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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 3: Undeadog (1)
Sophia felt out of place.
The office was already cramped enough.
Baek Ho sat perched on the desk, staring down at her. Frank was slouched on the mattress, his eyes half-lidded and drowsy.
“I’m here to request a job related to Undeadogs.”
At that, Baek Ho and Frank both turned their heads in the same direction.
“What’s she saying about that thing?”
“I’m so sick of it…”
Following their gaze, Sophia tilted her head in confusion.
On the table were some half-packed puppy dolls and a box labeled Undeadog.
“Ohhh, so those dolls are called Undeadogs? I’ve seen a bunch of them on the trains—guess they’re trendy these days?”
Her smile slowly faded as she took in the serious expressions on their faces.
‘They weren’t… joking?’
It really seemed like they had no idea what she meant by Undeadog.
“I was talking about bounty hunters who track down runaway undead. It’s one of the more common jobs fixers take on…”
She recalled that Baek Ho hadn’t been in this line of work for long.
Up until recently, he’d been living comfortably as a Royal-tier citizen, far removed from this world.
He hadn’t fully adjusted to life in the city’s underbelly yet.
“If you’re new to the fixer business, I guess it makes sense you wouldn’t know.”
“Nah, I just got a little mixed up for a sec.”
“She’s right though—we are new.”
Their gazes met awkwardly in the air.
Baek Ho scowled. Frank flared his nostrils.
“Ah… guess I misunderstood.”
Sophia said with a sheepish smile.
She extended her left hand toward Baek Ho.
“Shall we verify the target, then?”
Baek Ho didn’t take her hand right away.
Instead, he flicked a short message to Frank.
[If anything seems off, blow her head off.]
-[Got it.]
Only then did he grasp her hand.
The moment their SmartCores connected, a holographic window flickered into view.
It asked if he wanted to play a Virtual Observer recording.
“Go ahead.”
His vision dimmed—his body felt like it was floating.
＊ ＊ ＊
{Playing video.}
Inside a factory filled with the sound of machines.
A man pulled down his filtration mask and wiped beneath his nose.
The grime on his gloves left a smudge and a harsh, chemical scent lingered—but the man kept smiling.
“Not much longer now…”
He’d managed to snag a pre-order for Undeadog, the toy currently trending with kids.
Infused with man from a necromancer, it was much pricier than a robotic dog.
But when he thought of his daughter, it felt worth every coin.
He pulled a photo from his pocket.
His daughter clung tightly to a stuffed puppy—adorable, like always.
“Hey, Devin.”
A coworker approached and threw an arm around his shoulders.
“Looking at your kid’s picture again?”
“Yeah. No matter how many times I see it… I can’t help it. She makes me happy.”
“Happy or not, if you’re done with your quota, get back inside. You’ve been pushing yourself way too hard lately.”
“I’m fine. Honestly, I feel weirdly full of energy these days.”
“What, proud dad strength or something?”
“Exactly. You should hurry up and meet someone nice too, get married—urk!”
Suddenly, Devin clutched his head and collapsed to his knees.
“Hey! You okay?”
“My head… It hurts. It hurts so much…”
“Damn, did you inhale too much mana dust?! Get upstairs—huh?!”
His coworker recoiled in shock.
“Y-You…”
He pointed at Devin, jaw trembling.
A misty blue vapor was rising from Devin’s body like steam.
“No… no…”
Devin looked down at his hands and shook his head in denial.
“It’s not me… It’s not happening…”
But deep down, he knew exactly what this was.
He’d seen it over and over in videos.
A regular person, suddenly manifesting powers tied to mana—abilities akin to magic.
An Awakening.
“No… No!”
Devin screamed and tried to shake it off, slapping at his body.
But the shimmering blue light didn’t go away.
Instead, it quickly absorbed into him, seeping beneath his skin.
“Tsk, Tsk…”
The workers around him clicked their tongues and looked away.
“What a shame…”
“If he’d awakened as a kid, he could’ve gone to a Awakened Academy…”
“They don’t even test adults for dark mana, right?”
“Yeah… necromancer, my ass. They’ll brand him a Reaper and ship him straight to the front lines.”
“He’ll have all his memories wiped, too…”
The voices reached Devin loud and clear.
