Chapter 112

SMH 112

Chapter 38 – To North Korea (1)

TL: Boko

Editor: Frost

Within a room filled with communication devices, two men wearing uniforms filled with badges  sat at the table in the center of the room.

The other soldiers were either busily writing something down or focused on the communication equipment.

The two men sitting at the table unceasingly smoked their cigarettes and looked restless. They were the core of North Korea’s military authority and they had a close relationship with the dictator, Kim Jang Woon.

At the end of their silence, the chubby man called Lee Hae Sung, the head of the Ministry of the People’s Armed Forces, opened his mouth.

“This is a big problem. To think that the Lee Neung Hwa Corps can’t stop the Winter Sovereign’s advance…”

The Lee Neung Hwa Corps was the name of the army that violated the international treaty and was comprised of Hunters. The glasses wearing man gave off a sly impression, and was the Supreme Guard Commander, Ryu Chul Sung; he looked at Hae Sung with a grave expression.

“Our Leader said that he wouldn’t leave the capital.”

He was talking about the dictator, Kim Jang Woon.

“The Missile Guidance Bureau and the Air Force are carrying out air strikes every day, but the Winter Sovereign is still moving quickly to Pyongyang. But you said that our Leader wouldn’t leave Pyongyang?”

Hae Sung looked speechless. Chul Sung nodded his head and opened his mouth.

“That’s right.”

“It’ll be difficult to stop the Winter Sovereign with just the soldiers from Pyongyang Defense Command.”

“Supreme Guard Command is also assembling their forces. We can take down the Winter Sovereign at Pyongyang.”

Chul Sung showed his incredible confidence. North Korea’s Lee Neung Hwa Corps was broken up into two large sections;one of them was part of the Ministry of People’s Armed Forces, and the other was part of Supreme Guard Command.  There were also Hunters that were a part of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, but they were a minority compared to the other two forces.

“Supreme Guard Commander! You’re the head of the Supreme Guard, so isn’t it your duty to get our Leader to a safe place? It seems like you’re forgetting your duty.”

“In the worst case scenario, I’ll intervene.”

The Supreme Guard Commander, Chul Sung, was a high tier S-rank Hunter. He was so talented that it almost felt like a waste to leave him in North Korea, so in the past, America had tried to win him over, but he was a Hunter who had been brainwashed since an early age, so it wasn’t easy steal him from North Korea.

Chul Sung spoke brimming with confidence, and a few days passed. The Winter Sovereign had arrived at Pyongyang accompanied by its minions.

“All forces, attack!” Hae Sung commanded, and all their forces amassed at Pyongyang began their attack.

“Retreat!”

“R-Run away!”

North Korea had gathered all of their fighting force to battle the Winter Sovereign, but their army, the Lee Neung Hwa Corps included, sustained critical damage, and collapsed.

The confident Supreme Guard Commander, Ryu Chul Sung was ruthlessly stabbed by the raining ice blades from the sky of Pyongyang, and lost his life; and Kim Jang Woon hid himself within an underground bunker.

“The Supreme Guard Commander is dead. What are we going to do now?”

Jang Hoon looked down at the generals who had gathered at the underground bunker and asked. He was the one that suggested that they stay in Pyongyang, but no one pointed that out.

“Leader. How about asking the South Korean government for help? If the Winter Sovereign ruins us, wouldn’t its next target be South Korea?” someone said. It was a three star general.

“I would prefer not to. We have no way to pay them back,” Jang Woon said. Then, the three star general opened his mouth once more.

“We don’t need to pay them back. Rather, we can just capture the Hunters when they’re tired, take them hostage, and demand money in return. We’re gaining additional benefits and taking down the Winter Sovereign in one fell stroke; isn’t that killing two birds with one stone?” the three star general said, and Jang Joon smiled.

“Alright… Yeah, we can do it like that…”

* * *

“I-I’m sorry. I think I was too drunk the last time we met.”

