Chapter 37 - The Empire Moves (2)
TL: Boko
Editor: Frost
"How… vexing..!"
An rank monster emerged as the Boss within the B-rank dungeon; the Death Knight couldn't bear Sung Joon's Healing Spray and fell.
The knight's soul, which had forcibly been stuck in its long since chilled body, departed, and its yell spread throughout the room, sounding as if something was being torn apart.
Sung Joon raised his left hand and absorbed the mana from the Death Knight's body.
"What's my synchronization rate?"
"It didn't go up," Rishubalt replied. The Death Knight left behind a magic stone, and Sung Joon narrowed his eyes, watching the gradually dissipating Death Knight's corpse.
"At this stage, it's difficult for me to increase my synchronization rate in a B-rank dungeon," Sung Joon said to himself.
"The higher your synchronization rate, the more mana you require to raise it," Rishubalt added.
"Open the door to the Awakening Dungeon. Let's start the invasion."
As soon as Sung Joon declared his invasion, Rishubalt smiled at the thought of revenge and raised both hands.
"Entering the Awakening Dungeon."
Their surroundings melted away, and were replaced with a new background. Sung Joon closed, then opened his eyes, seeing a tower before him, and a castle wall behind him.
At the entrance, it had the slogan 'For the Empire's glorious victory!' attached.
"This seems to be the Empire's Tactical Magic Tower," Rishubalt said, and Sung Joon nodded his head.
"It seems that way."
The Empire possessed several Magic Towers, but the Tactical Magic Tower studied strategy and tactics, as well as developing magical weapons; it was a Magic Tower with a special purpose in mind.
Sung Joon had visited it once in the past, and he remembered that inside, there were not only several Mages, but also Magic Scholars as well.
And as an important Magic Tower out of the Empire's many Magic Towers, its guard was fittingly strict.
"Over there! Who are you!?"
"Where did you come from?"
"Why is a Priest here?"
Sure enough, the three Magic Knights guarding the entrance discovered Sung Joon and approached.
'Was it a mistake to not immediately use my stealth right as I entered?'
Sung Joon thought so briefly, but soon shook his head. Skilled Magic Knights would notice the flow of mana the instant he used stealth. Then, he would lose his opportunity to ambush them.
However, because he was currently wearing the 'Empire's Battle Priest Vestment', they were suspicious of him, but they didn't act drastically. As proof, the Magic Knights came closer without much thought.
"You guys, you're Magic Knights, right?"
"Why are you saying something that's obvious? But I haven't heard of the Battle Priests visiting today…"
At that moment, an alarm went off. A certain Mage had confirmed that there was a dimensional barrier that cut them off from the outside, and had rung the alarm.
"A trespass… Ugh!"
"AH!"
"Urgh!"
Finally, they realized that Sung Joon was suspicious and drew their swords, but Sung Joon cut deeply into their necks and they fell, yelling in agony.
Because he had aimed for the chinks in their armor, he didn't need to use aura.
"As expected of you, my lord. What a clean surprise attack."
Rishubalt admired him while applauding. Sung Joon smiled and silently walked towards the Magic Tower's front door.
"They have countermeasures for stealth. You'll actually stick out more if you use stealth."
"Probably."
It'd be strange if there weren't any countermeasures for stealth in a place with several Mages. So Sung Joon didn't use stealth and calmly opened the door, but it was locked.
Sung Joon's eyes chilled and took one step back from the door.
"Rishubalt, it seems like an ambush is out of the question now. We're going with a frontal assault."
He gripped his sword and activated his aura.
'I see it.'
He could see the flow of mana. Sung Joon forcefully swung his sword at the front door.
Clank.
As soon as his Spell Breaking Sword broke the barrier, it emitted the sound of glass breaking, and mana particles spread everywhere. The door that had lost its barrier was helplessly cut through.
Sung Joon stepped on the pieces of the shattered door and went inside.
"Fireball!"
"Wind Cutter!"
"Ice Spear!"
As soon as he entered inside, the Mages rained down several offensive spells onto him. Sung Joon calmly raised his sword while grasping the trajectory of the incoming spells.
And he made it his top priority to cut them down, one by one with his Spell Breaking Sword.
"To think he can use the Spell-Breaking Sword!"
"That's impossible!"
The Mages were shocked when they saw him so cleanly deal with the offensive magic with the Spell Breaking Sword. And the Magic Knights, wielding swords blazing in fire and aura, brandished their swords and dashed towards Sung Joon.
"Five Magic Knights."
"If we're using Earth standards, they consist of four B-ranks, and one rank," Rishubalt explained amicably. Sung Joon's sight didn't leave the approaching Magic Knights as he readied his stance.
"Gale Sword!"
"Shield!"
He didn't need to use the Tempest Sword; the Gale Sword was enough. In one strike, his lunge, which unleashed sword winds, caused four Magic Knights to spurt blood and fall.
The Magic Knight that Rishubalt had designated as rank had cast defensive magic and blocked the sword winds. However, Sung Joon's lunge still remained.
"Ugh!"
His Shield couldn't block Sung Joon's aura. Because the Magic Knight was well aware of that fact, he abandoned his Shield and quickly threw his body to the side.
Seeing that, Sung Joon drew his dagger, but then…
"Protect Sir Lufel!"
The Mages who had finished their casting, rained down their offensive magic upon him. It seemed as though the Mages from the second floor had joined them, as the spells aimed at him had increased.
"Hahaha! Even if you're a practitioner of the Spell Breaking Sword, it'll be difficult to cut down all of this!" someone mocked with voice full of confidence. Seeing that, Sung Joon grinned and opened his mouth.
"Shield."
As soon as he spoke the activation words, the S-rank item, 'Dragon's Protection' used Sung Joon's mana and manifested a magic barrier; all of the offensive spells aimed at him were blocked by the barrier.
The offensive spells blocked by the magic barrier gradually lost their power and either dissipated or exploded.
