There was no pretense in the respect that soldier showed us.
“I always hold a heart full of gratitude. Please return safely!”
After he finished saluting, he sent a signal and the barrier went up.
「 Warning
Civilian Restricted Area
This area is subject to the World Awakened Association Member Status Agreement,
and unauthorized access is strictly prohibited.
World Awakened Association」
The vehicle, which had stopped for a moment, began to move up along the forest path. A guy named Honda was busy probing into my background on behalf of the female leader. After officially joining her group, I didn’t have much interaction with the leader, so this guy started clinging on me since then.
“There are two types of Koreans. Which one are you?” he asked.
Even though he made it out of the Stage of Advent, his regional dialect was heavy.
I answered his question, “Revolucion (42).”
“Look at how you speak. Did you really grow up not learning manners? Are you lying?” he asked.
I responded casually, “If you don’t like my tone, let’s use English then.”
“No need. You, Safety Bureau, are now one of us. Don’t think of deceiving and unjust tell me the truth. I will find out eventually. How did you manage to join our group? You said you were from Revolucion (42), right? You are not one of the Savior’s city citizens, are you?”
“That’s correct.”
He continued aggressively, “You better answer properly. We have no intention of dealing with a snitch. Get it? You have to earn our trust.”
The man was questioning me, but he kept a pleasant expression the whole time. Although he was assigned as my senior, he belonged to the lowest rank within the leader’s group. Even so, he received items guaranteed in the name of a god.
In fact, such items were among those being collected as XP, but I wasn’t in a state where I could extract anything from items or mana stones. I had to maintain my disguise somehow.
While I was responding to him, the speed of the vehicle slowed down significantly.
“Don’t lie. How could someone like you have a face-to-face meeting with the association president? Especially in the president’s office too. You can’t fool my eyes.”
I had explained enough, but he kept pressing.
“Yo, Safety Bureau. You know Ms. Sayaka, right? She is our Ms. Saeka’s younger sister.”
Seeing my lack of reaction, the man’s previously cheerful face hardened.
“How do you think we were able to look for His item amidst all that chaos? While you were tailing the mainlanders.”
“So, you are saying that the leader Saeka has good connections?” I asked.
He snarled, “Even if you are uneducated, can’t you at least show more respect toward her? You will get killed.”
It was rare for both sisters to survive upon entering the Stage of Advent. I was aware of Sayaka. I met her when I obtained the Life Vessel. She had a male companion, whose name was soon mentioned by Honda.
“Ms. Sayaka is Mr. Tetsuya’s lover and His man. Both are from Revolucion (12) and have deep connections with the association chairman. Such a person is Ms. Saeka’s younger sister. Do you get where you got involved now?”
“Thanks for the kind explanation.”
I meant it. He was kind compared to other low-ranked Awakened.
“I admit that your connection is impressive, but it’s inferior to Ms. Saeka’s. So, don’t be cocky and mind your behavior. I don’t know how strong your connections are, but I don’t think they are as strong as Ms. Saeka’s.”
I had to repeat the words I said before, “You are making me say the same things multiple times. I didn’t join your group as a member of the association or due to any request but on the orders of the association’s chairman.”
“Are you talking about the Explorer again?” he asked.
“Yes, the chairman wants to strengthen the defenses of Sector Twenty-Two in case of an emergency.”
“By the way, are you really going to be okay?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Mr. Kim Ji-Hoon is there. The citizens of the Savior’s City like you… Ah, never mind. It’s not my job to say this. Let’s get out. We have arrived.”
I got out of the car. Luggage was being unloaded from the vehicles that had arrived earlier.
Meanwhile, the soldiers who had been waiting for our vehicle to arrive started saluting us as soon as we got out, just like at the last checkpoint. The same noise hit our backs when we all entered the dungeon.
“Please return safely!”
***
It was called a ‘dungeon,’ but in reality, it was just a passage. Moreover, it was one of the dungeons that were maintained through a loophole by not meeting the destruction conditions. It was the nearest place to the forward base of outer space.
We came out of the exit and entered a nearby city. The city guards, familiar with seeing newcomers like us, recognized us quickly and treated us with respect.
“I will go and report our arrival. Gather back here in one hour. Refrain from any actions other than maintenance,” said Leader Saeka before she left.
The group members immediately synchronized their watches.
“Safety Bureau. This must not be your first time entering outer space, right?” Honda asked while adjusting his watch. I ignored him and left.
The city was desolate. Greenwood men were hardly visible, and most of them were old or kids. The only able-bodied young men were city guards. Most of them had probably been conscripted under my corps and taken to the battlefield.
A gloomy atmosphere prevailed throughout the entire city. Windows that had been open closed hastily at our arrival. Then, I stopped a guard to ask a question, “Is there an enhancement facility here?”
The guard hesitated for a moment, unable to answer because he perhaps didn’t expect fluent Dragorin language from an Awakened like me.
The enhancement facility was in the palace where the ruler of the city used to dwell. It was now used as headquarters by the occupation group and the association.
I crossed paths with Saeka on the way, but we ignored each other. She was not heading towards the gathering place. After making her report, she seemed to be looking for useful items for herself and the group, which was quite like a leader.
I arrived at the enhancement facility. One of the three magic powers of the Greenwood species was the Ronsius faction. Though it had collapsed long ago, a middle-aged man was still wearing the robe of the Ronsius faction. He seemed better off comparatively. He was not bound. That meant he was a defector, not a slave.
As our eyes met, he spoke as if to greet me. Nonetheless, it was clear he was certain I would not understand him. His expression was polite, but his words were spiked.
“Why do you torment us so much? But your time won’t last long.”
For a sorcerer, such an outburst might have been the only way to vent humiliation and loss.
