Chapter 149
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 149
Chapter Title: Paldalsan, Secret of the Dragon Labyrinth - 3
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In this day and age, what is the most important thing to manage in order to maintain influence and power?
“…It might sound materialistic, but it’s undoubtedly image. And perhaps, it’s the most important thing of all.”
That was the definition given by Edward Woods, the master of the giant guild, Slayers.
Whether you were a politician ruling a nation, a corporate tycoon raking in the world's wealth, or even the strongest Player with overwhelming might, you could never be treated well if your image was tarnished.
"Image is a product. If it’s not good, you’ll face disadvantages and could gradually be phased out."
Listening to him, Stipe Marin, the second-in-command of Slayers, nodded his head.
“…Our standing will diminish, and we’ll be pushed down the priority list when bidding for Gate contracts.”
*Thud—*
Edward Woods, somewhat irritably, placed his tablet PC on the desk.
Displayed on the screen was a news article, its headline reading…
- Players Paper assesses Slayers Guild at 64 points, down 14. The Steelain Debacle?
‘Players’ was an American media company with considerable influence in the Player world.
They had downgraded the Slayers Guild's value. The reason cited was that they had drawn excessive public attention before the dragon raid, only to lose to Steelain, thereby forfeiting their unique image as dragon slayers. They had even branded the incident as the ‘Steelain Debacle.’
Thus, it was no exaggeration to say that the Slayers Guild's future prospects were becoming uncertain.
"Still, if we can clear this labyrinth successfully, we should be able to wash away some of our past failure…"
It was with this intention that Edward Woods had provoked Steelain.
By dragging his name into it, even if it seemed a bit forced, he could reignite a sense of competition.
If they won this time, they could frame the outcome as a one-to-one tie.
A few hours later, news arrived that Steelain was embarking on the Paldalsan Labyrinth raid.
- [Breaking News] Conscious of the competition with Slayers? Steelain to enter Paldalsan tomorrow.
“Hmm, it looks like Steelain is rushing to start the labyrinth raid,”
Amanda Anderson remarked, looking at a news article on her smartphone.
“…Well, in the end, they’ll just get stuck in front of the final room, just like us.”
And just like them, he would obtain the three hints and exit empty-handed.
“So, are we gathering information on the ‘Qualified One’?”
At Edward Woods’s question, an aide stood up from the strategy table on one side of the suite.
“Yes! Dozens of guilds are sending us information, so we should be able to narrow down the target soon!”
Yesterday, at the press conference, Edward Woods had asked Korean society for help in finding a specific Player, promising a substantial reward in return. In response, twenty-one private guilds from this country alone, as well as several government agencies, had offered their cooperation and were now handing over all sorts of information.
This phenomenon was proof that there were many in Korea who disliked Steelain.
‘Good. At this rate, we’ll soon find the key to breaking through that final door.’
Edward Woods still felt a vague sense of unease, but this time, he anticipated victory.
And about an hour later, the long-awaited news finally arrived.
“—Boss, they’ve found her! A level 71 Paladin Player!”
At the aide’s shout, Edward Woods, who had been standing by the window, spun around.
“Really? Who did the information come from?”
“Mr. Hwang, it’s him!”
Mr. Hwang was a high-ranking official in the Korean government's Guild Support and Cooperation Agency.
He was the representative of the Korean government who had requested Edward Woods to hunt the dragon.
“He said he’s coming here in person right away.”
A short while later, a group of men in suits visited the Slayers’ suite.
“Haha— good to see you!”
The middle-aged man who entered with a hearty greeting was Director Hwang Yeon-su, ‘Mr. Hwang.’
Unbuttoning his jacket, he plopped down on the sofa across from Edward Woods.
“Well, I looked into it, and there’s a level 71 Paladin named Seo Eun-ha in the A.M.T. Fits perfectly, doesn’t it? There can’t be two people on the Korean peninsula who match the conditions DS mentioned so precisely.”
A level 71 Paladin Player on this land—she was the key to the labyrinth’s final door.
Edward Woods, maintaining a calm expression as best he could, took a sip of coffee and then spoke.
“If she’s with the A.M.T, is she someone you can… handle, Mr. Hwang?”
“Well… there is one problem. As it happens, the woman has a connection to Lee Hyun-wook.”
At that, a crack appeared in Edward Woods’s composure, his eyebrow twitching.
“Haha— why so surprised? You don’t need to worry. Whatever their relationship, she’s a soldier, isn’t she? When the higher-ups give an order, you follow it. A general with a direct line to her is one of our guys.”
