Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Tracking

I moved to Mapo by car.

In low-speed sections, I even tried gripping the steering wheel directly.

Whether because I practiced quite a bit with Mana Thread, driving was smoother than thought.

Entering high-speed sections, I safely drove the car with Mana Thread.

Passing Seongsan Bridge, I turned my gaze and looked beyond the railing.

Above the rippling waves.

Sunlight shattering golden.

Was it because I recovered health quite a bit.

It looked much more beautiful than usual.

Screech!

After parking, I entered the office.

Unusually Yu Ji-seong wasn't there, and Yu Seo-ha who felt the presence raised her head.

“Oh, Seonghan-nim you've come! I was waiting. Brother left his seat for a while because of a meeting. By the way, your face looks better today···?”

Yu Seo-ha who was sitting at the desk held the pad and approached.

“Unusually less Mana Thread wrapped. Is there something good?”

A body recovered appropriately.

I reduced the number of Mana Threads for adaptation.

Appropriately controlling the imbalance between an awakener's strong physical ability and loose nerves was more difficult than thought.

There was a need to adapt over time.

By the way, what should I say at times like this?

···Hmm.

I don't know well.

And a fact felt recently, when not knowing, keeping the mouth shut is the best.

Yu Seo-ha grinned.

“Hmm. Shall I guess? By any chance did you start exercising? If C-aminex, it's a quite good choice in terms of nutrition!”

Yu Seo-ha chattering this and that about the new elixir.

“Especially there are many people who neglect exercise saying they're awakeners, then problems can occur at actually important moments due to imbalance of mana and physical ability. For example, in case of long-term labyrinth exploration···.”

I was about to say let's get to the main point but paused.

Knowing more than thought, almost expert level.

[Do you know well about elixirs?]

“Of course! I worked at a pharmaceutical company before awakening. Even looking like this, I was a quite smart talent.”

After pondering for a moment, I didn't ask the reason for quitting.

Information seen in the archive.

The reason Yu Ji-seong who was a promising awakener turned his back on the tower and set up an office.

Because of parents' death.

Maybe the reason Yu Seo-ha quit the company was the same.

The empty space of the disappeared family is pain itself just recalling.

Pain like stabbing the organs with an awl.

I also knew that fact better than anyone, so instead of mentioning, I turned the topic.

[Let's get to the main point]

“Ha, haha. I talked too much···?”

Yu Seo-ha who smiled awkwardly.

Raised the documents on the sofa table.

Five request forms.

All designated requests.

“As brother said, it was good to post the Breath of Hatred on the bulletin board. Originally data about Seonghan-nim would be insufficient, so designated requests wouldn't come in. Saying purity 4.6 points, designated requests poured in in a few days?”

Listening to Yu Seo-ha's words that she left only reliable requests, I examined the requests one by one.

Two large company requests.

Two individual requests.

One was a request from a public institution.

I examined the rewards.

The rewards of large company requests are equipment and skill books.

Just rewards would be the best by far, but confidence in my ability is still insufficient to bite right away.

‘Large company side is better to take after growing a bit more.’

I also set aside the public institution request for now.

In a situation of using a forged identity.

I didn't want to stand out largely in the eyes of public institution people.

Remaining were two individual requests.

One was content to deal with contaminants appearing in the outskirts of Gyeonggi-do.

Cases of tower magic minerals that went through wrong processes emitting toxic substances, and surrounding life forms being contaminated occurred often.

Most are recognized only after contamination spreads widely.

A wide-area skill mage like me would be desperately needed.

But adjacent to Gangwon-do so the distance was too far.

Moreover, contaminant disposal was said to take several days unknown.

It wasn't an appropriate request at a time to pay attention to treatment.

[This, could you brief a bit?]

On the other hand, the other individual request looked better.

Yu Seo-ha nodded.

“The content is very simple. The client operates a clothing manufacturing factory in the outskirts of Guri, and the transport driver took the goods and fled, it was said.”

···That's the end.

Amazingly the request content was really simple.

Yu Seo-ha smiled.

“Even if a designated request, in the case of individual requests, most content is simple. But that doesn't mean the weight is light.”

Is it money talk.

[How much was the goods value?]

“8.7 billion. If not found within a week, can't meet the delivery date so have to pay an additional 1 billion in penalty, it was said.”

Suddenly the head went blank.

8.7 billion, plus penalty 9.7 billion.

An enormous sum I couldn't even imagine.

But Yu Seo-ha was unexpectedly indifferent.

