Bandalf's Revelation
Nam Seonuk, the Guild Master of Muggle Moim, also known as Bandalf, had predicted correctly. The flow of mana indeed signaled the appearance of an A-rank gate. He had already stationed his assassin mages in Gangwon Province in advance. "If Ju-ddak is the kind of hunter I think he is, he would have visited the A-rank gate. But why haven't the assassin mages sent any signal?"
If the assassins had followed the plan, they should have either killed Ju-ddak and returned or sent some kind of signal. Nam Seonuk, accompanied by his Vice Guild Master Lee Hanshin, arrived late at the site where the A-rank gate had opened. Bones were scattered everywhere. The ground was frozen solid, and traces of flames were everywhere.
"Bandalf! I think we've found the assassin mages we sent...!" Lee Hanshin pointed toward a dark corner of the forest. When they rushed over, an unbelievable sight unfolded before them.
"Why... Why were they all taken out?" All the assassin mages Nam Seonuk had sent were frozen solid. These assassins specialized in sabotage and were all C-rank or higher awakened. How could they have been defeated without even putting up a fight?
A faint trace of mana still lingered in the corpses. That meant...
"Dialogue Reflector..." Nam Seonuk quietly chanted the spell. Dialogue Reflector was a spell that allowed one to eavesdrop on fragments of a target's past conversations.
"Bandalf! Using that spell on corpses is dangerous! You might end up absorbing the fear they felt at the moment of death!"
"I have to know anyway! Ppei!"
Once the chant ended, the final conversation of the assassin mages played out in Nam Seonuk's mind.
That was the assassins' final conversation. Nam Seonuk immediately collapsed to the ground.
"Ju-ddak's subordinate knew the assassins were hiding! And she said she'd post them on the gallery?"
An unbearable fear washed over him. He was terrified. Suddenly, Ju-ddak felt insanely frightening. Who the hell was he?! Elsa must be just as powerful as Ju-ddak. To fight an A-rank monster while also wiping out the assassin mages...
The deathly terror the corpses had felt flooded into Nam Seonuk.
"Aaaagh! Aaaagh!"
"Bandalf! Are you alright?!"
While Nam Seonuk writhed in pain, an immense killing intent suddenly descended from the sky. The two men quickly hid in the bushes, overwhelmed by the pressure. Then a woman landed gracefully from the sky onto the ground.
"Bandalf! That woman!!!!"
"The badge she's wearing... She's an elite agent from the Management Bureau! An A-rank hunter!!"
Fortunately, the A-rank agent didn't seem to notice them.
"Hmm... Everything's been cleaned up neatly. Elsa really killed them all."
The A-rank agent muttered while looking around.
"Bandalf! The A-rank agent from the Management Bureau just said the name Elsa!"
"Then!!! That means Elsa is that woman's subordinate!!! So that woman is Ju-ddak...?"
The elite agent's eyes flashed red.
"Ju-ddak... Just who are you... You knew about all of this? Then you even gave her the weapon?"
The agent finished speaking and vanished into the sky.
"That woman isn't Ju-ddak either... Now I understand. All the pieces have fallen into place."
"Bandalf! Do you have an idea?!"
"This whole incident was Ju-ddak's own staged performance."
"What do you mean?!"
"From the boss monster to Elsa, everything was just a deliberate production. And now an agent even came to check if it went well."
"Bandalf! What are you saying!!!"
Nam Seonuk swallowed dryly and paused for a moment.
"You still don't get it? Someone who can open gates, control boss monsters, and even handle A-rank hunters."
"D... Don't tell me..."
"That's right. It's him."
Nam Seonuk nodded gravely.
"This matter is bigger than I thought. Assassin mages... Your sacrifices were not in vain!!!"
Nam Seonuk sadly stroked the frozen corpses and wiped away his tears. Vice Guild Master Lee Hanshin also sniffled beside him and began paying his respects.
"We're going to the Management Bureau!! With this information, we can pressure not only the Management Bureau but even the government! For our comrades' revenge! For the grand future of Muggle Moim! Ppei!!!"
A girl suddenly appeared near an alley shrouded in thick fog. She had the physique of a young child at best. She slowly opened her eyes and leisurely looked around. Her eyes, clearly different from human pupils, were filled with dark red flames.
"I've finally recovered all my power. Enough to regenerate this body. I am the source of all evil and the true master of the continent."
Her name was Kassandra Lucien. She was the Demon King who had been killed by the hero.
"My resurrection succeeded according to plan. Right into your world, no less."
She chuckled for a long while. Thanks to Kassandra's curse, the gates that had opened had left Earth in ruins. Just as her laughter subsided, an unexpected screen appeared in her vision.
"Hunter Gallery?"
She instantly grasped the structure and purpose of the gallery.
"So it's a communication network used by the people of the world the hero lives in. How trivial."
The gallery was overflowing with all sorts of amusement and trending topics.
"This could be useful for a declaration of war."
Images of terrified humanity flashed through her mind. That was the fate they would soon face. Now it was time for comments to appear. Those insignificant creatures would surely be begging for mercy.
"What is 'byeongmeokgeum'?" Kassandra tilted her head. No more comments appeared after that. The reaction was less than expected, but she didn't care much. Once she started moving, they would all come crawling on their own.
However, even she couldn't hide her bewilderment when she saw her reflection in a broken window.
"This is my childhood appearance?"
It seemed she had consumed more power than expected during resurrection. To regress to her childhood...
"Hero. If it weren't for you...!"
Kassandra clenched her small, pebble-like fist. The soft, tender skin was unmistakable. Just as her anger and desire for revenge toward the hero burned in her chest...
"Kieeeek!"
A shabby goblin appeared from within the bluish fog. Of course, all monsters obeyed her. Normally, she would have granted death just for daring to face her directly, but this time was different.
"How commendable. I shall grant you an army and appoint you as the vanguard commander."
Kassandra declared with the utmost solemnity. The monster, however, began roaring at her.
'It must be trembling with emotion. I shall personally bestow power upon you.'
Kassandra raised her tiny hand and extended it toward the goblin. She would imbue the small being with power through the Demon King's authority.
But nothing happened.
"Huh? Why can't I feel any power...?"
"Kieeeek!"
The goblin adjusted its grip on its club and approached.
"Uh... Hey! Hey! Wait a second!!"
"Mmm!!! Elsa's cooking is seriously amazing!!!"
Only those in the know would understand, but this cold noodle soup for breakfast was an absolute delicacy. The refreshing broth with floating ice shards. One spoonful brought the crispness of the kimchi and the subtle aroma of acorn jelly spreading through your mouth. I should ask her to make it warm once winter comes.
Just as I was about to enjoy dessert...
My first Pa-ttak, Elsa, seemed to be struggling quite a bit. How does it feel to indirectly experience Ju-ddak's pain? I'm already immune to Kassandra images up to version 92. Feel the countless Kassandra images that exist in this world for yourself. After that, let's have a heated discussion about Kassandra images.
"Mmm!!! This is totally premium shaved ice!"
The red bean shaved ice Elsa sent was far more upgraded than yesterday's. Bean powder sprinkled over the snowflakes, with sweet rice cake pieces embedded throughout. Ice cream in the middle, too.
That said, I had no intention of making Elsa do all the Pa-ttak work alone. I wasn't that kind of exploitative boss. While melting the shaved ice with my tongue, I wrote a post on the gallery.
"Now then, let's see how many applications come in."