Episode 24

8. Ground Zero

One.

The second floor of an old building located near Ground Zero.

In front of the door of a coffee shop that seemed to have been out of business for quite some time, Team Leader Kim Dong-sik of the Talent Management Department adjusted his suit once again.

Then he carefully opened the door and went inside.

rattle-

The bell on the door rang open, and the interior unfolded before Team Leader Kim's eyes.

Inside the hall, there was only an elderly gentleman with slicked-back white hair.

He was looking out the window at the huge wall of Ground Zero, with a steaming cup of coffee down in front of him.

Team leader Kim Dong-sik carefully approached the old man and bowed before bowing.

“Minister.”

The old gentleman responded to Team Leader Kim Dong-sik's greeting by nodding his head.

“You’re here. “ Sit down.”

“Then, please excuse me for a moment.”

Team leader Kim Dong-sik swallowed his saliva and sat in the seat in front of the old gentleman.

I tried not to be nervous, but it wasn't as easy as I thought.

After all, isn't the old gentleman in front of him the one who currently leads the Ability Management Department?

Yoo Seon-ho, Minister of Talent Management.

Despite being a non-awakened person, he is a master who coordinates the current awakened people of the Republic of Korea with his excellent political skills.

If it weren't for him, it was clear that the Talent Management Department would have become a useless organization long ago.

“Have you been having a lot of trouble these days because of Kim Si-woo’s awakened self? I heard that you can't even leave work properly. “My dad is going through a lot of hardships.”

Minister Yoo Seon-ho said as he poured coffee from the teapot into Team Leader Kim Dong-sik's cup.

And at his words, Team Leader Kim Dong-sik lowered his head while holding the glass with both hands.

"no. “ Since I became a member of the Ability Management Department, I have never been more satisfied.”

“Hehe, at least put some saliva on your mouth.”

“I’m serious.”

“Okay, okay, the coffee is lukewarm, so at least quench your thirst with this.”

Team leader Kim Dong-sik took a sip of coffee. It was in an old-fashioned cup, but the contents inside the cup were mixed coffee.

A sweet yet bitter taste began to spread in his mouth.

Thanks to this, the fatigue that had been creeping in for so long seemed to recede slightly.

“It’s been that way for a long time, but I don’t like the coffee that young people drink these days. “ Why do you have to drink that bitter stuff?”

Minister Yoo Seon-ho smiled kindly and then looked into the eyes of team leader Kim Dong-sik.

“From what I heard, you were against my decision.”

“… … sorry."

“I didn’t call you here to reprimand you. I just wanted to ask your thoughts. “Can you tell me about the basis for your objection?”

Team leader Kim Dong-sik had no choice but to hesitate to answer the minister's question for a moment.

But he soon opened his mouth.

“This is an area where at least five guilds are competing. There are many risk factors that we are not aware of. We decided that it would not be right to deploy Korea's first Irregulars to such an area. “Isn’t the Irregular the one we’ve been waiting for for five years?”

Unlike Disaster-class returners and S-class hunters, for which measurements have been completed to some extent, measurement of Irregular-class returners is impossible.

No one, not even the Irregular Returnees, can predict the outcome until they face off against each other.

That is why the Irregular-class returnees have a deterrent effect just by their very existence.

Like an old-fashioned nuclear weapon.

Because the symbolism of the Irregular Returner was so great, Team Leader Kim Dong-sik did not feel the need to expose him to unnecessary threats.

"haha."

Minister Yoo Seon-ho briefly laughed at Team Leader Kim Dong-sik’s story. Then he looked at team leader Kim Dong-sik and said.

“Like you said, this is the Irregular we’ve been waiting for for five years. But does it make sense for such an Irregular to back down simply out of fear of a fight between large guilds?”

"but… … .”

“Think about why China’s irregulars are not recognized as proper irregulars in the international community.”

No matter how irregular something is that cannot be measured, rough measurement through comparison is possible.

Irregulars in the United States and Europe each proved their worth by solving a very large Chaos Gate on their own.

Minister Yoo Seon-ho took a sip of coffee and then spoke in a calmer voice.

“The National Awakened Association, which is already dominated by large guilds, is requesting verification of Kim Si-woo’s Awakening’s Irregular grade.”

“That’s enough at Yeouido Gate and Guro-gu Gate… … .”

“Both of these places were areas controlled by our Ability Management Department from the beginning, so it raised the possibility of manipulation. I heard that you are working hard to prepare a press release. “This is all due to the lack of power of our Ability Management Department.”

The balance of power had already shifted towards the large guilds.

The only way to stop large guilds with capital from large corporations was regulation, but they cleverly reached out to the political world to block regulation.

Without Minister Yoo Seon-ho, even the Talent Management Department would have been disbanded long ago.

“I spoke on the phone with the president of the National Assembly yesterday. Does he know what he said?”

“I don’t know.”

“They told me to take responsibility for the manipulation and be prepared to take off my clothes. They were already concluding that we had manipulated it. Even if it wasn't manipulation, they were going to force it to happen. So do you know what I did?”

“… … no way?"

“I told you today that Awakened Siwoo Kim would enter Ground Zero. Aren’t you curious about the results too? “This old guy’s heart is beating without any hesitation.”

Team leader Kim Dong-sik was able to realize why Minister Yoo Seon-ho, who is said to be a born businessman, suddenly accepted Kim Si-woo's request.

'Of course it is.'

After all, there was nothing free in this world.

Team leader Kim Dong-sik, who had thought that far ahead, followed Minister Yoo Seon-ho and looked at the huge wall.

And then I carefully asked Minister Yoo Seon-ho.

“If Awakened Kim Si-woo finds out that we leaked information, won’t he be angry?”

