Chapter 220 – First Generation Awakened (2)

Buildings that once stood in endless rows, reaching for the sky as a testament to the gap between the rich and poor, had been reduced to dust.

The buildings erected to flaunt wealth, the exorbitant land prices—none of it mattered.

Grrrr.

The massive creature, which had been letting out a low howl, exhaled a breath.

Fwoosh!

Blue flames engulfed the building, melting it away.

Whoosh—!

A shell attempting an aerial bombardment released its cluster munitions, striking the building-sized creature.

BOOM!

With a deafening explosion, flames wrapped around the massive creature. But the monster only let out a low cry, unfazed.

This was no coincidence.

Human weaponry was ineffective against the monster.

A shield, like something out of a science fiction movie, enveloped the monster’s hide.

“Damn it.”

Captain Baek Hyun-joo, commanding the site, uttered a curse fitting the disastrous situation.

The smaller monsters could be killed, their shields gradually wearing down under a barrage of bullets. But the massive one’s shield was so durable that it remained unscathed, no matter how much firepower it took.

In fact, the more it was attacked, the more agitated it seemed to become, wreaking even greater havoc on its surroundings.

There was nothing to be done. Nothing but evacuate the civilians.

“My wife is in there! My wife hasn’t made it out yet. Please…!”

A citizen shouted urgently, pointing into the heart of the scene where flames from the shelling soared.

The soldiers could offer no response.

What could they possibly do against an unknown monster immune to both guns and heavy weapons?

Captain Baek Hyun-joo had never faced such a bleak situation. In fact, anyone in her position would find their options severely limited.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Aaargh!”

The screams of civilians who couldn’t escape in time.

Captain Baek Hyun-joo’s unit opened fire on the monstrous spider chasing the fleeing civilians.

Rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat-tat!

As expected, the spider also had one of those damn shields. The bullets unleashed by the soldiers all ricocheted off the barrier, spitting sparks onto the ground.

She knew it was difficult to take down. Still, they had to buy time, even like this.

“Captain, we have to pull back now!”

“We need to lay down more covering fire.”

“Our unit will be overrun if we do!”

“…”

It was right to save even one more civilian. But she couldn’t lose her unit to save that one person.

Her soldiers were lives too, and their lives could save many more. It was simple math. But she could see people, chased by the monster, running desperately toward the barricade her soldiers were defending.

Thud, thud!

The building-sized monster was walking toward the barricade.

“Captain!”

That thing shrugs off missile strikes like they’re nothing. Firing bullets at it would be like trying to tickle it.

“Who are you? You can’t enter this area! Stop!”

Just then, a commotion erupted from behind.

A vehicle smashed through the barricade set up by the soldiers and charged forward.

The vehicle sped toward the monsters as if on a suicide mission.

“…!”

The vehicle sped past the people being chased by the monsters.

It slammed directly into a monster.

In that moment, everyone saw it.

The same kind of barrier that appeared on the monsters emerged from the vehicle.

Crack!

The vehicle, having ground the monster to pulp, came to a stop, and people emerged from inside.

Ignoring the soldiers’ attempts to stop them, they began to swing their swords.

“…!”

In that instant, everyone doubted their own eyes.

With nothing but swords, they were mercilessly cutting down the monsters that were impervious to bullets.

A man with a slender build wielded a snake sword, lashing out in all directions, while a woman in a tracksuit and a black cap expertly slit throats one by one with a tactical knife, using minimal movements.

“Wh-what are those people….”

Those two were incredible, but the man at the very front was truly astonishing.

With every swing of his sword, multiple monsters were swept away at once.

“All units, provide covering fire!”

Captain Baek Hyun-joo didn’t bother trying to understand the phenomenon before her eyes.

They could fight the monsters.

The soldiers’ covering fire was effective. Even for monsters, they couldn’t endlessly block bullets with their barriers.

In an instant, they rescued the people and moved on to hunt the massive creature.

The soldiers witnessed a miracle with their own two eyes.

The three sword-wielders skillfully worked as a team, chipping away at the monster’s health. Then, the muscular man who had climbed onto the monster’s body unleashed a brilliant light from his sword.

Shlick!

The man’s sword struck the monster’s neck. The moment the head of the seemingly unkillable beast fell, everyone cheered wildly.

