By Zephyria However, in her eyes, this training didn’t seem to be of much help to Yohan. Even though he was a Healer, being a High-level Awakener, he was unintentionally playing the role of a tanker. To truly practice in sync, one would need to be with a veteran team like Golden Bug or Sun Ascent at the very least. Ten minutes passed as she watched with a sense of great regret.
The Monstrous Bird was quite injured, but not enough to die. Believing the training was sufficient at this point, Seo Yakrin used Psychokinesis to pull away the rookies, who were on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, and captured the Monstrous Bird.
Seo Yakrin could handle it alone from here. However, she didn’t forget that today’s Rift exploration also served the purpose of increasing loyalty and a sense of belonging to the Sun Guild. At Seo Yakrin’s nod, Lee Hyun-muk, who had been nodding slowly, properly gripped the spear in his hand. Everyone’s gaze was captivated by the seemingly relaxed motion of him pulling his arm back.
The arm, pulled back just enough, shot forward. Screech! The spear, flying straight in a line, pierced the Monstrous Bird’s head. Then, black lightning flashed, using the spear as a lightning rod, and struck down upon the Monstrous Bird. A single Black Light, but it was an extremely fatal blow.
The Monstrous Bird, unable to make a sound, burned black and died from the terrifying lightning strike. The rookies watched the scene with their mouths agape. Their stunned faces were filled with awe and fear towards Lee Hyun-muk, and pride in the Sun Guild. Yohan, who had seen more powerful abilities in the Abyss, was the only one who clapped enthusiastically without thinking.
“With this size, there’s a high chance an Eternal Stone will appear…?”
Saying this, Seo Yakrin used Psychokinesis to dismantle the Monstrous Bird piece by piece. The members of the Little Sheep team, who had been watching with furrowed brows, had their mouths hanging open. An Eternal Stone, albeit a bit smaller than usual, had indeed appeared from the Monstrous Bird…! Furthermore, Lee Hyun-muk declared that he would give the proceeds from the sale of the Eternal Stone to the Little Sheep team without any commission this time, and everyone cheered.
Finally, a bright red flag was planted on the Monstrous Bird’s carcass along with a transmitter to send a signal. This carcass would later be thoroughly examined and dismantled by a specialized collection team dispatched immediately.
“I’m glad I joined the Sun Guild….”
“I’ll stay with our guild until I die.”
The rookies of Little Sheep, tired and exhausted but filled with pride from the substantial reward, made such resolutions. After hunting the giant Monstrous Bird, Lee Hyun-muk declared the Rift exploration concluded. And only then did he return to using polite speech.
“Everyone did well today. Let’s go back, eat well, and rest.”
The rookies’ faces brightened upon hearing the praise. Though their luggage was quite heavy, their steps were light due to the considerable harvest.
It didn’t take long to return to the parked van. Although they had moved around the area, the map showed they hadn’t strayed far from the starting point. Because of this, the return trip took less than an hour.
“Haa….”
As they got into the van, sighs of relief and exhaustion could be heard from all around. It was only a two-day Rift exploration, but they had been extremely tense. Seo Yakrin then looked at the rookies as if they were children and gave them a warning.
“We are still near the Rift zone. This is an area where you can be attacked by monsters at any time, so let’s relax only after we are outside the gate, understood?”
“Yes, Sunbae-nim!”
Straightening their slumped bodies, the rookies opened their eyes clearly. Even after passing through the gate of the Rift barrier, they didn’t let their guard down and kept looking around, clearly showing they were novices. Seo Yakrin chuckled inwardly.
The van stopped briefly for an inspection before entering the metropolitan area. Since the Rift phenomena began to appear, various checkpoints have been established in Korea. Among them, Awakened individuals returning from Rift explorations must disembark at the checkpoints for a visual inspection. While the van was stopped for the inspection, Yohan thought.
‘Come to think of it, how did Hyung get through here?’
This checkpoint was meant to screen for Corrupted individuals, but Yang Yosep’s condition was impossible to hide. It had to be either that he bribed someone or had a backdoor to avoid inspection. In the end, even these checkpoints were not a perfect solution. There must be countless Corrupted individuals in the city, both mild cases and those who hid their worsening conditions….
Yohan got out of the van to undergo the inspection while lost in thought. And as soon as he did, he ran into familiar faces. It was Park Seung-min and Go Jae-won.
〈9〉
Traitors
Park Seung-min and Go Jae-won were with other Awakened individuals who looked somewhat dirty, as if they had just finished a battle. Seeing the swarm of reporters, it seemed they were in the middle of a press conference. As Park Seung-min saw Yohan emerge from the van, arrogance flickered across his face. He ostentatiously showed off his press conference, but Yohan felt nothing.
‘The more famous you become, the more poisonous it will be…. Well, it’s a good thing for me.’
As Yohan looked with an indifferent expression and turned his head, Park Seung-min grumbled, clearly annoyed.
