Breaking the Eggshell (Eggshell Destruction)
Breaking the Eggshell (Eggshell Destruction)
The missing test subject.
The dead leader.
The suspected core executive.
There was no way the laboratory could run properly.
The leaders gathered in the conference room were split into two factions, hurling insults at each other.
"You fucking idiots! Still can't grasp the situation?! We should be moving the equipment instead of wasting time like this!!"
"And you're covering for the traitor?! Are you all collectively insane?!"
"Hey, you deaf bastard!! How could that puny pistol kill Zenon-nim?! It's obvious the test subject went berserk!!"
"Everyone shut up!!! Is that the problem right now?! The suppression force is right on our doorstep! Forget the equipment, we need to formulate a strategy first!!"
The strike team that was supposed to be deployed first showed signs of unrest.
"At this rate, we'll just be meat shields."
"Hey, I've got a good idea."
"What?"
"Let's say we're launching a preemptive strike, go outside, and then bolt. If we set up a few golems, we should be able to avoid pursuit."
The accounting department staff, who had neither equipment nor abilities, were in a state of self-abandonment.
"Department head, shouldn't we at least run..."
"You stupid bastard. If we leave here, what do we do next?"
She walked lightly over to a woman crouching in the corner.
Whispering into her ear as she stared blankly into space.
"I'm here."
Before the startled woman could make a sound, she thrust her face forward.
"Shh. Follow me quietly."
The woman's eyes widened.
It was a strange expression, as if she had seen a ghost and an angel at the same time.
She walked slowly again.
The chimeras had been moved from their original room and scattered, but she could clearly sense where they were.
Smell
Sound
Light
Everything felt different from before.
More trembling,
more twisting,
more intense.
That completely new sensation led her to the deepest part of the tunnel.
The cage where she first opened her eyes.
The cage left empty where the dog had been tied.
Inside, Hati was staring this way.
She asked the woman.
"You brought the key, right?"
The woman was behind her, but she could feel her nodding.
She held out her palm, facing upward.
Startled, the woman fumbled through her pockets.
After a moment, a key was placed in her palm.
Pleased with the rapid progression of events, she hummed a tune.
She cheerfully ran to the front of the cage, and Hati sprang to her feet.
She stared at me blankly, then slowly reached out her hand.
I grasped that hand and inserted the key into the lock.
Cheolkeong
The sturdy cage that even the beast of monstrous strength bearing the Dampir's curse could not break swung wide open.
Immediately after, the cave shook as if an earthquake had struck, and gunshots and explosions rang out in succession, but there was nothing to fear.
On the contrary, I was filled with leisure.
"What a shame. That there's not a single person left to save."
Saying something I didn't mean, I looked toward where the wind was blowing.
Escaping like this would be fine, but the continuous explosions and gunfire were noisy.
Moreover, too much information was stored in this cave.
The suppression force.
The research team.
'I don't want to hand it over to either side...'
While pondering what to do, I performed an experiment on Hati.
Blood tears streamed down.
With them, I created a sharp sword and slashed Hati's throat.
Zenon's laboratory,
The lair of the criminal organization known in society as the "Hekate Cult" had been suppressed after 20 years. Two days had passed since then.
A banquet was being held at the mansion of the Billiwords Ducal family, considered the most beautiful in Brighton City.
It was a large-scale banquet, attended not only by the nobles of the "Rehingel Union," to which Brighton City belonged, but also by many rulers from across the sea, the "Gostic Plains."
The host of the banquet was the master of the mansion,
The Grand Duke Billywords, who possessed both a warlike physique and a gentle face.
A man of both literary and martial skill, with a handsome appearance, he always had followers gathered around him.
"Grand Duke-nim, I heard the news. Your eldest son has joined the Royal Guard, I hear?"
"I heard that too. Isn't it amazing? A few years ago, your second son even served as an expeditionary force commander."
"With this, all the men of the Ducal family have succeeded in their careers. It makes our children seem so lacking in comparison."
The Grand Duke Billywords, known for his humility, always chuckled awkwardly and changed the subject when his followers began to praise him.
"I can only worry. It feels like they're overexerting themselves because of me... Come to think of it, the school headmaster is in a similar situation."
The man called the school headmaster had a distinctly different atmosphere from the other followers.
Dull eyes that seemed weary.
A deeply downturned mouth.
Long, straight hair like a virgin ghost's.
He wore a pure white robe with no decoration, so much so that one wondered if he had even been invited to the banquet in the first place.
But no one pointed that out.
Everyone seemed already accustomed to the man's peculiarity.
