Chapter 107

“Gasp, gasp…”

The man couldn’t even tell if what he had just experienced was real or not. He quickly opened the door and stepped out. The bodyguards filling the secretarial office all turned to him, wondering what was going on.

“Ha… haha…”

Right, it was a dream. It had to be a dream. Otherwise, how could someone have gotten into the room, past the crowded secretarial office, just to talk to him and leave? The man went back into his office and turned on the lights. He loosened his tightly knotted tie and approached the desk in a corner of the office. Then, he froze.

A piece of paper lay on the desk. On it, written in a hastily scrawled hand, were the words: ‘Don’t forget to tell Kim Jong-kyung.’

No way. It wasn’t a dream. What had just happened was real. The man frantically looked around. But he couldn’t find any sign of an open window or a broken wall.

“T-this can’t be.” The man picked up his phone with trembling hands. And dialed Kim Jong-kyung’s number. After a moment of ringing, Kim Jong-kyung’s irritated voice came through.

“What is it?”

The man swallowed hard and spoke with a trembling voice. “H-he… came and went.”

“When?”

“J-just now…”

Hearing the man’s fear-stricken voice, Kim Jong-kyung was silent for a moment, then quietly asked again, “The bodyguards?”

“Th-that is…”

“Don’t stammer, speak clearly! The bodyguards?”

The man took a deep breath and then said carefully, “No one… noticed him.”

“What do you mean?”

“No one in the corridor or the secretarial office… noticed that he came and went.”

“…” Kim Jong-kyung was silent for a moment, then asked again in a grave voice, “Is that… really true?”

“Yes. He suddenly appeared from the darkness, gripped my neck tightly, and asked for the Congressman’s whereabouts.”

“Mmm…” Kim Jong-kyung groaned, unable to speak for a moment. The man then said to Kim Jong-kyung, “He… had a message to convey.”

At that, Kim Jong-kyung immediately reacted. “Tell me.” The man took another deep breath and slowly repeated what Jun-sang had said. “He said… to tell you he just left.”

“…” Kim Jong-kyung was silent for a moment, then replied in a quiet voice, “You’ve worked hard. Go and rest now.”

Then the man said urgently, “C-Congressman. If that man has ill intentions…” But Kim Jong-kyung didn’t let him finish, saying again, “I understand, go and rest.”

“Ah, understood.”

Kim Jong-kyung hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes for a moment. Then, his son, Kim Sung-jin, who was sitting on the sofa in front, quickly asked, “Was that a call from the office?”

“Yes.” Kim Jong-kyung massaged his temples with his fingers, then opened his eyes and continued, “It seems he infiltrated the office without anyone in the corridor or the secretarial office noticing. Secretary Lee, that friend, called in a panic.”

“Such…” At Kim Jong-kyung’s words, not only Kim Sung-jin but also Major Kwon Hyung-sik, who was sitting next to him, looked greatly surprised and said, “He seems to be an ability user specializing in infiltration.”

Then Kim Sung-jin shook his head. “As far as I know, he was a body-enhancement type… but he might have awakened new abilities.”

Kim Jong-kyung thought for a moment, then asked Major Kwon Hyung-sik, “How many returnees have gathered?”

At that, Major Kwon Hyung-sik looked troubled. “That is… only about twenty percent…”

“Only?”

“Originally, about ten percent were lodging and eating in this building, and although we sent an emergency call, only about ten percent more have gathered.”

“Huh…” Although the special law for returnees had been enacted, this law was nominally aimed at providing economic and social support to returnees who could no longer engage in normal social activities, so it did not have the binding force to compel action.

Then Kim Sung-jin spoke again. “Father, it’ll be fine. Even if it’s only 20 percent of the total Alliance personnel, if you add up their numbers, it’s easily fifty people. Moreover, those who lodge and train here are chosen elites among them.”

Kwon Hyung-sik, hearing that, added, “I was also surprised to hear that he was unfazed by Tasers, but no matter how strong an individual is, they are still just an individual. You don’t need to worry.”

“Mmm…” Kim Jong-kyung nodded at their words, but for some reason, a lingering sense of unease in a corner of his mind would not disappear.

