A homeless camp in Old Seoul.
Kang Seung-Cheon sat back on a bench, enjoying the artificial sunlight.
"There you are. Wondered where you'd gone."
Yu-Han sat down beside him.
"What is it? Something wrong with the works I gave you?"
"No. They don't seem to have noticed anything strange yet."
"Yu-Han. Even a masterpiece gets old when you've seen it enough times. Those girls will eventually figure it out for themselves.
Can you handle that? That Alice girl, especially... She seems terribly stubborn."
"Hmph! They should be grateful.
Girls live on dreams, don't they?
That's why artists like you matter. You make those dreams."
"Hmm... Their faces, full of hatred, would give me plenty of inspiration.
But having all that hatred aimed at me... What a dreadful thought."
"Hatred? That just keeps me going...
Besides, does it matter how they react?
I'll be dead soon anyway."
---
Meanwhile, at Yang Su-Hyeon's apartment.
"There. That should cover your EMP defenses."
Yang Su-Hyeon took her hands off Alice's head and wiped away her sweat.
"I know I'm a robot, but... putting a shielding layer under my skin? Isn't that a bit much?"
"What else can we do? You can't just reach a new level of magic overnight."
Unlike a human, she hadn't needed surgery; putting the layer in had been as easy as pressing something into clay. Alice still found it unsettling.
It even came with a handy feature that let her open and close it at will when she needed to communicate with the outside world.
"By the way, Yang Su-Hyeon C..."
"I'm not taking part in Seokjeon. Absolutely not."
"I haven't even said anything yet... Why not?"
"People will know my face, and I'll have more enemies.
I have no interest in some fight over district subsidies."
"But Yu-Han's gone off on vacation without a care... Couldn't you help us out somehow?"
"What!? That bastard... No. Still no!"
"Aww, come on, Unnie~ Can't you do it for your adorable little sisters?"
"Acting cute won't work!
You should be grateful I'm already keeping your body in working order for free!"
Alice was kicked out.
---
"Ugh... Why do I feel Yu-Han's absence so much...?"
Beside her, Kim Ga-Eun offered an explanation.
"Yu-Han C has been quietly supporting us behind the scenes... We don't usually notice, but he's as vital to us as the air we breathe."
Yi Rang objected.
"Since when's that guy ever done anythin' 'quietly'? And you're the only one who needs him like air, y'know!"
"Yes, yes, fine! Someone who talks too much and does some fairly important things. Satisfied?"
Just then, Alice spotted three people standing outside the B-4 branch of the Bureau of Life Management.
They were filling something out beneath a banner that read 'Seokjeon Registration.'
"Oh... Alice C? It's been a while. You two, say hello."
It was Jeon Seok-Hyeon, along with the two young people who followed him around, Na Ye-Jin and Go Geon-Woo.
Alice introduced them to her companions.
"This is Jeon Seok-Hyeon C. Apparently, he's like an older brother to Yu-Han.
And Na Ye-Jin and Go Geon-Woo. These two are... How are you related, exactly?"
"Well, Alice C. You could say they're like my own children..."
Alice wondered why so many of Jeon Seok-Hyeon's relationships needed a 'like.'
"So what brings you here?"
"To help Yu-Han, of course.
I owe him for last time, and I'd like to see him, too."
"Yu-Han went off on vacation without asking and disappeared somewhere..."
The three murmured among themselves at the news, until Jeon Seok-Hyeon spoke for them.
"That's a shame... But helping you is helping Yu-Han.
Let's head inside."
Jeon Seok-Hyeon used a temporary pass to open the door to the B-4 branch.
Ma Sa-Yun of Yongho Center and his beastkin subordinates were already in the waiting room.
This time, Ma Sa-Yun was determined to get his greeting in.
"Director Alice! We were both too busy to introduce ourselves properly last time!
And then we ended up fighting in different areas..."
"Ma Sa-Yun C!"
Alice and Ma Sa-Yun exchanged a director-handshake.
"And this is Jeon Seok-Hyeon C."
"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting someone of your standing... A pleasure to meet you."
"Oh, please. Compared to your centers, I'm just a small-time freelancer. The pleasure is mine."
As Ma Sa-Yun shook Jeon Seok-Hyeon's hand, his eyes met Na Ye-Jin's behind him.
As if they'd planned it, they both pretended they had never met.
Meanwhile, Yi Rang was a hit with the Yongho Center staff.
"Noo-nim!! Is it true you beat that stuck-up Chae Da-Seon?"
"Yeah, I sure did. We go way back, me and her. Best friends. But she's been pickin' up some bad habits. Had to knock some sense into her. Heh."
"You're the best, Noo-nim!!"
While Yi Rang enjoyed her warm welcome, Kim Ga-Eun looked around for anyone she knew from Yongho.
But Baek Myo-Hui, her only acquaintance there, was nowhere to be seen.
