Chapter 37

Chapter 036

At that moment, somewhere on Sejong Island.

"Team Leader. The internal mana response has disappeared. It seems the attacker has vanished."

In the dark, a secret room filled only with the light of blue monitor screens.

People in white uniforms were diligently collecting and organizing data at their computers, while a black-haired man in a slightly different white uniform frowned and pushed up his glasses.

"Damn...."

Despite his already irritable and sharp features, his frown made it even more intimidating for anyone to dare speak to him.

The name tag hanging from his chest read 'Baek Pung.'

"Who was the attacker?"

"W-well, that’s—"

"Still haven't identified them? What about the mana pattern analysis? Or even the CCTV?"

"They were all wiped out just before transmission. As you know, the facility was shut down before the data could be transferred...."

"So you're saying we're in the position of being blind and deaf?"

Baek Pung snorted in disbelief.

"The demon experiment site was attacked! All the staff inside have lost their vital signs! And the answer you give me now is 'We don't know,' 'Insufficient information,' 'Still investigating'?"

Baek Pung jabbed his finger downward, his neck veins bulging.

"Since when did such incompetent people become part of the 'Pavilion'? Huh? How can you sit in this position and receive 3,000 a month with such abilities! You couldn't even properly identify the intruder!"

"Sir, this is just a hypothesis."

"What?"

"...Could it be a goblin?"

"......Oh?"

Baek Pung, who had been getting heated, suddenly perked up.

"Only a goblin could completely cut off the flow of information like this?"

"Yes. Only a goblin could hide their identity so thoroughly."

"Any evidence?"

"The sudden attack without any intruder response, the staff being wiped out before they could send an emergency signal, and the chief researcher only managing to activate the facility destruction and flooding protocols are the evidence."

"Hmm...."

Baek Pung stroked his chin, twisting his lips.

"Still, it's very strange. If it's the goblin I know, they should have prevented the facility from collapsing. The goblin would have wiped out all the villains but wouldn't act so unsmartly."

Baek Pung kept shaking his head.

"If it were the goblin I know, they would have killed our researchers before they could trigger the self-destruct switch. If the goblin had attacked the research facility purely, the facility wouldn't have self-destructed; only the people would have lost their vital signs."

"Could it have been someone else?"

"Someone else...?"

"Yes. The ones who recently issued a challenge to us...."

"Oh, those Hwalbin Party guys?"

Baek Pung sat down in his chair with a serious face.

"The Hwalbin Party's intruder and the goblin's intrusion coincided? Is such a coincidence even possible in this world?"

"Still, if it's not that, the current situation can't be explained, right?"

"It seems like you're fitting the pieces to match the situation... tsk."

Baek Pung raised both hands in frustration.

"Damn. Let it be. First, log into the community and start monitoring. If there's any information about demons, report it immediately, block it, and spread rumors that the Hwalbin Party is planning something using demons."

"Understood!"

The subordinates began typing rapidly on their keyboards, and Baek Pung muttered to himself as he watched them.

"...Even without special abilities, they should at least be of some help in this. Tsk."

In a small voice that no one could hear.

"Ha. I need to 'enlighten' those who haven't awakened as soon as possible."

No one, not a single person, heard his voice.

* * *

I emerged from the underground through a long underwater tunnel-like emergency exit.

Thud.

After placing the unconscious stake on the beach, I checked to make sure he hadn't drowned.

'There’s no need for CPR or artificial respiration.'

An S-class special ability user can survive underwater without breathing for a while.

Depending on the level of mana, I can hold my breath for about 30 minutes.

After all, it's not like superhumans would sink to the bottom of the sea and never come up. It was just a brief dip in the water; it shouldn't be impossible.

'The location is Sejong Island, even without the Taeguk Watch.'

The shape of the terrain, the residual mana I could sense around, and the soldiers patrolling here and there.

I must have escaped into a restricted area where civilians are not allowed.

In other words, the stake must have entered through the sea.

'Was it a coincidence that our timing overlapped?'

Did he really attack the demon seed laboratory at the same time as me by coincidence?

Something is off.

It would be strange if there was nothing.

To find out, I need to wake the stake up—

[Hmm.]

I examined the stake's body, which was soaked in seawater and sagging, but his build was much more slender than I had imagined.

Fortunately or unfortunately, it wasn't what I had thought.

'A guy.'

