# Chapter 475: Side Story 148
A pitch-black space.
Darkness so complete he could not even tell which way was which.
He had no idea how large the space was.
He had run desperately in one direction trying to escape, but nothing changed.
Click click click!
Wang Hong kept pressing the detonator button over and over.
“Explode! Explode, damn it! …It’s not exploding? Goddammit!!!”
He screamed until his voice went hoarse, but there was no response—not even an echo.
“You bastards! What did you do to me! Come out right now!”
It was terrifyingly silent.
It felt as though he had been completely cut off from external space-time.
Who was he?
Was he not the ruler of Guryong Sky?
An absolute power holder who could decide someone’s life or death with a single casual remark.
People could not even meet his eyes properly.
When they encountered him, they would press their foreheads to the floor and just wait for whatever punishment awaited.
Yet what was this?
He had been captured by some rootless dimensional traveler.
Dragging out the conversation to see the guy’s frightened expression had been a fatal mistake.
The guy had not been flustered at all.
His attitude had been as if to say, “Go ahead and press the detonator if you want.”
‘…I should have pressed the switch the moment he entered the bunker.’
Regret came too late.
In that instant!
‘Hm?’
Wuuung.
A thin beam of light falling from above, as if a hole had been punched through.
-Wang Hong, come out!
And then—shwoop!
His body was sucked toward the hole of light.
“Haah…”
Swat!
Was he outside?
The light was so bright he could not see properly.
Click click click!
Wang Hong kept pressing the detonator.
“Press all you want. You’re just going to hurt your finger.”
An unfamiliar voice.
Did he think this was an ordinary detonator?
This small thing had a satellite communication device built in.
The signal could reach it even from the other side of the planet.
‘Even though I’ve been captured, the underground bunker must be destroyed.’
There were still things there that they must not learn about.
The dimensional energy extraction device, for one.
‘That aside, where is this place…?’
In that instant!
A golden wave entered Wang Hong’s field of vision.
Toddle toddle, toddle toddle.
Tap tap tap tap, tap tap tap tap.
Huff huff huff huff! Huff huff huff huff!
‘…What is that?’
They were small hamster beastkin.
They were marching with golden hard hats and golden pickaxes resting on their shoulders.
Then.
Freeze!
They turned to look this way.
“Huek?”
“Huuk?”
“Huff!”
“Hoet!”
Da-da-da-da-da-da, the beastkin ran toward the dimensional traveler and started jumping up and down like crazy.
“Hahaha, have you been well? Sorry. I was away in another dimension.”
Only then did Wang Hong realize.
This was not his world.
‘He moved between dimensions.’
That was why he had not even tried to stop him when he pressed the detonator.
What was the point if the signal could not reach a different world?
“Well then, let’s have a chat.”
At some point, the dimensional traveler had approached and spoken.
“…What chat?”
“Oh, this and that. Stories about our dear Chairman Wang Hong’s past, or why you treat dimensional travelers as criminals.”
Hmph!
“What stories?”
Ju-hyeok drew the Judge’s Mallet from his waist.
Flinch!
Wang Hong startled.
“…Are you planning to torture me?”
“I don’t need to bother with that.”
Tsss-tsss-tsss-tst!
Binding Energy flew from the mallet.
“Huh!”
At the same time—flash!
An image appeared behind him.
‘Wh-what?’
Wang Hong was bewildered.
His past was playing in the image.
How did this work?
Was it magic?
He tried to resist, but he could not even move.
“…Wow, this bastard is one heinous piece of work. He called Boss Bong-nim a criminal, but he’s the one who committed all the evil deeds.”
Ju-hyeok agreed.
What a shameless bastard.
The crimes Wang Hong had committed while ruling Guryong Sky.
Assault, kidnapping, abduction, rape, murder.
There was nothing he had not done.
If this were Earth, he deserved to be executed ten times over.
Then the image Ju-hyeok had been hoping for appeared.
“…Mega-city Joint Council?”
“In our Earth terms, it would be like the UN Security Council.”
All the mega-city power holders had gathered.
In the world’s greatest city, Giga Arc.
Wang Hong had attended the meeting too.
