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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 5: Undeadog (3)
Baek Ho walked into the parking lot, still on the phone.
“I’ll let you know the time and place later. Yeah, thanks, Elise.”
Sophia quietly watched as he approached the car.
He hadn’t said why he’d gone back upstairs, but judging from the missing Undeadog plush, it seemed he’d given it to the daughter as a gift.
'He’s all rough on the outside, but more thoughtful than he looks. Not the kind of person you’d expect to be a Necromancer.’
Thunk—
As soon as Baek Ho got in the car, he frowned at Sophia.
“What? Do I have something on my face?”
“Ketchup.”
Sophia smiled faintly and pointed at the red smear on his cheek.
But the smile didn’t last long.
“…This is blood, isn’t it?”
“Ah, yeah. I shot a few gang members on the way down. They suddenly picked a fight.”
“Ah… I should’ve gone with you…”
“Forget it. I can take care of myself.”
“That’s not the point. You’re a Necromancer—you have to be more cautious. You can’t just come back from the dead like the rest of us, and even your body mods have restrictions. And let’s be honest, most Necromancers these days aren’t exactly fighters. At best, you’re like civilians who happened to learn a bit of ‘magic’.”
“......”
“Don’t go anywhere alone again. Understood?”
“…Yeah.”
Baek Ho tilted his head and gripped the steering wheel.
“You’re being a bit harsh, don’t you think?”
“I’m just concerned.”
“Why would you be concerned about me?”
“That’s because…”
She paused.
‘Because you’re the Commander’s son?’
As Sophia searched for an excuse, Frank suddenly poked his head between the front seats.
“Because she likes you.”
“Huh? That’s nonsen—”
“Now hurry up and play ‘Because I Like You’ by I_Vu.”
Baek Ho shoved Frank’s face back and started the car.
The vintage engine roared, showing off its age.
“I_Vu! I_Vu!”
Frank banged on the ceiling, yelling.
When Baek Ho pressed a switch by the wheel, Frank jerked his head back in surprise.
From beyond the firmly shut window came his muffled cry.
'I almost got decapitated!'
“Seatbelt.”
“Where to? The address on that paper?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm… If it were me, I’d stake out Devin’s house. He seemed to love his daughter deeply—he’d stop by at least once.”
“Makes sense.”
“I bet the Department of Special Identity Control agent had the same idea. Probably keeping an eye on the daughter while at it. If you’re still unsure, you could check the last place Devin was caught on cam—”
Before she could finish, Baek Ho pressed a switch on the wheel.
A cheerful pop song started playing through the speakers.
< Rustle Rustle~ ♬
The clear, jewel-like voice of I_Vu made Sophia fall silent.
Annoyed that her train of thought had been cut off, she shot Baek Ho a side-eye.
“Didn’t know you were into I_Vu.”
“Sort of. By the way, Frank and I wear the same underwear.”
“Good lord…”
< Slice slice~ ♬
As Baek Ho firmly stepped on the accelerator, he continued.
“And the house is not good. It’ll only bring the family more pain.”
“…I wasn’t thinking.”
< I’ll store you in the freezer~ ♬
“So about that underwear…”
“You want one too? I’ve got extras in the trunk.”
“No, thank you.”
< Store you forever~ Because I like you~ ♬
“Anyway, just trust me and stick close. I’ve got pretty good instincts.”
＊ ＊ ＊
The address on the slip led to a roadside general store.
Beneath a blinking neon sign, a crowd had gathered, and a woman who appeared to be a store employee was frantically trying to handle them.
“What the hell are you talking about?!”
A man whose jaw had transformed into a chunk of metal shouted at her.
The surrounding customers weren’t any quieter—they all raised their voices in protest.
Today was supposed to be Undeadog pickup day, so where the hell were the goods?
“Oh, come on!”
Grabbing her forehead in frustration, the woman snapped back.
“I told you—I don’t know! And the boss doesn’t know either! The factory stopped the shipment, okay? If you’ve got a problem, take it up with ‘them’!”
＊ ＊ ＊
The car’s audio system was playing the news.
< Market shares among prosthetics manufacturers are shifting dramatically. A defect has been discovered in exclusive gear for high-grade Reapers produced by Hades Corporation…
Vroooom—
Baek Ho’s car exited the residential zone and entered the manufacturing district.
The farther they got from the city center, the more low-rise buildings they passed, and the air grew thick with a smoky, chemical stench.
< …Following the recent terrorist attack by rebel forces, the government convened an emergency session to discuss countermeasures. The strike targeted key urban infrastructure…
Scenes blurred past outside the window—a mega-building under reconstruction, a temple belonging to a neon-sign-worshipping cult, and even a half-collapsed mall once built for the Undead.
< With less than six months until the election for Supreme Commander, the military records of Commander Baek and Commander Masamune…
They finally arrived at their destination after passing a massive crematorium shaped like a furnace.
“You really never use auto-drive?”
At Sophia’s question, Baek Ho replied flatly.
