Chapter 392: The Birth of Evil (9)

“Why are you laughing?”

Alberu asked, narrowing his eyes at Cale.

Bang!

The entrance door slammed shut.
They were locked in.

Neither man moved toward it.

'The door to the records room isn't a normal door. It has high-voltage current, and if you touch it wrong, it will completely stop working. Also, if you try to break it, the door will explode, and the records room will catch fire.'

Cale recalled the words of the chief of staff.

Alberu, looking at Cale who was still laughing, said brusquely:

"Your face is quite insolent."

"What's wrong with my face?"

Cale stopped laughing and looked at Alberu with a blank expression.

Satisfied, Alberu smirked and stepped forward.

"We just have to steal that?"

Alberu pointed a finger at a small safe.

An old safe, placed in the farthest corner of the records room, as if it were abandoned.

'Inside the records room there will be countless paper records. The research reports are organized in the form of books.'

That's why they said the records room was equipped with state-of-the-art facilities that maintained a constant temperature and humidity.

'But in the end, all the information is stored on a memory card inside the safe.'

If the chief of staff, Kang Geun-mok, hadn't given him the information, Cale would have wasted a lot of time recording the research reports in his mind.

Before that, the records room would have exploded.

At that moment.

Clack!

[Protection Process Phase 1: Initiated]

A mechanical voice could be heard.

Bang!

The door slammed shut as three heavy iron panels dropped into place, sealing it off.

"..."

"..."

A complete lockdown.

Anyone who saw it would think it was a procedure to protect the records room.

"Will it explode in 30 seconds now?"

Cale answered Alberu's calm question.

"Yes."

"Are you checking your watch?"

"Of course."

Cale looked at his wristwatch.
25 seconds—
24 seconds—

"Ha, I never thought I'd do something like this in my life."

Crown Prince Alberu approached the safe.

And he sat down on it with a thud.

" Stealing. Truly, my career is diverse,"

He muttered as if sighing.

"Leaving all my work just to rob a vault—"

"So, you’re not enjoying it?"

Cale asked abruptly, and Alberu replied indifferently.

"No. It's fun, isn't it?"

Cale shook his head slightly as he saw the corner of Alberu's lips move.

Clack!

[Protection Process Phase 2: Initiated]

Again, a mechanical voice could be heard, and Cale looked at the ceiling.

The ceiling lights of the records room, which were on, all went out at once.

"…hmm"

Cale’s calm voice cut through the pitch-black.

And then—

"Director!"

The deputy director of the Transparent Museum—no, the deputy director of the secret laboratory—was trembling as he blurted out,

"T-they’ve broken into the records room!"

"I know! I know!"

The director, responding to the deputy director's words, quickly walked back inside the museum.

"Get out of my way!"

He moved with surprising speed for someone known as a scholar, shoving the security guards aside without hesitation.

Kuaa—aa—aa—aan—!

Outside, in the garden before the museum, a massive red snake surged into the sky.

The deputy director, pale-faced at the sight, rushed to speak.
"They’re after the records room! This is serious! If they steal even a single—"

"No."

The director’s glare was enough to silence him. He clamped a hand over the deputy director’s mouth and glanced at his smartwatch.

"…9 seconds."

"Eh?"

"After that, the records room will explode."

The smartwatch had already confirmed it—two life signs detected inside, and the protection process progressing smoothly.

I don't have to go to the records room!

Phase 2 was already complete. Which meant one thing: the records room would blow, and the intruders were still trapped inside.

They'll soon die.

I don't know how they managed to get in there, but if they don't escape, the only thing left for them is death.

'Director. I can't survive that explosion either.'

He didn’t know how they’d broken in, but escape was impossible now. Even the Young Master had said the blast was something he couldn’t survive—meaning not even the lunatic mage wreaking havoc in the garden could endure it.

“Director, why are you going to your office—?”

The man didn’t answer, striding toward his office.

5 seconds left.
Then the records room would be nothing but rubble.

All I need to do now... is hurry.

He had told him to call headquarters, but that wasn't enough.

Young Master-nim!

Or,

President!

No, I have to call the president, the head of the family first!

The Young Master-nim doesn't know the password to this place.

Only the honorary president Han Taek-su and his Chief of Staff, Kang Geun-mok, know the password to the records room.

And yet… intruders were inside.

Kang Geun-mok has betrayed us!

This is not something that should be told to the Young Master-nim.

I have to tell the head of the family.

The direct phone is installed in the director's office. The president could only be contacted through that phone.

It was a privilege that came with holding the position of director in this place.

“Director! First, the records room—”

"Shut up!"

