Chapter 147 – Hero Raid (2)

The floating island hovering over Korea had long been famous, often making international headlines.

Some said it offered a fairytale-like wonder, while others pointed to Korea’s lack of safety awareness, warning that everything in the island’s path should be evacuated.

Union Hunters.

True to their name, they were a union of hunters who stood at the center of the world.

Among them were teams with distinct specializations, and the Chimera Team was responsible for exploring and clearing other dimensions.

Jean Pierre had come to Korea with two objectives.

One was to make the deliveryman, Lee Hyunbin, give up. The other was to conquer the floating island, a dimensional dungeon presumed to be S-rank.

The cleanup operation was truly the greatest form of entertainment.

The otherworlders, ignorant of modern weaponry, fought by clumsily deploying defensive barriers.

Their choices, born of ignorance, couldn’t withstand the hail of gunfire, and they were often torn to shreds like rags.

No matter what strange powers they possessed, they were annihilated, unable to move a muscle against the overwhelming firepower wielded by hunters with awakened bodies.

Killing otherworlders yielded a good amount of experience. That experience led to growth through leveling up, just like in a game.

In other words, as the members grew stronger, their power could be converted into the strength needed to protect the world.

Even if slaughtering otherworlders was an inhumane act, they had a greater cause.

The Union Chaser, linked to the System, also provided rewards through the System as if encouraging the massacre.

The rewards were identical to those gained from slaughtering monsters in a dungeon.

You could probabilistically obtain the opponent’s skills or items in an undamaged state.

Not only that, but everything from the wealth they possessed to the artifacts they revered.

It was one of the few jobs that could simultaneously satisfy the desire for honor, wealth, and strength. Thus, everyone’s satisfaction was extremely high.

Awakened hunters were already accustomed to taking lives, so any faint sense of guilt was nonexistent.

Upon learning of the floating island, the Union had already sent a reconnaissance team to search for a dimensional rift, and after confirming its location, they secured a space to squeeze through.

A dungeon floating over Seoul was an unheard-of phenomenon, so everyone’s expectations were immense.

And as planned, they released the virus and proceeded with the invasion of the other world.

As they were experts, everything went smoothly.

However, even for them, unexpected events were always bound to happen.

“The sword is glowing, huh?”

The native, perhaps a warrior, was walking toward them holding a strange sword.

“Oh, that’s a nice sword. If it drops, I’m taking it. Any objections?”

“Huh? Wait a second. He doesn’t look like a native.”

Another member spoke up.

His attire wasn’t that of a native. He was wearing a power suit, the kind hunters wore.

“A hunter?”

Everyone’s gaze turned to the “native.”

Contrary to his distinctly Asian black hair, his body proportions were like those of a Westerner.

Long legs and a sturdy build.

For some reason, his appearance suggested he was popular with women.

One of the members, feeling a strange sense of displeasure, raised his rifle and fired.

*Rat-tat-tat-tat!*

A spray of bullets rained down on the approaching man.

“Look at this bastard, trying to get the first kill.”

“Isn’t it first come, first served?”

The members bantered and snickered.

The Dive that crossed the dimensional rift was in their hideout. They didn’t know how, but this opponent had made it to the floating island.

He might have been caught in a gate, but there was no need to confirm if he was friend or foe.

After all, killing him first and getting the experience was more advantageous.

“?”

But the man was completely unharmed.

“What? You’re fine? Are you a hunter?”

The man who had shot first, now curious, asked the stranger.

The Asian man curved his lips into a smile.

His face seemed soft and gentle, yet his expression held a certain chill.

Instead of answering, the man parted his lips and whispered.

“I am a hunter.”

The glowing blade of the sword in his hand began to lengthen.

“One who hunts trash.”

“Everyone, get back!”

The blade, now extended over ten meters, flashed in an instant, creating a glint of light.

*Swish, slice!*

The comrades at the front, who had been enjoying the hunt, were suddenly separated from their lower bodies.

It was a gruesome sight. Blood gushed and sprayed from the lower halves of bodies that had lost their torsos.

“Sieg.”

The murderer spoke.

***

They opened fire the moment they saw me.

They must have known I wasn’t a resident of this place.

And yet, they launched a preemptive strike to kill me.

I honestly hesitated.

I wondered if they, too, had some cheap sense of justice.

They must have families, lovers, and friends they cherished.

I don’t enjoy killing people.

Because ending a person’s life doesn’t mean their death is truly final.

