Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: The Mad Scientist and the Intruder
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“It's Ghost.”
“Don't tell me he killed them. Just look at that nasty scowl.”
“But he's handsome, though.”
“Gasp! I think he just looked at me.”
“Quick, look down. Keep your eyes on the ground until he passes.”
People ducked their heads and averted their gazes, afraid to even make eye contact with Ghost.
Normally, onlookers would gather hoping to catch a Hero's eye and exchange a greeting.
But ‘Ghost’ was the exception.
Accustomed to this kind of reaction, Juyeol said nothing. He simply stared intently at one suspicious individual in the crowd.
As if sensing he was being watched, the man suddenly bolted behind the ambulance.
*Click.* Without hesitation, Juyeol aimed for the man's head.
Just then, a crossbow bolt flew in from the side and slammed into the barrel of his gun.
“I thought I told you—limbs only. Do you want to be disciplined again?”
Frowning at the stern tone, Juyeol glanced to his side.
A middle-aged woman holding a crossbow stood there. She was the leader of the Heroes, Hunter.
The fleeing man had already been caught by another Hero and was being dragged over.
Juyeol swung his leg over his bike and said listlessly,
“Looks like things are wrapped up here. I’m going to go patrol somewhere else.”
At that, other Heroes stepped forward one by one, blocking his path.
“What is this?”
As Juyeol’s expression soured, Hunter strode toward him.
“An Awakening Sphere has gone missing from the headquarters vault.”
“...”
“And I have a funny feeling you might have it.”
Juyeol locked eyes with Hunter, his gaze defiant.
“You didn't sell it, did you?”
He had nothing to say and kept his mouth shut. He had, in fact, smuggled it out with the intention of giving it to Dr. Eun Haon.
Hunter frisked Juyeol and pulled a pouch from his pocket.
Inside the pouch she opened was the Awakening Sphere. The atmosphere turned frigid.
‘Awakening’ only occurs around the age of ten. Both the subject and the ability are completely random.
Since it happened to so few, many yearned to become one of the Awakened.
And this golden sphere, discovered like a fossil, was used as a catalyst to forcibly induce Awakening.
The success rate was abysmal, and the side effects of failure—such as permanent disability or cardiac arrest—were so severe that it became a major social issue.
Furthermore, the thought of a violent criminal successfully Awakening and gaining a powerful ability was horrifying.
It was only natural, then, that the Awakening Spheres themselves came under the management of Hero Headquarters. For a Hero to smuggle one out, for any reason, was grounds for disciplinary action.
“I also received a report that you were seen leaving Dr. Eun’s lab.”
Even more so if you brought it to the residence of a person of interest.
“Ghost. You’re suspended for three months.”
Juyeol's face twisted in anger.
“Hunter!”
Hunter tucked the pouch away and said firmly,
“Hand over your access card and leave. And you should know, there will be no engineering support during your suspension.”
Juyeol shot back with a fierce look.
“Then let me see the information in the First Archive. That was the condition for me becoming a Hero!”
Ten years ago, someone set fire to the house where his little sibling was alone.
While roaming dangerous streets in search of the arsonist who killed them, he met Hunter.
Hunter recognized him as an unregistered Awakened and offered him a place among the Heroes.
Juyeol had thought it would be faster to find the culprit by immersing himself in the world of Villains, but he ultimately accepted her offer.
It was because she promised him access to the First Archive, where all of the headquarters' investigation records and classified information were stored.
“...It’s still too soon.”
“Hah.”
But when he received the same old answer, Juyeol let out a bitter laugh.
He threw his Hero Headquarters access card at Hunter's feet and started his bike.
“Move.”
Then, despite the other Heroes blocking his way, he revved the engine.
“Whoa, that crazy—!”
He could hear their rebukes behind him, but Juyeol just sped up and disappeared.
***
*Here too?*
Haon sighed, standing before another locked door.
*If only my phone were working, I could get through this.*
Unable to fall asleep no matter how hard she tried, she had decided to explore the building.
Most of the rooms were locked with keypads, so she hadn't found much. She was just grateful the bedroom wasn't locked.
*Her security is even tighter than mine.*
She herself was quite careful about security, but not to ‘Eun Haon's’ extent.
As she grumbled, Haon paused, a thought suddenly striking her.
*Wait a minute. The 'Eun Haon' of this place is still Eun Haon.*
She stood before the keypad again.
*Let's think. If it were me, what password would I use inside my own home?*
Her eyes gleamed with sudden, sharp focus. The countless passwords she had used over the years flashed through her mind.
Her hand moved over the keypad without hesitation.
