“Wow.”
Ji Sanghyeon, who seemed to have heard that declaration of war, also parted his lips in surprise.
“Really an amaz-amazing love…”
Even you, Yu Wooyoung…?
He’d never know even if he died that he was the target, but he was embarrassed all the same. Onyul cleared his voice, ahem.
“We’re a bit low on products. I’ll go to the convenience store, so please handle the register in the meantime.”
“Yes.”
Onyul hurriedly left the temporary convenience store.
The convenience store still had many customers, and the audience seats and Espers were focused on the ranking competition that had just started.
The situation inside the Gate was being broadcast in real-time on the large screen installed temporarily.
“Ahh, as expected of Esper Gu Baekyoung. He’s subduing monsters without hardly using his ability!”
Several drone cameras were filming him from various angles.
Gu Baekyoung was raising one hand with an indifferent face.
That was all. Yet with just one hand gesture infused with telekinesis, the monsters were crushed and slammed to the ground.
Thud, thud—!
Like that, he easily dealt with all the monsters around him. He only looked like an amazing being reigning over the Gate.
Onyul stared at that screen for a while as if entranced.
Whatever else, he was really glad to be alive to see this scene again.
Other Espers were active too, but they weren’t making as much of an impression as Gu Baekyoung.
Onyul naturally didn’t doubt that he would win MVP this time too.
“He’s really cool, right?”
-Beep beep?
He had the illusion of hearing a sound like ‘Is he?’ No matter how much Gu Baekyoung was active, it seemed Kiki didn’t like him. It was a funny little one.
Onyul stroked the little one’s head with a touch infused with therapy energy, worried it might disappear.
“Still, don’t hate him too much. He’s a good kid.”
-Beep.
This time it seemed to say it understood.
“Phew, then shall we also start our work now?”
Everyone’s attention was focused on the plaza screen due to Gu Baekyoung’s performance. Not only the audience but also the Management Bureau staff had come out to the plaza.
Most Management Bureau staff were ordinary people, and they also didn’t get to see the Espers’ performances well. Security had definitely become lax.
Now was the right time to secretly raid the Management Bureau.
Onyul stopped by the convenience store and changed into the Management Bureau staff uniform he’d prepared in advance. He also took the highly concentrated energy drink.
With his hat pulled down low, he really looked like a Management Bureau employee.
Onyul, who returned to the plaza, mixed into the crowd and naturally entered the Management Bureau main building. The commotion gradually grew distant with each step he took.
Throughout passing through the Management Bureau corridor and climbing up to the 3rd floor, no one stopped Onyul. Two guards were protecting the front of the 3rd floor corridor, which was his destination.
‘Two are a piece of cake.’
Onyul hid in the corner of the corridor and spoke quietly to Kiki.
“Kiki, see that CCTV up there? Cover it for a bit.”
Kiki nodded its small head and flapped its wings.
Only then did Onyul come out from the corridor and speak warmly to the guards.
“Hello, you’re working hard.”
Simultaneously, he let therapy energy flow. That energy would blur the wariness even of people who were very cautious.
The effect came immediately. The guards’ mouths, which were about to ask who… he was, relaxed. They smiled, heh, and just nodded their heads.
“You must be busy because of the event. Have some of this at least.”
“Ah, thank you.”
When Onyul handed over the bottle, the guards gulped down the highly concentrated energy drink without much thought.
And after a moment.
“Haah… Why am I so languid?”
The two men’s eyes unfocused and their bodies swayed. It was the energy drink that had made even S-rank Gu Baekyoung lose consciousness. As ordinary people, they couldn’t endure long.
Soon the two men’s forms collapsed. Onyul moved the two people to the CCTV’s blind spot and took the master key from their pockets.
“Please sleep for a moment.”
Onyul, who muttered lowly, walked to the room at the very end. When he held the master key to the door written as Special Cases Records Archive, the door opened.
Was there really a record related to his ‘death’ inside here?
“Whew.”
Onyul took a breath for one beat, then stepped inside.
The door closed quietly. The festival-like noise from outside could no longer be heard.
