Reverse Praise Society and Black Hand.
The shadowy underworld of this world is ruled by two massive organizations, working together in a strange and tight-knit arrangent.
These organizations not only issue the silver coins of Judah, a product and currency they use together, but also show off their close ties, with no apparent conflicts between them until now.
But that’s not all.
When digging deeper into those who hold the real power, it becos clear that the symbiotic relationship between the Reverse Praise Society and Black Hand is far more tightly-knit than one might imagine.
The reason these prideful and eccentric groups haven’t yet clashed boils down to one crucial point: their cooperation is based on serving one singular entity.
The Reverse Praise Society, based on the unethical researcher Hex and his pri subject Oga, continues to grow stronger through their experints, seeking any ans necessary without hesitation.
anwhile, Black Hand supports this organization by expanding its influence and capital.
From drugs and human trafficking, to organs, loans, black markets, and illegal auctions, when anything with the scent of money stirs in the shadows, there is no place untouched by Black Hand’s reach.
The money, monsters, and even humans used in the Reverse Praise Society’s experints?
It’s safe to say that more than half of it cos from Black Hand.
Oga’s unexpected death caused Hex to visit Black Hand directly, complaining as if making a plea, but ultimately, the crucial thing is that they didn’t lose Hex himself.
Though Oga’s death was an enormous loss, there was nothing they could do about it now.
All they needed to do was invest more ti and resources, and everything could be fixed.
It was sothing that could be dealt with if each person just worked harder.
The death of Oga, which wasn’t part of the plan, had begun to create a butterfly effect.
Thus, Pandora, with a rare artifact in hand, ca to the Academy City in person.
Though it wasn’t the ti to use it, today was crucial to shortening the ti for her goal.
Pandora’s field of expertise was different from Hex’s.
Her curiosity, bearing the na Pandora, was simple.
Would it be possible to create a dinsional rift under certain conditions?
The ideal conditions for testing this were already set up within this Academy City shopping mall.
Her heart raced.
The verification would be the first task in bringing about the arrival of the one she served.
***
[eting the Betrayer of Humanity, Pandora – Achievent unlocked]
[Random point pouch received as an achievent reward]
The rewards, which had beco more generous lately, didn’t catch Rohan’s attention now.
He only repeated the na in his mind.
“Pandora...?”
Rohan was sure he had never seen her before.
But that na—he rembered it. It had been ntioned occasionally while playing Abyss City.
If the ga’s story had continued for just one more year, the possibility of encountering her would’ve been high.
She wasn’t from the Reverse Praise Society, but Pandora, one of the leaders of Black Hand.
“Academy City... How did she even get into the bustling district?”
The security in Academy City Elysium was extraordinary.
As a place where new sprouts were growing, it was a location surrounded by people hyper-focused on security. The more powerful and influential the villain, the harder it would be for them to quietly infiltrate the center.
That’s why it was strange.
“Special artifact? Skill?”
No other possibilities ca to mind.
Rohan, too, wouldn’t have noticed her if it hadn’t been for the notification. Her presence was no different from that of any other passerby.
Had it not been for the ominous feeling lurking around Pandora, he would have questioned the notification.
“Let’s breathe first. Breathe, breathe, breathe.”
As quietly as possible, he took soft breaths.
But the sticky sense of foreboding running through his body didn’t go away.
No matter the thod, if a human capable of being called the Betrayer of Humanity had malicious intent, this shopping mall would surely turn into a bloodbath in an instant.
No matter how fast Juyeon was, she couldn’t reach the woman who was already stretching her hand toward the nearby civilians faster.
“...”
Pretending to be calm, Rohan took out his phone to contact Juyeon.
It was a simple situation, just press the na in his contact list and hit the call button.
But just before his finger touched the screen...
He stopped.
Rohan looked around.
“...”
There were too many innocent citizens in this shopping mall.
Was it the best move to call Juyeon? This could turn into a battlefield as soon as he did. Was this unnecessary provocation?
Would Juyeon be able to calmly face a powerful person who could be on par with Oga, in a place filled with hostages?
“...Calmly, rationally, think more.”
Rohan bit his tongue. A sharp taste of blood filled his mouth.
He used the pain to force his mind to focus.
“Why is she even here in the first place?”
A criminal without honor would find Academy City to be a living hell.
And it wasn’t just Juyeon here.
The city was full of capable instructors, security officers, and strong individuals like the Dean. It was practically enemy territory.
