---

The police officers’ faces drained of color upon hearing the forensic scientist’s words.

Eccentric Murder Case.

The newly discovered corpse carried with it devastating potential that would send shockwaves across the nation. Not only would it instill terror among the citizens, but it also had the capacity to cancel or delay a festival… an immense destructive force.

“Oh, no.”

The faces of the police officers grew increasingly pale.

“Especially with all the incidents happening back to back…”

Even if it erupted during peaceful times, it would shake the country to its core.

But now, amid all the troubles besieging the nation, this had erupted.

Monsters popping up all over the country, rumors tying the monster’s appearance to Japan causing chaos, and on the verge of war with Japan…

A slew of horrifying incidents had occurred, people’s fatigue had reached its peak, and nerves were on edge.

In such a situation, an eccentric murder case?

It would undoubtedly explode.

In a bad way, it would definitely blow up.

With nerves already frayed, people would be clamoring for the police to stop this martial arts festival and catch the culprit instead, and the political circle would undoubtedly exploit this eccentric murder case to redirect the public’s emotions towards Japan, which was already in a state of unburnt tension. In the process, the police would suffer like fish on a chopping board, getting sliced and diced with all sorts of hardship.

Of course, if they were to solve the case brilliantly while the focus was on them, it could turn into an advantage for them…

But would that even work?

When doing police work, you start getting a rough estimate of the cases you take on.

This one, however, was beyond their capacity.

Out of their depth.

Didn’t want to deal with it.

But… they had to.

What could they do?

It was a murder case happening in Chungju.

They had to face it…

“First… let’s hand this mummy-like corpse over to the scientific investigation team or the National Forensic Service, and we’ll tackle what we can from our end. Isn’t there a corpse we can identify?”

The police decided to focus on the easier task first.

Instead of stressing over an unidentifiable corpse that could not be investigated hastily, they deemed it better to start with the corpse whose identity they could confirm.

Thus, the police began examining the corpse found dead from a whip.

Using a computer program, they reconstructed the mangled face of the corpse to confirm its identity, discovering that the deceased was a fighter from Japan. They also found out that the fighter had been alive up until last night and pinpointed who he had met last.

The last person he met.

A person who took the fighter to their dojo with the police’s permission.

A warrior from Mongolia, Tabudai.

A foreign warrior with a significant role in the Chungju World Martial Arts Festival now stood as a suspect.

“Haha, this is crazy. A Japanese person dies in Korea, and the suspect is a Mongolian? Haha…”

Moreover, he was a warrior of considerable renown, intertwined with a famous festival.

Perfect material for an international issue.

“I’m really going to lose my mind. We were just on the brink of war, and now that things are starting to calm down, if this gets out, won’t we truly go to war with Japan?”

Ironically, the connections fell to Japan and Mongolia.

The involvement of Japan, which had nearly reached war, was clearly disastrous, and the strange currents observed between China and Russia recently made Mongolia a country to be cautious of as well.

“No, war isn’t the problem. This will undoubtedly involve the political realm… ha.”

And what does that mean?

It means that the political realm would take an interest in this incident.

It also meant that this incident would become widely known and noisy across the nation and that the political realm would utilize it to shift the atmosphere and capture public attention.

As a result, people would feast upon it, turning it into a gourmet spread on the table…

Meanwhile, the frontline police officers would take the brunt of the anger, likely extending their lifespan with how much abuse they’d receive, and at times could even be mischaracterized as incompetent, finding themselves blocked in their career paths.

Impactful involvement, you say?

Sure, if they do something impressive, it might open up career opportunities.

But… what if it escalates into an international problem?

Then, unless the officer who acted heroically was anything but extraordinary, they would be sacrificed as a scapegoat, meeting a miserable end.

The politicians and power holders fanning the flames from behind would slip away, and the frontline officers would be offered up as sacrifices, getting shredded in the process.

Could it not escalate into an international issue?

There’s a chance it might not.

But considering Tabudai’s fame in Mongolia, the odds looked slim.

However, they couldn’t let it slide.

It went without saying that this wasn’t just a brawl that could be glossed over with paid-off hush money; they couldn’t just let a murder suspect go free.

Moreover…

“Tabudai took two people. A Japanese fighter and a Korean inspector. Then, the next day, the corpse of the fighter from Japan was found, along with an unidentified corpse presumed to be that of the inspector… ha.”

Now, they doubted whether Tabudai had killed not one, but two people, making it even harder to overlook.

“An unidentified corpse… though it’s rash to jump to conclusions, it does appear to be the Korean inspector.”

“And the name is… Lee Cheol-hyuk. Born in South Pyongan Province, came down to the South after North Korea fell, and grew up here… In North Korea, his name was Lee Chung-il.”

