New Order (1)
Flap flap—
Hmm… No matter how much I clean up, the trash never ends, huh?
On a dark night where even the moonlight can’t shine through.
There was a black cloak fluttering in the wind on top of a high-rise building.
With a look draped in darkness, only a pair of blue irises glimmered under the thin fabric.
Those eyes were coldly shining as they overlooked the splendid night view, shining like a god ruling over the world.
In fact, calling him a god wasn’t entirely wrong.
He was the calamity of the Auterica dimension, the Undead King himself.
The crime rate in areas hit by my sweep has gone down, but with the area expanding even further, the workload has only increased.
Having become the Undead King, he massively revamped the ‘Contagious Familiar Magic Ultimate Edition_Modification_2nd_FINAL(3)_TheRealLast’ he had been fond of, using his infinite magical power and skills like “Path of Magic” and “Control of Magic.”
Thus, what was born was the ‘Complete Version of Contagious Familiar Magic.’
It became more stealthy, more accurate, and capable of detecting a broader range.
As a result, his area of activity expanded to cover all of Seoul and continued to grow, with the number of evil-doers he punished becoming too many to handle.
It’s truly unfortunate how steeped in evil this world has become. Just how much poison do these hearts harbor?
Was the chaos of society solely their fault?
Aren’t they also another victim wounded in this world?
So…
Yes, all your resentment towards your world, I’ll accept it all. No longer will your vile intentions spill out… You shall know eternal peace in my embrace. Kuhuhuh—*
Someone had to break that chain of misfortune.
And Hans, the embodiment of all negativity, was the most suitable being for that job.
Just then, another new signal was detected.
A robbery-murder using powers, and regrettably, it seemed there had already been a few victims.
Oh dear… They went and committed it, huh?
It seemed he would have to reap yet again.
Hans’s body was enveloped in darkness, and his form began to blur slowly.
Before vanishing completely, something like hundreds of shadows surged beneath him, writhing like they were clamoring to welcome a new arrival…
Very roughly, too.
*
“How is it? Do you understand something?”
Umm… I get the gist of it. It’s a curse that repeatedly replays trauma when certain conditions are met, mixing in thoughts to make it impossible to bypass.
A man wearing a baseball cap answered while resting his hand on the head of a sleeping person on the hospital bed.
“That’s what I already knew. What about解除 (kapu)? Can you do it?”
“Oh, that? Absolutely not. The system is different, and besides, he’s at a higher level than me. If I mess with it carelessly, I might end up getting hit myself.”
His answer seemed unsatisfactory, as the suited man frowned and glared at him.
“Then what can you actually do? Haven’t you figured anything out?”
“One thing for sure: the human who placed this curse is an absurd monster. If it were me, I’d rather choose to commit a proper suicide than fight this guy.”
“…Is it that serious?”
Park Han-cheol, the head of the Crime Investigation Division of the Ability Management Bureau, scratched his head roughly, letting out a sigh.
Seeing this, the man in the cap pondered for a detailed explanation, considering he was currently assisting the investigation as a consultant on black magic.
“First of all, the level of black magic is high. It looks complex and robust, which suggests it was systematically learned after developing over a long time in some dimension.”
It wasn’t simply skimmed from the surface; it was clear that a proper understanding and mastery of that vision had been achieved.
“And the density of the black magic is mind-boggling. It’s not just about quantity but the quality itself is different. I really want to ask how one managed to accumulate this pure energy.”
As energy accumulates, impurities inevitably build up, but the black magic used here was astonishingly pure.
It was even the first time he realized that such a thing could happen with black magic, which initially is a tainted energy.
“Lastly… I’m not sure if it’s a characteristic of their system or a vision, but the way this curse is used feels inhuman.”
“What do you mean?”
The man in the cap stared sharply at the one lying in the bed as if to see through his innermost thoughts and began to inspect closely again.
“Isn’t it common knowledge that curses are double-edged swords, requiring extra caution when used? If mishandled, it can backfire on oneself.”
“…I’ve heard a lot about that.”
“But this guy doesn’t have any defenses for that. It’s a method that pursues speed and strength, focusing only on efficiency. Yet, it fits so naturally.”
There was not a shred of excess for self-preservation in the curse.
There ought to be some alternative route for a response or mitigation, yet he couldn’t even touch it.
“What if he has a skill for curse immunity?”
“Maybe, but this feels like it’s beyond that level? Something feels subtly off, like… I can’t sense humanity in it.”
“Ha! Humanity in a curse? That guy must have gone completely mad long ago.”
“Um, I mean it in a sense of feeling. Not every user of black magic is insane, right? I myself am doing quite well, aren’t I?”
Park Han-cheol stared at the man in the cap, Ahn Seong-jin, then let out another sigh.
Of course, he generally was on the docile side, but he also had a history of being brought in after causing a ruckus once.
He had managed to prevent mental contamination from black magic with special skills, but that wasn’t perfect.
Shortly after his return, he witnessed thugs wreaking havoc in the troublesomely surviving store of his parents, which caused his control to snap.
Fortunately, things didn’t escalate to murder, so multiple considerations led to him currently assisting the Ability Management Bureau.
‘Though, looking like that, he’s also a high-level black magician. In fact, he could have escaped, but he willingly got caught thinking about his parents.’
It was true that he had been of considerable help during this time, so there was no more he could say to him.
“So you said that the one who cursed was Hahoe Mask? Saying they take the bodies after killing the criminals?”
