On the cruise ship’s rooftop landing pad, soldiers in white uniforms stood waiting in formation.
At their head, a stern-looking middle-aged man snapped a crisp salute to Hae-eun Seo.
“Captain, on deck.”
Hae-eun returned the salute with a placid smile. “At ease, Vice-Captain. Anything to report while I was gone?”
“There were three inmates who attempted to escape, twelve who engaged in a brawl, and six others who committed various other infractions. However…”
“Go on.”
“Unfortunately, all of them died during their suppression.”
“Oh dear. How tragic.”
Neither the captain nor the vice-captain looked even remotely upset.
While the top brass continued their meeting, discussing matters of supply off-loading and ship repairs, Ghost and Jae-hee were led away separately.
Clank!
The moment they stepped off the transport, guards swarmed them, clamping thick bracelets onto Jae-hee’s and Ghost’s left wrists. In exchange, they removed the explosive collars from their necks.
Jae-hee shook the dull gray bracelet, puzzled. “What’s this?”
“An Awakening Inhibitor. Also called a ‘Null Cuff,’” Ghost explained listlessly. She was wearing a black one.
“You get a temporary exemption while you’re active with the Black Parade. On this ship? You have to wear these cuffs at all times.”
Jae-hee tried to activate his ability as a test and, sure enough, it was true.
The familiar sensation of a rising wind flickered for a moment before his power was snuffed out like a candle flame.
Jae-hee’s face fell. “But it’s my meal ticket!”
“You’ll be eating plenty of prison beans, so don’t worry about that.”
He smacked his lips, a bitter taste in his mouth, then tilted his head. “Hey, Grandma. Why are our cuffs different colors?”
“Every convict here has an inmate grade.”
“A grade?”
“This place is run like a cruise ship, so they grade the convicts like passengers. Gray, like yours, is for General inmates. Silver is VIP. Gold is VVIP.”
Ghost explained that the more missions you completed, the higher your grade would climb, and a higher grade came with various perks.
Listening, Jae-hee tilted his head the other way. So what grade is Grandma’s black one?
The guards dragged them into the ship’s interior, cutting their conversation short.
When Jae-hee glanced back one last time at Commander Seo, she met his gaze, gave him a gentle nod, and immediately looked away.
Tears welled in Jae-hee’s eyes. “Was this all our relationship was worth? No special treatment or anything?”
“You really think you’d get something like that?” Ghost snorted.
“Guess I was the only one who was serious about us. Aghh…”
“What a piece of work,” Ghost muttered with a wry smirk.
The corridor connecting the landing pad to the ship’s interior opened directly into a quarantine station.
As Ghost strode ahead, the guards flinched in unison.
“…Hmph.”
She entered first with a snort.
So the guards are also scared of Grandma Ghost?
Jae-hee tilted his head. She didn’t seem that scary.
The quarantine station was divided into a simple screening area and a detailed decontamination area. Ghost headed for the simple side, but Jae-hee was dragged toward detailed decon.
“Ah? Why am I going this way?”
“Newcomers like you get the full cleaning treatment. Gotta scour the fu—uh, survey you from head to toe.” Ghost coolly gave him a wave before disappearing into the simple screening room. “Well, have fun with that. If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”
“Wha—Grandma! Wait, Grandmaaa!”
And just like that, he was separated from Ghost.
The guards practically threw Jae-hee into the detailed decontamination chamber.
“Ack! Handle me with more care! I’m a person, not cargo! A sensitive, bright-eyed eighteen-year-old, okay?!”
Naturally, his protests were completely ignored.
The entrance to the chamber resembled a shower room. The guards brought out large hoses, aimed them at Jae-hee, and blasted him with disinfectant spray.
PSSSSH!
“Gyaaaaaaah!” Jae-hee shrieked as the high-pressure spray beat down on him.
“Glub! Blublub! Wait a sec, go a little easier! Dammit, fine! I’ll talk! I’ll spill everything! Our base is in the nooorth…!”
***
The quarantine process for new inmates was thorough, regardless of age or gender.
In a normal prison, it was common for inmates to smuggle things in on—or in—their bodies. In a prison for the Awakened, the problem was that much worse.
On top of that, Jae-hee was returning from Daejeon, one of the Three Hellholes. The inspection was even more stringent than usual.
After nearly an hour of this, Jae-hee was finally released. And even then, it was just his body; his personal belongings had been confiscated for additional screening.
“Ughhh, thought I was gonna die… They practically laundered me…”
Dressed in the gray prison uniform he’d been issued, Jae-hee staggered out of the quarantine station.
In the wide corridor ahead, three facilities were built into the walls.
The counters set into the hallway bore signs that read, in order: ‘Bank,’ ‘Workshop,’ and ‘Clinic.’
Jae-hee stared, mouth agape, when a cheerful voice called out from one side.
“Welcome~!”
“Whoa!”
Startled, Jae-hee looked over to see a woman waving from the workshop’s service window.
She was wearing a large welding mask, as if she’d just been in the middle of a project. She flipped it up with a flick of her wrist, revealing a freckled face broken by a wide grin.
“New neighbor, are we?”
“Huh? Oh, yes…”
“Mighty pleased to meet ya! I go by the callsign ‘Grease Gal.’”
