There was once a terrorist deemed the worst in history.
His primary objective was to completely destroy the Dalant mining system established by the Committee. His attempts were covert and his methods cunning. The Mint did not realize it had been targeted for quite some time, only later recognizing his presence.
The Committee deemed this an outright act of terrorism and issued a universal manhunt. It was the first instance where the Committee personally tracked a criminal, rather than delegating the task to dimensional authorities and law enforcement agencies.
There was a reason for this. Although not publicly disclosed, the senior officials were aware of it. The ultimate goal of the terrorist targeting the Mint was to revert everything to the void.
The capture was miraculous. Once apprehended, they were horrified by the terrorist's strange abilities. There was a reason he had been able to evade capture for so long.
He possessed the ability to suppress and control the minds of other sentient beings.
"Let's just erase his soul immediately!"
This was the argument of the Todd clan.
"Why not throw him into the Abyss? I fear what might happen if we mistakenly tamper with his soul."
This was Kabite's argument.
"No, if we do that, we might brainwash the cursed inhabitants of the Abyss and have to open another gate back here. We need to find another solution."
Endelion, who opposed the previous two opinions, showed interest in the terrorist's abilities. It was a profound interest. His brainwashing capabilities were stronger than any known species.
"Perhaps the author might hold the key to the problem we've been pondering."
Endelion raised a long-standing question.
Can evil be cured?
"Manipulating the mind means transforming a person into another entity. The author used his abilities for evil deeds, but if the direction is changed, something amazing could happen."
The Committee planned to extend its influence to multiple dimensions with this opportunity. They aimed to exercise transcendent judicial authority over other worlds.
"Couldn't the author's abilities transform an evil person into a saint? If he can truly repent and break away from the past to perform good deeds… if he could be completely cured into a noble entity? This could apply to all sinners in the universe, and even to all sentient beings that might commit sins in the future."
Such a statement could only be made with absolute affirmation of the nature of good.
Endelion was convinced without a doubt that what the Committee was doing was for the good.
A heated debate ensued, and ultimately the ancient races agreed that Endelion would manage the terrorist's detention.
The experiment was not easy.
Endelion calculated the physical distance affected by the brainwashing abilities. He then, assuming the worst-case scenario, imprisoned the terrorist on an uninhabited planet and observed him from orbit. As was typical of Endelion, this was an excessive measure. At the same time, it was a strong expression of his determination not to sacrifice even a single Endelion.
Brutal biological experiments followed.
His body was disassembled at the molecular level and reassembled. His mind was also subjected to their manipulations.
After a long time.
They shared the results of the experiment with other ancient races.
"We could not replicate the ability to perfectly control sentient beings as he did."
However, it was not without results.
"Instead, we discovered a method to completely seal the memories embedded in the flesh and spirit of sentient beings."
Memory erasure was a minor branch of mental manipulation.
"And also a method to implant limited suggestions."
Endelion tested the stolen abilities on the original terrorist.
"To our surprise, it worked on him. …Although it consumes an enormous amount of Dalants."
Another lengthy debate ensued among the ancient races.
The technology was undoubtedly attractive, but its application was limited. Additionally, because it consumed Dalants unlike the original ability holder, it could not be used against all sentient beings in the dimension.
Endelion argued.
"What if we erase the terrorist's memories and implant suggestions, then release him?"
Upon analyzing the memories, they found that he had a creator.
"He was designed from the start to commit terrorism against us. Evil was embedded in his mind from birth, and he was made to act on it... Should we consider this his fault? So, we erase his mind completely and give him a chance. Instead, we give him orders to perform good deeds and suppress the evil in his mind for rehabilitation..."
The proposal, which Kabite criticized as "nonsense that is impossible without severing the neural pathways," faced strong opposition.
"Forget all that; just erase his soul!"
"Rather, how about erasing his memories and keeping him as a slave to the Committee forever?"
Ultimately, a compromise was reached.
