Chapter 173

“May I ask your affiliation?”

“3rd-Rank Exorcist Han Kangyoon. I’ve escorted some citizens who were nearby.”

“Han Kangyoon… Yes, confirmed. It must have been quite a chaotic situation for you. Thank you for your hard work.”

The above-ground shelter set up near Sadang Station. Upon arriving, I saw the already gathered citizens and the Exorcists of the Guard Unit protecting them.

I handed over all the people I had brought and asked one of the Exorcists a question.

“What’s the current situation?”

“…Nothing is definitively concluded yet, but it seems the situation is far from ordinary. Similar incidents appear to be occurring all over the country.”

The man, who had paused briefly, continued with a somewhat cautious attitude.

“Well, it’s only at the level of a possibility, but Headquarters has instructed us to also consider that this might be the return of the Night Parade of One Hundred Specters…”

The man let out a sigh and scratched his head even as he spoke the words himself.

Of course, he wouldn’t want to think about it. Any Exorcist who has seen real combat would deeply understand the danger of the Night Parade of One Hundred Specters Crisis.

“Has any directive been issued?”

“We were told to first evacuate citizens to a safe location, then patrol the surrounding area as much as possible to identify and exorcise Specters.”

“Simple and good. I’ll assist.”

Since I had already shown my certification, the man nodded without further comment and relayed the information to a superior a short distance away.

Thus, I temporarily joined their Sadang 3rd Guard Unit and was assigned to patrol the area around the shelter.

“What? So you just passed the early exam and haven’t even graduated yet?”

“Yes. I’m currently in my third year, the graduating class.”

The man’s name was Yoon Jinseop. A 3rd-Rank Exorcist belonging to the Guard Unit. As we continued talking, we eventually started conversing more openly.

“That’s a completely elite course. Are you going to end up taking over an entire Guard Unit like our captain later on?”

“Senior! Stop with the unnecessary talk and focus a bit. The situation is serious, really. If you get ambushed because of this, I won’t help you.”

Jinseop, who was ultimately scolded by a woman from the same Guard Unit, approached me with a somewhat deflated expression and whispered.

“Lately, with all the overtime, everyone seems a bit on edge.”

That too was probably because the number of Specter appearances had increased due to the precursor phenomena of the Night Parade.

Also, although he appeared lighthearted on the outside, I could detect a faint tremor within him.

Yoon Jinseop was also acting to ease everyone’s tension in his own way.

On the other hand, Lee Minhye, who was said to be his junior, spoke to me in a somewhat blunt manner, as if she had no fear.

“Since it’s an emergency, we’ll have to borrow your help, but please follow instructions well. Countless Exorcists meet gruesome deaths in real combat right after obtaining their certification.”

Certainly, in a normal situation, acting confidently like Lee Minhye would be better than being terrified.

However, the Night Parade is different. I knew that, and Yoon Jinseop was also vaguely aware of it, which is why he was tense.

And that difference soon manifested as a result.

“…Huh?”

Before Lee Minhye, who wore an expression of utter incomprehension, a massive head lunged forward in an instant.

The sharp teeth decorating its center and the eyes fixed on its prey.

Before the creature could swallow Lee Minhye’s head, the Cursed Technique I fired a beat faster intercepted it.

Screech!

Crash!

“…Huh, huff!”

Whether she realized she could have just died, Lee Minhye stood completely frozen, breathing heavily.

For her, reacting to that strike just now would have been difficult.

【Horse-Head Six-Arms】

▶Level 52

Well, the opponent was a Specter equivalent to A-Rank.

‘This is the terrifying part of the Night Parade.’

Mid to high-level Specters, which usually appeared only very rarely, now roamed the streets like fallen leaves on the roadside.

Of course, even so, A-Rank and above weren’t that common, but if one encountered them with bad luck like now, an Exorcist of Lee Minhye’s level would be killed instantly no matter how many there were.

If a certified Exorcist was like that, how much worse would it be for powerless ordinary people?

That is precisely why the Night Parade is often cited as the worst crisis of the modern era.

“It’s a high-level one! Form a formation!”

The Guard Unit Captain, a 1st-Rank Exorcist, was covering another direction, so no reinforcements would come.

The Exorcists belonging to the patrol team, startled by the ferocious aura, quickly formed a battle formation.

And as if pre-arranged, each began deploying Restraint Spells and Offensive Arts with perfect coordination.

‘Their movements are good.’

To this extent, they are clearly a well-trained Guard Unit.

If the opponent had been a B+-Rank Specter, it likely would have worked.

‘…However, it’s insufficient.’

Whoosh!

Crack!

“Groooar!”

Horse-Head Six-Arms, splitting its arm—which resembled intertwined tree trunks—into three branches, shattered the Cursed Technique. One of those branches grabbed an Exorcist in the rear.

“Huh, huff!”

But this time too, my movement was a step faster.

Eve, surging up from the shadows, swung her weapon and severed the branch. Seizing the opening, Kongsami’s fierce flames shot forth.

Whoosh!

Roar!

“Grrr─!”

It seemed the creature had Fire Energy as a weakness, as it stopped moving for a moment, writhing in pain more than expected.

And with that much of an opening, it was enough to decide the match.

