Chapter 216
Chapter 216
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 216
Chapter Title: March on the Core Dungeon
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The next day, at the north gate of the frontline city.
Yoo Seongwon's power level was now on a completely different plane from before, so the scale of forces he could mobilize with a single command was equally extraordinary.
This was a subjugation campaign against the constellation Slaughter King, whose justification was more than ample—it was overflowing. No one in East Asia dared to defy Yoo Seongwon's will, allowing him to draw support from both Korea and China simultaneously. Even the Russian government was fully prepared to cooperate.
A magnificent army, resplendent and ready for assault across land, air, and sea.
Yoo Seongwon felt a unique thrill at the thought that all these forces would move at his command.
"Wow... It doesn't even feel real. And look at all the association hunters they've brought—nearly two thousand?"
"With the neighboring countries stabilized and the Commander Legion forming a wall up top, Korea's interior is basically safe now. No more random dungeons popping up. The occasional wild dungeon shows up on the portal detectors, and that's it."
"I see. We've gotten word from the Five Commissioners too... The Russian government has started scouting and hunting Scavengers under Slaughter King and is sending us intel... Anyway, all preparations to head to Slaughter King's core dungeon are complete."
"Perfect. Let's move out...!"
Crack!
After cracking his knuckles, Yoo Seongwon boarded the transport waiting for him and his knights.
This war was structured as a mop-up operation: lower-tier hunters would push through the Under City and dungeons where Slaughter King's minions lived, clearing them out steadily. Then, once they reached the core dungeon, Yoo Seongwon and his knights would breach it.
Even if the core dungeon assault failed, they'd smash everything from the outside, track down every last one, and wipe out the followers. That should keep them quiet for at least a few years.
"Full army, advance! Everyone, stay sharp! Slaughter King's minions are all guerrilla warfare experts, so scour thoroughly for enemies, traps, and booby traps while moving. Our goal is reclaiming former Korean territory—don't overextend! Over!"
At his command to the entire army, tanks and trailers surged northward into their assigned sectors.
Yoo Seongwon boarded his transport and began the march, monitoring dungeon statuses from the central command center. He stayed ready for any emergencies, prepared to deploy instantly if a big shot or apostle-level threat appeared.
"There are plenty of veterans out there... You made sure to warn them, right?"
"Don't worry. I drilled it into them until their ears blistered. Of course, someone will still get hurt or die."
"Yeah, well... Can't be helped."
"You're taking it surprisingly calmly."
"No matter how great you are, the dice can still roll a one. Everyone makes a fatal mistake at some point in life. For them... it might be today."
He'd felt it keenly during the 'game' with the 66,000 constellations.
No matter how thoroughly you prepared, tricky situations could arise. Even the mightiest knights could blunder on a critical one! The possibility existed!
So, as long as they wielded weapons against each other, someone had to be prepared to die or get hurt.
"Anyway, we're on the move... Let's see."
[This is Team 23! Engaging Slaughter King's demons!]
[Lead unit entering D-rank dungeon. Commencing clearance.]
[Team 3 entering ruined Under City. Beginning search procedures!]
[Scavenger spotted! Pursuing!]
Reports on the battle situation flooded in from all over, mere moments after departure.
War had begun as if it were the most natural thing. Reports poured in from hunters breaching dungeons, clearances confirmed, and Chinese forces advancing.
Intel even came in from the Russian government: high-level Scavengers who fled to Siberia.
"Hmm... We've got info that Park Sookja and the key Slaughter King Scavengers are roaming Siberia, plundering. Should we send someone that way?"
"Nah. Once we hit the core dungeon, they'll come rushing back, scared of losing their blessings and power."
"Right."
"What about that pastor?"
"No word yet. They can't track him down at all."
The most dangerous and terrifying one was missing, leaving Yoo Seongwon uneasy.
He hadn't spotted the guy since their last encounter, thanks to the Dragon-Phoenix King issue. With that man's personality, he was probably holed up somewhere, tinkering with weird experiments and plotting ways to crush him.
"That guy's the scariest... but we'll run into him soon enough. Who'd sit idle while their constellation's core dungeon falls?"
"True enough."
With that in mind, Yoo Seongwon continued receiving operational reports, issuing orders, and assessing tactical gains and the current situation.
***
Siberia's frozen wastes, Park Sookja's camp.
Word of Yoo Seongwon's expedition only reached Pastor Yi after quite some delay.
It had trickled through Scavenger communications and blood magic channels rather than official lines, but the fact that it arrived at all was a relief.
The content, however, was the worst possible.
"What? That bastard's marching on our core dungeon? Scale? Numbers? What do you mean tens of thousands, with China pushing too? Is he insane? Asia's King bullshit—why's he suddenly coming at us?"
