Chapter 292: Ocean (Creature) (2)
Why do I feel like the decorative colors have changed to red?
“Hmm?”
With a texture as hard as a seashell.
A geometric-shaped pink object.
It looked like a cute tool often seen in children’s animations.
In plain words, it resembled a toy that a child under 10 would beg for.
The security guard, referred to as Kida, stared at the item behind him for quite a while.
“Hmm.”
However, it didn’t last long.
The Japanese dismissed the sensation he had just felt as a fleeting déjà vu.
‘Maybe I just remembered it wrong?’
The item was studded with colorful jewels, in addition to the central emblem stone.
As a result, Kida still couldn’t be sure about the item’s original color. He soon faced forward.
“Nothing to do. Should we really play word chain or something?”
His subsequent remark was just trivial small talk.
“Oh, word chain?”
“Shall we play together?”
“Let’s make it interesting! Loser buys late-night snacks after work.”
“OK. Then you go first.”
The two people standing to the east of the space began their conversation.
But at that moment.
The senior, who had been showing his phone and chatting enthusiastically moments ago, began to glance at them.
And when the guards in this room were distracted by various other things.
That individual pretended to touch his abdomen while firmly pressing something inside his jacket.
Bling!
This was the start of something.
From that moment’s action, the artifact in the back began to show small changes again.
Moreover, thinking back, these guards had to go through a compulsory belongings check before their shift started.
It was odd for this front-row individual to possess anything suspicious aside from a communication device.
*
‘What a bummer.’
A few minutes later.
‘So they don’t disclose the real expensive items for security reasons until the auction? Does that mean I’ll have to wait a whole day to see the items on this list in person?’
Inside the exhibition hall in Tokyo.
‘That’s annoying. I asked how much they might sell for, and of course, my budget couldn’t cover it.’
It was now 3 PM.
The area around me was crowded with people from various countries, making it overwhelming.
‘I could threaten them to give me one for free… but honestly, without the [Infinite Power Core] today, it’d be foolish to act tough against four S-Class Hunters.’
Buzzing.
Just a moment of waiting brings loud laughter or cheers from somewhere—it’s a festival for Earthlings.
Even in this noisy place, I was managing to focus my thoughts, but no matter how great a mage I was, there were limits in such places.
Most importantly, my identity had been exposed.
“Excuse me…”
“……”
“Excuse me!”
“Oh, yes?”
Thinking about it, this face of ‘Kim Gi-ryeo’ was quite a status symbol in public.
“Excuse me, but aren’t you an S-rank in Korea?”
“That’s true.”
“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I— uh, I’m sorry, but could we take just one photo together? I’m such a huge fan! I’ve been running a fan club ever since you visited Japan!”
Things started to go off course from that point.
Still, being in a foreign country, it was quiet for a while. But ever since a woman started calling my name loudly, the focus shifted rapidly.
If one person recognized me, their friend standing next to them would chime in.
As I was taking a photo on the street, certainty spread among citizens who were unsure moments ago like a domino effect.
“Why are people gathering over there?”
“Who are they taking a photo with?”
“Is that an influencer?”
Chatter.
This is bad.
Before more people flocked over, I pretended to head to the restroom and hurriedly escaped to a quieter place.
[Exhibition Hall A]
I looked around, and because the lighting was dim with fewer lights, there were significantly fewer passersby compared to Buildings B or C.
‘Of course, the boring exhibits inside could be a reason for that too.’
After searching for a spot without any gazes, I eventually reached this corner.
It was a dark corridor in front of a staff room with no lights whatsoever.
“Hmm.”
Alright, let’s briefly organize the plan.
‘How am I going to steal the item?’
I sat down, thinking.
First of all.
To get the black fabric called [Midnight Fragment], I needed some preparations.
The most important thing was to clear all visitors from Hall 1 in Building A.
‘Right now, it looks like they just set aside that black seaweed-like fabric. The number of passersby is so low that I can count them on my fingers…’
If I didn’t want to get caught looting and end up with bones and flesh separated, I obviously had to know the locations of the Japanese S-Class Hunters before executing the plan.
‘Expecting the number of visitors to clear out is about five, maybe?’
Let’s consider that generously for a moment as if I’ve chased them away somehow.
But what about the security alarm in this artifact exhibition?
‘Hmm.’
A fleeting memory of the owner of this body crosses my mind.
A spy in tight clothes sneaking through red lasers, just like a scene from a movie.
