Chapter 163
Chapter 163
Chapter 163: Cheorwon (2)
Translation: godtl
Kang Da-yeong.
An assassin-class player of Diamond-rank—though not quite on the level of the Night Hunter, Park Jin-uk.
Still, she was a skilled fighter who ranked in the upper echelons of Diamond-tier players.
At the same time, she was a capable enough player to serve as the personal secretary to Lee Yu-jeong, the heir apparent of the Seongsam Guild.
Her professional competence and ability to handle various tasks were exceptionally high.
That was the extent of Si-mun's knowledge about Kang Da-yeong.
But.
"Secretary Kang, what are you doing here?"
In an Arena facility that appeared to be the link between Chairman Lee Sun-cheol and Jong-ri Chu.
And not just any facility—one so secretive that even Kim Mu-yeol, who had some degree of familiarity with both men, was unaware of its existence.
To run into her here of all places?
Si-mun wasn't the only one startled.
"I was about to ask you the same thing. How did you get here, Si-mun? And also..."
Her words trailed off as she swallowed the rest of her sentence, her eyes flickering toward the wall where Si-mun had appeared.
'How the hell did he break through that wall? There's no way I wouldn't have sensed something of that size.'
Diamond-rank assassins.
They were players with senses sharper than most beasts.
And among them, Kang Da-yeong was an upper-tier player who even possessed the S-rank trait, Agility.
Yet, she hadn't noticed the creation of such a large passageway?
Because of that.
'I thought for sure it was that monster again...'
That was why she had drawn her dagger without even confirming who it was.
She couldn't have imagined that someone would dig a tunnel so deep into this facility without making a single sound or leaving a trace.
But then, Kang Da-yeong's expression twisted slightly.
'Wait. Is that really a tunnel? It looks more like a door...'
The door behind Si-mun.
It looked as if it had been molded from the same material as the wall, as though it had always been there.
But the dark tunnel stretching beyond the open door was starkly different from the high-tech construction of this facility.
'What in the world...'
Just as her confusion was deepening at the incongruity.
"I had some personal investigations to take care of,"Si-mun answered.
"Investigations?"
Kang Da-yeong tilted her head.
Investigations in a place like this, all the way near the Demilitarized Zone?
Her gaze quickly turned cold.
"So you knew something about this place before coming here."
"Not in detail. I only knew it was an unregistered facility under Seongsam."
"How did you know this was an unregistered facility?"
"Yu-jeong told me."
"That kid did?"
Kang Da-yeong's eyes widened.
And for good reason.
'I haven't even reported this matter yet.'
She had no memory of ever reporting the Cheorwon facility to Lee Yu-jeong.
So how could Yu-jeong have known about this place?
Her confusion was soon resolved.
"Yeah. According to Yu-jeong, it's a facility related to Arena materials."
"Arena materials? Ah... So that's what she thinks."
Finally seeming to grasp the situation, Kang Da-yeong nodded to herself.
Si-mun silently watched her.
'To be precise, it was after hearing the information from the Continent Guild's Moderate Faction, brought by Choi Chang-wook, that Yu-jeong told me.'
Before the national team's special match.
Choi Chang-wook, Kim Mu-yeol's subordinate, had come to him with information leaked by the Continent Guild.
It was about a facility in Cheorwon related to the civilian mutant with Dragon Power that Si-mun had been investigating.
At the time, Lee Yu-jeong, who had been present during the discussion, had revealed details about Seongsam's unregistered Arena facility in Cheorwon.
'But weren't Secretary Kang and Yu-jeong close? Why does Secretary Kang sound like Yu-jeong wasn't supposed to know about this place?'
Back when they had met in the Galaxy Agora, their relationship had seemed more than just professional—they had appeared quite close.
'Now that I think about it, I haven't seen Yu-jeong with Secretary Kang lately.'
At first, he had assumed she was just busy.
But now, it seemed there was more to it.
'Kang Da-yeong must have been conducting her own investigations independently.'
And keeping her reports to a bare minimum.
