The First Hunter

Chapter 35. Check List, Part I

Translator: Khan

Editor: RED

1.

For Cho Sung-yeon, the blue-grade monster Freezer that had appeared in Daegu City would be remembered for a lifetime.

‘Oh, my God.’ He would also remember the Freezer as a terrible monster.

‘Does that make sense? It was a crazy monster that had endured nine GBU-31s, a lump of explosives weighing close to a ton. It was not dropped from a few thousand meters above like a jet, but thrown from the ground like a shotgun. Enduring the explosion of the crazy-powerful bombs nine times was beyond the common sense of Cho and any of his imagination.

‘He killed the insane monster! What a freak!’ And of course, Cho would remember Kim Tae-hoon, who killed the terrible monster with the tenth missile and swallowed the blue crystal of the Freezer, the only payout he got from the monster he killed.

That’s how the hunt ended.

2.

‘The ability of a person shines in a crisis, so the value of a person shines in a crisis.’

In the crisis that came to Daegu City, there were two people who proved it to Kim.

One was, of course, Cho. He proceeded with the plan that Kim had prepared as soon as Kim killed the Freezer. He informed Daegu City, which was defenseless due to confusion and fear, that now the world has changed and it was only he who could become a leader in this changed world, and Kim was behind him.

“In a world full of monsters, I can’t say Daegu is safe anymore, but how long are you going to follow the nonsense orders of the Second Operations Command? Huh? Those incompetent people? Are you willing to let those who sit on the floor and tremble in front of a blue-eyed monster order you around? So don’t think about it, give me all the rights. If you don’t like it, say no, but I’ll give you a piece of advice… finish it when you talk to me. If you say no when you talk to my partner, not me, he’ll never let you go.”

Cho also actively used the fact that Kim was his backer. He used all the situations given to him favorably. Above all, he insisted that it was not to merely an individual’s benefit, but an honor, a desire to pursue the worthy values that those who survived from now on should take. His cry for justice became his most powerful weapon in the world where all order was broken.

He was able to take over all the powers of the Second Operations Command, which had been in control of Daegu City, in just three days.

“How have you been, Boss?”

The other one who was shining in the crisis with Cho was Jang Sung-hoon.

The disappearance of the Tripitaka Koreana of Haein Temple!

When everyone fell into a state of dejection amid the chaos created by the crazy incident, Jang did not shake.

“I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

In this crazy situation, Jang somehow found an opportunity and turned it into a chance for change. His opportunity was for large-scale change. Until now, monsters in the Sobaek Mountains had been building their own territory. In such a situation, the sudden movement of monsters above the green grade was the same as a large-scale change.

There were very strong changes that humans, as well as the monsters lower than the yellow-grade ones, could endure easily!

Jang led his forces into the Sobaek Mountains to find opportunities in the large-scale change.

“Oh, I’m sorry I disobeyed your order.”

It was in direct opposition to Kim’s order. Kim clearly ordered the troops standing near the Sobaek Mountains to move back.

But it was Jang Sung-hoon who was right. He hunted the confused monsters. The strong firepower of the Mac Guild’s hunters, the 8th Mechanized Infantry Division, and the Capital Defense Command, the combined strength of those who won the right to survive in fierce battles and struggles, not power created like a flower in a greenhouse like Daegu City, had been spewed on the monsters. The effect was impressive.

“But I thought I was right.”

‘The reason monsters are so scary is that their ability to create fear is strong, and they also have their own territory. A game in one’s own territory is never a game. Rather, it is a real hunter who eats what comes into one’s territory. In other words, monsters that have come out of their domain are better targets than ever.’

“In the end, we secured the Gyeongbu Expressway.”

And through the hunt, the Mac Guild was able to secure a very valuable road, called the Gyeongbu Expressway. The road, which reached from Seoul to Busan, was taken back from the monsters. The evidence was the presence of Jang, who had led the Mac Guild to Daegu City.

“Oh, and this is a small gift.” Jang handed Napoleon’s Golden Glass, and the red liquid within, to Kim.

3.

It was a room about ten square feet, with only one desk in it, and walls on all sides.

The elongated eyes reminded them of dragon eyes, and the skin was grotesque, mysterious, and horrifying, as if the dragon’s scales were hidden under the skin. Right now, a dragon seemed to be born in the man’s body. But even more frightening was the infinite and bizarre power that wriggled in the man’s body.

‘I couldn’t lift the curse.’

Kim, dreaming of his death, could see that he was repeating the same death now. At Stonehenge, England, at this moment, he was dying by the curse of the dragon.

