Chapter 71: ga Corp Agent (2)
A contract with a spirit was never an easy thing.
Especially a contract with a high-ranking spirit, even more so.
To contract with an upper-grade spirit—aning Type 9 or lower—anyone with a certain level of resonance was able to do it.
Those spirits, highly interested in manifesting in the world, willingly agreed to contracts with nothing more than resonance, without making any particular demands.
However, contracting with high-ranking spirits of Alpha-class or above required pouring in an enormous amount of wealth and effort.
First of all, even before engraving the summoning circle, the process of placating the spirit was essential, because if the spirit refused to manifest during the writing of the summoning circle, a trendous backlash would be inflicted on the caster.
That act of placating them was, in itself, truly difficult.
High-grade spirits were extrely picky in personality and taste, befitting their rank.
So spirits refused summoning simply because they disliked the contractor’s tone of speech, or because they were in a bad mood that day.
In severe cases, they even manifested on purpose only to kill the caster, and fire spirits with violent temperants and wind spirits whose moods changed constantly committed such acts often.
After barely satisfying all those whims, the next step involved scrutinizing the contract terms and making excessive demands for revisions, so contracting with a spirit of Alpha-class or above was by no ans an ordinary task.
Of course, there also existed a fraudulent shortcut that skipped this entire series of processes.
It was the thod of forcibly contracting by offering an object imbued with trendous mana as compensation, just as Heavyskull had done.
However, even such forced contracts did not work on spirits possessing a certain level of rank or higher.
That upper limit was precisely Type 15 spirits.
In reality, only spirit mages who had surpassed a specific threshold were capable of contracting with spirits beyond Type 16.
That was why the Type 15 spirit Diesel had just contracted could be considered nearly the highest-spec spirit he was capable of commanding.
‘If anything happens, I could always make it grow further later.’
It wasn’t easy, but spirits were beings that gradually grew as well.
Naturally, doing so required a great deal of effort and resources.
‘Looks like I’ll be burning through a lot of money going forward.’
Even without trying to make it grow, operating Yuter in earnest required a certain amount of maintenance cost.
Every ti an Alpha-class or higher spirit manifested in the world, it required a specific dium.
Even if it wasn’t a Type-19 Spirit Core, it would at least demand a high-purity mana stone each ti.
‘I’ll worry about that later.’
Maybe because I had gained a bit of breathing room.
I pushed away the unnecessary thoughts and focused on the current situation.
[What the hell…… that spirit bastard.]
[Did it violate the contract just now?]
[No. It’s not showing the signs of a traitor spirit.]
Perhaps they had noticed the sudden change in Yuter’s attitude, because signs of confusion appeared among the ga Corp Agents.
〈So, what are you planning to do now?〉
The spirit’s voice echoed in my head.
In response, I calmly explained the plan.
〈Can you do it?〉
〈It’s exactly what I was hoping for.〉
〈Master, a Cheonrang corporate brigade is converging on this location right now. There really isn’t much ti left.〉
I soothed Ar, who sounded slightly anxious, and tucked them into my arms.
〈Don’t worry. It’s almost over now.〉
I looked over the bastards again.
Three ga Corp Agents who looked like they had been working together for a long ti.
Not rcenary recruits scouted from outside like Kaztikan.
They were purebred agents, raised by corporate hands from the mont they were born.
[A command just ca down.]
The shield bearer at the front muttered through closed-channel communication.
[What did it say?]
[Kill everyone.]
[…….]
[As expected, that’s how it should be.]
The woman with short hair brushed back her deep crimson bangs and smiled as she looked at .
“Hey. You there, mage.”
“…….”
“I’ll give you a chance. Just die quietly. I’ll end it without pain.”
Despite her words, I didn’t even respond and instead turned my head to look toward my destination.
‘The 5th floor, huh…….’
According to the information Ar had uncovered, Kang Da-hee was on the 5th floor.
For now, the most important thing was to make contact with Kang Da-hee in the 5th-floor monitor room.
“Hey.”
After destroying the installed spatial disruptor, I would subdue Heavyskull, carry him, and escape from here using Pinkbit’s portal.
