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< To Busan (1) >
“At 19:47 today, contact with Team 7, which had been dispatched to Busan to provide support, was completely cut off.”
The atmosphere inside the conference room was heavy. The guild executives gathered in one place spoke one by one with dark expressions.
“Suddenly, contact was cut off···.”
“So you’re saying that Team Leader Wang was hit?”
“We should have opposed this from the beginning when the government first started pushing for it.”
Perhaps because he had been away from the guild for a long time, he saw quite a few unfamiliar faces.
‘It looks like there have been quite a few mergers while I was away. There are quite a few non-superhumans as well.’
In fact, Daein still hasn’t fully realized how large the White House Guild has become.
The incident happened as soon as I returned to Earth, so this place felt a bit unfamiliar.
But the guild executives gathered in the conference room also felt unfamiliar.
They all glanced at the man.
‘That guy is the deputy landlord’s representative.’
‘The man who reserved his pension for life with one potion.’
‘They say half of the guild’s income comes from that guy…’
‘I heard you’re carrying out a secret mission that only the representative knows about.’
‘A superhuman whose entire existence is shrouded in mystery except for his name…’
‘Who are the people you brought this time?’
Although it wasn’t his intention, Daein had become the most mysterious figure in the guild.
“however.”
Shudder.
Everyone flinched at the great man’s words. The great man tilted his head and looked around at the executives. Some of them were so nervous that they even broke out in a cold sweat.
‘Why are you all like this?’
“Why did Team 7 go to Busan?”
Baek Young-hee sighed lightly and explained.
“···It was part of the national land recovery project.”
Since the White House (or Daein, to be exact) developed the potion, the death rate of superhumans and soldiers in Seoul has plummeted.
Because of this, the government was able to pursue land recovery projects more aggressively.
That is why plans were made to connect transportation networks with cities with which exchanges had not been common, especially Busan.
Seoul and Busan.
If Korea’s two largest cities are connected, it could soon be possible for Korea to regain its former national scale.
Moreover, the new transportation network was not railroads or highways like before.
“The engineers of the Loro race decided to build a gateway connecting the two cities.”
If it was a technique like that, Daein knew it better than anyone else. Daein nodded as if he understood.
“It seems like the plan was to connect Busan, just like Seoul and Pyongyang.”
“Yes. So Team 7 escorted the technicians of the LoLo tribe and headed to Busan···.”
Baek Young-hee trailed off. As a result, contact with Team 7 was cut off.
“hmm···.”
The man folded his arms and sat deep in thought. The guild leaders watched his every move with tense expressions.
‘Fortunately, it’s not just the disaster that’s happening. The pace of national development is also faster than you might imagine.’
Potions and inter-city gateway technology.
These two things alone made it inevitable that Korea would become the fastest-developing country in the world.
“They’re kids. They’ll be okay.”
Daein wasn’t too worried about the 7 teams that had lost contact. He trusted the skills of Wang Guho and Sirutteok.
Even if he and Lily weren’t on the team, they weren’t the type of guys who would be easily defeated anywhere.
‘You must have been in a situation where there was no radio transmission, or entered a place like a barrier.’
But it would be a lie to say that it didn’t bother you at all. Daein asked Baek Yeong-hee.
“Aren’t there any clues? Like the location where contact was lost?”
“I was planning on showing it to you guys anyway.”
Baek Young-hee pointed to the screen behind her.
“···This is the last video sent by Team 7.”
It was footage taken by a filming drone.
Baek Young-hee’s expression was frozen as she pressed the play button on the video. She had seen this video before coming here.
“Maybe the situation is more serious than we think.”
*
*
*
“Team Leader. I think we will be arriving in Busan soon.”
At reporter Park Young-bae’s words, Wang Gu-ho, who had been blankly staring at the seagulls flying outside the window with his mouth open, turned his head.
“Huh? Oh, yes!”
Reporter Park Young-bae, whose hair was gray, looked at Wang Gu-ho through the rearview mirror.
He had a gentle face that didn’t match his large size. He was a young man with a good personality, whose speech and actions were as gentle as his face.
A soft smile appeared on reporter Park Young-bae’s lips.
‘What luck. I always have good team leaders.’
“Is this your first time in Busan, Team Leader?”
“Yes. This is my first time at that beach… Have you been here before, sir?”
“I’ve been here many times when I was young. I’ve even been here with a lover I had when I was young… Oh, I have to keep this a secret from my wife.”