“My ex died in a car hacking incident.”
“…Ah—I didn’t mean to bring up something so—”
“It’s fine. She was an Academy student, so she got turned into a Reaper right away.”
After parking, they stepped out of the car.
Stretching a bit, Baek Ho found his thoughts drifting to the past.
After the accident—he still remembered exactly what she said when they met again.
‘Do I... know you?’
Raising his collar against the wind, Baek Ho looked up.
Before him stood three gray buildings—a cluster of supply-related companies tied to UnderHeaven.
Though not as tall as residential or commercial towers, the wide sprawl gave the buildings a certain gravity.
“Smaller than I expected.”
“Well, they’re not a megacorp.”
Sophia came to stand beside him.
“The businesses here don’t even count as ‘companies’ in the real sense. No matter how clever or skilled they are, they don’t even reach a megacorp’s ankles. Especially compared to the Big Seven…”
‘Talks a lot, doesn’t she…’
Baek Ho tuned her out as he opened a SmartCore interface in front of him.
He contacted the Undeadog manufacturer.
Thanks to a recent side gig infusing dark mana into plushies, it was easy to get in touch.
[Let me meet your boss.]
＊ ＊ ＊
The CEO of the Undeadog manufacturing company was a hefty man.
A prosthetic arm forged from gold, a red gem in place of an eyeball.
Luxury brands draped across his body.
Just from appearance alone, it was clear he’d been raking in money lately.
‘Ooh... that’s an Artifact?’
Baek Ho clicked his tongue in admiration as he eyed the revolver holstered at the man’s waist.
The brand logo engraved on the grip was especially tempting.
“Wow, what an honor to meet you.”
His smile was forced.
His eyes kept darting toward the office door.
His voice lacked even a hint of sincerity.
“Um, if you signed a contract a couple weeks back—Wait… Yes! I remember now! You were the guy fumbling with the box assembly, right?”
“......”
“Kidding, kidding~ Just having a little fun. So! What brings you here today? If it’s about payment, should I have the legal team join us?”
“It’s not that—it’s about a delivery request…”
“Ah, right! You do fixer work too, don’t you? Tell me what you need. How can I help?”
“The dolls that were supposed to be sent to Zone 29, Building A8—they never arrived…”
“Hold on. I’ll check that for you right now.”
The CEO wiggled his left fingers in the air, accessing a digital interface only he could see.
“Let’s see… 29… A8… Hmm? That’s a worker housing district, isn’t it? Come on, how could our Undeadogs end up there? Maybe a knockoff.”
“…Knockoff?”
“Yeah, there are a bunch of places these days selling plain robots—no dark mana at all—and passing them off as Undeadogs. Little punks. I should sue every last one of ’em.”
He scowled and shook his head.
“There are even places handing out some cheap slips of paper and calling it a ‘reservation certificate.’ Ridiculous. Why would anyone believe in that kind of worthless scrap without even a proper data signature?”
Baek Ho slowly put the reservation slip back into his pocket.
“…Yeah. It ‘did’ feel like a scam.”
“Right? Guys like us can tell at a glance. Trying to commit fraud using precious dark mana from Necromancers… Honestly, they all deserve to be turned into Undead themselves. Don’t you agree?”
Baek Ho left the CEO’s office, having gained nothing.
Outside, Frank and Sophia were sitting on a wide couch, sipping coffee.
“This aroma’s nice.”
“Frank can’t really tell the difference.”
They waved when they noticed Baek Ho coming out.
“How’d the chat go?”
“Why’d you come out so fast? Did it go south?”
“…Let’s go.”
Baek Ho quickened his pace, brushing past the others.
What do I even say to Sophia?’
He’d been the one who told her to trust him—loudly, even. Now look.
Still, coming here hadn’t been a bad idea.
A warrant had been issued for Devin.
As a fugitive, he wouldn't be able to last long in the city, so he would definitely try to get out.
‘Would he really just leave like that?’
The Devin Baek Ho knew… he was a father who loved his daughter deeply. If he left now, there was a real chance they’d never see each other again.
‘Wouldn't he want to at least take care of her birthday? If so, the most obvious gift he’d want to give her would be… an Undeadog. But with things as they are, the only way to get one would be theft. But he’s not that kind of guy. He wouldn’t just take something from someone else. He’d also avoid commercial districts crawling with surveillance cams.’
He thought there was only one option left.
A means that wouldn't make him feel guilty since he would be purchasing it with his own money.
Either come to the manufacturing plant or ambush a transport truck heading from the manufacturing plant to a storefront.
‘I was going to try to borrow a truck….’’
His expectations were wrong from the start.
Turned out, the shop owner had scammed him.
And the more Baek Ho thought about that, the more certain he felt—
Devin wouldn’t be coming here after all.
“Sigh…”
Just then, Sophia stepped up beside him.
“Things not going so well?”
“......”
“In that case… May I take the lead from here? We’re running out of time.”
