Chapter 46
How should I tackle the Golem? Realizing I had no time to spare, I rushed into the open space without any particular strategy. I merely swung my sword at the Golem's arm, which was lunging at the floating Lee Eunho, as if entrusting myself to the 'instinct' An Hwigom demanded of me.
“...!”
Fortunately, the Mist-Clearing Sword slashed the Golem's arm before Lee Eunho could be struck. It was less like a clean cut and more like the Golem's form yielding to a natural counter, causing it to split open.
The Golem, unable to utter a sound, expressed its pain by shattering a nearby building. I avoided the falling debris and landed on the ground with Lee Eunho. And, coincidentally, directly in front of Yu Hyeonjeong's group.
“...”
“...Who are you?”
Yu Hyeonjeong's sharp gaze. For a moment, I forgot I was wearing the cloak. I was about to answer her inquiry, but the voices of the crowd erupted first.
“Th-the Phantom Thief! The Phantom Thief has come to save us!”
“What? The Phantom Thief can't possibly be alive!”
“What does that matter! He looks similar anyway!”
“Exactly! Why would the Phantom Thief appear in a neighborhood with nothing to steal?”
In this world, the Phantom Thief, a character behind the scenes, had two reputations. A righteous outlaw who appeared in times of crisis to help those in need. And a criminal who committed illegal acts, regardless of his intentions.
But that was Cha Jaehee’s Phantom Thief; I was merely utilizing the symbol of the Phantom Thief, nothing more, nothing less. My primary goal was to successfully conclude the episode, not merely to save the residents.
“Thank you for your help.”
Lee Eunho soon gathered himself and stood up. The recoil from using Lightning Strike must have remained, yet he had pulled himself up solely by his indignation towards the Golem.
“I apologize for the lack of introduction, but I think we need to work together...!”
Working together, huh? I said, turning my back to him.
“You're in the way, so move aside.”
“...What?”
I'm sorry, but Lee Eunho was completely unhelpful in this situation. After all, if I had come into contact with the toxins, there's no way he could have avoided it.
“I can be of help...”
“Move.”
“...”
I slashed the Mist-Clearing Sword horizontally through the air and then kicked off the ground towards the Golem. There was no time to delay. Currently, there were approximately six mafia members detected by my Demonic Eye.
The Lightning Strike had been ineffective only against the Golem; it had been quite effective against the mafia.
As expected, the Demonic Being who summoned the Golem was nowhere to be seen. Summoned entities that moved beyond the summoner's range were usually unsummoned, but there were cases, like this Golem, where the summoning was maintained at the cost of losing its regenerative ability.
RUMBLE.
As I drew near, the Golem, which had been diligently tracking my movements, lifted its foot to attack. Its agility belied its massive body. Its sole landed precisely where I was about to stop. Physically avoiding it was impossible. I gripped the sword hilt with both hands, turning the Mist-Clearing Sword's blade upwards.
THUD.
A massive cloud of dust. However, that was merely the result of the wind; the Golem's sole failed to crush the Mist-Clearing Sword and was sent airborne in an unbalanced posture.
“W-what is that thing?! What is that Phantom Thief?!”
“Damn it! What are you doing! Crush him immediately!”
My Strength stat was merely 3.6. Physically, it was impossible to withstand the immense weight of that Golem with just one sword. But the Mist-Clearing Sword, which was an ultimate counter to darkness attributes, made it possible.
The precise effect of Platium was to negate darkness attributes. That is, the neutralization of abilities specifically limited to darkness attributes. If the Golem had been the size of a human, it would have been unsummoned the moment it touched the Mist-Clearing Sword's blade.
If the target was a Demonic Being or a darkness-attribute Awakened being like me, they would be rendered powerless like a non-Awakened being while in contact. Naturally, I was keeping my hands off the blade, taking that into consideration.
The problem was that merely blocking it wouldn't buy enough time to secure a victory. As I blocked it, the liquid forming the Golem scattered with each contact with the Mist-Clearing Sword, mercilessly melting surrounding objects. I directly observed its internal structure with my Demonic Eye.
