Chapter 19 - I've Got It!

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* * *

"... I feel strange."

Haeryeon scrubbed her face with both hands as though washing it.

Their conversation had ended quickly. They had stuck to the essentials, without any small talk. But Hyeonyul's remark that he had nothing at home had bothered her. Without even getting a chance to ask what he liked, they had stopped at a nearby supermarket, swept everything into their cart, and handed it all over to him.

They had practically fled, leaving behind a thoroughly bewildered Hyeonyul.

"... I feel the same way, Team Leader."

Sinu drove as though in a trance.

"He definitely... looked like he'd never received food or anything like that before, didn't he?"

"He certainly did."

"This is bad... I'm a sucker for this sort of thing."

"So am I."

Haeryeon and Sinu sighed almost simultaneously. They couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of life Hyeonyul had led.

"With villains constantly turning up, he needs to move as soon as possible. But would he?"

"Honestly, I don't think he'd move without a particular reason. It looked like he'd lived there for quite a long time."

"Right...? Our benefits are good, but we don't run dormitories because of security concerns. If we did, I'd have put in an application immediately."

What a shame. That sentiment was written all over Haeryeon's face as she fiddled with her seat belt.

"I'll try gently persuading him. Let's address the other issues first."

"You're right. You see what Hyeonyul has brought us, don't you?"

They had found a collaborator and learned the location of a building owned by the Poison King. Today's events in particular could easily be considered a major mission success.

"It makes no sense to drive away someone this capable."

Haeryeon folded her arms. Sinu kept nodding while smoothly turning the steering wheel.

"Of course. People like him are hard to find."

"How can someone so capable be denied recognition for his abilities?"

"That's absolutely unacceptable. Hyeonyul has already proved himself through his abilities. In just one week, he's been accomplishing all sorts of things we couldn't manage."

"Exactly! You can tell from how a major villain wants him. So does Team Leader Dojin."

"Team Leader Dojin too?"

"Yes. It makes my head spin. Team Leader Juhyeon... I'm not sure yet, but you never know, right?"

"Team Leader, honestly, I liked Hyeonyul because he gave me this certainty: I won't die on a mission. I don't want any more of our teammates to die."

"... Yes. That really is... awful."

Haeryeon looked out the window. No matter how good the Black Eagles' employment terms were, their high mortality rate meant that sooner or later, they would have to face a teammate's death. Wasn't preventing that precisely why she was so desperately looking after them now?

"So, Team Leader. When should we hold Hyeonyul's welcome party?"

Sinu asked as though tossing aside the somber mood. Surely a welcome party would make it truly feel as though Hyeonyul had joined Team Three.

"Sinu. Do you think Hyeonyul can handle us? All that energy we unleash? We'll be even worse with alcohol in us. Will he be all right?"

Haeryeon was genuinely worried. They had once had a teammate run away after a single welcome party.

"... That is a frightening prospect. We can't have him running away over this."

"He hasn't even met Jihwan yet. They keep missing each other lately."

"Don't you think they'd get along?"

"Who knows? Would they?"

"If they're destined to be teammates, won't they just run into each other?"

Sinu tossed out the remark and laughed loudly alone. Haeryeon shook her head as though used to it.

* * *

'... Hmm.'

Hyeonyul gazed out of the bus with his chin propped on his hand.

According to 101 Ways to Make Workplace Life Run Smoothly, receiving something meant you had to give something in return. Yesterday, Haeryeon and Sinu had given him enough to fill his empty refrigerator.

'How... do you return the favor?'

His serious contemplation was interrupted as he hastily stood up.

"Driver, turn the wheel left immediately."

He spoke firmly as he approached the driver.

Something was coming. The signs weren't good.

'This is a different power.'

It was also a power he had nothing to gain by colliding with.

Looking through the windshield, Hyeonyul grabbed a pole to brace himself as the bus swerved sharply.

SCREEEECH!

A sound like the road being ground away pierced his ears.

"Aaaagh!"

Screams filled the bus.

'Looks like I'm the only Black Eagle here.'

