Chapter 128: Episode 128 – Musical Chairs, Part II
Chapter 45. Musical Chairs, Part II
Translator: Khan
Editor: RED
4.
Sejong Center Chamber Hall.
It used to be a performance hall representing Korea.
However, it faded after the establishment of the Seoul Arts Center. This place, without showing its past reputation and presence, was finally crowded with people after a long time.
In many ways, it was a strange thing. It was strange that people gathered at a performance hall like the Center Chamber Hall in an era when the monsters still dominated the world, and it was also strange that the faces of the gathering were various. It was also strange that the languages spoken by the gathered people were varied.
“If anyone who does not know sees this, they would think you are hosting a UN conference.”
Of course, the strangest thing among them was Jang Sung-hoon, who had appeared in a tuxedo. His tuxedo was not lacking, he wore a fedora, and he appeared with a cane that seemed to be useless, attracting everyone’s attention. There was no shame in the appearance of Jang Sung-hoon, who responded with a bright smile to such gazes.
“Hey, you should have worn like that?” In the end, the shame fell on those who came with Jang Sung Hoon. Cho Sung-yeon and Ahn Sun-mi, both of them were digesting the shame of Jang Sung Hoon instead.
“No, I think it’s polite to dress up for the invitation of the ambassadors to Korea, but you’re rather weird. Didn’t you both get tuxedos and dresses?”
“I’m pissed off that it’s not a serious talk.”
“It’s a serious talk.”
“Let’s not talk, let’s not.”
Ahn Sun-mi closed her mouth at the end of the words, and Cho Sung-yeon said carefully between them. “… more than that, brother, can you tell me why you’ve assembled this meeting?”
In the mind of Cho Sung-yeon asking the question, the memories of the last two days ago came to mind. Two days ago, Cho was doing support activity for survivors.
It was a task to find survivors who they might not know, to rescue those who had suffered from the monster damage, to collect children who had lost their parents, and to create a database so that parents who had lost their children could see their personal information. It was a task that someone had to do, but nobody was doing, so Cho was willing to spend his days doing it.
But two days ago, Jang suddenly sent a letter to him, ‘I am going to gather all the ambassadors to Korea and talk…’
It was a letter stating that Jang would gather the surviving ambassadors to Korea at Sejong Center Chamber Hall and talk. It was a letter asking them to attend, and when. There was nothing strange about it.
Now, for the Republic of Korea, which had begun to function as a nation once again, it was necessary to go beyond internal stability and strengthen diplomatic interests. For diplomatic interests, the role of the ambassadors to Korea was very important, and was something that even anyone who had no deep knowledge of diplomacy knew.
‘What is he going to tell them?’
The problem was that it was not exactly stated what he was talking about. It was a place to invite all the ambassadors to Korea. It was not for one or two, but a place to gather a large number of them, and it was also a place where various races, nationalities, and cultures would meet. It was very inefficient to go beyond politeness to just talk without a more definite proposition.
Nevertheless, until this moment, Jang did not tell anyone what the topic of the meeting would be here today. At this point, it was no wonder Cho was not curious about what Jang would talk about, and he was worried.
“It’s nothing, I’m going to negotiate with the ambassadors to Korea today.” At this moment, Jang told them why he gathered people here today.
“Negotiations?”
“Now, there are just a handful of countries around the world that are functioning as nations. Its function is not a matter, but in most countries, their survivors are dying right now. Of course, they will need help.”
“That’s a natural story, isn’t it?”
“It is no wonder that the ambassadors to Korea should work hard to negotiate with Korea, which can help their country at this moment.” At that moment, Cho Sung-yeon’s eyes changed.
Ahn Sun-mi also opened her mouth as if she understood the situation, and asked, “So, what are you going to ask for in negotiations?”
“Ah!” When she asked her question, Jang made short exclamations of admiration, as if he had something in mind.
“I’ll correct my words.”
“What are you correcting?”
“I think I used the wrong expression. It’s not a negotiation.” Cho Sung-yeon and Ahn Sun-mi looked at Jang Sung-hoon, their eyes narrowed.
Jang smiled and said to the two, “I am going to threaten them.”
5.
It was like a medieval armory, where classical weapons, such as well-sharpened swords and armor, were breathing while waiting for the time of the battle. There were two notable ones among the weapons. A vest made of a dragon’s dark red scales, and a leather coat made of the hide of a fox with white hair.
==[The Leather of a Dragon]
– Resistance to fear increases significantly.
– The rate of recovery of all abilities increases very significantly.
– Proficiency in all abilities is greatly increased.
– Injecting Energy or Mana produces a draconic aura with strong defensive ability. ]==
==[The Leather of an Eight-tailed Fox]
– Resistance to fear increases significantly.
