Chapter 23: The Master of the Underground Great Hall
The city in the early morning was quiet.
Smog-mixed fog had turned into yellow-tinged haze, draping itself over the wide roads like a blankekxt.
Cutting through that fog, a mechanical beast passed by with a thunderous roar.
Motorcycle Bear-03, and riding atop it was a Ghostcatcher clad in a pitch-black tactical durumaegi.
Diesel was on the move for a meeting related to a job proposed by Little Sister.
He had entrusted the driving to Ar and was reviewing the information obtained from the Electrosphere.
〈Madam, huh…….〉
The woman called ‘Madam Isabel’ was both the client who commissioned this job and, at the same time, a Fixer.
According to the information Ar had compiled, Isabel also bore the alias of the master of the Underground Great Hall.
〈Is this accurate? The master of the Underground Great Hall being a Fixer. I thought she’d be some kind of corporate chairman.〉
〈Information personally discovered by Ar. Ar does not make mistakes.〉
〈Well……. That’s true. Alright, I’ll drive now. You go inside and rest.〉
As Diesel tried to reclaim the driving control he had handed over to the spirit, Ar hurriedly spoke up.
〈W-wait…… There is more information the master needs to read.〉
〈What is it.〉
〈Found information regarding the birthplace of the master of the Underground Great Hall, Madam Isabel. It is a German city called Frankfurt.〉
〈So what?〉
〈Doesn’t the master find it strange that the city name contains ‘Frank’ yet it is a German city rather than French?〉
At that point, Diesel realized what Ar was up to and narrowed his eyes.
〈Ar.〉
〈Frankfurt means ‘the ford of the Franks,’ and here the Franks refer not to French people but to a Germanic tribe that lived near the Rhine River…….〉
〈You’re doing this because you want to keep driving, aren’t you.〉
Before Ar could even finish speaking, Diesel forcibly took back the driving control.
〈Ah, no!〉
〈You’re addicted to it. Completely addicted.〉
A tavern located on the first floor of the Underground Great Hall, Count Zero.
Perhaps because it was early, the inside of the establishment was awkwardly empty.
Maybe because of that, instead of the loud electronic music that should have been blaring as usual, gentle lo-fi jazz was flowing from the speakers.
As Diesel approached the standing bar, an elf-looking bartender stretched with a yawn and greeted him familiarly.
“Welcome. You’re Diesel, right? You’re diligent, coming this early in the morning.”
She asked as her dark violet hair, adorned with holograms, shimmered.
“Do you just not sleep in, or are you actually an incredibly old man despite that handsome face?”
“That’s a pretty rude first greeting.”
When he said that, the bartender gave a slight eye-smile, and the crescent-moon-shaped tattoo engraved near her left eye gleamed.
It looked like an electronic tattoo that lit up in response to the user’s smile.
“I’m Julianne. I’m the bartender of Count Zero.”
Diesel nodded instead of replying.
“Want a drink? Madam told me to treat you with utmost care.”
“Then something that’ll wake me up.”
“For waking up, Winchester’s perfect.”
At the mention of the strong liquor’s name, Diesel slightly frowned.
“You weren’t hoping for caffeine here, were you?”
Julianne put on a mischievous smile, dropped a single round chunk of ice into a glass, and poured in a dark-looking liquor.
Just then, a rough voice sounded from behind.
“Is it you? The mage called Diesel?”
Turning toward the sound, Diesel saw a red-haired, wolf-faced being of an unidentifiable race staring at him.
‘A werewolf?’
〈A race from the Buddhist Realm, ‘Rakshasa.’〉
Looking more closely, what covered its face seemed not to be fur but some kind of aura.
The Rakshasa spoke through its elongated snout, with fangs jutting out.
“Good grief. Working with a punk like this. What a joke.”
“Raksha, show some manners. Is that how you talk to a teammate you’re meeting for the first time?”
From behind the Rakshasa called Raksha came the refined voice of a woman.
