Chapter 26
Part 25
Kim Seunggil remained silent.
How did Yugeon know?
The order had come directly from the Association President.
It was top secret.
“They probably told you something else too. If Han Yugeon refuses to cooperate and won't give us the information... trap him inside this space.”
“Trap hyung?!”
“Is that true, Manager Kim?”
Mincheol and Hwarin's expressions immediately turned cold.
They looked ready to attack.
Only because Yugeon remained seated did the two restrain themselves.
“This space couldn't even be destroyed by the Great Stars. They told you to lock me here until you got the information.”
Yugeon smiled.
He understood the government's position.
Information was one of the strongest forms of national power.
If Korea knew when Waves occurred...
It could gain enormous influence over other countries.
“So go back and deliver a message.”
Shing.
Yugeon drew his sword from his spatial bag.
At the same time...
Ding!
[You have activated Heaven-Annihilating One Sword.]
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Yugeon swung his sword.
The isolated space split apart.
Crack.
CRAAAAACK.
BOOM!
“I'll forgive this disrespect once. Agree to the two things I requested. I'm Korean, and I'll do everything I can for Korea... but if your higher-ups try this kind of bullshit again, I'll start by killing every one of them at the top.”
“...I'll remember that.”
The space shattered.
The airport reception room returned around them.
Kim Seunggil bit his lip and nodded.
“Hyung, shouldn't we confront them properly? What kind of era do they think this is? They were really planning to imprison you?”
“Exactly. If this ends with only a warning, they might try again later.”
After getting out of the taxi...
Mincheol and Hwarin openly showed their anger.
Yugeon had stopped the Wave.
He had even warned them ahead of time.
Yet they tried to imprison him over information.
“We should've beaten that Seunggil guy...”
Mincheol clenched his fist.
“Both of you calm down. It's fine.”
Yugeon smiled.
Kim Seunggil himself was not a bad person.
If anything...
He was genuinely kind.
Even while watching the world collapse, he had continued trying to save people.
Near the end, even I gave up trying to save strangers.
Yugeon had focused only on surviving.
But Kim Seunggil...
Had protected people until the very end.
“He was just following orders from the people above him. And after today's warning, they won't act carelessly. So calm down.”
“Haa... If hyung says so... fine.”
“Yugeon is sometimes too kind.”
“You two go inside first. I have somewhere to go.”
“...You're not secretly going to the Association to kill everyone, are you?”
“Why? Want to come?”
“If you're going, of course we're coming!”
“I'm not. Go inside.”
Mincheol thumped his chest.
Yugeon laughed.
Now that the government knew Kim Seunggil's Unique Ability could be destroyed...
There was little else they could do.
What were they going to try?
Yugeon had destroyed Seunggil's separate dimension.
He had killed Baruoden in one hit.
Their only realistic option now was negotiation.
“We'll go in first.”
“Call immediately if anything happens.”
“All right.”
Mincheol and Hwarin entered the house.
Yugeon walked calmly toward a nearby park.
He stopped in the center.
“Come out.”
He spoke into the darkness.
Whoosh.
“Hmm. I wonder how you noticed me...”
Someone emerged.
A black mask.
A hat.
An outfit that looked suspicious no matter how one looked at it.
Your level is floating over your head. How could I not notice you?
[Lv. 85] Ramond
“Nice to meet you. I am...”
“I know. Genocide.”
“...”
Ramond froze.
Genocide was still a secret organization.
How did this man know?
“Why are you here, Ramond?”
“...”
His expression stiffened even more.
Yugeon even knew his name.
“How do you know my name?”
Ramond dropped his polite speech.
He glared at Yugeon with extreme caution.
Yugeon knew his affiliation.
He knew his name.
Ramond slowly reached into his pocket.
“Hmm... But the needle definitely points toward him...”
He pulled out a rough-looking compass.
Its needle remained fixed on Yugeon.
Oh? He had that item?
Yugeon's eyes brightened.
When used...
The compass pointed toward the thing the user needed most.
