Supreme Awakened Task Force.
In short, Dae-gak, or Great Awakener Special Task.
Its headquarters are located in Seocho District, Seoul.
Right in the heart of Gangnam, in the midst of Heoninreung forest, at the very spot where the National Intelligence Service once stood.
To be precise, the Awakened Management Center, a joint institution of the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office and the Future Development Department, was located there, and Dae-gak was its armed branch.
Naturally, the status of Hwang Rian, the commander of the Dae-gak 3rd Special Unit, was even higher than Yuseong had imagined.
She leads a unit at the nation’s top armed organization dealing with Awakened.
Though she was still only in her twenties, she had been given her own office (even if it was a detached building quite far from the main one), and, surprisingly, smoking was even permitted inside.
And so, Hwang Rian was free to smoke her bone cigarettes in her office as she pleased.
Dae-gak, with its own investigative authority, always handled a heavy workload.
That’s why even her superiors, seeing her with her head buried in work in her office, couldn’t bring themselves to lecture her about smoking indoors.
“Ugh, the smell.”
However, Chloe, deputy commander of the 3rd Special Unit and Hwang Rian’s aide, would always complain the moment she entered the room.
Hwang Rian, with her crimson hair, was of mixed Italian descent.
Chloe, with her golden hair and blue eyes, was a naturalized Frenchwoman with exotic features.
Perhaps because of these similarities, they had felt a bond with each other since joining Dae-gak.
Chloe squinted her eyes, matching the color of Hwang Rian’s hair, and shot her a cold glare.
“Ah, Chloe, just in time. My lighter’s out of gas. Can you give me a light?”
“I refuse.”
Her reply was as cold as ice, as if frost was falling from her words.
But Chloe’s actions were completely contrary to her words.
Though she wasn’t a smoker, she always carried a Dupont lighter, which she now took out to light Hwang Rian’s cigarette.
Hwang Rian, as if it were only natural, took a drag and rubbed her forehead.
“My head is killing me. Chloe, you’re bringing me too much work.”
“There are so many unemployed people out there. You should be grateful you’re a public official.”
Chloe plopped the documents she had brought onto Hwang Rian’s desk with a resounding thud.
Then, moving naturally behind Hwang Rian, she began to massage her shoulders.
“That’s nice.”
“I wasn’t hired to give you shoulder massages, you know that, right?”
“Right. Did you figure out anything about the Janggang Guryonghoe?”
“You could just read it yourself, couldn’t you?”
Neither the lighting of the cigarette nor the shoulder massage had been ordered by Hwang Rian.
Chloe would just do these things unasked.
A strange contradiction to the harsh words that came out of her mouth.
But by now, Hwang Rian was used to it.
“Chilryong Yongjeolan sent a warning letter to BioKizen.”
“Those guys… What age do they think this is, still playing at wuxia clans?”
So when Chloe summarized and explained the contents of the documents for Hwang Rian, the latter accepted the favor as usual.
“Hauling up seawater like that, it’s big business. Is BioKizen trying to become independent?”
“I don’t get why Energy Bars are supposed to be so cheap. Does BioKizen really import that much salt?”
“More than a hundred million Energy Bars are consumed domestically every day.”
Most of the ingredients in Energy Bars are the endlessly harvested Nectar from the Abyss.
But that doesn’t mean no other additives go in.
Sugar is expensive, so they use aspartame, monosodium glutamate for flavor—so, 1450.
Various vitamins and minerals, essential amino acids, masking agents to cover up the odd taste, preservatives.
And physiologically necessary salt.
There are saltpans on the coast of Korea, but most domestic Energy Bar manufacturers import their salt from China.
After the Great Cataclysm, the price of salt rose to more than thirty times what it used to be, but consumption itself dropped dramatically.
And so, a Chinese salt company called Changlu Salt, using cheap labor, has taken charge of salt production for all of East Asia.
“Now even ordinary Operators can reach up to Level 16.”
“So how much salt is that?”
“I don’t know the exact amount, but they say they could be self-sufficient for a hundred years.”
“They’re just flailing. The world’s changing.”
But now a problem had arisen.
The Salt Desert on the 16th Layer.
Having realized its commercial value, some businesses began to avoid dependence on Chinese salt.
Most notably, BioKizen, which had a foot in the Energy Bar processing industry, started to reduce its salt imports.
With BioKizen reducing its imports, Changlu Salt of China showed clear displeasure.
Hwang Rian snapped her half-burnt cigarette and tossed it in the ashtray.
“Those punks.”
Whatever happened to Changlu Salt, that was BioKizen’s problem.
