GSGW c242
Chapter 242
Outside the underground bunker of the Church of the Luminous Unknown.
Jisan Village, empty and devoid of people, was already half-destroyed.
The moment he burst out of the similarly shattered bunker door, the sight that greeted him nearly made Ryu Jaekwang bite his tongue. And then—
“—Oh, you’re out!”
A voice came from right beside him.
“...!"
The elite team Assistant Manager Lee Songhae of Daydream Inc. turned from where she had been leaning against the doorway and waved.
Ryu Jaekwang, who had been about to speak, stopped short.
'How…'
How can she be that calm?
Two people had just escaped from a bizarre supernatural disaster—one that trapped people inside and digested them for decades.
It had been a certain death.
They had even emphasized several times that once the box closed, it would never open again. Even Ryu Jaekwang, who had come out of it himself, was still confused about what had happened…
“Why…?”
“Why am I not surprised?”
…!
“Well… you went in with employee-nim, didn’t you?”
Her gaze fell on the Agent Grapes Ryu Jaekwang was holding.
Light reflected in Lee Songhae’s pupils.
“Because the Mascot is stronger than that box!”
"......"
Mascot?
Even the unfamiliar title felt strange.
Ryu Jaekwang absentmindedly looked down at Kim Soleum, who had been called that name, and asked himself again:
How did I get out?
'…That sound earlier.'
Inside the box, something had been relentlessly and mechanically tearing apart the Seeker Inside the Box that had been muttering those bizarre sounds. That thing was…
……
'…Agent Grapes?'
“Anyway, are you looking for the other agent?”
“...!”
He snapped out of his strange thoughts.
“Yes.”
Taking a breath, the Agent Bronze focused on the situation again.
So then—Agent Choi’s whereabouts…
“They’re all over there.”
BOOM.
A loud crash echoed again just then.
Ryu Jaekwang hurriedly turned his head.
In midair, two massive bluish ritual execution blades swung wildly in a person’s hands.
It was Agent Choi.
The blades plunged down toward the ground again without hesitation.
Toward his target.
'…That!'
“Hmm. I think he's pissed.”
Just as Ryu Jaekwang was about to run over, Lee Songhae’s voice sounded beside him again.
“At first that agent seemed to be trying to reopen the box somehow. It looked like he was analyzing it, trying to find some kind of weakness.”
Ryu Jaekwang could easily imagine it.
Someone staring blankly at the box in disbelief—then eventually starting to rack their brain and take action to dismantle it.
He had seen it many times before. Agents who forced themselves to regain their composure, then attempted reckless actions if necessary in order to save people.
“But his hands were shaking, and he looked really exhausted, so I tried to help too. But then Director Ho started saying some really irritating things.”
“...!"
—Such a shame. Of all people, Roe Deer had to go in.
—Well, it can’t be helped, right? Two people went in, so the box will be safe for decades now. Congratulations!
—This is exactly the kind of situation the Disaster Management Bureau likes.
“Pretty nasty, right? Even though he was the one who pushed them in.”
Ryu Jaekwang felt his mouth twist.
Anger—and worry.
“After hearing that, the agent took their hands off the box and pulled something out of his pocket.”
And then…
“The door broke.”
BOOM.
Another thunderous crash rang out nearby.
Dust drifted all the way over.
“...!!"
Then, through the slowly settling dust, a figure faintly appeared.
Someone pinned to the ground, pierced through by the execution blades.
“Oh, they caught him.”
It was Director Ho.
Two enormous ceremonial blades were stabbed straight through the chest of the man in the suit.
“I stayed out of the way because I didn’t want to interrupt while they were angry, but maybe it’s time I go help clean up—huh?”
Ryu Jaekwang ran.
'No.'
Because he saw it.
On the ground where the dust had settled, something like black ink rose upward, drawing letters.
The characters stained themselves red and blue, forming a circular pattern.
The sound of gongs, drums, and bells began to echo.
'A ritual…!'
And there was only one kind of ritual performed like this.
'A sacrifice ritual…!'
A procedure known to the Disaster Management Bureau—an offering meant to appease a powerful supernatural relic.
They were planning to offer up that so-called director from Daydream Inc. whole, summon a divine being, and destroy the box…!
Anger and purpose had aligned.
'But.'
“Agent!”
Agent Choi was sitting on the ground with his eyes closed, doing something.
His lips moved as if praying.
It was obvious that he was reciting an invocation.
But even with his eyes closed, he could hear the voice calling them.
And it was a very familiar voice.
“Agent!”
Agent Choi stopped and turned his head.
Their eyes met. Agent Choi’s pupils widened.
Surprise.
Doubt.
Joy.
Relief.
And… a surge of emotion.
“Jae—”
“Agent!!”
Ryu Jaekwang ran over and grabbed them by the collar.
“You know you can’t perform a sacrifice ritual!!”
“......"
“If you try something like that without even having a name to use—”
“Bronze.”
Two scarred hands grabbed Ryu Jaekwang’s shoulders tightly.
“Thank you….”
“......"
Agent Choi’s collar slipped from Ryu Jaekwang’s grasp, and they slowly crouched down on the ground.
Watching him gasp for breath, Ryu Jaekwang suddenly realized how tense and mentally cornered he had been.
Every other member of the field team—except himself—had been captured in an instant by the supernatural disaster. Condemned to be tortured for decades before dying.
Thinking about what his senior must have felt in that moment made emotions surge up inside him.
'You…!'