"Hahaha! How does it taste!?"
"The nineteen of us bombarded him with offensive spells, so he's probably dead!"
The resulting dust that came about from the explosion caused them to be unable to see Sung Joon's figure. Therefore, they thought that Sung Joon was swept up by the series of explosions and that he'd be fatally injured. However, the rank Magic Knight, who kept his silence, felt a single mana reaction, and opened his mouth with a pale expression.
"He's still alive!"
"What did you say?"
"A powerful mana reaction! It's aura!"
They didn't even have the time to panic; one of them caught the mana reaction and immediately after, something gleamed within the dust.
"Shie… Ugh!"
One of the Mages sensed danger and tried to cast his Shield, but 'something' flew before he could and burrowed into his neck. That 'something' was Sung Joon's dagger. It had flown so quickly that he didn't even have to opportunity to utilize his Shield.
"He's alive!"
"All of you. Don't stop your casting!"
The Mages responded, and five Magic Knights who had been at their posts joined up, protecting them. However, by the time the dust cleared, Sung Joon wasn't there.
"He's not there?"
"I'm over here."
The Mages heard his voice from the center of their formation. They all felt terrified, and when they turned their heads, Sung Joon was drawing up a huge amount of mana.
The moment all of that mana was focused into his sword, Sung Joon opened his mouth.
"Tempest Sword."
He spoke the activation words, and the moment he swung his sword, sword winds raged in all directions like a storm. The Mages couldn't respond at all and were brutally slashed apart by the sword winds, losing their lives.
The sword winds even reached the Magic Knights as well.
It was a bloodbath.
"Shield! AH!"
The minority of them managed to cast their Shield and felt relieved, but Sung Joon found them and killed them one by one, using his aura to cut through their Shields and decapitate them.
"Absorb."
The battle was finished and Sung Joon absorbed their stamina and mana. Perhaps because they were individuals who handled magic, he felt that he had replenished a ton of mana.
"Is that it?"
He thought all the forces on the second floor or the basement would join up with them, but it seems as though they kept their positions and strengthened their defenses as he didn't see them appear on the first floor.
"Where should I go first?"
"Wouldn't it be better to go to the top floor, which stores confidential documents, rather than the basement, which stores raw materials?" Rishubalt asked, expressing his opinion. When he was finished organizing his thoughts, Sung Joon shook his head.
"Let's go to the basement first and steal the magic materials."
"Wouldn't it be better to go to the highest floor first?"
"If the documents in the Tactical Magic Tower aren't special, they won't scrap them. But if they do decide to scrap them, they'll destroy them when we're at around the middle floor. In any case, it's difficult to get there in time," Sung Joon explained.
"As expected of my lord. You thought this out." Rishubalt nodded his head and understood. And admired him.
"Then we're going to the basement," Sung Joon decided.
"It's a trespasser!"
When he went down to the basement, guards immediately exposed themselves. Because the Tactical Magic Tower's most important floor wasn't the basement, which contained magical materials, but the top floor storing their documents, there weren't that many guards in the basement.
There were only four Mages, five Magic Knights, and around thirty guards that were guarding the basement. Befitting a Magic Tower, there weren't that many normal soldiers, and there were comparatively a lot of Mages and Magic Knights.
"None of the Magic Knights are highly ranked; likewise, the Mages aren't as well," Rishubalt reported. High ranked Magic Knights or high ranked Mages at least rank and were powerful enemies, but it seemed like none of them had shown themselves thus far.
"Gauging your enemy's capabilities as well as taking into consideration your own, you can defeat them within five minutes, my lord."
"Five minutes? Three minutes is plenty."
Sung Joon moved. That movement was like a flash. He instantly decapitated the Magic Knights' heads, as well as the soldiers', and his sword, which passed deeply into enemy lines, felled the Mages as well.
"Stop him!"
"We have to stop him at all costs!"
It wasn't as much as the document storage room on the top floor, but the magic materials storage room also had important facilities. The next room was a vast clearing, and several guards appeared.
"There are two highly ranked mages mixed into that force of one hundred. Shouldn't you use your Dragon Fear?"
Rishubalt suggested that he used his large scale suppression ability, 'Dragon Fear'. If he used Dragon Fear, he could stop several opponents in their tracks. The amount of time that Dragon Fear kept them still was longer than releasing his killing intent, and had a higher chance of suppressing his enemies.
And in the case of the Mages, they would stiffen, so they would have to halt their casting, and their mana would be twisted, so they temporarily wouldn't be able to resume casting.
"It's a good method."
The mana consumption was considerable, but he could replenish his mana through 'Mana Absorption' so he wasn't really worried.
"Howl, Roel!"
Roar.
Sung Joon's sword, Roel, sleeping sword cried out.
"Ugh!"
"D-Dragon Fear?"
"AH!"
The soldiers fell and fainted; the others weren't in good shape, either. The high ranked Mages also couldn't bear the Dragon Fear and couldn't help but halt their casting. And using that opportunity, Sung Joon used his high-speed movement and cut off their heads; following that, he killed the rest of them.
When the battle was over, he used his 'Mana Absorption' and entered into the magic material storage room.
"Let's steal all of the magic materials."
Because the magic pouch definitely had its limits, he had to choose the most expensive looking magic materials. He finished stealing the magic materials, and then, the moment he was about to walk out…
He discovered a hidden door in the corner of the room.
"I thought that the Tactical Magic Tower's basement only had one floor…"
Sung Joon sifted through his memories, but he didn't recollect any information regarding a second floor for the Tactical Magic Tower's basement.
"It could be a secret lab."
"Well, all of the Magic Towers have one of those."
Sung Joon answered unimportantly, broke the lock, and went down to the second floor of the basement. And he saw Hell.
"Holy crap…"
The room was filled with young children hanging from the walls. And they weren't in good condition, either.
