Chapter 45: Taejeong's Target Was the Castle
Taejeong's target was the castle. The bastards were annoying, sure, but killing them was out of the question. Beyond that, it could easily escalate into a full-blown guild war, so he'd made what he considered the best choice.
"131mm guided missiles, twelve rounds will bring it down. But to completely eliminate the monsters inside, we'll need at least twelve more."
"What's the range?"
"More than sufficient."
"Good."
With his decision made, Taejeong referenced the display and aimed Cheonryong-1 at the count's castle. Gerard immediately intervened, automatically calculating the twelve weakest points on the structure and inputting the guided coordinates.
As his finger pressed the launch button, rockets burst from the underbelly launch tubes, firing toward the castle one after another.
Shwoooosh!
Shwoooosh!
Shwoooosh!
The rockets sliced through the air and slammed into the massive castle.
BOOM! KABOOM!
A thunderous roar shook the heavens and earth, engulfing the area in a colossal cloud of dust. But that was just the beginning.
The follow-up rockets struck the central structure next, unleashing another deafening explosion of unimaginable force.
Not satisfied, Taejeong slammed down another twelve standard rounds, and the shockwave from those blasts was more than enough to engulf the Blue Lion hunters gathered in the clearing.
"Argh!"
Caught in the sudden explosion's aftermath, the Blue Lion hunters were hurled several meters before crashing to the ground. Sprawled out, they stared in stunned silence at the massive dust cloud ahead.
"W-what the hell? What is that?"
The hunters could scarcely believe the scene unfolding before them. The abrupt explosions, the earth-shaking booms. The towering plume of smoke and debris blotting out the castle—it all felt utterly surreal compared to the casual banter they'd shared just moments ago as they prepared to enter.
But it was only temporary. The wind picked up, sweeping away the dust and smoke.
And then the devastation was revealed.
The castle that had stood there moments before was utterly obliterated. Not just wrecked—its entire upper section had vanished without a trace.
Their jaws dropped in disbelief at the impossible sight.
"Wh-what……."
"Th-this……."
They looked as if they'd seen a ghost, their souls fleeing their bodies. For a long while, they stood frozen, dumbfounded, unable to process anything.
You have completed the quest.
Reward: Acquired Jet Blaster skill.
While the Blue Lion hunters were still reeling from the catastrophe, Woo Kyung-ho and the others watching from the hillside wore expressions no less shocked than theirs.
Even with the quest completion alert ringing in their ears, they were too stunned to register it. What they'd witnessed was that jaw-dropping.
It felt like something not of this world.
Even Seo Ju-ah and the others, who already knew Taejeong's capabilities, felt the same.
"D-does... this even make sense?"
Shin Ji-su, her face blank with shock, blurted it out while clutching Lee Seong-ho's arm—his expression even more vacant.
"This isn't a dream, right?"
"You think you and I are dreaming the same thing?"
"Fair point……."
As they exchanged their foolish banter, the others were just as flustered.
"The castle's gone. Vanished entirely."
"Not vanished—blown to smithereens."
"Is this even possible? It wasn't a monster; he obliterated the dungeon itself."
"Maybe he's not even human."
All sorts of chatter erupted, but Taejeong deactivated the mech and descended to the ground.
The hunters, who had been fixated on the vanished castle, turned their gazes to him in unison.
'This is kinda embarrassing.'
The atmosphere demanded he say something, so Taejeong scanned for the team leader.
"Quest... done, right?"
At his awkward question, Woo Kyung-ho nodded reflexively.
"Pardon? Oh. Y-yes."
"Then we're good here. Shall we head out? No point sticking around."
"R-right. I'll escort you... no, I'll rally the team right away……."
Taejeong waved it off reassuringly toward the dazed man.
"Take your time."
A short while later, once the team had regrouped, they began their descent.
Having cleared everything on the way up, there were no monsters to encounter on the way down. Not that it would have mattered.
The aftermath of the hunt was staggering.
Before demolishing the castle, all eyes had been on him with curiosity and awe. Now, everyone was tiptoeing around, watching his every move.
And understandably so. Taejeong in human form had been a curiosity, a marvel. But in mech mode? That absurd firepower was a shock too overwhelming for mere curiosity.
No one said it aloud, but they no longer saw him as an ordinary guild member.
