Chapter 66

66 The Change Coming to the Slums

'This is putting a lot of weight on my shoulders.'

Kim, the manager, who had been standing in the corner of the store without any presence, scratched his head.

Having witnessed Nam Ki-seok's pure heart, he had to accelerate his research on hair loss medication.

'Come to think of it, Liquid metal was said to be effective for hair loss. The amount produced is small, but... I should try to create a new formula with that.'

He would give him the most abundant hair anyone had ever seen. Kim, the manager, looked at Nam Ki-seok and made a resolution on his own.

Cheon Dowoon also patted Nam Ki-seok on the shoulder and then turned to look at the siblings.

"Don't you need to buy any more clothes?"

"This is enough. When we go back, we'll change back into the clothes we used to wear anyway."

The siblings were still awkward wearing modern clothes.

More than anything, these kinds of tight clothes were uncomfortable if they wanted to freely take out and store their wings.

Park Sa-jang, who was listening to them from the side, said.

"Then I'll gift you the clothes."

"Out of the blue. Why?"

"I can't accept money from those who helped me. If it weren't for you, I would have had to close the store for a while to go to the hospital."

He was prepared for that much when he was thrown onto the asphalt.

From the moment he got away without a single scratch, he wanted to give them a set of clothes as a gift.

"If you put it that way. More than that, the atmosphere of the store seems to have changed quite a bit. Are you planning to close the clothing store?"

Cheon Dowoon looked around the store and asked.

Cute children's clothes, Hunters' guns and swords, a cleaning supplies corner.

The store's shelves were divided into thirds and displayed all sorts of things.

"Haha. It's a bit of a mixed bag, isn't it? It's hard to make a living with just a clothing store. Now I'm selling all sorts of things."

"Do people come even if you do this?"

"Surprisingly, the number of customers has increased. I think the strange atmosphere of the store worked, or maybe word of mouth spread."

Park Sa-jang said while organizing the store.

"If you need anything, just tell me. Since I've switched to a general store, I'll stock anything you're looking for."

Cheon Dowoon laughed at Park Sa-jang's words.

Even in moments like this, he was doing business; he was a true merchant.

* * *

The group left the clothing store and walked to a nearby open space.

"I'll go this far."

Kim, the manager, said as he packed his bag.

"I came out in the middle of my research, so I think I should go back. And it's a bit much to walk around in these clothes."

Kim, the manager, who had accompanied them here on the spur of the moment, was still wearing his bear pajamas.

Since his house was nearby, he was thinking of running back.

"Okay. Then Kim, the manager, you can go."

The group waved goodbye to Kim, the manager.

The gang member, who had been watching from behind, also tried to slip away, but Cheon Dowoon grabbed him.

"Where are you going? You have to stay and guide us."

"Ah, guide, where to..."

"Your organization's headquarters. I told you I was going to take it over."

The gang member rolled his eyes with a complicated expression. He couldn't grasp how seriously he should take those words.

'Who cares? It's good for me that he's going to the lion's den.'

He would be able to receive support if he went there. The gang member immediately nodded and took the lead.

"Follow me."

"Watch your tone?"

"Fo, follow me, please."

The gang member, who had habitually spoken informally, immediately backed down.

"How long does it take to walk?"

"It'll take about 30 minutes."

"Okay. Then tell me about your organization as we go. How many people are there?"

"258, including me."

"That's all?"

As if expecting Cheon Dowoon's reaction, the gang member continued.

"We don't accept just anyone. You can think of us as a small elite group. Most are F-class Awakened, so they're stronger than ordinary people. There are quite a few who used to be D-class Hunters."

"What does the organization do?"

"Well... we go around to stores and collect protection money."

"That's all? No human trafficking or anything like that?"

When Cheon Dowoon asked, the man shook his head.

"Our organization doesn't do that kind of thing. The boss has principles in that area."

"A gang with principles."

Yoo-beom, who was listening, chuckled.

The gang member scratched his head, as if he was embarrassed.

"That's true... but we don't do anything other than collect protection money. Our image is already tarnished among the merchants. We don't do anything that crosses the line, like selling drugs or people."

"Okay, I get it. It's just a difference between food waste and recyclable waste."

The gang member closed his mouth. There was no room to refute what Cheon Dowoon had said.

As they talked, the scenery gradually changed.

If the place where the clothing store was located felt like an old city, now it felt like a dilapidated and unmanaged wasteland.

"This is Area 11."

A place where the police's reach was less effective.

The slums got worse as the area number increased.

"How many areas are the slums divided into now?"

"13."

"That hasn't changed."

The most central area was Area 13. The closer you got to the outer areas, the lower the number became, and the better the living conditions were.

Cheon Dowoon turned to look at the siblings.

"How is it? This is Area 11. Does it remind you of anything?"

"Um... not really. The city atmosphere feels familiar, but maybe it's too old, there's nothing that really stands out."

"Me too. But I feel a sense of longing. Like this was my hometown."

