◈ Episode 35

No Face looked around the alley. There were no eyes peeking in this direction. The camera's location was already in his head.

This is a blind spot that no camera can capture. The circumstances are too coincidental to be a coincidence.

The opponent was not a lowly homeless person. At that time, Noface's sense of caution was rising.

"You can check it out."

Kim Yi-hyeon took a few steps back, telling her to do as she pleased. No Face, who had been staring at her for a while, approached her and began examining the goods.

The knife looked to be of excellent quality. There seemed to be no problems with the gun either. It was well maintained, with no scratches or damage.

The biggest advantage is its variety.

The production sites of the weapons were all different.

There were differences in form and manufacturing method. If there were firearms of the Shiran Empire style, there were also swords that were likely to be distributed only in limited quantities in the Far East.

When Noface was active in the city, he was careful to eliminate commonalities between members of the organization, even in terms of status.

Before cloning an appearance with Marcashal's ability, he conducts thorough research. He avoids people related to the 'original' of other members of the organization as much as possible.

So that even if someone is arrested, the damage is kept to a minimum. They have different identities and use different weapons.

It was an attractive proposition to them.

"Of course, this is just a sample."

"How prepared are you?"

"Don't worry. It'll be enough to satisfy you. But more than that, I don't think this is a good place to talk about details. I don't mind, but wouldn't it be difficult for you?"

After a brief silence, the answer came.

"...wait."

"how much?"

"Shut up and wait."

No Face quickly ran out of the alley. Soon his back was out of sight.

I don't know what he was thinking, but it was a good opportunity. Kim Yi-Hyeon picked up his weapon and put it down every now and then while he was left alone.

It was to refresh the spell's maintenance time.

'If that guy had taken it, it would have ruined things.'

As the agent level increased to 3 stars, there was a change in skills. The time it took for equipment dropped from the hand to disappear became longer.

For 3-star equipment, it lasts up to 30 minutes. For 1-star equipment, it lasts up to 1 hour.

The products are composed of only 1 and 2 stars. I also included real items that have nothing to do with spells.

'But it's still a long way off.'

It would be a problem if it were lost during transport. It would be discovered sooner or later that this was a trap anyway. Until then, I should obtain at least one piece of useful information.

It had been about 30 minutes since Noface returned. He had left alone, but now he had two companions.

"Can I take this person?"

Noface nodded to the man's question. The man said he understood and approached Kim Ihyeon from behind. Then he put a mask on his head.

A clash of iron could be heard in the obscured vision. Another one seemed to be a porter, carrying weapons.

'Not No Face. Are you a handyman?'

The two had expressions. They were judged to be gangsters who made a living by doing bad things in the back alleys. While thinking, Kim I-hyeon was tied up to his wrists.

"Follow me."

A faint force was felt along with No Face's instructions. Kim Yi-Hyeon started walking as he was led.

* * *

Fortunately, the footsteps stopped before the spell was cut off. The mask was removed on its own, opening up my vision.

Kim Yi-hyeon looked around while catching his breath. Indoors. There were no windows. There was only a long hallway leading somewhere.

It was as quiet as a mouse in all directions. No Face's voice resonated softly as eyes rolled around.

"Don't hesitate and just walk. You two too."

"Oh, yes. It's sensitive."

It wasn't what Kim Yi-hyeon said. It was the complaint of the thug who was dragging him away, or in other words, guiding him. It didn't seem like they were a gang.

'By the way, things are going easier than I thought.'

Originally, I was planning to approach him slowly by disguising myself as an arms dealer. But when I actually tried to find him, what the heck? I was suddenly dragged into a strange building.

'It doesn't look like a legal facility at first glance.'

I didn't come very far from my original location. I walked down the stairs several times. As expected, it looked like a building hidden underground.

As we passed through the hallway, several rooms appeared. Noface opened the door on the left and nodded inside.

"You go in alone. The rest of you, follow me."

Kim Yi-hyeon followed the instructions given to him without question. As soon as he crossed the threshold, there were still marks of paint on the wall that had not dried yet.

'It smells bad.'

It was a foul stench mixed with the smell of paint. It was the stench of blood that I had been smelling ever since I fell into Polaris, especially in Cilicia.

And less than three minutes later.

-Taang!

Gunshots flowed in from beyond the door that No Face had closed. There were two shots. It was the same number of thugs mobilized for this incident.

Click.

After a while, the door opened. Noface came in. There were drops of blood splattered on his legs.

"...Those two? Did you kill them?"

"No, I just made it so it wouldn't move. I have an urgent need for it."

Oh, he adds.

"That was a good gun."

No Face was holding [Ivory]. He didn't shoot at Kim I-Hyeon. Instead, he aimed the gun at him and threatened him.

"Kneel down."

"I thought you wanted to make a deal."

Kim Yi-hyeon slowly knelt down. Then No Face picked up the camera that was in the room and started filming.

"A deal is a deal. We'll spare your life, and you hand over your weapons. Don't you think that's a bigger reward than a small sum of money?"

"If you capture me, who will get the weapon?"

"Your colleagues, your family, your friends. Even if you're a bum, there's bound to be at least one person who wants their dirty necks stuck to you."

"Haha. That would be nice if it existed."

