Immortals vs. Grim Reapers - chapter 25
Chapter 25. You Will Die (1)
As Gangrim was bewildered by the Death Sword’s generous acknowledgment, a message arrived.
「Yeomna: This, this, this」
「Yeomna: I hear there’s a famed Grim Reaper who’s been acknowledged by the Death Sword three times in a month?」
Gangrim was startled by Yeomna’s message.
He wasn’t surprised that Yeomna somehow knew and messaged him. What shocked him was the emoticon that came with Yeomna’s message.
It showed a cute chibi character repeatedly boasting with speech bubbles.
Gangrim noticed the character wearing a floral shirt with a suit and, though hardly believing it, began to type a message.
「Yeomna: Oh, this is a newly updated feature.」
「Yeomna: Now you can send your avatar to others’ memos.」
Gangrim had started to type “What’s this ridiculous…” but quickly deleted it and began anew.
「Gangrim: Ah, is this you, Lord Yeomna?」
「Yeomna: Looks like me, right?」
If they had the manpower to invest in this, he’d prefer they support him more.
「Gangrim: It’s really nice. Can I do it too?」
「Yeomna: Yep, possible if you purchase the avatar package.」
Thinking that pleasing superiors was truly difficult, Gangrim entered the store window.
But seeing ‘Avatar Package: 3,000 nyang of soul money’, he muttered “Crazy bastard” and quietly closed the window.
Surely no one but Yeomna would spend money on such nonsense?
「Wol-ryeong: I hear you’ve been acknowledged by the Death Sword again. Congratulations.」
“……”
This time, a message came from Wol-ryeong. A chibi Wol-ryeong with an expressionless face was congratulating him with a finger heart.
If they had money to spend on this, he’d prefer they expand welfare for intern Grim Reapers struggling with poverty.
「Yeomna: Yu pro bought one too. Ju pro, wanna buy one?」
「Wol-ryeong: I didn’t buy it.」
「Wol-ryeong: I got it from spinning ‘Today’s Fortune’. Cost me 5,000 nyang…」
「Gangrim: It would seem improper for me to follow just because my seniors are doing it」
「Gangrim: Let’s prohibit purchases for Grim Reapers under 30 years of service.」
「Gangrim: No, how about 300 years?」
「Yeomna: Well, if everyone uses it, it does seem to lose its prestige.」
「Yeomna: Ju pro knows etiquette.」
「Wol-ryeong: Feels like we’ve just created another corrupt practice.」
What nonsense.
No matter how many new Grim Reapers join in the future, he’s just protected their bank accounts. If anything, making these purchases mandatory would be the real corrupt practice.
Gangrim decided he needed to quickly change the subject.
「Gangrim: Anyway, the Death Sword is telling me to enhance once more.」
「Yeomna: Don’t you have something in mind? Go with what appeals to you.」
「Gangrim: That’s true, but…」
Gangrim was honestly debating whether to increase stealth once more or improve his attack.
With just one enhancement to stealth, ordinary people couldn’t find him in the darkness. But he felt that stealth alone wouldn’t be enough to face immortals in the future.
「Wol-ryeong: If I may advise, I don’t recommend repeatedly choosing the same ability.」
「Gangrim: Ah, is that so?」
「Yeomna: Come to think of it, Yu pro, didn’t you initially put everything into attack?」
「Gangrim: Not stealth?」
Gangrim was surprised by Yeomna’s words. He thought Wol-ryeong had invested heavily in stealth given how faint her presence was and how silently she moved.
But Wol-ryeong snapped back at Yeomna, seemingly displeased.
「Wol-ryeong: Please refrain from unnecessary comments.」
「Wol-ryeong: Anyway, since you’ll face various enemies in the future, being versatile is better.」
「Wol-ryeong: If there comes a moment you can’t handle alone, I and other Grim Reapers will step in, though.」
After thinking for a moment, Gangrim judged Wol-ryeong’s words to be correct. Concentrating all ability points into one skill would lower his adaptability when unexpected enemies appear, as in this recent case.
He was still too weak himself to leave gaps in his abilities, trusting in the organization and colleagues.
Gangrim decided to choose attack.
「The Reaper’s attack ability is enhanced.」
「’Ten Thousand Sword General’ trait acquired」
「Overall strength increase.」
「Overall energy increase.」
「Weapon proficiency adaptation ability increase.」
While all the increased abilities were appealing, the weapon proficiency adaptation ability pleased him the most.
It usually takes time to adapt when suddenly switching weapons.
But with this trait, it seemed he could flexibly adapt no matter how the Death Sword might change in the future.
It was exactly what he wanted.
「Gangrim: Thank you for the advice.」
「Gangrim: Ah, and I have something to show you. When will Grim Reaper Wol-ryeong return?」
「Wol-ryeong: The Busan matter isn’t quite finished yet.」
「Wol-ryeong: What is it?」
「Gangrim: I’ve collected an immortal’s black matter.」
It was Han-taek’s black matter.
The moment he successfully performed the final Death Summon on Han-taek, a black bead emerged as his body was destroyed.
From experience, Gangrim knew it was black matter, but it was quite different from what he knew.
