Chapter 45 – Vladimir (6)
TL: Boko
Editor: StellarRain
The Korean diplomat stated that they couldn’t control Sung Joon and emphasized that they didn’t agree with his methods.
Since the Korean diplomat made this stance, the Russian diplomat didn’t know what to say.
“We cannot intervene and have merely relayed Mr. Kang Sung Joon’s message to you. Russia will have to deal with this themselves.”
The Korean diplomat straightened out his clothes and stood up from his seat. The moment he grabbed the doorknob to leave the living room, he turned around once more time and opened his mouth.
“Please remember this. You have one week. After that, the attack will begin. The Korean government can’t stop it.”
He left the living room. Afterwards, there was an emergency meeting called at the Kremlin. The highest ranking members of the Russian government discussed the threat of Sung Joon and ultimately concluded that they could not apologize.
And that fact was relayed to Sung Joon through Jung Chul.
“So what you’re saying is that the Russian government refused to even informally apologize to me?”
“That’s correct.”
Sung Joon asked, and Jung Chul nodded his head. The information was authentic as it came directly from the Blue House.
“I’m speechless.”
Sung Joon shook his head. He gave Russia the opportunity to save face by apologizing informally, yet they had even refused that option, so he couldn’t help but be speechless.
“What do you plan on doing?” Jung Chul asked.
“I’m going to go to Russia,” Sung Joon replied without any hesitation. It seemed as though Russia wanted to wash away their sins with blood, so he decided to take them up on their offer.
“If you strike the military or civilian facilities the public may turn on you,” Jung Chul warned. Sung Joon smiled and shook his head.
“I’m aiming for the Russian intelligence agency’s mainland bases.”
“But even White Tiger or the national intelligence agency probably don’t have any information on the Russian intelligence agency’s mainland bases.”
Just as Jung Chul said, White Tiger or the national intelligence agency didn’t have enough influence to gather extensive information on Russia. However, Sung Joon’s smile didn’t fade.
“There is a solution.”
He raised his phone. Agent Jennifer was under the Delta Director’s command, which in turn, was part of the Central Hunter Bureau, and he had her phone number.
Originally, the number was made temporarily for their plan, but they maintained the number so that they could continue to maintain ties with Sung Joon. Sung Joon confirmed this just a little while ago.
He immediately called Jennifer.
“Mr. Kang Sung Joon. I was waiting for you to call me.”
It was five o’clock in the afternoon in Korean but was the break of dawn in the U.S.. Even so, Jennifer picked up her phone and spoke in fluent Korean. Befitting a special agent of the Central Hunter Bureau, Jennifer already knew what situation Sung Joon was in.
“It seems like the Central Hunter Bureau knows the situation I’m in… Is that correct?”
“It’s as you say.”
Jennifer replied, and Sung Joon smirked. He could save time on explaining, so things had turned out well.
“Do you also know what I want?”
“If we’re not wrong, you want to know where the Russian intelligence agency’s mainland bases are, correct?”
“Exactly.”
“I can tell you about a few possible spots.”
The Central Hunter Bureau wanted to maintain close ties with Sung Joon.
Therefore, Jennifer, who was their link to Sung Joon, was allowed permission to partly share their information with Sung Joon.
“Telling me a few possible spots is fine,” Sung Joon replied. He didn’t plan on fighting an all-out war with Russia. If the Russian intelligence agency’s mainland bases were attacked, rather than one in a foreign country, Sung Joon thought that they might change their mind.
“One of our agents in the field will tell you the location. You should receive the information by tomorrow morning Korean time.”
The call ended. Next morning, like Jennifer said, an American agent who could speak Korean covertly visited Sung Joon’s mansion, and passed over materials regarding the locations of the Russian intelligence agency’s mainland bases and left.
Sung Joon gave Shin Chul, Jang Hoon, and Jung Chul the tasks of supervising the mansion and keeping his father safe. He then smuggled himself into Russia.
The Central Hunter Bureau provided the ship that would smuggle him into Russia. Because of that, his trip to Russia was quite comfortable.
“We’ve arrived.”
