Chapter 93

The magma surface was littered with charred lumps of meat.

‘This is brutal…’

It was the first time he had experienced so much death in such a short span.

He had witnessed countless deaths and undergone countless resurrections.

Based on all those deaths, he thought he had become immune to most forms of agony.

The pain of his entire body burning. The pain of his flesh melting away from a vicious poison.

He had experienced it all, but this death was uniquely, exceptionally brutal.

Hissssss.

The moment he revived and opened his eyes, excruciating pain blurred his vision.

Both eyes were instantly burned, making it difficult to even get his bearings.

Nevertheless, in that brief moment where he forced himself to orient, he thrashed his arms and legs through the magma until they were burned beyond function.

Endless pain and death, with no way to know when it would end or where the destination was.

Through it all, with a single-minded focus, he silently thrashed his limbs.

“What a stubborn bastard. Tsk tsk tsk.”

Just one thing.

With the single-minded desire to die.

And within that small resolve, carrying the grand ideal named Elina.

Focusing on that alone, he died, and died again.

“What did that woman… Honestly, the pain she suffered might have been preferable to this. You foolish oaf.”

Dark No Death repeatedly clicked his tongue.

Looking around, the countless lumps of meat visible all around demonstrated just how grueling a struggle No Death was enduring.

Even in moments where, after repeating death and life, one might consider giving up, No Death would revive and immediately begin thrashing his limbs.

“Or perhaps not? Have you already been living through pain worse than Elina’s, to the point this agony is nothing?”

Hissssss.

Another lump of meat rose to the surface.

Behind the magma that burned and melted even bone, another arm flailed, swimming through the molten rock.

That arm and leg advanced forward as if the thought of turning back never even crossed its mind.

As if to visually demonstrate that will, the path behind was strewn with bones and charred meat.

Even dark No Death, who had bestowed this trial, clicked his tongue and shook his head at No Death’s desperate will.

“I’m curious.”

Even though he was the Latent Dragon residing within No Death, he couldn’t know everything about him.

That made him even more curious.

How…

“How could he have awakened as a Revenant? What does it mean that Elina’s death was included?”

Hissssss.

While pondering this, another of No Death’s dead bodies rose to the magma’s surface as a charred lump, white smoke trailing.

= = =

The perspective shifted back to No Death’s past.

From early morning, after finishing the request, Jang Bokdong’s team was busily preparing to return to Korea.

Amidst the commotion, the barracks door opened and an American soldier entered.

“The transport plane has arrived. Are your preparations complete? But why…”

Seeing the barracks filled with dirt, the American soldier looked slightly surprised.

In response, Mike laughed as if finding it absurd.

“Ha!”

“You’d know better about that, right? We came back yesterday after some ‘emergency operation’ or whatever, and it was like this. This is a barracks inside a US military base. If you guys don’t know, who would?”

“Our military did this?”

Seeing he truly had no clue, Mike tapped his own chest with his fist as if frustrated.

“Then who else could have done it? Did the Qudus Army sneak in and do this? Come on, you even kidnapped Elina and now you’re playing dumb… tsk tsk.”

“The Qudus Army couldn’t have done that. There’s an outpost right next door. It would be impossible.”

“That’s exactly my point. So stop rubbing it in and wait a bit. That damn preparation will finish quickly on its own. Ugh.”

The American soldier, who seemed genuinely clueless, couldn’t easily let this strange situation go.

He stepped outside the barracks briefly to check its position, then returned with unexpected news.

“Huh? Did you all leave during the operation time? Not a single person stayed behind?”

“Probably? As you know, it wasn’t an easy operation, right?”

“That’s strange. My colleague was on duty at that outpost during that time. He said the lights in just this area went out for about 30 minutes around the operation departure time.”

Just as the American soldier tilted his head in puzzlement, Jang Bokdong burst out from the inner room of the barracks.

“The lights went out?”

“There’s a large spotlight that illuminates the entire barracks so it’s visible from the outpost. He said it went out briefly only around this barracks area. It came back on after about 30 minutes, so we thought it was just a malfunction, but with this happening…”

Truthfully, Jang Bokdong hadn’t slept a wink last night.

The barracks filled with muddy footprints, Elina’s sudden disappearance.

The perfectly accurate intel that prompted an emergency operation, and how that intel matched up perfectly.

Finally, Bright’s heavily warning-laden words that were hard to understand.

Somehow, the feeling that all these events were connected had plunged Jang Bokdong into such deep thought that he forgot about sleep entirely.

“You said the person at the outpost was your colleague?”

