Chapter 114
Chapter 114
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: Humanity's First Mage (1)
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The current situation wasn't exactly pleasant for the Chinese team. They'd barely pushed through the blizzard, only for the Koreans to snatch up all the important parts. No one could just sit idly by in a scenario like that. They had to make some kind of appeal, say something, or at least show some discomfort.
Yet the Chinese team remained utterly composed. Even if Liu Xin was well-trained in mental discipline, the same couldn't be said for all his subordinates. Suhyun spotted one among Liu Xin's men who reminded him of Kim Chang-sik. That guy didn't look particularly angry or resentful either.
‘This... there's definitely something off.’
It was the Chinese side that had brought up the winner-takes-all rule in the first place. There was no way they were oblivious to the delicate dynamics between Russia, Korea, and China. If things continued like this, it would align perfectly with Russia's intent to check China, leaving them with nothing.
‘Did they pull strings internally this time, or externally...?’
Suhyun felt the need to tense up a bit. If it was the former, he could handle it himself. But if it was the latter, it was beyond his scope—that would require government intervention.
And that question was resolved soon enough.
* * *
Upon arriving at Smirnov Base, the first thing they saw was the troops deployed around the facility. At first, people thought it was base personnel coming out to greet them after spotting their approach. But Suhyun sensed the incongruity right away. That was no welcoming committee.
‘Enemies!’
And not just any enemies. They were armed with military assault rifles and gear, topped off with Power Armor. That kind of armament wasn't something you could just acquire off the shelf.
‘These bastards couldn't have...?’
Suhyun immediately checked the Chinese team's faces. They looked shocked, but he detected an unmistakable hint of unease they couldn't hide.
‘They planned this in advance?’
Suhyun was no stranger to schemes like this. Just from Liu Xin and his subordinates' reactions, plus the troops positioned around them, he pieced it together.
Smirnov Base had already been seized by Chinese special forces!
‘These crazy bastards are really going all out...!’
It wasn't Suhyun's place to say, but it was a bold move. One wrong step, and it could spark all-out war with Russia. They must have started this with ironclad security and secrecy.
Their motive was clear.
‘Because of Dmitry.’
Suhyun didn't know the Russian president well, but a man willing to send a rescue team like this for his son would likely buckle under other threats too.
Regardless of how it actually played out, China had clearly made that calculation. The fact that they'd attempted the kidnapping proved it.
Suhyun could see exactly how this would unfold. The attackers would claim to be an independent force with no ties to China and abduct them. Then, through backchannel negotiations, they'd get what they wanted.
“Halt! Do not move another step.”
“What the hell?”
Only then did Ivan realize something was wrong. He noticed the soldiers looked unfamiliar. This wasn't the Russian military.
“This base has already been secured, and you are surrounded. Lay down your arms and surrender! Any movement will be met with force!”
“!”
“Team Leader, what the hell is this?”
“Stay put. Don't move recklessly.”
“These punks think they can treat us like...!”
A fierce glint flashed in Ivan's eyes. Trapped in this frozen wasteland with dead weight piling up had already frayed his nerves, and now these nobodies had seized the base and were demanding they disarm. His rage boiled over.
“Superpowered individual. Do not resist pointlessly. Surrender. Your superpowers won't work here.”
Reading Ivan's team's defiance, the commander issued a cold warning. Suhyun wasn't surprised. It would have been more shocking if they'd come prepared for superpowered foes without countermeasures for this stunt.
But Ivan was stunned. He realized his artifact wasn't functioning. He tried using his superpower, but after one reaction, it wouldn't activate again.
“A superpower nullifier...?!”
He whipped his head around toward Liu Xin with a sharp snap. The rumored cutting-edge Chinese tech that everyone whispered about. With these heavily armed troops packing that kind of gear, only an idiot wouldn't suspect something.
Yet Liu Xin and his team calmly raised their hands and stepped forward. It was a sign of surrender. Seeing no hint of resistance, Ivan ground his teeth.
“You son of a bitch...!”
“I have no idea what you're talking about. If you're surrendering, do it quickly, no? Let's not get civilians hurt over this.”
“Wow, look at that shameless prick.”
Suhyun muttered under his breath. He wasn't a great actor, but the deadpan delivery without a flicker of expression was infuriating. Ivan clenched his fists, looking like he wanted to throttle Liu Xin.
“Team Leader, what do we do?”
“Well. If we surrender quietly and wait, we'll probably get out of this.”
He didn't know what they wanted, but staying put guaranteed safety for now. In situations like this, they usually spared lives if you didn't resist.
Other countries weren't idiots. Even without hard evidence, suspicions would arise, and excessive casualties would trigger bloody revenge. That wasn't in China's interest either.
The problem was that Suhyun's identity wasn't exactly above board.
‘The grinder too—if I get caught by the Chinese and they uncover what I've done...’
The latter was unlikely, but the former was probable. Artifacts would be confiscated by default, and they'd probably take that random bronze bowl too. If they weren't careful, an investigation could expose it.
Suhyun glanced at the Russians. Ivan's superpowered team was grinding their teeth in fury, while the researchers flailed in panic.
‘If only those guys weren't here. Is this as far as it goes?’
He wasn't afraid of fighting. But if they clashed here, one of Suhyun's hidden cards would be revealed.
The mage card.
