The First Hunter - Chapter 64

Chapter 64 – A Show of Arms (2)

3.

Kim Tae Hoon stayed inside the coffee shop even after Lieutenant Colonel Yoo Daehyun had left along with his men.

Kim Tae Hoon blocked off his ears amidst the silence. It has been a long time since he was able to enjoy silence.

Being able to drink coffee amidst the silence, the various tangled thoughts in Kim Tae Hoon’s mind began to unravel.

‘There’s definitely no need to go to Seoul.’

The first thing to unravel were the events from his second death.

There was nothing for him to get in Seoul. Seoul was like a warehouse full of holes.

On top of that, Capital Defense Command had long since settled in Seoul.

‘Whoever is able to dominate the relics from Buyeo and Gyeongju will be the one who dominates the Korean Peninsula.’

In the end, Buyeo and Gyeongju, which are saturated with national treasures, will be the key.

His thoughts were the same up to this point.

‘After that is China.’

What was different was his interpretation of the third hint.

‘They’re eating every relic and monster in China and in Asia in general.’

Gwanggaeto Stele and Sword of Goujian were both on the wish list.

Kim Tae Hoon had come to the conclusion that China was to be an enemy.

But the moment he noticed the Saint’s Cross, he changed his mind.

It won’t end with China.

‘China needs to be eaten if I’m to stand a chance against the world.’

Rather, China was just the beginning.

Only by eating up China could he stand a chance against Europe and the United States.

‘Damn it.’

However, even though he was simply imagining, it was still some ways away.

Kim Tae Hoon knew.

The sheer amount of violence that the various countries in Europe had participated in, the unprecedented great wars one after the other, these countries were built upon blood.

Furthermore, the amount of violence that made up the history of the United States was unprecedented in human history.

But such violence was condoned and questioned as the motives and justice that they pursued were in line with the majority of the world.

However, what the world had considered to be justice had changed.

‘I can imagine defeating a dragon, but not the US.’

Having witnessed the US military operate in various conflicts in the past, Kim Tae Hoon knew what they were capable of.

He gulped down the coffee instead of his saliva.

Taking another swig of coffee, Kim Tae Hoon started a new thought.

‘Twin Headed Ogre.’

The appearance of monsters resulted in the creation of a new rule.

Humans and monsters cannot coexist, and if humans want to take back the land, they must snatch it back from the monsters.

It was the same for Incheon.

Incheon will never go back into the hands of the humans unless the Twin Headed Ogre in Yeongjongdo is eliminated.

Only after killing him would Kim Tae Hoon and the Mek Guild have a firm grasp of Incheon.

In other words, they needed to kill it in order to proceed.

‘Catch him, capture Incheon.’

Kim Tae Hoon downed a third of the coffee in his cup.

Then a third thought came to mind.

‘Afterwards is Buyeon.’

It became silent again.

‘I have to call over Chang Sung Hoon.’

4.

Ggaaaek!

A monkey let out a scream before collapsing on the floor.

Staring at the Monkey Dog bleeding all over its body, the man who had shot the creature slung his rifle over his shoulder, the barrel facing towards the ground.

“Huuuu……”

He let out a long sigh.

After a short silence, the man swallowed the sigh that he was about to let out.

Then he shouted.

“Clear!”

It was the man letting his colleagues know that the area was clear.

Clear! That sound was repeated in quick succession.

When the echoes stopped resounding, the man shouted again.

“All of the monsters in Incheon City Hall have been cleared!

The Incheon City Hall has become the Mek Guild’s!”

Another echo rang out as he yelled.

However, the echo was different this time around.

Ooaaaah!

He did it! He finally did it!

They were completely different words from what he had yelled.

However, they carried the same feeling as the original.

Fervor!

Having entered Incheon, the Mek Guild captured the city hall.

Although they hadn’t fully extended themselves into Incheon yet, it was still a monumental occasion.

“That’s right, I did it! We did it!

Monsters, we’ll start with these fuckers!”

It was the first time that the survivors of Incheon had been able to look upon a symbol of resistance as significant as the Incheon City Hall since the monsters first appeared.