I remember another Awakener owning that later.
Did Ramond sell it eventually?
That seemed questionable.
The item had limited uses.
If he used it and came to me...
Yugeon smiled.
Now he understood why Ramond had already appeared.
He followed Mincheol.
Yugeon finally understood how Cha Mincheol had joined Genocide in his previous life.
Ramond must have used this compass to locate him.
Genocide needed Mincheol for their grand plan.
They had probably ordered Ramond to use the item to locate the person they needed.
And the compass eventually pointed here.
More precisely...
Toward Cha Mincheol, who was with Yugeon.
But why is it pointing at me instead of Mincheol? Does it recognize me as Mincheol's master?
Or perhaps...
Mincheol's absolute faith in Yugeon had confused the item.
“Hmm. The needle is definitely pointing at you... but something feels wrong.”
Ramond tilted his head.
There was something deeply uncomfortable about Yugeon.
It felt like standing before a gigantic predator.
One showing its teeth.
Saliva dripping from its jaws.
Ready to tear out his throat.
And this guy is what we need?
Still...
The compass did not lie.
Ramond put it away.
Yugeon smiled.
“You were pretending to be a fan at the airport, holding a banner. Your acting wasn't very convincing.”
“Since you know my name and organization, I suppose talking will be easier.”
“You came to recruit me into Genocide.”
“You're perceptive. Join us. Someone as strong as you could even be given the position of leader.”
“What do I gain?”
“Everything in the world.”
Ramond answered confidently.
If Yugeon joined Genocide...
He could possess everything.
It was not empty boasting.
“Our organization operates throughout the world. High-ranking officials, major guild masters, corporation owners... many work with us. Join us. Whatever you desire, we can give it to you.”
“What I desire...”
“Heh. So you do want something.”
“I do. There's something I want more desperately than anything.”
“This is going more smoothly than expected.”
Ramond smiled.
He could see enormous desire in Han Yugeon's eyes.
Almost enough to call him the embodiment of greed.
Ramond had never seen someone want something this badly.
“We can satisfy that desire.”
“You don't even know what it is.”
“Anything is possible. Tell me.”
“It'll be difficult.”
“Hahaha! Nothing is difficult for Genocide. Money? One trillion? Ten trillion? You've probably never held that much money. We can give it to you right now. Or do you want someone dead? We could kill the President of the United States within a day.”
Yugeon's expression did not change.
“I want one thing.”
“What?”
“I want to erase the Tower and turn back time.”
“...”
Ramond's smile disappeared.
Yugeon laughed faintly.
“You told me to say what I wanted. That's it. I want the Tower gone. And I want time turned back. The world functioned perfectly well before these Towers appeared. After those damned Towers came... this world lost too much.”
“Ah... Your goal is to clear the Tower.”
Ramond's expression became cold.
“How about it? Want to clear the Tower with me?”
Yugeon smiled and extended a hand.
Ramond remained silent.
“Exactly. That's the problem. Genocide doesn't want to clear the Tower.”
Shing.
Yugeon pulled the Godslayer Sword from his spatial storage.
“And I'll teach you two things.”
“Hmm?”
“First. Don't say you can give someone everything in the world. You don't know the truth.”
“Hehehe... This has become troublesome.”
“Second. Every member of Genocide will die by my hand.”
“So you intended to kill us from the beginning.”
That explained it.
The reason Yugeon felt like a predator preparing to attack.
He had always been Genocide's enemy.
Ramond did not know why.
But if they could not recruit him...
They should kill him.
“A shame. You looked like valuable talent.”
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
SHATTER!
Every streetlight in the park broke.
Darkness swallowed the surroundings.
Ramond melted into the shadows.
It was eleven at night.
Without artificial light...
This was Ramond's battlefield.
BZZZZ.
WHOOSH!
CLANG!
Ramond suddenly appeared from Yugeon's left.
Yugeon redirected his sword.
SCRAAAAAPE.
Even though he deflected the attack...
Yugeon's body slid slightly backward.