Then Minister Yoo Seon-ho answered while drinking coffee as if nothing had happened.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that. “ Awakened Siwoo Kim already knows.”

“… … yes?"

“Even though I look like this, I am a businessman with a conscience. Lol.”

2.

A person named Yoo Seon-ho, Minister of Talent Management.

It seems that it was not that common in Eden to find someone better suited to the expression Noikjang.

yesternight. A handsome old gentleman suddenly came to me while I was quietly jogging alone.

Since I had already said hello to him once, it wasn't difficult to recognize him.

I heard quite a few stories from him.

The current location of the Department of Ability Management in Korea and the reason why he granted me access to Ground Zero.

And he immediately offered me a deal.

- Kim Si-Woo Our Ability Management Department will guarantee everything that the awakened person will achieve at Ground Zero. Could you please give us a little strength instead?

So I gladly accepted the deal.

Since I was going to go to Ground Zero anyway, it would have been nice to get more.

But that's it.

“Did I get caught?”

No matter how I look at it, I feel like I suffered a loss.

I frowned and looked at the sign that had cracks everywhere.

「National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul」

Perhaps because it was an area where the gate first occurred five years ago, it was difficult to find buildings in good condition.

This ruin, which was once an art museum, was also in a completely collapsed state except for some buildings.

Unlike the world outside the walls, which was relatively orderly, Ground Zero was a place that perfectly suited the word post-apocalypse.

However, the problem was that not only the scenery but also other elements resembled post-apocalypse.

[Passive skill Kigam> detects clear hostility towards you.]

I said, raising the corner of my mouth as I felt the magic of other players among the ruins.

“About thirty people? This seems like a really losing business, Leo. “What do you think?”

"I think it's better to talk about it. Force must always be a last resort."

"I don't know about anyone else, but it's kind of strange that you say that."

I told her to dress so normally, but Leo stuck to her priestly uniform until the end.

Naturally, on top of the priest's robe, which clings tightly to his body, his beastly upper body muscles are throbbing.

Leo said, carefully tucking the one-eyed glasses he was wearing into his pocket.

"But I don't understand your hostility toward us. Aren't we the same human beings?"

To which I replied, patting Leo on the back.

"They do that because they're human. In Eden there was a public enemy called the devil, but not on Earth."

"I know Earth is also being invaded by demons."

"I mean. It's amazing to see him do that in such a situation. That's why I haven't come to my senses yet. Isn't that what greed is all about? It makes even a sane human being blind. What...... Shall we talk to you as you say?"

I nodded slightly, then walked slowly forward. He looked at the grim ruins and exclaimed:

"It's a nice day, let's talk to each other's faces!"

At my words, those who hid among the ruins did not even move.

My patience isn't that great.

So it's just.

Quaaaaaaaa

With a light stomp of his feet, he slammed the ruins in front of him. Soon, the players in the gap appeared one by one.

"It's great when you say good things. You're not tired of each other, are you?"

I didn't know much about it when I only sensed it with magical power, but when I saw it with my own eyes, I saw something unusual.

"You're a lot of shymen, but they're all masked."

They all covered their faces.

That mask was a testament to what was going on at Ground Zero.

Things you can't do with your face covered.

That's why they're hiding behind anonymity.

I glanced at them, then said with a chuckle.

"We're just here to explore the temple grounds. Our Limen is a true peace-loving person. So I ask you to get out of the way, brothers and sisters."

Did my gentle request for conversation work?

One stepped forward from among them. Then he threw off his mask and proudly showed off his hideous face.

From the narrow eyes that make life shiny, to the bizarre tattoos he proudly wears all over his face.

It's not easy to be that villainous.

Anyway, the villainous man pointed his sword at me.

"You can't get out of the way, do you?"

"Why?"

"There's no way you're going to let a cult leader into a precious place. I was expecting a generous commission from the Pavilion, but it turned out that he was a little bit of a kid."

Apparently, they think that all the powers I've shown so far are manipulations.

It seemed that Yoo Seon-ho, the minister of the Ministry of Talent Management, was right.

What was unusual about it was the amount of magic that the man possessed. His mana was not even inferior to the last representative of the Goblin Guild, Choi.

If so, you're an S-class Hunter, and I should know something about S-class Hunters.

I shrugged, then put my gloves on my hands and insinuated.

"What is the basis for judging that I am an innocent bastard, brother?"

"I just looked at him and said he was an, do you need a proof? Hmph. It's not like I've seen you impostor bastards for the first time."

"Your face looks like an ass, but you certainly have the talent to spit out of your mouth, brother. Do you have an anal mouth?"

"I'll wait and see if I can cut off my arm and still have that tongue on. I've ordered you to be a half-."

The man licked his lips with his tongue as he said so.

One thing's for sure, they've killed a lot of people. It was easy to tell just by the bad momentum they were exuding.

I glanced at them, then slid back and asked Leo.

"Do you still think the conversation is the best thing to do?"

Leo nodded in response.

"I think they should at least be given the opportunity to repent of their sins."

"Will they ever repent of their sins?"

Instead of answering, Leo stretched out his hands into the air.

Soon after.

Kwok-d-duk!

"Aa

A masked man lurking around us, enchanted, was folded in half by Leo's hand.

It was literally folded in half.

A person's left shoulder and right shoulder touched, so if it wasn't folded in half, what could it be?

I asked Leo again, who put on a show of power out of nowhere.

"How did that give you a chance to repent? A man dies when it folds in half."

To my question, Leo replied with a still sullen expression.

"Have you not left a mouth to repent of your sins?"

“…… That's great."

"That's a big compliment, Holy Father."

Erai Crazy.

It's my fault for asking for his opinion.

I let out a deep sigh, then turned my gaze to the masked men, who had become as rigid as statues.

"That's what I told you to do. Are you the ones who refused?