Chapter 458

"No matter how much you lack the [Dragon's Eye], I never expected your eyesight to be this bad. Do those eyes of yours really see that as Korea's number one...?"

Kang Changho let out a sharp rebuke, unable to believe what he was seeing. Around Korea's third S-rank stood roughly eighteen awakened beings. Their black attire, designed for maximum efficiency, looked at first glance like either cutting-edge fashion or next-generation military uniforms. On top of that, the enemy wore pitch-black helmets perfectly suited to blending into the darkness of the dungeon.

"Was the battle originally supposed to take place in that dim dungeon?"

Honestly, from Kim Giryeo's perspective, this was a reunion he had been looking forward to for quite some time. Unfortunately, he wasn't given the chance to have a private conversation with someone from his homeland.

Click.

The moment they spotted the outsider, one of the heavily armed staff members followed the established protocol and fired their weapon.

"Wait, a gun?"

Firearms.

They were tools rarely seen ever since the world had first become overrun with dungeons.

"Something feels warm."

Still, with so many people involved in the industry, gunpowder-based firearms had never disappeared entirely. What revealed itself next was another product of mammalian ingenuity.

Clack!

A bullet shot through the iron barrel and immediately struck the archmage's forearm. Its shape closely resembled the hard-cast rounds used to hunt buffalo and similar large animals.

"No, wait. This isn't warm—this is way too cold!"

The bullet wasn't made of ordinary lead. It was a dungeon-material composite weapon newly developed by a research institute in a communist nation.

"I got a little confused because of the pain suppression."

In short, it was a weapon designed to be fired at—and used effectively against—even high-rank awakened individuals.

Clack!

By the time the enemy's reloading echoed through the area, Kim Giryeo was already thinking quietly behind his disguised face.

"This bullet... It's a mana-stone projectile, with each round painstakingly engraved with a cold-attribute enchantment."

First, he precisely analyzed something as simple as a stone thrown by an orangutan almost the instant it struck him.

That didn't mean he intended to counterattack, however.

"I don't know how I should handle this situation from here."

Today, the alien creature wore the blue eyes characteristic of a Westerner. Hidden behind a face that wasn't his own, the disguised mage carefully observed his surroundings.

"I was so distracted by the explosive increase in dungeon creation that I didn't notice. I never imagined Kang Changho would be here."

In any case, the greatest problem was none other than Korea's third S-rank hunter.

"Where the hell did that skinny foreigner come from?"

"Artifact malfunction?"

"Shoot! Just shoot first!"

Now that Kang Changho had appeared, this freckled newcomer could no longer remain completely anonymous. He had already released some magic while dismantling the gate earlier, so even the slightest slip of his sunglasses would make it obvious who the real mage on this side was.

"What kind of item could I use as an analogy to explain the effect of the [Vampire's Mirror]?"

That was the problem.

There were far too many things to worry about.

"Besides, I can't even use telekinesis properly anymore."

Everything that came to mind only reinforced why the archmage had no choice but to act so simply.

"But restricting the magic I use just to avoid Kang Changho's suspicion... Creating even a single drop of water would practically be the same as showing him my ID."

If Kang Changho had been nothing more than human garbage deserving of death, things would have been much easier. Then the archmage could have stepped forward without hesitation, manipulated water to his heart's content, and reduced this small clinic to a wasteland in less than a minute.

Tang!

The rapid gunfire stopped for a moment.

The blond archmage maintained a defensive stance as he considered what to do with those insignificant mammals. And just then, as the staff inside were about to reload again...

"Wait!"

A voice rang sharply through the air.

"Cease fire."

"What...!?"

"Everyone, stop. Stop."

Kim Giryeo's side had been cautiously waiting to see what the opponent would do next, and the timing couldn't have been better.

Kang Changho forced his way through the armed personnel and immediately stepped in to mediate.

For reference, someone's PIXY translation device had been continuously translating the speakers' words between Korean and English. That alone showed that Korea's S-rank ex-convict and the elderly man had already been holding a lengthy conversation.

However, what happened next was shocking enough to make the old man's consideration in using the translator seem trivial.

"No, why the hell should I stop..."

"Phew."

One of the clinic staff ignored the warning and repeatedly tried to pull the trigger.

Whoosh.

The instant Kang Changho noticed the resistance, he snatched the gun away without hesitation.

"Just stop for now."

The blue-haired awakened being turned the weapon on its original owner and immediately fired.

