Chapter 701: Incheon

[Awakened: Choi Wonjun]

[Demon Hunter Lv.25]

Demon Hunters.

Once, they had been enemies hostile toward us, but after experiencing many events, they eventually joined the unit.

That man was their leader, and currently an officer-class figure managing the company composed of those Demon Hunters.

Because his level had reset during the process of changing classes, his level was lower than the other officers.

But originally, he had been a considerably high-level awakened.

His abilities did not fall behind the other officers at all.

‘He was definitely operating in another region.’

The battle against the Church had been quite difficult.

But in truth, the reason for that was because I had crossed over to the other side, preventing the Legion from gathering its full strength.

If all those people scattered throughout various regions had been mobilized, it probably would have been a somewhat easier battle.

And beside him—

“It’s been a long time.”

“Heh, I was worried you might’ve already forgotten about someone like me. Glad to see that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

[Awakened: Kwak Changsu]

[Spear Master of Inquiry]

A scar-covered man holding a spear.

It was Changsu.

“How could I forget? Without your help, we might’ve died.”

Back when Chuncheon had been submerged underwater.

Only that man and his guild, Avengers, had cooperated with us.

Without their help, there was a high probability that even we would not have been able to clear that dungeon.

In reality, their abilities had been excellent enough that they did not fall behind the Legion members of that time at all.

Judging them to be outstanding talents, I naturally recommended they join the Legion, but—

‘If I remember correctly...... he said he wanted to find the cause of why this world became like this.’

After learning that even the Pope, who had been their enemy, was nothing more than a refugee.

He and those who followed him departed in search of the reason this world had transformed this way.

“Still.......”

After that, I had only heard that they established a base near the Legion and continued operating there.

One of the many guilds near the Legion, and among them, a guild composed of particularly powerful awakened.

Originally, they had already been a friendly force, and we had maintained exchanges such as food trading.

So the fact that they had come was not strange in itself.

But.

“This combination is a little unfamiliar.”

Seeing those two together was slightly unfamiliar.

“Apologies for not being able to report sooner. No, actually, I did submit a report, but the person supposed to receive it suddenly disappeared into another country.......”

“......Ahem.”

“Anyway, due to various circumstances, my company members and I are currently cooperating with them.”

“Cooperating?”

Wonjun answered my question with a strange expression.

“As you know...... thanks to the Commander’s consideration, my company and I became a unit capable of operating somewhat freely outside the Legion’s normal organization structure.”

Just as he said.

Because they were composed of such uniquely specialized classes, they existed outside the standard Legion organization.

If one had to describe it precisely, they were closer to forces directly under the Commander.

“And after joining the Legion...... we continued operating separately from the Legion’s mainstream while pursuing our own objective. Even after the Commander left his position temporarily, our activities continued.”

Their own objective.

It was not as though I could not roughly guess what that objective was.

“During that process...... we encountered them in one location, and after judging that our goals were similar, we began operating together.”

“......?”

“I understand that the Commander is busy. But even so, we judged that this was something the Commander absolutely needed to see personally, so we came to find you immediately after hearing of your return.”

Their gaze shifted into the distance.

“Commander, have you ever been to Incheon?”

***

Screeeeech.

We traveled while driving a combat vehicle.

Though this was an extremely busy period where preparations needed to be made for the northern barrier opening.

I had a feeling that this matter was not ordinary.

“......Incheon.”

And so, the scenery that began appearing outside the window was Incheon.

In the past.

One of the most prosperous cities in South Korea.

‘I remember hearing reports about it from the unit members.’

A region not directly bordering Gangwon Province, the Legion’s capital.

Instead, it had bordered Gyeonggi Province, the territory of the Association.

The awakened of Gyeonggi Province, who had suffered under severe cold, lived gathered around the black barriers appearing at the borders of each region.

Because the outer areas had been taken by monsters, they mostly lived farther inward......

Near the borders between Seoul and Incheon.

In other words.

‘That means Incheon was close to where the Association’s main combat forces gathered.’

And because of that.

The conquest of that region had been assigned to the Association, one of the Legion’s allied organizations.

In reality, it had also been the very first city the Gyeonggi Association attempted to conquer.

I had heard that Legion members and the awakened of Gyeonggi Province cooperated in the conquest, but according to the reports......

“I heard it was quite a difficult battle.”

“Yes. It was such a fierce battlefield that even part of the Legion forces originally advancing south had to redirect toward this area.”

I turned my head and looked outside the window.

Crush.......

The destroyed city, looking as though not much time had passed since the fierce battle.

The traces of the desperate war that took place here could be seen even in the far distance.

“Mm....... It’s definitely a horrific sight.”

That’s right.

I understood that a fierce battle had taken place here.

But.

“Yes. A scene like this is rather ordinary in this era.”

It was not as though only Incheon looked like this.

No, rather, it would probably be more accurate to say that there were no cities left in this era that could truly be called intact.

Compared to places like Chuncheon, where every building had been cleanly erased.

Or Seoul, where powerful monsters swarmed more densely than anywhere else.

Incheon, where one could at least still vaguely infer the original shape of the city, actually belonged to the comparatively less severe category.

“So why did you ask me to come here? I understand there was a fairly intense battle, but it doesn’t seem especially unusual.”

The place our vehicle was currently passing through was the center of Incheon itself.

Originally, the most important battlefield where people would have fought over the [Occupation] of Incheon.

But even after reaching that location, I saw nothing particularly special.

However.

“Our destination is not here.”

