Chapter 104: The Incinerator of Korea

Min Da-hyun’s effusive praise was appreciated, but Sa-yoon remained dissatisfied with his own abilities.

When he had met Han Do-hoon, he could freely manipulate the coordinates of the ground. Now, however, they refused to obey his will, scattering like flowing water the moment his hand touched them.

Clutching his throbbing head, Sa-yoon consoled himself. Considering his initial struggles, this was still a monumental improvement.

“Seol-won, let’s stop our exploration for today.”

Kang Tae-han’s face, as he approached the two from a distance, was grim. His complexion was uncharacteristically somber for someone usually so optimistic about most matters.

“Is something wrong?”

“A request for aid has come in from another village. It looks like we’ll have to go abroad soon.”

Kang Tae-han looked at Sa-yoon, then at Min Da-hyun, and then back at Sa-yoon again. His hesitation was palpable.

“Oh dear. What should I do? I’m not sure if this is right…”

Kang Tae-han, who had been restlessly kicking pebbles on the ground, finally turned to Sa-yoon.

“Sa-yoon, what do you think? The details of this aid request indicate your ability might be needed, but it’s a very problematic region. Going overseas might be too much, huh? Ugh.”

“If they need me, I’ll go. Where is it that you’re so worried?”

Even after hearing Sa-yoon’s positive response, Kang Tae-han’s expression remained troubled. He sighed, his face deepening with concern.

“Korea.”

The Air Rain village that had requested help from Kang Tae-han this time was Korea, a small nation nestled at the eastern edge of East Asia.

The airplane’s engine roared, vibrating violently. The aircraft, an old military plane that had been modified, shook precariously as it flew through the sky. They were nearing their destination, Korea, yet its dilapidated state made its safe landing seem doubtful.

Several flight-capable Espers were on board, and if things went awry, they could always grab a parachute. With this comforting thought, Sa-yoon gazed down at the ground. When they had taken off, they’d bid farewell to a dry, ochre landscape, but now, beneath the plane, a long stretch of verdant mountain ranges unfurled.

“Tae-han, hyung.”

“Yes?”

“You mentioned that both you and I are of Korean descent, right?”

“To be precise, you’re an Irregular born in Korea and then exiled here, while I’m a Rain who matured in Korea.”

Kang Tae-han, as a nascent being, had managed to survive safely on a remote Korean island without being exposed to the outside world until he fully matured. Once he became an adult, gaining sentience, and moved to the mainland, he claimed to have received his name from the first person he met. With time, he joined Air Rain and eventually assumed the role of its leader.

“Of all places, why did the dispatch request have to come from Korea? And at this exact moment?”

Kang Tae-han was still grumbling. He seemed to harbor a deep resentment towards the Korea he grew up in, as he worriedly muttered to Sa-yoon.

“Don’t take off your mask when we’re there. And don’t talk to people.”

“I get it, I get it.”

Sa-yoon picked at his ear, having heard the same nagging for the thirty-seventh time. The aircraft, gradually lowering its altitude, began to glide over a sparsely populated clearing. It rattled loudly, kicking up chunks of dirt and emitting a squealing friction sound, before slowly decelerating.

“Welcome.”

A member of the Korean Air Rain village, who had been waiting near the secluded landing strip, approached. One person, seemingly the guide, stepped forward and greeted Sa-yoon’s group with a somber expression. Kang Tae-han stepped out beside Sa-yoon, whose mask was pulled down tightly.

“What’s the situation that prompted such an urgent rescue request? And why specifically someone skilled in demolishing structures?”

“Hmph…”

The guide let out a deep sigh, then cautiously glanced around before leading Kang Tae-han into a darker area.

“I’ll explain as we go.”

As they walked towards a hidden base deep within the area, the guide recounted Korea’s grim situation.

For over three years, the entire world, including Air Rain, had been actively involved in apprehending Rain and Irregulars. Korea was no exception. However, with its numerous islands and mountains, Korea was not a bad place for villages to hide.

Furthermore, local communities had established their own unique structures, making it easier to evade the government and Esper forces. They even occasionally blended in among humans, disguised. But then, policies suddenly shifted. The government began to sweep through previously ignored local communities, eliminating their ruling factions and bringing them under central control.

