The Foreigner on the Periphery

It was after business hours when Minjun visited the bank, so it was after sunset when Cathy called again. When she summarized her data received from the police, Minjun was somewhat surprised.  

"Then the police have been trying to figure out where the Red Star's base is from a long time ago?"  

– Yes. It is different from those who insist on top-secretism like the Human Rights Solidarity. Swings are also doing business in the public domain. I’m blindfolded, but…  

“But. There are a lot of cases where such a brilliant piece of art works surprisingly well." –  

That was right. Moreover, it was so popular among the people that there was no way to seize and search it without clear evidence or to sweep it away with a commando unit. The red star had a strong image of a righteous person who filled in the blind spots of welfare that the country did not care about.  

Although they called for a revolution in words, they never committed a full-fledged state subversion, and the main means of earning money were robbing large corporations or threatening them with a scandal pretext. Therefore, the police were afraid to touch them by mistake and to harm the common people. He thought that it could be like kindling a spark to the suppressed consciousness of resistance. In other words, they thought it could provide an excuse for an uprising to the poor who were desperately looking for something to vent their anger on.  

However, that was up to the police to decide, and Minjun’s opinion was different.  

"So, where are you?"  

– Oh, that’s it… Hearing the next words, Minjun had no choice but to spit out cursing without realizing it.  

"These bastards are real…" Cathy said in a bittersweet voice.  

– When I first saw it, I doubted my eyes.  

"You've made a stronghold inside an ordinary school?!" There were not one or two private schools that they ran through the Camouflage Foundation. Red Star was based on the site of one of the largest schools in the world. The intention was clear.  

"There must have been a reason why the police couldn't rob it…"  

– Yes, because the media can send out a bad picture if you don’t. Something like special forces with submachine guns crossing the slum school grounds.

"I will move quietly by myself, so the broadcaster will not smell it. Better blow it right now. Before the spy finds out that the spy is dead. Isn’t it time for the kids to go home anyway? No wonder I’m stuck at school 24 hours a day…”  

–  · · · ·

"…Cash, maybe?"  

– Yes, that’s a boarding school.  

Minjun asked with an absurd tone. "What kind of boarding school is there in the Orc community?!"  

– Gather children in need and feed them for free. let me cook It also teaches you.  

With this, he felt his head throb. From the outside, there were no such great men. And so, the popularity was not waning.  

"I can't help it. If you procrastinate any longer, you might notice it and jump on it."  

There was only one chance today to make it through. The only difference was that one would have to tread carefully and with some restrictions than one initially thought. For example, it was impossible to set the whole building on fire and then explode the ribs one by one.  

"Still, that doesn't mean there is no way."  

Minjun hung up the phone and headed to the address that Cathy had given him. It was a bizarrely large private school within the Orc community.

Seeing the building from outside, he clucked his tongue. "I was aiming openly."  

His goal was seen in the center, where the dormitory and classrooms created a ‘ㅁ’-shaped structure. The building used by Red Star executives. Since the land was registered as an educational site, it was reported as a dormitory for teachers, but the building, which was too large for that purpose, was surrounded by facilities for children like a shield.  

‘Even so, we can't attack in this state.'  

Lights were still on throughout the classroom, as was the dormitory building. Minjun thought that he had to evacuate the public first.  

Papa! When the amulet was scattered in the air, it created a hazy mist. A faint energy then surrounded the entire school site and builds a barrier. This was a boundary line where no one could enter and exit, one which he did not intend.  

As it was dark, there was no reaction from the inside as if she had not noticed the change outside. Minjun left only one narrow hoop. The strategy itself was no different from hunting a raccoon in which only one entrance was drilled and smoke was pushed into the burrow to pop out.  

However, he did not intend to set the fire on fire, as the children inside would be in danger. Whatever method one used, they would just need to create a reason for them to pop out on their own.

***

A dagger made of black stone cuts through Minjun’s wrist.  

Drop! Drop! Drops of blood ran down the skin.  