The agent disguised as a crewman spoke in Korean, informing him that they’d arrived. Sung Joon had been eating a simple meal in his cabin, but when he heard the agent, his eyes gleamed and he stood up.
“It’s finally time for your revenge,” Rishubalt said.
It seemed like Rishubalt was also elated at the prospect of revenge. With the Central Hunter Bureau agent’s help, Sung Joon was freed of all the necessary procedures at entry and was able to leave the harbor.
“I wish you good luck.”
“Thank you for everything.”
After he parted with the agent, he took out his map and unfolded it. There was a large base not far from the harbor.
Sung Joon attacked the base and burned it to the ground. He killed everyone that looked like an agent. He didn’t spare even one of them.
And with the Central Hunter Bureau’s agents’ help, he moved along while attacking Russia’s bases.
“Our domestic bases are being attacked.”
The news was immediately relayed to the Director of the Russian intelligence agency.
“What will you do? The situation’s worse than expected.”
The executive asked as he looked at the Director. There was a new report detailing that every day, a base would be destroyed and agents were being killed.
One large base and one medium sized base had been burned to the ground while seventy agents had died.
“It may be an informal one, but we cannot allow the President to apologize.”
“Then… Are you going to mobilize the army?”
The executive asked. The Director shook his head and opened his mouth.
“You’re well aware that it’s not so easy to mobilize the army, right?”
“Then…?”
“We’re sending the intelligence agency’s SS-rank Hunter, Mikhail. Kang Sung Joon may be an SS-rank Hunter, but Mikhail underwent special training, so Sung Joon shouldn’t be able to beat Mikhail.”
The Director smirked. However, he didn’t know that Sung Joon was remembering his past life, where he was a killing machine.
* * *
After Sung Joon had destroyed another medium sized base, he moved to another base while discussing a new technique he recollected once he reached a 55% synchronization rate with Rishubalt.
“It’s name is the Slashing Sword? I don’t really remember.”
He had regained several memories at once when he had reached a synchronization rate of 55%. It wasn’t easy to categorize the memories even now. Compared to him, it seemed as though Rishubalt had already assimilated a portion of the memories.
“Yes, it’s called the Slashing Sword.”
“I’m asking because my memories are a mess right now, but the ‘Slashing Sword’ is a technique that cuts through aura, right?”
Sung Joon recollected a portion of his memories that he’d regained once he reached a synchronization rate of 55%. He remembered Roukel using the Slashing Sword in a vast plain. It wasn’t a showy technique, but it was powerful enough to cut through dimensions.
“That’s correct. But because it’s so powerful, the mana consumption is high. You must be careful when using this technique.”
“I got it.”
Sung Joon nodded his head. Despite his past self, Roukel, possessing such a large quantity of mana, he didn’t use the ‘Slashing Sword’ very often. If the Illusionary Sword was his deadly finisher, then the Slashing Sword was his ultimate weapon.
“Also, the restraints on the Gale Sword have been completely lifted. Now the accompanying sword winds total seventy,” Rishubalt reported. Sung Joon spoke with a satisfied expression.
“Good. Anyway, it seems like we’ve arrived.”
They had departed when it was still bright outside, but it was dark by the time they had arrived. It looked like a factory, but there were several Hunters that were wandering around as if patrolling. He was sure that this was one of the Russian intelligence agency’s bases.
“There are no civilians here. All of them have been trained in how to kill.”
“There are six Hunters and thirty-one armed agents… Not bad.”
Rishubalt reported and Sung Joon’s eyes busily darted around, checking all of the mana responses he felt. There were more than he had expected. He used stealth and began his attack on the base.
The battle ended boringly. There were six Hunters on site, but the strongest they had was two B-rank Hunters, and the trained agents were no match for Sung Joon either.
Sung Joon killed all of the agents in the base masquerading as a factory and collected all of the non-incinerated materials.
That’s because the U.S. promised that they would pay him handily if he gave them the materials.
“A mana response?”
Sung Joon, who attempted to leave the base quickly, sensed a enormous mana response coming towards him from the sky, and felt intensely anxious.
“It’s at twelve o’clock.”
In no time, Rishubalt sensed the mana response and reported on where the attack was coming from. Sung Joon stopped smiling and drew his sword once more.
