WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B.
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 77: 077
──────
The National Intelligence Service headquarters in Naegok-dong, Seocho-gu.
The closer we got, the louder the explosions and gunfire became.
-Tatatatang!
-Kwakwakwakwabang!
-Boom! Boom! Boom!
Muzzle flashes flickered through the night.
Tracer rounds streaked through the air.
Explosions erupted at irregular intervals.
Sporadic firefights were taking place from the entrance of the National Intelligence Service compound all the way inside.
Still, it didn't seem that urgent.
‘Hmm... Honestly, it looks like two pathetic idiots putting on a WWE match.’
Maybe it was because I'd just hunted Russian High Floor Hunter special operations units and Chinese Highest Floor Hunters.
Their battle looked kind of boring.
They were fighting seriously in their own way.
They fired guns from behind cover, threw grenades, and occasionally unleashed grenade launchers or heavy machine guns.
Even so, it wasn't a particularly desperate fight.
It was like both sides were only pretending to fight while keeping themselves safe.
Neither side seemed willing to go all out.
I looked at the Japanese special operations unit first.
“We can break through by going around them now, Captain! We need to enter immediately!”
“...No! We'll wait for a more decisive opportunity!”
“How much longer are we supposed to wait?! Enemy reinforcements will arrive at this rate!”
“Shut up! The operation has gone off plan, damn it!”
They fired at the National Intelligence Service agents, maneuvered around the perimeter, and waited for a chance to advance.
But perhaps they lacked confidence.
Maybe they were just scared.
Or maybe they were too tense and had frozen up.
They kept circling the outside and firing wildly, yet they wouldn't push in.
Even when they had plenty of opportunities to break through, they hesitated indecisively and failed to advance.
The National Intelligence Service's defensive forces faced them.
“Stay behind cover, don't take unnecessary risks!”
“Our top priority is stopping the enemy!”
“The military will send reinforcements soon! Hold out until then!”
They held their positions behind cover.
Using their numerical advantage and the terrain, they focused entirely on defense.
As a result, the standoff continued.
The National Intelligence Service's Hunter special operations unit had fewer Middle Floors agents, so their average combat strength was lower. Still, they had many Lower Floor Hunters and plenty of real combat experience.
The Japanese Hunter special operations unit, on the other hand, had stronger individual fighters but little real combat experience, so they weren't very skilled.
When the two sides clashed, they somehow maintained a strange balance and reached a deadlock.
I clicked my tongue.
“Are those Japanese bastards really a special operations unit? Why are Hunter special operations agents trembling and fumbling like that? They're worlds apart from the Russian unit we fought earlier.”
They looked so pathetic compared to the Russian Hunter special operations unit that I forgot I was in the middle of a battle and muttered aloud.
Choi Yejin answered my muttering.
“They're Japanese. Greenhouse flowers who hid on their little island. I told you before, didn't I? Those bastards are weak. They've never had proper combat experience. There's a huge difference between them and a country like ours, which shares borders with Russia and China. And did you know the National Intelligence Service agents are fighting bloody battles in the North?”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, asshole. Anyway, once you sign a formal contract, you'll learn this kind of thing too. The National Intelligence Service bastards work their asses off all the time. They're pitiful people, so treat them well.”
“Hmm...”
But the National Intelligence Service I'd dealt with always had its information stolen, failed to stop foreign operatives, and screwed up every time.
Well, covert operations artifacts probably didn't have many effective countermeasures, regardless of how elite they were.
Anyway.
“I'll clear them out quickly. Iing Iing, get close to them. No, get directly above their heads.”
-Iing Iing!
Boing.
Choi Yejin and I flew through telekinesis toward the air above the Japanese agents.
Maybe they didn't realize I'd arrived above them, because the Japanese Hunter special operations agents were still firing their guns.
I spoke quietly.
“What a comical sight. A Longbow Apache combat helicopter has appeared above their heads, and they don't even notice...!”
“What the hell is Longbow Apache, you military nerd?”
