ICWDS 9

Chapter 9

Warehouse No. 6

It had been about four days since my first foray into the Dark Zone.

In the meantime, I had cleared several small-scale Hunter missions.

I could have reported my promotion to a Level 1 Hunter to receive higher-grade missions, but doing so required an official application to the Management Bureau. Since I was planning to go there soon anyway for a ‘Corruption Immunity’ test, I figured there was no point in making two separate trips.

“Mission complete! Good work, everyone!”

“Oof… my lower back.”

“My legs are about to fall off. What kind of torture is this, hiking through an untrodden mountain?”

“Well, that’s just how Level 0 missions go.”

The Geumaksan pollution-cleansing operation, listed under recommended missions, had to be carried out over the course of two days.

Clambering up unpaved mountain paths with chemical tanks strapped to our backs caused quite a few people to slip and fall along the way.

“Is Gaon so energetic just because he’s young? Look at him go.”

“If you put it that way, Tae-soo over there looks like he’s about to kick the bucket. Hey Gaon, do you work out regularly?”

“A little.”

Was this the perk of mana awakening?

Compared to before my awakening, my physical capabilities had shot up exponentially.

I felt confident I could probably win a fight against a professional boxer.

It turned out to be true that awakening made you stronger than a squad of riflemen.

“Other than my stamina and strength improving, though, nothing else really feels different.”

【 Nothing different?! You can tap into Blood Qi whenever you damn well please now! 】

Ah, right. That, too.

The Blood Qi I used to slice down the corrupted Kim Tae-jin after gaining the ability to manipulate mana.

I could now wield it at a moment’s notice.

Well, to be exact, it consumed the blood I stored up on a regular basis, but still.

“I had a pretty rough time mastering that over the first three days.”

Black Dew had nagged me endlessly until I got the hang of it, but running mana through the sword while maintaining Blood Qi was no easy feat.

At home, I even had to carefully control my strength to avoid accidentally slicing the furniture.

“Heh, 200,000 won a day… with this, I’ve already racked up 1.55 million won.”

The daily wage for gathering missions, the goblin-dick side hustle, and today’s pay combined.

In practical terms, I had made 1.55 million won in just three days. That broke down to over 500,000 won a day!

“Heh, I’m a rich man!”

【 Tsk tsk tsk. Look at a grown man fawning over mere pocket change. 】

“With the money I made today, I’m gonna go eat tteokbokki and sundae.”

【 What kind of barbaric cuisine is that? 】

“Ah~ You could call it the pinnacle of K-Food.”

【 Just hearing of it sounds thoroughly detrimental to one’s health. Vessel, I shall not stand idly by and watch you binge-eat. 】

Just as I was hunting around for a snack bar near my apartment, the visual display shifted, and a phone ringtone pierced through.

“Hello?”

[Ah, Mr. Gaon. Have you been well?]

“Yes, nothing out of the ordinary.”

I had awakened my mana, my body was overflowing with vigor, and I was eating well—could things possibly get any better than this?

[I’m glad to hear it. It’s about that ‘test’ we discussed previously; we’ve received approval from the upper management. Would you happen to be free tomorrow?]

The experiment regarding whether I qualified to be a trash can—no, Warehouse No. 7.

I nodded without a moment’s hesitation.

“Yes, should I just keep tomorrow completely open?”

[Yes, thank you for making the time. We’ll send a car to your residence.]

“Oh, right. I awakened my mana, by the way.”

[???]

There was silence on the other end of the line for a long, long time.

The basement of the Hunter Management Bureau was vastly larger than I had ever imagined.

The first five underground levels were packed with parking lots, but in reality, it had been excavated to a depth far, far below that.

“The background behind the Bureau’s construction isn’t just to serve as a focal point for civilian Hunters and agents; it’s heavily designed with contingencies in mind.”

Even if a demon object secured a host, the directions from which it could crawl up were strictly limited.

In such cases, standby agents, the national armed forces, and civilian Hunters would be mobilized en masse.

“However, even that has reached its limit. Warehouse No. 6 is currently at full capacity.”

“Warehouse No. 6?”

“Meaning there are five other facilities just like it.”