Tang!

A deafening gunshot rang out.

"Ugh!"

Kang Changho had acted as casually as if he were swatting away an annoying fly.

The awakened being, struck squarely in the head by the new type of bullet, collapsed unconscious.

In other words, the fool who had ignored his warning had just been dealt with cleanly.

Clack!

Clatter.

Click-clack.

The instant one of the clinic staff was attacked, every muzzle in the area swung toward a single target.

Even with the back of his head completely exposed to all those weapons, Kang Changho spoke without hesitation.

"The awakened beings here are completely different from what was in the original plan. And that Westerner—we don't even know which entrance he came through, but he's an awakened being with absurd defensive power..."

"Are you two acquainted?"

"Honestly, he's the kind of person I'd rather not know."

A physical-enhancement awakened being casually displayed open defiance toward the dark-skinned old man.

"But anyway, isn't the important part that we only prepared countermeasures against fire-attribute awakened beings?"

"Sir! You really don't need to say that out loud..."

Kang Changho raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Since I've already started talking, I might as well try negotiating. At least that blond guy over there is someone who can understand reason to some extent."

"Hmm."

"So all you random gunmen should keep your mouths shut for a while if you want to stay alive."

The awakened beings standing at the front—in other words, the cluster of Korean S-ranks—soon found themselves addressed directly by the ex-convict.

"Hey."

What followed was a greeting perfectly suited to the man's personality.

"I really didn't expect you to come strolling all the way into a communist country like this."

"That's exactly what I wanted to say."

For an instant, even the alien's thoughts faltered.

The moment he spoke, it would become obvious that he was a Korean S-rank, so the man with the fake blond hair had no choice but to remain silent.

"I was sure you'd be in your own country. What brings you all the way out here?"

"..."

"Well, obviously you must have had some reason for coming. The timing is suspicious, but that's not something we need to discuss right now."

"..."

"There's only one thing I'm curious about. I was wondering if you came here with some blood-soaked revenge in mind."

Revenge.

Revenge?

"To put it more clearly, I'm asking whether you intend to kill everyone involved in the artificial procedure."

From the mage's perspective, both assumptions were ridiculous.

At the word revenge, the disguised mage's eyes shifted uneasily.

But remaining silent forever wouldn't resolve anything.

"If that's true..."

In the end, the alien agreed to engage in conversation.

Because of the explosive impact of the [Iron Maiden], the special effects still clinging to him hadn't disappeared, leaving his appearance as shabby as ever.

"Will the Awakened protect the people behind you as though you're on the same side?"

The alien deliberately spoke in a clear voice, intending to verify the situation.

If the target of the spell was enraged, if their body was excessively sturdy, or if the circumstances made normal conversation difficult, then a low-level [Word Spell] was almost useless.

That left very few options.

Since he still couldn't tell whether Kang Changho was an enemy or an ally, he obviously couldn't simply snap the mammal's limbs as he had done in Japan.

That only made the situation more complicated.

So rather than asking Kang Changho whether he was "on the same side" as the people behind him, Kim Giryeo considered simply making up his mind, starting the fight, and deciding for himself whom to attack.

"Protect..."

The Korean mercenary, summoned here by someone from his homeland, hesitated at the question.

His reptilian eyes rolled slightly before he finally spoke.

"Of course I have to protect them."

Did that mean he really was firmly allied with those gunmen hiding in the feeding trough?

The disguised blond alien immediately went on guard, wondering when the other man might charge.

"Some of the people may have changed, but that doesn't mean the reason I'm here has changed."

Apparently, you really did have to listen to Korean all the way to the end.

The S-rank hunter muttered from the corner of his mouth, his expression openly reluctant.

Before Kang Changho's words had even been fully translated, he moved.

Without warning, he attacked one of the nearby staff members of the illegal clinic.

"Huh?"

Thud!

A sharp, clean crack followed.

It sounded either like a baseball bat striking a rubber ball with full force or bone smashing directly into bone.

Kang Changho shattered the nearest awakened being's arm with a single blow.

As the opponent doubled over in pain, he seized the opening and kicked them in the side.

"Heuk!"

He twisted his waist and drove his full weight into the kick.

The awakened being's ribs were completely crushed.

"Ugh!"

If the bones in that area were damaged, the broken ends could pierce the lungs, making it extremely difficult to form magic...

"For a primitive, he's surprisingly sharp."

