Chapter 388

“Hey. Hey.”

Tap. Tap-tap.

Someone nudged Wu Heixing in the side with the tip of a foot. He barely managed to open his eyes. A huge figure loomed over him.

“Hngh…”

“I’ve got something urgent to take care of, so I have to go. If anyone comes by, make up some excuse for me.”

“Hngh… hngh…”

“I poured an Advanced Potion over you, so quit milking it, punk. Keep that up and I might call Magic Johnson over to make you moan for real. See you!”

Fwish!

With that parting remark—one that made his ass ache just from hearing it—the man’s presence rapidly faded into the distance.

A little over ten minutes passed before Wu Heixing, still sprawled spread-eagled, finally growled in a seething voice.

“Jin Taekyung…!”

His broken bones and flesh had recovered thanks to the Advanced Potion, but it could not heal the pain etched deep into his bones or his cracked pride.

How?

He couldn’t believe it. No matter how worked up he had been, how could an S-rank Hunter like him have been toyed with so thoroughly?

The fact that Jin Taekyung had seen through his martial arts was shocking enough, but for someone who took such immense pride in his own power, the shock of defeat struck even harder.

Me? Me, of all people?

Wu Heixing had been born destined to become a Hunter.

Even as an infant, his potential had been recognized through an enormously expensive mana aptitude test, and his family—part of the highest echelons of the Chinese Communist Party—had spared no expense in supporting him.

They possessed vast wealth and power amassed through corruption. Raised in the finest environment with every possible advantage, Wu Heixing awakened as an A-rank Hunter at the age of twenty. Ten years later, he accomplished the remarkable feat of becoming an S-rank Hunter.

And yet…

But why? Why did I lose to that bangzi bastard from such a small country?¹

A fierce light flashed in Wu Heixing’s eyes as he glared at the pitch-black night sky.

His gaze held anger, but also jealousy—and a trace of fear toward the power Jin Taekyung had displayed.

And those emotions were ones Wu Heixing had been sickeningly familiar with for more than a decade.

Wu Heixing shouted at the one person he could no longer find.

“Was this your doing? Are you trying to torment me even after death?”

The public and the media reviled Wu Heixing as an incorrigible degenerate even as they praised him as a genius born of Zhonghua. But a tiny handful of people, Wu Heixing among them, knew the truth.

The true genius was someone else. That was why they had kept him hidden instead of letting him come to light.

“Answer me, Lei Fei!”

Lei Fei possessed not only overwhelming skill but also a noble character. To Wu Heixing, he had been an insurmountable wall.

How flustered—and delighted—had Wu Heixing been when he first heard that Lei Fei had disappeared?

But only a week later, another wall had appeared.

Its name was Jin Taekyung.

“Gaaaaaaaaah!”

His roar echoed across the night, making the bushes tremble.

“That feeling… I know it well, too.”

At the quiet voice of someone who had approached without a sound, Wu Heixing sprang to his feet like a bolt of lightning.

“Who are you?”

“I’m hurt. I thought we knew each other.”

Step.

A figure suddenly stepped out of the darkness. Wu Heixing’s eyes widened.

“You’re…?”

Beneath the faint moonlight, Lee Jungryong continued with a smile.

“It seems we have something important to discuss. What do you think?”

“…!”

Ding.

System

• You have finished circulating your qi!

• Your realm in the Blazing Flame Divine Art has risen slightly!

By the time I gathered my qi and opened my eyes, daylight was already beginning to brighten the world outside.

As if it had been waiting for this exact moment, the Skeleton Warlord promptly spoke.

• Vile human. You have finally awakened?

“I wasn’t asleep, punk.”

• Drinking before a battle. Tsk, tsk.

“I’m not going to get a hangover, so shut up.”

Drinking too much caused alcohol toxins to accumulate, but any halfway decent internal arts master could purge them with ease.

With my powerful Scorching Yang Qi, I had even less to worry about.

Come to think of it, I really did drink a lot. I polished off every last bottle Pai Chen had flown in on her private jet.

I had definitely gone there to stop Magic Johnson, but I had no idea how things had ended up that way.

• Human, how much longer do you intend to stay in this cramped place?

“I was about to leave anyway.”

The clock showed five-thirty in the morning. It was about time to get ready.

After packing my things in the hotel room assigned as my temporary quarters, I headed down to the lobby and found Team Leader Choi drinking coffee.

“Oh, Team Leader.”

“…You’re out.”

One glance told me he had dark circles under his eyes. His skin, normally flawless thanks to his meticulous self-care, looked rough.

