Chapter 33
Chapter 33
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: The Heavenly Demon and the Bar (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Cho Hong.
Twenty-eight years old this year, she worked at a small bar called "Old Bottle" on the outskirts of the city.
But she had another job as well: a 3rd Grade Awakener with mind control skills, and the leader of the Dungeon Association's Special Response Team.
How could the head of an Association team end up working at a bar? There were two reasons.
First, undercover employment.
The Special Response Team she led was a secret division under the Strategic Planning Department, so few in the Association even knew it existed.
The identities of its members were top secret, and they lived ordinary lives through cover jobs.
Second, fallout.
The team's missions were handled secretly under the direct orders of the Strategic Planning Director.
But when Director Park Jeongmin, who was from the previous Association Chairman's faction, was pushed out in internal power struggles and forced to retire, Kim Suwoong from the opposing faction took over as the new director.
That left Park Jeongmin's right-hand team—the real power players—suddenly adrift.
"Still feels off."
Click.
She entered the office and pressed the power button on the desk.
After tweaking the holographic keyboard a few times, the black front monitor began to glow.
"Please state your affiliation."
A calm mechanical voice came from the screen, and Cho Hong replied.
"Special Response Team Leader, Cho Hong."
"Access granted. Please state your command."
She inserted a small nano chip into the computer and said.
"Scan the face on the screen. Search the Awakener database for any matches."
The monitor showed the side profile of a massively muscled man with red eyes.
He didn't look remotely ordinary.
She had fed footage from the bar "Old Bottle"'s internal CCTV—capturing the Heavenly Demon—into the monitor.
Whoosh.
A flood of Awakener IDs poured across the screen.
Unlike civilians, Awakeners had a system that allowed identity checks from facial data alone.
"No matching Awakener found."
"Search again. Include overseas Awakener Association databases."
The screen once more cycled through countless Awakener IDs.
How much time passed? The computer's low voice echoed again.
"No matching Awakener found."
Cho Hong's eyes darkened. Just as she suspected—an unregistered Awakener.
Recently, intel had come in about other entities mimicking human form occasionally appearing in dungeons.
Beings with inexplicable physical prowess or recovery abilities, or mysterious powers unlike any skills.
They were said to resemble legendary yokai.
"Someone who could dodge the Elder's mental intrusion... no reason not to register."
Unregistered Awakeners faced dungeon entry restrictions.
Conversely, powerful Awakeners gained wealth and fame just by registering.
"Not one of those conformists, either."
Being an Awakener meant constantly diving into dungeons to face monsters—a grueling job.
Some hid their powers and chose normal lives despite awakening; they were called conformists.
"Whatever. Doesn't matter."
Awakener registration served two purposes.
Protecting public safety. And preventing unregistered Awakeners from recklessly destroying dungeons or hoarding artifacts.
In other words, unregistered or yokai—didn't matter as long as they stayed out of dungeons.
"Just don't hang around dungeons."
Recalling the Heavenly Demon's faintly glowing eyes, Cho Hong shook her head.
* * *
The next day, around noon.
Ding.
Cho Hong, sleeping soundly, woke to the text notification.
"Mm."
She rolled over, grabbed her phone from the bedside table, and opened it.
-Ice has run out, so catch one Ice Basilisk on your way in.
It was from Jang Geum-seon, the bar's owner and her mentor.
"Yawn."
With a tousled face, Cho Hong got out of bed and sighed.
"Tell me ahead of time."
After a quick wash, she left her officetel, got in her car, and headed to the Safe Dungeon Zone entrance.
Her place was near the city boundary, so it was just a 20-minute drive.
"Hello?"
She parked, passed the long line of shops, and reached the entrance where a young man in blue uniform greeted her.
"Heading into the dungeon?"
"Yeah."
She stepped onto the entrance scanner, and white light swept over her body.
"Welcome, Awakener Cho Hong."