Edward Woods nodded. If the other party was this confident, he could be trusted.
“I see. Still, I would like to go and persuade her myself.”
“What? Is there a need for the Dragon Slayer to move personally?”
“Even if we can handle her, we must show sincerity to someone who is helping us.”
“Hahaha— as expected! Coming from the land of gentlemen, you’re overflowing with manners!”
This was a grave matter on which the fate of Slayers depended; it could not be handled carelessly. It was better to persuade the woman presumed to be the ‘Qualified One’ than to secure her by force.
‘I can’t afford to upset her and complicate things.’
But the fact that she had a connection to Steelain of all people… it was impossible not to be concerned.
“Anyway, if that’s what DS wants, I’ll speak to the general and arrange a meeting.”
At his call, Seoul Operations Commander, Lieutenant General Jeong Sang-sik, flew in by military helicopter as if he were on a five-minute standby.
“Commander, you’re a general. Is it alright for you to fly here in person like this?”
“My goodness— how could I not come running when our Director Hwang calls?”
Edward Woods, along with them, took the helicopter and immediately headed to where Seo Eun-ha was.
*Whir-whir-whir-whir—*
They arrived at the 3rd Anti-Magic Brigade, 1st Battalion on Namsan… Battalion Commander Kim Kang-seok was waiting at the helipad.
“Salute— Commander, what is all this….”
He had rushed from his quarters after a sudden call, still looking bewildered.
“Hey, Kim Kang-seok, you know who these people are, right?”
A short distance away, Edward Woods and his party were glancing in their direction.
“…Yes, I know them well.”
Kim Kang-seok’s expression was anything but pleasant as he looked at them. It was a well-known fact that he had a close relationship with Lee Hyun-wook. Jeong Sang-sik patted his shoulder and gestured with his chin.
“Hey, Kim Kang-seok, watch your expression! This is an opportunity for you, too. See that man in the suit over there?”
A middle-aged man was slowly disembarking from the helicopter. He grinned as he looked their way.
“Yes, isn’t that Director Hwang Yeon-su of the Guild Support and Cooperation Agency?”
“That’s right, and… he’s the next Director of the National Gate Response Strategy Office.”
In other words, they intended to oust Director Woo Seong-mun.
“Ah…”
“What? You think it’s not possible?”
“……”
The presidential election was coming up, and Oh Tae-mun, the chief of the Guild Support and Cooperation Agency, was considered a strong candidate.
This was thanks to the ‘image’ he had steadily built by fostering close relationships with numerous private guilds.
And as always, the next generation of power brokers were wary of Woo Seong-mun’s immense authority.
But once they took power, they would inevitably realize they couldn’t function without his capabilities.
However, if a Player became president, they wouldn't need Woo Seong-mun.
‘Especially Oh Tae-mun, who has long cultivated ties with private guilds. One of the reasons they’re backing him is to get rid of the thorn in their side, Woo Seong-mun, and expand their influence even further…’
It seemed that the leash Woo Seong-mun had used to keep the giant private guilds in check had slowly started to fray.
Above all, the guilds’ backlash had intensified after he completely wiped out the Taesan Guild. Since the exact details couldn’t be revealed to the public, it looked to them like Woo Seong-mun was just trying to tame the guilds.
‘Ha— he’s fended off so many threats, yet things were rotting from the inside…’
Kim Kang-seok barely suppressed the deep sigh rising from within him.
But the unpleasant feeling must have shown on his face, as Jeong Sang-sik clicked his tongue.
“You, you better choose your side carefully, kid! Surely you’re not expecting a guy like Lee Hyun-wook to do anything for you just because he’s doing well, are you? Think about it. That bastard… he’s not fated to live long.”
He said this with a meaningful smile.
Not fated to live long? What was this all of a sudden?
“…Excuse me? Commander, what did you just mean by that?”
“What? You think I said it with some hidden meaning? It was just a curse.”
He patted Kim Kang-seok’s broad shoulder and continued in a lecturing tone.
“Do you know how many enemies that bastard has? I was trying to look on him favorably, but what did he do in the end? He just up and left the service, didn’t he? A cunning punk who just backstabs you like that—in a world like this, it wouldn’t be strange if he dropped dead tomorrow. Causing all that trouble… you think he hasn’t gotten on someone’s bad side?”
“And it’s dangerous to put too much power in the hands of a kid who’s still so young. He’s been pulling off tricks so far, but that’s only possible because he has a monopoly on Laputa! Don’t be fooled, Kim Kang-seok.”
