Chapter 74

No, is he already caught?

[Boss?]

“Yeah, yeah. Got it. I need to stop by somewhere, so I’ll be back right after.”

[Yes, boss. I’ll wait.]

I hung up the phone and sighed.

Forcing things to align with the original story was pointless, huh?

Originally, the protagonist was supposed to wander around the Maze Shopping Mall, build some rapport with Sang-ah, meet the Village Chief, hear his story, and then accidentally run into Jung-woo without realizing it’s him…

What was next again?

Anyway, they weren’t supposed to fight immediately upon meeting.

They were supposed to have about three encounters before fighting Jung-woo, so I planned to scout his hideout, gather information, and watch the original story unfold from a safe distance.

But with this mess… the next episode might not even start.

If one executive is taken out, the dispatched personnel might completely change.

From what I know, the organization Quaker built doesn’t have that many members, so losing an executive like this would be a significant blow.

I might as well hand this guy over to Speed, collect the bounty, and build some connections.

I couldn’t think of a better plan right now.

Capturing Quaker would require the help of heroes, and capturing one of the executives was a perfect opportunity to build a relationship with them.

Still, the original story getting tangled up is giving me a headache.

…What can I do?

From the moment I saved Mina and Seolhwa, the situation spiraled out of control.

I sighed and left the city, now nothing but ruins.

—————————–

“Sh-Shield, sir! You need to come out!”

Shield, who was in the middle of paperwork and a duel, frowned as an employee burst through the door.

“What is it this time? A higher-up? Or did a terrorist come to surrender?”

As Shield’s tired eyes narrowed, the employee took a deep breath, regained composure, and calmly explained.

“K-Kang Woo-seong has been killed!”

“What? Did I hear that wrong? What did you just say?”

“A man who brought Kang Woo-seong’s body is on the first floor right now!”

“Let’s go.”

Shield shot up from his chair.

As his massive frame stood, Employee A felt like the room had shrunk.

Standing nearly 2 meters tall, the muscular man took up space. Shield, not bothering with the employee’s reaction, grabbed his coat and ordered.

“Hold the elevator, now!”

“Yes, sir!”

The employee dashed to the elevator and pressed the button as soon as the order was given.

‘Kang Woo-seong…’

A top-tier User and terrorist.

One of the criminals imprisoned for the Mart collapse incident long ago, who later escaped with Quaker’s help. Due to the strength and utility of his abilities, he was a villain of interest to the Hero Association.

Frankly, Kang Woo-seong was far more dangerous than Park Jung-woo.

‘How did they catch him?’

Even the heroes used every means possible but couldn’t catch Kang Woo-seong.

Given his ability to create hideouts anywhere, capturing him was no easy feat.

And someone caught him?

How?

The only ones who could catch a top-tier User… are other top-tier Users.

“Who brought Kang Woo-seong?”

“Well…”

The employee hesitated.

There were too many things on his mind to answer immediately.

“Speak up, who is it?”

“The-”

The elevator stopped, cutting off the employee’s hesitant response.

As the announcement sounded, Shield decided to check for himself and stepped out of the elevator.

He walked toward the commotion and locked eyes with the man who brought Kang Woo-seong’s body.

And-

He raised his guard to the highest level for the first time in a while.

“Who are you?”

“Ah, I figured it’d come to this.”

An awkward expression.

It wasn’t an expression ‘he’ would make, so Shield’s guard relaxed slightly.

“I’m the one who caught Kang Woo-seong. I heard there’s a hefty bounty, so I came to collect.”

“…Before that, I have a question. Who are you?”

In response to Shield’s question, he pulled out a small business card from his pocket and handed it over.

Shield took the card and checked the name on it.

‘Park Yi-sak…?’

“My name is Park Yi-sak, and I run a small business in the Swamp Area. I was in Seoul for business when I noticed some suspicious activity. I followed quietly and caught him.”

“He looks like a corpse to me.”

“He was too strong to subdue.”

Yi-sak shrugged and showed the wounds on his arm.

Scratches and tears.

The injuries were enough to confirm it wasn’t an easy fight.

‘He resembles him, really resembles him.’

As one of the few who knew Quaker in his youth, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease with every word.

‘If doppelgangers really exist, this must be what it feels like.’

He was eerily similar to Quaker from his younger days.

But the vibe was different, so he instinctively stopped himself from reaching out.

“Alright, I get it. The bounty will be transferred to your account. Go to the reception desk and fill out the necessary paperwork.”

“Thank you. This should help my finances for a while.”

“And… would you consider working for the Hero Association?”

Knowing he’d refuse, Shield asked anyway. Yi-sak shook his head.

“I already have a business. Expanding into that area doesn’t seem like a good choice.”

“Too bad. We could use someone like you.”

“There are already plenty of talented heroes, aren’t there?”

“Capturing Kang Woo-seong proves you’re a powerful User.”

“It was only possible because of a sneak attack. A head-on fight would’ve been hopeless.”

“…I see. Then take care.”

“You too.”

Yi-sak headed straight for the reception desk without hesitation.

And Speed followed behind him.

Looks like he’s helping out as a friend.

“Shield, sir, there’s something suspicious about his ID…”

“Let it go for now.”

“Huh?”

“Like most IDs from that area, it’s probably forged. But it’s not a card we need to play right now.”

Even if it was a sneak attack, capturing a top-tier User who required veteran heroes to team up against was no small feat.

Especially if he looked exactly like Quaker in his youth.

“Have someone quietly investigate his background. He looks too much like Quaker, so there might be something suspicious.”

He called over an employee who had been quietly observing and gave the order.

‘That body might even be fake.’

All sorts of possibilities tangled in Shield’s mind like headphone wires stuffed in a pocket.

“…I hope this is an opportunity for us.”

Everyone who heard him nodded.

The emergence of a new enemy was common, but everyone sensed that if that suspicious man turned against them, things would get tough.

————————-

With this, I can probably live comfortably for about a year.

As they say, you gotta play in the big leagues.

When you play in the small leagues, you go through all kinds of hardships and end up with peanuts.

[I’ll be back soon. Do you need anything?]

[I’m fine as long as you come back safe, boss.]

[Snacks! Potato chips!]

The contrasting responses made me chuckle.

It’s good to have a place to return to.

“…What do I do next?”

After this episode ends, the next one… is something I don’t need to worry about.

Do I have to wait for the third episode?

Given how tangled things are, it might not even happen…

Jung-woo was caught too early, and with an executive killed, Quaker might find it tough to proceed with the original plan.

But Quaker’s first appearance was in the third episode, so I hope it still happens.

There will be victims… but it’s better if the casualties are within an expected range.

“Why am I even worrying about this…?”

It’s the heroes’ job, after all.

All I need to do is find a way to weaken Quaker’s forces and take them down.

That’s… the only thing I can do.

If the sharpest dagger is needed, I’ll be that dagger.

With that small resolve, I stepped on the accelerator.