Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Lumos had not been speaking empty words when he told me to remain at ease.

In the blink of an eye, he had smashed every last Man-Eating Pincer……

“I have cleared them out, Young Master.”

Lumos respectfully bowed his head to me.

“G-Good work.”

It was good, but my heart felt uncomfortable.

After all, it looked like a young bastard was overworking an old man in his eighties.

Though that old man was strong enough to beat terrifying monsters to death with a staff.

SHHH!

The remains of the Man-Eating Pincers decomposed at the particle level and seeped into me in the form of Ether.

Ether has been absorbed!

Ether has been absorbed!

……

Ether has been absorbed!

Ether was not the only trophy.

Sparkle, sparkle!

In the places where the remains of the Man-Eating Pincers had disappeared, small objects glittered.

The [Loot] card slipped out of the [Deck of Infinity] on its own, and several weasels came out from within it. They picked up the glittering objects and brought them to me.

[You have obtained a Secret Coin (Gold)!]

[You have obtained a Secret Coin (Silver)!]

[You have obtained a Secret Coin (Bronze)!]

[You have obtained a Secret Coin (Bronze)!]

“Ah.”

They were small coins…… At a glance, they looked like currency that might have circulated in the Middle Ages.

‘These are coming out here?’

Secret Coins.

At this point in time, their use was unknown, so people either left them stored away or, at most, traded them as a small substitute for cash according to market prices.

But that was only because no one knew the value of Secret Coins.

I, however, knew.

I knew where these unidentified coins were used.

Secret Coins were currency that could be exchanged for Runes, items, Etherium, and more at Secret Shops hidden inside dungeons beyond certain Gates.

Right now, they were probably traded for less than gold or silver of the same weight.

But what if the existence of Secret Shops became known?

At that moment, the value of Secret Coins would skyrocket.

The Runes, items, Etherium, and other things sold at Secret Shops were not things that could be obtained easily.

‘Now that I think about it, I should gather Secret Coins in advance too.’

To other Hunters, they might be nothing but coins, but in my eyes, Secret Coins looked like Bitcoin before it was listed on an exchange.

I would quietly gather them bit by bit without letting other Hunters notice. Then I would buy what I needed from Secret Shops and leave the rest stored away until their value skyrocketed.

That was my plan.

“Young Master, may I continue guiding you?”

“Yes, Elder.”

“I shall lead you this way.”

Lumos guided the path again.

***

Defense Strategy Department situation room.

“What is the current situation?”

Minister Ahn checked the situation every five minutes.

Because the gravity of the situation was so great, it meant he intended to grasp the current situation in real time as the Minister of Defense Strategy.

“Just now, fifty 3-Star Hunters and the Marine Corps 2nd Special Reconnaissance Battalion departed aboard high-speed boats.”

“What about helicopter approach?”

“It is still impossible. The fog is too severe, and space is distorted, so aerial asset approach is virtually impossible. At present, the field commander’s judgment is that inserting troops by sea route is the only method.”

“To enter by land, we have no choice but to wait for the next tide.”

“There are approximately five hours and fifteen minutes left until the sea route opens.”

“Five hours.”

Minister Ahn’s expression hardened.

He knew that the chances of the people from the Defense Strategy Department enduring for more than five hours inside Jebudo, which was engulfed by the Fog Labyrinth, were extremely slim.

Moreover, the safety of the Hunters and the Marine Corps 2nd Special Reconnaissance Battalion forces who had been deployed immediately was likewise not guaranteed.

They had simply been deployed while accepting sacrifice for the sake of rescue.

If it had been any other time, they would have suppressed the situation after a certain amount of time had passed by launching a large-scale bombardment and devastating the area. Or, if the situation seemed utterly uncontrollable, they might even have considered using a small tactical nuclear weapon.

But they could not do that now.

Because an extremely important person was on Jebudo, which was engulfed by that Fog Labyrinth.

“Captain Im.”

“Yes, Minister.”

“Did you convey to the field commander that the operational objective is rescuing Cha Eunseong?”

“I conveyed it clearly.”

At Minister Ahn’s whisper, Captain Im answered in a low voice.

“This may sound cold…… but Cha Eunseong comes first, and everyone else comes after. Stabilizing the situation comes after that. I do not know about anyone else, but Cha Eunseong must be brought back no matter what. The moment his survival status and location are confirmed, concentrate every available force there.”

“Yes.”

Since communications had not yet been cut off, Captain Im once again relayed Minister Ahn’s order to the field commander.

“This is truly a terrible thing to do.”

The Minister’s expression was deeply troubled.

Eunseong was hardly the only person trapped on Jebudo right now.

There were countless people who needed to be rescued, including the Prospective Hunters who had entered the Special Force Training Center for education and training, as well as instructors, soldiers, and civilians.

Nevertheless, ordering that only Cha Eunseong be rescued as the top priority was a cold decision made solely with the national interest in mind.

Why?

