NOVEL NEXT Chapter 180
Chapter 180: The Calm Before the Storm
It was late, but Deputy Director Seo wasn’t leaving the office.
He considered Lee Si-hyun’s thoughts on the high likelihood of things going awry at night to be reasonable, and often found himself staying at the Inspection Bureau until 11 PM.
Most importantly, as the person who firmly expressed that the information provided by Si-hyun held considerable credibility before the association president, he felt the need to lead by example.
Seated in his office, Deputy Director Seo sank deep into thought.
Tonight was as quiet as any other. Glancing at the clock, he noticed it was nearly 11 PM.
“Is this day going to pass just like this…?”
At that moment—
Ring, ring, ring!
“…!”
A call at this hour was unusual.
Without hesitation, Deputy Director Seo answered the phone.
Lee Si-hyun’s voice came through.
– Deputy Director, this is Lee Si-hyun. We are in an urgent situation, so please listen carefully and take action immediately.
Despite his anxiety, Si-hyun made an effort to speak calmly and clearly, knowing that rushing words would hinder effective communication.
“Yes?”
Standing up, Deputy Director Seo pressed the phone closer to his ear.
Though he had prepared for the possibility of something happening, hearing that it actually had sent his heart racing.
– The enemies have arrived. Their movements are quite strange. It’s true they’re targeting the detention center, but some are blocking the Ganghwa Bridge and seem to be plotting something.
“The Ganghwa Bridge?”
As he focused intently on the conversation, an expression of confusion spread across Deputy Director Seo’s face.
Initially, it was assumed that the enemy’s goal was Choi Gang-hyuk within the detention center.
But why were they targeting the Ganghwa Bridge?
– Don’t be surprised. There are reports of an overwhelming number of undead around the Ganghwa Bridge. I mean, an astonishing amount. Multiple witnesses have emphasized this more than once.
Si-hyun stressed the point that To-ya had informed him about.
While the detention center was important, the lives of over 60,000 residents of Ganghwa Island were even more critical.
“Undead, you say?”
Deputy Director Seo struggled to process the shocking revelation from Si-hyun.
Still, he tirelessly pondered the current situation on Ganghwa Island.
– If this continues, there will be significant damage to the residents. We must stop the undead. Hunters are needed. A lot of them, and as quickly as possible.
“I will send them as quickly as I can.”
Deputy Director Seo responded with a serious tone.
– I will do my best as a correctional officer to defend the detention center. However, the guild members will assist the residents of Ganghwa Island.
“Are the Yangji guild members there?”
– Yes. However, that’s still utterly insufficient to prevent this situation.
“At least that’s a relief. I will mobilize all available helicopters to dispatch Hunters. Oh, and by the way.”
It seemed a thought struck Deputy Director Seo as he continued.
“Isn’t there another bridge on Ganghwa Island? It might be wise to help residents escape that way.”
– The guild members will assess the situation. Still… I doubt the enemies blocking the Ganghwa Bridge will let the Choji Bridge just sit idle.
“Is that… so?”
– In any case, please act as urgently as possible.
With those words, the call was cut off.
As the line went dead, Deputy Director Seo bolted out of his office.
There was no time to waste.
◈ ◈ ◈
Boom!
An explosion erupted, resembling a powerful bomb going off.
In that instant, the four-lane bridge, measuring 17 meters across, collapsed helplessly, sending debris crashing into the sea.
The Choji Bridge had been destroyed.
Si-hyun’s prediction had proven correct.
The enemies were intent on preventing the residents of Ganghwa Island from escaping.
“Haha, cutting off the bridge makes it so straightforward. Why is Kilmer making such a fuss over blocking a bridge?”
The laughter came from Mangjong.
The one responsible for obliterating the Choji Bridge was none other than his World Tree Golem.
The might exhibited by a World Tree Golem, which was only about the size of an average human, was beyond imagination.
“Such cute little things. Where shall we go now?”
Grinning in satisfaction, Mangjong looked at the World Tree Golem.
The thought of butchering the weak and pitiful humans aligned perfectly with Mangjong’s twisted interests.
But—
“There’s a rank even in blood,” he chuckled.
The blood of the Sword Master seemed likelier to provide him greater joy than any mere human’s blood.
It was worth it.
“Alright, let’s go. To where the Sword Master is.”
◈ ◈ ◈
“What?! Got it!”
The duty officer’s complexion had turned grave after hanging up the phone.
It was a call from Si-hyun.
Finally, something was happening.
