The Aftermath of Salvation
By the time night fell, the tasks of tending to the wounded and recovering the bodies of fallen allies had mostly been completed.
The subjugation force rested while keeping a wary eye on the direction of the Maigbra Settlement. After such a fierce and dangerous battle, the break was absolutely necessary.
Yet instead of falling straight to sleep, everyone busied themselves gathering in small groups and whispering. Various guilds called meetings, and there were even gatherings organized by nation.
The overall atmosphere was calm, serious, and bustling. The weight of mourning and consolation for the dead made it feel somewhat heavy.
At the same time, a different kind of gravity and tension flowed beneath the surface.
Eric Weiss, an S-class hunter from a German guild positioned to sense this undercurrent, stood motionless in one spot, staring toward the Maigbra Settlement as if lost in a daze.
The cliffs surrounding the settlement and the blockade of the cloud storm remained firmly in place. Though the distance reduced the sounds from that place to faint echoes, they still raised goosebumps across his skin.
As he stood quietly observing that majestic yet terrifying sight, his enhanced hearing picked up the nearby hunters whispering among themselves.
These murmurs didn't come from only one side.
All of it was talk about Korea's S-class hunter Han Yujin.
Eric Weiss, of course, had his own thoughts. They were clearly different from the nonsense the idiots had spouted in the meeting he'd just attended.
He observed the atmosphere of the subjugation force's camp. Though tension flowed beneath the surface, he sensed no obvious fear or anxiety.
Even if he really did show up late on purpose to create this exact mood and play the savior, the fact remains that we survived thanks to his help.
After all, the original subjugation plan hadn't been drawn up with Han Yujin's true strength in mind. It wouldn't be fair to pin the blame for the casualties entirely on him.
And if Han Yujin had stepped forward from the beginning and wiped everything out, it was easy to imagine what the current atmosphere in the subjugation force would look like.
Perhaps it had been an unavoidable choice. No one, no matter who they were, would want to do a good deed only to earn everyone's wariness and fear.
I'll watch the situation a little longer...
If Han Yujin wasn't as ruthless and cruel as people feared, and if the "Han Yujin Training Method" that had begun distribution in Korea was truly as remarkable as the media claimed, then Eric would seriously consider naturalizing to Korea.
Even if the training method would eventually leak and spread across the world, there was no telling when that would happen. He couldn't simply wait.
Having witnessed Han Yujin's divine might with his own eyes, his expectations for the training method were inevitably high.
If it contained even half—no, even a tenth—of the essence of the power Han Yujin had wielded, then he too could become far stronger than he was now.
The more he thought about it, the more he found himself hoping that Han Yujin wasn't a villain.
When Eric Weiss looked back toward the Maigbra Settlement, his eyes held a faint expectation and longing that even he himself didn't fully recognize.
The cleanup after battle was never something that could be finished in a day or two. Nor was it easy.
Tending to allied wounded and corpses while disposing of enemy bodies was the simplest part. The real problem was dealing with the tens of thousands of Aheti survivors still living inside the mountain range.
Since all of the enemy's combatants were dead, a "humanitarian" approach would mean taking the rest captive. However, they were an alien race with whom communication was difficult, and they harbored immense fear and hostility toward humanity.
Furthermore, even the non-combatants were far from powerless. Investigations had revealed that even their children possessed strength comparable to F-class hunters, while some adults wielded power on par with D-class or even C-class.
Every time the force entered the interior for minimal investigation, clashes were inevitable.
Fortunately, no organized counterattacks occurred.
This wasn't because every surviving Aheti was incompetent or cowardly. It was all thanks to Han Yujin, who continued maintaining the cliff and cloud storm blockade.
Whenever even the slightest hint of unrest appeared, flames of horrifying power would appear from nowhere and incinerate the ringleaders and their close associates. No matter how secretly they tried to communicate, the result was the same. The flames could neither be blocked nor avoided.
RUMBLE...!!
Moreover, the sight of the cloud storm still swirling above the cliffs and the empty sky beyond was enough to extinguish even the faintest remaining thread of hope.
As much as the subjugation force's hunters felt awe and courage when they looked at that cloud storm, the Aheti felt terror and despair.
Three days later.
The subjugation force finally began proper, full-scale operations.
Hunters with communication abilities stepped forward to attempt dialogue, and an Aheti survivor with similar powers responded.
The unconditional surrender demand—that they disarm and come out peacefully—was accepted surprisingly easily. This was, of course, thanks to Han Yujin's presence.
Tens of thousands of Aheti slowly emerged from the mountain range and began complying with the subjugation force's control. There were occasional fierce acts of resistance, but they remained minor disturbances and never escalated into major issues.
Grrrrrr...!!
Whenever tension reached a boiling point, the Cloud Dragon would appear in the sky and growl. Every time, the growing problem would subside instantly, like a spark extinguished by water.
Another three days passed like this.
Just as the original subjugation plan had called for, the follow-up forces arrived. Though slightly less skilled, they numbered more than twice as many. Thanks to them, the task of building camps for the Aheti prisoners and managing them became manageable.
Once the settlement was completely emptied, Han Yujin finally released the blockade and found some breathing room.
By now, news about me must have spread outside.
Not long after the battle ended, hunters acting as messengers for various nations had rushed toward the Great Rift entrance. It was obvious what news they carried.
It was impossible to predict exactly how public opinion would form.
Still, since he had given prior instructions to the Neo Dominion, no matter how badly things went, the situation wouldn't deteriorate to the point where he couldn't do anything about it.
