Chapter 161
Chapter 161
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: Chaos Egg Feast
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Eating a dish made from Chaos Eggs...
It worried him that chaos might erupt in his stomach.
"Is this really edible?"
"Yes. It's no different from a regular egg dish."
Shuv replied to Shin Yu-hyun's question with her usual gentle smile.
"In fact, it's good for your health."
"Master! I wanna eat it quick!"
Luber and Dia's eyes sparkled as they stared at the Chaos Egg dish.
Shin Yu-hyun shook his head at the sight of them.
At any rate, it seemed there were no issues.
"Alright."
In the end, Shin Yu-hyun nodded.
"They made it like a rolled omelet. I'm picky about chicken and egg dishes, but anything else is fine."
He wondered if it would suit his taste.
Shin Yu-hyun first sampled the Chaos Egg dish, seasoned simply with the basic salt and pepper from the food card.
Hm?
A perfect salty flavor, accompanied by the refreshing pepper aroma that cleared his sinuses.
And a clean taste with juices flowing out like no egg dish he'd ever had!
It's... delicious?
Contrary to his expectations, the Chaos Egg dish was tasty.
And that wasn't all.
"Huh?"
Shin Yu-hyun's eyes widened at the message floating before him.
To his astonishment, eating the Chaos Egg dish had boosted his physical abilities.
It wasn't enough to change the numerical values of his stats, but the fact that they had risen even slightly was what mattered.
"This boosts stats...?"
"Yes. Chaos Eggs are similar to the spirit medicines of this world. Cooking and eating them can increase your stats."
"Boosting stats..."
Shin Yu-hyun stared at the Chaos Egg dish, still in disbelief.
He never imagined eating a Chaos Egg dish would raise his stats.
It was only a slight increase, but eating more might raise them enough to shift the numbers.
"Shall we eat together then?"
Shuv smiled and began eating the Chaos Egg dish alongside Shin Yu-hyun.
"Yummy!"
Dia munched on her Chaos Egg dish with a blissful expression.
Nom nom.
Chomp chomp!
Ka-mang-i and Bok-sul-i joined in too.
Ka-mang-i stuffed his mouth like a squirrel with cheeks full of acorns, cramming in the Chaos Egg rolls.
Bok-sul-i wagged his tail excitedly as he devoured the steamed Chaos Eggs Dia had transferred to his dog bowl.
There was plenty of Chaos Egg dish for the whole group.
And every one of them tasted great.
Not only that, but everyone's stats rose slightly from eating it.
Once they finished all the Chaos Egg dishes, Shin Yu-hyun had the impressive achievement of gaining +1 to all his stats.
The next day.
Clan Leader's Hall meeting room.
"I want to retake Gangneung."
Shin Yu-hyun dropped a bombshell.
"What? Gangneung?"
"Retake Gangneung...?"
The clan's retainers and family members buzzed with shock at his words.
"Quiet."
Clan Leader Shin Sung-il raised a hand and silenced them.
The noisy room fell quiet as if by magic.
"Shin Yu-hyun. What do you mean by that? You want to retake Gangneung?"
"Yes. Soon, I'll lead the Black Tortoise Hall to reclaim it."
"Do you understand what that entails?"
Shin Sung-il fixed him with a piercing gaze.
An immense pressure bore down on Shin Yu-hyun.
There was a reason why Korea's superhumans and Hunters had left Gangneung alone. If they moved recklessly and failed, the magic beasts could swarm Seoul.
That's why Shin Sung-il was pressuring him to gauge his intentions.
To see if he truly meant it or was just spouting nonsense.
Urk.
Shin Yu-hyun gritted his teeth against the overwhelming pressure enveloping his body.
The Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan's leader and Iron-Blooded Sword King, Shin Sung-il, had tested him with his aura several times before.
But this was different.
Previously, it had been measured restraint, but now he was seriously trying to crush him.
A 7-star master's full aura unleashed.
The sheer aftermath had the relatives and retainers in the room tense, barely holding on.
Shin Yu-hyun, taking it head-on, could hardly breathe.
And from Shin Sung-il's gaze, he could feel it.
No mercy for empty words.
But,
"Yes... I... know."
Beneath the full force of the aura, Shin Yu-hyun forced out his response, slow but firm.
Shin Sung-il's lips curved upward.
