DB Vol 6 Part 2

Yoon-im rushed to meet Yang Cheon-hyo as soon as she received an urgent message from Head Family Oh.

‘Discovered by Gye Yoon. Fleeing. Urgent support needed.’

Regardless of how they were discovered, more people than expected would be needed to extract him. The Gye family would naturally block teleportation portals and monitor, so to help Head Family Oh escape, they’d need to use more spies planted in the North, which required Yang Cheon-hyo’s permission. But there was an even more serious issue.

‘Gye Yoon is suspected to have teleportation abilities.’

Yoon-im got goosebumps as she recalled Yang Cheon-hyo suddenly suspecting this was all the doing of the S-class Gye Yoon. They needed to confirm more, but Yang Cheon-hyo needed to be informed first.

However, even after arriving at Yang Cheon-hyo’s quarters, she couldn’t speak with him. There was a guest who had arrived earlier. They were arguing loudly enough to be heard from the reception room to the inner room.

‘It’s the purifiers. Damn it, it’s all because Purifier appeared!’

As Yang Cheon-hyo raised his voice irritably, Ji Geun-oh retorted in frustration.

‘Stop talking about those damn purifiers! Do they even exist? After nearly 10 years of experiments, not a single person has become a purifier. Do these purifiers actually exist?’

Nearly 10 years of experiments? Yoon-im’s eyes narrowed. So the facility her father had secretly hidden was indeed a place for experimenting on turning guides into purifiers.

‘They exist. There’s no other explanation. The fact that the North can suddenly stop monsters like that, the fact that Gye Yoon is still intact, the fact that monster fruits are bursting out like this, it’s all Purifier’s doing. There’s definitely a Purifier here right now. Geun-oh, we have to catch him. If we get Purifier, this whole world will be ours.’

Getting a Purifier meant they could have the world. This sounded particularly sweet to Yoon-im, enough to make her forget how serious the situation was.

‘But we’ve experimented on all the likely candidates to become purifiers. And they all failed. Aren’t there other conditions for becoming a purifier?’

Yoon-im unconsciously perked up her ears. After a long silence, Yang Cheon-hyo’s irritated answer was heard.

‘I told you, there’s only one certain condition. Some Guides who return from the brink of death awaken as Purifiers.’

Returning from the brink of death. That was indeed the condition for becoming a Purifier. Won-woo nodded at Gye Min’s question.

“Yes. But there’s one more condition to become a Purifier. Yang Cheon-hyo probably doesn’t know this condition. The exact cause for awakening as a purifier was only recently discovered in my world.”

If Yang Cheon-hyo came 9 years ago, he’s likely unaware of this information.

“So he probably continued doing useless evil things for 9 years.”

Useless? Won-woo smiled slightly as he looked at the three people who seemed puzzled.

“But now you’re finally curious.”

He thought people would ask first thing when he revealed he was a Purifier. How exactly does one become a Purifier?

“You were too out of the blue, like an alien.”

He was seen as a completely different being, not human. When Gye Min bluntly shared this impression, Won-woo nodded, saying, “I guess so.”

“So what’s the condition?”

“I don’t think it would be useful to tell you.”

“What do you mean?”

Won-woo looked at empty space for a moment before lowering his gaze.

“Because there’s no one left here who meets the conditions to become a Purifier.”

Incidents kept happening day after day. As if years of boring peace had suppressed accidents, suddenly in a week the world was devastated like a tornado. Literally every day was chaotic. Each day upon waking, there was shocking news.

The Hong family had barely begun recovering from the enormous damage caused by monsters when confusion intensified. If there was any silver lining, it was that this turmoil didn’t cause much financial damage. However, this incident wrapped all Guides in fear and anxiety, so the damage directly felt by Espers was even greater.

“Seung-wook!”

Hearing someone call his name loudly, Seung-wook stopped as he was walking inside the East Center. Geon-young quickly approached him and patted his shoulder.

“What were you thinking so deeply about that you didn’t hear me call several times?”

Oh, you called me? As Seung-wook frowned, Geon-young looked around and sighed.

“Well, I guess there’s no Esper in the East Center without a lot on their mind right now.”

“You too?”

“Of course. I’m an Esper, aren’t I? It’s so inconvenient with all the Guides hiding at home on standby. Sigh, why are they all such cowards?”

