Chapter 128
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Dragon's Nest
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Hunter Association
Choi Cheol-sik, who had scrambled the air force, summoned every S-rank hunter in Korea.
It was to explain the air force deployment and recruit guild alliances and hunter troops to face China going forward.
And as she listened to the explanation, Seo Ji-yeon lost her temper.
"Sending out the hunter air force? Are you insane?"
"What else could we do?"
"Didn't those Americans lend us that mothership indefinitely a while back?"
The mothership America had lent them was the aerial battleship Yoo Jin-seok had used to take down the Imperial Dragon before.
"That's a last resort."
Something that guzzled astronomical amounts of mana wasn't practical. It barely had any combat capability on its own. Back then, it was Yoo Jin-seok riding it who did all the work.
"We hop on that, take out the Imperial Dragon. Problem solved, right?"
"This one's different from the last Imperial Dragon. Unlike when Jin-seok caught it, this one's obeying the Emperor Beast's orders. We were sure it died in the Yellow River, but if it's alive... it might have revived through a Sin fragment."
That did make it dangerous, sure. But wasn't she exaggerating a bit? It could just be panic.
"Aren't you overthinking it?"
"Then what's your answer?"
"Fair point. We don't know exactly what Sin fragments do, but they do seem pretty good at reviving and deploying the dead."
Cha Ji-eun nodded in agreement with Choi Cheol-sik.
There were plenty of necromancer-types out there.
If the Sin fragment granted that kind of power, it made sense.
"So we just let those C-rank scrubs die? Ha! Dissolve the air force, drag out the rejects, and shove them into hell?"
"Baekhwa said they'd send something to face the Imperial Dragon."
Shin Ji-woon grimaced, thinking of the C-rank hunters Taehwa Guild had taken in. If this wasn't marching them into hell, what was?
That villain? Could they really trust her?
"You trust a villain? Even the monster horde seems overhyped. Whatever."
"I can't send you into a battle with uncertain odds."
What nonsense. Shin Ji-woon figured he'd logically counter since he hadn't realized Choi Cheol-sik was such a coward.
"Listen up, baldy. Think about it. 50,000 monsters, plus 50,000 hunters from the world's top guilds. That's 100,000 strong. You think 300,000 Chinese with some Sin fragment bullshit can stop that? Push 'em to the Yalu River while we're at it. Except for a couple here, hop on the mothership, take out the Imperial Dragon, then..."
"300,000 is just the vanguard."
But his words died in his throat.
300,000 vanguard? And a hunter army of 300,000?
"What?"
"There's a million in Shenyang."
A million. For any other country, it'd sound like exaggeration, but China? Plausible.
"Those fucking bastards really mean to crush us."
A million. Fine, 300,000 we could handle, but a million would wear them down physically.
"Doesn't that bastard Ha Jeong-seok have any conventional weapons stashed? Back when they scrapped the missile guidelines with the US, we built everything except nukes."
After scrapping the missile guidelines, Korea really had built every missile imaginable. Japan and even North Korea hadn't dared provoke them.
The problem was the Great Cataclysm hitting right after.
"They got lost in the Cataclysm or used up blocking gates. Truth is, no one knows how many are left."
"Even if there are some, Ha Jeong-seok would only use them if Seoul's really in danger."
Probably after the air force got wiped and Baekhwa reneged, thousands of missiles might light up Seoul's skies.
"No, then we just take out the Imperial Dragon quick and get out. If Baekhwa's telling the truth, it's the ideal strategy. But if she's lying, we still gotta kill the dragon first, then fight 1.3 million with our limbs hacked off."
"Never knew you had patriotism in you, Shin Ji-woon."
The guy who was always selfish, only caring about his guild—back when the guild alliance marched on Songdo, he'd hung back on supplies. Noah of White Lily Guild was stunned he'd say that. Was it true that when a country faced ruin, traitors and patriots sorted themselves out?
"Our names are already out there. Run now without fighting, and society buries us. In this era where monsters lurk in every forest, we'd be branded insane naturalists. Better fight like hell."
Shin Ji-woon shrugged as he said it.
Of course. As if it was real patriotism.
"Guess I gotta fight like hell too."
"What a crude bitch, talking like that."
Choi Cheol-sik was annoyed at the hunters chattering among themselves.
"Anyway, once you're in Pyongyang, the national army handles your supplies, and the monsters will help too."
"Can't we push further north to fight?"
Pyongyang was too close. Fighting farther north would tire out the Chinese on the retreat, but Pyongyang felt like the last defensive line.
"By the time they reach Pyongyang, they'll have faced countless monsters. That's to give them some damage. Plus, if we advance north, we'll be fighting monsters just like the Chinese."
"Ah, didn't think of that."
Couldn't afford to thin their numbers when they needed every headcount.
"So quit yapping and head to Pyongyang if I say so. Baekhwa's joined as a volunteer, so she'll keep her word."
"Yeah, she probably will."
No way she'd let her first love fight in Pyongyang without joining the fray. She wasn't that stupid.
So.
—Smash the Imperial Dragon and I'll be right there. Don't die. Absolutely.
She absolutely wouldn't die. Seo Ji-yeon steeled herself, thinking of Yoo Eun-ha's message on her magitech gear.
