Chapter 160: The One (He Who Holds Destiny)
Under the dim lights of the club, the deafening music outside drowned out all the horrific screams within.
[KK], whose real name was Park Seong-jun, was covered in blood, all four of his limbs broken. He leaned desperately against the sofa, shaking his head, begging the woman to spare him.
"Miss, I swear, I haven't told anyone your identity! I'll never say a word!"
"I can sign a covenant with you! You can farm me!"
All of Park Seong-jun's previous excitement at discovering that the personal assistant to the eldest daughter of Korea's largest conglomerate was a Reincarnator had vanished. His ambition of pulling off a "big score" was gone. The woman's power was far beyond his expectations. And... her resources in the real world were too vast. He hadn't even known this remote bar was a Samwol Group property.
The woman, wearing a transparent raincoat over her sharp black suit, toyed with a dagger, the blade dancing through her fingers. Her flexibility and coordination were far beyond that of a normal person. She listened to his dog-like pleading, a smirk on her face.
"So pathetic, Park Seong-jun."
She leaned down, pressing the dagger to his neck. Her arm muscles tensed, but just as she was about to apply pressure, she suddenly stood up, her movements so fast that he couldn't even track them.
Creek.
The basement door was pushed open. A tall, slender woman in an exquisite white suit walked in alone.
Seeing her, Park Seong-jun's heart was suddenly filled with an infinite hope for survival.
"Miss Lee Chae-rin!"
"Miss Lee Chae-rin, help me!"
"Your assistant is a dangerous person! She's trying to kill me!"
Faced with death, [KK]'s rationality had been completely shattered by fear. He didn't stop to wonder why the eldest daughter of the Samwol Group would come to a place like this alone. He didn't question why she showed no reaction to seeing his broken, bloody body. He just begged for his life.
The woman in the raincoat, who had instinctively moved to stand behind the door, sneered. Park Seong-jun has no resolve as a Reincarnator. A man like this is not worthy of being one of The Chosen.
"Kyung. Haven't you dealt with this thing yet?"
"My target has appeared. Get ready. It's time to go."
Lee Chae-rin didn't even glance at him. A light flashed, and in Park Seong-jun's eyes, her appearance instantly changed. The tall, beautiful urbanite vanished, replaced by the cold, indifferent face of a man in a green robe. On his back was a massive, black, cross-shaped greatsword.
Park Seong-jun was stunned. "You… you're… Moon Fiend…"
Slice!
[Kyung]'s right hand blurred. Park Seong-jun's neck was instantly torn open. His eyes, in his final moments, were still filled with the terror of having discovered a horrifying truth.
In Moon Fiend's hand, the [Directional Anchor] and the [Record Pointer] were vibrating wildly. With a flash of light, she vanished from the real world.
The woman in the transparent raincoat watched as the man's body dissolved into a Crimson Drop Card, then made a call to have the clean-up crew come and erase all traces. With another flash of light, she also entered the Nexus.
In her private space, which was over eight hundred square meters, Moon Fiend confirmed that her [Directional Anchor (Purple)] had not made a mistake. This time, she had finally, completely tracked [Mercenary Tao]'s location. It seemed that after his last mission, her target had not continued to upgrade his Reincarnator star-rating, which had given her this one, small chance.
After entering the Nexus, Kyung's appearance was still that of a short-haired woman in a black business suit. This woman, it seemed, used no avatar or disguise at all, showing her true face to the world.
She was flipping through the regular intel reports from her brokers. "Mercenary Tao seems to have joined [Crimson Lotus]. Should we abort?"
Moon Fiend sat on a white sofa in the center of her private garden, sipping a glass of wine. "So what if he joined [Crimson Lotus]? It's just another one of that [Crimson Sorcerer]'s pretentious little games." His voice in the Nexus was that of a cold, indifferent man.