“It was probably an obvious choice. It was rather strange that they left us alone for so long. The problem is that our position has significantly narrowed.”

The ruling classes of the local communities had less aversion to Air Rain. Even if they realized someone was Air Rain, they would often conceal their identity for a fee. However, the government was impervious to such maneuvers.

Nevertheless, the villages had pooled their accumulated know-how and managed to hide well in the mountains. They had believed this to be true until the recent incident.

“A new person joined our village, and they turned out to be a spy. Two villages were wiped out in an instant, and the leader who commanded the Korean Air Rain was captured.”

“So that’s why the sudden request for aid came in.”

The people who came to meet them seemed somewhat clumsy, which was due to their most important person being captured by the government.

“We tried to rescue our leader, but… the surveillance is too intense. We’ve even heard news that they were dragged to the incinerator. It’s truly maddening. No one who’s gone in there has ever come out alive.”

The guide stopped speaking and bowed deeply towards Sa-yoon’s group. The others who had followed them also bowed their heads in unison, pleading.

“Please, save our village leader. We beg you.”

“There’s no need for this.”

Kang Tae-han waved his hand, helping the guide to stand, and then asked, “But what is an incinerator? Is it different from a prison?”

“It’s an execution ground where criminals are gathered and burned alive. It’s a massive cylindrical building built in Busan, and it’s constructed so sturdily that no one has been able to breach it.”

Despair clouded the guide’s face. Memories of their past, failed attempts to destroy the incinerator, painfully flickered across his expression.

“I’m sorry to ask for such a difficult favor. But we have nowhere else to turn. Please, destroy that horrific incinerator.”

It was merely a request to destroy a structure built by humans. Yet, within that plea, all manner of anger and resentment were intertwined.

“The operation will proceed swiftly. There’s no time to delay.”

After quickly assessing the situation, Kang Tae-han immediately unfurled a map upon entering the new village. The leader of this village had already been captured and condemned to the execution ground known as the incinerator. There was no time to survey the surroundings or consider alternatives.

“How much combat-ready strength does the Korean side have available for support?”

“Most of our combat personnel were either captured with the leader or are injured. We mostly only have support teams…”

Their situation was dire. It meant that the external forces who had arrived by plane were their only strength. In a short, decisive operation, mobility and destructive power were paramount. Relying solely on the support team had its limitations.

“Let’s first observe the location and assess it.”

Kang Tae-han instructed with a grim face. As night fell, the people who had come from the battlefield followed the guide to the village closest to the incinerator.

Passing a dilapidated beach that once attracted countless tourists, they drew closer to their destination.

“…”

“Seol-won, what’s wrong?”

Sa-yoon stopped walking. He looked around, facing the salty sea breeze head-on. In this desolate place, he felt as if he was hearing phantom sounds of boisterous chatter. A high, thin voice of a young girl seemed to faintly brush his ears.

“It’s nothing.”

As they approached the hill where the incinerator was located, the faint scent grew stronger. The stench, mixed with the smell of burning, made him instinctively cover his nose.

“Ugh.”

“It’s a place where bodies are burned, so the stench will be severe. We’re used to it, but it will be difficult for outsiders.”

Sa-yoon pressed his mask tighter against his face. The smell wasn’t completely blocked, but it was better than before. As he adapted to the foul odor, the incinerator’s true form finally registered in Sa-yoon’s eyes.

The incinerator was a colossal cylindrical building with no discernible handholds. The guide explained as they looked at the structure, which had no visible entrance.

“The entrance is underground. It’s guarded by Espers belonging to the Alliance. As you can see, there’s no security outside, which is a testament to their confidence. Their confidence that no one will be able to breach it from the outside.”

Only a few CCTV cameras surrounded the incinerator. Even those were said to be token installations, with numerous blind spots.

The attitude conveyed a certainty that even if people were burned alive and their grievances piled up, the structure would never fall.

“They say Jin Sa-yoon personally built this incinerator. An S-class Esper made it so sturdy, so how could lower-ranked Espers like us possibly destroy it?”

Jin Sa-yoon. The name, heard for the first time, made his stomach churn even more. He was confused, unsure why a stranger’s name evoked such a feeling. As people looked up at the incinerator, sighing in despair, a man in a white gown approached from behind.

“That’s not true. Sa-yoon couldn’t have built something like this.”

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