#286. We've Got S-Rank Backing, Right?
Kang Moo-hyuk parted ways from the group with Thomas and headed to Paju, where his father's research lab was located.
"I already greeted you by email. I'm Thomas Lee. My Korean name is 'Lee Do.'"
"I'm Kang Chang-su. Which name would you prefer?"
"Thomas is more familiar. The Korean name's been so long since I used it..."
Kang Chang-su nodded and introduced the man standing beside him.
"This is my brother-in-law."
"Brother-in-law?"
"My wife's younger brother, that is. Moo-hyuk's uncle."
"Ah, the Commander's uncle? Nice to meet you. Looking forward to working with you."
"I'm Yoon Il-do. We'll be seeing a lot of each other. I'm the engineer who tinkers with the machines here. Haha."
Kang Moo-hyuk asked Yoon Il-do, who was pretending to hammer away with the tool in his hand.
"What were you doing, though? In front of that box."
Kang Moo-hyuk pointed to where three large metal boxes sat side by side.
"This thing?"
Yoon Il-do suddenly swung the hammer at the box.
But strangely, there was no clang of metal on metal. It was like the box swallowed the sound whole, as if it were made of soundproofing material.
Yet it wasn't soft, either. The hammer didn't leave so much as a scratch.
"This is the stuff you sent from America, Moo-hyuk. Not your average box, huh? I tried everything to pry it open out of curiosity, but it wouldn't budge."
As Yoon Il-do said, tools were scattered everywhere around the boxes—drivers and pliers, of course, but also drills, electric saws, and even a rock breaker for smashing concrete.
"Of course it wouldn't break with that. It's Slime Metal."
"Right? I figured it was Slime Metal. But it's so damn expensive—why use it for a box? What's inside that it's worth it?"
"Clear away that mana stone first. You trying to blow up the lab?"
"Just calibrate the detonator right, and it's fine. Not that dangerous."
"I've used them in mines. Even a speck of mana sets the whole thing off. And you can't open it by blowing one up. You'd just waste money. Wait, I gave you that cash for research, not this nonsense? You need an audit here too."
"The lab itself is illegal—audit who? No books anyway."
Thomas watched Yoon Il-do grumble as he stealthily cleared the mana stone and detonator, his expression turning serious.
What? Illegal? An illegal lab?
His background check had said Kang Chang-su was a renowned scholar. Why run an illegal lab? Could he trust this place? It looked risky.
As these doubts clouded his mind, Kang Moo-hyuk read his face and tried to reassure him.
"Don't worry, Thomas Hunter. He might look unhinged, but his skills are top-notch. The facility's 'illegal' in name only—no one's gonna bust it."
"Oh? Like some secret government or corporate op?"
"Nah. The Guild Master's got our back. She's S-rank, after all. Even if they raid, she'll spring him quick."
"......"
It only made him more uneasy.
"Anyway, can you open this box?"
"M-Me?"
"Only mana users can handle it. Put your hand on the box and inject some mana."
As Kang Moo-hyuk instructed, Thomas placed his hand on the center box and channeled mana.
"This is...?"
The mana was tracing a path. Like navigating a complex maze.
"It's a dungeon-inspired lock. Like a password. I'll guide you through the route—send mana that way, and it'll open."
Thomas directed the mana as instructed, describing the paths aloud since Kang Moo-hyuk couldn't use mana himself.
"Three branches ahead."
"Far right."
"Four-way now."
"Left."
It took a good while, but the box finally reacted. A click from inside, and it began to vibrate.
Yoon Il-do grumbled like a kid waiting for treasure chest loot.
"Hard to memorize the path. Why not just a simple code? Not a maze puzzle. And who even makes these? Not mass-produced, that's for sure—feels custom from a top workshop."
"World Hunter Federation gear. Their security's airtight. Probably from their in-house forge."
"Damn, those guys are pros. What kind of freak designs this? I'd love to meet 'em."
Yoon Il-do, true to his gate mechanical engineering roots, showed keen interest in the novelty, but Kang Moo-hyuk couldn't reveal more about its origins.
It was a fact he'd learned after gaining Commander status: the Federation's forge wasn't staffed by humans.
He redirected his uncle's curiosity.
"More importantly, check this out. You're an expert in gate materials engineering, right?"
The box finally opened. It divided its side panels into four sections, unfolding like stairsteps.
In the four compartments lay enormous transparent wings—four in total: one long pair and one slightly shorter pair.
"What the hell? Doesn't look ordinary."
"Queen carnivorous wasp wings. Unique-grade material item."
"Y-Yunicorn?!"
"Not unicorn. Unique."
"Right, sorry. Got flustered. Never thought I'd see Unique-grade in my lifetime."
Yoon Il-do's eyes sparkled.
