Chapter 110
"...And you just came back like that?"
It was Khalifa speaking.
She was directing the question at Jin, but since he had just stuffed a mouthful of cookies into his mouth, he could only nod in response.
"Who do you think it was? The one targeting Jin."
Khalifa's gaze shifted sideways.
Surprisingly, the question wasn't directed at Po.
Instead, it was aimed at D'Andre, who was sitting next to Jin, gulping down a beer while the bartender was busy explaining an operation plan in the briefing room.
"Hmm. An obsessive fan?"
"Not impossible."
Khalifa nodded.
Were there that many fans devastated by a pop star's sudden career change?
The number of people surrounding the tightly shut agency building, demanding an explanation with veins bulging in their necks, was reportedly increasing by the day.
The idea that a few of them had gone rogue and pooled their money to hire an assassin was far-fetched, but not entirely impossible.
Not that it meant it was the correct answer.
"Sure, I can see someone hiring an assassin. But why Jin, of all people?"
Khalifa's eyes turned to Jin again.
"He's the one who put an end to the rampage, not the one who started it. Why are they holding the wrong person accountable? If they had even a basic level of common sense and intelligence, they wouldn't do that."
"Exactly."
D'Andre exhaled heavily through his nose in agreement.
Then, just like Khalifa, he turned to Jin and asked,
"No other unusual events?"
"Nuh-uh."
"Anyone suspicious approaching you?"
"…Hold on."
Jin, his cheeks puffed out from the stuffed cookies, pounded his chest a few times before forcing down a gulp of milk to swallow the contents in his mouth.
Then he replied,
"A few people recognized me, but they just asked for a photo or an autograph and left."
And then, naturally, he added,
"The one who ordered the assassination... it probably wasn't a fan. More likely, it's the person behind Elina's downfall."
As he recalled the words displayed in his status window, the expressions of the two Linkers grew even more serious.
Khalifa was the first to speak.
"...You mentioned before that Elina was addicted to drugs."
"Yeah, that's what I heard. Her producer forced her to take them. Used them to control her."
As Jin recalled past conversations, Khalifa silently tapped the table with her fingertips for a moment before turning to D'Andre and speaking slowly.
"Does anyone come to mind?"
"Someone does... but you don't mean him, do you?"
"Isn't it plausible? Drug-based control. An extensive, octopus-like business expansion. And seriously, how many insane people are there who would attempt an assassination just because someone got on their nerves?"
"That's true."
D'Andre nodded as Jin tilted his head, puzzled.
Feeling left out of the conversation, he voiced his irritation.
"Are you two gonna keep talking in riddles? Let me in on it too."
"Shh."
D'Andre lowered his voice as if someone might be eavesdropping and whispered,
"It's not confirmed, so just take it with a grain of salt. But there's a Linker known as the 'Drug King.' His name is Andrei Belikov, a big shot in this world... in all the worst ways. People keep saying he controls the Solos and mercenaries under him with drugs."
"Whispering like that just makes it more suspicious, idiot."
With a sigh, Khalifa scolded D'Andre before picking up where he left off.
"Put simply, he's the worst kind of scum who's good at sniffing out money. He was already notorious, but a few years ago, he started wiping out his competition and rising to power. Now, he's solidified his position in the underworld. Wait, instead of just talking, we should start investigating—"
"Whoa, whoa, hold on. This is Elina's problem. Should we really be diving this deep into it—"
Jin hadn't even finished his sentence when—
"This is your problem too."
"How can you even say that?"
Both voices overlapped almost perfectly.
Khalifa and D'Andre, who rarely saw eye to eye, were in complete sync today, leaving Jin blinking in confusion.
How did this escalate so suddenly?
It had been a long time since he'd been back in Downtown.
The fatigue from travel still lingered, but despite that, he came straight to Anekdote.
Not only because there were so many familiar faces he wanted to see, but also because his mouth was itching to share all the stories that had piled up.
Of course, it was a shame that friends like Natasha and Maximo were away on assignments, but at least D'Andre had joined in later.
With a mountain of cookies as snacks, Jin had been excitedly rambling about everything—
The rotation, the Apostles, something about "Chichi Baldo"—
All sorts of chatter flowed, and the 'assassin attack incident' was just one of them.
He only meant to mention it in passing—"Oh yeah, this happened too"—but somehow, Khalifa and D'Andre had latched onto the story with intense seriousness.
Of course, it wasn't without reason.
Jin bringing trouble upon himself and someone deliberately targeting him were two completely different matters.
An Apostle barging in was an unavoidable force majeure.
The unexpected need to protect a relic?
Oh, my Solo has grown strong enough for even a Sword Saint to trust him with something like that.
That's great news.
But seriously, can you please start being more careful?
—was something they could think about and say.
But assassination wasn't just a one-time event.
It was an ongoing, ever-present threat that required vigilance.
And so, their concerns naturally led to speculation.
If you're not competent, then surround yourself with competent people—wasn't that the saying?
With just a few key words, the two Linkers had managed to piece together the situation pretty accurately.
The problem was, as a result...
A quest had just been triggered.
[Linked Quest: Underworld Kingpin 2]
The one behind Elina's downfall.
At the end of that dark shadow,
stood a Linker known as the 'Drug King.'
Track him down with Elina.
Reward: 18,000 XP
Wait, what the hell.
Apparently, just figuring out the name "Andrei Belikov" was enough to fulfill the quest's trigger condition.
Jin took a step forward, like a cow stumbling backward and accidentally catching a rat.
It was the very definition of "some people are just destined for success."
Naturally, he also gained a bit of experience.
Yet, even as fanfare rang through his mind and his brain cells tap-danced in delight, Jin merely propped his forehead on his hand.