Corporate chairmen sitting at the round table with him.
But there was someone presiding over the meeting.
Issuing orders to the attendees.
Wang Hong and the other power holders were bowing their heads, looking anxious.
“Who is that?”
“Beats me.”
“The face is not visible. It’s too blurry…”
That was right.
Even though this was an image extracted from Wang Hong’s memory, the face and body were pixelated.
The voice could not be heard either.
All that could be heard were the power holders’ words.
‘Indeed, you are right. The items dimensional travelers bring in will disrupt the distribution order of our world.’
‘If we cannot stop them, the world will fall apart. Imagine them flooding the market with gold. Our monetary system would collapse instantly.’
‘That would be lucky. Dimensional travelers are people who operate outside the law. Eventually, they’ll threaten our positions too, won’t they?’
Ju-hyeok tilted his head.
They were treating dimensional travelers as criminals for just that reason?
“Wang Hong.”
“Uh, yes?”
“Who is that person?”
“…That Person.”
“Yes, that person.”
“That Person.”
“The name?”
“I-I don’t know. That Person is, uh, That Person…”
He kept just saying “That Person.”
Then a new image followed.
Content showing the power holders of Sapung Earth actually attacking dimensional travelers.
Putting into practice what they had discussed in the meeting.
The truth was, there was only one reason dimensional travelers traveled.
To experience new worlds.
Their most desired destination was a parallel Earth.
Dimensional travelers had stumbled upon Sapung Earth by chance.
How happy they must have been at first.
The random world they arrived in was exactly the science-based civilization they had been hoping for.
But the joy was short-lived.
A Dimensional Movement Prevention Field went up, and soon pursuers arrived.
There were only two outcomes.
Arrest or execution.
Quite a number of dimensional travelers had been captured by the people of Sapung Earth.
There was something unusual about the process.
Whether they were travelers captured alive or travelers who became corpses.
All of them were sent to Giga Arc.
Even mangled remains were carefully boxed up and shipped.
Nerian would probably have met the same fate if she had been caught.
The topic of dimensional energy came up too.
“That Person” distributing extraction methods and charging crystals.
‘Are you really saying we can restore the Magical Pollution Zone to its original state using dimensional energy?’
‘I see. Yes, we’ll work hard to collect it. If the contaminated zones can be fully purified, what can’t we do?’
‘I’m looking forward to it. The world that will change thanks to dimensional energy.’
The reason for extracting dimensional energy.
To restore the Magical Pollution Zone that covered 99% of the world’s surface area.
‘So they extracted it after the magical pollution happened.’
The dimensional energy extraction had not been the cause of the world’s contamination.
That part was understandable.
It was plausible that dimensional energy could solve the contamination.
Since it was the fundamental energy that comprised worlds.
Anyway, what he was most curious about was this.
Who was “That Person” giving orders to the power holders?
Why could he not see their face?
Same with the voice.
“I think I know. Master, I’m an expert in this field, you know.”
Diamat’s speculation.
“As you know, the Judge’s Mallet’s sin image shows the subject’s memories.”
That was right.
“But what if that memory itself was manipulated?”
Hm?
“Either concealed with illusion magic, or they were hit with extremely high-level mental magic.”
Hmm.
“Think of this guy’s head as a fruit box. But if the fruit inside was rotten from the start, then no matter what you take out, it’ll only be rotten fruit.”
What he was saying was that because the memory was manipulated, it showed a manipulated memory.
And Wang Hong did not even know his memory had been manipulated.
Even so.
Wang Hong, who was standing there blankly blinking his eyes, was no pushover either.
He only looked weak compared to the summoned beings.
Was he not one of the top powerhouses in Sapung Earth?
Could he really not know?
Could he really have been manipulated so easily?
So Ju-hyeok looked Wang Hong in the eye and asked.
“You really don’t know?”
“…Know what?”
“You only know them as ‘That Person’—you seem to have a very trusting relationship, so that doesn’t make sense.”
“Uh, well.”
“How do you not know their face? Same with their name.”
Wang Hong agreed with Ju-hyeok’s words.
‘Why don’t I know?’
No, he had never even tried to know.
