Episode 13
───────────
Clap!
A double door that was closed slammed open.
The person who entered the huge office was wearing a smart black suit, looking like someone imposing, with a pair of glasses.
A man around 50 years old entered the office of the leader of the abyss management department.
It was Hansoo, the chairman of the abyss management department. A level 99 awakened man looked at the man who had just entered.
The man sat down in front of Hansoo's desk and stared at him. Then, with a smile, he spoke:
"Gustang is in the abyss, right?"
"Yeah, that guy went off the deep end with ..... Mmm... Ah, yes, with his daughter, but she came back yesterday. So Gustang is still in the abyss."
"Ah, I guess he still won't get out of the abyss. Most of the time he's there.... Maybe he's a traitor."
"Mark, you'd better not say those words. Gustang is the strongest human in the world. Even I, and the other leaders of the abyss management departments, couldn't against that monster."
Mark, Hansoo's foreign partner and friend, swallowed his saliva with difficulty.
His expression, always neutral and cool, had cracked this time.
He knew what Gustang was capable of.
That guy literally was so powerful that you couldn't even call him a level 99. In fact, he had killed and defeated level 99 creators in their own territories.
Still, what made Mark most uneasy was the fact that Gustang was always in the abyss, which raised the suspicion that he might now be a traitor.
However, having that kind of suspicion against the strongest human in the Earth dimension was something Mark was aware of.
If this conversation reached Gustang's ears, both Mark and Hansoo could be in danger.
For this reason, Hansoo, as the leader of this country's abyss management department, had to be extremely careful about words coming out of his office and workplace.
Even if Mark was his friend, investor or whatever.
Killing him to avoid worse consequences before the strongest in the world found out, was the best option.
"I brought the documents you asked for."
"I had forgotten them."
"This guy..."
Mark sighed, looked at Hansoo and spoke.
"Hansoo, even you could be in danger, you know? We're doing this on the sly, and it would be dangerous if we say anything rash."
It was necessary to keep this conversation as isolated as possible from any nearby ears.
As Hansoo kept silent and looked at the documents Mark had brought, he frowned slightly and looked at him.
"Gustang was near the zones of the nine races, why would he be there? Even if it's him, he wouldn't make it out alive...nor could he hold out for a second."
The territory of the nine races
They were the third strongest in the abyss.
The nine races, a total of nine types of beings with an overwhelming population, were creatures that should not even be attempted to be approached.
This is due to the particularities of the personalities of these races.
Although they were infinitely separated and each occupied territories far apart in the abyss, to be near their domains, being from another dimension or race, would be extremely dangerous.
They would not accept unwanted guests.
They would kill anyone who came near.
The nine races only revere the monarchs of the abyss. Even if it was "Them", they would not back down.
"I can tell you that this is real information. You can even verify it if you want. No matter what your doubts are, this is real."
"I see... However, it is strange."
"What's strange?"
"If Gustang is currently there, or nearby, one of the nine races should have noticed it. That's what's strange, because they kill anyone who gets close."
Mark narrowed his eyes and sighed.
Although it was reliable information, this could mean something else. Maybe Gustang wasn't close enough to the territories of the nine races.
At best, he might be on the borders and not in the territories proper.
Perhaps he was watching the movements, but if that were the case, the nine races would have already pursued him.
Gustang Verdance, the strongest human, wouldn't even be able to take on a single member of the nine races, even being the weakest of them.
"Uh... That... Well, it's hard to tell, but Gustang is around those parts."
"Damn, this is fucking frustrating. We can't get any closer, anyway."
"Then we'll leave it here for the time being."
"We have no choice."
Both Mark and Hansoo had suspicions about Gustang.
On the one hand, Mark suspected that Gustang was a traitor.
On the other hand, Hansoo thought that Gustang might be joining the forces of the nine races or even worshiping the nine monarchs.
Even so, the information obtained from the best awakened ones working on "exploration" cases was valuable. These subjects roamed the abyss collecting data that no one knew about, not even the leaders of the abyss management departments.
Information about abyss sites was scarce.
Even after a century since the abyss reached the Earth dimension, knowledge about it was still minimal.
