Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: An Unwelcome Visitor
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After dealing with two Mountain Giants, they arrived at the site of the break.
The surrounding area was already in ruins, and the secondary forces had been wiped out.
The whir of helicopters carrying Awakened responders mixed chaotically with the wailing sirens of police cars and ambulances.
Wang-sik first approached a man who was surveying the area with a grave expression.
“What happened?”
The man flinched upon hearing the question and seeing Wang-sik, taking a step back.
“How did you get here…?”
“Get a grip and tell me what happened.”
Shin Myeong-sik of the Black River Guild.
He had been dispatched urgently due to the Dungeon Break.
Having been on the Russian expedition together, Shin Myeong-sik still held a mixture of fear and awe for Wang-sik.
“It seems a person crossed over.”
“What?”
“For now, we’ve identified them as a mage.”
“Just one?”
“According to the CCTV, yes.”
That would make sense.
Since mages don’t carry mana within their bodies, unless they possess high-grade items, they are classified as low-level lifeforms by the gate.
This was one of the reasons an invasion by mages was so feared.
‘They must have come over even if it meant abandoning their items.’
There could be many reasons, but the task at hand was clear.
“We have to catch them before they get too far.”
“The police are checking the CCTV footage now.”
“Contact me the moment you find them. I’ll catch them myself.”
“Understood.”
Though known for his arrogance, Shin Myeong-sik acted like a loyal subordinate in front of Wang-sik.
“You should get moving too. Don’t rush in recklessly.”
“I’m also, in my own way…”
“Don’t you dare charge in foolishly, you weakling.”
Reduced to an A-Rank weakling hunter, Shin Myeong-sik could only reply that he understood.
After giving his orders to Shin Myeong-sik, Wang-sik ran over to a police officer who was managing the scene.
“I’m an Awakened. I can search for survivors. May I use your radio to report their locations?”
“What? Yes, of course.”
The quick-thinking police officer handed over his radio.
Taking it, Wang-sik climbed to the top of the tallest nearby building.
—Fear Detection.
He could see people trembling in fear a short distance from the incident site.
“Northwest, 150 meters, two-story house with a red roof. Three in the basement.”
Wang-sik spoke and watched the movements of the police and firefighters. Fortunately, he saw personnel moving in the direction he had indicated.
Being accustomed to crisis situations, they were quick to assess and act.
“Southwest, World Insurance building, second floor, five people.”
Wang-sik moved from place to place, continuously relaying the locations of people he found with Fear Detection.
As he was reporting the positions of several dozen people, Min Ha-na joined him.
“I handed the student over to the paramedics. Did you find the mage?”
“We need to save the civilians first. It’ll be faster for them to find the mage with CCTV than for us.”
“Agents from the Hunter Management Bureau will be here soon.”
Since it was a break situation, the Hunter Management Bureau was also on its way.
“Hunter Bae Wang-sik!”
Shin Myeong-sik approached Wang-sik, having apparently heard something.
“They say he’s fleeing along the coast.”
The mage’s location had been picked up on CCTV.
“Ha-na, let’s go.”
Wang-sik and Min Ha-na immediately gave chase.
“Uh, um, what about me…?”
“Contact the situation room and tell them to report to me from now on.”
“I’ll go with you…”
“Don’t get in the way. Just clean up here.”
At the S-Rank hunter’s command, Shin Myeong-sik could only nod with a dejected look.
Just a year ago, they were both A-Rank hunters, but now Min Ha-na had become someone he couldn’t dare to challenge.
“I’m an A-Rank hunter, you know…”
Saying so had no effect on the two of them.
As they ran along the coast, Min Ha-na continued to receive reports.
—He has entered an area without CCTV coverage.
“What’s the evacuation status?”
—It’s an area with no residential housing.
It was a region along a road, which was why there were no CCTV cameras.
It was an ordinary road with the sea on the left and mountains on the right, but the fleeing mage was nowhere to be seen.
“Could he have gone into the mountains?”
Just as Min Ha-na said that, Wang-sik, who was running ahead, suddenly stopped.
“What’s wrong?”
“Something’s strange.”
Wang-sik looked into the mountain, one side of which had been carved away to build the road.
—Fear Detection.
“The intruder is trembling in fear?”
“Did you find him?”
Wang-sik nodded and cautiously entered the mountain.
The target was lost and moving aimlessly. It didn’t seem like he had a clear destination.
“There are residential areas just over this ridge.”
Min Ha-na stayed in constant communication with the situation room, relaying necessary information to Wang-sik.
At her words, Wang-sik quickened his pace.
As they closed the distance, the mage stopped walking.
The mage was looking down below.
Unlike the coastal road, it was a densely populated apartment complex.
Seeing it, the mage raised both hands. Instantly, a blue sphere formed, crackling with intense sparks.
He intended to blow the entire apartment complex away.
“Crazy bastard!”
Wang-sik charged straight toward the mage.
He had wanted to observe and see if the mage was contacting anyone, but this was not a situation he could tolerate.
Detecting Wang-sik’s approach, the mage changed the target of the sphere he had formed.
*Crackle!*
A strong electric current surged through Wang-sik’s body as the sphere hit him. But he ignored it and continued his charge toward the mage.
Suddenly, a fireball flew from behind him, but Wang-sik raised his shield and extinguished it as well.
“Don’t kill him just yet.”
The flame had been thrown by Min Ha-na, and its target was the mage.
Having nullified both spells, Wang-sik finally descended upon the mage.
The physically weak mage hastily created a shield, but it shattered from the sheer force of Wang-sik’s charge.