Seol Ah had come looking for him. She remembered being drunk and calling Sung Joon over, and went into hiding for a few times so that he couldn’t find her; then, she contacted him and they met.

She was embarrassed that she had shown Sung Joon such an unsightly side of her.

‘Why was I like that?’

Seol Ah shook her head. She didn’t know the reason. She had never shown anyone her weak side before. She had even stood strong in front of her deceased parents. Therefore, she felt even more unfamiliar with how she acted awhile back.

“It’s alright. Since it wasn’t a bad experience for me.”

Sung Joon recollected the way she acted on that day and grinned. Then, she blushed and bowed her head.

“S-Still…”

“It’s really alright. It wasn’t a formal affair, and I can occasionally listen to your complaints for free,” Sung Joon replied, and Seol Ah felt her heart pound. She had thought her heart had been frozen solid by now, and that Maginot Line that she didn’t let anyone pass was beginning to crumble.

“I-I’ll get going now! I’m sorry! Keep up the good work!”

She sensed danger, and quickly widened the distance between her and Sung Joon. Her car was waiting for her not far away. Seol Ah went straight for her car and Sung Joon sighed briefly.

“Not bad.”

Rishubalt, who was looking at a swarm of ants in the corner of the pavement, heard Sung Joon talking to himself and turned his head.

Whenever Sung Joon met with Seol Ah or took time for himself, Rishubalt did his best to go somewhere else and not get in Sung Joon’s way. It was his consideration towards Sung Joon.

“It seems like she has strong feelings for you. She’s the granddaughter of the Blue Dragon Group’s Chairman, so there’s nothing wrong with fostering a deep relationship with her.”

“But I have enough money…” Sung Joon said. Rishubalt shook his head and opened his mouth.

“It hasn’t been very long since I’ve adapted to Earth, but I at least know that the political world and the financial world are very close. If you get along with her well, it will definitely be a huge help to you. Perhaps even in the upcoming war.”

Rishubalt was sure that the Empire and the Allied Species would go beyond their dimension and invade Earth. Therefore, he occasionally advised that Sung Joon create an independent force.

“Yeah. You said I should form an independent force, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“I have some spare time, so I should see those two.”

It hadn’t been very long since he had cleared the Awakening Dungeon, so he needed some rest. Because the Awakening Dungeon’s difficulty was gradually increasing, he would be afflicted with a tremendous amount of mental fatigue.

Therefore, he had to rest for a few days.

“Two people? Are you talking about Park Jang Hoon and Yoon Shin Chul?” Rishubalt asked. Sung Joon nodded his head and called Shin Chul as he thought he could get through to Shin Chul better than Park Jang Hoon.

Immediately after defeating the Winter Sovereign, they had exchanged contact information in the infirmary.

“It’s been a long time.”

The voice beyond the phone was tinged with joy.

“Nothing much has happened?”

“Of course.”

“What’re you doing right now?” Sung Joon asked.

“I cleared a B-rank dungeon yesterday, so I was planning to go drinking with Jang Hoon today. Jang Hoon said he found a nice place. Would you like to come with us?”

Shin Chul had figured out exactly why Sung Joon was contacting them, even though it has been a while.

“Are you inviting me?”

“If you’re buying… We’ll consider it,” Shin Chul said jokingly. Sung Joon smiled faintly.

“I’m butting in, so I’m obviously the one buying. Please don’t worry about that.”

“Maybe not myself, but I know Jang Hoon has a strong tolerance for alcohol. And the place we’re going is expensive. Can you handle that?”

“You should know, since you participated in suppressing the Winter Sovereign. Do you really think that it’s something I can’t handle?”

From beyond the phone, Shin Chul laughed, sounding as though he was feeling great.

“Haha! It was a joke. I’ll send you the location through a message, so take your time and come over.”

