At the same time.
Yang In-hyun was travelling to the prairie to meet the Head of the Grassland Mounted Division, [Baljinnyam].
Rather than a grassland, it would be more correct to call the scene a snow field. Under the moonlight, the sprawling scenery was so beautiful it felt like it could paralyse all sense of reality.
Yang In-hyun ran across it.
If someone were to witness this scene and had eyes capable of discerning the reality, they would probably not be able to withhold their screams.
The speed of the man running with fluttering clothes was unusually fast, to the extent that he was not even leaving footprints on the snow. In other words, it looked like a ghost was passing over the snow field.
Yang In-hyun, who had been travelling across the snow field for a while, gradually reduced his momentum.
This was because a number of tents had become visible, with smoke billowing up towards the night sky.
They were traditional Mongolian houses called ‘ger’. In other words, this place was the residence of Baljinnyam.
Erasing his presence, he stepped in.
Even though it was late at night, only a few people were actually asleep. Most of those who laid inside the tents with their eyes tightly closed were the elderly or children.
‘—well trained warriors.’
They were not martial artists, but they couldn’t be looked down upon.
Yang In-hyun was well aware that martial arts was simply one of the ways to train the body. Although most of the people in the murim would not admit it, it was a fact.
The atmosphere was mild.
The races of the people here were diverse. There weren’t just Mongolians, but also Mainland Chinese, Koryo*, and Semu* people mixed in. (*: Koryo(Goryeo, Goguryeo) is the name of the Kingdom that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula and is what the name ‘Korea’ is derived from. Semu is the name of a caste established by the Yuan dynasty.)
“Huu, the weather has gotten pretty cold.”
“I brought some chicken from the city, fancy a hot drink?”
“Great. I’ll head over to your house after I’m done working.”
One peculiar thing was that they didn’t seem to have any discrimination or qualms when dealing with each other.
Yang In-hyun could tell what this meant. It was a sense of kinship that could only be shared by those who walked the line of death together.
He walked past them.
Among the tents that were lined up in rows was a particularly large ger. The strongest presence could be felt from here.
Opening the tent, he walked in. At the same time, he stopped hiding his presence.
“Mm…?”
Perhaps noticing the cold air that came in through the entrance, the giant man in the tent raised his head.
“Who are you?”
A grotesque figure that was bloated because of an innate bone and muscle structure as well as training and combat. His entire body was covered in scars and his aura was similar to that of a wild beast.
It could be seen from a glance. This man was Baljinnyam.
The Head of the only army in Manjuri City, and one of the three people who definitely had a badge.
Indeed.
The scars on his body were not for show. He must have risked his life more times than he could count. And became stronger every time he was able to overcome them.
Yang In-hyun decided to confirm first.
“You are Baljinnyam.”
“I asked who you are.”
“Someone who can erase this place from the world.”
The man, Baljinnyam, made a puzzled expression for a moment before clenching his fists.
“Crazy bastard.”
His outstretched fist hit Yang In-hyun. When it hit his skinny body, it made it crumble like a rotten scarecrow.
Or at least, it should have.
Crack.
A strange sound was heard. No. The sound wasn’t strange. After all, Baljinnyam had swung his fist with the full intention of utterly crushing the intruder.
So it wasn’t the sound that was strange, to be precise, what was strange was where it came from.
The sound had come from Baljinnyam’s arm. Huh? When Baljinnyam lowered his head without properly grasping the situation, his arm below the elbow drooped and swung like a corpse held by the neck.
The pain came afterward.
“Ee-…!”
But more prominent than that was the feeling of danger.
His arm had been broken. But he hadn’t even noticed.
That meant… it was dangerous.
Instead of swinging his other arm, Baljinnyam quickly widened the distance. It was an appropriate response, but for Yang In-hyun, it was so slow that he could yawn.
He smoothly gave chase.
“Hup!”
The distance was closed in an instant. It probably felt like his face, which had been five steps away from Baljinnyam before, appeared in front of him in a flash. As Baljinnyam tried to raise the fist of his remaining hand, his vision suddenly went white.
Paak!
He felt a sharp pain in his jaw, and his teeth tingled as if he’d been struck by lightning.