– It has a strong tolerance for Telekinesis attacks.
– It has a strong resistance to fire and cold.
– Injecting Telekinesis will make the body lighter. ]==
They were the items made from the leather of the Dragon and the Eight-tailed Fox.
“They are prototype items. The Chief of the Mac Workshop, Park Gap-soo made them in haste, and although the outer image is not the best, the effect is perfect.”
Kim, who had checked the items with black Eyes, did not turn his head in the direction of the voice. Instead, he asked a question. “Are these the only prototype items?”
“No, I’ve left them for display.”
The answer came right away, and as soon as Kim heard it, he pulled the vest made of dragon leather with both his hands. Chick! The vest tore promptly.
Colonel Lim, seeing this, stood there with a blank expression on his face.
It was around that time that Kim turned his head to him.
“The seam is weak. Please tell them we need an improvement.”
“… I’ll deliver it.”
“So, what brings you here?”
“An Okjo arrived from Seoul. It said that the nineteen countries are going to visit.”
Visit.
Kim did not show any special response at the word.
“I honestly still don’t understand.” It was Col. Lim who spoke the word himself. “Why are you forcing the ambassadors to Korea to watch the hunt for the Blue Qilin?”
The Blue Qilin.
It was a dark blue-grade monster currently located at the Heaven Lake of Mt. Baekdu. It had the body of a deer, the tail of a cow, the hooves, and the mane. It had two buckhorns on a dragon’s head mounted on the bizarre body, and it was walking on the Heaven Lake of Baekdu Mountain, considering itself as a celestial being on the divine mountain.
Of course, the words ‘a celestial being’ were applied when it was not threatened. When it was threatened, it became a scary monster vomiting lightning with its two horns, killing everything indiscriminately. Naturally, it was strong. It was not as strong as a dragon, but it was as good as an Eight-tailed Fox. It was just a walking disaster.
It hadn’t mattered so far. For the peace of the Korean Peninsula, it had to be killed. If Kim Tae-hoon, who had killed the dragon, took the lead, the chance to kill it would be higher than ever. The problem was that the ambassadors to Korea were visiting the scene to hunt such Qilin, by force.
“They can make a decision by looking at the level of ability we have. That’s the reason.”
“What decision?”
“Whether they choose the Six Snakes or us?”
Kim Tae-hoon knew war very well.
‘War is not just about exchanging blows. If they win, they plunder, but if they lose, they are plundered. That is what war is about. If they hit and wait for the opponent to recover, and if they overlook things when the opponent declares surrender, if the referee intervenes when a problem arises, it is not a war, but a game.’
This time was the same, too. Kim Tae-hoon hit the Six Snakes. So, what should he do next? He should take everything away from them. All that the Six Snakes occupied should now be occupied by Kim Tae-hoon, and the Mac Guild and Korea.
“Are you going to do the same thing as the Six Snakes did?”
“If I save a country that is about to be destroyed by monsters, I naturally would get the corresponding price.” From now on, he was going to make them a subject country in exchange for killing the monsters of each country and supporting them.
“It’s not a righteous thing.” Of course, it was not a just thing.
“Colonel, do you see me as an apostle of justice?”
Kim Tae-hoon had no intention of becoming an apostle of justice.
If he was beaten, he would be punished more than that, and he would demand the right price for whatever he did. He had done it in the past, and he was doing it now. That was why many people believed and followed Kim Tae-hoon.
Kim Tae-hoon had not claimed to be a hero, and he had placed more importance on the lives of his colleagues and subordinates than on saving the world. Furthermore, until now, he had always paid back those who had hit himself and his surroundings.
Was there a more reliable leader than this in the current era?
“No way!” Therefore, Colonel Lim no longer questioned forcing the ambassadors to Korea to attend the Qilin hunting. As always, he would do his best to help Kim Tae-hoon.
“When are you going to move?”
“I’ll finish it before the new year.”
“I’ll have to move tomorrow.”
6.
“This is ridiculous.”
Pyongyang…
It had been a long time since visitors came to this city, now part of the Republic of Korea. The visitors were ambassadors to Korea, and of course, their nationalities and races were diverse. But it was not difficult to find a sense of unity among them.
“Watching monster hunting…” Everyone had stiff faces and turned white.
“We might die if you make a mistake!”
“We would be lucky if just one person died. If we are annihilated, there’s nothing wrong with it. A dark blue monster hunt…”
Of course, having lost their own countries due to the emergence of monsters, making them watch them hunt the dark blue monster, the Blue Qilin, was not much different from making them do bungee jumping that did not guarantee safety.