“The disruptor seems to be an SS-rank Hunter…”
“I agree.”
The size of the approaching magic was ridiculously big. Sung Joon assumed that it was either a top tier S-rank Hunter or an SS-rank Hunter, and Rishubalt nodded his head in agreement.
Eventually, something shined in the air, and dozens of ice spears poured down from the sky.
‘He’s not trying to inflict a severe injury!’
The enemy was trying to divert his attention and simultaneously block his line of sight. The actual attack would come next! Sung Joon blocked all of the ice spears with his Illusionary Sword so that he wouldn’t fall for his opponent’s plan. Then, he felt a presence from behind him.
“Ha!”
Sung Joon let out a battle cry, turned around, and swung his sword. His sword cleaved through the air then was blocked by a radiant defensive spell.
“For you to block my attack, how impressive.”
There stood a Russian man with a raised staff. He had a mustache and wore a robe, which made it easy to tell that he was a Mage. This was Mikhail, the SS-rank Hunter that the Russian intelligence agency had sent.
But surprisingly, he was speaking in Korean. It seemed as though he had seen Sung Joon’s expression, as Mikhail smiled and opened his mouth.
“Are you surprised? This is also magic.”
It seemed like Translation Magic. There were several different types of magic, so it wasn’t very surprising.
‘He’s definitely a Mage Hunter. I’m engaging him close up.’
While Mikhail spoke, Sung Joon used his high-speed movement, rather than respond. He closed the distance instantaneously, but Mikhail drew a short sword at his waist, instead of widening the distance or use his magic to divert his attention.
Soon, Mikhail’s short sword was clad in aura.*
*I thought Hunters couldn’t use abilities outside of their “class” (e.g. a Mage using aura), but I assume that S-rank Hunters/above can break those rules.
“Don’t think that I’m weak close up just because I’m a Mage.”
Mikhail swung his sword. His swordsmanship was superb. He couldn’t end the fight quickly, and he didn’t have any opportunities to use the Illusionary Sword.
“Rather than the Illusionary Sword, I recommend that you use the Slashing Sword as its movements are smaller!” Rishubalt advised. Sung Joon agreed with him. He took a step back and raised his mana. Mikhail expected an attack and cast a defensive spell whilst taking a defensive posture.
“Slashing Sword!”
A slash infused with mana. His strike cut through the defensive spell like paper and aimed for Mikhail’s neck.
Mikhail attempted to defend by raising his sword, but even his aura clad sword couldn’t block the Slashing Sword. It was an overwhelming ‘slash’ that could cut anything in its path, even through dimensions.
“Ugh!”
Mikhail let out a single cry and his head rolled onto the cold floor. He shot a flare and a nearby American agent (who acted as his guide) on standby approached him.
“My god… You killed an SS-rank Hunter this easily… I didn’t even see it.”
The American Hunter said. Sung Joon looked at them and opened his mouth.
“Send the severed head to the Kremlin. It should serve as a good enough warning.”
This was the day that one of Russia’s three SS-rank Hunters was killed by Sung Joon.
//
Chapter 46 – The Magic Scholar who Fled (1)
TL: Boko
Editor: StellarRain
After Sung Joon killed Mikhail and absorbed his mana, Sung Joon's synchronization rate increased to 56%. He felt his mana increased significantly, likely because he had killed an SS-rank Hunter.
The Central Hunter Bureau agent did as Sung Joon asked and sent Mikhail’s severed head to the Kremlin.
The high-ranking officials had become uneasy as they had lost contact with Mikhail, but they were relieved when they heard the news that a box with a code that the Russian intelligence agency used had arrived.
“It seems like Mikhail sent it.”
“Where is the package?”
“We’re checking the contents right now. America’s Central Hunter Bureau knows the intelligence agency’s codes, so we should proceed with caution.”
An executive asked, and an agent from the intelligence agency replied. A short while later, the agent verifying the contents urgently opened the door and went inside.
“We’ve verified the contents.”
“Alright. Is Kang Sung Joon’s head in there?”
“Hahaha!”
An executive asked, and a comrade beside him laughed loudly. However, the agent’s expression looked uneasy.
