Chapter 133
Chapter 133
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: Unleashed
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*Swoosh—!*
"Ah, Boss…! I was just… trying to figure out how I could be helpful…"
As Do-jae raised his hand, Young-jin hurriedly covered his forehead.
However, Do-jae slowly lowered his hand and placed it on Young-jin's head.
*Rustle, rustle—.*
"You went through a lot. You must have been scared."
Do-jae gently stroked Young-jin's hair.
It was the first time this had ever happened, and Young-jin felt a sting at the tip of his nose.
"I'm sorry…"
"It's fine. It's in the past, and I know you didn't have bad intentions."
At first, Young-jin had hidden what he'd done.
But under Do-jae's persistent questioning, Young-jin answered honestly, afraid he would be scolded.
But being petted on the head so gently filled him with an unexplainable, warm, and fuzzy feeling.
"…Booooss!"
"Ugh… get off…"
Young-jin threw his arms around Do-jae. Do-jae frowned but still held him.
Then he patted Young-jin's back.
"By the way, you've grown a lot in a short time."
"Me?"
"Yeah. At your current level, you seem to be at least on par with an A-rank Awakened."
When he defeated the boss monster, the Earth Kraken, Young-jin's level was only 77.
But now, his level was 101, a monumental leap in an instant.
And it was clearly because of the chains wrapped around both of Young-jin's wrists.
*Flash—.*
[Target is not eligible for Golem Summon.]
*'Just as I thought.'*
Do-jae tried casting the Golem Summon skill on the mana stone embedded in the chains.
As expected, the 'summon failed' message appeared.
*'This is a golem that isn't connected to me...'*
The mana stone in the chains.
It was the mana stone he had once turned into a golem to block the bullets fired wildly by Queenhavie in Blood Town.
But he had later dispelled the summon.
The plan was to get it back from Young-jin and use it after returning from the US.
If it had been a low or mid-grade mana stone, he wouldn't have cared about giving it to Young-jin, but this was an A-rank, top-tier mana stone.
He had intended to take it back because it was a mana stone that could be raised to a level where it would gain sentience.
But not only had this mana stone turned into a golem on its own, it was now beyond Do-jae's control and responding only to Young-jin.
"Really? I definitely feel a lot stronger than before. Hehehe."
"What's your skill called?"
"It's the same as yours, Boss. Golem Armor."
"Try it."
Young-jin stood up.
*Clank—!*
The chains wrapped around him unwound and fell to the floor.
Then, the chains began to move like living snakes, slithering up Young-jin's legs.
Soon, they enveloped his entire body, forming something that looked similar to the chain mail worn by medieval European knights.
The only differences were that it was a single piece covering his hands, feet, and face, leaving no gaps.
And that it clearly revealed the lines of Young-jin's solid muscles.
"How is it?"
"Not bad… No, it's much better than what most A-rankers have."
"Ooh! Really? Holy crap, this is insane!"
Do-jae checked Young-jin's stats and was impressed.
His stats had risen significantly upon equipping the Golem Armor.
Just like they did for Do-jae.
*'Did my mana mixing in affect Young-jin? Is that why the skill is Golem Armor too...'*
While the mana given to Young-jin couldn't be called purely Do-jae's own, it was still sufficiently mixed with his.
Therefore, he cautiously speculated that perhaps Do-jae's skills had been transferred to Young-jin.
"Then can you summon golems too?"
"No. It seems I can't summon them like you, Boss. Nothing comes to mind about how to do it."
The other skills were given by the Ascetics, but Golem Armor was a skill Do-jae had created himself.
That was likely why the only skill Young-jin could use was Golem Armor.
Even so, as Do-jae's primary skill, Golem Armor was by no means inferior to any other.
With Golem Armor alone, Young-jin had undoubtedly gained a level of strength incomparable to his past self.
"Don't get complacent. When you get stronger suddenly, your body can't adapt. Take your time and make that power your own."
"Yes! I understand!"
Do-jae shared his own experience.
Young-jin, who was already struggling to gauge his own strength, nodded and replied energetically.
"That's a relief. Now I can go without worrying."
"Huh?"
"It's nothing. The black golem is coming back. Let's get out of the dungeon."
Do-jae got up from the rock.
The black golem and the others were returning.
They had hunted and cleared all the monsters in the dungeon.
*Shwiiik—.*
*Thud, thud, thud—.*
At a gesture from Do-jae, the three men buried in the ground rose to the surface.
They were still bound by Do-jae's Golem Armor.
"I'll leave an air hole, so there's no chance of suffocating. Don't worry."
"I'd rather d—"
Before Park Han-kyung could finish asking to be killed.
The Golem Armor covered his entire face, sealing his mouth shut.
"Let's go, Young-jin."
"Yes! Right away, Boss!"
Do-jae led the three bound men out through the dungeon entrance, and Young-jin followed with a happy expression.
***
One day later.
Inside an abandoned warehouse.
"You came sooner than I expected."
"It was a call from Mr. Lee Do-jae. We'd have to come quickly even if it were from the edge of the universe, not just America."
Men in black suits approached Do-jae.
One of them stepped forward and greeted Do-jae.
"It's been a while."
"Who?"
"Don't you remember? Back at the docks in Incheon..."
"Ah, were you there? Im Mu-seok."
Do-jae looked at the man standing before him.
The other man knew him, but Do-jae didn't know him.
It was understandable. Back then, his mind was solely on Do-young, and Do-jae wasn't kind enough to remember every man dressed in the same uniform.
"As expected, you know my name. You must be able to see it, just like back then."
"Let's just say I can. Team Leader Im Mu-seok."
"Even that... I was able to become a team leader thanks to you."
