Click! Click!
In the pre-dawn park just before it became lively.
Bright lights scattered throughout the park illuminated the darkness.
"What's going on again..."
Park Hanchul, an agent from the Crime Investigation Division of the Special Abilities Management Bureau, looked at the scene while smoking a cigarette under a streetlight.
In a section of the park cordoned off by police tape, several people were bustling inside.
In the center, where crime scene preservation marks were scattered on the ground, a sentence remained with the traces of blood.
- Execution completed
"Execution, damn it..."
Park Hanchul sighed and flicked the cigarette butt into a portable ashtray.
Heading towards the police line, he approached someone making a call in a corner.
"Yes, understood. Please continue then."
The person ended the call and put the smartphone in their pocket. Park Hanchul tapped on their shoulder and spoke.
"Anything new?"
"Oh, senior."
After the 119 rescue team arrived at the scene, the incident was reported to the police and soon reached the Crime Investigation Division of the Special Abilities Management Bureau.
"First of all, it's definitely human blood. And it seems to be solely one person's blood."
"Well, then they must have died for sure."
The amount of blood at the scene far exceeded the lethal dose.
After scene preservation and evidence collection, the results of the autopsy were coming out one by one.
"And a large amount of dark magic was detected in the blood."
"Dark magic? Is the owner of the blood a dark magic user?"
"It doesn't seem like that. It's more likely that excessive exposure to dark magic caused cell necrosis, which could have been the cause of bleeding."
"Could it be a Mine?"
Mine (마인), a returnee who gained power from outside the human world.
Originally a term referring to beings like vampires or werewolves, it has become a general term for those who misuse powers such as curses or sorcery.
When one uses forbidden powers for a long time, their mind often becomes corrupted, turning them into criminals.
"The results of the nearby CCTV investigation are as expected, clean. Nothing came out except for the female victim."
"If they're bold enough to do something like this in broad daylight, that's natural. But it bothers me that there's no body."
Ooong~
A vibrating sound echoed from Park Hanchul's pocket.
He took out his smartphone, checked the message, and nodded.
"The victim has regained consciousness. She's still shaken, but we plan to carefully assess the situation as she calms down."
"That's a relief. It was frustrating not having any information."
The woman found unconscious at the scene had been immediately transported to the hospital.
Until now, she had been unable to regain consciousness, just rolling her feet in fear.
Now, it seemed that progress would be made in the case.
As they were having a casual conversation while observing the scene, a member of the inspection team approached them.
"The fingerprints collected from personal belongings and the home match. We've confirmed and analyzed numerous pieces of evidence of the murder from there."
Items left at the scene.
Among them, excluding the smartphone that seemed to belong to the female victim, various pieces of evidence of the murder were found.
A recorder containing the screams of the victims, a smartphone with photos, and a wallet with an ID that seemed to belong to the owner.
As soon as they confirmed it, they identified the identity and address and sent the investigation team.
Now the results were out.
"A serial killer, he was definitely someone who deserved to die."
"Tsk, even so, private sanctions. It's as dangerous as those kids with power getting into superhero play."
Ignoring the law in a lawful state and prioritizing one's beliefs.
From the perspective of those who must uphold order, they were dangerous individuals bordering on terrorists.
Soon, another call came in.
"I see. Yes, yes. Understood. Good job."
Ending the call, Park Hanchul looked around the scene again.
"...The victim has given a statement."
"What is it?"
"Well, as expected. While passing through the park, the murderer appeared, and just before being killed, someone appeared and seemed to have rescued her."
"Rescue? Are we sure about that?"
"Hmm, that's the tricky part... The victim's reaction seems a bit strange. Apparently, based on her statement, she seem more afraid of the person who rescued her than the murderer."
"...Is that person that intimidating?"
"No, she didn't see their face. They were wearing a mask, I heard."
Pausing for a moment, he pointed to a corner of the scene.
There, writings smeared with blood remained.
"It's a Hahoe mask."
A drawing beside the writing.
The junior examined it intently for a moment, scratching his head.
"Ah, that's Hahoe. I thought it was some weird laughing face."
"I just heard about it and realized."
"Well, seeing a crazy guy wearing a Hahoe mask in the middle of the night can be scary. But is it scarier than a murderer stabbing someone right in front of you?"
"Well... that's natural."
They looked at the dawning sky, sighing simultaneously.
"Looks like we pulled an all-nighter again."
"I didn't expect anything from the beginning. I just wish they gave us more time."
They moved on with tired shoulders to write the report.
***
Korea Returnees Association, Seoul South Branch.
"Director, there's a cooperation request from the Special Abilities Management Bureau."
"Again? They're always like this. What's the problem this time?"
Branch Director Yoon Jiyoon grumbled as she slowly started reading the document handed by her secretary.
"Hmm? This... feels familiar?"
"I've attached relevant materials for your reference."
"Oh! As expected, Secretary Kim. Very competent."
The director flipped through the documents, reading about the arrest of a trio of metal thieves.
"Hahoe mask" was mentioned in their statements.
"The possibility of the same person seems high."
"Yeah, that's likely. Anyway, pass our information to them and do what they ask for cooperation."