At that point, Kim Kang-seok had a bad feeling.
‘…Some factions in the country have been gathering support to nationalize Laputa.’
He had heard from Director Woo Seong-mun that there were such movements in the political and business worlds.
“Ahem— anyway, I should explain why we’ve come today, shouldn’t I?”
Jeong Sang-sik put on a mechanical smile again and led Kim Kang-seok before Edward Woods.
“That… General Seo’s second daughter, Captain Seo, she’s on base right now, isn’t she?”
At that, Kim Kang-seok realized their intention.
‘Just as I thought… they need Seo Eun-ha for the labyrinth raid, just like Hyun-wook said.’
Realizing this made their boastful chatter seem ridiculous.
Lee Hyun-wook had already predicted this vile move yesterday and given him a heads-up.
‘Ha— these guys, all talk. In the end, they can’t even hold a candle to Hyun-wook.’
Kim Kang-seok smiled faintly and slowly shook his head.
“Well, this is… I’m very sorry, but Captain Seo is not here at the moment.”
“Oh, is that so? Hmm… she’s not on leave, so is she deployed on a mission?”
“Yes, she’s been deployed on a very important mission. It seems it will take some time.”
At this, Edward Woods and Jeong Sang-sik, their faces showing disappointment, spoke one after the other.
“In that case, would you happen to know what kind of mission she’s been deployed on?”
“Right, we need to assign Captain Seo an even more important task!”
Pressed, Kim Kang-seok replied with an expression that said he had no choice.
“…This mission is quite important as well. It’ll be on TV soon.”
***
Two hours before the labyrinth raid began, Lee Hyun-wook received a call from Team Leader Lee Kyo-jun.
- We are continuously tracking Players who have recently entered the country from abroad and have deployed multiple sniper teams near Paldalsan. If an attack occurs, our teams will respond swiftly.
“Yes, thank you.”
Lee Hyun-wook’s security was the highest priority within the National Gate Response Strategy Office and Black Swan.
Weren’t days with official appearances like this the best for assassination attempts?
As there was more than one dark force targeting Lee Hyun-wook, Black Swan had taken every precaution for his protection.
‘That said, it’s honestly not possible to completely prevent an attack.’
No matter how much effort they put in, there was no telling what bizarre skills and items might be used to approach him stealthily.
The best way to prevent such things was for Lee Hyun-wook himself to become overwhelmingly strong.
‘So that I can respond to any emergency without issue.’
And when he woke up this morning, he had grown even stronger.
- Congratulations! A special condition has been met, and the ‘Insight Lens’ skill has been greatly enhanced.
‘Hoo, the absorption is finally complete?’
It was from absorbing the ‘Eye of Horus Fragment 2’ he had recently acquired.
And so…
[Skill Information]
- Name: Insight Lens
- Rank: C
- Effects
1) System Analysis (2): Allows for a deeper interpretation of hidden ‘System Information.’
2) Clairvoyance: Vision is significantly enhanced. (+400%)
* Skill rank will improve upon meeting hidden conditions.
First, the System Analysis skill had improved to level 2, adding the descriptive phrase ‘deeper interpretation.’
‘Hmm, I’ll have to use it to see just how much deeper that is.’
And second, Clairvoyance had also improved from 300% to 400%.
‘Come to think of it, I don’t remember using this much.’
It was probably because observation using ‘Hugin’ was far more effective.
Just then, the door to the Order Tower opened, and Kim Se-hee entered.
“Sir, the guild members have finished their preparations for the raid and are on standby. If you’re ready, you should come out.”
Lee Hyun-wook stood up from his seat and stared intently at Kim Se-hee’s head.
“Huh? What is it? Is there something on my head?”
Floating above her head… were some letters.
- Player (LV: 68)
‘Ah, so now I can see a Player’s level?’
At level 1, he could only see hidden information about items or the levels of monsters.
And the information for the wind spirit ‘Hani’ sitting on her shoulder was also displayed.
- Intermediate Wind Spirit (LV. 68)
“Team Leader Kim, you’ll be level 70 soon, won’t you?”
“Oh, how did you know? Did I tell you?”
“I just guessed based on your training volume lately.”
“Wow, you can do that? I gave up on math…”
Though it was simple information like a level, it could be useful in many ways.
***
At the plaza at the entrance of Paldalsan, A.M.T troops were stationed, guarding the area.
Meanwhile, a crowd of domestic and foreign reporters had gathered, surrounding the perimeter.