Yoo Geon-young clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“At first they were saying it was a second Guide disease or whatever, but now rumors are spreading that it’s a side effect of the Guide disease prevention vaccine?”

“Watch what you say. The Guide One warned they won’t stand for groundless rumors spreading.”

In the past, he would have cursed and shut his mouth, but not now. A sneer immediately spread across Geon-young’s face.

“What, are they going to capture Espers too, lock them up and torture them to death?”

Unlike the sarcastic Geon-young, Seung-wook looked around and lowered his voice.

“Did you see that video too?”

“Yeah. Our family got a request for cooperation too. That Guide research facility Ji Geun-oh secretly built is on Yang family land, right? Since the Hong family can’t directly dispatch Espers, they proposed sending us as neutrals. We’re going to raid that research facility today.”

“But didn’t the Yang family’s vice head decide to send an investigation team?”

That’s right. Geon-young nodded and lowered his voice like Seung-wook.

“The Yang family’s vice head may be at odds with Yang Cheon-hyo, but they’re still brothers, right? You never know. They asked us to monitor whether they investigate properly and accurately. The Hong family is really out for blood this time. They say the Guide One is just trying to blame the North again for Guides collapsing and denying any responsibility on their part.”

Seung-wook nodded. Unfortunately, he had attended a direct family meeting of the Hong family where he witnessed those who trusted the Guide One and those who sided with the Gye family fighting as if they would kill each other.

But this fight ended anticlimactically when Ji Geun-oh’s secret Guide research facility was exposed. No one could side with Ji Geun-oh, who had become a villain overnight.

This secret research facility was the source of rumors that had been causing an uproar for the past few days. Of course, Ji Geun-oh kept insisting in the media every day that he had nothing to do with it and knew nothing about it. He claimed the escaped guide who came forward as a witness might be a fake bought by the North.

“The Yang vice head will investigate properly this time. Even brothers have to step on each other first to avoid being stepped on. He’s been pushed around a lot by Yang Cheon-hyo until now.”

“He has. Yang Cheon-hyo and Ji Geun-oh are a set, right? Plus, who would defy the Guide One with their amazing Alpha seeds? But now there are rumors that the prevention vaccine they released to save Guides is actually poison, and contrary to their claims of helping Guides, it’s been revealed they were strangling them behind the scenes, so…”

“But they still have the Alpha seeds. They won’t go under completely.”

Yoo Geon-young, who was benefiting from those Alpha seeds, frowned in displeasure. It was an undeniable fact. As long as they had the Alpha seeds, Ji Geun-oh wouldn’t fall to rock bottom.

“Damn it, when will those Alpha seeds run out?”

As Seung-wook looked at his friend with curious eyes, Geon-young muttered sheepishly.

“I do need Alpha seeds, but I dislike Guide One just as much.”

“Guide One definitely seems incompetent.”

“Exactly! Even with this latest issue, they should have taken the lead to look after the Guides first, but because Ji Sung-hyun ran his mouth recklessly, it ended up angering the Guides instead.”

Ji Sung-hyun, who had become the new chairman of Guide One, was clearly unsuited for the position. Recalling him as someone frequently seen at clubs, his recent gaffe was entirely in character.

‘Without even knowing the exact reason, those who are spreading rumors about side effects of the preventive medicine were anti-Guide One from the start. I’m saying the Guides don’t need to be scared and hide because of such anti behavior.’

He made two mistakes: bringing up the side effects of the preventive medicine himself, making even those who didn’t know suspicious, and portraying his own side as cowards.

“But what’s funny is that while Guide One is getting torn apart like this, Yang Cheon-hyo side isn’t offering any help. Rather, they seem to be more focused on other matters.”

“What other matters?”

When Seung-wook asked his friend, Geon-young whispered a name.

“Head Family Oh.”

Ah, that person. Seung-wook had heard about Head Family Oh too. How could he not? The North was making such a fuss, broadcasting everywhere trying to catch him.

“Among all the incidents that have happened recently, this is the most surprising to me. No one knew anything about Head Family Oh until now. But to pluck out eyeballs and cut off hands to use them for espionage…”

“I heard he even attached eyeballs to rats.”

Yoo Geon-young shuddered as if creeped out. This reminded Seung-wook of something he wanted to ask his friend.

“The Oh family has worked for the Yang family for a long time, right? With Head Family Oh being hunted so publicly in the North, why isn’t the Yang family protesting?”