The Alliance headquarters, where they were, was a converted youth training center on the outskirts of Seoul. The training center alone covered 17,000 square meters and included auxiliary facilities such as a 6,000 square meter obstacle course and a 20,000 square meter reservoir. Additionally, it was fully equipped with a 400 square meter swimming pool, six dormitory buildings, three outdoor learning centers, a large auditorium for 500 people, and a dining hall, shower rooms, and washrooms that could accommodate 300 people simultaneously. The original capacity of the dormitory buildings here was 500 people, which was more than expected, but since it was built on the premise of group lodging, there were also plans to convert the facilities into private rooms for future preparations.

About an hour after Kim Jong-kyung and his son, along with Major Kwon Hyung-sik, heard the news about Jun-sang from the secretary, Jun-sang finally appeared at the main gate of the Alliance headquarters. At the main gate, two black vans, similar to the ones that had blocked Jun-sang’s car in Gangwon-do, were parked like a barricade, blocking the road. Around them, bodyguards in jumpers stood guard, holding what looked like gas guns. It seemed they had switched to gas guns after the Tasers proved ineffective. Indeed, even on the outskirts of the city, openly firing guns would be problematic, so it might be a natural change.

Jun-sang watched them for a moment from the darkness, then nodded, seeing no figures that appeared to be ability users. It was likely that upon hearing about his silent infiltration of the office, they had called all the ability users who had been on standby outside into the building.

Once he had confirmed this, Jun-sang emerged from the darkness and slowly walked towards the main gate.

“Ugh… it’s cold.”

“Damn it, what a mess on a cold day like this.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

Just then, one of the bodyguards lamenting their fate, shivering outside in the chilly early winter weather, spotted Jun-sang approaching the main gate.

“What’s that?”

“What?”

“Some crazy guy walking around with a blanket on his back?”

“What?”

The bodyguard, who had frowned and turned his head as if to ask what he meant, suddenly turned pale. “Th-that’s him.” How could they forget that face? The one who didn’t even flinch after being hit by a dozen Tasers!

“What are you talking about?” When his still bewildered colleague asked again, he yelled, “It’s him! Sound the alarm!”

“Ah, alright.” As his colleague scrambled to press the emergency bell attached to the main gate, the bodyguard aimed his gas gun at Jun-sang and shouted, “H-hands up! Don’t move or I’ll shoot! Don’t move!”

Then Jun-sang raised one hand. Of course, it wasn’t to comply with the terrified bodyguard’s command. The bodyguard felt his body suddenly yanked forward the moment Jun-sang raised his hand.

“Gasp!” The bodyguard, flailing and losing his balance, was instantly caught by the scruff of his neck in Jun-sang’s grip before he could even comprehend what was happening. As Jun-sang effortlessly seized one bodyguard, the other bodyguards, who had been watching dumbfounded, still unaware of the situation, finally startled and collectively aimed their gas guns at Jun-sang.

“Hands up!”

But the bodyguards’ voices lacked conviction. They had clearly seen it. When Jun-sang reached out, their colleague, who had been aiming a gas gun, was suddenly yanked away and caught in his hand. And he was holding a person with one hand, showing no sign of effort!

Whether it was because their colleague was seized, or for some other reason, the other bodyguards hesitated to react. Jun-sang scoffed at their indecisiveness and spoke to the bodyguard in his grip, “Go tell them. Tell them I’ve arrived.”

“Ah, understood.” The gas gun, released from his grip, was already rolling on the ground. Once freed from Jun-sang’s hand, the bodyguard stumbled backward towards the main gate, then immediately began sprinting towards the main building where Kim Jong-kyung was.

Jun-sang watched him go and pulled out Langdazal’s Fury from his Inventory.

“Gasp!” The bodyguards were startled by the sudden appearance of two huge iron spheres, a meter in diameter, in mid-air, and then utterly astonished by Jun-sang swinging these massive iron spheres around like toys.

“I-is it fake?”

“Like a balloon or something… right?”

But Jun-sang, as if he had heard their words, slammed one of the iron spheres into the ground.

CRASH!

The bodyguards distinctly felt the ground shake and tremble instantly.

“D-damn it… how are we supposed to fight a monster like that?” As one of the bodyguards muttered this, cold sweat ran down the backs of the bodyguards, who were already growing increasingly unnerved by Jun-sang’s inhuman appearance.

