Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Haimken (5)
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That impact was certain.
But from Hercule's perspective, Suhyun's attitude was nothing more than baffling confidence. What the hell was he basing that confidence on?
The Chinese weren't pushovers, either militarily or politically, and imagining a way to topple them all at once and flip public opinion was beyond him.
"What incident is it?"
"Save it for the thrill when the time comes. Oh, before that, there's something we need to discuss."
Suhyun's voice dropped even lower. Hercule unconsciously straightened his back.
"What is it?"
"I'm not some volunteer, and I can't fix this mess for free when you couldn't even manage your own people properly, right?"
Caution flickered in Hercule's eyes. What worried him now was public opinion inside Haimken swinging pro-China.
'Haimken has to stay neutral.'
The one lesson from prolonged contact with humans was clear: they couldn't be trusted. Getting too cozy with one side just meant getting bled dry.
Goriks was rallying young orcs, arguing they needed to cozy up to China even more, but bringing in outsiders to push him out would be putting the cart before the horse.
"...We have no plans to join hands with Korea."
"You're not even thinking about the one handing out the rice cakes... Our side has no interest in cooperating with Haimken anyway. Geographically, it's too far for Korea to reach easily."
A city wedged between China and Russia—Korea reaching in would just get slapped away every which way. It wasn't worth the investment from the start. Better to head south and link up with other cities...
Hercule looked sheepish at Suhyun's words.
"Sorry about that. But if not that, then what? Is there something else you want from us?"
"I'm not like the Chinese or Russians, dragging out long, complicated demands. What I want is simple."
"?"
"Dragon's Roar. You have it, right?"
"...!"
* * *
The Shock Wave Sword held by the Haimken orcs was a famous item known to anyone in the know. It wasn't exactly a secret.
But Haimken had another divine relic known only to a select few. Like the Shock Wave Sword, it was an artifact, but its power and nature were entirely different.
That was Dragon's Roar.
"How the hell do you know about that...?"
"There's no such thing as an eternal secret in this world. Ways to uncover them always turn up."
The two were now walking through an underground passage in Haimken's inner castle. As soon as Suhyun brought it up, Hercule cleared the area in shock.
The orcs led by Goriks ground their teeth at the Uncle Jo Company mercs after being released, but having been thoroughly thrashed by Suhyun, they didn't charge right away. Muttering "We'll see about this," they backed off.
"That's something passed down only to the chieftains. No way info on it could leak like with the Shock Wave Sword."
"I'm not telling you how I found out, so give it up. Pick one: hand it over and make Haimken peaceful and neutral again, or fend for yourselves. From what I've seen, you can't handle the latter alone."
"But Dragon's Roar is..."
"A divine relic, right?"
"Yes."
"Besides the previous and the one before that, no one even knows about it. No one will notice if I take it."
"You make it sound so simple..."
"Besides, when would you even use it? Goriks and his crew rampaging outside are a more immediate threat than whatever apocalyptic danger it's meant for."
"How do you know all this?!"
Hercule glared at Suhyun in astonishment. Suhyun met his gaze without a flicker.
"Threatening me? Save it. You know that doesn't work on me."
"......"
Suhyun wasn't wrong. If he wanted, he could snap his fingers and tear Hercule apart.
"You look torn. How about one more proposal?"
"?"
"If you hand over Dragon's Roar, I'll find you another divine relic."
"Another one...?"
"Don't tell me there's a third one I don't know about? The Shock Wave Sword."
"You have it?!"
"No, I'll find it for you."
Hercule's shock turned to disappointment at Suhyun's words.
"Disappointing. Trying to sway me with that?"
"What?"
"Anyone can say they'll 'find it.' No matter how desperate I am, I'm not falling for word games like that."
"You're misunderstanding. I'm not saying I'll try. Hand over Dragon's Roar, and I'll deliver the Shock Wave Sword within a month."
"!"
"And since you'd still doubt me, if you just take my word for it, I'll get the Shock Wave Sword first."
"!!"
He'd lost count of how many shocks today held. Hercule was starting to doubt if Suhyun was even human. He was like a demon from legend—appearing out of nowhere, knowing everything, speaking with total control.
"Still don't believe me?"
"Give me a moment. Just a moment to think."
"Sure. Take your time."
As Hercule clutched his head in thought, Suhyun slowly scanned the surroundings. It looked like a passage built alongside the inner castle when Haimken was founded.
'I need to take Dragon's Roar this time.'
He wasn't obsessed with artifacts anymore, but Dragon's Roar was different. It was an outlier even among them.
First, it was a one-use artifact. Once activated, it shattered and couldn't be reused.
Second, it required no power from the user. Suhyun figured it tied to its disposable nature. Stronger superpowers drained the user more, but Dragon's Roar didn't. Just trigger it, and done.
Third, the superpower it held.
