“How did the report go?”
Those were the words Bryce heard when he returned to the ready room after a frantic day. Even while looking directly at Kim Yi-hyeon, he could hardly believe it.
“Am I... seeing a ghost right now?”
“What are you talking about? You should’ve gotten a message on your terminal. Isn’t that why you came back here?”
That was true. After returning to Metrocity, Bryce had been busy running around Lotus Company to make his report.
In the middle of all that, a message had arrived from a member staying in the ready room. It said Kim Yi-hyeon had returned safely.
“......No, ah, right. But how the hell?”
“Who knows. Maybe that person wanted to use me as a messenger.”
“A messenger? You mean you talked with that person?”
“That person said they’d sweep away all the Cilician bastards. Ah, did they say Cilicia was only the beginning?”
“What does that mean?”
“They called themselves Legion.”
Legion. Bryce swallowed.
The emergence of a new group was not all that unusual. Cilicia was a wealthy city that stirred the greed of outsiders.
However, no one had swallowed Cilicia until now. Even those who dreamed such dreams at first soon chose a path of coexistence with the existing powers.
Those who showed excessive ambition were eliminated. The companies might allow the pie to be divided, but they did not sit by and watch someone steal their bowl.
But Legion?
‘Can they be eliminated?’
The strange figure clad in knight armor. At first, Bryce had even thought the sight ridiculous, but now it was engraved in his mind as the shape of terror.
That figure was truly a monster. If they had two, three times White Fang’s fighting strength, could they face the Knight then? Bryce was skeptical.
Most terrifying of all was the fact that they knew nothing about them. Their scale, their objective, even where the organization had come from—none of it had been grasped.
“The higher-ups treated me like a madman.”
“What about the recording?”
“I submitted it. It was dark, so it was not recorded properly, but... it was enough to confirm what happened. Only after watching it did they seem to believe me.”
Kim Yi-hyeon felt greatly relieved. If they had failed to hand over the evidence prepared just in case, there was a possibility the security force might not move.
‘That was how it was in the game.’
In the game, four people were dispatched to LW-3. Three of them died, and one survived. The casualties amounted to only three people, there was no evidence, and the sole survivor insisted there was a monster underground.
The only ones who took those words seriously were White Fang’s comrades. Like that, the stages continued underground...... and by the final ‘Cilicia Occupation Battle’, White Fang was wiped out except for Mary.
They could not follow the same track.
“Hyeon. What do you think?”
Bryce asked weakly, rubbing his dry face. His usual reliability was nowhere to be found. He was already exhausted to the bone.
“If that person comes up to the surface with the outlaws and their subordinates... what do you think will happen? Can the security force truly suppress them?”
“I don’t know. Legion is one thing, but I’ve never seen the security force even once.”
“That is true too.”
At the end of a deep sigh, Bryce lightly gripped Kim Yi-hyeon’s shoulder.
“I am grateful to you, and sorry as well. If you had not stepped forward, I would have died there... and fundamentally, the reason you got involved in this matter is because I invited you as a guest member.”
“You’re talking like someone about to die. I judged and did both of those things myself.”
Bryce smiled faintly, as if he had known Kim Yi-hyeon would say that.
“You will probably be called here and there for hearings and the like. You will be busy, but think carefully. Whether you will stay in Cilicia or leave.”
......Leave.
Snowfield had recommended the same thing. Thinking about it, that choice existed too.
Give up on Cilicia and prepare flawlessly for the next episode. In truth, if he wanted to keep making good use of his game knowledge from now on, that was the correct answer.
It was not an option he needed to agonize over.
‘I can’t just take a beating like this and run.’
So what if Snowfield had come instead of Mithril? It had become realistically difficult to end this without damage, but... they still had a chance of winning.
‘If she’s that heartbroken over her friend’s death.’
Then I have no choice but to send Snowie after Shaeboong too.
***
Many things changed over the course of a week.
The quiet yet active underground business was suspended indefinitely. Every station except Metrocity was completely sealed.
The city’s security was strengthened by the security force to an extent that would not incite public anxiety. Reconnaissance drones also began moving outside the city.