"The Empire has… allowed such tests?"
Sung Joon was shocked. His trust in the Emperor had already hit rock bottom, yet it felt like that trust had dropped all the way down to Hell.
"It's not important, but the Tactical Magic Tower can run tests independently."
"Yeah. The important thing is that no one here is coming out of this alive."
An icy killing intent overflowed from Sung Joon's eyes.
//
Chapter 37 - The Empire Moves (3)
TL: Boko
Editor: Frost
"L-Let me live…"
A middle aged Mage wearing the robes of the Tactical Magic Tower looked at Sung Joon and pleaded for his life. However, Sung Joon stared down at him, his expression cold, like that of ice.
"Let you live?"
"Y-Yeah! Let me live! Please!" Sung Joon also replied in the other world language. As soon as the Mage realized that Sung Joon could speak their language, his face lit up with hope.
"You probably heard others plea for their lives several times before, too…" Sung Joon smiled cynically and said. The Mage couldn't say anything.
"Did you let those kids live, the ones who pleaded for their lives?" Sung Joon asked, and the Mage remained silent. Sung Joon wordlessly raised his sword, and then, the Mage hastily opened his mouth.
"Why should I worry about those refugees!? No one cares about the likes of them!"
He didn't need to hear anymore. Sung Joon swung his sword, and decapitated the Mage's head. The severed head rolled onto the cold, stone floor, and the headless body spurted blood and collapsed.
"The eighth floor's clear."
Sung Joon brushed the blood off his priest vestments, and muttered. An icy killing intent overflowed from his voice. After Rishubalt checked their surroundings, he looked at Sung Joon and opened his mouth.
"You've completely cleared this floor. Please go up to the ninth floor."
Sung Joon nodded his head and walked over to the ninth floor. The top floor of the Tactical Magic Tower was the twenty fifth floor. He hadn't even gotten half way through yet.
When he reached the ninth floor, he was met by a vast plaza. Dozens of Magic Knights and three Mages were guarding the floor.
"All three Mages are high ranked," Rishubalt warned. Through his own senses, Sung Joon felt that the amount of mana that these Mages possessed wasn't normal.
"Facing the Sword Saint[1] with high rank mages, as well as dozens of Magic Knights, huh… Not bad."
Sung Joon's eyes gleamed.
"There's also a high rank Magic Knight mixed in as well," Rishubalt reported.
"It doesn't matter. I'll kill them all instantly," Sung Joon replied. He had consumed a lot of mana to reach the ninth floor, but because he had constantly absorbed their stamina and mana, he was still comfortable.
"Wouldn't it be best to use the Dragon Fear?" Rishubalt said. The high rank Mages and the Magic Knights had already begun their casting. One of the high rank Mages, and the Magic Knights possessed incredible fast casting speed, and a few of them were already speaking the activation words.
"Howl, Roel!"
Sung Joon infused mana into his sword, Roel, and dashed forward. His speed was such that he was like a gunshot.
Roar.
Sung Joon pushed past two Magic Knights, and the moment he got into the center of their formation, Roel cried out.
"Ugh!"
"D-Dragon… Urgh!"
The roar halted the casting of the three high rank Mages, as well as the dozens of Magic Knights, and caused their bodies to stiffen. The few of them that had been gathering mana had that same mana twist within their bodies, so they sustained internal injuries and even vomited blood.
"Tempest Sword."
Sung Joon calmly spoke the activation words from within the center of their formation, and used his Tempest Sword. As the sword winds raged, the group of Magic Knights were cut apart.
"AH!"
"S-Save me!"
They attempted to use their Shields, but their bodies hadn't loosened completely. Therefore, they weren't able manifest the Shields, and simply spurted blood and collapsed.
"Shield!"
One of the high rank Mages who had regained control of his mana first, cast his Shield. He saved eight of the Magic Knights with his Shield, but the others either died, or were fatally injured and collapsed.
"All of you, be careful! His swordsmanship's from the Knight Brigade!"
A different high rank Mage warned. The Magic Knights uneasily nodded their heads. Their sight was filled with the bodies of their fallen comrades who couldn't even resist and fell against that cruel swordsmanship like scarecrows.
"Nothing's changed."
They saw through his swordsmanship, but Sung Joon didn't panic, and calmly swung his sword, cutting down the number of Magic Knights.
"Fire Wall!"
The moment he cut down the final Magic Knight, he heard a sharp cry, and two high rank Mages blocked off his path from the front and back with their Fire Walls.
And the last remaining high rank Mage completed his casting, and drew up a considerable amount of mana.
"Blizzard!"
The high ranked magic, Blizzard.
A tempest of ice rained down upon him. However, Sung Joon didn't panic and calmly dashed towards the Fire Wall, and used his Spell Breaking Sword.
The Spell Breaking Sword, the technique which dismantled the mana and destroyed the magic spell. At Sung Joon's current level, he could use the Spell Breaking Sword against high rank magic as well.
So, the high ranked[3] Fire Wall was futilely cut through.
"He knows the Spell Breaking Sword too?"
"Is he the disciple of a Swordmaster?"
"Who betrayed us?"
The Magic Knights panicked at the sight of the Spell Breaking Sword. Though one could imitate the Spell Breaking Sword, using it this perfectly required that one learn a Swordmaster's sight technique.
Sung Joon's memories of his past as a Swordmaster weren't complete, but a portion of them were left intact, so he was able to use the Spell Breaking Sword to nigh perfection.
"I don't think that's what you should be worried about right now."
Sung Joon had already gotten behind them.
"Ugh!"
"AH!"
He swung his sword and two of the high rank Mages futilely fell. Sung Joon saw the last remaining Mage, and when he raised his sword…
"Blink!"
The high rank Mage utilized Blink and widened the distance. He was smiling; Sung Joon looked at the Mage, grinned, and opened his mouth.
"Blink."
