Chapter 146
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: 27. Controversy (2)
Two weeks of respite.
Kang San couldn't enjoy a moment's rest like the rest of his group.
He hopped straight into a taxi bound for Pohang and, en route, reviewed the intel passed along by Dark Moon.
The location had been narrowed down to two.
Kang San pored over the documents in detail.
True to their price tag, Dark Moon hadn't just covered Yongsan and Gogeumsan—they'd surveyed every mountain in Pohang City, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. Even the mountains eliminated from contention came with polite explanations of why.
For Kang San, this demanded careful judgment.
If he failed to pinpoint the spot...
The monsters bursting from the Hellish Bottomless Pit would slaughter nearby civilians indiscriminately in an instant.
The trial would end right there.
Before Kang San could even react, the mounting death toll would swiftly hit the failure threshold of ten thousand lives. He had to be on-site from the very start. Only by throwing his body against the surging monster waves could he buy the bare minimum time for people to evacuate.
His mouth went dry.
From the moment he'd glimpsed that future instant, Kang San had lived in taut suspense, like a rubber band stretched to its limit.
'When the hell will this endless trial finally end?'
Already the twenty-fifth one.
No end in sight.
It felt like running a marathon without a finish line, the exhaustion of endless penance weighing down his entire body.
"Get it together. I have to do this. I will pull it off."
The Kitakyushu incident.
It had rearmed his resolve.
This S-rank outbreak might eclipse even the horrors Japan had endured. He had no intention of standing idly by. As a fellow Korean, a sense of duty had taken root.
The scenery whipped past the window.
Military installations dotted the landscape here and there.
People reminisced about a Korea so peaceful that division seemed unbelievable, but Kang San—born into the age of calamity—couldn't relate. His era was defined by it. Peace was a word that never existed; death and terror were everyday realities you simply accepted.
He lost himself in sentiment.
When he snapped out of it, they were already in Pohang.
First stop: Yongsan.
Kang San's honest impression upon arrival? No matter how he looked at it, it didn't match his criteria.
'An outbreak of S-rank scale should show telltale precursors in terrain like this. The slopes aren't that steep, and for a place supposedly shunned by hikers, I keep spotting folks like herb gatherers. If this were the outbreak site, there'd almost certainly be some evidence left behind.'
Fragmentary memories.
They didn't align with the future vision.
Truth be told, if he'd been a bit more specific with the intel guild's request, Dark Moon's resources could've nailed the perfect match. But that wasn't an option. The trial's description forbade leaking any details, so he couldn't hint at "outbreak-prone terrain."
He moved on without delay.
Next up: Gogeumsan.
The moment he arrived, though, Kang San felt overwhelmed by the savage terrain.
"...What the hell is this?"
Dense, tangled underbrush.
Trails that repelled any human footfall.
He'd confirmed it via intel, but seeing it hit different.
The taxi driver en route had mentioned that anomalous link phenomena had spiked around Gogeumsan lately, scaring everyone off. His heart pounded. Even without ironclad proof, his instincts screamed—some distant future cataclysm was brewing here.
It was instinct.
Memories etched into his very cells.
The goosebumps prickling his skin told him: this was ground zero for the disaster.
'It fits my criteria to a T. And if it kicks off with an East Sea quake, the odds skyrocket. Gogeumsan's topography is exposed to the ocean on three sides.'
He stared blankly at the mountain.
His mind replayed the sequence of events.
Boom—
Rumble rumble rumble—
The outbreak hits.
Monsters flooding from Gogeumsan like a tidal wave—what's a lone man to do?
'Rapid reinforcements? Not happening. Holding off an S-rank Dark Lord demands matching firepower, but outside the capital beltway, Korea can't muster S-rank response that fast. We'd have to teleport forces in. Problem is, no gate in Pohang—they'd go Seoul to Busan first, then here. Even scrambling the second they get intel, it'd take at least two or three hours to arrive. By then...'
Screams pierced his ears.
A massacre on an unimaginable scale.
Any monsters slipping past Kang San would rampage through Pohang, claiming countless lives.
He gritted his teeth.
This disaster was different from Kitakyushu.
There, he'd leveraged advantages to let a B-rank like him take down an S-rank wraith. But an S-rank Dark Lord commanding the undead? No way he could handle that solo. Dragging his team along under false pretenses wasn't viable either—they'd be clueless, dying in the blink of an eye and leaving him with unbearable guilt.
In the end.
He'd have to face it alone.
Any calculations going forward had to assume he wouldn't last even an hour.
'Prepare for the worst, and you can adapt to surprises.'
The incident erupts.
People catch on.
Key from there: broadcast that he's holding the line solo. Just like the original plan. Folks who'd taken an interest in him would scramble rescue teams. Heavenly Firmament, Daeyang, and others. A two-to-three-hour trek? They'd shave it down to impossible speeds.
