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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 179: Ghosts (2)
A faint mist blanketed the streets that day.
Because of it, the glow of the streetlights blurred faintly, adding to the somber atmosphere.
‘If I slip up, I’ll lose him.’
Slipping into an alleyway, Oscar began tailing Joe Madison from a distance.
“Ghost spotted on 23rd Street. I repeat, ghost spotted on 23rd Street.”
He held the communication crystal close to his lips, repeating the message.
Even as he spoke, his eyes and steps remained fixed on Joe Madison’s trail.
The code word ‘ghost’ clearly referred to the target.
If he transmitted the message like this, every watcher in the area would swarm in like hornets.
‘...But why is the response so slow?’
He tapped the device in his ear impatiently.
After a brief delay, a response finally came through.
[12th Street... Bzzz... all clear.]
[crackle... 7th Street is also... no signs of... activity.]
What?
Did they not hear him?
Oscar narrowed his eyes, glancing at the crystal.
The inside was now murky red—a stark contrast to the clear blue it had been before.
[Today... Bzzz... the ghost is late...]
[Perhaps... the investigation is closing in... and they got spooked... or maybe not?]
‘This is...’
It was the same message he had already heard back at the tavern.
That’s when Oscar realized the communication crystal had been compromised.
‘Damn hacking.’
As with most magic-based communication, the biggest vulnerability was the channel source override.
Once that was breached, it was easy to fall into a situation like this.
‘This is why I can’t trust machines.’
Thwack!
Oscar yanked the device from his ear and tossed both it and the crystal into a back-alley trash bin.
Had he used direct message magic instead, he would have sensed the interference immediately.
But magic engineering tools, for all their convenience, were far too slow at detecting tampering.
“...!”
Just then, Joe Madison, who had been loitering through the alleys, suddenly took off running.
As if determined to give Oscar no time to hesitate.
‘Tch.’
Clicking his tongue sharply, Oscar swiftly drew upon his magic.
『Messenger of the Wind』
A small bird, carrying a message that he was pursuing the ghost, took flight into the night sky.
The recipient was Commander Grace, who would surely dispatch reinforcements.
‘And as for me—I’ll catch that bastard.’
Oscar’s silhouette melted into the thickening mist.
* * *
“What the hell is going on...?!”
At the White Watcher Headquarters, Commander Grace scowled.
“How long until the magic communication channel is restored?”
“Estimated time is about seven minutes.”
The White Watchers had acted swiftly against the sudden interference, but their opponent was one step ahead.
‘Whoever did this isn’t a first-timer. Who the hell is it?’
A deep crease formed between Grace’s brows.
Up until now, it had seemed like nothing more than a ghost hunt—mere superstition.
But this?
This was a blatant act of terrorism.
Someone was deliberately obstructing them with clear malice.
“Start evacuating the citizens immediately. Once the communication channel is restored—”
Just then, a bird pecked at the window.
“...Messenger of the Wind?”
Grace, startled, opened the window.
The bird opened its beak and cried out.
“This is 23rd Street! Ghost spotted and being pursued! Requesting backup! Requesting backup!”
“...!”
The Watchers’ eyes widened in shock.
But Grace was the first to react, sharp and decisive.
“Who’s stationed at 23rd Street?”
“U-uh... It’s Oscar Crucian today.”
“What?!”
Oscar Crucian?
A bad feeling crawled up Grace’s spine.
“Trace Oscar Crucian’s current location. Now.”
“Y-yes, mam.”
The Watcher with the most advanced magic detection capabilities ran a quick scan.
His face paled instantly.
“...What is it?”
“T-there are too many traces.”
“Too many? What the hell are you talking about?”
“...It’s a decoy. There are already seven separate trails of Oscar’s magic detected.”
Magic channel hacking and magic decoy tactics?
Grace’s eyes grew cold.
‘Could it be... that their target was Oscar Crucian from the very beginning?’
Still, realizing it now was better than never.
If they centered their search around 23rd Street, they could still catch his trail.
Grace was about to issue an order when another subordinate burst into the room.
“C-commander! It’s an emergency!”
“Now what?!”
“Civilians across the city are rioting! They’ve become extremely aggressive—and the violence is spreading rapidly!”
Citizens turning aggressive and rioting?
At that moment, one place flashed through Grace’s mind: Saint Hill.
‘No way...’
As a Dark Tracker, Grace knew all too well about the horrors of Saint Hill.
The NewTech syndicate and the Black Fingers had conducted horrifying human experiments there,
using the Seed—a device that turned people into mindless berserkers.
They targeted orphans and vagrants as test subjects.
‘If that same experiment is unfolding in Sirin...’
Grace’s face grew more urgent than ever.
At this point, the ghost didn’t matter anymore.
“From now on, this situation is classified as Code Black. Contact the Magic Tower immediately and request as many mages as they can spare!”
“C-Code Black?”
That was the alert level issued only during mass-casualty terrorist attacks.
As the Sentinels hesitated, Grace bellowed.
“What are you doing! We’re moving to the scene as well! Restrain and isolate any rioting citizens!”
“B-But what about 23rd Street?”
A flicker of hesitation crossed Grace’s face for a brief moment before she responded.
“…Send ten White Sentinels to 23rd Street to track Oscar’s trail.”
For now, that was the best judgment she could make.
* * *
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Splash, splash.
Oscar grimaced.
