Chapter 36

Expanded physical capabilities. It was a message that appeared as the agent’s record was updated. Kim had recently realized the blessing firsthand.

‘I used to feel it when I was a two-star…….’

It was more of a feeling of not being able to move, so to speak. I guess you could say that your body does what you think.

“That’s actually kind of cool.

The lack of exercise has made it easier for modern humans to tire in the heat of battle. Most importantly, the five senses have become noticeably sharper.

And when he reached three stars, the changes became even greater. Kim noticed that his body was getting stronger every day.

Until now.

Bam, bam!

Every time I deflected a shot with my shield, the recoil was felt in my hands. A few months ago, it hadn’t felt this light, and I’d clench my grip for fear of missing the shield.

Now we don’t even have to.

Kim lunged at NoFace, who was shooting at him from inside the room. He slammed into him with his shield and put a bullet into his incapacitated body.

The whole process flowed very easily.

“I want to know what the structure is.

In fact, Polaris’ character class is nothing more than an in-game distinction made by the game.

Higher ratings don’t mean better in every way. Most of the time, the ratings are in line with the settings, but there are plenty of instances where they don’t.

For example, a 6-star agent is outclassed by a 5-star agent in melee by default. Chelsea alone is a 5-star and has very weak physical durability.

In the end, the settings are more important than in-game performance. The problem is that the agent named “Kim” wasn’t in the game.

“I’d like to see my stats.

Based on history, it’s probably balanced.

A hexagonal character different from Chelsea or Ast, who specialize in shooting and spell Chapters respectively. From a gamer’s point of view, they’re a bit of an “all-purpose jerk”. But in reality, it was a good direction for growth.

“Because it works well with skills.

No matter what gear you use, you’ll get the minimum performance. I don’t have a favorite weapon type. I’ll use whatever the situation calls for.

“By the way.

Kim stuck his head out the door. Immediately, a bullet pierced the wall. The hallway was now littered with no-faces.

“Six, maybe.

That’s ten people, including the ones we’ve processed so far. There are probably some people who haven’t come out yet.

“I thought it was just one of many bases. It’s almost like it’s your home base.

There’s no way he could have three or four bases with this many men. If they did, the underworld of Kilikia would have been swallowed up by No Face long ago.

It seemed like it was time to call the powers that be. The passivity with which he had been watching Asterike was understandable.

This is a good time to break it.

“I’m going to suffer now.

Kim sighed and leaned his shield against the wall. He picked up the pistol that No Face had dropped and checked the ammunition. Seven rounds. More than enough for now.

Then an [N13 Flash Grenade] appeared in his other hand. My bones rang with pain. My spell was near its limit.

If I’d made redundancies here, I’d have been knocked out by the recoil, so I had to use them effectively. I mentally mapped out the enemy positions I’d just identified.

“Let’s take care of the closest ones first.

Kim threw a flashbang into the hallway. After a short delay, it exploded. The lack of unexploded ordnance was a big advantage of the [special weapon].

I used the door frame to cover half of my upper body, aiming for the opposite side. I had to be careful with my shots, as there was no hit correction.

One shot to No-Face’s chest, controlling the recoil and turning the muzzle to the right. Two shots, one in the side and one in the abdomen.

There was another one that came at him from the same line as Kim, right up against the wall. The flashbang in front of him rattled No Face’s half-ringed crown. I calmly put a bullet into his writhing body.

Three so far. The remaining number is also three.

Kim threw away the gun he had taken from No Face. Grabbing her shield again, she pulled out the [Webley Mark] from her holster.

“I only have two shots, but this is better.

Accurate one-handed shots would require some stat modifications, as I had enough to take out two and drag the last one into melee.

I boldly ran out into the hallway. A dozen meters apart. The three No-Faces were about to open fire.

Ding!

From above, the sound of metal clashing spread, followed by the tearing of a ventilation window and a man falling out of it.

A tall man with a distinctive face mask. Ghost landed behind the No-Faces.

Poof!

The blade plunged into No Face’s throat from the side. Ghost immediately released his grip on the dagger and extended his arm to his next foe.

Grabbing him by the nape of the neck, he yanked him down and used him as a shield. No-Face’s limbs went limp as he was hit by his teammate’s guns.

A bullet lodged in the last enemy’s face. Kim took out the last remaining [Webley Mark] and approached Ghost.

“Others?”

“Up here is a three-story motel. Jenna and Pep have the front entrance, the rest of us have eyes on the perimeter of the building. If we chase them down, we’ll find another base of operations.”

“Yes.”

Kim nodded with satisfaction.

It was the right headcount allocation. Ghosts are more than enough support. It was also a particularly good environment for Ghosts to thrive.

“A specialist in hand-to-hand combat.

This is an assessment from an agent in the lab. He’s worked in the Guard before. It’s rare to find an agent of this caliber, unless the opponent is out of the norm.

“If it doesn’t come out, it means there’s a hidden passage in here, and we can search it. Hyun, did you find anything?”

“Not yet.”

NoFace’s network of contacts. A list of people in their organization. Connections to the companies they work for, and so on. We need something decisive.

Of course, the elements we’ve identified so far are enough to prove that it’s a criminal den. But it doesn’t prove that it’s NoFace’s base.

