TRPM 29

chapter 29

The Association was able to catch its breath thanks to the sudden appearance of the Artist.

It was only natural—up until then, a few lines posted by Geomhwa on social media had put the Association under immense pressure from guilds, the media, and other Awakeners.

Things got so bad that even the Association President himself was subjected to a prosecution investigation.

Fortunately, he wasn’t ousted from his position, but most of his closest executives—his “hands and feet,” so to speak—were swept out, leaving his influence within the Association greatly diminished.

In that situation, the appearance of the Artist was nothing short of a godsend for him.

“While investigating the Artist, insist that he’s our Association’s secret weapon!”

“Huh…? But—”

“No buts! Just do as I say!”

No matter how influential Geomhwa was, she couldn’t be compared to the Artist.

The reason was simple.

As an Aura Blade user like Geomhwa, killing an ogre or troll in a single strike wasn’t particularly difficult.

But the Artist was on a whole different level.

With a single strike, he wiped out all the ogres and trolls that were quite a distance away from him.

“At that moment, the Artist proved he wasn’t an ordinary Aura-user.”

That sort of feat was impossible with the Aura Blade alone.

It simply couldn’t reach that far.

Merely extending the Aura Blade’s length wouldn’t have been enough.

If that had been the case, everyone present would have noticed the Aura Blade.

But the Artist hadn’t done that.

Unless he had literally “launched” his aura outward… such a thing was impossible.

And yet, the Artist—an Awakener presumed to be an Aura-user—had done exactly that.

Naturally, people rated him much higher than an ordinary Aura Blade user.

“Just looking at the first incident involving the Artist—yes, the Yeouido case—was proof enough.”

But what about this time?

When he first appeared, he had summoned countless swords into the air, almost as if to announce his identity. But in the end, he didn’t even use them.

When he entered the large supermarket, people assumed that in that very instant, he had subdued all the criminals inside.

But later, after analyzing the CCTV footage, a startling truth was revealed.

“Before the Artist even entered the supermarket… every criminal inside collapsed, as if their hearts had been pierced at once.”

In reality, the Artist had only paused briefly in front of the supermarket, gazing at it.

From that very spot outside, he had precisely targeted and struck down criminals hidden out of sight within.

Or perhaps it wasn’t even the Artist’s own ability.

“It could’ve been the power of that woman who was standing next to him.”

Either way, one thing was certain—the Artist and his companion were far from ordinary.

“I don’t know the Artist’s true purpose, but I think I understand his general character. That’s enough to use him.”

And so, the Association President decided to exploit him.

Judging from his past actions, the Artist and his companion seemed solely interested in killing monsters and saving people.

Granted, he had only appeared twice so far, but still.

If the Association made him famous and created the image that he was close with them, they could find ways to use him.

“It’s not like the Artist will personally step up and call us liars.”

Whether out of disinterest or a desire to maintain his mysterious image, he likely wouldn’t bother to refute the Association’s claims.

And so, the Association President announced that the Artist and his companion were agents of the Association.

Of course…

“What a joke.”

“You expect me to believe a monster like that would be satisfied working under the Association? Does that even make sense?”

“No way. The President’s just desperate and clutching at straws.”

Hardly anyone believed it.

The materials the Association released, claiming the Artist and his companion were their agents, were quickly exposed as forgeries.

And since the Association’s leadership had recently been filled with guild-friendly figures, it wasn’t hard for guild members to realize that this was just a fabrication by the President.

The guilds didn’t even bother hiding the truth—they spread it openly to independent Awakeners as well.

Thanks to that, the President’s lie was destined to be remembered as the pathetic last gasp of a man on the verge of downfall.

That aside…

[The Artist’s powers are closer to psychic abilities than aura. Just look at how he distinguished between criminals and hostages in front of the supermarket—it’s practically ESP (extrasensory perception).]

[So you’re saying he stopped their hearts with telekinesis or something? You all know that psychic energy can’t invade another person’s body.]

[But that’s only true when two psychics are on the same level. If the Artist’s mental power far surpasses others’, it’s not impossible. In fact, the weaker criminals inside all died instantly, while the stronger ones only fainted after resisting somewhat.]

[But according to Awakeners at the scene, nothing registered on the mental energy detectors. How do you explain that?]

It was no surprise that every TV program was filled with debates about the Artist.

What exactly were his powers?

What was his goal?

And even if his victims were criminals, was killing them outright instead of subduing them truly justifiable?

It felt like the whole world was revolving around the Artist.