Yoo Ji-ah said with a fresh look on her face. Yoo-beom, who was looking at the city from the side, continued.

"But it's a bit disappointing."

"What is?"

"I expected the slums to not be a pretty sight. But this is a bit beyond my imagination."

At Yoo-beom's words, Cheon Dowoon looked around.

Broken streetlights and cracked asphalt roads that had been left unattended.

More than anything, more than 80% of the walls of each building were covered in graffiti.

That alone made the city look dirty.

"I don't think it was this bad in my memory. Or was it always like this, and I'm just romanticizing it?"

"Well. Now that I hear it, it definitely feels like that."

Cheon Dowoon replied as he looked at the streets.

If Area 11 was like this, how would Area 13, where he used to live, have changed?

"Even if it's a place like this, it's still my hometown. I should clean it up a bit."

As he muttered to himself, they arrived in front of a four-story building.

"Looks like we're here. What are you going to do now?"

"We have to push. Ah. Don't kill them. We'll use them as cleaners."

"Cleaners?"

Cheon Dowoon turned to look at the siblings and smiled.

"They're all Awakened."

Even F-rank ability users had better stamina than ordinary people.

"If they're Awakened, they'll be good at cleaning."

The siblings, who noticed Cheon Dowoon's thoughts, looked dumbfounded.

Who would try to use gang members like that? They chuckled, but didn't stop him.

There was no reason to stop him from cleaning up their hometown.

"Then let's start. Since there are four floors, we can each take one floor. I'll go to the fourth floor. That's probably the boss's room."

"Then Yoo Ji-ah and I will take the second and third floors, respectively?"

"I guess I'll take the first floor."

A natural conversation took place. The gang member who had guided them here had a blank look on his face.

Could they really be planning to go inside?

"Mister. What should I do?"

"Kim Nari, you wait here. Keep an eye on that mister so he doesn't go anywhere. He's going to have a lot of physical work to do in the future, so don't treat him too harshly."

"Okay."

Kim Nari nodded. The gang member was stunned again.

He was confused about how to react to being left alone with a child, a gang member.

'What if I hit this kid?'

The gang member looked at Kim Nari. He had created a scary atmosphere at their first meeting, but he wasn't such a piece of trash that he would actually lay a hand on a child.

But he was capable of leaving the child behind and running away. After confirming that Cheon Dowoon's group had entered the building, he tried to run away discreetly.

"Mister."

"Y, yes?"

"Don't go. I don't want to break anything."

The gang member froze for a moment. Break what? He was curious, but couldn't bring himself to ask.

He was speechless at the innocent face looking up at him.

'Wow... I'm getting goosebumps right now. What the hell are these guys?'

He didn't know exactly what was going on, but it was best to listen to this child.

The gang member instinctively felt that and stayed put.

* * *

Lee Doo-cheol, the head of the Space organization.

He was once a C-class Hunter. The only reason he became the boss of a gang in the slums was one thing.

"After all, money is the best. Money doesn't betray people."

Ever since he was backstabbed by a B-class Hunter and almost died, he quit being a Hunter.

As he chased after money-making opportunities, he became the boss of a gang in the slums before he knew it.

"I don't know why I risked my life crossing Gates before. There's an easy way to make money."

As he looked at the wad of money with a satisfied expression, a sound like a bomb exploding rang out.

Lee Doo-cheol fell off his chair as the building shook as if there was an earthquake.

"Boss! Something terrible has happened!"

His closest aide opened the door and came in.

"A strange group of four has invaded our organization!"

"What are you talking about? A strange group of four? Did another organization come?"

"I think so! They're calling themselves Co... ahem."

The aide blushed slightly and continued.

"Coconut... Family. They say they're going to take over our organization."

"Coco, what?"

"Coconut. Coconut Family."

Lee Doo-cheol was speechless for a moment. He wondered if they were joking, but the aide's expression was serious.

What kind of family were they talking about with a name that sounded like they were selling coconut juice on the street?

He stood up with a stiff face.

"Did our family look like a joke to them? Coco whatever? Ha! I'll have to teach those little punks a lesson about the bitterness of the world."

There were always guys who didn't know their place and rushed in.

Lee Doo-cheol loosened his body without panicking and opened the office door.

At that moment, the door was smashed. By the time he realized it, Lee Doo-cheol was already flying away with the door.

'Ugh, wh, what!'

What he glimpsed was a man in casual clothes. He was the one who had kicked the door.

Lee Doo-cheol broke through the window and fell into the front yard outside the third floor.

"Ugh, oh, my back...!"

He was groaning from the impact of hitting the ground. He looked at the building and his mouth dropped open in shock.

'H... people are falling from the sky.'

One by one, the building windows shattered with a crash. People were being thrown out of them.

Lee Doo-cheol's mind stopped at the bizarre sight of people raining down.

Soon after, one person jumped down on his own. It was the man who had kicked him.

