"My disciple, through observing countless fates over a long time, I have come to one ultimate realization."

"What is it?"

"In this world, nothing ever goes according to plan."

— Excerpt from The Young Dragon’s Monument (British Museum Collection)

 

"Let's discuss this outside."

Jangman lowered his gun, and the woman wearing the black dog mask—no, the girl—accepted his proposal.

That marked the beginning of a quiet journey, with no further conversation as they left the black market, passed through the abandoned logistics hub, and eventually returned to Incheon Market.

Jangman was not the talkative type, and Dung Beetle felt that opening his mouth would only lead to another fight. He was too busy processing what he had experienced in the earlier battle.

Naturally, the girl also remained silent.

It wasn’t until they arrived at Jangman’s bar that the girl spoke again.

"So, when can I get the item? I can pay you anytime."

She directed her question to Jangman, but he ignored her and pulled a bottle from the bar shelf.

"Paying in full with cash isn’t an issue either. It’ll just take about a week."

Once again, there was no response.

Jangman took a sip of his drink, and Dung Beetle started checking the weapons in the suitcase.

It was only then that the girl noticed something was off.

"Hey... old man? Are you not going to make the deal?"

"You’re not dealing with me. You should be talking to him."

Jangman gestured toward Dung Beetle with a nod, and the girl’s gaze shifted to him.

"...With him? Why?"

"If you want that item, talking to him will be faster."

The girl raised one eyebrow, clearly confused, but Dung Beetle continued focusing on his own business.

"Um, excuse me?"

Eventually, she spoke up, but Dung Beetle didn’t even acknowledge her. She leaned in close to his suitcase.

"Excuse me? Excuse me? Excuse me? Excuse me? Excuse me?"

Dung Beetle, in the middle of pulling out the shotgun, sighed and finally responded.

"Why do you need weapons to fight necromancers?"

"Huh?"

"You told Josef you were looking for weapons to fight necromancers. Was that just an excuse to find the staff, or is your real target the necromancers?"

"...I get the feeling that how I answer this will decide whether we have a deal or not. Am I right?"

"Probably."

The girl squinted as she examined Dung Beetle’s face. Aside from his golden eyes, there was nothing particularly special about his appearance. No distinct expressions or features.

She glanced at the weapons inside his suitcase, then sat beside him as if she had figured something out.

"Grenades and a shotgun... You’re planning to fight necromancers too, aren’t you?"

Dung Beetle didn’t reply, his attention still on the shotgun’s manual.

"Hmm, an old man from the black market and a rookie superhuman hunting necromancers. This sounds like a plot that would get panned in a movie for being too cliché."

"...Cut the nonsense. What’s your answer?"

"How about we introduce ourselves first?"

The girl, seemingly trying to delay her response, made another effort to divert the conversation.

"No."

Though Dung Beetle’s reply was curt, the girl ignored it and started her introduction anyway.

"My name is Ho... no, Park Seti. I’m Korean, but don’t ask me why my eyes are blue or why my name is Seti. You’ll have to ask my dad that because I’d like to know too."

"...?"

"Now that I’ve told you my name, it’s only fair that you tell me yours, right?"

Park Seti stared at Dung Beetle with intense eyes. After a brief silence, Dung Beetle reluctantly conceded.

"...I’m Dung Beetle."

Park Seti’s perfectly arched brow quirked up slightly.

"...I gave you my real name, so shouldn’t you do the same?"

"That is my real name."

"...?"

Wondering if this was a joke, she checked his expression again. But there wasn’t a trace of humor on his face.

"Wow... there’s someone out there who’s even worse than my dad. Are your parents’ last name 'Dung'?"

"No, I’m an orphan."

"Oh... um..."

"No need to apologize. I never knew their faces."

That only made it worse. She swallowed the words that had risen to her throat.

A brief silence followed, and her fingers fidgeted.

With a sigh, she decided to tell her story honestly.