The one who was always the first to attempt the most dangerous things alone!
Still, the swelling emotion quickly subsided.
After all, both Agent Grapes and he had made it out alive.
Instead, his gaze fell on the small bead hanging from Agent Choi’s belt.
Inside that tiny glass prison, someone was already trapped.
The person who had introduced themselves as a reporter in Jisan Village.
An employee who used the strange name Falcon.
“…Did you put them in there on purpose?”
“Yeah. I didn’t want the civilian who got caught up in this to get hurt, so I secured them like that for now.”
Without saying it outright, Agent Choi added that the person had been cooperative, then finally gave a small grin and stood up.
Only then did Ryu Jaekwang manage to say:
“From now on, please—please stop doing reckless things.”
“Haha…”
No answer came back from Agent Choi.
“Goodness, how touching.”
The supernatural disaster restrained by two ceremonial execution blades.
The director of Daydream Inc., Ho Yuwon, was smiling.
Despite being pierced straight through by the ritual blades, he did not even frown once. Not a single groan of pain escaped him.
Instead, he calmly lifted both hands and placed them on the broad surfaces of the massive blades that were nearly splitting his chest in two.
Even as the sound of burning flesh rose from the contact, the smile in his eyes did not change.
'…Seriously.'
It was enough to make one wonder whether he had truly been subdued at all.
“Anyway, would you return our company employee now? You’re still holding onto them.”
“...!"
Ryu Jaekwang immediately stepped back.
Beside him, Agent Choi’s eyes sank darkly.
The habitual smile vanished completely. Covering his mouth with one hand as if thinking, he bent over the collapsed Kim Soleum and nodded as if listening to something.
“What? Grapes? Mm-hm, that’s a good idea.”
Then he looked back at the fox plague impaled by the execution blades and grinned.
“Grapes says they’re resigning.”
“Is that so? If they say it themselves, I suppose it can’t be helped. Would you mind waking them up?”
“No thanks.”
A bluish flame flickered in Agent Choi’s eyes.
“Why wake someone who’s sleeping? We’ll take good care of them ourselves. Why don’t you go rest in prison instead.”
Then he glanced at the teammate beside him.
“Right, Bronze—”
"......"
But Ryu Jaekwang did not agree.
Agent Choi noticed the subtle hesitation immediately.
And the relief from surviving the situation faded just enough for a delayed question to surface.
How…
How did we come out of the box?
“Bronze.”
If they had both escaped the same way, then why was Kim Soleum still unconscious in the middle of all this chaos?
“Oh dear… it seems they won’t wake up.”
"......"
“Shall I try?”
“Shut up.”
“Employee 130666, it’s time to wake up and report for duty.”
At that moment—
130666 sat up.
Black smoke.
It poured thickly from between the folds of the black uniform. Yellow lantern-light flickered within it, and an eerie presence pressed heavily down upon the dust-covered ground.
The horned figure stood still, casting a long black shadow, coat hanging loosely from its shoulders.
'......'
Something was wrong.
'This…'
It was different from before.
Earlier, despite the clearly inhuman silhouette, there had been something within it.
A presence expressed through attitude and reactions.
Something that made it natural to call them Grapes the moment you saw them.
But now…
It was as if something had been forcibly compressed into a human-shaped silhouette.
A chilling prickle ran down the spine—the instinct of an agent.
'A supernatural phenomenon.'
Even so, the words slipped out.
“…Grapes?”
The smoke turned first.
A gaslamp flickered above the dark haze spreading beneath its feet.
Beneath the horns, its gaze lowered.
Inappropriate designation
Reason: Informal
"......"
Agent Choi fell silent.
His lips moved several times before he finally finished the thought.
“Then… what should I call you?”
No official designation
Recommendation: Registration Number 130666
“…You’re telling me to call you by a number? Right now you—”
“Wait.”
Ryu Jaekwang cut in urgently.
“Agent Grapes. What condition are you in right now? Are you still feeling pain? Are you hearing strange whispers?”
The smoke did not move.
The black-clad employee of the Special Department stood motionless for several seconds before words appeared.
Unknown
"......"
“Well, well.”
A laugh came from Ho Yuwon.
“Looks like the state is different than expected?”
“You—!”
“Employee 130666. Since a company executive is currently restrained, could you pull these out for me?”
The black smoke surged toward the blades.
“...!"
Clang.
The ritual blade, wrenched free, struck the ground with a sharp metallic crash.
The moment Ho Yuwon regained his freedom and began to stand, Agent Choi rushed forward with another restraint tool—
But the smoke blocked him.
“...!”
Warning: Security risk behavior detected
If repeated, suppression level will be adjusted
"......"
Dangerous.
The kind of instinctive chill that rose when facing something truly dangerous.
“…You.”
Trembling eyes stared at the thing beyond the smoke.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing.”
Ho Yuwon spoke with feigned regret.
“It seems the box may have had some… unfortunate effects. Wouldn’t you say?”
“The box? More like something you or your cult company did.”
“Well.”
He chuckled.
“Unfortunately, I have no intention of answering that. If you’re curious, you’ll just have to keep wondering.”
"......"
Agent Choi lowered the execution blade.
He stared at the being before him—something that had once worked alongside him. Then he spoke.
“There’s one thing I know for sure.”
The blade pointed past the smoke, toward the sinister presence behind it.
The Agent of the Black Tortoise Team 1 declared:
“Director Ho Yuwon of Daydream Inc. is a supernatural disaster.”
A target designation.
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