Seoul Specialization High School for Ability Users is, like many other schools for Ability Users, quite closed off. It was a specialization high school intended to nurture special abilities, and it housed countless secrets like forbidden techniques and other important knowledge.
When enrolling, students had to sign contracts to ensure they wouldn’t carelessly share what they learned at school. Naturally, violating this would lead to immediate lawsuits, hefty fines, or even imprisonment. In the worst-case scenario, they might even make someone “disappear.”
‘I’ve been in a similar situation before.’
Mercenaries are like useful dogs or wolves.
They are easily deployed for tasks that seem perfect for someone to get scorned for.
Jinseong has also been involved in tracking down those who leaked information out of the Specialization High School for Ability Users.
There were various types of cases.
For instance, an alchemist senior at a specialization high school in England submitted a paper claiming a substance discovered by a junior could be profitable, then burned all related materials before fleeing to another country. There was also the case of a student who set fire to a records facility that stored martial arts documents and escaped, or individuals at a Mexican specialization high school who planned to privatize the school by selling internal information…
Some acted on impulse, while others executed their plots with careful planning.
There were even spies who entered the school with the intent to cause trouble from the start.
From the school’s point of view, they were nothing more than pests.
Oh, but mercenaries loved such jobs.
They were low difficulty and paid well.
No matter how much those pests squirmed, they couldn’t compare to soldiers and agents on the battlefield.
Even with their abilities, they weren’t as dangerous as the insane Ability Users encountered during missions.
Even if they could use their powers, they hadn’t reached mastery, and even if they had, they lacked experience.
So, for mercenaries, it was simply an excellent opportunity.
Thus, Jinseong didn’t have a bad impression of the Specialization High School for Ability Users. How could one hate a place that periodically provided honey jobs?
On top of that, it was the school where Iarin and Iserin graduated…
But.
‘Hmm. Thanks to its closed-off nature, it seems information hasn’t leaked out.’
That closed-off nature seemed to have become a curse.
It was astonishing that shady happenings inside the school hadn’t reached outside at all.
‘It might just be a matter of timing.’
No, perhaps information did escape to certain places.
However, at that time, Jinseong was operating as a mercenary. Even though he was treated as a shaman, he was still just a mercenary. He might not have had access to such ‘high-level information.’
What fool would serve gourmet meals to a dog used for work, or gild a discarded tool?
That was merely the case.
The reason Jinseong had been unable to obtain information could very well be that…
But now that he was aware, that was sufficient.
Jinseong decided he needed to look into the “elevator” that Iarin mentioned.
He aimed to uncover what happened before the rewind that he had been unaware of.
To learn what Iarin experienced before the rewind.
And if it had negative repercussions.
If it hampered Iarin’s talent from blossoming, he must take action.
“I’ve heard an interesting story. Good. I will come find you again soon, and then we can discuss the next task. It shouldn’t take too long.”
“Huh? You say it won’t take long? What are you doing right now, brother?”
Without responding to Iarin’s question, Jinseong turned his body.
And as he stepped out into the garden, he dismantled his form.
In that way, Jinseong shattered into countless insects and vanished from the mansion.
*
People often refer to America as the “land of freedom.”
A nation that stands at the forefront of liberalism.
There’s an abundance of freedom in America, they say, and everyone can enjoy that freedom.
But is that truly the case?
Is there really an abundance of freedom where everyone is free?
Can everyone display their own freedom without restraint?
No, that’s not true.
Just looking at Park Jinseong makes it clear that this is not the case.
“Hmm.”
This young man, who had traveled briefly to America, unfortunately found his freedom infringed upon.
Not by an individual.
But by the largest entity in America, the government.
His body couldn’t escape a small room, and the building designed to hold someone captive was filled with devices ensuring no one could escape. The machines and artifacts visible to the eye were at a level that even seasoned Ability Users wouldn’t dare to breach unarmed, and combining them with the invisible ones made it far more dangerous than an ordinary prison.
Moreover, the ominous presence felt from everywhere added to the tension.
If Jinseong attempted to break out, countless people would converge to subdue him.
They wouldn’t kill him, but as long as he didn’t die, anything goes.
What else could one call this if not captivity?
Indeed.
Park Jinseong was detained by the American government.
Of course, the treatment wasn’t bad.
They used the “Anti-terrorism Law”… commonly known as the United States Federal Comprehensive Anti-terrorism Law, to hold him, but they didn’t actually treat him like a criminal. When they took him in, they displayed quite a polite attitude, and instead of locking him in a cage, they placed him in a facility that was quite decent—akin to a nice hotel.
He didn’t experience the terrible imitations of food crafted by a cursed English chef intended to torture criminals, as often seen in American prisons; in fact, meals seemed to lean towards fusion cuisine, presumably out of consideration for the Asian.
Moreover, they even made efforts to provide him with whatever he expressed a desire for to eat.
Well…
The treatment wasn’t bad.
Yet, that didn’t change the fact that he was imprisoned.
No matter how lavish, it was still a cage.
No matter how delicious, it was mere fodder.
No matter how good the treatment, he was still trapped within.
Regardless of the treatment he received, Jinseong could not leave this facility.
‘It’s time to start taking action.’
Yet, he wasn’t anxious.
He simply spent his time reflecting on why he had been detained, how to act in a way that would most benefit him, and how to leverage his position as the only native shaman of the Republic of Korea rather than just a mercenary to possibly draw the Korean government into whatever the American government was scheming.
And depending on the situation, he even considered forcibly escaping and initiating a terror attack on America.
Committing an act of terror wasn’t particularly difficult.
He’d just need to hide in the Corn Belt and gather locusts.
When their population density increases, locusts undergo hormonal changes, transforming from their previously cute forms to terrifying ones. Their wings become elongated, adapting for migration, and their appetites explode.
Those transformed locusts begin to swarm, devouring everything visible.
This becomes a disaster aptly named the locust plague.
If he managed to create a few swarms as he roamed about, they would be thrown into chaos.
As confusion ensued, the crazies would also start moving.
And in the resulting chaos, he could sneak out.
If that didn’t work, he could try to escape to South America afterward.
Of course, while that would likely be detected by surveillance, under such chaotic circumstances, deploying enough power to capture him would be challenging.
‘But that could lead to complications. Not only would I never be able to enter America again, but my activities in countries allied with America would also become difficult.’
The Korean government wouldn’t abandon him.
But his worth would undoubtedly decrease, and on top of that, Jinseong would incur a sort of “debt” to the Korean government. This debt would continue to bind him, preventing him from moving freely.
It was undesirable, to say the least.
Thus, forcing his way out wasn’t the best option.
So, he waited.
For the best and alternative options.
“Mr. Park? It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Now, as someone initiated contact, this moment had finally arrived.
