The Gong Pil-seung Rescue Operation (1)

"This is the place?"

"Yeah. That building. I haven't been inside, but I'm sure of it."

"They locked him up in a building like this?"

A gleaming high-rise that looked nothing like a place you'd keep a prisoner — and the area around it was bustling with people, no less. It was strange enough that a building this intact still existed at this point. Holding someone here, of all places, instead of some abandoned warehouse… it didn't quite add up.

Doesn't look like a shelter.

It looked like an ordinary office building. Two people who appeared to be guards stood posted squarely at the entrance on the first floor.

"Doesn't look like we'll get in easily."

"Don't worry about that."

The moment Gong Jin-sa said it, he seemed to activate a skill. His appearance began to change. His short hair lengthened by degrees, and even his build grew slender and delicate.

Whoa. That's impressive.

In an instant, he had become Roche — one of the people I'd seen before. The fact that he could take a woman's form as readily as a man's was genuinely remarkable.

"What are you staring at?"

"Nothing. It's just impressive. And your voice is a perfect match, too."

It wasn't just the face. His physique, his voice — Gong Jin-sa had become Roche completely. Looking at him, I almost wondered if this really was Gong Jin-sa. Whether you knew him or not, there ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was nothing left of the man from moments ago. Not in his appearance, at least.

"Why transform into her, though? You've got Arin and Phars too, don't you?"

"Ah. Roche doesn't show her face much, so there's less chance of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠getting caught. And this."

He handed me a potion.

"What is this supposed to be?"

"Read the description."

"A Transformation Potion?"

A potion that would randomly change you into someone else's appearance. My face was fairly well-known, so I'd need to change how I looked to get inside.

"But it doesn't change the voice?"

"Yeah. You won't need to talk anyway, so don't worry about it."

At Gong Jin-sa's words, I drank the potion. My body began to change, and in moments I had become a woman in her early twenties with long, straight hair.

"Whoa. This is actually amazing."

It was my first time in a woman's body. I'd transformed into plenty of monsters before, so that felt familiar. Being human, ironically, felt weirder.

"Don't talk in that voice with that face."

"Ah. That bad?"

"Obviously."

A gravelly man's voice coming out of such a delicate-looking woman's body was, admittedly, a little off. Anyway, with our preparations complete, I followed Gong Jin-sa toward the building. Walking felt a bit awkward now that I was suddenly a woman, but Gong Jin-sa seemed thoroughly used to it — as if he'd taken a woman's form plenty of times before.

"Lady Roche. Welcome."

"Yeah. Anything happen?"

"No, of course not."

Gong Jin-sa was playing Roche with complete naturalness. Had he been training as an actor or something? It was enough to make me forget he'd been a man just moments ago.

"And who is this with you?"

"Someone who'll be working under me. We can go in, right?"

"Of course."

When they asked about me, he answered smoothly and immediately asked to go inside — probably to keep them from questioning me. The two guards stepped aside at once.

Of course, we could have gotten in without this ruse if we'd wanted to. But they were fairly well-armed. If it came to a fight, taking them down quietly wouldn't have been easy.

If we're getting in like this, why did he even need me?

If anything, I seemed like I was making it harder to get in. It would have been much simpler for him to walk in as Roche, give his brother a Transformation Potion, and walk out.

"Come on. Let's go."

With that, we slipped past the two guards and entered the building. On the first floor, Gong Jin-sa started scanning the surroundings. Based on the photos, his brother was being held somewhere on the twentieth floor or higher — which was why he was looking for a staircase that would take us up there.

"This way."

Gong Jin-sa spotted a staircase off to one side and headed toward it with me. Just as we were about to start climbing—

Ding~

A familiar sound from somewhere nearby.

That sound…?

I hadn't heard it much lately, but before all this started, it was a sound you heard everywhere.

An elevator?

The building's elevator was actually working. Unlike everywhere else, where the power had gone out when this all started, this building seemed to have its own generator.

"Oh? Lady Roche?"

A man stepping out of the elevator seemed to recognize Roche. But Gong Jin-sa's eyes wavered — which meant he had no information on this man at all.