According to Bryce, they seemed to have found traces within the territory of the old Cilician Federation. Judging it to be a base where Legion had stayed, they appeared to be focusing their search around that area.
‘I’m glad they didn’t blindly deploy the security force.’
At the Council’s request, several military companies sent reconnaissance troops underground. And when contact with all of them was lost, they realized the severity of the situation.
It seemed the underground was an uncomfortable battlefield even for the security force. Unless the enemy was mere rabble, fighting in a place where the equipment they could use was limited could get them swept away pointlessly.
‘Did they decide to wipe them out at Metrocity Station?’
It was still a painful loss. How much work would reconstruction take? But since Legion had already infiltrated the underground, there was no other way.
Even while being called here and there, Kim Yi-hyeon steadily made preparations of his own. Today’s outing was part of that.
“Please, please! Look for someone else!”
“Why? I paid you as promised.”
“Pay or whatever, fuck that! I almost died. Do you know why I quit being a bounty hunter?”
“How would I know?”
“Because I thought I wouldn’t live out my natural lifespan at this rate! Thaaank you for reminding me again. If you understand, get lost, you water ghost! Shoo!”
Chelsea sprinkled salt, though who knew where she had learned that from. Kim Yi-hyeon stood still and flicked his tongue. It was hard to describe, but the artificial taste was strong.
“Why are you eating that...?!”
“I don’t really get it. Wasn’t I the one who almost died? You were holed up far behind and only fired a gun. Ten million for three shots is good business.”
“That is... true, but.”
Chelsea’s hand stopped. She recalled the memory from that time and made a face as if she had bitten into a bug.
“Anyway, it was scary. Was that really a person? If those horns weren’t decorations on her helmet, then she must be Pecatum. The Pecatum I’ve seen weren’t that monstrous.”
“You’re impressive, though. You landed all three shots on someone like that. Who else would I look for?”
“Huh? Mm, hm. That’s true.”
Perhaps she did not dislike the praise, because the corners of her mouth twitched. Only for a moment. Chelsea came to her senses and sharpened her gaze.
“Forget it. Go back. I don’t want to get involved anymore. What’s the point of earning money if I die? I’ll invest the money you gave me properly on my own.”
“Uh, if you can, you should quit gambling.”
“It’s not gambling, it’s investing, okay? No one does market research as thoroughly as I do. Before I bet, I even look into that player’s diet and whether something happened in their family.”
So the gambling she did was League match predictions. Kim Yi-hyeon swallowed a sour taste. Here was a stalker violating competitors’ private lives.
Before the conversation grew longer, he spoke.
“This time, the pay is also ten million.”
The moment he said it, Chelsea snorted as if it was out of the question.
“No job here.”
“It’ll be easier than the dark and complicated underground.”
“Oh, suuure.”
“You just need to choose your own position and fire one shot.”
“I see. If your business is over... Hm?”
One shot?
Chelsea was about to spit, ptooey, ptooey, but stopped and fell into thought. Now that she heard it, it was tempting. She only had to hide, shoot, and come home.
Her head gradually tilted, and then their eyes suddenly met. The vicious but generous employer was staring at her.
“...One shot?”
“One shot.”
His eyes seemed to say, That’s more like it.
***
At first glance, Legion seemed to have various choices.
They could break out to the surface and strike Cilicia from the outside, or force their way through the sealed stations and attack from several places at once.
“If only their collaborators were not outlaws, that is.”
The man sitting beside Kim Yi-hyeon snorted. He was wearing a suit buttoned all the way up under his chin. It was enough to make the viewer feel suffocated.
“We have not yet grasped Legion’s fighting strength, but in the end, they will invade with the outlaws as their main force.”
“Aha.”
Kim Yi-hyeon rested his elbow on the armrest and propped up his chin. He did not bother nitpicking, but there was a lie hidden in the man’s words.
‘They said they roughly figured out Legion’s numbers.’
Reconnaissance drones had filmed traces of a campsite presumed to have been set up by Legion. According to an analyst’s opinion, there were roughly a hundred people.
It was information he had obtained through Bryce. After the platoon leader died in action, Bryce had taken over her work.