It seemed that Earth had unique alarm systems used in museums or banks.
And upon closer inspection, devices that were likely for that purpose could also be found here.
‘All the exhibit cases are protected by magic barriers.’
Was it really to keep things warm with a magical blanket? This was obviously for security.
I racked my brain furiously.
And resulting from this contemplation, I finally decided how to put on the appearance of a master thief.
[Overview: Use a small magical ignition on a paper poster in the corner of Hall 1 (near the window where sunlight hits) ⇀ Set off the fire alarm in the corridor ahead ⇀ When the alarm rings, incite the evacuation when people haven’t grasped the situation yet.]
This way, I’d clear out the visitors.
[Overview: Additionally identify the positions of S-Class Hunters in advance. ⇀ Re-enter after quickly causing a disturbance to the CCTV during a sufficiently empty timing in Hall 1 ⇀ If the barriers protecting the exhibits are deactivated, the restoration will take time, so attempt to swap the items using a penetrating method. If the glass structure’s entrance doesn’t open easily, use magic like [Cutting] (assuming everything goes as planned, estimated total time around 3 minutes.)]
To sum it up, I had roughly mapped out a flow of the plan in my head, but honestly, I wasn’t sure if it would work.
When I was in my prime, if I wanted something, I could just use magic to get it. I didn’t care about trivial attempts like this.
‘Since Earth’s barriers are rather flimsy, it might be easy as long as I handle the glass wall well.’
The event lasts for three days; should I think about it a bit more over the next few days?
Just for a moment, that thought crossed my mind but was quickly dismissed.
The artifact fair holds an on-site bidding spotlight auction on the second day to bring in a throng of S-Class hunters.
The very presence of these S-Class hunters would attract more visitors.
Of course, the final day of the event wasn’t a good timing either.
‘I was planning to leave before nightfall, so Seonwoo-yeon will come looking for me.’
Putting aside those points, above all, the exhibition would also cease its operation that day, and if I swapped the items, it could be caught within 24 hours.
‘If I really carry this out, today would likely be the highest probability.’
Strike while the iron is hot.
I’m not sure if that Earth expression applies here, but anyhow, I made my decision.
Indeed, no matter how many times I think about it, I can’t give up that fabric.
‘Earthlings see it merely as a one-time defensive item, but it could be an artifact that possesses tremendous ‘attack’ and ‘defense’ capabilities at the same time!’
Who told the Alphauri to threaten so clumsily?
Ito, the representative by that name, did something, so the entire Japanese hunter agency should bear the consequences together.
I stood up from my squatting position.
By the way, an element that is naturally incorporated into the plan.
In a nutshell, generating a ‘fake fabric’ to deceive the exhibition was something I could do easily.
‘I didn’t dress this way for that purpose.’
Fortunately, my current body had a lot of black on it.
The outfit I was wearing was purchased from Seonwoo-yeon’s shop.
Esther brought me there during the Unavoidable Malice incident, and I had ordered a few deliveries there, so I was somewhat familiar with the address.
‘I should probably prepare at least a bit of magic before heading in.’
Midnight Fragment?
I’ll match it to the exact thickness, no problem.
And I’ll mix in various impurities to avoid getting tracked, like the fabric from the ice packs they distribute at this event.
If that’s the case, even under a microscope, it won’t be apparent whose clothes these were.
‘Thank goodness the material looks similar and doesn’t shine like leather.’
Alright. I’ve sorted it all out in my head again.
Now, should I just go for it?
‘Especially since there isn’t a single S-Class hunter nearby…’
When I heightened my senses, the closest one turned out to be Iori Hunter in the adjacent building.
Even if a fire or security alarm went off, they couldn’t rush over immediately.
I moved toward the exhibition hall containing [Midnight Fragment] and began the procedures.
One of the great mage’s advantages is indeed effective execution.
‘In simple calculations, it seems it’ll take about 2 minutes to clear all the citizens out.’
I only get one shot.
Preparation completed.
Whoosh.
As if igniting spontaneously due to sunlight.
I ignited a corner poster in the exhibit hall to initiate the plan.
Starting with a small spark to ensure no civilians would be harmed.
After that, I’ll set off the alarm and ignite a larger fire on the way back to avoid any strange situations due to the S-Class directing the evacuation.
‘And later, if questioned, I’ll explain that I was startled by the flames and delayed my response because I was looking for the alarm as I was trained.’
This context shouldn’t feel awkward to Earthlings.