He, as the highest authority on the night shift, needed to step in and issue immediate orders.
Without delay, the duty officer headed to the central control room.
“Call all correctional officers at the external gate and main entrance to report to the Security Department! Right now!”
The duty officer raised his voice as he gave his orders.
Normally, if an outsider attempted to breach, they were expected to hold their position until the end.
However, the current enemies were not ones that a mere correctional officer could handle.
The assessment from above was that trying to stop them would simply be a futile act leading to loss of life.
Thus, the directive was to entrust stopping the enemies to those sent by the association.
Originally, Choi Gang-hyuk was also under the association’s jurisdiction.
‘I was told there would be two S-Class.’
The duty officer was fully aware that the individuals dispatched to the detention center were immensely capable and quite valuable.
Even one of them could surpass the capabilities of large guilds filled with A-Class hunters.
And there were two of these monsters.
So surely, nothing bad would happen.
The duty officer tried to think as positively as possible.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Come over quickly!”
Baek Dong-il yelled.
The young sage who had crossed over through the magic circle repeatedly emphasized how serious the situation was.
Though they had only known each other for about two months, all the guild members were well aware of To-ya’s usually laid-back demeanor.
For her to say such with a serious face indicated how urgent the situation truly was.
The magic circle continued to flash.
Yangji guild members flooded into Si-hyun’s living room one after another.
The living room quickly filled as the first-comers stepped outside to prepare for battle.
Baek Dong-il’s eyes widened as he made sure the guild members were making it over safely.
A-rank Hunter Mujik and Euna crossed through, followed by the guild leader Cheol-hyung.
“Is everyone here?”
Baek Dong-il asked Cheol-hyung.
“Still one missing.”
As Cheol-hyung responded, a girl in pure white clerical attire, Rachel, appeared atop the magic circle.
“Ah, Priestess.”
Baek Dong-il murmured.
He had heard from Si-hyun that she would lend a hand in the Ganghwa Island incident, but had forgotten.
It seemed Cheol-hyung had gone to call her from the prayer room.
“We don’t have time, so prepare while I explain the situation.”
To-ya quickly started to summarize the current state of affairs.
Thousands of undead were entering Ganghwa through the Ganghwa Bridge.
The Choji Bridge had been destroyed by the enemy’s golem.
And the remaining enemies were approaching the detention center via the mountain behind it.
Si-hyun had run to the detention center to defend it.
“…Thousands of undead?!”
Mujik’s expression turned incredulous.
He had never seen such a number of monsters, even at an A-Class Gate.
No, the many orcs that appeared during the Ganghwa Island Disaster didn’t even reach that amount.
The scale that To-ya described now was beyond imagination.
“With the Ganghwa Bridge blocked and the Choji Bridge destroyed, do they intend to wipe out the residents of Ganghwa Island systematically?”
Cheol-hyung hesitated, purposely not completing his sentence.
But everyone present understood what he was implying.
“Can we possibly take on thousands of undead, Guild Leader?” Baek Dong-il asked with a solemn expression.
“Impossible.”
Cheol-hyung answered immediately.
In situations like this, a calm assessment of their capabilities was essential.
Making reckless decisions was a path to leading guild members to their doom.
They could only act within limits.
“So what do we do?”
To Baek Dong-il’s question, Cheol-hyung fell into deep contemplation.
He was racking his brain to come to the fastest decision possible.
A moment later, he opened his mouth.
“The section chief instructed us to minimize civilian casualties. I think that’s correct. We must help as many residents evacuate as possible.”
“Where to?”
This time, Mujik inquired.
All the bridges to the mainland were blocked or destroyed.
“To here.”
Cheol-hyung answered without hesitation.
“We’ll teleport them to safety in Seoul via the magic circle.”
“Ah… but the enemies might follow the crowd here.”
Mujik asked again with a worried expression.
“We’ll do our best to hold them back. After all, this is the only passage to Ganghwa Island.”
Cheol-hyung continued his explanation.
“I have no delusions about saving all the residents. If the guild members are put in danger, I’ll retreat without hesitation. But I will try to rescue as many residents as I can.”
Upon hearing Cheol-hyung’s words, everyone shared expressions that agreed with him.
“What about the Paladin?”
Paladin?
At To-ya’s words, all the guild members turned their gaze toward where she was looking.
There stood Rachel, deep in thought.
Her identity was apparently confidential on a public level, so even the guild members only knew her to be a priestess.
“…I’m going to the detention center.”
After a brief moment of consideration, Rachel replied.
