“Why isn’t he coming?”

Fumito grumbled as he chewed on his hot dog.

“The Captain must’ve gone to report to the Commander-in-Chief midway. Taebaek’s probably left all alone by now…”

Fumito glanced sideways.

Rock was walking alongside him. She wore a bodysuit, with the sleeves of her outer jacket tied around her waist in a knot.

She also had on a folding mask that fit snugly along her jawline. Infrared veins spread across the mask like blood vessels, blinking faintly with every breath.

“This Taebaek guy, did he get lost on the way or something? Rock, what do you think? Looks like he got lost, right?”

Nod, nod.

Due to the nature of her ability, Rock avoided speaking as much as possible. Her silent demeanor, solid as a rock, was why they called her Rock.

“You think so too, huh? They really made the base layout way too complicated. It’s a total maze. Even I’ve been here two years and still get confused sometimes.”

The infrared on her mask blinked three times. Translation: That’s because you’re an idiot, Fumito.

“I’m top-tier among normals, you know?! If you compare me to Dahui or you, how many in the Resistance aren’t idiots?!”

Rock shook her head, but her gaze suddenly sharpened coldly.

“If you suddenly change your look like that to scare me… Mmph!”

Rock abruptly thrust out her arm. She shoved the hot dog Fumito was munching deep into his throat, right down to the root of his tongue.

Fumito’s face turned ashen. He pounded his chest and swallowed the hot dog before yelling.

“I almost died! Even if you can’t talk, tone down that violent hand of yours—”

Rock ignored Fumito and stared beyond him. He followed her gaze and turned his head as well.

Far ahead, people had formed a wall of bodies. The two exchanged a glance and headed that way.

Murmurs rose.

The crowd was gawking at something. With backs blocking their view, Fumito and Rock shuffled around for a while.

Then both their eyes widened simultaneously. A familiar face came into view.

“Uh, uhhh?”

The Taebaek they’d been desperately searching for was there. But at his feet, a blond was prostrating flat on the ground.

“Rock. That guy over there…”

Their eyes stayed fixed ahead.

“8th Battalion Deputy Commander Swallow James, right?”

Rock nodded first at Fumito’s question. She looked just as baffled.

“But why’s Deputy Commander James acting like that?”

James was an ace riding high in the Resistance. Seizing the 8th Battalion deputy position in just a year proved his excellence.

…So why was that James in such a state? It wasn’t just Fumito’s intelligence issue—even Rock, with her IQ of 158, looked equally stunned.

“I can’t stand the curiosity.”

As Fumito tapped the shoulder ahead to ask, a low voice echoed through the corridor.

“Kneel.”

It was Lee Taebaek’s voice. He continued with a cold gaze, as if looking at worthless vermin.

“That’s the eye level between you and me.”

Fumito shivered.

“Cr… cra…”

Any real man would.

“Crazy.”

It struck a chord deep in the soul.

Meanwhile, Rock beside him got goosebumps like she’d spotted a cockroach in the corner.

What the hell? That’s some comic-book line.

She glanced around, wondering if she was the weird one. Most shared Fumito’s thrilled reaction—only a minority like her were skeptical.

It was the aftermath of Taebaek buffing his Mental stat. Mental was a stat that affected not only the caster but also those around.

Fumito’s an idiot, but why the others?

Cognitive dissonance hit Rock. It was shocking that over half the onlookers were impressed by Taebaek.

Rock had high hopes for Lee Taebaek. His appearance was fairly normal—rather subdued, even.

Or so I thought.

Her fingers curled like squid on a grill. Cringe city. Her nails dug into her palms.

Kneel?

Her solar plexus clenched at him delivering a line even a middle schooler wouldn’t use so nonchalantly.

Normal guy?

No way.

He might even claim the top madman spot in the 9th Battalion’s den of crazies. The reason people shivered wasn’t just because Taebaek was handsome. That’s why they say looks provide narrative plausibility.

I need to snap out of it.

Rock shook her head vigorously to clear her thoughts.

Whatever the cause, clashing with the 8th Battalion hurt the 9th exclusively.