He spoke the activation words, and the 'Imperial Army Pan-Dimensional Task Force's Combat Boots' skill, Blink, activated, and Sung Joon's body disappeared, and reappeared right in front of the high rank Mage.
"T-This is the Pan-Dimensional Task… Ugh!"
Sung Joon's lunge pierced through the Mage's stomach, so he couldn't finish his sentence.
"Absorb."
Sung Joon had annihilated all of the ninth floor guards, and absorbed the mana and stamina from their corpses; after that, he went up to the next floor.
Perhaps the ninth floor was a center defense line, as he didn't see any guards until the nineteenth floor, where he experienced a magic ambush. With Rishubalt's help, he was able to break through the magic ambush.
"Welcome."
As soon as he reached the twentieth floor, only one Mage greeted Sung Joon. He wore the robes that represented a high rank mage, but the amount of mana he possessed was close to that of an Archmage.
"It seems like he is close to becoming an Archmage," Rishubalt reported. Sung Joon agreed with the opinion, so he just nodded very slightly. Eventually, Sung Joon walked to the center of the plaza, and the Mage opened his mouth with a calm expression.
"My name is Dukelis. I'm not curious about your name, but may I ask you a question?"
"Fine," Sung Joon replied.
The Tactical Magic Tower was imprisoned within a barrier, and it was not only something that could never be broken from the outside, time also didn't flow, so he had all the time in the world.
"You created a powerful dimensional barrier that cuts us out from the outside, as well as utilizing Dragon Fear… Are you a Dragon?"
"Nope."
Sung Joon shook his head and replied. As soon as he did, Dukelis smirked.
"Good. If so, then I have no reason to be afraid of you!"
Dukelis shook his staff and lightning rained down upon Sung Joon. Sung Joon used his high-speed movement and opened his mouth as he avoided the spell.
"You should be more afraid of me, than a dragon."
Sung Joon disappeared. Eventually, he reappeared behind Dukelis. The Mage, wearing a blue robe, didn't panic and used Blink to widen the distance, while pointing his staff at Sung Joon.
"Lightning Bolt!"
A high rank magic; powerful lightning flew towards Sung Joon. He didn't panic and cut through the lightning with his Spell Breaking Sword.
"A Swordmaster's Spell Breaking Sword? I'm becoming more and more curious about you! I'll capture you and…"
"And what, torture me in the basement?"
"Blin…"
"It's too late."
He lunged with his sword, aiming for Dukelis's chest.
"Ugh!"
However, Sung Joon was the one who yelled in agony.
"My lord!" Rishubalt yelled urgently. Someone had stabbed Sung Joon from behind. He had aimed for Sung Joon's head, but the instant his stealth had been released, Sung Joon had detected the person's presence and turned his body to the side; because of that, it ended with only his left shoulder being cut.
"Healing Spray!"
Sung Joon spread orbs of white light to confuse his enemies, then widened the distance with high-speed movement.
And he was able to see the assassin wearing a mask.
"It seems like he's part of the Empire's Special Forces, the Ghost Squad," Rishubalt said.
"Yeah… I could barely feel his presence, so he should be a first class assassin." Sung Joon nodded his head.
If he was a first class assassin, then his combat skills would be equivalent to a high tier S-rank monster.
Dukelis's combat abilities also surpassed that of a low tier S-rank monster, so it was the same as him fighting against two S-rank monsters.
'I can kill Dukelis instantly, but the assassin's the problem.'
A first class assassin's stealth was exceptional. It would be difficult to recklessly aim for the Mage in a situation like this.
Sung Joon narrowed his eyes and inspected the first class assassin's movements. He silently hid his form within the darkness.
"Stealth."
Sung Joon didn't stay still. He also used his stealth and hid his form within the darkness. Seeing that, Dukelis was astonished.
"So you can even use stealth? But even so, I have a solution for that!" Dukelis yelled, overflowing with confidence, and began casting. Sung Joon wanted to stop him from doing so, but because the first class assassin was somewhere out there, he couldn't move easily.
"My lord! It's Arcane Magic[2]! It seems like it'll be completed soon!" Rishubalt warned, but Sung Joon was on guard for the assassin that was aiming for his life, so he couldn't move easily.'Since it's come to this, I have no choice but to use the 'Dragon's Protection' if I'm in a pinch.'
Sung Joon grabbed the 'Dragon's Protection' that hung from his neck. The red gem felt cold to the touch. He calmly retreated to create as much distance as he could.
Because stealth wasn't omnipotent, he didn't forget to reduce his presence as much as possible.
"Ha!"
Eventually, Dukelis completed his magic and rather than speaking the activation words, he emitted a strange battle cry instead. Sung Joon heard the sound of thunder and lightning came from all directions. Seeing that, he smirked, and spoke 'Shield'.
The magical barrier manifested and blocked all of the lightning, but he exposed himself to danger from the assassin who waited in the shadows looking for an opportunity to strike.
"S-Shield!"
Perhaps the assassin possessed a Shield item, as he spoke the activation words, but it wasn't able to block the Arcane Magic. As the assassin's Shield shattered, the first class assassin was killed by the electric shock.
"AH!"
The first class assassin yelled gruesomely and collapsed.
"N-No!"
Dukelis, who had unleashed the lightning type Arcane Magic, belatedly realized his folly, and cried out, but there was nothing he could do about it now.
Seeing that, Sung Joon grinned.
"What a nice team kill."
Sung Joon's stealth was released when he used his Shield, and before Dukelis could get a hold of himself, Sung Joon used his high-speed movement and closed the distance. Dukelis attempted to defend himself, but because he had used Arcane Magic just a little while ago, he couldn't immediately cast magic right away.
"Illusionary Sword!"
"AH!"
Sung Joon used his decisive, finishing blow, Illusionary Sword, in order to kill Dukelis with certainty; he was stabbed gruesomely and died.
And Sung Joon absorbed the mana of his fallen foe.