The strategy when the summoner was far away was to aim for the Golem's core. In other words, the last remaining barrier stone. The barrier stone hidden within its body was precisely near its heart.
It was difficult to jump to the Golem's chest height and stab the sword in. Its body was thick, and I couldn't jump that high.
There was also the option of entering the Golem's body directly, but if I delayed even a little inside, all my equipment items, except for the Mist-Clearing Sword and the cloak, would melt. Even the Suspenders of the Brilliant Manager.
“Then, there's only one method.”
I pushed the Golem with all my might with this ridiculously sturdy sword.
CRASH.
The Golem lost its balance and fell helplessly. I didn't miss the opportunity and dashed across the ground.
“What are you doing! Stop that guy! He's going for the core!” shouted a mafia member.
Following that, a bullet aimed at me was fired from a mafia member's gun, but...
CLANG.
Surprisingly, the fired bullet disappeared without a trace. No, it would be more accurate to say it was deflected by another bullet. My Demonic Eye, which had been observing directly, clearly saw it. Cha Yeri's magic bullet, fired from afar by her MA6, had shattered the mafia member's bullet.
Under Cha Yeri's cover, I reached the Golem's upper body and leaped upward, aiming for the barrier stone. My target was the left side of its chest. If I struck downwards with the sword, the Golem's thickness wouldn't matter at all. Suddenly, the Golem's intact arm swung, creating a powerful wind as if swatting an insect. Furthermore, it twisted its body sharply, aware of its weakness.
BOOM.
But that was all. Its movements had already been read by my Demonic Eye. I held the sword in reverse grip and plunged into its body. The cloak melted in real-time due to the toxins, but the damaged parts rapidly regenerated thanks to its inherent effect.
“...!”
Within the sea of toxins, I soon discovered the glowing barrier stone. Turbulence arose due to the Golem's resistance, but the Mist-Clearing Sword firmly pierced through its interior, finally impaling the barrier stone. At that moment, a tremendous amount of steam erupted.
HISS.
Following this, the Golem began to unsummon as if evaporating, and the sky of District 27, which had been tainted by the barrier, gradually returned to its usual grey.
“Huff, huff...”
Although it was a summoned entity that didn't drop mana stones. Even though experience points weren't added like in a game. Even though this feat wouldn't be attributed to my name... My entire body was intoxicated by this petty victory.
“I-I did it... The Ph-Phantom Thief defeated the Golem!”
“Hey! I believed in you, damn it!”
“What are you all doing! We need to teach those remaining mafia members a lesson too!”
Along with the residents' shouts, the distant siren of Dispel could be heard. It wasn't the time to be basking in victory. I put away the Mist-Clearing Sword, used Stealth, and hid myself in the opposite direction from Cha Yeri.
The only person who could possibly chase me was Cha Yeri. However, fortunately, she didn't seem to be pursuing. I then took off the cloak at a sufficient distance. It was time to return to being Ji Seokhyeon.
“What kind of setting would be natural?”
I guess pretending I was knocked out while fighting the mafia would be best? Or how about a scenario where I was protecting a hidden resident? Whatever it was, fabricating a situation wouldn't be difficult. More importantly...
“...Am I crazy?”
I should probably do something about my expression, which was curled into a crazy smile... This feeling wasn't unfamiliar. It was like grinning all the way home after buying a limited-edition game console. More precisely, it was like being the first to clear an online game quest that no one else had cleared. All by myself.
“Yes, unconscious is probably best.”
***
“...The unknown individual who stopped the Psychic Mafia's terrorism yesterday, also known as the Phantom Thief, is causing a stir throughout Seoul. Unlike the criminals who have imitated the Phantom Thief for half a century, this is the most similar...”
Pure white walls throughout. Gaudy curtains covering the window and a bed that was neither soft nor hard. And, more than anything else, an unfamiliar ceiling that caught his eye. Park Chaeshin, lying in a hospital bed, opened his eyes.
‘Here is...’