The woman, who looked to be in her early thirties, spoke with a folksy charm. Her well-developed shoulder muscles were on full display in a tank top.
“As you can see, this here is my little workshop. You bring me any of the spoils from your latest scuffle, and this is where we’ll put ‘em to good use.”
“Spoils?”
“Yessiree! Black Parade says anything you manage to bring back from the other side is yours, fair and square. And wouldn’t you know it, we use those very scraps to make all sorts of fine things.”
To slay other-dimensional monsters, you needed gear made from the materials of that world. It was common knowledge for Hunters.
But Jae-hee was only now stepping into this world. Everything was new to him.
“Well now, neighbor, we both know the work you do is a mite on the dangerous side, isn’t it? If you’re lookin’ to keep your skin in one piece, you’ll need gear that’s right as rain… and that’s where I come in, lendin’ a helpful hand.”
Jae-hee asked cautiously, “When you say ‘we’… does that mean you’re a convict, too, Miss Grease Gal?”
“That I am, that I am!”
Grease Gal held up her left wrist. She was also wearing a Null Cuff, but hers was silver.
“If one of us folks in here has some handy skills, sometimes we get put to work. Suits me just fine, though! It’s a right good way to earn a few Credits.”
“Aha…”
“Same story with the Doc over at the Clinic next door. He’s one of the convicts they’ve put to work, too. But he’s out on a mission right now, so he’s not in. ‘Fraid that means no one’s there to do any patchin’ up at the moment.”
As she said, the clinic next to the workshop was shuttered tight.
“If you ever get banged up on a mission, or maybe you want a little extra somethin’ for a fight that’s, ah, not quite on the up-and-up... the Clinic’s the place that’ll fix you right up.”
Grease Gal finished her shady pitch with a hand over her mouth, then pointed to the last shop with a flick of her eyebrows.
“And that ‘Bank’ over there? Well, it just runs itself. That’s where you go to collect the Credits they owe ya from your last bit of work.”
“Oh, so that’s where I get paid.”
“Yessiree. You can also use it to stow away your valuables, get goods sent in from the outside, and handle all your other little errands at that window. I’d make that your first stop!”
Jae-hee walked over to the Bank and did as Grease Gal advised.
He activated the unmanned kiosk with a touch, authenticated his identity with a fingerprint, and then tagged his Null Cuff. A mechanical beep sounded, and a number appeared on the screen.
[Mission Payment Complete]
[Current Balance: 500,000 P.€]
“Those cuffs also work as your wallet in here! Anywhere that takes Credits, you just give that cuff a little tap to pay up.”
Grease Gal peeked at his balance from the side and let out a low whistle.
“Well I’ll be! Five hundred thousand Paradise Credits? For a new face, you’re sure startin’ off with a full coin purse, ain’t ya?”
Jae-hee scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. “It’s my first time. I don’t really know how much this is worth…”
“Just you spend a few days here, and you’ll get the lay of the place right quick. Oh, and go on and give that screen a swipe to the side.”
Following her instruction, Jae-hee swiped the kiosk screen, revealing a new page titled ‘Available Items for Collection.’
[Gate Core x1 (Appraisal Complete)]
- Grade: B
- Ability: Regeneration
“Well, I’ll be, neighbor! Talk about some beginner’s luck! A Gate Core! And a right fine one at that!”
Grease Gal whistled again, then gave him a sly wink with a grin.
“Like I said, this workshop’s where we take care of the spoils you bring back. So, what’re we gonna do with it?”
Confused by all the talk of grades and abilities, Jae-hee asked, “What can I do with this Gate Core?”
“We can either have that made into some brand-new gear, or you can just trade it in for a pile of Credits. You get to choose one of the two! And lemme tell ya, friend, I stro~ngly recommend gettin’ some gear!”
“When you say gear…”
“That's fightin' equipment that pulls the power right out of Gate spoils! 'Round here, we just call it Gate Gear! And when we make a piece with a core, yessiree, that's what we call Core Gear!”
Grease Gal threw open her workshop window and pointed to one of the walls inside.
From a greatsword as tall as a man to various firearms, a helmet that looked like it belonged on a motorcycle, a ballistic coat, and even a heavy suit of powered armor—all kinds of combat equipment were displayed in securely locked glass cases.
As Jae-hee stared, mesmerized, Grease Gal launched into a passionate speech.
“What good are a million Credits when you're out there fightin’? It's a slick piece of gear that's gonna save your hide! You just say the word! I'll fix you right up with anythin' you want!”
She pulled out a pamphlet and spread it on the counter in front of him. It listed all the types of equipment she could craft.
[Armor]
- Helmet
- Torso
- Legs
- Boots
[Weapons]
-Primary Weapon
- Secondary Weapon
[Other]
- Outerwear
- Accessories
- Other custom orders available
“Well now, any gear with a Core in it is gonna be top-dollar stuff, real high-performance. So the smart play is to put that Core Gear in your most important slots, fill out the rest with some pieces that are easier on the coin purse, and then just upgrade 'em all over time!”
Grease Gal rubbed her hands together eagerly as Jae-hee’s eyes spun, trying to take in the pamphlet.
“So, neighbor. What'll it be for your very first piece of gear?”