Chapter 477: Unprecedented Moves (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 477: Unprecedented Moves (3)
That last remark.
It had crossed the line.
Lee Tae-seong, who had been watching the situation unfold from right behind, raised his voice in a sudden fit of anger.
"How dare you—!"
"Commander of the Directly Controlled Unit."
Shik.
Kim Jun-hyeok raised his hand.
At that low, quiet voice, Lee Tae-seong had no choice but to swallow his anger, though he continued to glare daggers at Roman Dmitry. To him, Kim Jun-hyeok was like the heavens themselves. Having sworn his loyalty through a special bond, Kim Jun-hyeok's orders superseded his personal feelings.
He took a step back.
Kim Jun-hyeok's expression turned noticeably colder.
"You've made a very difficult proposal."
The dynamic between the two men had been simple until just a moment ago.
Roman Dmitry was a powerhouse coveted by everyone, and it was only natural for Kim Jun-hyeok, as the leader of a major faction, to covet such talent. However, the declaration that he wanted the Incheon Government shattered that dynamic entirely. Kim Jun-hyeok, who had previously regarded Roman Dmitry as merely a lone wolf, was now forced to question the man's true intentions.
"Before I came to this meeting, I believed you were an independent individual, unaffiliated with any faction," Kim Jun-hyeok said. "I hoped that since you had lost your way, we could secure the assistance of a powerhouse in exchange for providing the environment you need. However, your demand for all of Incheon is hard to swallow. Your arrival in Incheon, your conflict with Red Moon, and even this very meeting—should I assume there's an ulterior motive behind it all?"
Ulterior motives.
They made a massive difference.
If the other party had a hidden agenda, Kim Jun-hyeok would never accept him, no matter how great of a powerhouse he was.
Roman Dmitry merely smiled.
"What kind of motive are you referring to?"
"That is for you to explain. An independent individual with no ulterior motives has no reason to desire a massive city like Incheon. So, please explain this situation clearly, so that I don't have to doubt your intentions. Why on earth do you want the Incheon Government?"
The atmosphere turned frigid.
As an ordinary human leading a major faction, Kim Jun-hyeok had seen countless people try to exploit Incheon. His wariness was only natural. If Roman Dmitry had simply made excessive demands for personal gain, Kim Jun-hyeok would have maintained his smile and tried to negotiate.
But this was different.
Demanding Incheon itself suggested deeply impure motives.
He drew a hard line. Openly displaying his wariness, he closely observed Roman Dmitry's reaction.
"The reason I made such a proposal is simple," Roman Dmitry replied. "Going forward, I intend to build a faction. Not a faction that takes orders from a specific group like the Central Government, but one that handles everything independently. I chose Incheon as the starting point. Naturally, Mayor Kim Jun-hyeok, you must be wondering why, out of all the cities in the world, I chose Incheon."
Creak.
He leaned back in his chair.
Though he spoke respectfully, the aura naturally radiating from him heavily pressured his opponent.
"There is no profound reason. I chose it simply because I am currently in Incheon. There is no reason it must be Incheon."
*
It was a baffling answer.
He said he wanted Incheon.
Yet, there was no specific reason it had to be Incheon.
Faced with a situation that completely defied common sense, Kim Jun-hyeok's mind became a tangled mess.
‘What on earth is he thinking?’
An A-Rank Hunter.
He was undoubtedly a formidable existence.
However, Incheon was a massive city. No matter how great he was, it wasn't a prize a single individual could covet so casually. Frankly speaking, if Incheon mobilized its entire military force, even an A-Rank Hunter wouldn't be able to withstand the assault.
He should have stormed out of his seat right then and there.
There was no longer any reason to continue this conversation. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, Kim Jun-hyeok found himself unable to stand up.
‘This man before me hasn't faltered in the slightest. Not when uttering such absurd remarks, nor when Lee Tae-seong stepped forward with open hostility. He maintained a perfectly calm demeanor, as if it wouldn't matter what kind of trouble arose. Because he completely defies common sense, I cannot simply dismiss his proposal.’
It was paradoxical.
If the other party had offered a plausible, calculated excuse, Kim Jun-hyeok would not have continued this absurd conversation.
But he hadn't.
He said "just because."
He wanted Incheon for no real reason at all.
