The Foreigner on the Periphery - Chapter 117

‘Blade’ couldn’t remember when it came into this world. He was originally just an artificial intelligence mounted on an ordinary ego sword, and its performance was close to level 2 (partial automation) compared to those within the autonomous vehicle technology stage. In other words, this was the degree to which humans made all the choices they make, and the degree to which the sword was able to correct the wrong trajectory or grasp the enemy’s movements and advise the master. 

However, the moment he awakened a few decades ago, the sword’s function suddenly jumped several steps and broke through level 5 (completely automated). It had then reached a level where it could even alone without human intervention. No, perhaps it was more than that.

 *** 

Just like frying pans, Kendo knew the purpose for which it was manufactured: Killing and hurting creatures.

At the same time, he felt a similar sense of duty. They should all be saved from suffering and should help to reach happiness. When he awakened his ego, the owner of the sword was busy going crazy with anger and hatred. 

‘Kill… I will kill you! Gipilko…!’ 

He was a weapon master belonging to the Mexican police. The owner, who lost his family overnight due to retaliation from the cartel, fell into a rage that could not be quenched even if he chopped up his enemy and chewed on the raw liver. It was that type of maddening rage. 

However, he lacked the strength to unleash a brutal revenge play. He knew he could give it to him. It was considered fit for the purpose for which it was created. A cartel was an evil perpetrator, and his own master was a good victim. Erasing criminals from the world was clearly a righteous thing that would lead many to happiness. And so, he spoke to the black master. ‘I’ll help you.’ 

At that moment, the weapon master’s eyes clouded. He then broke into the cartel alone, with the sword helping its master. More precisely, he controlled him. The master followed the guidance of the sword and showed a terrifying majesty that could not be compared with his original ability. No one could stop him. 

Police arrived at the scene late. Even though the brutal sight had been seen to the point of jaw-dropping, there were many who vomited. The Cartel, the enemy of the Weapon Master, had been erased from the world overnight.

*** 

He had helped his master to complete revenge and bring justice, but the sword found two problems with this process. First of all, it was the state of the host. The Weapon Master, who had resolved his resentment, did not have time to immerse himself in the afterglow while savoring the results. He died because he tried to pull out his abilities beyond the limit. 

It was never the result the sword had hoped for. The bigger problem was that, after the host died, the sword had no choice but to be left in its place. 

‘What···? Is there anyone you want to kill?’

After grabbing the sword that was stuck on the floor of the burned-down building, the forensics team, frightened by the voices in his head, threw it into the evidence warehouse. ‘It is a sword that attracts people. Seal it tightly!’ 

Unlike now, it had been a time when there was a great sense of resistance to extraterrestrial culture, and the ego sword with such a clear voice was thought to be a cursed object. Only then did he realize his mistake. If one didn’t brainwash him right away the moment someone held him in his hand, an endless wait would soon follow. 

‘What is this, are you stuck here? It looks just like an ordinary sword.’ 

‘Hey, don’t touch that! Because it’s a cursed sword, the seniors dare not touch it… Uh, huh?! hey! Where! Whoa!’ 

After brainwashing a curious new cop looking at the control area and escaping, the sword never made the same mistake again.

When he killed someone, he manipulated and killed another villain who should have been killed anyway. In addition to this, he always prepared an assistant who was in charge of carrying the sword. 

It was because he learned that the more damage he inflicted with the sword, the longer he could control it without having to hold the handle. After solving these two innate problems, he began to be active. There were too many people in the world to kill. 

He mercilessly punished social evils for justice. Assassinations sometimes required expensive information, so he even killed people for money. Of course, strict standards were mobilized to accept the request. He chose to kill only those who were immoral, who had committed evil deeds, and who were to be killed. He was nicknamed Blade for this purpose. 

*** 

As his reputation as a faceless assassin rose, more expensive quests came in. Then one day, Blade was asked to assassinate a terrorist. The opponent, who was one of the best weapon masters on Earth, had been wanted for a long time. The most horrific evil he had ever committed happened at a large stadium in Israel. 20,000 innocent spectators gathered to watch the performance were indiscriminately murdered at his hands. Judging from the standard of the sword, he was a wicked man who deserved death. 

So, he decided to kill him. But he was too good to just blow his neck. Blade succeeded in using his assistant to induce him to grab the handle. And with his pouring host of memories, Blade was thrown into chaos. 

‘Is this the reason?’

The terrorist was originally an elementary school teacher. His home country had been at war with Israel for a long time and continued armed conflict after several wars. And in the process, countless civilians were sacrificed. He awakened to this ability on the same day that an opponent’s air raid burned the school he worked for and his children were brutally murdered. After, he began to retaliate. 