They will live on forever in the hearts of their friends, lovers, and family.

Of course, that “forever” is bound to fade with the passage of time.

In any case, my guilt was lessened.

As I thought, they’re trash.

No matter what sweet justifications they conjure, if they intend to ruin someone else’s life, they must be prepared for their own to fall into the abyss.

“Sieg.”

I called for Sieg.

I usually let him act on his own, but he didn’t want that.

He had chosen to rest in my inventory, so I hadn’t been able to bring him out.

Beside me, a human figure made of numerical code materialized. It soon gained texture, revealing a handsome, blond man.

“You guys come out, too.”

The three foreign brothers were dragged out behind me.

“Siegfried? Why are you here…!”

The three foreign brothers exclaimed in shock upon seeing the living Siegfried.

Except for the young Lee Ja-rang, Lee Jeon-guk and Lee No-rae knew Siegfried well.

When they were rookies, Siegfried had been my right-hand man, performing incredible feats.

The enemy numbered around fifty.

No, I just killed ten, so there are forty left.

Wiping them out by myself would be no trouble at all. But they might have a way to contact the modern world.

So, to dispose of them all quickly before they could report my presence, I brought these four with me.

“Is it a job?”

Sieg muttered under his breath.

Without any explanation, he could see the enemies glaring at us with hostility.

“Kill them all. Don’t leave a single one alive.”

“Understood.”

Sieg didn’t ask for a reason.

If I said it, there must be a good reason.

Sieg drew his beloved sword.

Balmung seemed to rejoice at the prospect of drinking blood after so long.

“By the way, is your previous offer still valid?”

“What offer?”

“You said one thousand won per hour, didn’t you?”

“Ah.”

Right.

He remembered that?

“Of course.”

A thousand won an hour is a ridiculously cheap price anyway.

Money doesn’t grow on trees. But nobody would work for that kind of money. It’s an incredibly good deal for me.

“By the way, how much is a thousand won worth in our world?”

“Huh?”

I was suddenly at a loss for words.

“What? A thousand won? Are you kidding me?”

Lee Ja-rang suddenly flared up.

Come to think of it, he’s been exposed to enough of the modern world to know what’s what.

This is getting complicat…

“Lee Ja-rang cleaned the house diligently. My hands turned white from all the bleach I used. And still, I only got one hundred won an hour. Why does the guy who looks like he powdered his face with flour get ten times more than me?”

Like mother, like son, they say.

That Katrinne, she was working these kids for a hundred won an hour?

Truly vicious, that one.

“I see.”

Sieg turned his head without another word.

Did I get away with it? I did.

Seeing him smile with the corners of his mouth turned up like a cartoon character, he must be satisfied.

It’s not that I’m cheap. It’s all because I’m worried they’ll spend money like water, fail to understand its value, and live wastefully.

All the money I’ve earned, who do you think I’ll leave it to when I die? It’ll all go to them. So this is definitely not exploitation.

Though I’ll probably live longer than them.

“What are these bastards? Just wipe them out!”

The Chimera members aimed their guns.

“Go.”

“I was about to go even without you saying.”

With that, Sieg strode forward quickly.

“Lee Ja-rang has always been the vanguard. Step aside, flour-face. I will show you the dignity of a senior.”

“What is this?”

“I’m reporting you for racism.”

That Lee Ja-rang. Maybe because he’s young, he tries to pick a fight with everyone he meets for the first time.

In the meantime, gunfire erupted.

*D-d-d-d-d-d-d!*

A chaotic hail of bullets flew in from all directions, kicking up clouds of dust.

“Did we get him?”

The members over there just had to say the one thing they shouldn’t have.

As payment for uttering the forbidden line, the speaker’s head was lopped off.

As expected, Sieg’s clean movements were like a textbook on swordsmanship.

-The Blessing of the Goddess Candidate begins.

-All movement speed has increased.

-All attack power has increased.

-All defense power has increased.

-The Armor of Protection buff has been activated. All damage will be nullified for 15 seconds.

-The morale of all troops has increased.

-The wound regeneration speed of all troops has increased.

As if that wasn’t enough, Katrinne cast a powerful set of buffs, as if she were going all-in.

It wasn’t just us here; all allies who had entered combat were receiving the effects.

Her mana must be completely drained.

In other words, it would be difficult for her to cast buffs of this scale again.

“Kill them!”

Flames erupted from the custom AK-47s held by the members.

*Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!*

Pillars of dust rose wherever the bullets struck.