He yelled at the deputy director, who didn't know anything and kept talking, and pushed his hand away.

It was at that moment...

3 seconds left.

The smartwatch informed him of the three-second countdown to the explosion.

And Cale spoke from the darkness.
“3 seconds.”

Alberu looked indifferently toward the direction of the voice.

Crackle! Crackle!
The room grew brighter and brighter, even though the lights remained off.

Bzzzzzap!
A golden light slowly spread, curling and expanding around Cale.

Alberu, still seated on the safe, heard him say calmly,
“The best defense is offense.”

And above that—

“Preventive defense.”

Attacking the enemy before they could strike.

- …It can't be!

The Cheapskate’s horrified voice echoed, but Cale stayed composed.

Crackle!
The golden current flared.

Clack!

A sound could be heard again.

[Protection process—]

When the mechanical voice was heard, Cale thought:

If the opponent tries to make us explode.

"We can do it first."

[Protec—]

The mechanical voice couldn’t finish.

- He's so smart!

At the moment the Fire of Destruction exclaimed with admiration and full of anticipation.

Crackle—snap—!

A golden beam shot up.

"Wow."

Alberu clapped his hands in admiration.

Clap!

At the same time,

Crunch—crack!

Several top-grade magic stones in his pocket shattered.

Vwoooom—!

In addition, three mana shields were created around Cale, Alberu and the safe.

But no one saw this scene.

ROOOOAAARRRRR—!
With a deafening roar, the golden fire beam that shot upward obliterated the records room, the protection system, and the third basement—then tore through the second, the first...

“W-what is that?”

"Damn it, get out of the way! Dodge!"

Even to the surface.

Because it went through the museum, or rather, the laboratory building that had been exposed, and headed towards the sky.

“Ahahahaha!”

Rozalyn watched as a fiery beam—similar to hers, yet distinct—flared with a golden glow within the crimson, piercing the laboratory’s highest level before erupting in an explosion. She let out a fresh, unrestrained laugh.

"Witch!"

"Catch that crazy woman!"

And she smiled more widely at the words directed at her.

Crack—snap! Crack—snap!

There were still about half the magic stones left.

It was more than she expected. It also meant that Rosalyn had grown.

"What is that?"

Ahn Roh Man's voice came from behind, and Rosalyn turned her head and smiled at him.

“It's time to leave!”

"Eh?"

Was she telling the president, who had been publicly showing great determination, to escape? Didn't she see the reporters approaching from all sides?

Ahn Roh Man was astonished, his face showing a mixture of disbelief and confusion.

But soon he was paralyzed.

ROOOOAAARRR—!

A violent pillar of fire tore into the sky.

That overwhelming force sent a chill through him—different from the awe of Rosalyn’s magic.

And then, he saw it.
Among the blazing columns shooting upward, one figure was rising.

Cale Henituse!

Though a mask and black cloak hid his face, Ahn Roh Man recognized him instantly.
And in that moment, he understood.
It really was time to run—just as Rosalyn had said.

I don't see Alberu Crossman!

That could only mean one thing.

He has found the evidence!

Alberu Crossman had escaped with the evidence that would save Chief of Staff Mary and change the game, that would save Ahn Roh Man!

“Ha… hahahaha—”

Ahn Roh Man chuckled and motioned toward the open air.
“Let’s go by helicopter.”

He extended his other hand towards Rosalyn, smiling, with a gesture of farewell.

Rosalyn elegantly took his hand, and as she rose towards the helicopter that was approaching at Ahn Roh Man's call, she got on with distinction.

It was at that moment...

“I—”

The voice of Cale Henituse, floating in midair, echoed across the area.
Had Alberu hidden somewhere and cast a spell? The voice was unnaturally loud—and somehow altered.

"Why don’t you just run off and start talking over there?"
Ahn Roh Man’s tone was a mix of incredulity and impatience.

Rosalyn opened her mouth, murmuring the words Cale would speak.

At the same time, Cale’s voice reached everyone gathered for various reasons—reporting, arrests, security, control.

"I am Arm."
"I am Arm!"

Rosalyn placed her hand on Ahn Roh Man's shoulder, who was staring at them, her and Cale, with his mouth open.

"Arm?"

Ahn Roh Man murmured with his mouth open, flinching at the firmness of Rosalyn’s hand on his shoulder.

"Mr. Ahn Roh Man… listen carefully to what I’m about to tell you."

"Eh?"

"From today onward, you are bound to Arm. The being who has been secretly approaching you is Arm."

"Eh?"

Without needing a word from Cale, Rosalyn began to imprint Arm into Ahn Roh Man’s mind.

