Chapter 104
A mana wave slicing through the air bounced off the sky above a ruined building in Seogyo-dong.
The wave collided with an invisible barrier and shattered into fragments before scattering.
“Boss. I found them.”
Hidden perfectly within the pitch-black darkness, Shadow reported in a low voice.
Inside the collapsed two-story building, four figures were moving.
They were Lee Taesung, the B-Grade Awakened ruler of Ahyeon Shelter, and his closest executive subordinates.
“Damn it! Search properly! I definitely sensed a mana reaction here!”
Lee Taesung’s roar echoed through the ruins.
His subordinates flinched at the outburst and searched the floor even more desperately.
“B-Boss… it seems like we came up empty. This is already the third sweep.”
“What? Empty? Are you saying my instincts are wrong?”
Lee Taesung raised his hand, and the executive hurriedly bowed and stepped backward.
“N-No! Of course not! We’ll search again!”
Just as he had predicted, Yoo Minji had been conducting research simultaneously at multiple facilities.
This building was one of them.
However, she had already received information that Lee Taesung was tracking her, and the researchers had withdrawn like a receding tide.
“Sigh… Boss, it looks like they noticed us and escaped.”
At the cautious comment, Lee Taesung kicked the wall in frustration.
BOOM!
“Shut up! Find something! Even a scrap of paper, even a bit of dried ink from a pen! Do you know how much money and time I poured into this place?”
It had taken fifteen full days to identify this secret laboratory.
He had deployed all his executives for the task, and the sunk cost had become enormous.
Returning empty-handed was unacceptable to his pride.
While their attention was focused entirely on searching through the rubble—
The hunting hounds arrived in the darkness.
They were Lee Jinwoo and the Machine Society members.
“Who’s there!”
The first to detect killing intent was an executive standing at the entrance smoking a cigarette.
But the Machine Society members did not panic.
They had already prepared thoroughly.
“Target identified.”
Team Leader Jeon Bongsik lowered the visor of his helmet with a click and issued the command calmly.
The red lens of the Atlas Scouter flashed and scanned the executive from head to toe.
Beep—
[Scan complete.]
[Grade: C]
[Magic-type Awakened]
As soon as the information appeared on the HUD, Jeon Bongsik’s lips curved upward.
“Open fire. He’s a mage. Turn him into a beehive before he can cast.”
A swift judgment based on identifying a C-Grade magic-type Awakened.
Magic types usually had weaker physical bodies.
The correct answer was overwhelming speed.
Pshk! Pshk! Pshk!
Cross-shaped muzzle flashes burst from the suppressed rifles.
“You insane bastards—!”
The executive urgently raised his hand.
A translucent wall of mana formed in the air.
Clang! Clang!
“Team Leader! Shield!”
“Damn it. He’s experienced. Keep firing!”
But the bullets bounced off the shield, scattering sparks without leaving a scratch on the executive’s body.
The executive smirked.
“Hahaha! Idiots. You think rifles can break my defense? I don’t know where you crawled out from, but today is your funeral—”
Jeon Bongsik calmly activated the Scouter again.
“I knew you had something to rely on when you strutted around without body armor.”
Ziiing—
His vision shifted to a blue grid display.
The mana flow around the executive’s body appeared on the HUD like topographic contour lines.
[Analyzing…]
[Mana density imbalance detected.]
Complex formulas flashed across the screen.
A red targeting box appeared.
[Weak point detected.]
[Left lower rib, 15 cm point.]
[Shield thickness: less than 0.4 mm.]
[Required: 3 hits with 5.56 mm rounds.]
A deep smile spread across Jeon Bongsik’s face.
In the past, they would have needed brute force to break a mana shield.
But things were different now.
The Atlas Tactical Helmet given by the Bomb Maniac.
It was like taking an open-book exam—
One where the test range was automatically provided.
“Sending data. Check your HUD.”
The weak-point data was instantly shared to every helmet.
Excited voices came through the radio.
“Wow, this is insane.”
“Team Leader, we just shoot the red dot?”
“The Boss really isn’t human…”
“Stay focused! Concentrated fire!”
Pshk! Pshk!
Rat-tat-tat!
The rifles fired again.
As if guided by laser pointers, every bullet converged on the empty air near the executive’s left side.
The Atlas Tactical Helmet’s aiming correction made it possible.
“W-What?”
A point on the shield cracked like a spiderweb.
Then it shattered like glass.
“That’s impossible! My shield—!”
He tried to re-form the shield with a desperate wave of his hand.
Too late.
Bullets slipped through the broken gap.
Thud! Thud!
“Gaaaah!”
Rounds tore into the executive’s side.
The destabilized mana circuits surged backward, and he vomited blood.