"Your synchronization rate has become 43%," Rishubalt reported. And Sung Joon's measuring tool also responded, signaling that he had cleared the dungeon.
"This guy was the Boss?"
"The leader of the Magic Tower was probably absent, so it seems like he was recognized as the Boss. Your synchronization rate has additionally increased to 44% as a reward for clearing the dungeon."
"Nice," Sung Joon replied, and searched the assassin's body, whose body was burnt black.
"Based on the gear he carries around, he's definitely part of the Ghost Squad."
"It seems like he was laying in wait. It seems that…"
"Yeah. The Empire is slowly starting to take notice of me and preparing."
"It seems like the Awakening Dungeon's difficulty will become even harder from here on out."
"But does that actually change anything? I'll just kill them all," Sung Joon replied without hesitation.
[1] Referring to his past self.
[2] Lower level than Blizzard. Both descriptors in front of the spell translate to "high rank" but the difference is only really noticeable in the original Korean. You'll usually be able to tell which magic is more powerful just by seeing the names. e.g. Ice Spear should obviously be weaker than Blizzard
[3] Highest level of magic thus far. I believe this level of magic was used earlier by a Vampire. Can also be translated as Great Magic or something like that.
//
Chapter 38 - To North Korea (1)
TL: Boko
Editor: Frost
Within a room filled with communication devices, two men wearing uniforms filled with badges sat at the table in the center of the room.
The other soldiers were either busily writing something down or focused on the communication equipment.
The two men sitting at the table unceasingly smoked their cigarettes and looked restless. They were the core of North Korea's military authority and they had a close relationship with the dictator, Kim Jang Woon.
At the end of their silence, the chubby man called Lee Hae Sung, the head of the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces, opened his mouth.
"This is a big problem. To think that the Lee Neung Hwa Corps can't stop the Winter Sovereign's advance…"
The Lee Neung Hwa Corps was the name of the army that violated the international treaty and was comprised of Hunters. The glasses wearing man gave off a sly impression, and was the Supreme Guard Commander, Ryu Chul Sung; he looked at Hae Sung with a grave expression.
"Our Leader said that he wouldn't leave the capital."
He was talking about the dictator, Kim Jang Woon.
"The Missile Guidance Bureau and the Air Force are carrying out air strikes every day, but the Winter Sovereign is still moving quickly to Pyongyang. But you said that our Leader wouldn't leave Pyongyang?"
Hae Sung looked speechless. Chul Sung nodded his head and opened his mouth.
"That's right."
"It'll be difficult to stop the Winter Sovereign with just the soldiers from Pyongyang Defense Command."
"Supreme Guard Command is also assembling their forces. We can take down the Winter Sovereign at Pyongyang."
Chul Sung showed his incredible confidence. North Korea's Lee Neung Hwa Corps was broken up into two large sections;one of them was part of the Ministry of People's Armed Forces, and the other was part of Supreme Guard Command. There were also Hunters that were a part of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, but they were a minority compared to the other two forces.
"Supreme Guard Commander! You're the head of the Supreme Guard, so isn't it your duty to get our Leader to a safe place? It seems like you're forgetting your duty."
"In the worst case scenario, I'll intervene."
The Supreme Guard Commander, Chul Sung, was a high tier S-rank Hunter. He was so talented that it almost felt like a waste to leave him in North Korea, so in the past, America had tried to win him over, but he was a Hunter who had been brainwashed since an early age, so it wasn't easy steal him from North Korea.
Chul Sung spoke brimming with confidence, and a few days passed. The Winter Sovereign had arrived at Pyongyang accompanied by its minions.
"All forces, attack!" Hae Sung commanded, and all their forces amassed at Pyongyang began their attack.
"Retreat!"
"R-Run away!"
North Korea had gathered all of their fighting force to battle the Winter Sovereign, but their army, the Lee Neung Hwa Corps included, sustained critical damage, and collapsed.
The confident Supreme Guard Commander, Ryu Chul Sung was ruthlessly stabbed by the raining ice blades from the sky of Pyongyang, and lost his life; and Kim Jang Woon hid himself within an underground bunker.
"The Supreme Guard Commander is dead. What are we going to do now?"
Jang Hoon looked down at the generals who had gathered at the underground bunker and asked. He was the one that suggested that they stay in Pyongyang, but no one pointed that out.
"Leader. How about asking the South Korean government for help? If the Winter Sovereign ruins us, wouldn't its next target be South Korea?" someone said. It was a three star general.
"I would prefer not to. We have no way to pay them back," Jang Woon said. Then, the three star general opened his mouth once more.
"We don't need to pay them back. Rather, we can just capture the Hunters when they're tired, take them hostage, and demand money in return. We're gaining additional benefits and taking down the Winter Sovereign in one fell stroke; isn't that killing two birds with one stone?" the three star general said, and Jang Joon smiled.
"Alright… Yeah, we can do it like that…"
"I-I'm sorry. I think I was too drunk the last time we met."
Seol Ah had come looking for him. She remembered being drunk and calling Sung Joon over, and went into hiding for a few times so that he couldn't find her; then, she contacted him and they met.
She was embarrassed that she had shown Sung Joon such an unsightly side of her.
'Why was I like that?'
Seol Ah shook her head. She didn't know the reason. She had never shown anyone her weak side before. She had even stood strong in front of her deceased parents. Therefore, she felt even more unfamiliar with how she acted awhile back.
"It's alright. Since it wasn't a bad experience for me."
Sung Joon recollected the way she acted on that day and grinned. Then, she blushed and bowed her head.
"S-Still…"
"It's really alright. It wasn't a formal affair, and I can occasionally listen to your complaints for free," Sung Joon replied, and Seol Ah felt her heart pound. She had thought her heart had been frozen solid by now, and that Maginot Line that she didn't let anyone pass was beginning to crumble.
"I-I'll get going now! I'm sorry! Keep up the good work!"
