Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Experimenting with the Power of Subordinates (1)
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“First item on the agenda.”
I read the first entry on the parchment.
“It’s about letting the outsiders into Paradise... Hong Byeong-gyu, how did you handle it back in Muak-dong?”
It had originally been about accepting the DMC station residents, but they’d politely declined.
“First-come, first-served.”
“Let’s do it differently this time.”
“Like how?”
“Please prioritize selecting those in poor physical condition. I’ll leave this to you, Byeong-gyu.”
Hong Byeong-gyu nodded.
I looked around at the Association executives. Democratic procedure. The executives raised their hands in approval.
“Moving on to the second item. Uniforms for the <Association>?”
Um Jae-beom raised his hand then.
A man in his thirties. Medium height, square build. Once the number two at the [National Guard Headquarters].
“This is my proposal.”
As a former soldier, his speech and actions had a disciplined edge, but to me, it felt overly stiff.
“Could you explain the reason?”
“Uniforms give an organization unity. If there’s a quick and efficient way to integrate groups that were separate until now, it’s through uniforms.”
Um Jae-beom glanced at the others as he continued.
“You’ve all got military service experience, so I trust you’ll agree.”
It was certainly a reasonable proposal. Before voting, I turned to Choi Uk.
“The third item was new recruit enlistment, right? How about applying this to them too?”
Choi Uk was in charge of new recruit enlistment.
Choi Uk seemed to run some mental calculations for a moment, then nodded.
“Excellent idea. Don’t just think about uniform standardization—look at it broader.”
“Like what?”
“Standardize the armament system too. Over the past twenty days, we were clueless. We had to risk our lives clashing to figure out which weapons and armor were best.”
He was spot on.
A prime example: it took three days in the Nightmare Zone for serrated weapons to become the unwritten rule. How many died in those three days?
“But new recruits don’t need to go through that, do they? We know now. What the most efficient gear is.”
I always felt it, but Choi Uk’s words had this subtle pull that drew people in.
No sooner had Choi Uk finished than the executives raised their hands in a show of approval. Hong Byeong-gyu spoke up.
“Still, I don’t wanna wear military uniforms again. I was just finishing up my civil defense duty.”
“Tell me about it. I’m done with them too.”
Laughter erupted in the meeting room at the retort from former Major Um Jae-beom. I said,
“How about standardizing uniforms and armament while also subdividing branches of service?”
“Branches?”
“Make the [Scout Team], [Support Team], and [Subjugation Team] we used in this operation official units, like subunits. So we can deploy warrior-type Hunters and sniper-type Hunters where they’re needed most.”
Um Jae-beom raised one eyebrow.
“Same uniforms, but distinguished somehow... You thinking unit patches?”
“Unit patches! That’s it. Great suggestion.”
I looked at Seo Hwa-yun.
“I’ll entrust this to the Strategy and Technology Team Leader. Make it combat-practical attire, please.”
“Okay. I’ve already got a good idea.”
A flush rose to Seo Hwa-yun’s cheeks, and she flashed a ferocious smile. A sudden unease crept over me.
“But if you bring something too outlandish, I’ll replace the person in charge immediately.”
“What do you take me for?”
...Mad scientist.
Of course, I didn’t say it out loud.
“Next item... Deciding the official name for the <Association>?”
The culprit was Shin Tae-yeop.
“<Association> feels kinda bland, right? How about [Hunter Association]? Sounds cooler.”
“Wow, childish.”
Jeong Ha-kyeong muttered under her breath.
But the other executives, except Choi Uk, seemed fine with it. Especially enthusiastic were Seo Hwa-yun and Hong Byeong-gyu....
Two yes votes, five no.
By majority rule, the official name wouldn’t be [Hunter Association].
Three more items were proposed after that, discussed, and approved. To summarize:
The old Taeleungjeon would be used as the intel room.
The old air raid shelter as the tech research lab.
The <Association> guarantees safety in western Seodaemun-gu.
Gyeongbok Palace’s annex set as barracks, and <Romance> would move their HQ to Gyeongbok Palace too.
“Now, the final item. Overview of the experiment to weaponize Do Ye-jin’s subordinate power.”
The room fell silent in an instant.
Feeling the chill of the approaching battle, I spoke.
