VOLUME 3
Soohyeok handed over the criminals of Magnus, who had been loaded along with Cosmo Energy and the SUV, to Kim Youngsook.
Afterwards, as always, he vanished outside, but not far from the scene, he removed his Iron Robot mask while in hiding, stopped by a nearby clothing store to buy new clothes, and then returned toward the military-controlled area.
There was still a conversation to be had with Oh Shinwoo.
He was worried that someone among the Awakened might recognize him, but fortunately, no one did.
"Over here."
Only one person, Kim Youngsook—who had known Soohyeok from the beginning—greeted him.
After that, Soohyeok took a rest in the barracks prepared by the association.
Having been busy running through the Tranon dimension, the rest felt like sweet honey.
About two hours later, Oh Shinwoo arrived.
"Wow, I heard you gave quite a performance."
Clapping loudly as he entered the barracks, Oh Shinwoo jumped into the conversation with an excited tone.
"I figured it'd be good to make an impression."
"You're not usually into that kind of thing, right?"
At Oh Shinwoo's joking question, Soohyeok paused to think.
'Now that I think about it… maybe I don't actually hate it that much?'
He definitely disliked the uncomfortable gazes of others.
Especially in modern society, where exposure is frequent in many ways, the aversion was stronger.
He had thought it didn't suit his nature—but as Oh Shinwoo said, he was surprisingly good at performing.
He found his answer upon reflecting further.
'It's because it's not Yang Soohyeok being exposed, but a no-name.'
No one knew who Soohyeok was.
Only a small few might have noticed something.
Plus, any attention toward him was handled discreetly by Oh Shinwoo and the Awakened Association.
Enjoying the stage under such convenient and comfortable conditions wasn't something he could say was entirely unpleasant.
"You're suddenly getting all serious—it's making me nervous."
"No, it's just… I was thinking that being a no-name might not be such a bad thing."
"Well, that's really good to hear."
Oh Shinwoo chuckled softly, sat down across from Soohyeok, and took off his sunglasses.
"Anyway, good job out there. And… you've got more to say, don't you?"
Of course.
That's why Soohyeok had come back here instead of returning straight to his long-missed home—and waited for Oh Shinwoo.
"Magnus."
He got straight to the point.
"Whoa, going right for the heavy stuff."
Oh Shinwoo put on an exaggerated expression, looking caught off guard.
"So you knew."
"How could I not? They're an international criminal organization."
Soohyeok furrowed his brow.
Of course, in that sense, he had known about Magnus for a long time.
The name was globally known as an Awakened terrorist group.
However, South Korea had been relatively untouched by their influence.
Unlike nearby countries like Japan and China, South Korea had remained off their radar—perhaps due to the anomaly of having North Korea (now completely monster territory) as a buffer zone, and also because Asia wasn't Magnus's main area of operations.
That had been the case—until this latest mission into the Tranon dimension.
"Please don't look at me like that. These days, I really feel like you could beat the crap out of me. Actually, after seeing Lee Woojin being brought in… maybe it's not just a feeling. Ha ha…"
Oh Shinwoo scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled.
His eyes, however, slowly grew serious.
"First, let me apologize. Truth is, we've known about the Korean branch of Magnus for quite a while. But unlike other branches, they don't engage in terrorism. They operate mainly within the portals, so they've been hard to track. We've been investigating, but… I never imagined this would affect you, Soohyeok."
"That's not what I want to hear."
If he had been informed in advance, it would have been much easier to respond.
Oh Shinwoo understood what Soohyeok meant and nodded bitterly.
"Honestly, we received orders from above to keep it quiet. The name Magnus carries weight. If it leaks, the higher-ups get headaches. Even talking to you like this means I'm risking my job—no, my neck."
Soohyeok stared at Oh Shinwoo in silence.
As always, he wore a faint smile, but it wasn't a bright one.
It was full of bitterness.
"I know. This kind of approach is dangerous. We should've informed people, responded faster. But as a public official, there's a limit to what I can do…"
"'Above'… Are you talking about the Association President?"
"I can't say."
"Someone higher?"
"I really could lose my head over this."
"Does this go all the way to the President?"
Soohyeok couldn't help but think of the person who would most want to keep this situation hidden.
Oh Shinwoo shook his head without a word.
No—it wasn't a verbal answer, but his eyes said it all.
Then who?
"There are some complicated political circumstances involved. I'm sorry, Yang Soohyeok. We should've made sure this situation didn't affect you…"
Letting out a deep sigh, Oh Shinwoo scratched the back of his head.
"I promise this won't happen again. And I swear—moving forward, I won't hide anything from you."
"Understood."
Soohyeok decided not to press Oh Shinwoo any further.
He didn't mention any speculation about the informant. Chances were, Oh Shinwoo had already figured it out. Whether he was still investigating or had already laid a trap, it didn't matter.
Oh Shinwoo had his own circumstances.
