Visit (1)
The Crime Investigation Division of the State Agency for Paranormal Management overseeing supernatural crime in Korea.
“…Wow, this is terrible.”
Ahn Seong-jin, the black magician called in for advice as usual, couldn’t help but stick out his tongue.
He pulled his hand away from the forehead of the man lying in bed, drooling with slack eyes, and shook his head.
“With this, recovery is out of the question, right? It’s like a nuclear bomb dropped here dozens of times. He’s basically in a vegetative state… It’s surprising that the brain damage isn’t as severe as I expected.”
“The original condition was worse than this. I just thought it might improve if I called a priest for treatment. Well, as you can see, the result was a bust.”
“Thought so.”
At the calm reply from his counterpart, Park Han-cheol, the team leader of the Crime Investigation Division, let out a short sigh and rubbed his messy hair.
It was such a peculiar case that he had called in Ahn Seong-jin, a black magician, just in case, but it seemed it was a dead end this time too.
Whether he knew how Park felt or not, Ahn Seong-jin simply continued nonchalantly.
“All I can say is this: There’s no way to fix this. The foundation has completely evaporated, so what can be fixed? It’d be easier to create a new persona and turn this guy into a biological golem.”
“…You know that sounds ridiculous, right?”
“Of course, it’s a joke. I don’t have the materials needed for that anyway.”
Park Han-cheol frowned at Ahn Seong-jin’s typically black magician-like joke and clicked his tongue.
He was one of the rare black magic users with a sane mind, and while they were close personally, during moments like this, he was just like any other black magician.
‘The fact that he’s doing better than many returnees is the funny part.’
As the team leader of the Crime Investigation Division, he had faced countless villains and was well aware of that fact.
While it’s true that most black magic users are risky elements, not all criminals are black magic users.
No, even if they aren’t criminals, those who have survived extreme environments tend to have thought processes that deviate from Earth’s common sense.
The experiences and realizations accumulated from overcoming adversity transformed their outlook on life altogether.
Just like those who have already made significant achievements in society, believing their way of life to be the absolute truth.
‘At least if they possess a mindset of being the chosen, that’s better. If they begin to trample on others just because they have power…’
It would take only a moment for human civilization to crumble.
Wasn’t the man lying there proof of that?
“So, what happened to this person? He’s not in a hospital but here, so he doesn’t seem like an ordinary victim.”
“…They say he’s an attempted rapist of a minor. According to victim testimony, he suddenly went on a rampage and vanished without a trace. We brought him back, found sprawled out some distance from the scene.”
“Ha! Serves him right. It’s karma, isn’t it? Do we really need to fix this?”
Ahn Seong-jin grimaced as he eyed the man lying in bed.
It felt like touching something disgusting, and he wiped his hand on his pants repeatedly.
“Whether to fix it or not isn’t the issue. The problem is that an awakened one with such abilities has appeared.”
Psychic ability users are always highly monitored and seen as priority subjects.
There are numerous restrictions when going abroad, and they often have to live under various influences even in daily life.
It’s only natural, as utilizing psychic abilities for terrorism is the fastest and simplest way to undermine the social structure.
‘The fact that the World Returnee Association created guardians was to unify psychic users and establish a defense system first. If they hadn’t, the world would have already been in chaos.’
From minor offenses to nuclear wars engulfing the whole world.
As a result, there was no option but to either bribe or eliminate psychic ability users, so it wasn’t strange for the Crime Investigation Division to react so sensitively.
Well, they say they treat them well in return, but still.
“You must have noticed, right? How powerful this person was.”
“Umm, well…”
Moreover, if the subject was a powerful user who could incapacitate even master-level fighters, there was no room for choice.
Due to the characteristics of psychic abilities, they were easy to block against opponents of equal rank but should be seen as being at a higher level than that.
‘If we measure the destructive power… they could possibly be transcendent-level.’
In anticipation of potential risks, they had to gather information by any means necessary.