8th Battalion Commander Doctor Pepper. He nitpicked the 9th relentlessly.

– The 9th Battalion gets too much budget relative to headcount, activities, and value.

Therefore, the 9th Battalion’s budget should be cut and that money redirected to his own unit, the 8th.

Pepper preached this, constantly hounding the Commander-in-Chief.

The Commander-in-Chief hasn’t approved it yet, but the discontent toward the 9th is real.

Suddenly, Rock narrowed her eyes at Yu Dahui. Standing beside Taebaek, Dahui looked bored.

Dahui couldn’t be unaware of the trouble coming… She was probably just too lazy. Rock gave up.

I’m the only sane one left.

Rock was about to step forward with resolve. But before she could, slow footsteps echoed.

“Resistance Rule One: We unite for the cause of ‘liberation,’ so we avoid infighting. Except…”

The bustling crowd fell silent instantly. Gazes shifted from Taebaek to the source of the voice.

A bizarre scene unfolded. The human wall parted left and right like a zipper. The clogged corridor cleared instantly.

Fumito and Rock snapped to and joined them, standing ramrod against the wall with hands behind their backs.

As members formed ranks, the Commander-in-Chief folded one finger of a raised V-sign.

“An exception is made for traitors.”

Kang Hyeonseong flanked her at stepping-stone distance, clad in his overcoat. He glanced at Fumito and Rock midway.

Exhaling deeply, he followed. They didn’t seem to know the full story either.

“Two: The Resistance repays members’ debts.”

The Commander-in-Chief bent the last finger, elaborating.

“Grace twofold. Grudges tenfold.”

The Commander-in-Chief halted five steps away. Kang Hyeonseong stood two paces back. The air shifted.

“The friend kneeling before you is one of ours.”

The face screen gleamed smoothly as a voice flowed out. The tone, of course, was mechanical.

“But I witnessed our precious member insulted by an ‘outsider’. As Commander-in-Chief, what should I do? Repay the grudge, obviously?”

“…”

Lee Taebaek quietly lifted his eyes. Motionless, he exuded transcendence.

Yet subtle changes flickered across his face—missable without focus.

Screwed, big time.

Lee Taebaek felt a chill in his chest.

A super heavyweight had appeared out of nowhere.

A mere bigshot wouldn’t tense him this much.

Commander-in-Chief is off-spec.

One nod, and they commanded Lake City’s shadows—the Resistance’s pinnacle.

His heart pounded like twin hammers. His pores felt open.

Can’t flinch.

Especially against the Commander-in-Chief. Put strength into your eyes and molars to maintain a poker face.

Taebaek chewed his lower lip thoughtfully, seeking a brilliant way out of the total crisis.

Clues always existed. Gamer mindset and dev knowledge surfaced.

Commander-in-Chief likes testing. Even this intimidation’s likely a test.

A gleam of spirit appeared in his eyes. The buffed Mental and the newly acquired Concept swiftly calmed the storm.

Crazy’s fine. No, let’s just etch the image of a total psycho.

The Resistance valued crazies. Poison and madness were only a paper-thin line apart.

The fact that madness was the key metric for selecting personnel said it all.

Just one more knife dance.

Resolved, Taebaek growled.

“Ridiculous.”

Members’ eyes blazed with fury.

Their hands dropped to their waists. Heavy weapons and blades hung there.

It was literally thin ice. One wrong word and they’d turn him into a beehive.

“Enough.”

The Commander-in-Chief gestured for them to halt, then jerked the helmet arrogantly: Go on.

“Yes, outsider. What made you scoff?”

“If repaying debts is the Resistance’s rule, I deserve a reward. Yet you speak of grudges. What’s more absurd?”

“Grace? What grace?”

Taebaek did not answer the Commander-in-Chief’s counter-question immediately. He paused, lending weight to his words.

A moment later, Taebaek spoke again.

“I was the one insulted. This blond bumped my shoulder first. You know what that means in the underworld.”

In this world, making eye contact on the street gets you stabbed. A shoulder bump? That’s a challenge to a death match.

“But I settled for a kneel.”