Whoa! He memorized a low-pitched spell. Necromancy was a special ability that was distinct from the black magic series. Not much was known on Earth, so they didn't know about it except for those who were well-educated and had long experience in the world, like Secretary Jenkins.  

While the former controls the body of the dead, the latter controlled the soul that wandered without a body. Thus was a secret technique that made it possible by lending power to a ghost that could not be seen or heard by ordinary people.  

"Come on, here."  

Following his guidance, the ghosts began wandering around to flock. For now, it was enough to control it for a moment. There was an opportunity for Minjun, a black magician, to be able to handle his necromantic skills, even if it was clumsy.  

Early in his life as a prisoner, in a certain world he was tasked with tracking down and killing a notorious necromancer. He transformed his entire body into a cyborg to extend his life, but when the situation became urgent, it was not easy to arrest the wanted person who fled with only his brain removed and mounted on a drone. However, in the end…  

‘I got it!'  

After a long chase, the flying culture tank was shattered to its end. However, it could not prevent the necromancer from gathering all his strength at the last moment and pouring a curse on Minjun.  

‘Damn, what is this! Go crazy when that bastard dies!'  

= Good luck! Kiki-ki-kick!  

= ‘Aaaaaah!’  

All the ghosts that the wanted man had been dragging him into the family, rushed towards him, who regained his freedom the moment he met his death. The purpose of the curse was for hundreds of ghosts to take over Minjun’s body and take control of his soul. However, the curse did not come true as the magician intended.  

The ghosts, who had to overwhelm Minjun’s soul and put him under his consciousness, somehow ran away from the body again, screaming terrible as if they had been burned as soon as they came into contact with his soul. It was still vivid in my memory, how terrifying it was.  

It failed, but the curse did not completely disappear, and the ghosts changed their tactics. After that, he continued to follow him and whispered various terrible words in his ear, breaking his mind, taking his body, and then he decided to commit suicide.  

Minjun, who had been drinking strong alcohol every day to avoid going crazy, finally came up with a way to live. Until now, no one else used a spell in the entire dimensional world that had the effect of necromancy using black magic instead of spiritual power. He didn't even know why this was only possible for Minjun.  

"Ahhhhhhhh!"  

After waiting for a while, an echo similar to the mental wave that echoed in Minjun’s memory was reproduced in reality.

  = Kiki Kick Kick! Kikiki…=  

“What, what is this! Fuck!"  

=I’m in pain… Save me… I’m in pain…!=  

“It’s my teacher!”  

There was a riot inside the school as the ghosts pushed around the school blew bizarre laughter and threatened. Just because it was a school run by Red Star didn't mean that they were all brainwashed. It was Minjun’s intention to make ordinary students who had not yet been selected by them run away voluntarily.  

"It's blocked here!"  

In the dormitory, students who ran out of the classroom bypassed an area where they could not step because of the thick fog. As a result, he had no choice but to head towards the deliberately drilled escape route. It was the moment when the fastest children were running out of the school gate.  

– Notify students. Notify students. It’s dangerous out there, so don’t move around and go back to the dormitory and wait for other instructions. Repeat! Everyone inside the dormitory without moving…!

Minjun spits again without knowing it. "Dogs…!" There was only one reason to prevent evacuation in this situation. To know that the enemy’s available means are less when there were as many students remaining on the school grounds as possible.  

At the very least, one wouldn't be able to fire rockets at buildings in the first place. In other words, it was intended to use children as meat shields. However…  

"Ahhhhh!"  

"What should I do, follow me! keep following me! Mom!"  

The broadcast telling them to stay in the dormitory was of no use to the students who were terrified and panicked. The ghosts followed the instructions and led the children to the retreat as if shepherding a flock. Minjun watched the children hiding in the dark and quietly evacuating.  

Most were Orcs and humans. At this point, the teachers and staff were likely to evacuate together, but the adults were nowhere to be seen. After the evacuation was completed, Minjun entered the school. The target was, of course, the building located in the center of the site, which was judged to be the base of the Red Star. He opened the door and went in, then without hesitation he headed downstairs.  