Ever since awakening, his senses had been sharper—every word stung like a slap.
He clenched his fists and slammed them into the floor in rage.
Startled, the onlookers backed away from him.
“Why me… Why?!”
As he screamed in fury, his eyes landed on the photo of his daughter lying on the floor.
They were going to erase her from his memory…
He might never see her again.
The thought made his chest tighten painfully.
It made his blood boil.
Then he heard a voice.
It was the same coworker who had greeted him so warmly just moments ago.
“We’ve got an awakened one here… You should come quickly. About the report reward—”
“You bastard!!”
Devin roared, eyes wide, glaring straight at the man.
The coworker gasped and slapped a hand over his mouth.
“D-Devin, it’s for your own—”
“Shut up!!”
He punched the wall beside him.
The metal caved in with a loud crunch, and black fluid burst from the wreckage.
“I’m not dying like this!”
His bloodshot eyes darted around.
He sprang to his feet and bolted—
Hurling himself through a window barred with metal rods.
CRASH!
Shards of glass scattered like snowflakes, revealing a dazzling neon-lit cityscape beyond.
He plummeted, headfirst, through the light-drenched night.
Behind him, on the wall, a holographic ad flickered to life.
-Don’t hide. Don’t run. UnderHeaven needs your power.
A blue-lit figure in the ad awakened, just like Devin had.
-You are humanity’s hero.
＊ ＊ ＊
“So…”
Baek Ho spoke as he ended the video.
“You want me to bring this man in?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“He’s not even undead. He’s just a human.”
“In the industry, we call it an Undeadog case when tracking down runaway Awakened. After all, they’re just future Reapers.”
“…I know.”
Baek Ho stroked his chin before continuing.
“But isn’t this the kind of job the Department of Awakened Affairs should handle? Why hire a fixer?”
“The client for this job is—”
Before Sophia could finish, Frank’s large hand suddenly appeared in front of her, holding a steaming mug.
“Drink.”
“Oh, thank you.”
As she accepted it, a rich, earthy aroma with a hint of something unusual tickled her nose.
“The client this time is Devin’s wife. In other words, she’s not asking you to ‘catch’ him—she wants you to ‘bring him back’.”
“…His wife?”
“Yes.”
“Why? If it’s family, wouldn’t you want him to escape? If he becomes a Reaper, he’ll lose all his memories.”
His tone turned cold.
“Don’t tell me she’s after the government compensation. For someone facing the front lines as a Reaper, no amount of money is worth that.”
Sophia waited for him to finish before answering in a gentle voice.
“When an Awakened refuses to become a Reaper, all records of them are erased. That means they’ll never see their family again. Is that really a better fate?”
“......”
“Memories are important, yes. But are they more precious than relationships?”
The question cut right through Baek Ho’s recent inner turmoil.
Memories vs. Relationships—what mattered more?
To be fair, he wasn’t exactly in a position to be picky.
It had been six months since he’d walked away from the academy and started drifting through the city with Frank.
Several months had passed since they became fixers. And money was running out fast, just like they’d left—empty-handed.
Just then, a message from Frank popped into Baek Ho’s view.
-[Let’s take this one]
[Why.]
-[Devin’s pitiful]
-[Frank has memories and a family thanks to Baek Ho]
-[Devin has neither—won’t have either if this keeps up]
“......”
Instead of replying, Baek Ho looked at Sophia.
“I have a question.”
“Go ahead.”
“What happens to an Awakened who gets caught after running away?”
“It depends on how long they’re gone. If they pass the deadline, not only are their memories wiped, but every record of their past life is erased. If they return before the deadline… aside from being assigned to a particularly rough combat zone, there’s not much else. Their memories are still reset, of course.”
“I see…”
Baek Ho stroked his chin.
Watching him, Sophia was reminded of Commander Baek.
Not just the resemblance in looks—there was something unmistakably similar in their air. The same bloodline, no doubt.
“Alright.”
“…Sorry?”
“I said I’ll do it.”
“You’ve made a good choice. In that case, the contract—”
“Before that, just one more question.”
“Go ahead.”
“Reapers aren’t allowed to work as brokers, are they?”
Sophia paused for a moment.
‘How did he know I’m a Reaper?’