The same feelings of joy that the soldiers must have felt during the 1950s Incheon Landing Operation, were felt by the survivors and Hunters of the Mek Guild.

The news spread all throughout Incheon by word of mouth.

“Incheon City Hall?”

“Isn’t that a monster’s den?”

The people were thrilled.

“Finally…… Finally…….”

In particular, the citizens of Incheon felt an even larger amount of joy than others.

There were even some who laughed and others who cried.

”No need to shower cold water on their parade.”

But not everyone was thrilled.

“We just need to stick a flag here and it’ll be good.”

Chang Sung Hoon placed a finger on the Daedongyeojido that was placed on a table.

Gulp!

So while Chang Sung Hoon was speaking, Kim Tae Hoon swallowed a monster stone.

Sitting next to Kim Tae Hoon was a mountain of monster stones. It was an enormous amount. It was enough where consuming the whole amount would make one’s stomach bloat.

Gulp!

However, Kim Tae Hoon kept on consuming them.

“Boss has become a monster-like human in the few days that I haven’t seen you.”

While looking at Kim Tae Hoon’s actions, Chang Sung Hoon clicked his tongue.

“What, if I don’t then things will become even more difficult.”

Tuk tuk.

Chang Sung Hoon tapped his finger in the same spot that he had tapped just moments before.

“As you know, Yeongjong Island is the result of four smaller islands that were combined through reclamation projects to create one big island. It is for that reason that the complete situation of Yeongjong Island is unknown. If there are monsters on the land that was created through the reclamation projects, they won’t show up on Daedongyeojido.”

The area he was tapping on was the location of current Day Yeongjeongdo.

In that area was a lone, twinkling green light. Then the green light disappeared.

“The bastard this time around doesn’t like to sit still.”

While shaking his head, Chang Sung Hoon pointed at a bridge connecting Yeongjong Island and Incheon City.

“On top of that, the Yeongjong Bridge has already collapsed.”

His finger immediately moved towards where the Incheon Bridge should be.

“The only thing left should be the Incheon Grand Bridge, but the Incheon Grand Bridge couldn’t have been drawn on Daedongyeojido, so it would be impossible to tell if there are monsters on it. In other words, the 7th longest cable-stayed bridge in the world and the largest bridge in Korea with a length of 21 km, on that very same bridge, we would have no way to tell what monsters are on it.”

With that, Chang Sung placed his finger on the map again.

“Boss, why don’t we just collapse the Incheon Grand Bridge?”

Kim Tae Hoon swallowed another monster stone in lieu of replying.

“There is a green ranked monster. There are too many variables. Honestly, I would prefer that we just leave the creature on Yeongjong Island. Even if it’s an incredibly strong monster, the distance between Yeongjong Island and Incheon is no joke. Even if it somehow ends up crossing such a large distance, the orc tribe would definitely not be able to.”

In this moment after Kim Tae Hoon had called over Chang Sung Hoon, Chang Sung Hoon remembered something as he gave his take on the current situation.

And it was also the operation that Kim Tae Hoon was about to embark on.

“Isn’t Boss eventually going to just go on your own?”

If Chang Sung Hoon knew anything, then it would be the fact that Kim Tae Hoon would most likely go to Yeongjong Island on his own.

“It’ll be dangerous.”

There was a huge risk.

No matter how strong Kim Tae Hoon had gotten and no matter how many cards he had acquired, there was no telling when or how he would die in front of a green ranked monster.

“It’s extremely dangerous.”

Most importantly, Kim Tae Hoon was an extremely important person who absolutely could not die.

If he were to die, then the hope that had risen due to his work would instantly become pure despair.

Despite Chang Sung Hoon’s concerns, Kim Tae Hoon simply took a look at his right hand with blackened eyes.

[Basic Abilities]

– Strength: 300

– Stamina : 277

[Special Abilities]

– Energy : C+ Rank

– Mana: C+ Rank

– Telekinesis: A Rank

– Physical Defense : C+ Rank

– Magic Resistance : C+ Rank.

[Acquired Abilities]

– Horned Orangutan’s Stealth (Grade 5) : The power of the Horned Orangutan that allows the user to hide their presence.