"That's all for the fourth floor. How about your side?"

When Cheon Dowoon asked, the siblings came out from the building entrance.

"We're done here too. The floor Nam Ki-seok was in charge of is finished too."

Lee Doo-cheol sensed it from the casual conversation.

They weren't the small fries who usually picked fights. They weren't opponents he could handle.

He, who was once a C-class Hunter, felt the gap between himself and those in front of him.

'Huh... I knew life was going too well. I guess my organization is over today.'

Lee Doo-cheol was quick to grasp reality.

He didn't know where those monsters had come from, but he immediately admitted defeat after they had annihilated his organization without even ruffling their clothes.

"Boss! It's them! They're the ones who invaded our organization!"

His subordinates, unaware of his feelings, shouted.

When Lee Doo-cheol only sweated, a few shouted as if they were frustrated.

"There are only four of them!"

They had been instantly killed by those four, and they didn't even know what was wrong. Lee Doo-cheol wanted to say that.

"This won't do. Let's go together! Everyone charge!"

"Waaaaah!"

A few gang members raised their respective abilities and charged.

"St, stop..."

He tried to stop them, but his voice was too small.

He saw his subordinates flying into the sky with the sound of impact.

People were falling from the sky again.

"I told you... not to do it."

Lee Doo-cheol groaned and covered his eyes with his hands.

* * *

'Oh my god. What is all this? I don't think those people have been inside for even five minutes.'

The gang member who was being watched by Kim Nari couldn't believe the situation in front of him.

He looked at the yard with trembling eyes.

There, everyone in the organization, including the boss, was kneeling on the ground.

"Is that all?"

"Yes, Big Bro. We've found every last one, even the ones hiding. Wow, there was even a guy hiding in the bathroom while his comrades were getting beaten up."

At Nam Ki-seok's words, a few gang members avoided eye contact.

Meanwhile, Kim Nari came out from inside with a large sign.

"I took the thing the mister told me to take."

The organization's sign that had been hanging in Lee Doo-cheol's room.

Kim Nari set up the sign, which had the word "Space" written largely in English, against the building wall.

It was their organization's sign that had been taken out, but no one opened their mouths.

"Okay. Now this building is taken over by our Coconut Family. Anyone object?"

The surroundings were silent.

Was their organization's name really Coconut? Lee Doo-cheol wanted to ask, but he wisely kept his mouth shut.

"Looks like no one objects. Kim Nari. Erase the letters."

"Okay."

Laser beams came out of Kim Nari's eyes. It evenly burned the surface of the sign.

The gang members were horrified when they saw that.

They had no loyalty to the organization. So they didn't care if the sign was burned or not, but they couldn't help but be surprised that a young child was shooting lasers from her eyes.

'Is that little kid an Awakened?'

They couldn't associate Kim Nari, who looked exactly like a human, with a Mechanical Creature.

"Mister. I erased it all."

"Good job. Now write Coconut."

Kim Nari shot the laser again.

After deeply engraving the word "Coconut" in intaglio, she hesitated and looked at Cheon Dowoon.

He nodded, noticing what Kim Nari wanted.

"Do it if you want to."

Kim Nari smiled brightly and shot the laser again.

Next to the name Coconut Family, a round fruit was drawn.

'That's just... a cafe sign.'

It looked like they would sell coconut drinks especially well. Lee Doo-cheol couldn't bring himself to say what he was thinking.

"Good. Now you are a subordinate organization of our Coconut Family. I'll tell you what to do from now on."

People swallowed hard at Cheon Dowoon's words. When a gang was eaten by another organization, there were three possible outcomes.

They were all killed, used as cannon fodder in wars with other organizations, or absorbed as members of the organization.

'The best thing would be to be accepted as a Co... ahem. Coconut organization member. But seeing as they're calling us a subordinate organization, they're planning to separate us? What are they going to make us do?'

They were Awakened. They wouldn't easily use them as disposable pawns.

The gang members looked at Cheon Dowoon, placing all their hopes on that last possibility of survival.

"You will be in charge of cleaning this Area 11."

"Cl, cleaning?"

"Yes. You're going to clean up this area. You will take the lead."

"Ah..."

The organization members groaned at the words "clean up the area."

That definitely meant they were going to be used as cannon fodder in a power struggle with other organizations.

"You'll have to buy the tools yourselves."

So they had to buy their own guns and swords. They were crestfallen at the words that they wouldn't even be given weapons.

"There will be a lot of stains on the walls. It will take quite a while to erase them. It will be a long-term battle, so it will be a battle of stamina. It may take several years, so be prepared."

Stains. Did that mean a lot of blood would splatter? Just how big of a war were they planning to wage?

'Those guys have that much power. They're definitely trying to take over all the gangs in the slums.'

They would be placed at the very front of that. They would become meat shields.

'Ah, please... God. I'll live a good life from now on. Please just let me survive this war.'

The gang members groaned, imagining their own miserable selves.