“Are you ignoring right now?”
There was one absolutely crucial prerequisite that had to be fulfilled for this escape plan to succeed.
“This bastard…….”
That was to fully draw out the ability of the Seed that Kang Da-hee possessed.
[Kim Rua, calm down and form up…….]
[We’re going with C formation.]
[What? Going straight to C ans…….]
[Shut up.]
The short-haired woman looked down at , her eyes glowing green.
Recognizing that mana light, I inferred her attribute.
‘A poison-type lee mage.’
But suddenly, one of her eyes began to glow a completely different color.
A blazing, vivid crimson, like fire.
‘Double…….’
Another dual-mana implenter.
Originally, these weren’t beings you could encounter so easily.
I realized anew that the position I now stood in had risen quite high.
‘But a lee mage using a fire–poison combination?’
Those two attributes, known for burning and poisoning the opponent to slowly eat away at them, were certainly ranked quite high.
However, that woman’s position was a lee mage.
Neither of those magics suited close-quarters combat.
That was because both fire and poison shared the characteristic of indiscriminately damaging a wide area, regardless of friend or foe.
No matter how delicately one controlled mana, fire-type magic was nearly impossible to completely contain due to its tendency to spread in secondary and tertiary waves.
The sa went without saying for poison-type magic, which scattered lting acids and lethal toxins.
And yet, a close-combat specialist was handling both attributes.
It was like swinging cannonballs as if they were hamrs.
‘Does she have so kind of recovery thod? Even so, the pain must be enormous.’
That curiosity of mine didn’t last long.
[Moving in.]
Fsssshh…….
The short-haired woman spewed green poisonous mist and leapt down from the height of five floors.
As if that weren’t enough, her entire body began to burn.
“Hahahaha! This pain……! You’ll feel it too……!”
‘……She’s insane.’
Looking closer, it wasn’t just that she was insane—wounds all over her body were regenerating in an instant.
It wasn’t healing through sothing like a healing miracle, but an innate talent unique to herself.
She was probably an awakened individual with an ability that rapidly regenerated injuries.
‘I’ve run into a troubleso enemy.’
I had already disengaged from the form of the White Thunder Art earlier.
I had almost completely used up the ti I could wield it without side effects.
But right now, there was no need to force that power out.
Instead, I had gained a reliable ally who would fight for .
And it was a high-grade spirit of Type 15, no less.
〈Yuter.〉
〈Yeah.〉
At the contractor’s words, the lightning spirit moved.
In the strongest and most efficient way possible.
Kwa-kwang……!
A single, devastating bolt of lightning flashed between the spirit’s hand and the short-haired woman.
“Kgh……!”
One shoulder of the lee mage was charred black by the attack.
Even in that fleeting instant, she must have reacted sohow, because it looked like she barely managed to avoid having her vital point hit.
‘As expected, since she’s a lee mage.’
lee mages, who assud close combat as their foundation, possessed outstanding bodies reinforced by cyberware and mana.
Seeing reaction speed like that wasn’t strange at all.
Just like that, the charred skin regained its vitality as if nothing had happened.
‘For now, I’ll leave this to Yuter…….’
Since it was a poison-type magic I was seeing for the first ti, I wanted to analyze it further, but I had other things to take care of.
When I ignored the short-haired woman and dashed off in another direction, she clenched sothing in her hand, looking thoroughly enraged.
“Where do you think you’re running off to, you bastard……!”
From her palm, a writhing crimson fire sphere grew.
Once it reached a certain size, she hurled it at like throwing a baseball.
“…….”
It was smaller than the one Heavyskull had created, but the power condensed within it was far greater.
Using magic stronger than that of a spell caster despite being a lee mage.
As expected, a ga Corp Agent was not an opponent to take lightly.
Kwaaaang……!
However, that powerful fire sphere failed to reach and instead flew off in a completely different direction before exploding.
That was because Yuter had unleashed lightning-like leg strength and kicked it far away.
“This spirit bastard…….”
〈Right. Redhead, you preferred close combat, didn’t you.〉
“What are you babbling about. It’s ringing in my head.”
