Chapter 63 - Leaving
At first, he wasn't sure what was going on.
Q had called him over, saying he had something to say, but then—what the heck?
He was handed over a stylish leather tote bag, the kind that would look great as an accessory.
What is this?
I'm not into fashion.
Should I give it to Khalifa as a gift?
Well, since it was given to him, Jin accepted it for now.
Then, the colonel, seated in his rocking chair, gave him a slight nod and spoke.
"Aren't you going to check it?"
"Hm?"
Did he put something inside?
Jin unzipped the bag all the way.
Then, he blinked.
"Huh?"
Back in Jin's homeland, there was a tradition—or maybe just a superstition—of putting cash inside a wallet when giving it as a gift.
Of course, a fifty-thousand won bill was preferred over a ten-thousand won one.
And crisp new bills were better than old, worn-out ones.
But more important than the money itself was the sentiment.
The true value of a single bill lay in the warm wish that it would bring fortune to its recipient.
If exaggerated a bit, it was the essence of Korean generosity.
So, even just a single thousand-won bill (though this was debatable) would be appreciated by the recipient.
But a whole bundle of crisp, new banknotes filling the bag?
A larger-than-expected payout?
"Oh wow. What's all this?"
Jin casually lifted the stack of bills.
But then, he noticed something strange.
The color was unfamiliar.
Not only that, but beyond the crispness—weren't there a few too many zeroes?
One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million.
Damn, a million-credit bill? They made those?
They made the—made the—maaaade ooouuhhh...
A sudden breakdown in linguistic ability.
Jin's eyes went blank and unfocused.
A standard bundle of banknotes, neatly wrapped in a semi-transparent band, typically contained a hundred bills.
1 million × 100 = 100 million.
That's eight zeroes.
His hands trembled.
Even when he had faced the Face Collector, he hadn't shaken this much.
"Th-this, what is this?"
"What else? It's your payment. Have you already forgotten?"
The colonel answered as if it were obvious, while Q watched in quiet admiration at how Jin still managed to process information.
Jin stared at the universe resting in his palm.
So a hundred million was this light?
No, it was heavy.
That was the weight of forty thousand hot dogs.
And here was a terrifying fact—
Even the Face Collector would die if he ate forty thousand hot dogs at once.
That's how dangerous this was.
"Hey, are you listening?"
The colonel's voice brought gravity back to Jin's consciousness.
His mind, which had been drifting in the clouds, finally settled.
With shaky hands, he carefully placed the bundle back inside the bag.
"You're really giving this to me? Even though I didn't catch the Face Collector?"
"What we asked of you was Taha's suppression. That was the step to draw the Face Collector out. You did your part. We're the ones who failed."
That was Q's response.
His tone was calm, but there was no doubt he was burning inside.
After chasing their target for years, to lose him at the last moment—how infuriating must that be?
It wouldn't be polite to celebrate too openly in front of someone like that.
So Jin zipped up the bag and asked,
"Can I ask you one thing?"
The colonel nodded without hesitation.
"If it's something I can answer."
"What was the last face the Face Collector took?"
Maybe it was because he had spent so much time dealing with status windows, but he had developed a certain instinct.
If that bastard had shoved a face right in front of him,
there had to be a good reason for it.
Maybe not right now, but eventually, they'd meet again.
So he needed to know.
At the very least, the identity of the face that had let him slip past the city agents so easily.
"Thea Florence."
"Colonel."
"What? He already saw everything at the scene."
The colonel waved dismissively at Q's concerned look and turned back to Jin.
"She's the strongest Esquire of the Florence family."
"Aha."
Jin put on the face of someone who fully understood.
But inside, he understood nothing.
He had received an answer—so why did he now have two more questions?
Florence family?
Esquire?
"...It's a family that deals with spirits."
Q sighed and added an explanation.
As expected of a lieutenant, his sense of timing was impeccable.
"And an Esquire is someone from a branch family who awakened their abilities and was officially adopted into the family."
A title for someone who isn't a noble themselves but is either a noble's descendant or an elite member of society akin to a noble.
