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[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 20: Shooting Star (4)
Few hours ago — UH Stadium Performer-Only Restroom.
Edelin Nana was sitting in front of a vanity with a broken mirror.
Her calm eyes and pale face.
With a sorrowful expression, she sang her song quietly.
"A star that shines in the darkness... I hope it's you..."
The shard of glass in her hand fell.
It landed in the pool of blood on the floor, and blood splattered everywhere.
{!Warning!}
{Fatal bleeding detected!}
{Recovery in progress!}
A notification window popped up in front of Nana’s eyes.
The blood running down her hand stopped in an instant, and the wound began to heal.
{The request for deployment has been canceled by the policyholder.}
{We protect our customers’ lives anytime, anywhere.}
{Your second life: LifeGuard Service.}
The waiting room door slammed open.
Bodyguards in combat gear entered and began cleaning the scene.
They wiped the blood off the floor and cleared away the glass shards.
No one gave her a glance as they went about their tasks.
It was the command of Nana's agency president and manager, a necromancer.
Once the staff left, Nana’s manager and coordinator rushed in.
The coordinator cleaned Nana’s hands thoroughly.
The manager sat beside her, letting out a heavy sigh.
"What's going on with you now?"
"......"
"Do you know how many times this has happened this month? If this keeps up, I’ll be dead, too!"
"......"
"Look... I get it. You don’t like how your songs are being used like this. I understand. But what about us? What about our thoughts? Do you really think things will change if you protest like this?"
"......"
"Please, stop. No more messing around with your face and neck. I’m begging you."
The manager pointed at Nana’s eyes with his finger.
The coordinator skillfully fixed her makeup, which had smudged from her tears.
"Anyway, we’re heading to the studio in thirty minutes. Get ready. I’ll send the bodyguards in, so don’t think about doing anything reckless."
"......"
"By the way, the new bodyguard is an ex-executioner. You’ve heard of him, right? A reaper who hunts other reapers."
"......"
"This is your last chance. No one will take your security detail anymore. Who would want to, when you can lose your job with one wrong move and end up with your head on the chopping block?"
"......"
"Damn, who am I even talking to... Get in here already!"
The manager signaled, and a man with long hair walked in.
A scar on his forehead, headphones hanging around his neck.
It was Lee Mujin.
"Nice to meet you."
"Thanks for volunteering. But I can't promise anything. As you can see, our artist is a bit… sensitive."
"It’s fine. Just make sure to pay me well. As long as I get paid, I’ll do anything."
Nana’s eyes shifted sideways, and she looked at Mujin.
‘...Brother?’
A hint of joy appeared in her gaze.
＊ ＊ ＊
Back in the office.
Baek Ho looked at Nana, who was sitting on the torn sofa.
She was chewing her full lips and picking at the nail art on her right hand.
The more he looked at her, the more out of place she seemed in this shabby, cluttered space.
"So..."
Baek Ho pressed his finger to his temple and asked.
"So, you want me to make you disappear?"
"Yes... I want to disappear from UnderHeaven..."
It was a relief that she didn't literally want to be killed.
‘How dare you try to dump this kind of mess on me?’
It was Mujin who had sent Nana to the office.
Baek Ho didn't know what kind of relationship they had, or what kind of deal had been made, but Mujin had told her he would help if she explained her situation.
From Nana's reaction, it seemed he hadn't mentioned the Baek Family at all.
Baek Ho's gaze shifted to Nana's left hand.
It was tucked deep into the pocket of her bomber jacket, and the fabric wasn't puffed up.
Just to confirm, he tried sending a contact info request.
{No target found.}
"It looks like you removed your SmartCore."
"Ah... it's because of the tracking..."
"It must've been hard to remove it. You did a clean job cutting it off..."
Baek Ho leaned back against the desk and crossed his arms.
"I need to ask you something. Why would someone like you, who's loved by the public, want to run away?"
"Run away...?"
"You said you want to disappear. If that's not running away, then what is?"
"Ah..."
"Let me make this clear, if you're trying to deceive me, this is going to get tiresome for both of us."
"I won't do that..."
"Then tell me, why should I help you?"
Nana exhaled slowly, taking her time.
She was debating whether she should share her story, whether it was okay to confide in this necromancer she had just met.
To begin with, the fact that he was a necromancer was the problem.
Weren't necromancers all pretty much the same kind of people?
But to her Baek Ho felt different.
