Chapter 116: Mastermind The streets are flashy, which is nice.
Actually, "flashy" isn't quite the right word; the signs are plastered everywhere like a chaotic, pixelated mess, making my head spin.
The street is packed with people, and every shop is filled with figurines and character merchandise, clearly modeled after some Japanese otaku mecca.
Yeah, that bastard Trevor is definitely coming here.
As time passed, I seemed to regain my composure. My brain started working again, and I began to take in my surroundings.
They really do say that if you just stay still, you'll at least avoid making things worse.
I'm glad I didn't move prematurely.
So what if there's a connection between Trevor and me? I was just looking for a legendary hacker I'd heard rumors about to save Haruna. That's all.
Ah—a hacker. Right. Commissioning a hacker is a bad thing. But there are extenuating circumstances, aren't there? A young girl was kidnapped by thugs who knows what they'd do to her—was I supposed to just sit back and watch?
If anyone tries to give me grief for this, I'll leak it to the internet immediately, drum up public sympathy, and let them deal with the backlash.
Park Yu-jeong… Right, I did investigate the Graham family at her request. So what? Doesn't a mage who takes on a lot of commissions usually have at least one informant? Whether that informant peeks at a female celebrity's phone to jerk off or commits some other crime, that's not my responsibility.
I had absolutely nothing to feel guilty about.
Yeah, I'm a specialist at throwing things back in people's faces.
Go ahead, try me. But whoever messes with me better be prepared to get hit back.
It's Trevor's talent that's a waste; I don't have much to worry about myself.
A waste of talent, indeed…
But if he gets caught, won't the government utilize Trevor's abilities? In the game, he just exited the stage after getting hit by Akito's "Punch of Justice," so I don't know much.
As long as he's alive, they'll find a use for him. Sorry, Trevor. You really shouldn't have peeked at celebrities' phones and posted government data while pretending to be an apostle of justice.
I'm not going to do anything specific.
If I suddenly recognized Trevor and caught him, it would only arouse suspicion. Today, I intend to focus solely on the mission: the investigation.
"Static discharge in T-minus 10 seconds."
The command from above came through the radio. Ten seconds later, people in each zone flinched in surprise.
Watching from a rooftop, it was a strange sight to see people across the wide street twitching in sequence.
What we were doing now was generating static electricity across the entire area to stimulate Mana Barriers.
Everyone's Mana Barrier is different. Since we couldn't give a major shock to untrained civilians, the static wasn't even painful, but it triggered a mana reaction. This allowed us to collect mana traces, which are more accurate than fingerprints in this world.
"A1, no mana trace response: 17%."
"A2, no mana trace response: 9%."
"B1, no mana trace response: 14%."
The people in charge of each zone reported the number of individuals who didn't show a mana reaction to the weak static—which was described as "considerate of civilians" but was actually for covert collection.
At the operation headquarters, the information team was compiling the reports from each zone and investigating in real-time.
They cross-referenced mana traces to organize the people on the street, and other teams were assigned to those who showed no mana reaction.
A mage who summoned dog-like familiars memorized the scents of those who hadn't reacted, while another mage summoned several blurry eyes and used them like drones to follow people around.
Wow—every time I see something like this, it really hits home that this is another world.
Watching special operations that look like they're straight out of a movie being carried out with magic, I can't help but feel a surge of excitement.
And since they were more professional than I expected, I vowed never to mess with the government.
Akito was right after all. I'm going to be the government's lapdog.
Woof woof! Woof woof!
There was a reason Turk ignored Melissa and Sophia even though he usually disrespected the government by calling them "suits."
He must have been annoyed when Melissa tried to force her way into the training ground, but he didn't fight. He dealt with her rationally, citing the law.
In the end, he blocked her by saying she couldn't enter unless she got authorization since it was a Greyhound-owned building, but he was more polite and less snarky than usual.
Sorry, Trevor. I've decided to be the government's dog.
While the other mages were busting their asses, I had nothing to do.
I didn't have any useful magic like scent-tracking dogs or eyeball drones.
The only thing I could use here was the Eye of Yullat, but using it in a place crawling with surveillance cameras would just be a waste of mana.
So, the role I was assigned was the standby team.
It's a nice way of saying I'm a bottom-tier extra who has to make up for a lack of useful magic with manual labor.