“You’re close, but it’s a bit different.”
“Hurry up and tell us.”
The atmosphere became serious due to the agent’s unusual attitude. The executive urged the agent to hurry up and reply.
The agent cleaned their sweat and opened their mouth.
“Mr. Mikhail’s head is inside.”
The gathered executives were shocked.
“W-We need to tell the president about this immediately!”
Soon, the news that Mikhail was killed was relayed to the president. The impact of his death was huge.
They originally only had three SS-rank Hunters, and now that number had dwindled to two, so they handled the issue seriously within the Kremlin conference room.
“Mr. President. We have to mobilize the army immediately. He may be an SS-rank Hunter, but he shouldn’t survive missiles and bombardment.”
Someone suggested. He was a high-ranking general. It seemed like a good plan to those who knew little about Hunters, but…
“We cannot. Modern weapons do not work on S-rank Hunters and above. Tens of thousands will die. And we’ll just end up irritating Kang Sung Joon.”
“Then what should we do?”
A high-ranking executive of the Russian intelligence agency, who knew much about Hunters, adjusted his glasses and spoke. Then, someone else spoke their mind and raised their voice. The high-ranking executive of the Russian intelligence agency turned his attention to the president.
“I apologize, but there’s no other option other than you apologizing, Mr. President.”
“Mm…”
The president closed his eyes and organized his thoughts. The high-ranking general that sat beside him stood up suddenly and opened his mouth.
“You want the president to apology to just one mere Hunter? You! Did you even think about what you’re saying?”
“That one mere Hunter is an SS-rank Hunter who possesses enough strength to single-handedly overthrow this country. We don’t know for certain whether we can kill him or not, and even if we could, there will be several casualties amongst the government-affiliated Hunters. Can we really afford that?”
The intelligence agency executive sharply said, and the high-ranking general closed his mouth and sat down. Eventually, the intelligence agency executive turned his attention back to the president.
“Mr. President. You must make a decision.”
They continued to press him, and the president opened finally opened his mouth.
“Could you tell South Korea that I’ll apologize to Kang Sung Joon informally?”
Ultimately, Russia’s president announced his surrender.
* * *
Sung Joon received the Russian president’s apology, as well as a pledge that Russia would cease all hostilities. Sung Joon ultimately accepted Russia's apology, but he was still pissed. Therefore, as soon as he returned to South Korea, he called the Central Bureau agent, Jennifer.
“This is Jennifer.”
It was dawn in the U.S. this time as well, but she immediately picked up the phone.
“Don’t you need info on Russia’s intelligence agency?”
“Do you intend to provide us with those materials?” Jennifer asked back. Though the American intelligence agency’s information gathering was superb, there was a limit to the information they could acquire through peaceful or somewhat violent means.
“I plan on ‘selling’ them.”
“Selling them?”
“Yes. Firstly, please come to South Korea.”
“I understand. I’ll depart immediately.”
Their phone call ended. Jennifer immediately reported the contents of her conversation to the higher ups. They viewed the contents of her conversation favorably.
“It’s our chance to gain information on the Russian intelligence agency while also strengthening our relationship with Kang Sung Joon. Agent Jennifer, don’t worry about the funds and just focus on the ‘trade’.”
Jennifer was given her orders. She and a temporary team embarked on a plane to South Korea.
After her long plane ride, she finally arrived in South Korea. She was assisted by a agent on-site and travelled towards Sung Joon’s mansion.
She followed the wide road and the car stopped at a checkpoint. Normally, there wouldn’t be a checkpoint, but after Vladimir’s attack, the Armed Police Agency tightened security, and added checkpoints in various areas.
“We’d like to briefly inspect… Ah… Are you perhaps Ms. Jennifer, who is scheduled to visit today?’
The armed policeman, who approached to inspect the car, saw the car’s license plate and remembered what he’d been told.
While Jennifer was coming over to South Korea, an American agent in South Korea had contacted Sung Joon in advance.
“You can go through.”
Because of that, they just checked her identity, rather than inspecting her, and allowed her to pass.
“It’s a fortress.”
The field agent said. There were several armed policemen patrolling the surrounding area, and nearby, there was a military garrison nearby.
