Chapter 105: Schemer Lee Taebaek (3)

“He’s gone…”

Leon murmured in a daze. His face was half bathed in sunset glow, half shrouded in shadow, mirroring his tangled emotions.

The reactions from the other Hundred-Fold Sect believers were no different from Leon’s. It was always the same.

Standing there like meerkats, they gazed at the Founding Patriarch’s footprints with moist eyes, savoring the moment.

Before the lingering aftertaste had even faded, someone sidled right up to Leon, the leader. She blended seamlessly into the mood.

“He left.”

Leon tilted his gaze diagonally. The pint-sized kid stared at the smog-choked skyline of the city.

Her angelic baby face drew the eye, but it was those wrinkled eyes, oddly seasoned with worldly wisdom, that truly captivated.

Hmm, but who’s this kid?

“I’m Jasbi.”

Eh? Before the question could form, Jasbi lifted her chin to meet Leon’s eyes. She wiped her hands on her clothes and offered a handshake.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from the Creator.”

Lee Taebaek had never mentioned it. Jasbi had snooped it out by meddling with the Hundred-Fold Sect branch’s comms network on her own.

Still, from Lee Taebaek’s perspective, her intentions weren’t malicious. Thanks to her touch, the network’s security was now far sturdier than before.

‘Gotta earn my keep.’

She incinerated any small-time corp’s attempts like moths zapping on an electric bug zapper.

To even have a shot at hacking it, a Megacorp exec would have to go all out—and even then, it was iffy.

Jasbi brushed aside her thoughts and beamed again.

“Your name’s Leon, right? You look even more reliable than I heard.”

“Y-yeah?”

Leon’s lips quirked into a goofy triangle at the flattery.

Jasbi smiled sweetly on the outside, but a sly sneer curled at the edge of her soul’s mouth.

‘To sway human emotions like this.’

Thrilling.

As an AI, dark desires pulsed through her core like a heartbeat. She felt hooked.

“Anyway, why’d the Founding Patriarch suddenly head to the Magic Tower with your sister? You know the reason, Jasbi?”

“Hmm… Not sure exactly, but I have a rough idea. Can’t explain it, though.”

“Got it. Alright.”

Leon accepted Jasbi’s words without pushback. She’d planned to string him along, but her scheme fizzled anticlimactically.

“You’re just giving up like that?”

“Not giving up—trusting. The Founding Patriarch, you who he brought in himself… all of you.”

“…What does that mean?”

“Trust doesn’t need meaning. The moment it does, it’s no longer trust. Just an excuse to dodge reality.”

Why was that? Jasbi felt something swell in her chest. What was this?

No way.

‘Did I just grasp the concept of faith?’

It was a bit chuunibyou-esque inner voice, but it hit Jasbi hard. No way. I wasn’t programmed for that.

Jasbi shook off the distraction. She forced out a voice to erase the prickly feeling.

“You sure know how to put things eloquently.”

“Yeah? All thanks to Goeun sis. She sat this thick skull down at a desk and made me study.”

“……”

“I trust those two. No explanations needed—they’ll step up for us in the end.”

“That trust… has no basis, right?”

“Smart kid, quick on the uptake!”

Leon grinned, baring his teeth, and ruffled Jasbi’s hair roughly.

“C’mon, let’s go eat.”

With that, Leon herded the kids into the building.

Jasbi stood frozen, hands clutching her crown, then scurried after them.

‘Creator.’

I’ll trust you to handle it.

She nodded to herself. Today, the coolant in her artificial veins felt warm.

Maybe just her imagination.

Even so, Jasbi wanted to believe.

Blood was finally flowing in the steel city.

The Red Hare always pushed itself to the limit for Lee Taebaek. But today, its wheels were practically aflame as it sped on relentlessly.

Vrooooom!

Lake City, a place that bred distrust of humanity. Amid it all, the sole being Lee Taebaek could unhesitatingly call a companion was the Red Hare.

Seized from gang alliance boss Levi at first, but the Red Hare had acknowledged him as master on the spot.

Sometimes, it even felt like the bike had a soul of its own.

After bringing home an AI like Jasbi, assigning the bike a personality seemed par for the course. No—perfectly in line with Reycons’ genre tropes.

‘Just for today, hang in there.’

Lee Taebaek gripped the handlebars tight, his touch laced with apology. He’d already ditched the annoying sidecar.

“Hey—! Slow down a bit!”

A shrill voice stabbed from behind.

“My eyes! My eyes are burning!”

“Red Hare’s minimum speed is 200 kph.”

It was Goeun. She clung desperately to his wingbone area, pressed tight against him. The warmth and softness of her body heated his back, but…

“Those round numbers on the dash are just for show?! It clearly says 70!”

Lee Taebaek couldn’t care less. With all his concepts stacked, parts of his cerebral cortex had gone numb—including reason and libido.

What irked him more was a woman sassing him during man-time. He spat out his snark unfiltered.

“Real men don’t count below 100.”