Perhaps because her spirit resonance was low, the short-haired woman couldn’t understand the spirit’s words.
Instead, the short woman positioned above transmitted to her.
[It’s a Type 15 spirit. Facing it alone is dangerous.]
[Type 15? Compared to those guys back then, it’s nothing.]
[Back then, it wasn’t just us…….]
[Enough. Just support the tin cans.]
While that exchange went on, the spirit adopted a completely different stance.
“What the hell.”
Up until now, it had rely been floating in the air.
Now, it looked like a flawless martial artist.
“Heh, this is fun.”
Even in the face of the trendous pressure the spirit was giving off, the short-haired woman’s flas showed no sign of shrinking back.
If anything, they writhed wildly in delight.
Kwaang……!
Soon, two flas of different colors collided.
‘There’s no way it loses, right.’
No matter how much the opponent was a ga Corp Agent, Yuter was a Type 15 spirit.
And one that was extrely angry, at that.
If all three of them ganged up at once and used every ans at their disposal, it might get a bit tough, but I had no intention of letting it get that far.
‘Because around now…….’
“Stop.”
‘Yeah. I figured this guy would show up.’
As I stepped into the stairway entrance leading to the 5th floor, a huge man blocked the doorway.
“If you surrender now, we’ll treat you humanely.”
Treat humanely.
That crazy woman earlier and this guy too—they sure had a lot of ways to tell soone to kill themselves.
I wanted to retort with sothing, but instead I forcefully pumped reinforcent-type mana into my legs.
“……!”
With the opponent not raising his shield to talk.
I jumped high into the air with strength no ordinary human could ever produce.
“How can a spell caster……!”
This was why prior information was important.
The agent hurriedly raised his shield to form a wall, but it was already too late.
Tap—having lightly landed on the 5th-floor corridor, I imdiately began sprinting at full speed.
“You damn bastard…….”
In his urgency, the shield bearer abandoned his shield.
That revealed an enormous amount of cyberware that had been hidden.
‘This one’s a high-purity cyborg too.’
For a mont, I worried about Matafil’s condition, but I couldn’t dwell on it for long.
The huge man was chasing after from behind, causing small tremors.
〈Ar.〉
〈That door. Once you enter, I’ll lock it imdiately.〉
I wasn’t running because I thought I’d lose.
In my current state, I was confident I could win even one-on-one.
But I had sothing far more important than fighting.
“Stop……!”
The voice ca from right behind my head.
It seed there was a limit to shaking off a corporate agent with reinforcent-type magic alone.
Strapping on expensive cyberware all over like that guy would solve everything, but with that kind of money, it was more efficient to spend it elsewhere.
‘I should just learn speed manipulation magic instead.’
There was actually soone around who used that kind of magic.
The Ghostcatcher Kali, who had worked with us to awaken White Bear, was a speed-manipulation-type lee mage.
‘Would she respond if I contacted her.’
As I muttered those thoughts, I had already arrived in front of the monitor room.
“You bastard……!”
Whooong……!
A steel hand shot out in haste, but Ar shut the door by a hair’s breadth.
From outside ca muffled voices and loud banging noises.
Even so, the door didn’t budge an inch.
‘Heavyskull picked this place, so it must be pretty sturdy.’
Since Ar had hacked the locking chanism, unless they brought special equipnt, the door wasn’t going to open.
‘Alright, then now…….’
A dim corridor stretched out before my eyes.
Inside the very last door at the far end was Kang Da-hee.
A tragic mage who didn’t even know she possessed an ability called a Seed.
‘How will this go.’
From here on, even I couldn’t easily predict what would happen.
All I could do was hope things would go our way.
With countless thoughts rising, I moved my feet forward.
Neo-Joseon Cyberpunk
Kang Da-hee
As I approached the door, Ar brought up CCTV footage showing the situation inside.
‘Kang Da-hee knows I’m coming.’
I couldn’t afford to drag this out.
The shield bastard who had been pounding on the door outside had stopped.
It seed he had given up on this side and joined the battle between the spirits unfolding below.
