< 170. Hate to Hate (8) >
Since waking up as a prisoner 800 years ago until now.
Min-jun had been engaged in tracking, retrieving, torturing, and annihilating targets who were hiding, fleeing, or missing. He did so according to the committee's directives. No prisoner had worked in this field longer than he had.
And from now on, Min-jun planned to focus on not getting caught instead of the methods of tracking.
The best tracker can always transform into the best fugitive. From the moment he decides. In fact, that was the most difficult part.
Making that decision.
William Evans swallowed a blue pill. It was his second one today. He remembered that it was okay to take this amount. He swallowed it decisively, recalling the committee's physician's instructions.
'Damn. I'm getting nervous against my will.'
The rising tension.
'If that bastard, Asif-666, is coming, it will be today!'
During his time working at Ashtal, there was no need to compete on missions. But the reputation he gained after being dispatched to Earth was truly terrifying.
William, checking the prisoner communication network, was horrified. Although it was a fake body, the enormous kidney stones that couldn't be removed through surgery or acute testicular inflammation that wouldn't disappear until surrender was declared were nightmares. The pain would remain.
That Asif-666 being an enemy. He had been appalled when he first heard it, but gradually felt the fear becoming reality.
'Could I end up fighting that guy?'
Now, having become an escaped convict, he would really not put any recognition in his hands.
Facing him with the limit removed would make the stones and inflammation feel like a blessing. Concern filled his mind.
But as time passed a little.
"······."
It felt like the cold ice was melting. A refreshing clarity spread in his mind.
The medication was starting to take effect.
'It's calming down now.'
His mind cleared, and his motivation to focus on the mission surged.
Let's work. Work. Earn talents diligently and regain freedom!
His ragged breathing settled. It was when he was focusing on his goal and repeating it.
"A clicking sound. Something oval, smaller than a human fingernail. If it was swallowed... is that the pill? The prisoners are provided with."
The voice beyond the glass wall.
William realized his mistake. He had left the microphone on. At the same time, he admired the suspect's hearing. Being able to guess the shape of an object from the sound, truly like a bat.
"Yes, that's the pill."
He had to admit. The dragon named Leo, the preliminary prisoner he had to monitor, had a conversation that was quite interesting. Despite being a severe psychopath, his demeanor was calm, and he answered William's questions about living on Earth actively.
In return, William satisfied Leo's curiosity about prisoners, excluding highly classified information. The details about the medication prisoners took were once a secret but were now common knowledge.
"Does it really make you feel better?"
"The effect is certain."
In addition to the mandatory one pill per day, there were also instances of overdose for additional effects, like today.
William also overdosed for various reasons, notably when receiving tragic news.
Like the story of his former colleague that led to his dispatch to Earth.
The telepath who was called Bradley here passed away, leaving only 10,000 talents as retirement money. It was an accident. Hearing such stories drained his energy, and he couldn't focus on anything for a while. Then he would use medication to overcome it.
"If you take too much, you'll suffer later, didn't you say? The only way to suppress the symptoms of long-term imprisonment is that medication, but there might be tolerance when it's actually needed. What did you say? That the brain would boil and flow out of the ears, and the soul would itch and feel like you want to scratch it off?"
"That's roughly what they said. I haven't experienced it myself, so I don't know."
"Hmm, but it's a bit disappointing."
"What is?"
The dragon muttered.
"If there were no such side effects, prisoners would have the foundation for immortality. If they never repay the talents, they would never die, right? By replacing prosthetics and transferring souls as the committee provides."
Immortality.
William snorted.
What's the point of that?
Eternity without happiness and freedom is just an endless hell.
In other words, eternal suffering...
"······."
William felt a momentary emptiness in his mind. Then he tilted his head.
Wait, what was I thinking?
The dragon muttering something again broke his train of thought. But he decided not to chase after the thread of thought that had been interrupted.
"Asif-666... Agent Min-jun has the highest record of about 800 years, right?"
"Yes."
"Most prisoners start to deteriorate mentally long before that?"
"They say immortals endure better."
"Yes, I've heard that. So, expectations are high."
I'm an immortal too. The dragon grinned. Seeing that face, William muttered to himself again, 'Damn lunatic.'
"But it's strange."
"What is?"
"800 years is not a particularly long time for immortals, but they collapse mentally before then?"
"Exactly. The ratio of immortals among prisoners is known only to the committee, but it's not insignificant, right? Considering the substantial number of dragons sentenced to forced labor so far. If you include races like elves, the number increases exponentially. Yet the highest record is still that."
"It's really strange."
The dragon pondered and then said.
"Could it be that the reason for mental deterioration isn't just losing freedom for too long or stress from missions... but something else?"
"Ask the committee directly later."
Though the answer would likely be absent.
"Anyway, it's a pity. If only that part were resolved, it would seem like reality. Immortality without side effects."
At that moment.
"······!"
The dragon's gaze beyond the glass wall sharpened, and he stared in one direction. Despite seeing nothing, he maintained that posture. At the same time, William's expression hardened. He didn't turn his head.
He spoke quietly.
"It has begun."
"...I see."
The dragon contemplated the meaning.
"They've started coming over."
Leo had a rough understanding of the situation. The formal force dispatched by the committee, the 'Tax Collection Command' sub-unit, was about to arrive on Earth.
The target was the escaped convict. The prisoners on Earth had learned for the first time that such a purpose existed for the command. In retrospect, it was a reasonable job division. Escaping from prison was a declaration of not paying the survival tax regularly.