‘I can’t believe I’m back here again.’
The place Joe Madison fled to hide was none other than the underground sewer.
Following him down into the sewers, Oscar cast a brief glance behind him, a trace of concern in his eyes.
‘This could break the trail… but they’ll find it.’
Since he had sent the Messenger of the Wind, all the White Sentinels would be deployed to 23rd Street.
The trail might be tricky to follow, but with that many people, they were bound to find it.
Oscar turned his gaze forward once more, watching the back of Joe Madison as he ran ahead at a steady distance.
‘At least, that guy is definitely human.’
He was sure of it for a simple reason.
If Joe had truly been a ghost, he wouldn’t have bothered lifting the manhole cover to descend.
He would’ve just slipped right through the ground.
‘And his goal… it seems to be me.’
From the beginning, Joe had been intentionally erasing his tracks and choosing routes designed to mislead and confuse.
In other words, he wanted to delay the White Sentinels’ pursuit as much as possible.
Oscar’s gaze grew cold and sharp.
‘If he’s making it this obvious just to lure me in…’
He was most likely part of Black Finger.
Just as Oscar was contemplating how long he should humor this farce, Joe Madison began climbing a ladder to the surface.
After giving him a slight head start, Oscar followed and emerged above ground, frowning.
‘This place is…’
Abandoned, half-constructed buildings lined both sides of the street.
If he remembered correctly, this area had been designated for a new residential district about seventy years ago.
However, the construction company went bankrupt, the investors backed out, and the project was abandoned—leaving this as the outskirts of Sirin, a desolate and forsaken place.
“You followed me all the way here? How diligent.”
Joe Madison, having successfully lured Oscar, slowly turned around with a smug expression.
Oscar stared at him blankly, prompting Joe to raise an eyebrow in surprise.
“What, you’re not even a little startled?”
“Should I be?”
“I mean… I haven’t spoken a word in the past week, you know?”
“I already knew you were human.”
Oscar stretched casually, his tone indifferent.
“You’re with Black Finger, right?”
“Hmm…”
Joe Madison smirked faintly.
Though his lips curved upward, something in his eyes showed clear displeasure.
“Just as dull as they said you’d be.”
“‘They’? Who—”
Sensing someone’s presence, Oscar cut himself off and subtly turned his head.
From the shadows of a building’s first floor, a man in a tattered suit slowly emerged.
Fortunately, Oscar recognized him.
“Ah, peppermint scent?”
“Long time no see. The last time we met was with the Archbishop, wasn’t it?”
Neil Brion.
So even after Newtech had been dismantled, this rat had survived.
Neil shook his head slightly as he regarded Oscar.
“What a shame. I distinctly recall saying we should meet under better circumstances next time.”
“How is that my fault? It’s yours.”
“……”
Neil stared at him briefly, then spoke with a sinister edge.
“I should have killed you sooner. Turns out you’re annoyingly hard to put down. But today will be different.”
“Hmm.”
Oscar glanced at the two of them and let out a dry chuckle.
“What, you two plan to kill me?”
“You think we can’t?”
“Yeah. Seems a bit out of your league.”
Feigning disinterest, Oscar used the idle chatter to quickly assess their abilities.
‘Neil Brion is level 5. Considering he was Newtech’s executive director, he was likely more of a strategist than a fighter.’
In contrast, the ghost-like figure was level 6.
‘So he’s the muscle. Judging by their presence, these two are the only ones here.’
Oscar’s gaze narrowed.
‘Then was it the ghost who hacked the magic communication channel? Peppermint scent wouldn’t have the skills for that.’
But if that were the case, the ghost’s skill set seemed strangely broad.
‘Luring me in with a disguise while simultaneously hacking the magic communication channel?’
That wasn’t something an ordinary talent could pull off.
Sensing Oscar’s suspicion, the ghost smirked.
“I’m a man of many talents.”
“...Your name?”
“Dirje.”
As he ran his hand across his face, Joe Madison’s features vanished, revealing an entirely different countenance.
“The Faceless Assassin, Dirje.”
It was an unfamiliar name.
Oscar slowly nodded and asked calmly.
“Where do you rank in Black Finger’s hierarchy?”
“Me? Hmm. If we’re talking about a direct fight… I’d be in the top ten, at least.”
“And if we’re talking about a sneaky fight?”
“Heh. No less than the top five.”
Oscar couldn’t fully trust his words.
However, based on the confidence in his voice, it was clear that Dirje was indeed one of the more powerful members of Black Finger.
‘A level 6 assassin ranking only in the top ten?’
It was difficult to create a hierarchy among level 6 individuals.
What was more concerning was Dirje’s implication that, even with underhanded tactics, he wouldn’t be able to beat more than three people.
‘That means there are at least three people stronger than him—level 7 or higher.’
As Oscar pieced this together, Neil Brion interrupted, clearly annoyed.
“Stop talking nonsense, Dirje.”
“What’s the harm? The dead can’t talk, after all.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Dirje summoned his mana.
“Let’s see… This one’s called… Vix the Heartseeker.”
Clench!
Gripping a conjured spear of darkness, Dirje assumed the stance of a trained spearman.
‘…An assassin using a spear?’
A warrior could be judged by their form alone.
Oscar could tell at a glance—the man had trained in spear techniques for at least ten years.
“Let’s start off light with this one.”
In an instant, Dirje’s figure vanished before Oscar’s eyes.
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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