Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Rest to This Ruined World, Siege of Gyeongbokgung Palace (2)
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3.
“How about changing your nickname now?”
Do Ye-jin said to Shin Tae-yeop.
“Something like ‘The High Schooler Who Summons Typhoons and Clocks Out Early,’ or ‘Typhoon-Summoning Spectator Mode ON.’”
They were on their way back to Paradise.
They needed to make full preparations for the scheduled raid.
“Clocks out early? Spectator? What are you talking about?”
“You’re always the first one out when the fight starts, that’s why~ Nah, just kidding~.”
“This little punk is really asking for it. Hey, get over here. Where do you think you’re going? I said come here!”
Shin Tae-yeop raised his fist toward the fleeing Do Ye-jin, then suddenly let out a pained groan and clutched his side.
“Oh no. It looks like it hasn’t fully healed yet.”
“Ugh…… Damn…… I hooked a big one!”
Shin Tae-yeop grabbed the back of Do Ye-jin’s neck as he approached with concern.
“You fell for something that simple. You’ve got a long way to go. Time for a beating.”
“You’re doing this to someone who came over out of worry? You coward!”
“You’re not even a fresh sprout, you’re a brand-new shoot. There’s no such thing as a fair fight. And this much…… the wound healed ages ago.”
Shin Tae-yeop said that, then showed a slightly flustered expression.
“Wait. But why isn’t there any fatigue? You didn’t use Star Dew on me?”
“That wasn’t healed with Star Dew.”
“Don’t mess around.”
“It’s hard to explain.”
Do Ye-jin explained to Shin Tae-yeop what had happened in the meantime. Shin Tae-yeop groaned.
“That’s really complicated. I have no idea what you’re saying. A miracle?”
“But…… those people, they all seemed to know you.”
Shin Tae-yeop stared off into the distant void, then shook his head and scratched the back of his neck.
“I don’t know…….”
“You don’t want to know?”
“It’d be nice if I could, sure. But it’s impossible, right? They’re all dead, aren’t they?”
Do Ye-jin suddenly stopped walking.
Shin Tae-yeop turned around, wondering what was up with him now.
“You’ve given up?”
……Given up?
If it was giving up, then yeah, he had.
“There’s no way around it, whether I’ve given up or not.”
“You’re tired of it?”
“…….”
“Back when Roheiritz told us to run away alone, you were ready to give up then too, right?”
Shin Tae-yeop turned his head silently.
The wind blew, kicking up dust and tousling his ponytail.
“Probably.”
That’s when Do Ye-jin headbutted Shin Tae-yeop’s forehead. Shin Tae-yeop yelped and staggered back.
“You punk! What the hell?!”
“No more of that from now on. I won’t either. Promise me.”
Do Ye-jin spun around and started walking. Shin Tae-yeop hurried after him and asked.
“What do you mean, you won’t either?”
“Right. Do you know what my name means?”
“You want me to break it down into hanja?”
“Not that. I have a subordinate name. Guess it.”
“Hmm…… Idiot?”
“Get lost.”
“Moron?”
“I said no.”
“Blockhead?”
“Want another hit from the blockhead?”
“Whoops. Sorry. Freshie? New sprout? Button mushroom?”
“What are you on about~? Is Shin Tae-yeop an idiot moron blockhead freshie new sprout button mushroom, so that’s all you can see?”
And then Do Ye-jin burst into laughter.
Suddenly, he turned around, touched his chest, and flashed a bright smile.
“There’s no such thing as ‘Arishel’ or whatever. In the language of the gods, it means the dawn of the whole world.”
In that instant.
A voice.
- Finally, I’ll implant the knowledge of your magic deep into your memories before I go.
Unknown memories.
They began to surface in his mind amid excruciating pain.
- So that you can use this power when danger befalls you.
He didn’t know who it was.
But that face was achingly familiar and longed for.
- It’s time to part now. But don’t worry. With the dawn of the whole world in hand, I’ll come find you again.
Shin Tae-yeop reached out instinctively.
His hand cut through the air, grasping at something.
“Huh?”
A familiar voice.
The one in his grip was…… Do Ye-jin.
In that moment, the world of memory crumbled, and the real world filled his vision once more.
