Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Change (3)
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Kim Gunja had used Dragon Word to extract information from the bearded man.
"They brought in illegal immigrants and homeless people for forced labor?"
"Y-Yes... Grrrk..."
Thud.
The bearded man, who had been answering obediently, suddenly foamed at the mouth and collapsed backward.
"...?"
A question mark appeared on Kim Gunja's face.
He hadn't laid a physical hand on the man—only Dragon Word.
Checking the bearded man's condition up close, it seemed his life wasn't in danger.
'Just passed out, then.'
But why?
Kim Gunja recalled how the bearded man had gradually struggled more under the Dragon Word.
And he could roughly guess the reason for this outcome.
'...Prolonged exposure to Dragon Word overwhelmed his mind.'
It was an unexpected side effect of the Dragon Word.
Kaiser's Dragon Word infused words with mana to bend the target's will to submission.
It was a power crafted for domination, so it was only natural it lacked any mercy.
'A regular person, not even an Awakener, exposed to it for so long...'
It was inevitable.
This was the first time he'd used Dragon Word on someone, so he hadn't anticipated such a side effect.
'...Can't abuse it recklessly.'
Right now, his low proficiency had limited the damage, but if it were higher, the man might have died.
Kim Gunja clearly remembered.
The sight of Kaiser using Dragon Word to massacre imperial soldiers and force Baek Jincheon to his knees.
Considering that, he needed to practice controlling its intensity.
"... ."
He glanced at the fallen bearded man and turned his gaze out the window.
His eyes fell on a mansion—more luxurious than the surrounding buildings—where the overseers of this estate resided.
— The, the top boss treats human lives like mayflies. He's terrifying.
The administrator, the bearded man, was just another employee.
His decision was swift.
'Find the puppet masters and clean house.'
The group secretly producing mana flowers couldn't be some ordinary profit-driven outfit.
Now that he knew, he had no intention of letting it slide.
Besides, the current Kim Gunja had more than enough power to act on his thoughts.
He'd held his own against Single Number Baek Jincheon for a prolonged fight, and now he even had Dragon Scale.
Near the estate.
Two plainclothes police officers were arguing in front of the barbed-wire fence.
"Come on... Ha! Hey, you're seriously gonna end up writing a report if you keep this up?!"
Early thirties, maybe.
Kang Sergeant glanced around nervously as he spoke.
The man in his late twenties, Choi Inspector, straightened up from his bent position.
He sighed at his senior, Kang Sergeant.
"Are you scared of a report, Sarge?"
"You think I'm not? After a report comes a pay cut, maybe."
"...Be honest. You know why, don't you?"
Kang Sergeant flinched at the sudden question.
"Know what?"
"Why the chief pulled patrols from here. Doesn't make sense. The estate owners are super influential— we could use more patrols, not fewer. And for years? Totally suspicious."
"Th-there's gotta be a reason for it."
"That's why I'm saying let's just peek and find out."
Choi Inspector said as he shoved his upper body through a gap in the fence.
Kang Sergeant jumped in panic and yanked him back.
"Hey, hey! No way! Ambition's great, but follow procedure!"
"I did, and they pulled us anyway!"
"Listen to me, kid! Argh! What the—such strength...!"
That was when the two were tussling.
Bang—!
A chilling gunshot echoed through the foothills.
Their scuffle froze as they exchanged glances.
"Sarge. That was a gunshot, right?"
A gunshot in Korea?
Impossible.
"N-no way? Probably something else colliding..."
Rat-tat-tat!
The follow-up bursts turned Kang Sergeant's face ashen.
No handgun could make that sound—continuous fire.
"Damn it...!"
"Sarge! Call for backup!"
"R-right... Huh? Kid! Where're you going? You crazy bastard!"
Kang Sergeant yelled as he headed for the radio in the car.
Choi Inspector had finally squeezed through the fence and was heading inside.
Shouting for him to come back did no good—the kid bolted toward the gunfire without a glance back.
He'd known the guy had guts, but this much?
"Son of a...!"
Kang Sergeant frantically radioed for backup, hesitated a moment, then grabbed a bulletproof vest from the car and suited up.
Like it or not, he couldn't let his fellow countryman and junior die.
No face to show the family otherwise.
Cursing nonstop, Kang Sergeant chased after Choi Inspector into the estate.
'...Movie set?'
That was Choi Inspector's first thought upon arriving at the scene.
Otherwise, his common sense couldn't explain the bizarre sight.
Guns scattered haphazardly on the ground.
Amid them, black-suited men divided into two groups.
One: men trembling on the ground, limbs shaking from injuries.
The other: men kneeling, foreheads pressed to the dirt in prostration.
'What the hell...'
This wasn't something brute strength alone could create.
Choi Inspector drew his pistol, hesitating amid the surreal disconnect.
Crash!
A deafening noise—and something human-shaped was flung from the mansion.
"Guh... Ack...!"
A man with faint blue veins bulging on his skin tumbled, vomiting blood.
Even amid the commotion, the prostrated men didn't lift their heads.
Step by step.
A man strolled casually from the mansion.
The kneelers trembled harder.
Choi Inspector recognized him instantly.
Any Korean would know the face that had dominated broadcasts lately.
"Gu, Gunja Sword...?"
On TV, he'd seemed mild-mannered.
Soft features and an awkward smile that screamed discomfort in the spotlight.
But face-to-face? Those notions fled far away.
Gulp. Overwhelming pressure choked him.
As Gunja Sword's gaze turned to him, Choi Inspector felt his breath stop.
'Wh-what eyes...'
