As the enormous fuselage of the Boeing 747-8 VIP lifted into the sky, Jin Taekyung, who had been bouncing excitedly in his seat, sprang up and began roaming around the interior.
“Wow, this isn’t a plane. It’s practically a hotel suite! Team Leader, look over here. There’s even a bed!”
At his repeated exclamations, Choi Minwoo pressed a hand to his forehead. Anyone watching him would think they were going on an overseas vacation instead of heading to a battlefield.
“Um… Mr. Jin Taekyung?”
“Hang on. I’m going to ask what kind of liquor they have here.”
The private jet sent by China’s Central Committee had three Chinese flight attendants. Jin Taekyung called one of them over and began speaking to her in fluent Chinese.
No way. He’s practically a native speaker.
His vocabulary and fluency were good enough to belong to someone born and raised in China.
Choi Minwoo was also talented with languages and could speak several fluently, but he was nowhere near Jin Taekyung’s level.
He had heard that Taekyung hadn’t even been good at studying. When on earth had he learned to converse in Chinese that well?
A thought suddenly flashed through Choi Minwoo’s astonished mind.
Come to think of it, he’s the sort of person who talks to monsters, too.
Jin Taekyung was the very person who used the Demon Realm language—which even renowned linguists struggled to decipher—while mixing in every kind of profanity.
When Choi Minwoo had asked how that was even possible, the only answer he had received was that it was a trade secret.
…Let’s just stop thinking about it. That’ll be easier on my mind.
Giving up on things did make life more peaceful. Besides, it wasn’t as if this was the first time something like this had happened. He figured he would find out when the time came.
Having given up, Choi Minwoo accepted the glass of liquor poured by the flight attendant.
“What kind of liquor is this? It’s clear, so it looks like some kind of vodka.”
“First Dew Fresh.”
“…”
“Heh. I didn’t expect it, but they actually had soju. First Dew tastes best on the rocks.”
Jin Taekyung sat down on one of the sofas provided inside the plane and downed glass after glass. Choi Minwoo was appalled by the nonstop drinking and asked:
“Are you haunted by the ghost of someone who died unable to drink?”
“I’m getting my drinking done in advance. Going back and forth is a hassle.”
“Excuse me?”
“Never mind. It’s nothing.”
After muttering something incomprehensible, Jin Taekyung asked:
“You said it would take five or six hours, right?”
“That’s how long it will take to reach Chengdu International Airport in Sichuan Province. It could take longer in an emergency.”
“What do you mean by an emergency?”
“What else could it be?”
The emergency Choi Minwoo referred to meant that the army of monsters led by the Lich had conquered Chengdu.
“Of course, that possibility is remote. By now, an enormous number of members of the People’s Liberation Army and Hunters should be guarding the city.”
A population of one hundred million and an area twice the size of the Korean Peninsula.
Chengdu was the administrative capital of Sichuan Province. If Chengdu fell, it would be the same as Sichuan Province being occupied.
Jin Taekyung waved a hand after listening to Choi Minwoo.
“Come on, you can’t rule things out just because they seem unlikely. If we could do that, Monster Waves wouldn’t happen in the first place.”
“Of course, that’s true, but…”
“Always assume the worst. Don’t try to guess the best.”
It was a casual remark, tossed out without a second thought. Anyone could say such a thing, but hearing it from Jin Taekyung made it feel different.
How should he put it? It carried a meticulousness concealed beneath apparent carelessness, along with the seasoned skill of a veteran who had survived countless battles.
He’s a strange man.
Choi Minwoo sometimes found Jin Taekyung uncanny.
It wasn’t a question of skill or combat experience.
Whenever he spoke with Taekyung, he would occasionally get the feeling that this was not someone who had weathered only one or two crises.
Even though he’s younger than me.
At Choi Minwoo’s newly contemplative gaze, Jin Taekyung paused while raising his glass.
“What? Want vodka instead?”
“No. First Dew is fine, too.”
“Right? It has such a clean taste…”
Jin Taekyung stopped speaking and scowled.
“This bastard’s acting up again. Seriously.”
“…”
“I wasn’t talking to you, Team Leader. Some asshole keeps squawking so loudly.”
Choi Minwoo glanced nervously at the flight attendants and whispered:
“The Skeleton Warlord?”
“Yeah. He’s been making a huge fuss about not wanting to go to China.”
“Because of the Lich.”
“Even if they’re both Named Monsters, they’re in completely different classes. And the Lich is a high-ranking undead monster, too.”
If the Lich was a big shot, the Skeleton Warlord was a complete nobody. No matter that he had become a Named Monster, he was different from the roots up.
Besides, the Lich that had appeared this time was powerful enough to be on an entirely different level from the Liches that had existed during the Great Cataclysm.
Choi Minwoo spoke with a serious expression.
“Mr. Jin.”
“Ah, shut up already! Sorry, what?”
“I think something has been going wrong lately.”
“Did you throw out your back?”
“No. I mean the way the world is changing.”
“Oh, the atmosphere. Same here. I want to live peacefully, but all these pieces of shit keep raising hell from every direction… Ah, I wasn’t talking about you, so shut up.”
A sudden headache began pounding through Choi Minwoo’s skull, and he rubbed the space between his brows.
“I’m talking about Gates and monsters.”
“Oh.”
Jin Taekyung, who had been arguing with the invisible Skeleton Warlord, raised his head.
“It is strange. Two Named Monsters have appeared within a few months, even though normally you might see one every few years.”
“Gate accidents have also increased sharply this year. The media, which love to tear people apart, are blaming the carelessness of Guilds and individuals. But I’m not so sure. The International Gate Research Institute’s position is the exact opposite.”
On the tablet PC Choi Minwoo handed him, the words Investigation Results: Sudden Increase in Gate Mana were displayed in a large, heavy font.