“Because of Vladimir’s attack, it seems like the South Korean government put in the extra effort.”
“It seems so. Since he’s South Korea’s first and only SS-rank Hunter.”
Jennifer explained. Soon, the two’s car arrived in front of the main gate.
The guard performed a final check and they went inside. Sung Joon and Jung Chul were waiting for them in the garden.
“Please wait here.”
“I understand.”
Jennifer ordered the field agent to remain on standby in the garage and began walking over to meet Sung Joon.
“It’s nice to see you, Ms. Jennifer.”
Sung Joon and Jung Chul greeted Jennifer in the garden. She happily accepted Sung Joon’s greeting and spoke.
“This place is too exposed. I feel like it would be better to go inside and talk.”
Sung Joon thought Jennifer’s Korean had gotten even better. He didn’t know, but because she was the Central Hunter Bureau’s connection with Sung Joon, she was responsible for Sung Joon and had been focusing on improving her Korean.
Because she couldn’t use Translation Magic, she had no choice but to work hard at it.
“Please go in. There’s a secret room inside the mansion.”
“There’s a secret room as well? Impressive.”
Sung Joon said. Jennifer adjusted her glasses that covered her blue eyes and replied. Sung Joon, Jung Chul, and Jennifer went into the mansion’s secret room.
There was a table in the middle of the secret room and Jung Chul placed the source book that he had personally organized onto it.
“Is this it?”
Sung Joon nodded his head, and Jennifer wordlessly grabbed the source book.
“It’s a lot more organized than I thought it would be. Did you do it yourself?”
“No. Park Jung Chul, who is right beside me, did it in my stead.”
Sung Joon shook his head and naturally introduced Jung Chul.
“My name is Park Jung Chul.”
“You categorized it quite well. It seems like you’ve worked in an intelligence agency before.”
“Those details are a secret.”
Jung Chul smiled and avoided responding directly. However, Sung Joon knew that Jung Chul had briefly worked for the national intelligence agency and had learned the skills do this there.
He had learned this just a short while ago. It felt like there was still a bit of distance between him and Jung Chul. There was still much that he didn’t know about him. Despite that, he was sure that Jun Chul was someone he could trust.
“If it’s a secret then I won’t ask. Because that’s not what’s important here.”
Jennifer completely discarded her curiosity. It wasn’t good to be too curious in her line of work. After she had finished examining the materials, she placed the source book back onto the table and spoke.
“The Central Hunter Bureau would like to buy these materials. Could you please give me your price?”
To be honest, before she had even considered buying the materials, her decision had already been made. The Central Hunter Bureau wanted to maintain their close ties with Sung Joon and at least, establish a relationship where they help each other.
“$300 million,” Sung Joon said. He had discussed this with Jung Chul, who was previously a part of the national intelligence agency, and after determining the information's worth, found that $300 million was the most suitable price.
The materials were well worth $300 million and it was within the limits that the higher ups had allowed her.
She had the power right now,so she readily nodded her head.
“US dollars are fine, right?”
“Are you going to pay in cash?”
Sung Joon asked. Jennifer smiled and spoke.
“If you want we’ll set up a secret Swiss bank account for you. Would you like us to deposit it there?”
He needed a secret bank account to avoid Russia tracking him.
“That sounds good.”
“We’ll have a secret bank account set up for you within a week and there’ll be $300 million inside. I’ll come back and take the information then.”
“Alright, please do.”
Even Sung Joon thought it was a logical way to do business. He consented and Jennifer left. Three days later, he received word that they had set up a Swiss bank account for him.
At the same time, $300 million was deposited into the account. Jennifer visited again to obtain the source book.
“Nice doing business with you.”
Sung Joon smiled and took out the source book.
“If you need our help just give us a call.”
Jennifer smiled and replied. She had obtained the information from the Russian intelligence agency’s major bases with several things recorded in there that America’s Central Hunter Bureau hadn’t figured out. Ultimately, America hadn’t lost out in the trade.
The trade was completed successfully and Sung Joon returned to his everyday life. Because Russia agreed to his non-aggression pact, there was no one there to stop him.
“Mr. Park Jung Chul. I’d like to sell an item secretly.”
