Chapter 57
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Gwanghwamun Square (2)
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‘No more mistakes this time...!’
Tae-hyun raised his blade.
“Kieeeek-!”
A Naga Clan spear knight swung its spear.
The creatures began encircling Tae-hyun.
They were trying to prevent him from escaping.
But Tae-hyun was faster.
He broke through the encirclement in an instant and circled around them.
‘One by one. One by one...!’
A predator separates its prey from the pack one at a time when hunting.
The isolated prey is always the weakest individual.
The predator starts by devouring the weakest ones first.
Kwajik, seogeok-!
He sliced the throat of the Naga on the outermost edge.
Vital points: throat and heart.
With their human-like faces, it was obvious where to strike.
Kwajijik!
This hunting method was still effective.
Crush, kill, and shake off the weakest in the pack.
Naturally, the pack's defensive line would crumble.
“Kieek! Kyaak!!!”
“...”
The creatures panicked, bumping into each other and tumbling over.
Nagas were twice Tae-hyun's size.
But for him, with his superior mobility and flexible body, it was an advantage.
Taat!
He leaped onto the necks of the disoriented Nagas, stabbing with his sword.
Using that sword as a pivot, he launched himself at the next one.
‘Next, next, next...!’
The dozens of Nagas dwindled to a third in the blink of an eye.
A lion doesn't target legs, body, or head when hunting prey.
Only one spot.
The nape of the neck.
A single strike that conserves stamina while guaranteeing a kill.
One-Strike Kill.
4-star Swordsmanship.
A skill from Tae-hyun's arsenal, honed over 22 years of sword training in his previous life.
“...Incredible.”
“B-rank hunter... no, A-rank?”
The stunned military police officers could only watch Tae-hyun's hunt in awe.
‘Oh no...! The civilians??’
The military police captain hurriedly stood up.
If he handled the Nagas, the remaining forces had to protect the civilians.
Civilians who couldn't flee were crying out here and there.
They had tangled with each other while running, injuring one another.
Even from a distance, their evacuation took priority.
“Military Police! Leave this to the White Mask. Our top priority is the civilians' evacuation and safety. All mobile soldiers, assist with civilian evacuation immediately!”
“Yes... sir!!!”
“Sir!!!”
The military police who could still move rushed to help evacuate the civilians.
The captain glanced at the White Mask.
It was truly a beautiful sight.
Even though it was the act of killing living beings, it bordered on art.
‘...He's really something.’
He felt admiration mixed with respect.
Seogeok-!
He severed the throat of the last remaining Naga.
Its head slid off smoothly.
‘...This one's the last.’
He was a bit out of breath.
Level 3 monsters, about 50 in total.
Not as bad as the crows, but this was pushing it for now.
He was satisfied since he hadn't borrowed the power of Transcendent Awakening.
He shook off his sword.
Chwaak-!
The blood on the blade splattered onto the ground in a crescent shape.
‘Remaining mana at 50%... scratches are the only wounds... good.’
He looked around.
Some of the military police soldiers had lost their lives.
Thanks to their noble sacrifice, he had been able to complete this mission.
He bowed his head slightly.
‘...It is because of your sacrifices that we exist. We pay our respects to your noble sacrifice.’
The hunter's official tribute.
It wasn't about how many strong monsters one soldier killed.
What mattered was the lives and spirit they offered.
Those lives and spirits would become fertile ground for greater opportunities and peace.
All civilians had evacuated.
Not a single death among them.
It wasn't just his achievement; it was the accomplishment of every hunter-military unit here.
Dudududu-.
Several helicopters appeared in the sky overhead.
Exactly five minutes after the incident began.
Hunter Response Team.
The actual response defense unit that Mitsuda and Olivia had trained with during CDT had finally arrived.
They began rappelling down from the helicopters.
To avoid revealing his identity, he needed to leave this place quickly.
Flutter-.
The 'Reverse Summoning Circle' pre-drawn by the Yoon Family.
He injected mana into the summoning circle.
A blue glow enveloped him as his body lifted into the air.
“Th-there! Wait a moment!”
The military police captain.
After safely completing the civilian evacuation, he approached with his subordinates.
Tae-hyun said nothing.
The captain spoke quietly.
“...A salute to the hero.”
“At attention!”
“At attention!”
The salute from the surviving military police.
It was their way of expressing gratitude to him.
Tae-hyun nodded silently.
“...Thank you for saving the civilians. We will never forget this favor.”
...Not a word of thanks for saving them, even to the end.
As expected of a senior officer.
He possessed a far stronger spirit than Tae-hyun.
Behind the mask, Tae-hyun smiled.
With those as his final words, Tae-hyun's body warped away.
“Military Police Captain.”
“At attention! Defense Commander, sir.”
The two-star general, Seoul Defense Commander.
He clasped the captain's hand.
“Military Police casualties: 34 dead, 15 injured... Civilian casualties: 0 dead, 35 injured. For a non-combat military police unit to achieve this... impressive.”
“...Not me, sir.”
“Hm?”
The captain said,
“...The White Mask came. He... saved Seoul once again.”
“White Mask... I see.”
The two-star general chuckled awkwardly.
He patted the captain's shoulder.
“No, your Military Police Unit's contributions were huge too. You evacuated the civilians swiftly and effectively.”
“...”
“Good work. I'm proud of you.”
“...Thank you, sir.”
The defense commander encouraged him and turned away.
The captain silently surveyed the surroundings.
They were processing the bodies of the fallen military police.
‘...Thank you. And I'm sorry.’
Tears of reverence streamed from his eyes.
And on the rooftop of a building overlooking Gwanghwamun Square.
A man in a hood stood gazing down at the square.
“...You're doing well.”
The man, perched precariously on the building's edge, smiled faintly.