This likely wasn't because their relationship had soured, but rather—
"Unless it's something certain, they must have agreed not to discuss it with each other."
As expected.
"Yu-jeong is right. This is an unregistered Arena-related facility under Seongsam,"Kang Da-yeong nodded before adding,
"On the surface, that is."
The sudden sharpness in Da-yeong's eyes.
'Ah. So that's how it is.'
Though Si-mun had roughly grasped the situation,
"On the surface?"
he feigned ignorance and asked again.
"Yes. It took me quite the effort to find this place. I suspected they'd hidden it thoroughly, but I never imagined they'd only disguise the signage."
Da-yeong swept her disapproving gaze across the dim interior as she continued,
"Superficially, this is indeed a Seongsam facility related to Arena materials. That's how it's recorded in Seongsam's internal documents too. But......"
"The reality is different?"
"Yes. Well, since this is an unregistered facility, even if Yu-jeong had known the truth, there wouldn't have been much she could do about it."
Si-mun nodded at Da-yeong's words.
'Even as Seongsam's successor and a top-ranked player, Yu-jeong is still in her early twenties.'
This wasn't to underestimate her youth.
Every major corporation has its skeletons.
And wasn't she constantly locking horns with her grandfather Lee Sun-cheol anyway?
Even if she had known about Seongsam's unregistered facilities,
there would have been almost nothing Yu-jeong could have done.
"From what I've investigated so far, they're engaged in activities that could shake the very foundations of the Seongsam Group if made public."
"Such as... conducting experiments worthy of condemnation?"
"H-how did you—!"
Da-yeong's eyes widened at Si-mun's deduction.
And rightfully so.
'This isn't even recorded in Seongsam's top-secret intelligence!'
The internal information of the Seongsam Group—
even their highest-grade intelligence—
contained no records of the experiments conducted here.
'It took me months of relentless digging to uncover this truth!'
Her months of struggle hadn't been for nothing.
But how could Kim Si-mun possibly know this?
As shock gradually colored Da-yeong's gaze,
"I have my own sources of information,"
Si-mun replied with a faint smile.
Fortunately, it seemed convincing enough.
"Sources... Right. I suppose that's not so strange."
Da-yeong quickly regained her composure and nodded.
'According to Yu-jeong, even Yggdrasil Guild's growth buffs originated from this man.'
After becoming Yu-jeong's personal secretary,
like many Assassin-class players,
Da-yeong had minimized her Arena activities to focus on applying her abilities in reality.
Yet, the ripples caused by Si-mun had consistently reached her ears.
Naturally, it wouldn't be strange if he had intelligence operatives worthy of his reputation.
"You're correct, Mr. Si-mun. The Arena-related production facility is just a facade—the real purpose is experimentation. Human experimentation, to be precise."
"Human experimentation?"
"Yes. Not just clinical trials involving injections or medications. Even my attack on you earlier was part of that......"
Da-yeong's words cut off abruptly.
Without the slightest hesitation, she swung her dagger backward.
Swish—
A small crescent befitting the dagger,
yet the Sword Energy that split the air was unmistakably vivid—
proof of her status as a Diamond-ranked player.
It was Sword Energy Projection, a technique only available to upper Platinum ranks and above.
Then—
Screeeech!
A sharp metallic screech erupted as if iron were grinding against iron.
Astonishingly,
"Kiiieee!"
a three-meter behemoth was tanking Da-yeong's Sword Energy with its entire body.
As the Sword Energy dissipated,
"Kiii......"
the colossal figure exhaled a thick, steam-like breath without shedding a single drop of blood.
Only a few scattered scales falling to the ground proved the Sword Energy had any effect at all.
At its unscathed appearance,
"Damn it!"
Da-yeong spat in frustration.
She unleashed two more Sword Energy slashes before turning her body.
"That's one of the experimental subjects! We should retreat for now. Against that thing, only Sword Qi can—"
Kang Da-yeong, who had been urgently trying to pull Si-mun away, found herself being pulled back instead.
As befitting a Diamond-ranked Assassin Class.
Whoosh.