Even a small clue about their identity.
“Well, if that’s the case, it can’t be helped. Sorry I couldn’t help. But wouldn’t it be better to consult another psychic ability user instead of me?”
“…Several have already come through there. The connections were all severed, and all traces vanished, so there was nothing they could do. I called you hoping a black magician might come up with something, but…”
Park Han-cheol looked at him with a thoughtful expression.
Ahn Seong-jin felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding and tried to back away slowly, but he was grabbed by the arm before he could even take a few steps back.
“Before you arrived, another one with the same symptoms was brought in. Since you’re here, I’d like you to take a look at them as well.”
“Nah, I already have the conclusion. Why do I have to…”
“This one’s a complete raw sample before treatment. Plus, aren’t you top-class in solving cases in this field? They’re pressing me so much from above that I can’t even leave work. Just do me this favor.”
With that insistence, Ahn Seong-jin couldn’t help but reluctantly nod.
He had received help from his team leader more than once.
‘Ah, there’s no need to be attached to performance bonuses anymore, but did I work this hard for nothing?’
Indeed, capable people do not get left alone by those around them.
Ahn Seong-jin recalled the ‘support funds’ received through entirely legal channels from the Hahoe Mask and smacked his lips.
With that, he could purchase his parents’ shop building and invest in various ventures…
‘Wait a minute.’
Following Park Han-cheol to another hospital room, Ahn Seong-jin suddenly froze.
He felt a moment of déjà vu regarding the current situation.
‘…Come to think of it, I encountered the Hahoe Mask in just such a scenario before.’
After thinking for a moment, he let out a small sigh and resumed walking.
Unlike back then, he now had a reliable backing.
‘Now I’m under Hahoe Mask’s wing. Given the contributions I’ve made so far, he’ll help me if anything goes wrong.’
No matter how formidable that psychic ability user was, they couldn’t possibly be as powerful as the Hahoe Mask.
As a black magician on the same path, Ahn Seong-jin well understood just how terrifying a being Hahoe Mask was.
‘That person is more than human. They are an unavoidable death itself.’
But whether it was unfortunate or fortunate,
Worries vanished as nothing similar happened again.
Of course, the lack of any substantial clues was the same.
Just like the previous criminal investigated, the psychic realm had been completely devastated, leaving no traces behind.
“Ah, this will take a while.”
The team leader, who had been frowning and groaning, suddenly perked up.
It seemed a brilliant idea had suddenly struck him.
“By the way, there’s a holy person from another realm! That white knight Heinrich, if I remember correctly. Isn’t he still active in our country?”
“Oh, that guy?”
Ahn Seong-jin was well aware of the Holy Man Heinrich from another realm.
In fact, it wouldn’t be easy to find someone who didn’t know about him unless they were very out of touch with society.
Especially not in Korea.
“But wouldn’t that be difficult?”
“No, there’s a possibility. He volunteers often, performing all sorts of miracles to heal even the terminally ill.”
A person with that ability might also be able to restore their state.
He had heard that he was recently engaging in interactions with the government, and emphasizing the need to obtain leads on psychic users for the sake of ‘order’…
“No, that’s not it. Do you really not know?”
“…Know what?”
Still, asking such a great being for this task wouldn’t be easy.
Even with support from higher-ups, there would be many preparations to make.
As Park Han-cheol, who was bewildered about where to start in order to make this happen, felt displeased with Ahn Seong-jin’s seemingly frustrating attitude.
It would be best just to send him back quickly—
“That guy went to America, right?”
“Eh?”
But at the following words, he froze and could only blink blankly.
“Wait. You really didn’t know? It was on the news when I came here.”
He had been utterly unaware.
He had been too busy running around due to the sudden appearance of the ‘Mind Breaker.’
Since Heinrich, the Holy Man from another realm, had been active in the public eye, it hadn’t concerned him directly and he had lost some interest.