“They did protest. Yang Cheon-hyo side immediately objected, asking if they had any proof that the person they were chasing was Head Family Oh. And then the North…”

Yoo Geon-young’s eyes sparkled with amusement.

“They said to show a photo of Head Family Oh first, then they’d provide evidence. When the Yang Cheon-hyo side kept making a fuss, they shut them down saying if they felt so wronged, bring the real Head Family Oh and then protest.”

Astonishment flashed across Seung-wook’s face before he let out a chuckle like his friend.

“But Head Family Oh didn’t appear?”

“Right. The Yang Cheon-hyo side couldn’t even produce a photo.”

The two friends exchanged glances silently for a moment. So the wanted fugitive in the North is really Head Family Oh. And all those creepy rumors about attaching eyeballs to rats and controlling severed hands were true. It sent chills down their spines.

“The North has become quite clever.”

“Right? Before, they seemed to just suffer injustice. Though I suppose Gye Yoon never really fit the image of being wronged, even before.”

At the mention of Gye Yoon’s name, Seung-wook’s expression hardened. Among the numerous incidents happening, what irritated him the most was actually Gye Yoon’s existence.

“The rumors about Gye Yoon… are they true?”

When Seung-wook cautiously asked, Geon-young looked puzzled for a moment before remembering and nodding.

“You mean about Gye Yoon being able to teleport? That’s what Guide One is citing as evidence that Gye Yoon is behind everything so far, but… whether it’s true or not, isn’t it ridiculous?”

“Ridiculous?”

“Think about it. They’re saying Gye Yoon is responsible for the Hong family’s monster outbreak, for Guides collapsing, and even for slandering Head Family Oh. At this rate, wouldn’t Gye Yoon need to be an SSS-rank ability user? It’s like they’re proposing an omnipotent Gye Yoon theory.”

While Geon-young found it absurd, Seung-wook couldn’t dismiss this claim as mere nonsense. When he heard about Gye Yoon’s ability to teleport, he was reminded of someone. The person who dealt with the monster in place of the one who collapsed trying to stop it. Though it seemed their real purpose was to kick the fallen Geon-young.

“Are you bothered about Gye Yoon too?”

“What do you mean, ‘too’?”

“Head Family Hong must be in an uproar. One of the few S-rank ability users, Gye Yoon, has apparently improved his skills. Originally, even among S-ranks, Gye Yoon was a natural type while Head Family Hong was a healing type, so…”

Yoo Geon-young didn’t finish his sentence, but the implication was clear. Seung-wook understood, as he had been thinking the same thing. Geon-young’s following deduction was quite sharp.

“Honestly, the only one who can stand up to Gye Yoon is Head Family Yang. But if the reason he’s been in seclusion for years is truly due to some physical condition, then I can understand why Head Family Hong is obsessed with Gye Yoon. It means Head Family Hong would be the strongest without Gye Yoon around.”

The strongest. Seung-wook recalled that impressive S-rank Esper he had seen at the Hong family’s main house meeting. Though he openly showed his displeasure when the meeting didn’t go his way, he ultimately didn’t make a big fuss.

From Seung-wook’s perspective, it seemed that Head Family Hong didn’t really care how many Espers and Guides died. But Gye Yoon was different. That day, the only assertion Head Family Hong made while raising his voice and refusing to back down was,

‘The Hong family will only cooperate if the North properly explains their suspicions about Gye Yoon.’

Head Family Hong was so adamant that even within the Hong family, no one could persuade him otherwise. But Seung-wook alone welcomed Head Family Hong’s suspicion. After all, he too wanted to know about Gye Yoon more than anyone else.

Ji Won-woo was in the North, and he couldn’t shake off the suspicion that Won-woo was connected to all of this. If Head Family Hong insisted like this, the North wouldn’t be able to just ignore it. Sure enough, not long after, the North showed a definitive response. In a way Seung-wook never expected.

[According to Chief Jung, they’re checking CCTVs in Areas 3, 7, and 12, focusing on places reported by the intelligence department. The east and west don’t have many CCTVs, but these areas have quite a few, so they seem to have found something useful. They keep sharing data with me too. I’ve checked, and there are indeed glimpses of someone who looks like the Head Family Oh that Won-woo described.]

Sang-cheon spoke excitedly, but his tone became more subdued as he continued.

