Convict Unit: Black Parade

Thud. Jae-hee tumbled out of the full-body scanner, stark naked.

The Doctor didn’t even spare a glance in his direction, her fingers tapping away at a keyboard. “There are clothes in front of you. Put them on.”

“I’ll never get married now…” Jae-hee sobbed.

Sniffling, he fumbled into the clothes.

The Doctor, paying him no mind, was already scribbling something on a chart.

She muttered to herself. “The Gate particle output is strong… Is it because he’s young? There’s a definite trend of abilities strengthening with each generation…”

Feeling out of place, Jae-hee plopped himself down on the chair in front of her.

“Hm. Good.”

After a final, decisive scrawl, the Doctor slid her lab goggles up and fixed her gaze on Jae-hee.

“Finally, an ability demonstration.”

“Huh?”

“Your ability. Show me. Over there.”

In one corner of the clinic was a sterile white isolation chamber, its interior visible through a large glass window.

As Jae-hee entered, the Doctor’s guards removed the Null Cuff from his wrist and replaced it with a Guillotine.

The Doctor’s voice echoed from a speaker mounted on the ceiling.

«One wrong move and your head comes off. Just show me the ability.»

With no reason to hold back, Jae-hee immediately activated his power.

The wind howled. The world slowed to a crawl.

Like a bullet, the boy shot from one end of the room to the other.

A brief silence fell before the Doctor’s voice returned.

«…Do you happen to remember the circumstances of your Awakening?»

“My what?”

«The moment you Awakened. For most people, their ability tends to be determined by their surroundings and their own state of mind at the time.»

“Uh…” Jae-hee stroked his chin, his mind drifting back. “I was being chased.”

«By whom?»

“Some scary people.”

«And? What were you thinking?»

“I think… I was just desperate to escape.”

«Hmm. I see…»

A faint trace of interest colored the Doctor’s previously emotionless voice.

«So that’s why the ability manifested in this way. If that’s the case, then perhaps… there’s a possibility it could reach the next stage…»

Jae-hee couldn’t make out what she was muttering and just tilted his head in confusion.

Soon, the Doctor gestured from beyond the window.

«All right. You did well. That’s all for today.»

The cuff was locked back onto his wrist, and the Guillotine was removed.

As Jae-hee trotted out of the chamber, the Doctor gave him a nod. “The exam is complete. I have the results.”

“And?!”

The Doctor raised an index finger and stated simply, “To put it plainly, your ability is ‘Wind.’”

“Wind?” Jae-hee cocked his head. “Is that even a thing?”

“Why not? Are fire-breathing abilities, rain-making abilities, or mind-control abilities any more plausible?”

The Doctor tapped the center of her goggles with the end of her pen. “Hmm. The detailed mechanics would require more analysis, but Awakened abilities are basically fantasy magic to begin with. They operate completely outside the known laws of physics.”

“That’s true.”

“In any case, the source of your power is the ‘Wind’ type, but the method of manifestation differs for every Awakened. Yours is extremely skewed toward speed.”

She explained that someone with the same Wind ability might have Awakened in a way that emits wind—creating tornadoes or launching blades of air.

Jae-hee’s case, however, was the opposite. He had Awakened to internalize the wind, becoming one with it to heighten his own physical speed.

“It’s like you’re either cloaked in wind, or you become the wind itself…”

“Aha. I think I kind of get it.”

Jae-hee thought back on how he’d used his power until now. Hearing it described as “Wind” seemed to tie everything together.

“So, could I use the wind in other ways? Like, shooting it out or something?”

“It’s possible. But since it’s the opposite of your manifestation type, it would take a great deal of training.”

The Doctor pulled out a new file and began writing furiously. “Regardless, I’ve confirmed your output. The ability verification is complete.”

With that, she stamped the bottom of the file with a heavy thump.

Jae-hee sneaked a peek.

The document was titled “Awakened Jae-hee Han: Rank Assessment.” And in the most important field, “Rank,” was a single letter: A.

Beneath it, the Doctor scribbled a few more letters with her pen.