“Since awakener clothes, each one is enormous high price, it was said. So employed mercenaries for safety, but when actually investigating, the one who led the crime was that mercenary.”

[Threatened the driver and stole the goods?]

“Fled together. In front of money, ordinary people and awakeners are all equal, it was said.”

Yu Seo-ha shrugged.

Then turned the pad toward me and said.

“First, the company side employed separate combat force. Even so, the reason they designated Seonghan-nim is because of flame series wide-area magic. When large-scale combat starts, it seemed an intention to break the enemy's momentum and disperse concentration.”

Yu Seo-ha who spoke up to there paused.

Glanced at the Mana Thread wrapping the body then added.

“...Not momentum, maybe smash the body whole.”

[...]

“The advance payment is 15 million won. Weak level for a designated request, but the success fee is set quite strongly. Total 300 million won.”

[An excessive amount for simply using one wide-area magic shot. There must be a reason?]

“Accurate.”

Yu Seo-ha smiled.

“The client's company doesn't have renown, but circumstantially it's not a scale two mercenaries can touch. Suspecting there might be an armed organization watching the back.”

Intervention of an armed organization.

It was words that person-to-person combat could occur.

Two people who immediately floated in the head.

Team leader Kim Namguk who broke the window and fled.

Director Park Kwangsoo who crumpled the iron door and charged.

If their level, I should be able to easily subdue.

Still, since I haven't dealt with many awakeners yet, worry also comes.

If asking if preparation is sufficient, well.

I couldn't be sure.

But there was also no thought of retreating.

The word perfect is only a word that exists in textbooks, not reality.

There's nowhere one can have 100% confidence.

Just continuing the best choice in the given environment was enough.

I can't keep hesitating forever.

It was a point where belief in myself was needed.

“If accepting the request, I'll brief the detailed situation. Personal opinion···considering Seonghan-nim's ability, it would be about light warm-up level, I think.”

I nodded.

[I'll take it]

#

I arrived at the hotel.

Ate the elixir and lay down.

Lightly raised the corners of the mouth at the fluffy blanket texture felt even without Mana Thread.

“Ueu aaoa···.”

···This damn.

Now shall I look··· words popping out in that way.

Muscles and sensation returned to some extent, but some functions were still broken.

Conversation impossible.

Delicate expression management impossible.

Grabbing too small or weak things also impossible.

Strength not perfectly controlled so often crushing or breaking.

Still fine.

It'll improve gradually.

Slowly developing also had its own sense of achievement.

Then the phone rang.

Zing.

[Operation implementation day is tomorrow, Seonghan-nim!(thanks thanks)]

[Sending the location(pororong)]

“...”

Yu Seo-ha who is quite sharp and rational in reality.

Slightly flustered every time receiving texts.

Are people nowadays all like that originally.

Or is only Yu Seo-ha unique.

···I don't know.

Lived getting cursed by a nasty aunt for 8 years so no way to know.

Giving up understanding, I started community search.

[Search: seizure]

[Search: transport accident]

[Search: clothing factory]

No content came out.

Next I examined the archive, but no information the same.

In the end Yu Seo-ha's words were correct.

‘Is it private sanction.’

8 years.

While I was lying in bed, the world changed rapidly.

Not simply economic, political aspects.

A feeling that the basic axis supporting the world twisted.

The reason was simple.

To avoid destruction, points are needed.

Earning points is awakeners.

They enter the tower risking their lives.

If the state attempts control, exodus inevitably follows.

The state started watching awakeners' reactions.

Accordingly, awakeners' demands gradually solidified.

[Awakener problems, awakeners will solve themselves]

Couldn't only blame them.

Strictly speaking, ordinary people sustaining with the value of awakeners' lives.

In a position of pushing their backs into death for earning points, couldn't ignore awakeners' demands unconditionally.

From the state's position, there was no choice the same.

The more the tower and labyrinth open, awakeners' power strengthened, but the state couldn't restrain them.

In the end, after fierce discussion, social agreement was made.

The conclusion was three keywords.

Ordinary people.

Social controversy.

And private sanction.

If not touching ordinary people.

If not causing excessive social controversy.

Private sanction between awakeners is allowed.

A result that ordinary people, awakeners, and the state were all satisfied with.

Naturally the worlds of ordinary people and awakeners separated.

Ordinary people don't intervene with awakeners, and awakeners don't touch ordinary people at all.

Awakeners who touched ordinary people became subjects of the state's summary disposal.

Awakeners also didn't touch ordinary people unless crazy.

Everyone knew.

That the state not touching awakeners wasn't because of lacking power.

