Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: The Golden Armored Intruder
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A few hours later.
Blue Dragon Guild headquarters 'Artificial Island' guild master's office.
Go Cheonyong bowed his head like a prisoner awaiting execution, handing over the report to his older brother Go Cheonsu with a face full of shame.
Go Cheonsu had already anticipated the mess from the subjugation force, but seeing it confirmed in the report made his frown deepen as he realized the damage was even worse than expected.
"I didn't send you out there for this kind of result."
"I can only apologize."
"The S-grade Demon wasn't your average foe, so the losses from his tactics are understandable. We skimped on manpower because of my grudge to begin with. But still, you overcame the 'trial' given by Lord 'Blue Dragon,' so that should have made it all good."
The constellation Blue Dragon loved 'struggle' and adored breaking through trials even more.
He especially favored dramatic victories, so even if they suffered from Jeong Min-su's ambush tactics and boss monster summons, as long as they won, he was the type to generously reward them.
"Or if you'd at least let that damned woman die at the hands of the Scavengers! But what was the outcome?"
Right, if they'd at least killed the Baekya Guild's leader, he could have accepted the failure.
But that had failed too.
"I'm sorry."
All the losses fell squarely on Blue Dragon Guild, and now with the trial's failure and the target snatched away, it counted as a defeat in 'struggle,' leaving Blue Dragon disappointed.
"Well, it's not like it was purely your fault. The real issue is that some guy with enough firepower to solo an S-grade Demon popped up out of nowhere. Is this really all the data you've got?"
"It's everything from the recording devices, drones, and satellite photos combined."
"Hmm..."
As humans, everyone goes through periods of mistakes and failures.
What mattered was how you rose from that failure—and whether you could turn it into nourishment for growth.
Go Cheonsu pored over the report, trying to uncover the identity of the one who had interfered with them.
"This... golden armor?"
And there was just one photo.
It was the best they could enhance from the blurry afterimage of someone dashing like the wind, run through programs—the figure clearly clad head to toe in ornate golden armor, complete with a cape and sword in a display of utterly insane flair.
Go Cheonsu frowned, pointing at the photo with a hint of bewilderment as he asked again.
"Is this... really the guy?"
"Yes. See the other afterimage right next to it? That's Jeong Min-su. The timestamp matches, and there's no one else it could be but that golden-armored bastard."
"Is this gaudy armor design one of Olympus's clowns?"
Olympus Guild.
A global guild run by the 12 Constellations, one of the three major guild powers with a branch in Korea.
Those 12 Constellations all bore names from Greek mythology's chief gods, granting abilities and skills straight out of the myths, so they showed up armed like something out of a movie.
"Their style's different. They go for Greek and Roman vibes, exposing parts of the body—not wrapping up like a mummy. And it's not Seoul Guild either."
"Then it must be one of the hidden aces from the guilds we brought along. Never heard of a Scavenger or Demon in golden armor. Could be a wanderer, but that's pure chance, and we can't do anything about it."
Go Cheonsu immediately laid out reasonable possibilities and zeroed in on the truth.
His hypothesis was that it was a secret weapon hidden by one of the five guilds they mobilized for the subjugation—practically a certainty in his mind.
"The participating guilds were Blade Excellion, Geukcheondae, Bulgul, Patient Avenger, and Baekya... Which of them might have a knight-class in golden armor? Bulgul and Blade Excellion are the top suspects. But we can't say for sure. Either way, we need to find the guy. The humiliation aside, we can't let an 11th S-grade Hunter stay hidden."
"Find him and recruit if possible—or expose him, officialize it, and keep him in check."
They had to uncover the golden armor's identity to avoid another surprise like this.
Otherwise, during the next subjugation or guild conflicts, they'd have to exclude the mid-tier five guilds or watch their backs, which would be a headache—not to mention unpredictable shifts in power dynamics later.
"Exactly. Anyway, good work. Handle the compensation for the dead and wrap up the aftermath, then take a break. I'll hand this off to someone else."
"Understood."
They'd taken heavy losses, but as the pinnacle of the three great guilds, Blue Dragon wouldn't buckle from this. With the S-grade and high-rank Awakeners still alive, they could brush it off as merely unpleasant.
As Go Cheonyong left, Go Cheonsu thought he should call in a friend for a deeper investigation and pulled out his contacts.
***
A few hours later.
Academia exclusive Staff dorms.
"Yawwwn~ Slept well. What time is it? Ugh, already evening? Whoa!"
After dealing with the chaos from the Demon's ambush last night at dawn and returning, I'd crashed right away and only woke up late into the evening.
The first thing I saw upon sitting up was Akaron, Gaulf, and Seom-myeol all kneeling properly in formal posture.
"What's this? Why the sudden formality?"
[There is counsel we must voice, Master. Even with a completed knight order of five, why did you fight alone? What were you thinking?]
[This concerns our contract. Contractor, do you think it's fair to hog all the fun?]
"Why didn't you call us into the battle? Do you not trust us? For the record, Sir Krokbane is also complaining that he wanted to fight that big one."
