The evening sky looked unusually unsettling.
Powerful winds swept across the empty roads, while thick gray clouds covered the entire sky, leaving the surroundings dim despite the early hour.
After several hours of traveling...
Kye finally arrived at the nearest city to Vorington Village by bus.
The clock read 6:00 PM.
Volume 2nd [ The truth they buried ]
Chapter no. 12 - Vorington village - Begins...!
Stepping off the bus, he quietly observed his surroundings.
Kye (thinking):
"Vorington Village is only about seven or eight kilometers from here."
"With my speed..."
"I should be able to reach it fairly quickly."
His eyes wandered across the streets.
"What's interesting is..."
"This city doesn't feel populated at all."
"It's strangely quiet."
Without wasting any more time...
Kye started walking toward the village.
As he moved through the nearly empty streets, another thought crossed his mind.
Kye (thinking):
"Why would SS Partners build one of their branches in such an isolated place?"
"I seriously doubt many customers—or anyone with business-related problems—would even come this far."
"Something definitely feels off..."
"There's no way this place exists without a reason."
---
Scene Shifts...
To...
Vorington Village.
Standing in the distance was an isolated building bearing the SS Partners emblem.
The area around it was almost completely silent.
Near the entrance...
Two suspicious figures stood motionless beneath the fading evening light.
Because of the darkness...
It was impossible to tell whether they were men or women.
The first figure finally broke the silence.
Unknown Figure #1:
"So..."
"We've finally arrived at the right place."
The second figure glanced toward the road leading into the village.
Unknown Figure #2:
"Yeah..."
"It certainly looks like it."
After a brief pause, the figure continued.
"He should be arriving here very soon as well."
The wind howled through the empty streets...
As the chapter slowly sank into an atmosphere of quiet suspense.
---
Scene Continues...
We return to Kye...
Who was now only a short distance away from Vorington Village.
The wind had grown much stronger than before.
Dark clouds completely covered the sky, and night had almost taken over.
The smooth highway gradually gave way to rough dirt roads.
The deeper Kye walked...
The more isolated everything became.
Kye (thinking):
"The weather doesn't feel normal at all..."
"What's causing all of this?"
A few moments later...
Kye noticed two or three villagers sitting outside one of the houses.
He decided to ask them directly.
Kye:
"Excuse me, sir."
"Is the SS Partners office somewhere nearby?"
"My phone has completely lost its signal, so I can't use the map anymore."
The villagers stared at him in complete silence.
Their expressions suddenly became strange...
Almost as if Kye had just said something he wasn't supposed to.
After a long pause...
One of the elderly men finally spoke.
"Kid..."
"What are you doing here?"
"This isn't the right time to come to this village."
"It would be better if you came back in the morning..."
"Or... better yet..."
"Don't come here at all."
Kye remained calm.
Kye:
"Sir, it's an emergency."
"I'd appreciate it if you could simply tell me the direction."
"You don't need to worry about me."
He glanced around the nearly deserted village.
"By the way..."
"Why is this place so empty?"
"I've barely seen any houses..."
"And even fewer people."
The same man replied in a cold voice.
Villager:
"Keep walking straight."
"You'll find it on your own."
"And whatever is happening in this village..."
"Has nothing to do with you."
"Now leave."
Kye simply shrugged.
Without saying another word...
He walked away.
After putting some distance between them...
He let out a sigh.
Kye (thinking):
"What a bunch of weird people..."
"Honestly..."
"They almost made me want to punch them."
"Hmph..."
He looked around once more.
"This place feels less like a village..."
"And more like a graveyard."
A small smirk appeared on his face.
"Don't tell me..."
"I'm about to end up fighting ghosts here."
Just then...
His eyes caught sight of something in the distance.
Standing alone in the middle of an open field...
Surrounded by countless towering trees...
Was a massive building.
Kye narrowed his eyes.
Kye:
"I guess..."
"That's the SS Partners branch."
---
Scene Continues...
The atmosphere had become incredibly tense.
Not even the sound of the wind could be heard anymore.
Everything was silent.
Kye slowly walked toward the massive building standing in the middle of the empty field.
His eyes carefully examined every corner of the structure.
Kye (thinking):
"This is supposed to be a company branch?"
"Yeah... right."
"What a joke."
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
"There's definitely something hidden inside."
Without wasting another second...
Kye walked straight to the entrance.
BANG!!
With a single powerful kick...
The massive gate was blown open.
The moment he stepped inside—
A bright red emergency alarm suddenly lit up across the entrance hall.
The entire building came alive.
Lights illuminated one floor after another.
The interior was surprisingly enormous.
Directly ahead stood what appeared to be a reception desk.
Beside it...
Kye noticed both a staircase and an elevator leading deeper into the building.
