Chapter 56 – Black Armor

“Hyung, you were alive.”

“Did you seriously think I would be dead?”

“I was preparing myself just in case.”

“This punk.”

Se-min kicked him in the butt. Hyeon Jae-yeong dodged and laughed.

“I didn’t expect to see you here. What happened?”

“I ended up here after wandering around. What about you?”

“I joined the Raider Bureau.”

Se-min looked at the companions standing with Hyeon Jae-yeong.

He had thought they would just be regular employees since they were from the Raider Bureau, but they were all aura users.

However, the way they looked at him was strangely unpleasant.

They kicked the ground while glancing at Se-min joking around with Hyeon Jae-yeong, or spat on the indoor floor.

“The Raider Bureau created a team called Black Armor. Our current goal is to reclaim Seoul.”

True to the name Black Armor, they were all wearing black armor.

Hyeon Jae-yeong grabbed Se-min’s arm and walked a few steps away from the people.

The two shared what had happened in the meantime.

On the day the gates were created indiscriminately, Hyeon Jae-yeong had headed to the Raider Bureau’s Yongsan base with Min Ji-hyun. The base’s defense system completely blocked the invasion of the magic beasts.

While staying there, Hyeon Jae-yeong was invited to join the newly formed special force.

That was Black Armor.

Thus, Hyeon Jae-yeong came to lead a team in Black Armor.

“Those over there are my team members. I came with the commander today.”

“You’ve made it big. Who is the commander?”

“That person is…”

Before Hyeon Jae-yeong could finish his sentence, the office door opened.

Se-min could tell who the commander of their unit was that Hyeon Jae-yeong had spoken of.

“Se-min.”

“Se-min, it’s been a while.”

Jang Geon and Oh Jeong-hee recognized Se-min immediately.

The Black Armor members, including Hyeon Jae-yeong, stood at attention facing Oh Jeong-hee. He burst into laughter and waved his hand.

“Don’t pretend to be at attention for no reason, just relax.”

The commander of Black Armor was Oh Jeong-hee.

Jang Geon, who was standing side by side with him, had a surprised face at the sudden appearance of the visitors.

“From Se-min to Captain Kim Gyu-jin, what is going on?”

“This is great. Since all the people I was looking for have gathered.”

Oh Jeong-hee said, pointing at the two.

“Since it turned out like this, shall we Black Marks talk a bit more? Including the unofficial ones.”

Oh Jeong-hee winked at Kim Gyu-jin. Kim Gyu-jin did not seem particularly welcoming, but he did not refuse.

They took Kim Gyu-jin and Se-min back into the room. It was a meeting room. Leaving the head seat empty, Se-min and Kim Gyu-jin sat side by side, and Jang Geon and Oh Jeong-hee sat side by side, facing each other.

Oh Jeong-hee immediately opened his mouth.

“The Gangbuk side has stabilized. The old man and Ho-san have decided to join the system of the Raider Bureau, centering around the Yongsan base. Jang Geon also agreed just now. We still need to talk to Mister Ryu Gwan-cheol, but it’ll probably be the same. So, Captain Kim Gyu-jin, why don’t you join the Raider Bureau this time? You too, Se-min.”

Kim Gyu-jin asked.

“How did you change their minds?”

“How, you ask…”

Oh Jeong-hee brought up a provocative word.

“Show of force.”

When Se-min stared at him, Oh Jeong-hee explained with a laugh again.

“I don’t mean we blackmailed them. Jang Geon, you tell him.”

Oh Jeong-hee turned the arrow to Jang Geon.

Jang Geon replied shortly.

“Black Armor is strong.”

“Is that it? We cleaned up the area for them. Black Armor has the power to overcome this crisis. I’m not just saying this; we are insanely strong. Everyone agreed with our vision.”

“They didn’t look like they had that level of skill, though.”

“Ah, the kids outside?”

Oh Jeong-hee smiled.

“Is it the same during battle as it is usually? Captain Kim Gyu-jin, do you want to see?”

Oh Jeong-hee said to Jang Geon.

“Then shall we go now?”

