DSTR 04

Chapter 4

‘If you won’t meet me, I can just come to you myself.’

Oh Ji-yoon clung tightly to the roof of the inmate transport vehicle, biding her time. The Ranker Support Headquarters had rejected her request for a private meeting. If she didn’t use some sort of trick, the whole thing would fizzle out to nothing.

[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ sticks out their tongue and grimaces: ‘Ugh. Bitter. It tastes bitter in my mouth.’]

“Get down! You bastards, get down!”

Rattle. The transport vehicle came to a complete halt, and the full view of the prison under the Ranker Support Headquarters unfolded. Since it was a prison meant to detain Awakened beings, it was truly a natural fortress. Oh Ji-yoon rolled her eyes and stared down.

People with harsh, intimidating faces poured out of the bus endlessly.

It was a childishly simple strategy, but she was quite shameless.

[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ wiggles a finger: ‘Ugh, I’ve calmed down a bit. It’d be good to hide over there.’]

[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ sticks its head out: ‘Looks like there’s a separate break building for the guards.’]

“What’s that? …Huh?”

“Eh?”

‘Now.’

Catching the right moment, she leaped down. The criminals who spotted someone who shouldn’t be here began to stir. It didn’t matter. Stealthily dodging only the guards’ eyes, she stepped on, shoved, and jumped over the criminals several times.

Climbing onto the roof of the nearest building, Oh Ji-yoon hid her body.

The guards’ voices drifted over.

“How many came in today?”

“I don’t know. Ah, dammit. Those ranker bastards are crazy too. Hey, did you see earlier? That C-rank going wild.”

What are we supposed to do about that? Are we rankers or something?

The employee spoke up:

“Then isn’t it dangerous? Even if it’s C-rank, it’s still an Awakened……”

“What can we do? It can’t be helped. Though we’ll be left with a bit of trauma.”

The man threw the paper cup he was holding into the trash can. Oh Ji-yoon observed them while remaining hidden.

One man, one woman. One had murky eyes from being worn down by night shifts, while the other still looked lively.

‘Judging by how they talk, they’re Ranker Support Headquarters employees.’

The ‘Inmate Transport Vehicle Information’ she had verified through Representative-nim’s classified documents pointed toward a prison exclusively for Awakened beings.

Therefore, these people must be Ranker Support Headquarters employees as well.

Hmm. Oh Ji-yoon narrowed her eyes.

[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ leans forward.]

[Says that if it were them, they would try talking to these people.]

‘As expected, right?’

There’s a saying that among broken cars, a Mercedes is still better. Even if she was a retired wreck now, Oh Ji-yoon was World Rank 1. Even dog dung could be useful if needed; she was a card capable of tying down non-Awakened people’s feet.

Well, that’s probably how it looked from their perspective. Blinking nonchalantly, Oh Ji-yoon jumped down.

Tap. A small noise echoed.

“…?”

Hearing the sound, the man turned his head. In front of a heavily guarded prison. Against the backdrop of an alley where not even a convenience store stood, a woman was hiding her face under a hood and a mask.

It was a suspicious combination by any standard.

However, Oh Ji-yoon ignored their alertness and took a step forward.

“Hey. Young lady. You can’t come in here.”

The man extended an arm to stop her.

It was understandable. Oh Ji-yoon didn’t look like a criminal at all. A small, soft-looking build. A gait that shifted from tramping along carelessly to taking firm steps whenever she felt like it.

In her movements, which strangely oscillated between agility and languor, the sickening arrogance or rudeness typical of criminals could not be read.

“Hey, before I call the guards……”

Therefore, the man mistook Oh Ji-yoon for a young ranker. A reckless person who had walked over out of childish curiosity about the prison for Awakened.

Which was why, when Oh Ji-yoon pulled down her mask and revealed her face, he couldn’t help but gasp.

“I’m Oh Ji-yoon.”

Oh Ji-yoon was frowning slightly. Fitting her age of 21, her face was youthful. Noting the man’s gaze, Oh Ji-yoon pulled her mask back up.

Good heavens. The man and woman stood slack-jawed in utter disbelief.

The (current) World Rank 1, the youngest person to clear an SS-rank Fracture, opened her mouth.

“Since the Ranker Support Headquarters wouldn’t give me an answer, I came here in person.”

Guessing that even if she was a wreck of a former Mercedes requesting imprisonment, they wouldn’t kick her out immediately, Oh Ji-yoon twitched an eyebrow.

“Please contact the Ranker Support Headquarters.”

If you don’t imprison me, this time I will use brute force to break through the prison walls. Oh Ji-yoon spoke indifferently.

“Does Ranker Oh Ji-yoon have a brain inside that head?!”

Slam! The desk shook. It was a terrifying, sharp fury. The executive secretary, who had been organizing documents in dead silence, tiptoed nervously.

The deep inner sanctum of the Ranker Support Headquarters. Layer upon layer of drapes were pulled down, and soft carpets were laid out. In front of a desk meticulously carved over 10 years by a master craftsman, a man was pacing around frantically.

No. An old man.

A giant figure wearing white bell-bottoms, a bucket hat, a prosthetic leg replacing one side, and holding a cane. Director Cha Ho-bong of the Ranker Support Headquarters screamed aloud:

“In a place where foreign media were gathered! How dare she!”

“[Director. Ranker Oh Ji-yoon invaded A-33 claiming ‘the response was too slow’ and is currently wearing prison uniform. What should we do?]”