A bluff that wouldn’t work. But shallow ploys were all he had. Damn.

“…Commander-in-Chief, you’d notice: If I wanted, this blond’s head would have been rolling on the floor long ago.”

“Yours would roll beside it.”

The Commander-in-Chief countered icily. His heart ached, and it was physically painful, not just a feeling.

“Now that I hear it, it’s not entirely wrong. It seems James provoked first. Your feats add weight.”

In that instant, the CCTV had been checked through the helmet display.

“So, you saved a member’s life—do you want to claim blood money?”

Laughter laced that voice.

“That’s the plan.”

“Eyesight poor? Can’t grasp the situation?”

“Only big fish catch whales’ eyes. Minnows are beneath notice.”

“Wh-what?! Cocky bastard!”

The members bristled. They had been holding back, and now they were being treated as small fry, so their rage was justified.

But the fury died quickly. The Commander-in-Chief burst out laughing.

“Hahahahahaha!”

Mechanical and human voices mixed, echoing in layers. The nerve-scraping laughter rang out for a long while.

The Commander-in-Chief spun. The overcoat fanned out like a folding fan, then folded.

Step, step.

The Commander-in-Chief walked off. Kang Hyeonseong followed, looking relieved.

“Oh, right.”

The Commander-in-Chief glanced back, and a pair of half-moon curves appeared on the screen.

“Welcome belated. Welcome to the Resistance, Lee Taebaek. See you soon.”

The Commander-in-Chief left with Kang Hyeonseong.

As they shrank to dots, Taebaek clutched his solar plexus. His chest throbbed warmly.

…Somehow passed.

That was enough. While ignoring the piercing stares, his eyes met James’s. James mumbled, then lowered his eyelids.

He hoped no grudge lingered.

While he was having such futile worries, rough hands pulled him away. Fumito and Rock hurriedly dragged him off.

Thanks to their swift action, Lee Taebaek escaped unscathed.

“Unexpected.”

Kang Hyeonseong said this once they were alone with the Commander-in-Chief, who answered without turning.

“What? No punishment for Taebaek?”

“Yes. Honestly, I figured you’d harshly punish the outsider, regardless of right or wrong.”

The arm bends inward. Closed groups like the Resistance amplify this.

Thus, Kang Hyeonseong expected the formal detention of Taebaek, who was still an outsider.

“Hyeonseong, you lived with him for a week—how do you know less than me, who just saw him for the first time?”

“…Pardon? What.”

The Commander-in-Chief half-turned. Even through the helmet, Kang could feel the interest.

“If we had tried to force him there… it would have been a bloodbath. Lee Taebaek is the type to really do it if he says he will. And he has the power to back it up.”

“Agreed, shocked. Subduing 8th Deputy Swallow James barehanded. Knew Taebaek special, not this level.”

The Commander-in-Chief faced forward again. The only sound was the overcoat scraping the floor.

After a pause, the answer came:

“It’s been ages. Just making eye contact made my bones go numb. Yes, I felt exactly this when I faced one of the Ten Wings. Somehow, it makes me nostalgic.”

“…!”

“Whether it’s potential or hidden power, I don’t know. It’s just a feeling. But one thing is certain:”

The Commander-in-Chief chuckled.

“If Taebaek’s that caliber, the Resistance can enter Lake City’s mainstream.”

The next day.

Gulp.

A hot pot steamed before Lee Taebaek’s eyes.

Appetizing vapor tickled his nose. His jaw tingled as if electrified.

He’d starved ten long days.

After that long fast, glorious first meal: kimchi stew.

“I asked the kitchen auntie to set it aside.”

Kang Hyeonseong offered a spoon with a toothy smile. As soon as dawn broke, he had hauled the kimchi stew to Taebaek’s temporary room.

“Eat before it cools.”

He didn’t decline the kindness. He started eating like a man possessed. It tasted just like home.

Kang eyed Taebaek oddly, then spoke haltingly.

“Listen while eating.”

He kept only minimal ears open. He had no time to listen amid the feast.

At least until the next words.

“Commander-in-Chief to you, Taebaek…”

Clink. Spoon dropped.