"Standby Team 1, move to Zone C4. Check the transmitted data before approaching."
Information on the person I needed to approach popped up on the smartphone the government provided for the mission.
They called it a smartphone for the operation, but Masayoshi warned me to be careful because everything I did during the mission would be recorded on it. It really is a scary world.
No matter how much they filtered, there were too many people gathered on a weekend street to check everyone with magic, so personnel were deployed as well.
"Let's head out. Our priority is to remain on standby in that area rather than marking the target. Don't forget to report to HQ if the target leaves the zone instead of following them."
"Look at you, acting all high and mighty."
Ah—it's so inconvenient being an outstanding person; everyone gets so jealous.
The government's way of ranking people by their academic background is quite a spectacle too.
When I was appointed leader of Standby Team 1, which consisted of six people, about half of the team members openly expressed their dissatisfaction.
Shouldn't the team leader be a veteran?
There were people with long careers even if they weren't from a prestigious school, so they probably wondered if it was right to put a greenhorn who just got his temporary license in charge.
The funny thing was that the veterans didn't have any complaints; it was the brats from other magic schools who were throwing a fit.
If you're thinking of going to a magic school, Yggdrasil is usually the undisputed first choice, so going to another school means you failed to get in.
The fact that you failed is a problem with your skill, not my fault.
Anyway, the targets assigned from above were all different, so we'd scatter once we left, so I decided not to care.
If something happened, I'd take command, but nothing was going to happen here.
It would happen in another zone.
As I left the building, I spoke to a mage I knew was a veteran.
"Aruru-san."
"Yes, Team Leader."
Even though she was older and had more experience, the way she consistently used honorifics and treated a greenhorn leader with respect made her seem reliable.
"If something happens to me, please take command of the team, Aruru-san."
"...Understood. Is something bothering you?"
Oh, a veteran indeed.
If I'd said that to those brats from other schools, they would have acted smug or thrown a tantrum, but Aruru just accepted it and was quick-witted enough to say she'd keep it a secret from the others until something actually happened.
"It's just a... feeling. I don't have anything concrete to tell you."
"A hunch is often very important. Especially for sensitive mages; sometimes it's not just a hunch, but their developed mana acting as a sort of precognition. Don't worry, and if there's anything I can help with, don't hesitate to tell me."
Man—work is so much easier when you have an excellent team member backing you up.
It reminded me of how I always had to make long-winded excuses to the Comedy Duo about going to take a dump or whatever.
Anyway, let's work hard.
I was wearing casual clothes to blend in with the crowd, but because I'm so handsome, I stand out everywhere.
Even though I was keeping my distance, the person I was supposed to mark even glanced at me.
"Um... excuse me, are you alone?"
"I am, but I'm a bit busy right now."
"Could I maybe get your number?"
To think I'd get hit on as soon as I stepped onto the street. My face shines so brightly even in a crowd that it's a problem.
Being too handsome for a tailing mission... Heh heh, I can't help but feel a bit smug.
— Is this what the Team Leader was talking about?
"No, it's not."
— Hehe, being handsome can be inconvenient sometimes.
Following Aruru's radio message, I heard a jealous transmission from one of the brats from another school, but I ignored it.
Hey, I'm the team leader. Why are you the one throwing a fit?
Another group of girls approached, giggling, and people's eyes began to gather on us.
At this rate, I really won't be able to get close to the target.
"Ack—"
Just as I was struggling with the girls who were trying to hold onto me despite me saying I was busy, I heard a familiar voice and turned my head.
You really are something...
I locked eyes with Trevor, who was carrying a load of plastic models or something.
You must have peeked at my texts, so what kind of balls do you have to crawl out here?
As if confirming he'd seen the texts, Trevor's face went pale, and he immediately turned around and started running away.
— What's going on?
— Did you get spotted?!
The other team members saw it too.
And you little brat, calling the team leader "you"?
Anyway, that idiot should have just pretended not to know me and walked past, but he got himself caught because of his own guilty conscience.
Maybe me sending that text to Yukina led to this result.
Whatever the case, now that he's been spotted, I don't have the luxury of worrying about Trevor anymore.
"HQ, suspicious individual spotted. Moving from Zone C4 to B4."
"Situation confirmed. HQ is aware; we're assigning Team 3. Team 1, maintain your current objective."
Wow—they were watching everything even without a detailed report?