She sensed danger, and quickly widened the distance between her and Sung Joon. Her car was waiting for her not far away. Seol Ah went straight for her car and Sung Joon sighed briefly.
"Not bad."
Rishubalt, who was looking at a swarm of ants in the corner of the pavement, heard Sung Joon talking to himself and turned his head.
Whenever Sung Joon met with Seol Ah or took time for himself, Rishubalt did his best to go somewhere else and not get in Sung Joon's way. It was his consideration towards Sung Joon.
"It seems like she has strong feelings for you. She's the granddaughter of the Blue Dragon Group's Chairman, so there's nothing wrong with fostering a deep relationship with her."
"But I have enough money…" Sung Joon said. Rishubalt shook his head and opened his mouth.
"It hasn't been very long since I've adapted to Earth, but I at least know that the political world and the financial world are very close. If you get along with her well, it will definitely be a huge help to you. Perhaps even in the upcoming war."
Rishubalt was sure that the Empire and the Allied Species would go beyond their dimension and invade Earth. Therefore, he occasionally advised that Sung Joon create an independent force.
"Yeah. You said I should form an independent force, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"I have some spare time, so I should see those two."
It hadn't been very long since he had cleared the Awakening Dungeon, so he needed some rest. Because the Awakening Dungeon's difficulty was gradually increasing, he would be afflicted with a tremendous amount of mental fatigue.
Therefore, he had to rest for a few days.
"Two people? Are you talking about Park Jang Hoon and Yoon Shin Chul?" Rishubalt asked. Sung Joon nodded his head and called Shin Chul as he thought he could get through to Shin Chul better than Park Jang Hoon.
Immediately after defeating the Winter Sovereign, they had exchanged contact information in the infirmary.
"It's been a long time."
The voice beyond the phone was tinged with joy.
"Nothing much has happened?"
"Of course."
"What're you doing right now?" Sung Joon asked.
"I cleared a B-rank dungeon yesterday, so I was planning to go drinking with Jang Hoon today. Jang Hoon said he found a nice place. Would you like to come with us?"
Shin Chul had figured out exactly why Sung Joon was contacting them, even though it has been a while.
"Are you inviting me?"
"If you're buying… We'll consider it," Shin Chul said jokingly. Sung Joon smiled faintly.
"I'm butting in, so I'm obviously the one buying. Please don't worry about that."
"Maybe not myself, but I know Jang Hoon has a strong tolerance for alcohol. And the place we're going is expensive. Can you handle that?"
"You should know, since you participated in suppressing the Winter Sovereign. Do you really think that it's something I can't handle?"
From beyond the phone, Shin Chul laughed, sounding as though he was feeling great.
"Haha! It was a joke. I'll send you the location through a message, so take your time and come over."
As soon as Sung Joon finished his conversation, he immediately got a message. The promised time was in two hours, but the location wasn't far away. Because Sung Joon didn't really have anything to do, he drove his car and arrived nearby the promised location. And he passed his time in the cafe.
"Someone is watching you from six o'clock, my lord. I'm not entirely sure, but it seems like they've been following you since you met with Yoon Seol Ah," Rishubalt reported.
"I know." Sung Joon nodded his head. Eventually, Shin Chul and Jang Hoon entered the cafe. Sung Joon didn't outwardly show that he noticed that someone was watching him and greeted them.
"It's been a long time, Mr. Kang Sung Joon," Jang Hoon greeted. He wanted to call Sung Joon his 'hyung'[1], but it felt cringy to Sung Joon, so he rejected it. Instead of orally greeting him, Shin Chul lightly greeted him by glancing at him; then, he quickly surveyed his surroundings, and sat in front of Sung Joon with Jang Hoon.
"Did you eat dinner before coming?" Shin Chul asked. Sung Joon nodded his head.
"I ate something simple before coming."
"Then, how long has that guy been tailing you?" Shin Chul said, so silently that only Sung Joon could hear him. Befitting of an rank Hunter with superb ability and sense, he had noticed a suspicious presence watching Sung Joon.
"Around two hours."
"He seems to be a C-rank Hunter."
"It seems that way."
Jang Hoon, who was listening to Sung Joon and Shin Chul converse, seemed to realize that it was a serious situation and his eyes changed.
"How dare he spy on you Hyung, no, Mr. Kang Sung Joon? Shall I kill him?" Jang Hoon said softly. He already considered Sung Joon a strong individual, and had a really good impression of him.
Seeing Jang Hoon, who gave off the impression of a knight who had pledged his loyalty, Sung Joon smiled.
"That's dangerous. It's a bit troublesome to kill him immediately," Shin Chul said. Sung Joon opened his mouth with a relaxed expression.
"Let's lead him to an alleyway and ask nicely." He smiled icily.
"That's a good idea."
"Jang Hoon, that guy's really loving this. I agree as well."
The three left the cafe. The spy naturally got ready to leave and followed behind Sung Joon.
As soon as Sung Joon entered an alleyway, the spy thought it was suspicious, and tried to escape. But at that moment, Shin Chul intervened.
"Transform! Bind!"
The ring he had been wearing transformed into a staff and completed his restraint magic.
"Ugh!"
The magical tether restrained the spy. The spy attempted to release his mana and sever the invisible tethers, but a C-rank Hunter releasing their mana wouldn't be able to loosen the Bind of an rank Hunter.
"Did you catch him?"
Sung Joon approached him, but then… Blood poured out of the spy's mouth.
"This bastard!?"
"He bit his tongue!"
Jang Hoon cursed, and Shin Chul urgently yelled, but Sung Joon was relaxed. He looked at both Shin Chul and Jang Hoon, and opened his mouth.
"It seems like you've forgotten since I'm so much like a Combat Hunter, but I'm actually a Healer. An S-rank one at that."
Sung Joon finished talking and stretched his hand towards the spy.
"Heal."