Awakeners who crossed the line disappeared without a trace.

As such things repeated, awakeners also shrunk their bodies.

Everyone soon realized.

If crossing the line they die, but if only not crossing the line, the state never intervenes.

“Huu···.”

I lightly exhaled and leaned against the bed.

Scanned the company information and incident details Yu Seo-ha conveyed several times.

What I had to do was simple.

Suppressing the initiative when encountering multiple enemies.

If the enemy's number isn't many unlike expected, might receive hundreds of millions of money without even exerting strength once.

But inwardly anxious too.

Awakeners are a kind of superhuman.

How much my magic will work, whether I can effectively defend their threat.

Nothing was certain.

‘...Is it something that can only be known by directly clashing.’

Thinking that, I took a deep breath.

Placed my hand on the heart, and bit my molars tightly.

It was treatment time.

I tightly closed my eyes and used the Heal skill.

Pure white holy light burst above the palm.

Paaat!

“Kkeugeugeugeugeuk···!!!”

Pain as if dying approached the whole body.

#

The next morning.

“Haaaaam···.”

Fortunately the condition was refreshing.

The pain obtained with the Heal skill melted and disappeared in the Wind of Healing.

The combination of the two skills that mess up and recover was perfection itself.

I gripped the steering wheel with a much lighter body than the previous day.

Driving the car here and there, I felt that the recovery speed was faster than thought.

I decided not to use Mana Thread at all.

Vroom.

The destination was southeast, Seongnam City.

A place called old Seongnam in the past.

Large mercenary groups started purchasing abandoned zones due to redevelopment cancellation.

Now a place where large and small mercenary companies settled many, long turned into the mecca of private armed groups.

Going up and down the sloping roads unique to old Seongnam for a while.

A sign fiercely painted with red paint was visible.

[Red Moon]

I turned the steering wheel, and drove the car beyond the sign.

Above a wide empty lot.

About ten awakeners were busily moving.

Stopping the car, a man approached.

“Who are you?”

“...Mage.”

Fortunately the voice came out from this morning.

Of course not completely returned.

A lot of metallic sound mixed, and if words got a bit long, it cracked a lot.

Still, how much is this.

Just being able to speak proper words, I was greatly satisfied.

Even so, there was a problem, the fact that words had to be short.

At the short answer, the man's face slightly crumpled.

“Ah···that flame mage?”

Instead of answering, I nodded.

The expression of the man looking at me looked unpleasant but I ignored it.

Anyway only met for work.

Better than scattering mana in the empty air like water and attracting unnecessary gazes.

“Preparation is almost complete. If an expensive mage, nothing particularly to help so wait in the office.”

I moved steps to the place the man pointed.

A quite spacious gray container.

Opening the door and entering, already one person was sitting perched on the sofa.

“Ah, hello···?”

A youth with a somewhat clumsy impression.

After lightly shaking hands, he opened his mouth.

“I'll be in charge of tracking in this operation. I'm Wi Kang-jun.”

I nodded.

The mercenaries outside are the force team.

This youth named Wi Kang-jun seemed an awakener in charge of tracking.

“Can I see?”

“...Yes?”

“Item.”

“Ah···y-yes.”

Wi Kang-jun who nodded took out something from his bosom.

A small transparent plastic.

Inside that, hair and tissue pieces etc. were full.

He said awkwardly.

“Part of the driver's body, and items with body fluid on them. Using the tracking skill, it was found well without issue.”

“Location?”

“Ah···the location was already grasped yesterday evening. The driver and mercenaries seem to be staying in the same place.”

I nodded.

Then lightly extended my hand.

“I want to see.”

“Ah, here.”

I received the plastic from Wi Kang-jun.

Opened the zipper and took out the hair and placed it on the palm.

Immediately used the tracking skill.

Ssss···.

The hair lightly scattered in the wind.

North.

The end of the hair headed north.

That was the end.

The hair that lost strength slowly lowered its head.

“Ahaha···tracking skill isn't as easy as thought.”

Wi Kang-jun smiled awkwardly.

Ignoring and looking at the hair for a while.

The awaited message floated up.

···

..

.

[Tracking (LV20) skill has reached the maximum level]

The hair didn't float.

Instead black dots stamped on the floor, then soon turned into a thin solid line and continued outside the building.

Wi Kang-jun scratched his head.

“Don't be too disappointed. If an attribute series mage does tracking well too, people like me would have a hard time living···? Hahat.”

Anyway that solid line.

It seemed not visible to Wi Kang-jun's eyes.

© Dome Hwangcha #1yy6t