“What? What do you mean, holding a press conference here? Can’t you see people waiting to be inspected?”
Seo Yakrin, who had just gotten out of the van, scowled and glared at Go Jae-won. Go Jae-won, his expression hardening, tried to glare back, but his demeanor felt subdued. The reporters, seizing the opportunity, captured the confrontation between Seo Yakrin and Go Jae-won on camera.
“It’s been a while, Yakrin-ah.”
Go Jae-won, mustering courage and pretending to be calm, spoke to her, thinking she wouldn’t do anything in such a crowded place.
“Don’t call my name and talk to me. I’ll kill you, Go Jae-won. Seriously.”
Seo Yakrin retorted, completely ignoring the cameras, and Go Jae-won flinched. He forced a smile, sweating with a pale face.
“Even so, I’m older than you, so your words are a bit harsh….”
“Fuck, I said I’ll kill you if you talk to me, didn’t I?”
Seo Yakrin’s eyes flashed fiercely. Go Jae-won’s complexion changed as he saw her hair ripple and rise. Having worked together for a long time, he knew the signs just before a Psychokinesis attack. He hastily gripped his spear as camera flashes burst even more intensely. It was then.
“Yakrin-ah, stop.”
Lee Hyun-muk, who had parked the van, turned off the engine, and got out, extended his hand to Seo Yakrin. Reluctantly, Seo Yakrin glared at Go Jae-won and withdrew her Psychokinesis. In truth, Seo Yakrin had no intention of attacking in the first place, given the large crowd. Her goal was simply to make Go Jae-won tremble.
As intended, Go Jae-won’s face turned bright red from fear in front of so many people. Not only were there reporters’ cameras, but other people’s phones were also recording them. He could already imagine comments like ‘Go Jae-won scared? lololol’ appearing on the videos. Soon, reporters swarmed towards the Sun Guild.
“Mr. Lee Hyun-muk! Have you finished your Rift exploration?”
“What are your thoughts on the equitable distribution of Eternal Stones by region!”
“There are rumors that Corruption Purifying Stones are being leased to foreign countries, is that true!”
Lee Hyun-muk answered the reporters’ questions with a gentle smile. Yes, I believe the government will handle it well, That is baseless…. However, even after he finished answering, the questions continued endlessly. Go Jae-won, who had been monopolizing the reporters’ cameras and was pushed aside as soon as Lee Hyun-muk arrived, turned red with anger. After answering some questions to provide the reporters with material, Lee Hyun-muk spoke.
“This is a place where explorers, who are injured and tired after battle, must be inspected. We ask for your understanding.”
As Lee Hyun-muk gently appeased them, the reporters, seeing the increasingly long line behind them, nodded and stepped back. Although they had rushed over upon hearing the news of Park Seung-min and Go Jae-won’s first Rift exploration, they could have been exposed to Corruption or attacked by agitated Awakened individuals if they were unlucky.
“Yes, then we will begin the inspection.”
Only after Lee Hyun-muk mediated did the checkpoint officers, with annoyed and bothered expressions, approach. At this checkpoint, government-affiliated Awakened individuals are on standby to prepare for any contingencies. Compared to Rift phenomena and monster attacks, the number of Awakened individuals was small, and even fewer wanted to be public officials, so a deep fatigue was etched on their faces.
The inspection method was simple. After removing outer clothing, well-trained dogs would sniff to detect Corrupted individuals. Awakened individuals who had progressed beyond mild Corruption usually emitted a foul odor. Then, they would visually inspect the body or, for those who were particularly suspicious, observe their reaction to a surprise attack. Mildly or severely Corrupted individuals would react sensitively to such threats, displaying excessive aggression beyond defense even when they knew it was a false attack. Just as the inspection was about to begin, Park Seung-min, who had been silent, exclaimed.
“Ah, just a moment! I’d like to purify myself before the inspection.”
At his words, the camera flashes of the reporters who hadn’t left yet went off again. Park Seung-min, as if to show off, emitted light and purified his clothes, which were stained with monster bodily fluid, and exclamations erupted from various places. His intention to purify them at this very spot, rather than immediately after finishing the exploration, was obvious. After purifying the Sunrise Guild members, Park Seung-min glanced at Lee Hyun-muk and Seo Yakrin.
Recently, Park Seung-min had been living the best days of his life. The government, already anxious about the Eternal Stone issue of purifying Lee Hyun-muk, who had returned from the Abyss, offered Park Seung-min the best terms. Not only was he given a signing bonus, but also a house, a car, and comprehensive services including escorts, in a contract that treated him as the absolute superior.
‘There are two High-level Awakeners on this side anyway.’
Although some money was spent, the government felt they had nothing to lose with the Sun Guild, as they now had a High-level Dealer like Jeong Si-young and a High-rank Purifier. Having received such lavish treatment, Park Seung-min was eagerly awaiting the return of Jeong Si-young, who had commenced a monster extermination operation in Busan.