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***Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Siberia became a land plagued by all kinds of monsters.Surrounded by a massive mana barrier, the region was no longer accessible to ordinary people.Even the dwarves who survived the Gulag¹ called it the ‘Land of Sorrow’.On the other side of the globe, the Americans who won the Cold War referred to it as ‘Stalin’s Arrogance’, while Moscow and the Europeans preferred the term ‘The Great Mistake’.Each name was either literary or educational—Names that could be used to describe something one could observe from a safe distance without personally experiencing the suffering caused by the monsters beyond the barrier.However, the Manchurians despised such names.Because for them, Siberia and the monsters contained within were a grim reality they had to face daily.“...Although the reason has not been revealed, the mana barrier surrounding Siberia happens to be particularly thin near the region where it borders Manchuria.”And that was commonly called the Manchurian Rift.“Because of that, for Manchurians, Siberia signifies… hell—a hell that lays waste their homes and spawns demons that reap their lives.”Tian Lin, who had been giving an explanation up to that point, glanced at Cheon Yeomyeong.Sitting in a military transport truck, Yeomyeong was listening to him without any particular complaints.Although it would be normal for a newcomer to feel motion sickness from a terrible ride in a military truck, Yeomyeong had a calm expression, as if he was sitting on a normal chair.“I’m worried that I might have rambled on needlessly. It must have been a bit dull for a young person like you.”When Tian Lin said that, Yeomyeong shook his head.“No, Sir. I didn’t even notice the time passing by.”“Heh, this newcomer really knows how to butter up someone.”Just as Tian Lin was about to continue speaking with a smile, the military truck jolted up and down as it ran over some rocks on the Manchurian plain.For Yeomyeong and Tian Lin, it was just a slight pain in their butts, but for Kim Mansoo, lying next to them, it felt like he was hit by a hammer from hell.And as soon as the truck’s shaking subsided, he immediately gagged and retched. Yet, since he had already thrown up once, nothing came out.“Jeez, Vice Captain, why on earth is someone who suffers from motion sickness tagging along?”“Ugh, ugh, isn’t it natural for the instructor to accompany the new recruit…”“Then you should have taken some motion sickness pills and gone to sleep like usual. It’s harder for us to watch, you know?”“If I f-fall asleep, who will look after the new recruit… Blehh!”Ah, right. This newcomer must be someone really important.Turning his attention away from Kim Mansoo, who had his head out the truck window, Tian Lin looked at Yeomyeong with renewed interest.His body had a considerable amount of muscle, a neat posture, and a sharp demeanor.To put it grandly, he looked like a well-polished sword.Without having known that he was a newcomer, one would easily mistake him for a Superhuman, which made it understandable to see the Vice Captain so invested.“Hey, Newcomer, aren’t you nervous?”“...Should I be?”“Well, people usually feel nervous. You don’t seem to be ordinary, though.”Tian Lin took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. It was a habit he formed on feeling a sense of despair after realizing he couldn’t become a Superhuman.“By any chance, were you an aspiring Superhuman?”Yeomyeong didn’t reply and just gave him a vague smile. Tian Lin interpreted that smile in his own way.It seems he failed the academy entrance exam, just like me.Feeling like he had needlessly reopened someone’s old wounds, he scratched the back of his head awkwardly and changed the subject.“So, do you know exactly what this mission is?”“…From what I understand, it\'s to support the expedition that’s in North Manchuria.”Seeing that the young guy remembered the name of the mission quite accurately, Tian Lin nodded while taking a deep drag from his cigarette.“But you don’t know the exact details of the mission, right?”“…Yes, other than the fact that North Manchuria is located right in front of the Rift, I don’t know much.”“I see, it seems like I’ve been talking aimlessly instead of sharing important information.”The cigarette smoke flowing from Tian Lin’s mouth was carried away by the chilly wind.“As you said, North Manchuria is right at the doorstep of the Rift. It’s pretty much a front-line position.”“…”“The problem is that there are so many monsters that they’ve created their own ecosystem. If not for periodic cleaning, they will multiply and move south.”The monsters moving south would always flock towards civilian residential areas, as if they had made an agreement. The victims of these monsters were always the weak.“…The expedition team probably refers to the mercenaries who go there to clean up monsters.”Tian Lin nodded in agreement.“Well, you don’t need to stress about it. It’s an annual event, nothing special. Once we start firing bullets and shells, we can consider the task completed.”“Is there anything we should keep in mind?”“Well, monsters that don’t fit the usual standards do show up occasionally, but there are Superhumans stationed in North Manchuria to deal with them. But if you’re really worried…”Tian Lin trailed off and turned to Kim Mansoo, who was still struggling to return to his senses.“…Just stick close to the Vice Captain. At least that way, you won’t die.”It was ridiculous to see a Superhuman unable to endure motion sickness, but he was still someone who had risen to the position of Vice Captain of the mercenary group. Hence, his skills were reliable.Yeomyeong looked between Kim Mansoo and Tian Lin, then smiled awkwardly.“I’ll keep that in mind.”