Before he could go outside to stop whatever was approaching, an unknown power wrapped around the bus, protecting it. Hyeonyul raised his eyebrows at the transparent, membrane-like force.

'... Magic?'

Someone strolled over from beyond it and stopped in front of the bus. The yawning man grinned at Hyeonyul and held up three fingers. What else could that mean?

'... Team Three?'

Only then did Hyeonyul realize they belonged to the same team. Haeryeon had told him there was one more teammate, and that they had kept missing each other for some strange reason.

'I never imagined he'd be a mage.'

Hyeonyul turned his head. Something shot out from behind the bus and collided with the car following it.

BOOOOM!

He let out a long breath as the car went flying.

'What kind of power is that?'

A person stood where the car had been. Had they targeted his morning commute?

"Please open the door."

At his request, the driver opened the door, and Hyeonyul stepped outside. The moment his feet touched the ground, his mood sank. The flying car had damaged other vehicles, and blaring horns pierced his ears.

Come to think of it, he hadn't even started work yet. Who in the world wanted to work before clocking in?

"Kahahahaha!"

Hyeonyul turned toward the strange laughter. A man with enormous muscles that looked as though they had been pumped full of air was slowly turning around.

Hyeonyul wasn't curious about who the bastard was. Given how casually he destroyed other people's cars, he could confidently call him a villain.

He drew his dagger and carefully surveyed the area. There were suspicious footsteps, but no one accompanying the man. For now, he was alone.

"You're going to take me on with that?"

The man looked Hyeonyul up and down and laughed. He looked frail for his size, but wouldn't he be satisfying to beat up? The villain flicked his tongue, losing himself in the fantasy.

"Good, good. You'll make the perfect addition to my glorious resume."

At the word "resume," Hyeonyul approached without hesitation. A villain, all right.

Just as he was about to melt into darkness, he stopped in deflation. A wall had suddenly sprung up, and he looked behind him. The first thing he noticed was a head of curly, permed blond hair. The man was clearly quite young.

"... What are you doing?"

His teammate asked in alarm. Hyeonyul must have been out of his mind. The man who had appeared wasn't merely big—he was as tall as the roof of the bus.

The car that had collided with him could have been sent straight to a scrapyard. This was one of the most common forms taken by villains with enhancement powers: a typical method of forcibly expanding the body from within to increase one's strength.

"That's what I'd like to ask you. What are you doing?"

Hyeonyul's question was tinged with displeasure instead. What was his teammate doing in actual combat, not training? Didn't he know that the slightest difference could mean death?

"How can you charge straight at someone that huge? You'll get seriously hurt!"

"I won't."

Hyeonyul spoke firmly and looked ahead. Those muscles made it obvious the villain mainly relied on strikes. What of it?

A tremor ran through the wall his teammate had raised with magic. It shattered, sending fragments flying everywhere.

CRACK!

The villain's broad grin emerged along with his heavy fist.

The fist was approaching, but Hyeonyul was certain it could never touch him. He let the incoming fist and fragments slip past him as he raised his dagger.

"Pfft!"

The villain burst out laughing. The blade was so small and compact it couldn't possibly cut through even his muscles. What could Hyeonyul do with that?

As soon as his feet touched the ground, the villain turned and swung his fist again, intent on bursting Hyeonyul's head. Looking at that boulder-like fist, Hyeonyul smiled too.

Black power spread around the dagger, like a demon unfurling its wings. The villain faltered as that power instantly flowed into the dagger, turning it into a longsword. Following a black arc, the sword sliced through his arm without hesitation.

The cut was clean and effortless.

Hyeonyul stepped back to avoid the spraying blood, and the villain's scream rang out.

"Aaaaaaagh!"

After watching him roll on the ground, clutching his severed arm, Hyeonyul turned toward his teammate.

Despite the spectacle, he could hear a car moving. It was coming toward them.

'There are more after all.'

Could they be the source of those suspicious footsteps?

"I'll handle it."

His teammate, who had been approaching to join him, spoke urgently and pointed his staff in the direction Hyeonyul was watching. Wind swept around him, and a magic circle appeared in front of the staff.