[But all the footage is from nighttime, so we couldn’t confirm the face. Still, finding this much allows us to narrow down the search area, so it’s progress of sorts. There are so many CCTVs in the North. People say it’s hard to live in the North without Guides, but for ordinary citizens, it seems quite good here. The public safety is good too.]

Hearing Sang-cheon’s words, Won-woo looked at the street below with curious eyes. Despite being a busy area with many people, there were few stores with CCTVs, and naturally, they were rare on the streets too. The few that existed were mainly for monitoring traffic flow, pointed at the roads.

Compared to the numerous CCTVs he had seen in the world he used to live in, this place seemed almost lawless. Without taking his eyes off the building across the street, Won-woo opened a nutrition bar and put it in his mouth. At his feet was a bag full of empty instant snack wrappers he had eaten over time.

[But isn’t it taking too long? It’s already been a week since we started staking out to catch Head Family Oh. People’s interest seems to have waned a lot. I heard the number of reports has decreased too. And there have been so many other big incidents lately.]

“It’s better if people’s interest wanes.”

[Better?]

Of course. Won-woo nodded emphatically.

“It means it’s time for the hiding rat to slowly poke its head out and start moving.”

Won-woo’s voice was casual, as if he was used to this kind of thing. Sang-cheon was silent for a moment before asking with curiosity.

[Did you plan to wait there for a week from the start?]

“The duration depends on the target’s personality. Cautious ones might take a month to even start moving.”

[A-a month? You mean you’d endure in that spot for a month?]

What’s wrong with a month? Won-woo seemed rather puzzled. A month was actually quite reasonable.

[Even if we accept the timeframe, why that location? Where you are now doesn’t overlap at all with the reported Areas 3, 7, and 12. I mean, Gye Yoon and Seona-ssi are busy checking the reported areas, but… why have you been staying there all this time?]

Won-woo heard Sang-cheon’s question but let it go in one ear and out the other, focusing on what was in front of him. Someone slowly walked past the building he had been watching. It was a person matching the appearance Won-woo had been waiting for, so he quickly raised his military-grade scope to check closely. After observing for a while, a strange smile appeared on Won-woo’s lips. Then, belatedly, he answered Sang-cheon’s question.

“Because Head Family Oh came here.”

The North was on high alert to catch just one person, Head Family Oh. Even the North Center, where Seona was officially affiliated, had mobilized all its Espers. At first, everyone was shocked by Head Family Oh’s chilling espionage activities and eagerly pursued him out of curiosity about what kind of person he was. But now, a week later, anger was greater.

Perhaps thanks to the entire North moving to catch Head Family Oh? While they hadn’t caught him, other hidden spies were being uncovered one by one. Most were sent by Guide One, with a fair number of Yang family members mixed in.

Especially among those caught early on, there was one timid civilian who, out of fear, named everyone he knew, causing spies to be exposed one after another like sweet potatoes on a vine.

And when the main mission of these spies was revealed, anger spread like wildfire across the North. What they had been doing in the North was recruiting Guides. The North was already struggling with a shortage of Guides, and now spies sent by Guide One had been persuading and threatening to take away the remaining Guides. And they had been doing this continuously for 9 years.

Until now, the Espers of the North had simply believed everything was the fault of the Gye family. But that wasn’t the case. They had all been playing into a scheme created by Guide One and the Yang family. Even Seona, an outsider, was appalled at how truly vicious Ji Geun-oh was. But there was another reason why Seona was throwing herself into catching Head Family Oh without reservation.

‘This time, I really want to catch him.’

She wanted to fulfill this wish of Won-woo’s. Won-woo had been staking out in front of a transport portal terminal for a week. Although she didn’t try to stop Won-woo, thinking that Head Family Oh wouldn’t be foolish enough to openly use a transport portal, who could have known it would take over a week?

As a result, Won-woo wasn’t getting proper sleep and was eating haphazardly. So she wanted to catch the damn Head Family Oh quickly to ease Won-woo’s hardship. And just in case, if there was any chance Won-woo might be in danger, Seona was in charge of searching an area close to him so she could rush over.

And this evening, she had just returned to the operation camp after searching one of the reported areas. It was her shift change, so she could rest well until morning, but Seona planned to take a short nap for just an hour or two and then go out searching again.

Despite everyone’s efforts to find him, Head Family Oh had vanished like smoke without a trace. Had he really transformed into a rat? It was frustrating, but it also made her more determined to find him. She was munching on a nutrition bar, not wanting to waste time even for eating.