The statement that he wanted Incheon simply because he was already in Incheon sent a strange shockwave through Kim Jun-hyeok's heart.
"If I hadn't seen the sight of Red Moon being completely wiped out, I wouldn't have given your proposal a second thought, Roman Dmitry. But that doesn't mean I'm just going to hand Incheon over to you. There is no reason for us, a faction with an already established system, to bow our heads to an individual who has nothing and is only now trying to build a foundation."
Incheon.
It was a city built through immense hardship.
Even when the Central Government demanded their blind loyalty, Kim Jun-hyeok had steadfastly refused to comply. He did not use his position as the Mayor of Incheon for personal greed. A single word from him, a single choice, carried the weight of countless Incheon citizens' lives. He could not afford to act recklessly.
Paradoxically, it was for that very reason that he hadn't stormed out.
Whether the opponent was the Central Government or a mere individual, he always hoped to achieve a result that would benefit Incheon in some way.
‘Roman Dmitry single-handedly slaughtered Red Moon, producing an unprecedented result. If he possesses the power to resolve Incheon's most pressing problems, his proposal can no longer be dismissed as absurd.’
He refused to dismiss even the slightest sliver of possibility.
Kim Jun-hyeok spoke.
"To accept your proposal, Roman Dmitry, we require a corresponding level of verification. The only thing I, and the Incheon Government, demand is this: give us the absolute certainty that Incheon will be safe if we follow you. If you can prove that to me, I will positively consider this ridiculous proposal."
*
The meeting came to an end.
Once Kim Jun-hyeok withdrew, Kang Min-ho turned to Roman, his expression somewhat stiff.
"……Are you really going to accept Kim Jun-hyeok's proposal?"
Just moments ago, Kim Jun-hyeok had laid out his terms:
"Let me state my condition. Recently, there have been reports of Soldier Ants causing trouble around Incheon. Soldier Ants are D-Rank monsters. It's a level that the Incheon Government can easily handle, but the problem is that two Queen Ants have been discovered in their habitat. As you know, Queen Ants are monsters with a danger level that far exceeds their rank. While their individual combat power is rated at B-Rank, they produce over a hundred ants a day, making any area where a Queen Ant exists completely off-limits to humans."
Recently, the Incheon Government had set out to subjugate the Queen Ants.
According to their initial intelligence, it should have been a simple matter, but the sudden discovery of a second Queen Ant had severely complicated the situation. An ant colony normally tolerated only a single Queen Ant. Yet, for reasons unknown, these two Queen Ants coexisted, causing the ant population to explode in a terrifyingly short period.
In truth, the government's forces could have subjugated the colony if they truly put their minds to it.
However, with the threat of a Great Disaster looming at any moment, engaging in an all-out war with thousands of ants was a significant burden for the Incheon Government. Furthermore, the ants' habitat was deep inside a network of underground tunnels, presenting far too many variables for a clean combat operation. After much deliberation, Kim Jun-hyeok had decided to maintain the status quo, opting to simply keep the ant population in check from the surface.
Now, he had tasked Roman Dmitry with solving this exact problem.
There were two distinct purposes behind this test.
First, if Roman Dmitry brought in an outside force to deal with the ants, Kim Jun-hyeok would immediately reject his proposal. The existence of such a force would prove that Roman Dmitry's intentions were impure. It would mean that a man claiming he wanted to build a brand-new faction starting in Incheon already possessed a hidden army, directly contradicting his initial words.
And second.
It was the perfect opportunity to verify Roman Dmitry's true strength.
If he could single-handedly resolve a crisis that normally required an entire armed organization, there would be no reason to ever doubt his capabilities again. When a Great Disaster strikes, the presence of an absolute powerhouse is the only thing that matters. If Roman Dmitry proved to be strong enough to entrust Incheon's fate to, then the government would truly need to seriously contemplate a future under his banner.
It was a clever, calculated move.
Since the proposal was entirely in favor of the Incheon Government, Kang Min-ho couldn't help but speak against it.
"Kim Jun-hyeok's intention is obvious. He just wants to use you, Lord Roman, to solve Incheon's headache. Even if the subjugation fails, he has absolutely nothing to lose. Please refuse him. I will look for other alternatives."
"There is no need."
