Chapter 103 - Any Room, Part II

Chapter 36. Any Room, Part II

Translator: Khan

Editor: RED

3.

The announcement for hunters to kill the Golden Horn Spider greatly shook the hunters of Bucheon City. The storm had subsided over time, and after the storm, the hunters came up with rational and reasonable answers.

“There’s no reason to apply unless we’re crazy.” They insisted that they should not apply for the Mac Guild’s Hunter recruitment.

“The risk is too high, even with the merit. It’s a blue-grade monster, and we might faint or die of a heart attack just by being exposed to its fear.” It was a wise decision. A blue-grade monster was like a natural disaster, which was not easy to measure the risk of. No one was calculating profit and loss against the blue-grade monster, as no one was worried about what they would gain with the typhoon, in front of the typhoon.

“There are not many people.” As a result, only 3,000 applied for the Mac Guild’s Hunter recruitment.

“There were fewer applicants, but they had stricter qualifications. I hear there’s a thousand passing through.” Even when they excluded those who did not meet the qualifications, those remaining numbered only a thousand. Only a thousand of the countless hunters who made Bucheon City boil like a furnace were passed!

“A thousand people, isn’t that too few?”

“Well, if the guy who’s participating is being called crazy, and there are a thousand crazy guys, then there’s a lot.”

After that, someone said that there were still more than a thousand crazy people left! They did not need to explain how terrible this hunt would be.

“If it had not been for the Mac Guild, he would have lost his life. However, when the Mac Guild asked for help, the bitch ran away, afraid for his life. So, a volunteer is better than a fucking bastard.”

“The leader is a woman, and she’s a madwoman.”

“Yes, I’m a crazy bitch!”

Park Joo-yeon and her colleagues were some of the three thousand people who had applied for the ridiculous hunter recruitment. They were also some of the thousand people who had passed through the quite difficult qualifications.

The Park Joo-yeon party.

Having a simple and ignorant party name, they were quite famous in Chungcheong Province, unlike the funny party name.

A large flute that Park Joo-yeon, the leader, had inherited as a family treasure, was a very powerful third-grade relic, and her skill in using it was also excellent.

After they received a lot of recruitment attempts from the Clans and were ready to succeed in a world full of monsters, they said that they would apply for the hunter recruitment and surprised the people around them.

Others asked the party why they would walk on their feet into a place like a grave. They even said that if the party hunted down weak monsters and improved their ability and skills, the party could be successful enough.

However, Park and her colleagues did not hesitate to apply for hunter recruitment.

“Even this crazy bitch knows that I have to pay for the price of my life!”

Park and her colleagues were once saved by Kim Tae-hoon. By the time he took out the Messiah in Chungcheong Province, they were freed, and thanks to the hunters sent by the Mac Guild, they were now safe from the monster threat and survived thanks to the Mac Guild’s support.

“I think they’re all making a mistake, and I think this war hasn’t even started yet. There are too many people who think that killing a Golden Horn Spider is going to end the war.”

So, Park and her colleagues were willing to volunteer when the Mac Guild asked for help. That was why they were talking while eating at the Gurye County Office, where they could see the Seomjin River below and Nogodan, one of the three peaks of Jirisan, in the east.

“Except for that reason, it’s a chance to fight alongside the first hunter, isn’t it? This is not a common opportunity.”

“That’s right. It is a scene that we couldn’t see even if we paid for it.”

After finishing the meal, they were about to embellish the story ahead of the monster hunting that would start tomorrow morning.

“Take coffee.”

“Hmm?”

A mug of coffee was given to volunteers of this hunting gathered at the playground of Gurye Middle School in front of Gurye County Office.

“Mug?”

“Not a paper cup, coffee in a mug—”

In addition, the mug was not just a mug, but a mug with the Mac Guild’s mascot, Mac. Everyone looked stunned at the fact. But it did not take long for their expressions to change.

“Hey! That’s Bang Hyun-wook!”

“Lieutenant Kim Soo-ji is also there!”

Now, those who had become famous had appeared one by one, and everyone changed their expressions in surprise.

It was when Kim Tae-hoon appeared with Jang Sung-hoon that their expressions peaked. At first, there were not many people who immediately noticed that Kim was there.

But when they saw Jang, whose face was well known, standing beside Kim with a serious posture, and Bang Hyun-wook and Kim Soo-ji saluting Kim respectfully, there was no one who could not notice that he was Kim Tae-hoon.

Gulp! Everyone swallowed the same way with the same expression, holding the same mug with the same coffee in their hands.

“I have a few things to say before the briefing on the Golden Horn Spider that will begin tomorrow.”

In a world where everyone had become a mannequin, Kim talked with a mug of coffee in his hand.

“The original meaning of a hunt was that something strong eats something weak, and it was common for a fox to catch a rabbit, a tiger to catch a boar, and so it was with human beings. It was originally a hunt to eat the weak, but the concept of the hunt began to change at some point.”

Kim turned his head toward Jirisan.

“At some point, a human being began to kill something stronger than himself. He began hunting wolves and hunting tigers.”

Kim turned his head back to them. There were a thousand hunters looking at him with a surprised expression. He smiled at them lightly.