“He had begun staying in Chungju for the World Martial Arts Festival about two weeks ago… and was missing after a heated argument with the Japanese fighter last night, getting overpowered by Tabudai and taken away. He hasn’t been seen at his lodgings or any familiar places since…”

An unidentified corpse.

A corpse without fingerprints or a face.

Currently, the police were attempting to identify the corpse by comparing hair found at Lee Cheol-hyuk’s lodgings with that collected from the corpse using DNA analysis.

The suspect believed to have killed the individual presumed to be Lee Cheol-hyuk was… Tabudai as well.

“Well, if we pairing it with the Japanese fighter, it’s not entirely unreasonable… Their skill levels would be vastly different, and it’s understandable if there aren’t any traces of a whip being used… I could see it being plausible for him to kill the Japanese fighter…”

“But to think that Tabudai could have done this to the corpse presumed to be Lee Cheol-hyuk… that just doesn’t add up…”

Yet, it was strange.

It seemed reasonable, yet it didn’t.

Bizarre and grotesque.

While the Japanese fighter’s case could be rationalized, there was simply no way to apply craftsmanship to evaluate the corpse presumed to be Lee Cheol-hyuk.

“Well, let’s start the investigation. I guess something will come up as we dig deeper…”

Thus, the police felt as if they were swimming through an overwhelming sea with no shore in sight.

A desolate ocean where you couldn’t see an inch ahead, nor an island or a ship in sight.

Amidst the quaking waves that hinted at an approaching storm named interest… the police had to keep swimming.

However, there is always hope, even if you fall into the middle of the sea.

To use a common saying, the police were thrown a lifeline.

“Hey there! I’m Jang Young-cheol from Ilgeom Group.”

A chaebol.

Former chairman of Ilgeom Group, Jang Young-cheol.

He had contacted the Chungbuk Police Chief.

“Ah, Elder! How have you been!”

“Right! We met during the last gathering, didn’t we?”

“Yes, it’s been a while. How have you been?”

“Well, how long has it been since we’ve met for a meeting? Nothing major has happened; I’m doing fine. But…”

Jang Young-cheol chuckled and paused, lowering his voice as he spoke.

“I heard you’re not doing so well yourself?”

“…That.”

“Oh, I’m not trying to pry. As you know, our Ilgeom Group sponsors the Chungju World Martial Arts Festival, right? But today I heard there’s been an incident in Chungju, and I was astounded when I got the report, so I reached out.”

“Oh, the report…”

“Ha! It’s not like a corpse has been found buried in some mountain; if there’s a corpse out in the open where people are passing by, then of course, I’d get a report too.”

“…”

“So, I thought you might be in quite the predicament, what with it being such an unusual case and the potential for political backlashes. If I were a politician, I’d be scrambling to use you as a scapegoat…”

“Yes, Elder, I agree.”

“Right. What can an old man like me do when the political circuit kicks in? But hey, people have feelings too. We meet frequently at gatherings, we’ve exchanged pleasantries. We’ve become pretty good acquaintances, haven’t we?”

“Yes, absolutely.”

“And that brings me to the point; I’d like to offer you some help. Before the politicians can sense the blood in the water and swarm like hyenas, I want to assist you in resolving this incident.”

The Chungbuk Police Chief’s eyes widened at those words.

“Help, you say?”

“Yes. It’s not some grand aid. The death of that Japanese fighter was unavoidable, but… there’s that individual found in the swamp, right?”

“Yes.”

“The corpse of Lee Chung-il—or so I believe. When I heard the report, something immediately crossed my mind. The state of the corpse is so bizarre; I wondered if it’s somehow connected to magic.”

“Magic, you say?”

“Yes. Coincidentally, I came into contact with a shaman recently. You might know him, the native shaman that was on TV not too long ago. His name is Park Jinseong.”

“Oh, yes. I’ve heard of him… from the Gwangyang Group?”

“Exactly. Park Jinseong from Gwangyang Group. I contacted him regarding your situation, and after listening to the details, he readily agreed to help. He’s on his way from Seoul to Chungju right now and should arrive in a few hours. He’s young but skilled, so he should be of great help.”

A shaman assisting the investigation…?

Great.

Very great.

The Chungbuk Police Chief wasn’t precisely sure what kinds of magic Park Jinseong could wield.

But whether it was fortune-telling, summoning spirits, or using esoteric spells to read traces or uncover evidence…

He was sure it would be helpful in one way or another.

Even if he didn’t practice magic that would assist in the investigation directly, it wouldn’t be bad either.

Just having persuaded a rare and hard-to-handle genius like a shaman to participate in the investigation could be framed as doing the best they could.

If they played this card right, even amidst the chaos, they could protect themselves.

“Thank you, Elder!”

 

---