“…Why did he go to America? When is he coming back?”
“Who knows? I’m not the one involved, so how would I know? He’s not even from our country. Well, according to the news…”
He reflexively asked back, though it didn’t really matter.
The problem was that the best plan he could think of had gone down the drain before it even began.
Letting out a deep sigh, he let Ahn Seong-jin’s response slip from his ears and rubbed the back of his neck.
“He said he was visiting the Pantheon Headquarters?”
*
Wooowwww—
San Francisco International Airport in California, USA.
“Ah, there’s the car. Please come this way, brother.”
Heinrich, following the sturdy figure of a forty-something priest, stepped into the pre-prepared vehicle, leaving behind the noisy sounds of the airport.
“I can hardly express how emotional it is to finally welcome Brother Heinrich.”
“It seems I’ve made you wait far too long. I’m in a bit of a tricky situation that makes it hard to focus on just one task.”
“Haha! Not at all. I fully understand your circumstances. You have much to do over there, and the time dilation between dimensions can’t be helped.”
A middle-aged man with brown hair and a neatly trimmed beard, Jason, the representative of the investigation team dispatched from the Pantheon Headquarters in America, chuckled heartily and waved his hand.
Since what mattered most to him was his faith, he maintained a somewhat relaxed attitude towards his duties.
During his time in Korea, he had also spent quite satisfying moments interacting with other priests.
As Heinrich conversed with Jason about various topics, he gazed out the car window.
The land of America, with many differences from Korea.
He had already visited this place once when dealing with the secretary, but now, making an official visit, it felt entirely new.
Finally, I’m here. It’s been postponed for so long under the pretext of having too much work.
He was here for a very specific reason.
While gathering and organizing information about the Buncheon Society, he suddenly realized that he had overlooked a crucial fact.
‘That person is not just a mere deity but possesses their own Holy Power… closer to a true god than anyone else.’
The clandestine dealings of the Buncheon Society were ongoing day by day.
While competent subordinates were doing their best to respond, the time accumulated and the scale of the foundation built over the years made it somewhat overwhelming.
However, they continued to hold their ground because the other side was wary of their underworld being exposed to the light.
‘And that’s entirely due to the restraints derived from the Buncheon Society.’
He had put in considerable effort to gather information.
Yet, he remained ignorant of what he thought was truly important.
Why doesn’t mysticism emerge on Earth?
Why did the Akasha system designate such an Earth as a hub connecting various worlds?
And why is the Buncheon Society trying to sow new mysteries on Earth while destroying other dimensions?
As Heinrich looked outside, he closed his eyes for a moment.
The information he had amassed about the Buncheon Society began mingling in his mind as his thoughts sank deeper.
‘They can’t freely influence the world.’
That applied not only to Earth but to other dimensions as well.
Even with the power to obliterate an entire world like Koshiyas, they had refrained from using that strength from the beginning.
No, they could not use it.
‘If the Buncheon Society had been able to unleash their full strength from the start, they would not have been defeated in Auterica.’
And that went for the Ganghwan Realm, the Devourer, and even Koshiyas, which ultimately perished.
It typically requires dozens of years for a world to be destroyed.
Theologically, it wasn’t all that strange.
The existence of gods is generally somewhat detached from mortals; they tend to be bound by their own principles.
‘I need to learn more about the nature of gods. Not only about Auterica, which is practically my base, but also the religions of other dimensions.’
Where did they acquire their strength, what was the origin of that power, how did they become angels and obtain their own Holy Power?
What are the connections between the Akasha system and the gods?
The place he chose to investigate all of that was precisely here.
“We’ve arrived, Brother Heinrich.”
A hub of faith where most of the religions connected to Earth congregate— the trans-dimensional home of the Pantheon.
“That’s the Temple of All Gods, the Pantheon Headquarters.”
The angel of the Holy God and the saint of Auterica stepped into the realm of the Pantheon.