A glimmer of light appeared and vanished. Then a fierce blizzard swept in from somewhere. Hyeonyul narrowed his eyes. Even from this distance, his breath turned white.

Watching the car freeze in an instant, he looked at his teammate.

How would he have dealt with that power? It was strong enough to make him consider the question.

'I'd have killed him the moment he pointed his staff.'

That was the simplest way to deal with a mage.

"Wow! That car had a spell on it. How did you notice and react?"

His teammate asked in wonder. Magic was difficult to detect. Why else would it always rank among the top five most frightening powers?

'It had a spell on it...?'

Hyeonyul looked at the frozen car. He couldn't see it.

"I heard it."

"You heard it through a sound-suppressing spell? Your hearing must be really sensitive."

"Several of my senses are sensitive."

Hyeonyul briefly lowered his gaze. Wherever there were shadows, he could feel vibrations.

"Anyway, you really didn't get hurt, did you? I'll keep that in mind next time."

His teammate approached with a broad grin. Was he simply that affable?

"Something like this won't seriously hurt me."

He would be fired if he were incompetent. Answering, Hyeonyul walked up to the villain. Fear was already showing in the man's eyes.

"Why are you making such a fuss? If you attack someone, shouldn't you naturally be prepared to lose a body part?"

Hyeonyul's blunt words horrified the villain.

"That's not natural..."

"I'll ask a simple question. Whose job posting were you trying to build your resume for?"

Hyeonyul hadn't let that earlier mention of a "resume" pass. You could join a villain-run company without experience. The entry requirements were that low. Changing jobs, however, was a different matter.

He himself had changed jobs after slitting his president's throat and receiving a recruitment offer. Ordinarily, however, switching employers required experience—a record of how much villainous work one had done. Here too, that was called a resume.

"... Ah, you must have seen the Poison King's job posting."

At present, the Poison King was the only one trying to expand his influence around here. The villain's shoulders twitched for the briefest moment.

'It is the Poison King.'

That reaction gave Hyeonyul certainty. Whenever one faction tried to monopolize everything in an area like this, the others invariably grew wary. The Poison King apparently didn't care what they thought.

'Well, he is a heavyweight... '

The corners of Hyeonyul's eyes creased.

'Wait a moment.'

["... H-he said he was preparing something big."]

He remembered those words, "something big," which he had heard yesterday while killing seven of the eight people.

Hyeonyul took out his phone and searched for something.

Festivals.

Back when he worked under Shin Daeho, the man had casually suggested something.

["Wouldn't someone who had the guts to kill in a crowded place and then make a clean getaway be pretty useful? Of course, they'd have to take a photo of the killing as proof. If two people go for the same target, well, we'd tell them to kill each other. What do you think? A pretty good job posting, isn't it?"]

Hyeonyul had thought it was utter bullshit and hadn't replied. His own work had mostly involved eliminating competitors—in other words, killing other villains.

'To think some crazy bastard would actually do it.'

"... Excuse me?"

His teammate called to him. He still didn't know Hyeonyul's name.

"May I stop the villain's bleeding?"

"Do as you please."

Having no further business with the villain, Hyeonyul lowered his phone. A festival would be held nearby soon. He didn't even have time to attend festivals, so he hadn't known it existed.

'The timing fits. This is the one.'

He had a hunch. What better opportunity for a terrorist attack than a festival?

'He'd need to get involved in the festival, so he must have met with the organizers already, right?'

The usual place to tamper with was festival security.

'A security company...'

The deeper Hyeonyul's thoughts went, the more the corners of his mouth rose. Villain-run companies were spread far and wide. Naturally, plenty of businesses serving ordinary people were run by villains too. Weren't the Black Eagles also trying to identify villain-run corporations?

The villains' goal was always the Empire. Because they wanted it, they also wanted to become deeply embedded in its economy. Thus, a security company could be run by villains as well.

'The day before the festival, there'll be an incident to draw the Black Eagles' attention.'