The clinic staff member, whose expression was hidden beneath a helmet, groaned continuously in pain.

Kim Giryeo watched the scene with his S5-rank motion vision and thought to himself.

"Until just now, he acted like they were on the same side, and then he suddenly ambushed one of his own inside the gate."

It was a scene he had witnessed plenty of times before.

Come to think of it, Kang Changho had personally intervened when dismantling a human-trafficking ring as well.

So why couldn't he do the same thing twice?

"Good thing I didn't throw them into the water the moment I saw their faces."

Moreover, judging from the name that had been mentioned earlier, Kang Changho might originally have infiltrated this place to protect a national hero...

Of course, maybe not.

The disguised archmage briefly reassessed the situation.

"He hit another Earthling."

For reference, while Kim Giryeo was still cautiously observing, Kang Changho had already created his third victim.

"Ah f*ck!"

"B*stard!"

For a fight between trained combatants, some surprisingly dirty techniques were being used.

Kang Changho grabbed the collar of someone wearing protective headgear, then dug his fingernails into the exposed gap between the helmet and the clothing, tearing at the person's neck.

"Ouch, that's blood."

The bodyguards, who must have undergone considerable combat training, were strangely helpless once caught up in his rhythm.

Kicks to vital points.

Smashing the helmet first, then grabbing the opponent by the hair.

Kang Changho executed techniques that would have been strictly forbidden in any regulated fighting arena as naturally as breathing.

That explained why the others were being overwhelmed.

"Why does it hurt even though I'm not the one getting hit?"

But just as Kang Changho's momentum was building, the stranger from Alphauri sensed a suspicious aura.

"Hmm?"

The clinic staff Kang Changho had defeated lay scattered across the floor like discarded trash.

By the time the unconscious bodies had naturally formed a broken line, a short staff member appeared at the far end of that human corridor.

Tick!

A faint crackle of static, almost impossible to hear without straining one's ears, announced the presence of a primitive mage who was clearly preparing an extraordinary spell.

"Even if they really are S-rank... the magic that person is casting right now feels a little too powerful."

Tick-tick.

The one with extensive magical knowledge noticed the change even before the owner of the [Dragon's Eye].

And judging from the circumstances as a whole, it no longer seemed as though that ex-convict delinquent was necessarily an enemy who needed to be eliminated.

"Wait, should I help him?"

Kim Giryeo attempted to interfere with the high-powered spell the other primitive mage was preparing.

"If I just get a little water into her nose, it'll completely break her concentration."

But at that moment, yet another change occurred.

Just as the disguised blond youth was about to discreetly cast an offensive spell—

Whoosh!

Kang Changho, who had been charging toward the enemy like a leopard, suddenly stopped.

He stared intently at the person beneath the false face and spoke clearly.

"Don't use your technique."

On Earth, after the dungeon shock, what people called "techniques" generally referred to magic...

Then Kang Changho must have been warning the archmage not to cast a spell.

"Even without looking through the [Dragon's Eye], it seems he can basically sense major fluctuations in internal mana."

For some unknown reason, Kim Giryeo obeyed when the other man told him not to interfere.

Still, he couldn't be certain that following the primitive mage's advice was really the correct choice.

Crackle!

Then the following scene unfolded before his eyes.

"I told you I'd help."

Someone possessing an unusually large amount of mana unleashed a powerful electrical attack.

The spell only grazed Kang Changho's face.

Yet the result was a level of damage no one would have expected a physical-enhancement awakened being to suffer.

The Korean man in his thirties sustained severe electrical burns, the damage completely obscuring his vision.

Tick! Roll.

His sunglasses fell to the floor.

But in more ways than one, the situation was... strange.

"The drawback is that I can't extend it to other people the way barrier users can. Still, self-enhancement abilities should be exceptionally effective when it comes to protecting your own body, shouldn't they?"

How could someone whose physical durability ranked among the top 0.1% of humanity be so badly injured by merely being grazed by a skill?

"S-rank."

The awakened being, whose electrical burns were severe enough to scorch part of his hair, retreated to create some distance.

Kang Changho took several steps back and steadied his breathing before voicing his confusion.

"This is the attack power of an ordinary S-rank..."

His voice was calm, without even the slightest hint of a question in its intonation.

But those words carried several layers of meaning.

Essentially, what he had just said was no different from quietly asking,

"Sorry, but... have you really never produced power above S-rank