Weaving through the pillars of dust, Sieg calmly took a life with each swing of his sword.

“W-What is this bastard!”

“He’s an Awakened!”

Firearms are certainly formidable weapons of mass destruction.

The best weapons, even. But against a master-level opponent, they don’t mean much.

The attack comes in a straight line from the barrel of the gun. A master would never miss that moment.

“Ow, ow! It stings! Lee Ja-rang’s head is about to get smashed!”

Of course, there was one guy who couldn’t dodge the bullets and was just taking them head-on.

Without Katrinne’s buffs, his head probably would have been smashed for real.

This won’t do. I’ll have to train him properly after this is over.

“Gyaaaah!”

“You idiots, put your guns away!”

Once allies and enemies are tangled together, you can’t use guns carelessly.

In other words, melee combat begins.

Sieg, dodging bullets like a ghost, wiped out ten members in an instant.

Only then did Chimera realize the gravity of the situation.

They had come to hunt, but they were the ones on the verge of being hunted.

The Chimera Team put away their guns and drew their respective technical weapons.

Advanced technology layered onto conventional weapons like swords and knives.

The Chimera Team, holding weapons that hummed and emitted light, faced off against Sieg.

“I hope you can last a little longer.”

Sieg said, flicking the blood from Balmung into the air.

“If I want to earn more hourly pay, that is.”

Why is the guy known as the Ice Prince, who did nothing but polish his sword skills, suddenly acting like this?

I left all the Chimera members to Sieg and the three foreign brothers.

The Chimera Team’s strength clearly isn’t just in their firearms. They’re probably strong. But my boys are stronger. Overwhelmingly so.

“Now then.”

I left the small fry to my boys and walked toward the main dish.

“What’s that, did you get that flaming sword from your mommy?”

A Chimera member taunted as he threw a dagger.

I caught it between two fingers.

“!”

Can’t just leave your things behind.

I kindly returned it to him. Of course, I never said I’d return it to his hand.

I walked past the opponent screaming and clutching his eye, and swung my sword at the guy aiming a pistol between my eyes.

“Gyaaaaaaaah!”

The unpleasant sound of a pig being slaughtered echoed.

Pigs.

Yes, right now, I don’t see these guys as people.

I simply walked toward my destination, subduing any enemy who tried to attack me in a single blow.

The man with long, curly brown hair was tilting his head.

Then, he let out a long laugh, snapped his fingers as if he’d realized something, and pointed at me.

“Lee. Yes, it’s Monsieur Lee, isn’t it?”

Lee? Is he talking about me?

“Yes, Deliveryman Lee.”

The man next to Jean Pierre—bald with long eyelashes, an unbalanced look—answered.

It’s Henri, the Chicken Man, ranked 5th in France. To meet the 1st and 5th rankers in a place like this.

“Well, well, you were nowhere to be seen when I went looking for you. Were you hiding in a place like this?”

“What are you talking about? Are you insane?”

“Monsieur Lee. I went to find you. What happened? How are you able to Dive already?”

“Dive?”

What’s a Dive?

Ah, I think there was something about that in the information I extracted from Lee Han-seong.

Entering a dimensional rift that isn’t permitted to them.

It’s a term used only within the Union.

“How did you Dive?”

“None of your business.”

“Did you perhaps come for revenge?”

I had some expectations since he’s the number one ranker, but why is he spouting such nonsense?

We just met for the first time today, what kind of out-of-the-blue crap is he talking about?

“Well, if he got treated right away, he probably wasn’t crippled. I’m considerate enough to show that much mercy to a junior.”

“What treatment?”

“What, you didn’t know?”

Jean bared his teeth in a hearty laugh.

“I crippled that blond brat’s hand. You didn’t know? You didn’t come here because of that?”

Blond? Kim Tae-yang?

This guy is rambling, so it’s hard to understand, but I get the gist of what he’s trying to say.

“Jean, watch out!”

“What?”

I swung the Holy Sword once as a greeting.

A golden arc of light tore through the air.

A shame.

If his bald friend hadn’t kicked Jean out of the way to save him, I could have split him perfectly in half.

“How dare you, you bastard…!”

Realizing he had just narrowly escaped death, Jean’s eyes filled with rage.

“They say if you want to forget a past lover, you should get into stocks. You’ll only think about stocks.”

Isn’t that truly the best way?

“I’ll help you so you can only worry about yourself.”

I’m just that kind.

Now, try to survive me.