Choi Mina finished confirming IDs and shouted.
"Door open!"
RRRRRUMBLE!
A massive steel gate opened with a tremendous vibration. The Yeonam Group logo split to the left and right with it.
Armed trucks rolled in the moment the door opened. One, two, three, four.
Choi Mina scowled, taking the dust from the armored trucks straight in the face as she thought:
Ugh, dust—of course they show up during my watch.
And a jet-black limousine that didn’t match the armored trucks at all.
A man in a suit visible for a moment through the limo’s window.
Is that bastard Director Mun Gyeongnam? Word is his personality is trash, but his face is pretty handsome.
The car carrying the third-generation chaebol of the rumors swept past Choi Mina in no time, and the parade of armored trucks continued. Five, six, seven...
Trucks with brutal profiles streamed endlessly into the construction site.
"Man, he brought a lot."
Gwak Daeyong muttered, scratching his chin.
"Eight, nine, ten..."
kki-ririk— kki-ririk— kki-ririk.
An Hyeonggu, ticking his endoscope that linked to his goggles, kept counting.
"Wow, thirteen armored trucks came in."
"Thirteen? Can this site even house that many people?"
"No, it can’t. We don’t even have space and are sleeping in tents right now."
Yeom Cheolmin picked up the line with a pained look.
They’d installed infrastructure for lodging, but it was only temporary quarters.
Containers and makeshift buildings weren’t enough, so they’d put up tents too. °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° There was no way to accommodate that many.
Hearing that, Gwak Daeyong grumbled under his breath.
Why drag in that many like idiots? No brains at all.
Murmurs rose from every direction. Most of the talk wasn’t much different from what Gwak Daeyong’s group was saying.
Every employee at the site had stopped work and marched out to line up in perfect order, but that didn’t apply to the outside hires—the fixers.
"Quite the spectacle."
Baukalak, who had been standing atop the wall to "prepare for external invasion," watched the procession of the man called Director Mun Gyeongnam with a leisurely expression.
krrrk— crunnch.
"What is it? What came?"
Curtain Call’s voice came along with the sound of buckling metal.
"Ah, Collie—told you earlier, some bigwig came to inspect... ack, Collie! What is that?"
Baukalak, answering Curtain Call’s question, started and flustered.
"This? It’s what was holding breakfast."
In Curtain Call’s hand was a stainless meal tray. To be precise, about one-third of a tray remained.
"Come on, quit eating the supplies. The other day the manager chewed us out forever!"
"Shut it. How many bigwigs are there to come in a line like that?"
crunch— munch munch.
"Just one, I heard? I guess supplies came in while they were at it."
To refill the supplies you’ve gnawed down.
"Supplies? That?"
With a shard of tray clamped in her mouth, Curtain Call gripped her halberd.
"Mm, since it’s a bigwig I suppose escorts came with them too? Hff. Sniff sniff... the adrenaline stench is a bit much."
Did they scrap with the [Sangnok Mountaineering Club] on the way? Baukalak muttered that and rubbed his nose a few times.
"Bau, tell the others to have weapons in hand."
"Huh? For real?"
"Don’t make me say it twice."
crunch— krrrk—
Baukalak’s job was to rein in an overly sensitive Curtain Call, but he clearly distinguished between simple rage and a warrior’s caution.
This was the latter.
In Kim Sinhwa’s terms, it was a trait akin to [Heightened Vigilance] kicking in.
While Baukalak moved along the wall whispering quietly to his comrades, Curtain Call scowled and jumped down from the wall.
She landed without a sound and drew a slow breath, moving languidly.
A blood-red leather jacket and long, snow-white hair. A vicious halberd taller than she was.
An appearance far too conspicuous, and yet, in this moment no one noticed Curtain Call’s movement.
Ghosting along with a cunning footwork, she was suddenly at Mun Seunghee’s side.
"Hey, Chief. What are you doing?"
"As you see, preparing to welcome the inspection party."
Curtain Call stared at Mun Seunghee’s face for a moment, thinking.
Where do I start and stop protecting?
Should’ve stuck to smashing and wrecking and killing. Why did I take on this annoying job... I’m complaining to Tudor when I get back.
Only after a stretch long enough to be considered rude did Curtain Call speak again.
"Anyway, you’re the one paying me, right?"
"Mm... the company is paying you."
"Don’t care. The name at the top of the protection priority list I was given was yours, so it’s you. When I signal, run to the furball over there."
Curtain Call’s short finger pointed at the furball.
A man with a bush of beard and sideburns, and a mop of hair grown any which way so that eighty percent of his head was covered in assorted hair.
In other words, she pointed at Baukalak.
"What does that..."
With blatant annoyance, Curtain Call sighed and indicated the armored trucks.
"Those crazies swarming over there."
She stopped speaking mid-sentence.
"Forget it. I’m not saying it twice. Decide for yourself. I’ll give you the signal."
With that, Curtain Call didn’t wait for Mun Seunghee’s answer and walked off somewhere.
"What on earth..."
No special emotion rose on Mun Seunghee’s sculpted face, but controlling one’s thoughts was another matter.
She had held back because they’d done so much, but at this point—wasn’t she allowed to get angry?
But Mun Seunghee decided to endure one last time.
Fixers always fight between madness and death.
She’d worked with ones more lawless or more unhinged than this.
By comparison, Curtain Call was on the decent end. At least you could talk to her.
Mun Seunghee spoke to the manager beside her.
"Keep the fixers from doing anything strange."
"Ah, yes. Understood."