“My lady, did you really have to shoot my calf?”A man with a distinct M-shaped receding hairline, Wollard, asked as he rubbed his calf. Although he looked fine on the outside, his bones still felt cold.“Why? Should I have shot you in the chest instead?”The response came from the empty air right next to him.“It’s not that I’m complaining, but what I meant… was there really no better alternative?”“You would have definitely been a goner if I hadn’t shot you. I could have escaped using my Invisibility Cloak, but you can’t, can you?”Although the response was full of conviction, Wollard’s expression did not ease. He frowned, his sharp nose wrinkling.“…Wouldn’t it have been simpler if you shot him in the back of the head?”“Ah, so I should have killed him?”“That would have been cheaper than giving away such a precious Holy Relic, wouldn’t it?”A mocking laugh came from within the invisibility cloak.“Wollard, it’s because you act like this that Mother didn’t promote you to an executive position.”“…”“Let’s say I shot him in the back of the head, and he didn’t die. What then?”Wollard turned his gaze toward the empty air from where the voice was coming.“My lady, even if someone is a Superhuman, they will still die if a .44 caliber magic bullet is put through their head.”“Ha! Don’t you know how many Superhumans have survived gunshots? Should I list them out?”“Well, alright, there are indeed such Superhumans. But he wasn’t one of them. When we met in Incheon, he was only on par with Mortimer.”“On par? You’re joking. Uncle Mortimer is still in the hospital, remember? Do you know how much it cost to reattach his severed arm?”As the frivolous voice jabbed at a painful spot, Wollard recalled the recent events that took place in Incheon.The image of Yeomyeong slashing through Mortimer’s chest with his hand blade and then cutting off his arm.“…So wouldn’t it have been better to just kill him there?”“Ah, for real. You yap too much.”“If the other members of the organization would have said the same thing  had been in the same situation—”As Wollard tried to protest, the air parted, revealing a revolver.“Hey, Wollard.”She brandished the revolver in front of him, the flickering muzzle making Wollard’s eyes dizzy.“You.can’t.kill.him. You absolutely cannot kill him.”“…”“Whether you shoot him in the back of the head or snipe him from a distance, it won’t work. Do you still not understand what I’m saying?”On realizing the true meaning of her words, Wollard’s eyes widened in shock.“Could it be… you used Foresight?”“Yeah.”“Why on earth would you use Foresight in a place like this?”“Why does it matter to you if I want to use my abilities?”Wollard was left speechless. He frowned and sighed.“…So, what exactly did you see?”“I saw you dying with your neck broken and me fleeing with my arm severed.”“…”“It doesn’t matter if I shoot him in the back of the head or from a distance, the result is the same. It will just be a waste of my mana.”The young lady hidden under the Invisibility Cloak complained, then spun the revolver once more. It was a stunt worthy of a Western film.“Hmm, I think I should give it another try. Should I use Foresight on that guy again?”As she spoke playfully, Wollard was startled and waved his hands.“My lady, please! If the Boss finds out about this, she’ll kill me!”“My mother doesn’t even know that I’m here, so how would she know that I used Foresight? As long as you keep your mouth shut, everything will be fine.”From Wollard’s experience, nothing could stop his stubborn young lady. And at times like this, all they could do was wait for the result.However, for some reason… the result of the Foresight did not come.The frivolous voice was gone, and the revolver that had been spinning wildly was now floating motionless in the air.Was her Foresight being blocked?After waiting for about ten minutes, Wollard cautiously reached out to the spot where the Invisibility Cloak had been. Just as his fingers were about to graze the soft texture of silk…A short scream of ‘Kyaaak!’ came from the Invisibility Cloak.“My lady?! What’s happening?”“Ah… it seems like we’re fucking screwed.”“What do you mean by ‘f-fucking screwed’?”Wollard’s jaw dropped at the foul language, but the young lady continued as if it didn’t matter.“North Manchuria has collapsed.”North Manchuria collapsed? Realizing the meaning behind those words, Wollard’s expression hardened.“…That can’t be. You had a Foresight related to him, didn’t you?”“He’s heading towards North Manchuria now. He’s probably a mercenary. Wait, why didn’t I think of him as a mercenary until now?”“My lady, is there any chance the Foresight might be wrong…”Wollard asked, trying to deny reality, but the young lady under the Invisibility Cloak cut off any hope with a curt reply.“No chance. North Manchuria is either collapsing or has already collapsed. Go to the headquarters and report it immediately.”“…Yes, understood. But before that, you need to evacuate first, My lady.”“I can’t do that.”“You can’t do that?”“I—Ahhhh, forget about explanations. I have to go to North Manchuria.”“What on earth does that mean… W-wait! My lady!”Before he could even finish his question, he heard her footsteps fading away. Wollard hurriedly reached out, but all he grasped was the sound of her running further away.

1. The word Gulag originally referred only to the division of the Soviet secret police that was in charge of running the forced labor camps from the 1930s to the early 1950s during Joseph Stalin\'s rule, but in English literature the term is popularly used for the system of forced labor throughout the Soviet era. The Gulag is recognized as a major instrument of political repression in the Soviet Union. The camps housed both ordinary criminals and political prisoners, a large number of whom were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas or other instruments of extrajudicial punishment.