She spun her body as Si-mun yanked her and retreated backward.
At the same time—
Sssssss!
A thick, viscous green liquid melted into the spot where she had just been standing.
Kang Da-yeong didn't even spare it a glance, her eyes fixed on Si-mun.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
Si-mun shrugged lightly before turning his gaze toward the direction the green liquid had flown from.
There, too—
"Kiiii!"
—stood a hulking figure, three meters tall.
The only difference from the previous one was—
Unlike the reptilian head of the first—
Squelch.
—this one spewed that vile green liquid from a maw split into four gaping sections.
And then—
"Kiiii!"
"Keeaak!"
Their eerie, distinctive cries gradually multiplied.
Just from the sounds alone, there had to be at least ten of them, if not more.
Kang Da-yeong urgently grabbed Si-mun's wrist.
"Let's go! One or two, fine, but that many? No way we can handle them!"
Even before meeting Si-mun,
she had already fought these experimental subjects multiple times.
"Even if you cut them with Sword Qi, their regeneration is worse than a troll's. It's better to ignore them and find another way!"
She offered the best possible option, but—
"Secretary Kang. Calm down."
"Huh?"
Si-mun only wore an inscrutable smile.
Slip.
Gently shaking off her hand, he stepped forward toward the creatures.
Even setting aside the fact that Si-mun was Platinum-ranked—
'Wasn't he a Magic Class? How did he just—'
Her momentary shock at a Magic Class user overpowering her grip was short-lived.
"Kneel."
Thud.
At the impossible sight unfolding before her eyes—
"Wh—what the hell?!"
—she let out a stunned cry.
Thud.
Footsteps echoed through the dim corridor.
Then—
Boom.
A heavy footstep, too weighty to belong to a human, also resounded.
Each step sent faint tremors through the ground.
A ponytailed woman followed the source of the footsteps.
"Haah..."
Kang Da-yeong stared at the massive back ahead of her with a completely dumbfounded expression.
Before long—
"How the hell did you do that?"
"How the hell did you do that?"
Her face twisted as she spoke, hearing her own words parroted back at her.
She glared at the handsome man who had mimicked her,
and the handsome man responded with a playful grin.
"I'm not mocking you. I just figured you'd say that again, so I thought I'd try it first."
"...How many times have I asked now?"
"Four times, just counting up to now."
Si-mun even helpfully held up four fingers, making Kang Da-yeong let out a hollow laugh.
Had it only been about ten minutes?
In that short span, she had asked the same question a whopping four times.
"And I'll answer with, 'It's just my trait,' right?"
"Haah..."
And she had received the exact same answer all four times.
Kang Da-yeong's face refused to smooth out.
Of course it didn't.
'He turned those monsters—the ones we couldn't even communicate with—into docile pets. How could I not be curious?!'
Even she, a Diamond-ranked Assassin Class, had struggled against those experimental subjects.
One or two, maybe, but—
to control those monsters, whose only weakness was Sword Qi and who regenerated instantly after being cut, with just a few words?
How could she not be curious?
And on top of that—
"This is the right way, right?"
"Of course. M249? This leads to our lab, doesn't it?"
Wasn't this the very lab she had been desperately searching for, and now he was even guiding her there?
"Kiiik."
The experimental subject nodded its head like a tame animal.
Shockingly, this creature—who even introduced itself as "M249"—had directly spoken its own name.
'Well, it was mostly just 'kiiik' sounds, but...'
And this absurdly bizarre man had perfectly understood and even translated those sounds for her.
"Ugh..."
Kang Da-yeong roughly wiped her forehead.
In just ten minutes, she had witnessed far too much that defied reality.
Just as she was trying to steady her breathing—
"Kiiik."
The experimental subject known as M249 stopped in front of a door.
Si-mun brushed past the test subject and approached the door.
Kang Da-yeong followed cautiously, as if skirting around a beast beside its handler.
"Uh... Mr. Si-mun? The door's open?"
She slipped past M249, who had become eerily docile—so much so that it felt surreal—and stood beside him.