“Why are you grabbing my shoulder with those startled eyes? You’re scaring me.”
Shin Tae-yeop gasped.
“No…… this is…….”
He had reclaimed a fragment of memory.
All the memories were still hazy, but this was enough.
Because he knew now that the dream wasn’t a mere regret. The proof was standing right in front of him.
Yeah…… so that’s how it was.
Suddenly, the reason he’d been given the transcendent countermeasure of a subordinate weapon…… Ah…… so that’s how it was.
“What did you say earlier……? Something about promising not to give up on each other?”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
“I promise.”
Shin Tae-yeop held out his pinky and thumb and said again.
“I promise.”
4.
“That’s a completely insane idea.”
At the Gyeonghui Palace headquarters, <Workshop>
I said as I examined the special equipment for the Gyeongbokgung raid.
“Insane means it’s brilliant.”
“Right? I knew you’d say that.”
What Seo Hwa-yoon had prepared in just three hours was a zipline.
It was a long way from the eastern gate to Gyeongbokgung.
Moving a large force there opened the door to all sorts of problems.
“In other words, the key to the Gyeongbokgung raid is avoiding heteromorphs as much as possible. It’s a different situation from previous raids.”
Shin Tae-yeop picked up another zipline.
“So how do we use this?”
“It’ll be an absolutely epic adventure. If we do it right, we could go straight from Inwangsan Park entrance to Gwanghwamun in one go.”
“W-Wait, in one go……?!”
Not just Shin Tae-yeop—the other executives were visibly shocked too. Seo Hwa-yoon crossed her arms smugly.
“There aren’t many high-rises in Cheongun Hyoja-dong. Because it’s close to the Blue House. And there are no dangerous flying heteromorphs like monster birds.”
To sum up Seo Hwa-yoon’s explanation:
It would be impossible in other administrative districts, but possible here in Cheongun Hyoja-dong.
“This raid…… seems way too easy, doesn’t it?”
“That’s exactly the problem. This raid is premised on the possibility that Do Ye-jin can control his subordinate’s power.”
Choi Uk pointed out the reality.
The main briefing had made us realize anew just how cheat-like a subordinate weapon was.
Do Ye-jin.
The mere existence of that one kid made planning this operation so straightforward.
“From now on, let’s prepare for the operation’s failure. If Do Ye-jin fails to control his power, the operation stops right there.”
“Agreed.”
“Assuming that scenario, we’ll organize into extermination squads, three elite extermination squads, and a Do Ye-jin retrieval squad.”
It was a slightly unexpected statement.
Retrieval squad. Didn’t that mean they were committed to saving Do Ye-jin?
“Kim Baek-jun, you’ll personally select that hunting platoon. The personnel who mesh well with you are the most important.”
“Understood. Thank you for the discretion.”
“But if the operation goes according to plan…… the subordinate weapon breaches Gwanghwamun, and the main force advances along that breached path.”
Choi Uk’s memory was astounding. He’d perfectly sketched the old Gyeongbokgung map…… as a rough diagram.
“Sammun Samjo (Three Gates, Three Courts).”
“Sammun Samjo?”
“Joseon was a vassal state, so it had to follow this rite: three gates leading to the throne hall.”
I stared blankly.
As expected…… once Choi Uk started on difficult topics, there was no end.
“To put it simply, Gyeongbokgung is structured with three gates total up to the throne hall, Geunjeongjeon.”
Choi Uk circled the large gate connected to the castle gate at the bottom of the rough diagram.
“The start of the south gate and the first gate is Gwanghwamun.”
Beyond Gwanghwamun, the second gate Heungnyemun.
Beyond Heungnyemun, the third gate Geunjeongmun.
“If we successfully pass these three gates, we’ll reach the heart of Gyeongbokgung: the throne hall, Geunjeongjeon.”
A glint appeared in Choi Uk’s eyes.
“Judging from the world intersections so far…… across various cases, the subordinate is definitely there, in Geunjeongjeon.”
5.
Gyeonghui Palace, Hyunchoongwon.
This cemetery’s origins trace back to the dawn of nightmare hunting.
Back to our childhood days.
The era when hope had died and vanished from sight.
The time when people fought to the death to reclaim that hope.
“Gye-sang.”
