#173 Kyushu Crisis (5)
Korean Returnee Association, Seoul Southern Branch.
“Hmm, hmm, hmm~ Oh, a new one came out? This is the kind of thing you buy on the spot.”
Branch Director Yun Jiyun was leisurely humming to herself as she fooled around on her work computer.
Back in the old days, when she had been swamped with work, this would have been a luxury she could never have dreamed of, but ever since she’d gained a bit of breathing room recently, it had become a fairly common part of her daily life.
“You seem to be in a good mood, Branch Director.”
“Ah, Secretary Kim, you’re here? Of course I am! Life’s been worth living these days, you know? This is what it means to live like a human being. Honestly, up until now it was a little… you know?”
“Hahaha… I can’t deny that.”
The secretary smiled bitterly and handed her a new report.
Naturally, since he had always been just as busy whenever she was, he also preferred the present to the past.
“Hmm, as expected, things are a mess in Japan in all sorts of ways. The Association President must have quite the headache. Same with the Ability Management Bureau.”
“I suppose that can’t be helped. The fact that Hahoe Mask is Korean is undeniable, after all.”
“Honestly, complaining to us won’t accomplish anything. Politicians, no matter what country they’re from, start throwing tantrums the moment they get something to latch onto.”
After finishing the documents, the branch director set them down on her desk, stretched, and leaned back against her chair.
She had accepted the report for now, but when it came to this matter, there was nothing she could do, so nothing in particular would change from before.
“As expected, a position that’s only moderately high up is the best. If you pointlessly climb too high, you just end up with piles of things to worry about. Just like now, right?”
“Haha… That sounds like it comes from experience.”
The secretary gave an awkward smile.
In truth, Yun Jiyun, branch director of the Seoul Southern Branch, was not someone who should have been stuck at a position like this.
Whenever Korea’s officially strongest were named, she was always counted among the top three. In the otherworld to which she had been transmitted, she was a great hero who had ended a great war that had continued for a full hundred years and finally brought peace to the world.
Though several decades had already passed since her return due to the difference in time flow, Earthlings who later visited that world could still easily find traces of her all over it.
Not only was she featured prominently in history books, but there were also massive statues erected in major cities, biographies of great figures, plays, songs, and more…
It was even said that the “Yun” family, which she had established by taking in those who followed her and war orphans, had already become one of the greatest noble houses. Earthlings who encountered the scale of her deeds indirectly would find themselves feeling awed without realizing it when they met her after returning.
Some even came all the way from foreign countries just to meet her once, which said it all.
“Still, thanks to Hahoe Mask, the crime rate has gone down, so work’s easier and that’s nice. Though I suppose Japan’s situation is different from ours, so it can’t be helped.”
“Is that why you deliberately didn’t step forward yourself?”
“Hmm? No, to be honest, I didn’t think anything would change even if I did… And besides, it wasn’t just me, was it? Everyone was thinking along similar lines. Well, I’m sure there were quite a few guys who were actually scared and keeping their heads down too.”
Just as she said, the pursuit of Hahoe Mask had continued, but there had been almost no cases where a truly top-ranked Awakened had personally stepped forward to capture him.
Most of those who had done so had only moved reluctantly due to pressure from the political sphere.
Even then, because Hahoe Mask was so elusive, there had not been a single direct clash between them.
“Honestly, how many people feel relieved by what Hahoe Mask is doing? Look at now. The crime rate is going down on its own, and it’s so convenient, isn’t it? …It would’ve been much better if he were just a little more cooperative, though.”
She had taken some criticism for incompetence because of that, but thinking of the peace they had now, she still felt it had been worth enduring that much. ‘If I’m being honest, I’d like Hahoe Mask to sweep away all the corruption in politics too.’ But if Korea’s vested interests became his direct targets, then the Ability Management Bureau and the Returnee Association would have no choice but to abandon their current policy of trying to conciliate him and take active measures.
Hahoe Mask probably knew that too, which was why he was openly targeting only violent criminals.
He was leaving various complicated problems and society’s self-purification to those who belonged to the system. ‘…Though I do feel sorry that we don’t seem to be living up to his expectations.’ She rubbed the space between her brows as she thought of the politicians who were still yapping away.
