15 – DMZ (2)

* * *

Looking at the people gathered here, it seems like the DMZ.

Or something like it.

“mmm. mmm.”

“Where did those bastards with healing abilities go?”

The situation in the DMZ was a mess.

It was impossible to tell if this was a testing ground or a battlefield hospital.

I looked around after scratching my head.

The seemingly normal people were looking at me with expressions as if they were seeing a monster.

“They said he broke through Paju alone.”

“They say he devoured dozens of Aswangs on his way here.”

“Monsters, competing against such monsters.”

Who did they call monsters?

To me, you guys look more like monsters.

“Of course, you weren’t the culprit. I knew you were extraordinary even since the Pian Station.”

Of course, there were also those who looked at me with admiration. Damn it, this kind of attention is awkward. I have no intention of becoming friends by competing with superhumans like in a boy’s manga.

“Squeak-squeak!”

At that moment, I heard a familiar squeaking sound. When I turned my head, the fortune-teller girl with pink hair, Jin-ari, or Chick, appeared.

“Oh, no. I sometimes think and speak without thinking, you see. So, you could say this is an uncontrollable instinct. I’m human, not a chick.”

Maybe she was embarrassed by her squeaking,

She turned as red as a radish.

“I get it, okay.”

Even so, to me, she just looked like a pink witch girl. Those who can see ghosts must see something different, but I couldn’t.

“Ahem, ahem. Oh, right. Let me introduce you. This is Mr. Park Jong-chul, the commander of our family alliance. Jong-chul, sir. And this is Yu Ha-jin, who helped me during the first test.”

“Nice to meet you. I am Park Jong-chul, who will be in charge of this operation. You helped Ari, right? Thank you sincerely.”

Park Jong-chul. What an imposing name.

I looked at the man.

The man introduced by the chick was a muscular and well-built middle-aged man who lived up to his imposing name. If he had learned martial arts, he would have been a good match for me.

He was holding something like a blackboard in his khaki coat, which made him look like a high-ranking military officer. Well, if he was the commander of the family alliance, he must be a high-ranking military officer.

The family alliance, one of the most prominent military factions in Korea.

Anyway, the commander of such a family alliance was bowing 90 degrees to me.

“Ahahahaha. It’s embarrassing when someone as important as you bow. Don’t do that.”

I said this while also bowing my head.

I examined the blackboard while bowing my head.

Is this it? Heukseolmyeong. People with supernatural abilities can extract information from others in extraordinary ways, but they cannot extract the information written on this Heukseolmyeong. That’s why the most important secrets are shared with this Heukseolmyeong.

But I could see everything.

While bowing my head, I quickly read the Heukseolmyeong.

Oh, interesting.

There’s a lot of interesting information.

The family alliance plans to act like this in the DMZ. They plan to take care of the wealthy and privileged Young-siks and Young-aes like this. The factions have plans to control them like this. And there are such people among the key figures.

There was a familiar name among the key figures.

—-

Yu Ha-jin (Highest priority key figure)

Find out why he approached Jin Ga-Jin.

Monitor with the visionary perception of the Hundred Responses, the divine vision that easily perceives it. If necessary, prepare the Jin-ga divine bow to deal with it.

—-

Hmm, what did I do to become the highest priority key figure? I don’t know what the Jin-ga divine bow is, but if it hits, it probably won’t feel good. Judging by the Chinese characters, it seems to be something like an arrow, and I’m just an ordinary person, so even getting hit by an arrow is life-threatening.

How can I eliminate this threat?

At times like this, all I have is bluff.

As I lifted my head, Park Jong-chul also lifted his head. I looked at him and smiled.

“I want to get along well with the family alliance. Well, if not getting close, at least I don’t want to be enemies.”

“We feel the same way. You are Ari’s benefactor, so you are like a benefactor to our family alliance.”

After hearing those words, I frowned and spoke.

“These days, does the Family Union monitor allies through alcohol?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Hmm, so that’s how it is.”

I pretended to feel something and spoke.

“Is it the Meditative Technique of the Baekga? If it’s the Surveillance Technique of the Baekga, then it must be the Response of a Hundred Shots.”

“···!”

The man who seemed like he would never be surprised staggered back in astonishment.

And he looked at me with an expression of disbelief.

Actually, I don’t know anything about the Baekga or the Response of a Hundred Shots.

I heard of them for the first time today.

I continued the act.

In comics, the masters always feel the vitality, don’t they?

“Faintly feeling the vitality. This is that, right? The true Blood-Pumping Shot. Are you planning to shoot the Blood-Pumping Shot at me if I provoke you?”

