Chapter 105
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: EP.105 Each One's Circumstances
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Someone was watching us from behind."
"Huh?"
Han Minguk, who had been straightening his belt, widened his eyes at Sojeong's words. Kissing her lips had felt amazing, but now that it was over, had their promised time come to an end? All sorts of thoughts started racing through his mind.
It felt less like in-flight fun and more like a public humiliation show. Sojeong grinned mischievously at Minguk's flustered reaction. She glanced back quickly, then leaned in close, whispering so only he could hear.
"I checked who it was. It's Kang Chaeyoung, the hero from Memoria. She's a pretty big deal."
"...Seeing her face from now on is gonna be awkward as hell."
Sojeong let out a little chuckle at his response.
"My guess? She was impressed by your impressive package, Raid Leader. Oh, right—what's Kang Chaeyoung's age again?"
Kang Chaeyoung, Memoria's top dealer, was a woman who had etched her name into Korean hero history, earning the title of "living legend" among domestic fans who cheered for heroes.
Now in her 15th year as a hero—a true veteran among veterans—she had fought on the front lines far longer than most of her peers, who had already retired.
Yet she was still active in the field with undiminished vigor. That was because she had started raiding as a hero at an unusually young age.
Most heroes finished training at Hero Academy and began battling darkness monsters only after reaching adulthood and getting comfortable with mana. But Chaeyoung, who had been hailed as a genius since childhood, had jumped into real combat at sixteen.
"Do the math, and she's thirty-one this year. Mmm... Right at the age when a woman's at her peak."
As she mentioned Chaeyoung's age, Sojeong let out a knowing hum. Then she turned to Minguk, who was just nodding silently.
"She's joining the Vietnam expedition too. Why not use this chance to get close? With your goods leading the way, most heroes wouldn't say no."
"I don't wanna get labeled a perv."
"Oh, come on. Yours is incredible. Especially for a woman who's been around the block... And what's wrong with the guy making the first move?"
"Hard pass."
Minguk pouted playfully at Sojeong's teasing. He'd pay her back in bed later.
After a grueling six-hour flight, the plane from Seoul finally touched down in Hanoi, Vietnam. As soon as it entered Vietnamese airspace, Vietnamese and Chinese air forces began escorting the heroes' aircraft.
The cabin mood grew even heavier. They were approaching the real battlefield, where monsters were clashing. Explosions dotted the horizon here and there.
"I thought those blasts meant something huge went down, but the airport looks fine at least?"
Transport planes from around the world were parked on one side of the airport.
Minguk spotted aircraft from various nations—America, China, India, the UK, Brazil, Argentina. It was a stark reminder of how seriously the world viewed the crisis.
"The wall hasn't been breached yet. But outside it's a mess, from what I hear. China's pushing through with sheer numbers, which is helping. If it were just Vietnam's forces, it'd have fallen already."
"Vietnam's that weak?"
"Heroes and military are about on par, they say."
The heroes disembarked, exchanging words. Various emotions played across their faces.
"Everyone prioritize safety out there. Can't have us dying like dogs in a foreign land, right?"
One hero from the Ihu Clan scratched his head roughly as he spoke.
Even if they're short on manpower, sending rookie raid teams? What the hell is the Association thinking...?
As an 8th-year veteran, his gaze lingered on Team GGW's members—promising young heroes with bright futures. He hoped they wouldn't get seriously hurt in this war.
Hanoi's mayor rushed out to greet the Korean raid team upon hearing of their arrival. Including reserves, nearly sixty heroes were Vietnam's lifeline for saving the city and the country.
"I'll escort you to your lodgings right away."
The Korean raid team's hotel was a five-star spot not far from the Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts.
GGW got five rooms on the sixth floor. Minguk, the raid leader, took one, and the remaining nine split into the other four.
"We'll set the expedition plan after hearing from the Vietnamese heroes."
Minguk addressed his gathered team. Monsters from dungeon breaks roamed outside the walls encircling the city.
Vietnamese and Chinese forces, plus heroes from both nations, were working hard to clear them, but the numbers were high, and dangerous ones were causing casualties.