While she was lost in thought like that, she suddenly saw her secretary move in a hurry and glanced toward him.
Apparently having received a separate message, he checked his tablet with a grave expression and then froze on the spot.
No matter how she looked at it, something serious seemed to have happened.
Yun Jiyun, growing anxious as well, cautiously called out to him.
“What’s wrong? What happened? Did some accident occur?”
“……”
“You’re making me nervous when you keep doing that. What is it? What happened?”
At her repeated urging, the frozen secretary silently held out the tablet he was carrying.
At the same time, when he disconnected it from the wireless earbud in one ear…
[Kyaaaaaaak——!]
A roar like a thunderous explosion spilled from the speaker and reverberated through the office.
“Huh? What is this…!”
Yun Jiyun hurriedly took the tablet and checked the video again.
The length of the endlessly repeating clip was not very long.
Empty air shattered like glass, and an ominous black pillar shot high into the sky.
A monster that looked like something one would only see in CG appeared and swam through the air above some mountain, accompanied by pitch-black energy.
Since the footage had been taken from afar, it wasn’t clear, but there was a figure standing on its head whose appearance was extremely familiar to her.
“Wait, this is…”
“It’s footage taken from the Kagoshima area of Kyushu, Japan!”
“…This was filmed on Earth, in reality?”
Her jaw dropped.
Setting aside the fact that it was an unfamiliar monster she had never seen in the world she had visited, just how high was its rank for her to feel such a presence merely by watching it on a screen?
No, before that, did it even make sense for an otherworldly being to appear on Earth?
“This is Hahoe Mask, right?”
“…Most likely.”
“Ha, hahaha… This is bad.”
She set the tablet down on the desk, leaned back in her chair, and wiped her face with a hollow laugh.
“To think the debut stage of our prince, who had been hiding his identity so tightly… would begin as such massive news.”
The video she had seen was only one of them, but even at this moment, similar footage continued to flood in.
There were videos filmed directly with smartphones, the essential tool of modern people, as well as car dashcams, and even the live broadcast of an internet streamer who had coincidentally been introducing a nearby restaurant.
Something that had happened in Japan only moments ago could be seen right away by her in Seoul, Korea.
In this era of globalization, with such definite video “evidence” as well, the aftermath could be easily predicted without any need for deep thought.
And just as she guessed.
This incident was spreading to people all over the world at an extremely rapid pace.***
An explosive reaction.
Those words summed up the Bone Dragon incident that had occurred in Japan.
That interest spread regardless of whether one was a returnee from another world or an ordinary citizen who had only encountered otherworldly culture indirectly, and soon became a single massive current.
-What? What is that? A dragon? A Bone Dragon?
-Holy shit! Why did that pop out on Earth? Isn’t this edited?└There isn’t just one or two videos being uploaded right now. They were all filmed from different angles.
-How can an undead from another world move around so perfectly like that? How did it bypass the laws? Please tell me too! Because of that, I can’t even take out my children that I worked so hard to bring with me!└LOL, caught a necromancer red-handed. Over here, over here! Hurry up and arrest him lol!└?? Where do you live? Hiring a hacker doesn’t cost that much.└I’m sorry. Please spare me. I was wrong.
It was a fact most people did not know, but there were actually returnees of the summoner type who summoned beings from other worlds.
However, Earthlings’ aptitude for that ability was so poor that it could be called the worst, and in the end, they stagnated at a mediocre level and became so rare that they had no choice but to choose other paths.
They were even rarer than spirit masters, who were famous for being few in number due to environmental issues.
In such a situation, where people had no immunity toward “beings from another world,” an astounding existence called a Bone Dragon had suddenly appeared.
-What are the guys calling this fake after watching it? Even through the screen, it feels like my liver’s shriveling.└Right, that’s why the people in the videos who saw it in person were screaming and freaking out. Even though they were really far away from where it was filmed.└Ah fuck, I played it for my dog as a joke and it suddenly pissed itself. Don’t do it, guys. And absolutely don’t show it to little kids.