‘A hundred. That isn’t many, but... numbers aren’t the problem with those bastards.’
It seemed everyone aside from White Fang somewhat underestimated Legion. Well, since they had not actually seen them, it was only natural.
The man the Council had sent was the same.
“They will strike Metrocity. If they were an army, perhaps, but they cannot conduct a complicated operation with a group of criminals. Leaving ability aside, command itself is impossible.”
It was not wrong. The outlaws were not unified into one. They were not a single large force, but a collection of small groups gathered together.
Legion was serving as their center. By displaying strength, handing them weapons, and giving them the ‘goal’ of returning to the surface.
In other words, they were leading a mob.
If one wanted to use outlaws with a completely broken command structure, one had no choice but to choose a simple operation. They also needed to monitor them so they did not do anything foolish.
“But is it all right to tell me that?”
“Of course. Information should be shared smoothly.”
Kim Yi-hyeon glanced sideways with narrowed eyes. The man was looking straight ahead with a businesslike smile.
This was the Second Division stadium.
The spectator seats were not packed full, but they were quite crowded. Even amid the crowd, one side of the staff seats was quiet because Asterike still had no sponsor.
“I didn’t know you trusted me that much. The transmitter kept bothering me, so I must have misunderstood.”
“If you live as usual, there should be nothing for it to bother you about. Or perhaps you have someone you must meet in secret?”
“I guess I can’t even go to the entertainment district.”
“Haha. You did go, did you not? It did not seem to be for pleasure, however. If you wish to meet acquaintances, it would be best to arrange meetings in busy districts whenever possible. It can cause misunderstandings.”
“What kind of meddling is that?”
Like Bryce once had, the man in the suit was aware of Kim Yi-hyeon’s location information. Even the fact that he had gone to find Chelsea.
“Please think of it as a safety device.”
“It doesn’t feel safe at all....”
“It is a device to protect Cilicia, not you. You survived after being left alone with the ‘Knight’. The other side spared you. Would it not be natural for us to have unnecessary concerns?”
The possibility that Kim Yi-hyeon had been recruited by Legion. Or perhaps that he had some connection to Legion from the beginning......
That was what the Council thought.
“By the way, your friend is incredible.”
When the match ended, the man clapped his hands.
It had been an entertaining match in its own way. An opposing player wearing heat-resistant equipment charged at Asterike like a bull. Asterike dodged this way and that while shaving him down with her Spell and claimed victory.
Even now that she had reached the Second Division, she remained undefeated. Her winning-streak bonus continued to accumulate. At this pace, she would soon be promoted to the First Division.
Her recognition had also risen noticeably. The spectators cheered. However, Asterike’s expression was not especially bright.
‘It’s about time she loses.’
It was gradually becoming difficult for her to crush opponents with her Spell. Even if they were both Pecatum, the gap between Asterike and Snowfield was large.
There was no problem. The fact that Asterike was a powerful and precious card did not change.
“Pay for your ticket before you go.”
“Oh? Are staff not free?”
“Do you know her?”
“Well... Hm.”
The man awkwardly fixed his clothes for no reason.
“As something of a substitute, I will give you information. The mobilization of troops for eliminating the outlaws and Legion has been completed for now. The bounty hunters who gathered will take charge of the front line.”
“How reassuring.”
It meant cannon fodder. If the number of outlaws decreased greatly, bounty hunters would also have no work left. In other words, they would become useless.
From the surface’s perspective, bounty hunters were also dangerous people. They were humans who committed legal murder against outlaws and received money for it.
This operation was also a major cleanup of the underground.
“After that will be the people hired by companies, including Lotus Company. The security force will cover them so that brave citizens are not sacrificed.”
“You really do talk smoothly.”
Still, from the security force’s point of view, it was also a wise decision. How could they entrust their backs to bounty hunters or mercenaries?
“What do you plan to do?”
“What else? There’s no helping it.”
Kim Yi-hyeon rose from his seat.
The match was over, so it was time to go see Asterike. Aside from his thoughts on the match, there was something he had to tell her.
“I have to do my job too.”