“Yes, but…”

“Over ten people entered our barracks yesterday. So even if the lights were out, shouldn’t they have been spotted?”

“Over ten? That’s strange… During that time, an important operation was underway. There shouldn’t have been any teams or personnel within the unit who could move around like that…”

“Allen.”

At Jang Bokdong’s call, a team member stepped forward.

He channeled Mana and activated a Skill. The footprints of the people who had illegally entered the barracks began to glow.

“Exactly eleven people.”

“There were no personnel who could move around like that at that time. It would require a squad to move, and I know for sure because all personnel except those guarding the outpost were deployed for the operation.”

If it wasn’t the US military, then who on earth kidnapped Elina?

Just as they were puzzling over it…

“Why aren’t you coming out?”

Another American soldier entered the barracks.

Jang Bokdong’s eyebrows twitched the moment he recognized the man.

Because that soldier was the driver who had driven off with Bright last night.

The human with the most information aside from the suspect, Bright.

That was this driver.

“What did you do with Elina?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about?”

The driver shrugged and flashed a mocking, sneering smile.

“You do know, don’t you?”

“Sergeant David!”

“Yes, sir!”

“I told you not to converse with the accessories! Just notify them and come out quickly! What are you doing talking with these guys!”

Accessories?

“S-sorry, sir!”

At the word “accessories,” the expressions of all team members, including Jang Bokdong, turned grim.

Then Mike, the most hot-blooded among them, finally moved.

“Accessories? Ha! You’re dead.”

The very moment he tried to go at the driver, the barracks door opened and over ten armed American soldiers entered.

Seeing that, Mike stopped and scowled.

“So you had a backup plan? Is this your home turf or something? Ha! You motherfuckers.”

“No matter how skilled you think you are, you’re just accessories brought here by our military. Replaceable accessories.”

Speaking as if he were a king, the driver walked up to Jang Bokdong, tapped his shoulder, and said,

“You didn’t even die, got paid handsomely, so you should just think about being replaced like accessories. Why are you ignoring kind Manager Bright’s warning? That’s why you’re acting up like this. If you hadn’t, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Jang Bokdong, who had been staring daggers at the driver and taking it all in, had his expression contort in an instant.

His team members, completely innocent, surrounded him.

Normally, Jang Bokdong would have ignored and moved past such insults, but for some reason, this time he didn’t.

“I’m sorry.”

“Team Leader?”

At Jang Bokdong’s words spoken in Korean, not English, all the team members could foresee what would happen next.

Thump!

“Ugh!”

In one motion, he grabbed the driver’s arm, flung him to the floor, pinned his back with a knee, and pressed down.

Thud!

“Kgh.”

A fluid sequence of subduing moves, followed by the cold feel of metal pressed against the back of the driver’s head.

Click.

He didn’t need to see to know.

What was aimed at the back of the driver’s head was a pistol that could end his life with a single pull of the trigger.

Snap! Snap snap snap!

As the American soldiers raised their weapons at the sudden turn, Jang Bokdong shouted,

“Drop your guns! Or I’ll blow this bastard’s brains out.”

It seemed they hadn’t expected things to go this way.

“Ah, shit, I don’t know.”

The American soldiers quickly aimed their muzzles at Jang Bokdong and his team, but their response was a beat slow.

Almost simultaneously, Jang Bokdong’s team and the American soldiers aimed their guns at each other.

Scanning the standoff, Jang Bokdong pressed the muzzle firmly against the driver’s head and yelled at the American soldiers,

“As you know, we’re the mercenaries who killed Commander Makdu Habah. In this state, dealing with you guys is nothing. What do you think will happen if we quickly take you out and you surrender by dropping your guns? Are you going to keep heading for an ending where only you guys die like dogs?”

“Kgh…”

As he applied pressure not only with the muzzle but also with his knee, the driver let out a pained groan.

“Bark back at me, you dog of an American soldier.”

“You crazy bastard.”

“I’ll ask again. Where is Elina.”

The driver chuckled and laughed again.

“Go ahead, shoot. For us, it’s just the end when we die, but you’ll suffer for the rest of your lives in this distant foreign land before you die.”

“Sorry, but that won’t be the case. Do you know who asked me, who was refusing all requests in my later years, to come here? Legion Commander Pionette, right? I’m the benefactor who once saved Legion Commander Pionette’s life.”

“Bullshit!”

“Then shall we verify right now if it’s bullshit or not?”

Click!

Without hesitation, he chambered a round.

Now it was truly in a state where pulling the trigger would fire.

Unlike the driver trembling as death loomed, the muzzle pressed to the back of his head didn’t shake in the slightest, as if Jang Bokdong truly had something to rely on.