Bang! Destroying the hidden door reveals a bunker-like internal structure that was questionable as to why it should be in the school.

And the first thing that stood in front of Minjun was an unexpected opponent.  

"Die!"  

An Orc in school uniform began to run. The moment he saw the dress, Minjun felt the anger and irritation rising to the end of his head. He suppressed his boiling heart and avoided the attack. In the hands of an Orc, who was clearly underage, he held a magic sword-type artifact that was not easily available in this town.  

A vivid auror flows along the blade. The boy had this ability

Pot!

It was certain that he had already been brainwashed, but Minjun cast a light curse instead of killing the boy. He received the weapon, but as if he had no artifacts that imbued anti-magic power at all, he fainted and collapsed at once. The curse effect was a minor concussion. Without looking back, Minjun continued to go down the stairs, grimacing. There were several more attempts to stop him as he descended, and his own fierce resistance overtook him.

The same thing happened over and over again, and Minjun’s expression grew colder and colder like ice. In the end, all of them were minors and had special abilities. It was the density that revealed that this school was a place to gather and train talented people discovered from various places.  

However, whoever it was, it wasn’t even noticed in the first place. The executives who gave the order would soon know about it. In other words, all of the children would not have survived if Minjun had a poorer skill or a colder personality. It was as if the officers had ordered them to throw their lives away.  

A life that was used once and thrown away…

Bang! When Minjun kicked the last iron gate. He finally found the ones he had been looking for. Fireworks flashed from both of his eyes.  

“What?!”  

"Already this far!"  

The officers were trying to escape in front of the secret underground passage while the brainwashed children were forced to resist outside. However, behind the secret door, which should have been left open, was covered with a foggy mist that Minjun had spread out.  

As long as he didn't acknowledge it as a ‘retreat,' the closing effect was the same in any direction, on the ground or underground.  

"——-!"  

Among the executives, the Orcs, who seemed to have extraordinary abilities, shouted a battle cry. He then ran straight to Minjun.  

"This recoil!" Minjun’s arms didn’t even move this time.

Kwajik!  

Instead, a black shadow emanating from his back formed the shape of a monster, and he hurled huge fists as it was. After a black flash tore apart the space, the Orc's face was revealed again, and his face was sunken into a terrible shape.  

“Ahh! quickly!”  

The faces of the executives are then dyed with fear. They try to escape through the fog, but the closed space did not allow them, as they had so far.  

Kyaaaaaaah!  

Minjun took another step, and the monster roared. A black wind blew and blood splattered everywhere. The sound of breaking bones, the sound of crushing, the sound of squeezing flesh, sobbing.  

Something then creaked, as if something had been caught in their throat and then stopped. Someone was begging for their life until the very end, and then it became quiet with a dull sound.  

After a while, all but a few executives selected by Minjun turned out to be terrifying and scattered all over the place. He walked through the blood that rose to his ankles.  

“Ahhh · · ·!” He stared at the oldest-looking man among them.  

Minjun then asked in a calm tone. "Where are the talents?"

A short question with all the implications of why he was here and what he wanted from Red Star’s executives. The other party understood the intention at once. Then he screamed, twisting his face. "That… it was an accident!"  

***  

= Yes? A ghost might… be trapped in a bank vault?=  

A few days ago. The ghost, Ha Eun-seong, accepted the woman’s proposal. There were practical reasons for thinking of her younger brothers, but also because the story she told about her stimulated Ha Eun-seong’s compassion.  

He had a strong sense of solidarity as a ghost to the extent that he followed the ghost protests that he was unable to participate in in the first place. What the woman asked Ha Eun-seong was to find the location of her trapped companion, the poor Ghost.  

For any other purpose, he might have refused.  

‘I’m already dead and I can’t die again, so that ghost man may have to be held captive by the dragon for thousands of years… No, just being locked up is rather lucky.'  