"Because... we're easy pickings? We've been Korea's number one enemy from the start."
"He's bagged two—no, three with Blue Dragon—constellations, so he's got the confidence."
"Even so, one guy launching this massive assault? Damn it!"
"He's not the same punk we scrapped with before. Asia's King, remember?"
The camp's Scavengers panicked at news of Yoo Seongwon's attack.
He'd become a being on another level, hitting them with an assault on another level entirely. Their heads throbbed with how to respond.
The scariest part: intel suggesting he'd head straight for the core dungeon. Losing Slaughter King would be the absolute worst catastrophe.
"Without Slaughter King-nim's blessing, I'm just dead weight with a bow and traps... No, wait—without it, won't you die, sis? You're half-demon..."
"That's the problem. Damn it... Why'd a lunatic like that have to show up in our era?"
"No idea. Anyway, what about Pastor Yi?"
"He's gorging and resting. Eat, digest, eat, digest. Apostles need human intake to grow stronger. Problem is... the cycles take too long. Gotta wake him anyway."
With a sigh, Park Sookja headed to wake Pastor Yi from where he slept.
His belly was mountainously swollen from a massive feast—a Hanwoo beastman 'Pastor Yi' sprawled on the ground, snoring loudly.
Park Sookja smacked him awake with her demonized arm. He scratched his head and sat up.
[...Ughhh... Already time? Must be feeding time again. Still plenty left in my gut, though.]
"No, emergency wakeup. That Yoo Seongwon bastard's leading an army and steamrolling us. He's teamed up with China and Russia, even prepped for Japanese firepower if needed. Word is they're coming in tens of thousands strong."
[Finally... coming for us? Ughhh... Faster than expected.]
"So, what do we do?"
[Troubling. Time is... still short. Need to eat at least... 200... no, 300 more, at least.]
Around the awakened Pastor Yi lay traces of his lavish feast.
Shattered bones, bloodstains, Tritonias clones staring blankly as they awaited their turn in the pot, a cauldron of milky broth with oily remnants floating, fryer, roasting spits—diverse signs of his gluttony. He gauged his power and what more he needed, but time fell short.
"Raw power aside, you've got zero combat experience. That guy's the incarnation of battle? Took down two constellations in straight fights. You sure you can handle him?"
[Honestly? Tough. Not enough time. Didn't expect that cautious bastard to go for a blitz.]
"So, what then?"
[What else? Stall.]
"Stall how? He's carving through like a hot knife through butter, razing Under Cities, dragging out even the underground hideouts! They're hell-bent on wiping us out."
Yoo Seongwon's army advanced like a purification crusade, trampling methodically. With intel superiority from four nations' governments, they dominated from land and air, clearing dungeons, installing portal detectors, paving roads, demolishing Under Cities, scanning for hidey-holes—Scavengers were being annihilated.
"That fucker, hoarding cash for this... Anyway, we're short on time. Confident you can hold the core dungeon?"
[Not yet. Need more time... Hmm...]
"Then what?"
[Hmm! Got a good idea.]
Clap! Pastor Yi pulled paper, pen, and ink from his inventory, scribbled away, folded it neatly, slipped it into an ornate envelope, sealed it with wax and stamp, wrapped it in red cloth, boxed it elegantly, and handed it to Park Sookja.
[Send this to him. Frame it as surrender, and he'll spare your life. Pick one of the kids or...]
"I'll go. Got business with that Yoo Seongwon anyway."
No one would cheer at delivering a letter solo into enemy lines, but Park Sookja pocketed it in her inventory and geared up.
She double-checked with Pastor Yi one more time.
"But it's definitely safe, right?"
[I swear on the constellation's name. That... what was it? 'Knightly honor'? He'll bite. Send it ASAP...! No, I'll move to the 'core dungeon' first, then send you out myself. Faster that way.]
"Might as well relocate everything while we're at it. If Slaughter King-nim goes down, we're done anyway~"
And so Park Sookja and Pastor Yi packed up camp, slipped into the core dungeon, and emerged in North Korean territory in a flash.
Pastor Yi resumed cooking and devouring Tritonias clones to build strength. Park Sookja stared at the dozens of transports hovering far off and the ground swarming with Yoo Seongwon's army, muttering tensely.
"Damn, that rotten bastard came prepared. Whew~"
[Having second thoughts? Hand it off to someone else. Or a monster.]
"Nah, I'm good. Don't worry. I'm a Scavenger who clawed up from the bottom—think I can't handle this? Be back soon. Or... maybe not~ Haha."
With a laughing wave, Park Sookja dashed toward Yoo Seongwon's army.
Watching her go, Pastor Yi dove back into his meal, cooking Tritonias clones every which way to devour and grow stronger.