Thinking back to the chat on the phone he had entrusted to Juhyeon, there were also schemes to lure the Black Eagles elsewhere and keep them away from particular locations. Wouldn't they do the same this time?

After considering all these possibilities, Hyeonyul clenched his fist tightly.

'... I haven't even started work. Why should I be thinking about this?'

Reality hit him.

Turning his head, he saw a tangle of cars. The bus was among them. Wondering how he was supposed to get to the Nest made him irritated.

This was why he hated villains. Ever since becoming entangled with them, his life had been an absolute mess.

"... Excuse me."

His teammate called to him cautiously. Hyeonyul's expression looked grave from every angle.

"What is it?"

But by the time he answered, his expression had changed as though nothing had happened. It felt as though its sharpness had vanished.

"First of all, I'm Ye Jihwan, your teammate. Nice to meet you."

Jihwan introduced himself first, looking at Hyeonyul with curiosity.

"I'm Seo Hyeonyul."

"It's great to meet you like this! I didn't know you'd be so strong!"

Jihwan looked delighted. He had heard a rookie had joined, but Hyeonyul was no different from a seasoned veteran. For a moment, he had even wondered if he had been mistaken about Hyeonyul being the rookie.

"I understand that any Black Eagle can easily defeat someone of this caliber."

Hyeonyul was stating a fact. Without at least this much power, one couldn't become a Black Eagle in the first place.

"You're modest, aren't you?"

Jihwan smiled and offered the compliment. Who didn't like praise? But Hyeonyul denied it.

"I'm not being modest. It's a fact."

'Does he dislike empty flattery?'

Jihwan was taken aback for a brief moment, then smiled again. Curiosity stirred as he wondered what sort of person Hyeonyul was.

"Mr. Ye Jihwan. There's something I'd like to ask."

"Go ahead. Oh, just a moment."

Jihwan pressed the forehead of the still-screaming villain. Light seemed to gather at his fingertip, and the villain went limp.

"I put him to sleep. He isn't dead."

"I don't care whether you kill him or not."

"... Really?"

Jihwan felt relieved. Magic's innate power was so great that it often killed unintentionally.

"I'd like to call another bus now. How do I do that?"

Jihwan blinked at the question.

'A bus...?'

For a moment, he wondered what Hyeonyul meant. Then he broke into a smile.

'He's a little clueless after all.'

Why worry about a bus? The title of Black Eagle wasn't simply handed out. They were highly valuable personnel. By now, even without anyone asking, another vehicle would be rushing over with the rescue team.

For some reason, though, he didn't want to say so.

'He really is a rookie.'

* * *

Hyeonyul glanced at Jihwan. Since he had approached as naturally as Nayun did, Hyeonyul had expected him to be just as talkative as her. But apart from saying he had called a bus, Jihwan didn't say a word until they arrived. He simply sat there in a daze.

Managers came out and quickly took away the villain they had brought, just as before. Because Jihwan was quiet, being with him was more comfortable than Hyeonyul had expected. He even felt as though the ordeal before work was fading away.

When they opened the door, Haeryeon greeted them.

"Welcome back."

Looking at the usually spaced-out Jihwan and the strangely relaxed Hyeonyul, Haeryeon suppressed a laugh that almost escaped. She had known they would get along.

"Don't you two make a good match?"

"I was seriously impressed by you, big bro."

Jihwan pressed hard between his eyebrows. Hyeonyul was about to nod quietly, but instead asked a question.

"Why am I your big brother?"

"Then am I the big brother?"

Jihwan looked at him expectantly.

"..."

Hyeonyul was speechless. What did that have to do with anything?

"For the record, you two are the same age."

When Haeryeon interjected, Jihwan grinned.

"I'm still going to call him big bro. He was incredibly strong."

'That must be what won Jihwan over.'

Jihwan liked strong people. Haeryeon felt proud to see Hyeonyul apparently settling in so well.

As Jihwan and Haeryeon laughed, Hyeonyul took the cue and forced the corners of his mouth upward. He had no idea why they were laughing.

But wasn't this what workplace life was all about?