A girl who called her first love was going to take down the Imperial Dragon. It was embarrassing to say it to another girl, but she'd swoop in like a prince on the battlefield.
Cha Ji-eun stared at Seo Ji-yeon in disbelief and sneered.
"What's with you taking someone else's side for once instead of Jin-seok?"
"Even I have my moments. Speaking of, where's Jin-seok?"
Seo Ji-yeon brushed off Cha Ji-eun's sneer and asked Choi Cheol-sik.
"Out in Pyongyang with Kim Ji-hye. They left first, so get ready to go."
With even Yoo Jin-seok gone, no more complaints. Guild masters led their hunters, while association and solo hunters grouped with allies and headed to Pyongyang.
We arrived at the Dragon's Nest.
Dragon's Nest
"Dragon's Nest in Korean? Are you kidding me?"
No way a place like this actually existed.
It felt just like that. Back when isekai reincarnation stuff was booming in Japan, and they found something written in Japanese in another world.
Could I milk some national pride here?
"Nah. Let's get serious this time."
They openly sent the air force. When those guys were dying, we had to do something. C-rank hunters turned unemployed after the hunter air force disbanded were now hilariously piloting fighters against dragons. No way Yongyong would sit still!
The dungeon entrance was in a massive cliff face, and the door was ridiculously huge.
How was it this big? Honestly, bigger than the gates of the Elf Kingdom's castle.
Hmm, so how do we open it?
Entry conditions maybe?
No. Better find another way.
Touching it, it was made of stone.
"Feels like there's an opening mechanism. Reina, anything over there?"
"How do we open this?"
"Looking at it..."
Like we'd find it that way?
While the elf mother and daughter pondered the door from behind, I smashed it with my fist.
Boom!
Oof, the stone door shattered nicely.
I'll call the technique "Yongyong's Done For Punch."
"That's how you do it."
"Mom, sometimes I seriously wonder if my life vanished because of Eun-ha."
Can't be helped. I had no intention of letting Reina go.
"I feel the same. No sense of crisis or anything. Well, couldn't be helped."
"What do you mean?"
"She came out all casual, saying she'd spend 100 years with me. How could I not fall for that?"
Even I fell for myself back then.
Saying 100 years like it was nothing.
"Not even a firm resolution, just totally nonchalant?"
"Yeah. Like 100 years was nothing if it was for me."
It really was nothing. I had author Yoo Eun-ha on my side.
"Huh, yeah... kinda jealous."
Sigh, women always end up talking love when they get together.
Couldn't be helped. They both liked me a ton.
I slipped between the two, wrapping my arms tight around their waists.
"Not 100 years—1,000. Same for you, Reina. So don't say that stuff again. Makes me wanna eat you up."
Reina and Rachel flushed as mother and daughter.
I subtly groped their asses.
"Be honest. It was because my body's worth blowing off 100 years, right?"
"What? I saw all of you."
"Haah, this isn't the time."
Reina and Rachel lightly tried to swat my hands away but gave in as I massaged gently.
Like that, fondling the elf duo's asses and below, I entered the dungeon.
"Pretty comfy inside."
No graffiti like no one had been here, no corpses either.
In the hero vs. demon lord quest dungeons, there were tons of bodies. This was weirdly pristine.
"D-Didn't Her Majesty say earlier the dungeon itself was sealed?"
"Did she?"
I pulled out some white fireballs from the hand that had been kneading elf ass and tossed them to the ceiling.
The floating flames lit everything up—no worn-out corners.
Ceiling intact too. Just a normal dungeon.
Click.
Walking along, I stepped on something.
This was probably a trap.
The moment I realized, the floor gave way, tilting me forward.
"Yoo Eun-ha!"
Crunch!
Something broke as my body hit and fell to the floor.
"Hm, doesn't hurt at all."
My body's dragon-tier, after all. No pain from a basic trap.
Looking, I'd broken iron spikes.
Spike pit trap. But rusted out.
"All rusted."
Didn't this disqualify as a dungeon?
"Eun-ha, you okay?"
My bitches called anxiously from the trap entrance.
Of course. Too many women left to eat before dying to this.
I spread wings and flew up. Pretty deep—took a while.
"Guess no need to watch for traps."
"Why?"
"Too realistic. No mana coating, all broken."
"Then the dead dragon's the issue. Bosses are usually the scary part."
No more traps after that.
I deliberately triggered a few.
Spikes were the main ones, and after walking far, weird skull-heads started shambling around.
Wild walking skeletons. Kinda spooky.
"Ah, those are skeleton mob trash from games."
"What, Rachel, you game?"
"Yeah, in my spare time."
Hubby's out busting ass, she's gaming at home? Gotta punish her later.
"Grroooar!!"
"Kieeeek!"
Dozens screeching.
I could've ended it, but Rachel's paper moved first.
Shrrrip!
Her blank paper absorbed a skeleton on contact, turning into a skeleton-drawn paper.
"Ooh, cool."
"Hmph."
Not to be outdone, Reina fired spirit arrows, smashing skulls.
"Don't even need to step in. Feels nice."
Like playing with minions after a while.
Ah, my bitches. Anyway, my girls cleared traps effortlessly.
Admiring the elf duo's asses as they swept obstacles ahead, the straight corridor sloped downward.