Apex-Alpha.

It was an AA-Rank, also known as a Born A-Rank.

“Whoa!” Jae-hee threw his arms in the air. “AA! That’s good, right? I heard it’s the best, besides S-Rank!”

But the Doctor just hummed and tilted her head. “A higher rank isn’t always a good thing.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Hmm. The reason is…” She thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up. “Ah. You’ve had beef before, yes?”

“Huh? No…”

“Not even once?”

“Never.”

“…My apologies. Anyway, beef also has grades. The more pluses it has, the higher the quality.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“And people always try to eat the highest-grade meat first.”

“…”

“Because it’s delicious.”

It was a strangely subtle metaphor that he wasn’t sure he fully understood.

“That’s it for the rank verification. Did you need anything else?”

“Oh, right. I have indigestion. I ate too much.”

“Is that so?” The Doctor held out her hand. “Finger.”

“Sorry?”

“Give me your thumb.”

Without thinking, Jae-hee held out his thumb.

The Doctor then pulled a sterilized needle from a drawer and—with a sharp jab—stabbed him right in the fleshy part between the nail and the skin.

A bead of dark blood welled up.

“Ouch?!”

As Jae-hee recoiled in shock, the Doctor asked nonchalantly, “Feel better?”

“No, how could something like this possibly—”

A sudden belch escaped him, and just like that, the discomfort in his stomach vanished.

As Jae-hee blinked in amazement, the Doctor handed him a sterilized cotton swab. “Better now, right?”

“Yeah…”

He had expected some kind of medicine, but the Doctor had treated him with a folk remedy. It was undeniably effective, though.

“That’s all. You can go. And try not to get sick.” The Doctor waved a dismissive hand. “Seeing me often is never a good sign.”

***

Jae-hee, now branded a “Wind-type AA-Rank Awakened,” trotted out of the clinic.

“…Ahem!”

Though nothing had really changed, the knowledge that he was an AA-Rank put a little swagger in his step.

“Hmm-hmm-hmm~ AA~ I’m an AA~ hmm-hmm~ A… something Alpha~”

Humming to himself, Jae-hee stopped by the Bank. It was time to collect his Credits from the last mission.

He tapped the unmanned kiosk to life, authenticated his fingerprint, and tagged his cuff. A mechanical beep sounded, and the amount appeared on the screen.

[Mission Payment: 300,000 P.€]
[Previous Balance: 490,000 P.€]

[Current Balance: 790,000 P.€]

Seven hundred ninety thousand Credits. It was an amount so large he still couldn’t quite grasp its value.

One hundred Credits is one day, so that means… Seven thousand nine hundred days!

He could already shave off more than twenty years from his sentence!

“Woaaah!”

But his joy quickly soured as he realized that still left him with nearly two hundred eighty years to go.

So far… still so far to go…

Grumbling, Jae-hee’s thoughts drifted in another direction.

If he were to blow all these Credits in the shopping arcade one floor down, just how extravagantly could he live…?

Maybe I’ll just go check out the prices.

With that thought, he dropped by the Workshop next to the Bank, where a weary-looking Grease Gal was sitting.

“Ah! If it ain’t my neighbor Boy.”

Recognizing Jae-hee, Grease Gal waved before letting out a long, drawn-out yawn.

“Welcome~”

“You must’ve had a rough time on the mission, Miss Grease Gal.”

“Nothin' to fret over. You're the one who really had it tough.”

Having been drafted into the Strike Force, Grease Gal looked exhausted from being ordered around. But she had reopened the Workshop the moment she returned.

“Whether I'm putterin' around my room or here in the shop, it's all home sweet home to me. An old gal just gets an itch in her fingers if they ain't busy makin' somethin'.”

“That’s admirable…”

Grease Gal first helped him sort through the spoils he’d acquired from the last mission.

“Well now, this little bone blade you brought in... it's a real fine piece of work, yessiree.”

She ran a hand over the white blade in admiration.

“Oh my~ A weapon made from the very bone of a Lord? You don't see a treasure like this come 'round but once in a blue moon.”