*Click.*
The door opened on the first try.
*It worked!*
The faint smell of old books and a thoroughly cluttered desk. This room was a study.
*She keeps her desk messy, just like me. In that case...*
Scanning the room, Haon searched a large bookshelf. She found a laptop tucked away on one of the shelves and smiled in satisfaction.
*So the 'me' of this dimension isn't a completely different person after all.*
It was also password-protected, but she cracked it quickly and sighed.
*...It's a relief, but this feeling of our minds being linked is a little weird.*
She was actually a little relieved that she couldn't get past the passwords on a few massive folders.
Returning to the bedroom, Haon began researching ‘Eun Haon’ and this dimension, and finally learned the name of the city.
The city that occupied a much larger area where Gimpo should have been was Gwonyoung. Gwonyoung City, Gyeonggi Province.
And the more she typed on the laptop, the more she had to clutch her head in disbelief.
*So there was a reason Juyeol hated me.*
The ‘Eun Haon’ of this world was a mad scientist. She was raking in money by taking commissions to build and modify weapons, all while researching Awakening Spheres.
The problem was that her clients were all dangerous criminals.
*The me of this dimension is a really dangerous person, isn't she?*
Wincing at the shocking revelation, she scrolled rapidly through the screen. The laptop contained ‘Eun Haon's’ research data on Awakening Spheres.
*To think the me of this place was also researching mana. How strange.*
Combining her own knowledge with ‘Eun Haon's’ research, Haon was able to figure out a few peculiarities of this dimension.
There are no mana users here, so mana is overflowing. It seems this supersaturated mana seeps into people's bodies.
In the process, children who are highly compatible with mana ‘Awaken’ and gain ‘special abilities’.
Their physiology seemed slightly different from the people of her homeland, who were born with mana pathways in their bodies.
*Being able to do things with mana without a device... it's like having superpowers.*
Since they didn't know about mana here, it seemed they regarded Awakening as an inexplicable phenomenon.
*Seeing as all Heroes are Awakened, Juyeol emerging from the shadows wasn't my imagination. Then, could it be...?*
Haon recalled how ‘Eun Haon's’ body had been burned without a trace. Was that also the ability of an Awakened?
*It must be nice to have Heroes protecting people, even with such scary Villains around. If only we had Heroes, too...*
Wouldn't the war have ended sooner?
Wouldn't there have been far fewer casualties, and wouldn't we have returned to our daily lives by now?
Haon shook her head, trying to break the chain of thoughts.
*What's done is done.*
Steeling her resolve, she looked out the window. The mana was as dense as a sky full of countless stars.
*With this much, I should be able to create a dimension gate. I can get my normal life back once I return.*
*Screeeech—.*
Just then, a strange sound came from outside the bedroom.
*Wh-what was that? So scary!*
Her heart sinking, Haon quickly ran through an inventory of the items in the house.
One pair of slippers at the entrance, one placemat on the dining table, one toothbrush in the bathroom.
*‘Eun Haon’ lives alone. There's only enough clothing for one person in the closet.*
Haon's gaze fell to the oversized T-shirt she was wearing.
*A lover? No.*
The footsteps are light, though they're wearing shoes. The humming is faint, too.
Even if she had a lover, this intruder wasn't it.
Besides, the slippers by the door suggest this isn't a culture where you wear shoes inside the house.
And there's no reason for one of ‘Eun Haon's’ clients to come all the way up to her home instead of the lab.
*There's a high probability this is the culprit who killed ‘Eun Haon’.*
It took only an instant for her thoughts to reach this conclusion.
Haon shoved the laptop under the bed and rose silently.
*Even with all this mana, I can't use Mana Engineering right now.*
She slipped her broken phone into her pocket.
Without Mana Engineering, she was the weakest link on the front lines, a liability. Haon knew her place all too well.
But this wasn't the front lines, and the intruder was alone. She had a chance.
*I need to grab a weapon.*
With grim determination, Haon took an axe down from the bedroom wall.
*Wh-whoa, wait, why is this so—*
Heavy...!
Before she could finish the thought, the axe head slammed into the marble floor.
At the sudden crash, the footsteps and humming stopped dead.
*Aaaahhh!*
She screamed silently, stamping her feet in frustration.
Still, she grunted and strained, managing to hoist the axe onto her shoulder.
*Aaaahhh!*
She tiptoed to the bedroom door. The footsteps started again, growing closer.
Haon took several deep breaths.
*The moment the door opens, I'll swing. I'll threaten them, and while the intruder is startled, I'll run.*
But as soon as she lifted the axe from her shoulder, she staggered again, and the blade slammed into the door.