Chapter 123

Jun-sang, having fallen into the water while saving Seo Yoo-mi, also changed his clothes and came back down. A slightly pale Seo Yoo-mi approached Jun-sang and Henes and expressed her gratitude.

“Thank you… for helping me.”

Jun-sang nodded at Seo Yoo-mi and then turned to Seo-yoon. “What happened?”

“Well…” Seo-yoon gave a brief explanation of the quest they had just completed. Although the previous large-scale attack had been contained by Jun-sang’s actions, many small groups of enemies were still causing trouble on the continent. The four of them were tasked with subduing a small group that appeared on a certain mountain pass, and it seemed they had a difficult time finding and eliminating these monsters, as most of them were hidden in forests and valleys. Seo Yoo-mi’s injury was a result of her using her body to shield Jung Da-bin from an ambush by a hidden enemy.

“Hmm…” Jun-sang listened to Seo-yoon’s explanation, thought for a moment, and then spoke. “Why don’t you wear any protective gear?”

Seo-yoon replied, “We were just in the process of preparing some. There are commercial anti-stab and bulletproof vests available, but their performance isn’t very satisfactory, so we were deliberating.” Anti-stab vests were often made to protect against attacks from pocket knives and were virtually useless against serious melee weapons like axes, swords, spears, bayonets, or pickaxes. On Earth, where such outrageous melee weapons were rarely used, such vests could offer some protection, but in the places they went, an anti-stab vest that only stopped pocket knives was almost meaningless. Bulletproof and anti-stab vests also existed, but their anti-stab performance was often minimal, as they prioritized bulletproofing.

“I see.” In Jun-sang’s case, the Berserker-type combos came with a restriction that prohibited wearing armor, so he hadn’t even thought about looking into such things. In a way, thanks to that, a preposterous situation was created where his body’s own defense was pushed to its limits. But that was a matter unique to Jun-sang; Seo-yoon and his companions were different.

“Clear some space.” At his words, Yoon Seong-ryeol moved the table in the middle of the room to create a large open area. Jun-sang laid out a mat there and took out an item stored in his inventory.

“Gasp!”

“T-this is…”

People’s mouths fell open at the sight of the large monster’s corpse that suddenly appeared in the middle of the room. A huge, rhinoceros-like monster with an incredibly tough-looking hide, cut in half, was a sight none of them had ever seen, despite having completed a fair number of quests.

“This is one of the boss-level monsters I killed in a place called Belkarras. Its name is Amungan.” People who had been nodding as if it was natural were stunned by what he said next. “It was cut in half like this, but at the time, this guy took hits from heavy weapons like the rockets used by American players without a scratch.”

“Rockets… you say?”

“Yes. I saw it myself, so it’s an undeniable fact.”

“Wow…”

Seo-yoon shook his head in disbelief, then quickly approached Amungan’s corpse, examined its hide, and cautiously asked Jun-sang, “Um… I’m sorry to ask, but could we take this and research it?” Jun-sang nodded as if it were no big deal. “I don’t mind. I took it out to see if we could make armor or something out of it.”

“I knew it.”

“My set and Henes’s set. I’ll have these two made first and then hand over the rest at a reasonable price.”

Although the monster was quite large, after making protective suits for two people, there probably wouldn’t be much left. But Seo-yoon didn’t mind. After all, if they could just block the vital spots, the other body parts could be protected with existing materials. Moreover, if it really had enough protection to withstand a rocket without a scratch, even if they could only replicate half of its performance after analysis, it would still be a profitable venture for Seo-yoon.

Jun-sang then took out a pile of black armor next to Amungan’s corpse. “I got these from a place called Harlagan. They don’t have any special options, but considering they were able to fight on equal terms with players using firearms while wearing them, I thought the material must be quite tough. While you’re at it, take these and research them as well.”

“Ah, thank you so much.” In fact, Seo-yoon was already under pressure from his father and other relatives in the family to acquire items from other worlds. Just as the introduction of crops like potatoes, corn, and chili peppers from the New World led to a great revolution in food production, the influx of culture and materials from previously uncontacted worlds often led to innovation. The same was true for the monster’s corpse and armor that Jun-sang had just taken out. They would need to be analyzed, but even if they only had half the effect Jun-sang mentioned, modern weapon systems could achieve a huge leap forward. Why were weapons like the AK rifle and “Allah’s magic stick,” which were made almost half a century ago, still so prevalent? It was because a defensive system that could completely stop them didn’t yet exist. Reactive armor did exist, but it was essentially single-use. In Grozny, when Chechen rebels hunted Russian tanks, this weakness was exposed. Concepts like electric reactive armor that could defend against multiple hits also existed, but they were not yet complete and had the problem of consuming a massive amount of electricity. Furthermore, these were not the kinds of things a human could wear. In such a situation, a key that could solve all these problems at once had appeared, so how could Seo-yoon, a natural military enthusiast, not be excited?