Because Cha Eunseong was the Republic of Korea’s most important strategic asset.

He was a Hunter who had Awakened with a rare Role Category that was one of a kind in the entire world.

His potential and future value could not be compared to any other force.

However, no matter how true that was, devoting all efforts to saving only one person and ordering the others to be pushed down the priority list was not pleasant.

“If I followed my heart, I would go rescue him myself.”

“But.”

“I only muttered because I felt frustrated. Do not mind it.”

“Minister……”

Captain Im trailed off.

“How many bastards would be delighted if I left my post? I cannot throw prey to those bastards. They must be waiting for me to move.”

Minister Ahn’s sharp gaze swept across the situation room.

Coup forces.

As if people seeking to overthrow the regime by taking advantage of the chaos might be hiding even in this room.

That was why Minister Ahn could not go rescue Eunseong.

He did not know what might happen while he was away.

***

“D-Do not come!”

A terrified Ra Sihyeon shouted and aimed her gun at the enemies.

However, the trigger she pulled while in a panic was not threatening at all.

Bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!

The bullets missed uselessly and cut through the air.

Worse still, the enemies were not beings that could be stopped by a few bullets.

“Gruuuuh.”

“Guooooooh.”

Zombies that stank of rotten fish swarmed toward Ra Sihyeon, who had been driven into a corner.

“Uuuugh!”

Ra Sihyeon was horrified and kept pulling the trigger in rapid succession.

Click, click!

The gun suffered a Malfunction.

“Wh-Why is this not working? Why will it not fire? Huuugh!”

Click, click!

Ra Sihyeon pulled the trigger again, but the gun, which had a shell casing jammed in the barrel, did not fire.

“Why is it not working? Why!”

Ra Sihyeon touched different parts of the gun with trembling hands, but that did not mean a gun that had suffered a Malfunction would operate normally.

In truth, it was a problem that could be solved with a simple procedure.

However, as nothing more than a fledgling Hunter, there was no way she could skillfully clear a Malfunction in actual combat.

Hitting a target well might belong to the realm of talent, but handling a firearm skillfully belonged to the realm of experience.

Thud.

The gun Ra Sihyeon had been holding fell onto the sandy beach.

“Ah……”

A despairing sigh flowed from Ra Sihyeon’s mouth.

Her Ether was depleted, and her body was a wreck because she had been swept away by the tidal wave.

And even the gun that had been her only support had suffered a Malfunction?

There was nothing more she could do.

“Guwaaaaaaagh.”

“Gruuuuuh.”

Meanwhile, the distance between Ra Sihyeon and the zombies continued to shrink.

If she could, Ra Sihyeon wanted to take her own life.

That would be better than being eaten by zombies that stank of both rotting corpses and fish.

Though whether she died this way or that way, being torn apart and eaten would remain unchanged……

A zombie had already come right in front of her.

It was so close that even the barnacles and seaweed stems clinging to the zombie’s rotten skin were clearly visible.

“Grrrrrr!”

“Huuugh!”

Ra Sihyeon shuddered at the zombie’s breath that rushed over her with a whoosh, and simply squeezed her eyes shut.

She did not want to see such a horrifying and repulsive appearance until the final moment of her life.

She only desperately hoped that the moment of death would not be long, and that it would be less painful.

THWACK!

Flinch!

At the chilling sound, Ra Sihyeon shrank back without realizing it.

Gush!

At the sound of some viscous liquid flowing down, Ra Sihyeon slowly opened her eyes.

SPLIT!

The zombie’s head right in front of her had been cleaved open, and rotten brain matter flowed out from within it.

Thud!

The zombie, split vertically starting from its head, collapsed, revealing the person standing behind it.

A handsome face that showed both confidence and strength.

The corners of his mouth, which looked as though he had not lost his composure even in this situation.

And yet, eyes that looked colder than anything else.

……It was Cha Eunseong.

Thud!

With the tension leaving her body, Ra Sihyeon collapsed where she stood.

“What are you doing?”

Eunseong furrowed his brow.

Whoosh!

Without even looking back, he swung his axe.

Slice!

The neck of a nearby zombie was cut cleanly off.

“Get up.”

“Pardon……?”

Ra Sihyeon looked up at Eunseong with a dazed face.

“Do not sit there looking pathetic.”

Eunseong tossed out the words and swung his axe toward the remaining zombies.

“Huuugh!”

When Ra Sihyeon gritted her teeth and forced herself to stand, Eunseong had already finished dealing with all the zombies.

“Th-Thank you for sav……”

Ra Sihyeon tried to thank him, but Eunseong did not even give her a glance.

Eunseong was already focused elsewhere.

“This came out here?”

Eunseong looked surprised as he picked up emerald-colored Etherium.

“…….”

Ra Sihyeon was slightly dumbfounded.

But when she saw the Etherium in Eunseong’s hand, she had no choice but to acknowledge it.

Even to her fledgling eyes, it looked like a fairly high-grade item.