Chapter 14: One-Man Army

Blood and Shadows (4)

Dan Ga-yeon's eyes widened as she watched the employee rush into the burning building.

"Who is that?"

"That's the survivor I found. He was worried that if the items in that building burned, it would be difficult to operate the power plant, so he went to solve it himself."

Comet glanced at the golem, which was repairing its arm and trying to move, then turned around.

"Officer Dan, please hold the golem. I'll go protect him."

"Yes, though I don't know if I can actually hold it."

"I think you can."

Comet followed the employee into the building, hearing the sound of the Flame Golem smashing the ground. As she leisurely explored the hallway, the Jellyfish Princess spoke.

『You're taking your time.』

"For me to lose my composure, either I have to be left alone in a place without souls, or this country has to leave me alone. One of the two has to happen."

『That's not a very Necromancer-like, socially friendly answer, is it?』

"It's a very Necromancer-like answer. It just seems like other Necromancers aren't like that."

Comet scanned the burning hallway and scratched her cheek. There was no sign of a grand death for the brave employee.

As she went up a floor, she saw a male employee hitting a doorknob with a wrench. It seemed the lock was broken from the flames and impact. The employee turned to Comet, his expression brightening.

"Awakened! Please open this door!"

"Is this an important place?"

"Not important, but essential."

Comet grabbed the doorknob and ripped it off. The surrounding area warped as the door opened. She saw the interior. Flames flowed along the walls. There were electronic devices and wires on one side. She didn't know what they were for.

Part of the outer wall had collapsed, revealing the outside. Dan Ga-yeon was dodging the golem's attacks.

The employee quickly scanned the room and sighed in relief. The essential parts seemed to be intact. Sparks fell from the ceiling onto the electronic devices.

"I think I'm short on hands. Please help!"

The employee hurriedly rummaged through nearby drawers and took out tools such as screwdrivers.

"How can I help?"

"I'll disconnect the devices, so please gather them so they don't catch fire."

The employee took off his coat and handed it to Comet. Then, he unplugged the wires and separated only the important electronic devices from the many. Comet received the electronic devices and wrapped them in the employee's coat.

An ominous sound came from the ceiling. Burning powder fell to the floor. The employee and Comet stopped and looked up at the ceiling. The ceiling, unable to withstand the impact of the golem and the continuous flames, was about to collapse.

"...Damn it."

"Should we give up and get out of here?"

"...No. Just a little more."

Comet smiled as she watched the busy employee and secretly manipulated Spiritual Power. The ceiling, which was about to collapse, was pushed back by the Spiritual Power and stopped.

"Don't worry. It won't collapse until you've done your duty."

"I really appreciate that."

"How much is left?"

"Just a few more to grab."

Comet received the electronic devices from the employee and organized them. Before long, the employee, with a much more relaxed face, began the final work.

"This is the last one, right?"

"Yes. I'm glad it didn't collapse."

Comet looked at the ceiling. Part of the ceiling was pushed away by Spiritual Power and was floating slightly in the air. It wasn't that it hadn't collapsed, but that it was being held up.

"What do you think would happen if the ceiling collapsed?"

"That's a strange question. I'd regret why I did something unnecessary. I'd blame myself for wasting the rest of my life."

The employee answered while unscrewing a screw.

"But you're doing it to the end."

『What are you thinking?』

The Princess asked, noticing something strange. She was having a Necromancer-like dilemma. How should she give a gift to the employee who had found a good opportunity? In an era where miserable, futile, or shameful deaths were commonplace, how should she decorate this precious opportunity to face a complete death?

Comet stopped pondering as the employee handed over the last electronic device and stood up. The Spiritual Power holding up the ceiling disappeared.

The ceiling made a cracking sound and fell under the force of gravity. The employee blankly looked up at the ceiling. In his eyes, there was neither the regret nor the self-blame that he himself had mentioned.

Death came down from the ceiling.

Comet silently watched the result.

The sound of a leap was heard.

The first thing she saw was a hand reaching out to the employee.

A familiar face followed.

Long, black hair continued.

Dan Ga-yeon rolled, shielding the employee.

Comet stared blankly at Dan Ga-yeon. The ceiling collided with the floor, and a cloud of dust rose. Flames wriggled from the dust cloud and covered the interior. The flames engulfed the electronic devices the employee had saved, but were pushed back by Spiritual Power and subsided.

The outer wall broke as the Flame Golem's fist came crashing in. Comet watched the other side of the dust cloud where Dan Ga-yeon was, and with one hand, she blocked the golem's fist. The shockwave cleared the dust and flames.

Interference. Spiritual Power raced along the golem's arm and dug in. The Spiritual Power, which had scanned the golem's entire body, shattered the core. The golem collapsed.

Comet sighed as she watched Dan Ga-yeon and the employee get up, then carefully wrapped the electronic devices in the coat.

"You succeeded. Congratulations."

There was no complete death here, but this was not a bad result in its own way. Good was good.

The employee looked at the ruined room and the intact electronic devices, then smiled and fell backward. He seemed to have run out of energy.