Sung Joon gained another $70 million by selling the items he’d gained from Russia. This included three rank items from Mikhail and other items he had gained from attacking the bases.
“Sung Joon! Did you take care of your business in Russia?” Jang Hoon asked. Befitting his rather aggressive personality, Jang Hoon had wanted to go with Sung Joon and fight against Russia. Of course, he couldn’t do so because of the issue of Sung Joon's father’s safety.
“I’ve taken care of everything. You don’t have to worry anymore,” Sung Joon replied. Shin Chul, who was beside Jang Hoon, nodded his head with a relieved expression.
“That’s a relief. Anyway, didn’t you say that you had a rank solo play scheduled in the afternoon today?”
“Ah… You’re right… It’s at three.”
“You should get going soon since it’s in an hour and thirty minutes.”
“Yeah, I should. You guys don’t have anything scheduled?”
Because Jung Chul had gone to work at the auction house, he was just asking Shin Chul and Jang Hoon.
“Jang Hoon and I have an appointment to attack an rank dungeon tomorrow.”
Because S-rank dungeons didn’t appear often, there were a lot of times where Sung Joon, Shin Chul, and Jang Hoon did their own thing.
“Then I’ll get going.”
“We’ll being waiting.”
“Come back safe, Sung Joon!”
Sung Joon went towards the location of the rank dungeon. After he went through the identification process, Sung Joon cleared the dungeon. He could enter the Awakening Dungeon now, but he left the dungeon.
“There’s someone following you,” Rishubalt reported icily. Sung Joon just nodded his head. He felt a presence.
It seemed like his stalker was using a stealth item, but it didn’t seem like they knew a specialized stealth technique.
“I didn’t think I’d see blood again so soon…”
Sung Joon narrowed his eyes and kept moving. Rather than go to his Hunter sedan, he went into an alleyway instead. The stalker followed him into the alleyway.
“Transform.”
Sung Joon’s ring transformed into ‘Roel’s’ blade form and it rushed at his stalker. The man's stealth was released and Sung Joon could see his appearance. The man, who had fallen onto the floor, urgently spoke.
“I-I’m not your enemy!”
Sung Joon observed his face. It was a face he was familiar with.
“Why is he here…?”
Rishubalt recognized his face.
//
Chapter 46 – The Magic Scholar who Fled (2)
TL: Boko
Editor: StellarRain
The handsome, middle-aged man with blue eyes and blonde, curly hair spoke fluent Korean and was someone that both Rishubalt and Sung Joon knew.
“He’s definitely the magic scholar, Zelos,” Rishubalt said. Zelos was a capable magic scholar who worked alongside Sung Joon in his past life as Roukel.
He thought that Zelos would have been executed, but it seemed like he was luckily able to escape.
Because Zelos knew a lot about dimensional theory, it wasn’t that strange to see him show up in another dimension like Earth.
“You speak Korean quite well. Could you tell me your name?”
Zelos knew about Sung Joon when he was Roukel, but not now, so Sung Joon acted as though he didn’t know him.
“Ahaha… Could you do something about your sword…”
“I’ll decide after you introduce yourself, so don’t make demands.”
Sung Joon didn’t put away his sword. He already knew about Zelos, but he couldn’t let down his guard.
While expressing an unwillingness to fight with his entire body, Zelos slowly took off his necklace from within his clothes.
“This is a translation magical device… You call these items here. In any case, it’s because of this that I can speak this world’s language so fluently. And my name is Zelos.”
He gave his name. He was a bit older than he remembered, but as expected, he was still the magic scholar, Zelos.
“Why were you following me?”
“Did you not hear about me from your master, Sir Roukel?” Zelos said, and Sung belatedly recalled the ‘Roukel’s disciple’ alias.
If he went with the ‘Roukel’s disciple’ idea, then he wouldn’t have to talk about his rebirth, and all the bothersome topics that came along with it. After he had organized his thoughts, he spoke with a calm expression.
“I feel like I’ve heard of you before.”
“This isn’t the time to be doing this! Where is Sir Roukel right now? He’s alive, right?”
“That’s…”
Sung Joon modified his story and explained that Roukel had indeed died at the Ridonia Great Plains. That Sung Joon was taught by Roukel before his death.
