Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Rumble...
In the crumbling chapel of the rundown church, lifting the floorboards at one corner of the hall revealed stairs leading underground.
At first, the priest feigned ignorance, stammering, "A b-basement? No, how could we have anything like..."
"But what can you do? We've got Tae-woong here." In the end, my single line making it clear I knew everything left him no choice but to guide me to the underground storeroom.
"This is..."
The basement was lit by fluorescent lights. Seo Tae-woong took one look inside and could only click his tongue in disbelief.
"All this is stuff circulating on the black market?"
"What do you think? Hard to believe even seeing it, right?"
Grade 2 cybernetic parts for combat use, Grade 1 parts restricted to military distribution only. Even the core neural memory components for cybernetic bodies were on display. Tae-woong couldn't hide his stunned expression.
"And this pistol even has the official stamp from the Training Manual. It's a new model issued less than a month ago—where the hell did they even get something like this...?"
"Where else? From your superiors, Uncle."
As he stood there gaping, a voice called out from one corner of the basement.
It was a voice weathered by the harshness of the world, laced with a cocky drawl. Amid the acrid haze of cigarette smoke, a woman emerged and pointed a finger skyward.
"It's charity from the high-and-mighty who need quick cash and toss scraps to the likes of us."
"..."
Tae-woong looked shell-shocked. He must not have realized military supply corruption ran this deep. Noticing his expression, Priest Jeong Su-han smiled warmly and spoke up.
"This is my daughter Yu-rim. She handles... side work down here in the basement."
"Ah, I see."
I'd wondered how a priest like him kept the church running. So this was it.
As he spoke, the woman called Yu-rim rose from her seat and sauntered over to me. The stench of booze and smokes clung to her, but she made no effort to hide it as she extended her hand.
"Jeong Yu-rim. Twenty-six years old."
"Kim Chang-un."
I hadn't asked her age. Though for a daughter, she seemed pretty old. Glancing at the priest mid-handshake, he caught my look and scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"She's my foster daughter. Most of the kids living at the church are the same."
"Huh?"
Yu-rim as an underground arms dealer made sense, but the church kids too?
"Isn't it a hassle registering that many kids on the household registry? All sorts of losses from taxes and subsidies."
"Haha, a hassle?"
The priest chuckled softly and said to me, "In this harsh world, seeing them grow up so bright and strong—how could that ever be a loss?"
"Ah, yeah..."
I had no idea how to respond, so I just mumbled awkwardly in agreement.
Those eyes of his held not a speck of worldly greed. Even in my second life, I still couldn't wrap my head around the mindset of these Catholics. Why waste money on charity that brought zero profit?
"Twenty-six?"
But that thought didn't last. Tae-woong activated his interface for a background check and tilted his head at Jeong Yu-rim.
"The database says twenty-nine."
"..."
"..."
"..."
A heavy silence crushed the room.
Priest Jeong Su-han averted his gaze with hollow eyes, while Jeong Yu-rim's smiling face froze solid.
"...?"
And Tae-woong, still oblivious to what he'd done wrong.
"Tae-woong."
"Yes, Young Master."
"Even if she's common-born, she's still a lady. You don't blurt that kind of thing right to her face."
"...Ah."
'Ah,' my ass. Look at this awkward vibe now. What are you gonna do about it?
No helping it. I'd have to step in and smooth things over myself.
"Uh...!"
Jeong Yu-rim's pissed-off glare turned my way.
"Next time you meet, just shave off one year! You could probably pass it off as a data glitch..."
"Wanna die?"
Yup, mood fix failed.
Hearing her murderous tone, the priest poked her side repeatedly, looking a bit guilty himself.
"Yu-rim. Come on, he's a noble's son—watch your mouth."
"Noble? Why the hell are sky-dwellers in our house? They catch you running the church, Dad?"
"No. One of our kids pickpocketed his household registry."
"That's even worse."
I didn't take offense. We'd been the rude ones first.
Watching their back-and-forth, I let out a soft sigh and cut in.
"You were watching us the whole time anyway, right?"
"Oho, kid's got sharp instincts. How'd you know?"
"Surveillance cameras upstairs. Or whatever."
I shot a sidelong glance at Tae-woong as I said it, and Yu-rim's eyes shifted—taking my measure.
But that lasted only a moment. Her gaze widened as she took in Tae-woong's full-body Grade 1 cybernetic enhancements.
"Whoa, a top-of-the-line Grade 1 full-body rig like that...! Looks like a one-man army. You heading off to war or something?"
"Yu-rim! Manners!"
"Ow, let go already!"
'When am I ever gonna see a specimen like this again in my life!'
Shouting that, Yu-rim's eyes sparkled as she started scanning Tae-woong's body up and down.
Maybe her piercing stare made him uneasy.
"Ahem."
"Whoops! Sorry, got carried away."
Tae-woong cleared his throat, and Yu-rim jolted, snapping back to her usual expression.
"So... what brings a noble like you—who wants for nothing—to this junkyard?"