Before he could even spit out the mouthful of blood, Baljinnyam’s body collapsed to the ground.
A sharp sword was then stabbed into the ground beside his sweaty face.
“I heard that you have something called a badge from the Alliance.”
“You are doing this despite knowing that…!?”
“…”
“I don’t think you understand what you’re doing right now by baring your fangs to the Alliance…! Don’t you know? The Alliance would never let go of a being they identify as an ‘enemy’! They will be pursued to the ends of hell and be annhila-!”
“I thought you’d have a bit more backbone.”
Yang In-hyun spoke in a disappointed tone.
“Everyone in this place seems to be like that. If you’re pushed a little too hard, if you think you’re in danger, if you feel like your life is being threatened, you immediately brag about the forces behind you. Does that make you proud?”
“What are you talking about…”
“Your backing cannot guarantee anything in a really dangerous situation. If I were to kill you here now, there is nothing they could do about it.”
Kikik, the blade that was stabbed into the ground began to move closer and closer to Baljinnyam’s eye.
“I need that badge. And I don’t want any information that I took it to leak out.”
He didn’t dare breathe.
If he moved even slightly, his pupils would be cut.
Baljinnyam was a warrior who had experienced all kinds of life and death battles but now, he was so overwhelmed by the atmosphere Yang In-hyun created that he couldn’t even murmur inwardly.
“But if you die, I wouldn’t be able to hide it. So I have a question for you, what do you consider to be more important to you?”
“St-, stop…”
“At the very least, it shouldn’t be orders from above. I looked around this place already. I saw different races treating each other as equals without discrimination. Such an atmosphere couldn’t have been formed if the leader wasn’t a person of principle. You probably treated them like a family. Isn’t that right?”
Yang In-hyun continued with an expressionless face.
“So I will ask again. Between your family and your orders, which one is more important to you?”
* * *
“We lost track of him after he entered the city, but it is believed that he plans to stay at the [Lake Hotel] from October 9th. It has already been confirmed that he has a reservation. Until then, we will likely be able to gather more information… End report.”
While Lukas stood absentmindedly, Bistrong turned off the monitor and sank back into the chair with a sigh.
“Dammit. I really can’t do this. If only I hadn’t made that small mistake, I wouldn’t be left in this backwater…”
A wisp of smoke swirled in the room following the sound of a cigarette being lit. Bistrong smoked five cigarettes in a row before leaving the room.
“…”
With a sigh, Lukas stopped hiding his presence.
‘[Lukas Trowman] is in this city.’
He thought that he’d run into him someday, and even if he didn’t, he’d already decided to see him for himself at least once. But for Lukas, meeting him was not a necessity.
In fact, he’d actually forgotten about him before this point.
‘…Diablo and the Demon King alone are enough to give me a headache.’
He couldn’t believe that even the fake Lukas had turned up.
It didn’t even end there.
There was Pale, who seemed to have calmed down but he could never let his guard down, the members of VIP who he had yet to encounter, and the force called the Great Galactic Alliance. By that point, there were so many unknowns that it gave Lukas a headache. The word Wizards hated the most was uncertainty.
In any case, if the fake Lukas was aiming to enter the Next Stage and participate in the general review meeting as a member, an encounter was inevitable.
In the worst case, he might have to deal with Diablo, the Demon King and the fake Lukas at the same time.
“Huu.”
Lukas sighed again before firming his determination.
He looked at the floor below.
There was Bistrong, who had gone there after leaving the room. There were no signs of the lamentation that he’d just felt. It could be said that he was thoroughly enjoying the sordid banquet. So it wasn’t a trick, it was simply a combination of work and play. (TL: Work smarter)
Was this guy really five stars? It seemed to him that Dok Go-yun had made a wrong judgement.
In any case, after seeing what he’d seen, he didn’t think he’d be able to look into that room for a long time. Lukas began to search the small room.
The odds were low, but there was a chance that Bistrong had left the badge in this secret room. Of course, a person that was even slightly meticulous would never commit such an irresponsible act, regardless of how well the room was hidd-
Durk.
“…”
Just as he was having that thought, his eyes landed on the badge that sat in a drawer.
A badge that perfectly matched the appearance that Dok Go-yun had shown him.