When Lee Hyun-wook appeared, spotlights flashed and a barrage of questions poured down.
“Mr. Lee Hyun-wook! Please, just a moment of your time for an interview!”
“—Did DS’s press conference yesterday influence your decision to start the raid?”
But he gave them only a single glance before disappearing toward the mountain.
“Wow… he really didn’t even look at us. Is he cool or just a jerk?”
“Great, I can write an article about him looking displeased because of DS’s interview.”
However, Lee Hyun-wook’s gaze was surveying the reporters through ‘Hugin,’ which was flying above the clouds.
‘…What’s with that guy?’
To be precise, he was monitoring a very suspicious man hiding among the press.
- Player (LV. 81)
A level 81 Player—that was an unusually high level for a reporter.
Thus, the usefulness of the upgraded Insight Lens was discovered sooner than expected.
‘At that level, he’s one of the top-tier powerhouses right now. Which means it’s a cover identity.’
Lee Hyun-wook sent Hugin to watch the man while simultaneously hacking his mana messenger.
About ten minutes later, the conversation of strangers echoed in his ear.
- Jenny, the scoop just arrived. Is the article ready?
- Yes, it can be posted right away.
- Good, wait for confirmation for now. And, the ‘City Cleaner’ prepared for this time, we can use it without restrictions, right?
- Well, the desk said to use it as we please.
At first glance, it sounded like a normal conversation between senior and junior colleagues at a media company.
But Lee Hyun-wook caught an incongruous word in their conversation.
‘Wait a minute… did he just say City Cleaner?’
In his memory, there was only one item with the bizarre name ‘City Cleaner.’
‘That’s… the codename for the Spirit Swarm Bomb used by the Villains, isn’t it?’
Hearing that, the rather large truck they were in caught his eye. A five-ton box truck, neatly painted black… it was a size that media personnel wouldn’t typically drive.
‘Is the City Cleaner inside that truck?’
The City Cleaner was, to be precise, a kind of magic prison item that trapped a top-tier spirit swarm. But if it was opened or broken, the enraged spirits would run rampant, creating an effect like a bomb.
Most importantly, the spirits trapped inside the City Cleaner were ‘earth spirits.’ In other words, when angered, they would pulverize and absorb all stone, soil, and metal in the area. Since a city is composed entirely of such materials…
‘…Even if it rampages for just a moment, it would cause a catastrophe where buildings crumble like sandcastles.’
That terrifying item was a monstrous creation born from the International Alchemy Association’s research on spirits.
But at this point in time, alchemy wasn't a very promising field, and with the recent collapse of the Gangdong-gu alchemy research complex, their livelihood had been cut off… so they had probably sold it to the Villains for money.
Originally, it was supposed to be opened in the middle of Manhattan about two years from now, devastating the world's greatest metropolis.
In other words, there was no reason in Lee Hyun-wook’s memory for such a fearsome thing to be here now.
- Using this, even ‘he’ won’t be able to handle the party that’s about to unfold.
- Right. When he comes out exhausted from work, we’ll pop the champagne for him.
- And it’s okay if things get a little messy, right? I heard the landlord is backing us up.
‘Ha, look at these guys…’
There was no need to ponder deeply who ‘he’ referred to. It was Lee Hyun-wook himself.
It seemed that Lee Hyun-wook’s actions had changed the future, and the use of that item had changed along with it.
‘Well, a City Cleaner would suck up most of the metal weapons I use…’
In other words, it was a hard counter item to Lee Hyun-wook.
‘They said they’ll use it when I come out, right? I think I’ll have to change its use one more time.’
He began to scheme about how to safely acquire that magnificent item after finishing the labyrinth raid.
‘If I can soothe the spirits inside without setting it off, there are endless ways to use them.’
However, as he kept Hugin on them right up until he entered the labyrinth, he picked up additional information.
- When the cleaning starts, the host will provide indirect help.
- It seems like the host is more anxious than we are.
- I know, right. Little do they know their own house is about to come down.
‘Hmm… they keep mentioning a host.’
In his past life, Lee Hyun-wook had been part of Guardian’s intelligence department, tracking Villain organizations.
Because of that, he could roughly decipher some of the code words being used here.
‘Here, the host, or landlord, commonly refers to an internal collaborator.’
In other words, there was someone inside this country collaborating with them.
He had a rough idea of who it was.
He just hadn’t had the chance to deal with them…
‘This means… I’m going to have to do some unintentional, major cleaning up.’