"I agree with erasing his memories and controlling him under the Committee."
"Don't even mention releasing him freely; such a ridiculous proposal should never be brought up again. His actions will be monitored."
"But after a sufficient period of time, he should be given a chance to gain freedom. After enough time has passed, one that we all consider fair..."
Thus, the first prisoner directly managed by the Committee was born.
The ancient races decided to use him as a mental manipulation weapon for secret missions in the dark after erasing his memories.
"Doesn't a tool need a name?"
The Committee named the terrorist Asif.
The criminal who committed the greatest evil.
Years passed.
A series of events that followed bewildered the Committee and delivered another shock and terror to them.
"What is Endelion's plan to handle this situation?"
"Didn't you say the memories were completely erased? But... look at this!"
Contrary to Endelion's claims, Asif's memories had not been entirely erased.
Even the suggestions had not worked perfectly.
As a result, Asif acted as if he were a loyal servant of the Committee while plotting conspiracies. He attempted to recreate the circumstances under which he was captured, planning another large-scale attack on the Mint.
His methods were far more cunning than before. He pretended to carry out missions while sowing seeds for the future across dimensions. The Committee, which had threatened to monitor him thoroughly, failed to notice because even the observers had been manipulated.
"We have captured Asif!"
"There is evidence that he has been in contact with several races. The objective is identified as the same terrorist act."
"What is the plan for the accomplices?"
"If we carry out a massacre based on the charge of colluding with Asif, it will be difficult to manage afterward. Such races should be divided and then relocated to other dimensions to sever connections. Also, we must replace the labor with satisfactory alternatives and offer additional compensation. This is not much different from what we've done before."
The Todd clan was furious.
"What did I say? We almost put all of us and our descendants at risk."
In the end, Endelion's and Kabite's arguments were not accepted, and as the Todd clan had persistently insisted, Asif was subjected to soul erasure.
What happened next is known throughout the dimensions.
His soul did not vanish but was shattered into pieces and spread towards a direction far from the center of the dimension... into what is commonly referred to as the outskirts, like a meteor shower. Endelion placed an enormous bounty on the fragments, and Kabite mocked this action.
However, the series of experiments were not entirely meaningless.
Looking back, the Committee gained much from it.
They planned to use the experience of controlling Asif to officially activate the prisoner system. They intended to erase the memories of criminals with recycling value and use them as loyal servants of the Committee.
The next criminal to receive the recognition number Asif-2 was already determined.
It was Asif's creator.
Min-jun contemplated the overwhelming flow of memories.
He understood a lot.
'Now I understand why they had me wandering only in the outskirts dimension.'
It seemed they suspected that only their creator could find the fragments of Asif-1. Hence, they must have made him traverse the outskirts, where the fragments were most likely dispersed.
But there was something he couldn't grasp.
'How could they fail to completely erase Asif-1's memories while managing to erase mine for over 800 years?'
Min-jun thought that the secret might lie in the moment he was captured.
While many memories were returning, the moment of being captured by the Committee was not among them. What flowed into his mind now was mostly close to the memories of Asif-1 before they were shattered. The fragments, resonating, had awakened memories that the fragments themselves had not realized, which Min-jun now recognized.
'And why am I Asif-666 instead of Asif-2?'
What is the gap between 2 and 666?
Asif-1 underwent soul erasure and the prisoner system was established nearly a thousand years ago, and Min-jun had awoken 800 years ago.
Something must have happened in those 200 years.
Had Min-jun been fleeing from the Committee during that time? Or was it something else...?
'It's unclear.'
Min-jun decided to stop speculating and focus on what needed to be done now.
Paah!
A brilliant light flared up from within his body once again.
Min-jun currently possessed just over two million Dalants. This was a combination of what he had recovered from Ha-eun-seong and the remaining Dalants consumed by the Archbishop's resurrection.
It was a tremendous sum, but Min-jun was not satisfied. Naturally. It was merely a late return of rightful property.