As soon as Sung Joon finished his conversation, he immediately got a message. The promised time was in two hours, but the location wasn’t far away. Because Sung Joon didn’t really have anything to do, he drove his car and arrived nearby the promised location. And he passed his time in the cafe.

“Someone is watching you from six o’clock, my lord. I’m not entirely sure, but it seems like they’ve been following you since you met with Yoon Seol Ah,” Rishubalt reported.

“I know.” Sung Joon nodded his head. Eventually, Shin Chul and Jang Hoon entered the cafe. Sung Joon didn’t outwardly show that he noticed that someone was watching him and greeted them.

“It’s been a long time, Mr. Kang Sung Joon,” Jang Hoon greeted. He wanted to call Sung Joon his ‘hyung'[1], but it felt cringy to Sung Joon, so he rejected it. Instead of orally greeting him, Shin Chul lightly greeted him by glancing at him; then, he quickly surveyed his surroundings, and sat in front of Sung Joon with Jang Hoon.

“Did you eat dinner before coming?” Shin Chul asked. Sung Joon nodded his head.

“I ate something simple before coming.”

“Then, how long has that guy been tailing you?” Shin Chul said, so silently that only Sung Joon could hear him. Befitting of an A-rank Hunter with superb ability and sense, he had noticed a suspicious presence watching Sung Joon.

“Around two hours.”

“He seems to be a C-rank Hunter.”

“It seems that way.”

Jang Hoon, who was listening to Sung Joon and Shin Chul converse, seemed to realize that it was a serious situation and his eyes changed.

“How dare he spy on you Hyung, no, Mr. Kang Sung Joon? Shall I kill him?” Jang Hoon said softly. He already considered Sung Joon a strong individual, and had a really good impression of him.

Seeing Jang Hoon, who gave off the impression of a knight who had pledged his loyalty, Sung Joon smiled.

“That’s dangerous. It’s a bit troublesome to kill him immediately,” Shin Chul said. Sung Joon opened his mouth with a relaxed expression.

“Let’s lead him to an alleyway and ask nicely.” He smiled icily.

“That’s a good idea.”

“Jang Hoon, that guy’s really loving this. I agree as well.”

The three left the cafe. The spy naturally got ready to leave and followed behind Sung Joon.

As soon as Sung Joon entered an alleyway, the spy thought it was suspicious, and tried to escape. But at that moment, Shin Chul intervened.

“Transform! Bind!”

The ring he had been wearing transformed into a staff and completed his restraint magic.

“Ugh!”

The magical tether restrained the spy. The spy attempted to release his mana and sever the invisible tethers, but a C-rank Hunter releasing their mana wouldn’t be able to loosen the Bind of an A-rank Hunter.

“Did you catch him?”

Sung Joon approached him, but then… Blood poured out of the spy’s mouth.

“This bastard!?”

“He bit his tongue!”

Jang Hoon cursed, and Shin Chul urgently yelled, but Sung Joon was relaxed. He looked at both Shin Chul and Jang Hoon, and opened his mouth.

“It seems like you’ve forgotten since I’m so much like a Combat Hunter, but I’m actually a Healer. An S-rank one at that.”

Sung Joon finished talking and stretched his hand towards the spy.

“Heal.”

An S-rank Healer Hunter’s Heal could even restore a severed limb. The spy’s tongue was restored and Jang Hoon forcefully kept the spy’s mouth open and put a sock in it.

“Sorry. Cause I don’t keep handkerchiefs around!”

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Jang Hoon angrily kicked the spy and Shin Chul inspected the spy’s body; he checked thoroughly, in search for any sort of identification.

“It’s a fake. It seems like we’ll have to contact the Hunter Bureau’s Security Division.”

[1] One of the very common honorifics in Korean. Used when referring to a man you are close to that is around 10 years or less older than you (age can vary) and/or is someone you respect. It is also mandatory to use this when referring to your older brother. I don’t like using Korean honorifics in my translations, but ‘brother’ is the closest one and it sounds awkward.