“H-How… how can rifles break my shield…”
BANG!
At that moment the inner door of the building exploded open.
A second executive rushed out.
He was a veteran.
He had immediately recognized the situation from the rifle shots and timed his attack for when the soldiers would reload or lower their guard.
“You rats! Melt away!”
He spread both arms wide.
Purple, viscous fog began pouring from his mouth.
Fwooooosh—
[Pattern analysis in progress.]
[Result: Acidic poison mist.]
A warning flashed on the HUD.
Watching through the communication network, Picker chimed in.
“Not bad, sir. Using your teammate as bait while casting an area attack. Good judgment.”
“Team Leader Jeon is a veteran too.”
Just as expected, Jeon Bongsik issued orders immediately after analyzing the enemy ability.
“Those abilities have short range! Don’t panic—fall back!”
The members retreated in perfect formation.
“Team Leader! We can’t see through the fog!”
“Switch to infrared mode. How many times have I told you to memorize the controls?”
Whirr—
Jeon Bongsik’s vision changed again.
A color-inverted world of red and blue.
The purple fog appeared as faint blue noise.
At its center, a single bright red point glowed vividly.
The ability Poison Mist worked by pumping gas from the user’s internal mana core.
The Atlas Scouter quickly located that core.
“Found it. See the bright spot?”
“Confirmed!”
“Wow, we can really see everything. This is basically a cheat code.”
“Fire!”
Precise gunfire followed.
Bullets pierced through the fog and struck the brightest point—the mana core.
“AAAAAAGH!”
With a scream, the purple fog vanished.
The executive looked down at the hole in the center of his chest.
Thud.
The second executive collapsed.
Thirty seconds.
That was all it took to eliminate two C-Grade Awakened without a single casualty.
The Machine Society members stared blankly at the bodies as the fog cleared.
“Team Leader… is this real? We just killed C-Grades that easily?”
“Wow… the equipment the Boss gave us… this is the real thing.”
“Before, we would’ve rushed in blindly and at least two of us would’ve melted in that poison mist.”
Jeon Bongsik tapped his helmet proudly.
Even he was excited.
“You’re right. From now on we just have to eat the food that’s spoon-fed to us.”
But it was too early to celebrate.
The boss monster had not appeared yet.
BOOM!
The interior wall of the building tore apart completely.
Through the cloud of dust, a massive shadow emerged.
It was Lee Taesung.
Violent mana shimmered around him like heat haze.
“So these little insects were causing trouble in my territory…”
His gaze stopped on the corpses of his subordinates.
“You piles of scrap dare ruin my business?”
HUMMMMM—
The air vibrated heavily as his rage erupted.
The members instinctively stepped back in fear.
The pressure of a B-Grade Awakened was on an entirely different level from a C-Grade.
“Stay calm! Maintain formation!”
At that moment, heavy mechanical sounds echoed.
Lee Jinwoo stepped forward.
Steam vented from his exoskeleton as he gripped his massive mechanical axe.
“Scrap? Are you blind? Can’t even recognize the reaper who came to take your head.”
“What? Ha! You little brat.”
Lee Taesung snorted.
To him, the exoskeleton looked like nothing more than a toy.
“You don’t know how terrifying the world is. Today I’ll carve that lesson into your bones.”
BOOM!
With an explosive sound, Lee Taesung vanished.
No—
He moved so fast that it looked like he vanished.
“Tch!”
Lee Jinwoo gave up trying to follow with his eyes and instinctively raised his axe to guard.
The speed of a B-Grade physical enhancement Awakened was beyond imagination.
And Lee Taesung was not an inexperienced B-Grade.
Like Karambit, he was a veteran who had accumulated extreme combat experience.
CRASH!
“Ghk!”
Lee Taesung’s fist slammed into the axe shaft.
It was not a simple punch.
The shockwave was like an artillery explosion.
Lee Jinwoo’s body lifted off the ground.
SCREEECH!
The exoskeleton’s arm armor dented with a scream.
Red warning lights flashed inside the tactical helmet.
[Warning: Left hydraulic cylinder damaged.]
[Impact threshold exceeded. Damper durability reduced by 70%.]
Lee Jinwoo rolled three times before regaining his footing.
“Tch… that hit harder than expected.”
It had been only one blow.
Even with the guard up, it felt as if his arm would be torn off.
“Not bad. Your arm’s still attached after blocking that.”
Lee Taesung walked toward him casually.
“What’s wrong? Weren’t you the reaper? You think you can kill me with that level of skill? Your dream is too big, brat.”
The physical difference was overwhelming.
An ordinary C-Grade would have lost the will to fight.
But Lee Jinwoo’s eyes burned hotter.