In other words, it referred to individuals who weren't born noble but received noble-like treatment.
A fitting term.
They weren't direct descendants, but they were recognized for their abilities and integrated into the family as geniuses.
Hmm.
Could I become one too...?
Jin pondered for a moment before asking,
"If she's called the strongest Esquire, she must've been something else, huh?"
"There was even talk that she might become the first Esquire to head the family. She had overwhelming support within the family as well."
"Some even speculated she was the patriarch's illegitimate child. It was unheard of for an Esquire to be given the family's surname."
The colonel and Q took turns answering.
Jin finally made a face that said, Aha! Now I really understand.
See, if you just explain it properly, it's not that hard to grasp.
Of course, it didn't seem like things were over just yet.
"Thea Florence had already formed a contract with a top-tier fire spirit before she even became an adult. You must have seen it yourself."
"The right arm of the Fire Giant. Or was it the left?"
"It's a spirit called Agni. I've only read about it in books. This is my first time seeing it in person, so I don't have much to say."
"But why did it only summon an arm? Is that all it needed to deal with you guys?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he realized his mistake.
Had he just wounded these people's pride?
A soldier's pride was the pride of the nation, after all.
But wait a second.
What had the city government ever done for him?
Just then, the colonel spoke up.
"That's not the case. It was probably just the limit for now."
"Oh, is that so?"
"If stealing something meant you could wield it perfectly, that would be a scam. A complete violation of natural order."
Jin nodded in agreement.
Yeah, that wouldn't be right.
"You guys are going to be busy for a while, then. Seeing an unexpected face and all."
"It did make things a bit more complicated. But that's for us to deal with, so don't worry about it. More importantly, I have something to ask you…"
The colonel trailed off as he stretched his hand to the side.
Then, he grabbed a bottle of liquor from the table, popped the cap off with his thumb, and took a deep swig before continuing.
"Have you ever considered working with us?"
"Nope."
"Colonel!"
Jin and Q spoke at the same time, their voices overlapping as they locked eyes.
"You hate the idea that much?"
"Well, considering your level of common sense… Wait, why are you refusing?"
"…?"
What was he even supposed to say to that?
Jin shot the colonel a sideways glance.
"No thanks. My military days ended in Cheorwon."
"Cheor…? You were a soldier?"
"6th Division, Cheongseong."
Jin confidently tapped his left chest twice.
The colonel narrowed his eyes.
But only for a moment.
"That's certainly a unique way to refuse."
He chuckled to himself and took another drink straight from the bottle.
Clearly, he didn't believe a word of it.
Jin felt wronged.
"Well, I understand your position. A life without restraints isn't necessarily bad. Though I'm not sure if that makes it truly free."
The colonel set the empty bottle down on the table.
Then, his smile faded as he lifted his head, his usual laid-back gaze replaced by one befitting his rank as he looked straight at Jin.
"Originally, I was going to tell you if you joined us, but… considering my past mistake, I'll just say it now."
Why was he suddenly getting all serious?
Jin raised an eyebrow as the colonel continued.
"You've already broken the wall, but you're still inside the eggshell. Hasn't the sky changed? Step forward. A few steps ahead lies the Second World."
Q's face twisted in shock.
Meanwhile, Jin just stood there, thinking.
So, I really did molt back then.
At the same time, he understood.
Even if he didn't fully grasp it yet, this was a valuable piece of advice.
"Thanks."
Jin flashed a bright smile and turned to the two men.
"Well, I'm off. If you still haven't caught the Face Collector by the next time we meet, I'll lend you a hand for cheap."
Without hesitation, he spun on his heel and left the room.
Left behind, Q muttered under his breath.
"…A favor laced with disregard. How novel."
"It was probably just a favor. He's not the type to overcomplicate things."
"By the way, what did you mean by that? About the second rank?"
"Exactly what I said. It looked like someone else broke the wall for him, and he was struggling to find his footing. I just gave him a little nudge. Though, I'm sure he would've found his way on his own eventually."
The colonel chuckled as he watched the closed door.
"Jin Evernight, huh…"
***
Jin's companions saw him off.