Even after revealing that she was a Reaper, he maintained the same attitude.
He didn't look at her with those lust-filled eyes like others did. His warm appearance...
No, it was his gaze, one that saw her as a person, not just as a tool.
She had met many necromancers, but this was the first time she felt this comfortable.
Nana gathered her thoughts and spoke.
"What do you think is the secret to I_Vu's popularity, Necromancer?"
"...Are you messing with me?"
"I'm not... I’ll show you directly... Just give me a moment."
Nana closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Then, she slowly parted her lips and began to hum.
"Mm~ Mmm~"
Baek Ho furrowed his brow in confusion.
What’s going on all of a sudden?
Despite the unexpected action, his expression was quite serious.
‘Is she like this because she's a Reaper? Seems like she's out of her mind.’
The melody was familiar.
It was probably a song he had heard a few times because of Frank.
“Hmm~ Hmmm~”
As time passed and he began to wonder what was happening, Baek Ho’s heart skipped a beat.
It wasn’t an emotional shift, but a physical sensation.
It felt similar to the sensation of inhaling something deeply or drinking a strong, intoxicating substance.
His mind felt light-headed, and an inexplicable sense of euphoria enveloped his body.
Why... suddenly? Is it because of that humming?
Baek Ho stared at Nana’s face intently.
And then he noticed.
Her heart was glowing with a stronger light than before.
Whoo-om—
Soon after, a vibration ran through the back of Baek Ho’s hand, and a notification popped up in front of his eyes.
{Biometric signal normalized.}
{Physical fatigue is rapidly recovering.}
The biometric display showed that the various readings had returned to normal.
The fatigue from the contract with the Calamity Bird was quickly being healed.
“What is this...?”
As Baek Ho made a sound, Nana stopped humming.
She looked directly at him.
Her lips parted, and with eyes full of worry and doubt, she spoke.
“I’m... an Irregular.”
⋮
Irregular.
Awakened beings who not only manipulate and use magic but also possess unique, special abilities.
⋮
It was similar to how Baek Ho could perceive magical auras.
“I’m sure you felt it... My voice has a special power.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“You’re surprised, aren’t you?”
“A bit? I didn’t expect to see an Irregular in the city.”
“Yeah… Everyone else must be on the battlefield.”
It was impressive that she had managed to hide it this far.
Baek Ho swallowed the words that had almost come out.
“So, is this the reason for I_Vu’s popularity?”
“Yes... If you had come to a concert and heard the live performance, you’d feel really good.”
“Does it work with recorded music too?”
“To some extent…”
Baek Ho glanced to the side.
Frank was lying neatly on the mattress.
He had a peaceful smile on his face, as if he were dreaming.
“I admit you have some impressive abilities. But what does that have to do with you wanting to disappear?”
“......”
Nana hesitated for a moment.
She bit her lip, deep in thought.
Baek Ho waited silently, and then Nana struggled to speak.
“My voice... is being exploited by the White Skull Syndicate…”
White Skull Syndicate again?
“Explain in more detail.”
Nana took a deep breath.
She clenched the crucifix pendant hidden under her clothes with her right hand and began to explain.
“Actually, recently…”
A long explanation followed.
About how her agency’s CEO, along with her manager—a Necromancer—was colluding with the White Skull Syndicate to carry out some kind of crime.
She also revealed what they intended to use her songs for.
“…To put it simply, my abilities are being used to provoke a Vessel and turn the undead into Mad Eaters…”
“Wait.”
Baek Ho interrupted.
“Let me think for a moment.”
He recalled something from a few days ago.
The sound of Nana's song had been echoing from the White Skull Syndicate's Undead production facility.
It was after the wife, whose Vessel was barely fixed by Baek Ho, heard Nana's song that she transformed into a Mad Eater.
Baek Ho pressed his finger to his temple.
An experiment to forcibly turn the Undead into Mad Eaters?
So the failure with that woman wasn't a mistake but intentional?
Why would the White Skull Syndicate be involved in this?
Isn't this a direct challenge to the corporation’s authority?
Baek Ho's questions spiraled in his mind.
It didn’t make sense, and it wasn't something he could solve on his own.
"How did you find out about this?"
"The CEO was drunk and muttered about it... As soon as I heard, I started investigating."
"Hmm..."
"I can't stand to see my voice being used for something like this... If this is left unchecked, eventually..."
"You'd be able to turn even a regular Undead into a Mad Eater."
"Exactly... That's my biggest concern..."