“First, dress her and throw her into any solitary cell! Tell her to wait!”

The old man slammed his hands onto the desk repeatedly. Oh Ji-yoon had really done something astronomical. With the careless words she dropped during the press conference, stock prices hit rock bottom, and his re-election became uncertain.

To think he would live to see the day a ‘Scenario Preview’ owner publicly demanded imprisonment from the entire nation. Just how immense was the value of being World Rank 1? The thought that it had gone bad before he could even utilize it made his blood boil.

“And what on earth is that rank manipulation theory about……. Sigh.”

It was absurd nonsense. He swore he had no idea the reward for this Fracture was ‘Scenario Preview.’

Unfortunately, the window of time to suppress the rumors had already passed. If there was one lesson he had learned over his decades of life, it was that humans are inherently curious creatures.

If an event is a tragedy, it can be put to rest through mourning. But if twenty events are tied to a single person, and composed of twenty different genres, it will be passed down forever through the mouths of gossips.

Newtube videos, conspiracy theories……

Cha Ho-bong was a politician. There was no way he didn’t know the power of words.

‘As expected, it’s a card too wasteful to just discard. I should have pushed her into insanity right away…’

While executing ‘Scenario Preview’ possessors was a recommendation, not many countries actually followed it. That was because most possessors happened to be high-rank rankers.

If one could grab a ranker by the leash despite risking a Fracture outbreak, the possibilities were endless. Just as everyone knew what benefits certain ‘obedient dogs’ owned by a particular nation brought.

Rankers didn’t want to reveal that they had become disasters capable of threatening humanity. If no one knew, even if a Fracture erupted due to ‘Scenario Preview,’ who would ever find out? It could simply be handled as an untraceable Fracture of unknown origin.

Oh Ji-yoon had effectively snatched away the gains that should have belonged to him.

‘It can’t end like this. There’s definitely a use for her.’

Citizen safety or level of danger were not matters for him to consider. The old man spun his brain rapidly with bloodshot eyes.

Continually dwelling on the profits and success Oh Ji-yoon could have generated……

“In the first place, if you had managed your ranker properly, this wouldn’t have happened!”

Getting enraged all over again, Director Cha Ho-bong yelled out. Sitting in front of such an old man with legs crossed, Oh Ji-yoon’s representative wore a nonchalant expression.

Cha Ho-bong was not the only one present in this room. The man, who had poured and drank Macallan from the display cabinet, opened his mouth.

“Didn’t I tell you? I should have mentioned that the kid’s mental world is a bit strange.”

“You did! But you never told me she would pull off a massive accident like this!”

Who could have known that a mere 21-year-old kid would detonate such a massive bomb? The old man gnashed his teeth. Paying the price for ignoring the meaningful warning of a long-time business partner was heavy.

As if reading Cha Ho-bong’s inner thoughts, Oh Ji-yoon’s representative slowly continued:

“This side is disheartened as well.”

The man—Oh Ji-yoon’s representative, Noah Roshan—was wrapped head-to-toe in expensive suit attire. Where he had disposed of his perception-disruption relic, the noise and concealment fake face peeled away in glimpses.

Beneath his swept-back blonde hair, his forehead was revealed. Even the bandage applied over a severe injury made him appear like a perfect sculpture. It was a strangely cold, yet persuasive face. What do we feel when structural beauty carved out from the twists and turns of life isn’t fragile?

The pitch-black shoes wrapped around Noah Roshan’s ankles twitched, creating a discordance. Young, beautiful, and classic. However, Director Cha Ho-bong knew all too well how prickly this young-looking businessman could be.

So instead of arguing, he asked, willingly swallowing his anger:

“…So? What are you planning to do?”

There must be a way. Of course. Noah Roshan had controlled Oh Ji-yoon for 10 long years, after all. Yet even when asked, Noah Roshan gave no particular answer.

He merely lowered that handsome face and blinked his eyelashes emotionlessly. Creak, creak. The overhead light swayed, spilling light down.

Gold, golden eyes. Blonde hair… then gold again, as the light flickered……

Before anyone realized it, Noah Roshan’s face had transformed into that of a hideous monster.

【Athena’s Earcuff (S+ Rank)】

【Details: Distorts the wearer’s appearance. (Wearer: Noah Roshan)】

As if unaware of that fact, the man muttered softly:

“That kid’s mental world is a bit strange……”

It was a monotonous voice. Whenever he wasn’t in front of Oh Ji-yoon, he always spoke in this voice. Not even Cha Ho-bong knew Noah Roshan’s age or origin.

A man who had suddenly appeared 10 years ago to build and run a guild solely for Oh Ji-yoon.

Throughout those 10 years, the sole reason Noah Roshan was never looked down upon was single and simple:

Because bizarre rumors were circulating.

“Though I want her back.”

Noah Roshan’s eyes curled into an arch. Everything felt like a disharmony. The fact that he had survived for 10 years holding onto a mere F-rank ranker, and the F-rank who actually hit World Rank 1 after 10 years.

Cha Ho-bong inevitably recalled that ‘rumor.’ That the limb-servants Representative Noah Roshan commanded were actually dead people, and that he had lived for a thousand years……

Such a rumor.

Amidst a grotesque atmosphere, Noah Roshan smiled.

“If that kid won’t come to me, it doesn’t matter if I go to her.”

Surprisingly, what Noah Roshan pulled out was a gun.