“Yeah, sometimes there’s just the black magic-infused blood left at the scene, and sometimes they take everything without a trace.”
“Wow… A necromancer using black magic at this level? That’s genuinely terrifying. Even the souls would become slaves.”
“Really?”
“Before a necromancer, dying isn’t the end. Their bodies, of course, but the souls will be recycled until they wear out. I previously mentioned suicide being a better choice for a reason.”
Certainly, someone like Ahn Seong-jin might not be as strong as a specialist in that area.
The bodies could also just be taken for practice.
But hoping for luck against such a formidable opponent was foolish.
“In fact, this guy has been here for a while. He was caught during Hahoe Mask’s active period and hasn’t been discharged yet.”
Park Han-cheol pointed to the man lying in bed.
That man was a criminal too, so they had put him to sleep freely for easier investigation.
“But after a while of silence, Hahoe Mask has started to become active again. So those guys who just came in today have had their treatments wrapped up, and I was hoping you could take a look.”
“How much time has passed for anything to change?”
“Still, you might be able to read more from someone who was attacked immediately after.”
“Hmm… Then let’s take a look.”
His words weren’t incorrect, so Ahn Seong-jin readily nodded.
Then they entered the intensive care unit and came face to face with a mummy wrapped in bandages all over.
“Uh… What did this person do to end up like this?”
“Let’s see… Arson. Fortunately, it seems there were no casualties, so it’s restrained to this extent. Nowadays, Hahoe Mask usually deals with violent criminals, so immediate executions are common.”
It was natural considering he had been busier with an expanded activity range.
Ahn Seong-jin nodded and moved closer to the head of the sleeping patient, resting a hand on it and closing his eyes.
After a moment…
“Huh!”
In an instant, his eyes flew open, and he quickly pulled his hand back, taking a few steps back.
“Ah…”
“Why? Did you find something?”
“Ah ha… Ah ha ha— So, team leader! What are we doing after we catch Hahoe Mask?”
Without answering the question, Ahn Seong-jin began to laugh to himself.
Park Han-cheol frowned for a moment but eventually responded to the question.
“Rather than saying we’re catching him, we should prioritize identifying his identity first. After that, we’ll retest and then persuade him. He seems capable and appears to stick to his principles.”
“Like me?”
“Um… Something like that, yeah? But suddenly, why the curiosity? Did you find something out?”
As his patience started to wear thin, he frowned and pressed further, and Ahn Seong-jin smiled gently, as if looking far away.
“It seems like I need to retract what I said earlier.”
“Oh? You’ve found out something?”
He nodded proudly and slowly began to speak.
“It seems I… need to die right now. …But since I’ve been helping the country, I should receive a service medal, right? How much money have I saved up…?”
Suddenly babbling, Ahn Seong-jin’s demeanor finally allowed Park Han-cheol to read the look on his face properly.
His pupils were dilated, staring blankly into space, and his trembling lips were forced up into a smile, already dripping with cold sweat.
“…Are you okay?”
Ahn Seong-jin recalled what had just happened with a blank expression.
In an attempt to gather information, he had glanced closely at the curse.
At that moment, he had made eye contact with ‘that being’.
“Hoou—? Who are you?”
He had thought it was just a simple thought he’d seen before in an earlier curse, but… something was different.
Those glowing green eyes stared directly at him, as if they were the shape of an endlessly dark abyss.
With a gaze that seemed to pierce right through his soul, Ahn Seong-jin’s mind went completely white for a brief moment.
By the time he regained his senses, he was frantically attempting to sever the connection.
Still, those eyes continued to watch him silently until the moment he left.
“Hey! What’s wrong with you! Get a grip!”
Slap—!
With the heat of pain radiating from his cheek, he was jolted back to reality.
Only then did his surroundings start to properly register in his vision.
“Hey! I have a rough guess about what’s going on, but calm down for now!”
After slapping Ahn Seong-jin, Park Han-cheol finally saw his gaze returning and let out a sigh.
“First of all, you need to know this. So far, Hahoe Mask has exclusively punished criminals. He has a criterion for differentiating between degrees of guilt.”
Criminals of serious offenses, like premeditated murder, received immediate execution, while others were subjected to punishment based on their judgment.
“And he’s been aware from the very beginning that we’re after him. Despite that, he hasn’t acted against us.”
There was a clear line that Hahoe Mask only judged criminals.
“You understand? You’re not in your right mind. Soothe your thoughts and think clearly.”
“Ah…”
Hearing his words, Ahn Seong-jin took a deep breath to calm the situation.
Yes, upon reflection, he hadn’t discovered any monumental information.
He knew nothing of Hahoe Mask’s identity or location, nor could he even identify anything beyond “He’s great.”
It was just a coincidence, having crossed paths through thoughts.
Eventually, he was able to observe his state objectively.
He had merely caught a glimpse of a presence through the curse, yet panic had completely consumed him.
“Ah ha ha… I see now…”
“Are you calmed down?”
“Yeah… Um, team leader?”
“Oh! Yes! What is it? Do you have something to say?”
“I just need to rest for a bit…”
Thud—!
Suddenly dropping his guard, Ahn Seong-jin collapsed as if fainting right there.
“Eh? Hey! What’s with you all of a sudden?”
From afar, Park Han-cheol’s voice reached, but he had no energy left to argue various matters.
*
Hmm… This is a first.
In a space surrounded by darkness, Hans quietly stared at one side.
At the end of his gleaming blue eyes lay… precisely a hospital.
