Chapter 364
Chapter 364
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 364
Chapter Title: Terror (1)
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A nondescript ordinary living room in a family home, furnished with a TV, sofa, picture frames, and various other household items.
"So it begins. Earlier than I'd expected."
Standing in the middle was a man with a bland, indistinct presence. He muttered lowly as he crumpled the letter in his hand.
Whoosh—
The wadded paper ignited in his grasp, vanishing without a trace of ash in an instant.
'Has to be because of that.'
He casually shook off the heat from his hand with an indifferent expression, then glanced at the TV screen with its volume turned down.
-The Howard Industries showcase wrapped up successfully not long ago, right? It's drawing massive attention both domestically and internationally. The general consensus is that it's bound to bring sweeping changes across society. What are your thoughts, Professor Seo Jongchan?
-Well... For starters, it's a huge stroke of luck that a company like this emerged in our country. Things look a bit chaotic right now, but the economic ripple effects alone are impossible to ignore. And above all, new technology is...
The upstart company Howard Industries, now a frequent mention across media outlets.
Their sudden emergence came with shockingly bold moves.
As the sole player entering a booming blue-ocean market and the exclusive supplier of goods everyone coveted, no one could predict how far they might grow.
If things continued like this, it was only a matter of time before they wielded immense influence not just in Korea, but across the entire world.
'That would be a problem. A real big one.'
For those who had spent long years steadily infiltrating society at every level, this was far from welcome news.
Especially if those people were aligning themselves with this country on the sly.
The man closed his eyes briefly, lost in thought right there on the spot.
Orders had already come down, so he had to make a move somehow.
But Korea right now was a villain-proof fortress, practically a maze of traps.
To pull off the mission while keeping casualties low in this situation would take serious effort on multiple fronts.
'Still, things have changed on our end too.'
A faint smile tugged at his lips as he recalled the contents of the orders passed to him.
They could be summed up in one sentence.
Permission to use any means necessary to achieve the objective.
It meant every leash holding them back had been cut.
"...Looks like Korea's really gotten on their bad side. Fine by me, though. No restrictions means endless options."
After the full emergence of Ha Hoe-tal, the Bancheon Society's Korean branch—under orders from Yulryeongja, the East Asia overseer—had been hiding in the shadows, severing ties to the bitter end.
Now, they began to stir once more.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I chuckled softly, peering at the item in my hand.
"Who would've thought things would turn out like this."
A thumb-sized transparent orb containing a mysterious, rippling haze.
The beautiful energy, reminiscent of the aurora, swirled and shifted, endlessly forming new shapes. I watched blankly for a moment before snapping out of it and smacking my lips.
A wave of regret washed over me as I gazed at what was practically a work of art in itself.
'Gotta eat something like this. Ah, what a shame.'
But there was no helping it.
This was the otherworldly elixir I'd longed for—the pinnacle of its kind, surpassing even the Shaolin Temple's Great Return Pill.
"Never imagined she'd have something like this."
I recalled Yoon Jiyoon, who'd stared at the showcase's lightning-spewing hammer—dubbed 'Mjolnir'—with enchanted eyes, then shifted my gaze to the table.
There sat several more elixirs, none to be scoffed at even if they didn't quite match the masterpiece in my hand.
All spoils from this single transaction.
'First customer exceeded expectations.'
The dimension of her origin, 'Saba Heaven,' was dominated by chakra users who manipulated specific concepts and phenomena through their inner cosmos.
Naturally, their crafting of external tools like magic artifacts lagged behind, but elixir production to enhance one's innate potential had flourished exceptionally.
'Perfect for me.'
I nodded in satisfaction, resuming my admiration of the orb in my hand.
I didn't need to ask why she'd brought it despite knowing elixirs tanked in value on Earth.
'Bringing souvenirs from that world when returning isn't weird for an Awakener. Thanks to that, I scored a few extras. She was hooked on Mjolnir, so negotiations went smoother than expected.'
Of course, I hadn't gouged her too hard.
No matter what anyone said, Yoon Jiyoon was the powerhouse leader of an allied faction. Her getting stronger was nothing but good for us.