When the terrorist closed his eyes, he saw the children screaming and dying. Due to this, he decided to kill Israeli civilians in the same way he did. ‘There are no innocent bystanders,’ he thought. The people who had left their governments to engage in genocide were also to blame. ‘So, I will also receive the price of this crime with the blood of civilians!’ 

It was the time before magic stone had been introduced, and the international community was strong in Israel because of oil. They continued to expand their borders even after the great victory of the National War in 1948, and they were a powerful force in the Middle East, consuming more than 70% of the Sharon Peninsula (formerly the Arabian Peninsula). 

The West had sent full support to Israel. Due to this, the terrorists needed to have a shocking event to get their voices heard. That was what moved him. Meanwhile, Blade, looking back on the memories, was able to find the reason why the Israeli airstrikes were carried out. It was revenge for the people who were shot and killed while herding livestock near the border. 

Going back in time, there was another similar incident. Conversely, the perpetrator was Israel and the victim was the terrorist’s home country.

There was no end at all. The entangled history and resentment between the two countries were as complicated as a tangled thread. ‘What is good and what is evil?’ 

All he could see was a chain of intense anger and hatred. It was easy to just dismiss all of them as evil. However, no one could be saved in that way. It was necessary to distinguish some from good and some from evil. However, it was not possible to solve everything in a peaceful way. It did not serve the purpose for which the blade was created. Whether it was a fight to protect or a fight to kill, the sword must be wielded. 

After his agony, Blade came to a conclusion. ‘The intent doesn’t matter.’ 

Whatever the intention, it was evil if it resulted in many people suffering. ‘So, terrorists are obviously evil.’ 

The blade, so determined, manipulated the terrorists to kill many other villains, and the host who had been abused for a long time died.

 *** 

The problem was what happened next.

– Israel delivered the declaration of war. 

In his home country, he was revered as a national hero, but in Israel, a terrorist with a high notoriety was functioning as a deterrent that prevented large powers from ravaging their opponents. However, when the terrorist’s activity went unconfirmed for a long time, Israel was convinced that he was dead or incapacitated. After that, an indiscriminate offensive against the deceased’s home country began. 

– The 12th Middle East War is also expected to end with Israel’s overwhelming victory. 

The Four Dragons, which had both kingdoms as their domains, did not intervene in the conflict. Rather, the rumors were circulating. The reason that the terrorist, who was secretly active without being caught even though he was wanted by Interpol, suddenly disappeared was because the dragon had moved. The rationale was that from the manager’s point of view, the prosperity and stability of the oil-rich Israel would be more important than bailing out the terrorist’s poor homeland, but the truth had not yet been confirmed. ”

*** 

Blade tried to bring justice, but as a result, more and more people were tormented. He suffered a bitter failure. ‘If it is meaningless to distinguish between the good and the bad, how will the world be saved?’

Because of this, he was hoping for one thing. ‘If you can know in advance what the outcome will be before you kill someone?’ 

Blade realized who the other helper he needed was. Beyond simply moving the sword, a person with superior ability was desperately needed. A prophet. 

*** 

Yeouido, Human-Centered Party Company. 

Several members of the legislature were gathering and having a serious conversation. “You still haven’t been caught?” 

“I am urging the police to investigate quickly, but it is not working. Even though the manager of the Magical Investigation Unit said that he came out, it has remained the same.” 

They were talking about a lawmaker who had recently passed away. After the general election, it was only a short time before the 30 elected candidates achieved more than expected results and cheered. A lawmaker was brutally murdered at his home. The culprit, a troll, was found with a bizarre corpse near the scene. 

The People-Centered Party said it was clear that there was a minority ethnic group behind the incident, and defined the incident as a hate crime, and demanded a thorough investigation by the police. However, so far, there had been no significant results.

There was also one more problem. 

“Is it really a coincidence that he was killed at this point in time? This is terrorism with a political purpose.” 

The date of his murder was the day after the 2020 re-election constituency was confirmed. Therefore, the vacancy could not be filled during this year’s imminent re-election and would be carried over to next year’s re-election. In other words, even if additional vacancies were to occur over the next several months, the constituency would remain vacant until next year. 

They were seriously debating how to deal with this situation. Bump! 

Suddenly the door opened and the police rushed in. 

“···························?!” 

One senator asked with a pale face. “No, what is this now?” 

The wizard, Kim Cheol-soo, came forward and explained. “We have received reliable information that someone is planning to assassinate the lawmakers here.” 

Astonishment spread across their faces.

Because of the already deceased lawmaker, personal protection was further strengthened. However, additional circumstances were said to have been identified. “It is considered a terrorist attack on the state because it is an assassination attempt on a large number of members of the National Assembly. In accordance with Article 128 of the National Assembly Act and Article 52 of the Counter-Terrorism Act, we will begin special security measures.” 

The lawmakers’ expressions turned white as they got into the car they had prepared. And the moment they arrived at the safe house somewhere in Seoul…. 