I responded, “That is because in this war, we fight not only against the enemy army but also against their citizens. Regardless, such an attitude doesn't benefit a defector.”
“……!”
The sorcerer tensed up for a moment, unable to speak. He remained frozen, not even blinking, and once he grasped the situation, he said while trembling, “P…please forgive… forgive me… I have committed a sin worthy of death… I…”
He threw off his top.
“I will let it slide this time. But, you will handle the enhancement materials on your own. Don’t tell me you cannot.”
There was always something to gain when elites like sorcerers did menial tasks.
“T…then… S…sir… What kind of magic do you…”
I said tersely, “I want to hide my face.”
***
[Ordinary Hoodie From the Mainland (Item)
The Ronsius faction’s magic has been imbued.
Class: F
Item Level: 35
Effect: When the hood is worn, the inside of the hood is obscured by darkness.]
[Item 2/8]
[Equipped Items: Mysterious Stone, Ordinary Hoodie from the Mainland.]
“I was going to tell you to conceal yourself. There is no point in exposing your weaknesses and being looked down upon. But how did you afford it? Weren’t you guys in the Safety Bureau broke? It must have cost a fortune.”
There was a reason why Honda was interested in me. Not only did the leader of his group and I first meet in the association’s office, but this group was also originally composed of Japanese Awakened. The capital supporting this group was Japanese, which was in my pocket.
“Hey, do you think I talk too much?”
“No. I think it's natural. I would do the same.”
We were moving towards Sector One, the forward base on the battlefield.
“Good. It’s not like you got nothing from the Stage of Advent. As soon as we arrive at the forward base, we will head to Sector Twenty-two. You know that is our destination, right?” he continued.
“Of course.”
“But don’t let your guard down because we are far from the battlefield. It is still dangerous. You couldn’t even imagine how strong His Holy Power is. Even after several days, his lightning still strikes. If you don’t comply, then you will die immediately. Luckily for you, the skeletal soldiers have been cleared out.”
Honda introduced the group members and explained their roles. However, I wasn’t interested in these guys at all.
“It is better than fighting the elves. I haven’t been to the front lines, but I have heard it is absolutely terrifying.”
“For now, I want to hear more about Sector Twenty-two. How did the group find it?”
“Nothing special. A lot of us died…and Ms. Saeka barely…”
The guys riding the summoned beasts and those running like us all stopped and looked up at the sky at an angle. There were massive explosion craters in front, like meteorite impacts. This was a sign that the Elf Corps’s powerful magic tower had been completed, which Lee Tae-Han had reported before. There had been some sort of bombing from the distant front lines to here.
That was when the leader Saeka called me for the first time since joining the group, “Explorers and scouts can sense the location and timing of the bombings, right?”
“That is why the chairman assigned me to your group,” I replied.
“Your proficiency level is three, correct?”
“Yes.”
“It won’t be accurate. You will move beside me from now on.”
“I will follow your orders.”
***
Finally, our destination came into view. I was one of the wounded. As soon as Honda and the others saw the destination, they fell to their knees. The moment when the power left behind in the Great Green exploded like a landmine by the Old One was vivid before my eyes. It was a dizzying time, as if the inherent power in my left eye was about to be pulled out.
Honda groaned and turned his head towards me. I was able to avoid death due to Saeka’s protection, and Honda managed to stay alive because of an item he received as compensation.
“You are damn lucky…ugh…”
He had no strength to reply.
“Get up, Honda and Safety Bureau!”
Then, Saeka’s face appeared above us, looking down.
“Mr. Kim Ji-Hoon is coming. Hurry up, especially you, Safety Bureau!”
Swoosh-
The gust of wind was faster than the warning. A cold gaze swept over me and the surroundings. Saeka couldn’t even move an inch in front of that gust. She seemed to have forgotten what she had to say and licked her lips. Then, she flinched upon seeing the stern forehead of the man who appeared with the gust.
“I am honored to meet you, Mr. Kim Ji-Hoon. Saeka brought the message from the chairman. We have been ordered to keep the ‘RING’ until He comes.”
Slap-!
Saeka’s head snapped back, and I couldn’t clearly see what had slapped her. Then I heard words in Korean. Saeka couldn’t make any objections or touch her cheek against the authoritative words.
“I have already received the message.”
“I am sorry, sir.”
“Why were you so late?”
“I am sorry. I came with an Explorer. The chairman assigned him to me.”
“Who is the Explorer?”
I barely managed to steady my staggering body.
“It’s me,” I replied in Korean.
Kim Ji-Hoon’s eyes widened a bit.
“You are fluent in Korean. Are you…”
“I am Korean.”
“Are you from Revolucion (42)? Ugh, you are worse than bugs.”
A very faint current was detected in the air. I knew it was about to envelop me, and my left eye was tingling. In such cases, decisions should have been made quickly whether to use an item to counter the attack or take it as it was.
However, the current suddenly disappeared and the distance between Kim Ji-Hoon and me narrowed in an instant. He put one hand on my shoulder.
“Korean? You guys from Revolucion (42) are not Koreans. You are all just fucking dogs that bark when told to bark and do as told. Did I say anything wrong? You motherfucker. If you don’t like the way I treat you, fight me.”
“...”
“You guys talked big in front of Mary, but why not in front of me? I’m just in the master section. I am giving you a chance. Are you scared? Can you not say anything? Moron.”
“...”
“This dude is boring. Don’t take the hood off without my permission. If I see your nasty face, then I will kill you. Keep it tightly wrapped even when you sleep or eat, asshole. Get out.”
Kim Ji-Hoon was the most adorable one.
His order was handed down when a high-class Saint-Dragorin potion was issued in his name. It was then that I officially joined here as an Explorer, where my bone ring was.
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