Chapter 53
After he “became aware of his own awareness,” Ji Eun-seok’s life turned 180 degrees.
He immediately quit his convenience store job that didn’t even pay minimum wage and dove into the nightlife.
His ability was basically a cheat play.
The kind of money that would normally take a whole year to earn fell into his hands overnight.
“Back then I really thought I’d become a god.”
He bought a supercar, moved into a nice officetel in Gangnam.
Beautiful women—who he wouldn’t have dared look in the eyes before—came in and out of his home.
That school bully who had tormented him with hellish days?
He had gone and beaten the crap out of that bastard. The memory of it still made the corner of his lips twitch with satisfaction.
When the bully, groveling for mercy, begged for forgiveness, Ji Eun-seok had thrown 5 million won at the back of his head as “settlement money.”
That electrifying thrill—
It was the life of a winner.
…At least until “The Day of Awakening” came.
The arrogance of thinking he alone was special was shattered.
But he hadn’t been too dissatisfied with that.
He could accept it as nothing more than a midsummer night’s dream.
He could still live decently, wielding powers superior to the average man.
‘…If only it hadn’t been for that bastard.’
Had it not been for him, Ji Eun-seok would never have crossed the line he had drawn for himself.
“NPC Ji Eun-seok. By Article 5, Clause 2 of the ‘Emergency Decree for Management of Awakeners and Maintenance of Social Safety,’ you are hereby placed under emergency arrest.”
The emergency decree was simple:
All NPCs and awakened criminals who disturbed the world would be completely isolated from society.
Correctional facilities on deserted islands.
And so, in an instant, he had become worse off than a death-row inmate, living day after day like the walking dead.
“Transfer time, Ji Eun-seok.”
His body bound tight with restraints, he was dragged back to the mainland.
He and other “waste” were loaded onto a bus and headed somewhere.
Out the window, the mouth of a pitch-dark tunnel came into view.
And then, the very next moment—
KUAANG!
His vision flipped upside down.
With a deafening roar, his body flew into the air before slamming against the ground.
Inside the tilted wreckage—torn-up seats.
When Ji Eun-seok came to, a man holding what looked like a magic wand was standing in front of him.
‘That guy’s a hard case.’
The first rule of the correctional authorities:
Recover awakened equipment at all costs.
Persuasion, threats, deals, even torture—
Their ruthlessness was infamous.
‘And he resisted all that?’
The man pressed the wand against another prisoner’s restraints and muttered an incantation.
“Imprisoned Binding Disruption.”
CRACK!
With a loud snap, the restraints shattered.
The freed prisoner laughed maniacally.
“H-hey, me too…!”
Ji Eun-seok shouted desperately.
The man turned his head, wand raised, about to free him—
“KRRROOOOAR!”
The laughter stopped.
From behind the man, a massive figure loomed up, bigger than a house.
“Ugh!”
The giant seized the man’s head with a hand like a pot lid.
And like opening a bottle cap, it ripped his neck off.
Blood spurted like a fountain.
But the slaughter didn’t end there.
The monster growled and hurled itself toward the prisoners.
“This is insane…!”
Right before Ji Eun-seok’s terrified eyes, the man’s wand rolled across the floor.
His one and only hope!
Without hesitation, he lunged for it.
He grabbed it on instinct.
‘What was that thing he muttered before he died…?’
No time to think.
The killer’s frenzied eyes were now fixed on him.
“Eh! Implant Binding Dinner Show!”
Ji Eun-seok shouted nonsense.
With a sharp snap, his restraints split apart.
‘It… worked?’
The thrill of freedom.
Riding the momentum, he began breaking the other prisoners’ restraints at random.
“KYAAA!”
The giant, snarling, charged at him, determined not to be interrupted.
BAM! THUD!
A pitiful clash—
Ji Eun-seok couldn’t withstand even a single blow.
CRASH!
He was flung from the bus and slammed into the asphalt.
The killer drew near.
Through the shattered window, bloodshot eyes glared down at him.
‘M-my body won’t move…’
Unable to move even a finger, Ji Eun-seok made one last desperate move.
He bit down on the wand.
Chewing it like dried squid, he swallowed it.
He felt an alien power surge into him.
And right after—
The giant shadow fell over him.
Gritting his teeth, Ji Eun-seok punched the monster’s foot.
CRACK!
A miss.
The monster casually pulled its foot back, leaving a hole in the asphalt.
“ROOOAR!”
It raised both arms to crush him completely.
And then—
Ji Eun-seok saw it.
Ssssshhhhh—
Through the dust.
Out of the smoke walked a man.
It was Do-yoon.
“How dare you butcher the descendants who should rightfully live? Lay one more finger on him and see what happens.”
‘What the hell is he talking about…’
The monster must’ve agreed, for it ignored his words and moved to smash Ji Eun-seok.
CRUNCH!
The sickening crack of a neck breaking.
An unbelievable sight.
The creature that had just been tearing men apart—
Was subdued like a kicked pebble by the mysterious man.
No one even saw him move.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Do-yoon, stepping over the fallen monster, fired blasts of wind at the scattering prisoners.
Pht! Pht! Pht!
“Aaagh!”
Their knees buckled, struck in paralyzing pressure points.
It was awe-inspiring.
No—it was terrifying.
‘Is he even human?’
