Chapter 478: Unprecedented Moves (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 478: Unprecedented Moves (4)
Kang Min-ho remembered the day he first used a skill.
Unaccustomed to games, he had made a pathetic sight of himself, completely unable to control the sudden burst of power.
'The moment I used the skill, my body reacted on its own. I lunged forward so fast that I ended up rolling across the ground. It took a considerable amount of time just to make Dash truly my own. That's something every normal hunter experiences. But what Lord Roman Dmitry is saying right now... it's completely outside the realm of common sense.'
It was completely foreign to him.
From start to finish, Roman spoke of a realm entirely beyond his comprehension.
"The Asura Sword Technique used by Cha Dong-cheol is nothing but a superficial imitation. The Asura Sword Technique requires mana to be distributed appropriately according to the form of the sword swing, but the way the System manages mana is highly inefficient. In martial arts, you must perfectly grasp the flow of power yourself. Depending on when, where, and how you unleash your mana, an attack using the exact same amount of force can yield completely different results."
Roman swung his sword.
Mana surged. A crushing force instantly slammed down. Kang Min-ho, who had been struggling to understand the explanation, widened his eyes in shock.
Boom!
Rumble, crash!
The ground shattered as if an earthquake had struck.
Kang Min-ho had witnessed Cha Dong-cheol perform the Asura Sword Technique before, but it had never displayed this kind of destructive power. His jaw dropped. It was clearly a plain, ordinary strike, yet it possessed such absurd, devastating force. From that moment on, he was completely captivated by Roman Dmitry's teachings.
"In this world, no result exists without a process. Whether it is the skills you use or the martial arts I explain, you only obtain a result because of the process you put into it. Therefore, do not settle for the current method where the System handles the entire process for you. If you truly wish to reach a level you can be satisfied with, you must enter a stage where you perfectly control every single process yourself."
It was a calm, step-by-step explanation.
In his past life, Roman Dmitry had plenty of experience teaching those ignorant of martial arts. Because of that, explaining things at Kang Min-ho's level was effortless. At some point, Kang Min-ho began swinging his sword himself, putting the teachings into practice. Thanks to the System, mana had already accumulated in his body without his knowledge. He now moved that power, guiding it to follow the structure of the Asura Sword Technique.
On the first day, Kang Min-ho achieved nothing.
His swordsmanship was nothing but crude swings. He watched the sun set with a bitter, disappointed expression.
But that day sparked a change.
Roman Dmitry had passed down all the theoretical knowledge, and Kang Min-ho went out to an empty lot alone, swinging his sword relentlessly from sunrise to sunset. Honestly, he still thought it defied common sense. However, Roman Dmitry had proven his abilities by wiping out the soldier ants and Red Moon. To Kang Min-ho, Roman's words were absolute truth.
An E-rank.
The very bottom of the barrel.
Because he was someone who had achieved absolutely nothing, he was like a blank slate. It allowed him to fully absorb Roman Dmitry's teachings without any preconceived notions holding him back.
A few days passed.
He accumulated a sliver of mana in his Dantian.
On the day he first manifested it, Kang Min-ho watched a boulder shatter under his sword.
Boom!
Rumble, crash!
"Ha... haha."
He laughed.
He was bewildered, yet overjoyed.
'My choice was right.'
He didn't know how Roman Dmitry could teach an inheritance ability, but Roman was someone a mere E-rank like himself could never hope to encounter in a lifetime. In truth, he had countless questions about the man. How was he so powerful? What secret lay behind the name Dmitry? One question led to another, sparking his curiosity, but he had no intention of prying into truths that Roman chose to keep hidden.
One thing was certain.
Whatever secrets Roman held, the reality Kang Min-ho faced was his own growth—however small it might be.
He gripped his sword tightly.
He believed it.
By Roman Dmitry's side, he would surely become strong enough to protect his daughter from any danger.
* * *
While Kang Min-ho was passionately training, Lee Tae-seong and Kim Jun-hyeok returned to the government building immediately after parting ways with Roman Dmitry.