"Well... I suppose so."
The moment the man replied reluctantly, the followers' eyes sparkled.
The arrow of interest turned toward the man.
"If it's the school headmaster-nim's daughter, that would be Estelle-nim, who entered the academy as top student, right?"
"Ah! I heard she graduated early this time."
"Where did she go? As expected, succeeding the family business, to the Royal Academy?"
The man answered with an awkward smile,
"She joined the 12th Expeditionary Force."
While the people were startled and glanced at each other's reactions, he glared at the Grand Duke.
The Grand Duke laughed as if amused, then said to his followers,
"Didn't I say? Our situations are similar. So if you'll excuse us, we'll go have a bit of a lament about our circumstances."
Leaving the disappointed followers behind, the two headed to the tearoom on the second floor.
As soon as he entered the tearoom and closed the door, the Grand Duke burst into a hearty laugh.
"It's amusing every time I see it. Do you hate it that much? Mingling with people?"
The man's face was full of fatigue and displeasure.
"You know why, yet you keep calling me. I'm already busy investigating the suppression incident."
Then he walked to the sofa and slumped down as if collapsing.
An enigmatic smile spread across the Grand Duke's face.
It was as if he was looking at a foolish yet proud, difficult-to-handle disciple.
After a moment, sitting across from the man, the words he began sounded like a master's nagging.
"All great things arise from the trivial hearts of small people coming together. How many nobles do you think were involved in this suppression of the Hekate Cult? Some acted with zeal, others played a role without even knowing it."
The man stared blankly at the ceiling and then asked,
"Then there's no need for an investigation, is there?"
In the man's view, a 'gathering of small necessities' was essentially 'coincidence.'
It was an impulsive and chaotic man-made disaster—no one strongly desired the suppression, nor had anyone planned the post-suppression strategy in detail.
He thought there would be no target or malice in something like that, so there was no need to worry.
But the Grand Duke thought differently.
"Morgan."
Calling the man's name kindly, he spoke like a prophet imparting enlightenment.
"Don't be negligent in seeking revenge. Even if it's due to an accident, or caused by a natural disaster, if you simply let go of what you've lost, the world will continue to demand you let go of even greater things."
Revenge.
Morgan had indeed lost something very great because of this suppression.
But strangely, he didn't feel resentful.
He didn't feel regret or sadness either.
It felt like paying overdue rent.
'I suppose a moment like this was bound to come.'
He felt he had been thinking that way for a long time.
So even after hearing the nagging, his vengeful spirit still didn't blaze, but the Grand Duke's words weren't wrong either.
"Yes. I have no intention of letting this slide either."
There were several items in Zenon's laboratory that absolutely had to be recovered.
Now that they had all disappeared, he couldn't leave those involved alone.
The Grand Duke read the motivation in Morgan's eyes and smiled contentedly.
"For now, focus on enjoying the banquet. Just knowing what people are enthusiastic about and what they live for will broaden your perspective quite a bit."
Watching the Grand Duke's back as he rose and headed out, Morgan reminisced for a while about the old image of his long-time friend.
It was a stark contrast to the last time he had seen him—a silent young man purely dedicated to the pursuit of truth.
A sheer cliff.
A small cave bored into its very center.
Cheolseok—
Waking to the sound of waves crashing, Hati was looking down at me.
Kkeunkkeun
The smell of grilling fish reached my nose.
I sat up, and the woman was sitting before the campfire, grilling fish.
Not only had she not collapsed after traversing the rugged cave for two full days, but she had also woken up early in the morning to prepare a meal...
I had vaguely sensed it when she was effortlessly carrying piles of documents, but she seemed to have more stamina than she let on.
The woman, who had been humming while skewering the fish through the mouth, noticed me.
Her subsequent reaction was hard to understand.
Startled, she dropped the fish, hurriedly looked around, and then picked it up with trembling hands.
Then, while cleaning the fish again, she kept glancing at me, so I asked,
"Did you make some kind of mistake?"
The woman threw the fish with a hwik and stuck it to the ceiling.
'What is she doing.'
Why ruin precious food?
I frowned, and she immediately prostrated herself on the floor.
"I'm sorry!"
So she had made a mistake after all.
I got up.
I trudged over to the woman.
"What are you sorry for?"
The woman only trembled violently, pareureureu, and didn't answer.
'She needs some education.'
Letting out a sigh, I shed a little blood tears.
With them, I created a thin dagger and crouched in front of the woman.
Then, when the woman, unable to contain her curiosity, lifted her head, I swung the blade.