Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Ten Thousand Man Kill
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Pyeongtaek.
Camp Humphreys, the U.S. base in Korea.
Major Bowen, the head of the Military Intelligence Detachment in charge of information security, fell silent.
It was because of the unbelievable information delivered from the North.
"...The North Korean regime will collapse during the Victory Day military parade a week from now? Out of nowhere?"
Major Bowen asked his subordinate officers.
"Any signs of a new coup in North Korea?"
"Satellite reconnaissance shows no unusual military activity. That said, satellites have their limitations..."
"Is the intel from the North Korean Forward Command reliable?"
"It's confirmed. The origin is identified as their headquarters near Kaesong, just north of the DMZ in Paju."
Major Bowen swallowed hard.
"This is a headache. And we're already swamped because of Genocider."
Slaughterer.
He was talking about Do-hyun.
It wasn't just Korea in an uproar—the U.S. forces in Korea were watching closely too.
Since the Great Cataclysm, the missions of U.S. troops worldwide had changed.
Their top priority was gathering intelligence on astral bodies—the new era's resources, more commonly known as mana stones—across the globe.
America's pursuit of Pax Americana was all about securing the world's mana stones first to emerge as the sole superpower of the new age.
"There are plenty of crazy villains out there. Plenty who've done worse than Genocider. But no one's ever been as bold and cunning as that bastard."
Major Bowen felt his own words fell pitifully short of describing Genocider.
One word came to mind when looking at his crime scenes:
Art.
'Surprisingly, he didn't use any overwhelming abilities during the terrorist acts. At most, a B-rank, maybe A-rank at highest.'
Yet he'd accomplished what no S-rank villain could in record time.
As absurd as it was to call a villain this, it was like the work of an artist or maestro.
'We also need to watch how his ability level rises with each crime. By the last attack, it was top-tier A-rank, bordering on S-rank.'
Did he hide his ability level at first?
Or did it grow stronger over time?
Obviously the former.
No matter how much abilities could grow, jumping from B-rank to top A-rank in half a month was impossible.
Yet, oddly, Major Bowen thought of someone completely unrelated to Genocider.
'Kim Do-hyun... A mere B-rank who bragged to immigration he'd hit S-rank in a month.'
Monitoring scout targets was one of the intelligence unit's key tasks.
B-ranks weren't worth his attention, but he remembered the details since immigration had flagged Kim Do-hyun as a 'person of interest'.
'Genocider's class is definitely Shadow Knight. And Kim Do-hyun's class happens to be Shadow Knight too.'
Coincidence?
Even checking with the agents tailing Kim Do-hyun turned up nothing suspicious.
They had him under ironclad surveillance, but he rarely left home except for meals at the nearby diner.
'...Probably just a coincidence. No point wasting time on some delusional braggart. We need to decide what to do with Genocider. Whether to take him in or not.'
The body count Genocider racked up didn't matter.
America had accepted awakeners who'd killed far more.
What mattered was whether he served America's national interests.
And fortunately, Genocider had only spilled the blood of the wicked so far.
'If he's not an uncontrollable monster of a villain, he's our top recruitment target.'
It sounded ridiculous.
Whether he was a true apostle of justice like the public claimed or not, Genocider was an atrocious criminal.
Still, America welcomed even such villains.
Anyone short of the absolute worst was better than letting rivals snatch them up.
Awakeners emerged proportional to population.
Without America's bold policies, the new era's top superpower would have been a populous giant like China or India.
"But is this really from the North Korean Forward Command?"
"Didn't we confirm the origin?"
"It's just that Genocider's last attack was near Paju."
"...You saying Genocider infiltrated North Korea and sent the intel?"
It was an absurd speculation, on par with assuming Kim Do-hyun was Genocider.
"George, that's too far. If you're joking, why not say Genocider's toppling the North Korean regime instead?"
Everyone laughed it off.
No matter how unprecedented a madman Genocider was, he wouldn't pull something like that.
But Major Bowen couldn't join in the laughter.
A chill ran down his spine for no reason he could name.
"What did... the sender demand in return...?"
"If the regime falls in a week during the parade, they want asylum in America. They asked for one Seraph helicopter at the coordinates they provided."
An assault helicopter powered by mana stones.
Its stealth, speed, and stability far outclassed the Black Hawk, making it the go-to for special ops since the Break.
"Ignore it?"
