Chapter 9 :

Episode 9. The Unseen

 

Riiing!

 

The sudden ringing pulled Limon out of his thoughts.

 

He pulled his smartphone out from where it had been buried in the sofa, checked the name [Yu Na-kyung] displayed on the screen, and made a puzzled expression.

 

'What could she possibly be calling me about?'

 

He tilted his head for a moment.

 

Then Limon pressed the call button and answered.

 

[Hello~ Team Leader?]

 

The moment the call connected, a cheerful voice greeted him.

 

In a sense, it was the voice of the Team Member he heard more often than anyone else throughout the year, so Limon answered indifferently.

 

Click!

 

"Yeah, what?"

 

[I have something to tell you. You're at home right now, aren't you?]

 

"I am. Why?"

 

Unfortunately, Limon's attempt to stop her came too late.

 

By the time the call abruptly disconnected, the empty space in front of Limon was already distorting.

 

The moment the distortion disappeared,

 

as though she had dropped straight out of the sky,

 

a woman appeared in front of Limon.

 

[Ah, then that's perfect. I'll come over right now.]

 

"Hiyah! Special Agent Yu Na-kyung, reporting for—!"

 

"......What?"

 

Slip.

 

Limon blinked.

 

It wasn't because he failed to understand what she was trying to say.

 

Quite the opposite.

 

He was flustered precisely because he understood all too well what Yu Na-kyung had meant by that ridiculous line.

 

"......duty?"

 

"Hey, wait!"

 

There was just one problem.

 

Of all possible places, she had appeared directly on top of the pile of comic books Limon had finished reading and tossed aside.

 

The price of attempting the incredibly difficult stunt of striking a dramatic entrance pose atop a tower of books was miserable.

 

Crash!

 

At Limon's cold remark, Yu Na-kyung puffed out her cheeks.

 

"Huh? Kyaa!"

 

"Tch."

 

"Is that really what you say to a subordinate who almost died just now?"

 

"Who told you to Teleport here without warning?"

 

"How was I supposed to know your house was this much of a disaster?!"

 

Watching Yu Na-kyung twist her ankle and topple backward from the collapsing tower of books, Limon clicked his tongue.

 

Then he grabbed her wrist as she flailed around.

 

Thanks to his swift response, Yu Na-kyung dove into Limon's arms instead of smashing the back of her head against the corner of the table, and she let out a sigh of relief.

 

"Phew, I almost died."

 

"Died, my ass. You're a High-level Player in the seventies. You think cracking the back of your head would kill you?"

 

"Players can still die, you know?!"

 

"You're not going to die just because you slipped and hit the back of your head."

 

Limon looked at the indignant Yu Na-kyung as though she were pathetic.

 

She wasn't some beginner player.

 

And yet this airhead, who had managed to twist her ankle because of a botched Teleportation, was supposedly one of the country's foremost Spatial-type Players.

 

For Limon, who remembered an era when even the most talented Witches caused enormous commotions just to achieve a single Teleportation, it was almost unbelievable.

 

'Seriously, these damn Players......'

 

Limon snorted.

 

In truth, the body of a High-level Player above level 70 was practically steel itself.

 

There were differences depending on their stamina-related stats, but even if one of them fell backward, they wouldn't so much as break their nose.

 

They were more likely to smash a stone with the back of their head instead.

 

Limon sighed at the renewed realization of just how much the times had changed, then suddenly remembered something he had forgotten.

 

"Hey, when are you getting off me?"

 

"What?"

 

As if he had just said something utterly incomprehensible,

 

Yu Na-kyung tilted her head for a moment.

 

Then she suddenly blinked.

 

Only after noticing how unusually close Limon's face was, and the arm wrapped around her waist, did her face turn bright red as she hurriedly backed away.

 

"Didn't you come here because you had something to tell me?"

 

"Ah, right. I did."

 

"......"

 

His golden eyes instantly turned cold.

 

"Ahaha, sorry. I got a little flustered."