She hadn’t shown her Necroshell. She wasn’t decked out in full combat gear like on the frontlines.
She set the question aside for now. No reason to raise unnecessary alarms by stalling.
“I’m a Free Reaper. So it’s allowed.”
“Oh… Corporate-affiliated, huh? Must’ve been high-value.”
Sophia gave a faint smile.
She was about to return to discussing the contract, but Baek Ho raised his hand and spoke again.
“Second question.”
“You said just one—”
“Why me? If you go upstairs, there are plenty of seasoned fixers with time on their hands.”
Baek Ho was suspicious.
Even if their meeting at the bar was a coincidence, her coming all the way here wasn’t something he could overlook.
Sophia met his sharp gaze with a calm smile.
“I saw you outside the bar. When you took down that wanted man.”
“Ah…”
“And of course, the biggest reason is that you’re a Necromancer who’ll work for a reasonable price.”
Her answer was what he’d expected—and his suspicion eased a little.
“Fair enough.”
“Any more questions?”
“No.”
“Then, here’s the contract.”
A holographic contract appeared between them.
Before reading the text, Baek Ho checked the payment.
“......”
His eyebrow twitched.
Next to him, Frank was quietly counting the zeros. Then he shook his head.
“There’s an extra zero in there.”
“Hm? No, that’s the actual amount.”
“......”
Baek Ho casually ran a hand through his hair, trying to play it cool.
Frank, meanwhile, beamed and threw out a fist toward him.
“Oh! Oho!”
He gave it a shake, waiting for Baek Ho to bump it.
Baek Ho ignored him completely.
{Contract has been signed.}
Along with the notification, a certified document from the Fixers’ Guild was saved to their SmartCore.
Given the size of the payment, completing this job would grant them a major boost in credit score.
That meant a license rank-up—and access to higher-tier jobs.
“Here’s your advance.”
At Sophia’s gesture, a payment notification popped up in front of Baek Ho.
The corners of his mouth twitched.
Judging from the movement in his jaw, he was doing his best not to smile.
“So, shall we head out now? Or since it’s late, tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Got it. Then I’ll see you here again tomorrow.”
Baek Ho tilted his head.
“Wait… why would we meet again tomorrow? Doesn’t a broker’s job end after giving the request?”
“Oh my…”
Sophia smiled softly.
“Didn’t you read the contract? It clearly states I’ll be accompanying you until the job’s done.”
“What kind of nonsense…?”
Baek Ho frowned as the contract Sophia sent floated up in front of him.
A section in the middle zoomed in.
In small print, it read: The broker will accompany the contractor until the assignment is complete.
“You know what happens if you break the contract, right? Your trust score with the Mercenary Guild tanks. Plus, you’ll have to pay a penalty five times the advance.”
“…Yeah, I know.”
“Oh? I didn’t think you did.”
This time, they didn’t even bother looking at each other.
⋯⋯⋯
Later, after Sophia left and it was just the two of them in the office…
Baek Ho tapped the mug on the table with his fingernail.
“Completely played…”
There was definitely an ulterior motive behind her approach.
Something more than just the request.
Could it be because she knew he was part of the Baek family?
No—that wasn’t possible.
He knew exactly how hard the people up top were working to keep him hidden.
“Does she need a necromancer she can keep on a leash? Even if she’s a freelance Reaper, she’d still have restrictions…”
Baek Ho started fiddling with his SmartCore.
He sent someone a message.
[Sending you an item now. Run a check on it.]
He carefully sealed the mug—where Sophia's lips had touched—into a sterile container.
[I want a profile on that Reaper. I need to know who’s managing her.]
In the past six months, Baek Ho had seen and learned a lot.
＊ ＊ ＊
The sky was a deep, crimson red.
It was neither day nor night—an ambiguous time of transition.
Just like humanity, caught between life and death, slowly transforming into something else.
The ground was soaked with blood.
Corpses in military uniforms lay strewn across the field.
Around them, weapons and prosthetic limbs, now ownerless, were scattered about.
But there was something more horrifying than the aftermath of this brutal battle—
The fact that the beasts still roamed among the dead.
They moved like giant wolves, their snouts buried in corpses as they prowled the battlefield.
And then—
< We do not fall.