Above all, the element that drew the public’s attention was the overwhelming sense of reality that could be felt even through the footage.
Though it must have been diluted considerably, the vividness that made it seem as if it might leap out at any moment, along with its chilling roar, made many people immerse themselves in it even more.
In such a situation, it was only natural that those videos were instantly analyzed by many people.
In the end, it did not take long for it to become known that the identity of “the one standing atop the Bone Dragon’s head” was “Hahoe Mask,” who had been the subject of heated discussion in Korea.-??? Why is this real? I thought it was just some attention-seeking urban legend;;-Uaaaah! Finally! The truth wins! You filthy, ugly slanderers!
-Ahahaha, just thinking about all the guys calling us delusional shutting up makes me feel so com
—fortable.
At that, those who had steadfastly cried out about Hahoe Mask’s existence despite the disregard of many others cheered and diligently spread his achievements.
Naturally, those were translated into various languages and spread all over the world along with the footage.…Rather bewilderingly.
“No, this is becoming this much of a hot topic? I expected it to some extent, but this is too much.”
Faced with a development that was practically a social phenomenon, Han Seonghyeon, who had been researching materials online, scratched his head and clicked his tongue.
Hahoe Mask’s existence had been proven, but that did not serve as evidence enough to acknowledge all the achievements that had spread up until now.
However, the Bone Dragon video, which had left a deep impression on everyone, had become a kind of persuasive force, granting strong credibility to the stories that had only drifted around like urban legends until now—.
As a result, the names used to refer to him were being mentioned here and there.
Korea’s unofficial strongest, the one who ruled Korea’s night, the grim reaper of criminals, the guardian in the dark, the eternal death that comes crawling with the dawn… ‘No, not that last one. Who pulled that prank? Who’s crawling anywhere?’ As a bonus, the recently added nicknames included “Dragon Rider” and “Archipelago Bomber.”
“…Looks like I’m about to become famous against my will. No, if I think about it, maybe it’s not that bad.”
There had not been any special reason why he had gone to such lengths to avoid leaving behind evidence until now.
It was simply because he knew that, according to social norms, what he was doing was not right, so he had naturally acted that way. ‘Thinking about it now, I didn’t really need to hide it that thoroughly.’ Rather, raising his name value and increasing his presence like this would be more effective as a deterrent to prevent crime.
It would make those villain bastards think at least once more before they tried to do anything.
But that was that, and the important issue right now was something else. ‘Still, as expected, they aren’t easy opponents. The Beoncheon Society.’ Immediately after he destroyed their hidden world using Heratos’s Abyss Breath.
Hans had instantly set up a new barrier to block their escape routes so they could not flee.
That was why the videos currently circulating were not very long, but the problem was that they, too, had anticipated every situation and prepared thoroughly. ‘To think they’d escape through spatial movement in that situation. I did catch a few more before that, but the exchange really doesn’t balance out.’ Since innate skills were not easy to block even with barriers, it was something that could not be helped.
On top of that, they were all elite personnel who had been carefully selected, so it was not that hard to understand that they had been able to break through a hastily installed barrier and escape.
If there was any consolation, it was that he had persistently targeted the suited man who had used the hidden space and eventually succeeded in killing him.
He, too, possessed a lofty rank, but perhaps because most of his abilities were concentrated on his innate skill, his combat power itself was not particularly high.
Of course, there was also the fact that he had not been in a normal state due to the backlash from having his skill forcibly destroyed. ‘…Wait, no. Now that I think about it, there’s no reason for me to feel regretful that they got away, is there?’ In truth, if one thought about it, Hans was the invader who had stormed into their front yard, while they were the interception force that had come out to defend their base.
And he had only just cleared out one place, Kyushu.
There were still many regions left to clean, they had already been defeated, and the user of the “hidden world,” which had been the greatest factor that allowed them to pressure Hans, was dead.
So even if they ran now, where exactly did they think they could go?
Heh—
“Let’s see how long you can stay hidden while your house is burning to the ground.”
And with that sinister chuckle echoing from a corner of a room in Korea,
Hahoe Mask, Hans, quietly moved to the next region of Japan.
To set fire to the bastards’ den.