While everyone was captivated by the trio’s incredible performance, Captain Baek Hyun-joo’s attention was drawn to the light continuously flowing from the vehicle.

A gentle, warm light. It seemed to be constantly supporting the three fighters.

It was only later that Captain Baek Hyun-joo realized she, too, had Awakened that day.

Eyes that could read the flow of mana.

She had gained the eyes of a sensor, able to perceive the power and abilities of others.

***

The emergence of the Awakened.

Humanity had begun to evolve. In the face of unknown monsters.

Among Captain Baek Hyun-joo’s unit, people also began to awaken abilities.

She focused her attention on the Awakened, who were being called saviors by the people.

The Awakened who fearlessly faced even massive monsters with their swords.

Simply Awakening didn’t make one strong.

There were support-type abilities like Captain Baek Hyun-joo’s, and there were also Awakened who couldn’t even defeat a goblin.

But the man named Kang Cheol was on a completely different level from other Awakened. And the members with him were all abnormally exceptional as well.

It was only a matter of time before they, once treated as patients with ‘Excessive Reality Syndrome,’ became heroes.

But a decade later, their names had faded from public memory.

Before long, the first-generation Awakened had vanished one by one and ceased their activities.

People simply assumed that the Awakened had died.

“Ah, Hyun-joo. This bastard still can’t make a decent cup of coffee. And after all that talk about ‘Hyun-ah, let’s open a café.’ Give me a break. His brain is pure muscle; he’s useless at anything that doesn’t involve his body.”

Hearing Lee Hyun-ah’s sharp voice, Colonel Baek Hyun-joo was pulled back to the present.

Hyun-ah was relentlessly nagging Kang Cheol as he drove.

“I’m still a beginner, I can make mistakes.”

“Hey, it’s been over a year since we opened the café. How long are you going to be a beginner? Forever?”

Baek Hyun-joo burst out laughing as she watched Hyun-ah squawking at Kang Cheol from the side.

The two of them still seemed to get along well. Though they always acted like rivals, their bond was inseparable.

The first-generation Awakened.

The reason the symbolic Kang Cheol had disappeared was simple.

His overwhelming martial prowess was incredible, but Hyun-ah’s ability garnered even more attention.

Unlike ordinary healers who only replenished shield energy, she was a healer with true powers of restoration.

Instead of receiving their just rewards as heroes, they were met with the greed of others.

Kang Cheol protected Hyun-ah. And so, they naturally went into hiding, somewhere beyond the reach of the agencies.

The place they chose was Jeju Island, which had become a paradise for monsters.

A decade passed, and thanks to them wiping out all the monsters on Jeju Island, the place was becoming habitable for humans again.

As a bonus, their existence began to be forgotten. This was because healers with restorative powers, though not as powerful as Hyun-ah, had slowly begun to Awaken.

“But you have to admit, I’m good at making cakes, right?”

“Bullshit. Not even an orc would eat that crap.”

At Hyun-ah’s sharp retort, Kang Cheol wore a gloomy expression that didn’t suit his large frame.

“Don’t worry. It’s just because you’re not used to it yet. You’ll get the hang of it soon.”

“You’re the best, Hyun-joo.”

“Hey, sis, you wanna try what this idiot made for dinner tonight?”

“…”

“Scared?”

Even while driving, Kang Cheol kept glancing at Baek Hyun-joo in the rearview mirror.

“I ate a lot of military rations back in the day, so I can handle most dog food…”

“Dog food…”

At Colonel Baek Hyun-joo’s words, Kang Cheol became gloomy again.

“By the way, have you found him yet?”

“No, not yet.”

Hyun-ah muttered, placing a cigarette between her lips.

“Hey, there’s a non-smoker here. And why do you keep smoking stuff that’s bad for you?”

“Mind your own business. It’s my body, I’ll do what I want. Besides, I’ve already done plenty of things worse for my body than smoking.”

Saying so, Hyun-ah asked for Colonel Baek Hyun-joo’s understanding and lit her cigarette.

“Still, we heard news about the person we’re looking for.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, he’s doing well.”

Hyun-ah said, wrinkling her nose.

Baek Hyun-joo knew exactly who she was talking about.