She raised her speech a notch now that she knew my status, but her attitude stayed defiant as ever. It was the raw resentment commoners like her harbored toward nobles, plain as day.
"Not here to bust Catholics disrupting Joseon's order. Not here to interrogate the cheeky thieves who stole my registry. So why would someone of your standing show up here?"
"To look at merchandise. As you heard."
"That's why I'm asking—why's a noble slumming it for our goods?"
You could just inquire at the military depot for better stuff, shipped straight from the factory. Right?
Her eyes narrowed deeper as she said it.
"You reek of danger. The kind us lowly types aren't supposed to sniff out."
"..."
Well, well. Long years in the back alleys sharpened her instincts more than I expected.
"Uh, wh-what?"
While I thought that, the priest shuddered like he'd never considered it.
"Yu-rim, what are you saying? The young master just has a good heart and forgave us, that's all."
"...Dad, are you an idiot?"
Blasphemous as it was, I totally agreed. Figures for a soft-hearted Catholic—his head was a damn flower garden.
Yu-rim shook her head in exasperation and grilled me like a prosecutor.
"Fine, let's hear the reason. Why does a lofty noble young master need illegal cybernetics?"
"Obviously for something dangerous and reckless. You gonna refuse to sell just 'cause I said that?"
No way in hell.
I added that, and Yu-rim shut her mouth, looking sullen.
'Act all nice all you want, but I'm the one holding the knife here.'
Play nice and hand over what I asked for.
Or end up as accomplices with the Catholic thieves who stole my registry and get hauled off to the Bureau of Investigation.
From the moment I showed up here, those were their only two options.
She surrendered soon enough, raising both hands.
"...If you're gonna die anyway, you at least deserve to know where your grave'll be. That's all."
Quick on the uptake too. Priest aside, this woman could be useful.
Finishing that thought, I approached her and whispered my 'plan.'
"...Holy shit."
Jeong Yu-rim stared at me like I'd lost my mind.
"Young Master, you're even crazier than I thought."
The deal went off without a hitch, smooth as silk. Secured the Grade 1 cybernetics, unlocked the security, customized for the special op, and disguised them too.
Yu-rim balked at the order sheet, but I didn't budge an inch, and she caved in the end.
Too much money to turn down.
"I can source the parts somehow... but the mods'll take time."
"How long?"
"Fast as I can, still two weeks."
"Plenty."
I'd just finished detailing the specs and was wrapping up when—
"Hm?"
My eyes sweeping the basement locked onto something.
A single bow hanging amid the racks of cybernetic parts.
"What's that?"
"Oh, that one on the shelf?"
Yu-rim smirked at my question.
"As you see, handmade bow. A hobby toy I tinkered with."
"Toy?"
"Yeah. A toy."
She picked it up and continued.
"String twisted from custom titanium alloy fibers, high-tensile special alloy body. Added a strength-assist mechanism, and an electromagnetic accelerator at the launch point. With proprietary arrows, it punches right through armored vehicle plating."
"A bow with that kind of power? Then why call it a toy?"
"...Why do you think?"
Giggling, she drew the string, aimed at the target by the entrance, and fired.
Thwoom-bang!
A deafening roar no bow should make—and the ceiling above the entrance exploded in a shower of debris.
Through the hole in the ceiling peered Priest Jeong Su-han, mid-prayer. His face said his life had flashed before his eyes a hundred times over.
"...Yu-rim?"
"Damn it, what the hell, Dad? Why are you up there?"
She'd caused an accident. I'd fired at minimum power expecting that.
Muttering, Yu-rim set the bow down and checked for injuries.
"That's why it's a toy."
Watching the whole thing, I instantly got why she called it that.
An arrow aimed at the target ricocheting upward? Even kids' toy bows didn't go that haywire.
Bonus points for nearly killing her own dad.
"Focused too much on raw power, so the arrow's trajectory goes wild every shot. The bow's design is so messed up that even precision sights or ballistic correctors don't help."
"Hoo."
A failed experiment, plain and simple.
I picked up the bow she'd set aside, nocked an arrow, and drew.
"...Wait, what are you doing?"
The strength-assist kicked in with my motion, pulling the string taut. A faint current hummed at the arrow tip.
"Hang on, don't shoot...!"
Ignoring Yu-rim's protests, I released.
Kaaang!
A chilling metallic screech filled the basement.
"Wh-what? You hit it? Dead center? I've never once..."
The arrow she'd sworn never hit was embedded smack in the middle of the target across the room.
"Nice bow."
Short review done, I nocked and fired the next.
Kang!
Kaaang!
One shot, then two. With each metallic ring, Yu-rim's eyes grew wider.
Kaaaang!
On the fifth shot, she gaped, mouth hanging open.
Four arrows in a diamond pattern at the target's heart.
And the fifth slotted perfectly into the empty center.
"Big purchase like this, I'll take it as a freebie."
I'd only meant to get Moo-young an arm, but snagged an unexpected bonus.
"Needed something just like this."