Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: A New Mission
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‘This is a disaster.’
A sense of despair washed over Kim Soo-kyung.
An unexpected turn of events had thrown everything into chaos.
They had taken the younger brother hostage to use as a test subject, but thanks to Do-jae's unknown ability, they were the ones who had become hostages.
‘If only Park Do-hwan hadn’t acted so rashly.’
Park Do-hwan, Kim Soo-kyung’s superior and the commander of the MID.
Obsessed with retrieving the Transcendence Stone as quickly as possible, Park Do-hwan had handled the operation with incredible carelessness.
Kim Soo-kyung had tried to stop him, but all he got for his trouble was a gash on his forehead from a thrown vase.
‘Not only have we failed to recover the Transcendence Stone, but we’ve also provoked Lee Do-jae.’
At this rate, Do-jae might actually do something to them after rescuing his brother. Kim Soo-kyung made the swift decision to return the boy.
He didn't care if he died here, but his family was another matter.
No, Do-jae hadn't mentioned killing.
His threat to make them suffer could mean torture or some other form of pain.
‘Even setting aside my family and myself…’
Do-jae also knew about the MID agents, the ten elite operatives.
He knew their names, even though all their records had been erased to conceal their identities.
No matter how specialized and extraordinary their training was, they were still human.
If they weren't shaken by the threat against their families, they wouldn't be human; they'd be monsters.
‘What do I do now? As things stand, I have to win Lee Do-jae over to our side…’
Kim Soo-kyung’s mind raced.
If only things had gone according to his original plan—gathering sufficient data on Lee Do-jae and proceeding with a better method—they might have been able to recover the Transcendence Stone, even if it took a little more time.
If only it weren't for Park Do-hwan's impatience and stupidity.
Kim Soo-kyung quickly formulated a plan to salvage the situation.
‘I’ll give up on the Transcendence Stone. I have no choice but to focus on the Mana Accelerator.’
If they couldn't secure the Transcendence Stone, they had to find the next best thing.
And that was the Mana Accelerator.
According to his intelligence, using the Mana Accelerator to draw out an Awakened's power had fewer side effects and greater versatility than using the Transcendence Stone.
Kim Soo-kyung considered the Mana Accelerator to be more effective than the Transcendence Stone.
It was far safer and could be mass-produced.
As someone who didn't fully support the Transcendence Stone research, Kim Soo-kyung couldn't understand or approve of Park Do-hwan's single-minded obsession with it.
But if they couldn't retrieve the stone, clinging to it would leave them with nothing.
He had to bring something back to salvage the situation and keep his position, even if he had to face Park Do-hwan’s wrath.
‘First, let’s create a situation where Lee Do-jae can retrieve the Mana Accelerator.’
Moreover, using Lee Do-jae to secure the Mana Accelerator would give him a valid excuse to present to Park Do-hwan.
And if Lee Do-jae happened to die in the process, all the better.
If he brought back the Mana Accelerator, they could use it to strengthen the Suppression Corps. If he failed, they could go back to researching the Transcendence Stone.
‘If Lee Do-jae doesn’t agree… I’ll have no choice but to deal with Park Do-hwan…’
Kim Soo-kyung waited for the right moment to speak to Do-jae, who was holding his younger brother.
***
"Big brother!"
Lee Do-young leaped into Do-jae's arms.
Do-jae hugged him tightly.
It must have been hard for a child, an elementary schooler, to endure such a heavy atmosphere filled with men in black suits.
The boy was brave; though his eyes were welling up with tears, he held them back and buried his face in Do-jae's chest.
"Were you scared?"
"No! I knew you'd come save me."
"You little rascal, trying to act tough."
The reunion between Do-jae and Do-young was brief.
Do-jae gently set his brother down and opened his Subspace.
"Do-young, look at this."
Golems emerged from the Subspace.
They were the three strongest ones Do-jae could summon.
Do-young's eyes widened in delight at the sight of the golems.
"Metallic Hero?"
Do-jae then took a mana stone from his Subspace.
He placed it in Do-young's hand.
"Do-young, you've always said you wanted to be Metallic Hero, right?"
"Yeah!"
"Hold on a second."
*Grind—.*
Do-jae cast Golem Summon.
Simultaneously, he deployed the Nerves of the Golem, summoning a golem over Do-young's body.
It formed into a suit of Golem Armor, just like his own.
"Whoa…"
Do-young looked at his arms and body, beaming with joy.
Do-jae positioned the three other golems around Do-young as guards and sent him outside.
Then he returned to the desk and sat down.
*Thud—.*
"Where is the other half of the Transcendence Stone?"
Do-jae asked about the other half of the Sealed Memory of his left foot.
He intended to achieve his ultimate goal for joining the Suppression Corps right here, right now.
"We have the other half secured."
"Good. I'd like you to give it to me."
"......"
Kim Soo-kyung remained silent.
Do-jae waited patiently.
There were no other options for Kim Soo-kyung in this situation.
The fact that he had let Do-young walk out unharmed was proof enough.
His mind was surely a whirlwind of complex thoughts, but attacking Do-jae would not be one of them.
Through the Eye of the Golem, Do-jae could see that Kim Soo-kyung's spirit was completely broken.
Pushing him any further might lead him to do something desperate, so Do-jae let the silence stretch on.
Finally, Kim Soo-kyung spoke.
"Mr. Lee Do-jae. I have a favor to ask."
"A favor?"
"Have you heard of something called a Mana Accelerator?"
Do-jae shook his head.
He had only learned about the Transcendence Stone after acquiring his Golemancer ability; there was no way he would know about a Mana Accelerator.
Especially as an F-rank, Do-jae had been completely removed from such things.