It was just a guess, but if it actually happened, he couldn’t even imagine what kind of chaos it would cause in UnderHeaven.
"How many people know about your abilities?"
"Aside from the CEO and a few close associates, no one else knows... The CEO is a very greedy person... He wouldn't want rumors spreading."
"Right. Because the corporation would come for you."
Baek Ho spoke as he thought it over.
Could the corporation be involved in this horrific plan?
Could the White Skull Syndicate have carried out such an act without anyone’s support?
"So do you know how far along the experiment is?"
"From what I’ve heard, it’s still not complete... They keep asking me for more recordings..."
Baek Ho turned his gaze back to Frank, lying neatly on the mattress.
An experiment that forcibly turns the Undead into Mad Eaters.
What if this progressed to the point where it affected Reapers as well?
He couldn’t just stand by and watch.
"Let's do it."
"Really...?"
Nana's pupils widened in surprise.
To be honest, she hadn’t expected much.
She had come here trusting Mujin’s words, but she had expected Baek Ho to refuse since this was related to the White Skull Syndicate.
After all, facing off against one of the five gangs was too dangerous for a mere Necromancer.
Afterward, she had considered taking the risk and seeking out a renowned necromancer family.
Among them was the Izanami Corporation. The Yagami family, who had been kind to her, might have helped her easily.
"Is there a way...?"
"There is."
"I'm a LifeGuard Diamond member. As long as I don't get hurt, I shouldn't be tracked... But can I really become a dead person?"
There are two ways to make an undead into a dead person.
One is to destroy the Vessel and actually kill it.
The other is to completely remove both the Vessel and the SmartCore, and then implant new ones.
The SmartCore had been removed during the process of escaping from the Stadium, but the real problem was the Vessel.
If the Vessel was tampered with, the nanomissiles in the blood would activate.
Then, the LifeGuard would be called.
Baek Ho knew how to overcome this.
"You just need to go outside."
"Outside? You mean, outside the city?"
"Yeah, outside, the LifeGuard service won’t work there."
"Ah..."
Biometric services that make daily life easier, aside from combat functions, are only available in UnderHeaven.
"But how will I get out...? I'm an S-rank Royal Citizen..."
"Right, you can't even pass the gate or the scans."
"Yeah..."
"Luckily, I know an expert in that field."
Baek Ho tapped his SmartCore and sent a text message to someone.
[Elise.]
As soon as he sent it, a reply came as if waiting for it.
–[Yo! Bro! (•̀ω•́)/]
–[How long has it been! (`Д´)]
Sneaking out of the city was a specialty of the rebels—no, the liberation army.
[Remember the promise we made recently?]
[We need to do it today.]
The promise made in exchange for taking a shock from the stun gun.
–[Tch! Sometimes, can you contact me for personal reasons? ( ｰ̀εｰ́ )]
[No time, let me get to the point. I need to get out of the city.]
–[What?! Baek Ho is leaving? Why?]
[Don’t need to know the reason. I’m going out with an S-rank Royal Citizen.]
–[That’s impossible... (;°Д°)]
–[Our location might be tracked!]
[Is it because of the S-rank? Is that all your ability can handle?]
–[Hey Baek Ho... (≖_≖ )]
–[Is the problem the S-rank? We can easily get an SS-rank out (≖_≖ )]
[Then what’s the problem?]
–[You, of course.]
–[You’re a V-rank, right?^^]
"Ah."
Above S-rank is SS-rank.
And above that, the V-rank, held only by the owners of the Seven Mega Corporations and high-ranking officials of the central government.
These were the people the city defense forces had to protect above all else.
[I'll handle that.]
–[Oh! Really? (⚆₀̑⚆)]
–[Then I’ll ask the boss right away! Wait for me!]
About 10 seconds later, a reply came from Elise.
–[Reservation complete ('◡')/]
–[Come enjoy the outside, full of despair! ('◡')/]
–[Through encounters with various monsters and different species, we’ll offer visitors exciting adventures...]
Baek Ho swiped the hologram away.
"Done. We’ll be able to leave in a few hours."
"Wow... really? You’re so capable..."
"Before we go, there’s something you need to understand."
"Please, tell me."
"Have you ever been outside the city?"
"No..."
Baek Ho pressed his fingers to his temples, then spoke again.
"There's a real chance you could die."
"......"
"Get ready for that."
"...What?"
"No, I mean, prepare yourself."
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[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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