This was power given by the Boss.
He would not collapse so easily.
The tactical helmet briefing confirmed he could still fight.
“Don’t get arrogant!”
Lee Jinwoo roared.
WHIIIIIIINE—
The exoskeleton’s engine activated.
His mana poured into the engine.
The machine roared like a beast.
If it had been his old cheap equipment, the system would have exploded within ten seconds.
But the suit he wore now was a Bio-Titanium Exoskeleton personally tuned by Kang Sinhyeok.
“Hold… hold together! Show me your true performance!”
[Output 300%.]
[Warning: Engine temperature rising.]
[Cooling system activated.]
WHIIIIINE—
The sound rose to a shriek, but the exoskeleton did not explode.
Instead, the bio-interface joint created from Armus Flesh and Stone Eater adaptive tissue wriggled, absorbing the shock and stabilizing the engine.
[Output 500% achieved.]
[Temperature stabilized.]
At that moment Lee Taesung charged again.
This time his fingers were hooked like claws.
He had activated Iron Grip, the ability that had torn apart titanium alloy doors.
“Die!”
The murderous claws aimed for Lee Jinwoo’s throat.
But Lee Jinwoo did not dodge.
Instead, he stepped forward and collided head-on.
“Ridiculous.”
Lee Taesung was certain of victory.
BOOM!
Concrete debris blasted outward from the collision.
Inside the dust cloud, Lee Taesung’s eyes widened.
“What…?”
His ultimate attack, Iron Grip, had stopped.
Lee Jinwoo had grabbed his wrist directly with the exoskeleton’s hand.
The overwhelming torque from the exoskeleton was gradually crushing Lee Taesung’s strength.
“Grr… this much…!”
Lee Jinwoo’s veins bulged.
The HUD numbers climbed crazily.
[Engine output 800%.]
[Engine output 1000%. MAX.]
WHIIIIIIIINE— HSSSSSS!
As the system reached maximum output, white cooling gas burst from the joints like a waterfall.
Each time overload occurred, backup cores injected power and cooled the system in real time.
One F-Grade Core could sustain about three cooling cycles.
But the Bomb Maniac had given Lee Jinwoo five.
That meant fifteen uses at 1000% output.
For the duration of this battle, it was practically infinite durability.
And that was not the only gift he had received.
Lee Jinwoo suddenly released Lee Taesung’s arm and swung the axe.
“AAAAAAH!”
At the same moment, the wrist joint opened with a metallic click.
The axe spun through the air toward Lee Taesung.
At 200 km/h.
Lee Taesung trusted Iron Grip and attempted to catch the blade barehanded.
A B-Grade physical enhancement Awakened who had crushed every metal before.
But just before his palm touched the blade—
His pupils shrank.
This was not an ordinary throw.
The air around the axe vibrated subtly.
Danger.
His veteran instincts screamed.
He tried to pull his hand back—
BOOM!
The moment the blade made contact, the Ultra-Vibration Module embedded inside it glowed red.
CRRRRRAAACK!
“AAAAAAAGH!”
A horrifying noise erupted.
Lee Taesung’s fingers were shredded like fruit in a blender.
The axe tore through his hand and sliced across his shoulder.
“M-My hand! My hand!”
Blood sprayed.
A gap appeared.
Lee Jinwoo did not miss it.
“It’s over!”
He kicked the ground.
All the exoskeleton’s power concentrated into his right fist.
BAM!
The massive steel uppercut struck Lee Taesung’s solar plexus.
CRUNCH!
The sound of ribs shattering echoed through the building.
CRASH! BOOM!
Lee Taesung flew backward like a doll.
He smashed through three walls before stopping.
His chest was caved in.
Foam of blood bubbled from his mouth.
Fear and disbelief filled his eyes.
“Cough… impossible…”
He stared at Lee Jinwoo approaching him.
“How… can a mere C-Grade defeat a B-Grade…”
“The era has changed, Lee Taesung.”
Lee Jinwoo answered coldly.
“…Ghk.”
Lee Taesung lowered his head.
The tyrant who had ruled part of Mapo District met a pitiful end.
Lee Jinwoo picked up his axe.
Stab.
A final confirmation strike.
Only then did Lee Jinwoo breathe heavily.
Against Lee Taesung, they had achieved a perfect victory without a single casualty.
“Haa… haa…”
With trembling hands, Lee Jinwoo removed a worn leather belt from Lee Taesung’s waist.
A Subspace Belt emitting faint mana.
A treasure worth hundreds of thousands of UP on the black market.
But there was no greed in Lee Jinwoo’s eyes.
All of this glory belonged to the one who gave him power.
“Mission complete.”
“Understood. Good work. Let’s report to the Boss immediately.”