Chapter 150 – Their Identity (Part One)

*Crack!*

“Aaaargh!”

A man’s desperate scream filled the vast, abandoned factory.

But even that scream didn’t last long before fading away.

A long streak of blood was drawn across the filthy floor, and amidst the numerous corpses, only one Awakened remained alive.

The Team Leader of the Government Response Bureau’s Team 3, Jo Min-jae.

By killing the recently wanted kingpin and leader of the organization, he had just single-handedly annihilated a major Awakened crime syndicate.

Jo Min-jae brushed off his Defensive Coat, which was completely stained with blood.

To be honest, it wasn’t a job he particularly enjoyed.

Few would find pleasure in being drenched in human blood, not monster blood, in a dirty neighborhood like this.

*Clank!*

An odd noise made Jo Min-jae look behind him.

A dozen or so drums were wedged between broken factory equipment, and perched atop them, legs crossed, sat a beautiful woman who seemed out of place.

A black coat bearing the same mark as his, and a familiar face.

It was Team 1’s Leader, Seol Ah-yeong.

“Hey, those things will explode if you’re not careful.”

Although he hadn’t sensed her presence beforehand, a completely unfazed Jo Min-jae pointed at the red drums and spoke.

They looked like ordinary industrial drums, but in reality, they were powerful explosives intended for a terrorist attack planned for the next day.

“So what if they do?”

Seol Ah-yeong retorted curtly, still dangling her legs from atop the drums.

At that, Jo Min-jae awkwardly scratched his head and smacked his lips.

“Right. Good point.”

It was a needless worry; an explosion from a few drums like that wouldn’t even leave a scratch on her.

“What about your team? Why are you here again?”

“Shut up. You’re annoying me. Can you just be quiet?”

“What are you talking about? You’re the one who came to me… Did you fight with the Director again?”

“Yes.”

Seol Ah-yeong admitted readily, nodding her head.

Having just turned the entire Response Bureau upside down, not to mention the Director, her pride wouldn’t allow her to simply return to her duties.

As a result, she had come to find Jo Min-jae, the Team 3 Leader, who was one of the few people she could somewhat talk to.

“What are you going to do if you get fired?”

“Fire me? Me?”

Seol Ah-yeong scoffed at his words.

Her arrogant attitude suggested the idea was laughable, and in fact, it was.

With her powerful ability, strength, and seemingly limitless potential, she had long been hailed as the only talent capable of filling the shoes of past legends.

Now, the label “promising prospect” had long since vanished. Despite being far from her prime, she comfortably held the title of the strongest in the Government Response Team.

With such overwhelming power, no one in the Response Bureau dared to cross Seol Ah-yeong—not fellow team leaders, not even seasoned veterans.

No one could overpower her one-on-one, and no matter how recklessly she acted, they couldn’t dare to kick her out. In their competitive system against Aegis, there was simply no one who could replace her.

“Three S-rank Gates appeared this time… no, four including the one before. After handing all those major cases over to those bastards at Aegis, the best they can give me is cleaning up these small fry? This isn’t our job.”

“That’s because, from the government’s perspective, dealing with rampaging terrorists is more urgent than Gates. The strategy was to offload the difficult cases to Aegis for now and put out the most pressing fires first.”

Jo Min-jae replied, sliding his sword back into its sheath at his waist.

But Seol Ah-yeong wasn’t convinced.

“I don’t accept that crap. We’re the Gate Response Team, not garbage collectors!”

“Is this… because you heard the news about Kang Il-hyeon?”

At the mention of Kang Il-hyeon’s name, Seol Ah-yeong ground her teeth.

When she first heard the news about Il-hyeon, she had thought that amidst all the worthless nobodies, she might have finally found a decent team member to recruit and nurture herself. But he had dared to defy her and reject her offer.

And it was the same even after that.

She had approached him with a patience that surprised even herself, only to be rejected again. Now, the arrogant brat had gone and formed his own team within Aegis without a word to her.

With A-rank members he had recruited himself, no less.

After his team single-handedly cleared the S-rank Gate, the stupid media and the public started talking about Kang Il-hyeon as if he had surpassed her. She couldn’t stand being treated like that.

“He rejected my offer and made his own team? So arrogant… And all those idiots excitedly chattering about him are getting on my nerves.”

Seol Ah-yeong’s beautiful face contorted into a deep scowl.

He was the first person to ever stir her possessiveness, and he had rejected her multiple times. Flames of fury blazed in her eyes.

“Seriously. The way you approached him, do you think Kang Il-hyeon would be crazy enough to leave Aegis? You really have no social skills.”

Jo Min-jae shook his head and clicked his tongue.

Just from what he’d heard from her last time, no one in their right mind would have accepted her recruitment offer.

“Ha, social skills? You don’t have any friends besides me, do you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous…”

Jo Min-jae gave a weak retort to Seol Ah-yeong’s confident assertion.

The reality was the complete opposite, but she was living in a delusion.

Jo Min-jae had seen many Awakened like Seol Ah-yeong with severe social deficiencies before, so he knew how to handle her. He occasionally humored her as a conversation partner, which was why she sought him out in situations like this.

Since Jo Min-jae was also a very powerful Awakened, even Seol Ah-yeong didn’t completely disregard him.

