The meeting moves on for another thirty minutes. The organization is still in rough patches, but everyone seems amenable to the idea of using the pattern of The Seven Deadly Sins as the alternate manifestation of the Devil Hunter’s Club when we start moving in earnest.
Kim Hajin then makes up several countermeasures to modify the CCTV footage and blur them into shadows so that we can protect our identities. Cube AI can do something similar, but with Hajin’s Authority of Setting Intervention on top of that, it will become nigh untraceable to us anymore.
Each of us also prepares an alibi with each other. Rachel is also on board with this as she is struck with the flow. We also have Yoo Yoenha’s cooperation which we disguise as kidnapping in the meanwhile.
“I will set up secret passages for you guys in your dorm rooms so that we can easily meet up here. We should strictly go on with our circle of friends to lie low just so that we can play safe.” I inform them.
We disperse from the meeting area. Nayun and Suho sneak back to their dormitory. Hajin returns to the Devil Hunter’s Club room to stage that he has been knocked out and is luckily not mind-controlled. Meanwhile, I have myself apprehended by the Hero Association.
I am aware of the effects of the stunt I pulled off, but honestly, this will be an easy fix. I just have to wait for a week for Hajin to save me. Moreover, I have a few objectives in mind for getting inside the Hero Association Tower.
“Face the wall,” A High-Rank Hero sternly warns me. I do as he commands me. “Hyon Hyung, Cube Cadet Rank #1111, you are under arrest for the crimes against humanity for affiliating to Djinns…”
He recites me this world’s version of Miranda rights. I choose to remain silent.
As I am being guided to a Hero Association chopper, I see Shin Jonghak on my way. He sends me a glare. “You are lucky that the Association found you first.” He jeers at me, his triumphant smirk rubbing my nerves the wrong way.
If not for the cuffs restraining me, I might not be able to control myself. I really like to punch that perfect set of teeth he has.
“Pathetic bastard. I will be back in a week at the latest, and I am going to beat your ass real good.” I send him an equally threatening glare. “Clean your neck before then.”
I still have not forgotten him ambushing me.
“Such a nobody dares mock me?”
“Yeah, and what do you care?”
I gain joy from seeing Jonghak so incensed. I cannot enjoy this anymore as overpowering magic power takes hold of both of us.
“Shut up.”
Only two words. That is what it takes for me to freeze in my tracks. I see a small little girl from my peripheral vision. It is none other than the Human Dragon Aileen, one of the most notable Heroes of the Association, and also a recurring character from the novel.
She is called the Human Dragon because she has command over her words. Her ability is dubbed the Dragon Tongue and is infamous for forcibly giving substance to reality just by mere words. However, there is something she is more infamous for than her powers, and that is her height. By reader terms, she is what everyone calls a Legal Loli.
I behave myself. Jonghak also realizes the difference in status and strength between him and Aileen.
Aileen has a height complex, and it is taboo to address her height when she is around.
I feel like a light bulb abruptly lights up in my head. I use my Cube AI to analyze Shin Jonghak and it doesn’t take it long for me to be able to replicate his voice. I had Cube alter my voice on Jonghak’s tone, pitch, and everything.
I use my Gift [Nobody Here] on myself to decrease my presence. I then use ventriloquism with the Cube AI’s help. “So small…” I match Jonghak’s mouth’s slight movement to reduce the flaws of my ventriloquism if there are any. “Loli?” A single word in a rising intonation as if unsure of his own observation.
Shin Jonghak covers his mouth in disbelief while shocked. “Did I say that out loud?” His face seems to suggest. That only helps me more as I add more fuel to the fire. “Unbelievable, even goblins are taller than her.” The sounds seem to come from Jonghak but it is actually coming from me. But because of him covering his mouth with his palm, that doesn’t help his case at all.
Aileen’s ears have gone red until it reaches her cheeks. “I came here not to hear a junior’s drivel, but to escort a criminal.” Dangerous magic power fluctuates around her as she activates her power.