“You don’t need to do that…”

“It’s better to get things done quickly.”

The Raider Bureau also wanted to place CCC’s base under their command.

In return, they promised to wipe out the habitat of the magic beasts that Jang Geon and the Raiders had been unable to handle and left unattended.

It was both proving that they had that much power and scratching their itch.

Oh Jeong-hee said with a confident expression.

“You two should come and watch too. Although the world has become like this, we have the power to return it to the way it was before. I especially hope Se-min will join us.”

***

They headed toward the habitat of a Black-rank magic beast located a short distance away from CCC’s base.

“Hyung-nim, are those guys really that strong?”

Se-min asked Jang Geon, who fell back.

Oh Jeong-hee was definitely strong.

However, Hyeon Jae-yeong, who was walking side by side with Oh Jeong-hee in front, was different. Although his skills had improved quite a bit, he was still barely at the Gold Mark level. The aura felt from his team members was also just mediocre.

There was no way Jang Geon did not know this.

Yet, his answer was unexpected.

“I cannot explain it. You will understand once you see it yourself.”

It was not long ago that Jang Geon had seen the power of Black Armor.

It had been a crisis.

Black-rank magic beasts and Platinum-rank magic beasts had gone wild and attacked their base. Jang Geon had fought hard, but he could not handle the countless magic beasts by himself.

At the end of a life-and-death struggle, just before the base fell.

Unidentified Raiders wearing unified black equipment appeared.

They wielded black aura, unlike other Raiders. As if it possessed a will of its own, it slaughtered the magic beasts with demonic power. They unleashed a destructive power that went beyond their apparent skill level.

Who would believe it if they were told that a man named Hyeon Jae-yeong, who looked Green-mark at first glance and Gold-mark at best, tore a Black-rank magic beast to death by himself?

If those seemingly insignificant guys exerted such power, just how powerful would Oh Jeong-hee be if he used that black aura in earnest?

As the world turned upside down, common sense regarding aura also seemed to have changed.

Jang Geon still found the sight he had witnessed hard to believe.

Therefore, he could not explain any further to Se-min.

“They are strong, but…”

Instead, Jang Geon shared a brief impression.

“It is ominous and unsettling. I do not want to get close to them.”

Se-min found those words hard to understand.

He glanced at Kim Gyu-jin. He also seemed to know something, but did not open his mouth.

They soon arrived at the magic beasts’ habitat.

“Terrifying.”

Oh Jeong-hee whistled.

It was a city grave, made by destroying all the buildings in the area and piling up the debris.

Things like concrete and rebar filled the ground, so the floor was not visible.

Above it, a countless pack of Kesias were mingling with each other.

That was not all.

Beyond the Kesias, there were glimpses of Mastakans, which were considered between Platinum and Black-rank, and even Gort, a true Black-rank magic beast.

It was a number that the Black Armor forces could not handle.

Therefore, Se-min thought they would ask for help.

However, Oh Jeong-hee still hummed and stepped forward. Hyeon Jae-yeong and Black Armor did not stop and followed Oh Jeong-hee.

“Se-min, Captain Kim Gyu-jin, watch closely.”

Oh Jeong-hee drew a whip from his waist. Aura vibrated with a tingle from the iron whip.

Inside, a faint black current was mixed.

Se-min’s eyes widened.

“That is…”

Oh Jeong-hee swung the iron whip widely.

A black aura that expanded into a crescent shape struck the magic beasts.

Several Kesias hit head-on collapsed, splashing blood at the same time.

It was a declaration of war.

The pack of Kesias realized the enemy’s presence and turned around. The hostility poured out all at once by dozens of Kesias was a pressure difficult to bear with a human body. However, Black Armor calmly formed a straight line.

Black aura rose from their bodies at the same time.

Se-min reflexively looked at Kim Gyu-jin.

That was what he had seen from a soldier named Park Min-cheol when he was in North Korea. It was also the power of the black demon that crawled out of the gate of hell, and the very aura that Seol Mu-jin and Cheong-myeong had warned about.

That dangerous power which the Raider Bureau was researching had been implanted into them.