“From now on, I will stand in the sky. Because I am the Extreme Lunatic Hell Longbow Apache.”
“Ugh, fuck.”
“Don't use words that are too strong, Choi Yejin. It makes you look weak.”
“...”
As I babbled nonsense, I drew up the Blue Motes inside me.
I considered which magic to prepare.
‘Should I use Fireball, or should I rain down Storm?’
They were Middle Floors Hunters, not High Floor Hunters.
Whatever I used, they would probably die quickly.
I didn't deliberate for long.
‘I'll just use both.’
I was thinking too much like an efficiency addict.
I'd become a High Floor Hunter, and my mana capacity had increased enough to cast 1,700 Fireballs.
I could afford to spend mana freely.
I completed the formations in an instant.
Then I activated them.
-Kwarurururung!
-Kwakwakwakwabang!
Countless bolts of lightning poured down and tore through the air.
Dozens of Fireballs fell among them and exploded.
“Kwaaaagh!”
“Argh! Aaaaargh!”
“Gyaaaaaah!”
High-voltage currents raced between them, leaving them crisp on the outside and moist on the inside.
Violent explosions and shockwaves tore their limbs apart.
A mist of blood burst outward.
Fragments of their bodies scattered everywhere.
-Thud... thud...
Limbs and chunks of organs flew high into the air, then fell helplessly to the ground.
No living targets remained there.
There were only countless pieces of human bodies, splattered blood, and wreckage from various pieces of equipment.
There had been dozens of Japanese Middle Floors Hunter special operations agents.
I'd wiped them all out in an instant!
Step.
As I descended to the ground, I muttered quietly.
“You Japs. You couldn't live up to your name and make a Jap-quick escape... ‘Osoi.’”
As I delivered my brilliant wordplay, Choi Yejin, who had watched from nearby, let out an amazed sound.
“Wow... Crazy. Just how many artifacts do you have? That blue sniper artifact from earlier, and now explosions and lightning? You even have a fairy? What the hell are you?”
“It's me.”
“No, I'm asking what you are.”
“I am the Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter, power plant director, wizard who sees Blue Motes, rising star of the Goblin Sect and master at the Peak Realm, Stealth Longbow Apache, genius of slaughter who succeeds Mao Zedong, transcendentally handsome man who even charmed a fairy, Baek Jiho. That's who I am.”
“Crazy bastard...”
Choi Yejin clicked her tongue as if she'd had enough of my long introduction.
While Choi Yejin and I were exchanging pointless jokes...
“Wh-what was that?!”
“That large explosion just now...”
“Reinforcements? Thank goodness. Did the military finally send troops?”
“...But were there armored units nearby?”
Step, step.
Agents in suits began walking out from deeper inside the National Intelligence Service compound.
Every one of them carried a rifle or machine gun.
I confidently walked over and stood before them.
“Hello.”
“Who are you?!”
Click.
A National Intelligence Service special operations agent aimed a gun at me despite seeing my face.
Since they didn't recognize me, they must have belonged to a different department from Han Seonga.
I stepped aside and brought the person next to me forward.
“Ah, you don't know me. Then you know who this is, right?”
“...Hunter Choi Yejin!”
Snap.
The agent gave Choi Yejin a crisp salute.
Highest Floor Hunters even received salutes from National Intelligence Service agents.
In ten days, I'd probably receive salutes too.
Choi Yejin nodded as though she was used to it.
As she approached, she said, “You're from the Second Deputy Director's Office. You've seen me in Pyongyang before, right?”
“Yes. You helped us greatly then, Choi Yejin. Could it be that the explosions from earlier were caused by Hunter Choi Yejin...?”
“Ah. That wasn't me. This friend did it.”
Choi Yejin gestured toward me with her chin.
She spoke quietly.
“Korea's sixth Hard-rank Hunter. Blue Dot. You know about him too, right?”
“Ah! So you're...! Thank you, Hunter! What you did earlier was incredible!”
“It's me.”
Snap.
The agent gave me a salute.
Ah, so I could receive salutes already.
I spoke quietly to him.