“It hasn’t been officially announced, but it’s already a foregone conclusion. Mana density is rapidly increasing in a considerable number of Gates.”
“That’s the real cause of the recent spate of Gate accidents?”
“Yes.”
Mana was the source of a monster’s power. If the mana density inside a Gate increased, it was only natural for the monsters inside to grow stronger as well.
And above all…
“I have proof in my hands.”
At Jin Taekyung’s words, Choi Minwoo nodded.
The Skeleton Warlord. According to what Taekyung had told him a few days ago, this Named Monster had evolved.
It had happened so suddenly that even the Warlord himself did not know why.
“The Lich that appeared this time may have experienced the same growth in power.”
“I expected something like that to some extent. But…”
Jin Taekyung swept back his long hair.
“This is going to be fucking brutal.”
“That’s why we need sufficient countermeasures. According to some of the material I obtained regarding this incident…”
“I’ll look at the material later.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’ve got a lot of things to catch up on right now.”
“Things to catch up on? Right now?”
The Boeing 747-8 VIP they were riding was flying at an altitude of twenty-five thousand feet.
What kind of overdue work could he possibly deal with up here?
Jin Taekyung’s answer only made Choi Minwoo more bewildered.
“I’m going to sleep.”
“Sleep? In times like these?”
“I haven’t been able to sleep at all lately.”
“W-wait a second.”
“Don’t wake me under any circumstances. This is the answer for now.”
What kind of person was this?
Before Choi Minwoo could stop him, Jin Taekyung began crawling into the bed prepared inside the aircraft. Choi Minwoo could only gape at him.
“Oh, right. Team Leader Choi.”
Jin Taekyung poked his head out and added with a serious expression:
“Please turn off the lights.”
“…”
The moment his head touched the pillow, Jin Taekyung fell peacefully asleep.
Watching him, Choi Minwoo thought:
The profit split is nine to one. No exceptions.
Ding.
System
Login complete.
I opened my eyes to the hardness of a wooden pillow and bed instead of a soft pillow and mattress.
Above me was the ceiling of a pavilion in the Murim Alliance, entirely unfamiliar to me.
I’m back.
A full month had passed since I left. In the Murim, not even two shichen would have passed.
I turned my head to the right and saw a small-framed old man fast asleep.
Even with sunlight streaming through the window and shining directly on his face, he—the Fire King, Jeok Cheongang—did not move an inch.
“I’m back, Old Master.”
It was the moment I quietly muttered those words and began to rise.
“Oh, mm. Ah.”
“…”
I stared down at Hyuk Mujin, who was writhing like a worm in the corner of the room, and thought:
I’m pretty sure I put him on guard duty before logging in.
This lunatic was having a wet dream when I told him to stand guard.
It was a lifelong regret that I couldn’t record this on video and share it in the Jin Family of Taiyuan group chat.
Still, I could kick him in the ass.
Bam!
“Ugh!”
“Wake up, you Tokyo Hot1 bastard.”
Hyuk Mujin sprang to his feet, jolted awake from his blissful dream by the pain.
“Captain, you’re awake!”
“Yeah. Looks like you just woke up too.”
Hyuk Mujin’s eyes darted around as he gave an awkward smile.
“Ah, well. Something came up.”
“…”
Did something come up, or were you about to come?
I glared at Hyuk Mujin with disgust and let out a deep sigh.
Fine. This was all my fault for trusting him.
“Whew. How long have you been asleep?”
“Not long. I swear.”
“Then nothing unusual happened while you were awake?”
“Yes. Until two shichen ago, I kept watch so thoroughly that I wouldn’t have let even a single ant get inside.”
I thought about that for a moment before asking:
“If it was two shichen ago, wasn’t that when I had just fallen asleep?”
“Well, yes, I suppose it was. But I really didn’t sleep long.”
“Right. Two shichen isn’t very long.”
“Yes, yes.”
“Our Mujin followed me into my dreams to protect me, huh?”
Hyuk Mujin nodded furiously.
“That’s right! Hyuk Mujin, Vice Squad Leader of the Jin Dragon Squad of the great Jin Family of Taiyuan! I swear that I will remain eternally loyal to you, Captain!”
“My, aren’t you a good boy.”
I chuckled and picked up the flower vase beside the bed.
“Then why did you make such strange moaning sounds while guarding me in my dream?”
“Gasp.”
“Who on earth did you meet? Mimi of Honghwaru? Kirara of Tokyo-ru? Or the filial daughter from the soft tofu restaurant?”
I’d had it. Just looking at that bastard made my pent-up rage flare and my chest feel so tight I couldn’t stand it—hwabyeong2 in the making.
I raised the flower vase high, and Hyuk Mujin cautiously backed away.
“P-please let me off just this once.”
“I’ve let you off five hundred times already.”
“Then since you’ve let me off five hundred times, just one more time…”
“Hold still.”
Whoosh!
At that moment, three things happened simultaneously.
First, the flower vase in my hand shot forward with tremendous force.
Second, after barely grazing the crown of Hyuk Mujin’s bowed head, it flew toward the door.
Third, the door opened at exactly that impossible moment, and someone entered.
“How is Great Hero Jeok’s condition—”
Bam!
The squat old man holding a small cloth-wrapped bundle in one hand could not finish his sentence.
His eyes losing focus, he stared at Hyuk Mujin and me. His lips opened and closed several times before he slowly crumpled to the floor.
Thud. Crash!
The flower vase rolled away after striking the old man squarely in the forehead, while acupuncture needles and various medical instruments spilled from the bundle he had been carrying.
“…”
“…”
At first light, the Luoyang Strange Physician had come to check on Jeok Cheongang’s condition.
And that was how he collapsed with a concussion.
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