Kyung realized that her captain truly held everyone in high regard. Whether it was Flame Fiend or the Titled [Crimson Sorcerer], she looked down on them all. She had even dared to defy the will of that [Peerless] one, and was now being hunted everywhere for it. And yet, even while being hunted, she was abnormally obsessed with this "Mercenary Tao." This led Kyung to believe that he must possess something that even her captain coveted.
And… her captain was certain that as long as she killed him, that "thing" would be hers.
Is it the [Card]?!
In another massive meeting hall, Flame Fiend was also watching the needle on his own pointer slowly come to a stop, pointing in a fixed direction. A cruel smile spread across his face. That bastard, Moon Fiend... he must be starting to show some fatigue by now.
No Reincarnator could endure being hunted by every team in every single mission world. The constant tension would eventually break them, making them begin to dread the missions themselves. And then, at some point, they would snap, make a desperate, irrational move, and be destroyed.
Flame Fiend had been waiting for this chance. He wanted to kill that man.
He raised his hand. Several figures in the room immediately pushed away the beautiful plot-character women in their laps.
"Is it time, Flame Fiend?"
"We've been wanting to get rid of that Moon Fiend for a long time."
The group began to gather, making their final preparations.
Kaito Shirogane was in his private space, waiting for deployment, when he suddenly received a message from [Black Butler]. This man, who lived by selling information, lived a very comfortable life. Kaito guessed that he had multiple avatars, entering mission worlds with different identities, deliberately avoiding the main quests and their rewards in exchange for a relatively safe passage, then using the profits from his real business—selling information in the Nexus—to strengthen himself. It was a niche, but effective, survival strategy.
[The information you're looking for... someone might have it.]
Kaito was surprised. He hadn't expected to get a lead on his [Tarot XXI - The World] card so soon. According to the Professor, the Tarot sequence was reserved for [The Chosen]. And since the [Cards] had been created, in part, by a top-tier member of [The Chosen], it made sense that they would have some special privileges.
But when Kaito himself had tried to activate the card, he had gotten a reaction. [Heartless] had said that a normal Reincarnator got no reaction at all, not even knowing the card's sequence. But Kaito had successfully bound the card and had learned its name.
The notification he had gotten was: [Activation Failed. Reincarnator Ex051's innate ability is not anchored.]
This "innate ability" was not his "talent." Based on the rumors about [The Chosen], this had to be referring to their special ability to interfere with the Nexus's functions—the very ability that allowed them to create items like the [Directional Anchor] and the [Slave Shackles].
The problem was, Kaito didn't have an ability like that. The first scroll he'd gotten was for the Dodon Ray, and the first ability he'd learned was Devil Lance. He was a pure combat build.
Therefore, Kaito had theorized that the Tarot sequence must require yet another type of special Reincarnator to activate.
Now, Black Butler had brought him to the [Destiny] faction's stalls again. These [Chosen], as always, kept themselves separate from the normal Reincarnators, a special, superior group.
This time, Black Butler led him to a man who was lying on his stall, his hands pillowed behind his head. The stall had no items on it, only a single sign.
[Paid Consultations. Fair to Young and Old.]
He looked like another info-broker. "So," the man on the stall said, "this is the big client you told me about?" He was also wearing the white robe of [The Chosen], but he had cut several slits in the hem, giving him a rebellious look. His hair was tied up in an ancient-style topknot, with a ponytail in the back. He was very different from the other members of [The Chosen].
"I was wondering," Kaito said with a smile, "what the price of your information is."
"The price depends on the question, and on my mood." The man sat up, not to talk, but to drink a beer. Kaito glanced at the label. The man was sharp.
"Don't bother. I bought it online. This brand is sold ten thousand miles from where I live."
Kaito shrugged. He hadn't really been trying to find him. It was just a subconscious reaction, an instinct that was now driving him to pay attention to such things.
"The rumor you're asking about… I've heard something," the man said. "No guarantees it's true. If you want to hear it, it'll be one D-rank Singularity." He didn't even consider DP as a currency. The price was exorbitant, far beyond that of any normal broker.