Se-min saw that Hyeon Jae-yeong’s aura was muddily distorted.

Like breaking a glass bottle to make a blade, the black aura seemed to twist and tear itself, cutting the enemy with the sharpness of its cross section.

Every time Hyeon Jae-yeong swung his sword, the Kesias collapsed helplessly. Black Armor advanced calmly. The magic beasts did not dare to approach and backed away.

Oh Jeong-hee, who was standing behind, whipped again.

The head of the Mastakan crawling behind the Kesias exploded.

After that, it was a chaotic battle.

Although the magic beasts pushed their maws indiscriminately while tangled together, the Black Armor members did not panic and calmly wielded their weapons. The magic beasts began to be slaughtered by refined tactics.

When Gort, a Black-rank magic beast resembling a scorpion, appeared, Oh Jeong-hee stepped forward.

Every time his whip struck the ground once, the magic beasts were trampled like a swarm of ants.

It was a vast power.

Judging by power alone, it was safe to say he had reached the Unique Mark.

In the close battle between Gort and Oh Jeong-hee, other magic beasts were swept away and died. Gort’s outer shell crumbled under Oh Jeong-hee’s iron whip. Having allowed continuous blows, Gort soon stopped moving and came to a halt.

Oh Jeong-hee’s iron whip popped Gort’s head.

Body fluid burst out.

Gort was the last.

There were no more moving entities.

It was an annihilation.

Oh Jeong-hee rolled up his whip and waved his hand at them.

“How was it?”

They were strong.

But.

Se-min looked at Kim Gyu-jin and Jang Geon.

They would all feel similar emotions as Se-min.

The black aura was a power that humans should not use. An ominous and ugly energy surged. Se-min felt that Oh Jeong-hee, who was smiling at him, no longer felt like the Oh Jeong-hee he used to know.

A magic beast in human form.

Watching Hyeon Jae-yeong, who was smiling faintly toward him beside Oh Jeong-hee, Se-min’s eyes sank.

***

Se-min spoke with Jang Geon separately.

“Hyung-nim, is it okay to leave them like that?”

Everyone who knew about the black aura warned of its danger. Se-min could understand the reason now.

It was the same evil energy that Park Min-cheol and the demon who killed Noh Hak-jae wielded.

It did not seem possible for a human using such a thing to remain normal.

“It can’t be helped. The situation is bad.”

Jang Geon slowly continued speaking.

“…It is that kind of world, after all.”

It had become that kind of world.

Although Black Armor slaughtered the magic beasts today, if a gate opened, as many magic beasts as they killed would be replenished again.

Countless people had died, and were still dying.

Watching the people busily coming and going on the campus, Jang Geon sighed.

Then he took something out of his chest.

“Do you know what this is?”

Se-min’s eyes widened.

It was an object he could not possibly fail to recognize.

A strange bluish powder.

“Gift…”

“You know it.”

“It is a drug, isn’t it?”

Jang Geon chuckled and put it back in his chest.

“The kids hold out using this.”

“…”

“I know it’s bad, but we have to survive first. The magic beasts pour out every single day. If we don’t even use that, we can’t block them.”

“What about you, Hyung-nim…”

“I have also used a lot of it.”

He looked down at his own hand.

It was trembling slightly.

“They say there are no side effects, but how could I, a Black Mark, not know? Even when I try to wash it away with aura, I can feel something accumulating inside. I probably shouldn’t use it anymore.”

“Hyung-nim.”

“Whether we hold out like this, or leave it to Oh Jeong-hee and the Raider Bureau over there, it’s no different.”

Jang Geon’s voice was exhausted.

“I don’t know what kind of wicked power that black aura is, but we have to live.”

“Hyung-nim.”

It was then.

A Raider from CCC ran over.

“A problem has occurred!”

“What? Magic beasts?”

“No, it’s not that, it’s…”

“Speak slowly.”

“Black Armor has…”

Upon hearing the answer, Jang Geon’s face was stained with perplexity.

“They attacked civilians.”

***

At the scene, CCC’s Raiders and Black Armor were confronting each other.

