Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Secret Society
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The top floor of a skyscraper.
A man sat there, tilting a wine glass while gazing down at the dark nightscape of Seoul.
The man had swept-back snow-white hair in a somewhat old-fashioned style that fully exposed his forehead.
However, his tall stature, sharp features, height of 195 cm, and muscular build that even his suit couldn't hide evoked the image of a noble from the movies.
The man's name was Zero One.
He was the leader of the 21st Century Secret Society and could be called the head of all the monsters.
Normally, Zero One should have been bustling about for the human reduction scenario, but the reason he was taking a break like this, enjoying the night view, was that one of his chess pieces had gone astray on the board today.
"Aria's failure and betrayal... How intriguing."
There were no variables in the grand plan Zero One had devised.
Infrastructure for the remaining humans after the reduction was steadily being built, research to awaken the dormant queen's potential was progressing smoothly, handling the free-spirited monsters was going well, and eliminating obstructive forces was on track.
Yet, the theft of the queen's data from the academy city—one of the key puzzles of Red Ark—had been thwarted by someone.
As Zero One sipped his wine, the man standing opposite him spoke up.
"That's why you should've sent me from the start, you brat."
The man shot Zero One a mocking glance.
His name was Shin.
The last remaining dragon in this world and a figure in the society who possessed power equal to Zero One's.
Zero One shook his head with a smile toward Shin.
"You always make things unnecessarily big. Aria was at least a reliable knight who handled things quietly. What a shame."
"Brat, I've told you time and again. When handling slaves, you swing the whip too much. You need to mix in some carrots now and then. Tsk."
Zero One let Shin's sarcasm flow in one ear and out the other.
He gazed at the chessboard on the table.
A red pawn sat incongruously amid the black and white pieces.
Who could be the one causing variables in the academy city?
Was it a monster like Merlin who had rebelled against him before, or perhaps a hot-blooded hunter following Hell Dog?
The reason he'd sent Alchemi and Fran ahead with Mimir this time was to uncover the identity of that variable.
"Well, time will reveal it naturally."
He had far too much to do to dwell on this variable.
With Mimir as the command center, Alchemi and Fran monitoring and assisting her, they could surely reach the next step.
Zero One began to savor the night's darkness for the first time in ages, chatting idly with his old comrade standing before him.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Meanwhile, in the society's hideout located in District 7 of the academy city.
An important meeting was underway regarding the society's future movements.
The participants were Mimir, Fran, and Alchemi.
All of them were monsters who had received direct orders from Zero One to head to the academy city.
In other words, they were the new managers tasked with bringing disaster to the academy city in Aria's place.
Mimir sat there blankly, even as Fran and Alchemi argued right in front of her.
"The academy city has a group of problem children called Irregulars. We should use them."
The red-haired man in antique attire and a monocle—Alchemi—was actively pitching his plan, adjusting his monocle with one hand.
"No way. We should just kill all the humans. Why ally with them? It's easier to just kill them all."
Fran was the green-haired elf woman digging at her pointed ears, opposing every plan Alchemi proposed.
After an hour of verbose explanations, Alchemi finally lost his temper at Fran's blanket refusals and let out a short, sharp roar.
"Dumbass."
"My mom's dead, you know."
"That's why your family education screams self-taught."
It was a curse of the 21st century.
Though they were all over 100 in human years—veritable elders—they had adapted so thoroughly to modern culture that their speech and temper had become just like those of internet-savvy millennials.
A side effect of the Secret Society that Zero One had founded, one could say.
As if proving that people never truly mature until death, the two started bickering like children.
"Anyway, I'm absolutely against teaming up with humans. Just breathing the same air as them disgusts me."
"No, Fran, it's not teaming up—it's using them temporarily and discarding them. Hey, Mimir... give us your opinion. You're not still mad about that community thing, are you?"
For reference, on the community site, Alchemi used the nickname "Alchemi," and Fran used "Fran32."
The post where Mimir had been viciously flamed was Alchemi's "Experimental Awake Manufacturing Process (Gross, Cruel)," and Fran32 had been at the forefront of the hate comments against her.
"Uh, yeah...?"
Of course, the reason Mimir sat there dazed wasn't because of them.
She was the timid type who went quiet around people she wasn't close to, but she knew how to separate work from personal matters.
However.
'Carry out the society's mission with all your strength alongside the other monsters.'
'I'll do everything in my power to stop you.'
'Maybe Baek Do-hyun could show us a better future than the one the society envisions.'
Mimir was shaken by the turning point named Baek Do-hyun.
His confident demeanor and Aria's endorsement had thrown her heart into turmoil.
Mimir slapped her cheeks to snap out of it.
"S-Sorry. I was just thinking about something... Where were we...?"
Mimir tried to think coldly. Right now, Baek Do-hyun was nothing but a con artist.
How could he stand against the society that was painting the entire world in its colors?
Nothing was as certain as the future Zero One envisioned. Baek Do-hyun could never defeat Zero One.
No, he wouldn't even reach Zero One.
He would lose to her in this fight.
Mimir began fulfilling her role as mediator and command center.
However, the fact that she didn't mention "Baek Do-hyun" to them was clear evidence she was unconsciously pinning her hopes on him.
Thus, the chaotic and hectic meeting gradually took shape, and the society's next objective began to solidify.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Encounter with 'Mimir' has fulfilled the conditions for the final trait. You can unlock the trait by paying 200 evolution points. ⚔ STATUS ⚔ Level.1 - ??????? ??????????????????? ??????????????????? ??????????????????? ??????????????????? Unlock Condition: Evolution Points 200. It seemed Mimir was the key to the final trait.
Checking the system message, one of the trait conditions had been fulfilled.
Unfortunately, I had no evolution points left, so unlocking it right away was impossible.
I closed the system message and checked the time.
AM 8:00.
It was about time to head out.
['Announcement to all Cuvette students. Due to severe damage to the main building and other school facilities, repairs will take considerable time. Therefore, starting today, for approximately one month, we will conduct field studies and temporary classes at other schools...']
Three days ago, an announcement had come from Cuvette.
It seemed impractical to just leave the students on temporary vacation.
During the repair period, the school administration instructed students to attend other schools for field studies and temporary classes. I was getting ready to go to class.
I changed into my uniform, slung my handbag over my shoulder, and drank a blood pack.
Stepping out of the basement energetically, the sun greeted me. Ever since becoming Noble Blood, I'd developed resistance in various ways, so the light felt nothing but warm and pleasant.
I pulled up the map on my phone and found my way.
The school for my temporary classes was Arcana.
Arcana Dimensional Beast Hunter Academy. The officer training school where Kim Si-hu and Yubyeol-ha were enrolled.
True to form as the school attended by the protagonist and main heroine, every student was a B-rank Psyker or higher, and it was renowned as an elite institution gathering talents who would play major roles in the war against Dimensional Beasts over the next 30 years.
Being assigned to Arcana for temporary classes was fortunate.
With the society having failed to acquire data unlike in the original story, their next moves were unknown.
However, unless they altered their overall plan, I figured their goals wouldn't differ greatly from the original.
Thus, since the main stage of Chapter 2, "Irregulars," was Arcana, observing the key figures' actions would greatly aid in diverting the story.
That said, I needed to pay close attention to the methods the society employed to achieve their goals and how they planned to handle the queen's data.
It wouldn't unfold exactly like Chapter 1, "Dimensional Beast Awakening."
Unlike with Aria, the society wouldn't go easy this time.
"Well then, shall I go take a look at their faces...?"
I pocketed my phone and slowly made my way toward Arcana.