No matter how much Yuter was a Gamma-class spirit, taking on three ga Corp Agents at once wouldn’t be easy.
With that thought.
I opened the door without hesitation and stepped inside.
“…….”
The first thing I saw was a single monitor displaying the fierce battle with the spirit.
In front of that flickering LED light, a slender woman was sitting on the floor, staring at the screen.
A heavy silence fell.
The one who broke it was .
“Kang Da-hee.”
I called her na, but there was no reply.
“We need to get out of here quickly.”
“…….”
“But before that, there’s sothing I need to say first…….”
“Co to think of it, you were like that back then too.”
She slowly turned her body toward .
“You always liked getting straight to the point.”
In her hand, she was holding a weapon.
A jet-black handgun, loaded and ready to fire at any mont.
‘That Heavyskull bastard…….’
It was definitely sothing he had put into her hands.
It was probably the last trick she had left.
If that gun barrel were pointed at , my head would hurt less, honestly.
A handgun no longer posed any threat to now.
The real problem was if it were pointed in the completely opposite direction.
Judging by Kang Da-hee’s current state, that seed far more likely.
“I’m sorry that I deceived you. Even if you’re disappointed in because of it, I understand.”
“Disappointed?”
At my words, Kang Da-hee murmured with a blank expression.
“I don’t know if this is sothing that should be called disappointnt.”
“Then what is it?”
“Well. Right now, my thoughts aren’t very well organized.”
As she said that, she looked up at .
“There’s just one thing I want to ask.”
A question.
Having entered this place, I was already prepared for a Q&A.
I had even thought through answers to several possible questions.
“Ask.”
But what ca out of Kang Da-hee’s mouth was sothing I had never expected.
“Yuri Ivanov.”
“…….”
“That was you, right?”
Yuri Ivanov—the alias I had used when infiltrating Podvig.
How on earth had she figured it out?
The elf nad Yuri Ivanov was a completely different person from , from voice to appearance.
‘Did she just guess by intuition?’
The information regarding the Moon Base operation that day had been managed by Sis herself.
Because of that, even the gacorporations hadn’t known the details properly.
If so, the only conclusion was that Kang Da-hee had deduced it on her own.
‘Did Heavyskull show her a photo of with Betty?’
When my thoughts reached that point, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place to so extent.
I had been careful, but I had spent quite a lot of ti with Betty recently, so it wouldn’t have been strange if photos had been secretly taken.
Heavyskull must have known that Kang Da-hee had trauma related to Betty and shoved those photos at her to shake her ntally.
The mont Kang Da-hee saw those photos, soone must have co to mind.
A mage with trendous magical ability who had been close with Betty at the exam site.
Having reached that conclusion, I opened my mouth.
“That’s right.”
“…….”
At that answer, Kang Da-hee’s gaze dropped limply to the floor.
Thin strands of hair fell down, covering her face.
“So…… you really knew everything from the very beginning…….”
Her thin hand trembled as she struggled to brush her hair back.
“Just like that man nad Heavyskull said.”
It was a situation ripe for misunderstanding.
From her perspective, it must have felt like being scamd.
How could I clear up that misunderstanding?
Erasing distrust once it had taken root in soone’s heart was never an easy thing.
‘Ha…… this really doesn’t suit my personality.’
Honestly, fighting ga Corp Agents downstairs would’ve been far more comfortable for .
With that thought, I quietly called her na.
“Kang Da-hee.”
Without pulling any tricks like usual.
To break through head-on.
“You had a twin older sister, didn’t you?”
“You knew that too…….”
“Yeah. I also know that your sister fell ill because of your father.”
“…….”
At my words, Kang Da-hee’s eyes changed slightly.
Until now, she had only looked powerless, but now a faint spark was burning within them.
At that mont, Ar popped out from my arms.
〈What’s going on?〉
〈Master, please let say sothing too.〉
〈Say sothing? What are you……〉
〈I really want to.〉
Lately, Ar had developed a will of her own.
Especially when it ca to matters concerning her master, she was particularly stubborn.
When I let out a small sigh, the spirit read my intention and revealed her form, which she had been hiding.
“……?”
