Chapter 2378 – 2378. Modern Magic War
Dozens of weapons surged towards Sung Yoo-jin.
However, no weapon touched Sung Yoo-jin’s body. A barrier of wind rotated, deflecting all the weapons.
Sung Yoo-jin scoffed at Won Bi-hyun.
“Is that all your Ars Magna is? Just making weapons out of blood and throwing them?”
The attack didn’t work. Instead of getting angry at his failed attack, Won Bi-hyun regained his composure.
“Well, I’ve shown a rather unsightly display. My magic is blood manipulation. I can manipulate blood like this, making it solid. And my Ars Magna isn’t about making weapons out of blood. It’s magic that makes blood chase its target until they die! It won’t stop until you’re dead!”
The deflected weapons flew back towards Sung Yoo-jin.
“Still, its essence is blood.”
With a gesture from Sung Yoo-jin, wind rose and crushed the weapons. The weapons turned back into blood and fell to the floor.
“That’s right. It’s blood.”
Won Bi-hyun grinned. The blood stuck to the floor where the wind didn’t reach, slid towards Sung Yoo-jin, and then turned into dozens of spikes, which shot towards him.
Sung Yoo-jin didn’t even react. His body was already protected by the wind. The blood spikes couldn’t penetrate the wind and were deflected again.
“Sorcerers, who wield the purest power of the elements. Their advantage is their powerful strength. So, what’s the disadvantage? The stronger the power, the more mana it consumes. On the other hand, my magic is incredibly efficient in terms of mana consumption. I can maintain this state for over two hours. In other words, if we drag this out, I win.”
“I don’t think it’ll go that long.”
Whoosh.
Flames rose in the air. The flames tried to evaporate the blood weapons. Won Bi-hyun manipulated the blood to avoid the flames, his lips curling up.
“So, you’re finally using fire. But I’m not stupid either. I won’t let the blood evaporate in the fire. I’m quite confident in my mana sensing. If I concentrate, there’s no reason I can’t avoid your fire.”
Won Bi-hyun spoke with a confident tone. Sung Yoo-jin looked at him, pondering.
‘How should I kill him?’
There were too many options.
He could sense and avoid attacks with his excellent mana sensing? He could land an unavoidable blow. He could blow away this entire building with an overwhelming attack.
‘Water, fire, wind, lightning.’
The powers Sung Yoo-jin could use. If he chose one and used his full power, killing him wouldn’t be difficult.
‘Pulling out a bomb and throwing it isn’t a bad idea either.’
Sung Yoo-jin glanced at the Gu Seo-hwa and Gu Seo-jun siblings, who were watching him.
‘Gu Seo-hwa’s magic was wind, wasn’t it? Let’s finish it with wind.’
Won Bi-hyun could use Ars Magna, but he was lacking for a commander-level member of the Order.
Sung Yoo-jin deliberately stirred up the wind. The wind swept through the entire abandoned building. This wind was like an electromagnetic wave. As the wind passed, it relayed information to Sung Yoo-jin. However, it didn’t deliver information as accurately and precisely as an electromagnetic wave.
It didn’t matter. That wasn’t the purpose.
The abandoned building was filled with wind.
Not just one wind. Hundreds of winds blew in different directions, filling the interior of the building.
“…What on earth are you doing?”
“You said you could avoid it with mana sensing? If you can, try avoiding this.”
This place was an ocean. An ocean made of wind, not water.
The layers upon layers of wind swirled and pressed down on Won Bi-hyun. It was impossible to dodge or escape. This place was already filled with wind.
Won Bi-hyun was crushed and torn apart by the wind. He screamed, but even that was buried by the wind.
When the wind disappeared, his corpse was gone without leaving a single drop of blood. Even a single drop of blood was carried away by the wind.
“……”
Three people remained inside the building. Sung Yoo-jin and the Gu Seo-hwa and Gu Seo-jun siblings.
Sung Yoo-jin slowly approached the siblings. Gu Seo-hwa was sweating profusely, frozen like a stone. Gu Seo-jun looked at Sung Yoo-jin with fear, but also with admiration. It was clearly an emotion akin to awe.
The massacre that had unfolded before their eyes. But it wasn’t done with swords and guns, but with mysterious magic. A kind of superpower. Moreover, the people who died weren’t exactly good people. In Gu Seo-jun’s eyes, Sung Yoo-jin looked like a hero from a comic book.
On the other hand, Gu Seo-hwa was more realistic. She realized that she and her brother were the only witnesses to this massacre.
Escape? Impossible. Fight? That monster? She wouldn’t last three seconds before dying. Gu Seo-hwa made the best choice she could.
“P-please, spare us. I won’t tell anyone what I saw today. I-I’ll even turn myself in…”
“What’s your name?”
“G-Gu Seo-hwa.”
“Okay, Gu Seo-hwa. I’ll give you a choice. One, die here with your brother. Two, join the 8th Division and swear loyalty to me.”
“If I join the 8th Division, what happens to my brother?”
Sung Yoo-jin’s gaze turned to Gu Seo-jun.
“He’s a civilian. Well, he’ll go to elementary school, like any kid his age. He’ll live a normal life.”
“…I’m a murderer. I’m a Harrier, can I join the Anti-Demon Force?”
Sung Yoo-jin looked at her as if she was being ridiculous.
“Are you being sarcastic right now?”
Sung Yoo-jin was a mass murderer who had just killed dozens of people. Gu Seo-hwa, belatedly realizing this, was flustered. She had spoken so casually that for a moment, she didn’t feel like Sung Yoo-jin was a mass murderer.
It was because of Sung Yoo-jin’s demeanor. He had a natural air, as if he had just come out for a walk. He wasn’t agitated, nor was he irritable.
