Chapter 26

As soon as quitting time arrived, Alice shot out like a bullet.

The place her footsteps led to was none other than the western labyrinth where the ghost was last seen.

Even after what happened just yesterday, she came chasing without taking a break. For Yuria, the person involved, it was an obsessively persistent move that was quite troubling.

But in fact, Alice hadn’t intended to go this far either.

Originally, Raven mainly took charge of investigating those directly related to the ghost after receiving Victor’s request.

She was only supposed to play a minor role, gathering rumors and information circulating in back alleys.

After all, Alice was practically an empty can with almost no skills besides fighting, so wisely staying out of the way would have been the most sensible choice.

Though she wasn’t particularly smart, she wasn’t stupid either.

However, that was all talk until yesterday.

How could she let it slip away so pathetically at such a close distance, close enough to touch with her nose if she tripped!

Alice was so frustrated that she forgot about her recent diet started out of concern for her belly fat and ended up eating half a bowl more rice than usual.

‘He doesn’t seem like a bad guy…but since he properly got me once, I can’t just let it slide.’

Of course, she was already half-convinced that the ghost wasn’t a bad person.

What kind of villain would fight fiercely against vampires while bleeding all over?

But the fact that the ghost wasn’t bad and the frustration of losing him right before her eyes were two separate matters.

Having been properly scratched, Alice couldn’t endure without giving the ghost a piece of her mind.

‘Wait for me, ghost. I’ll personally rip off that pure white cloth covering you!’

Alice had quite a competitive streak.

Or rather, when not distracted by something cute, Alice could be extremely bothersome.

When she hit her limit, she’d thrash around even more, trying to break through any walls blocking her path.

Though she only showed clumsy sides in front of a certain silver-haired girl, that was all part of stress relief.

When she got serious, even Raven couldn’t stop her stubbornness, leaving him shaking his head in exasperation.

Unfortunately for the ghost, they had caught the eye of a truly troublesome person.

‘Let’s delve deeper this time. Especially, the Black Order who put a bounty on the ghost is concerning.’

Thus, Alice walked unhesitatingly toward the depths of the western labyrinth, unlike her usual self.

People with good looks like her often easily attracted trouble in the underworld.

Normally, she avoided wandering around boldly to prevent getting tangled up in annoying situations.

“Hey, look over there. It’s the pink-haired swordsman.”

“Is that really… the monster who slaughtered zombies endlessly yesterday?”

“Hmph, better not mess with her. Not that I’m scared or anything.”

It seemed Alice’s notable actions during the Bloody Night incident had spread widely.

The thugs of the underworld hesitated to approach her, allowing her steps to proceed unhindered.

“Excuse me, may I ask you something?”

“Y-yes…! W-what is it…?”

“Do you happen to know anything about the ghost? Even trivial details are fine.”

And she approached every noticeable person, meticulously gathering information about the ghost.

Mainly, things like what time they appear, common traits among victims, and their activities during the Bloody Night incident.

Of course, most of the stories she gathered were either facts she already knew or weren’t particularly helpful.

The ghost was already adept at hiding traces.

Even among those living in the underworld, aside from yesterday’s incident, only a handful claimed to have seen the ghost with their own eyes.

‘Listening to the rumors, it feels like they’re talking about a real ghost. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I might’ve thought it was exaggerated.’

So far, no one had even heard their voice beyond that cloth, and anyone who encountered them lost consciousness for some inexplicable reason, sometimes even losing all their belongings.

Her worries deepened as she realized how thorough and meticulous their methods were, leaving no trace behind.

“Excuse me, elder. Do you happen to know anything about the ghost?”

“Hmm? Young lady, are you a bounty hunter?”

“Uh… somewhat similar.”

“Tsk, you should give up on the ghost early. Soon, the Black Order will withdraw the bounty.”

“Withdraw the bounty?”

Alice’s eyes widened at the news from the old beastman.

She had expected the Black Order to give up on the ghost eventually, but not right after the incident ended.

No matter how you looked at it, the Black Order was one of the top organizations among beastmen factions, so withdrawing the bounty so easily was akin to tarnishing their own reputation.

But listening to the old man’s explanation, it made sense why they chose to do so.

“They’re already in financial trouble just compensating enraged bounty hunters over the disappearing zombie corpses. And didn’t the vampire that the ghost nearly defeated turn out to be noble-class? With that kind of strength, the Black Order never stood a chance. If the ghost had been hot-tempered, the western labyrinth would already be drenched in blood.”

“Hmm, that’s… certainly true.”

Alice nodded in agreement with the elder, recalling yesterday’s events.

By the time she arrived, Drakel was already severely damaged, unable to regenerate his severed limbs.

A noble vampire, even at their weakest, required at least a double-numbered fixer to take on.

That meant the ghost likely possessed strength comparable to Victor.

It was no surprise the Black Order panicked and hastily backed off.

“And public opinion in the labyrinth has shifted toward the ghost. Many witnessed the ghost defeating zombies and vampires.”

“The ghost… you say?”

“Yes. I wonder why they hate zombies so much. It was spine-chilling just watching.”

The elder vividly described the scene he witnessed to Alice.

Behind the ghost, who darted like a white wind, piled up mountains of broken-necked zombies.

