Chapter 191
Chapter 191
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: Toward Seong Mountain, Nowon-gu Breakthrough Operation (2)
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3.
“Here, this is the carriage that’ll take us all the way to Nowon-gu.”
This is a carriage...?
Shin Tae-yeop couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh at Seo Hwa-yoon’s pun.
“Top speed’s probably around 140 km/h, give or take. Assuming the power source keeps charging up, of course.”
Jongno-gu outskirts, Seongbuk-gu.
This was one of Seoul Subway Line 6 stations—Bomun Station.
“It can really hit speeds that fast? How?”
Seo Hwa-yoon had guided the Association’s full forces into the station, and there on the subway tracks...
“You’re wondering how fast a steam locomotive can really go, right?”
...sat a steam locomotive.
Glossy black, with a vintage look straight out of a Western flick.
“What’re you talking about? Back in 1935, Germany had a steam engine clocking 200 km/h.”
“...!”
“Then Britain broke the record with one at 201 km/h.”
She adjusted the combat goggles she’d swapped for her glasses, explaining proudly.
“This is Line 6. Just a 20-minute ride by subway to Seokgye Station, the southernmost point in Nowon-gu.”
“...!”
“But if we push this baby to max speed...?”
“............!”
“It’ll take us maybe 10 minutes tops. And we’ve only got one passenger car to boot.”
Wow, 10 minutes?
This woman is seriously... insane.
Shin Tae-yeop found himself awestruck by Seo Hwa-yoon’s abilities once again.
“This is made with 《Shape Memory》, too, right?”
“Nope. No way.”
“Huh?”
“I just found an existing train and reworked it like this.”
She said it like it was the most obvious thing...
But he had no clue what she meant.
“The train was tracked down by Baek Hyeon-jong over there from the suburbs, along with Ji-yeon and her friends. Give ’em a round of applause!”
Applause erupted from all around in an instant.
“Jjuuenjang~ Knew you could do it~!”
“I didn’t believe it~! But I do now~!”
Baek Hyeon-jong was a rear-guard hunter from DMC Station, repaying a debt to Kim Baek-jun, he explained.
“Alright, now I’ll assign seats by squad, so everyone sit exactly where I tell you.”
Seat assignments?
As they tilted their heads, Seo Hwa-yoon flashed that eerie smile she got when deep in research.
“We’re gonna use some pretty aggressive tactics to punch through Nowon-gu.”
“...!”
“Gotta show those bastards what Seo Hwa-yoon’s power is really made of, right?! Huh?”
She winked, and the hunters roared back energetically.
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Wooo! Get ready for a trip straight to Hell’s Gate, you lot! Just follow your big sis!”
Seo Hwa-yoon shouted, and the Association’s fighters threw up their hands in cheers.
“Sis!”
“Sis! Sis!”
“Shishishishishishishishishi!”
“Sis! Sis! Sis, I’m dying!”
“You that desperate to get wrecked? C’mere. I’ll love you to death.”
“...Sorry.”
And so the troop deployment wrapped up in a flash. As Shin Tae-yeop assisted Seo Hwa-yoon, he asked,
“I get that they found the train... but how’d you modify it?”
“Pig fat and firewood for the firebox go over here. Yeah, load it all in the cargo hold...”
She barked orders busily, then paused and turned to Shin Tae-yeop.
“Oh, right! Forgot to explain that. Wanna hear?”
“Of course!”
“Aww, so cute. Our Association’s little mascot.”
Seo Hwa-yoon ruffled his hair wildly, then shrugged like it was no big deal.
“You know 《Star Nebula Fluid》?”
“Yeah. The stuff for healing wounds. Paradise Zone’s fenced off by mist like it.”
“I just brought a ton of it and sprayed it all over the train.”
Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?
Seo Hwa-yoon’s answer was still total nonsense to him.
“While analyzing the 《Star Nebula Fluid》, I learned something new.”
“...?”
“We thought it just healed wounds or melted approaching Heteromorphs into dust, right?”
“Yeah.”
“But actually, it’s a power that reverses time.”
Shin Tae-yeop flinched at the words.
Time Regression...?
Wasn’t that the power of light wielded by Verkensia?
“It leaves minor scars or fatigue behind... so it’s not exactly like the time reversal we know, but it definitely is.”
