#72
New Order (2)
In the barrier filled with darkness, Hans turned his head and stared to the side.
As if looking at something beyond that dark space.
[That’s interesting.]
As his level skyrocketed, he resumed his activities and showed off his newly created, more effective curses.
But then I felt something subtle about the thin string connected to it, so I looked at it for a moment, and my eyes met with those of a warlock.
‘What should I do···.’
I had only briefly encountered him through thought, but I already had some idea about him.
Hans was sensitive to malice, but he didn’t really give off the feeling of being a bad person.
Rather, he is a unique opponent who is a fairly skilled black magician but is not tainted by madness.
‘You must have some relevant skills like me. But more than that, this position is···.’
A map of the entire city of Seoul was drawn in his head, and the locations he had just identified were marked.
The main body immediately checked the information there via the Internet.
‘···also.’
It was a hospital under the management of the Government Agency for the Advancement of Abilities.
There’s no need to do anything on that side.
I just want to express my condolences for a moment to the civil servants who continue to diligently conduct meaningless investigations.
‘That warlock seemed pretty useful. I’ll keep him in mind for now.’
Since I could find it whenever I wanted, I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to quietly contact it later.
[Hehe, I like this more than anything. If those criminals start investigating my curse without permission, then at that moment···.]
You will immediately be counterattacked and receive a visit from Hans, who will pinpoint your location.
And since there was a high percentage of criminals among black magicians, the possibility was also high.
If it’s at a level where you can investigate his curse, it’s not even a small fry, so it could be a pretty good trap.
‘I’ll have to work harder to increase the number of people I can curse rather than execute.’
“Huk···Huk! Monster, monster···!”
At that moment, while he was absentmindedly thinking about something else, the villains who had been diligently pounding on Hans’ defenses ground their teeth.
Unable to escape because of the barrier surrounding them on all sides, they resisted with tears in their eyes, but eventually fell into despair.
[I’m sorry, but I don’t have any more time to spend with you.]
Hans’ blue eyes dimmed, and soon the “Eyes of the Abyss” looked at them.
“Ah, ahh···.”
“Ugh—”
Today, Hans was busy again to keep Seoul safe.
Thanks to his efforts, the crime rate was forcibly reduced as criminals fled…
Citizens living in Seoul could clearly feel the difference.
***
Rumors about Hahoe masks, which had been spreading like wildfire for some time, have exploded on the Internet.
Due to the intervention of the Agency for Abilities Management, which was concerned about his idolization, it has not yet been reported on public news, but judging by the speed at which it is spreading through online news and other communities, it is unlikely to last long.
Since Hans’s appearance was to be avoided from being directly exposed to the public, drawings by eyewitnesses were used instead of photographs as data.
Among them, there were some rough drawings of a black figure with blue eyes, while there were also portraits that were so well drawn that they looked almost real.
The most representative example was a painting of a person wearing a Hahoe mask, wrapped in a black robe, looking down with blue eyes and holding out a gloved hand.
The artist who drew it claimed that he still vividly remembers the moment he was rescued by Hahoe-tal from the flesh factory of the Mines.
-Wow lol. He said he killed all the villains. I feel so refreshed.
-Where do criminals have human rights? Instead of taking care of that, take care of our right to survive.
-Thanks to Hahoe-tal, I’m living a bit more comfortably these days. Please continue to take care of me in the future!
The response to it was generally favorable.
Of course, there was also the common opinion that he was just a criminal and that private sanctions should not be advocated, but it was quietly buried, swept away by the majority of public opinion.
As Hahoe Mask gradually became an issue, the enthusiasm of reporters and individual creators to cover it also heated up, and information began to be revealed little by little through interviews with witnesses and collection of all kinds of data.
Ultra-wide detection capabilities that provide real-time visibility into events occurring throughout Seoul.
The ability to teleport immediately to a detected location.
Overwhelming fighting power that can instantly resolve any villain.
However, nothing was known for certain about his fighting style, as he would put any victim he saw to sleep as soon as he appeared.
Even the criminals who survived his attacks were so terrified that they were unable to give proper testimony.
But no one could argue with his power.
Above all, his accomplishments so far have proven it all.
The title he thus earned was ‘Unofficial Korea’s Strongest’.