Kim Gunja glanced at Choi Inspector, then silently continued his task.
Wooong—
Zarathu emerged from thin air, tracing a white arc.
Slash.
"Gaaargh!"
A gruesome sound—the man staggering to flee had his Achilles tendon severed.
'My God...!'
Alarm bells rang in his head at the ruthless strike.
As Choi Inspector instinctively raised his gun toward Gunja Sword—
Kim Gunja spoke first.
"Who are you?"
"P-police."
An answer to survive.
A faint smile curved Kim Gunja's cold lips.
In that instant, the suffocating atmosphere softened.
Kim Gunja had released the Dragon Word's bind.
The prostrated men, relieved of the crushing pressure, lost consciousness and collapsed.
Kim Gunja continued unfazed.
"Perfect timing. That one's a Slayer; the others are hired mercenaries. They were producing mana flowers here."
Choi Inspector gasped in shock.
Mana flowers?
Shocking enough, but the madman who'd choose mana rampage and mutual destruction over capture lay defeated before him.
Terrified he might explode and charge, Choi Inspector backed away—
Kim Gunja reassured him.
"I severed his limb meridians and cauterized his mana circuits before he could rampage. No mana control means no rampage. He can't resist."
Stunned by how casually he described the brutality—Kang Sergeant arrived.
"You idiot! Going alone like—Gah! What the... Gu, Gunja Sword?"
Kim Gunja glanced at the wide-eyed Kang Sergeant.
"Partner?"
"Y-yes! My senior."
"Good. There's a hidden room in the innermost chamber of the mansion. Search it thoroughly."
"Hidden... room?"
"Details on mana flower sourcing, management, and distribution—all neatly organized."
The two were floored.
Gunja Sword wasn't police—he was a Hunter.
Yet he'd not only subdued the enemies but secured potentially crucial intel.
'...Exceptional people shine anywhere.'
Shocked once by the cold precision of severing the tendon, twice by the thorough evidence collection—
"I'll leave the cleanup to you two. I've got personal business..."
"W-wait..."
By the time they turned, Gunja Sword had vanished.
Kang Sergeant marveled at the sudden disappearance.
"Man, he really comes and goes like a ghost..."
Then he spotted Choi Inspector staring blankly in that direction.
"What're you doing? No cleanup?"
"Sarge... Hunters are... this cool?"
Admiration gleamed in his eyes.
'...Can't blame him.'
The kid brimmed with passion.
For such a guy to see Gunja Sword solo an enemy force that'd tax a squad—and handle the aftermath impeccably—was bound to inspire.
Kang Sergeant smiled wryly.
"If all Hunters were like that, they wouldn't have their rep. Gunja Sword's a major exception."
"...Fair enough."
They glanced toward his disappearance, bowed in thanks, then got to work securing the scene.
Kim Gunja, having activated Blessing of Stealth to slip away from the scene, headed for the cave.
His mind replayed the recent battle.
'3-star Dragon Word's limit is still around C-rank.'
While uncovering the mana flower operation, he'd tested Dragon Word's duration and range on the enemies.
That explained why the courtyard men split into two groups.
—Kneel.
Most dropped weapons and prostrated at his command.
But C-rank and above.
They flinched but didn't submit fully—forcing him to handle them manually.
'Duration's solid, too...'
Even subduing the Slayer inside and exiting, Dragon Word hadn't faded.
No matter how advanced the era, nothing was free of human oversight.
The longer Dragon Word lasted, the more versatile its applications.
During the test, he'd also snagged all mana flower data from the mansion onto a USB.
After the Hero Guild incident, Kim Gunja always carried a hacking USB.
Sorting his thoughts, he reached the cave's end.
'Somewhere around here.'
Touching the wall transmitted its damp, rough texture.
'To think this is an illusion.'
Simply astonishing.
Master Jeonghye.
The illusion alchemist Hwang Siho—top barrier master among the Eleven Alchemists—and his father, Radiant Kim Gongja, had poured their hearts into this barrier.
That explained his lack of worry despite nearby buildings.
A collaboration between two unparalleled masters couldn't be so easily detected.
Stroking the wall, Kim Gunja recalled the letter's contents.
— Patron. If you receive this letter, it means my time has come.
The letter wasn't long.
Mostly apologies for his ties to his father and what he'd done.
A brief note at the end mentioned this place.
— If you're ready to face the truth about your father, come here.
Master Jeonghye apologized for tampering with his memories to the last.
'...The truth.'
He had no idea.
What could be so monumental that those two built this barrier together?
Kim Gunja pulled out the letter.
Master Jeonghye's blood seal stamped the end.
Holding it forward—
Shhh—
The wall warped with an eerie sound.
The barrier's key: Master Jeonghye's blood.
A blue passage wide enough for one opened its maw.
"... ."
Kim Gunja stepped in without hesitation; the passage sealed behind him.
How far did he go?
At the blue passage's end stood a door emitting soft white light.
Kim Gunja hesitated briefly.
The letter detailed entry but not what lay beyond.
"Hm."
If danger lurked, it would have said so.
Still cautious, he placed his hand on the door.
Then—
Fwaaash—!
Bright light—and beside the door, a man's figure materialized.
A young man with golden waves flowing regally around him.
Confidence and charisma overflowed from his face.
A playful lilt colored the man's tone.
Kim Gunja couldn't tear his eyes from the face.
World Rank 1, known as Radiant Kim Gongja.
His father's youthful visage unfolded before him.
A gentle smile graced Radiant Kim Gongja's lips.
Phantasmic yet vividly real.