* * *
Step, step.
Su-hyeun and Lee Ju-ho walked side by side in the corridor.
They lost the reporters trying to chase after them. They wouldn’t catch up to these two, no matter how they tried. After all, Su-hyeun and Lee Ju-ho had special abilities that these reporters didn’t possess.
“Will this be fine?” Lee Ju-ho asked out of the blue.
Lee Ju-ho’s question might be vague, but Su-hyeun understood what he meant. He simply replied, “Of course.”
If it weren’t fine, he wouldn’t have started this whole thing in the first place.
Su-hyeun replied nonchalantly, shrugging, while Lee Ju-ho sighed. He then said, “It would have been so much better if we managed to prove that the Authority was behind everything… A lot simpler too.”
“Such a thing will be too difficult to pull off,” Su-hyeun disagreed, shaking his head. “The director is not stupid. He would cover his tracks. Any traces related to the manipulation of the system through mind control will be removed or deleted.”
The “mind control” skill was quite a high level within the hallucination-type abilities. The victim would not realize that they were being manipulated, and also even the magical energy used would quickly disintegrate, not leaving much evidence behind.
As such, it was the perfect skill to utilize in an awakener-related criminal activity.
However, an awakener strong enough to use mind control skills didn’t need to commit crimes in the first place.
“The Korean awakeners capable of using mind control can be counted in two hands, Bro. It should only be around 10 people, and two of them are affiliated with the Authority.”
“Well, these people should start suspecting them at the very least. In that case, our side’s position will be somehow strengthened too,” Lee Ju-ho remarked. “I think public opinion will be divided into three. First, the association is lying. Second, the Authority is doing something sneaky. Third, an unknown force is involved, such as another country.”
“At least, we won’t lose anything.”
“In that case, what will you do from now on? Aren’t you already convinced that the Authority is responsible for this?”
“That’s almost a certainty, judging from the current situation. Almost… I’m still not a hundred percent sure. It is already prepared in advance. Let’s not forget that an event like this happened as soon as you became the association chairman too.”
“Although we are ‘almost’ to 100% sure, we must remember that there is no physical evidence…yet…” Lee Ju-ho shook his head. “I can’t figure it out. I just can’t think of a way with my dumb brain. All I can come up for now is a justification to reject the request to cooperate made by the Authority. That’s all.”
Lee Ju-ho had been dealing with the events as they happened.
The Authority used the pretext of the association’s system being faulty and “requested” for cooperation, and Lee Ju-ho came up with a fairly logical reason to reject that request.
Should the Authority attacked, Lee Ju-ho was prepared to defend. However, he was also aware of his limitations.
“And from now on, it’s up to you, Su-hyeun.”
“I know. Don’t worry,” Su-hyeun assured Lee Ju-ho. Then he immediately called Miru as soon as they exited the Authority’s building. “It won’t take long. Let’s go.”
Gya-ong!
At Su-hyeun’s call, Miru replied enthusiastically and spread its wings wide before soaring to the sky.
Lee Ju-ho watched Miru and Su-hyeun fly away and slowly shook his head.
“Will it really be possible?” he wondered.
There was no need to doubt Su-hyeun’s abilities, but Lee Ju-ho didn’t feel confident this time.
Would such a “thing” even be possible?
Lee Ju-ho kept thinking about it.
He shook his head again. He just couldn’t stop worrying about it. If Su-hyeun said it was doable, then it should be.
“Starting today, at this very moment, it’s…” Lee Ju-ho couldn’t stop thinking of how people all over the world would take the news. He smirked and then muttered to himself, “Showtime.”
An event that he wanted to show everyone…
Su-hyeun began that “thing.”
* * *
Step, step.
The director’s handkerchief was soaked with sweat.
The sound of people’s footsteps reverberated throughout the corridor. The director was cranky that he was annoyed at the sound of his own footsteps.
“Dangerous.”
The word lingered in his head.
It wasn’t as if an event similar to this one had not happened before. He was blessed with long life, and he had always fought for his share of the pie. He worked hard and had been through a lot, clashed and destroyed a lot of people, to reach his current position.