“T-That’s impossible. The Blood-Pumping Shot is highly cherished in our family. There’s no way we would use it on an ally like you.”

The chick cried out in confusion, but Park Jong-chul’s expression told me that my words were true.

Seeing that expression, I said one thing.

“Then am I lying? Huh?”

“I apologize, Master.”

Park Jong-chul suddenly bowed deeply to me.

With his swift movement, I couldn’t help but be a little surprised as well.

“Please forgive my offense. Your Excellency, please resolve your anger with my life and the lives of my subordinates only. I beseech you to show mercy to the noble lineage.”

I never expected it to go this way.

Everyone is looking at us.

Not only the people from the Family Union, but also the new masters who came from all walks of life were looking at the wooden fish in the middle-aged man’s hand. I, I don’t have that preference. I don’t like it when middle-aged men groan like that!!!

“Ahem, let’s not have such incidents again.”

After saying that, I quickly left my seat.

Then the chick followed me with a trot, annoyingly.

“Tsk, I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would happen in the Family Union.”

“Don’t you have any shame? Why are you following me?”

“Sickness, because of the instinct of a chick!”

Does a chick have an instinct to follow a man?

What nonsense, saying that I can’t see souls.

I walked quickly to shake off that kid, but the chick just followed, hopping.

* * *

People were surprised. The head of the Gamyun Union, Park Jong-cheol, was bowing politely to a young boy in blue. Not only that, but he was begging for the lives of his family members while bowing.

That meant that to that man,

he had that much strength.

It meant that he had enough power to destroy the members of the Gamyun Union’s battle squad here and target the lives of his family members. The participants who passed the first test raised their evaluation by one step in Yoo Ha-jin’s eyes.

“Ha, those secretive Gamyun Union bastards aren’t worth much. Those three slaves wouldn’t be able to kneel down to real people like us.”

Of course, there were also people who didn’t raise their evaluation. That person was none other than Park Je-cheon, a disciple of the Ilwol Five Evils and the grandson of the head, Moon Joo.

“Yes, death.”

“hahahaha, who would dare to oppose the sun and moon?”

Park Je-cheon wanted to make his father the next head of the Ilwol Five Evils. And he wanted to succeed him. His desire was so intense that he could kill someone without hesitation for that desire.

‘The Ilwol Five Evils is a group like the old conglomerates that even have their own military. Like conglomerates, they dominate all sorts of businesses through stock ownership and make even the media dance in their hands. But even those conglomerates didn’t have power.’

But the core of the Ilwol Five Evils was power. The elders, elders, and disciples of the Ilwol Five Evils. Their power was comparable to that of a country.

Becoming the successor of the Ilwol Five Evils meant becoming the successor to a country’s throne. Park Je-cheon wanted to become the successor to the throne. He wanted to enjoy everything as the king.

‘To do that, I have to gain the approval of the head.’

His grandfather, whom he had never seen in his life,

Park Il, the owner of Ilwol.

He had to gain his approval.

‘He’s not someone who gets close to even relatives, let alone friends, but if I show a good side of myself, he might find me lovable as his grandson. Just like the youngest son of a conglomerate family.’

The head, who was so cold and strict, the opposite of the sun.

If he could gain the approval of that head, he could do anything.

Even if it was a cowardly method.

Park Je-cheon’s eyes started to focus on Yoo Ha-jin.

Yoo Ha-jin continued talking to the man next door, oblivious to all this.

“Sir, how is Jamsoon?”

“You mean Sojin? Huh, she’s so scary-looking over there.”

Ahahahaha. Yoo Ha-jin laughed bitterly and bowed his head.

“Please calm down a little. If you do, I’ll concede that I lost the last game of chess to you.”

“You made a big fuss about winning one game after losing twenty. Don’t forget those words.”

I really don’t want to concede this.

But I have no choice.

“Ah, yes.”

“Also, there will be some participants from the December Moon Five Virtues Exam, right? There should also be support forces accompanying them.”

“Do you think so?”

Yoo Hae-jin had seen the profiles of the participants in the December Moon Five Virtues Exam on Commander Park Jong-cheol’s blackboard. It was written that all of them had arrived at the DMZ.

“Do what you can to recognize and understand their faces. Because as the successors of the next Moon Five Virtues, we mustn’t fall behind in the rankings.”

“Here he goes again with his nonsense. Hang up.”

As Yoo Hae-jin hung up the phone,

Someone descended from the sky.

“A lot of people died today as well.”

He was the Heaven’s Celestial Guardian and a former alcoholic.

“But let’s start the exam with vigor nonetheless.”

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like