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Wang Gu-ho laughed out loud at the knight’s flustered appearance. Wang Gu-ho, who grew up as an orphan, often thought that it would be nice if his father was like the knight.
“I’ll keep it a special secret.”
“Haha. Thank you, Team Leader.”
Team leader.
Wang Gu-ho still often felt awkward about being called that title.
As Daein went to Murim, Wang Guho became the new leader of Team 7.
The team was reorganized around Wang Gu-ho and Min-jae, and new superhumans joined the team.
And now, a few months later, Wang Gu-ho was proudly recognized as the superhuman team leader of the most successful guild in Korea.
‘Sometimes I still feel like I’m dreaming.’
Considering the time when I was treated like a slacker in the Black Hound Guild, this was truly a turnaround in my life.
And every time he felt this sense of unreality, Wang Guho thought of the face of the person who had changed his life.
“···Where is the team leader and what is he doing?”
Even though he had already been promoted to vice president, Wang Gu-ho still called him ‘team leader’, which was a title that was stuck in his mouth.
“Well, I guess you’re probably taking a leisurely trip abroad somewhere.”
“Doing good deeds as a hobby? Helping poor people to relieve boredom?”
“Hahaha! He would do that and still be able to do it.”
The two of them laughed together as they recalled what Lily had said before. It was a very enjoyable thing to share some memories.
[What’s so funny?]
Minjae’s voice was heard through the ear microphone. Wang Guho tapped the ear microphone and spoke.
“I was talking to the knight and the team leader.”
[Are you saying that you left me out because of my brother’s story? When I first met my brother···.]
Wang Guho sighed lightly.
“Brother Minjae. I’ve told you that story more than a hundred times.”
[Hey. Not to that extent.]
“The story about how my brother got beaten up by the team leader and became a prisoner. There’s no one in our guild who doesn’t know that, right?”
[···Ugh. Try it yourself. How could you forget it?]
Even without seeing it with his own eyes, Wang Gu-ho could tell that Min-jae was shivering.
At that moment, Minjae muttered as if he had realized something incredible.
[···No way. Do women still avoid me when they see me because they think I’m a virgin?]
Although Wang Gu-ho was a timid person, he was the type to be honest about anything, at least to his best friend, Min-jae.
“I think it’s because my brother looks so fierce···.”
[What the heck, Inma!]
The trip from Seoul to Busan was smooth enough that we could now play some silly pranks on the radio.
Wang Guho leaned back on the soft cushion and thought.
‘It was a more boring trip than I thought.’
Although they occasionally encountered monsters, none were strong enough to give a fight to the famous ‘Golden Giant’ and ‘Silver Devil’ combo in Seoul.
The new recruits who joined Team 7 were all promising prospects personally recommended by Daein, so they each did their part.
‘If I have time, I can go to the beach, right?’
Wang Gu-ho was already excited at the sight of the sea for the first time since he was born.
Reporter Park Young-bae saw the scene in the rearview mirror and said with a smile.
“Team Leader. Welcome to Busan.”
“Huh? Are you here already?”
“Actually, it’s been a while since I came in.”
Suppressing his pounding heart, Wang Guho gave instructions to his team members.
“All vehicles will proceed slowly from here. Please be careful, as Busan citizens may be surprised if they see you. We will first proceed to Busan City Hall as scheduled.”
[[All right.]]
The vehicles following behind all slowed down. Three vehicles formed a triangle, centering around the vehicle carrying the Roro technicians who would connect Seoul to the gate.
Ssssssssut.
“I guess it’s because it’s by the sea, there’s a bit of fog.”
[···wait for a sec.]
Minjae was the first to feel the strangeness. After awakening the trait
“Min Jae-hyung? What’s wrong?”
[Something doesn’t feel right.]
“···All vehicles stop!”
Wang Gu-ho trusted Min-jae’s feelings and stopped the vehicle. After stopping the vehicle, the superhumans came out and prepared for battle.
Dduk dduk!
Wang Guho, who had used the petrification property on his body, looked around with sharp eyes.
After a while, he discovered the bodies lying on the ground under a thick fog.
“Prepare for battle.”
At Wang Guho’s soft voice, the superhumans drew up their magical powers. Minjae’s body was covered in silver scales, and each of the new superhumans took out their weapons.
