Chapter 67
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Seoul, Demons, and the Saintess - 1
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An hour had passed since Lee Hyun-wook entered the first portal.
-Chhhk— All twenty 'event map' locations across Seoul have been identified and surrounded. Awaiting orders—
Immediately after hearing the transmission, Woo Seong-mun raised his mana messenger.
“……From this moment, we begin the annihilation operation.”
The secret society known as the Villains prized one thing above all else: 'stealth'.
Their goal was to prevent the world from noticing them gnawing away at its foundations and laying their eggs, biding their time until their influence could blanket the earth.
But there were times when they had to act aggressively to seize what they wanted.
For such occasions, they had prepared 'disposable tails' to put on the front lines…….
The well-known antisocial terrorist organization, 'Outlier,' was one of them.
“……Dammit, why'd the branch chief give us a crappy mission like this?”
"Holland, shut up and just do it. We're almost done anyway.”
"Still, we're not miners. What is this, three days straight in a place with no sunlight...."
And the Players mobilized for the mining operation for this 'Demon Summoning' were also members of Outlier.
They were the type who primarily operated in South America, dealing in drug smuggling and human trafficking.
But three days ago, on orders from above, they were suddenly sent here through a 'Shadow Link' and had been mining nonstop for three days. It truly felt like they had become slaves.
"Ha, for fuck's sake... Where the hell are we, anyway? It's not the bottom of the Pacific, is it?”
"Holland, you really... You think Billy isn't telling us for no reason? There must be one.”
Thus, they were being thoroughly used, unaware even of the existence of the Villains.
However, the leader on site, an Outlier executive named Billy Smith, was different.
Because he was a Villain.
And so, he knew very well what this operation ultimately meant.
*That Saintess, that bitch. I need to strip her naked and hang her in the streets....*
He had hated the Saintess ever since a certain incident.
Four years ago, he was caught smuggling drugs into the Republic of Chad.
Fortunately, he had acted quickly and incinerated all potential evidence with fire magic…….
The problem was that several of his colleagues were 'Warlocks'.
*Fuck, who the hell decided that black magic is evil....*
While it was possible for mages to acquire black magic skills through certain 'triggers,'
many countries had legally restricted its use or possession, branding it as evil.
The Republic of Chad, being the land of the World Tree, had particularly strong anti-black magic sentiments.
There was even a strange policy where the Saintess herself would personally torture and punish Players who practiced black magic… and Billy's colleagues had been 'executed' by her.
Fortunately, Billy hadn't learned black magic at the time, so he was able to keep his life.
*That fucking bitch. The demonic smile on her face after she gouged out Olinic's eyes... I'll never forget it.*
The memory made him tremble with rage.
“Phew— Billy! The work is done!”
The last Fragment of Disaster had finally been mined.
"Good. Make the call, and we'll rest until the 'Shadow Baron' arrives.”
But just then.
*Dong——*
A bell tolled from somewhere. It was a brass bell installed in a corner of the event map.
The members, who were about to take a break, froze with tense expressions.
"......."
The Watcher's Bell, an alert item that signaled a new Player had entered the event map.
In other words, it was something that should never have rung.
Billy drew a wand from his belt and gestured with his head.
“Hey, what are you standing around for? Block the entrance and find out what's going on, now!”
Besides the Watcher's Bell, they had also installed a camera near the entrance.
Just then, something caught the eyes of the tankers blocking the entrance.
"Huh? What's this?”
*Whirr——*
A small metal sphere was flying slowly towards them down the long corridor. Everyone's gaze fixed on the unknown object. It looked like... a very finely crafted metal bead.
It soon approached right in front of the tankers, forcing them to flinch and step back.
"This thing... it doesn't look very dangerous. It's just… a small bead.”
One of the tankers said, prodding it with his shield.
*Beep—Beep—Beep—Beep—*
“……And when I touch it, it makes a cute sound, like a chick.”
"No! That's not a chick, it's some kind of countdown—”
In that instant, a searing blue light erupted, and the five tankers were engulfed in the explosion.
*BOOOOM—!*
No one had imagined such destructive power could be unleashed from that tiny object.
“Aaargh—!”
Three of them died instantly, and the other two staggered, clearly seriously injured.
"Kuh, damn it— It's an attack!”
"Snap out of it and grab your weapons!”
Amidst the thick smoke rising after the explosion, Billy turned his head to look at someone.
"Dammit, Holton! Contact the higher-ups and report this, now!”
"Yes!”
“And inform the other locations about the attack, tell them to prepare for a possible assault!”
