“When I hear ‘hijacking,’ I think Villains or terrorists,” Ghost muttered, her voice flat. “A giant bird monster?”

“Well, it’s still a hijacking, isn’t it? Just not a very common one. And the terrorist’s motives are a little different from the usual.”

Hae-eun tapped the photo on her tablet with one knuckle—a small passenger plane clutched in the claws of an enormous bird.

“The problem is, the plane is packed with military top brass. So we can’t just scramble fighter jets and light it up with missiles. They have no idea how to pull off a safe rescue.”

“…”

“Besides, the military has its pride. They can’t go bowing their heads to the civil servants at the Gate Defense Bureau or the private mercenaries at the Hunter Association. It’d be a bad look.”

Hae-eun smiled sweetly. “So the request came to us, asking for a quiet little favor.”

“Even if they asked for help…” Ghost gestured at the photo, where the monster was cradling the plane protectively in its massive talons. “What are we supposed to do?”

“What else?” Hae-eun jabbed a hand into the air like a boxer. “We float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”

“…”

“Hey, don’t give me that look. Listen. The thing is flying at a relatively low altitude and a slow speed. Plus, it’s a regular monster, not a Lord or a Boss, so it’s not that strong.”

Hae-eun displayed a satellite view of the monster’s current location. Now designated ‘Albatross,’ it was flying north along the east coast, just crossing from North Gyeongsang Province into Gangwon.

“We’ll just take a transport, get in close, and wham! Take it down, secure the plane. Nothing to it.”

Ghost, still looking dumbfounded, jutted her chin. “Who else is on this mission?”

“I picked up the most useful inmates with flight capabilities.”

Just then, their vehicle pulled into the heliport. On the landing pad, the now-familiar transport plane disguised as a postal service aircraft was waiting, its rotors already spinning.

Hae-eun got out and led the way, with Ghost and Jae-hee following. Inside the transport’s open hatch, they could see the commander’s subordinates and the three convicts drafted for the mission.

The inmates were already geared up and waiting.

Hae-eun introduced two men in skintight suits first. “These are callsigns ‘Daedalus’ and ‘Icarus.’”

One was a middle-aged man, the other a young man who looked to be in his twenties. Dressed in spandex and wearing swimming goggles, they flashed confident, gummy smiles.

“Together, this duo is just called the ‘Flying Father-Son,’” Hae-eun added. “They’re actually father and son.”

Hearing their callsigns, Jae-hee muttered in disbelief, “What is this, some kind of flight-themed series…?”

He was reminded of Flight Risk, who had died on a previous mission. Weren’t these callsigns a little lazy?

Hae-eun slapped both convicts on the back and continued her explanation. “These two are also experts in this field… which is to say, they’re former hijackers.”

“What?”

“They were caught hijacking a commercial airliner.”

The Flying Father-Son pair grinned at that.

“Heh heh, robbing planes is our specialty.”

“We’ve hit six light aircraft and two large passenger jets mid-flight. Of course, the investigation team kicked in our door right after, and that’s how we ended up here, but still…”

“In the sky, we’ve got a one hundred percent win rate! And a one hundred percent hijacking success rate!”

“Just leave this mission to us!”

Except we’re not trying to rob the plane, we’re trying to get it back, Jae-hee thought silently.

Still, experts were experts. Hae-eun repeatedly patted the shoulders of the two aerial robbers, declaring them trustworthy.

“And this is callsign ‘Iljimae.’”

The final member was a woman clad head-to-toe in tight black leather armor, with all manner of knives hanging from her body. Her eyes were dark and gloomy, and the lower half of her face was covered by a black mask.

She radiated the unmistakable aura of an assassin.

“She was a freelance hitman in the underworld before she got caught. One of the few people we have with aerial mobility.”

Ghost gave her a suspicious look. “She can fly?”

“Her callsign is Ilji-mae. Says she can fly.”

“Wait, doesn’t that mean ‘plum blossom’?”

The original Iljimae was a thief who left behind a single plum blossom, but this assassin had apparently adopted the name for the mae, which also meant ‘hawk.’

Just then, Iljimae walked silently toward Ghost, her hollow, dark-circled eyes narrowing. “So you’re the Greatest Sword of Joseon…?”

Ghost arched a quizzical eyebrow, and Iljimae’s eyes crinkled into a smile. “Heheh… I look forward to… a good match…”

What match?

After another soft “heheh” in front of the bewildered Ghost and Jae-hee, Iljimae slunk to a corner of the transport.

Ghost asked worriedly, “Can we trust her?”

“She’s got excellent mobility on land, sea, and air. And she’s definitely good at carving up meat. She’ll be useful on this mission.”

As Ghost and Jae-hee stood before the transport, their Null Cuffs were removed. Hae-eun had already been briefed that the Archmage had broken them while dealing with the bus hijacking.

She tapped the dead cuffs and clicked her tongue. “These things are expensive. Goddamn S-Ranks, always doing whatever they please…”

“There’s an S-Rank right in front of you.”

“I’m not talking about you… Oh, right. Speaking of S-Ranks.” Hae-eun continued as she stepped into the transport. “Chosen One, the only member of the New Five Heroes from the military, will also be participating in this mission.”

Ghost frowned. “Chosen One? That power zealot? A guy like him could clear this mission by himself.”

“He’d clear the mission, sure. And the passenger plane along with it. You know him. He’s not exactly suited for… delicate work like hostage rescue.”