But if my hunch is right.
This nightmare world was crafted by Jeong Cheol’s design.
“So after running all sorts of experiments, I figured it out.”
Of course the 《Star Nebula Fluid》 is a power from the Abyss...?
“Paradise Zone didn’t become a modern city because of some other force.”
Wait, hold on.
A memory flashed through Shin Tae-yeop’s mind.
- Sin and judgment were originally the domain of the creation god Gel Daharia, who governed [Justice].
But the absolute god of the Abyss, Yotia Ttos, stole it away.
Ah, so that’s it.
The Abyss and light share the same essence. Even Jeong Cheol used a power that seemed to stop time.
“That star mist deploys, and any city exposed to it regresses into a modern city.”
When he snapped out of his thoughts.
Seo Hwa-yoon was peering at him, head tilted.
“Didn’t get it?”
“Shishishishi...”
“Shirak’s the same, always making these complicated faces. Want me to dumb it down?”
“No, no! I’m good! I got it all.”
He bowed quickly in thanks.
Before her long-winded explanation could kick off...
“Oh, Tae-yeop!”
...he hurriedly tried to board the steam locomotive when Seo Hwa-yoon’s voice called from behind.
“There’s a rookie in First Squad. Age-wise, he’ll fit right in with you guys.”
A rookie?
First Hunting Squad was First Platoon.
Exact spot: left side of First Platoon. Ryu Hyeon-ji waved from there.
“Over here!”
In the squad seats: Heo Cheon-gyeom and Park Ji-won.
And... that must be the rookie. A Nowon-gu defector sat there.
Lee Ha-ram.
She was a girl with strikingly unique beauty.
Under her black bob haircut.
Delicately refined Eastern features.
But... maybe because of her fierce gaze, she felt like a sharpened blade.
Polishing a massive boomerang hastily made in the <Workshop>, Lee Ha-ram glanced up at Shin Tae-yeop.
A chilling glance.
Cold and indifferent, like staring at a beast, laced with outright hostility.
“What?”
Shin Tae-yeop had been staring blankly at her unusual looks and vibe when he finally spoke up at her retort.
“Who else? Your big bro.”
Out of nowhere.
Lee Ha-ram blinked blankly for a second, then scrunched her face like it was ridiculous.
“Big bro? What bullshit.”
“Not bullshit. Guys and girls here all call me big bro. Right, guys?”
Shin Tae-yeop shot a look at the squad, and Heo Cheon-gyeom and Park Ji-won chimed in one after another.
“Haha, I’m Heo Cheon-gyeom, handling little bro duties for this squad.”
“Hehe, I’m Park Ji-won, your baby bro.”
“Fuck off! What are you, old-school idols?”
Lee Ha-ram spat curses vehemently and glared at Shin Tae-yeop. When he didn’t flinch, she pushed back.
“No, seriously, fuck, it’s obviously some half-assed setup!”
“Nah.”
“Yeah.”
“No.”
“Yeah.”
Shin Tae-yeop lowered his voice deliberately, making Lee Ha-ram flinch.
“...For real?”
“Yup. Right, Hyeon-ji? You can’t lie.”
“I... I don’t know anything.”
Ryu Hyeon-ji rolled her eyes, staying neutral.
This traitor bitch...
Made friends in Gangbuk-gu and now betraying First Hunting Squad? Lee Ha-ram snorted.
“Don’t buy it.”
“Gotta say, ‘Don’t buy it, big bro.’ As you know, the Association values respect for superiors.”
“...!”
“And big bro’s the starting point for that respect.”
Do Ye-jin would’ve burst out laughing if she were here... the guy who doesn’t know jack about manners.
“Shirak.”
“See? Shirak agrees. Say it again.”
“What bullshit! I said no.”
“No? Guess I gotta use my last resort...”
“...?”
“Shirak, body slam.”
“Shirak! Shirak!”
Shirak charged in and started licking her face like mad.
Lee Ha-ram tried to fight back.
But she groaned as she bumped her shoulder against the ride-safety harness locking her tight to the train seat.
“Shi! Shi! Shi! Shi!”
And under Shirak’s artistic tongue work... she resisted hard, but it was futile.
“Stop, stop! I said no!”
Here was the issue.