Without delay, Onyul turned on the computer by the wall. When he entered the password he knew, he gained access to the information.
Onyul searched in order for the date the accident in his past life occurred, his name, and the names of the Espers who had the accident together with him.
Surprisingly, nothing came up.
“No information?”
Only other confidentiality agreements appeared, but no record of the accident Onyul had came up.
Was it not here… Would he have to raid even his aunt’s house to know for sure?
The moment he was gripped by disappointment, he discovered one suspicious document that could only be viewed by administrator level. Absurdly, Onyul even knew that password.
In his past life, when he’d given therapy to the Esper Center Director several times, he’d told him.
The Esper Center Director had lost his pair Guide when exterminating Genesis. After that, he didn’t get close to Guides.
<Esper Kang Onyul. Will you do me a favor?>
<Anything?>
<To what extent?>
<Then…>
At that time, he suddenly saw the Esper Center Director’s laptop. Seeing his laptop covered in security documents, he suddenly became curious about what administrators would see.
<I want to view administrator-level documents.>
At that absurd request, the Esper Center Director laughed heartily. It was an unbelievable reaction from him who usually didn’t laugh well.
He thought he’d be rejected, but the Esper Center Director willingly told him.
<Don’t look too much. Keep the secrets, of course.>
But a week later, Onyul was caught up in a Gate rampage and died. Without even getting a chance to view the administrator-level documents.
To think he’d use that now.
Onyul entered the password without hesitation.
Click. With the sound ringing, the document contents appeared on the monitor.
“Gate Disruption Experiment Log…?”
Onyul viewed that document that somehow gave off a fishy smell for some reason.
The contents were shocking.
Because it was written about a method to reversely cause a cleared Gate to rampage.
“Raising the critical point to artificially induce a rampage…”
Onyul’s pupils trembled finely.
…Crazy. Why are you analyzing something like this?
It was as if there was a history of artificially causing Gates to rampage.
The uneasy thought soon became reality. When he scrolled down quickly to check the document more, a history of actual experiments appeared.
[Experiment Application Record]
Year ○○, Month ○, Day ○, On-site disruption experiment conducted on D-rank Gate
The hand holding the mouse trembled finely. He felt like he was seeing something he shouldn’t see, but he couldn’t stop scrolling.
[Result]
Injection of external energy into the core of a stabilized Gate
└ Forced increase of values to critical point
└ Successful conversion to rampage
“…Successful…?”
A hollow laugh leaked from Onyul’s lips.
Success. That word was stuck in his eyes particularly vividly.
[Remarks]
Damage occurred due to the experiment
└ Small number of casualties
└ Partial deletion and manipulation of records completed
[Reference Incident Code: C-rank Gate Rampage Case (C-12234)]
“…!”
Onyul’s eyes widened greatly. His heart pounded crazily.
Because the Gate he’d died in was also C-rank.
His accident, which hadn’t appeared no matter how much he searched, was being mentioned in the D-rank Gate disruption case.
In other words, the incident of artificially causing a D-rank Gate to rampage was related to the C-rank Gate rampage.
‘Not the anti-Management Bureau, but the Management Bureau itself caused the rampage?’
The thought of ‘For what?’ kept coming. He thought the Management Bureau, which was already suffering from a manpower shortage, had no reason to deliberately drive Espers to death.
What came to mind at that moment was Genesis.
That organization also valued talent. But the talent they considered important was ‘high-rank’ ability users.
It seemed like something more was entangled… He couldn’t continue his thoughts. It was because of the roar heard from outside.
Boom—!
The entire records archive shook greatly. Dust fell from the ceiling in a shower, and the monitor screen shook greatly.
Soon after, an emergency alarm began to ring out.
[Emergency situation occurred]
[Abnormal reaction detected in Gate outside plaza]
[All personnel immediately evacuate and prepare to respond]
Onyul turned off the computer and hurriedly left the records archive. In front of it, Kiki, who didn’t know when it had arrived, greeted Onyul.
The little one seemed to have sensed danger and sought out Onyul.