Come to think of it, they had asked me to become Warehouse No. 7, so it made sense that others existed.

“How is Hunter Kim Tae-jin doing? I haven’t even been able to visit him in the hospital.”

I had chopped his arm off, but I wondered if they managed to reattach it. Do arms even reattach after being sliced by a demon sword?

“Hunter Kim Tae-jin has recovered, so you needn’t worry. The arm was successfully reattached via surgery.”

“That’s a relief.”

“However, the fact that he became a corrupted entity and recovered must not leak, so he’ll have to spend some time in the Bureau’s medical ward.”

“Why is that? Isn’t it a good thing?”

Park Do-gyeong didn’t deny my words, continuing with a cautious tone.

“There is no precedent of a human who fell into corruption ever returning. If this fact were to become public knowledge… Hunter Kim Tae-jin would be in grave danger. There are countless factions out there that would want to dissect and study him.”

“Ah……”

Corruption was the single greatest hurdle in clearing Dark Zones.

No matter how powerful an Awakened individual was, if they corrupted, they became an enemy of humanity, forcing everyone to tread carefully.

Yet, if someone had corrupted and come back, anyone would want to uncover the cause.

They had said something similar to me before.

“Uhm… then isn’t that making me the most dangerous person of all?”

“Correct. If I were an agent of a foreign power or a head of state… I would go to war to secure Mr. Gaon.”

“Whoa……”

As I flinched, Park Do-gyeong tried to reassure me.

“We will do our utmost to prevent that from happening. Therefore, Mr. Gaon, you must exercise extreme caution in everything you do.”

Just as I was resolving to be careful and doubly careful, the elevator reached its destination.

Just how many floors down had we dropped?

When the doors slid open, several people were waiting for us.

Armed soldiers, Management Bureau agents, and even Agent Kang Chung-hwa.

“Team Leader Park Do-gyeong! Is this him?”

Stepping forward was a middle-aged man who seemed to hold the highest rank among them.

“Yes, this is Mr. Yoon Gaon.”

“Ahhh~ Mr. Gaon! So glad to meet you! I’m Kim Jung-ho, head of the Bureau’s Quarantine Division!”

Quarantine Division Head Kim Jung-ho greeted me with a visibly beaming face.

“Right this way, please. We’ll give you a grand tour of our Republic’s Warehouse No. 6.”

We immediately boarded a vehicle. It was an olive-drab, open-topped military vehicle. I thought someone had called it a Retona.

Kang Chung-hwa took the driver’s seat, Quarantine Division Head Kim sat in the front passenger seat, and Park Do-gyeong and I piled into the second row.

“VIP is moving out. Get the doors ready.”

The Quarantine Division Head issued instructions over his radio.

As the Retona rolled toward the massive gates, I could finally gauge the true scale of Warehouse No. 6.

“I figured we descended quite a ways down, but the ceiling height is immense.”

“Haha, if it were a building, it’d be about sixteen stories tall. Took a whole lot of sweat to carve this out.”

Were there really enough demon objects out there to warrant building a warehouse this massive?

No, even if demon objects had been popping out of Gates over the past decade or so, wasn’t this a bit too excessive?

“Is there really a reason for it to be this big?”

“Because placing demon objects too close to one another can induce a chain reaction of malicious activation.”

According to the Quarantine Division Head, even when isolated like this, demon objects constantly tried to lure hosts.

And once an lured host equipped a demon object, what happened to the surroundings?

Since they were surrounded by a sea of other demon objects, wouldn’t they try to dig out and use all of them at once?

“Whoa……”

Spell items like rings weren’t limited to just one per person, either.

Could someone wear one on every finger… or even more than that?

“Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.”

“Precisely why every single demon object is thoroughly sealed. We ensure physical distance to buy ourselves time to respond.”

The heavy doors of Warehouse No. 6 ground open, and the Retona passed through.

And at that moment, I finally understood what the Quarantine Division Head had meant.

“Whoa……”

I had expected a giant warehouse packed to the brim, but it was so sparsely populated it almost looked empty.

However, one thing was unmistakably clear: I could immediately see just how thoroughly the relics inside had been sealed away.

