Chapter 89
[Translator – Pr?ks]
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Chapter 89: Ant Hell (1)
After finishing his conversation with the president, he headed to the auction house.
It was a space easily accessible for Han Baekgil.
As he waited for a moment, someone walked into the auction house.
“Nice to see you, Kim Minwoo.”
Han Baekgil greeted him warmly, extending his hand as if genuinely pleased to meet him.
“It’s still a month away, isn’t it?”
“A month, that’s plenty of time to make a decision.”
Han Baekgil spoke firmly, seeming eager to hear an answer soon.
“…I’ll decline.”
“Why?”
“It seems suspicious.”
“…”
Han Baekgil fell silent momentarily at the firm response.
But only for a moment.
He looked directly at Kim Minwoo and said, “Well, that’s too bad.”
“If you have nothing more to say, I’ll be on my way.”
He turned and left the auction house.
He was sure they’ll react now that he had refused them beyond all reason.
‘Better get ready.’
To ensure a harmonious entry into the gate with each other.
* * *
The gathering of Shadow members.
Han Baekgil, who was sitting in the main seat, furrowed his brows.
“He refused.”
“Why?”
“He said it seemed suspicious. It seems like he never had any intention of accepting in the first place.”
“Huh, arrogant bastard. Just wasting our time.”
No one was particularly shocked by the refusal. Frankly, the organization did seem suspicious.
Even they had been skeptical at first.
What nonsense was this about doubling experience points? Sacrifices and missions too?
It was normal to feel hesitant if one had intelligence.
Yet, their desire to become stronger was so intense that they joined in the early days.
Plus, at the time of the initial proposal, each of their situations wasn’t exactly comfortable. It was a feeling of wanting to grab onto even a straw.
On the other hand, Kim Minwoo was fundamentally different from the members they had gathered so far.
He had wealth, fame, power, and skill.
[TL/N: Gol D Roger??]
[PR/N: Really Bruh??]
[TL/N: Nvm, that was lame]
Objectively speaking, it was normal for him to just decline.
His apparent indifference surprised them.
They had even wondered if he would actually come when making the offer.
“….We need to deal with this, right?”
At someone’s words, everyone fell silent.
Then, one by one, they nodded.
This wasn’t just a variable; it was a typhoon.
They needed to catch it before it toppled the pillars.
The question was, how do they catch it?
“First of all, it seems difficult in the real world, and we might have to catch him at the gate… Should we look for an opportunity?”
That was the problem.
Kim Minwoo had long since become a superstar. The moment he enters the gate, numerous people will attach themselves to him like flies. Reporters would swarm around like a pack of wolves.
“Yeah, that’s true. Maybe the government will bring gate measurement devices and use them.”
That’s the best way to stop an assassin.
It’s just that it’s so expensive that they usually only offer it in the US or something like that.
For an Awakened like Kim Minwoo, it wouldn’t be strange if they offered him that kind of service.
Plus, government agents could also swarm in to provide protection.
Han Baekgil spoke up then.
“I’ve already requested assistance from our branches in various countries. The branches in China and Japan have agreed. At least one S-rank Awakener will be sent.”
“That’s good news.”
“In the end, it boils down to one of two things. Either he enters the gate or he doesn’t.”
“Exactly.”
“If he doesn’t enter the gate, we handle it in the real world. We’ll even send trainees if necessary to catch him.”
Trainees.
It referred to rookies who hadn’t received formal initiation yet but were already performing missions. There were quite a few such rookies even in the Korean branch.
If Kim Minwoo were to be dealt with in the real world, numerous complications would arise.
Starting from capturing him and making a way through to avoiding narrowing investigation nets.
This side also had to be prepared for significant sacrifices.
The trainees were sacrifices for him.
“Of course, trainees alone might not be enough. In that case, someone among us might have to sacrifice themselves.”
“…”
Everyone fell silent.
“Agree?”
“Alright.”
“I agree.”
“I can’t be soft. I understand.”
Han Baekgil nodded as he spoke, “If he enters the gate, we’ll follow suit. After dealing with him, we’ll let nature take its course.”
“Alright. But what if they activate the measuring device? Awakeners will surely be on high alert…”
“…Ultimately, we’ll have to force our way through with strength.”
Han Baekgil’s eyes turned ominously serious.
“…He’s too dangerous. Even if more than half of us here have to be sacrificed, we must capture him now. We can’t afford to give him more time.”
“…Hmph.”
Someone exhaled as if tense.
Entering the gate wasn’t the issue. Dealing with the guards at the entrance was no trouble for the Shadows.
The real problem was getting out.
Handling the flood of people swarming in like a herd?
Would it end up with half of them dead?
It would be fortunate if even one or two survived.
Yet, it wasn’t easy to voice opposition carelessly.
Would the measuring device only run once?
Attempting once meant it could be tried twice or thrice.
Who knows, maybe they’ll keep trying to turn the measuring device every time he enters a Gate.
If they don’t stop him now because it’s a hassle, they’ll end up getting eaten by him after he gets stronger.
He was fundamentally different, so much so that they couldn’t even catch up with them gaining double experience every time.
He’d been awakened for less than three months and was already toying with an Awakened like Cho Pilwook, so that was saying something.
“The best option is to disguise ourselves as we did last time.”
“That’s true. It’ll keep the public opinion quiet.”
Disguising themselves means avoiding attention, and consequently, they could attempt infiltration without any worries.