He really was a rough and tumble guy.
Lukas clicked his tongue. It wouldn’t be hard to take the badge away then and there, but if he did that, then even someone like Bistrong would notice. For now, he was satisfied with just knowing the location.
Leaving the room immediately afterward, he returned to the hotel where they were staying.
The hotel’s 24hr lounge was equipped with simple food and drink machines. They had decided to meet there after completing their tasks.
Just as he roughly grabbed something to eat and sat onto a sofa, Yang In-hyun appeared. Seeing Lukas, he headed over to him.
“You came quickly.”
“Because mine was closest. What about you?”
“I completed the objective.”
“…”
Those words stuck out for some reason.
Just as Lukas narrowed his eyes and was about to say something, Yang In-hyun pulled a badge from his pocket.
“Where did you get that?”
“I took it from [Baljinnyam].”
“Why?”
Rather than reply to Lukas’ question, Yang In-hyun asked instead.
“Weren’t the badges our aim?”
“That’s right. However, it was explained that our goal today was just simple reconnaissance.”
“There are times when it’s possible to complete your objective during reconnaissance.”
“This case is different.”
Yang In-hyun sat down on the sofa and said.
“I know what you’re concerned about. But there’s no need to worry. There is no way it will leak.”
“No way it would leak?”
Lukas’ expression hardened.
“Did you kill them all?”
“Annihilation isn’t the only way to guarantee complete secrecy. I put a lock on their minds.”
“The lock will eventually come loose.”
“It won’t loosen in six days.”
“Can you not understand what I’m saying? The moment a secret is leaked, it’s no longer a secret. And that’s what you did.”
“Are you saying that you don’t trust me?”
“…that’s not what I meant.”
Although he said that, he was a bit disappointed. Without realising it, this inflection was added to his tone.
But Yang In-hyun didn’t seem to care.
“Lukas.”
Or at least, that’s how it appeared from his expression.
“Do not try to change me.”
“I don’t intend to.”
“If that’s really the case, then it must be unconscious coercion.”
“…”
The atmosphere froze.
The several people in the lounge all felt a chill for some reason. Of course, it wasn’t because the heating system malfunctioned.
Just in time, Dok Go-yun returned.
“Ah. I’m the last one. Did things work out for both of you? I bought pizza on the way…”
“Coercion.”
“Right. You are coercing me to follow your method.”
“It was a suggestion, not coercion.”
“That’s just a difference between active and passive, but in the end, the fact remains that you tried to change me. Don’t you know? This is different from our conversation on the Omega.”
“…”
Dok Go-yun quietly lowered the pizza box he was raising and sat in a corner.
“It is fine for you to tell me about things I didn’t know. I’m still grateful for that. But when it comes to tackling a problem, a hundred people would have a hundred methods to do so. That is the method of their life. Something that is achieved when their life experiences, personal inclinations and thoughts combine.”
“…”
“Let me make this clear to you. I am not your subordinate.”
After that, Yang In-hyun got up and left the lounge.
“…huu.”
Letting out a sigh, Lukas leaned back into the sofa.
It was then that he noticed the figure of Dok Go-yun, who was blinking dumbfoundedly.
Then he noticed that he was holding something.
“Is that for us to eat?”
“Ah, yes. That…”
“I’m hungry. Let me have some.”
“O-, of course.”
Nodding, Dok Go-yun opened the pizza box. The smell of savoury cheese rose.
“Please listen to my report while you eat. I was able to obtain some interesting information from Mayor Gao Lin’s office.”
“You didn’t touch the badge, did you?”
“Huh? Ah, of course not. Wasn’t the purpose for today just reconnaissance…”
“No. I said something foolish. Continue.”
Lukas looked at the stretchy cheese and wondered how to eat it in a clean manner.
“I’ve located the Demon King and Diablo. Um. It might be hard to believe… but they are both staying at the same hotel.”
“Hotel?”
“Of course, it’s not an official establishment. It is a place that unqualified guests would never be able to enter even if they paid a billion dollars. After some background investigation, it appears to be that it is run by [VIP].”
“The name?”
“It is the Lake Hotel.”
Lukas let out a few more sighs.
That was the hotel that the fake Lukas was staying in.
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