“Controlled personnel: me, Im Yong-gon, Shin Tae-yeop, and Seo Hwa-yun. Four of us.”
Former reconnaissance left wing team leader Lee Seong-mi tilted her head.
“Just four people? You sure?”
“It’ll work.”
I said that, but I was anxious.
Victories against subordinates had always been miraculous....
Seo Hwa-yun said,
“I’m thinking of setting up a mini electric barrier. There’s some equipment left in Jung-gu. If it goes berserk... the barrier alone should drain a lot of its stamina.”
“In short, we’re taking every precaution.”
I summed up Seo Hwa-yun’s point.
High risk for high return... A hush fell for a moment. I forced a smile to break the silence.
“Meeting adjourned. Those with assignments, handle them at your discretion and just submit final reports. That’s all.”
1.
“I’ll explain how we’re conducting the subordinate weapon experiment.”
[Operations Meeting Room].
Seo Hwa-yun drew a large circle on the whiteboard.
“This circle is the primary containment line. The electric barrier thing—barely big enough to fit Arishel-lap’s massive frame.”
“That’s the containment?”
“If you’ve got any sense left, you’ll stay put inside it, right?”
Do Ye-jin nodded with a slightly frightened look. Seo Hwa-yun drew an even larger circle.
“This is secondary containment. Tae-yeop will put up a flame wall. It’s got enough power to wipe out low-grade Heteromorphs... so watch yourself if you feel like dancing.”
“Badass.”
“Always am.”
Shin Tae-yeop, clad in chainmail, nodded arrogantly. Do Ye-jin ignored him firmly and asked Seo Hwa-yun,
“What next?”
“Nothing.”
“...?”
“After all that rampaging, what more do you want?”
Seo Hwa-yun nodded toward me and Im Yong-gon.
I was in full heavy gear. [Shadow Exoskeleton Cloak]. Steel greaves, leather gloves, half-helm.
“We’ll have to put you down then.”
Do Ye-jin clamped her mouth shut for a second.
A flicker of panic crossed her face, but she soon let out a heh and smiled.
“It’s fine! I’ll make it work!”
Seo Hwa-yun smiled as if pleased by the plucky response.
“Listen up. The spot you emerge from is right here, the occiput.”
Seo Hwa-yun sketched a skull on the board and circled the back of the head.
“If we hit it dead-on, we might be able to save you. We’ll try.”
As Do Ye-jin relaxed, Seo Hwa-yun added,
“But you heard at the council, right? Subordinate power is absolute. Absolute. Whether we can pull off this crazy stunt is anyone’s guess.”
“...!”
“But that unknown entity said it. Control this power. So you can do it. No—you have to.”
2.
The experiment site was a barren ruin, bleak in its desolation. Not that any downtown area these days wasn’t...
Under the ashen sky.
A blackened, rotting cityscape.
Standing amid it all made my mood gloomier than ever. Seo Hwa-yun’s voice carried from afar.
“If you can control the subordinate state, make a circle with both hands. Okay?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Wait. I’ll ring the bell as the start signal.”
Do Ye-jin was left alone inside the 15-meter-diameter high-tech fence. Seo Hwa-yun, in light gear, came running over, her white coat flapping.
“Something I’ve been meaning to ask.”
“What?”
“I get you made the electric barrier with 《Form Memory》... but isn’t it still electronic equipment? How does it even work?”
Seo Hwa-yun adjusted her glasses with a serious look.
Not surprising anymore.
When the topic’s tech or science, she’s the most earnest person around.
“Look, civilization tuning has flaws. Not sure if they’re bugs or intentional. Like, gunpowder firearms are still around. Here’s the key part. Electricity’s gone, but some electric-powered gear remains...”
“No, stop. I won’t get it no matter how much more you say.”
Nobody buying a computer asks the tech for a full rundown of how it works.
It just works somehow. That’s all I needed to know.
“And I’ve got an electricity-type unique skill... What? You ask and then deflate me.”
“Focusing on the experiment right now.”
I gazed at Do Ye-jin across the way. Tension and anticipation twisted fiercely inside me, my heart pounding.
I slowly clenched and unclenched my fist.
If.
Do Ye-jin goes berserk...?
But if.
We can actually use Do Ye-jin as a subordinate weapon... it’ll flip this war completely.