“A good explanation,” Rishubalt said. The story was improvised but was elaborate enough that Rishubalt was awed by it.
“I… see.”
The flames of hope within Zelo’s eyes went dim. However, he soon sorted his thoughts out, and returned his attention to Sung Joon with a stiff expression.
He had received confirmation once more that his master, who he’d served all life, was dead. However, Roukel’s disciple was standing right in front of him, one who had learned all of Roukel's skills.
Then, he just needed to pledge his loyalty to him.
“What is your name?”
“Kang Sung Joon.”
“Like I had done with your predecessor, Sir Roukel, I pledge my loyalty to you. Would you have me?”
“Of course. Welcome.”
Sung Joon gladly nodded his head. If Zelos, who had a deep understanding of dimensional theory, joined him, Zelos would be a huge help.
He believed that the Empire would strike at him outside of the Awakening Dungeon.
Though he was a magic scholar, Zelos knew how to use magic and magical devices proficiently, according to his memories, Zelos possessed combat abilities equivalent to an Rank Hunter.
“I promise that I won’t get in your way.”
“Yeah. I trust you.”
Because Zelos was his subordinate in the past, Sung Joon just kept talking down to him. Zelos seemed to believe that this was only natural, so Sung Joon decided to just keep it the way it was.
“After my master died, I thought you would be executed… how did you get out?”
“At the time, I was studying another warp gate that lead to other dimensions. When Sir Roukel was branded as a traitor and the Emperor’s movements became suspicious, I activated the warp gate and was able to travel to Earth,” Zelos explained. He was safe due to his luck, but as he had expected, there was a purge.
“If there’s one thing I regret, it’s that I wasn’t able to destroy the research materials regarding the warp gates and dimensional leap. Those probably helped the Empire and the Species Alliance in their plans to invade Earth.”
It seems like the research materials that Zelos failed to destroy had brought about the dungeons, raids, and the age of Hunters on Earth.
“Anyway, how do you even know who I am?” Sung Joon asked. That was what he was most curious about. He would be able to tell how the Knight Brigade had pursued him based on his response.
“I was privy to the Knight Brigade’s info because of a helper. Then, by coincidence, I was able to see your ‘Self-Defense’ video on Hunter.com. The swordsmanship you used in that video wasn’t perfect, but it did resemble Sir Roukel’s, Sir Kang Sung Joon,” Zelos replied with an excited expression. It seemed like he was talking about his fight with the S-rank Hunter, Cha Kyu Tae.
At the time, there were a lot of people watching him. He already knew that there were people who recorded him on their phones.
Just a short while back, there were members of the Knight Brigade who had crossed dimensions and pursued him. There was a high chance that they had seen the video on Hunter.com as well. At first, they had been garbed in modern clothing. With that in mind, they meant that they had some degree of information regarding Earth.
“As I thought…”
“It seems like there were others who visited you aside from me.”
Zelos threw out a sharp question. Sung Joon smirked.
“They were ‘unwanted guests’, so I killed them.”
He had left his pursuers’ bodies to Jung Chul. They were probably buried somewhere no one knew about and rotting.
“As expected of Sir Roukel’s disciple. Anyway, what side were they on?”
“They were obviously from the Empire,” Sung Joon replied and checked his surroundings. And looked at Zelos once more and spoke.
“Do you have a base in Korea?”
“I do not. But I do have a place to stay.”
“Then come to mine place. You can just live there now,” Sung Joon said naturally, accepting Zelos as part of his family. He decided he could trust Zelos as the two had worked together in the past before.
Rather, it was because of his past life’s experiences that he felt Zelos was even more trustworthy than Jung Chul, Shin Chul, or Jang Hoon.
“Is that really ok?”
Zelos, who didn’t know that Sung Joon was Roukel, gazed at Sung Joon and asked, as he trusted in him much too easily.
He wouldn’t have been suspicious if he had accepted him as his subordinate, but he hadn’t expected Sung Joon to offer him to live in his house.
“It’s not a problem. What about your things?”
“They’re in my dimensional pouch.”