Kaito looked at Black Butler, who just touched his nose, clearly used to this man's ridiculous prices.
Kaito held out his right hand, and the Reincarnator mark glowed.
[You have lost 1 D-rank Singularity.]
"Ooh. As expected of the monster, Mercenary Tao. It seems hunting Reincarnators really is the fastest way to get resources. Such a big spender." The man's tone was half-mocking, half-praising. He finished his beer, tossed the bottle aside, and was about to speak, when he saw Black Butler turning to leave. "It's fine, Blackie, you can stay. This one's on the house."
Black Butler looked at Kaito, worried this would anger him. But to his surprise, Kaito seemed to be in a good mood.
"[Changge]," Black Butler said, "just tell him. Mercenary Tao… he's not the type you hate."
The [Chosen] one, codenamed [Changge], lay back down, his tone casual. "I once heard a rumor. That the Infinite Space has existed for a very, very long time. Although the rules, the enhancement methods, even the worlds, were all different... there were [Reincarnators] in our world, long before now."
Kaito's eyes swirled. He already knew where this was going.
"So you're saying… where did all those previous [Reincarnators] go? Did they all die? Or did they return to the real world in some way? And could some of them have been re-summoned by the current Nexus…?"
"The rumor is," [Changge] continued, "that there is an extremely rare type of Reincarnator who is born with a power that far surpasses that of a normal person. Those people… they are believed to be the super-rare Reincarnators who had their memories wiped and were returned to the real world, only to be chosen again. They are called… [The One (He Who Holds Destiny)]."
Kaito's expression was calm. He just thought for a moment, without even pausing. "So the name of your collective, [Destiny] (天命)..."
At this, [Changge] seemed to get excited. He sat up and pointed at Kaito. "Ha! Mercenary Tao, it's exactly what you're thinking! But… these are just rumors and speculations."
Kaito turned and looked at Black Butler. "This isn't the 'information' you were planning to have me buy, is it?"
Black Butler looked embarrassed. He had only been intending to provide a possible lead. He hadn't expected [Changge] to charge a full D-rank Singularity for it. The whole transaction now looked like a setup. He shook his head and sighed. "My apologies. I will compensate you for your loss."
[Changge], seeing his friend's discomfort, coughed. "Fine. Consider that last one a freebie. For the D-rank Singularity, you can ask about any one item or ability you currently desire, or any other piece of information… as long as it has appeared in the public space, I can find it."
His [Innate Ability] was clearly related to this kind of special information retrieval. Kaito realized that this man was extremely valuable. He didn't hesitate. "I need something that will raise my Spirit attribute. An item or an ability. It has to raise it by at least one point."
[Changge] placed a finger on his forehead and began to use his ability. A moment later, he spoke. "Stall A405. The [404] team is selling a special psychic-awakening device. While it does cause a certain amount of physical strain and damage, I imagine for you, that won't be a problem."
A moment later, at stall A405, Kaito found a group of bald men in plaid shirts, selling various items. From their team name to their attire, they were clearly making a statement. They seemed very relaxed; they were likely quite strong.
[Superpower Violent Awakening Device]
[Quality: Rare]
[Description: A crude device from the world of Mob Psycho 100. It uses electrical stimulation to try and awaken psychic powers.]
[Effect 1: When used, has a high probability of causing severe electrical shock, damage, and paralysis. (Waived if Constitution > 18)]
[Effect 2: When used, has a 5% chance of granting a superpower; a 15% chance of greatly increasing brain activity; a 35% chance of slightly enhancing Spirit; a 45% chance of no effect.]
The item was a headband with electrodes. It looked less like a superpower-awakening device and more like a torture instrument.
"Mercenary… Tao?!" The members of [404] recognized him. They knew he was the monster who had been causing all the recent major events, and that he had now joined the Titled Reincarnator, [Crimson Sorcerer].
"This item," Kaito asked. "How many do you have?"