"...Put it on standby for now. Ready for immediate launch if needed."
Major Bowen had a gut feeling it wasn't fake intel.
What would happen at the parade a week from now?
An assassination attempt on the dictator?
A military coup?
The Outer Gods cultists running amok?
But as days passed, no signs of trouble emerged in the North.
Even with every intelligence asset the U.S. forces in Korea could muster, nothing unusual turned up.
Only one thing was confirmed:
The colonel from the North Korean Forward Command who'd contacted them had been murdered.
Right around the time the intel was sent.
"Looks like internal North Korean infighting, then fake intel to follow. Still wondering why they'd bother sending it to us."
"Hmm... Keep your guards up until the end anyway."
Despite no anomalies, Major Bowen couldn't shake his unease.
It went beyond foreboding to outright fear.
And then, Victory Day arrived.
"Similar to last time."
"Just as horrific."
Grand military parades were a communist tradition.
The Cataclysm hadn't changed that, but one thing had:
They'd devolved into Outer Gods worship ceremonies.
"All those guys as Outer Gods followers. Horrifying."
"Not just random fanatics. Every soldier in that parade has the Outer Gods' brand. We really just gonna let that slide?"
Major Bowen's face hardened too.
North Korea as Outer Gods territory was common knowledge.
But last parade, there weren't nearly this many branded devotees.
'Ten thousand North Korean troops in the parade, all branded. Can we really leave them be?'
No, we can't.
Those Outer Gods hordes would be humanity's doom later.
Everyone knew, but no one acted. Not even America, preaching its new Pax Americana.
No profit in it.
"Cut the chit-chat. Check for anomalies at the parade."
"Still all clear. Oh, weapons parade next."
Time to show off their arsenal.
They used to flaunt ICBMs, but that had changed too.
Now they paraded nuclear warheads openly.
"Mad bastards. Those aren't dummies, right?"
"Real deal. Not micro-nukes like the W24—looks like W80 or higher. They're getting bolder."
No North Korean regime would've dared parade nukes before.
Now they flaunted it.
'What if one goes off by accident?'
Parades avoided nukes to avoid provoking others—and the detonation risk.
Mishandle it, and catastrophe.
Not that it'd happen, but...
'Wait, no way...?'
Major Bowen gulped.
Flash!!!
The cameras broadcasting the parade live were suddenly engulfed in light, then went dead.
Everyone watching froze.
"...Huh?"
Not even Major Bowen, who'd imagined countless scenarios, could have foreseen this.
The unbelievable had happened.
Class Unique Skill: Evil Eater
When executing the wicked, you may selectively devour a portion of their 'ability'!
Do-hyun mused as he read the messages.
'Fastest time across all ten regressions.'
It was a massive feat, but he felt no particular thrill.
He'd done it multiple times in his previous life.
'If I'd left them alone, those nukes would've hit Seoul.'
That was what happened in the first run.
Honestly, though.
Seoul wasn't the only city nuked.
As phases progressed, the world panicked and nuked each other.
No regression had averted nuclear war.
The difference was only whether Korea was targeted or not.
Humanity killed far more of each other than the otherworlders did.
'If I can bring a superpower like America to its knees, maybe I can stop the nukes.'
His third hidden class, Devourer of Evil Destruction, was the first step toward that goal.
Beyond Unique and Legend—a Demi-God class.
Here, 'ability' encompassed a vast range.
He could devour skills, raw stats like strength or stamina or mana.
Even knowledge or special intel.
This Evil Eater ability was the turning point where Do-hyun became an absolute powerhouse each regression.
It wasn't just a class change.
This message confirmed Do-hyun had reached perfect S-rank.
Another record time.
'Processed ten thousand Outer Gods minions, but the XP feels a bit stingy.'
The XP judgment system docked him.
Stronger foes, greater evils, and direct kills gave more XP.
Most were non-awakened branded soldiers, killed indirectly via explosion—heavy penalty.
'Eh, XP for growth? Plenty in America.'
The world's strongest, wickedest villains were gathering there.
No worries about XP shortages.
That was when it started.
Weeeeng—
A quiet rotor hum, unlike regular helicopters.
'It's here.'
Do-hyun looked up and grinned.
A transparent fuselage, like glass.
The Seraph helicopter he'd requested from the U.S. forces in Korea.
Preparations complete.
Time for his American debut.