He had watched Tae-hyun's battle against the Naga Clan from start to finish.
“Haa... You're so young back then.”
He let out a sigh of relief and smiled.
He opened his palm.
Sususu...
In that moment, a 'white mask' formed in his hand.
He donned the white mask.
Unlike Tae-hyun's pristine white mask, his was covered in scars.
The marks of time were evident.
“...No rush.”
He removed his hood.
Whoosh-.
His radiant silver hair fluttered in the night breeze.
Jeeng-.
A blue portal opened behind him.
Two people emerged from the portal.
The silver-haired man looked at them.
They were all wearing 'white masks'.
“...Let's go. Evan... It's almost time.”
“...”
At the short-haired woman's words, Evan turned.
The spear-wielding man beside her grumbled irritably.
“Hey, how long are you gonna keep this up? Damn it... Just stop already.”
“Got it... Let's go.”
Evan glanced at Kang Tae-hyun one last time.
And thought,
‘...Captain Kang Tae-hyun.’
Pushing aside his lingering reluctance, Evan followed them into the portal.
Sususu...
My body floated up before warping back into the room.
Once the warp ended, the drawn summoning circle burned away and vanished.
I took a quick shower and bandaged the scratches.
“Ugh!!! Finally done.”
I dragged my exhausted body to the bed and collapsed.
The second round started the day after tomorrow.
I needed today and tomorrow to recover from the fatigue.
‘...’
I'd barely cleared the second hurdle.
The White Mask activities ahead were endless.
Truly bone-grinding work.
But if these efforts protected civilian safety, that was enough.
And the ultimate goal.
Becoming an S-rank hunter and exterminating every last monster bastard.
This was laying the foundation for that.
“Ah-. If I had a hundred bodies, I'd wipe them all out already...”
“...Wipe out what?”
“Obviously, the mons—”
Bulgeok!
I jolted upright in surprise.
Yoon Seo-hyun was sitting in a chair, staring at me.
“You... how long have you been here?”
“...Since you warped back with the summoning circle?”
“Why... are you here?”
“Because I have something to say.”
“Knock?”
“Why knock when no one's home?”
...What?
Why is she so brazen?
Am I the one doing something wrong?
Fortunately, the paper outlining my White Mask activity plans was concealed with invisible magic only I could see.
But was that the issue now?
“More importantly, where did you go? Gwanghwamun's in an uproar right now.”
“...None of your business. Out.”
I got up from the bed, pulled her to her feet, and pushed her toward the door.
“Ah, wait. Hold on. I really have something to say... Ah, stop pushing!”
Kkiiik-.
I left the door open and shoved her over the threshold.
Then, from inside, I said,
“Now talk.”
“...Cheapskate.”
“Closing the door?”
“Ah, fine. Fine.”
Yoon Seo-hyun took a deep breath and spoke.
“The Black Cloak. Remember him?”
“Yeah. The monster who took first in the prelims.”
“Straight to the point. Let's form a temporary alliance.”
She extended her small hand.
I didn't take it and asked,
“What are you talking about?”
“...It bruises my pride, but with my current skill, I don't think I can beat him...”
Fair enough.
Same for me.
In a tournament including physical combat, maybe, but purely on magic? No way to beat that Black Cloak came to mind.
There was an overwhelming gap in hunting style and combat power.
The tournament barred high-rank hunters and top-class mages.
So he was likely a mid-tier mage or a hidden powerhouse.
And yet the difference was that vast.
Why someone that strong was targeting the upper-grade Mana Manual was beyond me.
“...Hmm.”
“Tempted? Huh? Huh? Huh?”
Yoon Seo-hyun bobbed her head and fidgeted in front of me.
Honestly, knocking out that guy in the second round would be ideal.
Easier than beating Yoon Seo-hyun or Yoon Ah-young.
Her proposal wasn't bad.
I took Seo-hyun's hand.
“Fine. But Yoon Ah-young joins too.”
“What??? No, that's...!”
Kwang! Chulk.
I slammed the door shut, locked it, and flopped back onto the bed.
Kung, kung, kung!
Yoon Seo-hyun pounded on the door furiously afterward, but I ignored her.
Second Round.
On the day of the matches, I stretched lazily.
Thanks to a good night's sleep, the fatigue from Gwanghwamun was gone.
I'd briefed her on the strategy last night.
Ah-young had accepted readily.
Getting to the finals with just the three of us was fine either way.
Ah-young stood rigidly, tense.
I sidled up to her, draped an arm around her shoulders, and whispered,
“Don't tense up. Just follow the plan.”
“Huh? Y-yeah...”
I nodded toward the Black Cloak and returned to my spot.
She glanced at the Black Cloak, then back at me.
Time passed, and the announcer took the stage again.
-Thank you for waiting!! Congratulations to the 110 participants who passed the first round! But... you have to pass the second round to be true winners, right??? No time to dawdle. Let's reveal the second round theme right away.
Pop.
A confetti popper burst, unfurling the paper with the theme.
<Simultaneous Spellcasting>
The expected result.
And the subject I'd desperately prepared for.
Gasps of dismay rose from here and there upon seeing it.
“Ah...! Screwed.”
“...Ah... damn... barely passed the first round.”
“Maybe I should forfeit...”
As expected, simultaneous spellcasting was an advanced skill few possessed.
I slipped my hand into my pocket.
This second round should go smoothly too.
Of course, the real goal wasn't passing—it was dropping that 'Black Cloak'.
‘...Alright. Let's do this.’
The Black Cloak stared at the theme silently.
-Then we'll start the second round immediately. If everyone's ready, we'll generate the warps. Yoon Ji-yeon?
-Yes.
Yoon Ji-yeon's warp spell activated again.
A blue glow surrounded us as our bodies lifted.
The second round had begun.
(To be continued)