“Ah, sorry. Sorry.”

The Black Armor member who appeared to be the main culprit of the disturbance apologized.

He even approached the civilian whose stomach was pierced and bleeding, tapping his cheek and talking to him.

“Bad habits came out without me realizing. You won’t die. Let’s reconcile. Good?”

The civilian was losing consciousness and could not respond to his words.

A Raider from CCC grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up.

“Are you crazy?”

“That’s harsh. Have you ever seen such a handsome crazy guy?”

The member shook off his hand and laughed. The Black Armor group giggled. Se-min discovered Hyeon Jae-yeong smiling awkwardly among them.

“What is going on?”

As Jang Geon spoke, everyone’s gaze turned to him.

“That bastard stabbed a civilian.”

“Oops. It was a small disturbance. Sorry.”

“Is stabbing a person a small disturbance to you guys?”

“He didn’t die, did he?”

He shrugged, pointing at the lying civilian.

“We’re even applying a kit right now to save him. He’s not dead, and I apologized. So that’s that.”

“This crazy son of a…”

Jang Geon, who had been listening silently, raised his hand.

“Stop.”

Jang Geon first checked the condition of the injured person.

Whether he was transporting food obtained from outside, boxes of canned food were scattered beside him.

Jang Geon stood up after checking the pulse of the injured person.

“How did the fight start?”

The Black Armor member said as if acting, holding his stomach.

“I was hungry, so I said ‘I won’t eat you if you give me one can,’ and this person got angry. I’m timid, so when someone raises their voice, I reflexively draw a knife. I got scared and stretched the knife out without realizing.”

Laughter burst out from Black Armor again at his joke-mixed explanation.

Jang Geon’s face stiffened.

“Where is Oh Jeong-hee?”

Hyeon Jae-yeong replied.

“The commander went to contact the Yongsan base.”

“Everyone, standby until he arrives.”

Jang Geon’s face was stiff.

Black Marks respect each other’s territory. They were strictly subordinates under Oh Jeong-hee. Therefore, Jang Geon suspended the punishment for now.

“Yes. I understand.”

Hyeon Jae-yeong nodded.

They came to confront each other in silence.

Soon a stretcher arrived and evacuated the injured person. Watching that scene, the Black Armor man waved his hand and whispered.

“Get well sooon.”

It was a small voice, but everyone heard it. Laughter spread on the Black Armor side again. As Jang Geon glared, he bowed his head with a feigned startled look. He soon whispered to another member standing next to him.

“I’ll get scolded by the commander. Sigh. My hands are the problem.”

“Isn’t it the mouth, not the hands?”

“I think it’s the hands here.”

A smirk appeared on their lips.

In Jang Geon’s heart, the scales tipped precariously. Custom regarding punishment and personal anger formed a tense balance. Right before the scales tilted to one side.

It was Se-min who broke that balance.

Having stood in silence, he walked forward.

Everyone’s eyes focused on him.

Se-min stood in front of the Black Armor member. The member opened his eyes wide. Se-min looked down at him and fell into thought for a moment.

“Whew, does the Black Mark have business with me…”

“…”

“You don’t happen to be an acquaintance of the guy I stabbed, right? If so, I’d be totally screwed.”

When he bantered again, the Black Armor side laughed.

At that moment.

The man slammed into the floor.

The laughter was completely wiped out.

“Ah, th-this. It hurts. Ah.”

The man stood up stumblingly, stroking his cheek. He said in slurred pronunciation.

“He-heh. You should have turned on your blinker before coming in…”

Another slap flew.

A few teeth fell out. He rolled on the floor and floundered for a while. Se-min said in a calm voice.

“Get up.”

The man barely pulled himself up. He was no longer smiling. His eyes held anger.

“If you do this to me, the commander won’t just…”

Another slap flew.

The man rolled on the floor a few times.

Se-min approached the fallen man.

“Get up.”

The moment the man slowly stood up and raised his head to look at Se-min, Se-min slapped him again.

He dug his head into the floor and groaned.