"It's a drug that has been in development in China for several years. It's a compound that can temporarily make an Awakened several times stronger."
"Sounds similar to the Transcendence Stone."
"Yes. The Transcendence Stone provides a semi-permanent re-awakening effect, while the Mana Accelerator's effects are short-lived. However, the success rate for experiments with the Transcendence Stone is extremely low, with only a handful of Awakened succeeding. The Mana Accelerator, on the other hand, is effective upon administration, regardless of success or failure. It also has virtually no side effects."
"And?"
"Could you possibly acquire a sample of the Mana Accelerator for us? If you do, we will give you the remaining half."
Do-jae stared into Kim Soo-kyung's eyes.
Ultimately, Kim Soo-kyung would have to hand over the other half one way or another.
But he was using it as a bargaining chip to negotiate with Do-jae.
‘He's a quick thinker. The way he let Do-young go so easily, and now he's using the other half of the Sealed Memory of my left foot to strike a deal.’
Do-jae considered his options.
Which would be more efficient: agreeing to Kim Soo-kyung's request and retrieving the sample, or taking the other half by force, his own way?
It didn't take him long to reach a conclusion.
"Fine. I'll get it for you."
Do-jae chose the former option.
Rather than worrying about which path was simpler or faster, he wanted to put Kim Soo-kyung in his debt.
He intended to use Kim Soo-kyung, a team leader in the MID.
As part of the Intelligence Command carrying out secret missions, they would be skilled in information gathering. Having such an organization in his corner would be a great asset.
"Really? Thank you."
Kim Soo-kyung offered his thanks with a blank expression.
But Do-jae knew he was immensely relieved.
His status had just shifted from 'Tense' to 'Relieved'.
"And this is a personal request…"
Kim Soo-kyung spoke quietly to Do-jae.
Softly enough that the other agents couldn't hear.
After he finished, Do-jae replied.
"I'll think about it."
Surprisingly, Kim Soo-kyung had asked for help in dealing with his commander.
Do-jae wasn't sure what he was planning, but it was likely a reaction to the failure to retrieve the Transcendence Stone.
Without knowing his true intentions, Do-jae couldn't give a definite answer.
‘Whether I help him or not will depend on his capabilities. If he's nothing special, he'll stay quiet. But if he has something up his sleeve, he'll make a move.’
Do-jae slowly rose from his seat.
Depending on what Kim Soo-kyung showed him, Do-jae was considering helping him become the commander of the MID.
That would give Do-jae a useful intelligence agency.
"Then please contact us when you are ready."
With those words, the MID agents vanished into the darkness.
***
Incheon International Airport.
Do-jae sat in the departure lounge, waiting for his flight.
‘I’m glad Eun-hee is looking after him.’
Do-jae had asked Eun-hee to watch Do-young while he went to retrieve the Mana Accelerator.
Coincidentally, Eun-hee had arrived just as he finished his conversation with Kim Soo-kyung.
He had texted her his location before entering the warehouse, so she was able to get there quickly.
‘Golems! Mr. Do-jae, are you okay? I’ll take care of them right away!’
Eun-hee had jumped out of her red sports car and immediately started attacking his golems.
Despite wearing stilettos that had to be well over ten centimeters high, her movements were incredibly fast.
If Do-jae hadn't come out at that exact moment, Do-young might have been killed by Eun-hee's hand, not the MID's.
‘I’m so sorry… I didn’t know you had a skill like that… More importantly, you must be Do-young! It’s nice to meet you. My name is Jeong Eun-hee.’
‘Hello, Eun-hee-noona!’
‘Oh my, do I look like a noona to you? You’re quite the smooth talker for a kid, aren’t you?’
‘No, it’s because you really look like one. By the way, is that your car?’
Fortunately, Eun-hee took a liking to Do-young.
And Do-young seemed to get along with her without any hesitation.
Do-jae gave them a condensed version of the situation, and Eun-hee readily agreed to look after his brother.
Thanks to her, he could plan his next steps with one less worry.
*Ssk—.*
Do-jae opened the bag Kim Soo-kyung had prepared for him.
It contained a variety of items.
The first thing Do-jae checked was a stack of several dozen A4 papers.
``
The title of the plan was written in large letters in the center of the first page.
The words 'Top Secret' were stamped in red.
A small memo was attached.
- Please shred or incinerate this document after memorizing its contents.
*Fwip—.*
Do-jae quickly flipped through the documents, scanning the contents.
To an onlooker, it might have seemed like he was just skimming, but every word and image was being clearly imprinted in his mind.
As his Spirit stat increased, his reading comprehension and memory had improved, allowing him to understand everything with just a glance.
*Trilling—.*
The next item he pulled out was a smartphone.
It was brand new, with nothing but the default apps installed.
Except for a single contact that was already saved.
Seeing no other unusual features, he figured it was just a simple burner phone.
Besides that, there was a passport with an unfamiliar name, several bundles of yuan banknotes, and…
‘An earring?’
Why on earth would they include an earring?
Do-jae examined the small gem on the earring closely, using the Eye of the Golem to inspect it.
[Equipment Information]
Name: Translator
Type: Accessory
Description: An earring enchanted with translation magic. Upon wearing, all languages will be heard in a language the wearer can understand.
Effect: Translation
Skill: Translation Lv. Max
‘They’re more thorough than I thought.’
Do-jae put the earring back in the bag.
The language barrier had been a concern, but this translator wouldn't be of much help to him.
To retrieve the Mana Accelerator sample, he needed to move stealthily. For a smooth operation in China, he needed someone fluent in Chinese and familiar with the country.
And just then, the right person was coming out of the restroom.
"Chief Shim. What took you so long?"
The most suitable person Do-jae could think of.
It was none other than Shim Young-jin.