Chapter 84: Around Louisville (4)

I knew this neighborhood well.

I knew where each building stood, which paths were quickest to get from one place to another.

And I even had a general sense of what was inside these buildings.

Take that two-story house over there, for instance.

No homeless person lives in that abandoned house. You’d think the empty buildings in Seoul might have squatters, but naturally, people think of “strange phenomena” instead.

But that house wasn’t abandoned because of any eerie occurrence. Apparently, there was a major plumbing issue, so both the first and second floors were constantly flooded, making it unusable for the homeless.

Well, to be exact, it’s not suitable as a place to sleep.

People do use it as a sort of shower or water source.

I swung my fishing rod to retrieve my taser.

Then I snuck a glance inside the building.

“Looks like everyone’s knocked out.”

The gangsters were all out cold.

That’s the power of Chidori for you. This thing works wonders.

Now, after sending these people back to the shelter, let’s ask those guys why they’re doing this.

I waved the fishing rod to get everyone moving.

“I am the fisherman… of people!!!”

“...”

But no one seemed particularly scared.

“Your acting is pathetic.”

“If you’re a supernatural phenomenon, you should laugh creepier than that! Laughing like some thug isn’t gonna cut it.”

Even the little kids were roasting my attempt at a creepy act.

Why? I’d followed the instructions from the Anomaly Response Headquarters’ Site perfectly!

According to the site, here’s how a human-shaped supernatural entity behaves:

1. No pauses while speaking.

I learned this from my time at the DMZ, so I knew how to handle it.

2. Constantly laughing, crying, or getting angry in a disturbing way.

People used to call me the Smiling Demon, well, the Smiling Demon Yoo Hajin, actually.  I’ll keep grinning in a way that creeps everyone out.

3. The abnormal within the normal.

Strange phenomena are just that—strange.  They say anyone acting out of place could be a phenomenon themselves.

Seriously, if that’s the case, then isn’t Line 1 of the subway just a phenomenon hub? Judging by the number of strange people there, Line 1 is probably even more dangerous than the DMZ.

Anyway, I decided to mimic the weirdest person I’d ever seen—this one fishing lady who was a friend of my mother’s.

She’d sit on the roadside or in the mountains, casting her fishing rod into thin air like a lunatic. Still, she was one of the few who showed up to my mom’s funeral, bawling her eyes out.

She even caused a scene at the funeral where it was just me and my sister.

That conversation went something like this:

‘You monster, how dare you—dare to do this to my sister, your mother.’

‘I didn’t do anything.’

The lady sobbed uncontrollably, devouring beef stew between her tears, only to burst into fresh sobs, directing slurred words at my little sister.

My sister, staring back with a blank face, had said,

‘Are you planning to?’

‘If I can stand before the heavens, righteous and true, who cares if this hideous flesh perishes? A single life that burns and disappears—what a small price. Come. I won’t beg for anything from you.’

Hideous flesh?

She wasn’t hideous at all.

In fact, she was probably the most beautiful woman I’d seen in her thirties.

Especially her figure.

Hmm.

‘P-Please, stop it!!!’

So, there I was, stopping my sister and the lady. Anyway, this whole “fisherman of people” act was based on that lady’s vibe.

But it didn’t work.

I looked at the knocked-out gangsters and muttered,

“Then why did those guys fall for it?”

“Well, you didn’t freak out when a terrifying ghost showed up, did you? Supernatural beings don’t get scared, you know.”

“True.”

Looks like there are limits to how convincingly someone without the Sight can act like a supernatural being. I should probably ask Jamsuni or Nayu to give me feedback on my creepy act later.

No, wait, that’s not what matters now.

“Does that matter now?! Why aren’t you all heading to the shelter?!”

I swung my fishing rod in a circle.

Slap, slap-

After herding the people towards the shelter, I shook one of the unconscious gangsters awake.

-Slap, slap.

You get a nice little slap.

“Ugh, uhh…”

The guy who looked like the leader stood up.

I grabbed him by the collar and spoke.

“Who the hell are you guys?”

“You seriously don’t know, even after seeing this badge?”

Their suits bore the character Stone(石). Stone clan, huh? I felt like I’d seen this symbol back when I was investigating the Cheonsu Crew.

“The Black Stone Clan that used to work under Cheonsu Crew?”

“That’s right. Now, do you have any idea who you’ve messed with?”

“You’ve gotta be kidding. A bunch of nobodies from under Cheonsu Crew trying to act tough?”

Who am I?

I’m the guy who takes down cheats in casinos, the harbinger of Big Hand Casino’s demise.

I practically single-handedly wrecked Cheonsu Crew.

Without hesitation, I punched the Black Stone Clan leader square in the stomach.

“Urgh… Ugh. You broke my spiritual defense… just like that. You’re… stronger than me. How about we… talk this out?”