However, since there were only anecdotes and no evidence such as photographs or CCTV footage, the debate about it continued.
-Isn’t this just a fabrication? How can one person cover all of Seoul?
-It’s a fact that the crime rate has dropped recently. I don’t know if it’s really because of the Hahoe mask, but there’s something to it.
-If it’s true, isn’t that the Guardian dog? Because that big organization is worse than one person, lol.
-Unlike the Hogu Guardians who have to look after the human rights of criminals, the Hahoe Tal’s principle is to execute them without tolerance.
-Then isn’t it an organization rather than an individual? There could be several people dressed up in the same costume.
Since this situation occurred in Korea as well, overseas communities were quick to declare that it was a manipulation by the Korean side and did not even bother to deal with it.
But here, there was someone who felt the effects of the ‘Hahoe Mask’ deeply and was under tremendous stress as his activities continued…
“Eww—! How long has it been since I’ve gotten off work! Hahaha! Seonghyun, what are you doing? Let’s do it! Tta-ta-ta—!”
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It was my friend, Kang Tae-san, who was holding a can of beer and laughing like a crazy person in front of me.
“Is your work really hard? It hasn’t even been that long since you finished your training, and you’re already starting to hear the sound of someone dying?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, the first place I was assigned to was the Hahoe Mask Investigation Team! It’s the busiest department in the Criminal Investigation Division right now! I heard that other departments have more free time, but I’m the only one who got to be assigned to a team like that as the youngest!”
Kang Tae-san gulps down his alcohol while expressing his anger once again.
It was my only friend who came to my house carrying a bunch of alcohol, saying that it had been a while since I had finished work.
‘You don’t have to worry about it anymore.’
He was a wonderful guy who stayed by my side and supported me ever since I was stuck at home after the accident.
For example, taking out trash for someone who cannot go out, or visiting them periodically to keep them company.
It was a small gesture of warm concern for me, who felt like I was left alone in the world.
“Still, it seems like you’ve gotten a lot better? I’ve seen you here and there before, but, what should I say… it seems like you’ve gained some motivation for life?”
“Yeah, I can’t live in the past forever. My parents wouldn’t want that either…”
“Yeah… You thought about it well, Inma! Do you know how anxious I’ve been?”
I have known Taesan since elementary school.
Han Seong-hyeon’s parents always took care of him like their own child, having become close to him since he lost his parents at an early age and was raised by his grandmother.
The bond grew stronger as they progressed through middle and high school, and he eventually came to rely on Han Seong-Hyeon’s parents as if they were his own parents.
To be honest, we were almost like brothers.
“How is your grandmother? Is she feeling better?”
“Ah···haha···. Well, it’s the same. You’re older now···.”
His expression darkened for a moment, perhaps worried about his grandmother who had been hospitalized for several years.
“I should come and visit you sometime soon.”
“Huh? No, it’s okay! You don’t have to push yourself too hard.”
“I’m not overdoing it. I can go out now. Oh, and I’m going to move soon. I won the lottery.”
“···Huh?”
As the big news was delivered one after another, there was an uproar.
I forcefully suppressed and calmed down Taesan, who was expressing surprise with his whole body, and calmly collected his thoughts.
Any way he could help his grandmother.
‘Heinrich’s divine power would probably be somewhat effective. I don’t know how much it would affect aging, but it’s better than not doing it at all.’
All I had to do was sneak over, quickly treat him, and send him back to his place.
It might be a hassle to create the situation, but it won’t be difficult with the help of other clones.
“···Still, that’s fortunate. It seems like you’ve fully recovered, Seonghyeon.”
The drinking party started again and Taesan muttered quietly.
And then he started to carefully watch this side.
“Why? Do you have something to say?”
When I frowned and asked him about his hesitant response, he let out a sigh and looked me straight in the eye.
“Actually, I thought a lot about whether or not I should tell you. Up until now, I thought it would be better not to tell you… But looking at your condition today, I think it’ll be okay.”
I put down the beer I was holding and looked at him because of the sudden serious atmosphere.
“Do you know why I applied to the Criminal Investigation Division?”
Of course I knew.
Because he also followed his parents as if they were his own parents.