It was closer to a harder, rounder bead, with complex and ominous patterns that dazzled the eyes.
「Wol-ryeong: I see.」
「Wol-ryeong: I’ll check it when I return later.」
Wol-ryeong’s avatar winked with an expressionless face.
He wondered if it meant OK but decided to interpret it that way. The avatar seemed to express emotions more richly than its appearance suggested.
「Gangrim: I’ll contact you again then.」
「Yeomna: Oh, by the way.」
「Gangrim: Yes, please go on.」
「Yeomna: Yeomna emoticons and Yeomna keychains are also sold in the store. Buy them later.」
「Gangrim: I’ll certainly add them to my cart.」
Is there no sanction in the afterlife against superiors’ inappropriate forced sales?
But Gangrim realized that the very judge of such matters was Yeomna himself and shuddered at the fact that this deeply rooted corrupt practice could never be eradicated.
***
Waaaaaaail.
The siren sound was deafening.
Thanks to the rain that started early in the morning, the ground was damp. But no firefighters dared approach the still-burning warehouse district carelessly.
For good reason, as military weapons had been discovered in large numbers at the fire scene.
“Quickly move the cars and evacuate!”
“Don’t touch anything unnecessary, just hurry and move the patients!”
In this tense situation where an explosion could occur at any moment, only the bomb disposal unit could handle it.
The area around the explosion site was full of casualties, as if they had fought among themselves. But no one was in their right mind.
As people evacuated the warehouse, a stray dog appeared. The dog showed no interest in anything else and strode straight to the center of the warehouse.
Outside the warehouse, a woman with a crossbow crouched in a raincoat.
Her eyes reflected not the rainy warehouse district, but the view of the stray dog wandering inside the warehouse.
The dog sniffed around the warehouse and soon discovered an enormous pool of blood.
“…This is.”
The woman stopped the dog and began to assess the situation.
It was clear that a battle had taken place here.
The scratches on the floor, bits of flesh scattered about, and countless footprints. Judging by the smell, this pool of blood was certainly Han-taek’s.
But she couldn’t tell what had reduced Han-taek to this state.
The woman picked up her phone and contacted someone.
“Elder, this is Magpie.”
Magpie was the alias the woman used as a mercenary. Given the generally unwelcome nature of zombie hunters, it was common to use aliases, whether given by others or chosen themselves, as if they were real names.
“Looking at the scene, it seems Han-taek was indeed taken down.”
Silence flowed over the phone for a moment. Soon, a young man’s voice, unfitting for the title of ‘Elder’, came through.
[Are there any traces of who did it?]
“All the black boxes and CCTVs were destroyed. It’s the work of a professional. There are survivors, but they’re all out of their minds, so interrogation is difficult for now.”
[Han-taek isn’t someone who’d just die. He must have left some clues. Look for them.]
“Yes, Elder.”
Click. The call ended.
Magpie used the dog to investigate the surrounding traces further.
Then, Magpie noticed something strange around the pool of blood.
The position of the flesh pieces was odd. They weren’t scattered as if someone had just been butchered.
It was as if severed fingers or arms had moved on their own.
Suddenly, Magpie realized that they were forming strange patterns.
It was hard to see the exact picture from the dog’s low perspective. Magpie moved the dog to climb onto a car.
Only then did the accurate picture, or rather, the letters, come into view.
‘…Grim Reaper?’
Grim Reaper.
Those four characters were written countless times in large and small letters, forming an abstract pattern.
The moment she noticed this, Magpie felt a chill run down her spine.
An indescribable resentment was writhing in the center of the warehouse. It was also a message of terror-filled screams and wails.
‘Grim Reaper, what does it mean? Did he write it out of hatred for whoever killed him?’
It wasn’t a helpful message.
But she couldn’t ponder long on the meaning of ‘Grim Reaper’.
From the road, heavy military trucks began to arrive with a rumbling vibration.
“Soldiers are coming! Make way!”
Soldiers had come to deal with the explosives and weapons. But contrary to the firefighters’ expectations, it wasn’t the Korean military that arrived, but the U.S. military.
“What? Why are U.S. soldiers…”
“Hey, then I guess those rumors were true. About a large number of U.S. weapons being smuggled out of Yongsan…”
Amidst the murmurs of the firefighters, the group of U.S. soldiers entered the warehouse as if they had no intention of hiding.
The news reporter was also capturing this scene on camera, broadcasting live.
Magpie, pulling the dog back out of the warehouse, found this strange.
‘Is it okay for this to be broadcast as is? I thought they couldn’t move freely because they couldn’t disclose the fact that weapons had been smuggled out until now?’
The fact that U.S. military weapons had been smuggled out in large quantities would inevitably be fatal to the commander’s career.
Yet they were letting it be broadcast without any attempt at controlling the media.
Whether aware of this fact or not, the soldiers were silently going about their business.
‘The situation is taking an odd turn.’
Magpie quietly moved her body, heading somewhere.
Her mind was complex.
Magpie also knew who Han-taek was. She too was one of those chosen by the Elder.
But if Han-taek was dead, she couldn’t guarantee that the world the Elder had promised would still be assured.
‘How does the Necromancy General Elder intend to explain this situation?’