Chapter 132
Chapter 132
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: 24. Mystery of the Red Zone (4)
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This situation.
It was utterly unreasonable.
Shimizu Hiroshi, a member of parliament, asked again upon seeing the secretly gathered Free Guardian Party lawmakers.
"......How in the world is this possible?"
"It's a highly questionable situation for us as well. From what we've investigated, Kang San was recently promoted to B-Rank. He showed impressive performance at the time, but he's still freshly B-Rank, so it would be normal for him not to hold out in the Red Zone. Yet, rescue operations have been ongoing nonstop through the night. This can't be explained by objective combat power."
"Damn it. What the hell is that guy thinking, stirring up all this chaos?"
His head throbbed.
Kang San's rescue efforts.
Public opinion in Japan was already boiling over.
Top hunters had flocked to Kitakyushu to save Kang San, creating an enormous wave that couldn't be ignored.
And moreover.
"Congressman, this incident is being highlighted in Korea right now too. It turns out this Kang San guy has a history of similar feats—not just once or twice. If he dies without proper rescue operations, we'll face international backlash we can't avoid."
"We just got word: Korean tycoons he's connected with have asked us to lend support to the rescue efforts. He's no ordinary person. Treating his death as just another individual's could lead to serious problems."
Kim Min-young's article.
Contact from Yeon Gyu-seong and Jo Kang-rae.
It had definitely worked.
The lawmakers competed to emphasize the gravity of the situation.
Shimizu Hiroshi sank into thought.
'What baffles me most is what that Korean gains from these rescue operations. A simple sense of justice to save people? Ridiculous. If that were the case, he should've rescued people early on, returned to Kitakyushu, and come back with a full rescue team. But instead, he's operating alone with information blacked out, like he's condemning us for doing nothing all this time.'
He chewed his lips.
At first, they'd treated him as just a foreigner.
But if Kang San had produced hundreds of survivors because of him.
And those survivors' families numbered in the thousands, with countless Japanese citizens watching.
They could no longer classify him merely as a foreigner.
Korea and Japan.
No matter how tangled their historical relations were, Kang San as an individual had to be viewed specially. Shimizu Hiroshi wasn't too foolish to read the flow. If they'd been swept up in an uncontrollable current, now was the time to extract maximum benefit from this situation.
He spoke to his aide.
"Where is the Prime Minister right now?"
That day at noon.
The Japanese government issued an official statement.
It subtly shifted the narrative.
They portrayed it not as a lack of intent to rescue, but as an unavoidable circumstance, covering their own faults. Naturally, the Japanese public cheered. It wasn't mere showmanship; the government had dispatched forces worthy of recognition.
Japan's S-Rank hunter.
Saito Shusuke, wielder of the spear and a representative of the second generation, took command of the rescue team.
Immediately after the announcement.
Saito Shusuke arrived in Kitakyushu.
Before he could even assess the local situation, Nakamura Genji, the local official, had everything prepared.
"Here's the list of volunteers for the rescue team."
"Thank you."
He glanced at the man.
Nakamura Genji's face.
It was very familiar to Saito Shusuke.
'The former leader of the Wildlings is here, huh. What an amusing twist.'
He swallowed a laugh.
As he took the list, Saito Shusuke's eyes gleamed.
"......All these people volunteered?"
"Yes."
"Hoo."
This operation.
The government spared no support.
Not only Saito Shusuke, but elite forces and twenty mental-specialized mages against potential evil spirits. Yet the volunteers' reputations were no joke either. Countless B-Ranks and below, plus a fair number of A-Ranks.
Of course, among them.
Nakamura Genji stood out most.
Had he not vanished, he would've been hailed as the next S-Rank—his talent was that exceptional.
'Congressman Shimizu Hiroshi's order: rescue only Kang San without overextending and return. With this force, it's more than feasible.'
The southern issue.
They had no intention of resolving it all.
Primary goal: extinguish the fire sparked by Kang San by rescuing him.
Saito Shusuke shouted.
"Regroup now. We enter the Green Zone in two hours."
Thud-!
Crack.
It was a gruesome sound.
With the crack of breaking bones, Kang San rolled wretchedly across the ground.
"Urk."
No time even to groan in pain.
As he jerked his head up, a Minotaur charging ferociously came into view.
Hiiing-
Boom.
Thud thud.
They clashed head-on.
He tumbled across the ground repeatedly, and the Minotaur's savage attacks—top-tier even among B-Ranks—rained down on Kang San. Each impact jolted his body. Having felled an A-Rank Werewolf Lord, he could've handled it easily if in top condition. But not now. With fatigue maxed out to his chin, the Minotaur's blows felt more threatening than ever.