Kang Da-hee’s gaze shifted toward the cat-shaped spirit that had suddenly appeared.
“……She’s an Electrosphere Spirit who’s with .”
〈Hello. My na is Ar.〉
Ar continued speaking in a gentle voice to the confused Kang Da-hee.
〈First, I want to apologize. When I was wandering around Kang Da-hee’s matrix, I hacked a few pieces of information on my own and showed them to my master.〉
“Ah…….”
That was probably why she’d been reluctant to share her matrix password.
Her expression gradually worsened.
〈But my master never ordered to do that. In fact, he tried to stop .〉
“…….”
〈The reason I did that is simple. I happened to like Kang Da-hee quite a lot.〉
“What?”
Hearing sothing she’d never ntioned before, even I was genuinely surprised.
〈That’s all I wanted to say. I just hope you’ll understand that, unlike what Kang Da-hee might think, our master isn’t such a bad person.〉
At the spirit’s words, filled with pure sincerity, Kang Da-hee’s eyes wavered.
〈Ah, and I was also the one who gave my master information when Da-hee was attacked in the alley.〉
“…….”
〈And the reason my master ca to know a half-dragon nad Betty Barosi was purely a coincidence that happened during Ghostcatcher work. Well then, I’ll be going now.〉
After finishing what she wanted to say, Ar scampered back into her master’s arms.
Watching that absentmindedly, Kang Da-hee murmured inwardly.
‘Is it really true……?’
It was a fairly well-known fact that spirits couldn’t lie.
Even in the notoriously strict corporate courts, a spirit’s testimony was regarded as absolute truth.
Then could it be so kind of holographic deception?
No, that didn’t seem right either—there was a unique aura that only spirits possessed.
As she was lost in thought, I spoke again.
“There was a reason she went as far as invading your privacy to tell about your sister.”
“…….”
“That’s because your sister was a ‘Seed.’”
“A Seed…….”
Kang Da-hee let out a hollow laugh, as if the word itself disgusted her.
“So in the end, you were interested in the power I have too……?”
It was a question I had expected.
That was why I could answer easily.
“Yes.”
Perhaps because of her mories of her father.
Her eyes sharpened even more.
“But my intentions are completely different from your father’s.”
“How different could they possibly be.”
Eyes filled with distrust swept over .
Instead of explaining, I stretched out my hand.
Then I drew up mana and began manifesting multiple attributes.
Cold, lightning, fire, airflow, waterflow, poison, earth, arcane, gravity, telekinesis, radiance, void…….
Every form of mana that could be manifested appeared and vanished at trendous speed.
An expression of disbelief spread across Kang Da-hee’s face as she watched.
“W-what…….”
A phenonon astonishing even to those ignorant of magic.
And Kang Da-hee wasn’t just anyone—she was an elite mage who had earned a doctorate in magical theory.
Because she knew better than anyone that this was impossible, the shock she felt was imnse.
“…….”
Only those who had reached the realm known as an ‘Archmage’ were capable of such a feat.
No—even they were incapable of manifesting every attribute that quickly.
“How…… did you do it?”
I had once been asked the exact sa question by her.
Back then, I had feigned ignorance just to toy with the other person, but now the situation was completely different.
“How did I do it?”
For the first ti, I revealed a secret I had never told anyone before.
“Because I also possess the power of a Seed.”
“…….”
After hearing the answer, Kang Da-hee looked shocked, then fell back into deep thought.
Perhaps it was critical information that should not yet be revealed to the world.
The reason I told Kang Da-hee, a third party, was not complicated.
‘I need to pull her completely to my side.’
To prepare for the fate that was approaching, I needed not only Kang Da-hee but also others who possessed the power of a Seed.
Among them, the power Kang Da-hee held was especially important.
“I’m trying to gather those who have the power of a Seed.”
“……Why?”
Her sharp gaze, now sowhat composed.
The sa eyes I had seen at Podvig’s interview site.
‘Yeah. That’s more like Kang Da-hee.’
Soone being a little rude was far better than seeing them collapsed in helplessness.
Thinking that a proper conversation was finally possible, I spoke frankly.
