Chapter 1953 – 1953. Hotly
As the enemy and Sung Yu-jin disappeared before her eyes, Han Ha-rin was flustered and rushed forward. She was so flustered that she almost tripped while running, barely managing to regain her balance. Only traces of Yin-Yang magic remained where Sung Yu-jin had been.
“That idiot…!”
She clearly saw that this disaster had occurred because she was blinded by treasure. Han Ha-rin wanted to smack Sung Yu-jin on the head for the first time in a long while. If she were in front of her right now, she might have smacked her head with gravity.
She hurriedly took out her smartphone from her pocket. Her hands were trembling, but her eyes were only on the smartphone.
She called Sung Yu-jin. The signal went through, but she didn’t answer. Her face crumpled.
‘What should I do?’
She didn’t know magic, let alone Yin-Yang magic. She had no idea where Sung Yu-jin had gone.
The first thing that came to mind was reporting it to the Hunter Association. But would the Hunter Association have a solution? The opponent was Baekrim. The worst criminal organization that mainly operates in Japan.
‘They might have teleported to Japan. The Korean Association can’t intervene right away.’
The relationship between the Japanese and Korean Hunter Associations was not good, to say the least. There was no way the Japanese Hunter Association would readily welcome them.
Above all, she and Sung Yu-jin were in a place secretly entered, not controlled by the Hunter Association.
The next person she thought of after the Hunter Association was Han Ah-young.
‘If it’s my sister….’
S-class hunters are welcomed everywhere. It wouldn’t be any different in Japan.
‘I don’t want to ask my sister for help. But….’
What if something happened to Sung Yu-jin while she was just standing here?
Han Ha-rin knew better than anyone that Sung Yu-jin wasn’t weak. She was probably better than most A-class hunters. But there were many people in this world stronger than Sung Yu-jin. The worst-case scenario wouldn’t leave her mind.
‘I need to get out of here first.’
The fog was thinning. She had a feeling that the Hunter Association would be coming soon. If she contacted the Hunter Association now, things would get more complicated.
She took out the space-time scroll she had received from Sung Yu-jin. It was an absurd item that allowed her to teleport just by tearing it.
‘Where does she get things like that, and that dowsing rod?’
She got it from a dungeon?
That excuse was only good once or twice. Whenever she brought back something unusual, it was always from a dungeon?
‘Does she think I don’t go into dungeons?’
The chances of finding special items in dungeons were very low. Even Han Ha-rin had only had such discoveries a handful of times.
‘I don’t like it.’
Tear!
She tore the space-time scroll.
The moment she felt her vision flicker as if she had blinked, she was in Sung Yu-jin’s house. Han Ha-rin, who quickly looked around the empty house, picked up her smartphone. The signal rang twice before the other person answered. Fortunately, it seemed she wasn’t busy.
“Sister, it’s me.”
Han Ha-rin then let out a deep sigh.
“That bastard caused an accident.”
• • •
“Where the hell is this?”
I frowned as I was teleported to an unknown place.
It was inside a house, but it looked like a traditional Japanese house from hundreds of years ago. There were tatami mats on the floor and a hearth in the center. It looked like the ashes would fly everywhere with just a gust of wind.
“You thunderstruck fool. I’ve never seen anyone as reckless as you. It’s an insult that an ignorant human like you lives in the same era as me.”
A guy with no lower body was blabbering.
“You bastard…. Where is this? Answer the question.”
I barely held back the urge to slice his head off. I was curious about where this was and what was going on. If this was Baekrim’s base, wouldn’t that be great?
‘If I report it to the Hunter Association, can’t I get a lot of performance points?’
If it seemed dangerous, I could just teleport away with the space-time scroll. I was a little worried about Han Ha-rin, who was left alone, but I gave her a space-time scroll, so there shouldn’t be any big problems.
“Why should I answer?”
“If you don’t answer, it’ll be like this.”
I swung my sword and sliced off the guy’s last remaining arm. The guy, who only had his head and upper body, bit his lip. The Phoenix’s Heart he was holding fell to the floor. I thought the house would catch fire from the pulsating heart, but it was fine. I reached for the Phoenix’s Heart, but I felt the heat and immediately pulled my hand back.
‘It’s so unfair to people.’
Should I just stomp on the treasure and burst it? I glared at the Phoenix’s Heart for a while and then took out my anger by stabbing the guy’s abdomen with my sword.
“Keok. Keuk! Stop doing meaningless things!”
“You really don’t die? Is immortality your ability? Is that even possible?”
Suddenly, my ability came to mind. The Leisure Life App.
“Come to think of it, it’s a pathetic ability.”
“My ability is pathetic? If you’re jealous, just say you’re jealous! There’s no one in this world who doesn’t covet my ability!”
The guy shouted. His pride in his ability was sky-high. I clicked my tongue and ripped open the guy’s belly.
“Kueeeuk!”
“I might strangle you with your intestines. If you still don’t die, I’ll smash your head. Tell me where this is quickly.”
“Kill me.”
The guy said without hesitation.