Their mission was to catch such tax evaders.
"Ugh."
William felt nervous again. He struggled to resist the urge to pop another pill.
"It has begun."
Asif-680,505.
The prisoner operating under the name Damian Parker on Earth stared at the monitor.
Sparks flew in the inbound slot. This space, prepared for the incoming jump ship from another dimension, was crackling. After hours of piercing through the dimensional wall, it was finally preparing to arrive here.
It was literally right in front of him.
Damian thought. Once the advance team on that ship completely crosses over into this dimension...
'Then I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.'
As one of the longest-serving prisoners guarding the New York terminal, he was taking on the role of leader as per the committee's instructions. The promised reward for this operation from the committee was sweet.
'This will be my last mission. I'm retiring. Freedom is within reach!'
He focused on the monitor with fiery eyes. An uncontrollable smile spread across his face.
The committee had not exposed any keywords like 'escaped convict' or 'Asif-666' for this operation. They had only issued the mission to defend this location, but no prisoner was unaware of the underlying meaning.
Asif-666, turned into an enemy, was the worst fear imaginable for Earth's prisoners.
Until now.
'No matter how bad he is, he can't survive in front of the Tax Collection Command.'
The baton touch would happen the moment the dimensional jump was completed.
That's why he couldn't afford to relax.
'If he's targeting New York, the timing is now. It's the last chance before the troops arrive.'
There was no liking for Asif-666. Damian had clashed with him before. The result had been disastrous. Just thinking about it made him unconsciously tense up. Just like now.
'Damn it! An unparalleled bastard! A scum deserving of divine punishment!'
After mentally cursing and glaring with venomous eyes at the situation board, which displayed the troop deployment of the terminal, he continued.
'He'll try to escape to another dimension. The committee seems to think so too. That's why they've dispersed us across terminals worldwide.'
If that's the goal, they couldn't attack the main facilities for guiding and dispatching the jump ship. And they couldn't touch the slots where the command's troops were already jumping. The zone where dimensions and boundaries between dimensions were collapsing.
The distinction between departure and arrival slots is arbitrarily managed by the operator, and if the zone is damaged even slightly, both incoming and outgoing travel would be blocked. In other words, it wasn't possible to precisely strike by destroying the incoming door and leaving the outgoing one intact.
Preparation was perfect. Blocking the already-started jump was impossible. He relaxed, reassuring himself.
'What's it going to be? Will you make a final struggle? Or just give up and move to another terminal...'
Just then.
Boom!
An explosion roared from outside.
A heavy shockwave reached the command room. The glass windows shook violently.
Damian's eyes widened.
'Asif-666!'
Bang! Boom!
It was like indiscriminate bombing.
Flames surged through the New York terminal, lightning struck, and sinister-colored gas thickly billowed.
The prisoners hurriedly prepared to counter.
"Something felt off... and he really came to New York. Damn it!"
"How did he break the barrier and attack?!"
"Wizard! Quickly track him. Where is he casting spells from?"
"No. I can't find him. There's no trace at all!"
It was a matter of panic.
"Are you seriously asking that now?!"
The air raid was ongoing, but the attacker was invisible.
Position tracking was impossible.
As the prisoners panicked, various facilities in the terminal were swept away by magic one by one. The maintenance yard where an empty jump ship scheduled for today was moored sank into the ground. Broken asphalt and dirt swallowed the entire building. Seeing the jump ship buried underground in an instant, the prisoners felt like they were about to faint.
One of the committee's most valuable assets, just like that?
How many talents would be added for property damage?
"That bastard, he really doesn't think about the future!"
There was no time for such grumbling.
"Ugh, ahhh! Help me! Save me!"
"Dark magic?! It's dark magic!"
Darkness covered everything like waves pouring out of a burst dam. It twisted its body like a living creature and engulfed the prisoners. They tried to counter with magic and psychic powers, but it was a futile effort like trying to stop a tsunami with their hands. The shadow like a tsunami covered them and multiplied, advancing further.
There was no doubt about the invader's identity now. It was a shadow monster wielded by a dark magician. But it had surpassed the familiar forms of monsters they were used to, undulating like an overwhelming wave. They had never seen such a thing before today. And the only one who could make this possible came to mind.
Asif-666.
He was here, of course. Such summoned creatures couldn't be controlled from afar.
But.
"Where the hell is he hiding?!"
They couldn't believe their eyes. The summoned creature was there, but the summoner was nowhere to be seen. No detection magic could find the caster. Meanwhile, large-scale attack magic, invisible due to dark magic, was smashing various facilities and barriers in the terminal.
"I'm going crazy!"
Asif-666 was well-known for his many skills beyond dark magic. But this was beyond what was expected.
"I knew he was a monster, but!"
Command room.
Damian's face turned pale. None of the formidable prisoners gathered here could even get close to Asif-666.
Shouldn't seeing him be a prerequisite for getting close?
Attack magic was pouring in, and retrotracking was completely impossible. Furthermore, the barrier spread to protect the terminal was being torn to pieces like a piece of paper.
"Everyone has been deceived. Did he actually mock the committee as well?"
According to his understanding, such an event was impossible without dozens of high dragons joining forces for a joint spell.
"To think he was hiding such power!"
The final muttered words were both right and wrong.
Damian had not imagined that, at this very moment, dozens of high dragons were indeed joining forces.
"Asif-666, what are you...!"
The tension that had just eased in his body tightened again.
< 170. Hate to Hate (8) > End