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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 10: New Face (1)
Why do humans become undead?
Why do ordinary people—those who aren’t even Awakened—end up as undead?
Why has a full thirty percent of UnderHeaven’s population turned into undead, and why does that number keep rising?
Why does humanity choose to become walking corpses, hiding in a massive graveyard?
Not long ago, four anthropologists gathered to discuss this very question.
The elderly scholar claimed it was for immortality.
The former military commander said it was for war.
The government official asserted it was due to coercion.
And the most renowned of them—a master craftsman who’d been involved in Reaper development since the Cataclysm—had this to say—
“Why don’t you take a guess, Necromancer?”
“......”
“Haha, too tough? Alright, I’ll give you a hint.”
Necromancy and magitech are the keys to humanity’s survival.
The Immortal Reaper Project and Necroshell Technology are, without exaggeration, some of the greatest inventions in human history.
But just as Nobel’s dynamite, created for the advancement of mankind, became a tool for killing…
And just as Vergilius’s teleportation technology, developed for space exploration, led to dimensional rifts…
So too did necromancy and magitech reveal a darker side.
Namely, the phenomenon of people ‘wanting’ to become undead.
A rising societal issue: Postmortem Spontaneous Biotical Rekindling.
“Post-what-now? Are you seriously spouting this kind of bulls—…”
As medical science and technology advanced, the distinction between human and undead became increasingly ambiguous.
Humans began voluntarily removing healthy body parts to replace them with prosthetic enhancements.
Undead, on the other hand, began circulating red blood again.
And as they progressed to sleeping, dreaming, eating, and drinking—mimicking all aspects of everyday life—there was no longer a clear visual distinction between the two.
Faced with this, humanity arrived at a crossroads.
Would you live on as a “normal” human, replacing one or two body parts with machines?
Or…
Would you fully upgrade? Swap your eyes for advanced optics packed with features, replace your spine for enhanced strength, add joints for better flexibility, lengthen your height, your shoulders, your legs, your pelvis—Build on more muscle, enlarge your chest, and supersize your genitals…
“Can you not overdo it for once?”
Baek Ho glared at the man in front of him.
The man gulped hard, then continued.
“Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, human bodies ‘can’ be modified. But compared to the undead, the limitations are pretty clear. Human-grade parts are extremely expensive, and they place a heavy strain on the body, so there’s a strict limit on how many can be implanted. But the undead are different. Thanks to the vessel’s durability, a much wider range of modifications is possible.”
“…So what exactly are you trying to say?”
“Haha. Earlier, I mentioned the anthropologist—former Reaper engineer—who talked about why the number of undead keeps increasing in UnderHeaven. You remember? I’m wondering if you’ve figured out the answer now?”
“How the hell would I kno—”
“Frank knows!”
“Oh! Then please, let’s hear it.”
“To be cuter and hotter!”
“What the hell are you talking about—could you try using your brain for once—”
“Correct! That’s exactly right!”
“......”
“Frank is smart!”
“According to a recent survey, nearly half of all humans who choose to become undead do it for cosmetic reasons. Think about it—if you stay within your humanity allowance, you can have a flawless face and body. Who wouldn’t want that? Especially when most people can’t even tell who’s human and who’s not anymore.”
“But aren’t there drawbacks to becoming undead—”
“C’mon, appearances are the new fashion now. We live in a time where you can change your face like you change clothes. Who wants to be left behind? Haha.”
The man in the gray lab coat and thick goggles was a Techsurgeon—a specialist who modifies the bodies of humans and undead with cybernetic parts, and maintains or repairs Reaper necroshells.
“So what you’re telling me is…”
Baek Ho looked down at the metal operating table next to him.
Frank lay there obediently, hands folded on his chest.
“This face…”
Baek Ho pointed at Frank’s face, then shifted his finger toward the monitor beside the Techsurgeon.
On screen was the face of Cha Eunho, a popular actor whose popularity was skyrocketing lately.
“You’re saying… this is what he’s going to turn into?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Isn’t this less of a surgery and more like building a chimera?”
“Oh no, a chimera? Come on now, we humble surgeons couldn’t possibly attempt something like ‘that’.”
“Ha…”
Baek Ho let out another deep sigh and crossed his arms.