Lee Ha-ram was more developed in build and voice compared to Do Ye-jin or Ryu Hyeon-ji.
“Ahh... Ahh...!”
Somehow, it turned into sounds straight out of a teen-restricted scene. Gotta end this quick...
“Hoo, holding out, huh? Then [Body Slam x500].”
“Fine! I get it, so stop! Stop!”
Lee Ha-ram was so flustered her face burned red.
“Good, then say it.”
“...”
“If you still hate it, get off this train.”
Lee Ha-ram glanced around like someone might overhear, then muttered in a tiny voice.
“Sorry... big bro.”
A brief silence.
Just the surrounding commotion for a moment.
The next instant, Park Ji-won and Heo Cheon-gyeom doubled over laughing.
“Laughing now?”
Lee Ha-ram glared furiously. Their laughter cut off dead.
Good...
Shin Tae-yeop let out a relieved breath.
Team vibe was shaping up nicely, warm and cozy.
Clank, clank, clank.
That’s when heavy footsteps echoed.
What’s that...?
The source.
Around 60 pilots boarding in what looked like heavy powered exosuits, like Gundams.
“Whoa... way cooler than I thought.”
Park Ji-won’s eyes sparkled, and Ryu Hyeon-ji nodded.
“R-Really...!”
“Thanks to the powered exosuits? All those weapons are <Workshop>-made guns too. Massive ones...!”
Lee Ha-ram, watching the scene, asked Ryu Hyeon-ji.
“That’s the Association’s civilian-to-hunter conversion project, right?”
“Yeah...? Why?”
“Just... jealous. We had something similar... but different.”
Lee Ha-ram’s face mixed sorrow and emptiness.
“If only... I’d started here with Uncle Su-cheol...”
That’s when a juicy curse rang out from up front.
“Off to boot camp or what, you shits? Shut the fuck up and sit down.”
A voice that boomed like it reverberated.
He turned... Uncle...? Almost thought it was Kim Baek-jun for a sec.
[Monster Eye Socket Helmet].
A crude helmet infused with alien aesthetics approached.
“Shin Tae-yeop.”
But the voice was unmistakably female. A familiar one. Shirak growled.
“Seo Hwa-yoon’s looking for you. Said you’d light a roaring fire in the firebox.”
“...?”
“What’re you staring at? Didn’t hear me?”
“H-Ha-kyeong sis? For real?”
Jeong Ha-kyeong stood there blankly at the words, then tossed off the helmet like it was absurd.
“Who else? Not like it’s morning dreams.”
Tousled black bob.
Under those locks, refined features contrasting a drab vibe.
Definitely Jeong Ha-kyeong.
Her eyes didn’t emit that dark blue glow... but they were unbearably hollow. What’s this?
“Shirak. Shirak. Shirak!”
That’s why it felt ominous.
Shirak wouldn’t calm down, kept growling.
“Ha-kyeong sis, right?”
“Fuck, who else? Go already.”
Jeong Ha-kyeong sighed, then habitually patted her coat pocket.
“Oh, right, no smoking, shit...”
She grumbled weakly and trudged to her assigned seat.
“She... seems like a totally different person...”
When did she sneak in here?
Ryu Hyeon-ji mumbled blankly from behind Shin Tae-yeop as Black added,
「Divinity. Smells like a god. Human, yet not.」
Divinity?
She really did seem different.
Not just because her loadout had shifted from heavy firearms to shortsword, dagger, and pistol.
“Don’t sweat it too much, bro.”
“Park Ji-won?”
“Ever since Baek-jun bro died, Ha-kyeong sis became a whole different person.”
He was right.
The faint human warmth she’d once shown was gone, replaced by icy detachment.
- You’re too dangerous to let live like this...
A flash before his eyes.
Tears glimpsed through Jeong Cheol’s helmet that day.
No way, Jeong Ha-kyeong too...?!
Did she sell her humanity for power like Jeong Cheol? As he moved to grab her.
“Tae-yop, we’re heading out now!”
From the train’s front.
Seo Hwa-yoon’s urging voice echoed from the engine room.
“Coming right now!”
Shin Tae-yeop glanced back at Jeong Ha-kyeong’s retreating figure, then reluctantly dashed to the engine room.
Figuring one battle wouldn’t be so bad, naively.