He had not even been curious.
Had he really been hit with mental magic?
“How old is this ‘That Person’?”
“…”
“Male? Or female?”
“…”
“Name?”
“…”
Complete silence.
It was not that he did not want to answer.
It was because he truly did not know.
Nothing came to mind.
Not “That Person’s” name.
Not “That Person’s” face.
Even though they had met several times a year at the Giga Arc Metropolis Joint Council.
And he had even had private meetings to receive dimensional energy charging crystals.
Despite all that, whenever he tried to recall anything about “That Person,” his mind was shrouded in fog.
“Wow, look at this guy. He’s just sitting there stupidly, completely out of it.”
“He seems properly caught by mental magic.”
“Maybe a few smacks will jog his memory.”
Wang Hong was currently in a state of extreme concentration.
He wanted to know too.
‘”That Person,” yes, “That Person”…’
Wang Hong closed his eyes and observed his own unconscious.
Who in the world was “That Person”?
‘Mm.’
His head felt itchy.
Meanwhile, the fog was slowly clearing.
The white veil surrounding “That Person” was gradually disappearing.
‘…Ah!’
He finally saw them.
“That Person.”
At last, the face was becoming clear…
At that very moment!
Pow!
His head exploded.
His headless body swayed and toppled backward.
“…”
Wang Hong was dead.
“Uh, I didn’t do that. I don’t pop heads. I’d cut it off and tie a ribbon on it.”
“I didn’t do it either. Didn’t flick him.”
“He had a Prohibition Curse on him. Was it that ‘That Person’?”
“You must be careful, Your Lordship. If they can kill someone through mental magic, they are not to be taken lightly.”
That was right.
This was no ordinary villain.
Someone who controlled power holders and had the entirety of Sapung Earth in their grasp.
And if they could also use dimensional energy?
“First, we need to find out their identity.”
There were more than one or two suspicious points.
Why they hid their identity while operating, the true reason they wanted to kill dimensional travelers, the purpose of the extracted dimensional energy.
“We need to go to Giga Arc.”
“Yes, sir! Boss Bong-nim.”
Geez!
He kept calling him “Boss.”
If he kept this up, negative karma would pile up.
There was no helping it.
Karma accumulated from thievery would have to be cleansed through good deeds.
He would uncover the identity of the hidden mastermind ruling Sapung Earth from the shadows and apprehend them.
* * *
If one were to briefly describe the nature of Sapung Earth.
Think of it as a midpoint between a future Earth and an apocalypse.
Due to magical pollution, most of the land was uninhabitable for humans.
Running purification devices was an option, but the lack of energy made it extremely limited.
So humanity had no choice but to huddle together in cities.
There were over 100 cities in the world.
From small to medium cities with populations under ten million, to large cities with over fifty million.
Among them, the top ten cities of Sapung Earth were called mega-cities.
Guryong Sky was also a mega-city.
But it held the lowest seat.
Because its population was only 80 million.
When it came to the largest city of all?
That was Giga Arc.
An ultra mega-city with a population of over 300 million.
The place where that “That Person” bastard was suspected to be hiding.
Each city communicated and exchanged with one another.
It was somewhat inconvenient due to the contaminated zones, but.
They connected via satellite communication, and traveled on large airships equipped with purification devices.
Ju-hyeok was currently aboard an airship heading to Giga Arc.
You needed a verified identity to board the airship.
But that was not the end of it.
You had to pass entry screening at Giga Arc’s airport.
Moreover, due to recent events in Guryong Sky, security against outsiders was said to be extreme.
Without verified identity, you could not even leave the airport.
So how was he getting to Giga Arc?
Well, he could just sneak onto the airship.
By slipping into the cargo hold wearing the Cloak of Transcendent Concealment.
When bored, he could summon Kozak to hang out, and when hungry, he would summon Rajiks.
After sleeping through it all, he would arrive at Giga Arc’s airport.
Then he would put the Cloak of Transcendent Concealment back on and walk out of the airport. Done.
He just had to catch “that ‘That Person’ bastard” and wrap up his trip to the Sapung Earth dimension.