The man called Holton nodded and raised his mana messenger, but…
"Urk!”
With a final gasp, Holton's eyes went vacant, and his body crumbled.
A black, thorn-like object was embedded in the back of his neck.
Then, a strange voice came from somewhere.
“……No, it's useless even if you contact them.”
And from the ceiling, a blurry shape slowly descended.
The stealth magic soon dissipated, slowly revealing its true form…….
It was a man in a black combat suit, Lee Hyun-wook.
He reached out towards Billy. Billy's thick gold chain tightened like a dog collar, yanking him forward, and Lee Hyun-wook strode over and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.
"Gack—!”
“Because you're the last ones…."
“Kuh, l-last? What do you mean…."
Even as his carotid artery was being crushed, Billy tried to swing the wand in his left hand.
*CRACK—!*
That is, until his wristwatch exploded, blowing his entire wrist off.
“Aaaaaargh—!”
Then, Lee Hyun-wook's hand, still gripping Billy's neck, twisted, and Billy's cervical spine snapped.
And just like that, Billy closed his eyes in vain, his long-held desire to see the Saintess's end unfulfilled.
In that time, eight shadows poured down from the ceiling.
They clung to the heads of the scattering, panicked members like malevolent spirits.
The next moment, fountains of blood erupted from the necks of eleven members simultaneously.
*Spsssshhh—*
The shadows' true identities were assassin-class Players, eight in total.
“—Clear!”
In just a few seconds, all the assailants in the cavern had been neutralized.
Lee Hyun-wook surveyed the scene that had unfolded in the blink of an eye and nodded.
*As expected of Team Bihyeongrang. Clean.*
The special forces of the A.M.T's secret intelligence department, <Bihyeongrang>, were formidable powerhouses. This infiltration unit, composed of B-rank or higher Players, were likely the direct disciples of the master assassin, Warrant Officer Cheon Myeong-ho.
*And the Villains probably don't know about the existence of this organization, Bihyeongrang, yet.*
It was a secret organization formed under Woo Seong-mun's lead, so covert that not even the president knew of it.
Woo Seong-mun had predicted that individuals, not governments or corporations, would one day rule the world, and he had secretly nurtured this assassination squad of Players to keep absolute powerhouses in check.
And to maintain the organization's security, he had put great effort into selecting trustworthy agents, a process that, as Lee Hyun-wook had overheard somewhere, involved a bit of brainwashing using 'spells'.
*Woo Seong-mun is the type of man who would have no qualms about resorting to such unethical methods for the sake of the country.*
Just then, one of the commandos approached Lee Hyun-wook and held out a mana messenger.
"It's a mana communication from Director Woo Seong-mun.”
-This is Director Woo Seong-mun. As of this time, all targets have been successfully neutralized.
All raid operations, conducted at another 18 locations besides this one, had succeeded.
"But the quest is still in progress. We probably need to destroy the Fragments of Disaster.”
Just as one destroys a World Stone to close a gate, the objective for this quest's success was the 'Fragments of Disaster'.
And just as Lee Hyun-wook had said, when they brought the fragments out of the event map and crushed them,
*Rumble—*
the event map closed with a vibration.
This process occurred simultaneously at all 20 locations, and soon…….
-Congratulations! You have successfully completed the event quest <Demon Pursuit Squad>!
*It's really over.*
It had been only one hour and forty minutes since Lee Hyun-wook entered the first portal.
A simultaneous raid on a total of 19 event maps—a complete success.
A swift and decisive, perfect anti-terrorist operation had once again protected Seoul.
Following that, rewards began to appear before his eyes.
-You have acquired Trait Bloom (Special).
*This item is bound upon acquisition.
*Good thing I saved the one I got from the last wave instead of using it.*
Two Trait Bloom items could be fused to upgrade it to 'Tier 2', and using it could raise a single skill's rank by two tiers.
-You have obtained an Ancient Coin of the Underground Kingdom.
-You have obtained an Ancient Coin of the Underground Kingdom.
-You have obtained an Ancient Coin of the Underground Kingdom.
*Why three of these...? Ah, it must be about time for them to start dropping.*
This was a hint that the Dwarf race would soon appear.
Players who obtained this at the time would think it was just junk.
And that wasn't all.
-Congratulations! You have achieved a special accomplishment.
A new achievement had been added.
Lee Hyun-wook couldn't help but be surprised when he checked the details.
[Achievement List]
3) Savior of Seoul
-Condition: Avert a crisis threatening Seoul's destruction 2 times.
