Chapter 66 - Extra Pay

* * *

“At first, I thought the man who came to our room was the leader. His mental power was strong, so it was the obvious conclusion.”

Hyeon-yul tightened his grip around the man’s throat and lifted him higher.

“But he wasn’t.”

The man dangled helplessly, kicking his feet. Even as his face turned red, Hyeon-yul simply watched him.

“Then the Saint was the only obvious answer left, wasn’t she? Sometimes the obvious answer really is correct. It was so straightforward that I even wondered whether you were deliberately trying to make us doubt it.”

“...Kghhh.”

“But then I saw extremely thin strings attached to the Saint’s back, and to the backs of the others too. They looked like the strings used in puppet shows.”

Hyeon-yul threw the man to the ground and pressed a foot against his throat.

“Was playing with puppets fun?”

“...You crazy bastard.”

“Where did you get that drug?”

“You... Black...”

“What does that matter? As long as you stay alive, that’s enough, isn’t it?”

Hyeon-yul briefly removed his foot and looked at his right hand. A thread almost impossible to see with the naked eye had tangled around it.

The entire situation struck Hyeon-yul as absurd.

“You’re acting like this because you know you won’t die, so why does it matter that I’m a Black Eagle? Why are Black Eagles always expected to stay within the lines?”

Perhaps “restraint” was the better word. People who claimed to stand on the side of good were always required to show far too much of it.

To Hyeon-yul, that entire situation seemed strange.

Evil people freely tried to kill others precisely because they knew their victims would spare them, yet even someone like this had to be kept alive.

Wasn’t that exactly why they swarmed around like flies?

People like this needed to be trampled the same way they trampled others. They had to be beaten so thoroughly that they would never dare roll their eyes toward him again.

Some people might lump even that way of thinking together under the name of “evil,” but Hyeon-yul honestly did not understand what good and evil were.

Were the Black Eagles truly spotless and perfectly noble?

The very idea of demanding purity seemed strange to him. Good and evil were both parts that existed in everyone.

No matter what anyone said, Hyeon-yul intended to walk his own path.

“Unfortunately for you, this doesn’t work on me.”

He tensed his arm and absorbed the thread wrapped around it.

Watching the man’s face twist, Hyeon-yul kicked him hard. The man’s head snapped aside and blood streamed from both nostrils.

Hyeon-yul drew his dagger, spun it once, and drove it straight through the man’s palm.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Are you still certain I won’t kill you? Can you truly be certain?”

Hyeon-yul stared down at him and saw naked panic.

Hyeon-yul could hardly believe this was how a Black Eagle’s opponent reacted. He had seen that same look countless times in villains who faced him.

Hyeon-yul’s eyes curved slightly with cold amusement. As long as he did not kill the man, it was fine.

Seeing Nayun and Shinwoo approaching, Hyeon-yul pulled the dagger from the man’s palm and brought it down onto one of his perfectly intact fingers.

“You... you insane bastaaaard!”

A scream burst from the man’s flushed face, and tears streamed from his eyes as he stared at Hyeon-yul.

“I’ll ask again. Where did you get that drug?”

“Why would I tell...”

“That’s unfortunate.”

Hyeon-yul moved the dagger, severing the finger that had been hanging by a strip of flesh.

The man trembled violently as blood flowed down his hand. He seemed to realize that something was seriously wrong.

When his gaze slowly moved toward his hand, Hyeon-yul helpfully raised it while still holding the dagger.

The man’s eyes shook wildly when he saw that one finger was completely gone.

“You’ve killed countless people, yet you’re falling apart over a single finger? If you intend to kill others, shouldn’t you be prepared to put your own life on the line?”

Hyeon-yul had effectively died countless times while being experimented on.

He believed he had killed quite a few villains, but the number still did not match the number of times he himself had been pushed beyond death.

“You... you...”

The man’s breathing accelerated, denial written across his face.

“I’ll ask again. Answer quickly and you may be able to preserve the rest of your fingers. Losing them is very inconvenient. I’m speaking from experience, so I recommend you don’t try to endure it. As you can see, I really will do it.”

Hyeon-yul smiled and drove the dagger into another finger.

The man’s gaze changed with the next scream.

This bastard really would do it.

That fact had finally been carved into him.

“I-I bought it too.”

“From whom?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

When Hyeon-yul’s eyes sharpened, the man hurriedly continued.

“I really don’t! Someone just came up to me and asked if I wanted to buy it!”

“Is that so?”

“I’m telling the truth. In this world, what comes before trust is a drug or weapon with a killer effect, right? It was cheap too, and I figured having something like that would be useful.”

“Do you even know what it is?”

“They said it gives abilities to abilityless people. They died not long afterward, but why should I care about that? It was an incredible tool for leading believers. Right...?”

The man forced the corners of his mouth upward.

“And?”

“The transaction records! Right, I can show you those!”

Sweat poured down his face, but Hyeon-yul showed no reaction.