I didn’t feel any fear of death. If I wanted to threaten guys like this, I had to find another way. Usually, you can threaten them by holding what they value more than their lives.
I looked around and headed for the Phoenix’s Heart that had fallen on the floor. I pointed my sword at the Phoenix’s Heart. The reaction came immediately. The guy’s eyes widened.
“Don’t do anything foolish. That’s not an ordinary Phoenix’s Heart. It’s an energy resource that has been strengthened with the spiritual flesh of a yokai, reinforced with elixirs, and gathered fire energy. It’s a kind of nuclear reactor. Even a fool like you must know how valuable it is.”
“But I can’t have it anyway. If I can’t have it, I’d rather break it. That’s my motto.”
“That’s a motto that suits you. Try it if you can. The Phoenix’s Heart will explode like a nuclear bomb. Your body will be reduced to ashes without a trace. On the other hand, I won’t die. You’ll just die a dog’s death.”
I chuckled.
“You little punk. Your tongue got long because you’re scared, huh?”
That was the right answer.
I raised my sword. Mana moved. Soon, a blue sword aura formed on the blade. The guy’s eyes shook nervously.
‘If I strike it, it’ll explode, right? If it’s a nuclear bomb, I’ll die without pain.’
It didn’t matter if there was pain. It was better if there wasn’t. Just as I was about to swing my sword down.
“Stop!”
My sword was too fast to react to the voice.
[Using Instant(刹那). Remaining stacks: 5]
Using Instant, I forcibly twisted the blade to the side. The blade fell to the floor next to the Phoenix’s Heart. The Phoenix’s Heart was still beating steadily.
“You little punk, you got scared and fell for it. I was going to stop anyway.”
“…That crazy bastard. You were really going to cut the Phoenix’s Heart? I’ve never seen anyone crazier than a master in my life.”
“Do you have a reason to answer my question now?”
The guy looked back and forth between me and the Phoenix’s Heart, then opened his mouth as if he had no choice.
“This is my residence. It’s deep in Mount Fuji. It’s protected by a barrier, so you can’t see it or enter it from the outside. Even if there wasn’t a barrier, it’s too deep for ordinary people to enter.”
I opened the window and looked outside. It was definitely a mountain landscape. When I turned my head to the side, I could see a village. There were houses in the style of traditional Japanese folk houses.
“You weren’t living alone?”
“I’m alone now.”
“Now?”
“This was one of Baekrim’s secret hideouts. It was a perfect place to avoid people’s eyes and receive the energy of Mount Fuji for training. Everyone left when the energy of Mount Fuji began to wane 10 years ago. I’m the only one left living here.”
I definitely didn’t feel any presence. Instead, I felt other suspicious presences. I raised my sword and sent a sword aura towards another house. The wall was cut open, revealing a drone operating a machine.
“What is that….”
“It’s my shikigami.”
The guy said as if he had been waiting for it. His voice was mixed with pride and boastfulness.
“Weren’t the shikigami used by Onmyoji just pieces of paper?”
“Ha, you’re also caught up in prejudice. Does shikigami magic only have to use talismans and yokai? The world is becoming civilized, and science and technology are developing more and more. You can’t develop if you’re just bound by old traditions. Is Onmyoji magic any different?”
“What is Baekrim plotting? Are you really the only one here?”
“What do you think Baekrim is? Do you see it as just a black guild?”
“Isn’t it a criminal organization that aims to overthrow the state?”
“…No. Baekrim is an organization of righteous people who gathered to change Japan. The damned politicians are just excluding us for their own power and framing us as a criminal organization.”
“That’s a terrorist.”
I said, but the guy continued without batting an eye.
“Sadly, Japan stopped decades ago. The energy of the archipelago has fallen, and people have chosen safety over development. Japan is doomed. We gathered to change such Japan. We are helping each other and trying to remove the doom of Japan in our own ways.”
“So you’re playing individually. Why are you making it so difficult to say? What were you doing here? What are you going to use the Phoenix’s Heart for?”
“Why should I tell you that?”
The tip of my sword was pointed at the Phoenix’s Heart.
“……If the conditions are right, the Phoenix’s Heart can become a permanent power source comparable to a large-scale nuclear power plant. I will use this to create an ideal and immortal leader for Japan, a heavenly god.”
The guy revealed his ambition.
Weeeeeeeng. Weeeeeeeeng.
The sound of the drone operating the machine could be heard from here. The drone was making something. The finished product popped out of the machine. It looked like a machine part.
Machine, permanent power, immortal.
When I put the keywords together, I came to one conclusion.
“Don’t tell me that leader is a robot?”
The guy smiled.
“That’s right. A leader who judges people without any personal feelings, and only implements policies for this country. A perfect leader who does not have any of the ugly desires of humans. The Machine Emperor will open a new era for Japan, and will become a new driving force for Japan to develop day by day!”
“A Machine Emperor ruling Japan…. That’s a really great plan. Just hearing it makes my heart swell. It’s so amazing that it’s scary. But where is that Machine Emperor? I’ll put the Phoenix’s Heart in myself and help your plan.”