-Effect: All abilities drastically increase within the Seoul area (+100%).
……All abilities would be doubled.
Even if it was limited to Seoul, this was an absurd figure.
*Savior of Seoul... I didn't expect to get this title first....*
Inferno is commonly called the 'Savior of Busan'.
That was partly because he had actually saved Busan, but also because he held the title 'Savior of Busan'.
*In Busan, Inferno's abilities were doubled, so no one dared to target the city.*
That's why, until the Necromancer's invasion, Busan was an impregnable fortress.
*There will be frequent attacks targeting Seoul, both now and in the future. This has become very advantageous.*
-Currently controllable metal weight: 302kg
*Transcendent Sense (+30%) is active.
*Iron Bones (+10%) is active.
*World Boss Monster Slayer (+5%) is active.
*Savior of Seoul (+100%) is active. : Stacks with the above additional effects.
It could even 'stack', doubling all the preceding enhancement effects.
*Good. This makes things a bit easier.*
Lee Hyun-wook suddenly looked up at the sky.
*Your numbers don't end here, do they....*
Demon Summoning. He predicted this fight wouldn't end here.
***
Ki Baek-jun had gotten truly angry only once this year. It was when the 4th wave had failed, and the mark of his fury remained as a giant hole in one of his office walls.
And now.......
*CRASH—!*
The wall right next to it crumbled.
The staff in the secretary's office beyond the wall jumped in surprise and shot to their feet.
“……Hey, fuck, what was that—?”
Ki Baek-jun roared, unfastening his watch.
A black shimmer began to swirl around his hands.
The employee who had just reported to him trembled and backed away.
“What did you say just happened? Say it again…."
“Y-Yes, sir. Across Seoul… contact was l-lost simultaneously at 19 locations."
In other words, the Demon Summoning had failed.
"So what's the reason! Weren't there people monitoring the event maps nearby!”
"Th-They said they appeared suddenly, infiltrated using smoke bombs, so they couldn't be properly identified. However, given their uniform attire, the opinion from the field is that they seemed to be a g-government special forces unit.”
The Villains had planted informants within the South Korean intelligence agencies. The fact that this attack hadn't been caught in their information network meant that whoever the perpetrators were, they had moved with extreme stealth.
"Fuck! Why do these problems that have never happened before keep popping up—!”
*CRASH!*
As he shouted, smashing another wall, laughter erupted from somewhere.
"Hahaha— First time I've seen President Ki get so worked up!”
On the leather sofa sat a Hispanic man with slicked-back hair.
He had a Cuban cigar in his mouth, and the skin visible through the smoke was as pale as a corpse.
"......Ricardo, you can laugh in a situation like this?"
Ricardo Oliveira, a man more famous by his alias, the Blood Lord. He was the 'Vampire Lord', the master of the 'Five Butchers'.
"Calm down, President Ki. You prepared the Demon Summoning in case the 4th wave failed, and you even prepared the 'Offering Group' in case that failed too. You were prepared for everything, so why are you so angry?”
Yes, he was furious at the unexpected failure, but it was also true that he had prepared the next plan for this very moment.
“Hoo— Right. I guess I have no choice but to use my last card…."
Ki Baek-jun struggled to suppress his anger and poured whiskey into a glass.
"Ah, this is the last card? No Plan D?”
"Ricardo…… did you expect the 4th wave to fail from the start?”
Ricardo took a long drag from his cigar and nodded.
"Though, I never dreamed that bitch Carol would die there. She was one of my favorites, tsk, what a waste… She was amazing in bed… Ah, did you happen to play with her a bit too?”
Ki Baek-jun ignored him and made a call.
"Team Leader Choi, it's me. We're starting Plan B, the Offering Operation, now.”
Ricardo chuckled at his words.
“Heh— To be able to order a mass suicide so nonchalantly…."
Ki Baek-jun scowled at the comment, turned away, and yelled into the phone.
"Team Leader Choi, fuck, what's with all the talk! You think I'll let you live if you don't throw yourselves in willingly?”
Somewhere in Seoul, 40 warlocks were gathered.
Their main mission was to open a gate connected to the 'Abyss' and pour the 'Fragments of Disaster' into it. That was the standard method of summoning 'Abaddon' as specified in the 'quest'.
However, there were several other ways to summon a demon.
One of them was to sacrifice the lives of quite a few warlocks who had drawn power from a demon.
That was Ki Baek-jun's 'Plan B', and in preparation, he had placed a 'suggestion spell' on the warlocks.
“……If they don't do it within five minutes, tell them I'll activate the suggestion spell and burn their brains out.”