“Excuse me. Could you call Han Seonga?”
* * *
Guided by the agent, I headed deeper into the National Intelligence Service's main building.
I received a brief tour on the way.
“This is the Nameless Stars. It is a memorial for our seniors who sacrificed themselves for the nation.”
There was some kind of structure in the central entrance of the National Intelligence Service headquarters.
Star-shaped ornaments were attached to a black wall.
It was a memorial honoring agents who had died in the line of duty.
[Following the path of those who silently remained as stars, we will devote ourselves to protecting the nation.]
There were hundreds of star-shaped ornaments on the memorial.
A new star was added whenever an agent died in the line of duty.
That meant that many agents had died on missions.
The agent acting as my guide spoke.
“There are 268 stars.”
“...”
“Most of them were added after the Tower appeared. There were only around thirty from before then... but the chaotic period after the Tower appeared was truly brutal, wasn't it? Haha.”
There had only been around thirty agents killed in the line of duty before the Tower.
After the Tower appeared, though, many had apparently lost their lives amid chaos and desperate power struggles.
Well.
The world after the Tower appeared had been too cruel.
Wars broke out everywhere.
Countries that ran out of Points disappeared one after another.
Desperate battles were fought beneath the surface of the world.
Agents from intelligence agencies, the true front line, had no choice but to die in droves.
Looking at the stars on the memorial, I thought to myself.
‘Leave King Korea to me, patriots. This body, the Extreme Lunatic Hell Patriotic Admiral Yi Sun-sin Hunter, will definitely protect the nation you gave your lives to protect.’
Because of their sacrifices, Korea had endured until I became a Hunter.
They were people worthy of my respect.
I would carry on their will and protect King Korea.
“Now, let's go to the first conference room in the main building. Han Seonga, the team leader from the First Deputy Director's Office, should be there.”
Guided by the agent, I headed toward the conference room.
There, I saw her.
“Baek Jiho!”
“Hello, Han Seonga.”
“I understand the situation. I heard you went through a great deal today... Are you injured anywhere...?”
“Not a single hair was harmed.”
“What a relief...!”
Han Seonga pressed a hand to her chest in relief.
I explained everything that had happened today.
“So, what happened was...”
The story went on for a long time.
CIA operative Rachel's visit and attempted kidnapping.
The battle against the Russian Zaslon Special Operations Unit in Jungnang-gu.
The battle against the Chinese Committee Members who attacked Choi Yejin.
The battle against the Japanese special operations unit that attacked the National Intelligence Service.
All of it had happened within a single hour.
Looking back, I'd really run around everywhere.
Even three bodies wouldn't have been enough if I wanted to save King Korea.
Well, it couldn't be helped.
A capable person like me had no choice but to suffer a little.
I had to save the country...
“Good heavens...”
Once I finished explaining, Han Seonga looked horrified.
I'd accomplished so much today that hearing it all laid out at once must have been shocking.
Choi Yejin, who had been listening beside us, was just as surprised.
“Hey. You're not bullshitting, are you? Is that even possible? You stopped spatial jumps and sent back a CIA SAC/SOG team, killed thirty-three members of Russia's SVR Zaslon Group, killed four Chinese Committee Members, and wiped out Japan's CIRO special operations unit too?”
“It's me. But Choi Yejin, you saw me fight yourself, so why don't you believe me?”
“I saw your abilities, but... when I think about it, it makes no sense. I can't trust my own eyes right now. Are you really only in the High Floors? How can a Floor 31 nobody do things that even I can't do at Floor 41...?”
“Can you feel the difference in power?”
“Wow.”
Choi Yejin had personally watched me slaughter four Chinese Committee Members one-sidedly and wipe out the Japanese special operations unit.
Yet once everything I'd done today had been summarized, her mouth fell open.
Well, it was hard to believe.
A guy who had only just reached the High Floors had killed everyone, whether they were from the Middle Floors, High Floors, or Highest Floors.
I had to do at least this much to be worthy of the name Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter.
As I sat there with a calm expression...