Inside the camp, temporarily set up in a gymnasium, there were about 50 people, including those who came to rest like Seona and the rear support personnel. Suddenly, the interior became as quiet as if no one was there.

Seona was about to bite into the nutrition bar with about 1/3 left when she looked up, wondering what was going on. And she realized why everyone had even stopped breathing. People’s gazes were focused on someone who had entered the gymnasium.

Clack, clack, clack.

The sound of his footsteps echoed loudly on the floor in the quiet gymnasium. Perhaps because she had only seen him always wearing a deeply pulled-down hood, seeing Gye Yoon with his head and face completely exposed felt unfamiliar. But the gazes of others towards him weren’t due to unfamiliarity.

Seona noticed the fear evident in some eyes. And belatedly, she went “Ah.” Those whose eyes were trembling with fear were mostly looking at Gye Yoon’s ears. Those numerous suppression piercings. She had five herself, but it seemed like nothing compared to Gye Yoon’s.

And these piercings seemed to have revealed Gye Yoon’s identity. Here and there, whispers of “Vice Head” could be heard. The camp manager, seemingly recognizing him belatedly, chased after him.

“Might you be Vice Head Gye?”

Gye Yoon glanced at him and gave a short order.

“Do your job.”

I have no business with you. Anyone could understand the hidden meaning in his words. But everyone seemed entranced by the voice itself rather than its content. His gruff, low voice wasn’t loud at all, yet it strangely resonated clearly in people’s ears. It was such an attractive voice that some looked dazed, as if wanting to hear more.

Of course, Seona wasn’t one of them. Rather, she narrowed her eyes in displeasure. The direction Gye Yoon was walking was exactly towards where she was. What, do you have business with me? She looked at him, openly showing her dissatisfaction, but she couldn’t immediately hear what Gye Yoon’s business was. Someone loudly asked Gye Yoon,

“Vice Head, you look quite fine. Have you really been receiving guidance alone all this time?”

Even Seona, who usually disliked Gye Yoon, couldn’t help but frown at this question. Although she hadn’t been in the North for long, she felt that unlike the East and West, people here were uninhibited in mentioning the ruling families. But she didn’t expect such a crossing the line question to be thrown out in public.

Moreover, it was strange that people’s gazes were directed at Gye Yoon rather than the Esper who asked the question. It was clear that they were intending to observe Gye Yoon’s expression. If one had to find a reason why they could behave like this, it might be because both the previous Gye family head and the current one lacked a sense of authority, making people feel comfortable, but still, it was odd. Why? Apart from the Gye family ruling the North, Gye Yoon was an S-rank Esper.

Just as Seona was contemplating this simple logic of power, she felt a short, small “woong” in her ears. Like the low resonance of a contrabass. It wasn’t loud, so it could have been ignored, but she couldn’t. Soon after, some vibration spread through the ground. It clearly felt like a vibration traveling through the earth, making her think it was an earthquake for a moment, but the ground beneath her feet remained calm.

Yet there was clearly a feeling of vibration traveling through the ground. It was chilling enough to send shivers down her spine. It was strange. Nothing could be heard, and there was clearly no perceivable vibration, but it felt as if some enormous force was filling the gymnasium and pressing down. Like a massive scream let out by the earth itself.

Seona realized that the source of this chill was a sound inaudible to human ears, something beyond comprehension. Sound. There was only one person present capable of wielding power related to this ability. Seona found herself trembling involuntarily and belatedly noticed that the people around her had collapsed, as if prostrating themselves on the floor. Strangely, only the Espers had fallen.

Quite a few were seen unconscious with their eyes rolled back and foam at their mouths, while the rest who barely managed to hold on were either vomiting face down on the floor or wetting themselves without realizing it. Among the Espers, only Seona remained unaffected. Suppressing her tension, she looked up at Gye Yoon, who had almost reached her.

To subdue the Espers physically so instantaneously was shocking. But what particularly astonished Seona was something else. Gye Yoon had selectively attacked only the espers among this many people. It’s rather easy to overwhelm everyone with sheer force. You just need to exert your power to the fullest.

But to attack only specific targets in a wide area? It was impossible for Seona. Especially since the opponent looked so nonchalant, as if he hadn’t done anything. Unlike Seona who had frozen in shock, Gye Yoon approached her and suddenly picked a fight.