“Didn’t you sleep?”

“Would you be able to sleep if you were me, Mr. Jin?”

“…”

Fair point.

Last night, I had received the most desperate emergency message in the world and rushed over. What I witnessed there had been nothing short of horrifying.

“Hey, Choi. It’s a drinking game. Come on, just do it once. Be cool. Right?”

“Pai Chen! Please help me, Pai Chen!”

“Hmm… Sorry, but this is a drinking game. The king’s command is absolute. Isn’t that the rule?”

“Even so, a kiss? This is my first time playing a drinking game! You didn’t even explain the rules properly!”

“Ah, whatever, whatever. Number Two will kiss Number Three on the cheek. That’s my command.”

“Choi. Stay still. I don’t want to cast a binding spell on you.”

“This is absurd… Jin Taekyung! Jin Taekyung, over here!”

“Jin. Don’t interfere. I don’t want to use an attack spell on you.”

Honestly, if I had been one minute late, it would have ended in a catastrophe.

I had been forced to chug an enormous amount of alcohol in exchange for rescuing Team Leader Choi, but I didn’t regret it in the slightest. I had been promised a fair reward in return.

“You remember the promise you made yesterday, right? The one about adjusting my share of the settlement.”

“…I remember. Nine to one.”

Team Leader Choi glared at me coldly.

“How could you do that in such an urgent situation? Are you even human?”

“Then give him one good, passionate kiss right now. Look, here comes Number Two.”

He might have been Number Two, but his gay stat was number one in the world.

Team Leader Choi spotted the huge Black man who had just entered the lobby—Magic Johnson—and sprayed out a mouthful of coffee.

“Ptooey! Please, please hide me!”

“I think it’s already too late.”

The moment I finished speaking, Magic Johnson spotted us and waved a palm the size of a pot lid.

“Hey, gays!”

Wasn’t it usually guys? He must have misspoken… right?

As Team Leader Choi and I wondered whether we had heard him correctly, Magic Johnson walked over and laughed heartily.

“Don’t look at me like that. I got a little too excited yesterday and played a tiny prank.”

“…You were really excited?”

“Ah. I suppose that’s how it sounded.”

“Watch what you say. You startled me.”

“Haha. Anyway, something came up yesterday.”

“…What came?”

“Huh? No, not that kind of coming.”

“Please watch what you say. You really startled me.”

“Please, both of you, stop. I’m afraid someone might hear you.”

Wearing the serene expression of a man who had transcended all worldly concerns, Team Leader Choi drained the rest of his coffee and turned his head.

A group of people had passed through the hotel’s main entrance and were walking toward us.

“It is time to depart, gentlemen.”

Minister of Defense Wei Penghu led the group, his voice stiff with tension.

At his signal, an elderly-looking military general began handing out folders one by one.

“What’s this?”

“Information on the areas to which you have been assigned and the forces stationed there. Of course, we have already sent the necessary information and established communications with the people on that side. From now on, you will travel aboard the designated jets.”

Modern technology certainly made things like this convenient.

A short while later, we followed Wei Penghu to the temporary airfield, where several familiar faces were surrounded by tight security.

“Did you sleep well, youngsters?”

“…”

“You’re late.”

Pai Chen greeted us with a long stretch. Wu Heixing lowered his gaze without a word, perhaps because of what had happened yesterday, while Lee Jungryong wore a strange smile.

The Skeleton Warlord, safely stored inside my Inventory, spoke in a displeased voice.

• There is something unpleasant about that human. This commander does not like him one bit.

“I agree.”

Pai Chen heard me mutter and raised an eyebrow.

“Hm? What did you say?”

“Nothing. By the way, where’s Prince Felix?”

“He left just before dawn. Apparently, a battle signal came from the area assigned to him.”

“…I see.”

Another battle had broken out less than twenty-four hours after our arrival.

At the thought of the word war, something suddenly clenched in one corner of my chest.

Our nationalities and upbringings were different, but the thought of people just like me being brutally slaughtered somewhere weighed heavily on my heart.

“Hey, young man.”

“Yes?”

Pai Chen gazed at me for a moment, then lightly tapped my shoulder.

“Relax your shoulders. How are you supposed to swing your spear when they’re weighed down like that?”

“…”

“Don’t blame yourself, and don’t rush. Don’t try to take responsibility for every death.”

Responsibility.

After thinking about it for a moment, I answered honestly.

“…I’m not sure. I can’t say I’m very confident.”

“Well, for someone who feels that way, you certainly drank yourself senseless yesterday.”

