Lee Taebaek had grown somewhat accustomed to hearing the names of powerhouses lately, constantly running into the Seven Masters and even the Three Calamities.

Yet the resonance of those two characters, ‘Heavenly Demon,’ was utterly different from the others.

The first of the Three Calamities he’d encountered, the Art Master, belonged to Haragusa.

Haragusa granted her maximum freedom, but she wasn’t completely unbound.

Next, the Staff Master was Shaolin’s head, yet she’d handed over the Divine Pill to him. At that point, she’d somewhat abandoned organizational cohesion. Understandable on a human level, but as a boss, it was a disqualification.

“…The Heavenly Demon…”

He muttered unconsciously, and Jasbi picked up the thread.

The two had quickly deduced that ‘Heavenly Demon Death Beam’ referred to the Magic Tower Master. They’d headed straight to Eunko Bar without a word, locked the door, and huddled together in discussion.

“Not to mention organizational cohesion, her personal strength is practically the strongest in the City. The Art Master and Staff Master might manage a duel with her, but purely comparing combat power, there’s a 99.999999999143432% chance they’d lose.”

“So, basically, they’d lose.”

“It’s not just the Heavenly Demon alone. Beneath her are countless mages. One of them was even among the Seven Masters. Killed by the Heavenly Demon’s hand.”

No matter how low-ranked the Illusion Master was among the Seven Masters, he was still Ten Wings. The Heavenly Demon had turned him into minced meat with a single gesture.

“…Since when has a monster like that been watching your stream?”

“I don’t know when she started. The donation was her first today… but she might’ve been a viewer before that.”

A chill ran down his spine.

Didn’t that mean they’d been broadcasting Lee Taebaek’s every move directly to her? As he’d said before, poison arts were guarded with one’s life. The possibility of live-streaming his every action to his greatest enemy…

We’re screwed.

Sweat beaded on his palms. Beside the tense Lee Taebaek, Jasbi kept attempting reverse traces.

Woooong.

Light shimmered in her pupils, and the tips of her hair rippled.

Jasbi clicked her tongue sharply.

“Tch. If the security was just ordinarily ironclad, I could manage, but as expected…”

“What’s the issue?”

“Kergel Magic Tower is fundamentally different from other megacorps. While they focus on science and production, these guys obsess over magic. That’s why they don’t need the City Government’s cloud servers provided exclusively to megacorps.”

“Still, it’s a modern company. They must use computers.”

Jasbi had been freely accessing megacorp servers thanks to the cloud—servers named after the God of Order, Eden. Megacorps stored company data there.

Only non-critical info, of course. Critical meaning info tied to memory survival—not lightweight by any means. That proved Eden’s robustness.

Officially, sure, but practically, Eden holds all the developers’ code dumped together.

Spaghetti code, in other words, a mess. Anyway, ‘Eden’ served as the nexus inside and outside the game.

Jasbi’s soul splintered off from Eden.

Even fully independent from Siesta in body and soul, her Eden access remained unchanged. That’s why Lee Taebaek hadn’t cast her out but taken her in. However.

“That’s what I was aiming for… but their server seems, fuck, no, pretty archaic. Having a proprietary one is bad enough, but it’s ancient. Total relic.”

“How ancient compared to Eden?”

“Like hacking a calculator with a supercomputer.”

Hard to believe they’d risen to megacorp status with such a network. Kergel Magic Tower suddenly seemed even more impressive—and his fear of the Heavenly Demon swelled accordingly.

Just how strong are she and her subordinate mages?

Asserting dominance in a city ruled by cutting-edge computers and heavy weapons using calculators? He hadn’t felt this when vaguely thinking, She’s the Heavenly Demon, so she’s fucking strong. But inheriting the Staff Master’s dying wish to eliminate her made his legs tremble.

“It’s possible… possible…”

Jasbi chanted like self-hypnosis.

“Forget it, Jasbi. It’s impossible. You can’t hack a calculator with a computer. Whatever’s leaked… damn, it’s partly my fault. I permitted the stream, after all.”

“No.”

Jasbi shook her head and closed her eyes. Her floating hair slowly settled.

“If you can’t hack a calculator with a computer, just use one of the same model.”

She half-opened her eyes and continued.

“From what I know, Daesung Group’s early computers are similar models to what Kergel Magic Tower uses.”

“Daesung Computer.”

“Yes. That one.”

“Getting one shouldn’t be hard. I just carved an opening for Daesung, after all. But one question: why the enthusiasm? Rivalry?”

“…Not rivalry so much as… wanting to help the Creator a little.”

Hm? An AI spouting odd stuff.

“Didn’t you say humanity’s end was nigh?”

“Th-that was just talk!”

Jasbi burst out, then calmed her voice.

“The Creator always risks everything at the front lines. Watching that… it stirred something in me. Hard to explain with evidence, but… that’s the feeling…!”

Scrap metal Jasbi had undergone some heartfelt change. A welcome one. Lee Taebaek smiled faintly.

“True, breaching Kergel Magic Tower’s server now would make things easier ahead. And maybe…”

If the Heavenly Demon fit his blueprint, she would have donated to Jasbi on purpose. She might have deliberately handed over a lead to track her.