I don't know how they did it, but they responded quickly and told me to just do my job without worrying.
It's convenient, but... a bit scary.
Well—thanks to that, I can do what I need to do.
"Aruru-san, please take command."
— Pardon? HQ said to leave it to Team 3...
"It's something else."
I headed toward a deserted area and began to run at full speed.
While humans and the Zboni are shadowboxing, each accusing the other of being the culprit behind the Whitening Phenomenon, the real Masterminds are secretly causing trouble for society.
Even in missions unrelated to the main story, they appear occasionally to make the player realize there's a mastermind behind the scenes.
You know the type. The ones who suddenly slide out after the protagonist leaves a mission and strike a pose while going "Kekeke."
The Trevor investigation mission came up sooner than I expected, but they might be here.
For the record, Akito never encounters them in this mission.
Akito's part ends once he arrests Trevor, and he only hears later that the personnel on standby in Zone A2 were massacred.
Honestly, if it were people I didn't know, I would have ignored them even if they died.
I can't just mess with things when it might affect the story.
But perhaps because of my influence, the students from Yggdrasil who came with Park Yu-jeong are in Team 4, which is on standby in Zone A2.
Was his name Miguel? We aren't close, but we greet each other in passing, and I remember him being a nice guy.
He's also from Yggdrasil, so he was appointed team leader, and he's likely someone whose fate changed because of me.
If there were students among the massacred personnel, Yggdrasil wouldn't have stayed quiet, but there was no such content in the game.
I'd been subtly asking HQ to contact Standby Team 4 for a while now, but since they weren't listening, I had to handle it myself.
That said, if I mentioned it from the start or demanded it openly, people like Randall would get suspicious, which is a pain.
"A barrier... right?"
As I approached the building where Team 4 was supposed to be waiting, I felt mana shimmering so faintly it was almost unnoticeable.
So that's why no one outside noticed—because of the barrier.
I placed my hand on the shimmering film at the entrance and pushed.
What I learned from that geezer—Bukgeuk-jwa's grandfather and a master of barrier magic—was how to dismantle them.
Since I knew barriers well, I was also far better at destroying them than others.
I'd learned it because I'd be useless if I got stuck in a barrier when I was supposed to be taking hits for the team with my M-type tank build, and now it was coming in handy.
"Discovered a barrier cutting off the building where Standby Team 4 is located. Entering to assess the situation. Requesting backup."
I informed HQ, which had been radioing me continuously for leaving my post, and entered the building. A loud noise erupted.
There was a slight smell of blood, but since I could hear the sounds of battle, it seemed I wasn't too late.
"Can you not hear the wind whispering deceptions in your ear? It's screaming that it wants to dance with your blood!"
The wind doesn't say anything, you Chuunibyou bastard.
When I arrived at the scene, an edgelord in a black robe was toyed with Team 4.
Team 4, having already lost their combat capability, had gathered the wounded in one place and were barely holding on with defensive magic, while the Chuunibyou was gleefully raining down spells.
Miguel, who was struggling to hold the line, looked at me in surprise and shouted.
"Yeon-woo!"
"Oh, you okay?"
"No, watch out!"
Before Miguel could finish his warning, something sharp grazed my neck.
Since I couldn't see its form, it must have been the Chuunibyou bastard's wind magic.
But even with a Mana Barrier, he's aiming for the neck with a one-point attack.
It was the kind of attack that showed just how many civilians he must have killed.
The Chuunibyou turned around to look at me, seemingly surprised that I was unfazed.
"Hey, attacking while someone's talking is cheap."
"An ignorant insect leaps into the storm. I can hear the wind laughing at you."
"Cut the crap, you can't hear anything. Hey, guess how many fingers I'm holding up behind my back right now. I'm sure the wind will tell you."
"..."
"I guess the wind doesn't tell you things like that? Hey, if you're going to strike a pose, do something normal. Even Chuunibyous these days wouldn't act like that because it's too embarrassing—all that 'the wind this, the wind that' stuff."
The Chuunibyou bastard, unable to say a word, began to tremble, and a powerful bloodlust erupted from him.
"I will definitely kill you."
"Did the wind tell you that too?"
"Die!!"
The Chuunibyou, having lost his reason, unleashed a powerful spell that felt like it would bring the building down on me.
Perfect. I've drawn the aggro, so Team 4 should be safe now.
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