It was a name Hyun-ah would sometimes bring up when she was drunk.

Lee Hyun-woo.

It was a name that came up consistently among those who had trained in the survival game, as if heralding the age of Hunters.

If he had been there, perhaps many things would have been different.

That’s how unparalleled Lee Hyun-woo’s performance had been in the survival game.

And he had apparently sent the others out of the survival game, remaining behind in the system to continue his lonely fight.

“We’ve confirmed the coordinates of our destination, and we know the method. The problem is, we have no way to get there.”

Hyun-ah muttered regretfully.

Her foolish brother had selfishly decided to sacrifice himself, taking all the burden on his own shoulders.

It was a pathetic choice.

A sacrifice for others. He was a foolish man who didn’t understand the heavy hearts and miserable feelings of those left behind.

“We just need to find an Awakened who can open a portal. I’m sure one exists somewhere.”

It sounded like a fantasy. But knowing how long they had been preparing, Colonel Baek Hyun-joo didn’t say anything to dissuade them.

“So, Hyun-joo, what brings you all the way out here to see us? I doubt it’s just for a vacation.”

Hyun-ah lowered her gaze slightly, a sly smile playing on her lips.

Baek Hyun-joo answered her directly.

“I’m on the fast track to success right now. But I’m short on talent.”

“Ah, Hyun-joo! I said no. I told you I’m not interested!”

Hyun-ah protested vehemently.

Colonel Baek Hyun-joo had been asking Kang Cheol and Hyun-ah for help for a long time.

To the two of them, Colonel Baek Hyun-joo was a benefactor. She was the one who had helped them escape the threat of the Disaster Agency and even provided them with a hideout.

Without her help, there was no telling what their situation would be now.

It was a difficult request to refuse, and she kept asking, to the point where they felt guilty for saying no.

“Hyun-joo, times have changed. There are plenty of proper Awakened now, and everything is operated systematically.”

“I met a really interesting guy recently.”

“Is there anyone you don’t find interesting?”

“No, just listen. He’s a really interesting guy.”

Hyun-ah tried not to listen, but Colonel Baek Hyun-joo stubbornly began her story anyway.

“He’s really something else. Reminds me of Cheol in his prime.”

“Ahem.”

“I bet he’s another muscle-headed idiot.”

That was, in fact, true.

No, in fact, it would be fair to call him the incarnation of muscle.

“He’s planning to wipe out the Disaster Agency. Even if he has to do it alone.”

“Wow… He’s even crazier than Kang Cheol.”

South Korea’s government authority is overwhelming compared to other countries. No matter how successful a Hunter is, they have no choice but to yield to the power of the state.

“But he’s not just strong. He’s already made thorough preparations.”

Baek Hyun-joo told the two of them with a smile.

Hearing about someone stronger than him, Kang Cheol’s sense of rivalry was ignited. Hyun-ah just scoffed with an unreadable ‘hmph’.

“So, he’s got Kang Cheol’s strength and Hyun-woo’s brains.”

Hyun-ah muttered.

After all, Lee Hyun-woo had been a strategist who preferred to create a grand strategic picture rather than relying on his own strength.

“That’s a totally broken character.”

If he’s ridiculously strong and smart on top of that, how could you ever beat a monster like him?

“I’m planning to create a new association so that a tragedy like what happened to you guys never happens again. So, help me.”

“…”

Kang Cheol, Hyun-ah, and the other first-generation members had also shuddered at the agency’s heinous and dirty deeds.

But they had chosen avoidance over confrontation.

“Ah, seriously. She should’ve just stuck to sightseeing instead of bringing up all this nonsense.”

Hyun-ah said, scratching her head. Then she sighed and looked out the car window.

“But it’s not opening hours yet. Who’s that?”

A man was standing in front of the café that Hyun-ah ran.

The two of them, having left the Hunter world behind, didn’t recognize him, but Colonel Baek Hyun-joo knew him well.

She had investigated him recently after joining hands with the Delivery Man, Lee Hyunbin.

“The disciple raised by that broken character I just mentioned.”

Kim In-ho approached the three as they got out of the car and bowed deeply, folding like a pocketknife.

“Greetings, Seniors. I’m Kim In-ho.”