Whoosh.
Kaboom-!
The ground shattered.
Seizing the gap, Kang San burrowed into the Minotaur's guard.
"Blood Demon Sword Art, Third Form."
This distance.
It was dangerous.
Knowing that, Kang San had no choice but to opt for his strongest attack.
"Explosive Slaughter."
Kaboom!
Rumble rumble rumble.
Kreeeeek!
The Minotaur shrieked.
It thrashed in agony as the pain burrowed into its flesh, while Kang San clung to its massive frame, relentlessly thrusting his sword. Dizziness surged. The spinning world tempted him to let go, but he swallowed the nausea, gritting his teeth. When despair tempted him to give up life, he recalled those desperate past days.
'......I can't die like this.'
Finally.
Stagger.
Thud-
He felled his foe.
Gazing at the limp Minotaur, Kang San collapsed atop it, exhaling raggedly.
"Hah, hah."
Aura of Recovery's cooldown was ticking.
With trembling hands, Kang San opened his inventory.
His last potions. Grimacing, he downed them without hesitation.
Gulp gulp.
Gulp.
"......Fuck."
No potions left now.
Current status.
He was midway through the twenty-second trial.
The problem: less than an hour into the allotted 24 hours, this mess had erupted.
'Is this really the end?'
He didn't know.
If truly on the brink of death, he'd rather abandon everything and return.
Tearing the teleport scroll would forfeit all trial gains, but at least he'd preserve his worthless life. Yet human greed never yielded easily. Even at risk of death, Kang San couldn't let slip the grain of hope clutched in his fist.
Stumble.
He rose arduously.
He had to move.
Delaying even slightly invited disasters, as past trials had taught.
How far had he gone?
Swish.
Swish swish.
Mist rose.
The space was foggy to begin with, but it felt unnaturally alive, crawling over his body. He halted. Sensing wrongness, Kang San held his breath and scanned around.
'Something's here.'
Then.
Suddenly, the world spun upside down.
Memories tangled.
'Where am I?'
His mind fogged like mist, past memories blurred.
His name.
Why he was here.
All forgotten.
All 'he' knew was the brutal slaughter unfolding before his eyes.
"Kyaaak-!"
"Argh!"
People were dying.
Monsters tore and devoured flesh; unspeakable rage boiled at the heinous act. He had to stop those vile demons. He couldn't stand by as innocents perished.
Then.
A hoarse voice wormed into his ear.
It was right.
Just like the unknown voice said.
He had to kill the demons.
As he moved to act.
Halt.
He stopped.
"......What is this?"
This situation.
It felt familiar.
Such mental collapse wasn't ordinary.
But Kang San was different.
When he'd fallen into qi deviation, the world had twisted chaotically, emotions forcing him into the abyss—just like now. And then, he'd overcome it with his mental fortitude.
His eyes sharpened.
Capturing something beyond the mist.
Crash!
The nightmare shattered outright.
Around that time.
The rescue team swiftly passed Yellow and entered the Red Zone.
Kyaak-!
"Block them!"
Its infamous reputation was no lie.
Vision-obscuring mist.
Monsters charging from all sides.
The rescue team moved in perfect unison.
Back-to-back, they methodically cleared the oncoming monsters.
And among them.
The standout was, naturally, Saito Shusuke.
"Here it comes."
"A-Rank Twin-Headed Ogre!"
Thud.
Thud thud.
A-Rank.
A realm ordinary hunters couldn't touch.
As it closed in, Saito Shusuke's spear suddenly thrust forward, slicing the air.
"One Point."
Thud-!
Groooar.
One strike.
Perfectly piercing its head, the Twin-Headed Ogre collapsed without resistance. The team gained momentum. Composed of elites with an S-Rank at the fore, not even the Red Zone could halt them.
'Smoother than expected. But it won't stay this easy.'
Throughout.
Saito Shusuke never let his guard down.
He knew the south's truth.
How S-Ranks like him had died.
Why the government, after countless subjugations, had abandoned it.
No room for elation.
Just the entrance; true danger hadn't struck yet.
"Pick up the pace from here."
They needed to rescue Kang San quickly.
Over any other survivors; Congressman Shimizu Hiroshi's sole order took priority.
But then.
Splurt!
"Aaaagh! Takashi, what the hell are you doing?!"
"This lunatic!"
A sudden scream.
A team member called Takashi had blown off the head of a comrade ahead.
And that.
"Argh!"
"Stop them, stop them!"
"Have these bastards lost their minds?!"
In an instant, it spread like wildfire through the entire rescue team.