Lee Tae-seong asked, "...Was there really a need to go that far? The other party clearly has impure intentions."
Just a moment ago, Lee Tae-seong had wanted to make a scene.
The statement that a single individual would swallow Incheon whole was an open insult to both him and Mayor Kim Jun-hyeok.
Kim Jun-hyeok shook his head. "Just as you said, there was no reason to play along with his intentions. But what matters to me is how we can utilize even those dark motives for the sake of Incheon. If he disposes of the ants to prove himself, Incheon benefits from that alone. If another faction gets involved in the process, we can simply filter out their impure intentions. But if he resolves the entire problem on his own... then the situation changes."
"...Do you really intend to hand over Incheon?"
"It doesn't matter who rules Incheon. If a capable person sits in my seat and guarantees the safety of Incheon's citizens, I will gladly step down and assist him. And this isn't something we need to overthink. Has anyone ever tried to use Incheon like this before? Even the Central Government merely views us as scapegoats; they have never once attempted to do anything centered around Incheon. It means the city we built isn't as grand as we like to think."
A bitter taste filled his mouth.
Kim Jun-hyeok rummaged through his pockets as he continued. "What matters to me is whatever brings even the slightest benefit to Incheon. If those damn bastards in the Central Government had guaranteed at least a minimum level of safety while using us, I would have become their dog long ago."
Flick, flick.
He placed a cigarette between his lips and lit it.
Mayor of Incheon.
It wasn't as grand a position as people made it out to be.
He was merely a pathetic human being, struggling desperately by any means necessary to prepare for the Great Disasters that could strike at any moment.
He took a deep drag of smoke.
Seeing this, Lee Tae-seong swallowed his words.
'...Mayor.'
During the 5th Great Disaster, seeing Kim Jun-hyeok hold his ground and fight to the very end, Lee Tae-seong—who had been a promising talent—vowed to live for him. Even Kim Jun-hyeok's current state, worn down by reality, only filled Lee Tae-seong with pity. In this chaotic world, it was a daunting task for a mere ordinary human to take charge of a massive city.
It was then.
Barely after they had returned, a secretary opened the door and walked in.
"An investigator from the Central Government has arrived. They say it's because of the Red Moon incident. What should we do?"
"Those damn bastards."
Two hours ago, before meeting Roman Dmitry, they had reported the incident to the Central Government.
Issues concerning giant guilds like Red Moon were subject to mandatory reporting, but seeing how an investigator had arrived in just a few hours, it was obvious Red Moon had connections in the capital. Irritation flared up in Kim Jun-hyeok's chest. He had hoped to enjoy a few days of peace, but with an investigator rushing in like this, he had no time to waste.
Exhaling a cloud of smoke, Kim Jun-hyeok said, "Tell him to wait. I'll head down once I finish this."
* * *
It was exactly as expected.
Investigator Moon Tae-jun had a connection with Cha Dong-cheol.
Cha Dong-cheol had distributed bribes to pave his way into Seoul, and several figures from the Central Government were among the recipients.
In the reception room of the Incheon Government, Moon Tae-jun wore a complex expression as he waited for Kim Jun-hyeok.
'For a guild of Red Moon's caliber to be destroyed overnight... What on earth happened in Incheon?'
Just a moment ago, he had been absolutely shocked by the Incheon Government's report.
Only a few days ago, he had been planning the future with Cha Dong-cheol, yet the report claimed that Cha Dong-cheol and the entirety of Red Moon had been slaughtered. His head spun. Moon Tae-jun had canceled all his existing schedules and headed straight to Incheon, showing up at the government building only a few hours after the incident occurred.
There was not a single survivor.
Such a brutal and thorough method of disposal could never be considered the work of an individual.
'To wipe out Red Moon in such a short time, a major faction from Seoul would have had to mobilize, but there was no such movement in the capital. Then who on earth is it? Does Incheon possess a faction with this kind of power?'