"Was that thanks to me? The one who appointed you was Kim Soo-kyung."
"It's all the same. Anyway, are these the ones?"
Im Mu-seok looked at the stone lumps next to Do-jae, only their eyes visible.
They were Park Han-kyung, Lee Min-ki, and Choi Chang-hoon, the ones who kidnapped Young-jin.
"Yes. Investigate them thoroughly. Find out who ordered Young-jin's murder and what their motive was. That's your specialty, isn't it?"
"Understood. We'll find out everything down to the number of villi in their intestines. Just leave it to us."
"That won't be necessary..."
Im Mu-seok said with a serious expression.
Because of that, Do-jae felt like he was being completely sincere.
He might have actually meant it.
"Then, would you release their restraints for a moment? We just need their necks exposed."
At Im Mu-seok's words, Do-jae exposed the men's necks.
Then another man in a black suit who was standing behind him brought over a bag and took out several syringes.
"We will now administer the drug."
He inserted the needles of the syringes, filled with a cloudy liquid, into each of their necks.
The men tried to struggle, but they couldn't break free from the tight grip of Do-jae's Golem Armor and could only glare with bloodshot eyes.
"Please keep them restrained just a little longer, until they lose consciousness."
"I will."
Some time passed.
It wasn't long before their eyes began to flutter, and soon their pupils rolled back behind their eyelids, showing only the whites as they lost consciousness.
"That's it."
"Hoo… Now I can finally get some rest."
Do-jae released the Golem Armor that had been enveloping the three men.
Having lost consciousness, they fell limply to the floor.
Do-jae had been unable to move, forced to stand guard in the dark warehouse until the MID arrived.
It hadn't been difficult, but he felt refreshed to be free of the three men.
"Then we'll be on our way."
"I'm counting on you."
Before he knew it, Park Han-kyung, Lee Min-ki, and Choi Chang-hoon were stuffed into large bags.
The MID agents shouldered the bags and disappeared as quietly as they had arrived.
"Alright..."
After leaving a message for Young-jin to book their flights, he stretched his arms out wide.
He was a day or two behind his original schedule, but his business in America was now finished.
He planned to rest well tonight and then return home.
"Now then, I'll just take it easy for one night… Ah…!"
Song Ji-yoon's request suddenly came to mind.
Do-jae scratched his head and walked out of the warehouse.
***
"Wilson, you got an extra? Give me one."
"Same old story, Jake."
"I'll get it next time."
"You've been saying that for ten years."
A prison in America.
Two guards, Wilson and Jake, were munching on donuts.
As if to prove the existence of their protruding bellies, old, empty boxes were stacked high beside them.
"Heard a dangerous guy came in the day before yesterday."
"You must have been on vacation. He's a special surveillance target. It's about time for you to give him his medicine. It's your turn."
"Really? Scary... What if he attacks me?"
"That joke is also ten years old. Aren't you tired of it? While the drug is active, he's just an ordinary person. There's no way you'll get hurt."
"Hahaha, I only say it because you always take it so seriously."
Though the two guards were large and fat, they were not ordinary humans.
They were Awakened, too.
The chances of them, D-rank Awakened, being successfully attacked by a special surveillance inmate who was using mana suppression items and taking medication were not one in a million, not even one in ten million.
"Alright, I'm heading out."
Jake got up from his seat and headed for the solitary cell where the special surveillance target was held.
He passed through several doors made of a special material, impossible to escape.
Soon, he would reach the solitary cells where the special surveillance targets were kept.
But for some reason, another guard was standing beyond the bars leading to the solitary cells.
"Who is it? Ryan? Jess?"
Jake asked as he unlocked the door with his key, but there was no answer.
"It's my turn to administer the medicine today... Hey, who are you!"
Jake hurriedly unlocked the barred door and went inside.
But the figure stood motionless in front of one of the cells.
"Hey! I asked who you are... Gack!"
The moment he approached the figure, Jake clutched his neck and collapsed.
Blood poured out as if from an open faucet.
Jake fell to the ground without taking more than a few steps.
*Thud—.*
The man standing silently in front of the cell rummaged through Jake's pocket and pulled out a bundle of keys.
He found the key with the cell number on it and opened the door.
*Creeak—.*
"You've been through a lot."
A man walked slowly out of the cell.
It was 2C.
"Took you long enough."
*CRACK—!*
2C crushed the head of the man who had come to rescue him on the spot.
Then he began to laugh arrogantly.
"Khahahaha! I'm almost back to normal. That drug really packs a punch."
The former Guild Master of Blood Town, 2C, had broken out after only two days in solitary confinement.
*CRASH—!*
He kicked down a wall, preparing to jump outside.
Thanks to him, the criminals in the other cells also began to shout, demanding to be let out.
Just then, a sharp voice rang out.
"Me too! Let me out of here too!"
A woman was shouting, her face barely squeezed through the small window in her cell door.
It was Queenhavie.
"Oh... right. You were here."
*WEEE-OOO— WEEE-OOO—!*
Though alarms were blaring throughout the prison, 2C casually approached Queenhavie.
He grabbed the cheeks of Queenhavie, whose face was the only part of her sticking out, and kissed her passionately.
"I love you."
After the short kiss, Queenhavie said softly.
2C smiled brightly at her.
But his next words made her face twist in horror.
"I'm tired of you now."
"G... Gurgle..."
*SQUELCH—.*
2C crushed Queenhavie's head between his hands.
"Khahahaha!"
He burst into maniacal laughter, ignoring the cries of the other prisoners begging to be freed as he walked toward the wall.
Then, he licked the blood from his hand and leaped over the wall.
*Lick—!*