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Turn Up the Volume (1)

“……”

Kal Signer slowly opened his eyes. As an unfamiliar ceiling came into view, he slipped his hand under his pillow. The dagger he always put underneath was there.

“Ah.”

He gripped it in his fist as he took in his surroundings. Finally, he sat up. He remembered that he was back on the 1st floor and checked the clock on the table.

“…I slept for seventeen hours?” He muttered in surprise. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been able to rest like this. For the past few months, his body had been constantly exhausted because of Kim Woo-joong’s pursuit. It sapped his energy, and his health wasn’t great either.

Fucking Kim Woo-joong. I’ll make you pay for humiliating me. He gulped down the glass of water he had put on the table and went to go shower.

He was currently in a bunker in the basement of Paradise that had been built long ago for a war. He was perfectly isolated from the rest of the world.

“It’s nice and sturdy.” No one would be able to find him—not even a member of the Nine Heavens.

Signer took a long shower and came out wearing comfortable workout clothes. He checked his Vita.

A message? It was from Torres and had been sent six hours ago. Signer’s face twisted as he read the text.

– Please come to the lecture hall for a moment. I have something to show you.

“…Is that weakling trying to give me an order?” He let out a frustrated sigh. It had only been two days since they’d agreed to stay quiet and mind each other’s business. Yet here he was, trying to summon him. He couldn’t even be bothered to come to Signer himself and had sent a text message instead.

Did he go crazy? 

Fiends lived under the creed of ‘survival of the fittest’. It was a world that was ruled by the strong. Torres may have been the director of Paradise, but he was barely level 75. To Signer, who was level 100, he was like a child.

“Tsk, it’s annoying… but I’ll see what’s going on.”

As fiends did, Signer was planning to give him a good beating. He emerged from the bunker with a sour face.

The entrance was in the back of the property, and Signer stopped as he approached the building.

“Hm?” Being the experienced player that he was, he noticed that something was wrong. His eyes narrowed.

It’s too loud. 

Just the day before, Paradise had been a quiet place. Since the two hundred children were under Torres’s control, they did not scream or run around. But now, he could hear dozens of people all around the building, milling around and talking. Two men started to walk out of the building.

“I’m supposed to start on the 1st floor, correct?”

“Yeah, all the offices are here, so go through all of them before… Huh?”

They froze as they saw Kal Signer.

“You bastard, do your job right! How did a civilian get here?” The supervisor hit the other man on the back of the head.

“I-I’m sorry. But I definitely did it right…” The subordinate frowned and waved his hands in a shooing motion. “Hey, ahjussi*. You look like you got in here by accident, but you can’t just waltz in here.”

(TN: Korean for ‘mister’, typically used to refer to middle-aged men.)

“…Ahjussi?” Kal Signer’s eyes were full of fury.

He looked around. What?

He didn’t understand what was going on. From what he saw, the two men in front of him definitely weren’t fiends. They’re not even players. They’re just insects.

That’s where he started to get confused. How did normal people get into Paradise? Where are the rest of the fiends?

It wasn’t just these two. There were dozens of people running around, carrying boxes and files; they were all normal people.

“What the hell is going on here…?”

“Why do you need to know? Hurry up and go. Leave!”

…Should I just kill them all? Bloodlust leaked into his eyes, but he quickly suppressed his anger. Dammit, if only it weren’t for Seo Jun-ho. 

He was carrying out Nazad Hallow’s orders. It would be bad for him if he did something that caught the other’s attention.

“I’m going.”

The air was cool on his face as he left with only the clothes on his back. He turned around and muttered to himself.

“…What the hell happened while I was asleep?”

There was no one there to answer his question.

* * *

Seo Jun-ho sat in the vast sanctuary of the Vatican Palace. The guard players kept glancing at him.

“…They’re all staring at you,” Marco whispered. He squirmed in his seat, uncomfortable.

Seo Jun-ho turned the page in his newspaper. “Don’t pay them any mind. They’re rightfully expressing their respect,” he said nonchalantly.

“……”

Or so he said, but Seo Jun-ho glanced around his surroundings. Just as Marco had said, they were all staring at him in admiration.

It’s worse than before. 

Of course, tons of people had admired him 25 years ago. But now, they practically treated him like a god. Everyone would bow their heads as he passed them in the streets.

Well, it’s not a bad thing. He hummed to himself.

They were currently waiting for the examinations to finish. They would soon find out if the children had truly turned back to normal.

“Is it really gonna be alright? My siblings…”

“I told you. They’re not fiends anymore.” Unlike Marco, Seo Jun-ho was sure of it.

I sucked up all the Demonic energy from the roots. If they’re still fiends, they might’ve been born with it.

He’d absorbed the energy from all 217 children, raising his Magic stat by 21. His level had also increased by 2 after killing all the fiends.