“That was…”

“I know. I’m joking. This is how people like us forget the burden for a little while. We might die tomorrow—or even today.”

The words didn’t match her bright voice at all.

The hero who had fought her way through the maelstrom of the Great Cataclysm with her entire body raised her head and gazed at the sky.

“Ah. Perfect weather for a fight.”

Then she turned and walked lightly toward the jet, which was ready for takeoff.

She left us with one quiet remark.

“Let’s all see each other alive.”

Her back disappeared into the aircraft.

Magic Johnson gazed up at the sky for a moment with emotion in his eyes, then abruptly spoke.

“Hey, Choi.”

“Yes?”

“Relax your ass, too.”

“…”

“No, I mean relax your shoulders. Let’s see each other alive again.”

I had a feeling his true feelings had just slipped out.

Magic Johnson laughed heartily at Team Leader Choi’s wary gaze and boarded the jet after Pai Chen.

Wu Heixing then walked off as though fleeing. Lee Jungryong, the last one left, looked Team Leader Choi and me over with a strange gaze.

“Both of you, take care. You can’t go dying in a place like this when you’re still so young.”

What an old man’s way of putting it. What a loaded remark.

I smiled and spoke in place of Team Leader Choi, whose face had gone rigid.

“We should. Unlike some people, dying now wouldn’t exactly count as a good death for us.²”

“…!”

“If you kick the bucket, I’ll make a generous condolence contribution.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

After a brief silence, Lee Jungryong tossed out that one remark and led the Ares Guild members away.

Now only the two of us remained.

I stretched with all my might, then patted Team Leader Choi on the shoulder.

“Let’s go, Team Leader.”

“Yes. We should.”

“There’s no need to be nervous. Relax your ass.”

“…”

“…It was a joke. Sorry.”

At this rate, two jokes would be enough to kill a man.

I was cautiously watching Team Leader Choi’s expression as I climbed aboard the jet when—

“Troops—attention!”

A thunderous shout erupted behind us.

Minister of Defense Wei Penghu was saluting us, his half-gray hair whipping in the wind.

The people filling the airfield followed his example and saluted.

It was a gesture of respect toward the heroes going to fight for the gathered crowd’s families and friends.

They held their salutes until the jet’s door closed and the aircraft dwindled to a distant speck, then vanished from sight.

Good grief.

After a send-off like that, how could my shoulders not feel heavy?

I suddenly felt tired and leaned back against my seat.

Static crackled.

• …respond. Respond. This is…

Along with the distorted radio transmission coming from the cockpit, an alert pierced my ears.

Ding.

System

• Unexpected Quest generated: The Battle Situation Has Become Critical.

• You cannot refuse the Quest. Arrive as quickly as possible and defeat the enemies!

“…”

Damn it. That’s just how my life goes.

I let out a deep sigh, then shouted toward the cockpit.

“Sir, give it full throttle!”

“What about them?”

The speaker was an old man in his eighties. Wrinkles and age spots covered his face. His aged body was no longer what it had been in his youth, but his eyes held even greater strength than they had back then.

Even through the holographic screen, the force of the old man’s gaze was palpable. Wei Penghu swallowed hard before answering.

“They have all departed, Comrade Chairman.”

“How is the battle situation?”

“We cannot easily determine the enemy’s movements because of communication interference caused by magic and the barriers, but we are doing our best to detect their movements.”

“If the S-rank Hunters arrive…”

“With their power, they should be more than capable of turning the tide.”

“Do not jump to conclusions. Do not let your guard down for even a moment. Countless lives depend on our decisions.”

“Yes. I will keep that in mind.”

After ending his brief communication with Minister of Defense Wei Penghu, state chairman Xiao Yang sat alone in the vast conference room, lost in thought.

How did it come to this?

This was an unprecedented catastrophe since the Great Cataclysm.

They had committed vast amounts of manpower and funding, yet still failed to stop the monster army centered around the Arch Lich.

He had wanted to prevent panic if at all possible, but if they delayed any longer, the opportunity might disappear forever.

That was why Xiao Yang had come here today, despite the countless objections from within the Communist Party.

“We are ready.”

“…Connect me immediately.”

At the secretary’s words, Xiao Yang opened his closed eyes.

One by one, holographic figures began to appear above the empty seats throughout the vast conference room.

Fourteen people of different races and genders.

No—fifteen, including Xiao Yang.

Each one was the leader of a nation, and all belonged to a single organization.

The United Nations Security Council.

The old chairman announced the beginning of the emergency meeting in a grave voice.