He was a gate mechanical engineer, researching and crafting modern applications from gate and monster materials.
A slight pivot in focus, and he could make items too.
"Don't get ideas. We'll leave crafting to pros."
"Who better than me?"
"You're not an item specialist."
"So who?"
"Gotta shop around. Worst case..."
"Me?"
"German or British workshops."
In truth, America led in item crafting tech. But he couldn't send the hard-won Unique material back there.
The Federation's forge is even better than America's... but they're untouchable, even for the Federation, and the user has to deliver personally. Can't do it now.
Joo Se-ah being S-rank was the issue. Moving from LA anywhere else was impossible.
Evading the intelligence agencies tracking her to reach the Federation forge would burden their artisans.
They were officially nonexistent, after all.
"Why bring it to me then? Just whets my appetite."
Kang Moo-hyuk soothed him.
"Say what you will—you're the best in mechanical and materials engineering here. Pull the item fab data. Can't commission a smith right away. So we prep perfect specs now—no delays later. Full data for seamless crafting."
"Hm, I'm tops in Korea. Asia, even? Confidence isn't the issue... but you can't just extract 'material data.' Need a concept first, then tailor it."
"Talked it over with the Guild Master. Wings go into an armor coat first."
"Not a cloak or robe?"
"Better mobility. Wear it daily, no one notices."
"Fair. And the rest?"
"Stinger parts into a sword. The other..."
* * *
"So why'd you come here?"
After hashing out item crafting with Yoon Il-do, Kang Moo-hyuk requested a private word with his father.
"To ask you to treat Thomas Hunter properly."
"And?"
"Info on my condition."
"Info?"
"Some details I haven't shared before."
"Go on."
Kang Moo-hyuk detailed his encounter with the unknown entity in North Pocheon, his Federation ties, and the words from the being that possessed Thomas in America.
Kang Chang-su stayed silent for a long stretch, the tale hard to swallow.
Kang Moo-hyuk gave him time to process. Once recovered, his father spoke.
"Hard for a human to grasp, yeah. I get why you told me."
"Sorry. Hunter stuff and all."
"You apologizing? First time for everything."
"Truth's that heavy."
The latest descent by the golden-eyed sovereign had shaken even the desensitized Kang Moo-hyuk and Thomas—not to mention S-rank Joo Se-ah.
Revealing it to his civilian father was a huge weight.
"Might even explain why gates and hunters appeared."
"Outer gods... Adumra, Hadanos—beyond me. But you stress understanding their language, right?"
"Yes. North Pocheon entity spoke of mana blessings and curses. And the one in Thomas... Maybe mana addiction isn't just a disease."
"You think it showed because Thomas has mana addiction?"
"Some condition met. Not sure what."
Kang Chang-su pondered deeply, then stood. He rifled through his cluttered desk and bookshelves of research files, pulling a thick binder for Kang Moo-hyuk.
"What's this?"
"My early paper on mana addiction. Never published."
"Never published?"
"Medically, it's a disease. My focus was curing your mom's. Origin research got shelved unfinished. Read the last page."
Kang Moo-hyuk flipped through.
"This is..."
Mana addiction shows no genetic markers despite hereditary claims. Perhaps not a disease, but a phenomenon from gates entering our world.
"Like you said, beyond treatment—we need a gate archaeology expert."
"Gate archaeology?"
"Writing this, I recall myths in the artifacts."
Kang Moo-hyuk's eyes lit up. A direct lead on his condition thrilled him.
"Want an intro? Niche field in Korea—level unknown, but someone exists."
"No. I'll scout myself. You focus on Thomas Hunter."
"Got it. An S-rank to poke at freely? Been ages since I felt this fired up."
"Not 'freely'... Go easy, easy."
Kang Chang-su's eyes gleamed. Unable to stop him, Kang Moo-hyuk changed tack.
"New gear in the lab, huh? Beyond my budget. Hit the lottery?"
"Lottery? Blind money came in—snagged those drool-worthy toys."
"Blind money?"
"Invoice here."
"Why show m—"
Kang Moo-hyuk trailed off. The invoice was billed to Iron Will Guild.
"What's this? Why our guild...?"
"Yup. Your Guild Master swiped her card. Says call on her anytime."
Kang Moo-hyuk caught on instantly.
"You hit her up when sending meds to America?"
"She offered first. Shared your condition details, of course. Oh, and she'll get periodic vitals from now on, our sponsor."
Kang Moo-hyuk panicked at Joo Se-ah knowing his illness. If it worsened, she might boot him as Commander.
"Why leak patient info without consent? That's illegal."
"Relax. S-rank backing, remember? Busted, out in a flash."
Kang Moo-hyuk finally understood Thomas's anxiety.