Immediately after igniting the fire.
I quickly moved down the corridor and manually set off the red alarm.
‘Wait, but what if this device was just a decorative piece…’
For a moment, that thought crossed my mind, but contrary to my worries, the alarm rings successfully.
Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Up to this point, everything went as planned.
“Oh dear?”
But just after that.
An unimaginable upheaval started in Hall A1, where I had been standing.
*
‘Ah… oh my god.’
Thud, thud, thud.
A corridor adorned with white marble.
Someone short passes by, looking utterly defeated.
The identity of this figure was S-Class Hunter Iori.
‘How do I get that artifact out from the technical office? Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo wants it of all things.’
He had been summoned for safety assurance at this event and had multiple roles, one of which included guarding the auction items. So Iori had also guided someone through the event and had been patrolling in the remaining time.
This corridor connected to the storage room.
“Phew.”
What should have been a boring break suddenly filled with intense tension.
It was the rare visit of Japan’s benefactor, Kim Gi-ryeo, asking him for something, and now they might not be able to fulfill that request.
But the matter concerning [Midnight Fragment] wouldn’t be resolved just by him worrying. Iori could only wish for Ito’s negotiation to go well while continuing to walk.
‘Oh, it’s the storage room door.’
He had finally arrived at the storage where the auction items were kept.
For reference, this space’s exact location was on the third floor of a building with no indication on the map. It was connected to the exhibition hall in Building A precariously via a cloud bridge on the second floor.
However, this being a secure zone, visitors couldn’t enter even if they knew of this place.
‘I walked aimlessly this far. Since I’m here, should I check if the security guards are doing fine…?’
As widely known.
This Hunter Iori was quite personable.
Therefore, he wanted to familiarize himself with the faces of the newly assigned security personnel and sneaked a glance into the storage.
“Excuse me~.”
Slide.
Just as he opened the door to peek in.
Something surprising happened.
“Huh?”
Inside were five security guards all bent over like zombies, staring at the ground.
What on earth is going on?
Is this some kind of joke?
“Wh-what the?!”
Upon closer inspection, all of them had unfocused gazes, and their eyeballs were bright red.
As if a light-born eye disease had spread among them.
Iori was taken aback by the sight and tried to speak up.
But at that moment, someone suddenly made a bold move.
Crash!
“Ah!”
The A-Class Awakened known as Kida unleashed his powers.
In a regular security industry, employees would have had to be trained to subdue others.
But not for Awakened ones.
Due to extreme scarcity of talent, their hiring criteria only relied on strength.
“What in the world…?!”
Kida’s capability was body enhancement.
He stepped forward, planting his foot on the doorframe and forcefully shoved Iori backward.
“What the hell! What are you doing?!”
The subsequent scene was a continuous shock.
The second and third guards behind Kida also widened their bright red eyes like rabbits and began to use their abilities to rush out of the room.
With people gone, the unusual situation became clearer.
‘The artifact!’
Iori, as an S-Class Hunter, had handled those items himself and even transported them inside an item box.
He recognized that the pink item on the right side had clearly changed form.
‘How did that get activated?’
But neither did they expect that item would cause such chaos.
This epic-grade artifact preferred not to let its owner easily transfer information. The appraisal for new artifacts was only disclosed to auction participants.
“Everyone stop!”
What in the world is that thing?
Is it some kind of item causing confusion among people?
‘This is so dangerous.’
Instinctively, Iori began to stop the guards as they fled.
He managed to catch the first skill of three.
A strong wind was summoned from above to press down.
However, the caster had softened the force due to the worry of harming someone, leading to one of the three escaping quickly.
Moreover, that wasn’t the end of the problem.
“What a foolish…!”
Iori pulled out his walkie-talkie and shouted.
“Emergency situation! We’re in the D Building storage. The Awakened guards have suddenly lost their senses…!”
Even while he was trying to catch sight of another guard, he failed to grab one during the chaos as the other three Awakened disappeared from his view.
Bang!
In a moment, a dreadful sound echoed from a distant direction.
“Moritake! If you’re hearing this, get to D Building immediately! Whatever you’re doing, stop and come out to block…!”
As Iori hastened his pace, this scene unfolded before him.
“Ugh!”
The floor of D Building had a massive hole as if struck by extraordinary ironwork.
Due to comprehensive security measures, the storage was on the third floor.
So using the opened corridor would lead to the second floor.
The second floor, the key element connecting up to D Building’s second level was…