Listening from the side, Jae-hee let out a little “Ooh.”

“So we get to meet another one of the New Five Heroes!” he exclaimed.

“What are you so excited about?”

“It’s cool and exciting to see an S-Rank! They’re the strongest Awakened, after all!”

Ghost snorted. “I’ll say it again, there’s an S-Rank right in front of you.”

“W-well, of course it’s cool and exciting to see you, Master! But meeting others helps broaden my horizons, you know…?”

“An S-Rank is basically no different from a Deck 0 inmate. They’re all a bunch of lunatics with a screw loose. Nothing good comes from meeting them.”

Hae-eun let out a short laugh at Ghost’s words. “You’re an S-Rank and a Deck 0 resident yourself.”

“I’m not talking about me.”

It felt like the same conversation was repeating, just with different speakers.

“What’s Chosen One like?” Jae-hee asked, curious.

“The power of an S-Rank is so immense that it’s too much for a single human to handle,” Ghost replied dismissively. “As a result, a lot of S-Ranks tend to delude themselves into thinking they’re some kind of chosen being. Chosen One is a particularly bad case.”

“Bad? In what way?”

“For starters, his Hunter name speaks for itself. On top of that… he’s a super patriot.”

Jae-hee, unfamiliar with the term, asked, “A what?”

“A lunatic patriot.” Ghost massaged her temples and let out a low sigh. “You’ll see when you meet him. What kind of lunatic he is.”

Next, Jae-hee and Ghost were issued their equipment.

Jae-hee received his long and short swords and combat boots, though his windbreaker was still being repaired. Ghost, as always, took a single black sword.

Hae-eun gathered the five inmates and clapped her hands. “Daedalus is the team leader. He’s a pro when it comes to flying. Make sure you, your son, and Iljimae coordinate well.”

“Roger.”

“Ghost and Boy will remain on the transport and deploy as the situation requires.”

“Confirmed.”

“The military is drawing up the detailed operational plan, so we’ll be acting in a support capacity.”

A sense of unease settled over Jae-hee, and he swallowed hard.

Hae-eun beamed. “As for the mission reward… you get 300,000 Credits just for deploying. The agent who contributes the most will also receive a state-of-the-art, military-grade Gate Gear, courtesy of the armed forces.”

“…!”

At the mention of military-grade Gate Gear, the eyes of Daedalus, Icarus, and Iljimae went wide.

Jae-hee, of course, had no idea what that meant and just looked around.

“How about it? A pretty tasty mission, right?” Hae-eun’s eyes crinkled as she snapped her fingers. “The mission name… since our goal is to fry the monster that snatched the plane… let’s call it ‘Air-Fryer.’”

Wearing a disgusted look, Jae-hee turned to Ghost. “Why are all the mission names in this line of work like this?”

“Well, it’s all up to the commander’s taste…”

And so, Mission: Air-Fryer was a go. The five participating agents were confirmed.

[B-Rank] Daedalus

[B-Rank] Icarus

[A-Rank] Iljimae

[AA-Rank] Boy

[OLD S] Ghost

Hae-eun made a grand sweeping gesture with her arm.

“All right, let’s go fry us an Albatross!”

***

The transport took off from Seoul and headed east, reaching Donghae City, just south of Gangneung. It landed at an airfield there to refuel.

During the stop, Hae-eun conducted an additional briefing.

“Gangneung, just north of here, is one of the Three Hellholes… you know that, right? The place where it rains potatoes year-round.”

In the distant northern sky, a massive, ochre-colored cumulonimbus cloud loomed. Below the thick cloud, a terrifying scene unfolded as lightning constantly struck the ground. Between the flashes, thick sheets of rain could be seen falling.

Potatoes.

An endless rain of potatoes poured down. The bizarre sight left Jae-hee utterly dumbfounded.

“In other words, that’s a no-fly zone. If the Albatross enters Gangneung airspace, we’ll have no way to pursue it.” Hae-eun pointed to a map on the screen. “That’s why Donghae City, just south of Gangneung, is our final line of defense. We have to take down the Albatross and rescue the plane here.”

Ghost clicked her tongue. “So, how exactly are we supposed to take it down?”

“That… will be explained by the Hunter from the military, who’s on his way now.”

Hae-eun pointed out the transport’s hatch at an approaching figure.

Clank. Clank.

A sharp, metallic sound announced his approach as the plates of his heavy armor scraped together.

He was a mountain of a man, clad in Joseon-era armor. His face was hidden by a traditional face guard carved in the shape of a haetae, leaving only his two fiercely glowing eyes visible.

On his back, two long hwando—Joseon military sabers, each nearly five feet in length—were strapped in a cross.

As he swept his cape and entered the transport, Daedalus and Icarus, recognizing him, shouted in unison.

“It’s—it’s Chosen One!”

“Whoa, Dad! It’s my first time seeing him in person!”

The man called Chosen One clicked his tongue and muttered under his breath, “I am not ‘Chosen One’…”

Thump!

The man slapped the breastplate of his armor with his palm and introduced himself. “My name… is Joseon Won!”

He then threw his arms up and roared, “Make Joseon Great Again!”

As Jae-hee struggled to process this strange character concept, Ghost quietly explained, “As you can see, he’s a patriot…”

Her voice was heavy with exasperation.

“His patriotism is just… a bit old.”

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