Chapter 26

From past regressions, Jang Sunam had learned one absolute rule:

“Unless there’s a very special reason—villains must never be spared. Cut them off at the root.”

That was why, after finishing his business with 4885, he let Jelly devour the man and then stripped him bare with DNA Replication.

[ You have acquired 3,150 Coins. ]
[ You have acquired <Fragmented Warhammer> (E)+2. ]

“Not as useful as I hoped.”

Apart from the coins and a single weapon, the rest of his gear wasn’t even on par with Pi Gwangseok’s junk. At best, they would serve as materials for future synthesis.

Hong Taegyun…

The true, hidden Guild Master of White Authority.
Unless that man was captured, the zombie apocalypse could return at any moment.

With that in mind, Sunam returned to base camp and immediately convened an emergency meeting.

Base Camp Conference

“No! That’s impossible! White Authority is mine! I created it!”

Pi Gwangseok, dragged in as a witness, was already half bald, his hair falling out thanks to the serum’s side effects. His eyes bulged with panic as he shouted his denial.

He had truly never known. He hadn’t realized he was just a puppet.

“The Seeds of the Evil God really are insidiously clever.”

Gwangseok’s shoulders sagged as the truth sank in—that the organization he thought his own had long since been stolen from him. To the Evil God’s faction, he was nothing but a disposable pawn.

“Take him away.”

At Sunam’s command, Haeil teleported Pi Gwangseok into the underground prison.
It was a sealed chamber accessible only by portal—escape was impossible.

“Domael, sorry to burden you with more, but I’ll need you to endure a little longer.”

“If it saves others from suffering, my own exhaustion is nothing.”

Domael smiled, though the dark circles under his eyes were frighteningly deep. He looked ready to collapse. Fortunately, the guild kept emergency fatigue relievers; one dose erased accumulated exhaustion completely. Overwork wouldn’t kill him.

“Aria, give the guild strict orders. Heighten security. At the slightest suspicion, they’re to use Mini-Haeil to evacuate immediately.”

“Leave it to me, Sunam.”

With all necessary orders given, Sunam rose to close the meeting. The other key NPCs rose as well, bowing formally.

“…Remember this. Your Guild Master is Aria, not me. Always put her first.”

The NPCs hesitated, glancing at one another, then finally nodded.

Aria must grow into a figure of real influence…

The more NPCs who rallied around her, the easier it would be to steer the world toward a happier ending. But for that, she had to be seen as their hero—not as Sunam’s puppet.

Next time, I’ll call only the key NPCs for secret meetings.

Sunam stepped out of the tent.

Aria followed him into the open air, her voice soft.

“You mean to seek him out, don’t you?”

“I have to. There aren’t many places suited to hiding a virus lab—it won’t take long.”

“Then… please, be careful.”

At her words, Haeil opened a portal leading to Gwanjeo-dong. On the other side, a Mini-Haeil waited, acting as the coordinate marker.

“Manage the guild well.”

Without turning back, Sunam lifted one hand in farewell and stepped through.
Behind him, Aria bowed in a graceful gesture of nobility as the portal slowly closed.

Three Days Later — Day 114, noon

“…Where the hell is this bastard hiding?”

Sunam let out a long sigh, fatigue etched on his face as he scanned the streets of Gwanjeo-dong.

It was only a single district—he had assumed two days would suffice. Yet three days of combing nearly every building had revealed nothing resembling a lab.

Was 4885’s intel even correct?

Perhaps 4885 himself had been deceived—made to believe the base was in Gwanjeo-dong.

Just then, children’s voices caught his attention.

“I’m telling you, I saw a ghost!”

“Liar! People don’t just appear and disappear out of nowhere!”

“I swear it really happened!”

The boy looked about elementary school age, but his friends jeered, unconvinced.

Appearing and disappearing people…

Sunam’s instincts sharpened.

“Hey, boy.”

The children turned and blinked.

“Oh, it’s the uncle who’s always wandering around.”

“You called me, mister?”

Three days of patrol had made his face familiar to them.

“I want to hear more about your ghost story.”

“Don’t listen to him! He’s a liar!”

“It’s true!”

At last, the “liar” boy snapped, swung a stick, and chased the others away. Left alone, he muttered:

“…I really saw it. I’m not lying.”

“I believe you.”

Sunam took a cold drink from his inventory and sipped.

“Whoa…”

The boy swallowed hard, eyes fixed on the condensation.

“Want one?”

Sunam pulled another chilled can and handed it over. The boy’s face lit up.

“Wow! Cold ones are expensive! Thanks, mister!”

Once the boy had finished drinking, Sunam asked casually:

“So, where exactly did you see this ghost?”

“Oh, that? Near the highway. Around Gubong Tunnel, I think.”

Sunam turned toward the southern mountains, where the long tunnel cut beneath Gubongsan. It was the one place he hadn’t searched yet.

That was the blind spot. I only checked buildings, thinking of a lab.

“Thanks, kid.”

He handed over a whole box of snacks. The boy grinned ear to ear, clutching the prize as he ran off—likely to share, or to brag.

Appearing and disappearing… most likely they were passing through a Gate.

Unlike towers or dungeons, Gates appeared only under specific conditions, and few knew of their existence yet.

Hong Taegyun could be hiding in an undiscovered Gate.

Sunam summoned his Absolute Map, now strengthened to +3.
Within a 700-meter radius, it revealed monsters, hunters, dungeons, towers, Gates, and bases—though only as markers, without details.

And there it was.

Found it. A Gate icon.

The boy had told the truth.

Time to confirm it carefully.

Sunam climbed the southern path and looked down toward the tunnel. Guards in White Authority uniforms patrolled within. Further inside, men in hazmat suits appeared and vanished into thin air.

“So there really are bastards already making use of Gates…”

Gates were unlike anything else.

• No skills worked inside.

• Extra lives were disabled.

• Inventories were locked.

They were isolated worlds with independent rules. Even mighty S-rank hunters had once been killed by F-rank villains within.

That goes for me too. My special abilities won’t work in there.

Which meant Jelly and Mini-Haeil had to stay behind.

“Both of you, wait here.”

Jelly shifted back into cat form, Mini-Haeil perched on its back, and together they slipped into the brush.

Good. Now all I have to do is slip inside…

Just as Sunam moved between the cars parked near the tunnel entrance—

BEEEEP! BEEEEP! BEEEEP!

Sirens screamed through the tunnel.

“Damn it… I’ve been spotted.”