It was a very small figure after seeing that the number of hunters registered in the Mac Guild now exceeded ten thousand people, but he was rather satisfied with this number.

‘There are many crazy guys.’

For Kim and the Mac Guild, there were about a thousand crazy people who would walk onwards, even if it was directly into a grave. They were proof that what he had done so far was not wrong. So he continued to speak with a little excitement.

“Tools, strategies, tactics, and cooperation, these things have allowed humans to hunt stronger things, and that doesn’t change even when monsters are present.”

Kim had dealt with two blue-grade monsters so far. It was amazing, a great feat, even if it was a surprise that it was almost done by him alone. However, the fight with the two monsters was close to a struggle to live, not hunting.

The power, tactics, and weapons used in the battle were the masterpieces and tricks created by Kim’s improvisation. It was not a thorough hunt. Rather, the hunting that he had tried after thorough preparation was usually unsuccessful.

That happened in the hunt of the Black Snake. He was all ready to kill it, and everyone was working together, but the result? Everything that was prepared was meaningless, and only Kim’s final attempt to survive was able to save him. It was a clear failure.

Since then, Kim has never succeeded at real hunting. As said before, he survived in the fights with his tricks and skills. The problem was the result.

The hunting of the Black Snake failed, but he was able to learn a clear lesson from the failure.

On the other hand, there was no lesson in the struggle after using the tricks. That was the reality. Tricks could not give people faith and trust, even though they would bring out their admiration.

If Kim wanted to kill the Golden Horn Spider on his own, he could kill it, and everyone would be amazed at it. However, that was all. The battle would never leave a lesson that would be a stepping stone for someone else.

“The same is true of the Golden Horn Spider. If you try to kill it with your bare body, no one can kill it now. But if you use tools, use strategies and tactics, and finally collaborate, there’s no reason you cannot kill it.”

It was that part Kim wanted to say right now. Furthermore, it was such a feeling that he wanted to give to those who gathered here for this hunt.

“This is a hunt like that, not just to defeat the catastrophe we face, but to deal with it with our own hands. This will be the first true hunt against a blue-grade monster.”

After finishing his speech, Kim had coffee. As always, a short silence of savoring began. But no one questioned this silence. Everyone was willing to wait for the silence to end.

” I’ll start the briefing.”

And the silence was over.

4.

A Golden Horn Spider.

The way this giant spider, with its eight long golden legs and a coal-black body well over ten meters long, worked was so simple. It spread a wide spider web across its territory.

And that was it.

The Golden Horn Spider did not come to find the prey on its web. It just waited to take the energy of the prey the spider web had caught, drain away its health, and eventually suck away its vitality. That was the power of the Golden Horn Spider.

Its web was not just tough and sticky, but it had the eerie ability to suck the energy, health, and vitality of an object. That Golden Horn Spider’s web was spread widely around a peak of Jirisan, Cheonwangbong.

Of course, the Golden Horn Spider did not intend to come out of its own area. On the other hand, in order to kill the Golden Horn Spider, the most basic rule was to fight it in a place other than its area.

If Kim had to fight alone, it would not be difficult. Using his Telekinesis to fly, it would be possible to fight enough where the spider web did not reach.

But if he was going to do that, Kim would not have made a fuss. He prepared for the event. Even if they excluded his existence, they could make a valid attack on the monster called a Golden Horn Spider.

“We secured Banyabong!”

Once Kim ordered the hunters to remove the monsters that were crowded around the Golden Horn Spider.

Individual Battle.

Through that method, they secured the main area around Cheonwangbong and an area where they could secure visibility.

“We also secured Nogodan!”

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Their process was being revealed on the map. Every time they secured a target point, a black Go stone was placed on the map, and the number of the Go stones set down reached about thirty. The black Go stones had perfectly surrounded Cheonwangbong in Jirisan.

Based on the situation, Kim also gave a new order without moving himself.

“Put the Armored Hunting Battalion into the area.”

5.

The Armored Hunting Battalion.

It was Colonel Lim Hyun-joon who came up with the concept of this newly established special unit after the emergence of monsters. Its origin was simple.

Colonel Lim Hyun-joon took over the 8th Mechanized Infantry Division at once, and authority over the front line and the Gangwon area, and began to reorganize his power to fight with the monsters.

In such a situation, there were two things that worried Colonel Lim.

One was that the front line and the Gangwon area were mountainous terrains, where armored power could not be used freely, and the other was that the number of relics secured by the 8th Mechanized Infantry Division was insufficient, so they needed great firepower, like a tank, for monster hunting.

Colonel Lim interpreted the situation simply. “A trained artilleryman can carry a sixty-millimeter mortar alone, so if he is a soldier with high Strength, Health, and Energy, he can disassemble and transport towed artillery.”

It was a terrible thought for the soldiers under Colonel Lim, especially the soldiers who were Awakened, but he personally implemented the idea. Of course, he did not practice it himself, but his men practiced. The result was impressive. The Armored Hunting Battalion fought with great firepower in any harsh area.

After that, Colonel Lim joined the Mac Guild, and as soon as the Mac Guild actually took over the full power of the ROK Armed Forces, he focused on fostering and supporting the Armored Hunting Battalion.