I was there that day and was physically and mentally wounded, so I ended up locking myself in my room…
Taesan, who heard the news late while nursing his sick grandmother, used the incident as an opportunity to work harder and eventually joined the Agency for Abilities Management.
To dig deeper into the incident and prevent similar crimes from happening again.
“···The incident at that time. It had already been concluded as a reckless terror attack by the Awakened. Everyone knew that. Until recently.”
In that moment, I felt my body stiffen.
I thought I knew what he was trying to say.
“There was an organization that had been active for a long time. Until recently, they were relatively quiet and caused incidents, but about half a year ago, they started to move in earnest.”
That was the time when public security in Korea was in disarray.
“They are such thorough guys, I’ve only vaguely recognized their existence so far and haven’t even been able to catch their tails···.”
That’s when Hahoe mask appeared.
“After he started hunting criminals, the underworld started to shake and the rules broke down, so it seems like those who had been building their power based on that side had a gap.”
So the Ability Management Bureau finally caught up with the bastards.
About the organization called ‘Beoncheonhoe’ that has been carrying out all kinds of terrorist acts behind the scenes.
And Taesan··· was able to find out that they were the ones behind the ‘Seoul Station terrorist incident’.
“Actually, I shouldn’t have said this was confidential, right? But… I thought you had the right to know, even if no one else did. But don’t tell anyone else? I might end up in jail. Hehe….”
The first place they got the information was the Hahoe Mask Investigation Team, and it is said that he, a rookie, was there at the time.
“And it seems like they stopped their domestic activities and went into tail cutting right after clashing with Hahoe-tal. He’s still moving around actively, so it’s obvious who won.”
Taesan snickered and drank his beer coolly.
“After that, it’s difficult to pursue them any further. I don’t know how long they’ll be hiding, but their force seems to be quite large, so we’re keeping a close eye on them.”
He also opened up about the internal workings of the criminal investigation department, as if he didn’t care about security or anything.
That must mean that Han Seong-hyeon believes in himself.
As he carefully observed my reaction and watched me closely after telling me everything, I calmly picked up my snack and ate it as if nothing had happened.
“Hahoe-tal is a more amazing person than I thought. Thanks to him, you were able to figure out that criminal organization. But why is the Bureau of Abilities still chasing him?”
“That’s why I’m even more annoyed! No, why are you chasing after a guy who’s doing a good job? It’s tiring for both of us! Just let him continue doing his job—!”
As if relieved by my reaction, he let out an exaggerated roar while crumpling up the can of beer he had just finished drinking.
Because Kang Tae-san, like me, was a villain hater.
He entered the Bureau of Extraterrestrial Intelligence to catch criminals, but he was very stressed out because he was chasing Hahoe-tal, who secretly shared the same values.
“It can’t be helped since it’s work. Hey, drink first, drink!”
“Yeah! Anyway, I’m not the type of person who’ll get caught no matter how hard I try. Huh, I don’t know—!”
“Thank you for telling me again. I’ve already gotten over it all, so you don’t have to worry about me anymore. Since I’m a civilian, I can’t do anything anyway, so I’ll leave the rest up to you guys or the Guardians. . . And the Hahoe mask.”
“···Well, that gentleman is definitely good at his job. Since he doesn’t have to worry about what other people think, he gets his work done smoothly.”
The atmosphere became lively again and a drinking party ensued.
I matched the mood by pretending to be moderately drunk, along with my friend who was constantly chugging alcohol.
It was a bit disappointing that I couldn’t get drunk easily because of my physical ability and resilience, but it was a satisfying position just to be with a close friend who I got along with.
···The night in Seoul deepened like that.
***
A dirty back alley.
In the middle of the people lying on the floor, a shadow stood as if buried in darkness.
[Huh… I’m busy, I’m busy. But since I’ve cleared out the big chunks, the overall level has dropped.]
Hans struggles to maintain public order today as well.
He raised his head and looked up at the pitch-black night sky with his blue eyes, where not a single star could be seen.
No matter what anyone said, no matter what the difficulties were… he never intended to quit.
From the villains running wild everywhere to the now hiding Byeoncheonhoe.
He will not stop until he destroys everything with his own hands.
Hans reached out with one hand and grabbed the night sky.
[Kuhehe… I like the dark ones.]
Now, he was the new order of this era.