With that thought, he went looking for Park Seryong.
Park Seryong had just finished handing over duties to Choi Kangbaek, who had arrived as the Korean representative of the follow-up forces. Since not every S-class hunter could leave their country and it was inappropriate to burden one person with high-stress missions indefinitely, such rotations were essential.
As a bonus, the Korean government would likely want to ask a responsible figure like Park Seryong many direct questions. Especially about Han Yujin.
"Ah."
Park Seryong, emerging from the temporary command building created with earth-attribute abilities, froze for a moment when he saw Han Yujin waiting in front of him, then immediately bowed his head.
"You've worked hard. This subjugation force's victory was entirely thanks to..."
He suddenly paused and glanced around.
Strangely, none of the people passing nearby paid any attention to them. It was enough to send a chill down one's spine.
"...Teacher. Your performance was truly remarkable."
Having finished speaking, he tried to ease his tension. Han Yujin, paying it no particular mind, spoke in his usual tone.
"I've already secured all the useful knowledge, including the Aheti dimension-wandering techniques. I'll pass it on to you separately once we're outside, so disseminate it at an appropriate pace. It will have better momentum if Korea appears to be taking the lead in distributing the knowledge."
"Yes, I will do so."
He then examined Park Seryong's cultivation progress with his divine sense.
"When you reach the Dharma Soul stage, your lifespan will extend to around two hundred years. You know that, right?"
"Yes, I'm aware."
"At that point, depending on your progress, I will teach you the Great Pure Mysterious Water Ultimate Qi Art. It's a cultivation method that grants an additional three hundred years of lifespan."
An additional three hundred years of life.
At those words, Park Seryong forgot his tension and fear and simply stared in a daze.
"So train hard. Don't focus only on other matters."
"I-I will keep it in mind."
As he had observed before, Park Seryong's talent was roughly upper-tier among those with earthly spiritual roots.
It wasn't a heavenly spiritual root, but with the help of the ether elixir and blood spirit refinement wine, there was a chance he could achieve Perfect Foundation Establishment. That was why Han Yujin found himself urging him whenever the thought occurred.
It served to relieve the fear Park Seryong must feel while also providing motivation, all so he could continue making thorough use of him in the future.
After exchanging a few more words of instruction and parting with Park Seryong, Han Yujin took a lap around the area to observe the subjugation force's situation.
While he couldn't shake off a sense of unease, he no longer felt the need to keep watching.
This should be enough. If problems arise, they'll handle them on their own.
Even if an unexpectedly large problem erupted, he felt it couldn't be helped. He couldn't take care of everything from start to finish.
Perhaps suffering a major setback once would be good for them in the long run. Wasn't failure the mother of success? To build fundamental skill and experience, they had to endure corresponding hardship.
Having made up his mind, he slipped out of the area without drawing anyone's attention, still maintaining his Monghwan Yusim.
His work here was done.
Now it was time to watch over Earth's situation while focusing on his own growth.
About a week after returning to Earth.
The media was in an absolute frenzy with news of the great victory in the Aheti subjugation operation. Corporations continued running all sorts of creative events to maintain the festive mood, and nearly every nation refrained from throwing cold water on the atmosphere.
It was far more peaceful and boisterous than expected.
But behind the scenes.
The upper echelons of each country's society were in considerable turmoil over the issue of Han Yujin. Political meetings in particular were frequent.
The problem of an absolute being's emergence—which had once been treated with extreme seriousness but later concluded to be excessive worry—was rising to the surface again, threatening to boil over.
The appearance of an Awakened who could single-handedly topple any existing nation if he chose. For those who favored the current order and feared change, this was no small matter.
Since it was a story that couldn't be hidden no matter how hard they tried, tales of Han Yujin's exploits were gradually leaking to the public, and reactions were beginning to emerge.
Thanks to the information network the Neo Dominion had established, Han Yujin was able to grasp these undercurrents. At the moment, unlike usual, he was not in a safe house but in a different location.
Underground beneath a hill in Seoul's city center.
For someone who had reached the Nascent Soul stage, creating a reasonably cozy underground hideout was child's play. When combined with the Nightveil Sanctum Obscura Dome, it was perfect in terms of security as well.
While he sat at the center of the hideout, examining various information through an augmented reality interface, Mu-yong busied herself moving around the space. She used her illusion arts to make the hideout cozier and more comfortable. She seemed to be enjoying herself, even creating decorations here and there that she thought looked good.
Han Yujin occasionally glanced at her with a small smile, then deactivated the augmented reality interface and called out to her.
"Mu-yong, come here."
Jjik?
Even as she let out a cry that seemed to ask why he was calling, she scampered over and jumped into his arms, prompting him to stroke her thoroughly.
"Let's go meet Wonhee."
Jjik? Jjijik!
"Not the young Lee Won-hee. I mean Ghost Wonhee."
...Jjik! Jjijik-! Jjik!
"Now that I've reached the Nascent Soul stage, it's only right that I try. If it fails, I'll just have to find another way."
Unlike Mu-yong, his expectations were far greater. As great as the fear he had felt before.
His heart beat faster of its own accord. Moreover, since he had promised to save her before, he truly didn't want to delay any longer.
After roughly soothing Mu-yong, he sat cross-legged on the rock bed on one side and closed his eyes. The reason he didn't lie down as usual was simply because the hard rock bed couldn't possibly be comfortable.
Having reached the Nascent Soul stage, falling asleep while sitting in a refined posture was effortless.
He held Mu-yong carefully in his arms so she would be comfortable and smoothly activated his ability.