She instructed her secretary as she leaned back in her chair.
As the secretary left the room, she propped her legs on the desk and rested her head on her hand.
"Well, honestly, I don't think Hahoe is bad, but..."
Public safety was worsening, and law enforcement personnel were in short supply.
She thought that if punishing the bad guys like this could reduce their numbers, it wasn't a bad thing.
And she did receive help last time.
"But of all things, he had to commit murder. It would have been better if he just subdued him like last time."
Murder due to private sanctions.
Although the opponent was an extremely brutal serial killer, the nation couldn't help but view it sensitively.
"Anyway, it would be nice if he joined our guardians."
Even if the government agency, the Special Abilities Management Bureau, finds him, they probably won't punish him severely.
They'll likely scout him in exchange for a moderate amnesty.
He has abilities and seems to have his own sense of justice, so if they can leash him properly, he would be a great asset.
"Sigh, gotta work. Work."
She sat down on the chair and started her tasks.
With the recent deterioration in public safety, her workload had increased.
Complaints from underlings were also on the rise.
"Oh, I just want to smash everything."
That was her honest sentiment.
***
"Indeed, it feels refreshing to smash everything."
I nodded satisfactorily as I looked at Hans, who had returned from the night patrol.
The first practical use of the Infection Necromancy magic was quite satisfying.
Initially, I focused only on moving and evenly applying magic as much as possible.
This magic's detection range improves over time.
Infected entities continue to increase, and among them, maintaining those that are helpful is the key.
Therefore, in the early stages, I had no choice but to narrow the detection range.
'But even so, there were more than five incidents last night.'
The biggest achievement was, of course, punishing the serial killer.
The rest involved instilling a curse of terror and appropriately punishing within limits.
Dealing with the rapist was justified, right?
'At least it wasn't a killing.'
Even thinking about it again, it was endlessly merciful.
I glanced at Hans for a moment and then went outside to maintain the detection network.
Although it grows over time, it would expand more rapidly with my direct involvement.
'At least, I should make it cover the entire Seoul.'
This incident made it clear.
The current public safety is unbelievably low.
'And I need to look into those guys too.'
The cause of the current state of public safety.
The villainous organization that caused this chaos.
"Hoo-ha-ha~ Well, let Hans handle that. It's time to pay attention to the other world as well."
I stretched and assessed the situation of Heinze II.
It's been over a month since leaving Ajantu.
Considering the young siblings, I didn't move hastily.
I stayed in comfortable accommodations and explored with the children whenever we passed through towns and cities.
However, it wasn't feasible to keep wandering with the kids indefinitely.
Since I had distanced myself from Ajantu, it was time to find a settled place for the children.
Coincidentally, while contemplating the siblings' future, Diana shared a story.
"Well... Mister. It's not certain, but I heard that our uncle is runs a small shop in Rafaela City."
"We didn't have the capacity to go far from Ajantu until now, so I forgot about it. But when I heard that Rafaela City is in the direction we're heading, it reminded me..."
It was a story their parents told a few years ago.
Initially, they had headed to the kingdom's central region just to move away from Ajantu, but after hearing this story, they set Rafaela City as their destination.
They still didn't know if he still ran the shop or its exact location, but it was much better than the previous situation with no plan.
After all, it wasn't a job I could handle for a lifetime.
I had my own measures, but still, being with blood relatives was better than nothing.
Even though their paternal family might not warmly welcome the sudden appearance of nieces and nephews...
'With a bit of warning and a generous child support, it should be fine. I plan to visit regularly.'
Even if he wasn't in a business position, having more money is always better.
If I offered periodic support after assessing the situation, wouldn't they treat them even better than their own children?
This was the first genuine connection I made since coming to this world.
Using the teleportation, it wasn't too much trouble, so I decided to do it.
Of course, there was a possibility of not finding the relatives, so I needed to prepare alternative methods.
I looked at the avatar that had returned from exercising outside.
"Persona" was now usable with this avatar.
"Hmm... let's name this one 'Heinrich.'"
<Entity Information>
-Entity Name: Heinrich
-Common Attributes: "Mind Hub," "Persona," "Rapid Recovery," "Keen Perception"
-Entity Attribute: "Martial Prowess"
-Note: Fourth avatar of Hansung-hyun. Enhanced effects during training due to "Martial Prowess," additional adjustments for physical combat and skill acquisition.
It was getting a bit limited for Heinze II to roam around with the kids.
Originally, he belonged to a race living hidden in the darkness. It had been lucky not to be exposed so far.
Certainly, it required a considerable effort to achieve that.
"Being a vampire... All the usable forces are concentrated in the dark regions. Heinrich, who will be sent this time, must be raised to fit in with the bright side."
There was a method I had thought of for him.
The skills given to him were suitable for physical enhancement, making it ideal.
While preparing for Heinrich's deployment, I focused my consciousness on Heinze II, who had coincidentally arrived in Rafaela City.
***
At that moment, on an internet forum where anonymity was guaranteed.
"Saw the notorious Hahoe mask killer in the middle of the night."
From there, information about the terrifying Hahoe mask began to spread one by one.