‘She’s planning to sneak in and carry out a massacre?’
The possibility is low. While there are a lot of people here, there are places with even more civilians gathered together.
It’s unclear what she could gain by starting a scene.
If she were one of the heads of Black Hand, she would be calculating profit and loss with precision.
To put it bluntly, if she were a pervert who enjoyed the thrill of causing terror without thought, she would have to be a part of the Reverse Praise Society.
Conclusion.
‘She’s not here to fight. She has a purpose.’
As Rohan cald himself down and reached his conclusion, a new notification window appeared.
[Main story progresses for Rohan]
[Facing the leader of the southern destruction]
◇ Quest Details: Pandora does not harbor any killing intent. She does not even know Rohan’s face. You must keep her for at least one minute [N O V E L I G H T] while she wishes to leave quietly. If the experint proceeds, a greater disaster will be prevented.
◇ Category: Main Story
◇ Successful Reward: 10,000P, one transcendence, partial deletion of the restricted video #1 for authorized viewers only.
◇ Penalty for Failure: None
‘It’s better for her not to know my face, right? But trapping her is important? Whatever the experint is, it’s better if it proceeds?’
A slew of questions filled his mind as soon as he saw the quest, but the direction of his actions had already been decided.
“...”
He had been expecting the quest to open, hoping for sothing to break through the lack of points.
And as he’d hoped, a luxurious reward appeared in front of him, making him mutter that it was crazy.
However.
It was inevitable that the quest’s contents would leave him breathless.
***
Pandora took out her phone to check the ti.
Her sharp gaze grew even sharper at the situation she found herself in.
‘The remaining ti is ambiguous.’
She had thought her ti calculation was perfect, but the magic that had spread into nature was causing small deviations and irregularities.
Because of that, right before the artifact’s power was about to run out, she knew she had to leave now.
But she could see it. The flow of magic she had wanted was being wonderfully created.
Once it was completed, she could add an artificial line with magic, completing a hypothesis test.
‘What should I do?’
Even if she had consud a valuable item, was it better to give up on her greed and leave?
‘But I’ve co this far.’
If she suppressed her presence and power as much as possible, she could probably stay hidden for a minute.
Just as she was thinking about this, Pandora, walking with a clicking sound, stopped and looked behind her.
She felt eyes and footsteps aid at her.
A tall man stood in front of her, smiling.
He flashed a pleasant smile and extended his hand.
In his palm, there seed to be a credit card.
“Did you drop this by any chance?”
“What is this? It’s not mine.”
Pandora squinted her eyes slightly as she replied.
Normally, she might have enjoyed such a lighthearted mishap, but now, she didn’t have the luxury for that.
On the contrary, Rohan felt an indescribable sense of disgust from Pandora.
It was the first ti he’d had such a reaction upon first eting soone. For so reason, just looking at her made him want to gag.
But there was no need to express feelings that were best left hidden.
He swallowed them forcefully. He buried them inside and lifted the corners of his mouth.
“I see. I thought I saw it fall...”
As Rohan scratched his head awkwardly, which didn’t fit his build, Pandora looked him over, sniffed, and seed intrigued.
“Are you an Orion Academy student?”
“Yes. That’s correct. But... how did you know? I’m not even wearing a uniform.”
Rohan’s eyes lit up in curiosity.
Pandora, feeling slightly uplifted by his pure reaction, lifted the corners of her mouth.
“Well, there’s sothing like that. Your level isn’t bad.”
She then checked the ti again.
Escaping was already a given, but she needed to finalize her actions before escaping within the minute.
“Did you also graduate from the Academy?”
“...‘Did you say ‘sister’?”
“Hmm? You’re not a man, are you?”
Rohan’s lip service made Pandora’s smile deepen.
Hex’s research results were impressive.
To be called ‘sister’ by such a young man at her current age... if she wasn’t so busy, she might have had bad thoughts.
“Sorry, but I’m not an Academy graduate. As for recognizing your level... well, strength is essential in life.”
Pandora said this as she checked the ti again.
Rohan, having noticed this, cautiously asked.
“Am I bothering you while you’re busy?”
Pandora maintained her smile and reached her hand into the air.
“No? Thanks to you, I’ve made a pleasant decision.”
Rohan turned his gaze toward where Pandora reached, and space split open with a ‘crack’ as a monster crawled out.
And when he looked back up.
Pandora was already gone.
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