The manager hurriedly ran toward the wall.
Mun Seunghee took her mind off the strange movements of Curtain Call and the fixers and turned her head back to the inspection party.
They called it an inspection party, but in substance it was personnel mobilized for Mun Gyeongnam’s procession. Even so, it was far more than originally planned.
How much did he spend on this move?
Mun Seunghee finished a rapid calculation and pushed away the number she’d arrived at. She had no authority to argue about this excessive pomp.
rrrrrr—
A security team directly under Mun Gyeongnam poured out of the armored trucks. Suits in perfect order, with metal guards mounted on shoulders and forearms.
And amid their protection walked Mun Gyeongnam in a bizarre outfit.
Even among the lined-up employees, an awkward air spread. What is that? Why’s he dressed like that? What is he copying? Egyptian? Is that it?
Mun Gyeongnam wore a luxurious designer suit, but over his shoulders was a cloak embroidered with strange hieroglyphs, and his head was wrapped in bandages.
He even held a golden staff with a curved tip in one hand.
"You’ve arrived."
A flicker of puzzlement passed through Mun Seunghee’s mind, but with superhuman self-control she bowed with her usual emotionless face.
"Why does this site look like this? Like a beggar’s den."
Mun Gyeongnam’s reply.
"Due to conflict with locals, environmental maintenance has been—"
"Save it. That crazy mage bastard is here, right? Where are you hiding him?"
Mun Seunghee’s face went pale.
Not because of Kim Sinhwa. The person who came to mind first at "crazy mage" was Lee Seonbin.
She hastily controlled her expression, thinking Mun Gyeongnam might have meant Kim Sinhwa after all—but it was already too late.
Before Mun Seunghee could open her mouth to answer, Mun Gyeongnam strode past her a few more steps.
"You’re hiding him. Aren’t you?"
"No. Hiding? That’s not—"
"I know everything. He’s the one you’re in bed with, right? That lunatic bastard."
Saying that, Mun Gyeongnam looked over the site.
That vile madman—where is he hiding?
grrrind— Mun Gyeongnam’s teeth scraped with a horrible friction.
He’d suddenly ambushed him—attacked, tortured, cursed him, demanded a horrific contract—that insane mage.
To undo the curse Kim Sinhwa put on his body, he’d paid a tremendous price.
And last night.
A new revelation descended from [Great Source].
[I tell you: take all you have and come to the promised land. Then you shall strike my enemy with the force of a hammer beating heated iron.]
With that, a new power was bestowed. [Great Source] had granted his revenge. Where is he? That mage.
Mun Gyeongnam drew out the utmost of his detection and scanned in all directions.
That alien mana on the wall? No. Not that. Must be a fixer.
What’s that kid? Not that either. He has a lot of mana, but a mage doesn’t manage mana like that.
Mun Seunghee said something as she approached Mun Gyeongnam.
"Ugh, bothersome... hey!"
At Mun Gyeongnam’s call, his subordinates came and pulled Mun Seunghee aside.
"Chief, this way please."
"Wait! Director! Director! What are you doing this for?"
"Ah, found you. Hiding there, are you."
Filthy containers piled at random. Between them, an excessive amount of mana was detected.
With a triumphant face, Mun Gyeongnam looked at Mun Seunghee.
"No! That’s—there’s no one there!"
Mun Seunghee shouted, face drained white.
The direction Mun Gyeongnam indicated did not hold Kim Sinhwa. What was there was Lee Seonbin.
At Mun Seunghee’s fierce reaction, Mun Gyeongnam hardened his misunderstanding into certainty and smiled viciously.
"Yes—fear, panic, anger, confusion. Yes, yes. I like that face. I hope you show it often."
Mun Gyeongnam raised his hand.
Viiiiiiiiiin—
The autocannons mounted atop the thirteen armored trucks moved in unison.
Confusion and unrest spread among the lined-up people. What? What? No way? Surely not? For real?
"Now!"
Curtain Call’s voice cracked like thunder. And from the direction of the voice something flew at Mun Gyeongnam—bwwwwwwmmm—
Mun Gyeongnam stared blankly for a moment at the huge object flying toward him.
A container?
Why is that flying at me?
"Cover your heaaad! Heaaad!"
And why is that kid charging with that brutal weapon? Doesn’t she know who’s paying?
Recovering his cool in a snap, Mun Gyeongnam let out a short "Ha!" and thrust a hand toward the container.
A new power [Great Source] had bestowed on Mun Gyeongnam.
With the power Kim Sinhwa had called the [Chant Omission] trait, Mun Gyeongnam completed the spell swiftly.
[Fireball]
KABOOOOOOM!
The container blew apart under the fireball. Flames and fragments of container scattered in every direction.
[Chain Lightning]
BZZZZZT! BZZZZZT!
Lightning poured down toward Curtain Call.
"Aaaarrrgh!"
Taking the lethal bolts with her body—not blocking or deflecting—Curtain Call simply pushed through, accepting the damage.
"You boar-blooded witch!"
[Blizzard]
FWWWWWWWWWHHH!!
A menacing blizzard crashed down toward Curtain Call.
"Don’t mess with me, you bastard!"
whirrrrrip!
She veered to avoid the storm of snow. Her fury and momentum didn’t flag, but her charge inevitably slowed.
Smirking triumphantly, Mun Gyeongnam gave the order.
"Fire!"
"Don’t!!"
Mun Seunghee’s scream.
The armored trucks’ autocannons all swung toward the container holding Lee Seonbin—
[Time Stop]
