A Broken Place

"Someone deliberately erased that friend's records. Very cleanly. As if they never existed."

Someone erased the records. But who, and for what reason? What could that child possibly be?

Cha Eui-jae stared blankly at the pen pointing at him. Seo Min-gi retracted his arm and crossed his arms, muttering.

"But there's definitely something fishy. The information is so cleanly empty that it makes me wonder why they went to such lengths to erase it. There are very few individuals or organizations capable of such large-scale information manipulation. And isn't this the child that J personally entrusted to them? I wouldn't dare touch them out of fear."

Seo Min-gi shuddered. Cha Eui-jae listened to his sincere banter with one ear. There was a phrase that stuck with him like a hangnail. Individuals or organizations capable of large-scale information manipulation.

After pondering for a moment, Cha Eui-jae crossed his arms and asked.

"What kind of individuals or organizations could manipulate information on such a large scale as you mentioned, Seo Min-gi?"

"Oh, please wait a moment."

Seo Min-gi muttered as he turned on the tablet screen.

"To cleanly organize information to this extent… It would need to be at least the Awakened Management Bureau or one of the top three guilds. Or perhaps someone like Mackerel… Yes, let me summarize it briefly. Just a moment."

Awakened Management Bureau, the top three guilds in South Korea, Mackerel.

Cha Eui-jae frowned at the suddenly familiar name of a seafood. This wasn't Noryangjin Fish Market, so why was Mackerel mentioned here?

However, his face of bewilderment gradually turned to one of shock. Memories of conversations among hunters during the Ma-Seok incident suddenly resurfaced.

"I'm going to Noryangjin Fish Market today to ask the mackerel."

"Can the mackerel really find it?"

"If not, they better give up their title as Korea's top information dealer."

Could it be that Mackerel was a person's name? Cha Eui-jae pressed his forehead, having learned information he hadn't wanted to know.

Were strange hunter names trending these days? But for a moment, he calmed down as he saw Seo Min-gi, still seriously scribbling something.

Well, considering there are strange hunter names, Mackerel isn't that bad. At least it's a noun.

Just then, Seo Min-gi looked up.

"I feel a bit strange. Did you just say something, sir?"

'Sharp bastard.'

"No."

"I see. Perhaps the Guild Leader was speaking ill of me. Well, let me continue."

Cha Eui-jae nodded. Seo Min-gi handed him the tablet. Somehow, it had a familiar red gothic font title welcoming him.

[A Brief Summary of Factions]

There was nothing else except the title. Cha Eui-jae, thinking he would receive a summary, stared blankly at the gothic font. Meanwhile, Seo Min-gi adjusted his sunglasses and spoke.

"As I mentioned before, there are very few entities that can manipulate information so cleanly. Especially since the location is a national hunter hospital. Either the Awakened Management Bureau intervened directly, or it was one of South Korea's top three guilds: Pado, Samra, Seowon. Additionally, it could be the HB Guild."

Seo Min-gi gestured for Cha Eui-jae to swipe the screen. As he did, a vibrant picture of a mackerel appeared.

"The number of individuals capable of this is even smaller. The only person is South Korea's top information dealer, Mackerel. They operate out of Noryangjin Fish Market, and their information is usually quite useful. However!"

Seo Min-gi gestured again. Cha Eui-jae swiped the screen once more, revealing an animation of money bundles spinning around a mackerel wearing sunglasses.

"Mackerel only does things that are profitable… They wouldn't have been involved in information manipulation that didn't pay. If it was Mackerel's work, it means someone was behind it."

"…"

Cha Eui-jae clenched his fists. His heart began to race. Seo Min-gi's professional voice continued to ring in his ears.

"At that time, their research hadn't progressed much, so they used people with some peculiarities as test subjects."

"Peculiarities?"

"Yes. Those who had been involved in a rift, or had wounds from a monster attack. In any case, something special related to the rift. They might have kidnapped people for experiments in that chaotic state."

His mouth went dry. He hoped it wasn't true, but his sharp instincts whispered to seize this opportunity. Cha Eui-jae spoke slowly.

"What are the chances that Prometheus took them?"

Seo Min-gi, who had been busy with his stylus, froze. He turned stiffly to look at Cha Eui-jae. Behind his sunglasses, his eyes were filled with shock.

"Sir, what did you just say…?"

Meeting his black eyes, Cha Eui-jae repeated slowly and deliberately.

"Prometheus."

"W-Wait a moment. How do you know about Prometheus? That's highly classified information. Didn't the Guild Leader only tell you about the drugs?"

"Answer my question first."

Meeting Cha Eui-jae's cold gaze, Seo Min-gi shut his mouth. After muttering something to himself, he finally spoke.

"I don't know how you know Prometheus's name, but there's a reason I didn't mention it directly. If you think they're the culprit… the conclusion is simple."