“So what you’re saying is that you had no idea what the drug really was. You bought it simply because the effect looked useful?”

“I was... scammed too. The side effects were way worse than I expected! They kept dying one after another, and I was sweating myself sick trying to hide it. Then you people smelled something wrong and came here!”

Hyeon-yul stared at him for a moment before pulling out the dagger.

That was probably all he could extract.

‘He was clever enough to grow a cult, so why is he such an idiot about this?’

Still wondering, Hyeon-yul rose and faced Nayun and Shinwoo.

Both stared at him with widened eyes.

“I didn’t kill him.”

Hyeon-yul informed them that he had followed the order.

“I know. More importantly, are you hurt anywhere?”

Hyeon-yul blinked at Shinwoo’s question, wondering whether they could not see the man’s severed finger?

Hyeon-yul shifted slightly so the injured hand was clearly visible.

“Did he do anything to you? We don’t even know exactly what his ability is. You can’t just charge in like that.”

Nayun scolded him while sounding genuinely worried.

Hyeon-yul could only stare at her as well.

Did they somehow not realize he was the one who had cut off the finger?

“I cut off that finger. If you can’t see it...”

“It’s fine if it got cut off!”

“Who cares about one finger?”

Shinwoo and Nayun shouted almost at the same time.

They had wanted to cut off plenty of fingers themselves, especially today. Maybe they had lacked the nerve to actually do it, or perhaps they had still been seeing villains as people.

Hyeon-yul had simply done what they had not and still followed the mission order. Who could criticize him for that?

If anything, they were impressed and kept wondering how he had known this man was the real one.

Hyeon-yul had also been the person who discovered the compromised White Sparrow. If he had not, Team 3 might have been the ones caught off guard.

“...I see.”

Hyeon-yul answered hesitantly. He had expected them to look at him with disgust, so their reaction surprised him.

Shinwoo pulled out a handkerchief and wrapped the man’s injured hand. It was only to prevent him from dying.

“You don’t have to be nervous. We’ve seen plenty of things too.”

Shinwoo raised one foot and smashed it down into the man’s face.

Smack!

The man’s eyes rolled before closing.

“Can I go capture the others now?”

There were still villains left, so Hyeon-yul asked immediately.

“No. Hyeon-yul, you can stay here with me. We can leave the rest to him.”

Nayun pointed toward Shinwoo as she answered.

“Exactly. Leave the rest to me. It’s cold, so once the managers arrive, go wait inside a building.”

Shinwoo grinned as he started moving. He shoved his hands into his coat and took long strides forward.

The farther he walked, the more slowly his smile disappeared.

He could hear the swords he had scattered throughout the area howling in his ears.

Footsteps multiplied one by one behind Shinwoo.

When he entered the building, countless swords were already circling villains’ necks. Some had blood running down their throats where even the slightest movement had caused a blade to cut them.

Every one of them remained frozen in shock, moving only their eyes. Their gazes begged Shinwoo to save them, but he did not smile.

He brushed back his hair and looked at them like prey with dark blue eyes.

Shinwoo spoke quietly to the people behind him.

“Managers. Let’s arrest them.”

It was time to take everyone away.

* * *

A car door opened as Jihwan called to him.

“...Hyung. Aren’t you cold?”

Hyeon-yul, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned his head and accepted the paper cup Jihwan handed him.

“There are no hallucinogens in it. It’s tea made with clean water.”

“I know. I simply don’t understand why I have to sit here.”

Nayun had brought him over to the car. Hyeon-yul had wondered whose vehicle it was, but she told him to sit, so he had been sitting there ever since.

Jihwan burst into loud laughter before explaining.

“The situation is over and everyone’s cleaning up. You’d have to stand outside the whole time otherwise, and that would be tiring.”

“It isn’t tiring. Cold weather also has little effect on me.”

“Hyung, you did enough on this mission. Actually, you did way more than enough. You’ve earned the right to sit here. Normally people even play rock-paper-scissors because everyone wants this seat.”

“Choo Nayun noona said the same thing.”

Hyeon-yul answered flatly. Nayun had also brought him something, explained at length how good this spot was, and then left.

Jihwan snickered. Refusing such a good seat and frowning as though he could not understand why anyone cared about it was extremely Hyeon-yul-like.

No matter what Hyeon-yul said, he was the one who deserved to sit here. Jihwan completely agreed with Nayun.

Hyeon-yul’s physical condition was one reason, but the man had also compressed what could have been five days of work into a single day. Who would not be grateful for that?

At this point, Hyeon-yul was practically a god in Jihwan’s eyes.

“Hyung, how did you know that man was a villain?”

“It was instinct.”

Hyeon-yul answered without hesitation. He had killed countless villains. Without that kind of instinct, he believed he would have died long ago.

“You can just feel it?”

“Yes. Villains have a particular chill to them. I’ve encountered it countless times. ...Ah, I’m not saying Ye Jihwan hasn’t encountered villains. I know you’ve faced plenty.”