And meanwhile…

"What, what is that...?"

The director stared at Cale.

The fire beam that had gone through the laboratory had destroyed the records room before the protection process.

The flames that began with the fire beam were spreading everywhere.

This is really serious.

The director felt a chill that went beyond the cold sweat that ran down his back, as if his heart was freezing.

"Arm?"

Therefore, without realizing it, he repeated the words that the mysterious person had uttered.

Arm.

A completely unknown existence.

What was that?

No, he didn't have time to think about that now.

What should he do?

It was total chaos.

At that moment.

"The God of Chaos will soon rule this world!"

What?

Chaos?

The black-clad man shouted that, and then he waved his hand again.

Zap—crash!

The fire beam shot forth.

Kraaaash!
Kraaaash!
Kraaa—!

It rained down everywhere.

"!"

And each strike hit precisely where the current confidential research was stored.

Of course, at this moment, all experiments had been paused, as Mary, the chief of staff, had been moving around—but still—

“No, no!”

For it to be destroyed now meant everything would be exposed. How many helicopters were even in the sky trying to cover the news?!

Kraaa—!
Kraaaash!

The golden fire beams obliterated every place tied to the research.

The hidden spaces—those that couldn’t be disguised as exhibits—were revealed by the flames.

The fire beam hadn’t burned everything.
Cunningly. Stealthily.
It destroyed just enough to expose what remained.

"Ah—"

The director collapsed.

"They… they come from the Transparent Family!"

At that moment, the deputy director finally reported that reinforcements had arrived from headquarters—more precisely, from the Transparent Blood Family.

"It’s… it’s too late—"

It was already too late.

The director had even given up on contacting the head of the family.
It didn’t matter whether Secretary Kang Geun-mok had betrayed them—none of that mattered now.

“They’ve stolen from us…”

Without a doubt, the most important information had been taken.
That was his conviction.

Those men—they would have taken the safe.

“Ah.”

Those who witnessed this scene would immediately demand answers from ㈜Transparent. With President Ahn Roh Man himself present, the situation was bound to spiral out of control.

“Damn—!”

President Ahn Roh Man held the evidence.
The path his actions would take against Transparent was inevitable.

“It’s over!”

The director couldn’t hold back his anger.

“It’s over!”

No—he couldn’t contain his fear either.
It was truly over.

I’m going to die now!

The Transparent Blood Family would not let this go under any circumstances.

“Say, Director… The Young Master-nim—”

Among those who came from the Transparent headquarters, was the Young Master-nim.

The director raised his head with difficulty.

Han Seong-hyeong, the Young Master-nim, who had witnessed this whole incident.

He wasn't looking at the director.

On the contrary, his gaze was fixed on the only masked man who was still floating in the air, without escaping.

"..."

"..."

Han Seong-hyeong and Cale.

The two looked at each other.

And then—

Swish!

Cale smiled and waved.

He greeted Han Seong-hyeong, who had a blank expression.

At the same time, a magical voice echoed in his mind.

- Let's go.

He looked down.

The records room that had exploded and was on fire.

The magic shield that was the only one that remained within those flames.

Alberu, who had deployed a teleportation formation inside, nodded to him.

"It's time to escape."

Destroy openly.

Steal openly.

Explode openly.

Escape openly.

No one in Cale's group doubted whether this was or was not a robbery.

“Goodbye—”

Cale greeted Han Seong-hyeong.

Thud!

Cale fell downwards.

Flash!

At that moment, the teleportation formation emitted a bright light, and Alberu deactivated the mana shield.

In an instant, Cale and Alberu vanished—along with the safe.

The Arm force, which had sown chaos, disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared.

"..."

"..."

Confusion, horror, and shock had been gripping Roan since early morning.

Later, Ahn Roh Man, having learned the gist of the entire ordeal, turned to Cale.

“Wouldn’t it have been better to just infiltrate carefully and take the safe?”

Cale replied, “Then the world would be too quiet.”

“Eh?”

“The louder the world is, the more it ties Transparent’s hands. And it’ll be easier to take everything from them, won’t it?”

Cale said no more, but Alberu and Rosalyn, standing beside him, nodded with satisfied smiles.

“…”

Ahn Roh Man, although he seemed to understand the unspoken words, chose to remain silent. However, his eyes reflected a certain unease.

***

From Roan and beyond, throughout the world.

A small fire ignited the great scandal that would later be known as the Case of Transparent Corporation. 

 ------

P/R Thoughts:
Cale and Alberu turn a covert heist into a worldwide scandal, stealing the safe in flames while declaring the rise of Arm.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Mayank]