'Dragon Breath.'
A dragon's ultimate weapon. Of course, weaker than the real thing. The orcs didn't know, but Suhyun did: this one-shot artifact would end up used by the Chinese army in a monster extermination far in the future.
Still, it was Dragon Breath. A spear this strong was rare.
Against monsters, piercing their defenses was key, making something like Dragon Breath essential.
'Lubenfelt's magic book... Honestly, near impossible.'
Lubenfelt's book had no time magic but did have Dragon Breath. The condition was simple: just one thing.
Dragon Heart.
'Son of a bitch.'
To fight dragons, you needed Dragon Breath magic, but to learn it, you needed a Dragon Heart from one. Chicken-or-egg paradox.
Plus, casting Dragon Breath terrified him. The bigger the power, the greater the strain—even post-augmentation, who knew what it'd do.
If best-case failed, he'd settle for cheats like Dragon's Roar.
Leave it be, and it'd fall into Chinese hands. Securing it while grabbing Mallock and taking credit—that was the optimal play here.
"Alright."
"Made your choice?"
"Yeah. If I can get the Shock Wave Sword back, giving up Dragon's Roar won't sting."
"And don't forget it balances Haimken too."
"Of course, all this hinges on you actually retrieving the Shock Wave Sword."
"Don't worry."
Hercule wiped sweat from his brow. He wasn't sure this was the right call.
'Dragon's Roar won't see use anyway. If I can get the Shock Wave Sword back...'
It was handed down for use against overwhelming foes no orc force could beat. But now, aside from China and Russia, Haimken had no enemies—and they weren't foes one artifact could fell. Hercule knew their strength well.
Better to balance internal affairs and reclaim a relic.
The question was whether Suhyun could pull it off.
'What the hell is he banking on?'
* * *
"This'll be simple."
"Yeah, doesn't feel simple at all."
"They brought this out from China, right? Chinese are coming back soon—slip it into their luggage, done."
"......"
Ruiril stared at Suhyun like he'd lost his mind.
"Problem?"
"No, no, setting everything else aside... Why? You went through the trouble to get it!"
"Think from the Haimken orcs' view. They're thrilled about their 'friends' the Chinese, then bam—a stolen relic turns up in their luggage. How do you think they'll react?"
"...I can picture it. But will it stick?"
"?"
"Too blatant, too contrived. That coming out of the delegation's luggage? Come on."
"Contrived or not, they can't refute it. How do they explain it? 'Someone else planted it'? Yeah, right—in this situation? They've been the ones coming and going. We're new here. 'They stole the artifact, waited, and planted it on us!'—who buys that?"
"Savage."
"Say 'strategic.' Anyway... even planting it in luggage needs some finesse."
* * *
"Koreans showed up?"
"Yes."
"And you just watched? Idiots. Threaten 'em, scare 'em off—what's the problem? This Korea's turf? Haimken's your city! Outside's our zone. How do you screw up something that basic?"
"The guy's no ordinary fighter."
Goriks bowed his head low.
"No ordinary? Mercs have superpowered users, sure. First time seeing one? Surrounded and threatened, no way they charge your numbers."
Superpowered didn't mean invincible. Especially not in an orc-infested hub like Haimken. Few would rush a encirclement banking on one power.
"He was beyond normal..."
"How bad?"
"Subdued me and all my men in ten seconds."
"...!"
Wu Shangkai's jaw dropped. Suppressing without killing was harder than outright slaughter—and that fast?
"No way a guy like that flies under the radar. Who?"
"Guy named Kim Suhyun..."
"What? Kim Suhyun?!"
It hit harder than a brick to the skull. The unexpected name left Wu Shangkai reeling.
"Why's he here?!"
"Famous, huh?"
"Damn right. Shit, why here of all places...? Why's he in Haimken? Korean government send him?"
He knew the world's first mage. And Wu Shangkai had extra reason to remember Suhyun's name: the man who'd humiliated him on a mission where even Liu Xin stepped in.
Liu Xin, always on top, was a thorn; he'd laughed then, but never dreamed it'd boomerang like this.
Against Kim Suhyun, petty threats or intimidation were pointless. Goriks's crew getting wrecked made sense.
'If I jumped him, I'd end up the same?'
Wu Shangkai read the room sharp. He wasn't a better fighter than Liu Xin. Charging the man who'd shredded that force? Slim odds.
"Uh, this okay?"
Goriks's voice trembled with anxiety. He'd thought their arrival fixed everything, but things felt off. His instincts for trouble were orc-sharp.
"It's fine. Even he can't run wild here."
Initial panic aside, it wasn't hopeless. Kim Suhyun hadn't killed the orcs—just subdued them. If he meant all-out war, he wouldn't have.
'He'll play by the accords?'
If it was persuasion over brute force, that was winnable.