“I know what you mean. I didn’t misunderstand.”

“Then I’m glad.”

Hyeon-yul was constantly aware that he was poor at communicating with people.

Talking with Jeongmin felt the most natural because Hyeon-yul knew Jeongmin would not misunderstand him no matter what he said.

He preferred speaking as briefly as possible, but the Black Eagles kept asking what he thought, which made that difficult.

“Ye Jihwan, did you find a computer or tablet that belonged to the leader? I want to know who supplied that drug.”

Hyeon-yul wanted to confirm the transaction records the man had mentioned. This was something they absolutely needed to pursue.

“I’ll check and come right back.”

“Thank you.”

“And hyung.”

“Yes?”

“You did great.”

Jihwan raised both thumbs, then jogged away.

Hyeon-yul almost copied the gesture before stopping himself.

‘Everyone keeps saying difficult things again...’

Something else he could not understand had happened today.

—Hyeon-yul, you were the best today. I mean it.

Nayun had said the same thing.

‘Am I... not disgusting to them?’

Hyeon-yul rejected the possibility immediately, convinced it was impossible. One of the things he had heard countless times throughout his life was that he was disgusting.

Bzzzz.

Hyeon-yul took out his vibrating phone and answered it.

“Yes, Team Leader.”

<Are you hurt anywhere?>

“No.”

<That’s a relief. I got so many messages that I thought something terrible had happened.>

“Something terrible did happen.”

<Right. It did. I never thought we’d have a weakness like that... We performed regular checks. We really did keep checking.>

“The reason your inspections failed is because the person had a power stronger than the one used to conduct the inspection.”

<...That makes no sense. A team leader performed the evaluation.>

“Oh, another team leader inspected them?”

<Yes. That’s why I said it made no sense.>

“Team Leader.”

<Yes...?>

Haeryeon answered with noticeable hesitation before Hyeon-yul continued.

“How much do you know about the drug?”

<The drug from today?>

“Yes.”

<I received a report saying it was used in experiments and later discarded.>

“The drug produces different effects depending on the person. Some people gain exceptionally powerful abilities. I don’t know how strong the other team leader is, but the subject must have obtained a power stronger than theirs. Hasn’t today effectively proven that?”

<That’s... true. It has been proven. You showed us something we didn’t know, Hyeon-yul.>

Haeryeon’s voice gradually sank, making Hyeon-yul wonder whether she was blaming herself.

“Even so, you don’t need to dwell on it. The outcome doesn’t change. Anyone injected with that drug dies eventually.”

<...By any chance... No. Never mind.>

“I was injected with it too.”

Hyeon-yul said it without hesitation. There was no reason to hide it. If anything, he expected the admission would make what he said more credible.

“I don’t remember whether I was originally abilityless because parts of my memory are gone, but I survived.”

He had an innate resistance to the drug. Wasn’t that precisely why he had been turned into what he was now?

<...Are you okay?>

“Are you asking whether I’m sad?”

<Yes. That’s what I wanted to ask.>

“I might have been once. I don’t know anymore.”

<Then forget I asked. You worked hard today, Hyeon-yul.>

“When we return, can I clock out?”

<Clock out? You’ll get the remaining four days off too.>

Hyeon-yul blinked, unsure whether he had heard her correctly.

“Did I... hear that correctly?”

He actually stumbled over the words.

<The mission was scheduled separately in advance, so since you finished it early, the remaining time naturally becomes leave. Of course, you can work if you want. You’d get roughly double pay for those four days.>

“I’ll work.”

Hyeon-yul answered without a second of hesitation.

It was a chance to pay down his debt.

<All right for now. You can think about it more slowly and tell me later.>

“Yes. I’ll think about it quickly and let you know.”

Hyeon-yul turned his head toward the sudden sound.

Knock, knock.

He opened the door at the sound.

“Hyung. Are you done with your call?”

“Were you waiting long?”

“No. I found the computer. Want to come with me?”

“I’ll go.”

Hyeon-yul put aside his happiness and climbed out of the car.

“By the way, hyung.”

“Yes?”

“Did something good happen?”

“If I work for the remaining four days, they said my pay will be roughly doubled.”

Jihwan cheered the instant he heard it.

Anyone would have considered that good news.

* * *

Hyeon-yul’s hands stopped over the keyboard.

‘...It’s true.’

After searching through the computer, Hyeon-yul confirmed that the man had told the truth.

Nothing identified the person who supplied the drug. Only the transaction records remained.

The villain who accepted the deal had been an idiot, while the seller appeared to have been quite meticulous.

And the very fact that the supplier hid their identity meant there was something they did not want exposed.

“You want to chase them?”

Nayun, who had been watching quietly beside him, asked.

“Yes. I want to track them down.”

“Then let’s track them down.”

Nayun answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, leaving Hyeon-yul with another question mark in his head.