To curb the spread, the incoming raid teams would move with military support.
"Rest up until then. You can go out, but this isn't a vacation—don't wander far."
With that, Minguk headed to his room. He planned to review strategy videos for [B-1] difficulty dungeons first.
He couldn't predict patterns in temporary dungeons, but memorizing boss attack patterns would help.
As Minguk reached the sixth floor and slid his keycard into his door,
Click.
The door to the next room opened. A woman in casual clothes stepped out, fresh from a shower, towel wrapped around her damp hair.
"Oh?"
"Ah, hello. Long time no see."
Minguk bowed hastily upon locking eyes with Kang Chaeyoung.
It wasn't just respect for a legendary senior hero in Korea. The in-flight antics and Sojeong's words made facing her mortifying.
What if she brought it up? The embarrassment would kill him.
"Oh, right! Long time. Not the best circumstances, but no hard feelings, so no need to blush. We're both here in far-off Vietnam to fight darkness monsters—looking forward to teaming up. I don't snore, so next door won't be an issue."
"Hahaha."
Minguk laughed awkwardly at her half-joking tone and shook her offered hand. It was smooth and soft, yet radiated a veteran's firmness.
"Gotta talk to our raid leader anyway. Take care."
"Yes, ma'am."
After that brief exchange, Minguk slipped into his room.
Fate's prank or sheer coincidence—sharing a wall with the woman who'd witnessed his intimate moment aboard...
Fortunately, her casual approach suggested she'd forgotten—or maybe Sojeong had been wrong.
"Hope that's the case."
Muttering to himself, he stripped off his clothes haphazardly and dove into [B-1] dungeon videos as planned.
To clear that damn Ppuu's quest, he needed to personally destroy at least fifty temporary dungeons on this expedition.
Not even unique grade, but they give a legendary class stone...
Of course, the main goal was stopping the named darkness monster called Garuda from awakening. But he couldn't ignore the quest rewards.
Minguk reviewed Ppuu's quest again. Rewards: yellow-grade mana crystal, platinum ticket, and class stone.
What intrigued him most was the final prize: [Class Stone (A) - Legendary Grade]. His Hero Pad screen shifted to class-related info under his fingers.
"Tank, dealer, healer."
Loot boxes from darkness monsters yielded dozens or hundreds of class stones.
These classes fell into tank, dealer, or healer categories, graded by color: S, A, B, C, etc.
Humans love rankings, especially when survival's on the line—efficiency demands it.
Soon after class stones were discovered amid the darkness war, heroes tiered them by raid utility and rarity: 1-tier, 2-tier, and so on.
Now standardized as normal, rare, unique, legendary. But loot boxes didn't fireworks for a [Class Stone (A) - Legendary Grade]—it was just hero lingo.
Oh Hyun-ah's [Concentrated Healer] and her [Guardian Knight], Yuna's [Blast Sharp Shooter]—all rated rare, boosting GGW hugely.
(Some argued Blast Sharp Shooter was unique due to its abysmal drop rate.)
"Most heroes stick to A-grades."
Simple reason: unqualified heroes couldn't wield high-grade class traits, even with high Gear Score gear. S-grades needed 8-star hero status.
This expedition's prizes? Two [Class Stone (A) - Unique Grade], one [Class Stone (A) - Legendary Grade].
No matter the class, it'd massively power up the raid team.
Plus clear Qoo's quest too.
He wasn't thrilled about other rewards, but upgrading the Chaos Shop tempted him. The catch: sleep with ten non-GGW female heroes.
"This world's heroines are sex drive incarnate anyway."
Back-to-back raids pumping adrenaline and hormones, crisis mode, plus rare male heroes—it could work.
An hour after the Korean raid team settled in, clan raid leaders gathered in the hotel conference room. Minguk figured things were urgent when they called so soon after "rest up."
With all raid teams assembled, the banquet hall-turned-meeting room held heroes from other nations too.
They all stared at Minguk in surprise—a rare male hero leading a raid to stop the spread.
Some who knew his rep winked or thumbs-upped.
As seats filled with raid leaders, a two-star general took the podium. A projector displayed a map.
Gasps erupted—not the good kind.