Jun-sang watched the bodyguards, then pulled the iron sphere embedded in the ground and held it. He then slammed the other rotating iron sphere down again. The iron sphere cut through the darkness, drawing a large parabola, and struck the van blocking the road as a barricade.

CRASH!

No second strike was needed. It was only one strike, but the black van instantly lost its shape, crushed like a stomped frog, spewing its mechanical parts like entrails everywhere.

“Aargh!” As the bodyguards, hit by shrapnel, screamed and collapsed, Jun-sang pulled the iron sphere back into his hand and then brought the mace down on the remaining van again. This time too, the massive iron sphere crushed another black van.

The bodyguards were now completely dumbfounded. What would have happened if that iron sphere had fallen on their heads? It was truly too horrible to imagine. Jun-sang frowned, seeing the injured bodyguards lying around.

“Heness.”

As he quietly called her name, a ray of light appeared, and with it, the brown-haired girl materialized. She looked bewildered for a moment, then her expression hardened upon seeing the two terribly shattered cars.

“This is…” Jun-sang quietly told her, “Heal them.”

“…” Heness’s face turned into a pout. It was easy to say, but to heal them, she had to take it out and swing it again. But what could she do? That was her role for now. Heness sighed deeply, took out the two whips from her waist, and approached the fallen bodyguards.

The bodyguards, forgetting their pain, rubbed their eyes at the incomprehensible sight of a girl suddenly appearing from thin air with a flash of light. But as the girl approached, holding two annoyingly gleaming whips, they had a ‘surely not’ feeling. However, as the ancient sages said, the word “surely not” exists precisely to betray people’s expectations.

Whack, whack.

When the bodyguard was struck by Heness’s whip, he forgot even the current situation in his discomfort and cried out, “What the hell…” But the next moment, seeing the long gashes on his chest and arm, caused by shrapnel, heal completely, he clamped his mouth shut.

“There’s no time, so line up. If you don’t want to, just leave.” When Heness said this as if annoyed, the bodyguards became dumbfounded, lined up with their aching bodies, took their turns getting whipped by her, and once their wounds healed, they fled without looking back. It is said that some bodyguards awakened special senses as a result of that day, but that’s entirely up to belief.

After all, they were just trying to make a living. Jun-sang saw no need to vent his anger on those who had even lost the will to resist, unlike Kim Jong-kyung.

Once all the bodyguards had vanished, Jun-sang approached Heness, who was panting, and stroked her head.

“Good job.”

“Hmph…”

Heness pouted, but perhaps not disliking Jun-sang’s hand stroking her head, she stood still for a moment, catching her breath.

“I’ll call you again.”

“Yes.”

Jun-sang unsummoned Heness, then swung the iron spheres again, completely pulverizing the gate facilities before finally stepping inside. Dozens of people were visible standing in front of the main building. Jun-sang easily recognized them as returnees, seeing people of various ages, from middle-aged men to teenage girls. They couldn’t hide their tense expressions, probably because they had witnessed Jun-sang destroying the main gate from afar.

Jun-sang quietly looked at them and said, “Are you going to fight?”

Then, a middle-aged man who had been at the front took off his jumper and stepped forward. “Did you come here to destroy this place?”

“And if I did?”

“I don’t wish to hurt anyone, but if you have such an objective, I cannot stand by and do nothing.”

He seemed to have trained quite diligently, for despite his middle age, the man boasted an impressive inverted triangle physique. His slightly short legs were a minor flaw, but one might say he had reason enough to be proud. Jun-sang looked at him and put Langdazal’s Fury back into his Inventory.

The man frowned as the two iron spheres in Jun-sang’s hand disappeared, then immediately took a step and charged.

WHAM!

His fist accurately struck Jun-sang’s glabella. However, despite being hit directly by a powerful punch, Jun-sang stood still without even a tremor.

“Th-this is…” The man was bewildered. The moment his fist connected, he felt a strange sensation, as if the impact was being absorbed by a sponge. Jun-sang quietly spoke to the man, who stood still after delivering his punch, “Is that all?”

Upon hearing Jun-sang’s calm voice, the man felt a fiery surge within him and upper-cut Jun-sang’s chin with all his might. But the result was the same. His punch, delivered with all his body weight, lost momentum silently the moment it touched Jun-sang’s chin and simply stopped. He couldn’t believe it. His fist, using the combo card Boxer of Heskard, had the power to shatter a zombie’s skull with a single blow, but for some reason, it had no effect on this man who stood before him with a bored expression.