All five of them.
Because even Den had dragged himself out, staggering.
When Jin asked why they were going so far,
They simply said, "It's only natural."
That touched him a little.
Of course, he had already gotten all their numbers beforehand.
Just in case, he unfolded a crumpled piece of paper and went through them one by one, asking, "This is your number, right?"
Watching this outdated method, Albus shook his head as if he were getting a headache.
"Seriously, start backing up your data in advance. Are you going to do this every time your device blows up?"
"Where am I supposed to back it up?"
"The Solo Intranet. Your account. Do I really have to explain this?"
"I'm still a newbie, you know. But my level's the same as Fenrir's."
"…What's with the sudden nonsense?"
Fenrir narrowed his eyes.
But seeing Jin's sly grin, he just reached out his hand.
Jin took his scarred hand in a firm grip and asked,
"So, when are you going back?"
"I have to finish wiping out the remnants of TB."
He had decided to stay in Mute Town a little longer to help the resistance.
Jin didn't press for details.
Taha had been his comrade, after all.
He must have his reasons.
And Jin respected that.
"Stay healthy, old man."
"How many times do I have to tell you? It's Felix. Fe-lix. Say it. Fe-lix."
Jin watched Felix's mini tantrum and made a mental note to tease him about it more in the future.
He gave Felix's shoulder a light pat before turning to Grace.
"I'm off."
"Oh, Jin. I've been thinking…"
She adjusted the glasses perched on her nose and leaned in.
Then, in a hushed voice, she whispered:
"To efficiently secure the energy needed for reconstruction, how about calorie capsules? They wouldn't be much help in everyday situations, but they could put out an emergency fire in case of a sudden major injury."
"I get it, but is this supposed to be some kind of secret talk?"
"Ah… isn't it?"
"You don't know?"
Jin shrugged and walked past the woman who had once been his attending physician, heading toward his last companion.
"No saying thank you."
Albus let out a small laugh at that.
"Drop by from time to time."
That was the last exchange.
Jin took a few steps backward, waving his arms a couple of times before suddenly turning around.
And then, after only a few steps—he flinched!
His eyes widened abruptly, and he broke into a mad dash.
Shit!
Manticore!
Would it be shameless to hope that the motorcycle he had left unattended for nearly two weeks was still intact?
At this moment, Jin cast aside his conscience.
Please be safe!
He was so desperate that he even started running with a slight forward tilt.
And so, he arrived at the sewer!
Sliding to a sudden stop across the ground, his eyes immediately locked onto the Manticore.
A rugged, matte khaki body that exuded a heavy presence.
But he couldn't afford to feel relieved.
Because someone was fiddling with the Manticore.
"Thief!"
Shouting at the top of his lungs, he charged forward.
The other person flinched and reached for a pistol.
But of course, Jin was much faster.
Which is why he recognized the person's face first.
"Huh?!"
His fist, which had been aimed at the other's face, instead grabbed the gun barrel, lifting his hand high into the air.
Bang!
"Ugh!"
Forced into raising his arms in surrender, the person fell back onto his rear.
As he tried to scoot away using his heels, Jin shoved his face in close.
"It's me, Jin."
"…Huh?"
A dirt-streaked face showed a dumbfounded expression.
The guy seemed momentarily at a loss for words, so Jin added,
"Your name, uh… it's Ben, right? You don't recognize me? I'm the one who named that bike. Manticore. Wasn't it originally something like a Lion XR or whatever?"
Did his rambling help jog the memory?
At last, relief flickered across the face of the ragged-looking resistance engineer.
"I… I remember."
From there, things moved quickly.
Jin handed Ben a ration pack, and Ben devoured it like a starving man.
Only after filling his stomach did Ben let out a deep sigh and speak.
"…So after the base fell, I was hiding here and there until I eventually ended up here?"
Seeing the gaunt face nodding, Jin continued.
"I get that, but didn't you hear? Taha is dead. TB is on the run, too."
"I know."
"Then why didn't you go back? There's nothing here but the stench of sewage."
"…Because my friends were in that sewage."