Her body was only one, leaving her forced to make a choice.
Should she confront the undead and save the innocent residents, or go to the detention center to prevent the Emperor from extracting the Predator?
She had ultimately reached her conclusion.
“If the Emperor extracts the Predator, many more innocent lives will be lost.”
That was the reason behind her decision.
“We must hurry, Priestess.”
“I will go as fast as I can.”
Closing her eyes with her hands clasped together, she began muttering a prayer.
It was a prayer dedicated to I-ri-ya.
Soon, her body began to glow brightly.
The light had a pure and serene quality, unlike any artificial illumination.
Eventually, white wings began to sprout from her back. They radiated a sacred and pristine aura.
It was a sight as though an angel had descended to the earth.
Everyone stared, mouths agape, as they witnessed the spectacle.
With her vast white wings fluttering, Rachel soared into the sky.
“…An angel?!”
Baek Dong-il muttered, gazing blankly at the spot where she had disappeared.
◈ ◈ ◈
“It’s disturbingly quiet.”
I-gwi remarked as they arrived at the external gate.
There wasn’t even a single rat in the external gate’s guard post.
“Hehe, maybe they ran away in fear.”
Il-gwi chuckled.
“Tsk, those fools.”
I-gwi spat, cursing under his breath.
“I will guide you.”
Seomjeon stepped forward at the front of the group.
Thanks to Cheonbyeon, who had infiltrated prior, he knew the way to the building where Choi Gang-hyuk was located.
The leader, masked with a devilish appearance, silently followed behind him.
Hurein moved wordlessly.
“Where’s Mangjong, that old man?”
I-gwi asked.
“I’m sure he’ll manage on his own.”
Seomjeon responded shortly.
“Hehe, if Mangjong shows up, he’ll surely come here.”
Il-gwi nudged I-gwi’s waist playfully, urging him to hurry along.
I-gwi stepped forward, acknowledging the push.
◈ ◈ ◈
“It’s just a bunch of fools.”
I-gwi scoffed.
On their way to find Choi Gang-hyuk, not a single shadow of a person came into view.
Even as they crashed down on the main entrance, nobody jumped out to stop them.
They approached the building where Choi Gang-hyuk was located without any obstacles.
Finally, they encountered someone for the first time.
It was Lee Si-hyun.
“Did you come?”
Si-hyun opened his mouth nonchalantly. Yet inside, his heart raced uncontrollably.
He could sense that the individuals before him possessed immense power.
It was suffocating.
Nonetheless, he strained to stand tall.
He could not show any sign of tension.
He must not back down.
He had to face them boldly.
“Sword Master!”
Seomjeon exclaimed with wide eyes.
“Sword Master, you say?”
I-gwi glared at Si-hyun with fierce intensity, screaming.
“Hah, what’s this? Alone? Seriously alone? Sword Master, you’re truly as arrogant as they come!”
“And you are?” Si-hyun inquired.
“I-gwi!”
“Haven’t heard of you.”
“…You son of a bitch!”
I-gwi, thinking he had been mocked, clenched his fists in fury.
“Hehehe.”
Il-gwi also laughed, but his eyes oozed with a lethal intensity.
“Delagardi, are you looking for a place to die?”
Hurein, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
As part of one of the four great noble families in the empire, he had several connections with the Sword Master.
Because he was allied with the Emperor’s faction, he had also provided support when the Emperor plotted to eliminate the Sword Master.
Even with his awakening in this new world, he never believed the Sword Master would kneel before the Emperor.
Thus, he posed the question about whether they were searching for their demise.
“Do you really think I came here alone?” Si-hyun declared nonchalantly, crossing his arms.
But contrary to that demeanor, he felt uneasy to the point of despair.
Even five minutes ago, he had contacted Hyris through his ring, and there was still no news.
Messages would’ve reached Sinchang in the guild through To-ya, but he couldn’t be sure how quickly they would arrive.
In this state, he was forcing himself to appear calm.
“Humph, hurry and call for them. Don’t waste time.”
I-gwi scoffed.
“Right.”
‘…What if I misidentified the teleport location?’
While he was pondering the worst, he suddenly saw two silhouettes racing toward him.
It was the S-Class Awakened beings from Korea, Nam Seung-hoon and Baek Ha-rin, who had come upon hearing the news that things had gone awry.
Like true S-Class, Nam Seung-hoon and Baek Ha-rin reached Si-hyun’s side almost instantly, their expressions tense as they drew their weapons.
As S-Class powerhouses, even they could sense it.
