Secret (2)
Kang Tae-san, a new agent in the Criminal Investigation Division of the Republic of Korea Agency for Abilities Management.
Dealing with Awakened beings who use their supernatural powers in the bodies of ordinary people was never easy.
What more so if the target is not an ordinary awakened person but a criminal?
“Cough!”
Although most of the work assigned to him was centered around assisting with the investigation and arrest of government-affiliated individuals with supernatural powers, it was just as dangerous as being on the front lines and handling the work.
No, in an emergency, you have to protect your own body, so you should consider it more dangerous.
How could we possibly see villains who have already crossed the line as ordinary people?
“Ugh!”
In other words, training was not an option for investigators, but a matter of survival.
In that sense, it was natural that Kang Tae-san, who never neglected training even for a single day, had outstanding physical abilities.
‘Indeed, both your mental and physical abilities are excellent. Not to mention your instantaneous combat sense. Even if you were to fall right away, you wouldn’t die anywhere.’
I already knew this thanks to “Analysis”, but when I was pushed into an extreme situation myself, it was definitely more than I expected.
Beyond mere talent, it is his ‘unbreakable belief’ and ‘persistent fighting spirit’ that support him to go beyond his limits.
“Okay, let’s take a break.”
“Ugh! Gasp, gasp—!”
I smiled contentedly as I looked at Kang Tae-san lying on the floor in rags.
He was striking a heavy club with all sorts of patterns carved into it against his palm.
“This, this ignorant guy… Be honest with me. Do you have any grudges against me?”
“Oh, why are you doing this? I already explained it all to you. I’m telling you this method is a no-brainer.”
“Stop kidding me, you punk! No matter what, you’re still going to beat me up when I’ve been hit in a vital spot and I’m rolling around on the floor. Is that human?!”
He opened a bottle of potion with heavy hands and drank it in one go, expressing his anger.
Well, I could completely understand how he felt, having been beaten for over a day.
I don’t think they’ll let that happen though.
“But you’re not really seriously hurt, are you? I told you. This club is also a magic tool. It only makes you feel more pain, but it’s actually better for strengthening your muscles and bones. If you do something, drink another potion.”
“···Ouch! One more round, you punk!”
“Oh? You’ve recovered already? It’s working well?”
In fact, even though I gained some leeway by adjusting the time scale, it only lasted for a few days.
And with only a few days to go, there was a limit to what could be done—.
‘In the end, you have no choice but to focus on what’s most important.’
The most important thing of all was survival.
To do so, we must drive the movement to an instinctive level.
That was the essence of the training we were doing right now.
Phew—!
A club stretched out with a murderous intent that was so real it had a physical form.
When he first encountered it, Kang Tae-san’s body froze and he immediately allowed it to attack, but thanks to his training, he was now gritting his teeth and moving his body somehow.
‘In most other worlds, power is justice.’
A primitive world ruled by violence and barbarism.
If you become too scared to live there, you won’t be able to do anything.
Maybe you’ll die in an absurd way even in a situation where you could easily win.
‘I guess you’ve gotten used to living a certain way while working on the front lines as an investigator.’
There was always a need to prepare for the unexpected.
The murderous intent attached to this club right now was not ordinary.
The life force of a being that has reached the extreme of humanity…
The energy that could cause a faint-hearted person to have a heart attack just by coming into contact with it stimulated their survival instinct and dizzyingly decorated the air.
‘I guess I understand one thing about the ability of “Indomitable”.’
It must be thanks to that that I am able to somehow cope with this cruel and excessive killing intent on the part of those who have just awakened.
That unique skill must be helping Kang Tae-san’s already extraordinary mental strength.
Phew!
But everything has its limits.
“Coolook!”
In the end, Kang Tae-san, who allowed an attack on Myeong-chi, crouched down.
But the club did not stop moving even during that time.
A murderous spirit that rushes in as if it would split my head in two at any moment.
“What the heck···!”
Just before the attack hits his head.
Kang Tae-san instinctively leaned back and stepped back, drooling from his mouth.
And he opened his eyes wide to discern the attack that would follow, as engraved on his body.
‘Yeah, that’s it. If you lose your composure in any situation, whether it’s pain or fear, it’s over.’
Since Kang Tae-san had the ‘right to return,’ he could escape to Earth at any time as long as he had his sanity left.
To do that, it was important to stay calm and think calmly no matter what happened.
“I think this training ends here. You worked hard.”
After confirming that all of those things were properly engraved, I put the club away and nodded.
Is this talent?
Even though he was given the 『Growth Potion』 before the start, his rapid growth was certainly encouraging.
“···Phew, I really wanted to hit you once.”