"Confirmed. Have a safe trip."
"Thanks."
Cho Hong passed through indifferently, spotting the shield emitting blue light.
Humans could pass freely, but to monsters, it was tougher than solid steel.
"Long run ahead."
She sighed entering the ruined Safe Dungeon interior.
The only modern tech allowed inside dungeons was nanobots.
Guns—the pinnacle of human invention—or even a small motorcycle would destabilize the dungeon on contact.
"When do I get to ride a dungeon vehicle?"
Lately, nanobot-made cars and bikes safe for dungeons were being produced.
The catch? Exorbitantly expensive—way beyond wage-slave Awakeners like her.
"Ice Basilisk... west side."
She attached a micro camera to her shoulder and scanned around.
She knew the zone's geography and monster traits inside out, so she skipped nanobots but always recorded with the tiny cam for Association duties—incidents or anomalies.
Thud.
Cho Hong kicked off and dashed forward.
Raising dust for a while, far ahead loomed a transparently built palace-like structure.
The dungeon where Ice Basilisks lived: "Ice Palace."
"Huh?"
But a huge shadow was emerging from the entrance.
Muscles bulkier than any strength-enhanced Awakener, a man with nanobots on his shoulder.
Cho Hong instantly recognized him as last night's customer who downed three shots of Three Blessings Brew.
"That bastard. Entering a dungeon?"
Didn't peg him for that. Just hoarding artifacts and materials without registering?
Disappointment and anger mixed as she moved to approach—
Boom!
A massive explosion rocked as the Ice Palace dungeon began crumbling.
"What? What's happening?"
Staring at the sinking palace, Cho Hong's jaw dropped.
Crackle.
From the ruins emerged white-frozen cubic ice blocks. Inside, Awakeners frozen like sardines.
Whoooosh.
White snowflakes swirled into a massive shadow forming.
Crunch, crunch. It solidified into a giant ice mass, suddenly roaring wide-mouthed.
Rooooar!
The deep, eerie bellow from a cavern froze Cho Hong solid.
'Ice... Golem?'
The 20-meter behemoth: hazard level near 13,000, the hidden monster Ice Golem.
'Can't move.'
Its roar carried an intimidation effect, limbs frozen in place.
'If that thing rampages... big trouble.'
Such giant hidden monsters could shatter shields and attack indiscriminately.
'Need to alert the Association.'
Gazing at the sky-scraping Ice Golem, she spotted the muscled man standing blankly before it.
'What the hell? Run and call the Association already...!'
Her face hardened. The Golem had already swung a hand.
Shockingly fast for its size—a blur, and its hand was at the man.
Whoooosh.
White chill blasted like a storm, engulfing him instantly.
'Watch out!'
Cho Hong screamed inwardly, but too late.
The man was a solid ice block.
Kuhuhu.
The Golem chuckled dully, eyeing the frozen man and ice-prisoned Awakeners.
Pondering, it extended a finger, lifting an ice prison to its mouth.
'Eating frozen people?'
Cho Hong strained desperately. Fingers twitched, but intimidation held her.
'No!'
As the ice prison neared its maw—
Crack.
Ice on the frozen man shattered,
Boom!
A chest-thumping vibration, and his body glowed red-hot.
"Heavenly Demon Supreme Might!"
Leaping above the Golem's head, he bellowed like thunder.
"Fist Demon Seven Kills, Thousand Hands Wavebreaker!"
The massive energy he unleashed struck the Golem's heart—
Crack, crackle. Ting, ting.
Clear glass-like sounds as cracks spiderwebbed across the ice giant's body.
Rumble.
Finally, the shattered Golem crumbled to powder on the ground.
'How...?'
Cho Hong watched, speechless.
A hidden monster needing dozens of 1st Grade Awakeners—smashed in one blow?
Now she truly felt Jang Geum-seon's words from last night.
"If you want the Association intact..."