Just how powerful the enemies were.
– …Uncle, we can’t win this. Let’s just run.
Ha-rin said urgently through a private message to Seung-hoon.
At this moment, whether it was some inmate or another, it didn’t hold the utmost importance for her.
What mattered most was preserving their lives.
Until they got closer, they hadn’t realized just how formidable the enemies’ aura was.
But now that they were aware, they didn’t want to face what seemed like a hopeless battle.
– Hmm…
Seung-hoon appeared to be deep in thought.
The assignment given by the association head, who was his lifesaver, caused him to hesitate.
– What are you thinking, Uncle? We must think rationally!
Ha-rin pressed him on.
Rationally…
Seung-hoon repeated internally as he pondered.
Choi Gang-hyuk was undoubtedly a dangerous inmate that they couldn’t afford to lose.
However, more crucial to the country was preserving the few S-Class powers that remained intact.
Every one of these enemies seemed to be of S-Class caliber.
If they clashed now, they would be outnumbered. They’d end up losing their lives while simultaneously failing to capture Choi Gang-hyuk.
So then—
– We should escape.
In the end, Seung-hoon stated his decision.
“What? You seriously thought these lackeys would be your salvation? This is absurd.”
I-gwi spoke with disbelief.
Seung-hoon and Ha-rin scowled at the term ‘lackey’. When had they ever been called such, being S-Class themselves?
However, it wasn’t the time to react to insults.
– Now!
As Ha-rin shouted through their private channel, both of them flew into empty space simultaneously.
I-gwi and Il-gwi simply wore an amused smile, not obstructing their escape.
The others remained still.
A smile lingered on Ha-rin’s lips.
As long as they could survive, that was what mattered most.
In that moment—
“Where do you think you’re going?”
The voice of the old man suddenly echoed.
With it came something rushing swiftly towards them.
Ha-rin instinctively raised her sword to defend herself.
Clang!
A tremendous force pressed down on her arm.
Her body could not withstand it and was sent flying backward.
“Ugh.”
Ha-rin bit her lip.
Clang!
From the other side, Seung-hoon was similarly knocked away, crashing into the ground with a resounding impact.
“…Damn it.”
Seung-hoon cursed bitterly.
“Golem?”
Realizing who had attacked, Ha-rin gaped in disbelief.
Two wood golems, appearing to be crafted from the very trees, stood before the old man.
“Ha-ha, you came after all, Mangjong.”
Il-gwi chuckled.
Mangjong?
The Great Sage Mangjong?!
Seung-hoon and Ha-rin’s eyes widened in shock.
A powerful figure had appeared as their new opponent, blocking their escape route.
The situation was growing increasingly dire.
“Naturally, I had to come, heh-heh.”
Mangjong said, patting his waist.
“Listen.”
Suddenly, Si-hyun stepped forward.
“The only way to survive is by fighting. So give it your all.”
“Do you really think we can win?”
Ha-rin shot back, panting in frustration.
“It will be possible soon.”
“What do you mean?”
“Draw your weapons.”
Si-hyun pulled out Acureruts. At this point, he had no choice but to embrace it.
In fact, it was only in this desperate situation that he finally felt motivated to do so.
He was Po-ahim, after all, not the Sword Master.
He didn’t possess the Sword Master’s techniques.
He was only disguising himself as the Sword Master to survive, or due to absurd misunderstandings.
So stating that he was the Sword Master had always made him uncomfortable.
But now, he could no longer hesitate because of such feelings.
“…Acureruts? Are you… kidding me?!”
“W-Sword Master…?!”
The expressions of Seung-hoon and Ha-rin turned to shock at the sight of Acureruts.
I-gwi shook his head in disbelief.
“Are you really trying to take me on with merely those kids? Hah, this is frustrating.”
“I have said I am not.”
Si-hyun’s calm gaze turned toward I-gwi.
“So who the hell are you? Who’s this irritating bastard? Hurry up and show yourself!”
I-gwi shouted, glancing around irritably.
‘…I wish I could show up already.’
At that moment, a woman clothed entirely in black appeared like a ghost from thin air.
“Did you like my funeral attire? I dressed for the occasion.”
Hyris winked at Si-hyun.
Si-hyun sighed in relief.
“Why are you so late?”
“Main characters are fashionably late, after all.”
“If you show up late again, I might have a heart attack.”
“Who is this girl?”
I-gwi glared at Hyris, demanding answers.
All eyes turned to her.
“Hyris,” was her brief reply.
That was enough.