An S-rank Healer Hunter's Heal could even restore a severed limb. The spy's tongue was restored and Jang Hoon forcefully kept the spy's mouth open and put a sock in it.
"Sorry. Cause I don't keep handkerchiefs around!"
Jang Hoon angrily kicked the spy and Shin Chul inspected the spy's body; he checked thoroughly, in search for any sort of identification.
"It's a fake. It seems like we'll have to contact the Hunter Bureau's Security Division."
[1] One of the very common honorifics in Korean. Used when referring to a man you are close to that is around 10 years or less older than you (age can vary) and/or is someone you respect. It is also mandatory to use this when referring to your older brother. I don't like using Korean honorifics in my translations, but 'brother' is the closest one and it sounds awkward.
//
Chapter 38 - To North Korea (2)
TL: Boko
Editor: Frost
"His Hunter's License is forged as well."
Shin Chul checked the spy's body for his Hunter's License just to be sure, but it was likewise a fake just like his identification.
"For starters, I've called the Hunter Bureau. An Investigator from the Security Division is coming over here right now," Shin Chul said. The Bureau's Security Division handled criminal matters regarding Hunters. Since the spy's identification and Hunter's License were both forgeries, it was highly likely that he was connected to a criminal.
"He could attempt to kill himself again, so please keep a close eye on him," Sung Joon said.
"You can count on me," Jang Hoon replied in an overwhelmingly confident voice. And just a little while later, the Investigator arrived.
He was with two Armed Policemen, who looked to be D-rank Hunters.
"I'm the Hunter Bureau's Security Division Chief, Lee Jin Chul."
The sharp eyed man, who looked to be in his mid thirties, passed his business card to Sung Joon, and introduced himself.
"It's nice to meet you. My name is Kang Sung Joon."
"I've always wanted to meet you… It's an honor."
Sung Joon held out his hand and Jin Chul gripped it tightly, expressing his delight. Then, he realized that he hadn't explained why, so he laughed awkwardly, and opened his mouth.
"You see, my parents are living in Paju right now. When the Winter Sovereign appeared in Paju, if it weren't for you, Mr. Kang Sung Joon, it could've been a disaster," Jin Chul said genuinely. Sung Joon just smiled.
"Security Division Chief?"
It was only after the Armed Policemen behind him reminded him of his responsibility did he remember his duty.
"Oh my! I'm truly sorry. I was just so happy to meet you, Mr. Kang Sung Joon… First, we'll take the suspect into custody."
He gave out a detailed order, and the Armed Policemen acted. The two took the suspect into the van while the suspect struggled, but the Armed Policemen that accompanied Jin Chul were both D-rank Hunters, so they were barely able to push him into the car.
"You took care of the situation well. There are traces of blood; did the suspect attempt to commit suicide?"
Jin Chul, who had remembered his duty, immediately returned to his businesslike attitude and looked at Sung Joon, Shin Chul, and Jang Chul and asked.
Sung Joon nodded his head and opened his mouth.
"He did attempt to commit suicide. He severed his tongue off, but I restored it."
Because a Hunter's physical abilities were superb, if they also possessed the willpower and the decision-making, they could easily sever their own tongue.
"But it doesn't seem like you reattached the tongue…" Jin Chul said. There was a small piece of the spy's tongue that rolled on the ground.
"I caused another one to grow in its place," Sung Joon said.
"As expected of an S-rank Healer. You're amazing." Jin Chul was in awe. Normally it didn't sound possible to grow back a body part that had been severed, but it wasn't an impossible matter for an S-rank Healer.
"Could you come with us to write a statement, please? Or if you're busy, you could just give me a simple explanation here."
"I'll explain it simply right here."
As soon as Sung Joon politely rejected to accompany them, Shin Chul took out a notebook as if he was used to this.
"You can give me your statement now."
Sung Joon began his statement. Jin Chul wrote busily with his pen and recorded the contents of Sung Joon's statement. It didn't even take ten minutes to record his statement, but because they didn't feel like drinking anymore, Sung Joon, Shin Chul, and Jang Hoon just talked a little bit more and parted ways.
And a few days later, after he had soloed a B-rank dungeon and raised his synchronization rate to 45%, he received a message from Jin Chul.
[This is the Hunter Bureau's Security Division Chief, Lee Jin Chul. I would like to talk to you about the suspect we brought with us that had fake identification and a fake license. Could you briefly visit the Hunter Bureau?]
Because Sung Joon was an S-rank Hunter, the message asked him cautiously.
"What do you plan to do?" Rishubalt asked.
"Since I have to go to the Dungeon Bureau to sell my magic stones anyway, I feel like I should just go right now," Sung Joon replied. The Hunter Bureau was right next to the Dungeon Bureau. It was close enough that he could just walk to it.
If he were another Hunter, they would've used their exhaustion from their dungeon run as an excuse to push back the appointment a few days, but because of Sung Joon's 'Absorption', his fatigue was lessened, so he planned to go to the Hunter Bureau as well.
"That seems like a wise decision."
"I'm always like that."
Sung Joon and Rishubalt exchanged light jokes with each other and he began to walk towards his parked Hunter sedan. Eventually, he got into the driver's seat and left.
He went to the Dungeon Bureau first. Contrary to the past, where he had to get a waiting number ticket, he now had an exclusive counter set up for him, so he didn't have to wait.
"Welcome, Hunter Kang Sung Joon."
As soon as he got to his exclusive counter, a beautiful female clerk smiled at him and greeted him. She was an employee that was hired to attend only to Sung Joon.
"It's good to see you, Ms. Han So Eun."
Sung Joon also greeted her pleasantly. So Eun's smile was enough to make him feel refreshed.
"Considering how many magic stones you have, did you solo a B-rank dungeon today?'
"Yes, you're right. Please take care of them."
"Please wait just a minute."
After So Eun received his instructions, she went through the process of selling the magic stones.
