Chapter 204
Chapter 204
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 204
Chapter Title: Audience with the Mercenary King
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A weapon not easily seen in the various guilds of South Korea.
Guns, which could be called the epitome of modern weaponry, weren't simply meant for ordinary people.
"Fire!"
At the command of Porter, the vice-guild master, countless bullets fired off all at once.
Rat-a-tat-tat. Tat-a-tat-tat.
True to the guild of the Royal Class Mercenary King, every single bullet carried the energy and skills of the hunters.
Each time the muzzles spat fire, Yong-un's body moved.
Sometimes blurring like an illusion, other times suddenly appearing from the ceiling.
Occasionally, he even popped up right in front of a Mercenary Guild member's eyes as they fired.
'Not a single hit.'
This wasn't long-range combat—it was close quarters.
Even for hunters, not civilians, having a gun barrel shoved in your face would naturally stir up creeping fear.
Yet Yong-un, standing right before Porter, dodged every single bullet hurtling toward him without a trace of fear, even as they concentrated on him.
'It's just a matter of time anyway.'
The guild members Porter had summoned with his skill were elite, well-trained combat operatives.
Divided into two teams, they operated on a relay system: when one team expended all their ammo, the other opened fire, ensuring the barrage never faltered for a moment. They were the finest unit, drilled to perfection.
Two teams requiring utmost concentration, moving only their trigger fingers.
And an intruder twisting and weaving at high speed to evade every shot.
It was already decided who would tire first.
Porter stared silently at the room crumbling under the hail of bullets when a voice echoed in his mind.
The voice resounding in his head made Porter scan the surroundings.
But he had no intention of halting the assault.
The fact that they were communicating like this was proof that the intruder was reaching his limit.
"Everyone."
Instead of stopping the gunfire, Porter opted for a decisive finish.
"From now on, pour everything you have into killing the enemy!"
The guild members firing their guns suddenly tossed them aside and drew new ones, resuming the barrage.
Smoke billowed from the discarded muzzles.
The searing heat from the discharges, combined with the explosive force of mana, had wrecked the previous barrels.
But it wasn't just the guns that had changed.
Swoosh.
The glint in the guild members' eyes as they gripped their weapons, and the flow of their mana itself, had completely transformed.
As if unleashing every ounce of power they'd held back for this final flourish.
They poured mana into their guns with all their might and unleashed it toward Yong-un.
'It's over.'
Porter stirred his own mana, preparing for any contingency.
Flash.
But right then.
Yong-un, who had been darting around the room evading bullets, suddenly returned to his original spot and stood stock-still.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat.
The guild members weren't about to miss this opening.
All muzzles locked onto Yong-un, and shots loaded heavy with mana surged toward him.
The motionless Yong-un moved his Demon-Slaying Sword.
The blade, hanging low, angled sharply upward.
Bang! Bang-bang!
Bullets colliding with the Demon-Slaying Sword exploded, blue flames erupting along its edge.
And then.
Boom!
Not the hand gripping the Demon-Slaying Sword, but his left hand thrust forward—and in a flash, Yong-un seized one guild member's head and slammed it into the opposite wall.
The impact shook the wall violently.
Thud.
As Yong-un released his grip, the guild member crumpled to the floor like a marionette with cut strings.
"......"
The guild members, stunned, halted their fire for a moment.
"F-Fire!"
A guild member belatedly shouted, snapping the two-second silence.
And then Yong-un's overwhelming might unfolded.
Flash. Boom!
Each time Yong-un vanished, the room's walls inevitably shuddered with a thunderous crash.
"A-Arghhh! Gah!"
Boom!
A guild member, screaming as if facing a monster, got embedded in the wall.
The third guild member slumped, head lolling limply.
His vacant eyes sapped the will to fight from the others.
"......"
The gunfire fell silent.
All eyes fixed on Yong-un.
No one could muster the courage to aim at him again.
Yong-un's tremendous pressure had shattered their morale.
Porter bellowed at his demoralized guild members.
"What are you doing? Fire!"
"F-Fir..."
The vice-guild master's orders were absolute.
But they weren't enough to reignite their broken spirits.
Despite Porter's command, the guild members couldn't echo "Fire!" in unison.
Step. Step. Step.
They could only watch as Yong-un advanced toward Porter, one deliberate step at a time.
"Who are you?"
Porter spoke to Yong-un, now close enough to touch.
His face twisted in defeat.
Yong-un looked down at him coldly and replied.
"Yong-un from South Korea."
South Korea.
Just a few years ago, it was a nation known only as a small country somewhere in the world, unfamiliar to most.
But after Yong-un rose to the rankings and South Korea ascended to the ranks of the great powers—limited to just ten nations worldwide—interest in the country exploded.
"Yong-un? South Korea?"
And with South Korea came the name Lee Yong-un.
Porter, vice-guild master of the Mercenary Guild, was well aware of that name.
The rumors surrounding it helped him somewhat accept Yong-un's absurd display of power.