At first glance...
The inside looked like nothing more than an ordinary office.
Kye calmly reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a single toothpick.
Without even slowing down...
He flicked it forward with nothing but his fingers.
The tiny wooden stick shot through the air at incredible speed.
BOOM!
The emergency alarm exploded instantly.
Fragments scattered across the hallway.
Kye lowered his hand.
Kye:
"I hate unnecessary noise."
He looked around once again.
"Other than that..."
"This place isn't nearly as strange as I expected."
"From the outside..."
"It looked completely abandoned."
"But judging by the interior..."
"Someone maintains this building on a regular basis."
Without another word...
Kye quietly began searching the surrounding rooms...
One by one.
Kye searched every room and every document on the ground floor.
After several minutes...
He quietly let out a sigh.
Kye:
"Nothing important on this floor..."
"Just ordinary company records and paperwork."
He glanced around the damaged offices once more.
"Although..."
"The condition of these rooms is strange."
"It looks like someone searched through everything before I got here."
He stood there in silence for a moment.
Then...
Kye:
"I should probably check the upper floors."
"There's nothing else worth looking at down here."
Without a second thought...
Kye headed toward the staircase.
Just as he placed his foot on the first step—
A faint scream echoed somewhere inside the building.
It was so distant...
That he couldn't make out what had actually been said.
But one thing became clear.
He wasn't alone.
Even so...
Kye chose to ignore it.
He calmly continued climbing the stairs.
One floor after another...
He searched every office...
Every hallway...
Every room.
Yet...
He found nothing unusual.
After finishing his search...
He quietly muttered to himself.
Kye:
"Everything in this building seems completely normal..."
"So why were those villagers so terrified?"
He paused.
His eyes slowly scanned the hallway.
"Although..."
"There is one thing bothering me."
"On every floor..."
"There's a tiny red light blinking from certain spots."
A strange smile slowly appeared across Kye's face.
His eyes widened slightly...
As if he had finally noticed something interesting.
Kye:
"Well..."
"There's nothing else for me to do here."
"I guess it's time to leave."
Without another word...
Kye began walking back downstairs...
Toward the building's main entrance.
Kye finally reached the building's main entrance.
He let out a disappointed sigh.
Kye:
"What a ridiculous place..."
"I didn't find anything useful here."
He took another step toward the exit...
Then suddenly stopped.
His eyes narrowed.
Kye:
"Wait a second..."
"What's that?"
Without another word...
Kye instantly turned toward the reception area.
His body twisted slightly...
As purple lightning began gathering around his right fist.
The surrounding air trembled violently.
In the next instant—
BOOOOOM!!
A devastating punch exploded into the reception wall.
The entire area was blown apart.
Dust filled the air.
As the smoke slowly cleared...
A hidden passage was revealed.
Beyond it...
Was a secret underground chamber.
Bookshelves.
Cabinets.
Lockers.
Chairs.
Countless documents.
Several of them had already been destroyed by Kye's attack.
But then—
Kye's eyes locked onto something else.
Two people...
A young man and a young woman...
Were tied up inside the room.
Standing around them...
Were seven or eight people dressed in black suits.
And...
Standing at the very center...
Was an unusually small figure.
It looked like a child.
Dressed entirely in yellow.
Kye slowly smiled.
Kye:
"Did you insects really think..."
"I wouldn't figure it out?"
He glanced around the room.
"You filled the entire building with cameras..."
"So anyone investigating would naturally assume the secret was somewhere inside the offices."
"They'd search every floor..."
"Find absolutely nothing..."
"And eventually leave."
He pointed toward the destroyed reception area.
"But the funniest part..."
"Is that this reception was the only place without hidden cameras."
"You tried so hard to make it look ordinary..."
"That it became the most suspicious place in the entire building."
A faint grin appeared on his face.
"You wanted everyone's attention focused on the upper floors..."
"So they'd eventually reach the rooftop..."
"And fall straight into your trap."
"That's exactly why..."
"I never bothered going to the roof."
He looked directly at them.
Kye:
"Did you seriously think..."
"Someone like me would be that easy to fool?"
He slowly clenched his fist.
Purple lightning crackled around it once again.
Kye:
"So..."
"Tell me."
"How do you want to die?"
"Because if I choose for you..."
"Trust me..."
"It won't be pleasant."
His gaze shifted toward the small figure.
Kye:
"Kid..."
"Move aside."
"Go bring your father."
"This isn't a place for you."
The child-sized figure immediately exploded with rage.
Unknown Child:
"You bastard...!"
"Your death is guaranteed today!"
"Stop staring at me!"
"Kill him!"
"Kill him right now!"
"If you fail..."
"I'll kill every single one of you myself!"
End of Chapter 12.