“This is insane…”
Yesterday, he’d received the payment from Sophia.
Technically, it was all supposed to go to the Necromancer overseeing the mission—but Baek Ho wasn’t like that.
He considered Frank a partner, so he split the reward with him.
He’d even boldly declared he wouldn’t interfere with how Frank spent his share.
And now, he was already regretting it.
He never imagined Frank would use it for cosmetic surgery.
“Haha, then shall we proceed as planned?”
“Yes!”
“There’s just one thing. Legally, we still need the administrator’s approval.”
Frank and the Techsurgeon both turned to stare at Baek Ho.
A silent demand for his consent.
With a reluctant nod, Baek Ho gave in. He decided to respect Frank’s choice.
“Perfect! Then let’s schedule the surgery. Since the Necromancer came in person, I’ll offer some flexibility. Let’s say, one week from now?”
“…Sure.”
“Oh, and just so you know—our clinic requires payment up front.”
＊ ＊ ＊
“Guys with big mouths are never right in the head… And he wants ‘that’ much money upfront…?”
The elevator carrying Baek Ho and Frank descended rapidly. Being part of a commercial megabuilding, its walls were lined with digital displays playing ads.
< …Reveal your ‘true’ skin. The SK-RN-5000 Anti-Aging Serum utilizes genetic recoding technology to…
“The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it sounds. You’re really getting a whole new face just to go to an idol concert?”
Baek Ho’s tone was sharp, but Frank said nothing. He just kept grinning stupidly, staring at the post-op render the Techsurgeon had given him.
“Wouldn’t it make more sense to buy another necroshell with that money? Or even get a personalized weapon?”
“Heh.”
“In our situation, you need gear more than a makeover—”
“Looks ‘are’ a weapon.”
Baek Ho clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down before continuing.
“Why that place, though? You already had a clinic you trusted.”
“You want a good result, you go to a real specialist. They’re new, so they offer discounts too.”
“‘That’s’ a discounted price?”
“Yep.”
“…You know, for that kind of money, you could upgrade your ChangeArm. Maybe even get a high-speed spinal implant.”
“Nope. I want ‘this’ face.”
“Why ‘that’ face of all things?”
Baek Ho glanced at the photo Frank was holding. No matter how he looked at it, that handsome, sculpted face didn’t match Frank’s bulky frame ‘at all’.
“It’s trendy now.”
“......”
< Free your soul from the smog! Channel the spirit of ancient warriors through the blade. The ultimate katana uniting past and present—Kakkoigenbu-72!
The elevator doors opened to reveal the shopping district of an ordinary megabuilding. Passing several stores, they entered a narrow hallway that led to a thick metal door.
Sitting in front of it was a Reaper casually handling a pistol.
Sensing their presence, the Reaper stood up.
“Whoa!”
Frank recoiled in shock—the Reaper’s face looked uncannily similar to the one he’d just chosen for his surgery. Baek Ho let out a quiet snort of laughter.
“Guess it really ‘is’ trendy.”
After patting the trembling Frank on the back, Baek Ho addressed the man.
“We’re here to see Holiday.”
“You the Necromancer?”
“Yeah.”
“You can go right in.”
The Reaper placed his hand on the metal door, which slid open with a smooth hiss. Baek Ho left Frank outside and stepped in alone.
The shop was packed with antiques—objects from a distant past collecting dust. Paper books, plastic cups, old currency, mobile phones…
Retro collectors would’ve lost their minds, but Baek Ho couldn’t care less. To him, it was all just useless junk.
Carefully weaving his way through the clutter, Baek Ho eventually spotted an old man seated at a table.
Sharp eyes, a neatly trimmed beard.
Wearing outdated glasses, the man was examining a pile of antiques.
“Holiday.”
At Baek Ho’s voice, the old man shifted his gaze to meet his.
A real eye—no cybernetic implants, just pure protein and collagen.
His sharp gaze gleamed under the light.
“It’s been a while, Necromancer.”
“The guy at the front’s new.”
“Heard the last one turned into a Mad Eater.”
“Tch… figures. Guy was popping way too many pills.”
Baek Ho pulled a gold revolver from inside his coat and set it on the table.
He had taken it from the CEO of Undeadog.
“Another hot item, I see.”
Adjusting his glasses, Holiday inspected the weapon.