There was no benefit in pressing him further.
More importantly, Soohyeok had now fully grasped the existence of Magnus.
It was a major threat when unknown, but once aware, it was something he could prepare for.
From Soohyeok's perspective, as long as it didn't pose a threat to him directly, that was enough.
So Soohyeok nodded and stood from his seat.
"I'll trust you."
"Thank you."
There was no need for further discussion.
Soohyeok nodded once more and turned to leave the barracks.
"Um… may I ask you one question?"
Soohyeok turned his head to look at Oh Shinwoo.
This time, his expression looked more serious than ever before.
"I heard that the abilities of Magnus members, including Lee Woojin, aren't manifesting. They say it's your doing…"
"That's right."
Soohyeok didn't deny it.
It was already done, and it wasn't something he could hide.
Nor did he intend to.
"I see… So even that is within your capabilities."
Oh Shinwoo gulped.
As another Awakened, he couldn't hide his nervousness.
"I won't disclose this for now. Eventually, the truth will come out, but… it's something that would definitely draw attention."
Soohyeok silently nodded.
If it was a matter involving public perception, it was best left to Oh Shinwoo's side—they were the experts.
It wasn't something Soohyeok needed to worry about.
"Oh, and your rank will be updated within a day or two. There's an interview scheduled as well… The matter with Magnus will be reported as a newly discovered criminal group."
A rank update.
Partly due to the Tranon mission, but the incident with Magnus would definitely be factored in somehow.
Even Lee Woojin, whose rank hadn't yet been officially updated, was at least 10th rank.
Soohyeok didn't think he'd rise by just one step.
'Maybe it's finally time to tell my parents.'
It had been a long wait—one of patience.
"The sale of the mana stones you left with us will be completed by tomorrow, and the deposit will be made to your account. Oh, and one last thing—I heard you lost your ATV."
At the unpleasant news, Soohyeok's face twisted momentarily.
'My 800 million…'
No matter how he looked at it, it was a painful loss.
Thanks to Seriniel's help with the mana stones, the income from this trip wasn't small, but it still stung.
"I also heard you recovered an SUV from the Magnus group. It's got a few issues, but apparently it's a solid model…"
Soohyeok's eyes widened.
A broad smile formed on his lips.
"The association will take care of repairs and license plate registration. We'll deliver it to you soon."
"Really?"
Though it had belonged to criminals, the SUV was high-end. As Seriniel had mentioned, it was resistant to magical attacks and had an expanded trunk space enchanted for storing inanimate objects.
It couldn't even be compared to an ATV.
Its base price was probably around 2 billion won. Given its large size, it might even approach 3 billion.
Whatever the case, it was more valuable than the money Soohyeok had just lost.
"Are you really that happy?"
His smile must have been obvious enough for Oh Shinwoo to comment on.
"Of course. Do you know how sick I felt thinking about that money?"
Soohyeok answered honestly, without hiding his emotions.
It was a loss worth billions—why bother pretending not to care?
The Korean virtue of turning down gifts three times? That didn't apply here.
"If you're offering it, I'll gladly accept. Thank you."
Soohyeok bowed deeply in gratitude.
Wearing the sunglasses he had taken off earlier, Oh Shinwoo responded:
"No need to thank me. It's a gift for a hero of South Korea. It's the least we can do."
It might have been performative, but to Soohyeok, it was a kind of recognition that felt good.
***
"…Wait, he already left?"
Sitting in the Pioneer's Inn, waiting for Soohyeok to arrive, Vladimir was stunned speechless at the sudden news of the portal being sealed from outside.
Apparently, the very no-name he had been waiting for had dashed out through the portal after securing Cosmo Energy.
And Vladimir, unaware of this, had been wasting time inside the inn.
It hadn't been a long wait, so boredom wasn't an issue.
But missing someone who passed right under his nose was beyond frustrating.
They said the SUV had made quite a wild escape, drawing attention—but even that had gone unseen by him.
At that time, Vladimir had been upstairs on the third floor of the inn, happily logged into his favorite online game.
That floor's excellent sound insulation had worked against him this time.
"Good grief…"
Vladimir pressed his palm to his forehead and slowly stood up.
There was no one else to blame but himself.
Had he simply waited at the entrance from the start, he wouldn't be in this situation.
'Then again… to be honest, I didn't feel like going that far.'
Truthfully, the no-name had moved faster than he expected.
Or rather, it was likely the result of clever misdirection by the Korean Awakened Association.
Based on the latest reports reaching the Baek family estate where Vladimir now resided, that seemed to be the case.
'Didn't they say he only entered the Tranon dimension just last night?'
And they were supposedly preparing to clear the portal using elven magic tools.
It was info he had obtained through the association's internal intelligence network—but in the end, it had all been a ruse.
'Seriously, that association's full of tricks. What was his name again? Oh Shinwoo? That guy's probably behind it.'
Cunning bastard.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]