The man could no longer get up. Se-min grabbed him by the hair and lifted him up. The man could not look at Se-min and cast his eyes down.

“Look at me.”

The moment he hesitantly raised his head with a terrified face.

Se-min slapped his face again.

The man slammed into the floor. He trembled as if having a convulsion.

It was a one-sided assault.

The Black Armor members could not hold back and took a step forward.

“What on earth are you…”

“No matter how much of a Black Mark you are…”

Se-min stared at them.

The Black Armor members were all unable to move, as if they had turned into stone statues.

The murderous intent rising from Se-min’s eyes choked their breath. A ferocious aura shimmered from his back. It was not a hollow threat; actual death was lurking right in front of them.

The energy of a Raider who had reached the Black Mark crushed the area.

Se-min looked down at the man again.

“Hey.”

“Kkeeueuk…”

“I’m doing this because I’m hungry.”

Se-min held the iron sword he wore at his waist.

“I won’t eat you if you give me one can.”

“I-I was wrong…”

“You don’t have it?”

“Please spare me…”

Before Se-min’s iron sword could stab down, someone grabbed his wrist.

It was Jang Geon.

“Se-min. Let’s end it here.”

Se-min nodded.

“Yes, Hyung-nim.”

Se-min put away his iron sword and took a step back. And he grinned, looking at Black Armor.

“I can only be satisfied when I treat an arrogant bastard right in front of me the exact same way.”

Everyone had a completely frozen face.

“So I ended up hitting him without realizing. My hands are the problem. Right?”

Se-min stared into the eyes of the Black Armor members. Those who seemed to meet his eyes at first gradually averted their gaze.

“Isn’t that right?”

No one answered. Se-min’s gaze reached Hyeon Jae-yeong. He kept his eyes cast down and remained silent.

Se-min giggled and returned to where he was originally standing.

Soon Oh Jeong-hee appeared.

“What’s going on that the atmosphere is like this for everyone?”

He approached the Black Armor members with light steps.

He looked at the member who was a mess and being supported. Then, with a look of understanding, he turned to Jang Geon and CCC’s Raiders, and soon fixed his gaze on Se-min.

Hyeon Jae-yeong approached him and whispered something in his ear.

A smile spread across Oh Jeong-hee’s lips.

“I see.”

Oh Jeong-hee examined the injured member’s face, patted his shoulder, and laughed.

“You were in the wrong. Right?”

“Y-yes. That’s right.”

“It seems he paid the price for acting up, do you want anything more?”

Jang Geon shook his head.

“It’s enough.”

“It worked out well then.”

Oh Jeong-hee grinned as he put his arm around his subordinate who had his head bowed.

“It seems Yun-su got too used to Yongsan. I will scold him separately, so I hope you understand. That’s fine, right, Se-min?”

He looked at Se-min. Se-min quietly stared into Oh Jeong-hee’s eyes before nodding shortly.

“Then it’s settled. No more business, right? Dismissed with this.”

Oh Jeong-hee cleaned up the commotion.

“Jang Geon. We will leave tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll attach one of our guys to you to wrap up the talk. You remember the location of the lodging, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Rest.”

Jang Geon went back with Se-min and CCC’s Raiders.

Watching their retreating backs, Oh Jeong-hee wore a strange smile.

“Yun-su.”

“Yes.”

“I told you I like Se-min, didn’t I?”

“Yes.”

Although the man who had been beaten by Se-min was not in a good state, he tried to answer straight.

“Then why do you cause trouble where Se-min is?”

“I am sorry.”

Oh Jeong-hee stared at Se-min’s back. The gold-embroidered dragon was roaring. Strength entered Oh Jeong-hee’s hand which was around the man’s shoulder.

“I told you not to act up outside of Yongsan yet.”

“I am sorry.”

“Gag his mouth.”

Hyeon Jae-yeong, who stood nearby, stuffed a piece of cloth into the man’s mouth. At the same time, the members raised their aura to block the noise.

Black aura discharged from Oh Jeong-hee’s body. A scream leaked through the man’s blocked throat. His eyes became bloodshot, and soon tears of blood trickled down. His body trembled violently, and his pants became wet. Convulsing as if electrocuted, he kept letting out a desperate sound that did not seem human.

