Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Time briefly rewinds to the past.

It was the moment Dojae returned to base with Song Ji-yoon and Yuk Hyeon-jae after finishing his enjoyable date with Eun-hee.

In a secluded corner of Gwacheon, a three-story building stands alone.

This somewhat gloomy place has an office where lights remain on even late into the night.

Outside the office, someone cautiously knocks on the door.

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

A somewhat sharp voice comes from inside the room.

Kim Soo-kyung, who had knocked, slowly opened the door and entered.

Click-!

Kim Soo-kyung saluted Park Do-hwan with a perfect, sharp angle.

Given the nature of the MID unit, they had no specific slogan.

“Yes, Team Leader Kim… What brings you here?”

Park Do-hwan stared at Kim Soo-kyung with bloodshot eyes.

He was racking his brains over the mana accelerator currently under development in China.

A mana accelerator is a type of doping injection, a drug capable of boosting an awakened individual’s abilities several or even dozens of times over in a short period.

It is said to perform the same function as a Transcendence Stone, yet without any side effects.

Information about this mana accelerator was obtained through the intelligence agency’s espionage activities.

And now, it was time for MID to step up.

If the mana accelerator is perfected, China will gain far greater power than it possesses now.

Humans are creatures of war.

In primitive times, humans evolved by hunting animals in the wild to survive.

In other words, aggression and violence are inherent in human DNA, and history has proven this through the act of war.

However, decades ago, monstrous creatures known as monsters appeared.

Monsters, possessing power that surpassed the laws of nature, inflicted immense damage upon humans and the entire planet.

A new predator had emerged above humans, who had occupied the apex of the ecosystem.

For the first time, humans resisted the monsters as a species.

They fought and sacrificed to reclaim their rightful place.

And what made that possible were beings known as Awakened Ones.

It was a new evolution.

Through superhuman abilities, they transformed humanity from the hunted into the hunters.

But as monster hunting became routine and wounds healed, humanity’s true nature began to resurface.

The seeds of war are slowly sprouting.

No, even now, small-scale wars are erupting across the world.

A single powerful Awakened now possesses strength equivalent to hundreds of soldiers from the past.

The wars of today are no longer about pouring firepower; they are battles between small groups of Awakened.

In other words, modern national defense power depended on how many powerful Awakened individuals a nation possessed.

As the commander of MID, he had to be most concerned about the awakened individuals of other nations growing stronger.

“Lee Do-jae, you say.”

“Lee Do-jae? Who is Lee Do-jae again?”

“The man who bought the half-broken transcendence stone and then joined the extermination force.”

“Right. What happened to him?”

Park Do-hwan abruptly stood up.

Even if China’s movements were important, the most crucial thing was the whereabouts of the Transcendence Stone.

Three months had already passed, yet monitoring Dojae had been slow going, largely due to the geographical location of Gaeseong and the presence of Kim Hwan-su, the Chilgokdae.

However, the Gaeseong campaign was nearly finished lately, and he often ventured outside the garrison, so orders had been given to assign surveillance.

“Well… we sent Jang Ji-woo, but he was spotted by Lee Do-jae.”

“Caught?”

“Yes… So they tried to subdue Lee Do-jae and bring him back, but they failed.”

“So, what did they find out?”

“He was knocked out before he could even put up a proper fight…”

“That fucking idiot!”

CRASH-!

Clang-!

Park Do-hwan threw the water cup sitting on the desk, hitting Kim Soo-kyung squarely on the forehead and shattering it into pieces.

Drip-drip-drip.

Kim Su-kyung could have dodged it, but she deliberately let it hit her.

It was just a simple venting of anger, so he wouldn’t have thrown it that hard, and being hit by a glass cup wouldn’t kill someone like him, an awakened being.

If she dodged for no reason, it would only make the situation worse.

Thud-.

“Clean it up.”

Park Do-hwan tossed a tissue at Kim Soo-kyung’s chest.

Kim Soo-kyung quickly wiped away the blood that had dripped down to her chin.

“It’s my fault for picking kids like you. Right?”

“No.”

“You didn’t come here just to recount your failures, did you? If so, I’d be very disappointed.”

Park Do-hwan quietly placed his hand on the phone.

With just one call from him, Kim Soo-kyung and her entire team could vanish without a trace.

“Yes. Our investigation shows Lee Do-jae has grown suspiciously strong recently. It’s unprecedented. It’s like the result we might see once our unstable experiment reaches completion.”

“So.”

“Lee Do-jae clearly learned about the Transcendence Stone from Choi Woo-seok and bought it. We can infer a connection between his increased power and the Transcendence Stone. Therefore, we must bring Lee Do-jae in for experimentation to explore ways to maximize the Transcendence Stone’s efficiency and efficacy.”

“How do you plan to bring Lee Do-jae in when your men failed to tail him? Are you thinking of kidnapping him in the middle of the city? Do you have the confidence to do that? …Wait, you said Lee Do-jae has a younger sibling?”

“Yes, he has a sick younger sibling who has improved significantly recently and is expected to be discharged soon.”

“I see… So that’s how it is…”

Park Do-hwan lowered his hand from the phone.

Then he gave a meaningful smile.

Kim Soo-kyung watched Park Do-hwan’s face and wore an anxious expression.

***

Do-jae headed to the shop of Choi Woo-seok, someone he’d frequently traded with and become close to over time.

After exchanging brief farewells with his comrades this morning, he headed straight for Seoul.

He had been granted a week’s leave before following Kim Hwan-soo to the expeditionary force headquarters.

His younger brother was also scheduled to be discharged this afternoon, so he planned to stop by Choi Woo-seok’s place in the morning, have lunch together, and then go pick him up.

Jingle-.