 

"You're always flustered."

 

"Tch......"

 

"Hey! Why are you looking at me like that? Anyone could forget something after nearly dying!"

 

"That's something to be proud of, idiot."

 

"Don't be so harsh. I came all this way with good news."

 

Yu Na-kyung glared sharply at Limon for his continued lack of consideration.

 

But Limon didn't so much as twitch an eyebrow.

 

He simply sat back down on the sofa and casually asked,

 

Perhaps deciding that since she had no excuse, she might as well brazen it out,

 

Yu Na-kyung put on a shameless expression and spoke confidently, making Limon look puzzled.

 

"So, what happened?"

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Did you somehow get the winning lottery numbers?"

 

"Come on, of course it's better news than that. Besides, lottery tickets? Those have been ruined by prophecy-type Players for ages."

 

"Then what is it?"

 

"Mm, something kind of like winning the lottery."

 

"......Did you come all the way to my house because you deliberately wanted me to hit you?"

 

"Ah, wait! Wait! I'll tell you! I'll tell you, okay?!"

 

Like any organization, the Liberation Brigade's ideals sounded plausible enough when heard on the surface.

 

But among those who had actually encountered the Liberation Brigade, their assessment could generally be summarized in a single word.

 

Seeing Limon curl his fingers into a fist as he pressed her, Yu Na-kyung waved both hands in alarm.

 

As though afraid someone else might overhear,

 

she glanced around and whispered quietly.

 

"You found those psychos' headquarters?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Actually, we found the Liberation Brigade's headquarters."

 

The Liberation Brigade.

 

Despite having the word "Brigade" in its name, the organization naturally had nothing to do with an actual military force.

 

If anything, it was closer to the opposite.

 

An organization that sought to liberate oppressed and exploited Players from the government and create a world where everyone could live freely.

 

That was the Liberation Brigade.

 

Yu Na-kyung agreed without hesitation.

 

After all, considering the Liberation Brigade a bunch of psychos was practically common knowledge.

 

Players already belonged to the highest-income class in modern society.

 

So the idea of "liberating" Players was absurd from the very beginning.

 

The decisive issue was their actual objective.

 

They called it "a world where everyone is free," but if one examined their ideology carefully, it essentially meant creating a world where Players could commit any crime without punishment.

 

Naturally, not only ordinary people but even Players themselves regarded the Liberation Brigade as lunatics.

 

The only exceptions were those who sympathized with their ideology.

 

In other words, criminals or genuine madmen desperate to commit murder, rape, arson, and similar crimes.

 

"How did you find something even the National Intelligence Service couldn't?"

 

From that perspective,

 

Limon's confusion was natural.

 

Since many of its members came from criminal backgrounds, the Liberation Brigade had become fairly skilled at avoiding pursuit and surveillance.

 

Their headquarters in particular had been hidden so thoroughly that no one had ever managed to trace it before.

 

"But why are you telling me about this?"

 

"Why else? I figured this would be a good opportunity for you to get promoted, Team Leader."

 

"Promoted?"

 

Limon blinked as though he had just heard an alien language.

 

Yu Na-kyung passionately began explaining herself to a superior who had spent the past several decades being demoted rather than promoted.

 

"Tsk, tsk! There's always a way."

 

"I'm asking what that way is."

 

"I can't tell you that, but I can guarantee the information is reliable."

 

"Hmm......"

 

"If you wipe out the Liberation Brigade's headquarters, think about how huge an achievement that would be. Not only would your suspension be lifted immediately, a promotion would practically be guaranteed too."

 

Limon watched the triumphant Yu Na-kyung suspiciously for a moment.

 

Then he nodded.

 

She might be a bit of an airhead, but Yu Na-kyung was still an agent of the Player Administration Bureau.

 

If she was confident enough to personally guarantee the information, then it was probably credible to some extent.

 

Her argument did make sense.

 

The Liberation Brigade was a national headache, constantly hiding while committing one insane act after another.