Jonghak has become aware of what is happening as he looks back at me with resentment. “You…”
“Get flung!” Aileen emotionally waves her hand, sending Shin Jonghak flying to the sides until he crashes on the rubbles of rocks and concrete from where I recall Dark Nayun has been shooting energy beams.
“And you.” Aileen directs her gaze to me causing me to freeze. “Try anything funny and you are dead.”
I meekly nod at her threat.
***
Yun Seung-Ah is leading the investigations on finding the hiding Djinns within Cube and purging them if necessary. Becoming a Djinn is a one-way ticket to hell. If a student does become a Djinn, no amount of rehabilitation will be able to save them.
Becoming a Djinn is unlike being addicted to your vices. There is no workaround after a person becomes a Djinn. They can only live a life of crime after they are found out.
The reason why Djinns cannot return to humanity is that Djinns suffer from repeated persistent psychopathic tendencies. Psychologists are not able to provide an answer to the cause of the phenomena, and it has become a shared belief that Djinn’s insanity is incurable.
Waving her sword systematically, Yun Seung-Ah kills another group of Djinns within Cube. One is an instructor at the level of Intermediate Rank and then there are several Cube Cadets who are at Low Rank and nearing intermediate.
“This is going to be one big scandal.” She cannot imagine the backlash of this.
Djinns within Cube, and then instructors too being involved with them. Is Korea really the safest place in the world? Questions. Doubts. It will be a riot.
“Ma’am, we have apprehended the mastermind of this incident… We are sending him to the Hero Association Tower immediately.”
“I will be going, I want to do the interrogation myself.” Yun Seung-Ah replies to the Association personnel through her earpiece. “Who is our mastermind? Have you done background checks on him already?’
“Yes, ma’am… we already did… It was just last week… It is Cadet Hyon Hyung…”
***
“Just admit to your crimes already! We have a witness and video footage of your confession!” A High Rank Hero pressures me on admitting the so-called crimes. His magic power is certainly threatening, but it doesn’t scare me. I know better, duh? I tampered with the data, and my voice should be indiscernible from then.
I simply look at the Hero’s face with rainbows, and unicorns dancing around him. I have my Cube AI to use a filter function for my entertainment. The should-be intimidating gangster-looking Hero doesn’t scare me. I must be insane to use Cube AI for something like this.
I maintain my poker face, while the interrogator's spit lands on me every time he yells. My silence should be enough answer to him. This will be solved in a week’s time anyway, and I only need to endure that long until I fulfill my purpose of coming here.
[Infiltrating and Hacking the Hero Association’s Tower’s System at 1%]
I give my system interface a glance, thinking that a week should be enough to make the Hero Association’s information network ours. Forget the network, the Association’s dirt, every mission, and every item in their storage— I will have them to be just within the reach of my grasp anytime I want.
That is one mighty ambition for a nobody like me.
"Look here,” The High-Rank Hero in front of me realizes that I am not going to fall through provocation, thus he decides to use logic and reason. “You see this hologram footage. This is Shin Jonghak, and this is you.”
The inside of the footage is the same Mock Dungeon where Jonghak and I fought. I have Cube only tamper on the CCTV footage, so the Association should know most part of what did truly occur. Of course, I corrupted a few damning CCTV footage too like the fight against the Devil’s Seed’s host.
“There are two forces fighting at that time. You must have come to a conclusion like that if you watched all of the CCTV footage. Guess which force I belong to?” I pretentiously praise myself. "Oh, I am on the good guy's side! You shouldn't forget my handsome mug! You saw me in this video footage killing Djinns too right? How am I in the hell on their team!?"
My tone of voice seems to irk my interrogator. “I am the one who asks the question.” He intimidatingly raises his voice. “What are these two forces then? And how do you know all of this?”
“It is just an assumption on my part. Jonghak seems to know something, why didn’t you apprehend him at least as a suspect to know what he knows.” I challenge my interrogator. Before he can even direct me to his anger, I answer seriously. “Honesty, even without watching the CCTV footage, you should know that there are two forces fighting at that time if you are competent enough.”
The interrogator reigns in his anger. “If you are so competent then tell me what are these two forces? What is your basis that there are two forces then?”
