Episode 163 Hahoe Mask Rises (3)
Inside a laboratory filled with all sorts of advanced equipment.
"Alright~ It's done. Now open your eyes! A new world awaits you!"
The man's high-pitched, frivolous voice echoed loudly.
And as if waking from sleep, a man in his thirties, lying on the operating table, slowly opened his 'two' eyes and looked at the ceiling.
"Uhuhut! As expected, it's a revolutionary eye! Kuh~ I'm envious. You're really lucky! Actually, I was going to use it first…"
Yulryeongja ignored the chattering voice and sat up, looking around.
As expected, the left visual field restriction he had from the incident two months ago was gone.
"I was going to pluck out one of my eyes and replace it with that, but I was caught by the Master right before I could do it. He was so angry! My head still hurts when I think about how much I was scolded back then."
He was annoyed by 'Doctor', who was chattering excitedly without even waiting for a response, but it was true that he had gained a new eye thanks to him, so he didn't say anything.
'It wasn't just ordinary blindness, but damage to my spirit, so transplanting any eye wouldn't have worked…'
It was literally a permanent loss that couldn't be explained medically.
But that problem was also solved by bypassing it in a different way.
"…Of course, it's a shame because my unique skill is manifested through my eyes! But I still have one left, and it was an opportunity to realize my dream. Reform and evolution are the ultimate values that humanity should pursue!"
Buzz— Ching—
He ignored his exaggerated chatter and felt a subtle vibration from the newly transplanted eye whenever he shifted his gaze.
But the mechanical sound, like a camera's aperture moving, was only faintly audible to him and was too quiet for anyone else to notice.
He looked at his eyes in the mirror placed on one side.
A faint blue circle surrounded the edge of his left eye, which was dazzlingly colorful compared to his ordinary black eye, and the iris inside was filled with geometric patterns, glowing mysteriously.
This ultimate prosthetic eye, born from the combination of mechanical engineering and magic engineering, was in the shape of an eyeball and was placed in his eye socket, but its mechanism was a magic tool, completely different from a real eye.
And as he was admiring his new eye…
Grab! Whirl—!
His vision spun as someone grabbed his shoulder, and his eyes were filled with madness.
Doctor, who had approached him at some point, was holding his head tightly, his bearded face menacingly close.
And he extended a hand, opened his left eye where the prosthetic eye was transplanted, and started to examine it again.
"Wow~ As expected, the technology of the Calicas Dimension is revolutionary, isn't it? I should have gone to that dimension! It's such a tragedy that I can only experience it indirectly like this!"
Yulryeongja sighed at the sight of him spitting on his face and chattering.
A middle-aged Westerner with shabby lab clothes and messy brown hair.
Despite his shabby appearance, he was someone he couldn't underestimate.
The fact that he was a first-generation returnee who was caught up in the first interdimensional transfer was secondary, he was a genius of the century who led Heaven's Turn Society's technological development.
The work of gathering and improving the arcane arts of each dimension, including magic, shamanism, alchemy, and magic engineering, wouldn't have even been possible without his demonic brain and his "Eye of Truth".
"Uhyahat! It's a good thing there was a friend who returned after getting this prosthetic eye! I heard it's very expensive in that dimension!"
"I see. Such a precious item… Thank you again, Doctor."
Naturally, the fact that this item existed on Earth meant that someone had brought it.
A returnee who had spent all his fortune to buy a new eye and return right before returning.
Of course, he was no longer of this world.
"So, I have something I'm curious about, Yulryeongja!"
"…Yes."
Yulryeongja reluctantly answered, thinking it was hard to keep up with this man's mood swings.
"The being who did this to you, Ha… Hahae?"
"It's Hahoe Mask."
"Anyway! That Smile Mask! I'm very interested in it. I looked into it out of curiosity, and there are many interesting rumors!"
Doctor continued excitedly, ignoring his lack of response.
"You know that Korea is the first place where we've been completely crushed, right? Of course, there have been many cases where our plans failed in other countries, but our foundation was completely destroyed here. Ah! I'm not blaming you or anything. It's not my place to say anything since the Master accepted it!"
He was smiling as always.
But his clear eyes were shining brightly, to the point where it felt dangerous.
"So, when are you planning to resume activities in Korea? Of course, it's not urgent, so there's no problem even if you don't move right away. But shouldn't you do something?"
Yulryeongja's eyes twitched at his subtly eager question.
The problem with his damaged eye had been solved this time, but it had only been two months since he had become a living corpse after the fight with Hahoe Mask.
He had suffered serious injuries that would require at least a few years of recuperation, so he was struggling to even breathe right now, and he couldn't even move his legs, so he was stuck in a wheelchair…
But the problem was that Doctor, the head of the technology department, had a higher position than Yulryeongja, the East Asia branch manager.
"…I've been planning some preparations. We can't leave that place alone forever, so it's better to at least prepare the groundwork."
"Whoa! Good, Yulryeongja! Let me know if there's anything I can help with. I'm looking forward to the day a good test subject arrives! What should we start with~!"
And all evil organizations were black companies.
____________________
"Whew— I feel refreshed."
I closed my eyes tightly, enjoying the massage chair after my usual workout in the home gym and a leisurely shower, listening to the TV as background noise.
The house was big, and I had a lot of money, so I had everything I needed, and there was no need to go outside unnecessarily.
Come to think of it, I had only been staying inside lately, except for going out using "Individual Projection"…
'Well, I still went out. I go out once a day and meet people. I'm very sociable!'
When I used "Individual Projection", it felt more like I was controlling the avatar than myself, Han Seong-hyeon, and the fact that most of the people I met were criminals was something I decided to put aside.
I would feel too pathetic if I thought about it too deeply.
"Hmm, anyway, that dark mage… Ahn Sung-jin, was it?"