"……Are you actually planning to accept?"
Kang Min-ho was taken aback.
Kim Jun-hyeok's proposal was absurd.
The Mayor must have made the offer fully expecting a rejection, yet Roman Dmitry didn't seem flustered in the slightest.
"I have no reason to submit to the evaluation of the Mayor of Incheon. Therefore, I could easily choose another alternative as you suggested," Roman said. "But I wish to use this opportunity to experience what this world considers a 'difficulty.'"
He was curious.
He wanted to see exactly what kind of dangers lurked beyond the Safe Zone.
Since he hadn't yet personally grasped the grading system used by the people of this world, he needed to experience firsthand a problem that even the Incheon Government found insurmountable. Of course, that wasn't the only reason he had accepted Kim Jun-hyeok's proposal.
Kim Jun-hyeok.
He was an intriguing man.
He had judged that a proposal ordinary people would instantly dismiss as nonsense was actually worth considering for the sake of Incheon's future.
He was not ordinary.
Roman liked him.
At first, there had been no specific reason to choose Incheon, but now, Kim Jun-hyeok had become that reason.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"The subjugation of the ant colony will take place in a month. But before that, I have something to teach you."
"……Pardon?"
Teach.
Even then, Kang Min-ho couldn't begin to fathom the true meaning behind those words.
*
They moved to a different location—an empty lot with no one around.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"You said Hunters use skills. Show me those skills here."
"……Understood."
It was a sudden command.
Though questions filled his mind, it was Roman Dmitry's order, so he obediently complied.
Kang Min-ho drew his sword.
"I have fewer skills than other Hunters. My awakening was late, and without any special connections, I had to learn skills on my own. First, I will show you Dash."
Whoosh!
Mana flared up lightly around his body.
Kang Min-ho lunged forward in an instant, swinging his sword powerfully toward an imaginary enemy.
"Strong Strike."
Boom!
The ground gouged open.
Starting with that, Kang Min-ho unleashed several skills in rapid succession. However, they were all unremarkable techniques that merely infused mana into simple, rigid movements. This was Kang Min-ho's limit. There was a reason he was known as an ordinary E-Rank Hunter.
Watching this sequence of actions, Roman calmly analyzed Kang Min-ho's movements.
‘The moment Kang Min-ho uses a skill, his mana moves rapidly, as if executing a pre-programmed sequence. That must be why they don't understand the principles behind their own techniques. The people of this world do not clearly comprehend the flow of energy to master it with their bodies; instead, they effortlessly manifest power through the System. While it is a way to grow strong quickly in a short period, if they do not grasp the fundamental principles of power, their limits will inevitably be restricted.’
Kang Min-ho continued to cast his skills for quite some time.
Finally, sheathing his sword, he panted heavily.
"Haa… haa… That's all of them."
It was a pitiful sight.
Skills.
They were a poison.
His physical body was not sufficiently prepared to handle the manifestation of his skills. Because he had used them in rapid succession, Kang Min-ho looked as if his body had completely overloaded. Seeing this, Roman finally understood why Dmitry's inheritance was so highly valued in this world. To people who had lived so complacently, relying entirely on the System, the power of an inheritance would grant a distinctly different level of strength.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"In your current state, you will only be a hindrance to what I plan to do. From now on, I will teach you how to grow strong without relying on the System's help."
Shik.
He raised his sword.
Looking at the bewildered Kang Min-ho, Roman slowly channeled his mana.
"This is called the Asura Sword Technique and the Asura Mind Method."
"Y-You mean you're going to teach me Dmitry's techniques? But that's an inheritance ability, so it should be impossible..."
Kang Min-ho's eyes widened in shock.
The Asura Sword Technique and the Asura Mind Method.
They were famous.
Cha Dong-cheol was not the only one who had inherited the memories of Dmitry's soldiers, and the fact that such martial arts existed within Dmitry's legacy was already well known. That was why Kang Min-ho couldn't help but be completely bewildered. How on earth could Roman teach such incredible techniques, especially when inheritance abilities were universally known to be impossible to pass down?
Roman Dmitry spoke as he perfectly executed the first stance of the Asura Sword Technique.
"Do not doubt. From this moment on, you will master the true Asura Sword Technique and Asura Mind Method—not some half-baked imitation."