“All support team members, please board the vehicle. From now on, the superhumans will escort the vehicle and move forward slowly.”
“Team Leader, I will activate the filming drone.”
Wheeing!
Drones took to the skies, some circling the vehicle and transmitting live footage to headquarters.
Team 7 slowly advanced. Wang Guho walked in front and thought.
‘Something happened.’
As I went deeper, the number of corpses on the floor increased. Most of them were hidden under the fog and could not be seen well, but the pungent smell of blood tickled my nose.
The demonized Minjae flew low over the group’s heads and spoke.
“I can hardly see any rotten corpses. Most of them must have died not long ago…”
“What happened? Busan is a big city, why…”
Although not as strong as Seoul, Busan was also a city that had the strength to endure the First Gate. There were superhumans and an army here too.
But now all I could see was a foggy, gloomy city and corpses.
Although it is still on the outskirts of the city…
“Relief. What should I do?”
“Keep going and be on guard. I’ll have to find out what’s going on and report it.”
As we moved slowly, the sun began to set.
The light dimmed and darkness fell upon the city.
Ss …
The fog grew thicker and thicker. Something began to stir within the thick fog.
Grrrrr…
It was then that a low roar was heard. Wang Guho immediately stopped the team.
“Please wait at your current location···.”
Wang Guho couldn’t finish his words properly. ‘Those things’ rising from the fog filled his vision.
Grrrrr…
Grrrrr…
Grrrrrrr…
The corpses that had been lying under the fog were rising. The corpses that had risen were emitting a crimson light from their eyes.
“pitfall···.”
It wasn’t just human corpses. Here and there, monster corpses also rose up with heavy bodies.
Krrrrrr···!
Kiyaaaa···!
The city was in turmoil, with waves of corpses stretching all the way to the horizon.
···And Team 7 was in the middle of it.
Minjae muttered, representing everyone’s feelings.
“f*ck. This is X.”
“···I’m going to get out of here right now!”
At the same time as the shout, Wang Guho ran ahead.
Dddddddddddd!
Rocks grew over his body, instantly transforming him into a 4-meter tall giant. The golden giant roared as the corpses surged toward him like waves.
“Whoa···ah···op!”
Wang Guho clenched his fists and struck the floor.
-Kwakwakwakwakwakwang!
The corpses that had been pushed forward by the shock wave fell down like bowling pins.
Wang Guho, who had opened the road, shouted in an urgent voice.
“This way!”
Moments later, the footage ends as the filming drone following them is destroyed by something.
*
*
*
The video ended, but for a while no one spoke.
“······.”
Everyone was shocked and speechless.
Corpses rising from the fog. The enormous number of them seemed endless beyond the horizon.
Someone muttered in a terrified voice.
“If those guys come up to Seoul···.”
The problem wasn’t that Team 7 had lost contact. It was that those corpses might be pushed all the way to Seoul.
“That, that kind of thing must be stopped!”
“We must immediately mobilize the military and burn Busan to the ground!”
“Then why are you doing something so useless… What are you going to do if those people bring them here!”
Frightened executives were spewing out whatever they could from all directions.
What quieted them down, who seemed like they would chatter on and on, was a quiet word from the man who had been standing still.
“It’s so noisy.”
Tsk tsk tsk.
The great man raised his internal energy just a little bit and silenced the noisy mouths.
“omg···!”
Cold sweat ran down the foreheads of the executives except for Baek Chang-soo and Baek Yeong-hee. Their complexions became paler than when they were watching the video.
Either way, the man was lost in his own thoughts.
‘Is this the Demon King’s totem?’
Fog covering the city. The resurrection of the corpses lying beneath it.
The man knew about such a phenomenon.
Because it was similar to a phenomenon that was occasionally witnessed after Hellgate began.
‘There’s a Demon King’s totem somewhere over there.’
It was a special item that contained the power of the Demon King, and was an amulet that caused strange phenomena in a certain area.
It was also one of the ways in which demon lords who had not yet crossed the gate used their power in an irregular manner.
It’s quite a headache, though…
‘On the other hand, if you know how to handle it, it is also an artifact that allows you to use the power of the Demon King.’
The great man knew how to handle the Demon King’s totem.
In the end, what had to be done was decided.
Go and save Team 7, and while you’re at it, find the Demon King’s Totem.
“I’ll go and pick up the kids.”
There was no objection.
< To Busan (1) > End
ⓒ Ganjjajang
