Episode 22 #9 Tangled Relationships (2)
“I’m screwed. Totally screwed.”
I wanted to stay optimistic, but this was beyond messed up. If things had gone according to plan, I could’ve slipped away without anyone noticing.
But everything spiraled out of control. Jeonghosan even found out what I’d done. After scouring the internet for details, I could only smack my forehead in despair.
All because they investigated my disappearance.
Damn it. If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve kept in touch regularly.
━So what’s your plan now? They know you’re behind all this.
At Ray’s words, I shrugged.
“One thing’s certain—I can’t lie here forever.”
━Says the guy who’s been bedridden for three days straight.
“I told you I needed to lay low!”
━But your name hasn’t hit the news. Why the extreme caution?
At first, he knew nothing about this world, but after picking up info from me, he’d become surprisingly knowledgeable. Still half-baked, though.
“It doesn’t matter if they publicly announce a manhunt. The Red Dog Guild’s involved now.”
Of course my story didn’t make the news. Kim Myeongcheol of the Red Dog Guild was infamous for never compromising with criminals.
Even if Jeonghosan kept my name out of headlines, he’d surely reported me to the Awakened Crimes Unit.
The moment I got flagged by the ACU—the Awakened Crimes Unit—I became a fugitive who couldn’t show his face in public.
Especially if that crazy Maltese, Do Chaehee, got my name… Ugh, the thought alone made my skin crawl.
━You can’t hide in this motel forever. Not even with that ridiculous mask.
My eyes shifted to the smiling mask on the table.
I’d bought it the moment I entered this black market—an Artifact with facial recognition disruption. It would be my partner from now on.
━Why that creepy smile design?
“Smiling brings good luck, you know?”
━Bullshit.
“Fine, the real reason is aggro management.”
━Aggro?
“I needed something unforgettable. A mascot-like image burned into everyone’s minds.”
━Why bother?
“My cover’s blown. Time for a new strategy.”
I’d wanted to be a shadowy puppet master, but that ship had sailed. Kang Yishin’s identity was exposed. Everyone I’d wanted to avoid—Seolokjin, the Red Dog, the ACU—now knew me. Cutting all ties was impossible.
So what now?
I couldn’t let them connect me to Kang Yishin… while crafting a new persona. Making it seem like a legendary villain had emerged.
━Is that necessary?
“Yes. I’m planning an enormous scam.”
Everyone knew my abilities, but no one knew I’d acquired Artifacts and awakened new talents.
“I can theoretically wield all types of magical energy.”
━Right. Your body’s wired with every mana circuit.
“Imagine how that looks to others.”
━They’d think you’re a monster.
My mana output was pitifully low, but if I hid that flaw, I could pass as a once-in-a-generation prodigy.
“And this smiling mask will become that prodigy’s symbol.”
━Hmph.
Working under Seolokjin had taught me how to craft an image. They say even a mutt learns poetry after three years at a school. What about someone who’d survived a decade beside the bastard who ruined this country?
“No one fears Kang Yishin, the shame of Babel Academy. But the Smiling Mask? That’ll be different.”
━This is what you came up with while lazing around?
“Yes.”
I bolted upright.
The mana stones and Artifacts I’d sold totaled 800 million won. Enough to do whatever I needed.
With this money, I’d build my own power.
━If you’re weak, train!
“Training won’t fix this. My mana capacity’s too low. A few elemental shots exhaust me. Practicing now is pointless.”
Babel Academy had hammered that lesson into me. You can’t overcome innate talent.
━Must you be so pessimistic?
“I’m speaking from experience.”
I’d only handled those low-tier thugs last time because they were weak.
“At this level, I can’t even touch Seolokjin’s lackeys, let alone him.”
But money could buy anything. Stealing Seolokjin’s gate in the first place had been for funding.
Now the foundation was set. Time to choose the pillars.
━Why do you hate that man so much? What happened in your past life?
I blinked at Ray’s sudden question.
“Since when did you care about me?”
━Like you said—we’re stuck together.
“Well, true.”
Was he growing attached?
━I avoided asking since you seemed reluctant, but curiosity’s eating me.
Unusually human for an Artifact. Then again, with his level of sentience, maybe he wasn’t so different. Fine—if we were partners, he deserved to know.
“You might’ve guessed—I once worked at an illegal gate as a miner. Got completely scammed by that bastard Im Hyeonsu.”
━For money?
“Partly. I was bitter back then. A B-rank Awakener earning peanuts as a miner? When I heard about bigger payouts, I jumped in. Knew it was risky, but thought I’d handle it.”
I realized my mistake within an hour. The gate’s oppressive atmosphere screamed danger.
“It was hell. Guards were heartless trash who trampled lives. No proper sleep or meals. Trapped inside, people collapsed from mana poisoning. Most lasted a week or two. I… wasn’t so lucky.”
As a B-ranker, I’d believed I could resist the poisoning.
━How long?
“A month.”
A month of nightmares.
Watching comrades wither away drove me mad. I attacked the guards once, but my drained body couldn’t fight.
“I wish I’d died there.”
━How’d you escape?
“They released me.”
They’d planned to let me suffer outside. I should’ve realized something was wrong, but my mind was broken. All I wanted was to expose that hell.
“I called the one person I trusted. Didn’t even consider the police.”
━Who? Don’t tell me—
Jeonghosan. My only friend.
“They let me go to lead them to Seolokjin. A twisted game—they knew I’d run to him. Watched me the whole time.”
Seolokjin had a taste for despair. Could brainwash anyone yet craved genuine anguish.
And I delivered.
Seeing Jeonghosan dragged before me—that’s when I understood.
“Seolokjin laid out his plan while I was half-insane.”
He wanted to brainwash me into a suicide bomber. Kill civilians during rush hour.
━Why?
“To make people hate Awakeners. The more hatred, the more support for his anti-Awakeners faction.”
All for his political climb. A true monster.
He chose me because:
“A B-rank Awakener from Babel Academy? Perfect PR. But he hit a snag—his brainwashing didn’t work on me.”
An S-rank passive mental skill—Unyielding Conviction. Useless until then.
But Jeonghosan, a high-tier Awakener, was there.
“Normally, he’d have resisted. But Seolokjin took me hostage. That idiot… he let himself be controlled.”
━Your friend…
“Got branded a terrorist who massacred hundreds.”
Jeonghosan’s name was dragged through mud. His life—meant for saving others, joining the Red Dog Guild for redemption—was destroyed.
“So I’ll become the villain. If everyone hates and suspects me, no one dies for my sake.”
Ray fell silent.
Finally, he asked in a trembling voice:
━That man… wasn’t he your boss? You became his subordinate after what he did?
“Yes.”
I smiled bitterly.
“In my past life, I was trash. Worse than garbage.”