“I am not a fortune teller, sir… I cannot tell what these two forces exactly are.” I respectfully address him which only serves to annoy him more. “The reason why I came up with the deduction that there are two forces is that despite their Djinns being involved, there are not as many casualties as one might expect. The Djinn forces inside Cube are big. You should have seen it for yourself. Yes, there are casualties, but it is not as big as other incidents where there are literal bloodbaths. It cannot be that it is Jonghak’s heroics that are the sole reason why there are lesser casualties now!”
The man in front of me is wearing a suit, and he seems to be not the stuck-up kind of guy. There is no rigidness to his questioning too, but he shows patience and experience. I cannot imagine my interrogator as a personnel of the Association.
Cube provides me with data about my interrogator just right on time from the Hero Association’s information pile. It seems that the person before me is an affiliate of a Guild, and was working as a policeman before becoming a Hero.
I am not exactly engaging my interrogator to build hype. I am just bored and want to kill time. That aside, choosing to remain silent over a period of time will just make me look suspicious. I should put minimal effort into trying to convince them that I am not their guy.
***
'He is eloquent…' Yun Seung-Ah watches from behind a one-sided mirror glass.
She has someone in her unit to interrogate the suspected mastermind first to get a feel for what kind of person Hyon Hyung is. Initially, she is confident that the interrogator she sends to Hyon Hyung will at least be able to glean a few truths.
But Hyon Hyung is just… too good. On making conversations. The interrogation has become a discussion on what has transpired on the day Cube is attacked as if it is the actual investigation itself. The thing is… Hyon Hyung’s words are spot on, if not put better.
“This cannot continue, or else we will be led around.” Yun Seung-Ah tells her aide just beside her. “I want to talk to him.” Yun Seung-Ah is not an expert interrogator, but her insight will be of much help to her in discerning the truth and lies in Hyon Hyung’s words.
She has seen the remnants of the battlefield itself, and it only takes her a single glance to learn how the battle developed. After watching every footage before returning to the tower, she also now has a much better grasp of what could be the objectives of both sides.
The meeting moves on for another thirty minutes. The organization is still in rough patches, but everyone seems amenable to the idea of using the pattern of The Seven Deadly Sins as the alternate manifestation of the Devil Hunter’s Club when we start moving in earnest.
Kim Hajin then makes up several countermeasures to modify the CCTV footage and blur them into shadows so that we can protect our identities. Cube AI can do something similar, but with Hajin’s Authority of Setting Intervention on top of that, it will become nigh untraceable to us anymore.
Each of us also prepares an alibi with each other. Rachel is also on board with this as she is struck with the flow. We also have Yoo Yoenha’s cooperation which we disguise as kidnapping in the meanwhile.
“I will set up secret passages for you guys in your dorm rooms so that we can easily meet up here. We should strictly go on with our circle of friends to lie low just so that we can play safe.” I inform them.
We disperse from the meeting area. Nayun and Suho sneak back to their dormitory. Hajin returns to the Devil Hunter’s Club room to stage that he has been knocked out and is luckily not mind-controlled. Meanwhile, I have myself apprehended by the Hero Association.
I am aware of the effects of the stunt I pulled off, but honestly, this will be an easy fix. I just have to wait for a week for Hajin to save me. Moreover, I have a few objectives in mind for getting inside the Hero Association Tower.
“Face the wall,” A High-Rank Hero sternly warns me. I do as he commands me. “Hyon Hyung, Cube Cadet Rank #1111, you are under arrest for the crimes against humanity for affiliating to Djinns…”
He recites me this world’s version of Miranda rights. I choose to remain silent.
As I am being guided to a Hero Association chopper, I see Shin Jonghak on my way. He sends me a glare. “You are lucky that the Association found you first.” He jeers at me, his triumphant smirk rubbing my nerves the wrong way.
If not for the cuffs restraining me, I might not be able to control myself. I really like to punch that perfect set of teeth he has.
“Pathetic bastard. I will be back in a week at the latest, and I am going to beat your ass real good.” I send him an equally threatening glare. “Clean your neck before then.”