Having inspected his abilities, Kim Tae Hoon turned to look at Chang Sung Hoon, his eyes still under the effect of the Black Snake’s Evil Eye.

“Well compared to the US or Europe, it’s a rather safe mission.”

“Huh?”

Not knowing what Kim Tae Hoon meant, Chang Sung Hoon could only look on with confusion.

Kim Tae Hoon didn’t bother to explain anything to Chang Sung Hoon.

“Prepare a boat.”

“……yes sir.”

Kim Tae Hoon gave a command instead of giving Chang Sung Hoon an explanation.

5.

Namsan Tower.

What had once been a simple tourist attraction had become one of the Capital Defense Command’s most fortified locations.

The reason why Namsan Tower had turned into a fortified base was simple.

In a world where tall towers and skyscrapers were no more, Namsan Tower boasted the highest view in the present day Gangbuk.

Especially considering how telecommunications and radio communications had broken down, such an eye-catching tower was beyond important.

It was a completely different place than before. Perhaps one of the biggest changes was the addition of a new monument at the entrance of Namsan Tower.

Height: 1.54 meters, Width: 0.6 meters, Thickness: 0.16 meters.

The tower was riddled with bullet holes and cracks, but on the lower left corner of the monument was the signature of Chusa, Kim Jeong-hui.

…… South Korea’s National Treasure No.3, King Jinheung’s Sunsubi monument.

King Jinheung’s Sunsubi Monument, a treasure which should be located in the National Museum of Korea, was currently standing guard beside Namsan Tower.

A red glow was coming off of Sunsubi.

The light’s intensity was like that of a fire.

Although it was a bit blurry, even those at the top of the Namsan Tower could see the light.

It was the same now.

The top of the Namsan Tower used to house a restaurant, but it was currently being occupied by those who were stationed at the Namsan Tower by the Capital Defense Command.

There were two people talking about the red glow.

“There should be even worse problems in Incheon.”

One of the two was a man in his late 50s who was in a rigid posture with his chin jutting out.

“Was there a big incident? I guess that was where they were headed after all. Even if they were special forces, they’re nothing more than just a couple of kids playing around. What can a man with no experience leading an army do?”

The other was a decent looking man wearing glasses in his mid-40s.

Major General Lee Gisu and Colonel Chang Soguk, the two of them were heavyweights even amongst heavyweights.

“That’s not it. What I’m saying the problem is……”

“Yes, it seems like we’ll have to withdraw from Incheon.”

“Tsk.”

They were also traitors.

The traitors who were going to eat Capital Defense Command from the inside and allow it to rot from it.

“So what do you think?”

“There’s nothing to do but to let the Mek Guild take Incheon. If anything, we could always lure the monsters on Yeongjong Island to Incheon and let them loose there.”

“How likely is it for Kim Tae Hoon to kill a green rank monster?”

“Not at all. He would have to go to Yeongjong Island to deal with it, it’s impossible to take regular vehicles there, let alone tanks.  I assure you that he would have to take a B2 Bomber and make a bomb of all Yeongjong Island in order to do so. But if you’re really that concerned…… just give the command and I’ll send some of the kids.”

Major General Lee Gisu let out a short sigh as Colonel Chang Soguk stopped talking.

“If you have the luxury to send them to Incheon, might as well send them to Pocheon instead.”

Pocheon.

Hearing that, the smile on Colonel Chang Soguk disappeared.

“What is the current situation with the 8 divisions?”

“At this point, we’re basically throwing the troops into the forefront. It’s to get a foothold in Gangwon.”

“Colonel Lim Hyunjoon…… I think things will be easier once we join hands with him.”

“It wouldn’t be easy sir. I know we should try to…… but who knows what conditions he’ll attach.”

At that time, a man appeared in the distance.

He looked like someone that anyone would admit to being a good looking man. It was Oh Saebum.

When the man approached, both Major General Lee Gisu and Colonel Chang Soguk stopped what they were doing as Oh Saebum saluted before handing something over.

“Here is Mr. Mao’s letter.”