If it was the work of a new faction, Moon Tae-jun's mission was not necessarily to punish them.
While punishment was the technically correct course of action for such a brutal act, if a faction with that much power offered to aid the Central Government, they would be welcomed with open arms. It was a world ruled by the logic of power rather than morality. The real reason Moon Tae-jun had rushed to Incheon was to secure an achievement for himself if a new faction was indeed involved.
Red Moon.
He had no intention of keeping faith with those who were already dead and gone.
As he pondered the situation, the person he was waiting for finally appeared.
"It has been a while, Investigator Moon Tae-jun."
"What took you so long to come down? You know very well how busy I am. Keeping me waiting like this is not a good look."
"I will be more careful next time," Kim Jun-hyeok replied with a placating smile.
An investigator and a mayor.
In terms of sheer status, the mayor should have held the upper hand, yet Moon Tae-jun acted as if he were superior to Kim Jun-hyeok. This was the stark difference between the Central Government and a local government. Even those at the lowest rungs of the Central Government looked down on local officials. Since the leadership of local governments often died whenever a Great Disaster struck, they had to maintain good relations with Central Government officials just to survive.
It was the only way they could receive any form of assistance.
Knowing full well that he held the upper hand, Moon Tae-jun pressed Kim Jun-hyeok with an overbearing attitude.
"So, what on earth happened? Explain it to me in detail. What is the reason a guild like Red Moon was destroyed overnight? Do not disappoint me with an answer claiming you have no idea," he demanded coldly.
Kim Jun-hyeok hesitated for a moment.
He was at a crossroads.
If he spoke the truth, Roman Dmitry's identity would be revealed.
But if he lied, the investigator would mobilize people to find the culprit by any means necessary.
Of course, he could hide the truth.
Both the internal CCTV footage and the witnesses were in the hands of the Incheon Government.
The problem was that simply concluding they didn't know the culprit would leave room for Roman Dmitry's identity to be discovered eventually.
Kim Jun-hyeok spoke.
"There is no need to look far for the culprit. This incident... was the work of the Incheon Government."
* * *
Moon Tae-jun's face contorted.
He could not accept the statement he had just heard.
"What kind of nonsense is that? Red Moon is Incheon's largest guild, boasting over a hundred hunters. And you expect me to believe that a mere local government wiped them out overnight? Just speak honestly. If you are ashamed of your incompetence in failing to find the culprit, the correct response is to accept reality and lower your head."
His voice grew heated.
The Incheon Government's power was not necessarily weaker than Red Moon's.
However, he could confidently assert that a result achieved so overwhelmingly in such a short time could never be the work of the Incheon Government.
Moon Tae-jun's reaction was exactly as expected.
Seeing him openly look down on them, Kim Jun-hyeok was starkly reminded of the harsh reality of the Incheon Government.
'In truth, Moon Tae-jun's words aren't wrong. Even if we mobilized our Directly Controlled Unit, it would be impossible to slaughter Red Moon in such a short time like Roman Dmitry did. Even with a surprise attack, we couldn't have produced such a perfect result.'
He admitted it.
It was Incheon's reality.
It was undeniable, but Kim Jun-hyeok had a reason for going this far.
Roman Dmitry.
He had made a deal with him.
He couldn't guarantee whether Roman would truly succeed in subjugating the Queen Ant, but he had to protect Roman Dmitry's identity at least until the results were confirmed a month from now. That was the nature of holding power. Even with a passing acquaintance, one had to give weight to their words so that no one would take Incheon lightly.
Therefore, for the sake of his promise to Roman Dmitry, he took on the burden of the aftermath.
Once a decision was made, never hesitating was Kim Jun-hyeok's ironclad rule.
"It is not 'a mere local government.' I ordered it, and my subordinates carried it out. Red Moon was destroyed by the Incheon Government."
The words were spoken with casual certainty.
Moon Tae-jun's expression turned fierce.
Neither Kim Jun-hyeok nor Moon Tae-jun were unaware that those words were a blatant lie.