Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Busan Battle's End
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With Yoo Seongwon slaying the Merman Warlord, the fierce battle along Busan's seaside finally drew to a close.
Jeon Ji-a and Choi Choong-seon, who had been fighting on the hotel rooftop, weren't S-ranks for nothing. They repelled the swarming Merman Honor Guards and descended safely.
Meanwhile, the hunters and soldiers who had been fleeing gazed in awe at the battlefield swept clean by Yoo Seongwon's group, busily sorting through the corpses.
"Truly, thank you so much for coming! Golden Dragon Knight! We survived thanks to you. If you'd been even a little later, it would've been a disaster."
Guided by Choi Choong-seon into Yoo Seongwon's trailer, Jeon Ji-a immediately bowed deeply in gratitude.
If not for him, the seaside would already have been lost, and the Mermans would have flooded into Busan, likely harming civilians as well.
"Was it that bad? From the footage, you seemed to be holding your own, so I thought you might not need us... Glad I hurried anyway."
"No, we were really in deep trouble. The Merman Warlord was such a cunning bastard..."
Jeon Ji-a explained what the Merman Warlord had done, openly admitting how close they'd come to disaster.
Hearing her out, Yoo Seongwon was surprised at just how dangerous the monster he'd casually taken down had been. He thought to himself that he'd done well to finish it cleanly.
At the same time, he was a bit taken aback by her frankness—there was no benefit to her in revealing such details.
'Hmm... This is a little...'
"Anyway, thank you so much. How can I ever repay this favor...?"
"No need. I just wanted to join the fight. Plus, I got experience and loot out of it... Wow, A-rank boss monsters really are something else. Human-sized, but when it died, a house-sized magic stone popped out of thin air. First time I've seen that."
The Merman Warlord was originally an A-rank boss monster guarding the Merman Palace.
Even setting aside its invasions via underlings, the boss rampaging outside had led to its full rewards falling into their laps. Hilariously, it dropped not just a larger magic stone than itself, but several pieces of armament too.
"But killing the boss didn't make the dungeon vanish. It seems to have downgraded to B-rank—Merman Palace."
"You probably need to clear the internal objectives... We only got the boss that came out, so the conditions must've changed."
"The new boss is probably B-rank now? Anyway, things are about to get noisy here, so we'll be off. Here's our contact info. Hit us up if you need help."
"Ah, yes! Thank you so much."
With that crisp farewell, Jeon Ji-a left the trailer.
Yoo Seongwon let her go without a fuss and immediately began preparing to depart.
As he did, Choi Choong-seon slyly asked him a question.
"Hey, boss, aren't you gonna make an offer to Ji-a or anything?"
"I planned to help out, show my face, and bounce from the start. Things just got tangled with you, old man. So don't worry—just help me sort the loot. Haah~ My inventory's full, and now I'm stuffing it into the trailer."
If even Yoo Seongwon's SS+-rank Strength inventory had hit its weight limit, the haul was beyond imagination.
The boss had yielded plenty, but they'd taken down most of the Mermans spilling across the vast coastal area, so the magic stones and loot were no small amount.
Among them were weapons and shields from Merman Honor Guards, and the Warlord's gear included magic stones infused with special powers, requiring careful inspection and sorting—far more work than expected.
"And even without me proposing anything, she'll probably reach out soon enough. No need to worry."
"Huh?"
"She's already glimpsed hell, after all. Anyway, let's wrap this up quick. Can't move on to other stuff till we list it out."
Yoo Seongwon urged Choi Choong-seon on as they dove into sorting the loot in earnest.
With only the two of them suited for modern fieldwork, and a mountain of spoils, they needed to process it fast—not just to avoid burdening others, but to be ready for whatever came next.
***
Seoul's northern front. Pastor Lee's frontline.
Having gathered the apostles of the constellation Slaughter King—the Arc Demon Beasts—Pastor Lee had been leisurely cooking and devouring captured humans live. Despite the time passed, no word on Yoo Seongwon left him with an odd feeling.
'Hmm~ After all this chaos... and that guy still hasn't shown? Weird.'
[Puhihihhing, ah~ that hit the spot. Been a while since I ate my fill.]
[Dessert was perfect too. Especially the eyeball pudding. Meee!]
[Yeah, right? Kweeeuk!]
For days, the mad feast had stuffed the Arc Demon Beasts with battlefield captives, yet Yoo Seongwon remained absent.
Pastor Lee couldn't fathom it—he'd gleefully interfered before, so why not now? Still, if he stayed away, it was all the better.
"Hmm... Watching the situation? How peculiar."
"Pastor Lee!"
"Shh! What rudeness in the presence of honored guests during their feast? Come here. What is it?"
Just then, a subordinate Scavenger burst into the outdoor banquet area, raising his voice. Pastor Lee hushed him.
Spotting the terrifying Arc Demon Beasts, the Scavenger bowed nervously and relayed the latest news.