I savored the elixirs a while longer, then drew a deep breath.
It sucked, but I'd acquired it to consume, after all.
Hesitating over mere appearance would be putting the cart before the horse.
'This'll bring me one step closer to completion.'
Having finished my deep breaths, I immediately pushed it into my mouth.
To nurture my budding divinity while harboring the energies of as many worlds as possible.
With the massive surge exploding in my gut like a bomb, I sank deep into my inner self.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Yoon Jiyoon sank into her office chair, letting out a low murmur of admiration as she eyed the bracelet on her wrist.
"Impressive stuff. How the hell did you get your hands on this? Wait, you made it yourself?"
A slender golden chain engraved with mystical patterns, centered by a tiny hammer-shaped ornament.
She stared at it for a moment, then lightly shook her wrist.
Bzzzzt—
A fierce burst of sparks erupted in the office for an instant, and a short-handled hammer materialized in her palm.
The display was flashy on the surface, but her pinpoint control over her attribute ensured no harm came to the room's electronics.
Still seated, Yoon Jiyoon swung the hammer through the air a few times.
But it didn't take long for a frown to crease her brow, despite her initial satisfaction.
"...Looked cool in the demo, but swinging a hammer myself feels kinda off."
Her main domain was lightning manipulation, plain and simple.
She'd handled swords and spears before, but a short hammer was an unfamiliar niche weapon even for her.
The strange pull had made her impulse-buy, but in hindsight, it felt a tad hasty.
'...Eh, the bracelet form still activates its powers anyway.'
And as its inherent abilities suggested, it was better suited for throwing.
With built-in homing and retrieval, someone like her—who wielded electromagnetism freely—could turn it into a guided missile at will.
It even covered the physical power shortfall inherent to lightning mages. The synergy was perfect.
'And above all...'
Gripping the hammer, she half-lidded her eyes.
A brilliant yellow spark leaped in her narrowed gaze.
Her senses began expanding, syncing with the lightning enveloping the hammer.
Bzzzzt—!
Chakra was the mystic art of intervening in phenomena to wield unified forces.
Just as water chakra users grew stronger near water and darkness users in shadows, she amplified dramatically with lightning's aid.
'Lightning of such insane purity. To store it in an artificial magic tool—and rechargeable, not single-use? Never dreamed a human could pull that off.'
In a way, she wasn't wrong.
This Mjolnir was a collaborative masterpiece by a dwarf blacksmith and a dragon enchanter, lavished with the finest materials.
Even amid those musings, her senses heightened further.
A subtle magnetic field extended beyond the Hunter Association building, probing the surrounding district in her stead. Her body's electrical signals—including those in her brain—amplified, processing information at superhuman speeds impossible for ordinary humans.
A bizarre sense of omnipotence as she encompassed a far wider range in her 'domain' more swiftly and effortlessly than ever.
Yoon Jiyoon's lips curved upward ever so slightly.
'...Not bad? This alone makes the elixirs worth it. I've got another souvenir anyway... Wait, what the—?'
That's when she sensed it.
Suspicious figures making suspicious moves with suspicious items within her domain.
Her proxy magnetic field identified the objects.
With her accelerated cognition—amped beyond normal by enhanced bioelectricity—she rapidly assessed the situation and acted without hesitation.
Bzzt! Crackle!
A spot several kilometers from her.
"Eeeekekeek—!"
"Gah! How...?!"
"Krrghhh!"
A few men creeping cautiously down an alley, each laden with oversized backpacks, stiffened rigidly from a sudden jolt of electricity.
Returners who fancied themselves tough, but their meager magic resistance was child's play to the current surging through them. It seized control of their bodies and minds in a heartbeat.
They convulsed like wooden logs before toppling one by one.
Their massive backpacks nearly slammed into the ground as well.
Vmmm—
But the metallic contents inside magnetized, caught in the ambient field, and hovered in midair.
And right after.
"How the hell do scum like you have these...?"
Yoon Jiyoon arrived, her expression hardened, having crossed the alley in no time.