"Oh. Hey."

"Haha. Why so stiff?"

The man approached with an easy, ingratiating manner. Impeccably dressed in a suit, he came right up to us and gave me a once-over.

"A beautiful lady. How do you do?"

"……"

For a second I wondered if he was talking to me, then remembered I was a woman now, and bowed my head in greeting.

"I'm Brown. And your name is?"

"……"

Introducing ourselves would have been the normal thing to do, but if I spoke, he'd know I was a man. I stayed silent, and Gong Jin-sa stepped in.

"This one can't speak."

"Pardon?"

"Had an accident. Can't talk."

"Ah! My apologies."

One way or another, we seemed to have gotten past that. But this Brown fellow showed no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠intention of leaving.

"By the way, Lady Roche. How should we proceed with the current operation?"

"The current operation?"

"Yes. I wanted to confirm whether we should continue as planned."

The fact that he had something ongoing with Roche made it clear that Brown was fairly close to her.

"Handle it yourself. Do I have to worry about that too?"

Gong Jin-sa's quick thinking. It seemed like the best thing he could say to get Brown to leave. But Brown had no such intention.

"Haha. If I just handle it myself, you'll have something to say about it later. Why don't we go upstairs? I'll brief you in the room."

With that, Brown went back to the elevator, opened the doors, and gestured for us to get in.

Can't exactly refuse.

After he'd gone that far, backing out now would only make us look suspicious. Gong Jin-sa glanced at me, nodded, and walked slowly toward the elevator Brown was holding. I followed him in, and Brown pressed the button for the twentieth floor and closed the doors.

Riding an elevator again…

The power going out had been enough to make ordinary daily life nearly impossible. Of course, the shelters had power now, so everyday life there wasn't a problem. But it was still strange to see things outside the shelters slowly returning to the way they used to be. I found myself thinking that if a little more time passed, maybe things could go back to how they were.

For that to happen, a Calamity absolutely cannot occur.

We were only just getting back on our feet. If a Calamity hit now, we'd be thrown back to the beginning of all this. No — it would be far worse than that.

Ding~

While I was thinking that, we arrived at the twentieth floor in no time. Looking down from this height, the view was nothing like it used to be. While I was taking in the scenery, Gong Jin-sa was already scanning the doors along the hallway. This ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was the floor where he expected his brother to be held.

Gong Jin-sa was looking around for any hint of his brother when Brown approached one of the doors.

Click.

"Please, after you."

Like a courteous gentleman, Brown opened the door and gestured for us to go in first. Following his lead, I walked slowly into the room and sat in a chair near the table.

"Alright. Report. Quickly."

"Haha. Of course. No need to rush."

Gong Jin-sa seemed to want to hear him out quickly, make a decision, and then go find his brother.

Hmm. Maybe I should send out a fairy.

While Gong Jin-sa and Brown were talking, I slipped into the bathroom and summoned a fairy for the first time in a while.

The Venom Fairy, summoned after so long. At first it looked at me and tilted its head, as if unsure whether I was really its master. Fair enough — I looked completely different. But it recognized its master after all, fluttering its wings in a cheerful greeting.

I sent the Venom Fairy out through the bathroom window, then activated a skill.

This was an evolved form of the old Mental Link with Monster skill. For now, rather than using the new function, I brought up a screen to share the Venom Fairy's vision, just like before.

"Fly around and look for Gong Jin-sa's brother. Got it?"

It nodded.

With that order given, I watched the Venom Fairy darting about, then stepped out of the bathroom. Gong Jin-sa's voice, still talking with Brown, reached me.

"…Wait, what did you just say?"

Gong Jin-sa sounded like he'd just heard something he couldn't quite process. He seemed to be asking Brown to repeat himself.

"As per your orders, Lady Roche, we are currently proceeding with the plan to eliminate Phars."

So the real Roche was making moves to eliminate Phars — the same Phars who'd been with us. What the hell was going on?

"The moment you give the word, Lady Roche, we'll commence a full-scale assault on Phars's faction. Please give the order."