At that sound, the customer haggling over the price of the smoke bombs began to consider purchasing them. While Yoon Tae-ha, her interest waning, looked at other items in the store, the owner finally succeeded in selling a set of smoke bombs.

Having apparently overcharged properly, he approached Yoon Tae-ha, who had picked up a tactical canvas belt, humming to himself.

“That’s an AA-grade fake.”

It was the tone of someone sharing a secret just with her.

“It’s from a business that the second son of the factory owner who makes genuine belts started separately.”

Few customers wandered around here empty-handed. Yoon Tae-ha bought four belts in different colors and asked a question.

“I haven’t been around here long since coming from overseas, so could I ask you just one thing?”

“If it’s a customer’s question, I should answer. What are you curious about?”

“Where can I buy painkillers for a C-grade esper?”

The owner, who was putting the belts in a black plastic bag, gestured for her to come closer.

“Painkillers are sold in a different alley from here. But are you trying to buy something like that for the first time today, miss? If so, I’d advise you to be a little careful.”

“Are there crackdowns?”

“Tsk. It’s ambiguous... It doesn’t seem like the Protection Bureau, and yet, there are suspicious guys around these days who don’t seem like the Yeouido bunch either.”

She coaxed the owner gently, like someone who urgently needed the items.

And a little while later, she found out the locations of stores that sold more clandestine items than this one from the worried owner.

Even while saying it was dangerous, he introduced her to a store that would give her a discount if she mentioned his name.

The smell of strawberry jam grew stronger with each step she took. The smell of it simmering and sticking to the pot. It was a musty smell.

After navigating the maze-like underground passages for a while, another area appeared. Based on the boundary, the color of the vines hanging on the wall changed from bright green to dark green.

Unlike the previous area, which felt like a market, this place had an atmosphere where a crime could occur at any moment without it being strange.

There were no shop owners soliciting customers. Customers each went into stores on their own and quietly bought something before leaving.

Yoon Tae-ha went to the store the belt seller had told her about. After briefly observing the items for sale, she bought a painkiller that worked for C-grades with the cash she had prepared.

And when she lingered in the store even after finishing her business, the owner approached her. He was a man whose face was half-hidden by messy, hanging hair.

“Need anything else?”

“Do you only handle painkillers here?”

He scanned the young customer with suspicious eyes.

“What are you looking for?”

“An ability enhancer. For a telekinetic.”

“A kid already? Those are things that psychics on the verge of retirement look for.”

“I want to get a promotion this year.”

“Who would sell something like that to a girl whose purchase history starts today?”

“Isn’t it that you can’t sell it? I know things too. The items you can sell change depending on the faction, right?”

At her probing words, the owner’s lips twisted grotesquely. He sneered at her, revealing his yellowed teeth.

“Bold one. Do you have enough money?”

Yoon Tae-ha immediately showed him a thick roll of cash. At that, the owner moved in close to her. She could feel his hot breath beyond her mask. Yoon Tae-ha suppressed her senses as much as possible.

“I’ve washed my hands of that kind of thing. But there are guys in the back alleys who sell anything if you have the money. They don’t even look at purchase history.”

He tapped her mask with a finger that had sparse hair.

“A new anti-government informant has come in and is doing business. They say it’s a rising organization. Have you heard of the Black Lion?”

For a moment, Yoon Tae-ha doubted her ears.

‘Wait a minute, what did he just say?’

When she frowned, the owner, thinking the customer hadn’t understood properly, added an explanation.

“You don’t know? They’re an anti-government force currently fighting Orca for power.”

Underneath her mask, Yoon Tae-ha’s face hardened coldly. The owner, oblivious to her changed demeanor, continued his warning.

“They say it’s an organization full of terrifying unregistered espers, so even the government is paying attention. They say they’re Orca’s natural enemy.”

Having sorted out her thoughts, she asked calmly.

“It’s the first time I’ve heard of them.”

“It’s direct information from the green sea. It’s natural for this kind of name to spread among the bottom feeders first.”

Orca’s natural enemy.

That much was true. But the possibility of them selling enhancers and such in a place like this was close to zero.

“Anyway, that kind of guy is doing business. If you die there, they won’t even find your body. The Protection Bureau and the police don’t touch it.”

“Give me the coordinates.”

At her sharp demand, he drew a rough map on a faded memo pad and handed it over.

Yoon Tae-ha, looking angry, headed to the store of the person who was peddling the Black Lion’s name at an even faster pace.

The vines on the wall now looked black. The smell of alcohol and the stench from clothes that hadn’t been washed for a long time stung her nose.

It was when she looked up from the messy map. Four very well-built men, wearing helmets and dressed entirely in black, appeared from the opposite corner.

She reflexively turned her head and approached the nearest stall. Without hesitation, she bent down and pretended to look at the goods. She rummaged through her pockets as if trying to take out money.

An old man with snow-white hair offered her a hand-rolled cigarette.

And the pedestrians near the men began to slip away as if they had seen the Grim Reaper.

As far as she could tell at a glance, handguns and batons were all the weapons the men had. But the high-pressure atmosphere emanating from their entire bodies crushed the space. Their very existence was threatening.