"…"

"That child, they're dead. Absolutely."

For a moment, his breath stopped. Cha Eui-jae placed his fist near his heart and took a deep breath. Seo Min-gi pressed his thumb and index finger to his temples and continued.

"What I'm about to say is classified. I'm telling you because you're a client."

"…"

"There are three major organizations in South Korea tracking Prometheus."

Seo Min-gi held up three fingers.

"The Awakened Management Bureau, Pado Guild, and Seowon Guild. These three cooperate continuously to monitor the flow of drugs and track Prometheus. Of course… the Bureau temporarily paused to search for J."

"…"

"We also paused for a while and then resumed recently… Anyway, I investigated Prometheus quite extensively. That's why I'm telling you this."

Adjusting his sunglasses, Seo Min-gi continued.

"Those guys spread drugs and conduct experiments to create artificial Awakeners… but there hasn't been a single success. As far as is known, all the test subjects died."

Seo Min-gi's sunglasses gleamed.

"All of them, until now."

***

The Guild Leader's office of the Pado Guild was dark even in the middle of the day. In the middle of the room, a figure lay slumped on a long sofa. Wearing a black eye patch, he clasped his hands over his stomach and breathed quietly.

Footsteps echoed closer and closer. The sound was clear and unhesitant, belonging to one person.

The door burst open.

"Hey, Guild Leader! There's a message from Team Leader Jung Bin."

Lee Sa-young signaled with a hand to close the door instead of responding verbally. Entering the dark office and closing the door, Bae Won-woo looked worriedly at Lee Sa-young's head.

"What, are your eyes acting up again? Is it bad?"

"No."

"Did you take your medicine? Should I call Nam Woo-jin?"

"Just report first."

"Okay… I get it."

Muttering briefly, Bae Won-woo turned on the tablet he was holding.

"Ah… First, they rescued Hong Ye-seong, thanks to you. He was in the underground detention room. And…"

As he read the message, Bae Won-woo gasped.

"What? The dummy wore a subordinate's skin?"

"…What?"

Lee Sa-young, who had been listening quietly, lifted his thumb to raise one side of his eye patch. In the darkness, only the tablet screen and Bae Won-woo's face, illuminated by its light, shone eerily. Bae Won-woo stuttered in surprise.

"N-No, that's what it says. The subordinate that was guarding the detention room and attacked with black thorns… After subduing him, Seowon Guild analyzed it and found it wasn't him."

"…"

"The skin was… him."

A heavy silence fell. Lee Sa-young sighed briefly and raised the eye patch to his forehead. He then extended his hand, and Bae Won-woo naturally handed over the tablet. Skimming through the content quickly, Lee Sa-young twisted his lips.

"They must have been busy while I looked away…"

"Hey… is this even possible? So the subordinates are already dead?"

"Probably. Their skins were peeled off."

Lee Sa-young replied coldly as he sat up. Bae Won-woo cursed harshly. The last part of Jung Bin's message was an address. After running a hand over his face, Lee Sa-young returned the tablet to Bae Won-woo.

"Have Seo Min-gi verify the address."

"Okay."

"If verified, I'll go personally."

"By yourself?"

"Yeah."

Lee Sa-young stood up and removed the eye patch, placing it in a black pouch. The inside of the eye patch was charred black. Bae Won-woo frowned and spoke.

"Hey, let me go with you. I know your situation."

"If we both leave, it'll be bad… especially now."

Lee Sa-young turned to Bae Won-woo and raised a finger to his lips.

"Keep quiet."

***

Ziiing, the phone vibrated. Seo Min-gi excused himself and took the phone out of his pocket, pressing the answer button.

"Yes, this is Seo Min-gi."

—Hey, it's me.

A familiar voice. It was Bae Won-woo. Seo Min-gi glanced at Cha Eui-jae and, lowering his voice as much as possible, spoke quietly.

"Yes, what is it?"

—It's an order from the Guild Leader. I'll send you an address. Go check it out. See if there's really a building there, or if there's something underground.

"Alright, I'll go check it out right away."

Seo Min-gi mouthed "Sorry" to Cha Eui-jae. It looked like guild business. Yeah, this side needed some time to sort out thoughts anyway. Just as Cha Eui-jae was about to pretend he hadn't heard and step aside, Bae Won-woo spoke again, his voice tinged with a sigh.

—This is information Jung Bin gave us. It seems to be an address related to Prometheus. Turn it upside down and check everything.

Seo Min-gi froze with his mouth open. No matter how much he lowered the volume, it felt like the contents had already been heard. A chill ran down his spine. Seo Min-gi, creaking like a broken robot, slowly lifted his head.

Before he knew it, a pair of icy blue eyes were staring at him intently. The owner of the eyes smiled slowly, the corners of his lips curling up. J mouthed the word.

"Prometheus?"

Seo Min-gi shut his eyes tightly.