It was clearly a hospital room. Given that a middle-aged man in front of the TV was somewhat crudely biting into an unpeeled apple, it was definitely not the afterlife. More than anything, the face of the author, who was savoring the fruit juice as it was, was too familiar.
“S-Special Affairs Division Chief...”
Special Affairs Division Chief Baek Dojun. He was a man whom at least no one in Seoul wouldn't know.
“...Hmm? Oh, you're finally awake.”
“Why are you here...? No, how am I alive?”
“I could answer if you wish, but before that, I'll ask for your judgment.”
Park Chaeshin hurriedly examined his body. Fortunately, there were no noticeable changes. Except that the Metalgrid that should have been near his heart was gone, and flesh had grown in its place.
“Are all my organs... recovered?”
“To be precise, they're recovering.”
“...”
Park Chaeshin checked the date on the TV displayed behind Baek Dojun's shoulder.
‘Just one day... Recovered in just one day...!’
It was an unbelievable situation. The side effects of the research he had been suffering from were recovered overnight. As far as he knew, there was only one case where such a thing was possible.
“N-neutralization of ability... The rumors were true, then...”
Among the Special Affairs Division Chief's abilities, rumored to be spread throughout the public, the ability to neutralize others' superpowers was considered the most preposterous. An extraordinary ability that temporarily stripped an Awakened person of their power upon contact. As Baek Dojun nodded, taking a bite of his apple, Park Chaeshin hastily continued speaking.
“It would have been difficult with just ability control alone...!”
“Ah, I borrowed the skills of some good doctors.”
“...?”
“I'm talking about the doctors. You're recovering through surgical procedures. Of course, only up to the point of organ transplantation. For your information, the organs used were from the mafia members who died yesterday.”
“I-I see...”
“Unfortunately, it's not entirely an optimistic outcome. You'll still have to live as a mana-insensitive person.”
Park Chaeshin suddenly fixed his gaze on the IV drip, following the needle in his arm. Come to think of it, this was a regular hospital room for non-Awakened patients. He briefly organized his thoughts blankly. He questioned whether life still held meaning for him, who had accepted death just yesterday.
But he soon bowed his head towards Baek Dojun.
“Thank you... for saving me, for helping me, for everything.”
“There's no need to thank me. I merely fulfilled my duty as the head of the Special Affairs Division. You can thank that fellow later. I only went to District 27 after receiving his call.”
“That fellow, you mean...”
“Hmm? Ji Seokhyeon, I mean. Your junior, Investigation cadet Ji Seokhyeon.”
Park Chaeshin recalled the memory from yesterday. The time he had faced Ji Seokhyeon, prepared for death. Ji Seokhyeon had clearly said to him, ‘Indeed, I can’t become that person.’ After those words, Ji Seokhyeon had placed a hand on his shoulder, and that was the last thing he remembered before losing consciousness.
‘What exactly is that guy's true identity...’
Ji Seokhyeon possessed top-tier talent. And his connections made the flaw of being a social care beneficiary seem almost endearing. Rationally, it was difficult to understand why Ji Seokhyeon would hide his strength.
‘It wouldn't be strange if he had been undercover with the Special Affairs Division identity from the start.’
Even he, with his profound knowledge of information processing, hadn't realized his talent until he met him directly. The fact that such a talented person entered through the social care beneficiary admission track...
‘He must be intentionally hiding his identity. ...That guy is someone I'll have to investigate thoroughly.’
Park Chaeshin was recalling the situation when he remembered an important detail he had forgotten.
‘Research data...!’
But before he could utter those words, a package containing a memory card was tossed to him by Baek Dojun. It was the memory card containing the research data.
“Recover quickly. I have quite high expectations for you. Your talent is evident just from looking at that data.”
“Expectations, you say...?”
“I said I have expectations for you.”
“What?”
Baek Dojun took a moment to bite into his apple. He seemed to be deliberating how best to explain to a patient who had just regained consciousness. But he soon grinned and opened his mouth.
“Do you like coffee?”