Ben said this while pointing at a spot.
Naturally, Jin followed his gaze.
The ground there bore clear signs of having been dug up and refilled.
Then, glancing at the wastewater, Jin stared at the pitch-black water and spoke.
"You're not saying… you pulled out all the drowned bodies, are you?"
"…Yeah."
That single word carried a weight beyond measure.
He had retrieved those gruesome corpses with his own hands, burying them all.
Jin could easily imagine how much self-loathing Ben must have felt.
So instead of offering clumsy words of comfort, he simply patted the other's slumped shoulders.
"You did well."
"And I wasn't trying to steal the Manticore. I just saw my own work sitting there and was checking its condition. Why did you leave it? And with the key still in?"
"…What?!"
Startled, Jin wiped a hand across his upper lip.
"There were circumstances. My bad."
"You're the owner, why are you apologizing? You came back for it, so it's fine."
After that brief exchange, the two naturally stood up.
As Jin climbed onto the Manticore and started the engine, he suddenly looked at Ben and asked,
"Hey, what's your deal with Den? Den, Ben, Den, Ben. Even your bushy beards look similar."
"He's my brother."
"…Huh?"
Jin's mouth fell slightly open.
Seems like people in this area tend to name siblings similarly.
Den, Ben.
Jecky, Jenny.
Speaking of which, he still needed to check in on those guys and Rumpumpumpum.
Jin smirked.
"Well, that makes things easier. Contact your brother and join up with him. And make sure you hear about this great one's exploits."
With those words, Jin turned the bike and accelerated.
Bwooooom!!
At last, he was leaving Mute Town.
It was unclear how something that had started as a rescue mission for Albus had escalated to this extent.
But in the end, Jin had (sort of) put an end to the war, completed some major quests, and even expanded his network.
And that, he was satisfied with.
Is that the end?
Literally, I pocketed a ridiculous amount of reward money—
I couldn't help but feel incredibly refreshed.
Now, I'm cruising down the highway at full speed.
Since my helmet's gone to the afterlife, the wind is hitting my face directly, but it actually feels pretty great.
When you're in a good mood, the world looks beautiful, right?
So, I decided to crank up the speed.
Let's go! Downtown...!!
But I didn't make it.
Ran out of gas.
"Damn. Shit."
Shouldn't the bike have warned me when the fuel was running low?
I cursed Ben under my breath.
He had just jumped onto the highway without checking the fuel properly.
At least, though, I managed to find a rest stop before the bike completely gave out.
Of course, I wasn't going to just fill up and leave immediately.
With a restaurant right in front of me, how could I just pass by?
I was hungry, so I needed to fill up before hitting the road again.
Without a second thought, I walked straight into the restaurant!
It was a place selling junk food, but oddly enough, they topped the cola with ice cream.
It's called a Coke float, and honestly, it wasn't bad.
I was so satisfied with the taste that I ordered four more.
Then, I plopped myself down in a comfy sofa chair and happily gulped down the remaining cola.
But something about the area in front of me felt... a little chaotic.
I subtly glanced in that direction, and there were some tough-looking guys, clearly thugs, crowding around a table.
"Want to take a ride with me, right? Shanikal A33. Totally shrewed. My junk is junk."
I furrowed my brow, irritated by the sudden outburst of profanity.
I couldn't help but wonder who on earth would be the target of such crude attention.
And then, I saw her.
A beautiful woman with a sharp, cold gaze and a nose that stood proudly.
Her shiny black hair cascaded over her shoulders and down to her chest.
Hmm.
She's pretty.
As I thought that, I took another sip of cola.
Then, the woman, wearing an expression full of annoyance, suddenly locked eyes on someone in the room.
Afterward, she slowly stood up, and the thugs' faces lit up.
"That's more like it!"
But contrary to their hopes, the tall woman walked right past them and straight to the seat opposite me.
What the—?
I blinked in surprise.
The thugs behind her also blinked in confusion.
Everyone was left speechless.
Then, the woman, with jet-black eyes reflecting me, parted her plump lips and said,
"I like you."