They were moving in pairs, and the hallway felt cramped because of them.

In a situation where everyone was terrified, goosebumps rose on Yoon Tae-ha’s arms. Even after the men had completely disappeared, her heart was still tightly clenched with tension.

And an almost precognitive intuition made her stand up.

Let’s follow them.

She immediately held her breath and walked down the alley they had gone into. The lights above her head flickered precariously. Faint groans could be heard through the peeling walls.

As the sound began to get closer, she stopped, pressing herself against the wall.

“Search.”

One of the men gave a low command. Following that, there was a sound of something breaking and shattering. Another man began to plead with the one who had given the order. His voice was much higher and more frivolous.

“N-no, I really don’t know! Please, don’t break everything! That’s a really expensive herb!”

“What business does the Black Lion have in Korea?”

“I’m not the Black Lion! What lion am I? I’m a swindler, a swindler! That’s how it is in this business. If you say it’s a drug sold by the anti-government forces, it seems more effective and better than something with a genuine label... There were people looking for it, so I just used the name!”

Silence followed the desperate excuse. The sound of things breaking stopped. “Found it,” someone reported to the man who had given the order.

‘A familiar voice. It’s a familiar voice.’

Yoon Tae-ha’s body, leaning against the wall, stiffened with tension.

She lowered her body and teleported into the ruined store on the opposite side. She succeeded in safely hiding behind a counter with no goods and peered out, revealing only her eyes, to assess the situation.

The first thing she saw was a restless young man.

That man must be the dealer who traded enhancers using the Black Lion’s name. It was an easy guess. The problem was the men standing in front of the dealer.

They wore no affiliation marks but exuded a threatening aura, blocking the man’s escape route. Their towering bodies, like pillars supporting a temple, seemed adept at subduing others.

“There are names that can land you in prison just for knowing them.”

“Please, just let it go this once. I used that name because it sounded impressive, really. There are worse guys all over the world, arresting someone like me won’t mean anything...”

The dealer began to ramble, trying to stall. Suddenly, Yoon Tae-ha’s hearing, which was better than others’, caught the sound of another group’s footsteps.

‘More people are coming.’

And before long, her prediction became reality.

Bang!

Thugs poured out through the door at the back of the dealer’s store.

“Who’s interfering with business?”

“Looks like some bastards are asking for a death wish.”

They swung the weapons in their hands without hesitation, along with curses. A heavy-looking club flew threateningly. They also swung a narrow, pointed fillet knife.

A melee broke out in an instant.

She briefly considered intervening but decided against it after seeing the black-clad men’s movements.

The commander kept the dealer separate and didn’t even lift a finger. It didn’t take long for the three men to subdue nearly thirty weapon-wielding thugs.

They struck bodies, twisted limbs, and then applied force to the injured area again. Each time, the burly thugs collapsed powerlessly to the floor.

There was no mercy in the hand gestures they used to knock out those who whimpered like injured animals, clutching their twisted bones. Blood splattered on the walls and floor.

“They say there are thugs who take psychic drugs to increase their power.”

“I-I don’t know anything about that. Why did these people come out of the back door? Perhaps you know them, sir?”

“Excuses later. Take him away.”

Two men grabbed the dealer’s arms from either side. He had lost the will to resist and was dragged away.

The man with the familiar voice was still beside the leader-like man who had given the orders. He was the one who had taken down the enemies the fastest and most accurately.

My heart is beating too loudly.

It was a distance where she couldn’t hear or see. But it felt like that man could hear the sound of her heart.

“Let’s do a patrol together.”

“Understood.”

“You’re relentless too. Aren’t you tired? Working on weekdays and then working again on weekends.”

“I rested enough at school.”

“You’re the only bastard who would call going undercover ‘resting’.”

She hid behind a shelf and eavesdropped on their conversation. Just then, the young-sounding man began to take off his helmet. Each of his movements seemed to be in slow motion.

As the helmet disappeared, jet-black hair flowed down. When he took off the blood-splattered tactical goggles, eyes that were easier to recognize than his voice appeared.

Eyes with a blue flame within.

It was Cheon Geon-young.

As soon as she recognized her partner’s face, the strength drained from her body.

He was about to say something to his superior. Then he turned his head towards the store where Yoon Tae-ha was hiding. She quickly lowered her head.

‘No. He can’t see. No ordinary person can see from that distance.’

But she felt like she had to run. She heard the sound of Cheon Geon-young approaching the store she was in.

“Why?”

“Just checking.”

“Suit yourself. You’re like a ghost anyway.”

Her vision blurred with tension. As she turned her head to teleport, a few old lights that had been illuminating the area went out.

She bit her lip hard. If she teleported in this darkness, there was a possibility she might accidentally end up right in front of Cheon Geon-young, contrary to her intention.

Ten steps.

That was how much distance was left.

Meow. A thin, soft sound came from somewhere. A cat appeared from inside the closed store on the opposite side.

The animal stretched in front of Cheon Geon-young. As if it were the owner of the presence.