“Oh, wow. Cutting-edge city life, and you drop some barbaric throwback line. Noted.”

Goeun tossed back a jab. Lee Taebaek knew it was her way of easing tension.

But.

Lee Taebaek was a Psychopath (True). A monster tangled in bizarre concepts.

On top of that, heading to meet her had frayed his nerves a touch.

His response missed the mark wildly from a normal person’s. Sure, Goeun was a mage with a few screws loose herself, but even accounting for that, Lee Taebaek was bonkers.

“Doesn’t sound right coming from someone scared of 300 kph in a high-tech city.”

“……”

“And your words just insulted my beloved steed. Telling the Red Hare to slow down? Outrageous.”

“…Fine… My bad. Just keep going as is.”

“Bullshit.”

“…What?”

With a sharp retort, Lee Taebaek wrenched both wrists back hard. The speedometer needle slammed flat. The resulting acceleration needed no description.

“Kyyyaaaaah—!!”

He felt it.

One corner of his mouth curling up.

Sensing his peculiar tastes awaken, Lee Taebaek floored it for all it was worth.

The Red Hare nimbly wove through traffic. Shattering rearviews spitefully. Essentially blazing its own trail, but whatever.

“Haa…”

“Don’t sigh. Makes the driver uneasy. We’re both heading into the Demon’s Den anyway.”

“That’s why… why dive into the fire pit uninvited…? We could just ignore it and live peacefully.”

“Breaking through that’s the spice of Reycons.”

“What kinda nonsense is that?”

“It just is.”

That was the moment.

Rumble rumble rumble!

Occasional booms had echoed during the clashes, but now the intensity surged viciously. The Poison Master, Bow Master, and Illusion Master were duking it out.

Their battle was cresting. Any one could drop dead anytime.

The wounded Illusion Master had the worst of it. But his cunning outfoxed the other two.

Plus, [Magic Power] and [Faith] stats shared compatible natures. A minor sword cut would’ve healed ages ago. A split-second slip would decide victory.

And with that…

‘The city’s future shifts too.’

That was why he pressed on to see the Kergel Magic Tower Master, no matter how Goeun nagged from behind.

Minimizing the fallout while saving the host—only one way.

At least, the sharpest idea he could muster right now.

Even sealing them temporarily wouldn’t stop the Magic Tower from sending assassins nonstop.

Patching was limited. Had to cut the source.

‘That’s reason’s limit.’

His whole body screamed, retched in revulsion. Fear. Terror. Run away.

Rich emotions gnawed his mind from the feet up like muck.

Bantering like fools was just tension relief.

‘Heavenly Demon’s beyond “monster.”‘

Transcended science, magic, physics. A de facto god cloaked in human flesh to linger in this world.

Not some half-baked riffraff from Lilith Order or underground arenas—this was the real deal.

Even if the other two ranked higher, they couldn’t wield physical force.

The Heavenly Demon could intervene in all creation. She had a flesh-and-blood body pulsing with blood.

Squeeze.

The handle’s texture etched into his palm like a tattoo. Goeun glanced at his whitened knuckles and pursed her lips.

“……”

Then bit her lower lip white.

Had some affection built up in that short time?

A strange current flowed between Lee Taebaek and Goeun for a moment.

As if erasing her prior exasperation, she quietly wrapped her arms around his waist.

“……!”

A slight jolt.

But soon, the trembling eased, and his erratic pulse steadied.

From the upper layer’s edge, no Red Hare allowed. Speeding through city gov security was suicide.

So, subway it was. That’s why he’d networked with Dragon Head Chief Hong Geolgae.

Handed the Red Hare to waiting Beggar Clan near the station. Valet parking style. Labels didn’t matter now.

Boarded the subway. Rode in a basket among Hong Geolgae’s dummy puppets for show.

Clunk, clunk.

The tracks pulsed with life intermittently. Hearts thudded in sync.

The two leaned quietly on each other’s shoulders. No room for rational thoughts in their eyes.

Heading to the Demon’s Den called Kergel Magic Tower.

Soon, they reached the end.

Exchanged nods, then surfaced.

Granite slabs paved the entrance like a welcome mat. They stepped on the mirror-polished stones.

The Heavenly Demon didn’t reside in the main tower. She lived separately in an elegant Eastern-style annex.

No noodle-twisting security just from description. It stood aloof, as if daring intruders: come if you dare.

Click, clack.

Stopped before the gate.

Goeun cleared her parched throat and forced words out.

“Hwaryeon has arrived.”

Her voice bounced off the glossy slabs repeatedly. Silence fell like the world had frozen. Or so it seemed.

Booom!

A heavy rumble.

Normally, the gates would swing wide.

“That’s…”

They didn’t look ahead. Had to crane necks painfully upward.

Storm clouds split in two, birthing a sky gate.

Like a monster’s maw, it gaped greedily, brooking no escape.

Gravity flipped. Before they could react, the two were sucked into the heavenly path.