The atmosphere of Pyongyang, where the ambassadors to Korea arrived, was also clearly telling; the tanks ready to fire with guns at any time, the soldiers around and the hunters of the Mac Guild were telling them that this was still a battlefield where a fierce fight was taking place.
‘Damn it…’
‘This is the worst. I thought I’d barely survived… I can’t hold on to this year.’
Their expressions disappeared as soon as they entered the armored car which was prepared.
There were a few of those who kept their minds in the armored car running on the Pyongyang Heecheon Highway, where the bodies of monsters that had not yet been processed were still scattered. Most of them were practiced enough not to express their emotions on their faces.
“What is your intention?”
Some were different, of course. Kate did.
She attended as one of the representatives of the US Ambassadors to Korea during the visit to the Blue Qilin hunting, and she visited the person in charge of this work while the armored car stood for a while to deal with the monster bodies that were scattered on the roadside.
“I’m not great at English, so can you speak slowly?” The director was Jang Sung-hoon.
“What are your intentions?” At the question of Jang Sung-hoon, Kate spoke the words clearly one by one in Korean, not English.
Jang shrugged at her words. “It’s exactly what I said at that time. Check our abilities with your own eyes, and then sign the negotiation contract if you need our strength.”
———–
Sejong Center Chamber Hall…
Jang Sung-hoon said something similar to what he had said to the ambassador to Korea there: check the power of the Republic of Korea and the Mac Guild directly, and negotiate if you need that power.
Of course, if it was over, the ambassadors of Korea would not have been at the hunting of the Blue Qilin, with pale faces.
“If you don’t attend, I’ll banish you, that’s a threat!” said Kate.
Those who would not cooperate in this process should return to your home country! The words added by Jang Sung-hoon were the decisive reason for bringing the ambassadors to Korea here. In this situation, returning home was virtually not different from going back to hell.
At the words of Kate, Jang Sung-hoon shrugged. “The situation in Korea is not good enough to take care of people who do not cooperate. It is not a threat.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Kate turned on her eyes with fire at Jang Sung-hoon’s appearance.
Jang Sung-hoon extended his palms for her, saying, “whoa, whoa, whoa,” he began to explain.
“Miss Kate, it’s nothing. It’s like Jurassic Park, not a monster hunt, but you just have to watch it and make a decision. It’s a decision about the fate of a country, and it’s no wonder you’re ready for it.”
“Jurassic Park?”
“Jurassic Park, directed by Steven Spielberg. Don’t you know that amazing movie?” With the words, Jang Sung-hoon bent his fingers and took a gesture that reminded her of Tyrannosaurus.
Kate spoke to him with a cold, sinking look. “… you don’t know what the movie is about?”
Jurassic Park by Steven Spielberg.
It was a film about the story that takes place in the theme park where the dinosaurs are reborn through genetic manipulation and released.
“I completely know it. I’ve seen it a hundred times.”
In addition, the characters of the movie survive against the dinosaurs in the troubled Jurassic Park. If this situation was Jurassic Park, there would be a hundred percent chance for the monsters to appear at this moment.
And that word came true so quickly.
Kate turned her head reflexively to the left.
Keuaaaa! At the moment she turned her head, there was a fierce shriek.
“Ugggggggh!”
“Mo…monster!”
The ambassadors to Korea who were taking a break responded with voices that seemed to be soul-stricken by the monster’s shout. But there was no fear effect on them, because the special armored car with relics installed inside had the ability to block the fear.
“Save, save me!”
“Goddamn it, damn it, damn it!”
“Oh, God save us.”
It was, of course, a nightmare for the ambassadors to Korea. They would normally have been dozing off when they were exposed to the fear, but now they had to face fear in real time without falling unconscious.
On the other hand, Jang Sung-hoon smiled in the direction of the monster’s screaming. “I like the relics, too, it lets me see the monsters, even if I’m a public figure.”
Kate did not answer Jang Sung-hoon’s words. Instead, she took the Gandol Sword she had brought with her.
In the meantime, she was not the daughter of the US Ambassador to Korea, but a hunter, who did not run away when a monster appeared, but protected people from monsters and spent busy days hunting monsters in Korea.
That fact was not going to change now. Kate looked straight ahead.
‘I’ll go out and kill it, if necessary.’ She focused on the giant monster running madly toward them now, an Ogre with yellow eyes.
On the other hand, Jang Sung-hoon looked at the sky, not the Ogre. He found something in the sky, turned his back to the Ogre, and looked at the crowd.
“I’ll introduce him to you.”
Thump! At that moment, lightning from the sky cut the body of the Ogre in half instantly.
‘What?’ Everyone opened their eyes at the sight. They were captivated by the unbelievable sight.
Jang Sung-hoon bowed and introduced, “This is our master, Kim Tae-hoon.”