Jang Geon, who was walking away, suddenly turned back.

“Block their view.”

The members covered the man with their bodies. Oh Jeong-hee grinned and waved his hand. Jang Geon tilted his head, then turned back and walked away.

In the covered spot, the man now foamed at the mouth and rolled his eyes back.

Oh Jeong-hee threw him aside.

“Keep this bastard barely breathing and bring him to the base tomorrow.”

Oh Jeong-hee turned his head.

“Ah, and Jae-yeong.”

“Yes.”

“You haven’t told Se-min that yet, have you?”

“No.”

“I want to see Se-min at our base. Make it happen.”

“Yes.”

Hyeon Jae-yeong had no change in his expression.

It was the same for all the members.

Only Oh Jeong-hee smiled faintly.

***

Se-min walked through the base alone.

Each building on the campus of Sabang University was divided according to its purpose. Among them, a place to protect young children also existed. Se-min stared at the kids playing on the artificial turf.

Even though the world had turned upside down, life rolled on.

The dead were forgotten.

On the day the gates poured open, Se-min had headed to Icheon where his parents were. There was no hope that they would be alive. Merely a sense of obligation that he had to confirm with his own eyes pushed his back.

The house was completely destroyed, and no corpse was visible.

Already, he could not remember his parents’ faces well. Recalling the past, only the dim outline of the two of them sitting side by side and looking at him came to mind. In that form, the two of them used to tell Se-min many things.

Could he keep those words?

In the shattered world, Se-min could not know what he should do.

He was not afraid of hardship and death.

Not knowing which of the many paths would lead to the best future—that was what bound his heart.

Suddenly, a presence was felt.

“Hyung.”

It was Hyeon Jae-yeong.

A current of black aura wavered from his body. When Se-min’s gaze landed on it, it died down inside Hyeon Jae-yeong as if terrified. However, the stench was not erased and remained, irritating the nerves of the Tai Chi Wisdom.

Se-min reflected on the conversation he had shared with Jang Geon.

It was unavoidable in this kind of world.

He tried to think that way.

“Jae-yeong.”

“Sorry for showing you such a scene earlier.”

“If they are the kids under you, manage them properly.”

“Yeah. I should do that…”

Hyeon Jae-yeong smiled bitterly.

“It might sound like an excuse… no, it is an excuse, but when you receive this power, you become a bit like that. A person gradually becomes violent. That guy was properly scolded by the commander, so don’t worry about it.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m continuously being managed through the Bureau. The Bureau is also constantly testing. It’s getting better, so I’ll be fine. If we want to save people, we have to bear it.”

Se-min’s eyes softened.

“Anyway, I have something I want to ask you, Hyung.”

“What?”

“What are you going to do now? Are you staying here?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“The sword you used, Lupus.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s at the Yongsan base.”

Se-min stared at Hyeon Jae-yeong. Hyeon Jae-yeong showed him by spreading his arms to the length of Lupus with a smiling face.

“I went back home and retrieved it. It’s being stored well. Let’s go to Yongsan together tomorrow.”

Lupus was a sword for Se-min. No other sword fit his hand so well. Se-min fell into thought, tapping the iron sword at his waist.

Hyeon Jae-yeong continued speaking.

“And your friend is in Yongsan too, Hyung.”

“Friend?”

“So-jin. No, Sister Yu-jin.”

“She survived. What a relief.”

“You’ll go, right? Besides Sister, there are many people in Yongsan. Is there anyone you’re looking for by any chance?”

Se-min had thought of a list of people he hoped had not died, after confirming his parents’ disappearance. Several faces passed by.

Among them was Hyeon Jae-yeong, and there was Lee Yu-jin.

He recalled Kim Deok-bae, Hwang Jeong-hun, and the connections he had made after becoming a Raider.

Bang Yu-bi, that nagging girl, also seemed to flicker in his mind.

“Is there…”

However, Se-min erased all those faces and asked about someone else.

“Is the director of the Raider Bureau there?”