The awkward silence felt off, so Taejeong approached Seo Ju-ah, who was walking a bit ahead.
"Um……."
She halted. His single word stopped the entire party in their tracks as they turned to him.
"Is something bothering you……?"
Woo Kyung-ho asked, and Taejeong shook his head no. He sidled up to Seo Ju-ah and lowered his voice.
"Why's the vibe so weird?"
"What do you mean?"
"It's too quiet. Nothing like the way here."
"Oh, that. Before we left, Seong-ho spilled your rank."
"My rank?"
"Yeah. So now everyone thinks you're not just some regular guild member."
"You're in the same boat, aren't you?"
"My class is standard. Oh—do you know you're our guild's one and only Hidden?"
"Me?"
"Yeah. In top guilds, Hiddens get VIP treatment. They're handed key positions even before recruitment. So to them, you don't look like an ordinary guy."
"I see."
Taejeong thought it was pointless fussing, but the gap between executives and regular members was indeed vast. Unless you were close, even casual chit-chat was tough. Sure, some execs were approachable, but most kept their distance to maintain discipline—a mantra drilled into them endlessly.
As the conversation lulled, Seo Ju-ah turned to him.
"Planning to join the club?"
"How'd you—?"
"You have to start from the bottom to get in. It's the rule. A guild's sole Hidden with no major role? What else could it be?"
"Figures. As Seo Jin's sister, you know your stuff."
"I'm going through it too. Slim chances for me, though."
"So what'll you do once you're in?"
"What about you, Taejeong? What's your plan?"
Her casual toss-back made him chuckle.
"Guess I asked a dumb question."
"Just one thing I gotta do. Can't do it here, though."
In that instant, he caught two emotions in her eyes: sorrow and rage—or rage-tinged sorrow. But it faded quickly, and he didn't pry.
They walked on in silence for a while.
Crossing the red-moonlit desert, the party soon entered the forest.
A grueling march without a single break. Exhaustion etched every face.
"How about a short rest here?"
At Taejeong's suggestion, the hunters' expressions lit up like they'd been waiting for it.
Truth be told, they'd hit their limit even before the castle. Despite the smooth return, rest was desperate. But with today's star looking utterly unfazed the whole trek, no one dared suggest it.
They could call the shots when they were the drivers, but now roles were reversed—they were the passengers.
In that bind, Taejeong's words were sweeter than rain in drought.
"Thought I was gonna die. How'd you march nonstop like that? How many hours was it?"
"Taejeong's not human. Face didn't change once. Bet he could go all day."
Exhausted Lee Seong-ho and his partner-in-crime(?) Shin Ji-su.
Jo Yong-seok and Seo Ju-ah weren't much better off. But these four deserved praise—they were outclassed in experience and stamina yet kept pace without falling behind. A testament to their mental fortitude.
A bit apart from them, Taejeong deactivated his exoskeleton legs and leaned against a tree with a groan.
"Ugh. Finally feel alive."
He might've looked fine to others, but he wasn't unscathed. The exoskeleton minimized physical strain, but its fixed range of motion meant he'd endured his share of hardship.
'Let's see what we got.'
Taejeong opened his inventory to check the items from the hunt.
A decent haul of items. Familiar materials from the data, plus some unfamiliar ones.
A ruby-like oval object, about two finger-widths long.
"Red Essence. From that bug swarm? Looks like a gem... no clue."
Curiosity piqued, Taejeong stood and approached Woo Kyung-ho resting nearby.
"Kyung-ho."
"Ah, yes. Ready to head out?"
"Nah. Do you know what Red Essence is?"
"...You didn't eat it, did you?"
"Got one. Figured it was something good……."
"That's a magic stone."
"Magic stone? Like the energy source ones?"
"Yes. Red Essence is too small for power generation, but it's a mini magic stone usable in potion refining."
"Rough value...?"
"Not sure exactly, but it'd top 10 billion won easy. Potions made from one go for over that. Rare even in high dungeons—congrats."
The sky-high price delighted Taejeong. He'd come solely for the quest—no thoughts of growth or profit. This windfall was pure bonus.
'Nice. Gotta have some unearned income like this. Wait, no—earned it hunting, so not unearned?'
He couldn't help but grin.