I still have not forgotten him ambushing me.
“Such a nobody dares mock me?”
“Yeah, and what do you care?”
I gain joy from seeing Jonghak so incensed. I cannot enjoy this anymore as overpowering magic power takes hold of both of us.
“Shut up.”
Only two words. That is what it takes for me to freeze in my tracks. I see a small little girl from my peripheral vision. It is none other than the Human Dragon Aileen, one of the most notable Heroes of the Association, and also a recurring character from the novel.
She is called the Human Dragon because she has command over her words. Her ability is dubbed the Dragon Tongue and is infamous for forcibly giving substance to reality just by mere words. However, there is something she is more infamous for than her powers, and that is her height. By reader terms, she is what everyone calls a Legal Loli.
I behave myself. Jonghak also realizes the difference in status and strength between him and Aileen.
Aileen has a height complex, and it is taboo to address her height when she is around.
I feel like a light bulb abruptly lights up in my head. I use my Cube AI to analyze Shin Jonghak and it doesn’t take it long for me to be able to replicate his voice. I had Cube alter my voice on Jonghak’s tone, pitch, and everything.
I use my Gift [Nobody Here] on myself to decrease my presence. I then use ventriloquism with the Cube AI’s help. “So small…” I match Jonghak’s mouth’s slight movement to reduce the flaws of my ventriloquism if there are any. “Loli?” A single word in a rising intonation as if unsure of his own observation.
Shin Jonghak covers his mouth in disbelief while shocked. “Did I say that out loud?” His face seems to suggest. That only helps me more as I add more fuel to the fire. “Unbelievable, even goblins are taller than her.” The sounds seem to come from Jonghak but it is actually coming from me. But because of him covering his mouth with his palm, that doesn’t help his case at all.
Aileen’s ears have gone red until it reaches her cheeks. “I came here not to hear a junior’s drivel, but to escort a criminal.” Dangerous magic power fluctuates around her as she activates her power.
Jonghak has become aware of what is happening as he looks back at me with resentment. “You…”
“Get flung!” Aileen emotionally waves her hand, sending Shin Jonghak flying to the sides until he crashes on the rubbles of rocks and concrete from where I recall Dark Nayun has been shooting energy beams.
“And you.” Aileen directs her gaze to me causing me to freeze. “Try anything funny and you are dead.”
I meekly nod at her threat.
***
Yun Seung-Ah is leading the investigations on finding the hiding Djinns within Cube and purging them if necessary. Becoming a Djinn is a one-way ticket to hell. If a student does become a Djinn, no amount of rehabilitation will be able to save them.
Becoming a Djinn is unlike being addicted to your vices. There is no workaround after a person becomes a Djinn. They can only live a life of crime after they are found out.
The reason why Djinns cannot return to humanity is that Djinns suffer from repeated persistent psychopathic tendencies. Psychologists are not able to provide an answer to the cause of the phenomena, and it has become a shared belief that Djinn’s insanity is incurable.
Waving her sword systematically, Yun Seung-Ah kills another group of Djinns within Cube. One is an instructor at the level of Intermediate Rank and then there are several Cube Cadets who are at Low Rank and nearing intermediate.
“This is going to be one big scandal.” She cannot imagine the backlash of this.
Djinns within Cube, and then instructors too being involved with them. Is Korea really the safest place in the world? Questions. Doubts. It will be a riot.
“Ma’am, we have apprehended the mastermind of this incident… We are sending him to the Hero Association Tower immediately.”
“I will be going, I want to do the interrogation myself.” Yun Seung-Ah replies to the Association personnel through her earpiece. “Who is our mastermind? Have you done background checks on him already?’
“Yes, ma’am… we already did… It was just last week… It is Cadet Hyon Hyung…”
***
“Just admit to your crimes already! We have a witness and video footage of your confession!” A High Rank Hero pressures me on admitting the so-called crimes. His magic power is certainly threatening, but it doesn’t scare me. I know better, duh? I tampered with the data, and my voice should be indiscernible from then.