“Don’t move even if Ji Won-woo calls you.”

Seona glared at him, forgetting that he had just instilled terrifying fear in the Espers here. She then looked around, worried that someone might have heard Won-woo’s name. Gye Yoon’s sarcastic remark immediately followed.

“No one can hear.”

If that’s the case. Seona immediately raised her chin.

“Whether I go to Won-woo or not is my choice. And there’s no reason for me not to go if Won-woo calls, is there?”

Who are you to tell me what to do? As Seona threw a crooked glance, Gye Yoon tilted his head at an angle. Then he muttered coldly.

“Shall I get rid of you?”

“Go ahead. If you have the courage to proudly tell Won-woo that you eliminated me.”

It seemed he didn’t have that courage. Gye Yoon’s eyes filled with irritation.

“There’s no need to tell him everything.”

“Are you still too young to understand?”

Seona deliberately tilted her head and twisted her lips.

“There are no secrets in this world. No matter how much you try to hide, eventually everything comes to light. And when the truth is revealed later, you’ll be crumpled up like a yogurt lid that Won-woo has licked once and discarded.”

“Fuck.”

Gye Yoon spat out the curse expressionlessly, but Seona stared back unflinchingly.

“I’ve been wondering, Won-woo shows the same mercy to both me and Director Hwang, so why do you only pick fights with me?”

At those words, Gye Yoon asked back as if wondering why she didn’t know.

“If Ji Won-woo treats me and Hwang the same, who would you be wary of?”

“Obviously you. There’s no way Director Hwang would have a romantic interest in Won-woo… damn it.”

Seona lost her words and closed her mouth. Then, a moment later, she muttered with a sigh.

“Of course, I have no intention of having a romantic relationship with Won-woo either. How could I dare…”

“Right, how could someone like you dare.”

“You neither!”

Seona, unable to contain her anger, jumped up and shouted. After glaring at each other for a moment, Gye Yoon coldly spat out.

“It’s an order. You stay put here.”

“I refuse. I’ll run to Won-woo whenever he calls. Besides, I owe him this time.”

Saying this, Seona deliberately raised the nutrition bar she had been eating as if boasting.

“This. Won-woo bought it for me. He said to eat it when I’m hungry. He put it right in my hand.”

Simultaneously, Gye Yoon swiftly struck the nutrition bar in Seona’s hand hard. In the moment Seona went “Huh?” the half-eaten nutrition bar fell to the floor.

“Hey! What’s with that childish behavior?!”

Although no one could still hear their voices, everyone was looking at Seona with shocked eyes. It was obvious to anyone that she was pointing her finger at the vice head of the Gye family ruling the North. Moreover, although Gye Yoon had a fierce expression and was standing crookedly, he was still letting his opponent live.

“You should have taken better care of it.”

Seona gritted her teeth and picked up the fallen nutrition bar from the floor, putting it in her mouth without even dusting it off.

“You’ll never know how delicious this is.”

Irritation filled Gye Yoon’s eyes again. This time, real killing intent rose in his eyes. But he hesitated when he saw what Seona was pulling out of her pocket. There was one more identical nutrition bar. Seona waved it arrogantly and asked.

“I have one more gift. Want it?”

Gye Yoon reached out, but Seona quickly pulled her hand back.

“I’ll give it to you if you call me ‘noona’ (older sister).”

“Noona.”

“…”

“Hand it over.”

While Seona was frozen in disbelief, Gye Yoon quickly snatched the nutrition bar. Then he shamelessly unwrapped it and ate it right away.

“It’s delicious.”

As he gave his brief assessment, Seona’s expression soured. And just as she was about to say something again, the sound of a communication device activating rang in her ear, followed by Sang-cheon’s flustered voice.

[Um… Head Family Oh has appeared here, and Won-woo is trying to catch him right now?]

*

That evening, Yoon-im anxiously held onto her phone, unable to put it down. She had pushed too hard trying to safely bring in Head Family Oh. Not only was there a financial issue, but the exposure of long-term spies planted by Guide One in the North was a particularly painful loss. That’s why she couldn’t give up on this matter even more.

The issue with Head Family Oh had now become a battle of pride with the North, so they had to bring him to the Yang family and show his existence to the North no matter what. This incident had intensified the internal division and conflict within the Yang family, and Yang Cheon-hyo’s standing had diminished in an instant. Moreover, Guide One was currently in an uproar over the illegal research facility issue.