“Three… two…”

Not a hint of regret or worry could be felt even as he counted down.

As if he literally didn’t care if he killed a lowlife like the driver.

Murmur murmur murmur.

Even the American soldiers, fully aimed, couldn’t grasp what to do in that moment.

“One!”

“Stop!”

Finally, the driver raised both hands in surrender.

“You guys are the ones who made us aware of Elina!”

“What does that mean?”

“From the start, the villagers over there don’t view us favorably. They see us as scary and avoid us!”

“Naturally, right? Wouldn’t it be weirder if they viewed you, who are hostile to their village, favorably?”

“Right! Everything you say is correct. So we viewed that village that excludes us as part of the Qudus Army and didn’t make contact at all. But… you guys were different.”

The driver slightly turned his head to look at Mike.

“We obtained information we couldn’t get from the village through that mercenary named Mike over there. That’s how we found out. That a woman named Elina was a card that could shake the father and son, the commanders of the Qudus Army!”

The puzzle pieces finally began fitting together.

“So… how did you use Elina?”

“We delivered footage concerning Elina to both Makdu Habah and his eldest son, Gani Habah.”

“Wait…”

An unexpected person suddenly surfaced.

The deputy commander of the Qudus Army, Makdu Habah’s most trusted eldest son.

The unfortunate eldest son who had courted Elina but ultimately had her taken by his father, Makdu Habah.

‘Gani Habah.’

The final forgotten puzzle piece had emerged.

“Don’t tell me…”

And the suddenly surfaced piece clicked into place in Jang Bokdong’s muddled mind, revealing the truth of that day.

“Now you understand too. What happened.”

“Don’t tell me Gani Habah… leaked Makdu Habah’s location? The barracks lights going out… was that really Bright arranging for the Qudus Army to enter here?”

“You’re smarter than I thought. I figured you’d think we were the ones who ransacked your barracks.”

“Did Bright really permit the Qudus Army to enter the base? Entry into this base, which could be captured at any moment with so many personnel away on the operation?”

“Hmph, you really don’t know the Manager at all. The Manager is no ordinary person. He wasn’t entrusted with the heavy responsibility of a war where anything could happen at such a young age for no reason.”

Bzzzt.

Right on cue, a loud radio transmission sounded from among the American soldiers.

[With just Team Leader Jang’s mercenaries gathered, the return of all mercenaries will be complete. When will you arrive?]

He looked down at the driver with widened eyes.

The driver snorted, laughing with a sneer.

“Already… the war is as good as over. The moment Makdu Habah died, the Qudus Army was as good as dead.”

“What are you… planning to do.”

“Just leave as per Manager Bright’s orders. Just leave, go around boasting about being the main heroes of the war victory, and feed your vanity.”

“I said, what are you planning to do?!!”

He pistol-whipped the driver’s temple.

A sharp thwack! rang out, followed by the driver’s deep groan.

“Kgh…”

“Talk!!”

And then, through the driver’s mouth, came Bright’s final order.

“Kgh, once all you mercenaries leave… that village next door will disappear from the map.”

A village disappearing during war meant only one thing.

Indiscriminate bombardment.

“Just a moment ago, the GPS planted on Elina sent the location of a secret base. Right underneath the village next door.”

“Then Elina is…”

“Along with the Qudus Army, that bitch will disappear too.”

He immediately tried to leave the barracks, leaving the driver behind.

Then the driver, his face twisted in pain, shouted,

“It’s too late!”

Looking back, the driver chuckled and said,

“The bombardment order will come down in 5 minutes. No matter how skilled you are, Team Leader Jang, the moment you rush into that village to save her, you’ll turn to ash along with the Qudus Army. So give up and get on the transport plane…”

“No.”

Perhaps he thought they would naturally turn back upon hearing that.

The driver, who had been full of sneers, stiffened as he looked at Jang Bokdong, who had cut him off.

“Don’t tell me you…”

Then came Jang Bokdong’s voice.

“I don’t care.”

“I said you’ll die! You’ll definitely die!”

“I said I don’t care.”

“Why on earth…”

“I made… a promise.”

Crack.

“I promised to let her live like a human.”

And then, as if to show off, Jang Bokdong walked confidently past the American soldiers and out of the barracks.

Watching that, the driver stared at the door Jang Bokdong had exited through as if looking at a truly insane person, like someone who had lost their mind.

“Is he really insane? Or has he gone mad wanting to die… What on earth is that woman to him.”

But then.

Mike, who had been intently watching the stunned driver and the American soldiers, began to have his expression gradually contort.