Was he really going to cave in and go along with Sophia’s plan?
Let himself get dragged around by some shady broker?
Be the powerless Fixer who couldn’t handle things on his own?
“…Fine. You take point.”
There was no room left for pride.
The longer they stalled, the likelier they’d lose Devin for good.
People mattered more than ego.
“Smart choice.”
“Yeah.”
As Baek Ho trudged toward the elevator—
Bang!
The office door burst open behind them.
The CEO stormed out, panting hard.
He sprinted right past Baek Ho’s group, barking into a comm device.
“Shoot him! Just kill him! If this gets worse, you’re taking the fall!”
Baek Ho’s eyes narrowed as he watched the man disappear downstairs.
‘Kill him? Get worse? Don’t tell me there’s an intruder in the factory… Could it be… Devin?’
Baek Ho thought.
“Hey!”
He called out to the CEO.
He was close enough to hear, but didn’t even glance back.
Baek Ho broke into a run.
“D! Where are you going?!”
“Gotta take a massive dump!”
⋯⋯⋯
Moments later—
Baek Ho descended the stairs and arrived at the production floor, where the Undeadogs were made.
Unlike the clean upper levels, this place reeked of oil and smoke.
The constant clanging and grinding of machines gave him a pounding headache.
It felt like stepping inside the guts of an old, rusted robot.
{! WARNING !}
{Spell Smog Detected}
“Shit…”
He pulled a square chip from his inner pocket and placed it on the bridge of his nose.
As he infused it with dark mana, it expanded into a full filtration mask, covering his nose and jaw.
He scanned the area.
Toward the back, between rows of machines, he spotted the CEO wearing a gas mask.
He had his revolver aimed at someone—and then, he fired.
Bang!
‘Don’t tell me that was Devin!’
Baek Ho rushed toward the scene.
The CEO hadn’t noticed him yet, so he carefully peered over the man’s shoulder—
“What the hell is this…?”
The floor was covered in blood.
Scattered across it were people wearing nothing but their underwear.
One had died from a gunshot.
Three others looked like they’d been mauled to death by something.
The rest were still breathing—barely—gasping for air.
“Snap out of it!”
The CEO slammed the butt of his revolver into the man’s head.
His gas mask twisted sideways from the impact, but the long-haired man, with a scar on his forehead, calmly adjusted it back into place.
“Apologies, sir.”
“You’re a Reaper and you can’t even handle one damn undead?”
“Can’t move right in this smog. If we mess up, the whole place could blow up.”
“Which is why I told you to kill it ‘before’ that happens!”
“Sigh… How’re three guys supposed to manage that many people? And in their condition, there's no way to spot early-stage symptoms. Look.”
The scarred man raised his hand and pointed to a corner.
Several people, clad only in underwear, were crouched down and trembling violently.
“You still think those look like people?”
Baek Ho, having just noticed them, scowled deeply.
Their bodies were gaunt, ribcages jutting out beneath withered skin.
Crude machine parts were jammed into them like cheap afterthoughts.
They looked more like corpses than living beings.
“People? Since when are undead considered people? And watch your mouth! Do you know how much I’m paying y—”
The CEO trailed off mid-sentence, his eyes shifting.
He’d spotted Baek Ho walking toward the undead.
“…Why are you here, Sir Necromancer?”
Ignoring him, Baek Ho approached the undead.
They looked up at him, trembling.
Bloodshot eyes. Blackened veins crawling across their faces.
The mana poisoning was so advanced, they could turn into Mad Eaters at any moment—true undead driven by a frenzy to devour human flesh.
“......”
Baek Ho grimaced and scanned the surroundings.
The smog was so thick it made his vision flicker like a glitched display.
‘They were being worked here without even masks?’
It was no different from pushing them toward death.
“What is going on here?”
The CEO loomed behind Baek Ho, fingers brushing over the grip of his revolver.
Baek Ho wasn’t one of the undead—he was human. That meant the CEO could shoot him.
He knew there’d be consequences. He just didn’t care.
“You’re worse than a dog…”
Baek Ho muttered, turning slowly.
His eyes were cold, his gaze sharp.
“Worse than a dog? Bit harsh, isn’t it?”
The CEO didn’t back down and met his stare.
Just a two-bit necromancer doing odd jobs—hardly someone to be afraid of.
If things went south, he was ready to put a bullet in his head. Money could handle the cleanup.
“Why don’t you mind your own business? You stick your nose in too deep, you might—”
“Me?”
Baek Ho cut in, stepping forward.
“I’m not the nosy type.”
“Great. Then get the hell out.”
The CEO gestured toward the door with a wide sweep of both arms.
Baek Ho didn’t move. He kept speaking, calm but firm.
“But the thing is… I can’t just walk past bullshit like this. Call it a personal flaw.”
“Tch… So what now? You're gonna kill a human—me—for the sake of a bunch of corpses?”
The CEO’s golden prosthetic hand twitched—like a venomous snake slowly baring its fangs.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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