"If I had a hole in my hand, I might remember it then."

The tone was completely calm. Except for opening the mouth and closing the eyelids, the facial muscles did not move at all.

"Tell me where you've hidden the weapons. Your friend who's receiving this footage will be transporting them. The address is 15 Utside. Put them in a box and take them to the warehouse behind the factory."

"...."

Indeed. Now I can finally understand his intentions.

'Anyway, those guys are crazy.'

This means that he had no intention of paying the full price in the first place. I could also guess what Noface had just said, that he had 'something to do with it'.

'You must be thinking of using your face.'

There may be No Face who has to change his identity because his crime was discovered. Or, he may be kept alive and used as insurance.

Should I say that it lived up to its reputation? It was a viciousness not much different from that in the game.

"I'm a bit of a timid person, you know. I'm kind of thinking that. If I do as you say, you'll say you have nothing to do with me and try to get rid of me."

"Don't worry. I plan to keep you alive at least until you receive the goods. If you want to stay healthy until then, I recommend not making any fuss."

I'll have to cut this part out. Noface muttered to himself. Next, he put the gun on his belt and drew his sword.

"Enough of the small talk. I'll count to ten, so tell me your location. I hope you'll cooperate. I don't want to do anything bad either."

"What the hell. Why are you being polite now?"

Noface didn't react to the rambling words. He simply started counting as he had said.

"10, 9, 8, 7...."

The voice was flat, without any ups and downs. It sounded like a counting machine. Or like an android from a science fiction game or movie.

Time passed quickly. Kim Yi-Hyeon didn't open his mouth even until the countdown was over.

"Before we count down the next 10 seconds, I need you to be honest with me."

No Face pointed the blade down. And without hesitation, he struck Kim Yi-Hyeon's thigh. No, he tried to strike it.

There was no scream. No blood was splattered. Just bare fists waving in the air.

"...what?"

The [Glitch Knife] that Noface was holding turned into grains and disappeared. His thoughts stopped for a moment due to the sudden change.

Even in the midst of his confusion, his body moved reflexively. Noface, who had been staggering, regained his center of gravity and immediately tried to subdue his opponent.

thud!

He knocks Kim Yi-hyeon down and takes a mount position. Noface naturally looks down and catches sight of an object.

It was a revolver. There was a gun in his hand, bound with a cable tie.

"Get out, you beggar."

Taang―!

[Webbly Mark]'s gun fired. The bullet pierced the skull, tore through the brain, and then went through the back of the head and lodged in the wall.

It was a power worthy of the loud gunshots.

Noface, who had been hit directly in the head, fell to the floor. Kim Yi-hyeon pushed away his heavy body and slowly raised his upper body.

First of all, the bonds had to be untied.

'Is this how it's done?'

I untied my shoelaces and re-tied the knots. I hooked the laces through the narrow gap in the middle of the cable tie and kicked them like I was riding a bicycle.

The tie broke due to friction heat. Kim Yi-hyeon sighed as he turned his cold wrist.

'I learned it so I can use it.'

Of course, this is not a method he had known from the beginning. The White Fang members imparted all sorts of knowledge to Kim Yi-Hyeon.

'Who told you this?'

Robben? Or was it one of the dead members? I couldn't quite remember. I just gave him a silent thank you.

Before going out, Kim Yi-hyeon picked up the camera that No Face had dropped. When he checked, he saw that it was still recording.

"Thank you for the evidence. It must be self-defense."

I captured the corpse's face on the lens. After stopping recording, I put the camera in my pocket.

"Ghost, Bryce. Can you hear me?"

I checked the communicator attached to the back of my belt and all I could hear was a crackling noise. I wondered why they weren't searching my body. It seemed like there was some kind of device installed to jam the radio waves.

It wasn't something that could be called a disaster. Those two wouldn't just suck their hands and wait. I had faith that they would take action on their own.

'I should just do my job well.'

Kim Yi-hyeon dragged the body to the corner. He crouched against the opposite wall for a moment. Footsteps began to be heard in the hallway.

'You're coming, after all.'

[Webbly Mark]'s gunshot sound was clearly different from the two shots No Face had fired earlier. Also, all the weapons Kim Yi-Hyeon had brought had disappeared except for the actual ones.

Other people in the building must have noticed something strange as well. It's time to take action.

The footsteps stopped. A short silence followed.

bang!

The door swung open and someone came in. Two members of the organization looked around the room with their guns out. They found a bloody trail on the floor.

"...."

Without a sound, the No Faces entered the room. One saw the corpse of his comrade. The other saw the approaching shield.

Thud!

No-Face, who collided with the thick iron plate, was pushed away as if flying. No-Face, who was behind him, was suddenly crushed by his comrade.

bang!

Kim Hyun-i pulled the trigger. He immediately lowered the raised hammer. He fired two shots in succession at the covered body.

The movement stopped immediately. After confirming that he was dead, I picked up the gun that Noface had dropped.

'6 shots is a bit low.'

[Webbly Mark] only had two bullets left. It wasn't in good enough condition to be remade. The recoil from overusing the spell was coming.

So, that meant he was reasonably energetic. Compared to when he got hit by Snowfield.

'I need to take a week off after this is over.'