And when those eyes turned on him—
“You…”
Ji Eun-seok’s heart shriveled.
“A petty criminal at best. What are you doing crawling out in a place like this?”
“W-what do you… mean…?”
He managed to stammer.
And with a slicing gust past his ears, Ji Eun-seok’s vision went black.
When he awoke,
Ji Eun-seok and the other prisoners were bound to seats in a speeding Mugunghwa train.
“A… a train? What the hell is going on…?”
“Government bastards, what are they playing at!”
Unease filled the cabin.
CLACK.
The engine room door opened. Do-yoon appeared.
“You…?”
A sharp-eyed prisoner glared.
“He’s the freak hunter! What’s he doing here?”
Do-yoon calmly stood in the center aisle.
“From here on, our opponent is the biggest headache in this country. His power to bring calamity is bad enough, but the way he slips away—it’s like trying to grab an eel slathered in grease.”
His gaze drifted out the window.
“If you muster an overwhelming strike team, that train doesn’t even get a glance. The Black Ghost only fights on his own home ground, when the odds are stacked in his favor.”
The prisoners didn’t grasp the meaning.
“To bait him, we needed prey on a train. But we couldn’t very well use ordinary civilians as passengers.”
Bait!
Several prisoners finally understood.
The cabin erupted in noise.
“Bait? You mean… us?”
“Damn right! He’s using us to recreate the tunnel abductions!”
Shouts and curses filled the air.
“This is a violation of human rights!”
“No way in hell this is legal! I’ll blow this wide open to the press!”
CLUNK. RUMBLE—
The train entered a pitch-black tunnel.
Under dim emergency lights, Do-yoon’s voice silenced the chaos.
“If this hunt succeeds, you will be granted special clemency…”
“?!”
Eyes lit up with hope.
But Do-yoon crushed it instantly.
“…Of course not. Who in their right mind would return ticking time bombs like you to society?”
“You son of a bitch!”
Creative curses filled the car.
Do-yoon’s expression didn’t budge.
“The bus you rode here was reported destroyed in a gate accident. Officially, you’re dead.”
“…!?”
“You’re the dregs this society has filtered out. No grieving families, no reporters digging for the truth.”
Their faces turned pale.
“So I suggest you listen if you don’t want to die like dogs.”
Even after 15 minutes in the tunnel, the train was still in darkness.
Do-yoon’s lips curled upward.
‘It’s begun. The Second Tunnel Vanishing.’
When he’d finished the First Tunnel Vanishing,
he hadn’t expected a second hunt against the Black Ghost so soon.
Nor that the press conference would snowball into boosting Joo Sun-ah’s political power.
And obtaining [Hybrid Fusion] from the Gimcheon Gate had made it possible to formally supply anti-monster equipment to the task force.
With the Ministry of Justice’s cooperation, the trap was set.
The Ministry of Land even blocked the rail network so only this Mugunghwa was running.
Every condition for the hunt was in place.
‘Without Joo Sun-ah throwing herself into this, none of it would have been possible.’
Proof that his hand had been an offer she couldn’t refuse.
Do-yoon stopped the train using the <Mugunghwa Operation Manual> borrowed from the [Great Library of Memory], then returned to the passenger car.
“There’s emergency food and water stored on board for a few days. Whether you live or die is none of my concern. If you want to survive, you’d better cooperate.”
He activated his memory net and divided the prisoners into three groups.
Group A.
Killers drunk on slaughter.
Their crimes were heinous beyond words, and in most timelines their very existence was a menace.
Their individual combat power was overwhelming, though their numbers were few.
Group B.
Criminals teetering between petty and major evil, with pronounced antisocial tendencies.
Less impulsive, but willing to harm others if needed.
‘They won’t cause trouble first, but if threatened by Group A, they’ll kill without hesitation. Depending on circumstances, they might turn on Group C as well…’
Group C.
Those swept along by circumstances to the bottom of life, “relatively” less guilty and the weakest.
The only ones with a chance of redemption.
To Do-yoon, the fate of Groups A and B didn’t matter.
But Group C—
He had to save them.
‘It’s like that wolf-goat-cabbage river-crossing puzzle.’
Group A would try to kill everyone.
Group B would watch for a chance to strike Group A.
Group C would be killed the moment Group A noticed them.
And even against Group B, they weren’t safe—if B eliminated A, C would be next.
So he placed Group C in the front cars, Group B in the middle, and Group A in the rear.
He also disabled Group A’s right arms and legs by striking their pressure points.
‘I’d tie them all up if I could, but that would just trigger a repeat of the bus massacre.’
To Group C, he gave emergency rations, supplies, and a few high-grade pieces of equipment, assigning them control over distribution.
“If anyone dies in another car, or if there’s an attempt to cross cars, cut the supplies immediately.”
“W-won’t that just make them angrier?”
“You want to live?”
Do-yoon asked. Ji Eun-seok hurriedly nodded.
“O-of course.”
“Then remember this: hesitate for a second and you’ll be eaten alive. Burn the supplies if you have to—make them believe you can.”
“Th-that far…?”
“That’s the only way to keep those maniacs in line.”
After making preparations,
Do-yoon pulled Ji Eun-seok outside the train.
He was quite the interesting one.
The Devourer of All Things (萬物 捕食).
An NPC who absorbed the powers of whatever he ate.
Living beings, inanimate matter, even gases and energy were no exception.