Along with it came into view a pair of large wings densely covered in gray feathers.
Then appeared a beautiful face, both eyes covered with ash-colored cloth.
Judging by the brilliantly shining halo above her head, she seemed to be an otherworldly race called an ‘angel.’
‘A Rakshasa and an angel together—what kind of combination is this…….’
“Try ordering me around one more time, Seriel. I’ll rip off one of your wings.”
“Have you already forgotten what kind of place this is? If you want to get banned again, go ahead and try.”
At Seriel’s words, Raksha bared his teeth and began to snarl.
“Brush your teeth. You stink. Want me to recommend a few heaven-made mouthwashes?”
“You demonic bitch, you’re really asking for it……!”
“And just who is an evil spirit Rakshasa calling a demon.”
“Whoa, whoa, Ghostcatchers. How about a drink and calm down.”
Julianne proposed a bartender-like solution as she poured the liquor with a smooth motion.
But before she could even hand over the glasses, a familiar voice came from somewhere.
“You all came early? Were you getting along and exchanging introductions without fighting?”
“Bullshit.”
“No way.”
“…….”
Little Sister soon revealed herself, read the strange tension flowing between the three Ghostcatchers, and smiled brightly.
“Isn’t this just the perfect team?”
The old-fashioned elevator, operated by counterweights, headed downward with a clanking noise.
Being sandwiched between a Rakshasa and an angel on the way underground was not a particularly pleasant experience.
Even more so in such a narrow elevator that their skin nearly touched every time it jolted.
“The Underground Great Hall’s other facilities are all dazzling, so why is only this place such crap?”
“You know Isabel’s personality.”
In response to Raksha’s question, Sis, who was looking toward the doors, answered.
Then Seriel asked sarcastically.
“That Madam who loves ‘imperfect’ things?”
“Hah! Not imperfect—just old and worn-out junk.”
After descending for quite some time, the elevator came to a stop with a screeching sound.
[Ro, root floor, i, is, da.]
The announcement, mixed with crackling static, informed them of the current floor.
“This thing’s going to crash someday. If not, I’ll make it happen.”
Raksha grumbled as he stepped out of the elevator.
As they entered the wide lobby beyond, an atmosphere like that of a Joseon royal palace immediately caught the eye.
Massive beams laid across the ceiling and vividly painted dancheong patterns.
Red pillars set at regular intervals were hung with blue-and-red lanterns, softly illuminating the surroundings.
‘Quite an unusual taste.’
As I followed Sis past the lobby and into a wooden-floored corridor, she suddenly came to a halt.
“Just in case, let me say this.”
Standing before a large door made of traditional latticework, Sis slightly turned back.
“Isabel is extremely sensitive about ‘lies.’ You know that, right?”
“…….”
I wondered what she meant by that, but soon Raksha frowned beside me and spoke.
“Yeah, yeah. Just open the door already.”
At that, Sis smiled softly and slid the door to the side.
The first thing that came into view was an Ilwolobongdo that adorned the entire massive wall.
For a moment, I lost myself staring at the overwhelming painting.
Then I noticed a woman standing atop a tall ladder, brushing paint onto the upper portion of the artwork.
‘So that woman is Madam Isabel.’
“We’re here.”
“Oh, Sister. You arrived earlier than I expected.”
Madam’s appearance was very different from what I had imagined.
A slender frame, a small and youthful face, and on top of that, loose denim overalls splattered with paint.
Judging by her looks alone, she seemed less like the owner of such a vast facility and more like a painter.
As Isabel carefully climbed down the ladder, she spoke.
“You are as elegant as ever, Seriel.”
“You flatter me every time.”
“And Raksha-nim is always brimming with valor as well.”
“Why don’t you tone down the empty flattery a bit?”
Lastly, Isabel stepped toward me and slightly bowed her body in greeting.
“So you are Diesel-nim.”