When I carried him over my shoulder, the touch felt quite soft, making me think he was a girl, but looking at his upper body, which was wet from the water, it seems he isn't.

'Poor guy.'

Occasionally, there are men who look more like 'why is this a guy' rather than a man.

The stake seems to be similar.

If he posted photos of himself in drag or just photos, those dangerous people up there would probably like it.

I didn't see it directly but judged from the shape of his clothes, and it's definitely not the case.

'His voice, actions, and tone are also like a guy, and his hair is quite short.'

Maybe he's one of those tomboys that are popular these days.

Of course, whether he's a man or a woman doesn't matter.

Gender isn't a significant issue in our Order.

What matters is ability and character.

And whether they can follow the upper echelons' instructions properly in the Order's quest for world domination.

[If you ever think about joining the Order, contact us.]

I took out a business card and whispered to it.

[If you want to join the Order, send an email to the address on the card. Someone from the Order will come to find you.]

Imma Wangryang, special officer, goblin.

Even if it's not an official email, leaving a contact point for the Order might cause problems later, but the Order isn't a weak organization that can be fooled by playing with the email address on the card.

[If the Hwalbin Party plays with the email address on the card, I'll come to destroy the Hwalbin Party.]

He's still unconscious, but he should be regaining consciousness soon, so it's time for me to leave.

[Remember. Whether it's the Hwalbin Party or anyone else, I will kill all villains who threaten the world's peace.]

I placed a business card next to the stake.

What about the Order?

If someone were to ask.

'The Order's goal is not to threaten the world's peace but to conquer the world.'

It's a different matter, though related, but it's fundamentally different.

-There are too many evil people in the world.

The leader didn't create the Order out of mere clumsy thoughts.

-I will become the king of Earth and ensure there is no more war on this planet.

If the Hwalbin Party is an obstacle to the world the leader is creating?

Next time, it won't be the demon research facility that gets destroyed, but the Hwalbin Party.

[Then.]

"Cough, cough...!"

I moved away from the stake, who was starting to regain consciousness and cough.

* * *

A short while later.

"......Cough."

The stake, who had just regained consciousness, pressed his hands to his face.

"...?!"

The mask was still on.

And he was looking up at the starry night sky.

"What... is this...?"

The stake recalled the situation before he fainted.

Seawater had seeped into the tunnel he had infiltrated, and he fainted due to a strong impact from behind.

He had no memory after that.

He could only deduce based on the current situation.

"Is this...?"

A black business card lay next to him.

The gold-embossed letters were clearly from a goblin.

[Later....]

"Huh...?"

The goblin's voice was heard.

Perhaps the goblin had left a voice message using mana, and the goblin's voice was serious as they left a proposal and a warning.

A proposal to join the Order.

And a warning that they wouldn't tolerate any interference next time.

"...That's impossible."

The stake straightened his body and tidied his clothes.

"......."

Click.

He took off his mask and hat, shook his wet hair, and took a deep breath.

"...Ugh."

The stake, revealed without the mask, had a rather delicate appearance—

"Didn't they do anything strange...?"

—a woman.

Beep.

A sound began to ring from the stake's wrist.

The stake quickly grabbed his wrist and carefully manipulated a smartwatch similar to the Taeguk Watch.

[Are you okay? What happened?]

"Ah, Leader."

On the small screen of the smartwatch, a man with dark brown skin and sunglasses appeared.

"...I lost the target. The goblin appeared first."

[What? The goblin?]

"Yes. The situation was...."

The stake quickly explained what had happened to the man.

[I see.]

The man with sunglasses ran his hand over his bald head.

[Return to your position. For the time being, fulfill your duties as a 'student' until further instructions.]

"Understood. But... are you okay? We didn't secure any evidence."

[It's fine.]

The bald, dark-skinned man raised his thumb.

[Our goal was to make contact with the goblin.]

"...What? Wait, Leader, that's different from what I knew?"

[Sorry. I deceived you.]

"......."

[The goblin is the one who fits our Hwalbin Party. I will give you your real mission. From now on, do whatever it takes to bring the goblin into our Hwalbin Party. If the goblin is on our side,]

The man, 'Hong Gil-dong,' smiled, revealing his white teeth.

[It will be a great help in creating a country where people are not discriminated against based on their skin color and where mixed-race individuals can live as citizens of this country, Yuldo.]