Vampires impaled on walls with iron spears and ghouls whose heads rolled on the ground.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the ghost obliterated the most zombies and vampires in this incident.

‘…But why did the ghost go that far?’

Listening to the elder, Alice suddenly felt a sense of incongruity.

Thinking about it, she couldn’t think of a clear reason why the ghost fought the vampire so fiercely.

Did they simply detest vampires that much?

But then again, the ghost was the one who first revealed the vampire’s presence, and at that time, they merely subdued it lightly.

For someone cautious about revealing their identity, this incident seemed excessively reckless.

They almost got caught by her, didn’t they?

‘Could it be that the ghost is truly a superhuman created from horrific human experiments, as Victor said?’

Lost in thought, Alice suddenly recalled the ghost’s final appearance when they bid her farewell.

Their small, wounded hands, so delicate they hardly seemed capable of such immense strength.

If the ghost really was just a small child as Victor suggested, how could they fight Drakel like that?

Perhaps the ghost, having endured immense pain and suffering, desperately wished for no one else to experience the same.

Though she couldn’t be sure, Alice bit her lip quietly, sensing faintly the ghost’s thoughts.

‘A kind child… I will definitely find you.’

Alice made a small vow, feeling differently than before.

The most persistent and bothersome person in the world would surely find the ghost.

And if the ghost truly understood pain yet embraced others without hesitation…

She would become someone who shared warmth with that child.

There was no flower in this world that didn’t deserve to bloom.

“…?”

Of course, this was utterly baffling to Yuria herself, who was currently sprawled lazily in Greg’s cozy shop.

All she did was vent her frustration after the vampire picked a fight with her.

Pain and suffering? That was someone else’s story entirely.

Misunderstandings piled up.

*

At the same time, Crowley Fixer Office.

Raven, sipping whiskey lightly while gazing at Night Haven’s scenery through the window, thought:

‘Yuria… could it really be you, the ghost?’

If he were standing right next to himself, he wouldn’t have been able to hide the sharpness of his deduction!

The reason he thought this way was simple.

Everything fit together too perfectly.

In fact, Raven already knew far more about the ghost than Alice’s investigation had uncovered.

From witnesses’ consistent testimonies, the ghost was around 130 cm tall, very small.

Among those who received help, partial observations confirmed the ghost was unmistakably human, and closer to a child.

The timing of the ghost’s disappearance matched exactly when Yuria began working at Greg’s shop.

And Yuria’s status as an unknown individual with no identifiable name or face.

Honestly, with this much circumstantial evidence, it would be strange not to connect Yuria with the ghost.

‘However… there’s an alibi.’

But all of this was still based on suspicion alone.

Many unanswered questions remained.

If the ghost was truly related to superpowers, why did they only appear now, long after the Nexus Project ended?

How could they remain physically and mentally healthy after enduring an experiment with a survival rate in the single-digit percentages?

And most critically, how did the ghost, who was covered in blood from Drakel, recover completely overnight?

As long as luck and coincidence existed in this world…

Until the ghost was caught red-handed and their cloth removed, Yuria couldn’t be confirmed as the ghost.

Truthfully, there was no rush to decide.

Either way, Yuria would work at his office for about a month. Plenty of time and opportunities remained.

What mattered most to Raven wasn’t whether Yuria was the ghost.

Was Yuria truly a superhuman born from the Nexus Project?

And did they possess information connected to his younger sister?

Setting everything else aside, these two facts were crucial.

‘No need to recklessly stir the hornet’s nest. Let’s wait patiently and watch for an opportunity.’

Though Raven already half-suspected Yuria was the ghost, trusting his instincts.

If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have let Yuria return alone to the perilous Night Haven.

No matter how reluctant he was to extend help to those who didn’t need it, he wasn’t cold-hearted enough to ignore someone who asked for protection.

“Hmm? An email…?”

How long had he been sipping whiskey while gazing at the night view?

Suddenly, an email arrived on his computer.

The content was as follows:

An invitation to a party hosted by Nemesis, the cybernetics company, addressed to him as a fixer.

The party allowed up to two companions, and all expenses would be covered by Nemesis.

A suspicious scent reached Raven’s nose, honed by surviving countless battlefields.

This was a death trap luring prey with sweet fragrance.

He sensed foul play, hidden intentions lurking beneath.

‘Dangerous vibes. This smells delicious.’

Raven smirked.

The most fun thing in the world was tormenting troublemakers to their fullest.

It seemed like a long-awaited hobby session was finally here.

*

Somewhere in Night Haven.

A narrow, dark space filled with the hum of fans and faint beeping noises imperceptible to the human ear.

Amid countless computers and dizzying arrays of monitors, a man buried between keyboards muttered absently while staring at a flickering screen.

“…Found you.”

His profession was a code runner.

A hacker active in the new generation’s internet, the neural network world.

As if waiting only for this moment, the man rose from his seat and approached the window.

Outside the window loomed skyscrapers piercing the neon-lit night sky.

Gazing at their towering heights above the clouds, he spoke solemnly.

“Raine, I’ll be there soon.”

On the faintly glowing monitor screen, the word “Nemesis” blinked incessantly.

[!– Slider main container –]