"I need the Uragan handle... I mean, that staff, not for a necromancer, but for my sister. There was an accident about a month ago."

She took the curse for me. She added this without being asked.

At the mention of "a month ago," Jangman cast a glance their way but didn’t interrupt.

"Five billion won is enough to get her into a top hospital or to hire a high-ranking priest."

Dung Beetle commented.

"It didn’t work. Neither the renowned doctors nor the high-ranking priest from the Ulthsbati Church could cure her."

"If a high-ranking priest couldn’t heal her, I doubt that staff will be able to."

"...Yeah, I’m not sure either. But the unicorn’s soul and horn have long been said to ward off all curses, right? So, I’m placing my bet on that."

After she finished speaking, Dung Beetle remained silent, pulling a long box from his suitcase and placing it on the table.

The girl couldn’t have guessed, but inside the box was the very unicorn horn staff she had been desperately searching for.

‘What should I do?’

Dung Beetle pondered.

The girl’s sincerity in wanting to save her sister was touching, but that was all.

He was no longer the Dung Beetle who had died, nor the cleaner who used to be moved by small acts of kindness.

He had no intention of handing over a weapon he needed to fight necromancers just because of some fleeting sense of sentimentality. There was no need, no reason for it.

What he was considering now was the benefit in a future far beyond defeating the necromancers.

Would helping her and forming a small connection be advantageous? Or would ignoring her be more beneficial?

Park Seti.

She was an unknown superhuman. This led to several questions.

In a world obsessed with appearances, how was it possible that a woman with her level of beauty, who was also a superhuman, remained unheard of?

As long as paparazzi and social media existed, it was impossible for her to stay unnoticed.

So, there were only two possibilities.

Either she had hidden her abilities well, or she was a student at one of the superhuman academies.

Judging by her youthful appearance and impulsive behavior, the former seemed unlikely.

Which meant she was probably an academy student...

If she was indeed an academy student, everything about her behavior so far was telling.

Her ability to easily offer five billion won, her skill in using the mysterious martial art called Bikak Technique, and the level of intelligence required to navigate the black market.

Even from these simple facts, Dung Beetle could deduce that she came from an extraordinary background, surpassing most superhumans.

‘She must be the family member or disciple of someone influential.’

Having come to his conclusion, Dung Beetle mentally weighed the scales and asked himself a final question.

Would forming a connection with her be advantageous?

The scales tipped in favor of "yes."

Having made his decision, Dung Beetle quietly pushed the suitcase containing the staff out of sight and spoke.

"...Three days."

"Excuse me?"

"Bring the money here in three days. I’ll give you the staff then."

"Really?"

Whether or not he meant it, Seti’s face lit up with a bright smile.

"Thank you! Dung Beetle!"

 

"Are you sure about this?"

After Park Seti had left the bar, Jangman took another sip of his drink and asked.

"About what?"

"Letting her go so easily. She seemed mighty suspicious to me."

"She was."

"Then why? She could be linked to your enemies, or she could spread rumors about what we talked about here."

It was a valid point, but Dung Beetle shook his head.

"...It doesn’t matter."

"Already fallen for her, have you? Well, I can’t blame you. A girl that pretty isn’t something you see every day."

"It’s not that."

"Then what?"

"I got something from her, so I figured I could afford to give something back."

"You got something?"

The Bikak Technique. The strange footwork she had demonstrated.

Dung Beetle didn’t explain how he had "acquired" it. He didn’t know how to explain it himself.

And Jangman didn’t seem interested in a detailed explanation, so the conversation ended there.

 

The next day.

Dung Beetle left Jangman’s bar and headed toward the closed Pier 13.

According to the now-deceased foreman, the cleaners gathered bodies here to hand over to the necromancers.

The closed ports at the farthest edge of Incheon, a stark symbol of the city’s decline.

The scene that greeted Dung Beetle when he arrived with his suitcase of weapons was one of a desolate, abandoned land.

Dust piled up like a blanket, garbage and containers strewn about in disarray...

