There Is No World For ■■

* * *

Like any smuggler, Jang Man was far from sociable. And given the nature of his job, it was inevitable.

Since he sold things that shouldn’t be sold and put a price on things that shouldn’t be priced, he was unable to see people as ‘people’.

He lived a life where he would look at customers coming to the bar while calculating how much their lives were worth, and think of price tags when he saw children passing by.

As he grew older, drawing closer to the end of life than the beginning, only two types of people remained around him.

Those who were profitable, or those who were personally appealing.

And the one who knocked on his bar door early in the morning was the former.

"It's been a while, Sir."

A man wearing a dark blue coat stepped inside. He had a distinct M-shaped receding hairline and a nose ridge as sharp as a blade.

"Wollard? Are you here to beg again? I'm not interested."

"Beg, you say? Sir, have you ever seen me come to you empty-handed?"

The man called Wollard smiled cheekily and sat at a table.

"Get lost. I am not interested in whatever you've brought."

"Ugh, Sir. It hurts my feelings to see you behaving like that before you see what I've brought."

Wollard pulled something out from his coat and placed it on the table.

It was a bird skull, slightly larger than a palm.

To those unaware or inexpert, it wouldn't seem like anything special, but Jang Man recognized it at a glance.

"A magic item... although it does not seem to be a complete one, more like a fragment from somewhere."

"As expected, Sir! You could tell from a single glance. This skull was attached to a Mage's wand."

"...So what?"

"Where do you think I found this?"

Wollard rolled the skull across the table. The eerie skull stopped right in front of Jang Man.

"I don't know. And I don't care enough to find out either."

"Off the coast of Incheon, an unlucky fisherman was the one who caught it."

"..."

"Sir, I'm not a fool. I have some intuition, which is why I came to you. You know that, right?"

Thud! Jang Man slammed the cup he was wiping with a loud noise and glared at Wollard.

"So, what are you actually trying to say? What's the point of all this roundabout talk? Do you even think like a rat after hiding in a rat hole all this time?"

"A rat hole, you say? Sir, at least call it by the proper name. Blue Rat! The name is quite famous outside of Korea."

"Be it the Rat Gang or the Cat Gang, I don't care. Just get to the point."

Despite Jang Man's sharp words, Wollard's expression remained unchanged.

"Sir, I'm not asking for anything big. Just tell me one thing."

"What?"

"You are involved… in the strange happenings in Incheon these past few days, aren’t you?”

Jang Man frowned. Had he already been found out?

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"Strange happenings? Have you forgotten after enjoying the outside air for a while? This city is always strange."

"You know that's not what I mean."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about. If you're here to play detective, just go back home."

Jang Man flung the rag onto the table and headed towards the kitchen. As he walked away, Wollard gave a meaningful smile.

"There was an explosion and loud noise at the closed pier a few days ago."

Jang Man stopped in his tracks. He turned with an incredulous look on his face.

"So?"

"And just a day after the explosion, the government dispatched agents to Incheon and pulled them out in just a couple of days."

"..."

"Then, as if waiting for it, the media released articles about the commie elf who came to Earth. Anyone can see that these articles were planted by the government. What are they trying to hide by playing this card?"

Wollard observed Jang Man's expression. There was no sign of visible agitation. Instead, Jang Man sighed as if he found this entire situation ridiculous.

"Is that why you came to me? I have only one answer for you. I don't know anything."

"..."

"It's closing time. So, get out."

It seemed like Wollard wanted to say something as he opened his mouth slightly but only licked his lips and closed it again.

After a brief silence, he opened his mouth again.

"Sir, why are you getting so worked up over this? You're almost acting as if..."

Wollard's slit-like eyes swept over Jang Man's face menacingly.

"...You feel guilty about something."

And before Jang Man could respond in anger, clap! Wollard clapped his hands.

The next moment, the bar door burst open, and five men entered the bar.

All of them were wearing the same dark blue coat as Wollard, but one of them stood out due to his massive size.

The giant was tall enough to touch the ceiling, and his long coat made him look like he had a curtain wrapped around him.

However, it wasn't just his size that drew attention.

His eyes... the pitch-black eyes that showed no whites, gleaming like those of a beast, caught Jang Man's attention.

"Sir, you don't need to be afraid. These are all my friends. This big guy here is Mortimer, and he acts as a facilitator for sound conversations in our organization."

"...Sound conversations?"

Jang Man let out a bitter laugh. Sure, with a monster like that, the conversations would indeed be verysound.

"Sir, let's make this easy. Just tell us everything you know. We'll even pay you well for the information."

"I really don't know anything."

"Well, if you insist on making this difficult... Mortimer! Help this old man speak more easily!"

The giant called Mortimer strode towards Jang Man. A long shadow loomed over Jang Man when the giant stood in front of the table.

"This is your last chance, Sir."

Wollard kept provoking him. Jang Man looked alternately between Mortimer and Wollard before sighing and answering.

"Screw you, punk."

As soon as he finished speaking, Mortimer reached out and grabbed Jang Man by the collar.