Then again, she wasn't a combatant, so that made sense.
Finally, a portal opened, and Yu Seo-Yeon arrived with her subordinates from Seo-An-Dang.
This time, they wore proper combat uniforms instead of office clothes with equipment strapped over them.
"Good day, everyone. I'm Yu Seo-Yeon, a Gwajang at Seo-An-Dang.
...Everyone's identity has been confirmed, so let's get straight to business.
First, some good news.
The Jeokgwi Euthanasia Center in C-3 has reportedly been wiped out by two men: a silver-haired elf and a Latino.
Director Alice. Would those be the two we saw last time?"
Alice brightened.
So Yu-Han had planned ahead, even while taking his vacation!
"That's right. Our Deputy personally recruited those two."
"...Then why wasn't I informed sooner?"
"To keep information from leaking to outsiders."
Yu Seo-Yeon's eyes in work mode were enough to make even Alice shiver.
Was this really the same woman who had sat looking embarrassed on a perch yesterday?
"In any case, that leaves Baekto Center...
We've found no sign of them hiring private troops, nor have they made any major moves.
In fact, their operations seem to have all but stopped...
There's been no official activity outside the center at all recently."
Ma Sa-Yun laughed.
"What, did losing their allies make them lose the will to live? This should be easy!"
"I don't expect much danger... But let's stay alert until the end and put safety first."
Alice raised her hand.
"Wouldn't it be quickest to take a portal to their leader, kill him, and come back?"
"They seem well prepared to block portals.
There's a barrier covering all of C-3. Opening a portal inside it would be difficult."
Alice decided being famous sounded like quite a pain.
The moment you made a name for yourself, people started bringing every countermeasure they could think of.
"Let's head straight to the C-3 boundary, then. The longer Seokjeon drags on, the harder it is on everyone."
Yu Seo-Yeon opened a portal.
Nam Cheol and his private troops happened to be stationed at the boundary.
"Yu Seo-Yeon Gwajang-nim. Heading in?
We'll hold the line here... Call if you need support."
"Thank you, but let's hope it doesn't come to that..."
With that, the heroes of justice entered the den of evil.
Technically, they had only crossed the street.
---
They ran from the C-3 boundary toward Baekto Center without being attacked even once.
Alice almost felt as though she were out on a group run.
"What are they up to...?
Has anyone spotted any signs of a trap?"
Jeon Seok-Hyeon answered Yu Seo-Yeon.
"No, nothing."
Just then, a mocking voice rang out from thin air.
[Tsk, tsk... You fools! You're already in the trap, and you're still looking for it.]
"Who's there!"
As Yu Seo-Yeon shouted, blood-red flesh began spreading across what had been an ordinary sky.
"Th-this is dungeonification...!? In a district like this?"
"Dungeonification?"
"It's not something you see every day. I wouldn't expect you to know...
The Joseon Realm we saw when we first met was created by someone using their own mana to turn the surrounding area into a space of their own.
Take that process further, and it permanently turns the surroundings into a 'dungeon.'"
The mention of the Joseon Realm left Alice thinking of nothing but Yu Seo-Yeon's outrageous outfit.
[Just what I'd expect from Seo-An-Dang's harpy Gwajang-nim...
So calm, even with death staring you in the face.]
"You've got some nerve. Who says we're dying?
You're too much of a coward to even show your face!"
[Then have a look!!]
Baekto Center's sanctioners appeared on the rooftops around them.
Yu Seo-Yeon didn't flinch.
"Targets spotted! Fire!!"
The entire group opened fire with every gun they had, showing no mercy to the figures out in the open.
They collapsed in a hail of bullets before they could get another word out.
"Whew. Good thing they're idiots.
Came right out to get shot."
Then groans drifted down from the rooftops.
"Ow, ow... Shooting us in the face the moment we meet? Where the hell are your manners!?"
"Those were clean hits. How are they still alive?"
"Because... we've evolved!"
"Evolved...?"
The Baekto sanctioners each held up an orb of flesh.
Then they drove the orbs into their chests, right where their hearts were!
"Ghh...!"
They writhed for a moment before their bodies twisted into monstrous shapes.
"Phew... Putting these things in and taking them out every time is such a pain."
They had become hideous insect monsters, covered in black, metallic scales.
The one who seemed to be their leader had an elaborate crest on his head.
Alice asked urgently.
"They turned themselves into monsters!? Gwajang-nim, what are those things?"
"I've never seen anything like them either..."
"Aren't you the youngest Gwajang at the best center in the business!?"
Yu Seo-Yeon bristled at Alice's disbelief.
"That doesn't mean I know everything!"
The enemy leader sneered at her.
"It's the latest tech going around down here at the bottom, you know?
You've had your fun lording it over everyone, Seo-An-Dang. Your time is over!!"
The monsters all spewed flames at once.