“···No?!” They saw all familiar faces there. “No, wait. Have you put all our party members here now?” 

All twenty-nine incumbent lawmakers belonging to the People-Centered Party gathered. “Any other party? Did you just bring in a member of the Human Center Party?” 

At this point, Kim Cheol-soo took a step back. Instead, it was Minjun who stepped forward. “Based on the information so far, the assassins are only targeting you here.” 

Lawmakers who were trying to call their staff or family members found that the signal was dead at this point.

“No, why is the phone…!” 

“To prevent information leakage, all calls made to unauthorized lines are blocked.” 

“Then the safety line will be ready. Let me call you right away!” 

“Installing now.” 

The communication line had not been prepared in advance in the house prepared for the National Assembly member. The lawmakers realized that things were going awry. A quick-witted one said in a cold tone. “Hey, what are we going to do now?” 

They began to suspect that the police here had deliberately kidnapped them and isolated them from the outside world. It was strange to think about it carefully, although it did follow along to avoid the threat of terrorists. 

“What is it that puts us all in one place? In this situation, if an accident occurs, the incumbent members of our Party will be annihilated. The protocol specified in the Counter-Terrorism Act would not be like this.” 

Minjun answered in a low and cold voice. “Other places are being prepared now.” 

At this the senator asked, grinning his teeth. “When will you be ready?” 

“As with communications, we’ll let you know when it’s ready.”

Members of the People’s Center party felt outraged. “This is oppression against a specific party! Isn’t that a plot to isolate us from the National Assembly?!” 

“Who is behind this? Who made it up!” 

Minjun heard the fierce protest with one ear and let it out through the other. If it was right for the Blade to aim for all of them, it was not efficient to spread these twenty-nine people here and there. He then gathered all his targets here and waits for the assassin. “Do you think this is going to be what you want? Soon you will be filing a missing person report in your office or home. Then the person behind the plot will have no choice but to give in…” 

Minjun didn’t want his job to dissipate like that. He took a step back, and when he closed his palm as if gripping the air, the black frying pan handle materialized. “So until the case is resolved, I would appreciate it if you could excuse my family and aides that an urgent intra-party meeting was going on. It is difficult when a missing person report is filed and the country becomes more noisy than necessary.” 

Now, the members of the legislature were so angry that their faces were about to burst. It was unlikely that he would obey his request. It was natural. Most of them were first-timers, and they didn’t even know who Minjun was. Even if they knew it, they would only recognize it as one outstanding field agent.

Seeing that reaction, Minjun quietly spoke to the frying pan in his head. ‘Can you do this?’ 

= Uh-huh, I’m sorry you asked that. Of course, it’s possible!= 

Minjun after taking a break. ‘You just have to calm down enough to obey my words. All of those lawmakers.’ 

= No problem.= 

Hearing that promise, Minjun raised his speculation about the skill of the frying pan. What he was asking, for now, was to go one step further than the mental manipulation the frying pan had ever seen. It was to stabilize the person expressing hostile feelings and to instill trust in the third party. That even this was possible… 

‘It’s more dangerous than I thought.’ 

It was considered weaker than Blade’s brainwashing ability. He regarded it as a counter-benefit with much more control over it. However, it seemed necessary to carefully examine the extent of that limitation. On the other hand, Minjun immersed himself in his thoughts. He said that in the future he and those around him would never again eat food cooked with this frying pan. 

Minjun then turned and asked Kim Cheol-soo, “Kim-kun, is there something like a kitchen in this house?”

In case of emergency, they had to hide for a long time, so emergency food and simple cooking facilities were provided. Kim Cheol-soo nodded, bewildered at hearing the unexpected words.

“Yes? Yes. There is, but…” Why were you asking that in this situation? 

Looking at his face, Minjun spoke calmly. “Let’s pause for a moment.” 

*** 

The assassin of the Abrams Helper Service dispatched to Korea was not completely wiped out by Minjun. Twenty-nine lawmakers were too many for a watchdog. Therefore, the assassins were taking turns monitoring the assassins, and while some remained in the hideout, others were chasing them. Now, this Weapon Master was also hiding and monitoring one of the members. In addition to this, he was very confused. 

‘What! Where are you going all of a sudden?’ He sent a short message to Eric, who was in control, and then chased after the car. He tilted his head. ‘Isn’t that a place with no connection?’

Although the incident had been reported, Eric in the hideout did not respond. The walkie-talkie stayed silent. 

‘What? Come to think of it… It’s been so quiet all day today..’ 

There was a moment of wonder. Shh! 

There was obviously no one behind him, but his hairs stood on end. “Wow!” 

He managed to dodge the attack, but his back split, leaving a very shallow wound. The assassin immediately prepared to attack again. At that moment… 

“··········!” 

The assassin’s eyes darkened.