Chapter 48 – Secret Talk

“To think they can’t even decide on a single menu item on their own.”

Se-min shook his head as he hung up the call with Jang Geon.

He thought Black Mark Raiders would be a bit different, but they were asking for a lunch menu at most.

Since he had already heavily eaten pork bone hangover soup, he had no lingering attachment to food. So he just answered haphazardly.

However, after a little time passed, a message appeared on his cell phone.

The content stated that he had been invited to a group chat room of a messenger application.

There were already five people in it. The list of chat participants was grand. Starting from Seol Mu-jin, all Black Mark Raiders, including Big Brother Ryu Gwan-cheol, were gathered.

Se-min posted a greeting for now.

Lee Se-min: Nice to meet you. The reason you suddenly invited me is…?

Jang Geon: Se-min, your promotion to Black Mark Raider has been decided. Congratulations.

Jang Geon: (Emoticon)

Jang Geon: (Emoticon)

Seeing him, who had short military hair and sharp facial lines, abuse cute emoticons made Se-min feel sick to his stomach.

Lee Se-min: Thank you. I am the nightmare of monsters, monster slaughterer, monster sweeper, and natural-born monster killer Lee Se-min. Now I must add the introduction of Black Mark. I will work myself to the bone and serve diligently.

Seol Mu-jin: .

Big Brother Seol Mu-jin suddenly sent Chinese characters. Searching it up, it was Xinhuanufang, a four-character idiom meaning a heart blossoming with joy as if a flower bloomed in one’s mind. It was a good meaning.

Ryu Gwan-cheol: Welcome.

Oh Jeong-hui: Glad you’re here. Get along well with Seong-jun.

Oh Jeong-hui: (Contact>Ahn Seong-jun)

Ju Ho-san: Finally we got a youngest. I’m not the type to act heavy just because I’m a senior, so treat me comfortably.

Ju Ho-san: If you visit our company, I will buy you something delicious.

Ju Ho-san: (Map>Hosan Company)(Open with MangoNet App)

Jang Geon: We are finally six too! ^^ (Emoticon)

Se-min felt anew that he had truly reached the Black Mark Raider.

Deep emotions rose within him.

He recalled those days when he rotted in a small room, unable to even become a Blue Mark. Back then, leaving malicious comments on the internet, picking fights with people, and binge eating were his only pleasures.

However, now he was not a person who left comments on articles, but the person who appeared in the body of the articles.

“Black Mark Raider…”

Se-min connected to the fan club and compared the number of members of his own fan club with Ahn Seong-jun’s fan club.

Ahn Seong-jun’s was twice as many.

Se-min gnashed his teeth.

“This guy…”

Ahn Seong-jun had been active longer than Se-min, and had appeared on broadcasts many times. In contrast, it had not been long since Se-min flashed into popularity, and he had not particularly appeared on broadcast programs. Rather, it could be said that he was quite popular compared to his level of exposure.

If the news of his promotion was made known in the future, it would become even more of a hot topic.

“For now, let’s see the Director’s face.”

Se-min pulled the scooter’s throttle.

He was currently heading toward the Raider Bureau.

In terms of justification, he was going to receive recognition as a Black Mark while being commended at the same time.

However, Se-min had something he wanted to ask the upper management of the Raider Bureau, including Min Ji-hyeon.

He wanted to know why on earth the shelter had opened.

Cheong-myeong had spoken as if the Raider Bureau had intended it. The fact that the Heron base lay in Black Castle’s path also bothered him strangely.

He kept in mind the possibility that they had deliberately opened the shelter to stop Black Castle from hitting that place.

However, was the Raider Bureau such a ruthless place?

Se-min arrived at the Raider Bureau.

People who recognized him whispered. Not only the Raider Bureau employees but also Raiders who dropped by for work stared at him.

“It’s Lee Se-min.”

“They say he is a Black Mark.”

“I heard he is being promoted to Black Mark this time?”

Se-min passed them and stepped inside the Raider Bureau. An employee who discovered him guided him immediately.

“Congratulations.”

The employee smiled brightly.

“You have become a Black Mark. All five Black Mark Raiders agreed, and the Director also approved.”

“It’s nothing new. A Black Mark was only a matter of time anyway.”

“As expected, the way you speak is bold.”

Se-min took the elevator and was guided to the high floors of the Raider Bureau. When the doors opened, Min Ji-hyeon was waiting at the entrance.

Min Ji-hyeon lightly tilted her head, and the employee remained in the elevator and went back down.

She walked, leading Se-min.

“Long time no see.”

“Yeah.”

The two had nothing else to say.

“Are you not meeting Jae-yeong after work today?”

“I am.”

“Must be nice.”

“Of course.”

Her expression was still cold. Se-min shrugged his shoulders.

“Can I slander you to Jae-yeong? Saying your personality isn’t great or something.”

“Do as you wish.”

She chuckled.

They stood in front of a room. The door was large. It was a door that looked at a glance like an important person would be inside.

They stood and waited.

“But why aren’t you opening the door?”

“Wait a moment.”

“Is the Director inside this?”

“Who knows.”

“Pardon?”

“See for yourself.”

She closed his mouth. Se-min tried to listen beyond the door, but could hear no sound.

Min Ji-hyeon checked her cell phone, then stepped back a pace.

“Go in now.”

“Okay.”

Se-min pushed the door for now.

***

The interior was dark.