“Mr. Choi. It’s been a while since I dropped by.”

But there was no response.

This was Choi Woo-seok, who would normally have rushed out the moment he heard the doorbell.

‘Is he not here?’

Do-jae walked between the shelves and went inside.

Fortunately, Choi Woo-seok was in the small office attached to the shop.

“Mr. Choi.”

Do-jae opened the office door and called out to Choi Woo-seok.

Choi Woo-seok was nodding off, completely unaware Do-jae had arrived.

“Manager?”

“Hm… Huh? Oh, Dojae?”

When Dojae called out a bit louder, Choi Wooseok opened his bleary eyes and sat up.

He still looked dazed, as if he hadn’t fully woken up.

“What brings you here? Sleeping this late?”

“Huh? Ah… uh… Yeah, I guess so. I’ve been sleeping a lot lately.”

Choi Woo-seok stumbled to his feet, hastily gathered his papers, and pulled out a paper cup.

“Coffee… you want some?”

“Yes, please.”

Do-jae watched Choi Woo-seok slowly brew the coffee.

His once vibrant energy was gone, and he looked strangely drained.

In just the few months he’d been in Gaeseong, his face had grown terribly gaunt.

“Here, drink up.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s been really hard to catch a glimpse of you lately. What brings you here?”

“I didn’t come for any particular reason. I just wanted to see you.”

“What? Last time you came with a truck packed to the brim! And this time you show up empty-handed?”

“Don’t worry. This time there’s more than last time.”

Dojae had already piled up the loot in a huge heap near his warehouse parking lot.

Last time, he couldn’t open the sub-space and take things out one by one, so he had to call a delivery truck. But now, the sub-space had grown larger, and the list of items inside was more detailed, allowing him to unload everything at once.

“Really?”

“Yes, go take a look later. I’ve stacked it all in the parking lot.”

“Oh? Okay…”

Choi Woo-seok glanced at the back door through the office window before sitting back down on the sofa.

‘This is strange.’

He was the type who would normally rush out immediately, saying it was a waste of time.

But he seemed uninterested.

“Sir, is something wrong?”

“No? Nothing much.”

“Hmm. You’ve lost weight and your eyes look hollow. Are you sick somewhere?”

“Man, that’s just how it is when you get old.”

Choi Woo-seok is in his late fifties.

He wasn’t exactly young, but calling someone in their 50s old these days is a bit ambiguous.

Unless something’s wrong, looking that worn out in such a short time means there’s a health issue.

“Then why don’t you go see a doctor? You should at least get a health checkup.”

“Hospital? What are you talking about? And do you even know how much a health check-up costs? Are you going to pay for it?”

“Yes, I’ll pay for it.”

“Forget it, you jerk. I’ve got plenty of money!”

“You’re such a cheapskate.”

“Yeah, I’m a cheapskate! So why didn’t you bring anything to buy when you came? You came empty-handed?”

“Huh? I told you earlier. I stacked them in the parking lot…”

“Did I? Sorry. I keep forgetting things lately.”

Do-jae stared intently at Choi Woo-seok.

He wasn’t just looking.

He checked his condition through the Golem’s eyes.

[Character Information]

Name: Choi Woo-seok

Classification: Human

Details: 58 years old, male, 168cm, 61kg, CEO of <Bargain or No Bargain Wholesale & Retail>.

Status: Drowsiness, Headache, Fatigue, Memory Loss

[Stats]

Strength: 9 / Stamina: 10 / Agility: 7 / Spirit: 0 / Resistance: 0

[Skills]

Passive: None

Active: None

‘Memory loss, huh…’

Dojae scanned Choi Woo-seok’s body from head to toe.

There were no visible signs of injury.

If he suffered amnesia, he must have been seriously injured, yet there wasn’t a single scratch on his head or face.

“Sir, has anything happened to you recently?”

“What happened? What could have happened to me? My job is just coming to the shop every day.”

“Think carefully.”

“Hmm…”

Choi Woo-seok frowned.

He wore an expression as if he was on the verge of remembering something, then opened his mouth as if something had suddenly come to mind.

“Ah, was it about three or four months ago? That’s strange…”

“Hmph…”

Do-jae gave a low grunt.

Three or four months ago would be when Dojae bought the Transcendence Stone, ‘Sealed Memory,’ from Choi Woo-seok.

And the organization connected to this? He was certain it was the MID Shadow Unit of the Suppression Army Intelligence Command.

‘Do-young…!’

As Dojae’s expression grew serious, Choi Woosuk began to worry instead.

“What’s so serious? Don’t worry. They all end up like this when they get old.”

“Hmph… At least eat something good for your health. Especially something good for your brain! What good is chasing money like that? Isn’t it all just to make a living?”

Do-jae snapped without realizing it.

It was a mix of guilt over Choi Woo-seok being mentally attacked because of him and anger toward the Shadow Corps.

On top of that, Dojae’s mind was filled with worry for his younger brother.

If MID knew about people connected to him, it meant his younger brother might not be safe either.

“Ah… I get it. No need to get angry.”

“I’m sorry. I was just worried.”

“Thanks. Ugh, well, we all have to make a living somehow. I should go to the hospital.”

Do-jae quickly got up from his seat.

He intended to go to the hospital where his younger brother was right away.

“Alright, I’ll be going now. Take care of things like last time.”

“Alright, come again sometime!”

Do-jae stepped outside the shop.

As he hailed a taxi, he thought he had to somehow get back at the Shadow Unit who had done this to Choi Woo-seok.

Buzz.

Dojae’s smartphone vibrated.

‘Who could it be?’

Do-jae pulled out his phone and checked the message.

An address somewhere and a photo were attached.

And upon seeing the photo, he was overcome with immense rage.

“You bastards!”