But the bigger issue was that the salt industry was a national strategic industry for the Chinese government, and Changlu Salt and its owner were connected to the criminal organization Janggang Guryonghoe.
A syndicate of Triads, big companies, and mafias—Janggang Guryonghoe.
Among them, Chilryong Yongjeolan, which occupied seven seats, could inflict physical retaliation on BioKizen for breaking faith.
“Get in touch with Chairman Park’s side and prepare to respond. Get the police ready.”
“I’ve already taken steps. The new Energy Bar factory seems especially vulnerable.”
“Right, those punks are always sneaking in by boat, getting around the coastal patrols.”
Despite her exotic looks, Hwang Rian’s mouth could be as foul as any sailor’s.
It wouldn’t be long before the Abyss was conquered up to the 20th Layer.
When that happens, the borders between the East Asian countries inside the Abyss would all but disappear.
Which would make handling the influx of Awakened from abroad much trickier.
Just thinking about it already gave her a headache.
Just then, Hwang Rian realized Chloe’s hands had stopped kneading her shoulders.
“Your hands are slacking.”
“Why?”
“That scar—I hadn’t noticed it before.”
Chloe was staring at Hwang Rian’s pale nape.
At the spot connecting her neck and shoulder, there was a scar that looked like she’d been stabbed with something sharp.
Not just the scar across one eye, but Hwang Rian’s whole body was covered with scars big and small.
But the scar at her nape was usually hidden by her red hair and the collar of her shirt.
Even Chloe, who’d been with her for years, was seeing it for the first time.
“Oh, this?”
Hwang Rian brushed her fingers over the scar on her nape.
It still felt bumpy.
It hadn’t been a particularly deep wound, but its location made it dangerous.
But a smile appeared on her face.
“Six years—no, seven now, I guess.”
Back then, Hwang Rian wasn’t yet Dae-gak, but still in the military.
In other words, this was before she’d started working with Chloe.
“Tell me?”
“No need.”
Which, of course, meant she wanted her to tell her.
“I got it during the Youngwondo rescue mission.”
“That suspicious rescue operation—no clear orders, right?”
“Yeah. The one to save the little kid left alone on the island after his grandfather died. It was pretty much a suicide mission.”
Baek Uncheon was a chef with a unique Gift.
He had been living in seclusion on the uninhabited island of Youngwondo with his grandson, when one day Hwang Rian received orders from above.
Go to that island and rescue Baek Uncheon’s grandson.
Honestly, it was more the job for 119 or the coastal guard.
But there was a reason Hwang Rian had been assigned the mission.
Monsters from the Abyss had started appearing on the surface.
An Overdrive had opened a one-way gate from the Abyss to the surface, turning the island into a paradise for Monsters.
“This isn’t a scar a Monster could’ve made.”
Chloe pointed out the obvious.
The scar on Hwang Rian’s nape wasn’t the sort that could be made by fangs or claws.
It was sharp—more like something caused by a knife.
“It was that kid who gave me this.”
That is, the fifteen-year-old Yuseong she’d gone to rescue had wounded her.
Chloe found it hard to believe, knowing how formidable Hwang Rian’s physical abilities were.
“How did that happen?”
“Of course, I thought everyone was dead. With Monsters prowling around, how could a normal kid survive?”
“So then?”
“I burned it all. Set fire to everything, even the food stores. But then he jumped out.”
“He jumped out?”
“Yeah. I was pouring oil on sacks of rice and lighting them up, and he jumped out of the smoke and stabbed me right here.”
Hwang Rian let out a hearty laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“Isn’t it hilarious? He went wild just because I was burning his food, jumped out of nowhere with a knife.”
“So what did you do?”
“Well, what do you think? I put strength in my shoulder to stop him from pulling the knife out, and with that skinny body of his, what could he do? I quickly grabbed him and smacked his butt.”
Baek Yuseong.
Chloe had never met him, but for some reason, she felt annoyed with him.
“I should’ve raised him properly then and put him to use. Now he’s already grown crooked.”
Hwang Rian smacked her lips as she spoke.
It was the first time Chloe had seen her so greedy about a person.
Hwang Rian leaned back in her chair again.
“All right, massage me a bit more.”
Instead of massaging her shoulders, Chloe brought both hands down with a loud clap.
Smack!
“Ow! Hey!”
“I’m going now.”
“Where?”
“To HR. I’m going to report my boss for forcing me to give her massages.”
With that, Chloe stalked out of the office.
She’d never actually report her, but the sudden shift in attitude was jarring.
Hwang Rian laughed and lit up another cigarette.
Then she fished in her pocket and frowned.
“Ah, my lighter…”
***
16th Layer.
The vast expanse of the Salt Desert.