Her mindset utterly unlike a mortal’s.

Even with his assorted concepts, Lee Taebaek hadn’t reached her realm.

Can’t understand her, don’t want to.

Poking into Kergel Magic Tower was worth the risk.

It was an evil to confront eventually, its will equaling hers.

The next day.

Lee Taebaek rode Red Hare to Daesung Group headquarters. He removed his helmet and shook his hair. Sweat droplets sparkled dashingly.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Lee Taebaek.”

Director Ryu bowed lightly. A small helmet peeked out from behind Lee Taebaek.

“…And that is…?”

“Jasbi. You’ve seen her before?”

Lee Taebaek patted Red Hare. Jasbi hopped down and toddled after.

“Ah… the AI sheep. Long time no see.”

Director Ryu barely hid her disappointment. She’d expected alone time with Lee Taebaek, but an intruder.

“The item.”

Lee Taebaek brushed his hands and asked. He’d just parked Red Hare in the executive lot.

“Right this way.”

“Lead on.”

The three walked in a row, almost like a cheerful family.

Director Ryu felt a tickle in her chest at the thought. Lee Taebaek narrowed his eyes at her reddening ears from behind.

Thud… thud…

Footsteps echoed hollowly. They descended underground for a while.

The passage screamed unofficial—bare steel beams like ribs overhead, frayed wires dangling like severed veins.

“Just so you know, fewer than ten in Daesung know this place exists.”

“Now it’s over ten.”

“Including you two.”

Director Ryu smiled faintly.

“That’s how much effort we put into security—”

“Executive Director Ryu trusts me that much. Called me to HQ to show off, routing through here.”

“Well…”

“Should I pretend not to notice?”

“No. Proving your competence by spotting it right away.”

“‘Proof’-obsessed Lake City.”

“Yes.”

Conversation cut off. Bored, Jasbi yawned hugely, helmet under arm.

They stopped at a wall. Director Ryu naturally tapped a number pad.

Jasbi eyed her back slyly, then whispered to Lee Taebaek.

“That’s similar to the model I mentioned yesterday that Kergel Magic Tower uses!”

“Rip one off?”

Her primitive suggestion drew a stunned look from Jasbi.

“Creator, you ba… no.”

Jasbi shook her head with a half-resigned sigh.

“Rip it, wires fry, done. Those era machines had no self-sustain; cut power, dead.”

“Gotta ask for one then.”

“Dunno if extras exist…”

High heels clicked. Director Ryu stepped back two paces.

Rumble rumble rumble…

The oval door split, belching dust like a burp. Jasbi’s eyes widened like the doors.

“Wh, oa.”

Displays clung like barnacles everywhere inside—a common Reycons sight. But the scale stunned Jasbi.

The vast cave, fit for a sleeping dragon, wallpapered in screens. Green numbers rained on black backgrounds. Dizzying to humans; Jasbi’s eyes rolled delightedly.

“Creator.”

Jasbi tugged his pant leg.

“All these are the ones I mentioned. Daesung Computers.”

“You recognize them, AI sheep.”

Director Ryu sat at the control panel.

“Antiques, perhaps, but top security for it. We realized early, bought up all circulating Daesung Computers for our proprietary server.”

She pressed crude buttons on a long steel plate.

“One alone can’t function. Old tech. But hundreds, thousands? Matches a modern supercomputer.”

The soccer-field cave was one giant computer. Daesung’s forte, risen via computers. Other megacorps couldn’t match this fortress.

Thud, thud.

Elbowed by Lee Taebaek, Jasbi swallowed. She scanned for a suitable unit.

After eyeing Jasbi briefly, Director Ryu called him.

“This way.”

She opened a side door, easy to miss without scrutiny.

A capsule dominated the center, wires coiling around it like a skein of thread caught in spiderwebs.

“The Executive Director’s reward to you, Taebaek.”

Mental Accelerator.

“energy circulation speed boosts up to 300x inside. Recommend 100x max, but settings are yours. Freshly developed—you’re the first user.”

“Talked more with the Executive.”

“Disposal post-use. Blueprints, makers too. The makers caused major trouble internally—‘expulsion targets’ anyway. No innocents, rest easy.”

“I see.”

Lee Taebaek and Director Ryu approached, stepping over thick cables.

Hiss…

Hydraulics released; the lid flipped open. Space for one person revealed.

“Enter.”

“Wait.”

“…Pardon…?”

Then.

“Ow, my back.”

Figures squeezed through the side door. Lee Taebaek’s main crew. The entire 9th Battalion of the Resistance.

By the time baffled Director Ryu blinked, the room was packed. Before she could part her lips, Yu Dahui shouldered past. To the 9th, she was invisible.

“Here, Divine Pill.”

“Thanks.”

Lee Taebaek swallowed it instantly.

“Guard duty.”

“Got it. Report effects later.”

The lid descended.

“Now over ten.”

Just before it sealed, Lee Taebaek tossed at Director Ryu.

“…Yes?”

“People who know this space.”

The capsule clamped shut.