Chapter 75 – The Battlefield (２)

“You could have said something when you arrived.”

Woo Jimin grumbled as she stepped in.

“I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Come on, no matter how busy I am, if our Gijun calls me, I’d run over even from the U.S.”

Then—

A soft hum—

His smartphone buzzed again.

A reply from Hera had arrived.

[Hera: At your service.]

‘At your service,’ she said.

So typical of Hera. Gijun let out a dry laugh.

Just then, Woo Jimin put on a sly look.

“What’s up? Why the sudden smile?”

“Oh, just checking a message.”

“Got yourself a girlfriend? Hehe…”

“No, nothing like that.”

“Come on, it’s about time Master Gijun started dating. You’re doing well now, your face is good enough—want me to set you up? I know a few celebrities.”

“No, I’m fine.”

Gijun waved a hand dismissively.

Dating?

He didn’t have the slightest interest right now.

“Heh heh. Fine. If you change your mind, let me know anytime. Anyway…”

Woo Jimin’s gaze shifted.

“Delta-340, huh…”

Even Jimin looked a little surprised.

‘When did he get this strong?’

She’d already been taken aback by his spar with Emily not long ago.

But now, watching Gijun’s current training results, she had to marvel all over again.

Delta-340 was one of those Magin that gave even seasoned veterans headaches.

Yet he’d faced that thing without taking a single hit.

‘Haha, honestly…’

Truly, a talent with no visible ceiling.

“Anyway… I’d say you’re ready.”

“Yes.”

Gijun nodded.

“Good. I actually have something urgent to tell you.”

“What now?” he asked.

A flicker of unease ran through him.

“Oh, don’t look so scared… I bet he’s here by now.”

She checked her smartphone as she spoke.

“Ah, perfect timing — just got word he’s arrived.”

Her face lit up.

‘What’s going on?’

Gijun tilted his head.

Then—

[Coming in!]

A voice rang out from outside.

The door opened.

“Huh?”

Gijun’s eyes went wide at the man who appeared.

“Mr. Ha Taehyeong…”

It was Ha Taehyeong himself.

The man currently drawing more attention than anyone in the Republic of Korea — hell, the entire world.

The Raid Captain who had just successfully cleared an upgraded Level-8 Dungeon stood right in front of him.

‘But why…?’

The question came naturally.

Why the hell was this man — who should be swamped with work right now — standing in front of him?

Then a single line hit Gijun like a thunderbolt.

“This time, Mr. Ha Taehyeong has agreed to lead your party on the battlefield.”

“…!!”

“No, how can you…”

Gijun stammered, still in shock.

This was something he’d never even imagined.

And for good reason.

Ha Taehyeong should have been resting right now, and as soon as that rest ended, he’d have to jump straight into training for a Level-9 Dungeon.

But party leader?

That meant Taehyeong would be heading to the battlefield alongside Gijun.

“When I heard you were going to the battlefield, I couldn’t resist.”

Taehyeong said with a grin.

“I heard you managed quite a few interesting things while I was inside the dungeon.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“And well, isn’t it all training anyway? The battlefield is the best training ground for awakening a Superhuman’s instincts. At least, that’s my opinion…”

He glanced at Woo Jimin.

“If you’re willing to go, I’m grateful.”

“Heh heh. So she says. What do you think, Gijun? Looks like all that’s left is for you to give the okay.”

Gijun was still dumbfounded.

“Partnering with Ha Taehyeong for a raid…”

“I’m in.”

There was no reason at all to refuse the offer.

“Hahaha! That’s what I wanted to hear.”

Ha Taehyeong clenched his fist in satisfaction.

”Good. A frontline deployment’s already been scheduled. One week from now—so between now and then, I want everyone managing their condition at peak levels.”

“Leave it to us.”

“Understood.”

With those words, Taehyeong and Gijun exchanged a glance of understanding.

*

That week flew by in a blur.

A dizzying seven days, truly.

He met the other Party Members bound for the frontline, and Real Spirit had kept him busy too.

‘Getting closer.’

With Hera and the Saint guild’s help, he’d uncovered the clue needed to complete the Sain-geom.

Thanks to that, he’d be able to jump straight into forging the sword as soon as his schedule cleared.

‘Chaos on both fronts.’

The game, and reality.

Both were heating up to a fever pitch.

‘Tartaros’s gate opened.’

True to Hamal’s words, the gate to Tartaros had appeared.

Players had begun trickling in, one by one.

‘Still not many, though…’

With the price of Manta’s Jewel skyrocketing, only the deep-pocketed or top-ranked players were entering Tartaros so far.

They were feeding information back out, piece by piece.

And with every new detail, the players’ curiosity swelled.

‘And…’

The frontline news was burning hot too.

With the word that Ha Taehyeong was joining, Gijun’s deployment was once again setting the world ablaze.

‘Not bad.’

Gijun didn’t mind the frenzy.

No—he liked it.

He wondered if maybe this was the life he’d been craving all along.

‘Alright.’

And today.

The day of the frontline departure.

‘Let’s go.’

Gijun headed toward Hwarang guild headquarters.

Outside the building, reporters formed an ocean of people.

And fans of various Superhumans had gathered in droves too.

“It’s Baek Gijun!”

“Where? Where?!”

“Over there!”

The instant Gijun appeared, a flood of attention turned his way.

He was getting used to this by now.

“Mr. Baek Gijun! How about a word on your determination?!”

“Mr. Baek Gijun, what goes through your mind when you head to the frontline now?!”