“Now that you mention it, why don’t you visit our research lab in person?”

“The research lab?”

“Yes. After all, to make protective suits for the two of you, we’ll need to get your body measurements…”

“Alright.”

Seo-yoon, excited, grabbed his phone and left the room to call the research lab in advance. Jun-sang watched him go, then looked at the frail-looking Seo Yoo-mi, who was sitting quietly. Although her injuries had healed, since the fundamental principle of both regeneration and the tongue whip was to maximize the body’s natural healing ability, the loss of physical stamina was inevitable. She was only able to sit here now because she was a returnee, whose physical specs were fundamentally different from ordinary people; otherwise, even if her wound had been sealed, she would have had to lie in bed for several days.

In Jun-sang’s opinion, Seo Yoo-mi’s action was actually foolish. No matter the situation, the most important thing was one’s own life. Moreover, Seo Yoo-mi was the only person in the party with healing magic. In a way, it might have happened because there was no one else in the party to act as a tank, but if they had thought about the party as a whole, finding another way would have been the right choice rather than blocking the attack with her body. Jung Da-bin wasn’t even that important to Seo Yoo-mi, was she?

With those thoughts, Jun-sang put Amungan’s corpse and the black armor back into his inventory and retrieved the mat. Once the room was cleaned up, Seo-yoon finished his call and returned.

“Let’s go.”

“Are you finished?”

“Yes. They’re all in a frenzy, telling me to bring you over as soon as possible.”

Jun-sang nodded and left the room with Henes, and the rest of the group followed.

“Yoo-mi, wouldn’t it be better for you to stay and rest?” Henes said with a worried expression, but Seo Yoo-mi smiled faintly and shook her head.

“Thank you… for worrying about me.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s just natural.”

“Still, thank you.”

Although they seemed like an odd pairing, it felt like Henes was surprisingly closer to Seo Yoo-mi than the other women. Then again, it might have been natural, considering the antics of Jin Se-ah, who would turn into a beast, rip off clothes, and change them to her liking, and Jung Da-bin, who would go along with it. Of course, that might change if they saw Seo Yoo-mi running around the battlefield with a kitchen knife.

Anyway, Jun-sang went down to the parking lot and took the F-150 Raptor out of his inventory.

“Oh… it’s so cool!” Yoon Seong-ryeol, who had been feeling a bit left out since he was the only guild member not in the party, immediately exclaimed in admiration when he saw the huge pickup truck Jun-sang had taken out. It seemed he had completely fallen for its heavy, macho scent.

“Want to take a ride?”

“Yes!”

It was true that it was a bit awkward for his large frame to be squeezed into the back seat of Seo-yoon’s Range Rover with the women. Of course, being squeezed in with beautiful young women was a blissful experience for him, a perpetual bachelor, but after a while, it started to feel a bit embarrassing.

Jun-sang let Yoon Seong-ryeol sit in the back seat and drove the car, following Seo-yoon’s Range Rover. With the Range Rover and the Raptor driving side by side, it felt as though they completely filled the lanes. Yoon Seong-ryeol constantly gasped in admiration, firmly vowing to himself that he would buy a car like this someday.

The two cars drove straight down the road and arrived at a research lab located in a satellite city on the outskirts of Seoul. As the cars pulled in, a group of people rushed out to greet Seo-yoon’s party.

“Welcome. We’ve been waiting.” A short, middle-aged man with a slightly receding hairline said this as he approached, and Seo-yoon bowed.

“It’s been a while, sir.”

“Indeed. I believe it’s the first time since I saw you when you entered middle school, young master.”

“Ugh… please stop with that ‘young master’ stuff.”

“Haha, you haven’t changed. Well, please follow me.”

“Okay.”

The middle-aged man led them into an office.

“Seeing you all here, you’re all handsome and beautiful. My name is Maeng Jin-woo, and I’m the director of this research lab. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

After Director Maeng Jin-woo introduced himself, Seo-yoon introduced his companions one by one.

“This is Park Jun-sang. The person I mentioned.”

“Oh! I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Maeng Jin-woo. It’s a pleasure to work with you.”

“Park Jun-sang.” Although he was slightly suspicious of how he had been introduced, Jun-sang simply stated his name in return.

“This is Henes. As you can see, she’s from another country and doesn’t speak our language very well. Please be understanding.”

“Ah, I see. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“…”

Henes, being quick to catch on, understood why Seo-yoon had introduced her that way and simply nodded silently in greeting. To be honest, Henes was also an excellent subject for research in the eyes of these researchers. An alien from a world different from Earth. It wouldn’t be surprising if they immediately tried to dissect her. That’s why Seo-yoon had to conceal her information as much as possible. It wasn’t that revealing her information was a problem. The real issue was whether Jun-sang would stand idly by if she were threatened. There was a risk that the research lab itself could be destroyed, just like the Alliance headquarters, so Seo-yoon had to be careful.