Jang Dojin, having dismounted from his Coldskin Camel, was catching scorpions on Yuseong’s orders.
The Salt Scorpions weren’t poisonous, but their appearance was so frightening that Jang Dojin was scared.
So the whole process was carried out with utmost care.
He walked around, stirring the white salt with a long iron rod.
If he got lucky, a hidden scorpion would jump out in surprise and run away.
He’d tap it at the end of the iron rod to knock it out, then snap off its thick tail and pincers and drop it into a sack.
Since the Monsters were just slightly bigger than a finger, he had to be careful not to crush them.
After an hour trudging through the hot salt desert, Jang Dojin managed to catch ten scorpions.
They only live right at the boundary between the salt desert and regular sand, making them rare.
Salt Scorpion, salt roast, huh.
“That’s the laziest naming I’ve ever heard.”
“Did I name the Monster? In English it’s just ‘Salt Scorpion’ too.”
Yuseong carefully dissected the Salt Scorpion.
According to his knowledge, it wasn’t venomous, but just to be sure, he sacrificed a few to check the poison glands in detail.
“You’re being more cautious than usual.”
“There are times like this.”
Even Yuseong hadn’t tasted every Monster in the Abyss.
Among them were the scorpions of the Salt Desert.
He’d only imagined it, never actually eaten one.
Would it melt in his mouth, or be so revolting he couldn’t swallow it?
Every time he tried a new Monster, his heart beat faster.
Hidden beneath his love for gourmet food, perhaps gluttony was actually the Gift that had stayed with Yuseong the longest.
After finishing the analysis, he finally began cooking.
Salt roast—a simple recipe.
First, he scooped salt from the desert into a wok and spread it out.
The salt wasn’t bitter at all, even had a faint sweetness—excellent quality.
He placed the pale scorpions, tails and pincers removed, on top.
Sprinkled just a touch of pineapple juice to cover any off smells, then closed the lid.
Then, cooked it slowly over low heat.
As the scent started to rise, Yuseong smiled.
“Smells a bit like shrimp.”
“There’s a nutty aroma too.”
Before he knew it, Operators had begun to gather around Yuseong.
They had been surveying and measuring the Salt Desert, but Yuseong’s sudden appearance caused a stir.
But they only watched his cooking, not daring to approach any closer.
Had he been cooking anything other than the intimidating Salt Scorpion, they probably would have been drooling and drawn near.
But the scorpion’s terrifying appearance was too much.
“I’m eating first.”
“You can have it all, hyung.”
“Hey, just because it looks gross doesn’t mean it can’t taste good.”
Yuseong opened the lid of the wok.
Steam billowed out, carrying a savory aroma just like roasting shrimp.
The scorpions, which had been pale, turned red from the heat.
They now looked far more appetizing, almost like crayfish.
The Operators exchanged glances, drooling as they whispered.
“I’m kind of curious, actually…”
“Come on, no matter what, eating a scorpion is just too much.”
As they talked, a harsh smell mixed in with the savory aroma.
It definitely wasn’t food.
“What’s that? Where’s that smell coming from?”
One Operator wrinkled his nose and turned around.
“Whoa! What the hell?!”
Unlike the neatly suited Operators,
there was a man wearing what looked like a sack over his head in this sweltering heat.
“Wh-what the—!”
“Geez, you scared the crap out of me.”
Their surprise was understandable.
This was a wide open area, so anyone approaching should’ve been noticed.
But everyone had been so focused on Yuseong’s cooking that no one realized the stranger’s approach.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Mister, what—did you go swimming or something? Why is your body dripping wet?”
Transparent liquid was dripping from the sack the man wore.
As the commotion spread, Yuseong and Dojin also turned to the stranger.
Instead of answering, the man spun his body swiftly.
The liquid-soaked sack sprayed fluid all around.
All the nearby Operators got doused.
“What the—damn it, what is this? This smell…”
The Operator’s expression turned strange.
“Gasoline…”
The sharp scent’s true identity.
What they’d thought was water was actually gasoline.
The gasoline had splashed quite far, centering on the stranger.
Even Yuseong was within the range.
And even into the open wok Yuseong had just uncovered.
The freshly cooked Salt Scorpions were now coated with the pungent gasoline.
Yuseong stood frozen, unable to even get angry.
He simply couldn’t process what was happening.
“Who are you?”
The Operators realized something was wrong and drew their sidearms.
Jang Dojin gripped his iron rod.
Then, the silent stranger finally spoke.
Capitalist slave dogs.
No one expected Chinese to suddenly come out of his mouth.
“Go get your salt from the sea.”
Only Yuseong understood the words.
And then, fire erupted from the stranger’s body.