Then she suddenly threw out an unexpected remark.
“Did you receive my gift well?”
‘A gift……?’
As I fell into thought, wondering what she meant, Isabel continued with a smile.
“The winged tiger.”
“……?”
A winged tiger…….
She had to be talking about Bear-03.
‘That was a gift from this woman?’
I had naturally assumed it came from Little Sister.
Seeing my faintly flustered expression, Isabel laughed.
“I assume you received it well.”
As I was exchanging a brief conversation with her, Raksha suddenly shouted in a growling voice.
“Isabel! I am extremely dissatisfied with this team composition.”
The Rakshasa, bristling with black aura, spoke heatedly.
“I can tolerate even this angel bitch. She’s rude, but at least she’s competent.”
“…….”
“But what is this milk-stinking mage?”
Raksha’s voice grew increasingly rough.
Each time the Rakshasa became more agitated, the black aura flowing around him began to slowly spread in all directions.
Noticing this, Isabel tried to calm him with a gentle voice.
“Please calm yourself, Raksha-nim.”
“We’re not robbing some fast-food joint here, are we, huh?”
“…….”
“If I’d known some flimsy stick-like bastard like this would be here, I wouldn’t have accepted the job in the first place! Who the hell put this team together?”
Isabel tried until the end to calm the Rakshasa through conversation, but it wasn’t working.
Then she slowly raised her hand and made a very concise yet elegant downward gesture.
‘Huh…….’
In that brief motion, I discovered something that others could not perceive.
A special category of mana that I would never have noticed without the perception granted by ‘Surreal Awakening.’
‘It’s mental-type magic.’
Mental-type magic was nearly impossible to learn.
From the start, even using it was illegal.
The corporate bastards had thoroughly outlawed mental-type magic, ensuring that mages called ‘Mystics’ who used it could not operate.
As a result, openly using such magic would get you treated as a serious criminal, enough to have a worldwide manhunt issued.
“Khmm……. Did I get a bit carried away?”
The Rakshasa, who had been highly agitated, instantly regained his composure under Isabel’s magic.
That alone was enough to gauge the level of power her magic possessed.
‘This is an unexpected windfall.’
I engraved the magic formula Isabel had just manifested into my mind.
Applications were already flooding my thoughts.
All I ever needed was a single trigger to open the floodgates.
If I could just freeze ice, adjusting its strength afterward was trivial.
That was the terrifying aspect of my ability.
“Still, my suspicion remains. My suspicion toward that rookie mage. Hey, you angel bitch. Why are you staying quiet? You’re thinking the same thing inside, aren’t you?”
“Hm…… yes. This time, I agree with Raksha.”
When even the angel sided with the Rakshasa, Little Sister stepped forward from beside me.
“Diesel joined because I recommended him.”
Raksha nearly shouted in response.
“What?”
“That’s surprising. He wasn’t brought in directly by Isabel, but you recommended him, Sis?”
At the angel’s immediate question, Sis nodded.
“Yes.”
“No matter who you are, isn’t this an overreach?”
Raksha deeply furrowed his brow.
Then Sis met my eyes.
A look that seemed to ask whether it was alright to say it.
I didn’t bother stopping her.
“Do you know about the chaos that broke out in northern Gyeonggi about a week ago?”
As Sis threw out the opening, Seriel continued her words.
“You mean the Black Water Institute lab?”
“That’s right.”
“I heard it was completely devastated.”
“Then you must also know what was discovered there.”
“…….”
At her question, both the angel and the Rakshasa fell silent at the same time.
With a serious expression, Sis spoke.
“A ‘Ghost’ was discovered. Split cleanly in half.”
At the word Ghost, the two Ghostcatchers from other realms flinched slightly.
As if merely imagining that existence evoked a certain kind of fear.
“Why bring that up all of a sudden?”
When Raksha threw out an irritated question, Sis immediately answered.
“Because the one who killed that Ghost is the man standing in front of you.”