That was the spark.
With reinforcements trickling in one by one, pooling their strength to stem the tide—they could prevent the ten-thousand-death mark.
'Next three months. Max out my growth, prep thoroughly, but most importantly, inflate my value.'
The recent buzz around him.
He hadn't planned to exploit it lightly.
But in a pinch like this? Different story.
A plan crystallized rapidly in Kang San's mind.
Kang San stuck around Pohang for a few days.
To thoroughly scout the Gogeumsan area.
Mapping terrain, nearby features—eyes-on verification, noting anything exploitable. Crucially, local population density. Pohang had 300,000 souls, but thankfully, Gogeumsan wasn't densely settled.
'Right after it kicks off. Evacuating Pohang's citizens fast means leaning on local officials.'
It had been part of the plan from the jump.
If Kang San were Joe Schmoe #1? Officials would dismiss an S-rank outbreak warning as a prank call. No global precedent—they'd drag their feet verifying, squandering the golden hour.
Hence.
Building trust with local brass was key.
One call from him, and they'd evacuate the city—evidence or not.
Pohang Mayor Park Moon-do gawked at Kang San.
"...One hundred million?"
"Yes. Pohang feels like a second home to me. I'd love for it to stay safe, so humbly, I'll donate 100 million annually. I hope it contributes even a little to the city's security."
"Oh, contribute? It's more than that—we're immensely grateful."
Park Moon-do beamed.
Kang San's sudden visit.
He knew the name from recent media buzz, but an out-of-the-blue 100-million donation? Instant mood booster. Sure, it wouldn't fatten the city budget much. But the goodwill? Electric.
Kang San pressed on.
"I just returned from Kitakyushu, Japan, where I witnessed the catastrophe firsthand. Survivors said it struck without warning, out of nowhere. The world's one mishap away from disaster anytime. Mayor, please safeguard Pohang's people."
"Of course. Isn't that why I hold this office?"
He'd planted unease indirectly.
Trust established.
Genuine affection for Pohang, plus 100 million—his evac call wouldn't fall on deaf ears.
'And calling it my "second home" gives cover for whatever fallout comes later.'
Post-outbreak.
Questions would fly: Why was he there?
This move provided solid alibi. "Pohang's like home; I was vacationing when it hit." Plenty weird? Sure. But they'd hesitate to call bullshit outright.
Good enough.
Kang San pieced together his vision.
Time to go.
Mayor Park Moon-do saw him out personally, but outside the building, an unexpected face waited.
"Long time no see?"
A posse.
Im Chan-young at the front.
In just months, Im Chan-young's vibe had sharpened to a razor's edge.
Im Chan-young eyed Kang San up and down.
"Word is you went to Japan and took down an S-rank monster. World's a joke to you, huh? How long ago was our B-rank test? And you're out here spouting that bullshit like it's nothing."
Kang San had left for Japan.
Im Chan-young had aced his B-rank test with Drake Guild backing.
Project A Team—once Heavenly Firmament's—had too.
Full support had bumped them all up a rank, and now they blocked Kang San's path, just like Im Chan-young. The group wasn't limited to them, either. Excluding familiar faces, powerhouses radiated menace—mostly Drake hunters or hired A-rank mercs.
And.
Civilians with cameras.
Kang San clocked the setup instantly.
Im Chan-young sneered.
"From here on, for the Korean people's right to know, I'm testing you. Per international hunter regs, S-rank killers qualify for S-rank status. Can't have a liar like you getting that absurd upgrade, right? Pick your poison. I've brought nine A-rank hunters. Toss in me and Project A Team's full might? Roughly matches S-rank promotion test quals. What do you say? Prove you're no fraud—right here, against us."
Malice gleamed in Im Chan-young's eyes.
Host Jeong Moon-cheol's tip-off, and Drake Guild had eagerly fueled this powder keg.
Kang San's rejection had bruised their pride.
They'd taken in Im Chan-young and Project A, drawing a line in the sand against him from the start. His S-rank promotion? Unacceptable. They'd moved aggressively to trash his rep.
This situation.
No escape.
Accept?
His lack of S-rank chops exposed.
Refuse?
tantamount to confession—rumors would balloon.
'You can't run. You don't have the juice for an S-rank kill.'
Past months.
Im Chan-young had trained in a fury.
Now B-rank certified, he gnashed his teeth with boiling grudge.
He awaited Kang San's choice.
Refusal? He'd mock him to his face.
But.
"I accept that proposal."
"What?"
Im Chan-young didn't know.
After pegging Gogeumsan as outbreak epicenter.
Kang San's mindset had shifted.
Kang San stared past Im Chan-young, straight at the cameras capturing it all.
"Didn't get it? If that's what you want, I'll take the S-rank test."