"Hm. Seems you're not just talking nonsense."
With those words, the heavy pressure blanketing the room vanished like a lie.
"Who would dare spout nonsense before Father? I mean it. And now is the time we can retake Gangneung."
"Retaking Gangneung."
Shin Sung-il gave a wry smile.
What was Gangneung?
Every superhuman and Hunter in Seoul dreamed of reclaiming it.
Not only for the massive gains, but because it threatened the safety of the Seoul metropolitan area.
"Gangneung is a powder keg. You know what happens if we touch it and it goes wrong."
"Yes. Seoul could be in danger."
"You know that and still want to retake it?"
"Yes."
"Interesting. So, how do you plan to do it?"
Shin Sung-il smiled as if enjoying himself, urging an answer.
"There are many magic beasts occupying Gangneung, but they're not particularly strong. If we quickly eliminate the boss-grade ones, it's doable."
"Easier said than done."
"Of course. Finding the scattered bosses in Gangneung isn't easy. We don't even know how many there are."
And Gangneung teemed with magic beasts of all ranks.
At least hundreds, probably over a thousand.
They had to break through them to reach the bosses.
"Above all, subduing the Hive is one of the biggest hurdles."
Hive.
A mysterious tower-like structure rising in magic beast-occupied zones.
The beasts' stronghold, pulsing with flesh and blood like a living organism.
Satellite imagery confirmed magic beasts crawling out of it.
Incredibly, reconnaissance satellites over beast territories were shot down.
By the boss-grade guardian protecting the Hive.
"Exactly. But what if we think differently?"
"Differently?"
"If we can take down the Hive in their occupied territory, we can reclaim Gangneung."
Taking the beasts' stronghold could indeed reclaim it.
But it wasn't easy.
"If it were possible, we'd have done it already."
Shin Sung-il smiled bitterly.
Even he, at the master realm, wouldn't touch an occupied zone lightly.
The Hive guardians alone were estimated at 5- or 6-star, and who knew what lurked inside.
Or how many beasts hid there.
So, their conclusion was to watch and maintain the status quo.
Well, if the Four Great Clans united, it wouldn't be impossible.
Shin Yu-hyun grimaced inwardly. The Four Great Clans were powerful.
But no single one could reclaim an occupied zone alone.
They fell short.
United, though, Gangneung was within reach.
The problem is they won't join hands.
The Four Great Families were proud. Honor and prestige prevented cooperation.
They insisted on solving things with their own strength.
That's why they failed to resist Getia properly in his past life.
"But now, it's possible."
"How?"
"The reason the Hive is hard to take is the sheer number of magic beasts."
Powerful beasts filled the Hive.
But first, you faced the hordes roaming the occupied zone.
You had to carve through countless beasts to even reach it.
By then, you'd be exhausted, facing fresh guardian bosses.
Unless you arrived at full strength, it was doomed.
The numbers were the issue, as Shin Yu-hyun said.
But,
"We counter numbers with numbers."
Shin Yu-hyun grinned.
"I see."
Shin Sung-il stroked his chin.
The clan already knew Shin Yu-hyun had necromancer powers.
And not just that.
Behind each executive in the Clan Leader's Hall sat one or two aides.
Behind Shin Yu-hyun stood Vice Hall Leader Choi Jung-hoon and his secretary, Ishia.
And the dangerously alluring beauty with a constant gentle smile: Shuv Ranigud.
He'd directed half his aura at Shuv just now.
Yet she deflected it with a relaxed smile.
Only the clan's second-in-command, his uncle Shin Sung-hyun, could do that.
The others struggled just to endure.
That alone showed Shuv's strength.
Plus her powerful boss-grade undead summons and skeleton soldier legions.
"With your power, you can handle Gangneung's magic beasts?"
"Yes."
Shin Yu-hyun nodded at the question.
His undead summons could manage the beasts.
"Intriguing."
Shin Sung-il's lips curved.
He too dreamed of retaking Gangneung someday.
But he thought the time wasn't ripe, planning to build clan strength first.
Yet here was his youngest declaring it now.
"And if not now, it'll be hard to retake Gangneung later."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Shin Sung-il looked puzzled at the sudden statement.
The relatives and retainers did too.
All eyes in the room turned to Shin Yu-hyun, creating intense pressure, but he took a breath and revealed the shocking truth he knew.
"It's because..."