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Chapter 54: Chapter 54
Chwa-rururuk-
Clung, claaang-
Dozens upon dozens of thick chains tightly bound the bodies of the monsters. Ten-plus Awakeners coordinated with each other in perfect sync to stop the monstersâ movements.
âNice work!â
Chwa-aaaahk-!
Kang Seung-Cheolâs greatsword split the body of a huge raven-like monster in half. The creature, with both of its wings tied down, couldnât even offer any substantial resistance as it lost its life.
Ka-boom-!
Along with the waves of magical energy, a loud impact noise akin to a sandbag being struck hard resounded out. A monsterâs torso bounced upwards, its waist bent in half.
âCanât you hurry up a bit here?â
Tap, tap-
Boom-
While shaking off the blood on his hands, Kim Do-ui addressed Kang Seung-Cheol.
When looking at the bigger picture, they were both Awakeners affiliated with the same government, but when looking at the smaller picture, things were slightly different.
And thatâs why they were wary of each other.
âWhoâs the slow one here... Why donât you keep your people in line first? How many did you hunt, anyway?â
âItâs not just one or two. Do you think Iâll personally be counting them? Why maybe you didnât hurt as many as you thought?â
âWhy are you picking a fight all of a sudden?â
âI wonder, just who was it that asked me first about how many I hunted down?â
âBefore that...â
Guuu-wooong-
The ground rumbled as something heavy crash-landed. The two men stopped bickering and turned their heads in the direction of the noise.
âThe boss is...â
âHe killed it?â
Kang Seung-Cheol opened his eyes wide.
That man, he stepped forward while saying heâll fight the boss alone, but to think heâd solo a monster of such caliber.
âI thought we might need more reinforcement, but it seems thereâs no longer a need for that.â
Kim Do-ui was overcome with feelings of emptiness and relief at the same time. The crisis that couldâve become the worst-possible situation had finally come to an end.
âHeâs remarkable. Truly,â Kim Do-ui thought.
Su-hyeun minded his own business up until now without publicly revealing himself, not even once.
It was already mystifying to see a young man like that stay well below the radar for such an extent of time, but the moment he revealed his identity to the world, he even managed to prevent a huge catastrophe, as well.
His abilities couldnât be faulted at all. Indeed, he was one of only a few S-ranks in South Korea, so why should anyone doubt that?
Most likely, after this event is over...â Kim Du-ui began to think.
A storm should rage on with him as the epicenter.
The armor clanked.
Su-hyeun picked up the armor Igolasâs maw spat out onto the ground.
Now that he got to see it again, rather than joy, bitterness rushed in first.
âFalconâs Holy Armor,â Su-hyeun thought in awe.
This set of armor was so light that its weight almost couldnât be felt. Just from the sensation of it being held in his hand, the armor might seem like itâd break in half if he gripped it a little harder.
However, Su-hyeun knew the true worth of this item better than anyone out there.
[Falconâs Holy Armor.]
The armor belonging to Falcon, the knight of Teserahm Empire. The Teserahm Empire gifted this armor to Falcon in his quest to hunt down the half-demon dragon, and as such, it possesses strong resistance towards many different magic types.
The itemâs explanation itself wasnât too obtuse. Rather than its effects, over half of the explanation was devoted to the itemâs history, instead.
<< Out of all the armors that can be equipped with the others, this is the one possessing the greatest magic resistance of them all. >>
The greatest advantage Falconâs Armor had was the fact that it could be worn underneath other armors.
Never mind how light it was, it was also more comfortable than all the others, and it offered almost no restriction on his movements.
It also had a strong resistance towards many different types of damage, including magic, which was a huge plus, as well.
Honestly, that last factor alone wouldâve qualified the Falconâs Armor as a bona fide treasure.
âIâll use it well,â Su-hyeun thought.
Su-hyeun then equipped the Falconâs Armor.
The moment he put on the armor over his clothing.
Hwa-aaaahk-!
Lengthy video footage began brushing past Su-hyeunâs brain.
âPlease stop the demon dragon Igolas.â
âFalcon, we ask of you for this favor.â
âWith this method, you will be able to defeat Igolas. However, if that happens...â
Countless people were surrounding Falcon.