Perils were inevitable in the process.
Sirens were meant to alert him of imminent danger. The thing was, these sirens echoed in his head. He was sensing danger. When such things happened, the director would make sure to turn a crisis into an opportunity.
However, things were different this time.
The siren kept going in his head, and it was crazy loud.
The director felt as if his head would explode, and his eyes would pop. Beads of sweat trickled from his forehead. He was profusely perspiring.
“Damn it.”
Grit.
The director gritted his teeth and pulled out his phone.
“Yeah, it’s me, Section Chief Han. Come to my office right away.”
Creak.
The director opened the door and entered his office. He walked toward the small fridge and took out some cold water. He then gulped it in less than a minute.
His shirt was still wet from sweat, but he managed to calm himself. He breathed in and out loudly and then sat on the sofa as he waited for Section Chief Han Myeong-gyun to arrive.
Knock. Knock.
“Director, it’s me.”
“Hurry up and come inside!” the director yelled. He couldn’t shake off the anxiety and stress he was feeling.
Han Myeong-gyun sensed something was off. He reminded himself to be cautious with his words as he didn’t want to upset the director further. He gently opened the door and stepped inside the office.
“You didn’t make any mistake back then, right? No evidence whatsoever, right?” the director immediately spoke when he saw Han Myeong-gyun enter.
“No, sir,” Han Myeong-gyun responded confidently. “No mistake. I have confirmed it several times.”
“Have you seen the news?”
“Yes, sir, I have. I honestly didn’t expect them to figure it out this quickly. Their response came sooner than we predicted, sir.”
Section Chief Han seemed also flustered by the development, but he wasn’t as worried as the director.
Section Chief Han remained objective toward the recent turn of events. As such, he was able to make sound decisions.
Although the plan to manipulate the association with the pretext of cooperation born out of their system’s flaw had gone down the drain at this stage, it still didn’t mean any potential problematic elements didn’t remain for them to worry about.
After all, no evidence of wrongdoing was found.
The association would never be able to prove that the Authority cooked up this scheme. The Authority was sure of this.
Section Chief Han stared at the worried director and asked, “Is that the reason for calling me here, sir?”
“There has to be something…something,” the director muttered. He was now lying on the sofa, eyes closed and an arm on his forehead. He didn’t respond to Section Chief Han’s inquiry.
Then Section Chief Han Myeong-gyun’s phone rang.
“Ah… Please excuse me, sir.”
“What is it?” the director asked without looking at the chief.
“It’s a call from some guys working for me.”
“Go ahead and take it. I could use some time with my thoughts.”
“Yes, sir.”
Section Chief Han turned around and answered the phone.
But just as the director closed his eyes and held his head, Section Chief Han was told of the news. “Wha-what was that? That’s motherf*ck*ng insane!”
Han Myeong-gyun was utterly shocked. He kept on cursing, forgetting that his superior was just right behind him.
The director opened his eyes and looked toward Han Myeong-gyun’s direction. Section Chief Han urgently ended the call and turned to speak to the director. “Si-sir…”
“What now? What happened?” The director was triggered. He was now exasperated.
Han Myeong-gyun licked his dried lips before he spoke. “Kim Su-hyeun… He…”
“What?”
* * *
Above Gwanak District in the city of Seoul…
While riding on Miru’s back, Su-hyeun looked down at the ground. The entirety of Seoul filled up his view.
Shu-wuwuwu—
Because he was so high up in the air, he activated his Sage’s Eye, and then his eyes changed to a bluish hue. Looking at Gyeonggi Province in the distance was made easier.
‘There sure are a lot of them, though…’
Su-hyeun unfolded the map he brought with him. The districts marked with various colored spots denoted locations where dungeons had appeared.
He confirmed the marked positions in the map, which meant that this map was quite accurate.
He counted the number of dungeons and began thinking that it had swelled quite noticeably lately.
“About 800 in total. Among them, 300 in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province alone. As for Gangwon Province, not a lot have generated. Probably because so many did show up not too long ago.”
Su-hyeun’s gaze shifted over to the most dangerous dungeons among them.