It was his will to bring a demon to this land by any means necessary and draw out the Saintess.
He once again suppressed his agitation, downed his whiskey, and uttered one last sentence.
"Ah, and…… tell Okita Kaito's team to get ready. It's about to begin.”
"Ooh— Sword Saint Okita Kaito—!”
At the mention of that name, Ricardo also sat up, seemingly excited.
"I want to see his Subspace Iaido for myself. I guess I'll have to go watch!"
***
After successfully completing the operation, Lee Hyun-wook stood in front of a military truck.
The truck belonged to the 3rd Anti-Demon Brigade, 1st Battalion, and the person who got out of the passenger seat was Ahn Min-tae.
"Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, I've brought the items you asked for!”
Opening the truck's cargo bed revealed two 'Aerial Drop Devices (Prototype)'.
"But sir, what's happening all of a sudden? Why do such serious things keep happening?”
"Tell me about it.”
"Perhaps Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook is a magnet for bad luck.”
He usually was, but this time was an exception.
This was a problem that even Lee Hyun-wook hadn't anticipated.
"Hey, don't jinx it. Words have power, something else might happen.”
"Aw, I don't have that kind of talent…."
But just then—
*Ruuuumble—*
A tremendous roar echoed from somewhere, and Ahn Min-tae's mouth slowly fell open.
Far to the north, a crimson pillar of energy shot up.
As it reached the sky, the clouds began to turn the color of blood.
"Huh! What's that?”
“What in the world is......."
Everyone nearby stared at the unknown phenomenon, their mouths agape.
It was clear at a glance that something serious was happening.
For those who had just endured the hell of the wave a few days ago, it was a scene that could trigger PTSD.
Lee Hyun-wook, however, didn't look very surprised.
He patted Ahn Min-tae on the shoulder.
"Ahn Min-tae, this is your fault. I told you words have power, right? It looks like something serious has happened again."
“Huh? What, what is this…."
Lee Hyun-wook closed the truck's cargo bed and looked at the northern sky.
He knew exactly what that was.
*As I thought. They've summoned a demon's incarnation through a large-scale offering.*
Throughout this operation, Lee Hyun-wook had been pondering.
If he thwarted their plans, how would they react…….
His conclusion was 'they won't give up'.
*They're determined to eliminate the Saintess here, no matter what.*
Lee Hyun-wook took the truck to the rendezvous point in Yongsan—where Woo Seong-mun was.
When he arrived, Woo Seong-mun, who was receiving a report from his aides, turned his head.
He and his aides swarmed towards Lee Hyun-wook.
"Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, let's talk for a moment.”
His voice was still calm, but his face was somewhat stiff.
"You've done an excellent job so far, but it seems another task has come up.”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded.
"That is a demon being summoned by another method. You see it that way too, don't you, Sergeant Lee?”
"Yes, it certainly looks that way. It seems the terrorists had another method prepared.”
Woo Seong-mun nodded and continued.
"As I mentioned before, the easiest way to stop that demon's summoning is, by far, the Saintess. Of course, there may be other ways, as you've just demonstrated, Sergeant Lee, but I believe it's time to choose the most certain method. The Saintess will come and turn all of Seoul into a 'Holy Field'.”
'Holy Field', one of the Saintess's skills, would block the demon's power from descending.
Of course, the cost for that one move would be astronomical, but it was something they had to bear humbly.
“And just now, the Saintess has arrived in Seoul.”
From Africa to the Korean peninsula, it was impossible to arrive this quickly even by jet.
She must have used a 'Super-Wide Area Teleport' by borrowing the power of the World Tree.
"However…… as you know, the Saintess has been subjected to assassination threats.”
"Yes, that's right.”
There had been three assassination attempts in total. Of course, she had never actually been in danger.
The twelve paladins protecting her had always served as an unbreakable barrier.
However, the second attempt was, in many ways, a rather traumatic incident for her, and she had been unwilling to leave the Saint Dome ever since.
"Their security detail is formidable, but we also have a duty to ensure the Saintess's safety. Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, I ask you to participate in this operation as well.”
"Yes, using Hugin would be a great help to the security operation.”
Hugin's sensory expansion and high-altitude vision provided the ultimate surveillance capability.
"Yes, that's correct. Because you are the only one who can handle Hugin, Sergeant Lee.”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded.
"Understood. I will do my best.”
In his past life, the Saintess who had set out to purify the corrupted Seoul was assassinated by the Villains just three days after her arrival.
*I know the true reason why she was assassinated so futilely.*