakener ID for him."
Having heard the details from Nameless about the Special Response Team, Jang Chaewon knew they mistook Heavenly Demon for a good person.
But to go as far as committing a felony to help him.
"Should've registered Heavenly Demon as an awakener sooner."
[Too late now, right?]
"Of course. A contractor doing interiors suddenly awakens? Say it's coincidence. But that Investigation civil servant won't buy it."
Tapping her desk with her finger while propping her chin, Jang Chaewon looked at Heavenly Demon.
Whether they talked about him or not, Heavenly Demon, having finished cleaning, sat at the reception table reading a book calmly.
"Heavenly Demon, hear that? Talking about you. You. Is this someone else's business?"
No matter how Jang Chaewon yelled, Heavenly Demon focused on his book with a disinterested expression.
"Fine, fine. Read your book."
Muttering irritably, Jang Chaewon shook her head.
"Well, only one way left then."
After agonizing, Jang Chaewon picked up the Divine Request phone. Nameless's sensor eyes sparkled.
[Contacting Divine Territory Management Team?]
"Yeah."
Taking a deep breath, Jang Chaewon smiled leisurely and said.
"When in doubt, just crush with power."