“What’s your plan with all these people?”

I grabbed the Black Stone leader by his hair and asked.

“Can’t you tell? It’s business.”

“Business? You idiots think you can manage by abducting thousands of people at once?”

“Of course we can handle it; that’s why we’re doing it.”

He sneered.

“People getting killed because shelters are breached? It’s a common occurrence overseas, right? It could happen here in Korea, too.”

“Do you honestly believe a psychic with spatial memory reading abilities wouldn’t catch on to this scheme?”

“They won’t. What psycho would willingly read the memories of a place like this, on this day? Their minds would be overflowing with mental contamination.”

…Damn.

I had no words, so I punched him in the gut again.

“Ughhh!”

“And how are you planning to silence thousands of people? What, are you going to brainwash every last one of them?”

“Don’t be stupid. Brainwashing or reconditioning takes an insane amount of effort. Why would we invest that much into lowlifes living in a dump like this?”

The Black Stone leader explained.

“Thousands of people? Within a week, they’ll all be dead anyway.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb. Seeing as you broke through my spiritual defense, you’re quite skilled. You must have attained the Hour of Realization, right?”

The Black Stone leader chuckled as he continued.

“After reaching the Hour, training becomes nearly impossible, doesn’t it? You’ve felt it too. Those attuned to fire surround themselves with flames, pouring over every thesis on it, while those possessing snake spirits raise hundreds of snakes, crawling among them.”

The leader went on.

“Yet, even with all that, after seven years from the Day of Spiritual Awakening, most of them don’t make an inch of progress. That’s where our ‘product’ fits in perfectly.”

“Wait, you’re not saying… the arena behind Big Hand Casino…”

Behind Big Hand Casino, there was a deadly game arena. Madmen obsessed with enlightenment would watch that death match and gain their insights.

“So, you already knew about Cheonsu Crew’s business. Exactly. To grow stronger, those who’ve attained the Hour must utilize death. You feel it too, don’t you?”

The Black Stone leader continued.

“Have you ever watched that game? Those criminals—they’re literally fighting for their lives.”

I’d seen that game before, but I didn’t answer him.

“The will to survive, to somehow win the game—that’s the essence of the game. That intense drive for enlightenment. Eventually, their bodies are broken down according to the rules of the game, and they die. That’s the decay that follows enlightenment. It’s literally squeezing the soul for every bit of realization it can produce.”

He went on, smiling.

“And then, death itself becomes significant. Only those skilled in opening the Ghost Gate can transcend dimensions on their own. But even a common criminal can transcend at death.”

The leader seemed strangely exhilarated.

“A soul with no power suddenly gains the strength to descend to hell upon death. Just imagine how much enlightenment the form of death can provide.”

The Black Stone leader continued.

“Fate and death. These two are the ultimate psychic powers. You must have heard of it. But since we can’t manipulate fate, we ordinary folks have to settle for using death to gain enlightenment.”

The Black Stone leader extended his hand.

“Let me go, and I’ll grant you enlightenment as well.”

“Sorry, can’t do that. I’ve gained a bit of enlightenment myself.”

Just a little bit. But now, I could understand, even if just slightly, why Harin had kept things about ghosts and spirits from me.

How did the Mara Papias gain their enlightenment?

I felt it instinctively.

They killed psychics to achieve enlightenment.

Probably without distinguishing between good and evil,

Regardless of gender or age,

They killed any psychic they could to gain enlightenment.

Kill all who are enlightened.

Kill those who shake this world.

Kill them all—children and their mothers alike.

“Shut up.”

This was why Harin had hidden these things from me.

I clenched my fist.

“Wait, wait a second. Even if you beat me to a pulp, it’s already too late to save the others. We’ve mastered how to use phenomena, just like the skilled ones who use the Ghost Gate!”

I brought my fist down.

“Gah… the shortcut to the non-existent district has already been opened! All the sacrifices… they’re already gone to the district that doesn’t exist. Our operation… it’s all finished!”

I kept punching, over and over.

I didn’t stop until the leader’s eyes rolled back.

The moment he passed out, I searched the ground for a big rock. This has to end here. I’m going to kill him. He deserves to die for what he’s done.

Thousands of people dragged to a non-existent district to be slaughtered? These bastards, worse than demons, would meet their end by my hand.

But then I remembered the way Chick had chirped, saying she’d never gain strength by taking lives. She had chirped that she wouldn’t betray her enlightenment.

‘I won’t betray that enlightenment.’

What on earth had Chick realized?

In that moment, I felt a bit of respect for her.

I dropped the rock.

Anyway, the hordes of phenomena crawling around this area would deal with this bastard soon enough.

“Right now… saving people comes first.”

Then I grabbed onto the pipeline and started climbing up the wall.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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