"You waited a long time, right? It comes out to $420,000."
In terms of a B-rank dungeon, a sum of $420,000 was on the higher side, but it wasn't a huge sum to Sung Joon. However, he couldn't stop assaulting dungeons, if for no other reason than to become stronger.
"Thank you. You worked hard."
Sung Joon said his goodbyes to So Eun and left. And as he walked towards the Hunter Bureau, he called Jin Chul.
"This is the Security Division Chief Jin Chul."
"This is Kang Sung Joon. I'm going over to the Hunter Bureau now."
"Where are you right now?"
"I'm coming over from the Dungeon Bureau."
"Oh my. I'll come down immediately."
Jin Chul quickly ended the call. Eventually, Sung Joon arrived in front of the Hunter Bureau building. Shin Chul and Hyun Sung were waiting for him at the first floor entrance.
"You're here too, Team Leader Kim?"
"Yes. I have some things I need to tell you, so I came down as soon as I was contacted by the Chief," Hyun Sung replied. Jin Chul, who was watching them exchange greetings, opened his mouth with a calm expression.
"Let's go up to the office."
"Alright," Sung Joon replied, and the three immediately went up to Jin Chul's personal office.
"Please, sit down."
Jin Chul suggested that Sung Joon sit down; Sung Joon sat down on the sofa and Jin Chul took the seat in front of him. And Hyun Sung served three cups of mixed coffee.
Hyun Sung sat next to Jin Chul and Jin Chul opened his mouth with a calm expression.
"We have discovered that the Hunter who followed you around is a spy from North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau."
"North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau? Why are those guys following me around?"
"When the Winter Sovereign appeared in Paju, another Winter Sovereign appeared in North Korea as well. They assembled all of their forces, but Pyongyang is apparently in ruins right now."
"I feel like I saw that on the news."
Sung Joon watched the news frequently in order to educate Rishubalt. Therefore, he at least knew that North Korea was in chaos right now. However, he didn't know what that had to do with the situation at hand.
"North Korea has formally requested Hunters' aid. It seems like the Reconnaissance General Bureau moved in order to gather information. Aside from you, Mr. Kang Sung Joon, there were four other S-rank Hunters who were followed," Hyun Sung said.
"So, what happened?" Sung Joon asked, and Hyun Sung smirked.
"We obviously subdued them. There were however some agents who committed suicide."
"I see."
Sung Joon nodded his head. After listening to Hyun Sung's explanation, he could understand why the Reconnaissance General Bureau had acted.
"My work here is done. Please speak with Team Leader Kim for the rest. Excuse me."
Because this concluded the case, the Security Division's work was done. Jin Chul briefly excused himself and Hyun Sung surveyed his surroundings; then, he looked at Sung Joon and opened his mouth.
"I just told you that North Korea requested aid, correct?" Hyun Sung asked, and Sung Joon nodded his head.
"Even if they request aid from the Hunters, we cannot do anything more than to ask the Hunters to cooperate. As you well know, Hunters don't belong to the country."
The only Hunter that was actually affiliated to the nation was Na Joon Yeol, but he didn't really like North Korea very much. Even if the government ordered him to help them, he most likely would've denied their request.
Even if he belonged to South Korea, if Joon Yeol vehemently denied them, they had no way of sending him to North Korea.
"Is this a request for cooperation?"
"Yes, that's correct. We're recruiting S-rank Hunters to go to North Korea and intercept the Winter Sovereign."
"What will my payment be?"
"North Korea has given up all the rights to the magic stones that comes out from killing the Winter Sovereign. And it hasn't exactly been disclosed, but there's also a separate payment as well," Hyun Sung replied. South Korea's Hunter Bureau hadn't been able to see through Kim Jang Woon's black intentions it seems.
"It's not bad. How many are going?"
"That's… There aren't any S-rank Hunters going. All of them have some sort of prejudice against North Korea."
"That's only natural. It's not like they did anything nice, after all," Sung Joon sighed and replied. Hyun Sung couldn't help but agree with him.
"It seems there aren't many Hunters that agreed, huh?" Sung Joon asked.
"Hahaha…" Hyun Sung weakly laughed.
"Please, don't even think about lying to me," Sung Joon said exactly.
"Yes, there aren't many that have agreed to go," Hyun Sung replied. Sung Joon smiled faintly and opened his mouth.
"Then if I go, I can pretty much monopolize all the magic stones, right?"
"Because you're an S-rank Hunter, Mr. Kang Sung Joon, your percentage cut is high, and you also have the additional reward as well… so if you successfully defeat the Winter Sovereign, your payment should be quite high," Hyun Sung said honestly. Sung Joon reclined on the sofa and was lost in thought. Eventually, he finished organizing his thoughts, looked Hyun Sung, and opened his mouth.
"There'll be support troops in North Korea as well, right?"
"If an S-rank Hunter were to go, North Korea promised that all the Hunters in the Supreme Guard Command as well as the army would follow their orders."
"So are you saying that the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces aren't going to help?" Sung Joon asked. He knew from perusing the internet that the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces possessed the Lee Neung Hwa Corps, which had the largest concentration of Hunters in North Korea.
"The Ministry of the People's Armed Forces' Lee Neung Hwa Corps sustained heavy casualties, almost to the point of annihilation, and retreated. The only Hunters left in Pyongyang are a part of the Supreme Guard Command. However, you don't have to worry about that. Although The Supreme Guard Command has less Hunters than the Ministry, they're more skilled," Hyun Sung replied. Sung Joon nodded his head with a satisfied expression. He had gathered all the necessary information. Now it was time for him to make a decision.
"Alright. I'll go to North Korea. Please prepare a plane."
"We'll assemble a team for you soon."
"I'll go alone," Sung Joon replied.
"I'm sorry?" Hyun Sung couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"I'll take all the magic stones."
This was confidence that came from his 45% synchronization rate.
//