“Wide Threads, Six Concealment, Feathered Thunder Typhoon.”

The Advanced Attack Art Formula, Seven Generation Strike—versatile yet possessing high destructive power.

Struck by my attack, for which I had already recited the incantation, the creature met its end without even putting up much resistance.

After the battle, the first thing to greet me was the dumbfounded expressions of the other patrol members.

After checking each other’s reactions, one of the members stepped forward as a representative and asked me a question.

“…Didn’t you clearly say you were 3rd-Rank?”

“I am 3rd-Rank. It’s only been a few months since I got my certification.”

To be honest, I had roughly expected this. Frankly, even I thought my current skill level was far from that of a rookie who just got certified.

The number of hardships I had overcome so far was different, so in a way, it was natural.

“No, how can a 3rd-Rank perform such a perfect Advanced Art…”

“Huh, really. Hard to believe my eyes.”

And among those people, Yoon Jinseop, who seemed to have noticed something, approached and asked me.

“Wait a minute, you’re not… are you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not that Han Kangyoon, are you? Top scorer in the early exam? The one who made Shin Noeul of the Jeokhwadan kneel and captured him?”

I didn’t know the rumors had already spread that far. There were some slightly distorted parts, but listening to him, most of it was accurate.

Soon, confirming the truth from my reaction, Yoon Jinseop scratched his head as if flustered.

“In all my life, I never thought I’d meet a celebrity in a place like this.”

“…I don’t think I’m that special. Let’s resume the patrol first.”

While proceeding along the planned route again, we exorcised four low-level Specters and one more Specter equivalent to B-Rank.

Amidst the relentless, repeated battles without a moment’s rest, Lee Minhye, whose stamina was already depleted, voiced a question.

“Isn’t… isn’t something strange? The number of Specters is too high. And most are stronger than usual.”

“I agree as well. With this number of personnel, the quantity is simply overwhelming to handle.”

Before they knew it, the expressions of all the patrol members had turned grave.

They had finally clearly realized what the current phenomenon meant.

“…The return of the Night Parade is suspected. It would be best to hurry back to the shelter and share information.”

Thus, we had no choice but to turn back without achieving any significant results.

“…It’s the news we feared.”

Around the time exactly 6 hours had passed since the abnormal situation began, the Exorcism Headquarters officially acknowledged that the current phenomenon was the return of the Night Parade of One Hundred Specters.

Simultaneously, they declared the highest level of emergency nationwide and proceeded to form an emergency response team.

Among the Exorcists sitting at the table in the shelter with troubled expressions, Yoon Jinseop approached and conveyed additional information to me quietly so the citizens wouldn’t hear.

“…I heard that Specters estimated to be S-Rank have already shown themselves.”

“That’s a serious problem.”

“Well, ‘serious’ probably doesn’t even cover it.”

However, for me, it was rather news I had been waiting for.

We could only endure this Night Parade by capturing all of them and blocking the endless onslaught of Specters pouring forth.

‘There are only two S-Ranks whose abilities I know precisely.’

Yoosakbi, the rock Specter that manipulates fire and earth, and Jinmyeong Daesa, the Half-Human Half-Demon who is probably out in the world by now, watching for an opportunity.

But so far, I haven’t obtained information on any Specters presumed to be those two from anywhere.

“When can we go home?”

“My family isn’t answering! Please let me go look for them!”

Complaints from citizens came from here and there, but there was practically no solution. Right now, no one could clearly guarantee what would happen.

“…Please remain calm and state your concerns one by one. We will assist with matters that are possible.”

Hwang Gwangseon, the leader of the Sadang 3rd Guard Unit and currently the representative of this shelter, skillfully formulated plans even amidst such a situation.

In these aspects, I was practically an outsider myself, so his demeanor was quite impressive to witness.

After speaking with the citizens one by one and organizing everything, Hwang Gwangseon let out a sigh and called everyone to convey his message.

“Our 3rd Guard Unit will first proceed with what we can do. And that immediate task is securing food supplies and searching for the missing persons.”

He proposed forming two teams: one to obtain food and drinking water from nearby convenience stores or marts, and another to search for the families of the evacuees.

“However, given the situation, to carry out the work, each team absolutely requires one High-Ranking Exorcist.”

Even if Hwang Gwangseon took one side himself, there was no other 1st-Rank Exorcist present here.

And Hwang Gwangseon subsequently asked me to take on that role.

“It’s somewhat sudden, but could you take charge of the search team?”

“…Are you sure someone like me is suitable?”

“Don’t joke. If you are that Han Kangyoon, you probably possess skills superior to even mine right now.”

Frankly, it seemed a bit of an overestimation, but Hwang Gwangseon didn’t seem to think so at all.

‘He must have gotten information from the prominent families.’

Well, someone in charge of a Guard Unit would have that level of information network.

If he had heard about my wager with the Hwang Family, the clash between Cheong Soha’s faction and Cheong Doyool’s faction, and the incident at the White Forest Pavilion, it made sense for him to have that perception of me.

‘…Anyway, for the time being, there’s nothing to do but reduce the number of Specters.’

Having made my judgment, I soon nodded and accepted Hwang Gwangeong’s request.

And we headed towards our first destination, Bongcheon-dong, to search for the families of the missing citizens.