“Gijun oppa¹, you’re so cool!”

“Baek Gijun, fighting!”

Reporters’ questions and fans’ cheers drummed against his ears.

“…I’ll give it my all and come back safe.”

That was his reply.

Those were the only words he could manage.

*

Soon, Gijun arrived at the Gate Room.

The Gate Room was exactly what it sounded like—a space housing a Gate.

They used an entire floor for it.

In this room, a Gate was set up that could transport you anywhere in the world, provided you entered the right coordinates.

The moment Jun stepped through the door into the Gate Room, everyone’s face came into view.

Seeing him, Woo Jimin smiled and spoke.

“The reporters are something else, aren’t they?”

“Tell me about it.”

“Now you’re a bonafide star too, Mr. Gijun.”

Outside the window, the reporters were still gathered in front of the guild building.

Fan banners were visible.

As expected, the one with the most fans was Ha Taehyeong.

But Jun now had a fanbase that rivaled his.

For Jun, it was inevitably a moment of deep reflection.

“Ah, I’m nervous.”

Jiyun’s face was tense.

“Heh heh, the feeling’s mutual.”

Ha Taehyeong quipped with a grin.

He was genuinely curious.

Just how much had Jun grown by now?

Truth be told, he’d never actually seen Jun fight firsthand.

Up until now, he’d only heard rumors.

But the fact that he was about to see Jun in action had him genuinely excited.

“Alright.”

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Woo Jimin drew everyone’s attention to herself.

Then she pressed a button on the remote in her hand.

Click!

With a short sound, the entire room went dark, and a screen appeared on one wall.

“The battlefield we’ll be heading to is the northern region of the Korean Peninsula. Code name: KR-444.”

Pointing at the map displayed on the screen, Woo Jimin continued.

“That’s a pretty notorious place, isn’t it?”

At Ha Taehyeong’s question, Woo Jimin nodded.

“Yes. Actually, we originally planned to send Mr. Gijun to a different area, but after confirming he’d taken down an intermediate Magin, we changed the destination immediately.”

“…I see.”

A murmur of admiration rippled through the assembled Superhumans.

The fact that Jun had killed an intermediate Magin was truly astonishing.

Of course, it was only a hologram in a training facility.

But that didn’t mean it could be dismissed.

Hwarang’s database was world-class.

The Magin holograms they produced were virtually indistinguishable from the real thing.

‘…He’s truly amazing.’

Jiyun herself had lost count of the silent praises she’d already uttered.

He was exactly the Jun she remembered, after all.

No—he had become someone far more incredible than the one she remembered.

‘But I’ve grown too.’

Of course, Jiyun hadn’t been idle either.

She too had achieved results through grueling effort during that time.

She had already reached the level of the 7th Circle.

Reaching the 7th Circle in her mid-twenties was an undeniable, colossal achievement.

‘I refuse to fall behind.’

If things continued like this, Jun would surely surpass her before long.

But even so, Jiyun had no intention of letting him get ahead of her.

Then Woo Jimin’s speech resumed.

“Our final destination for this operation is right here. At the deepest point of Battlefield KR-444, an abnormal phenomenon has been discovered recently. Magi is gathering rapidly, and the Magin keep converging on that spot.”

“That does sound dangerous.”

“Yes.”

Woo Jimin nodded at Ha Taehyeong’s words.

“Our top priority is to figure out what’s happening—and if possible, destroy the anomaly completely. But as always, don’t forget: your safety comes first.”

Jimin stressed the point.

“No one is allowed to get hurt or die. Under any circumstances.”

That, more than anything else, was what she wanted to prevent—no matter the cost.

After all, every single person here was a precious resource, even to Hwarang.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Ha Taehyeong, tapped his chest as he spoke—he was taking on the role of party leader for this mission.

“Good. Then first, everyone, equip your gear.”

And so the party members donned their battlefield-specific Equipment.

“And, Mr. Gijun. Take this.”

With that, Woo Jimin held something out to Gijun.

It was a small wand made of metal.

“I thought Mr. Gijun might not have a decent weapon yet, so I brought this one.”

The moment Jun took the wand, his eyes went wide with surprise.

“This is….”

The energy emanating from the wand was anything but ordinary.

The instant he held it, the Mana settled within him, weightier than before.

At the same time, Mana began to spread evenly throughout his entire body.

It wasn’t like in the game, where an Item’s stats would unfold before his eyes.

But he could feel it, clearly.

Just this one wand had sharply increased both the destructive power of Gijun’s magic and his Mana efficiency.

“It’s a wand made from Thorbium.”

“Ah…”

Thorbium.

That was an 8-level Dungeon discovered in the United States three years ago.

The name of a precious metal that could only be mined within that place.

“Thank you.”

“You won’t take a house, you won’t take a car, you won’t even let me introduce you to a woman—so letting me do at least this much saves face on my end.”

“…Hahaha.”

“Anyway, everyone needs to come back safe.”

“Of course.”

Then Ha Taehyeong let out a booming laugh and shouted.

“Guild Master. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Mr. Gijun gets back safe, no matter what.”

Woo Jimin said it with a smile.

“Alright, let’s get going.”

Woo Jimin set the coordinates.

The moment Woo Jimin locked in the coordinates—

Churn-churn-churn-churn—!

The massive Gate began to spin, releasing a torrent of Mana into the air.

1. Oppa — an affectionate term a younger woman uses for an older man she is close to; literally “older brother.”