He intended to use it for his own purposes.
Min-jun weighed the self-awareness of the Blade and the Frying Pan. The time the former had been awakened was much shorter than that of the latter.
Whoosh!
Dalants flared like flames from Min-jun's hand. The moment it enveloped the Blade, the spirit felt as though someone was calling out to it.
The fragments offered no resistance.
The soul fragment of the Blade separated from the sword. It was absorbed into Min-jun's body, following the hand that gripped the hilt, eventually touching the Creator's soul. It then brushed past and settled into the Frying Pan held in another hand.
The Frying Pan willingly accepted it.
Clang!
As the fragment withdrew, the sword became an ordinary longsword in appearance.
And.
=······!=
The Frying Pan was overwhelmed by the sudden storm of memories and consciousness. Although the Blade's memories of just a few decades on Earth were few, they were overwhelming in quantity.
The consciousness that had lived as an assassin, killing and slashing to save the world, fused with the Frying Pan.
In his intoxicated state, Min-jun's voice reached him.
"This will make us a little more complete. Both you and I."
Min-jun was able to devise future plans by viewing the old memories of Asif-1, which the fragments themselves had been unaware of.
The sleeping kin. The time when their slumber deepens is approaching. To prepare for this time, Asif-1 had left various arrangements, including the Elahu-Pra faction.
They were preparing to awaken the primordial races as the prophet had foretold, while collecting Dalants.
However, Min-jun had instinctively felt uneasy about this plan. There was something about it that seemed wrong.
Now he understood the reason.
'The plan was based on the assumption that Asif-1 would still exist in its entirety a thousand years later.'
Min-jun contemplated the overwhelming flow of memories.
He understood a lot.
'Now I see why they had me wandering only in the outskirts dimension.'
It seemed they suspected that only their creator could find the fragments of Asif-1. Therefore, they must have made him traverse the outskirts, where the probability of the fragments being scattered was high.
But there was something he couldn't grasp.
'How could they fail to completely erase Asif-1's memories while managing to erase mine for over 800 years?'
Min-jun thought that the secret might lie in the moment he was captured.
While many memories were returning, the moment of being captured by the Committee was not among them. What flowed into his mind now was mostly close to the memories of Asif-1 before they were shattered. The fragments, resonating, had awakened memories that the fragments themselves had not realized, which Min-jun now recognized.
'And why am I Asif-666 instead of Asif-2?'
What is the gap between 2 and 666?
Asif-1 underwent soul erasure and the prisoner system was established nearly a thousand years ago, and Min-jun had awoken 800 years ago.
Something must have happened in those 200 years.
Had Min-jun been fleeing from the Committee during that time? Or was it something else...?
'It's unclear.'
Min-jun decided to stop speculating and focus on what needed to be done now.
Paah!
A brilliant light flared up from within his body once again.
Min-jun currently possessed just over two million Dalants. This was a combination of what he had recovered from Ha-eun-seong and the remaining Dalants consumed by the Archbishop's resurrection.
It was a tremendous sum, but Min-jun was not satisfied. Naturally. It was merely a late return of rightful property.
He intended to use it for his own purposes.
Min-jun weighed the self-awareness of the Blade and the Frying Pan. The time the former had been awakened was much shorter than that of the latter.
Whoosh!
Dalants flared like flames from Min-jun's hand. The moment it enveloped the Blade, the spirit felt as though someone was calling out to it.
The fragments offered no resistance.
The soul fragment of the Blade separated from the sword. It was absorbed into Min-jun's body, following the hand that gripped the hilt, eventually touching the Creator's soul. It then brushed past and settled into the Frying Pan held in another hand.
The Frying Pan willingly accepted it.
Clang!
As the fragment withdrew, the sword became an ordinary longsword in appearance.
And.