*Thud.*
Wang-sik clamped his hand over the mage’s face, covering his mouth.
“I think we have a lot to talk about.”
*Crack!*
Wang-sik stomped on the mage’s knee.
Writhing in pain, the mage looked at Wang-sik with pleading eyes.
“Who sent you?”
Hearing the language of Azelan, the mage screamed as soon as Wang-sik slightly loosened his grip.
“I… I have to kill! I have to kill more!”
“It’s only going to get more painful if you don’t answer my questions.”
Judging by the terrified mage’s behavior, it didn’t seem like he would hold out for long.
Wang-sik seized the opportunity and pressed him.
*Crunch!*
Wang-sik’s fingers dug into the mage’s shoulder. As he began to crush the bone, the mage let out a scream loud enough to create an echo.
“Who sent you?”
“De… Demach…”
“What’s your objective?”
“He told me to fill the Life Stone… I have to kill more! My family…”
The mage pleaded, tears streaming down his face.
“I have to kill more. My family will die…”
Wang-sik had a rough idea of the situation. But he didn’t stop his questioning.
After a five-minute interrogation, he had grasped the entire situation.
Deciding there was nothing more to hear, Wang-sik grabbed the mage by the neck.
“I’m just going to knock him out. Hand him over to the Hunter Management Bureau.”
Wang-sik knocked the man unconscious. A moment later, agents from the Hunter Management Bureau, who had been contacted, arrived and restrained the mage.
The security agents arrived before the gate agents, so the mage was handed over without any particular formalities.
“What happened?”
“He got caught up with some gangsters and was forced to sign his life away.”
“What?”
“When his gate business failed, an investor forcibly sent him through a low-level gate. They’re holding his family hostage. It seems they threatened to kill them if he didn’t produce a certain amount of Life Stones.”
Understanding the situation, Min Ha-na ground her teeth in anger.
“Those sons of bitches!”
“For now, this is as far as this situation goes.”
“There will be more incidents like this, won’t there?”
“It was quite effective, wasn’t it? There are many victims. They must have gotten the Life Stones they wanted.”
“This is driving me crazy.”
“I’ll go take care of it.”
“How?”
The method was simple.
“I’ll have to take care of the gangsters.”
Wang-sik didn’t know who this Demach was. But he was confident he could find out easily with some investigation.
“More importantly, what about that student?”
“Her condition wasn’t good. She was unconscious and had lost a lot of blood.”
Though she was one of many victims, he had spoken to her directly and had a good impression, so he was concerned.
“I’ll check on that student again myself.”
“Alright. Thanks.”
Wang-sik was about to head to the Azelan Continent, still seething with anger, but a single phone call forced him to change his plans.
—I need you to interpret.
It was Kang Il-seop’s voice.
The only people who could communicate with those from the Azelan Continent were victims who, like Wang-sik, had been abducted there.
Among them, Wang-sik was the most knowledgeable about Azelan, making him the most suitable for interpretation.
“The next gate won’t open right away. Let’s take our time.”
“Okay.”
Unable to refuse Kang Il-seop’s request, Wang-sik went to the Hunter Management Bureau.
The interrogation began in the early morning.
His objective had already been uncovered, but for the South Korean government, this was an opportunity to obtain official information about the Azelan Continent.
This could be a major political asset, so the President himself had gotten involved.
However, Kang Il-seop was not pleased with this situation.
—We will resume the investigation of two-way gates.
The President had said as much.
Given the history of great sacrifice, Kang Il-seop had refused. This had further strained his relationship with the President.
In the midst of this, an intruder from the Azelan Continent was captured, and the President came directly to the interrogation room.
Wang-sik was asking questions from beyond a glass wall, but his concentration was broken when the President and his security detail entered the room.
Even though only a few select people were supposed to be present, the interrogation room became crowded, and Kang Il-seop’s expression soured.
“Have you learned anything?”
“The interrogation is ongoing.”
“We must obtain as much information as possible.”
The President had come all this way just to state the obvious.
Kang Il-seop understood his desire to achieve something significant early in his term, but he disliked the President’s ambition to directly interfere in the affairs of the Hunter Management Bureau.
Nevertheless, as he was the President, Kang Il-seop offered him a seat. But a security guard stepped behind the President, pushing the Chief of Staff out of the way.
“Bureau Director, I’m fine.”
“What do you mean, fine? The interrogation is being disrupted.”
Kang Il-seop said this while staring at the President.
Feeling the heat on the back of his neck, the President turned and gestured for his security guards to step back.
They refocused on the interrogation, but for the moment, they couldn’t understand what was being said.
“He’s quite a talent. To even speak the language of the Azelan Continent.”
“He is a friend who has lived a life just as difficult.”
“He will be a great asset to the Republic of Korea.”
Kang Il-seop disliked those words, which seemed benevolent on the surface.
“There will have to be a special compensation for that friend.”
“Special compensation?”
“That friend is no longer an agent of the Hunter Management Bureau. He left the Bureau recently when I came under political pressure. He’s the one who was living on the island where the gate was.”
“Why didn’t you stop him?”
“What agent could endure when the President himself is pushing them out?”
He was saying that the man had left because the President had pressured him.
“You seem to have many complaints about me.”
As Kang Il-seop was about to reveal his inner thoughts, the Chief of Staff beside him showed him a tablet PC.
Seeing it, Kang Il-seop’s eyes hardened. And his gaze went straight to the President.
“Why is Smith coming to Korea?”
Smith, the Director of the American Hunter Management Bureau.
The news was that he had just arrived in Korea.