While most Rankers were looking for money, fame or other interests, Hansoo and Mark were focused on discovering whether or not Gustang was a traitor.
The odds of being in danger were extremely high.
"I need to do this... All for my granddaughter."
Hansoo thought of his granddaughter as he mulled over the information.
"Even if I find out something... My death will be closer."
He was old, but not old enough to be considered a frail old man.
At 68, he was the leader of the abyss management department in his country.
Hansoo sighed as he relaxed for a few seconds.
The job as a leader had him so exhausted that he could barely suppress sleep for a few minutes.
Especially with that secretary...
"It's time for me to go."
"Sure."
"Uh, just that, this old man sure is..."
"Don't talk shit and get the hell out of here."
Once Mark left, Hansoo finally leaned back in his seat. However:
Clap!
His face turned grim, and his body boiled with exhaustion.
The person who had just entered was his secretary.
When that guy came in, it meant that the work would be so much that he wouldn't be able to rest.
"You little bastard, don't come through the damn door again."
"Don't be stubborn, sir. This is your job as the leader of the abyss management department, and this is my job as your secretary, Mr. Hansoo."
"Tch... Damn it, I can't rest a bit."
"Sorry, but the life of a worker is like this. Even if you're a level 99 awakened, work is always present."
Hansoo frowned, and his fists clenched as if he wanted to punch that guy in front of him.
He was both annoying and irritating, but his words were true.
If he didn't do his job as leader of the chasm management department, this country would be in ruins, as creative chasms would be left unsupervised and no one would know where they might appear.
The department had a method of identifying the exact location of a creative chasm the moment it arose. However, if the leader was not present or did not do his job, the result would be catastrophic.
The creative abysses would take thousands of lives of unawakened people.
The population would decrease drastically in that scenario.
Hansoo sighed and took the documents the secretary brought, reluctantly, still wanting to punch that guy, but restrained himself.
In the past, this man was practically a bum.
Maybe if he had taken him to his family, and considering that Hansoo was a former patriarch of the Ares family, this man's upbringing would have been different, and his attitude as a secretary would be completely different from now.
"Is this all?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then get out. Get out of here, you bastard."
"Ah, sir, I have something else."
"I said get out. If that's all, then get out."
"This time it's not about work or anything like that. It's about your granddaughter. She's here."
"Mmm, go on."
"You arrived a few hours ago, and at this point you should have finished getting the license. However..."
He paused, as if he didn't want to say the next words.
There was a reason.
Hansoo, as the previous patriarch of the Aries family, had a habit of beating anyone who claimed to be more talented or stronger than a member of his family.
The Aries family, which was behind the Verdance family, had always tried to surpass the Verdances, but it was impossible.
That family was full of monsters.
That was why Hansoo would not easily tolerate someone claiming to be stronger than a member of the Aries family.
"Aren't you going to say anything, you bastard? If she's my granddaughter, then I should go see her. I haven't seen her in a while."
"Before you go, you need to see this video. It's from a security camera that recorded a fight between your granddaughter and someone else."
"So what, no one can beat my granddaughter with a sword. Of course, if it's someone of a very high level, she should propose to reduce her strength to a single exchange with the sword. So what is there to watch?"
"That is... The person is level 1 and defeated her granddaughter overwhelmingly..."
The secretary stopped talking.
For a moment, Hansoo's magic power became so heavy that the words didn't come out out out of fear.
"This... Interesting, you say he's a level 1 and defeated my granddaughter, while she's level 36?"
Even if his granddaughter reduced her strength, it would be impossible for someone to defeat her with the sword.
"What type is he, swordsman, mage, martial artist or what?"
"It was a sword duel, and that fellow beat his granddaughter..."
The secretary shut his mouth.
"Damn, I shouldn't have told him that. Shit, now he'll make a fuss because of me."
He couldn't help but blame himself for his recklessness.
"I'll... I'll go see that... Dear friend of my granddaughter's..."
At that moment, the secretary could only imagine what Hansoo would do once he saw that fellow.
"Damn it... Why am I such an asshole at these things?"
He couldn't even keep his mouth shut when it came to matters related to Hansoo's granddaughter.
He had only himself to blame.