=······!=
The Frying Pan was overwhelmed by the sudden storm of memories and consciousness. Although the Blade's memories of just a few decades on Earth were few, they were overwhelming in quantity.
The consciousness that had lived as an assassin, killing and slashing to save the world, fused with the Frying Pan.
In his intoxicated state, Min-jun's voice reached him.
"This will make us a little more complete. Both you and I."
Min-jun was able to devise future plans by viewing the old memories of Asif-1, which the fragments themselves had been unaware of.
The sleeping kin. The time when their slumber deepens is approaching. To prepare for this time, Asif-1 had left various arrangements, including the Elahu-Pra faction.
They were preparing to awaken the primordial races as the prophet had foretold, while collecting Dalants.
However, Min-jun had instinctively felt uneasy about this plan. There was something about it that seemed wrong.
Now he understood the reason.
'The plan was based on the assumption that Asif-1 would still exist in its entirety a thousand years later.'
As Min-jun continued to play the role of a prisoner and endured a millennium of disgrace while pretending to be a slave... the plan he had intended to execute upon reaching this time was revealed.
'He must have intended to become a priest himself and awaken us. But unlike the faith of the faction, the prophet will not return even when the day comes. Therefore, the plan is doomed to failure if it proceeds as it is.'
Currently, Asif-1 was incomplete.
The tool Min-jun created to awaken his kin was still insufficient.
He thought. He needed more fragments and more Dalants. A lot more.
He spoke to his possessions.
"You can change your form, right?"
=······Did you know?=
To be precise, he now knew.
The Frying Pan had expanded slightly in size when used by Cassie to match the material size. But it had hidden this so that the user would not notice, to reduce discomfort.
"Do it."
Before Min-jun could begin his main task, he had to handle a 'minor matter' first.
He saw not only the old memories of Asif-1 but also the memories of the Blade that had brushed past his soul. He realized there was one small event left for him to intervene in.
For that, the current form of the Frying Pan was inadequate.
He uttered a short word.
"Sword."
The creation responded to him. The Frying Pan transformed its body made of Dark Iron, the metal flowing like liquid and quickly reconfiguring its shape. It changed its body into a sleek longsword blade shape, leaving the handle as it was.
But Min-jun was not satisfied.
"Make it shorter."
The Frying Pan complied, reducing its body. The next moment, Min-jun's hand held a black dagger, almost the size of a ritual dagger.
Min-jun then stared into the air.
Immediately after.
Pop!
Min-jun vanished from that spot.
Choi Pan-seok tried to calm his trembling adopted daughter.
But his pale daughter could not speak properly.
"Why, Seon-a?!"
After a struggle that was not really a struggle, his daughter, barely regaining her composure, cried out.
It was a scream-like voice.
"Run away!"
The desperation and urgency in her tone made Choi Pan-seok's entire body break out in chills.
"Where to? Why?!"
Since it was a precognitive ability, he couldn't disregard it. The important things were the direction and reason.
Choi Seon-a's eyes were half-rolled back, and her reaction was one he had never seen before. It seemed she had seen something in her vision that filled her with a terror that felt like it would crush her.
"He's coming... He's coming... That person is coming!"
At that moment.
A voice was heard from the corner of the hospital room, where only the father and daughter were present.
"Indeed, it is a coveted ability."
Choi Pan-seok, who had been frozen like ice, slowly turned around. There was a man there who should not have been here.
"······!"
Cold sweat streamed down his face. The door had been clearly closed. There were no dazzling magic circles or flashes accompanying a teleportation spell, and there was no response from the dimensional interference artifacts placed around the room.
The barrier and defenses created by Korea's top experts to prevent sudden intrusions were all rendered null at once. The agent, with a calm expression, looked at him.
"Y-Your Excellency?"
The congressman struggled to maintain a calm tone and acted.
"What brings you here?"
Min-jun, with a lifeless gaze, spoke while holding a dagger in one hand.
"I've got something to give."
< 122. Shock and Terror (20) > End