“Anyway, go back to your team. I heard the mission was canceled and it was a huge mess. Don’t you feel sorry for your people?”

“Team? They’re just dead weight holding me back. But whatever. I was going to head back soon anyway. You go first, I’ll stay a bit longer. A good idea just came to mind about what to do next.”

“…Just don’t do anything stupid.”

Sensing something unsettling, Jo Min-jae left the factory first with a wary expression.

***

A damp back alley where a cold wind blew.

Due to the mostly broken streetlights, the alley was so dark it was hard to see even a step ahead.

Of course, for Jo Min-jae, an A-rank high-level Awakened and a Team 3 Leader, the darkness posed no problem for his vision, but he still didn’t like the atmosphere.

“A transport plane is suddenly under maintenance? Now I have to walk through a place like this.”

The transport plane that had been on standby had to make an emergency landing nearby due to an unknown defect, and Jo Min-jae, who had arrived on it, was now heading toward it.

In the past, he would have just called for a new transport from headquarters, but things were so busy lately, and with teams often splitting up, there weren’t many high-performance transports to spare.

At least the repairs were said to be almost complete, so it seemed they would be able to depart as soon as he arrived.

*Sssss.*

But suddenly, a thick, hazy fog descended.

Jo Min-jae glanced around as the dense fog swallowed the entire alley.

“The weather suddenly…”

During the mission briefing, there had been no mention of potential fog in the area.

Moreover, the fog was so thick it felt like he couldn’t see anything in front of him.

Of course, it was ridiculous to think that his vision, which could see perfectly even in pitch-black darkness, would be obstructed by mere fog.

But even after rubbing his eyes, his vision remained the same. He realized it wasn’t just a feeling.

He truly couldn’t see a thing in front of him.

“This is…!”

Understanding the situation, Jo Min-jae quickly covered his mouth and held his breath.

But strength was already draining from his arms, and he had to face a sword lunging at him in an instant.

*Swish!*

A spray of red blood scattered in the air.

Jo Min-jae, having barely retreated, staggered and brought a hand to his waist where his sword was sheathed.

Feeling the stream of blood flowing from the deep gash on his cheek, he sharpened all five senses and watched his surroundings.

But even then, his senses felt duller than usual.

“This ability… could it be?”

*Shhh,* the attacker’s figure wavered through the fog.

Jo Min-jae then drew his sword with incredible speed, unleashing his energy.

His ability and specialty, the quick draw, was limited to the initial draw of the sword but was far faster and more powerful than any ordinary sword aura or slash.

*Rumble!*

The buildings behind him were sliced clean through, collapsing layer by layer.

But it wasn’t enough to cut the fiercely wavering figure.

*Thrust!*

The unidentified woman, who had closed the distance in an instant, smoothly plunged her sword into his stomach.

Red blood spilled onto the woman’s white Defensive Coat, and Jo Min-jae, convulsing, barely managed to speak.

“A… mask?”

The woman wore a white mask that covered her face.

His body had lost all strength, leaving him practically leaning against the woman, but Jo Min-jae glared at her with murderous intent.

“The time is ripe. It’s time to start pruning the branches.”

*Shlick!*

As she pulled out the sword buried deep in his abdomen, Jo Min-jae collapsed face-first onto the ground.

Blood poured out, forming a pool, and no matter how he struggled, he couldn’t even lift a finger.

The fog that had swallowed his surroundings had long since corroded him as well.

Still face down, Jo Min-jae barely managed to open his mouth, spitting out words as he glared at the woman in the white mask.

“Hahaha… Is that the justice you bastards have chosen? How utterly pathetic.”

He spoke as if he already knew who she was.

His words were nothing more than a final, desperate struggle, but anger flickered in the eyes behind the mask.

“How dare someone like you…”

“Yes, you must be desperately trying to justify it. Hiding behind that pathetic mask and doing your dirty work…”

*Crack!*

“Talk is cheap. Of course, you people wouldn’t understand.”

*Crunch! Crack!*

The corpse was horribly mutilated, and blood gushed out like a flood, soaking the surroundings.

It took less than a minute for the famous Team Leader of the Government Response Bureau’s Team 3 to be taken down and turned into a corpse by an unidentified attacker.

The woman in the white mask paused, closed her eyes for a moment, and reprimanded herself.

“Did I get too emotional…? It’s still too soon.”

“You… you…”

Behind the woman in the white mask stood Seol Ah-yeong, who had rushed over after hearing the sounds of a fierce battle.

Having just witnessed the shocking death of her colleague, she couldn’t even form words.

He hadn’t fallen to a high-rank Gate; to think he would die so futilely in a place like this… she was at a loss for words.

“I’ll… I’ll kill you!”

*Click!*

A belated surge of fury washed over her, and she reached for her sword.

But the woman’s next words made Seol Ah-yeong pause, her hand stopping mid-draw.

“Your fate has not yet been decided.”

The woman in the white mask said, taking a step back.

At the same time, she lowered the longsword held in one hand.

“If you draw your sword now, you might really die.”

“Don’t be ridiculous…!”

Seol Ah-yeong, about to shout, suddenly fell silent.

A brief moment of silence.

A suffocating pressure and killing intent constricted around Seol Ah-yeong, and for the first time in her life, she hesitated to draw her sword.