“N-no, that’s not what I meant…”
Gu Seo-hwa explained her situation. Sung Yoo-jin yawned, listened roughly, and nodded.
“Self-defense. You killed them because they tried to kill you, of course. Why is it such a big deal that you killed a criminal in the first place? You’ll have to kill criminals in the future, so don’t worry about it. Let’s go. Oh, and make sure your brother keeps his mouth shut. The tragedy that happened here was the work of those Luminous bastards.”
“…Yes.”
Gu Seo-hwa, who was a companion of the original protagonist, became a member of the 8th Division.
And two days later, at her 8th Division welcome party, she drank without knowing her limits, got completely drunk, and had sex with Sung Yoo-jin in a motel. Of course, it was Sung Yoo-jin’s scheme.
• • •
Three months later.
I started auto-progressing, except for the part where I slept with women, including Gu Seo-hwa. There were a total of six members in the 8th Division, including me. I had handpicked the most skilled ones.
It wasn’t just complete auto-progress. I prevented most of the incidents and accidents that happened in the original story. There were a few things I didn’t know due to the penalty, but Im Hyun-ah provided information about Luminous.
Now, even Luminous was on the verge of collapse. If I had my way, I would have wiped them out in one go, but… these guys didn’t have a concept of a base. They didn’t gather in one place, but lived their own lives and only contacted each other when they started a job.
‘That’s about to end too. It’s about time for their last struggle.’
Luminous’s current power was less than half of half of what it used to be.
They had been downgraded from the worst terrorist organization in Korea to a criminal organization with little time left. Before, the media, fearing terrorism, had been wary of Luminous, but now they openly cursed and mocked them. That meant that Luminous’s prestige had fallen that much.
I turned on my smartphone and checked Im Hyun-ah’s pussy of the day. Today, it was Im Hyun-ah’s own pussy.
‘Hmm. I want to have sex with Im Hyun-ah. Should I go see her tonight?’
I hadn’t been able to meet Im Hyun-ah recently. She was being suspected of being a traitor within the organization.
Just then, I received a message from her.
Im Hyun-ah: It’s a big problem.
Im Hyun-ah: Bright is planning something, but… he didn’t tell me. He said he’d tell me on the day of the plan for security reasons. I couldn’t question him because I’m being suspected. Judging by the atmosphere… it seems like Bright himself is going to take action.
Sung Yoo-jin: The boss of Luminous? Is this their last struggle?
I could roughly guess what they were planning to do. If this plan failed, they would probably try to join forces with Remegeton. But that wouldn’t happen. He would die by my hand.
Im Hyun-ah: You haven’t forgotten our promise, have you?
Sung Yoo-jin: I, Sung Yoo-jin, always keep my promises to my woman.
The reason Im Hyun-ah joined Luminous was for revenge.
Revenge against her biological father, who had abandoned her and her mother. The problem was that her biological father was the chief secretary to the current president. She had decided that she couldn’t get revenge through normal means, so she joined Luminous.
Luminous’s goal was essentially to overthrow the country, so she thought she could get revenge in the process.
Im Hyun-ah: I just hope you’re not the worst bastard.
Sung Yoo-jin: What if I go and cut off that secretary’s head right now?
Im Hyun-ah: …No. Do it as we agreed. For sure.
Sung Yoo-jin: Okay. But should we meet tonight? Are you at the hotel we stayed at last time?
Im Hyun-ah: Wait a minute. Check the internet.
I felt a sense of urgency in Im Hyun-ah’s message. I exited the chat and went to the internet.
‘The reason she suddenly told me to check the internet… is it because of the news?’
I clicked on the news section and my eyes widened.
「The Mysterious Commander of the 8th Division! Is His True Identity a Civilian Mass Murderer?!」
「The 8th Anti-Demon Force, Which Suddenly Appeared Three Months Ago. Is It Really Necessary?」
「Only Blood and Corpses Remain Where the 8th Division Has Passed.」
「8th Division Commander Sung Yoo-jin. Is He a Regular at Room Salons?!」
「The World’s Worst Criminal Organization, Remegeton, Is Targeting Korea! Behind It Is 8th Division Commander Sung Yoo-jin.」
「The Taeul Prison Massacre. The Perpetrator of the Incident, Which Was Known to Be a Luminous Terrorist Attack, Is Sung Yoo-jin!」
「The 8th Division Is Always Involved in Recent Massacres. What Is the Purpose of the 8th Division’s Establishment?」
Articles with my name were popping up all over the news category. And all of them were negative.
I skimmed through the content and clicked my tongue.
‘This is information that only an insider of the National Order Bureau would know. There’s no way reporters could have tricked my senses and followed me… An internal traitor must have started this.’
I had recently found out who the traitor was. I was wondering how to deal with him… I didn’t expect him to act first.
‘The commander of the 2nd Division. He looks shady, but he’s got a good head on his shoulders. He’s trying to bury me with public opinion.’
The Anti-Demon Force belonged to the National Order Bureau. The National Order Bureau was an organization under the government.
If the people voiced their opinions to the government, the government couldn’t ignore them. The government would inevitably push me in front of the media and demand an explanation.
‘It’s okay. There’s no concrete evidence. If there was evidence, the prosecution would have moved before public opinion did.’
I wasn’t an idiot either. I had roughly taken care of anything that could be used as evidence.
‘And the one who cleaned up after me was the director of the Order Bureau. Unless the director of the Order Bureau is trying to betray me, I won’t be arrested.’
What could they do by swaying public opinion?
At best, they could only restrict my actions. And that would become meaningless once public opinion cooled down.
‘……Is the goal to restrict my actions? Something’s going to happen soon.’
I nonchalantly skimmed through the news, then took out a space-movement scroll and tore it.
I had no intention of paying attention to public opinion.