They all clamored over each other to shout towards him.
âYouâre the only one we can believe in now!â
Falcon couldnât forsake that belief. Not if he were to answer their expectations, and if he wanted to protect his beloved empire, too.
It wasnât hard to come up with a reply.
âPlease leave it to me.â
And so, Falcon set off from the empire to stop Igolas.
While equipped with weapons, armor, and countless items crafted by the finest artisans of the empire, he fought against Igolas in a battle that lasted the day and night, and eventually, the magic circle they had created was activated.
Hwa-aaaaahk-!
And thatâs how Falcon became one with Igolas.
Two separate minds came to occupy one flesh, and the second battle commenced.
It was truly a lengthy fight that lasted for almost an eternity.
Igolas didnât die.
However, one half of it became Falcon. The light and darkness repeatedly fought each other in fierce battles, and Igolas no longer appeared in the empire.
Unfortunately, Falcon would lose to Igolasâs ego whenever the starvation became too extreme.
And to appease his hunger, he had to devour the empireâs citizens.
âI... Those people, I...â
The guilt was shaking his consciousness.
His mouth could vividly recall the memories of chewing on humans. The memories of screams of âplease save usâ reverberating within his mouth were something he never wanted to remember again.
It was at this point that the horrifying voice heâd often hear came to him.
âBut, didnât you enjoy the taste? Was I mistaken?â
âShut up. I didnât enjoy anything. Itâs making me sick!â
âNo way. You savored the taste while devouring those humans. Iâm you right now, after all. Thatâs why I know.â
âI said, I didnât!â
He felt nauseous. Rather than being disgusted by the cannibalism itself, he was more sickened by the fact that he enjoyed the process.
And so, Falcon gradually assimilated into Igolas. He endlessly repeated the cycle of devouring humans, then falling into regret and despair.
âItâs all because of me. Iâm, Iâm the...â
Memories entered Su-hyeunâs head.
He already knew of these memories, though. The Falconâs Armor was an item Su-hyeun of past life had used, after all.
âIâm watching this for the second time, but still...â thought Su-hyeun.
One could tell just what kind of a life Falcon lived through this set of armor.
The first time he put the armor on, he just couldnât understand at all why that person had to live such a life. He couldnât figure out the reason why Falcon chose the path of lengthy suffering.
However, in the end, even Su-hyeun got to walk on a similar path as him.
At first, he believed it was because the world had forced it onto him. However, as time passed, he grew to realize that that wasnât the sole reason.
Now he knew.
That was his own choice.
Even if the world didnât force him, and instead tried to talk him out of it...
âIâd probably have made the same choice,â thought Su-hyeun.
Thatâs why Su-hyeun felt even more bitter inside.
His end wasnât all that dissimilar to Falconâs, after all. He had to greet the conclusion so torturous that death felt like an eternal respite.
No, that wasnât true. Falcon managed to protect his empire, but what about him?
This was the second opportunity, his second attempt.
But, if he were to fail again this time...
âEven then, Iâll still do it.â
As expected, the answer remained the same.
If he was thinking of hesitating, then he wouldnât even have started in the first place. He wouldnât have tried to put this armor on, either.
When he thought that it was finally over, strength in his body flooded out. The activation period of âIndomitableâ had come to an end.
âIt didnât last as long as I thought,â Su-hyeun said to himself. đ§đťâŻđđ¤đŽđˇđˇđ°đŁâŻđ.đŹđ¸đ
He was dismayed at himself for thinking about skills even in a situation like this one.
Su-hyeun smirked and let go of the tensionâs taut string.
âIâm sure itâll work out... Somehow...â
Plop-
Su-hyeun laid down right there as if he was blacking out, and closed his eyes.
And then, he fell into a deep slumber.
January 31, 2021.
This date was originally earmarked as the day of conquering the green-colored dungeon that appeared in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province.
All the attention of the media was focused there, and countless Awakeners were deployed, too.
So much so that one would start to think at least one-third of all the Awakeners in South Korea had been deployed here to conquer this green-colored dungeon.