He'd hidden it before out of fear of being dragged to a lab. Now, he didn't worry about that, but he wanted to build strength without drawing attention. Keeping his mage identity secret was key.
‘I wanted to hide it a bit longer...’
No choice. The grinder was worth it.
“Guess I'll have to operate in the light from now on.”
“Huh?”
“We fight. Get ready.”
“...!”
The team was shocked but didn't question it. They trusted Suhyun had a plan.
“Stick by Dmitry. You'll be safe near him.”
Suhyun raised his hands and stepped forward. The surrendered Chinese were already seated among the soldiers, watching him coolly. They looked completely at ease.
It made sense. With the superpower nullifier active, an unarmed superpowered individual could do little. Artifacts were utterly useless under the nullifier.
‘The first target is...’
The Power Armor pilots. They had overwhelmingly superior firepower, so they needed to go down first.
Suhyun's hands dropped swiftly.
Crunch!
Blood sprayed from the Power Armor's cockpits. Not just one—all of them on site.
“!?”
The front-line soldiers didn't grasp what happened at first. They just saw Suhyun lower his arm and shouted.
“Hands up! Don't lower them!”
“Fine.”
Suhyun raised his hands again. The superpower he'd used was Poison Strike. Needle-like venom shot out like buckshot, targeting the soldiers ahead.
“Gaaahhh!”
Only after the second wave did the attackers realize Suhyun was doing something.
“How?! The nullifier?!”
“It's on!”
“Got the commander.”
Like a giant had swatted him, the man who seemed to be the commander flew into the air. Suhyun spoke coldly as the man spewed blood and lost consciousness.
“Next...”
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat! Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
The deployed soldiers reacted mechanically. They could figure out how Suhyun used superpowers after killing him.
“Want to help?”
Suhyun blocked the incoming bullets with a Telekinesis barrier using one hand and asked. Liu Xin flinched.
“I can guess where they placed the nullifiers. But I'm not smashing them. Who knows what you'd do? I don't want to deal with superpowered folks stabbing me in the back.”
“No clue what you mean.”
“Good acting. See this guy?”
Suhyun dragged over a soldier collapsed from poison.
“If he's a stranger, I can kill him, right?”
“...Under international law, torture or execution of POWs is...”
“That's for declared enemy combatants. This guy's a terrorist. Where's this scam coming from?”
“Die, you bastard!”
A massive explosion engulfed Suhyun. He grimaced and swung his hand. The soldier who'd fired an anti-monster weapon at him stared in horror.
Suhyun's Telekinesis was one of the trickiest superpowers to counter with standard firearms. Incredible versatility paired with devastating power. Without other superpowered foes, it was hell to face.
“Feels almost guilty going from monsters to soldiers—it's that easy.”
Grind!
The weapons on the ground twisted with eerie groans. Suhyun advanced slowly, like a farmer harvesting in autumn, felling soldiers one by one.
It was overwhelming.
Ivan had seen something similar against the Ice Dragon, but never Telekinesis this potent. And with the nullifier active, no less. He blurted out.
“H-How?”
“Someone always breaks the mold. Get up. You okay?”
“Y-Yeah...”
“No idea what they did with the base troops. Probably locked inside.”
“At worst, less than a platoon, so they're holed up in there.”
Ivan surveyed the fallen soldiers. They looked like they'd been mauled by monsters.
“I'm not cleaning this up too, am I? Head inside, free the troops, handle the mess. Separate the dead, tie up the living. Nullifiers are destroyed. Even if a few are inside, you can take them easy. Move!”
Too flustered, Ivan didn't notice how odd it was taking orders from Suhyun. He nodded and led his men inside.
“You... don't tell me...”
Liu Xin's team was too awed to move, but Liu Xin was different. He spoke with realization dawning.
“A mage?”
“Impossible! How could a human be a mage?”
“There's a first for everything. Yeah, I'll probably be humanity's first mage.”
“...!”
* * *
While Suhyun and the Uncle Jo Company team discussed the recent events, the Russians moved frantically. They cleared bodies, disarmed and bound the living prisoners. After catching their breath, Ivan's first move was to lunge at Liu Xin.
“How dare you sit there all smug, you punk?”
Thud!
“What?”
“Didn't you notice? Those guys were in on it with him! To kidnap Dmitry!”
“You seemed polite before, but you're hot-tempered. So, got proof?”
“What?”
“Proof. Proof they were sent by the Chinese side. Proof he's connected.”
“There isn't... exactly...”
“Then you can't touch him. Didn't you wonder why I killed everyone else but left these guys alone?”
Ivan felt like cold water had been dumped on his head. While he'd been seeing red, Suhyun had coldly analyzed everything.
“But if you wanna charge in anyway, I won't stop you. Do what you want. Handle the fallout yourself.”
“......”
Ivan glared at Liu Xin, grinding his teeth, then nodded.
“Thanks for holding me back.”
“We fought together. Least I could do.”
“But that thing I heard earlier—is it true? You're a mage?”
Instead of answering, Suhyun removed a ring from his finger and shattered it with Telekinesis. That said it all.
“Telekinesis and healing. Dual ability user...!”
Being a mage was wild enough, but his superpowers were top-tier rare and powerful. Ivan admired even as he shivered. He couldn't imagine the ripples Suhyun's identity would send across Cameron Planet once this was over.