“...Thank you, Hunter Baek Jiho.”
Bow.
Han Seonga suddenly lowered her head.
It was another perfect ninety-degree bow.
With her head lowered, she spoke quietly.
“Thanks to Hunter Baek Jiho, the Republic of Korea overcame a great crisis today.”
“...”
“If Hunter Baek Jiho hadn't been here... I don't know what would have happened to Korea's future...”
Just as she said, Korea had faced a grave crisis today.
If I hadn't resolved it, Korea would have suffered enormous damage.
I would have been kidnapped by the United States or Russia.
Choi Yejin would have been killed by China.
The National Intelligence Service would have been half-disabled by Japan.
Korea would have been left with no Hard-rank Hunters, while its national intelligence agency became completely paralyzed.
The country would have been completely screwed!
I'd stepped in and resolved every part of that crisis.
As a Korean citizen and public official, Han Seonga couldn't help offering heartfelt thanks.
“The Republic of Korea will remember Baek Jiho's dedication.”
“...”
“As soon as the formal contract is completed, I will recommend you for a medal and a reward. I will do everything possible to ensure your dedication is properly repaid.”
“...”
“Thank you sincerely, Hunter Baek Jiho.”
Han Seonga expressed her gratitude with far more sincerity than usual.
It felt satisfying.
And I felt proud.
I'd achieved the feat of saving the country and received gratitude and admiration.
My shoulders began rising toward the heavens on their own!
I desperately forced my rising shoulders back down.
At times like this, I needed to respond coolly and with dignity rather than act smug. That was the only way to look good!
If I grinned because I was happy, it wouldn't be cool.
I nodded with a serious expression.
“I only did what I had to do. You don't need to thank me.”
“Why are you lowering your voice? It doesn't suit you.”
“...”
Choi Yejin ruined the moment from beside me.
Come on, I was trying to look cool for once.
Why was she interrupting?
Ah, come to think of it.
“By the way... I fought pretty loudly today, you know? Can you handle the aftermath?”
A worry suddenly came to me.
I'd caused a pretty flashy scene today.
In Jungnang-gu, I became Stealth Longbow Apache and hunted down and wiped out the Russian special operations agents in front of civilians.
In Itaewon-dong, I became a Level 5 sniper and fired Railguns.
And in Seocho-gu, where the National Intelligence Service headquarters was located, gunfire and explosions had gone off everywhere.
‘Can they clean this up?’
There was a lot that needed to be done.
Information control, maintaining public order, controlling the scene, and so on.
Han Seonga gave a bitter smile at my question.
“Well... I don't think it's realistically possible to cover it up. There were far too many witnesses, and the disturbance was too large... In fact, even controlling the scenes will be difficult.”
“I figured.”
There was no way they could control the scene or suppress the media while the National Intelligence Service headquarters was under attack.
At most, they could send police or military forces to guard the areas.
It was obvious without even looking.
The news and internet must have been on fire by now.
I remembered the civilians shoving smartphone cameras at us and the broadcasting station vans I'd seen earlier.
“So the President intends to disclose everything transparently soon. Along with that, we will announce your forthcoming formal contract.”
The government's chosen method was transparent disclosure.
They would reveal exactly what had happened today.
It was a pretty good move.
They could condemn other countries' armed intervention.
On top of that, they could emphasize the hope represented by Korea overcoming all that pressure.
For now, it was the best option in many ways.
Anyway... they would reveal everything transparently.
I thought to myself.
‘Then can I make a Hunter Gallery post?’
If the government wanted to control information, I intended to hold back on provoking Hunter Gallery.
Before, no one believed anything I wrote as Blue Dot, so I could provoke people as much as I wanted.
But now that the Extreme Lunatic Hell Power Plan was underway, things were different.
I had intended to comply with any government request for information control as much as possible.
But if the government planned to reveal everything transparently, that changed things.
It would all be announced soon anyway.
Couldn't I reveal it first?
I smacked my lips.
‘I'll hurry home and make a Hunter Gallery post.’
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