At those words, Kang Tae-san let out a sigh as the strength in his body relaxed.
That moment.
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Wedge-shaped—
The club split the air with a cracking sound.
He quickly lowered his head and threw himself backwards.
“I knew it, you little punk! This isn’t the first or second time you’ve been hit!”
“Oh? Pretty much.”
By the time we finished training to deal with such a sudden surprise attack, it was starting to get dark outside.
They moved back to their central Seoul base, the villa they had been living in before moving.
Although he would have liked to continue training until the time limit came, Kang Tae-san couldn’t do that because he still had a family to take care of.
“···It felt like it had been several days, but it had only been a few hours outside.”
He sighed and shook his head.
I had heard the story, but experiencing it myself definitely felt strange.
Even for a moment, it’s like this, but if I spend several years in another world and come back…
“But thanks to you, I feel at ease knowing that I can come back whenever something goes wrong. I can just tell Grandma that I’m going overseas for a short secret mission. If I tell her the truth, she’ll just worry.”
“···You can go there and come back right away. There’s no need to risk your life and spend time there, right?”
“That can’t be. It’ll just be more troublesome. I’ve already reported it to my superiors, so they’ll ask me how I got back so quickly.”
I couldn’t tell anyone about the ‘right of return’.
If I reveal it for no reason, I will only be causing trouble to my close friend who readily gave it to me.
And here’s one more reason…
“In a way, this is an opportunity. I, who was just one of those agents, can become stronger and move up. But I can’t just let this golden opportunity go to waste, right?”
The moment the Awakened return to Earth, they lose their growth momentum.
If you use the ‘Return Ticket’ to return early, you will become the weakest person who is a returnee in name only.
There was no way that Kang Tae-san, who was secretly ambitious, would miss this opportunity that he had finally seized.
“Yeah, if that’s how you feel, then there’s nothing I can do.”
I already knew he was going to say that.
That’s why Howard, locked in the “Dragon Lair” workshop at this very moment, was pounding his hammer hard.
“Then for now, go back and spend some time with Grandma, and when she falls asleep, come here right away. I’ll keep watching over you until the transmission starts.”
“···uh?”
“What the heck? Then why didn’t you just stay home and sleep peacefully instead of wasting time?”
Even when sleeping, it was beneficial to sleep in a space where the time ratio was controlled.
Wouldn’t that allow us to make additional preparations in the remaining time?
Just like it was a little while ago.
“Yeah, right. That’s right. I guess we should do that.”
“When you get back, a gift will be ready, so look forward to it.”
I gave a trustworthy smile to Kang Tae-san, who was twitching the corners of his mouth.
But seeing that made me feel even more anxious.
Well, I guess it’s just my mood.
***
It was just past midnight.
I brought Kang Tae-san, who came with heavy steps, back to the hideout.
“What is this?”
And he handed the guy a backpack containing a few things.
It was a hot new product that had just been created.
“What do you mean? Didn’t you tell me before you left? I’d prepare a gift for you.”
“···That’s true. But I already have the equipment, right?”
“Use this instead. This is better. It’s a special product from Howard Industries.”
“Huh? They say that you can’t easily get the stuff there even if you pay for it. How come… Oh! That’s right. Now that I think about it, that was a company established by the Blood Alliance.”
The items given by the Ability Management Bureau weren’t too bad either.
A simple design that doesn’t stand out so you can easily blend in wherever you go, and sturdy protection that doesn’t significantly hinder your mobility.
However, there was no way to compare such ready-made products with the masterpieces made by master dwarves.
‘Since I wrote about it separately in “Technological Revolution”, I think the effects will be maintained to some extent no matter which world you go to.’
Unfortunately, it was impossible to send a bunch of high-grade magic tools.
Usually, such items had basic specifications that required them, such as having a certain amount of energy.
“Huh? What the heck. Why is this backpack so spacious? Are all of these magical tools? Unless they’re made in that world by some lucky chance, they’re useless anyway.”
“Do you think I gave it to you without even thinking about that? It’s okay, you can use it all.”
“···Really? I thought it was something out of the ordinary since they were mass-selling magic tools all over the world, but I never thought that was even possible. Just how much are they hiding···?”
I handed one more thing to the guy who was impressed by Howard Industries’ technology.
The most familiar form of weapon to Kang Tae-san, who has undergone extensive training as an agent.
It was a holster made of sturdy monster leather and had a matte black pistol tucked into it.
“Can you use a gun?”
“You call that a lie? It’s the only means of self-defense that a civilian investigator can use. But you can’t take a firearm to another world… No, no.”
Kang Tae-san, who had now given up on being surprised, quietly accepted the pistol holster.