Pushing the door and entering, Se-min looked back at Min Ji-hyeon. She gestured with her chin as if telling him to keep going in. Soon, as Se-min entered, the door closed completely.

The interior was dark.

Soon, a dim light came up.

In front of Se-min, a screen unfolded and a black screen appeared.

“What is this?”

There was no person in the room.

[Nice to meet you.]

It was only a voice.

Over the crackling screen, a man’s voice was heard.

[Congratulations on your promotion to Black Mark Raider.]

“Let’s talk face-to-face, shall we?”

[I am not in South Korea. Because I am busy. Please understand.]

His thick voice echoed loudly inside.

[The sight of you stopping Black Castle was cool. You always surprise me.]

“About that.”

Se-min asked.

“Why was the shelter suddenly opened?”

He answered in a seemingly regretful voice.

[It was a system error. Black Castle was so huge that because of its weight, the ground was pressed and confusion occurred in the system, it seems. A major disaster almost happened. You saved everyone.]

“Is that true?”

[Then, do you think there would be some other reason?]

Se-min spoke straightforwardly.

“Didn’t you open it deliberately because you were worried the Heron base would be destroyed?”

The Director laughed. His laughter was even lower, humming as the microphone rang once.

A sound as if he was apologizing and fixing the microphone came out.

[I can feel what you think of us.]

“I am just asking because I am curious. If not, whatever.”

[No. Absolutely not. Will you look at this?]

Something began to be displayed on the screen.

The Korean Peninsula appeared.

Countless dots began to be marked on it. The size of the dots was highly varied. Se-min felt he knew what that meant.

[It is the number of gates that appeared during a month.]

“It’s a lot.”

[We are controlling that. It is a difficult job without a sense of duty.]

“Do you also have a sense of duty, Director?”

[Of course. You and I, we are dreaming the same dream.]

“What dream?”

[The one you wrote on the essay answer sheet.]

Se-min tilted his eyebrows.

[Since it is the appearance of a new Black Mark Raider, I checked everything. Wondrous. You are truly a special existence.]

“I know.”

[What happened when you crossed over to the otherworld?]

“I lived like Robinson Crusoe. Killing monsters.”

[Was that really all?]

“Yes.”

Se-min answered calmly.

[I see. Anyway, we do our best to protect people. Other countries did not achieve this. Looking at the ratio of gate numbers to casualties, South Korea is an overwhelmingly safe country.]

“I respect that.”

[However, it is the limit.]

His voice slowed down.

[The monsters are… even more terrifying fellows… than we think. Evolving and… getting stronger. Humanity will gradually be pushed back.]

“Do you mean the gates will increase?”

[Yes. It will be so. We… must stop them.]

The Director picked his words.

[There is content to be notified to all Black Marks soon, but I will let you know in advance.]

The screen changed again.

Now a world map appeared. The dots marked here and there were still present. Except for the sea, all land was packed tightly with dots.

[These are the gate forecasts currently entered in the Raid Alliance.]

The dots had different colors. Accordingly, things like the gate occurrence timing or the shape of monsters seemed to be distinguished, but detailed explanation was omitted.

A date rose in the corner of the map.

[These are the gates scheduled for the future.]

Every time the date was updated to the future, the shape of the dots changed slightly. However, the density was almost constant. Only the location changed, and a almost fixed amount of monsters were summoned to Earth.

And the moment the date passed once more.

“Huh…?”

Se-min tilted his head.

The map became clean.

The map where dots disappeared felt even empty.

“Are the gates not opening?”

[Correct.]

“Then…”

Se-min’s heart beat.

Does that mean monsters will not appear on Earth?

He wondered if the tedious fight would finally end.

[Peace will continue. We do not know how long it will last. It is possible that after stockpiling power, the monsters will pour into the world all at once, just like this incident.]

The Director’s words sounded as if the monsters were planning a strategy.

He also seemed to think that monsters indeed had intelligence, perhaps a leader.

“Do you think monsters also have such intelligence?”

[I am on the side that believes so.]

The screen changed again.

This time, a man’s face appeared. He was a Westerner with tired eyes. He was an existence a Raider could not fail to know.

The Unique Mark Raider belonging to the American raid enterprise McDowell.

Jonathan Sandberg.

[Preparing for when that happens, the United States is preparing a subjugation battle. If the situation goes well, we must directly cross over to the otherworld in the future when mana crystals are needed.]

The Director laughed.

[How is it?]

“Pardon?”

[Will you join the subjugation battle?]

To Se-min, it was an unexpected offer.

The subjugation battle was also something he wanted to do. Rolling around the otherworld, he was familiar with its ecology. Above all, he liked that they were invading the monsters’ land instead of monsters invading Earth.

And he also wanted to see the Unique Mark Raider.

“I will think about it.”

He answered like that for now.

[I will expect a positive answer.]

“Am I going alone?”

[Because the other Black Marks do not seem very inclined, you see.]

Se-min asked him a few more things, but the answers were similar to what he usually did. Just because they talked directly through the voice, the obtained information had nothing special.

Soon, Se-min left the room.

The CCTV located in the room pursued Se-min’s back.

The door closed.

The Director’s sigh echoed through the speaker.

[Peace.]

He muttered.

Jonathan’s face disappeared, and the world map unfolded again. The date was updated. A clear state with still no dots on Earth continued.

There was not a single gate.

And at some point.

As the date passed, the Earth was stained red.

All land except the sea discolored to red.

[It’s like a dream.]

The screen turned off.

# 5