“Seems like you don’t have a lot of things,” Sung Joon said. He was also utilizing a dimensional pouch, but there were several pouches that couldn’t store that much. Zelos spoke with a smile.
“I remodeled my dimensional pouch, so it can hold much more.”
The dimensional pouch was quite complex, but because Zelos was an expert on dimensional magic, it wasn’t impossible for him to modify the dimensional pouch.
“Let’s go. It seems like we have a lot to talk about too,” Sung Joon urged Zelos. There was much he wanted to hear from him. They both went into the Hunter sedan and moved to the mansion.
There were checkpoints around the mansion, but because Sung Joon was at the wheel, Zelos was able to pass by without an inspection.
“Sung Joon! Did you just come back?”
Jang Hoon, who was walking around alone, rushed over and greeted him.
“You finished quite quickly this time too. As expected of you, Sung Joon!”
“It wasn’t much. It was just an rank dungeon. And now that I think about, this is your first time meeting each other, right? This is Zelos. He’s someone I’ve known for a long time.”
“Is that so? It’s a pleasure,” Jang Hoon greeted without an ounce of suspicion. As Sung Joon was the one who introduced him, Jang Hoon believed that he was someone trustworthy.
Jang Hoon continued with his walk, and Sung Joon and Zelos went into the building’s secret room.
“There’s quite a bit of security installed, as well as several guards patrolling the area.”
Most of the security equipment was set up in the garden, but Zelos was able to tell because of his magical device.
“You never know when the Knight Brigade will strike so I thought it’d be better to have it ready in advance,” Sung Joon replied.
“From what I’ve heard, it seems like the Empire is moving in earnest now,” Zelos said. To be honest, it was easy for him to tell that the Empire was moving differently now, as the Knight Brigade had crossed dimensions and pursued him.
“The Empire is?”
“The Knight Brigade and the Pan-Dimensional Task Force’s training school was attacked and the Tactical Magic Tower was burned. It’s no longer a secret that Roukel’s disciple has appeared.”
Zelos reclined onto the chair with a serious expression. Sung Joon looked at Zelos and spoke.
“According to my master, you’re talented in magic traps that are intended for defensive purposes… is that true?”
“Yes, but it’d be difficult for me to create high leveled ones.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’d appreciate it if you helped me since we don’t know when the Empire or the Species Alliance’s forces will come and attack us.”
“I’ve already pledged my loyalty to you, Sir Kang Sung Joon. I’ll place defensive magic circles around so that we can survive, even if they attack us,” Zelos said in a voice overflowing with confident. He was a genius who not only specialized magic theory, but also in its application as well. There was a reason he was close to Zelos in the past as Roukel.
“You can just stay in the main building. Just pick the room you likes and I’ll let you use the basement as a workshop.”
A Mage or a magic scholar needed a workshop. As proof, Zelos smiled at Sung Joon’s words.
“Thank you very much.”
“Anyway, I have something I’d like to ask you…”
“Please ask me whatever you want.”
“First off, explain this to me.”
Sung Joon explained the Awakening Dungeons to him. Zelos, who listened to his explanation to the very end, spoke with a calm expression.
“Firstly, the phenomenon of the raids and the dungeons are all linked to the other world. The Empire and the Species Alliance artificially created warp gates and connected the worlds together.”
Zelos began a basic explanation regarding the theory behind it. Sung Joon nodded his head and listened courteously.
“The longer a dungeon or raid’s warp gate remains open, the more unstable the dimension becomes.”
“So the goals of the dungeons and the raids were to make the dimension unstable…? Why do they make the dimension unstable?”
“The more unstable it is, the larger they can make the warp gate. And what will happen then?” Zelos asked Sung Joon. It was an extremely simple question. Sung Joon spoke with a severe expression.
“Their entire army will come through.”
“If that happens it will become a battle between dimensions. Though the instability of the dimension caused mana to flow in and awaken Hunters, even normal soldiers in the other world possess mana.”
Sung Joon nodded his head. If he killed a normal person on Earth, he wouldn’t be able to absorb anything, but he was able to absorb a little bit of mana from the other world soldiers.
“If the Empire and the Species Alliances truly invade, the Earth may be destroyed.”
//