No, I'd just been scouting positions undercover, so the situation didn't allow it—why were they making such a fuss?
They couldn't wrap their heads around their captain, who had a perfectly fine knight order, going off to fight solo without calling them.
Either way, they deserved a proper answer.
"That guy was after me. It was a trial laid upon me. He struck first with a cowardly ambush! I struck back once! If it were an army against army, fine—but would you crush a personal challenge with the might of numbers?"
[Master's answer understood.]
[Hmm... Fair enough then. But no hogging the fun next time~]
"A model knight through and through! Even amid the battlefield, you waited solely for your sworn rival."
These guys came from all sorts of races and temperaments, but infected with the knightly code, they all seemed satisfied with my response.
Simpletons or just off their rockers—either way, I got up and headed to the kitchen for dinner while checking my phone messages.
「UniverseStrongestAyoung: Uncle! Thank you! Mom told me. Even in the middle of the war, you caught Scavengers and just gave us the magistones and jewels. Normal people couldn't do that! Anyway, I'm so glad you came back safe, and truly grateful. Mom and I talked, we'll definitely repay you. Oh! And don't forget training tomorrow!」
"Hmm, looks like I've earned some goodwill."
「UniverseStrongestAyoung: And Mom's face changed a lot when talking about you. Keep it up till you become Dad!」
All I'd done was buy some favor with money—such an overreaction.
Besides, she wasn't some kid; she'd seen and felt plenty of the world, so no way something as fervent as romantic love would spark easily.
'Of course, I'd like it... Hmm, but I can't come on too strong.'
She already had a daughter, so one wrong move and I could end up hated.
Truth was, I wanted a more comfortable rapport, but I wasn't in any rush.
If it worked out, great; if not, oh well?
"Sigh, why am I getting all mopey? Time for dinner. Then... I'll take my bored knights to a dungeon. Akaron, you make dinner by any chance?"
[To commemorate your honorable victory, we await your menu request.]
"Oh? Then pizza okay? Ah, no oven here? Should I buy one later?"
[I have an internal oven cooking system, so no issue.]
"...At this point, are you a knight or a maid robot?"
Too versatile, right? How does that body pack in so many functions? It's getting suspicious.
This guy's definitely combat-oriented, right? He definitely swung a sword in fights before?
Anyway, at my request, he started deftly making pizza in the kitchen.
Meanwhile, I checked the spoils I hadn't examined yesterday.
"Too hectic yesterday to look properly."
Pulling out gear and Jeong Min-su's personal items one by one, I began checking their options.
Even for an S-grade Demon's stuff, I expected more than ordinary info, so I started with his notebook.
Who uses a notebook in this day and age? But since it's safely in inventory, no worry about electronic hacks—big-shot Scavengers preferred them for that reason.
"Whoa, what's all this?"
"Why so, Captain?"
"It's all mind-blowing stuff..."
Reading the notebook felt like opening a gate to the abyss.
I knew Scavengers and Demons had secret ties to high society and guilds, but seeing it firsthand was disorienting.
I almost wished I hadn't opened it—the contents were that sticky and filthy.
"Whoa, not a single clean connection? At this rate, are they enemies of humanity or business partners?"
Muttering my honest take, I kept scanning the notebook.
It included data on other Scavenger cities in Slaughter King's territory.
Rotten as they were, being cities with buildings, they had domains in several North Korean metropolises, plus info on Slaughter King's avatar and dungeons.
[Received 400 C-grade magistones as food payment from Pyongyang City.]
[Completed deal for monster meat at Baekdu Mountain Ranch.]
[Dealing with Japanese Awakener Association in Hamhung...]
"Wow, thought it'd be total dystopia... Living in cities is wild."
What Academia taught and the government preached painted Slaughter King's domain as hellish chaos full of mad beasts and demons—but reality was a bit different.
What we knew was apocalypse scenery; this was more like a post-apocalypse human society's rock bottom.
"Not much difference...? What's this?"
[Slaughter King's apostle 'Pastor Lee' holding 'Human Ranch Establishment' seminar in Nampo. Must attend. But too lazy to go.]
['Pastor Lee' requests 100 slaves for human ranch breed improvement. And...]
Thud!
The bizarre phrase 'human ranch'—unthinkable in reality—sent a chill crawling up my spine from behind, and unable to stomach the disgust, I slammed the notebook shut.
Unlike fiction or comics, this was real, and now that I could imagine it, my nerves couldn't handle more.
'How insane is this world? No, it was always mad.'
I tossed the notebook straight into my inventory.
The truth was too heavy for me to bear, so I tried to forget it.
[Master, pizza's ready. Loaded with pineapple and bacon, so it'll be delicious. Why the face? Don't like pineapple pizza?]
"As long as it's not mint choco, fine. Let's eat. By the way, you baked it in your body? How do you handle cheese smell? Hahaha."
Thankfully, Akaron announced dinner was served right on time, so I switched gears, acting cheerful on purpose as I headed to the kitchen.
But even so, 'Pastor Lee' and 'human ranch' lingered in a corner of my mind, refusing to fade.