 

The achievement of wiping out their headquarters would certainly not be insignificant.

 

Especially within the PAB, where they were regarded as an eyesore due to the number of vicious High-level Players among their ranks.

 

But Limon did not fall for Yu Na-kyung's sweet talk.

 

He simply asked indifferently,

 

"So what's your real motive?"

 

"There's a bounty on them."

 

"So you want to make some money while we're at it?"

 

"I need to start saving up for marriage eventually too."

 

"Aren't you being a little too honest?"

 

"You wouldn't believe me even if I fed you some pretty excuse, would you?"

 

"Well, that's true."

 

Of course, if they wanted to monopolize the bounty, they would have to wipe out the Liberation Brigade with no outside support, just Limon and Yu Na-kyung alone......

 

'No matter how many bugs like that there are, it'll be easy.'

 

Limon chuckled as he looked at Yu Na-kyung speaking so confidently.

 

Then he folded his arms and considered her proposal.

 

Limon gave a small snort.

 

No matter how many High-level Players they had, they were ultimately just a group of criminals.

 

A disorganized rabble who didn't even know what real war was could never be a match for him, regardless of how many there were.

 

That left only the minor issue that he was currently suspended, but even that wasn't worth worrying about much.

 

If he wiped out the Liberation Brigade, then just as Yu Na-kyung had said, a trivial thing like his suspension would simply be erased.

 

'Hmm, the more I think about it, the less reason there is to refuse.'

 

'It really isn't a bad proposal.'

 

He had no interest in promotions.

 

Through his long years of experience, he already knew that nothing meaningful remained even after receiving one.

 

But the bounty was somewhat tempting.

 

Considering how enormous the bounty on the Liberation Brigade was, he might be able to make a substantial fortune.

 

After organizing his thoughts to some extent,

 

Limon suddenly stiffened.

 

Ssssss.

 

The instant his vision seemed to become stained black,

 

an entirely different image began overlapping Yu Na-kyung's expectant face.

 

"......What the fuck?"

 

"Huh? Why are you suddenly swearing?!"

 

"I'm not swearing at you, so stay still for a second."

 

'Considering what happened with that bastard Seo Yong-chan, it probably isn't an illusion...... but it shouldn't be something physically real either. If it were, Na-kyung wouldn't be sitting there so calmly.'

 

Limon raised one hand first to stop Yu Na-kyung from making any sudden movements.

 

It wasn't merely because this bizarre situation had caught him off guard.

 

He had already experienced this phenomenon, where a person's appearance suddenly looked different, once not long ago.

 

It was exactly the same as with Seo Yong-chan.

 

A black flash suddenly crossed his vision, followed by someone's appearance changing.

 

And only he could see that altered appearance.

 

But because both the person involved and the circumstances were different this time, Limon became seriously lost in thought, unlike when it happened with Seo Yong-chan.

 

'Am I actually going insane and seeing Illusions?'

 

'This really does seem similar to when that bastard Seo Yong-chan looked like he had a bull's head......'

 

If there was one fortunate thing amid the misfortune, unlike Seo Yong-chan, Yu Na-kyung's entire head had not transformed into the head of a bull.

 

Her complexion had merely turned corpse-pale, while her hair appeared to have suddenly grown much longer.

 

The problem was her slender neck.

 

More precisely, the snake sinking its fangs into that neck.

 

If something strange appeared only once, one could simply assume there was something strange about the other person.

 

But if it happened twice?

 

Even Limon had no choice but to begin doubting his own mental state.

 

That was why he didn't immediately draw his sword and cut down the snake.

 

Whether this was an Illusion or not, at the very least, Yu Na-kyung did not seem to be in immediate danger of dying because of that snake.

 

'If this isn't an Illusion......'

 

Like any sensible person,

 

Limon first tried to rule out the possibility that he had simply gone insane.

 

Then he searched for what he considered the most reasonable explanation capable of accounting for the situation.

 

'......Did I suddenly gain the ability to see things other people can't see?'