Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

073 – How dare you touch my righthand man?

“Approaching the target point in 30 seconds.”

With the voice of Soo-jeong, two mechanical arms descended from the ceiling of the hangar.

As those arms grasped the ring on Myung-jun’s shoulder, wearing the Armor Suit, and lifted his body slightly, the floor on which he stood began to split apart with a heavy mechanical sound.

Fully prepared for the ‘drop’, Myung-jun, without a hint of fear despite being thousands of meters above the ground, spoke towards Soo-jeong in a composed voice.

“Cha Myung-jun of the Liberal Clan, operation zone entry preparation complete.”

“We’ve tested the equipment multiple times, there should be minimal impact upon landing.”

“Will the detachment be automatic?”

“Yeah. Though considering the risk, I’d prefer to deploy with the most defensive gear tightly wrapped around, but…”

“Yeah. Instead, the void shield will activate precisely at the moment of landing, even if you’re attacked immediately upon arrival.”

“What about the turrets?”

“I’ll send down the strongest one alongside.”

Myung-jun wasn’t the only one descending.

Rather than summoning from the subspace, Soo-jeong had installed over 30 turrets on Myung-jun’s descent gear within Shadow Hawk, finding it more efficient to deploy them directly on Earth.

As Myung-jun descended, the turrets fell simultaneously, ready for battle.

At that moment, the red lights in the storage room, turned green.

[Target point reached. Commencing cargo and combat agent deployment.]

“I’ll be back!”

– Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thud! Thump! –

Accompanied by the consecutive unlocking sounds of metallic locks, Myung-jun’s resounding shout echoed within the storage room.

And in a fraction of a second, numerous boxes and turrets that filled the storage were dropped to the ground alongside Myung-jun.

“Haah…”

Watching Myung-jun’s deployment through the control monitor, Arin sighed, recalling the entry method of the Servihum Clan, navigating the river with an old, worn-out boat to reach the operation area.

It was just a difference in the method of ‘deployment’, yet in Arin’s view, everything necessary for the ideal clan of Awakeners was present within the Liberal Clan.

Watching Arin lost in thoughts, Soo-jeong approached and offered a coffee cup.

Inside, the freshly brewed coffee emitted a delightful aroma.

“What’s on your mind?”

Soo-jeong asked her as she accepted the coffee cup.

And then, after a moment of contemplation, Arin opened up about her genuine feelings.

“I feel envious. And a bit resentful.”

“Envious is understandable, but why resentful?”

“I can’t fathom using such incredible abilities just to earn money.”

“Ah-ha! So, you think the sole purpose of the Liberal Clan is to make money?”

“Isn’t it? Especially in this operation, once Myung-jun’s participation was confirmed, all the spoils of war were to be taken by the Liberal Clan, right?”

“We’ve spent a considerable amount. We’re just receiving fair compensation for our investments.”

“But numerous people lost their homes and lives. Even from an ethical standpoint, I believe the Liberal Clan should bear some responsibility.”

“Well, that interpretation isn’t entirely wrong. I also think our clan’s policies might seem too indifferent in some ways.”

“Exactly?! Then, couldn’t you persuade Mr. Myung-jun to…”

“But on the flip side, consider this. It’s been just over a year since the U.S. government announced the existence of Awakeners and Gates. At that time, no one anticipated the emergence of such powerful monsters as we see now. Think about it, if the Liberal Clan had operated from the beginning like the Heroic Clan, as you suggested. Would we have been able to overpower our opponents so flawlessly today?”

“That’s…”

“What you misunderstand is that our clan is solely pursuing profits for personal gain. But the truth is different. We’re only imagining and preparing for the worst possible future. Even as we speak, somewhere on Earth, there might be monsters stronger than those apes over there, lurking in concealment and biding their time. And if humanity’s efforts are insufficient when that presence moves, humanity will face extinction.”

“Will it really come to that?”

“I don’t know. But Myung-jun thinks so, and it’s been proven this time. The monsters Myung-jun is fighting against right now is evidence of that. So, we have to be prepared. Even if we face criticism and blame, we must become stronger than anyone else.”

‘And with that strength, we can avert the impending crisis for all of humanity.’

Soo-jeong’s final words remained unspoken.

Instead, she gazed at the monitor with an expression blending immense affection and sorrow.

There, despite facing criticism for ‘not taking on significant responsibility despite possessing great power’, her boyfriend, who willingly jumped into his own fight without a single complaint, was now confronting the most powerful monster on Earth.

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***

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Just a few seconds before Myung-jun arrived at the battlefield.

Deep within the Amazon jungle, the battle between two transcendents raged on.

– Kwaaaah!! –

Giant tree that had survived intense survival competition ever since they sprouted were being snapped like twigs, dozens at a time, by the golden ape’s fists.

And around them lay vast expanses of terrain upheaved from numerous clashes.

To an observer, it might seem like the aftermath of indiscriminate enemy bombardment, yet the atmosphere of that place sharply differed from the scene of destruction caused by bombings.

There was an absence of ‘gunpowder scent’, a distinct sign of human-made destruction.

However, this place devoid of gunpowder scent was a battleground of awakeners, more formidable than any attack created by humans, resulting from countless confrontations.

“Stop dodging! You tough son of a…!”

“If you can kill, try killing me!”

Once again, witnessing an incoming blow, Ho-chang adjusted the angle of his shield with controlled frenzy.

To redirect the maximum damage from the opponent’s attack towards the rear.

It was a distinctly different defensive method from the initial defense against Banara’s frontal assault.