I’m not annoyed.

I’ve been homeless for a while now, so I’m going to try to get some more credit. I’m going to make sure Congress gets it right.

“Let’s go. I can’t see the other two.”

“Who?”

“People who came here with me.”

The Ghost sighed deeply at Kim’s words. He didn’t seem to like it.

“Hyun, I say this often, even to Leila, but work has priorities. Those weren’t innocent civilians, they were self-inflicted.”

“Of course. Who said anything?”

“Didn’t you mean to save them?”

“What are you talking about?”

I was under a strange illusion. “Look over there,” Kim said, gesturing to the rear of the ghost.

“See the blood down there, they spilled it.”

The blood of the No-Faces wasn’t the only bloodstain I noticed. It ran all the way down the hallway.

“What happened?”

“That was the first two gunshots I heard. I figured they’d taken care of their business. Judging by the tracks, No Face must have dragged them away, but if we follow them, we’ll find something.”

“…… I see, I get it.”

I’m glad the misunderstanding was cleared up.

They followed the bloodstains on the floor. Time was running out, and they needed to move quickly.

Ghost was also an active user of firearms. He once shot a visitor while walking through a hallway. Inside the room, No Face peeked out through a crack in the door and fell to the ground.

The handling of the gun was perfect, as well as the knife.

“It’s definitely different.

It’s aggressive but discreet. It makes very little noise as it moves. He could have been an assassin and it wouldn’t have been out of place.

These were the skills he needed. He had learned a few things from the White Fangs, but their know-how seemed to be geared toward group combat.

“I’m more of a ghost.

I prefer individual tactics over organic coordination. This starts with skill, which is a variable that can be created by utilizing different equipment.

“There will be situations where I’ll have to act on my own, like I did earlier.

Ghosts are a good textbook example. You’ve been fighting whatever comes to mind, but it’s time to get organized.

Once the main episode starts again, I won’t have time to worry about my skills, so I’ll have to learn as much as I can until then.

29 people.

This was the number that Kim and Ghost eventually took down. A large number of NoFaces in the stronghold were slaughtered by just two people.

The bloodstain was cut off in the middle.

Two thugs lay in the hallway, abandoned by the No-Faces. Each with a single stab wound to the chest.

But that was as far as the guidance went. Ghost was also a good guide. After exploring nearby rooms, we found the basement.

“You’re still doing disgusting things.”

Ghost clicked his tongue in disdain for some reason. He had good reason. The inside of the basement was quite the sight.

“Fuck! Help me, help me, help me, open this!”

Bang, bang!

Inside the cell, a man pounded frantically on the bars. Thirteen people were locked in the left cell. There was no pig pen.

The situation was better on the right, where there were fewer people. Three people. Familiar faces. Kim approached the grate and called out their names one by one.

“Camilla the Bounty Hunter, Vale from the Outcoast Corporation, and Bluebeck. Is that correct?”

“Oh, that’s right, ma’am. You’re from the Guard?”

“Close.”

It matched the data Kavek had sent me when he described the incident. The missing spellcasters were found, albeit a few short.

Suddenly, something caught my eye. It was a strange necklace hanging around the necks of three people.

‘…… was that what happened.’

That was a device for restraining the powerful. It reacts to a special substance secreted when a spell is cast, injecting poison into the body.

It’s a phrase used in the research nation of Ishirad, known as the “Ivory Tower,” meaning that No Face has provided talent to Ishiradian companies.

The horse was offered, not trafficked.

It’s one-dimensional reasoning, but it’s probably right. With the Legion out of Kilikia, they’re the only organization left to use spellcasters as guinea pigs.

‘I suck. Dirty work.’

I can understand why they were interested in Asterique. Her outrageous abilities in battle in MetroCity must have been mouthwatering.

“Then the one on the left is NoFace’s backup status.

This settles all questions. The evidence of the crime is so overwhelming. Parliament will be able to fall on their swords without hesitation. It was a rather bittersweet ending.

Yes, the ending. Now that we know the truth and who’s behind it all, it’s up to the Council and the law enforcement to do the rest.

Kim came out of the basement, saying he was going to get his coworker. The ghost that came up from the basement also asked for his intentions.

“Was it okay not to release them right away?”

“It’s a bit much for us to control. What if he wanders off and runs into NoFace?”

“That’s cold.”

“Be cool, help and live. If the marshals come and rescue you, it’s a nice picture.”

The magistrates can pontificate to the citizens. Dustborne leaves the pie, but leaves the mess behind.

It’s a win-win.

“We’ll get the money Congress promised us, no, we’ll get triple that. For doing this shitty job.”

“Is that so? Noface had his eye on your coworker first, and even if the council hadn’t commissioned it, there would have been a conflict.”

“You’ve been saying a lot of crazy things.”

Kim snorted.

“That’s that, and this is this.”

“……Hmmm.”

Ghost closed his mouth and stared at Kim. As if he had something to say. I pressed him with my gaze, and he shook his head.

“Now’s not the time, let’s get this done, catch our breath, and then we’ll talk.”

“Huh? Well, yeah.”

Kim replied modestly and rubbed his stiff shoulders. The midnight ruckus was coming to an end.