“We’ve finished examining them,” a priest said as he approached. He made the sign of the cross, seeming overjoyed. “Specter-nim has once again given hope to the land! The children are safe!”

“Wow…!”

“Specter-nim!”

Priests, players, and civilians alike made the sign of the cross and raised their hands in prayer.

Pope Aberson V approached him and bowed his head. “Specter-nim… I sincerely thank you for saving the lives of these little lambs.”

“Well, someone had to do it.”

“…And I am ashamed that that ‘someone’ was not us. If it’s alright, may I release this incident to the public to warn others about the fiends?”

“Sure.” He had already been planning to make an announcement about Specter when he went back to Korea.

It’s not a bad idea to sprinkle some crumbs in the Vatican first. 

He shook the pope’s wrinkly hand.

“Buf if you’re really thankful, can I ask you a favor?”

(TN: Specter actually speaks to the pope casually.)

“Please, speak.”

“All the children I brought are orphans. They became scapegoats of crime because they didn’t have guardians.”

“……” The pope was silent. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how much pain and fear the children had suffered through.

“Your enemies are also closer than you think. The Vatican is the holiest place on Earth, and this happened right under your noses. You know the Church isn’t entirely blameless, right?”

“I have nothing to say. We’ve come to realize how blind we were.”

“Then, take responsibility. The Vatican has the capacity to take care of all the orphans in Rome, doesn’t it?”

Seo Jun-ho couldn’t do all that himself. He needed to leave it to them. Thankfully, the pope nodded eagerly.

“We won’t spare any hands. We’ll make sure the children are properly educated and happy.”

“That’s all I need to hear.” He felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He patted Marco’s head. “Since you’re now under the care of the Vatican, you won’t have any problems getting a part-time job.”

“Specter-nim…” Marco started to tear up, but Seo Jun-ho only smiled.

“You say you’re a man, but all you do is cry.”

“I-I’m not crying. There’s dust… My eyes sting, that’s all.”

There must’ve been a lot of it, because he cried for a long time.

Both Seo Jun-ho and the pope laughed.

The Association teleporter approached Seo Jun-ho, all ready to leave. It was the same person that had brought him here.

“I-I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you last time!” He folded forward at a 90-degree angle.

“Pfft

, I did all that so you wouldn’t.”

“Oh… Yes!” Seo Jun-ho looked at Marco. He seemed somewhat dissatisfied.

“…Is it really okay if you leave like this?”

“It would be a hassle if there’s a lot of people. That’s why you were the only one I called for.”

The only people in the room were the three of them. The Vatican had respected his wishes to leave quietly.

“…You’re really weird, Specter-nim. You’re the complete opposite of what I’ve read in the books.”

“Really? What do the books say?”

“They say you’re a lot nobler, colder… and they also say you’re boring.”

Seo Jun-ho bent down to meet his height. “This is your second lesson. As a player, don’t believe everything you read.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” His eyes sparkled. Marco scratched his neck and bowed deeply. “I saw that this is how people in Korea show their thanks.”

“Where did you see that…?”

“YouTube.”

“……” Seo Jun-ho was silent.

“Once I become a good player, you’ll be the first person I run to. I’m gonna repay you by becoming your apprentice,” he promised.

“Sorry, but I don’t take apprentices or anything like that.”

“Oh…” Marco’s face turned red. Seo Jun-ho ruffled his hair.

“I only take teammates. But the standards are a bit high. If you wanna get there, you’ll have to train your ass off.”

“……” Marco’s face brightened as he looked up. His heart leaped. He was as happy as the first time his hero had encouraged him.

“I hope you’re happy. Send my regards to your siblings.”

“Yes, please stay healthy!”

Seo Jun-ho and the teleporter disappeared.

* * *

Kal Signer pulled at his hair as he flipped through articles. He finally understood why he’d been chased out of Paradise.

[Breaking news! The Specter’s big revival!]

[The Specter destroys fiend hideout!]

[What exactly did Paradise do? Pope Aberson V makes a shocking reveal.]

[‘Fiend Hunter’ Specter is still going strong 25 years later.]

The articles popping up in real-time were all about Specter.

He ground his teeth.

Dammit, if I weren’t sleeping back then…

The regret hit him like a wave. If he’d been able to kill Specter or capture him alive, he might’ve been promoted to the Eighth Apostle.

“Tsk. Why are there so many lucky guys these days?”

He was referring to Seo Jun-ho and Specter. Signer was more confident in his abilities than others.

He sighed. Seems like this wasn’t the right time, Specter.

As he looked down at his plane ticket to Korea, his frustration subsided a bit.

“Just you wait. After I kill Seo Jun-ho… you’ll be next.”

Signer planned to catch two rabbits before he went back up to the 2nd floor.