She placed the blade on a machine and checked its overall balance.

Jae-hee asked excitedly, “So, does the blade have some kind of amazing special ability?!”

“Hmm… ‘fraid that don’t seem likely.”

Jae-hee’s face fell instantly.

Grease Gal continued her explanation. “Well now, when you're makin' gear from these otherworldly critters, the finished piece tends to take on a bit of the beast's nature. And that Phantom Tyrant's whole deal was…”

“It was… mimicking voices.”

“Yessirree.”

Since it was unlikely the blade could talk (though Grease Gal mentioned she’d seen such things), the trait was meaningless.

“And that sort of power, well, it's usually all bundled up in the Core. This piece here was made from just a simple fang... a sabertooth, at that, so...”

Seeing Jae-hee’s shoulders slump, Grease Gal quickly waved her hands.

“Ah! But don't you hang your head now! This thing's as sturdy as any high-grade alloy, and this kind of flexibility and resilience... why, it'll make for a right fine weapon!”

In the end, it was a good weapon—strong and flexible, but with no special powers.

Nevertheless, it was a weapon made from the remains of a Gate Lord. It was on a completely different level from a regular monster, so she assured him it would cut through lesser grunts with ease.

While somewhat disappointing, Jae-hee still liked the bone blade. Most importantly, it had felt incredibly good in his hand the first time he’d held it.

“I'd heard talk of that Razor fella working with bone, but my, oh my, I never knew he was this skilled. Sure, a few spots could use a little refinishin', but it's a mighty fine piece of equipment on its own..”

“Yeah. Maybe I should get Razor bro a gift or something…”

Jae-hee trailed off, grimacing. Just thinking about his relationship with Razor gave him a headache.

“Ain’t much for me to do, really. I'll just get the balance tuned up, put a keen edge on it, and then craft a new handle, guard, and sheath for you~”

Grease Gal asked for five thousand Credits for the additional adjustments and maintenance. Jae-hee paid without hesitation.

A sharp ting announced the transaction.

[Current Balance: 785,000 P.€]

Five thousand Credits vanished.

“Thank you, Miss Grease Gal!”

“Don't you mention it. The pleasure's all mine, friend. Ah, so have you thought up a name for this blade?”

Her words sparked an idea, and Jae-hee nodded. “I was thinking of calling it ‘Mountain Lord.’”

“Mountain Lord… speakin' of a tiger, are we? A fine name, yessiree! I'll make sure my handiwork is worthy of a name like that.”

With his weapon sorted, Grease Gal put the bone blade aside and gave him a sly grin, her eyebrows wiggling.

“By the way… I think a whole mess of top-dollar leather's about to come my way. How about a fine piece of armor? I heard tell you came into one of them Gate Gear Production Vouchers.”

Jae-hee’s eyes went wide. “You mean… Foghowler leather? You can make gear out of that?”

“Yessiree. Those critters were tough enough to shrug off bullets like they were nothin', and they had that little trick of vanishin' into the fog... If we work up some gear from their leather, you're bound to get a similar effect.”

He hadn’t managed to salvage any decent materials from the first mission because the monsters were just zombies.

On other missions, however, it was common to bring back high-quality otherworldly materials like this.

The rights to such materials usually went to the PMC, Guild, or military unit that closed the Gate. In this case, Commander Seo had already sent a recovery team.

“That leather was too bulky and a real pain to strip, so I see why you couldn't bring it back... but from now on? If you see any material that looks useful, just you snip a piece off and stuff it in your pockets. It'll all get tallied up with the rest of your spoils.”

“Whoa, I had no idea. Thanks for the pro tip…”

Without much thought, Jae-hee decided to use his Gate Gear voucher on a piece of armor.

He figured there was no point in saving it. Better to get some useful equipment right away.

“As for the piece… how about a jacket? Somethin' you can wear anytime, that’s convenient and useful both,” Grease Gal proposed.

“A handsome coat, or maybe… a windbreaker?”

Jae-hee’s eyes turned round. “A windbreaker?!”