“Because the end of the world is approaching.”
“The end…….”
At those words, Kang Da-hee muttered as if chewing over so mory.
“Then what’s your objective?”
At last, the question I had been waiting for.
“Are you trying to save the world or sothing?”
I answered without a mont’s hesitation.
“No.”
Another wave of surprise spread across Kang Da-hee’s face.
“I don’t care about things like that.”
“Then why…….”
“I’m just trying to survive.”
“…….”
Kang Da-hee t my serious gaze.
‘Survive…….’
In a way, it was an answer that overlapped with saving the world, but for so reason, my answer sounded far more convincing to her.
“You know what a Seed is, right?”
“I do.”
“Then you don’t need to explain why I’m gathering Seeds.”
She slightly turned her head and stared into empty space.
Her expression was ambiguous, as if she understood but didn’t fully accept it.
“Do you understand a bit now?”
“Whether I understand or not doesn’t seem to be what’s important.”
“Why is that?”
“There’s sothing you don’t know.”
Her lips trembled.
“Because the twin older sister you’re looking for is already…….”
Dead.
I knew exactly what word Kang Da-hee couldn’t bring herself to say.
That was why I spoke with confidence.
“No. I’m not looking for your sister.”
At those words, Kang Da-hee looked back up at my face.
“I’m looking for you.”
“?”
“Yes.”
“I’m different from my sister.”
“That’s not true. You don’t realize it, but you have the power of a Seed too.”
Kang Da-hee’s face tightened slightly.
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“I’ve already confird it.”
“If you an confirmation, then my father also…….”
“In the tests that man ran, the result must have co back negative.”
“…….”
“But I know.”
At my firm tone, Kang Da-hee looked up at .
“You’re a Seed.”
“Ah…….”
Was that statent so kind of trigger?
“Ahh…….”
Suddenly, Kang Da-hee scread and clutched both ears.
“Aaah……! No. No. No…….”
From her reaction, I read sothing.
A peculiar kind of mana that ordinary people could never perceive.
‘As expected…….’
It was a very covert category of mana I had encountered before.
“The sa one Madam Isabel used.”
‘ntal-type mana.’
‘An extrely powerful hypnosis.’
Who had cast it?
The most likely candidate was probably her mother.
Unable to trust her own husband, she must have placed a hypnotic seal on one of the twins to suppress the Seed ability.
Hoping that at least one of them would escape those greedy hands.
‘I can finally see it.’
Perhaps the condition for activating the spell had been t.
The magic formula that had been tightly hidden until now revealed itself.
‘This is…… far stronger than I expected…….’
A magic formula so powerful that dismantling it would normally require specialized dispelling mages working for days.
No—depending on the case, it could take weeks, or even months.
But I reached out my hand.
To do sothing no one else would dare attempt.
To dismantle a magic formula with sheer physical force.
I hurriedly seized it before the formula vanished.
“This might hurt a bit.”
I violently tore apart the strands that made up the formula.
With a grinding sound, a scream burst from Kang Da-hee.
“Kyaaa……!”
At the sa ti, she imdiately lost consciousness and collapsed.
Having anticipated this, I gently caught her.
In the process, I carefully took the handgun from her hand.
〈Master……〉
〈She’ll be fine.〉
Though it had only been briefly exposed, I read sothing within that extrely complex and delicate magic formula.
‘Once the formula was removed, it was set to automatically trigger the recollection of certain mories.’
What kind of mory would it be?
Perhaps the last words a mother left for her daughter.
I couldn’t know that much.
At that mont, a strange light flickered from the door across the corridor.
The kind of light you’d expect to see from a welding torch.
〈Since bare hands won’t work, they’ve brought tools.〉
Unable to open the door, were they planning to break straight through?
I carried Kang Da-hee and laid her down in a safe spot, then stood up.
〈Estimated ti until breach?〉
〈30 seconds.〉
When I slightly turned my head to look at the monitor, I saw two ga Corp Agents fighting the lightning spirit.
Which ant the one opening that door was…….
“Ar.”
〈Yes.〉
“Get ready.”
He was an agent optimized for fighting alone.
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