His 79% physical resistance negated most of the man’s punching power, and the remaining force could not overcome Jun-sang’s body’s inherent defense. This was because Jun-sang’s body, which had repeatedly surpassed its limits and regenerated dozens of times, had long since transcended that of a human.

Jun-sang spoke again, “Are you going to continue?”

“…” The man did not reply. All he could do was quietly lower his fist and step aside.

Author’s Note

We we

Wooh-!

Drug high drug high

Nya-!

The world is a drug high!

(Consecutive uploads!)

(」·ω·)」Wooh-! (／·ω·)／Nya-!

(」·ω·)」Wooh-! (／·ω·)／Nya-!

(」·ω·)」Wooh-! (／·ω·)／Nya-!

(／>ω<)／Let’s Nya-!

Drug high feels so good

Reality checks are the worst

You and I, easily

Cowardly eccentrics

Consecutive uploads bustling

When the sages flee

You and I

Will date in the Purgatory

It’s fun, burn up, melt away

(Not human!)

My bones are trembling, but I still like it

What I want most is a drug high

Consecutive uploads bustling

Shall we go then?

What suits me best?

It’s Bacchus

In the mirror

(Wh-who is it?)

Not reflected

(Who is it? No no)

If you don’t clearly state your desires

Wooh-!

See?

Nya-!

It disappears, right?

Let’s Nya-!

The sun is too dazzling

Darkness is infinite!

(Thump-thump)

The sun is too dazzling

Darkness is cooler

(What~?)

CHAOS CHAOS I wanna CHAOS

The burning chaos drug high

Is invincible

(Thump-thump)

CHAOS CHAOS una sera CHAOS

The burning sensation feels good

(Why~?)

To us

(Wooh-!)

Send it, destruction!

(Nya-!)

The world is a drug high!

(Consecutive uploads!)

(」·ω·)」Wooh-! (／·ω·)／Nya-!

(」·ω·)」Wooh-! (／·ω·)／Nya-!

(」·ω·)」Wooh-! (／·ω·)／Nya-!

(／>ω<)／Let’s Nya-!

Ssanghwadang is warm warm

Reckless Red Bulls

You and I

Have different goals

Drug high makes me queasy

Easy to overdo

Even if I protect you, pinchi it’s strange let’s run away groan groan (I’ve become canned food) Reality checks sometimes come this far

I quietly defeat enemies

Drug high is blazing

Not here

Don’t use infinite doping without telling me

If you want

(A-a-annihilation!)

I’ll do it

(Enemy? Oh my)

If you ask, completely

Wooh-!

Oh

Nya-!

You won’t need it, will you?

Let’s Nya-!

It was very dangerous just now

Give me a light attribute Red Bull

(Sparkle sparkle)

It was very dangerous just now

Stimulation with a light attribute Red Bull

(Nyarubeam?)

MADNESS MADNESS You wanna MADNESS

If you call, the drug high of blasphemy

Is aggressive

(Chilling)

MADNESS MADNESS ennui MADNESS

If you call, it will surely be the last

(It’s medicine!)

Creeping!

Wooh-!

Chaos drug high!

Nya-!

Nyarlakho! Tap-!

(」·ω·)」Wooh-! (／·ω·)／Nya-!

(」·ω·)」Wooh-! (／·ω·)／Nya-!

(」·ω·)」Wooh-! (／·ω·)／Nya-!

(」·ω·)」Wooh-! (／·ω·)／Nya-!

(」·ω·)」Wooh-! (／·ω·)／Nya-!

(」·ω·)」Wooh-! (／·ω·)／Nya-!

(」·ω·)」Wooh-!

(／·ω·)／Nya-!

(／>ω<)／Let’s Nya-!

The sun is too dazzling

Darkness is infinite!

(Thump-thump)

The sun is too dazzling

Darkness is cooler

(What~?)

CHAOS CHAOS I wanna CHAOS

The burning chaos drug high

Is invincible

(Thump-thump)

CHAOS CHAOS It’s noisy CHAOS

The burning sensation feels good

(Why~?)

Creeping!

Wooh-!

Chaos drug high!

Nya-!

Nyarlakho! Tap-!