Everyone wanted to uncover his true identity.

Well… not everyone.

“Investigating the Artist won’t get us anywhere. Let’s focus on something else.”

Some sharper minds directed their attention elsewhere.

Specifically, to the hostage crisis itself.

Why had it happened in the first place?

And why had the Artist chosen to appear at this incident, following the Yeouido case?

“So? Those guys who staged the hostage situation in the supermarket… why the hell did they do it?”

“It looked like they planned it out pretty carefully.”

Most of the criminals who staged the hostage crisis were killed, but some of the stronger ones survived.

Naturally, it was only right to ask them why they had carried it out.

And so, all of them were interrogated at the police headquarters…

“…What? The hostage crisis was an experiment?”

Their answer was something no one had expected.

“Yeah. They said they wanted to analyze how quickly you cops and the Association would respond, and what methods you’d use.”

“…And you’re telling us this so easily, why?”

“What, did you think criminals like us have loyalty? Nobody’s coming to rescue me, anyway….”

In fact…

“Normally, after 24 hours, I should’ve either escaped or been captured, then rescued immediately. But since nothing’s happened, doesn’t that mean I’ve been abandoned?”

“……”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong—I get why. Once that Artist guy showed up and wiped us all out in an instant, even the higher-ups must’ve been too terrified to risk saving us. They’re probably just hiding in fear of being caught themselves.”

Anyway—

“The hostage crisis was staged by 18 different organizations working together. Want me to list their names?”

“…Please do.”

“First, our group’s name is—”

Every surviving participant turned out to be an executive of one of the organizations, and their testimonies all matched.

They had been confident in their own strength as executives, yet they had been utterly helpless before the Artist. Their pride had been completely shattered.

No—it went beyond that. Their cooperation was unnervingly eager, as if their very will to resist had been broken.

The police found this strange, but after cross-verification, they concluded the testimonies weren’t lies.

Unless, of course, it was because the Artist had done something to them.

Either way, the police announced the discovery to the media:

Eighteen crime syndicates had formed an alliance and were preparing for something big.

“I’m scared to even leave the house these days….”

“Son, when cram school ends, you come straight home, understood?”

“Aah… What’s happening to the world….”

Naturally, the public grew anxious.

But since the criminals had been crushed so easily by the Artist, they stayed quiet for a long while afterward.

As time passed, talk of the “18 organizations” faded from people’s minds.

About two months after the supermarket hostage incident—

“Hehehe… What should we ride first?”

I smiled softly as I watched Ha-eun beam while looking at the map.

“Excited, aren’t you?”

“Gunwoo? Ha-eun and I are going ahead first, okay?”

“I’m coming too.”

I said that and followed after Ha-eun and Yeon Mirae.

Both of them were usually cheerful, but today they seemed even brighter than usual.

Well, of course. Today was the day Ha-eun had been waiting for—the day she finally came to the amusement park.

She had struck a deal with her mother: if she attended cram school diligently, she could go to the amusement park with Mirae as her guardian.

Technically, Mirae had been the one who negotiated, but Ha-eun had kept her promise, and as a result, she was granted the trip.

Thanks to that, Mirae and Ha-eun had come to the amusement park—and I’d tagged along too.

Though, I didn’t expect Mirae to sparkle with excitement at the sight of the park as much as Ha-eun.

Then again, Mirae was still just a high schooler.

Maybe bringing Ha-eun here was just an excuse—maybe she had wanted to come herself all along.

Sure, she was in a position where she could go whenever she wanted, but going alone wouldn’t have been much fun. So she dragged Ha-eun along.

And thanks to that, I got dragged along as well.

Not that I minded.

I knew the importance of rest. Rest didn’t just mean lying in bed—it also meant refreshing your mind like this.

Besides…

It’s been a while since I’ve been here.

It was my first time at this amusement park in this life, but before my regression, I had come here maybe three times.

I even remembered visiting on a school trip.

It was nice, letting those old memories resurface.

Still, this park wasn’t exactly the same as the one I remembered.

Some rides that didn’t exist yet would appear in the future, and others that existed now would disappear.

The overall layout was similar, but the details were different.

It all felt both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

“……”

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to notice what had changed and what hadn’t.

Reliving old memories, playing like a child my age—it could be good rest.

After all, right now, I was just a kid not even ten years old.

“Gunwoo! Hurry up! Hurry!”

With that thought in mind, I followed Ha-eun and Mirae as they waved for me to catch up.