She carefully opened one of the backpacks as her senses directed.
"...Bombs."
Not crude handmade jobs, but professionally crafted ones, stuffed to the brim.
Had she not prioritized electrical control while zapping the carriers, the whole district would've gone up in flames in seconds.
'First things first...'
She pulled out her smartphone to report the incident immediately.
Items like these weren't easy to come by, obviously.
The fact that these ragtag types had them was even harder to swallow.
Mass explosives in Korea, where even guns were under ironclad control?
After swiftly notifying the relevant agencies, she turned to the unconscious carriers.
The immediate fire was out; now to wake them and interrogate.
Hero or not, she was a survivor who'd clawed through hellish battlefields.
A touch of electric torture—subtle enough not to scar or injure badly—was child's play.
Of course, since returning to Earth, she'd avoided such thoughts to respect law and order—
'...Something feels off. I'd rather leave it to the pros, but my gut says something huge is about to drop...'
A transcendent's instinct for causal flows was never to be ignored.
Sure, without precognition, it was just a vague hunch—but how many times had it saved her life?
Her resolve hardened. She raised her hand to act.
Rumble—
"Kyaaah—!"
Boom—!
"Aaaah!"
If not for her heightened senses, she might've missed the distant blasts and screams.
Yoon Jiyoon froze stiff.
'Too late... It wasn't just here!'
The Republic of Korea had been basking in unprecedented peace.
Now, indiscriminate bomb terror erupted across downtown Seoul.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Things were proceeding smoothly in the Kanghwan Realm.
Experts dispatched from factions across the righteous, evil, and militaristic sects rapidly converged from all corners of the continent, guided by spells from the Mosan Sect Taoists—actually monsters from Golden Crow Island.
Some sent mediocre scrubs just for show, others played dumb with excuses about tough circumstances... but for now, they had to let it slide.
The current crisis left no room to scold or pressure them.
'Doesn't mean I'll go easy once it's over.'
This wasn't some group project where freeloaders got a pass. No mercy for cheapskates.
They hadn't even asked the truly small or struggling factions.
Shirkers like these? Clearly eyeing hegemony atop the peace bought with others' blood.
'Won't let that slide.'
Blood for blood.
They'd pay the proper price.
Somehow.
'Let's see... Demonic Cult status: Heavenly Demon's good, rest nominal.'
Hans had no plans to step up for this.
The Demonic Cult's final boss was the Heavenly Demon alone.
Hans would handle shadow adjustments to keep casualties reasonable.
'Could make it zero, if I wanted.'
He'd agonized endlessly over staging this home-field rehearsal.
Mind set, he could just wipe the Demonic Cult clean and restore the vital cores.
All villain bosses were already defeated by him, and the keys to resolution were in his grasp.
'But no. That's just a band-aid.'
His goal wasn't mere vital core restoration.
It was ushering 'peace' to this land rife with hatred and strife, twisting the world's currents to harvest massive karma.
Would peace just dawn from restored cores?
Doubtful. These folks had spent over twenty years post-Imperial Palace Bloodbath thrusting blades at each other to survive.
Suddenly saying, "All done—let's be pals!" wouldn't erase grudges for friendly bonding.
'Need a common foe to unite them all. And the process of banding together to crush it.'
The pervasive grudges here demanded collective resolution.
Peace won without sacrifice doesn't last.
In simple terms, this act was the indispensable climax to seize the Kanghwan Realm's future.
'Arrogant? Sue me. Still, tuning things so they don't totally collapse is kindness enough.'
Without him, it'd have ended long ago.
Yet here he was, rigging safeguards and setting the stage—shouldn't they at least bleed for their own future?
'The assembled forces are all regional overlords. Small fries will fall in line when their wills align.'
If they kept slacking even then? No choice.
Eliminate.
'Show me your resolve. Your sacrifices for this land...'
His thoughts reached that point.
Then he froze, unbidden.
The flow of his own cognition felt utterly alien.
'Hold on. Was I always like this?'
But before he could finish the thought.
"Huh?"
His gaze drifted to the window.
"What the hell is this?"