But seeking the Mercenary King was another matter entirely.
"Why are you looking for the Mercenary King?"
Porter's twisted expression didn't soften even after hearing Yong-un's name.
Shing.
To signal he had no intent to fight, Yong-un sheathed his Demon-Slaying Sword.
Then he met Porter's gaze squarely and asked.
"To become Royal Class."
"...?!"
At the words "Royal Class," Porter and all the guild members' eyes widened.
"You're serious?"
"If the War God knew the Mercenary King's location, I wouldn't have come here."
The War God's booming shout echoed through the shattered window from the bullets.
"The War God... Heh."
A smile finally crept onto Porter's lips for the first time.
Just hearing the War God's name caused the guild members' grips on their guns to loosen gradually.
"Bringing the War God was your plan?"
"Do you think so? I didn't even know this guild existed. I only told the War God that if he wanted the Mercenary King's location, he'd have to come here."
Porter stepped closer to Yong-un.
Thud.
Porter lightly punched Yong-un's shoulder.
Then, passing by, he said.
"Bringing the War God was a masterstroke. Otherwise, you—who ignored the code—would've spilled a lot of blood here."
The door to the outside swung open.
Porter stepped out and shouted to the guild members.
"He's a guest! Escort that guy to the guild master's office."
"The guild master's... office?"
The guild members' eyes bulged at the mention.
Porter chuckled and said.
"The Mercenary King said it himself. Take the War God to the guild master's office when he returns."
"But..."
"Ah, don't worry about bringing the Mercenary King—William and I will handle that. Just head to the guild master's office."
Grin.
"The War God's code should be wrapping up soon anyway."
Bang!
As Porter exited, the door slammed shut with a thud.
The bewildered guild members milled about briefly before approaching Yong-un.
"We'll escort you to the guild master's office."
Yong-un nodded and followed them toward the door.
But instead of the door Porter had used, they led him to another one beside the vice-guild master's office.
And then.
Click.
They opened the unlocked door and guided him up dim, upward-winding stairs.
At the end of the dark stairs the guild members had led him to was a fairly large door.
They left Yong-un in front of the door and departed.
Soon after, the War God's aura, felt nearby, vanished, and his loud voice boomed from the stairwell entrance.
"Damn it, why'd Oscar have to show up of all people?"
A familiar name slipped out.
Was it during the San Marino Demons incident?
He recalled there was a ranked hunter from the UK named Oscar.
And that his moniker was unusual.
'Mercenary King's disciple, Oscar.'
A disciple who's a world-ranked hunter, with a master reigning as the king of the world under the Royal Class banner.
Yong-un silently nodded at the extraordinary mentor-disciple bond.
Soon, the War God and Oscar ascended the stairs from below.
"Yong-un!"
Spotting Yong-un, the War God rushed over joyfully.
His face bore signs of recent turmoil.
Unlike Yong-un, who showed no traces of battle, the War God's was covered in blood and bruises.
Yet he grinned broadly, looking refreshed, like a man returned home.
"Kahahahaha! I knew you'd come here, Yong-un! Kahahahaha."
Oscar approached beside him and bowed to Yong-un.
"Thank you for your help during Demons."
Yong-un had already met Oscar before.
Back then, "disciple of the Mercenary King" hadn't resonated much, but after hearing of Royal Class power and the Mercenary King's extraordinary tales, Oscar seemed different now.
"No big deal. Just luck."
"Luck is skill too. Besides, aren't you aiming for Royal Class now?"
The conversation with Porter had already spread throughout the Mercenary Guild.
"I heard you survived duels with two Royal Classers, Ignito and Spello. Surviving fights against two Royal Classers more than qualifies you."
The War God's boasts had spread too.
A prime example of the Mercenary Guild's rapid information flow.
Yong-un nodded with an awkward smile at Oscar's words.
But the peaceful chat didn't last.
Whoosh. Boom!
A massive energy explosion rocked the Mercenary Guild's vast fortress.
Yong-un frowned and glanced outside toward the source, prompting Oscar and the War God to wipe the smiles from their faces.
"Looks like he's here?"
"Seems so."
The heretic among Royal Class.
Light of the Earth, treated as a special existence even among Royal Classers.
The Mercenary King had arrived.
Oscar said gravely to Yong-un.
"You should be careful."
"Careful of what?"
"My master isn't like ordinary people. Especially not with powerhouses like you, Hunter Yong-un."
The warning Ignito had given echoed from the Mercenary King's own disciple, Oscar.
Yong-un responded with a faint smile and keenly observed the rapidly approaching aura of the Mercenary King.
'The one who knows another way to become Royal Class...'
He murmured his judgment and first impression softly.
"This should be interesting."
Whoosh! Boom!
Just as he smiled.
The Mercenary King's aura merged with what felt like Porter's, surging powerfully.
Creeeak!
The guild master's door, seemingly sealed for ages, began to slowly creak open.
"Perfect."
The thick aura of the Mercenary King billowed through the widening gap as he spoke.