I increased the intensity of the massage chair to the maximum and recalled the talent I had visited last night.
He couldn't be accurately assessed because they were from different worlds, but he was a skilled individual who was slightly below the level of an Archmage in Auterica.
But considering the aggressive nature of dark magic power, his instantaneous combat power wouldn't be lacking either.
'Of course, combat power isn't what I'm after.'
Fortunately, he didn't refuse my peaceful scouting offer and readily accepted it.
They even signed a contract based on mutual consent, allowing me to exert a slight amount of force, so he wouldn't even dare to betray me now.
'Promises are important. He doesn't seem like a bad guy, so I'm not planning to treat him harshly, but I won't tolerate any funny business.'
I wasn't planning to give him any unreasonable tasks anyway.
It was enough if he just did his best to bring me the information I wanted.
And I was also willing to take care of him in terms of employee welfare if he did a good job.
'And the process of turning the Heavenly Demon Emperor into an undead is also going smoothly…'
Naturally, he couldn't handle him carelessly because his level was different from the corpses he had used before.
To properly utilize the best materials, he had to invest time, effort, and resources accordingly.
The Heavenly Demon Emperor's corpse, which had been sent to the original Hans in Auterica through "Avatar Cloud", was currently undergoing preparations to be turned into an undead.
'It'll be fine because I can also take out undead from the heart's subordinate subspace when I need them. I can't take out a large number because the capacity isn't that big, but I don't need a large army on Earth anyway.'
Since he was pouring in the best materials, the Heavenly Demon Emperor… no, now shortened to 'Salma', would be reborn as a very satisfying individual.
The fact that his soul was heavily damaged from the side effects of overdosing on the abyss was a bit of a minus, but undead were usually a bit crazy anyway, so it didn't really matter.
"Karma points are… Oh?"
My eyes widened slightly as I was leisurely organizing things while sitting in the massage chair.
It had only been a few days since I used the 640,000 Karma 'Mental Strength Enhancement' before Hans attacked Jeron, the Empire's capital, but I had already received quite a few points because of the scale of the incident.
'The effect of Home Theater is really good. It's already 800,000, even though it hasn't been long since I used it.'
And it was steadily increasing at a fairly fast pace, an increase that would make other awakened ones dumbfounded.
The points needed to enhance his unique skill were now 1.2 million.
It wouldn't be long until he reached the next level.
-Then let's move on to the next topic. You've probably heard of him at least once, as he's been a hot topic lately. It's about the awakened one called 'Hahoe Mask'!
-Ah~ Right! He's been a hot topic lately.
At that moment, a story about him started to come out of the TV, which he had left on as background noise.
And as always, the topic started with questions about his identity and then led to a debate about the legitimacy of his actions.
-…Uncontrolled and indiscriminate force is dangerous! To think his standard for judgment is his own subjectivity, does that even make sense in a country ruled by law…?
-…Of course, his actions aren't always right, but it's a clear fact that he's making a great contribution to our country's public order. You can see that just by looking at the news from overseas.
-Ah, right. They said there was a big incident in Japan recently, right? A disaster with hundreds of casualties…
Modern-day Earth was truly the epitome of chaos.
There were tens of thousands of superhumans who had returned after overcoming all sorts of hardships and dangers, just in Korea.
It was impossible to even estimate how many there were worldwide.
The current system was only being maintained because the forces that wanted to protect society, for reasons like family, were stronger, but it was no different from a time bomb waiting to explode.
'Not only dark magic power users and Devils, but even awakened ones intoxicated by power and desire are a considerable threat. Even now, with Hans suppressing them, those kinds of guys are constantly appearing, so if there's no such control…'
That was exactly the current situation overseas.
Of course, other countries also had strong individuals, and there were many who hunted criminals mercilessly like Hans.
Some even created their own crime detection systems like his familiar magic, but…
'They can't compare to Hans, who has all those abilities in one body. And his stealth and mobility.'
And the fact that Korea was a small country with a large population also played a big part.
The current peaceful Korea was the result of the combination of those various factors.
"Whew."
I stood up and slowly walked towards the terrace.
The spacious garden, possible because land prices were cheap in the suburbs of Seoul, was neatly maintained, and the landscaping rocks and garden ornaments created a serene atmosphere.
'Of course, if you recklessly step in, you'll experience hell.'
This place was a demonic realm, densely packed with security devices created using the abilities of Hans, Heinz the Second, Heinrich, and even Harris.
The garden ornaments were all mediums for spells, and their placement was carefully decided using "Path of Magic".
And the center of this iron fortress was him.
As long as he was inside, he was absolutely safe.
'Okay, now that Korea is mostly taken care of, let's broaden our horizons.'
He had learned that Heaven's Turn Society had been meticulously operating since a long time ago through the 'Salma' incident.
It wasn't likely that this was the only case.
It was probably happening all over the world, not just Korea.
'I've been neglecting them for a while because they pulled out of Korea. Should I start expanding to nearby countries?'
He wouldn't be able to manage them periodically like Korea, but cleaning them up once would still be effective.
He could endure a bit of inconvenience just for the satisfaction of screwing them over.
But he was still a bit hesitant to personally visit the chaotic overseas countries.
It was a different matter from leisurely patrolling like taking a walk using "Individual Projection" after things had stabilized.
'Hmm… What's Hans's current schedule?'
There was no problem with turning Salma into an undead because a long maturation process was planned.
And he could just give Olivia instructions to take care of the Demon King's basic duty, sending out small fry to level up the hero party.
'Hmm, there's no problem. Well, I can always call them back if something happens.'
That was the biggest advantage of summoning avatars back.
And so, Hahoe Mask's overseas expansion was decided.
First— to Japan, the closest and most appropriately sized country.