Of course, that gun wasn’t an ordinary one.
It was a masterpiece that Howard had put a lot of effort into creating at “Dragon Lair”, which can utilize time a hundred times longer than that of Earth.
“I’m asking just in case, do you have a religion?”
“No? I’ve been a little interested in the Outerica sect lately, but not to the point where I’m a believer.”
Centered around the symbolic being known as the Saint who transcends dimensions, the Outerica cult was rapidly expanding its influence on Earth.
Because of that, Heinrich also had to move around busily and suffer for a while.
In any case, since there was no separate god to believe in, all conditions were practically met.
I put a hand on Kang Tae-san’s shoulder and made a serious expression.
“···You, let’s make a contract.”
“What? A contract?”
A strange energy rose from the hand that was resting on my shoulder.
The power of the “Chain of Oath” borrowed from Hesperon.
“Yeah. Well… that’s my unique skill. I can grant special abilities to those who believe in me. It’s similar to divine power.”
“What is that? Is that a cult leader?”
“Similar… maybe?”
I couldn’t deny it.
If I had to point out something different, it would be that it is not the leader but the person who believes in him.
“You can amplify the power you receive from me and shoot it with a gun. You don’t even need to generate energy bullets yourself, so you don’t have to load them.”
The pistol was a weapon created by the dwarf blacksmith Howard by infusing the “weak divinity” that had sprouted within its body. It was closer to a holy relic or divine object than a magical tool.
Although the power contained in it is ridiculously weak compared to the holy sword that Heinrich holds.
‘But for now, that’s enough.’
Divine power is a higher energy that is not bound by the laws of the world.
Although it may not be as good as a holy sword, it is more than capable of surpassing any high-level magical tool.
‘Taesan has 94% trust in me.’
From what I’ve found out, even if the trustworthiness is over 90%, they will never betray you, even if it puts their own life at risk.
At that level, you should be able to use most of the divine power that grows with faith without much loss.
Excellent portability, with the size of a pistol, so you can always have it in your hand no matter how far away you want it.
It has excellent destructive power that rivals that of a sniper rifle, with the ability to fire in rapid succession.
Unlike bullets that rely solely on physical power, it is based on divine power, so it has wide utility in responding to all aspects, whether it is the skin of a monster enhanced with vitality or a barrier built with magical power.
If I just have this, I will be able to get out of any situation by building up my body.
Unless you encounter an enemy so extreme that they can easily cut down even sniper bullets that suddenly fly in from outside their range of perception.
“···Thank you, Seonghyeon. It wouldn’t have been easy to give such precious items to an outsider like me. And that return ticket···.”
After the contract ends.
Kang Tae-san, who was holding the gun in his hand and feeling the power contained within it, quietly opened his mouth.
Even though he was a collaborator, he gave items that were no different from the organization’s confidential information to his friend, not to himself.
This incident must have shaken Han Seong-hyeon’s position within Masquerade quite a bit.
No matter what the circumstances were, I couldn’t help but feel upset that I was holding my friend back.
“This much is okay. We’re not strangers. And when you come back, you can help us.”
“···Okay, that would be fine. I’ve always supported Masquerade’s activities. Ever since Hahoe-tal started his activities.”
“Oh, by the way, you name that gun. It’s the weapon you’ll be using from now on, right?”
“Really? Your name is···.”
Kang Tae-san, who had been looking at the black pistol for a moment, let out a sly laugh.
“Should I call it Black Star? Seonghyeon, named after you.”
The black sword in the star.
Black Star, Black Star.
Although it may be a bit childish, there is no other name that fits it as well.
“···My name isn’t in Chinese characters.”
“Shut up, Inma. Just be intuitive.”
The bickering between friends only lasted for a short while.
Because there was still a lot of work left to do.
“Okay, then let’s start training so we can get used to the equipment before we move on.”
“···uh?”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about it getting damaged. Black Star isn’t something that gets damaged easily in the first place, and it also has a self-repairing function. And the protective gear is···”
The club reappears as soon as the words are finished.
A bone-chilling aura rose from the weapon, which was twice as thick as the one used in previous training.
“···I brought extra ones just in case. If they break, I’ll replace them right away.”
A pale face contrasting with a refreshing smile.
As the joys and sorrows of the two people intersect, about two days pass in the space time with the scale adjusted.
An other-worldly transmission line was created under Kang Tae-san’s feet.
***
Early morning.
“Huh?”
Today, before going out to work, a girl who was praying with her hands together tilted her head.
Because a strange energy was rising from within him.
“What is this?”
A fanatic with a 98% trustworthiness.
Diana, the secretary of Hubert’s Chamber of Commerce, blinked her eyes innocently.
