Chapter 143
Chapter 143
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: Tahul
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"Tsk, that slippery snake."
Seok Jun-yeop, the Chief of Staff of the Suppression Corps, seethed with anger in the now-empty room.
To cool his boiling rage, he took a few pieces of anti-drowsiness gum from its container and tossed them into his mouth.
Chew, chew—.
Seok Jun-yeop walked over to the sofa where Jeong In-gon had been sitting and leaned back against it.
The spot he had occupied while talking for over an hour was still warm.
'We spent so much to reproduce it, and he just waltzes in trying to take it all?'
It had only been about four days since the final test of the Mana Accelerator was completed.
As always, they had conducted the final experiment under strict surveillance, taking great care to prevent any leaks about their progress.
The results were a success.
They had created an injection that minimized side effects and reduced the strain on the body, as long as it wasn't overused.
And yet, Jeong In-gon had somehow learned of this and brought it up at the most opportune time.
'The nerve of that guy. To ask for it so directly. I knew the Association wasn't in a great position, but I never thought he'd be this bold.'
The Mana Accelerator research was a classified project of the Suppression Corps.
Very few people, including himself, knew about the Mana Accelerator.
Jeong In-gon must have known that, yet he brought it up so casually, as if it were nothing, which flustered Seok Jun-yeop more than anything.
After all, it was tantamount to Jeong In-gon flaunting his knowledge of their secrets while mocking Seok Jun-yeop's inability to protect them.
'I managed to put him off for now...'
For the time being, he had told him that it would still take some time before it could be put into practical use.
Of course, having seen it with his own two eyes, Seok Jun-yeop knew the Mana Accelerator's effects were truly remarkable.
So much so that if he had the budget, he would want to distribute it to the entire Suppression Corps immediately.
Doing so would completely reverse the current power dynamic between the Suppression Corps and the Association.
But if they provided it to the Association, that gap would never close.
'Even if I were to concede a hundred times, I'd be willing to provide it if we could reach a reasonable agreement... but if any problems arise, we'd likely take all the blame.'
Seok Jun-yeop wasn't a narrow-minded man.
For the greater good, he was willing to provide the Mana Accelerator to the Association.
Of course, there would need to be a mutual agreement on reasonable terms, but if it could help South Korea overcome its current predicament, he was more than willing to discuss it.
However, if the Hunters—who were harder to control than the Suppression Corps—caused trouble with the Mana Accelerator, the blame would surely be pinned on the Corps.
Especially if Jeong In-gon was involved.
Whether he had that in mind or not, Jeong In-gon didn't bring up the Mana Accelerator again, instead continuing with trivial chatter before leaving.
'What should I do...'
Spat—.
Seok Jun-yeop spat out his gum, wrapped it neatly in its paper, and tossed it into an empty teacup like a basketball into a hoop as he stood up.
"Come in for a moment!"
Creeak—.
"You called, sir?"
"Yes, summon the Chief of Information Operations. Tell him to come immediately."
"Yes, sir!"
Seok Jun-yeop ordered his adjutant to summon Kim Hwan-soo, the Chief of Information Operations.
He figured it was best to discuss matters like this with the quick-witted Kim Hwan-soo.
***
Swoosh—.
Crash—!
Thwack—!
"Is this right?"
"I don't know! I'm going to help the others!"
While Young-jin blocked the monster's attack, Ji-yoon took off.
They had entered the dungeon with Ji-yoon as the raid captain, believing it to be D-rank.
But Young-jin, who had followed along with a sense of unease, was glad he had come after seeing the monsters that appeared.
Because monsters that should have only appeared in C-rank or even B-rank dungeons were emerging in this D-rank one.
"Tae-seong! Kyung-min!"
Ji-yoon charged forward at incredible speed and thrust her 'Cape of Judgment'.
Like skewered chicken, the monsters were pushed back, stuck close together, and driven away from Ha Tae-seong and Park Kyung-min.
Thud—.
Shunk—.
"Are you okay?"
Ji-yoon asked as she kicked the 7th-class monsters, the gnolls, to pull out her Cape of Judgment.
With her having taken care of four gnolls, Ha Tae-seong and Park Kyung-min, now with some breathing room, answered as they hunted the remaining ones.
"Thank you, Ji-yoon!"
"We're still okay. But So-eun's side..."
At Ha Tae-seong's words, Ji-yoon turned her head to look at Gong So-eun.
Gong So-eun was struggling against a single Hoein.
Ji-yoon quickly lunged forward and plunged her spear into the Hoein.
"So-eun! Your stomach...!"
"Ugh... Ji-yoon..."
Ji-yoon dragged her embedded spear downward, finishing off the Hoein, then rushed to Gong So-eun, who was collapsing to her knees.
Shhk—.
She then removed Gong So-eun's leather armor and lifted her clothes to check the wound on her stomach.
"Thank goodness. It missed your organs. So-eun, you need to retreat immediately. Joo-young! Get over here and perform some first aid!"
Ji-yoon called out to Jeon Joo-young, a guild member who was busy casting healing spells in the rear.
Jeon Joo-young, who had been darting between guild members, immediately ran over at Ji-yoon's call and placed a hand on Gong So-eun's stomach.
Whooom—.
At the same time, she took a potion from her backpack and poured it over Gong So-eun's wound.
"Joo-young, I'm counting on you!"
Leaving Gong So-eun in Jeon Joo-young's care, Ji-yoon dashed back toward Young-jin.
Specifically, to where the Hoein were gathered.
There, the Guardian Guild members, monsters, and Hoein were all mixed together in a fierce battle for survival.