So they needed even one victory. Originally, deceiving the opponent with lies and framing them for crimes is only possible when you have a usable weapon in your hand. They had to somehow help Head Family Oh escape from the North, who was that weapon.

Yoon-im deployed all the North’s spies she had been saving until the last moment and the Guide One Espers who had secretly infiltrated for this operation. She didn’t know how the Gye family had discovered Head Family Oh’s appearance, but it didn’t matter. With this level of elite forces, success was certain. Moreover, Head Family Oh was confident.

‘No, they’ll never find him. Damn North bastards, let them keep flailing about.’

The first time she heard Head Family Oh’s voice, it was full of conviction. While Yang Cheon-hyo had been acting like a madman all week because of Gye Yoon’s ability, he spoke calmly about Head Family Oh. He said there was no way he would be caught, that escaping would be as easy as eating cold porridge. Whatever method he had, he guaranteed he could evade their eyes, so she had no choice but to believe him.

Everything would be settled soon. Yes, there’s no way they could fail this time. The Espers sent to the North were as cruel as killing machines. Anyone who tried to stop Head Family Oh would not escape death.

‘What kind of ability could it be? Does a person just turn into gas? A mist human, something like that?’

*

In Won-woo’s world, when Head Family Oh leaked ally information and they were consecutively sniped, someone had made such a frustrated guess. They wondered if Head Family Oh had some unique ability that made him like a ghost. But that wasn’t it at all. He was just an ordinary healing type.

The only difference was that Head Family Oh himself had tremendous patience and nerve. In addition to this, Won-woo suspected that Oh’s healing ability might be limited to himself. Unlike most healing-type Espers who couldn’t greatly affect themselves, Head Family Oh was the opposite, which might be why he tried such bizarre methods.

But what frustrated people more than Head Family Oh’s ability in the original world was how to catch him. Despite winning that long war, the allies had ultimately been defeated by Head Family Oh alone. Especially Won-woo, who had a personal debt to him. That’s why he wanted to catch Head Family Oh with his own hands.

Chasing a person is like peeling off hundreds of layers of skin one by one. By uncovering the target’s secrets one by one and approaching their essence, you can predict their next move. Head Family Oh is an extremely cautious person, but also bold enough to transplant body parts into animals.

Moreover, he has the cruelty to kill immediately when he realizes someone is a hindrance, like the chief secretary. His patience is so remarkable that he can endure any pain for his goals. He’s extremely cautious but also has a cruel nature.

Such people boldly attempt methods that others consider impossible. That’s why Won-woo guessed he would definitely use the transport portal.

He would deliberately choose an area with strict security, as if striking at the enemy’s weakness. But underlying this boldness is the confidence that he won’t be caught. Won-woo speculated how he could have cleverly evaded people’s eyes in his own world.

[If he was so good at escaping in your world too, Won-woo… Could he be a master of disguise?]

Sang-cheon voiced his doubt in Won-woo’s ear. Won-woo crossed in front of the transport portal terminal with slow steps, as if out for a stroll.

“It would be similar. Disguise, if you call it. But he probably used his ability.”

[The healing ability? How do you disguise with that? Does he attach hands to his shoulders like decorations?]

Won-woo’s eyes widened in shock, but he then whispered kindly.

“Do you know how healing-type Espers fight monsters? They apply force to the undamaged parts of the monster. If it’s an injured area, energy would surge and new flesh would grow, but if it’s a healthy part, it would become abnormal. The flesh of the breathing holes might grow and block the airway, or organs might enlarge and burst the insides.”

[Ah, I’ve heard about that. That’s why some say healing types are omnipotent. Why is that… Oh?!]

Sang-cheon’s understanding was as exceptional as his imagination. Yes, that’s right. Won-woo nodded and approached someone with slow steps. Then he stopped and continued his explanation at normal volume.

“If that healing ability is used on one’s own normal body, and on specific parts at that. For example, on the skin and subcutaneous fat beneath it. Wouldn’t that part become enlarged in a short time? The exact opposite of the thin body type that the North is extensively searching for.”

Won-woo stared at a man sitting on a roadside bench who easily weighed over 120kg and asked,

“Isn’t that right, Head Family Oh?”

The eyes of the massive man who slowly raised his head glinted as sharply as a snake’s.