"Huh?! Are you okay?!"

Dan Ga-yeon made a fuss.

The employee continued to smile as he lay down and said one thing.

"I'm not okay!"

"Huh?!"

"He says he's okay. Officer Dan, you did a good job too. Try catching a golem by yourself next time."

She returned to the military base with the employee. The government would take care of the stray Monster or flames left in the power plant.

Comet was about to get into the car to return to Yeouido when she suddenly turned to look at the power plant employee who was seeing them off.

"What's your name? I don't think I heard it."

"Kwon Hyun-seung."

"I see. You had a good sense of duty."

Comet exchanged a smile with Kwon Hyun-seung and got into the car. Dan Ga-yeon grabbed the steering wheel and started the car.

『He was a man who knew honor.』

"Yes. But he's not Awakened, so I probably won't see him again."

Comet whispered so that Dan Ga-yeon wouldn't hear.

『Fate flows along with honor.』

"I don't think so."

『What would a Necromancer with a lack of morals know?』

"That's harsh."

#

And several days passed. The situation was stabilizing to some extent.

In the meantime, she had tried using the Soul Compactor she received from the Chairwoman on the Princess.

『Kkyaaa! You son of a bitch!』

There were no particular results. The Princess's mental strength was truly amazing.

At this point, Comet gave up on absorbing the Princess and spent her time making her a conversational partner. Surprisingly, the Princess didn't seem to harbor any ill feelings and faithfully played the role of a conversational partner. Perhaps she was constantly looking for a chance to possess her. It was a meaningless ambition.

While Comet was enjoying her unemployed life among the busy public officials, a man came to visit her.

She opened the door at the sound of a knock and saw a top Ranker she had competed with a few times during her gaming days. His sturdy physique stood out.

Job rankings or overall rankings were uncool rankings, but the Korean ranking was a whopping 3rd place. Comet, who was 1st in the job ranking and 13th in the overall ranking, was 2nd in the Korean ranking, so it was quite a high ranking.

"Long time no see, Comet."

"Oh, Gunther. I heard you were affiliated with the government, but it's amazing to actually see you. You're a guild leader, where did you leave your guild?"

"The guild was absorbed by the government from the beginning because the vice guild leader was a public official. Is it okay to come in?"

"Yes, come in. Would you like a drink?"

"Orange juice, please."

"Sit here. I don't have orange juice. Have some tomato juice."

"Hmm."

Gunther stared at the tomato juice on the table. He must not like tomatoes. But there was no orange juice.

"What brings you here?"

"The security in this room is amazing. It was as troublesome as if I were visiting a high-ranking government official. Even when visiting a room occupied by a civilian without authority."

Comet scratched her cheek.

"I think the Chairwoman is giving me special treatment in many ways."

Gunther nodded slightly and subtly moved the glass of tomato juice to the corner of the table.

"I came to ask you something."

"Anything."

"What do you think of the current era?"

"I don't understand what you're asking."

Gunther looked around the room.

"The times are changing. Those who have not Awakened cannot even be guaranteed survival and are powerless. Even if the weak gather, they cannot defeat a single strong person. An era is coming when military power will be more important than public opinion."

It wasn't coming, it had already arrived. The committee was playing above the law, and the presidential election, which was supposed to be held within 60 days of the president's death, had been temporarily postponed. The power that maintained the current government was not public opinion, but the barrel of a gun.

Comet could have said many things in response to Gunther's question, but she didn't bother.

"A chaotic era is coming."

"This government won't last long."

The definitive tone echoed in the room.

Comet didn't bother to deny it. Seeing Dan Ga-yeon, who was becoming more and more haggard every day, she could feel that the government was running around to reduce the consumption of military supplies. It wasn't long ago that the Chairwoman bowed her head and asked them to ensure the safety of the citizens when the final moment came.

"And neither will this country."

However, it didn't seem like something to say so openly.

Comet crossed her arms. She seemed to know what he meant by bringing it up. When a chaotic era came, ambitious people would think of one concept.

"Do you want to be king?"

Gunther opened his mouth, then closed it after hearing Comet's question.

A moment of silence passed.

"What about you?"

"I don't know. I don't particularly want to step up and become one."

"You used to like being alone."

"That's a misunderstanding. I just played solo a lot."

"Don't you have any desire to be king?"

"No. Necromancy isn't a discipline aimed at becoming king."

"Is that so? You're walking a difficult path. I wish you luck."

Gunther rose from his seat, seemingly having finished discerning his competitor's intentions. Comet saw Gunther off and sat back in her chair. A solitary glass of tomato juice sat before her.

Although Gunther hadn't mentioned it, she felt like she knew what he was talking about.

Comet leaned back in her chair and stared at the words.

<The King's Road>

Congratulations, Black Comet.

As a guide of souls, a terror to the living, and the proudly shining thirteenth star, you have earned the right to challenge for the throne.

Overcome the challenges of mighty stars and ascend the throne.

Objective: The throne of the Korean Peninsula

Reward: Diplomatic power over the Korean Peninsula

A chaotic era was approaching.

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