Chapter 390
**Swish!**
Where the aura swept past, hot blood spurted out along with the heads that shot up.
I stepped on the body of an ogre that collapsed like straw and leapt high into the air. The sunlight warming the back of my neck felt comforting.
‘What perfect weather for a fight.’
It was noon, in a barren wasteland with not a single tree.
In the midst of thousands of monsters gathered, my shadow, cast by the sun at my back, stretched out. Even the movement of my spear slicing downward as I dove was visible.
**Cheon-gyeok (Heavenly Strike)**
*Boom!*
The claws of the fire dragon raked the ground.
A thunderous sound as if the sky was splitting. The ground caved in several meters deep, and soil and debris scattered in all directions.
The whirlwind of heat that rose from the center of the battlefield became a blade that swept through the monsters.
*Boom!*
*Ding. Ding. Ding…*
Amid the hazy view filled with dust, a system notification appeared, indicating the defeat of monsters, and green blood splattered down.
With a light wave of my hand, the dust cloud dispersed, revealing the monsters staring at me in bewilderment.
– “Churri?”
– “Krrrk?”
Their eyes seemed to ask, “What the hell is happening?” Taking a deep breath, I shouted with a voice imbued with qi.
**“Charge—!”**
And in the next moment—
**“Waaahhhh!”**
With a deafening roar, a thousand Hunters, who had already approached, swept over the monster army like a wave.
*Crash! Crack!*
Watching the monsters crumble helplessly, I became sure of one thing.
‘We’ve won this battle.’
Now that the farming was over, it was time to harvest.
I began to walk toward the Twin-Head Ogre, which appeared to be the boss monster.
My precious experience points… No, it was to minimize the damage to my allies.
“That’s their leader! Long-range units!”
“Hey, hey! Hands off! I’ll handle it, so don’t lay a finger on it!”
I swear to the heavens, there isn’t even a hint of selfishness here.
Hmm, come to think of it, there’s no need to swear.
– “You wretched human, your intention to covet the spoils is obvious. Even when you massacred my troops, you didn’t hide your greed!”
“Just shut up and do your job. Hurry up and get the undead to start fighting among themselves.”
– “I was going to do that anyway. Up you go, skeletons!”
“…Huh?”
“What’s wrong?”
– “Why isn’t my power working? Could this be a bug?”
“…Where did you even learn that term?”
The Skeleton Warlord, increasingly modernized, spoke in a dejected voice.
– “The closer we get inside, the stronger the Arch Lich’s control seems to be. Ah, a commander without a corps… How lamentable. It’s as if I’m already dead.”
‘What does this guy even think of himself?’
I’m tired of telling him he’s already dead. I sighed inwardly and charged toward the boss.
* * *
**”It’s a great victory! Another great victory!”**
Xiao Shen shouted with a face flushed red. Having seen this scene more than ten times, both Chief Choi and I were now used to just letting it pass.
‘Well, it’s understandable that he’s excited.’
It took just about two hours to annihilate an army of nearly a thousand monsters.
And that, too, with no casualties. It was indeed a monumental victory. In this situation, staying calm would have been stranger.
**“On our side, there are 23 seriously injured and 30 lightly injured. Ah, this is truly…!”** Xiao Shen trembled like a puppy needing to pee, his eyes sparkling as he looked at me.
**“How can it always turn out like this?”**
“Hmm. Maybe because I’m strong.”
Chief Choi gave me a look of mild disbelief at my answer.
“What? Why?”
“Usually, people say something about being lucky or show some humility.”
“Usually, yes. But what can I do if it’s not luck but actual strength? Isn’t that right, Shen?”
Xiao Shen nodded enthusiastically.
**“That’s right! Hyung-nim, you’re the best!”**
“This guy… He’s a model for flattery.”
Chief Choi shook his head at our back-and-forth banter.
“What?”
“Nothing. Well, this is exactly like Jin Tae-kyung.”
What’s with that tone? It sounded strangely annoying.
I shrugged and turned to Xiao Shen.
“By the way, what about the headquarters?”
**“Ah, I already contacted them before the battle started.”**
Contacting them meant sending a few Hunters ahead as messengers.
You might wonder why use messengers in this day and age, but there’s no other way. With magic blocking communication and satellite surveillance, our only options were running or using vehicles. At least we had flares and other modern tools, which was a relief.
“It’ll still take a while, I guess.”
**“They were following us, so it shouldn’t take too long.”**
“Even though they must be tired, set up some tents for the guys to rest. Even if the battle ended quickly, everyone’s still drained afterward.”
**“Shouldn’t we at least handle the large monsters on our side? I don’t think it’ll be easy for headquarters to move them…”**
“Yeah, that’s a good point.”
Headquarters referred to the military forces moving with us.
The Public Security Bureau Hunters, including myself, would wipe out monsters on the front lines, and the following military units would ‘clean up’ the area and the monster corpses.
The term “clean up” is used because the purpose isn’t to collect loot.
It’s literally cleaning up. The military on the western front was mostly tasked with cutting up monster corpses to prevent them from being resurrected as undead and moving them to the rear.
**“Uh, Hyung-nim.”**
“Hm, what is it?”
**“I was too embarrassed to mention this before… but it seems there’s some talk among a few high-ranking officers.”**
“Talk? What kind of talk?”
Xiao Shen cautiously whispered, keeping an eye on my reaction.
**“A little dissatisfaction with their roles…”**
What the hell is he talking about?
It took me a while to understand Xiao Shen’s words. After a heavy silence, I spoke up, half in disbelief.
“You mean they’re tired of clearing monster corpses and want to make a name for themselves or something?”
**“…Yes.”**
“What kind of insane bastards are these?”