Touching that man would bring disaster worse than dozens of hidden monsters or variable dungeons in the city.
But Cho Hong thought differently.
'No. We can't leave him be.'
Too strong. Leaving him unchecked was like ignoring a time bomb.
'And if he can one-shot hidden monsters...'
Their artifacts were priceless treasures.
Unregistered, hunting them at will? He could monopolize valuables, sparking nationwide economic crimes.
Crackle.
A white-glowing gem dropped from the Golem's remains.
Obviously an incredible artifact.
"Hmm."
But astonishingly, the man ignored it.
Scanning around, he reached toward the imprisoned Awakeners.
Boom! Ice prisons shattered, dumping frozen Awakeners to the ground.
"Ugh."
Barely frozen long, they shivered uncontrollably.
The man glanced indifferently—whoosh—then vanished.
'What the hell.'
Cho Hong couldn't hide her bewilderment.
Unregistered despite immense power, entering dungeons.
He'd dispatched the sudden Ice Golem in seconds, freed the trapped Awakeners.
Ignored the artifact and left.
"What is he?"
Blinking, her limbs loosened.
She quickly grabbed her phone and hit the emergency rescue button.
"Safe Dungeon Zone, west Ice Palace Dungeon— injured people here. Hurry."
Hanging up, she stared at her phone.
No nanobots, but her micro camera had recorded it all.
"Report this to the Association..."
They could easily ID the fleeing man.
Then, with approval, assemble a large team to apprehend him.
"Damn."
But she couldn't.
He'd just eliminated a dangerous dungeon monster, saved people—took nothing for himself. A true hero.
How could she report him?
"I'll watch a bit longer. If he shows other intentions..."
She ripped off the shoulder camera, clenching her fists.
* * *
[Lord Heavenly Demon. What is this mess?]
Nameless spoke loudly to the Heavenly Demon, who had exited the secret passage back to the shop.
[Isn't the Ice Palace Dungeon—our periodic Ice Crystal source—now closed because of your overkill?]
"These days are sweltering. I merely grabbed extra Ice Crystals for a comfortable workspace."
As the Heavenly Demon excused himself, Nameless raised its voice more.
[Fine, Ice Crystals aside—why turn the Ice Basilisk and Glacier Basilisk dungeon boss into mincemeat? I begged you not to.]
"That ice-block serpent dared block my path."
[Lord Heavenly Demon!]
Excuses continuing, Nameless scolded in unprecedented anger.
[Your actions summoned the hidden monster Ice Golem. Awakeners harvesting materials inside nearly died.]
"I merely..."
[Such behavior doesn't just destroy dungeons—it endangers lives. If another Awakener saw, you could face lawsuits.]
Never scolded by anyone but Ma Gi-ja, now dressed down by this tiny robot.
The Heavenly Demon, absolute ruler of murim, had his dignity crumpled.
[I know you don't distinguish good from evil or consider others. But as long as you're at Bokbok Interiors, remember you're part of the territory.]
"Enough, I get it."
"What? You're back?"
The back door opened, and Jang Chaewon emerged holding a quote sheet.
"Got the Ice Crystals? Workers for West Glow God's bathroom are waiting."
"No worries. Plenty."
The Heavenly Demon pulled a wooden box from his sack.
"Take it."
"Thanks. But... something wrong?"
Noticing the shadow in his eyes, Jang Chaewon asked. Nameless began.
[Actually...]
The Heavenly Demon smacked its round head and waved her off.
"Hot out there, just tired. Nothing. Go inside."
"Okay."
Watching her duck back in, the Heavenly Demon brought his blazing eyes to Nameless's head.
"Don't tell the boss lady about today. Got it?"
[Even the unrestrained Lord Heavenly Demon fears Jang Chaewon. Good. At least someone to rein in you like a wild colt.]
Swallowing those words, the nanobot nodded.
He'd surely retort, 'Far from it. It's respect.'
[Understood.]