“Three green dungeons. No blues, though.”
Even though the number of S-ranks had increased recently, the green dungeons still posed a danger.
If an outbreak somehow happened, then something on the scale of Gwanak District would be wiped out in the blink of an eye. That was how high the level of the monsters from such a dungeon was.
“All of you…” Su-hyeun began, extending his hand and unleashed his Death Aura, “Arise.”
Gu-gugugugu—
Wobble.
White clouds materialized in the air, and several dark shadows began to appear on top of them.
From the gigantic Gluttony and Ouroboros to the Chief Gatekeeper and Prince Nezha…
All the summoned creatures Su-hyeun could call appeared on the clouds. There were around 20 creatures.
“We will begin our raids from now on. The people’s safety is our priority. If someone attacks, evade if possible. Do not engage. I repeat, do not engage. If you can’t, flee from the perpetrator and return to my side.”
The other awakeners could potentially start attacking the summoned creatures since they could mistake them for regular monsters. Su-hyeun wanted to avoid such incidents as much as possible.
“Miru, ‘silence’ and ‘invisibility,’ please.”
Gya-ong!
Shu-shushu—
Magical energy pouring out from Miru’s figure enclosed the bodies of the summoned creatures. All sounds coming from them were blocked, and then their silhouettes became transparent.
Spells to block the sound and turn the target invisible had been cast on them. With the exception of some awakeners, the normal inhabitants would not be able to spot the summoned creatures now.
“You only have one day. Then the magic wears off. Around 800 dungeons in total are found inside the country. Your goal is one or more dungeons per hour. It will be your responsibility to raid and clear them. However, if there is another raid party present inside the dungeon, then move to another one right away.”
Every time Su-hyeun issued an order, the summoned creatures nodded their heads in unison.
“Especially you two, Gluttony and Prince Nezha. Each of you has to take care of two or more dungeons per hour. They must be either yellow ones or greater.”
He wasn’t making an unreasonable request here. From the get-go, both Gluttony and Prince Nezha were so strong that a dozen or more average S-rank awakeners would find it very hard to deal with just one of them.
If it were up to these two, never mind the yellow dungeons, they could even raid an indigo dungeon together.
When Su-hyeun issues his orders, his intent would directly be transmitted to the summoned creatures along with his words so they faced no problem in understanding what he wanted.
He had already designated different districts for his summons in his head and issued his last order. “For now, we start in Seoul. Everyone, scatter.”
Pat, pa-pat—
The summoned creatures quickly moved in all directions.
While not causing any losses to human lives or destruction to property, his summons cautiously and silently headed to the districts they were assigned to.
And lastly…
“Let’s go too.”
Gya-ong!
Su-hyeun headed to a green dungeon.
* * *
“Blow away.”
Inside the entrance to a green dungeon…
Su-hyeun unsheathed his sword.
“Palm Leaf,” he commanded.
WHOOSH!
The massive typhoon that previously swept away the entirety of Gangwon Province in the past had now been wreaking havoc on every corner of the green dungeon.
In just a short amount of time, the interior of the dungeon was cleansed out. The monsters’ bodies were instantly torn apart, and just like that, a dungeon ceased to exist from the world.
“Fu-woo—”
This green dungeon was fairly large in scale, and the monsters’ levels were higher. Thus, he had to exert quite an effort, exhausting a bit of his strength.
However, the spent magical energy was replenished not too long after—all thanks to his breathing technique.
“Okay. Next.”
Gya-ong!
Miru took Su-hyeun to the closest dungeon right away.
The order of the raids?
It no longer mattered.
What about a dungeon’s difficulty?
Also not important.
He simply raided everything he could find and see.
No, wait. It could not even be called “raids” anymore.
He entered a dungeon and used the Palm Leaf Sword to bring about a massive typhoon inside. If his magical energy was depleted during the process, he would take a short break before moving to his next target.
It was a massacre.
He alone took care of five dungeons in one hour.
And when the dungeons in Seoul got rapidly raided one by one, the whole of South Korea was roused in no time at all.
Kim Su-hyeun had begun his crazed rampage.
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