However, as soon as Ha Eun-seong accepted, the woman's words were surprising. At first, he asked me to search the safe of a certain bank’s headquarters. I couldn’t understand it at first, but after listening to the explanation that followed, it made sense.

‘Ghosts don’t need to breathe, they don’t need to eat, they don’t need to defecate, they don’t need sunlight, they don’t need to exercise. In other words, it is completely isolated from the outside space and can be locked up even in a closed space.'  

Considering such conditions, there was no such thing as a safe at the main branch of Changcheon Bank.  

= Ah, yes. I get it. =  

In the end, Ha Eun-seong suddenly headed to Changchun Bank. It was a place protected by a powerful exorcism to prevent spying on the internal structure, but as already proven, there was no device that could stop him.  

Entering the bank vault for the first time in his life, he hid within the wall and searched everywhere to avoid the risk of encountering a spirit-sensor. In the meantime, he discovered traces of a barrier that was so strong that it was incomparable to the past.  

= Wow… that’s real. If it wasn’t for me, I would be thrown back to the United States just by touching it.  

When he entered through the safe inside the safe…  

= · · · · · · · ·!=  

Ha Eun-seong saw the most beautiful brilliance in the universe.

Ha Eun-seong, like most people on Earth, did not know the common sense that the flash would possess existence. Just as the spirits of the spirit world look at their evaporated talents and rushed to them, even he, who was classified as an intelligent person, could not escape the temptation.  

When he woke up, he had already reached out his hand towards it. What was even more frightening was that he couldn’t stop his movement even after he came to his senses. Even though, in his common sense, he wouldn’t be able to touch it anyway. However, that common sense did not work this time.

  = · · · · · · ·Huh?!=  

The moment Ha Eun-seong's hand ‘touched' the talent. At the end of it, a gentle wave arose, which created a violent current and concentrated in one place in an instant. Seeing the movement from the outside, it just seemed to disappear like melting into the air.  

However, Ha Eun-seong could ‘feel’ something different.  

= Huh? Huh?!=  

In the next moment, the gigantic ore body vanished. Even after the alarm went off and the bank became noisy, Ha Eun-seong took advantage of the advantage that people couldn’t see and searched everywhere, but in the end, the trapped ghost was not found.  

When he returned to Red Star as it was and reported it, she explained, without much surprise, as follows: ‘Considering the appearance and characteristics you have now described, and the condition in which it has been strictly stored… it must have been a talent.'

= Talent? =  

‘Yes. It’s like a currency used by aliens… It is said that even a slight shock evaporates into the spirit realm. I don’t know why it was withdrawn. Were only a few thousand talents kept for research?'  

Ha Eun-seong could not understand the words that followed. In summary, he speculated that the moment he touched him, the balance of the barrier that kept his talents was broken and that cosmic currency seemed to be thrown out into the spirit world.  

He had no knowledge, and he had no choice but to nod. In the meantime, she felt something uneasy. In the end, these were the words that she couldn’t convey to the woman and had no choice but to swallow.  

He said she felt something of her absorbed into her own spirit body the moment the light body disappeared. However, he didn’t think he would trust a woman, so he decided not to hang around by the tail of her horse. It was also because nothing had changed even when he observed himself.  

= Anyway, the bank was definitely not there. Now what? That ghost…=  

‘Don’t worry. There are a few more places we pointed out besides the bank in the first place,' she explained with a laugh.  

Now that Ha Eun-seong had proven his ability once again by freely entering and leaving the bank’s head office, which boasted tight security, next time, they decided to break into a place where her ghost was more likely to be trapped. She said that she wanted to send her to a more dangerous place.

When asked where she was, the woman replied: ‘Where are you? Of course… that dragon’s rarity.’  

The next place Ha Eun-seong had to infiltrate was Changcheon, the old dragon’s rarity.  

‘But before that,’ the woman said to Ha Eun-seong with a soft smile. ‘Did you search the bank thoroughly? It would have been better if there had been no accidental accident… Anyway, can you tell me everything you remember about the internal structure of that place?'