The result was now revealed to Mt. Jiri.

“I can’t believe I set it up, because I’m hauling an artillery cannon into the middle of Mt. Jiri.”

In the middle of a rough mountain, a tank could not access and even helicopters could not reach easily, a KH179 155mm howitzer was standing upright with a long barrel in a good shape. It was the work of the Armored Hunting Battalion. It was a great achievement.

Was there a Unit in the world that could take the giant howitzer apart, bring it to the mountains, and assemble it again?

“I might carry a tank later.”

“I hope not.”

Of course, the faces of the Armored Hunting Battalion, who had made a great achievement a reality, were not so great after doing this glorious thing.

They knew that there was no end of work in the military.

“But there is a rumor that the Division is building an M61 Unit.”

“What is that?”

“A Unit carrying an M61 and supporting firepower…”

“No, what the hell is that? The M61 is for a fighter or a warship, not for a man! Who did that?”

“The Guild Master—”

“… let’s hope it’s not us.”

“Wouldn’t it be more effective to just pray for the disappearance of the monsters?”

In addition, they knew that this army was a childish organization that really used all means and methods to appease their superiors.

Anyway, the howitzer was ready to show off its splendor immediately. The howitzers installed in thirty places pointed their long barrels toward Cheonwangbong. In addition, mortars installed everywhere were ready to pour in additional firepower.

“They brought the real towed artilleries in with their bare hands and installed them.”

“I’m glad I am a hunter. If I was in the military…”

“Look, I am still in the reserve troops, but they are not going to call up reserve forces to do this, are they?”

Hunters who had secured safety for the members of the Armored Hunting Battalion by removing monsters were crowded around them.

“Well, I’m sure now that I see this.”

Now they could truly understand the conversation the day that they had all shared the same coffee and mug on the grass playground of a ruined middle school.

“Why did the master call it hunting?”

“I agree.”

The hunt began.

6.

Tokyo, Japan.

There was only one new building rising up in the world, in what was the largest ruin in the world.

It was a building. The building, which was still under construction, was so large that it reminded them of the skyscrapers and Burj Khalifa in Dubai, but the impact of what construction had been already been completed was tremendous.

The building was a double-sided building in many ways. In someone’s eyes, it seemed to be the hope of a land that had been ruined, and on the other, it seemed to be a hideous thing that did not fit in with the ruined land.

Obviously, in the eyes of the man who was looking at the building now, Musashi, it was the same hope as the sun above the sky.

“How long will it take to build the Rising Sun?”

Because of this, Musashi gave a name directly to the building: the Rising Sun.

Musashi was planning to declare Japan an empire, not just Japan, the moment the building was completed.

“If only we had the labor force…”

Of course, it was only a vision of Musashi, and for those who had to make his vision a reality, the building seemed to be a disaster. In fact, the building, which would be called the Rising Sun by most of those who survived in Japan, was considered a hideous thing beyond the ruins.

The resources and manpower used to build a building in the ruined land were enormous. It was in fact not different from building a huge building with human bones and blood in a situation where even urban restoration was not done properly. Many people had already died during construction.

But Musashi didn’t mind.

“We will soon be able to bring in a labor force from the Joseon Dynasty in Korea, so plan your work accordingly.”

Rather, he smiled hard, remembering the conversation he had shared a few hours ago.

A few hours ago, the Six Snakes had met. At the meeting, Musashi finally got consent from all the Six Snakes; the Korean Peninsula was his now.

It allowed Japan to attack the Korean Peninsula and then gave Japan all rights to the Korean Peninsula, with the promise of full support from the Six Snakes in the process! It was not different from making the Korean Peninsula Japanese territory for Musashi. Of course, Musashi had no intention of taking any more time.

‘We failed to get Busan, but it doesn’t matter, because South Korea’s naval power is so weak that we can get through it any time we put our full power in. It would be easier if China could check South Korea through North Korea.’

He has waited for only one thing, the support of the Six Snakes. The Six Snakes, which had acquired even China, said they would attack the north area of Korea with Chinese troops. Then all the troops in Korea would be assigned to the north. If the Japanese naval forces were to launch a landing operation, they would get virtually bloodless entry to Korea.

‘The Six Snakes were right: there is no reason to disregard the opportunity to establish a new order.’

Musashi turned and looked north. For now, Mount Fuji came into view. But at this moment, Musashi saw beyond Mt. Fuji.

He saw it at least until he heard the news.

“Lord, Lord! Korea sent you a letter.”

“What do you mean, a letter?”

“An Iga Ninja who was sent to Korea brought back a letter.”

“How could a dispatched man get a letter from the Korean government?”

“… he was caught and sent back.”

The smile disappeared from Musashi’s lips. At the same time, he reached out his hand and the man who arrived handed the letter to him.

After that, he opened the letter, scanned it, and handed it back to his subordinate.

It was because the letter was written in Korean. His subordinate immediately read the letter to interpret and became pale.

“Tell me the contents.”

His pale subordinate told him the contents of the letter.

“… the arrangements are over, and now he’s coming here to claim the price of Korean lives.”