But then, the South Korean media, no, the entire worldâs, was no longer focused on Ansan, but Anyang, instead.
The dungeon outbreak is a new term denoting the phenomenon that occurs when a newly-generated dungeon has been left alone for a fixed period. However, on January 31st, the City of Anyang in Gyeonggi Province was... A new type of dungeon has emerged. A green-colored dungeon that requires an S-rank Awakener, or perhaps even over a dozen A-rank Awakeners... Last night in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province...
The breaking headlines and internet articles endlessly poured out.
And one manâs name was brought up without exception in every single one of them.
The mysterious Awakener covered in veil until now, Kim Su-hyeun has finally revealed himself. He has been introducing himself as a member of the Dump Guild on an online forum from a short while ago, and he... Kim Su-hyeun willingly disguised himself as a terrorist to evacuate the citizens. Thanks to his actions, all the damage the City of Anyang suffered was some damage to property... The boss of the green dungeon was...
The breaking news continued to pour in one after the other.
Su-hyeun raised the remote and switched the TV off.
Beep-
âI canât stand it, really,â Su-hyeun said.
Should he say how fortunate that his face was blurred out in mosaic during the broadcasts?
As if the mass media didnât want to get on Su-hyeunâs bad books, they didnât reveal his facial features publicly on air.
âKekek. Isnât it all truth, though?â
Lee Ju-ho chuckled under his breath. He was trying so hard not to laugh, but even then, the decibel of his chuckles leaking out remained rather high.
âWhy donât you just stop holding back and laugh? Weâre in a private room, anyway. You holding back is making me feel even worse.â
âKeuk, puhahahahat!â
Lee Ju-ho, in the end, exploded in a loud peel of laughter. Su-hyeun swore that this was the first time seeing him guffaw this loudly ever since getting acquainted with the man.
âIs it that funny?â
âNo, wait, keuk, keuk... Your expression, Mr. Su-hyeun, itâs...â
âWhat about my expression, then?â
âNo, well, itâs like your expression is baring everything in the open. Like... Aaah, this wasnât what I wanted.â
Su-hyeunâs fist almost flew out at the figure of Lee Ju-ho explaining his expression with a deliberately serious, subdued voice. However, he somehow managed to hold himself back and suppressed his anger.
He was already dead-tired and needed a rest, so no good would come of it if he wasted energy unnecessarily here.
âBesides all that, I didnât expect you to go through with it,â said Lee Ju-ho.
âI always do what I said Iâd do.â
âI see. So, Iâm planning to dissuade you if something like this happens again in the future. I thought you were just kidding around again, you know.â
âWill you really?â
âI mean, who would believe it? Disguising yourself as a terrorist to draw in hundreds of Awakeners all alone. And also, to use those hundreds of Awakeners to stop an outbreak, no less.â
Lee Ju-ho spat out a sigh and shook his head, perhaps feeling that it still made no sense when looking back at the whole thing for the second time. âI thought that you lost all of your marbles.â
âIt was the most effective method available.â
âThis wasnât the problem of effectiveness but rather, whether itâs possible or not.â
One versus one hundred.
That was an impossibility for a regular person, but it wasnât as impossible for an Awakener. As the word implied, being an Awakener signified that you were superhuman, after all.
However, if the âhundredâ in that one versus a hundred situation were also Awakeners, then the matter would again become an impossibility.
Because the âhundredâ opponents âoneâ had to contend with would be also superhumans possessing strengths exceeding that of regular people.
âHonestly, I thought that itâd be utterly impossible and that itâs a completely absurd notion. Even if all of you went easy for hundreds of rounds and you endured somehow in that manner... I thought that youâd never make it out of there alive, Mr. Su-hyeun.â
That was how itâd be like to battle against a hundred Awakeners. No matter how much of a genius Su-hyeun was, Lee Ju-ho felt confident in saying it.
That surely was an impossible task.
âHowever, you managed to do it, Mr. Su-hyeun.â
The thing was, though, a handful of Awakeners capable of pulling off such feats did exist.
âThe S-rank...â
Lee Ju-ho asked in a could-it-be frame of mind.
âHave you really become an S-rank Awakener?â