"First, about the Golden Dragon Knight. The quiet one suddenly showed up today—cleaned up the Scavenger mess in Gwangju and the Merman Warlord situation in Busan."
"Hah, so that's it. Wondered why he skipped us~ Off playing hero elsewhere? Did you check with Seoul Guild's Oh Kyung-hoon?"
"Yes. He says he doesn't know either."
"Hmm, securing the rear before facing us? Or clearing those S-ranks to draw them in? Either way, seems he doesn't see us as a real threat."
At least he was moving, so he wasn't ignoring the world's state or doing nothing—that much was clear.
But knowing they were a threat should've prompted countermeasures or an attack. Prioritizing elsewhere felt like being dismissed.
Unable to sit idle, Pastor Lee approached the sated, chattering Arc Demon Beasts.
"Pardon the interruption, apostles of the great Slaughter King. Sorry to bother right after your meal, but a tiny issue has arisen. Could I ask a small favor?"
[Eh? Meee! Stuffed like this, could use some exercise. Meee!]
[Meee! Help you out a bit if you promise tastier human dishes.]
Of the nine Arc Demon Beasts at the table, two rose and approached Pastor Lee.
Remrem, the armored sheep-demon, and Goatman, the robed goat-demon.
Unusual for them to step up like this—likely moved by Pastor Lee's devotion.
"Your grace humbles me. Apostles of the great Slaughter King, it's no great ask. Just smash a few machines at the spot I mentioned."
[Meee! Easy.]
"Then how about a bet? The one who destroys more gets first dibs on 'Pastor Lee's' latest human cuisine. Meee! Slowpoke Remrem, doubt you can keep up."
[Mee? You might be faster, but I smash better, Goatman.]
Grinning, Pastor Lee watched the two dash off like the wind, weapons in hand.
He then turned to the remaining Arc Demon Beasts lounging at the table.
"Apostles of the great Slaughter King, once those two smash the generators, the barrier will weaken."
[Prurruk! Why tell us now? We could've sent minions earlier!]
"One doesn't ask divine apostles for favors without offering anything. Haha, sacrifices! Worship! Devotion! How can one demand of a god without faith? True devotion comes first."
[Prurruk, can't argue with that. Prurrruk.]
Przewalski elegantly sipped his wine, eyeing Pastor Lee.
The man, human yet an apostle on their level, served them utterly—rejecting Slaughter King's myriad blessings to devote himself purely to the god, content in that alone.
'Puhihng, utterly bizarre.'
"Now, let me clear up. Anything special for dinner? Tell me ahead, and I'll prepare it. Haha."
"Then I want human eyeball pudding! That! Make it again! Make it again! Oink oink!]
"Haha, got it, Iberico. Guess I'll harvest more eyeballs for tonight."
Pastor Lee's kindly smile was that of a saint incarnate.
Devoted solely to serving his god, seeking power and aid as means to that end—paying the price meticulously, with utmost sincerity. He'd built a human ranch, tending and honoring them flawlessly.
'To offer saintly devotion and faith while cooking kin as fodder, building ranches... No sane mind endures that. Either utterly mad, or harboring unimaginable hatred.'
"Haha, Przewalski, what's wrong? Craving something special?"
[Prurruk! No, doesn't matter. Just pondering how to deploy the kids.]
"Understood."
Nodding at Przewalski's words, Pastor Lee cleared his plates and moved on.
Yet Przewalski kept watching.
Win or lose against the Awakeners, or succeed in turning Earth into a human ranch—Pastor Lee's task would end someday.
Curious what face he'd wear then, Przewalski thought gleefully, draining his wine.
***
Seoul's northern front.
[Emergency alert! Emergency alert! S-rank monster—Arc Demon Beast Remrem—and S-rank monster—Arc Demon Beast Goatman—have joined the frontline and are approaching the barrier. Repeating: S-rank monsters...]
"They're here at last. Wake the sleepers, fetch Ji-young quick. Contact the Association too—find out when those damn Olympus bastards are sending support."
"Yes! Right away, Guild Master!"
"Call in all A-ranks scattered along the front too. Have the military fill the gaps for now."
"Yes!"
Go Cheonsu, defending the barrier, issued pre-planned orders at the duo's arrival and prepared to face Arc Demon Beasts Remrem and Goatman.
[The constellation 'Blue Dragon' is delighted by your new struggle.]
[The constellation 'Blue Dragon' says victory here brings great rewards.]
[And the constellation 'Blue Dragon' insists you absolutely not flee—this rare fight demands it.]
A dire crisis with no guarantee of survival, yet Blue Dragon Guild's constellation Blue Dragon was thrilled, spamming status windows to demand satisfaction.
'...Always pushing too far.'
"Here they come!"
"Don't tense up too much, everyone! They're S-rank! Take one down, and our struggle's constellation Blue Dragon will reward us accordingly! Steel yourselves!"
Boosted by the guild executive's rallying cry, Go Cheonsu eyed the S-rank monsters now just ten meters away, assumed position—then shot forward first as a blue flash.