“Mmm. A limited-edition release from SoulTech. Custom-built for soul rounds… but because of its flashy appearance, it's considered impractical for real combat.”
“So how much?”
The old man held up one finger. Baek Ho’s brow furrowed.
“That’s all?”
“Because it’s a numbered limited edition, it’s hard to resell. And that’s already a generous offer—because it’s you.”
“Fine. Then add some cash on top and get me a car.”
“Same conditions as last time?”
“Yeah. No GPS, no auto-drive. And it has to be tougher.”
“So, another modified vehicle. Actually, I’ve got just the thing in mind. The price would be about this much—are you okay with that?”
The old man held up five fingers. Baek Ho shook his head.
“That’s too much. I’m way short.”
“As I’ve mentioned before, for you, Necromancer, I can offer interest-free installments.”
“…Let me at least take a look.”
Holiday waved his left hand through the air.
A black, boxy SUV appeared as a hologram.
It looked clunky compared to modern vehicles, and on the grille was a triangular star emblem.
“It’s based on a design by a pre-Cataclysm company called Mercedes. Back then, it was called the G-Wagon and was extremely high-end. The exterior’s kept that classic shape, but everything inside has been modernized. We’ve coated the entire frame and body with high-durability nano-alloy. Standard bullets won’t even scratch it.”
“Ooh… that’s nice.”
“And that’s not all. The vehicle comes with a few additional features…”
By the time Holiday finished his explanation, Baek Ho had gone quiet, lost in thought.
The price was steep—too much to say yes on the spot. But the ride was too tempting to just walk away from.
Maybe he could borrow the money from his sister. Or his aunt.
For either of them, this kind of cash was pocket change. They wouldn’t ask questions—just wire it over if he said the word.
But his pride got in the way.
When he walked out and said he wasn’t going to be a Commander, he’d promised himself he wouldn’t rely on family either.
'No. I can’t fold over just for this kind of money. Using the family name’s influence for this? No way…’
“Holiday.”
“Yes?”
“Give me a discount.”
“No can do.”
“After all we’ve been through?”
“I’m not sure what you mean by ‘we’…”
“I’m from the Baek family. Come on, don’t do me like this.”
＊ ＊ ＊
Rrrrrrrrrumble—
As always, the deafening sound of a train rumbled in through the office window.
Baek Ho lounged on a torn-up sofa, scrolling through his SmartCore.
{Your Fixer license has been upgraded from D to C.}
Baek Ho gave a small nod.
One job, and he’d already moved up a rank.
Money really ‘was’ everything in UnderHeaven.
“Let’s see if there’s any more low-hanging fruit out there…”
Sophia’s request had ultimately been worth it.
Sure, there’d been a few dangerous moments along the way—but stuff like that could’ve happened outside of a contract too.
His mother used to say, “If you want to survive as a member of the Baek family, you’d better be ready for what that means.”
“Frank, what’ve you been mulling over this whole time?”
Baek Ho glanced sideways.
Frank was lying on a mattress, deeply absorbed in choosing between two headshots—Cha Eunho and Timothy Shalladou—both actors known for their ridiculously good looks.
“Trying to decide which face to get. The Reaper from earlier said this style’s trending hard right now.”
“…Forget I asked.”
Baek Ho rolled over and refocused on his SmartCore.
He pulled up the Fixer Association’s site and started browsing public gigs available to C-rankers.
It wasn’t quite the same as having clients show up in person, but the quality was leagues above the D-rank jobs.
Back in D-rank, the jobs were like, “Help me find my lost cat.”
Now they were more like, “Find who killed my cat.”
“Hmm…”
Nothing really stood out.
Just then, someone knocked at the office door.
Knock, knock—
Baek Ho didn’t move.
Frank usually jumped up to answer at times like this.
But today, the guy was glued to his photos, completely motionless—probably already visualizing his new face and trying to perfect a smolder in the mirror of his imagination.
“This idiot…”
Baek Ho sighed and got up to answer the door himself.
He put on a forced smile and swung the door open.
“Welcome to D&F—We do everything but murder—”
He froze mid-sentence.
Standing there was someone he hadn’t expected at all.
“Been well?”
A beautiful woman with no visible mechanical parts.
It was Sophia.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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