Seriously, this thing just won't quit.
The status window had appeared with a dramatic flourish, as if it had been waiting for this moment.
The sheer absurdity of it left him speechless.
Jin watched the translucent display in silence for a while before crossing his arms.
And then, he pondered.
Was there something to this?
Otherwise, why would it keep showing up so persistently despite his uncooperative attitude?
It made sense.
Jin couldn't pinpoint exactly when it happened, but he had long stopped believing that this neat little square was just a simple combination of ones and zeros, responding to predefined conditions.
No—this status window seemed alive.
Almost as if it had a will of its own.
It was an inexplicable feeling, something born from experience rather than logic.
In other words, he had no concrete evidence.
But Jin trusted his instincts.
And so—
Time to put it to the test.
As soon as he made up his mind, he shot to his feet.
"Where are you going?"
"Just a sec. Need to make a call."
Jin stepped out of the shop and pulled out his communicator.
After scrolling through his contacts, he dialed a number.
The dull, standard ringtone played a few times before the person on the other end picked up.
[...Mmm? What's this about?]
"Oh, come on. Why's your voice all sluggish this early in the evening, old man? You drinking again?"
[What's it to you if I am?]
John Harrison.
Leader of the city government's special forces unit, the Lawbringers—
and a year-round, die-hard alcoholic who sounded properly buzzed.
[So, what do you need?]
"I wanted to ask about Elina's whereabouts."
[Elina? Hic. Why her?]
"I need to ask her something. Do you know where she is right now?"
Jin had a simple reason for looking for the colonel.
Back when he handed Elina over to the city government, he had preferred entrusting her to someone he knew, which was why he had asked the colonel to take her in.
Technically, it was the lieutenant, Q, who had come to pick her up.
But as her superior, the colonel would surely know how things had progressed.
And so, the response he got was—
[Of course I do. She's our adorable little rookie now.]
"...What?"
[Turns out she's got more talent than expected. She managed to stabilize her abilities much faster than we anticipated. Right now, she can maintain her sanity at about 30% of her full power. So— hic—we decided it'd be a waste to let her sit around. She's gradually being deployed under my supervision...]
"Wait, hold on. You're telling me Elina officially joined the Lawbringers?"
[That's right. Why? Want me to add that she's basking in the love of her seniors?]
Jin let out a hollow laugh at the colonel's response.
"Did you at least tell her how dangerous the monsters you guys hunt are?"
[The Face Collector? Of course we told her. Showed her at least a hundred photos of veterans who got their limbs ripped off and had to retire.]
"And she still agreed?"
[Unlike someone, she doesn't back down.]
This drunk bastard.
Jin sighed unconsciously.
He even shut his eyes tight for a moment.
He could almost hear the collective groans of fans clutching their necks in distress.
Seriously, though.
Voluntarily enlisting in a special forces unit that lives on the edge of death?
What kind of madness was that?
While Jin was silently lamenting, the sound of a bottle being tipped back came through, followed by the colonel's voice.
[So, what do you need Elina for? Hic.]
"Ah, well..."
It wasn't exactly classified information.
Jin naturally explained the situation, and after listening quietly, the colonel sniffled and summarized.
[So, in short—someone's holding a grudge over you handing Elina over to the city government. That someone is a Linker called the Drug King. Given the circumstances, he was likely the one supplying drugs to the deceased Producer. When Elina got cut off, he took a financial hit and decided to kill you, but failed. Now, you want Elina's consent to take him down together. That about right?]
The man was a soldier through and through—his summary was so clean that
Jin didn't need to repeat himself.
"Yeah. Spot on."
To which the colonel replied—
[Sorry, but I can't grant that request. I can't authorize pulling personnel from the unit for a civilian's personal matters. That goes for Elina or anyone else. This is completely different from simply escorting someone. More importantly, the Lawbringers don't dwell on the past.]
Huh?
Jin tilted his head at the unexpectedly firm rejection.
What the hell?
Was this all just him jumping the gun?
Did the damn status window set him up for nothing?
Goddamn it.
Jin silently cursed at the status window as he clicked his tongue.
[That said, it's not like there's no way around it.]
The colonel's voice carried a hint of amusement, making Jin perk up.
"And what's that?"
[Simple. If you become a Lawbringer, problem solved. Then I'll personally take care of this Drug King or whatever.]
"You've gotta be kidding me."
At the sudden recruitment attempt, Jin grumbled,
but the colonel just laughed heartily.
[If that's a no-go, how about a collaboration like before? Who knows? Maybe some camaraderie will blossom along the way.]
"Yeah, no thanks. Not interested in 'missions.'"
[It's really not a bad deal. We've been considering working with high-level solo hunters anyway. Pay's good, too. What do you say? Yes or no?]
"...Wait. You're actually serious?"
Jin hadn't expected a genuine job offer, but the colonel responded with an amused chuckle.
[Just so we're clear, this has nothing to do with chasing the Face Collector. So don't worry about that.]
"You've gotta be kidding me."
Jin let out a dry laugh at the unexpected turn of events.
Then, gazing up at the darkening sky, he muttered—
"Alright. Let's hear it."
"Good."
The next moment.
A voice, stripped of any trace of intoxication, rang clearly through the device and into Jin's ear.
[Not sure if you've heard of Apophis. We're planning to investigate it. So, tell me, do you have a fear of heights?]
Right then, the status window made another appearance.
The subtitle [Underworld Kingpin 2] faded away like a passing breeze.
And in that empty space, new text began to take shape.
「Aerial Fortress, Apophis」━━━━━━━
Investigate the aerial fortress alongside the Lawbringers.
Reward: XP 33,000
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Jin stared blankly at the now-transformed status window.
His jaw slowly dropped.
"Huh?"