– Woooom!! –

– Kwaaaah! –

While a gravity anchor, spinning frantically like a madman, forcibly stabilized the coordinates of objects with a mass close to several thousand tons, Banara’s strike collided with Ho-chang’s shield.

Then, as Ho-chang deflected the attack, countless trees in the direction of the diverted strike shattered once more, creating a vast expanse.

Having thwarted an attack that literally altered the terrain, Ho-chang, despite receiving sensations of a tingling arm aided by the gravity anchor, shouted towards Banara.

“Ha! Not even ticklish!”

“Ahhhh!”

Despite being in the position of one-sidedly attacking, Banara felt uneasy.

Beyond the irritation emanating from the opponent before his eyes, there was a sense that an even more formidable being might be rushing towards his current location, stirring his nerves due to the anticipation of the presence more powerful than the infuriating opponent.

The only solace was that this ‘powerful being’ had to cover hundreds of kilometers to reach this spot since the beginning.

‘If I had joined from the start, the odds would’ve been zero. But because of the diversion operation, I’ve created distance. If I can eliminate this guy alone, it’s my victory. But why am I so irritated just looking at this guy?’

In fact, there was another thing that irked Banara.

Despite having the option to avoid combat and seek another opportunity, he felt a strong urge not to leave the opponent in front of him alone.

The sensation, akin to irritation, that irked Banara was one of the unique abilities of Ho-chang’s class, the ‘Guardian’.

One of Ho-chang’s unique abilities that drew out the combat instinct within Banara as if his battle instincts were being provoked by the ability to fix the opponent’s aggro onto himself, driving him crazy. As a result, Banara couldn’t even consider fleeing.

Moreover, not even realizing that his boiling rage was due to the opponent’s ability, Banara prepared for the next strike.

‘He might act as if my words do no damage, but that’s impossible. There’s nothing in this world that’s absolutely indestructible. It’s a miraculous event that he doesn’t budge even after receiving my attacks. However, probably even that is due to the influence of his name. If I can break that incredibly strong shield that irritates me so much, I can bring him down.’

The issue was that, as if aware of his intentions, Ho-chang adjusted the shield’s angle to deflect Banara’s attacks.

With Ho-chang’s technique added to the already sturdy shield, his current defense was close to an object that was almost indestructible.

‘If only I knew how to counter that deflection… Wait?’

Suddenly, a thought popped into Banara’s mind.

Initially, Ho-chang used to block his attacks head-on, but now, was he solely focusing on evading?

According to Banara’s estimation, there was only one reason why Ho-chang would need to do so.

‘He’s also reaching his limits.’

If that was the case, there was a way.

Even if it meant a slight decrease in attack power, there was a way to perfectly seal Ho-chang’s deflection.

Smirking with cunning, Banara addressed Ho-chang.

“Right. You can boast of being the strongest on this planet in term or endurance.”

“I told you. I may not bring you down, but I won’t fall either.”

“Yeah. That’s right. However…”

As Banara spoke, he grimaced in agony.

As Ho-chang was taken aback by this painful expression, Banara’s back muscles began writhing like boiling water.

Amidst this ominous behavior, before Ho-chang could finish speaking, Banara split his body into two with a gruesome sound.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Before Ho-chang could finish speaking, the bloodied Banara’s body regenerated instantly.

In this ‘dual form’, Banara, producing sounds from both sides like surround speakers, spoke to Ho-chang.

“Let’s see if that shield of yours can withstand attacks from both sides simultaneously.”

Understanding the opponent’s intent, Ho-chang hastily took a defensive stance and shouted.

“Protection Matrix!!”

“It’s useless!”

“Admit it! Your defeat!”

Observing the Banaras’ fists coming from both sides, the word that crossed Ho-chang’s mind was ‘Trouble’.

Just then, as he prepared for the impending impact, a scream from the sky echoed through the entire forest.

“Hexa Prison!!!!”

– Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! –

In an instant, black boxes falling from the sky exploded, releasing eight silver columns around Banara.

Simultaneously, metal rods covered in blue energy emerged from the columns, interconnecting to form a prison-like structure.

Although this equipment lacked the defense to completely block Banara’s attacks, it possessed enough capability to restrain Banara’s charge.

– Kwaaaaang! –

Amidst the tremendous noise from the metal prison, the eight columns flew in all directions.

However, at that moment, Myung-jun faced a bigger issue than the turret he summoned being destroyed in an instant.

As his Armor Suit began the reverse injection to absorb the impact of the fall, his arms and legs began moving involuntarily.

‘Huh?! What’s happening?!’

Before Myung-jun could voice his confusion, the Armor Suit forcibly altered his posture, solely to fulfil Soo-jeong’s personal desire, completely unrelated to his intentions.

The pose Myung-jun struck upon landing on the ground was the very essence of the ‘hero landing’ frequently seen in superhero movies.

– Ohhh! Way cooler than expected!! –

Hearing Soo-jeong’s cheers in his ears, Myung-jun forced a wry smile internally, muttering silently to himself.

‘I rejected this feature during practice, but they added a function to forcibly correct my posture… Well, it’s typical of Senior Soo-jeong.’

Confirming the release of the posture-fixing function, Myung-jun deliberately rose from the ground at a slow pace, adjusting to match the atmosphere Soo-jeong desired.

Standing up, he pointed his finger at Banara and spoke.

“Did you mess with my clan member?”

Among the myriad lines floating in Myung-jun’s mind, this was the most fitting line for the current situation.

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