I couldn’t help but curse. On other fronts, soldiers are dying every day, and these idiots are complaining about cleaning up monster corpses.
Chief Choi, who had been quietly listening, calmly spoke up.
“Don’t be surprised. They’re just acting like typical ‘jangkgae’.” [1]
Is that something you should say in front of nearly a thousand Chinese people? But Chinese and ‘jangkgae’ are different breeds altogether.
The face of Xiao Shen, the representative of good Chinese people, had already turned red with embarrassment.
**“I-I’m sorry. But it’s not all the officers; it seems only a few have those complaints.”**
“Only a few, huh? I see. But I’m curious about something…”
I frowned and pointed over Xiao Shen’s shoulder.
“Are those guys approaching over there among that few?”
In the distance, a hundred armored vehicles and tanks were raising dust clouds as they approached.
* * *
*Rumble, rattle!*
The vehicle driving on the devastated road bounced up and down. Through the window of the military vehicle I was sitting in, I could see the ruined fields and collapsed houses here and there.
After the cleanup, I—or rather, “we”—were heading toward a nearby small city.
**”Haha, you’ve worked hard, Mr. Jin!”**
Despite the tightly fastened belt, his belly bulged out. His shiny scalp gleamed under the sun.
If it weren’t for the military uniform and the three stars on his epaulets, I’d have never had a chance to meet this middle-aged man.
**”We received contact from the upper ranks this morning. The whole world is in an uproar over Mr. Jin’s victory, including the UN Security Council! I don’t know what it means, but they say today is ‘Jumogi Day’ in Korea…”** [2]
Listening to his constant nonsense had reached its limit. Unable to bear it any longer, I abruptly spoke up.
“I don’t care whether ‘Jumogi’ is dead or alive. May I ask just one thing?”
**“M-Mr. Jin?”**
General Liao, the commander of the 13th Group Army, which includes seven divisions and brigades under the Chengdu Military Region, looked at me nervously.
**“Why, why do you ask? Is there a problem?”**
“I heard something strange today, and now I’m on edge.”
**“Who dares disturb Mr. Jin’s mood? Ask me anything.”**
“Ah, yes. What I want to ask is nothing but…”
Staring straight at Liao’s greasy face, I continued.
“I heard some officers are quite dissatisfied, wanting to make a name for themselves… Were you aware of this?”
**“Ahem.”**
So, he knew. And he left it alone despite knowing. This is beyond ridiculous; I’m actually feeling quite calm now.
Still, since he’s an ally and a three-star general of another country, I asked as calmly and politely as possible.
“Could I see the 4444444444444444444444444444faces of those bastard officers?”
**“Ahem!”**
“No, seriously, what kind of lunatics want to make a name for themselves in this situation? To be frank, they won’t even be the ones fighting, they’ll just push the regular soldiers to the front while they swing their command sticks from behind.”
**“Ahem!”**
“What’s this crap about being tired of cleaning up monster corpses? Why, are they so fond of the sight they want to become corpses themselves? They need to die to come to their senses, these damn idiots.”
**“Ahem!”**
“If there are any like that, tell them to come forward. We’ll suit them up and put them at the front, perfect as meat shields…”
As I was fervently ranting, I suddenly stopped. Cold sweat was pouring down Liao’s forehead like a sprinkler.
**“…”**
This guy is one of those lunatics.
From the moment he was talking about firing nukes in the underground bunker, I suspected he wasn’t your average nutcase. It seems he’s a certified high-level nutcase.
“…General, are you in your right mind?”
**“W-Well, it’s just that we also have to show something. That’s the idea…”**
“No, everything is going smoothly without casualties. What more do we need to show? The Hunters clear the way in front, the military follows up to secure civilians and clean up. We’re doing great, so what more is there to show?”
*Crack!*
As I cracked my knuckles, Liao hastily waved his hands.
**“Ah, ah! Let’s not speak informally. Considering my age and rank, I’m not someone Mr. Jin should address so casually.”**
“Should I just smash your head instead?”
**“W-What?”**
“No, you misheard. Anyway, I understand, but stop with the nonsense. From now on, let’s minimize casualties, rescue civilians, and advance slowly. Got it?”
**“…”**
Why is this guy reacting like this?
The moment I saw Liao rolling his eyes instead of answering, a chill ran down my spine.
Don’t tell me…
“Have you already given the order?”
**“Well, it’s just that I’m currently involved in a military procurement scandal, so I need to accomplish something independently…”**
“You son of a bitch!”
*Bang!*
With a kick, the armored door, supposedly bulletproof, flew off. The driver in the front seat hurriedly stepped on the brakes.
*Screech!*
“Ah!”
Liao, cowering and trembling, stuttered out his response.
**“W-We thought there might be monsters in the small city we’re heading to, so we deployed some Public Security Bureau Hunters as a reserve…”**
There was no need to listen further. Before I could scold him any more, a loud explosion erupted from the city we were approaching.
*Boom!*
A huge explosion. Flames and smoke rising.
And then…
*Ding.*
A system notification appeared, signaling an emergency quest.
(TL Note: FCK Politicians!)
***
Footnotes:
[1] The term “jangkgae” (짱깨) is a derogatory slang term used in South Korea to refer to Chinese people. It carries a negative connotation, similar to racial slurs, and is considered offensive and inappropriate in most contexts.
[2] The term “Jumogi” (주모기) seems to derive from “jumo” (주모), a colloquial Korean term for a tavern owner or barmaid, often depicted in historical settings. The term “Jumogi Day” in this context is a playful or humorous invention, possibly originating from internet culture or memes. It refers to a day of celebration or commemoration, often used in a lighthearted or exaggerated manner to mark an unexpected or notable event, such as Mr. Jin’s victory. It isn’t an official or recognized day but rather a slang or in-joke among certain groups.