I simply look at the Hero’s face with rainbows, and unicorns dancing around him. I have my Cube AI to use a filter function for my entertainment. The should-be intimidating gangster-looking Hero doesn’t scare me. I must be insane to use Cube AI for something like this.
I maintain my poker face, while the interrogator's spit lands on me every time he yells. My silence should be enough answer to him. This will be solved in a week’s time anyway, and I only need to endure that long until I fulfill my purpose of coming here.
[Infiltrating and Hacking the Hero Association’s Tower’s System at 1%]
I give my system interface a glance, thinking that a week should be enough to make the Hero Association’s information network ours. Forget the network, the Association’s dirt, every mission, and every item in their storage— I will have them to be just within the reach of my grasp anytime I want.
That is one mighty ambition for a nobody like me.
"Look here,” The High-Rank Hero in front of me realizes that I am not going to fall through provocation, thus he decides to use logic and reason. “You see this hologram footage. This is Shin Jonghak, and this is you.”
The inside of the footage is the same Mock Dungeon where Jonghak and I fought. I have Cube only tamper on the CCTV footage, so the Association should know most part of what did truly occur. Of course, I corrupted a few damning CCTV footage too like the fight against the Devil’s Seed’s host.
“There are two forces fighting at that time. You must have come to a conclusion like that if you watched all of the CCTV footage. Guess which force I belong to?” I pretentiously praise myself. "Oh, I am on the good guy's side! You shouldn't forget my handsome mug! You saw me in this video footage killing Djinns too right? How am I in the hell on their team!?"
My tone of voice seems to irk my interrogator. “I am the one who asks the question.” He intimidatingly raises his voice. “What are these two forces then? And how do you know all of this?”
“It is just an assumption on my part. Jonghak seems to know something, why didn’t you apprehend him at least as a suspect to know what he knows.” I challenge my interrogator. Before he can even direct me to his anger, I answer seriously. “Honesty, even without watching the CCTV footage, you should know that there are two forces fighting at that time if you are competent enough.”
The interrogator reigns in his anger. “If you are so competent then tell me what are these two forces? What is your basis that there are two forces then?”
“I am not a fortune teller, sir… I cannot tell what these two forces exactly are.” I respectfully address him which only serves to annoy him more. “The reason why I came up with the deduction that there are two forces is that despite their Djinns being involved, there are not as many casualties as one might expect. The Djinn forces inside Cube are big. You should have seen it for yourself. Yes, there are casualties, but it is not as big as other incidents where there are literal bloodbaths. It cannot be that it is Jonghak’s heroics that are the sole reason why there are lesser casualties now!”
The man in front of me is wearing a suit, and he seems to be not the stuck-up kind of guy. There is no rigidness to his questioning too, but he shows patience and experience. I cannot imagine my interrogator as a personnel of the Association.
Cube provides me with data about my interrogator just right on time from the Hero Association’s information pile. It seems that the person before me is an affiliate of a Guild, and was working as a policeman before becoming a Hero.
I am not exactly engaging my interrogator to build hype. I am just bored and want to kill time. That aside, choosing to remain silent over a period of time will just make me look suspicious. I should put minimal effort into trying to convince them that I am not their guy.
***
'He is eloquent…' Yun Seung-Ah watches from behind a one-sided mirror glass.
She has someone in her unit to interrogate the suspected mastermind first to get a feel for what kind of person Hyon Hyung is. Initially, she is confident that the interrogator she sends to Hyon Hyung will at least be able to glean a few truths.
But Hyon Hyung is just… too good. On making conversations. The interrogation has become a discussion on what has transpired on the day Cube is attacked as if it is the actual investigation itself. The thing is… Hyon Hyung’s words are spot on, if not put better.
“This cannot continue, or else we will be led around.” Yun Seung-Ah tells her aide just beside her. “I want to talk to him.” Yun Seung-Ah is not an expert interrogator, but her insight will be of much help to her in discerning the truth and lies in Hyon Hyung’s words.
She has seen the remnants of the battlefield itself, and it only takes her a single glance to learn how the battle developed. After watching every footage before returning to the tower, she also now has a much better grasp of what could be the objectives of both sides.