A low, resolute voice echoed, as a man stepped onto the blood-red field.
Black hair. Black eyes.
A black coat fluttering in the wind, worn over a decorated commander's uniform heavy with medals.
It was Commander Baek.
< We do not lose.
At his appearance, the beasts let out threatening shrieks.
Their facial muscles twisted grotesquely as they bared their long, razor-sharp fangs.
Even as dozens of monstrous creatures glared at him with murderous intent, Commander Baek did not flinch.
Perhaps enraged by his composure, the beasts roared in unison and charged.
They trampled over corpses, rushing down the crimson field with fury.
Right in the center of the incoming bloodlust, Commander Baek slowly raised both arms.
A black mist burst forth from his body like a storm.
Swaaaa—!
Dark energy swept across the red earth, choking the breath out of the beasts, wrapping the trampled corpses in shadow.
Crack—Snap—
The dead began to twitch.
Split wounds fused together.
Severed limbs reattached themselves to the right bodies.
They stood.
Shattered prosthetics reassembled and fallen weapons returned to the hands of the dead.
WAAAAAH—!
A thunderous roar erupted from the revived soldiers, shaking the battlefield.
< We are waiting for you.
With Commander Baek’s voice, the Immortal Army charged into the fray against the beasts.
Those who held swords swung them.
Those who held guns squeezed their triggers without pause.
And above the soldiers’ heads, black shadows zipped past—
Twelve Reapers in black coats.
They tore through the beasts like they were nothing.
The monsters, once thought invincible, were cleaved in half and exploded in bursts of gore.
Before long, not a single creature remained standing on the blood-soaked field.
< We will prevail.
Commander Baek reached down and picked up a soldier’s severed head.
The rest of the body had already been devoured by a beast.
< Commander...
The head whimpered softly.
< Did... did we win?
< Yeah. Thanks to you.
< Ah...
< You did good. I’ll see to it your body’s remade.
A single tear rolled down the head’s cheek.
Tucking it under his arm, Commander Baek began ascending the field.
Twelve Reapers, each distinct in appearance, followed behind him.
Some tried to conceal their faces; others made a point of showing them.
When Baek reached the top of the hill, the crimson sky shifted to blue, and a glowing holographic message lit up across the horizon.
-Pick up your weapon for your family.
-You too can be a hero.
“Hey! That’s me!”
A silver-haired man shot up from his seat, clapping excitedly and pointing at a corner of the massive screen.
Only half his face was visible, blocked by cheering soldiers.
“Damn... my face looks puffy.”
The man was at the Portal Station—a normally quiet transit hub, until someone else finally arrived.
“Let’s go.”
Commander Baek walked past him without stopping.
The man hurried to follow, bouncing alongside him.
“So… Do those ads really help increase enlistment numbers?”
“They say it works. Guess we have to believe them.”
They walked through the lounge toward the exit.
Halfway there, the silver-haired man seemed to remember something.
“What about Miss Sophia?”
“I gave her time off.”
“Wait—she agreed? No way.”
From the start, Baek had planned to leave Sophia behind in the city.
Even if just briefly, he’d wanted her close to Baek Ho.
She refused at first—but eventually, she changed her mind.
“She saw Baek Ho in person. That changed everything.”
“What, love at first sight? He’s what, mid-20s? That age gap is wild. I know Reapers don’t age, but still—manners exist—”
“Shut up.”
They stepped out of the Portal Station.
Before them stretched a massive landing zone, and towering beyond that—a vast, unending wall of grey.
A gaping tunnel cut through its center, only the minimum lights glowing to mark the path forward.
Vrrrrrm—
A black mid-size hovercar appeared overhead.
Looking up at the glowing blue exhaust, the man muttered.
“Well, I guess Baek Ho’s protection is solid now. You must feel relieved.”
“Protection? That’s not what this is.”
“Huh? Then why’d you send Sophia?”
To that, Commander Baek finally looked back.
His eyes fixed on UnderHeaven, the radiant city glowing in the darkness.
The last bastion of humanity—guarded by countless necromancers, and even more Reapers, all staking their lives to protect it.
“I told her to show Baek Ho the truth.”
“...The truth?”
“He needs to see it. Just how noble the dream he gave up really was.”
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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