There was nothing worth admiring, and nothing to ponder over. The first thing Dung Beetle did was climb onto a container to get a better view of the dock’s layout.

‘One entrance, plenty of places to hide thanks to the containers...’

A layout like this would inevitably force close-quarters combat. Given that his only weapons were a shotgun and grenades, this terrain wasn’t bad for him.

After surveying the area, Dung Beetle took a seat atop the container.

From his vantage point, he looked out toward the sea as the iron-scented wind brushed against his face.

As he savored the salty breeze, Park Seti came to mind.

Or more accurately, the Bikak Technique she had used.

A true superhuman martial art.

Though his exchange with her had been brief, what she had shown him in that short time was beyond words.

How far could the human body move with the use of mana?

Before the deal with Josef, just strengthening his senses had opened up a whole new world for Dung Beetle. What she had shown him was nothing short of a revelation.

By strengthening the leg muscles with mana, you could add the force of a sledgehammer to a kick?

By enhancing the plantar fascia in the soles of the feet with mana, you could bounce off the ground like you were flying?

Each of her kicks and footwork maneuvers was a revolutionary thought for Dung Beetle, a complete shift in perception.

But what surprised him the most was his ability to understand it all just by watching.

‘It must be because of the gift Mignium gave me.’

That was the only explanation. Could his innate talent have only just now begun to bloom?

Impossible.

He had never once thought of himself as talented.

It had taken him over three years just to learn how to be a cleaner, so he was closer to the "lacking" side.

‘Talent, huh...’

Mignium’s gift. That word carried far too broad a meaning. Dung Beetle had no idea what this "gift" actually was.

Was it simply the ability to manipulate mana? Or was it a talent for superhuman martial arts? Perhaps it was both.

As Dung Beetle mulled this over, he stood and focused on the muscles in his lower body.

Something within him... something that was undoubtedly mana, followed his thoughts, wrapping around his thigh muscles and moving downward.

It passed from his thighs, down through the hamstrings, into his calves, and finally reached the soles of his feet.

When the mana reached the plantar fascia, which gave his feet their elasticity, he could feel every muscle as clearly as if they were in his hands.

Park Seti had maintained this state while using the Bikak Technique. This was likely the foundation of the technique.

Dung Beetle recalled the trajectory of her kicks, one by one.

The wide spinning kick, the flying kick that cut through the air, the short, snappy side and front kicks...

And the strange footwork that supported all of them.

Awkwardly at first, Dung Beetle began mimicking her stance and movements.

The first attempt was clumsy.
The second attempt revealed that the clumsiness was due to the difference in their builds.
By the third attempt, he was getting closer.
On the fourth attempt, he could bounce off the ground as easily as she had.

By the fifth attempt, he stopped.

He suddenly realized that if he wanted to push further, he’d need more than just the portion of the Bikak Technique he had seen the day before.

Perhaps if he could find the training regimen for the technique, or a manual, it would be a different story, but...

‘For now, this is the limit.’

The essence, or core, of the martial art.

It felt like something was just out of reach in his mind, but he couldn’t fully grasp what it was.

However, he had come to one conclusion.

His talent... no, Mignium’s gift to him, was real.

It was a talent so extraordinary that he could master sensory control in an instant and steal techniques from a single encounter.

‘Hah...’

The feeling he experienced upon realizing this wasn’t discomfort or joy.

It was a chill.

A cold sensation, like the one you get when holding a sharp knife or a loaded gun.

There was no choice but to use this talent. His revenge had to be carried out. Even if it cost him everything.

‘...’

Raising his head, he saw that the sunset was now stretching long across the sea.

With a light step, Dung Beetle used the same footwork as Seti to jump down from the container.

It was a nearly six-meter drop, but when his feet touched the ground, the sound was no louder than that of a feather landing.

"It’s time to get ready for my guests."

The time for quietly honing the stolen technique was over. Now, it was time to prepare for the battle to come.