Jang Man tried to resist him with his aged body, but the giant managed to lift him pretty easily. Mortimer then opened his other hand wide, positioned to slap Jang Man's cheek. Or at least he tried to.

Creak.

Just before Mortimer's slap could land on Jang Man’s cheek, the bar door opened, and someone wearing a hat stepped inside.

Wollard, his men, and Mortimer all turned their gazes towards the intruder simultaneously.

"...Sir?"

Murderous rage was immediately reflected in the intruder's golden eyes.

* * *

Dung Beetle couldn't understand the scene unfolding before him as he entered the bar.

Men in blue coats were crowding the bar, and a giant wearing the same coat was threatening Jang Man.

Even though he couldn't understand it, his emotions were clear, and his task was obvious.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Dung Beetle swung his foot at the man closest to him.

"Keugh!"

The man who was kicked in the stomach was lifted off the ground. The men in blue coats reacted a bit later, raising their fists. At that moment, Wollard shouted urgently from behind.

"You morons! Draw your guns! He's a Superhuman!"

Superhuman—The men paused on hearing that word and Dung Beetle didn't miss the opportunity created by their hesitation.

Thud! He leaped and kicked the back of the giant's knee, who was holding Jang Man.

"Ugh, keug!"

Attacked at a vulnerable spot, the giant instantly released his grip on Jang Man and clutched his knee in pain.

Dung Beetle managed to catch the falling Jang Man just in time and dove behind the counter.

"Mr. Jang Man! A Superhuman? Can you still say that you know nothing after this?"

Except for the one man who was hit in the stomach, the others drew their pistols. While Mortimer, who was hit in the back of his knee, quickly got back on his feet while snorting.

Regardless of what they did, Dung Beetle, hiding behind the counter, decided to check on Jang Man's condition first.

"Sir, what is all this about?"

"The Blue Rat. Those bastards have managed to track your trail."

"...The Blue Rat?"

"They're more like multinational thugs who call themselves informants. They originally had no ties to Korea, so I don’t know why they decided to intrude now."

Hearing Jang Man's explanation, Dung Beetle immediately managed to grasp the situation, but he wasn't flustered.

After Seti had shown him the importance of covering one's tracks, he had expected something like this to happen sooner or later.

"Sir, please escape through the back door."

"What? Alone? What about you?"

Instead of replying, Dung Beetle pulled a grenade from his waist. It was the last one remaining from the fight against the Necromancer.

As soon as Jang Man saw Dung Beetle pull the pin, he panicked and started crawling towards the kitchen.

"Mr. Jang Man! Just surrender peacefully! Our Mortimer is also a Superhuman! Do you have any idea how strong... Oh, shi—"

Dung Beetle tossed the grenade over the counter and gathered mana in his legs. The muscles in his thighs and calves tightened.

BOOM!!!

He leaped just as the grenade exploded. Vaulting over the counter, he saw the bar, half-wrecked by the blast.

The tables, caught in the explosion, were all shattered, and broken liquor bottles were scattered everywhere.

However, unlike the state of the bar, the enemies were unscathed. Not a single one had died in the explosion.

They had barely survived by hiding behind the giant.

He withstood a grenade with just his bare body? He’s truly a Superhuman.

A fight between Superhumans. And not just that, he also had to face the enemy with reinforcements twice in a row.

Feeling a bit unlucky, Dung Beetle kicked the ground. The Blue Rats didn't remain idle either.

“Shoot! Shoot him, you morons!”

Bullets rained down in the narrow bar.

Swish!

Raising his hand to protect his head, Dung Beetle charged at them in a zigzag pattern.

Although he couldn't dodge all the bullets, he trusted his Regeneration ability. As long as he managed to avoid any fatal injuries, he was confident that he wouldn’t die from mere handgun bullets.

“He’s coming! Mortimer, stop him!”

“Urrraaah!”

The only problem was the giant superhuman. Fortunately, there was no hint of any martial arts principles in him.

Thump!

The moment his kick and the giant's punch collided, Dung Beetle immediately frowned. The Surging Wave Technique’s mana caused an unexpected recoil.

Is it because of the difference in size? Or the amount of mana?

It felt as though he had kicked some steel. Retracting his foot, Dung Beetle swung a punch infused with the principles of the Surging Wave technique.

Thud!

Again, the impact traveled up his hand. However, Mortimer didn’t fall; instead, he reached out and grabbed Dung Beetle's left hand.

Crack, Dung Beetle’s left arm made a cruel sound as it broke. It was a truly overwhelming display of grip… no, strength.

Swallowing a scream, Dung Beetle used the Flying Kick technique to distance himself from the giant.

He doesn’t seem to be using martial arts. So, how is he enduring the impact?

He examined his broken left hand and glared at Mortimer. Through the torn coat, ripped by the grenade explosion, his bulging muscles twitched menacingly.

If striking him doesn’t work…

The wave of the Surging Wave Technique surged along Dung Beetle's right shoulder. Amidst the swirling mana, he extended his hand blade.

I’ll slice him /genesisforsaken