"Everyone, get back!"
Young-jin shouted to the guild members.
Hearing his cry, the guild members scattered in different directions.
Whirl—.
Ch-ch-ch-chak—!
As Young-jin spun, chains shot out from his fingertips, sweeping a 30-meter radius.
"Kurrrk..."
"Gaaaah..."
The monsters struck by the chains were sent flying.
However, his attack was less than lethal. Since he was striking with blunt chains instead of blades, he could only inflict bruises or fractures. Against monsters with high vitality, such an attack wasn't very effective.
Of course, some of the lower-class monsters scattered among them suffered more than just bruises; parts of their bodies were deeply gouged, and some even had their heads crushed.
"Kuktahk Kahahk!"
One of the Hoein that had blocked Young-jin's chains shouted something.
It pointed its sword at Young-jin and began to slowly back away.
At that, the other Hoein also slowly gathered in one spot.
"Pagaktooktoo Tatkak!"
Just as all the Hoein finished grouping together while fending off the other monsters' attacks?
Just then, an old Hoein at the center of the group cried out.
Rumble—.
Dark clouds began to gather in the sky of the field-type dungeon.
And dozens of lightning bolts rained down upon the earth.
Kra-ka-kooom—!
"Everyone, take cover!"
"Director Young-jin!"
"Director!"
"Director Shim!"
Young-jin dashed into the torrent of lightning.
Wrapped from head to toe in his Chain Golem Armor, Young-jin was practically a human lightning rod.
Crackle—.
Bzzzzzzzt—!
The fierce barrage of lightning relentlessly struck down, scorching Young-jin and the surrounding monsters black.
And so, about five minutes passed.
The aftermath of the lightning storm was a vision of hell on earth.
Only a few large monsters with tough hides and tenacious life force were still twitching, their breaths faint, while none of the smaller monsters had survived.
"Director!"
"Stay back!"
Ha Tae-seong was the first to run toward Young-jin.
But Young-jin stopped him, preventing him from getting any closer.
"You'll get electrocuted if you come near. Wait until the electricity dissipates!"
Young-jin stood still, his chains driven deep into the ground.
If he hadn't grounded the chains, he, too, might have been burned to a crisp like the monsters around him.
But as he intended, most of the electricity flowed into the ground and was absorbed, with only a small amount piercing his armor to electrocute him directly, leaving him unable to move.
"Kuuuuuh..."
Meanwhile, a large monster that had recovered first pushed itself up.
It began to shamble forward.
Its direction, however, was not toward the Hoein, but toward Young-jin.
The nearby Young-jin had become its first target.
Shing—!
"I told you to stay back!"
"It's okay!"
Despite Young-jin's warning, Ha Tae-seong entered the area where the lightning had struck.
Ha Tae-seong could move freely on the electrified ground because he was the only one wearing armor with electrical resistance.
Furthermore, his hand was a silicone prosthetic, so electricity wouldn't conduct through it even while holding a sword.
Slice—.
Stab—.
Ha Tae-seong stabbed and slashed the monster that had approached Young-jin with Sraka's Fang, felling it.
Normally, Ha Tae-seong wouldn't have had the skill to do so, but it was possible because the monster's internal organs had been charred by the lightning, leaving it far from its normal state.
"Are you all right, Director?"
"Thanks. I think I'm doing a little better now."
Young-jin slowly began to move.
His joints and muscles still tingled, but he could move.
No, he *had* to move.
The Hoein were starting to approach.
"Whew... After hearing what Do-jae said, I feel a bit reluctant to fight them."
"I agree. But we don't have a choice, do we? This is a dungeon."
Young-jin aimed his chains, and Ha Tae-seong aimed Sraka's Fang and the dagger he always used, at the Hoein.
They knew from Do-jae's story that the Hoein were no different from humans, but inside a dungeon, they had no choice but to fight.
After all, a dungeon only allows an exit once one side—either monster or human—is defeated.
Whether that results in the dungeon's collapse or a dungeon break.
Ch-ch-chak—.
Young-jin pulled his chains from the ground and let them hang long.
He hadn't had this ability for long, but through enough effort to give himself nosebleeds and enough combat to cover his body in bruises, he had become proficient in using his chains.
To the point where it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that every chain was like one of his own fingers or toes.
"Bring it on!"
Young-jin unleashed his chains toward the approaching Hoein.
Clang, clang—.
Clang—!
As expected of 5th-class monsters, the Hoein.
Several of them deflected Young-jin's chains, and his attacks failed to land easily.
But Young-jin didn't stop, continuing to whip his chains about.
It was like dozens of snakes baring their sharp fangs, lunging to bite.
"Director! Please stop for a moment!"
Ha Tae-seong suddenly stopped Young-jin.
When the flurry of chains ceased, the Hoein also stopped moving and stepped aside.
Soon after, they parted to form a path wide enough for one person, and the old Hoein—the one who had created the lightning storm—walked through.
"Takkooktapak salsakpoo..."
He uttered incomprehensible words.
Moreover, he was looking not at Young-jin, but at Ha Tae-seong.
Specifically, at the dagger in Ha Tae-seong's hand.
Sraka's Fang.
He continued to walk slowly toward the two of them.
"What is it? Does it want to talk or something?"
"I don't know..."
As the old Hoein continued to speak and walk closer, Young-jin and Ha Tae-seong tensed up.
The atmosphere among the other Hoein grew just as tense.
Finally, the old Hoein stepped forward and spoke.
"Tookatak purik salkata... Tahul!"