“Let’s begin.”
I said.
Seo Hwa-yun rang the bell.
Ding... Ding... Ding...
The clear bell echoed through the ruined city. A cuckoo cried in the air. A sharp wind blew, flapping Seo Hwa-yun’s coat.
Arishel-lap didn’t appear.
“What the?”
“Try again.”
Seo Hwa-yun muttered to herself, then rang the bell three more times at Shin Tae-yeop’s words.
I watched tensely.
The bell tolled in my ears again for a while, but Arishel-lap didn’t show.
“No!”
Do Ye-jin made an X with her arms and screamed like she was in agony.
“It’s not working!”
Not working?
We said nothing for a while.
It was an outcome we hadn’t even imagined.
Berserk or controlled. We’d only anticipated one or the other...
“...”
About 30 seconds passed.
Seo Hwa-yun declared the experiment a failure and abort, then nodded toward it.
“Let’s go check.”
Do Ye-jin waited for us with a dazed, resigned expression.
We were just as baffled and disappointed. Seo Hwa-yun was the first to question her.
“What happened? Just use your unique skill.”
“Yeah. I tried.”
She said that even though she’d done it exactly like in Paradise, she got a [Warning: Conditions not met] alert.
“...Conditions not met again?”
It was weird.
If my memory was right, no Hunter using a unique skill had ever hit that snag.
“Could she be faking it?”
Im Yong-gon said sharply.
“Claiming she can’t control it so she won’t even try transforming?”
Im Yong-gon nodded, and I shook my head in Do Ye-jin’s place.
“No. She knows. What happens if she doesn’t become a subordinate...”
“Conditions not met... Conditions not met...”
Lost in thought, Shin Tae-yeop mumbled blankly, then suddenly looked up.
“What if it failed because we’re in a Hunting Zone?”
“What’re you talking about?”
“Subordinates only come out in Nightmare Zones. And Nightmare Zones are isolated from Hunting Zones and Paradise...”
I groaned at the guess.
Because it made sense... But that was the problem.
“Nightmare Zones are dangerous enough on their own. Let alone running an experiment there.”
“Can’t use the electric barrier either. How would we even haul this stuff. Took two days just to set up here.”
Seo Hwa-yun backed me up. Shin Tae-yeop insisted like he was protesting.
“We still gotta. No choice. We’re keeping Do Ye-jin alive because she’s a living subordinate weapon...”
Yeah. Shin Tae-yeop was right.
The Association members hadn’t spared her out of trust. They’d voted to keep her for the potential.
“Mister. I’ll push it like old downtown. I’ll double up barriers to keep Heteromorphs out. That work?”
“Two extra-large barriers?”
“Yeah.”
“Then battle’s just on the three of us?”
Shin Tae-yeop faltered.
“Then call Do Su-jin noona—”
“—No. She’s Do Ye-jin’s family. She’ll hesitate in a critical moment.”
Do Ye-jin cast her eyes down like a criminal.
I glanced at her, sighed, and turned to Im Yong-gon and Seo Hwa-yun.
“What’s your take?”
<Romance>’s two stayed quiet for a bit. Finally, Seo Hwa-yun shrugged.
“No helping it. Let’s try. Im Yong-gon said you soloed a subordinate last time.”
“I’m worried about you all, not myself.”
Seo Hwa-yun burst out laughing and slapped my back.
“Whoa! Worried about us? Scared we’ll get executed soon? Fair, I wouldn’t have face to see Ha-kyeong if I died. Yeah.”
“This isn’t the time for jokes?”
“Jokes? That was just funny. What do you take me and Im Yong-gon for?”
Well...
Fair point.
Excluding me with my absurdly high level, <Romance>’s trio had the highest levels among Nightmare Hunters.
I pressed my left hand to my forehead.
My throbbing head was a scale tipping back and forth.
If even one of us dies here.
Can’t rely on Im Yong-gon’s power.
Can’t rely on Seo Hwa-yun’s tech.
Can’t rely on Shin Tae-yeop’s humanity.
Can I fulfill my mission?
But if we can deploy a subordinate weapon...?
A truly grim calculus.
One life versus three.
Weighing human lives like that... It took a long time to decide.
“...Alright. Let’s do it.”