“Mm?”

“It’s farther inside.”

As though this place had merely been a point to pass through from the beginning.

The vehicle passed even the battlefield that had served as the center of the Occupation War and continued deeper inward.

“From here onward, the roads have collapsed, so we’ll need to proceed on foot.”

A city where considerable time had passed since the war ended.

At least the important roads should have been somewhat repaired.

But the place they guided me toward had not undergone even minimal maintenance.

‘Meaning the Legion judged it to be an unimportant location.’

Fortunately, everyone in the group was awakened.

Even after leaving the vehicle, our speed did not decrease.

Rather, the moment everyone kicked off the ground at full speed, we advanced at a pace incomparable to any vehicle.

“As I mentioned, even after joining the Legion, we continued operating while pursuing our own objective.”

While running swiftly like that.

Choi Wonjun spoke.

“However...... after that barrier opened, we spent almost all our time operating only here in Incheon.”

“What?”

“We probably spent more time inside abandoned buildings here than in our rooms back in Bimana.”

I looked at him with puzzled eyes.

It was impossible not to wonder why they had remained active in this place to such an extent.

Just as I was about to ask the reason......

Right at that moment.

Rustle.......

“......!”

My running body suddenly flinched.

I widened my eyes and muttered quietly.

“This smell.”

At that.

“......You truly are remarkable.”

“As expected of the Commander.”

The two stared at me in amazement.

Especially Changsu, who had not seen me for quite a long time, looked at me with an expression of disbelief.

“To sense the residue of mana from this distance.”

“......?”

When I looked at them with confusion.

They increased their pace even further.

“Well, naturally.”

And eventually, the place we arrived at was—

Near the coastline, far removed from the center of Incheon.

There stood an old, worn-down abandoned building.

“We are Demon Hunters. The Commander granted new identities to us, who had once been contractors of demons.”

While opening the old door of that building.

Choi Wonjun spoke to me.

“So if there is something that people like us would spend time hunting...... there is only one possibility.”

From the outside, the building appeared to possess no special characteristics aside from being old.

But inside it—

[Ingredient Appraisal (Enhanced)]

[Demonic Altar]

“......A demon.”

“Yes.”

A gigantic magic circle written in blood.

And before it.

A massive altar overflowing with rotting corpses.

“That bastard’s reach did not extend only toward me and my comrades.”

Choi Wonjun gave a bitter smile.

And spoke in a voice filled with strange anger.

“Even here in Incheon, the hands of that demon bastard had reached this place.”

***

‘......Demons.’

I thought while staring at the altar before my eyes.

Before that “Beginner Protection” ended.......

Before the barrier protecting the world opened.

Those creatures had already been interfering with this land.

‘So the ones in Gangwon Province weren’t all of them.’

According to what the System had said back then.

Those creatures were originally the type of beings that infiltrated worlds where that protection had not opened......

Not only worlds like ours, but even worlds where guardians existed, tempting the residents and expanding their strength.

“These people contracting with demons is obvious enough. They were probably simply searching for something to rely on amidst this apocalypse.”

Especially worlds without guardians, like Earth, were even more vulnerable.

People already suffering beneath destruction.

It would not be easy for such people to resist the temptation of demons.

In reality, demons did provide certain rewards to those who formed contracts with them.

After all, the demon servants received by people like Choi Wonjun had been tremendously powerful.

Rather, the most malicious aspect that made demons even more trustworthy was the fact that they “did not lie.”

“These people likely made contracts with demons for the same reason we did. In order to survive.”

“......Probably.”

“However.”

But.

There was one slight difference between these people and the contractors once led by Choi Wonjun.

“It seems that demon bastard ultimately failed.”

“What?”

Choi Wonjun spoke with a mocking smile.

Pointing toward one side of the distant city.

“Do you see that over there?”

The ruined city.

Its scenery was destroyed even more severely than the center of Incheon itself.

“According to the soldiers and Association members who fought the Occupation War in Incheon, the monsters over there were actually stronger than the ones in the center, which should’ve been the most important location.”

“Mm...... Well, it’s not as though the strongest monster is always guaranteed to occupy the most important stronghold.”

“Those people probably made contracts with demons because they desired power to survive against monsters like those. However.......”

The servants granted by demons were certainly powerful.

But.

“The demon bastard sent servants to support the contractors here, yet in the end, they were defeated by the monsters over there.”

The monsters flowing into this land were by no means weak either.

“......Even after receiving support from demon servants, they still lost to another force?”

“Why are you so surprised? You’re the very person who defeated us.”

“Ah.”

According to his words.

The traces remaining here appeared to belong to a smaller force compared to the contractors he once led.

Meaning Choi Wonjun’s own contractor faction may actually have been an unusually large and rapidly growing contractor organization.

‘While that Beginner Protection Barrier remained active, there was clearly a limit to the level of influence demons could exert upon this world.’

If they were weaker than Choi Wonjun’s faction and received fewer demon servants.

Then it was not impossible for them to be pushed back by other powerful monsters.

In reality, the Legion itself had subdued Choi Wonjun’s contractor faction, so there was no reason other monsters could not do the same.

“The problem is what happened afterward.”

And then.

The one continuing Choi Wonjun’s words was Kwak Changsu of the Avengers.

“......Afterward?”

“If they had simply lost to the monster faction and died, there might not have been any problem at all. However.......”

The two led me somewhere.

One corner of the coastline.

There, a small boat floated on the water.

“These bastards didn’t die that easily.”