My finger stopped at the first memorial stone. Where the names of the Second Raid’s sacrifices were engraved.
“The academy is doing well.”
Of course, no answer came.
“The teachers are working with a sense of duty. The kids are studying hard.”
“Give him the numbers.”
Jeong Ha-kyeong chided.
“There are already three teachers, and forty kids.”
A bittersweet smile escaped.
“It’d be nice if you could see that sight while you were alive.”
I walked to the third memorial stone and knelt on one knee. To the place where the names of those I loved were engraved side by side.
“Ye-jin said something funny.”
Hong Byeong-gyu, Yoon Geon-woo, Cha Seung-hyeon.
“He said Byeong-gyu gave her a weird nickname. Magical girl in 2045? What’s that about, magical girl?”
Jeong Ha-kyeong laughed as if she couldn’t stop him.
“What can you do? Tomorrow he turns fifty, the old man.”
“But…… Ye-jin said something admirable too. That the one who gave her the nickname entrusted his dream to her.”
I pointed to other names with my finger and grinned.
“Is that true, Geon-woo? Seung-hyeon?”
No answer came.
It would never come again. I felt the grief leaking from the threads of fate soaking my heart.
“This is the Sixth Subordinate Raid now.”
“Kids. This means the next subordinate is the final one.”
Their bodies were gone now.
But their souls remained. In my life. In my heart. Under the name of hope. That’s why I had to move forward.
“Association President.”
From the other side of the cemetery.
A female hunter called to me.
“Departure preparations are complete. Choi Uk says all executives are to gather.”
“I’ll head there now.”
The female hunter bowed her head and headed elsewhere.
I rose from the dirt.
And finally, I placed my hand on the memorial stone once more, making this promise.
“Then, I’ll be off.”
6.
“1100 hours. Operation commence.”
From the midpoint of Inwangsan, Choi Uk gave the order.
The entire raid force hooked their steel claws onto the ziplines in unison, then threw themselves into the air.
- Zipline length: 500 meters. Straight to the city.
I looked around amid the headwind.
The scenery of Inwangsan flashing by below was indescribably horrific.
Inwangsan was the land of monstrous plants.
A forest of grotesque branches and roots writhing savagely.
No way could they pass through that.
- That’s why this genius invented the zipline.
Seo Hwa-yoon’s 《Form Memory》 was the key to this raid’s route.
At the same time, the city drew closer.
The city, a jumble of medieval and modern architecture, crouched silently in the twilight.
I landed on a rooftop from the zipline.
Then, amplifying my leg strength, I leaped from roof to roof, pressing forward.
The route was simple.
Along the outskirts of Cheongun Hyoja-dong, to Gyeongbokgung’s south gate, Gwanghwamun.
Along the way, I took one last look at the intersection of fallen civilizations.
[Illusion Township]…….
I didn’t know who named it, but it felt fitting.
How long did I run like that?
“Gwanghwamun.”
Someone’s excited shout.
I looked up to see Gwanghwamun majestically filling the horizon.
Elegant dark blue tiled pavilions.
White stone walls and reddish-brown gates…… everything was modest yet sturdy.
I tasted a mix of thrill and resignation.
Gyeongbokgung.
The 500-year legacy of the Joseon Dynasty, now the lost past of Koreans.
What snapped me from my reverie.
Was the sight, in the next moment, of heavily armed soldiers lining the walls.
“Look at that, those bastards already have their bows out.”
“Calm down. We’re still out of range.”
I stopped on the last building’s rooftop and surveyed both sides of Gwanghwamun.
“Ah…… Ahh…… Ahh…….”
Hundreds of pilgrims prostrated and weeping. After about five seconds, Do Ye-jin landed behind me, panting.
“You sure you can do this?”
“Yeah.”
As soon as Do Ye-jin nodded, I signaled Jeong Ha-kyeong.
“Ha-kyeong.”
Jeong Ha-kyeong fired the zipline gun at Gwanghwamun’s wall.
Phewing……!
The iron harpoon sliced through the air.
The wire-connected harpoon embedded deep into the wall.
“Got it.”
Do Ye-jin took a deep breath, hooked the claw onto the wire again, and shouted.
“The Magical Girl Middle Schooler Who Summons Typhoons is going inaaaaaaa!”