“But can we really do that? He might already suspect something fishy.”
All eyes subtly turned towards Han Baekgil.
“……I’ve never really shown off my skills. So he probably just knows me as a cult leader.”
“Well, there might still be a possibility. Look at his early Awakener behavior. He didn’t seem to want attention from others, did he?”
Clearing an F-rank gate in the shortest time possible?
Defeating Lee Seooon at a low level?
He could have cleared even E-rank or D-rank gates.
But he started from F-rank.
[Translator – Pr?ks]
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Not only that, but when he went to the Ulupalu Forest, he even disguised his identity.
Perhaps it was a behavior to conceal himself because of his low level, but that doesn’t mean Kim Minwoo’s level is high now.
The possibility of using forged identities again?
Not zero.
Just the probability is quite low.
“Let’s put people around his mansion.”
Everyone nodded at Han Baekgil’s words.
If S-rank personnel are sent from the Japanese and Chinese branches.
Seven in total, from one to seven.
Plus, Han Baekgil and two others would join.
There are a total of ten S-Rank Awakened.
But that’s not all?
The level of the trainees was not low either.
They ranged from B-rank to A-rank evenly distributed.
Although the skill he used during toying Cho Pilwook was obviously amazing.
‘There’s no way we can’t catch him.’
Everyone was convinced.
It was such an aggressive deployment of forces.
But, it was a wiser decision than sitting idle and watching everything go up in flames.
“I’ll open the treasure vault. Everyone, get ready.”
Everyone nodded.
Not everyone gathered here was an assassin, but that didn’t matter.
There were plenty of concealment-related items in the treasure vault.
At least avoiding the gaze of those guarding the gate would be easy.
With his hand extended.
Now was the time to hunt him down.
* * *
Disguised.
The Demon’s Castle.
He planned to quietly proceed there.
‘That way, I’ll be able to get in easily.’
He remembered the members of the Shadow.
As he was in the 6th Stage, there might be some changes in personnel composition.
But.
‘They must have all surpassed level 500 at least.’
If what Han Baekgil said about the experience doubling was true, the levels of the core members would be quite high.
‘At the very least eight S-ranks.’
Han Baekgil.
And from the One to the Seven.
That’s a total of eight if the personnel composition remains the same.
Plus, there would be some miscellaneous individuals mixed in.
So, did that mean they were impossible to defeat?
‘Not necessarily?’
Being S-rank doesn’t mean all Awakeners are the same.
To him, the members of the Shadow were just high-level tin cans.
He had already figured out how to catch those kinds of people.
Of course, there were no guarantees.
The existence that Shadow was said to be harboring.
That existence could have given them something more than just experience point duplication.
‘I should consider such variables.’
That’s partly why he chose the Demon’s Castle.
The moment he opened the Hidden Piece.
The map was structured in a way that would make things a bit more interesting. Shadow would probably be screaming with joy too.
‘What if they don’t come?’
He could just hunt them down.
If they did come, he could offer them as sacrifices and open the Hidden Piece to play around. Both options were win-win for Kim Minwoo.
‘I wonder how many achievement points I’ll earn…’
From the One to the Seven.
Even though their position is higher than Lee Seoyoon’s, that’s only relevant for now.
These canned S-ranks will inevitably be outcompeted as time goes on. There was a high chance they wouldn’t even be supporting characters.
But Han Baekgil was a bit different.
He was a villain worth aiming for, possibly even aiming for the leading role.
What if he captured Han Baek-gil and even scored the achievement vending machine on top of that?
‘That should get me at least 500 points, right?’
500 points meant an S-rank Soulbound Skillbook.
Having tasted the sweetness of the Land of Death.
Just having one more skill like that would make him feel at ease.
‘Or maybe I can buy something else with the points.’
There’s no harm in earning points.
He summoned Cedric and Merhen.
“We’re going to the Gate. We’ll probably be hunting the guys who followed us more than the monsters.”
―… Like that assassin from last time?
“Yeah.”
―Got it.
Merhen also nodded in agreement.
He had already confirmed the magic she could use.
Preparations were complete.
He stepped outside his house.
He started moving in a suitable car. Soon, he would be able to reach Incheon where the gate was located.
Soldiers and awakened individuals were seen standing guard at the checkpoint.
The waiting line was almost non-existent.
To conquer a B-rank gate, awakened individuals of the same rank had to form a party, but the numbers significantly decreased from here.
He presented an A-rank fake ID. It was obtained by telling the president. Although the number of A-ranks was small, not all awakeneds were known to the public.
If S-ranks were known to almost everyone, A-ranks who were recognized by name are those who were famous.
Perhaps that’s why soldiers and awakened individuals didn’t seem particularly surprised by the new name.
“A-rank awakened individual, Han Jinwook. Confirmed. Please proceed.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
He walked slowly into the gate.
[Entered B-rank gate, Demon’s Castle!]
Inside the dark castle.
After entering, he waited for a moment.
Messages appeared in succession.
[Warning!]
[There is one outsider inside the current gate…]
[Warning!]
[Warning!]
[Warning!]
[Warning!]
The warning messages rang out like crazy.
The last message that appeared was:
[Warning! There are currently 19 outsiders inside the Gate!]
‘That’s a lot.’
Each section of the B-rank gate could accommodate a maximum of 20 people.
At this point, it was practically overflowing.
He summoned Cedric and Merhen.
It was time to start the hunt.
[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Pr?ks]
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