He had secretly expected something exciting since it was called “Sapung,” but there was nothing particularly special.
Just a parallel Earth more advanced than the original?
Common androids, drones, and holograms everywhere.
Honestly, it was disappointing.
But there were things he coveted.
One was this airship passenger vessel.
It could apparently carry over 500 passengers.
Even with all his summoned beings aboard, there would be room to spare.
The problem was it was too big.
The airship was far larger than Magnus Gigant.
‘Not sure if it would fit in Rajiks’s subspace.’
The other was artificial mana stones.
They contained the energy of living beings trapped in stone, usable as a power source.
It would be good to take some of these too.
Something to consider as an alternative when mana stones ran out in the future.
Ju-hyeok arrived at Giga Arc.
Sapung Earth’s greatest mega-city.
‘It certainly is big.’
Giga Arc.
A city two, no, more than three times the size of Guryong Sky.
Anyway, he should designate an exit point first.
So he could come out of the White Tower anytime.
Ju-hyeok took out his smartphone.
And then.
‘Winnie.’
‘Can you show me the way to Giga Arc’s slums?’
‘Take your time, take your time.’
The slums were places with relatively lax security.
A suitable location for an entry and exit point.
Ding!
-Master, starting navigation. First, proceed straight ahead. 100m, then turn right…
The underground was the slums here too, just like in Guryong Sky.
He went down through stairs that looked like a subway entrance.
‘Let’s make this the spot.’
A dark and gloomy back alley.
Designated as exit point.
* * *
Spat!
Ju-hyeok returned to the White Tower.
In that instant.
Thump thump!
-Boss Bong-nim, are you here?
Whoa!
That startled him.
What had approached from the side was Kozak’s Shipgant.
“Hey, you’re riding the Shipgant around inside the White Tower too?”
He understood being happy about the Shipgant, but still.
-Sorry about that.
Swish!
Kozak got off the Shipgant and spoke.
“Vice Director Jeon Gwang-il from our Earth is here. He says he wants to meet Boss Bong-nim.”
Oh?
What was going on?
Ju-hyeok headed toward the logistics transport warp gate.
There, working hard carrying goods alongside the workers, was Jeon Gwang-il.
“Director-nim!”
“Ah, Bong Player-nim, it’s been a while.”
Yes.
It had been so long that even the title “Bong Player” felt unfamiliar.
Did he know what his summoned beings were calling him these days?
“Boss-nim.” That’s right, Boss-nim.
No matter how much it was for the concept…
“How have you been?”
“Oh, traveling as usual.”
“Ah! I see.”
“So what brings you here?”
“Well, the thing is…”
Jeon Gwang-il’s reason for coming.
Apparently, many people were curious.
About the current status of Korea’s top Player.
“Didn’t you used to upload videos of other dimensions regularly before?”
He had.
Kalzenia, Mechanos, Gangho 8—worlds like those.
“In that spirit, may I ask you a favor? Could you upload a video about which dimension you’re currently traveling in and what you’re doing there?”
Hmm.
That was a bit…
Upload footage of robbery?
Robbing banks, looting department stores?
His parents would throw a fit.
After raising their precious child, he was running around doing thievery.
“It doesn’t have to be anything special, of course. What people are curious about are things like the civilization and natural scenery of other dimensions.”
Yes.
That was true.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Hahaha, if it’s too much trouble, you don’t have to show us.”
No.
He had actually been thinking about it.
It was Sapung Earth, after all.
Even to him, it was a unique world.
Skyscrapers of 300, 400, 500 floors, and giant airship passenger vessels flying around.
However…
He would probably need to change the travel genre.
Crime drama was over.
“Kozak-ssi.”
“Yem?”
“From now on, please call me something other than ‘Boss-nim.’ I’m planning to switch from crime drama to detective drama.”
“Yes, sir! Detective Bong-nim.”
Good.
In Giga Arc, he would be a dimensional detective, not a dimensional criminal.
The investigation thriller of Detective Bong hunting down the hidden mastermind of Sapung Earth, “that ‘That Person’ bastard.”
Dimensional Investigator Detective Bong.
Even the ring to it was nice, wasn’t it?