"Yeah. Even though there's a door lock, it's open."
Si-mun pointed at the lock next to the door.
Despite being a high-security lock that clearly required iris scans, fingerprints, and passwords, the lab door was left ajar like an abandoned house with no caretaker.
"No way...!"
Kang Da-yeong's face paled.
The usually meticulous Diamond-ranked Assassin Class player, always prepared for hidden traps, was nowhere to be seen.
She hastily pushed the door open and stepped inside.
And then—
"...Ah."
A deep sigh escaped her.
The reason was obvious.
'They've already cleaned everything up.'
The space was so barren it was almost embarrassing to call it a lab.
The only remnants that hinted at its former purpose were shattered glass tubes and a few scattered sheets of paper—nothing more.
There was nothing salvageable in sight.
And indeed, that seemed to be the case.
"Damn it!"
BANG!
Kang Da-yeong, who had been frantically rummaging through the remaining documents and computers, slammed her fist on the table.
Meanwhile, Si-mun, who had quietly entered the lab, activated Odin's Eye and scanned the surroundings.
'Hmm... Seems like they wiped everything long ago.'
Though the structure of the lab and some fragmented information remained, that was it.
Everything was as meaningless as machines that had been powered down.
Si-mun watched as Kang Da-yeong continued her destructive search, flipping tables with violent force.
"Anything useful on the computers?"
"Nothing. They didn't just take the memory—they ripped out the CPUs and motherboards. The ones that still turn on are just auxiliary units."
Kang Da-yeong gnashed her teeth.
Yet—
BANG! BANG!
"Please, there's gotta be something! After all the hell I've been through for months!"
She refused to stop her rampage.
Si-mun approached her.
"Secretary Kang. Calm down. It's not like we got nothing."
"What do you mean?"
She turned to him with a look that demanded an explanation.
Si-mun smirked and jerked his chin toward the lab entrance.
"Keeek."
With heavy footsteps, the three-meter-tall reptilian behemoth stepped inside.
At the sight of M249, the color returned to Kang Da-yeong's face, which had been as hollow as the lab itself.
"That's right! We still have that!"
And was that the only thing?
Weren't there still countless pieces of evidence waiting back where they'd first met—M16, M24, and the others?
But her relief didn't last long.
'Still, they're just test subjects. They won't help uncover the truth about what happened ten years ago.'
The mission Lee Yu-jeong had given her was to uncover the truth behind the incident from a decade ago.
Somehow, following the trail had led her here, but—
In the end, she hadn't recovered a single piece of evidence related to it.
Then—
"Hohoho. This is quite surprising."
A middle-aged man's voice echoed.
Kang Da-yeong moved like lightning, slashing out with her dagger—
Thud.
But her wrist was caught in a firm, pale hand.
Si-mun.
A Platinum-ranked Magic Class player had just stopped a Diamond-ranked Assassin's attack with one hand?
But there was no time to be shocked.
Si-mun silently shook his head.
"You're Secretary Kang Da-yeong, aren't you? Strange. I was told it'd be Lee Yeong-hui..."
The sudden appearance of a middle-aged man in a white coat, with salt-and-pepper hair and beard.
His left arm and right leg were missing, and he tilted his head in puzzlement.
Only after taking in his appearance did Kang Da-yeong realize why Si-mun had stopped her.
"Illusion magic?"
"Good eye. Not something a scientist should say, but it's more convenient than holograms."
Unlike Kang Da-yeong, the middle-aged man chuckled dryly.
"But."
His gaze shifted to Si-mun, whose expression remained calm.
"Well, well. An unexpected guest has arrived."
"You know me?"
"Is there a Korean who doesn't? Especially since I've personally wanted to meet you for a long time."
"Me?"
As Si-mun tilted his head, the middle-aged man nodded.
To be precise, it was his illusion that nodded.
"Indeed. I am Dr. Choi Woo-seok. The director of this research facility. And..."
Even if it was just an illusion—
"I've taken quite an interest in that transformation ability of yours."
The raw desire in his eyes was impossible to hide.