“Did you guys… literally pour concrete over them?”

“Yep, made it so that no ordinary person could ever dig them out even if they hammered away for a hundred years.”

Sturdy, solid blocks of concrete encasing objects everywhere you looked.

It was the most foolproof physical seal imaginable.

“Inside those are solid steel vaults, providing a double layer of locking mechanisms.”

“Even with all that, can demon objects still reach out and find hosts?”

At this rate, wouldn’t anyone trying to break them out get subdued beforehand anyway?

“When you get to high-tier demon objects, they bestow astonishing powers even on targets they haven’t corrupted yet. It’s a tale for another time, but you’ll understand once you see the items ‘further in.'”

How on earth could anything escape a seal this thorough?

I couldn’t even begin to imagine it, but everyone else clearly had good reason to worry.

“Alright, alright, let’s haul a few out.”

The Quarantine Division Head pointed to a few concrete blocks near the entrance of the warehouse.

At his signal, Park Do-gyeong and Kang Chung-hwa started unearthing and breaking one of the blocks.

Given how proficient they were, it only took a few swings of a pickaxe for the concrete chunk to start cracking.

“Is it safe to pull them out like that?”

To my question, the Quarantine Division Head replied nonchalantly.

“The demon objects near the entrance are low-grade, so it’s fine.”

“Our Black Dew was dangerously close to ending up like that, huh.”

At those words, Black Dew flinched.

Section Chief Kim glanced over at the sword as well and tilted his head.

“I did read the report Team Leader Park submitted, but this demon sword might actually be of a higher tier than we thought.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Ordinarily, aren’t demon objects supposed to charm people and drive them to corruption?”

“That’s what I heard.”

“However, demon objects that directly enhance the host themselves are quite rare.”

I had heard that demon objects strengthened their hosts with formidable power. How was that any different from Black Dew?

“It’s different. The former is purely the power of the demon object, whereas the latter becomes the power of the host.”

It was akin to how owning a gun didn’t inherently make the shooter stronger, he explained.

A gun made anyone deadlier regardless of who fired it, but in Black Dew’s case, it directly elevated the user’s innate capabilities.

“Enhancing the host’s capacity itself can mean there is virtually no limit to their growth. Even if it starts weak, over time, it can blossom into an unmanageable ‘monster.'”

“I see. Hey Black Dew, you turned out to be a much bigger deal than I thought, huh?”

【 For a puny human, you certainly have a good eye! 】

Black Dew puffed up with immediate arrogance, raising its voice.

【 Come to me. 】

“Hm? Black Dew, what did you just say?”

【 What are you babbling about? Did grease clog up your ears as well? That’s what you get for shoveling tteokbokki and sundae down your gullet. 】

I tilted my head at Black Dew’s words, but the voice inside my head kept growing clearer and clearer.

【 Come to me. 】

An eerie, whispering voice echoing right inside my ear.

Was I the only one hearing this?

“The dismantling is almost done. I’ll go check the inner vault. Please wait here for a moment.”

Quarantine Division Head Kim walked off, assuming I was deep in conversation with Black Dew.

【 Come. Come, and take me. 】

I tracked the direction of the voice.

It was coming from ‘inside.’

And it was quite a distance away.

Clack!

“Hm?”

The Quarantine Division Head looked back over his shoulder.

The moment I turned the car key stuck in the ignition of the Retona, a roaring engine filled the air, shaking the entire chassis.

“Mr. Gaon?”

As the Quarantine Division Head called out to me, Park Do-gyeong and Kang Chung-hwa snapped their gazes toward us.

But it was already too late.

My foot was already slamming down on the accelerator.

Vroooom!

Right in the middle of the underground warehouse—

A single Retona burst into reckless motion.

“……Huh?”

“Wh—……”

“………”

Three dumbfounded gazes pierced into my back, but I couldn’t care less.

I was driving a Retona right now.

[Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! An intruder has breached Sector 2 Restricted Zone! Heading toward the Special Restricted Zone!]

[Code Red. Code Red. Intruder path interception failed. All personnel, arm yourselves immediately and enter the restricted zone!]

The warehouse was littered with countless traps and security systems.

Yet, all of them proved completely meaningless.

It was as if the roaring iron beast tearing through the halls knew every single trap in advance and gracefully skirted past them.

[What the fuck is that?! How is it dodging those?!]

[It’s a demon object! A demon object is guiding its path!]

Among demon objects, exceptionally powerful ones often bestowed formidable knowledge and guidance to steer their charmed targets.

Having watched countless accidents and security incidents unfold within Warehouse No. 6 over the past decade, the high-tier relic ‘Swiftflowing Heart (速流心)’ had silently analyzed the Management Bureau’s response protocols.

It knew precisely when and where traps activated, where the sentry guns unleashed hails of machine-gun fire, and from which direction the emergency response teams would deploy.

[Blockade Gate No. 6 activating! Right this fucking second—!]

[It’s already past it!]

[How the hell is it already through?!]

The tires shrieked, carving trenches into the bare concrete as sparks flew, while the vehicle maintained a dizzying balance through insane, aggressive driving.

Yoon Gaon, a guy without even a driver’s license, handling a rampaging Retona like an extension of his own body was the literal embodiment of Man and Vehicle as One (人車一体).

Even an F1 Grand Prix racer would have been horrified watching this frantic run.

【 Ugh, blech! Blergh—! 】

The demon sword, still suffering from yesterday’s binge-eating session of tteokbokki and sundae, shrieked in protest, but Yoon Gaon slammed the accelerator down even harder with a look of pure madness.

[Blockade Gate No. 7! Gate No. 7 bulkhead lowering!]

[We have to stop it right here!!]

At the end of the tunnel, the final steel blockade gate plummeted with a deafening roar, and just as everyone held their breath—

Yoon Gaon didn’t even slow down at the sight of the descending gate.

His choice… was a direct breakthrough.

Even though crashing meant his own body would be shredded alongside the vehicle’s frame, he didn’t ease up for a fraction of a second.

“Motherfuckers, nobody’s stopping me!!”

He slammed through without stopping.

The moment of impact shattered the Retona’s windshield as it collided with the gate plunging down right above his head, launching the vehicle violently upward into the air, but……

He broke through.

Barely clearing the barrier, the battered vehicle flipped over once and skidded violently across the floor for a long stretch.

“Ghk…!”

Crawling feebly out from beneath the half-wrecked Retona was Gaon.

Having evolved his physical body through his Level 1 awakening, Gaon had managed to survive this insane, high-speed wreckage.

And finally—

He stood right in front of the artifact containment vault where the voice was calling out to him.

Deepest in the heart of Warehouse No. 6.

Behind the black glass wall, inside a cold alloy case.

The sealed ‘Heart’ pulsed with a rhythmic beat.

【 H-Hey… wait a second. 】

“I don’t stop!”

Gaon channeled Black Dew’s Blood Qi.

He swung the blade with intent to shatter the glass wall in a single strike.

Despite the supreme cutting power of the demon sword’s Blood Qi, cutting through the highest-grade military-grade bulkhead wall wasn’t a trivial task.

【 Ack! W-Wait! It’s too tough! Stop swinging it like a caveman and— 】

“Walls! Are meant to be broken through!!”

【 Then walk around it! Stop trying to smash it down!! Aaargh!! 】

Amidst the demon sword’s shrieks, destructive Blood Qi slashed wildly without restraint.

How long did he hack and slash?

The glass wall finally fractured and collapsed inward.

The very moment the case containing the highest-tier demon object slid into Gaon’s reach—

“Stop right there.”

Clack! At the cold mechanical click of a hammer cocking, I spun around to see Kang Chung-hwa standing there.

Her entire right arm had ‘transformed’ into a charged particle cannon.

“Mr. Yoon Gaon. Take another step, and I will fire.”

Humming with a vicious, condensed aura of destruction, the particle cannon looked ready to swallow Gaon whole at any second.

Facing that terrifying weapon, Gaon didn’t waver in the slightest. Instead, a smile crept across his face as he reached out—

“My Precious!”

—and thrust his hand straight toward the case holding the Heart.