‘Couldn’t I find a way?’ It was the first time. Until now, Kim had never relived the same death. That created a strong sense of hope. It was hope that the future has changed, and it was the belief that he had learned a lesson through the deaths. It was also a hope that he was going to proceed further, on the basis of his own death.

But at this moment, he was repeating the same death.

“It’s a great power, and I’m going to explode my body right now.”

The curse of the dragon, a price that could not be dealt with, was being paid for with the man’s greed. It was a painful and sad thing, a terrible thing.

It was more painful and desperate than any death he had ever experienced.

‘Rather, that room…’

But Kim did not chew on despair at this moment.

‘What was the room for?’

Rather, he did not worry about his death at this moment. The death was what he had already experienced. He did not have to worry about why he died, how he died, and who killed him.

And it was the same for him, and the future Kim Tae-hoon who he dreamt of.

He was dying, but he did not think of despair. He was looking around the room without hesitation.

‘Ah.’ Only then did Kim know.

‘This is information.’ This room was the place that the future of him made to die, the place made to struggle in front of the same death. This was the information he did not know. There was a lot of information on the wall of the room. It was a visible map of information!

There were large continental maps all over the walls, and maps of the six major continents. Around the map, there was a lot of information, like a spider web. Military information, information about relics, information about monsters, and information about people!

‘I have collected only the best ones.’

It was very good information for Kim’s taste, and it was so vast. It was impossible to remember all the information.

‘It’s just like me.’ Kim was satisfied.

‘It’s just like me, since I don’t admit that too much is as bad as too little.’ It was his job to gather a lot of information to the maximum level despite the obvious inability to digest it all. He was grateful at the same time.

‘If I die a hundred times, I’ll see all the information here.’

Even in this death, he was grateful that he had not lost himself, and he was proud of him who had not given up yet.

His footsteps stopped in front of the map of the Asian continent, one of the six continental maps.

He stood and scanned it. He, who was dreaming of himself, also saw Kim Tae-hoon. Among them, Kim paid attention to Japan.

‘It’s funny.’

The Japanese archipelago…

There was a lot of information around the map: information on important relics, including the story of Musashi, who was now a Japanese monarch, and Japanese military information!

‘The only legendary relic in Japan is Kusanagi, and there are lots of swords, not as valuable as the Tripitaka Koreana, but I can still get some payback for their debt.

It’s funny. It’s so funny because it is childish… there are the four heavenly guardians under a man named Musashi, who is not the monarch of Japan.

The essence of Japan… is not lost, and even in that situation, the weapons are hidden all over the place. If there is a war, they will somehow take advantage of it. After the Fukushima nuclear crisis, their failure to get rid of the executives of the Tokyo Electric Power Company was to prevent the secret nuclear weapons project from being leaked.’

Kim’s eyes turned to China.

‘China’s actions are so explicit that until the monsters appeared there was nothing new anymore.’

And finally, Kim looked at Korea. ‘Hmm.’ Here, he was suspicious. Most of the information about Korea he had already been grasped, and the things that had been grasped had now become his. He did not need to see the land of Korea anymore.

‘Ah.’ But the doubts didn’t last long. There was a note: there is only one thing that can calm the curse of the dragon. Only the Manpasikjeok, which eliminates all the turmoils of the world.

It was a clue, a clue to survive.

“Ugh…”

And that was the last thing Kim saw. The dragon’s curse began to melt his heart.

3.

There was a dark room with a single light glowing. Two men were facing each other across one table, two cups of coffee in front of them.

“Is this Mr. Cho Sung-yeon?”

“Yes, and you?”

“I am Jang Sung-hoon.”

Their first conversation was to introduce to each other. They recognized each other’s names, and the greeting was over.

“Can I call you elder brother?”

“Elder Brother?”

“I can tell somebody’s fortune by physiognomy, you will be president one day.” Jang Sung-hoon, at the end of the greeting, immediately said some unbelievable words to the other.

“Well, I’d appreciate it if you would, because I honestly didn’t know how to treat you.” However, Cho Sung-yeon was merely surprised for a while and soon accepted the unbelievable words.

“So what’s my brother doing?” the conversation began.

“I was in the military until last year.”

“Really? Where?”

“Bucheon Ojung-dong.”

“I was on duty in Pocheon.”

“Pocheon, the Ottuki Unit?”

“Yes, I worked at the Armored Search Party of the Eighth Mechanized infantry Division.”

“Really? Do you know Colonel Lim Hyun-joon?”

“No, I don’t know, who is he?”

“The Commander of the Eighth Mechanized Infantry Division.”

“Really? You said he was a colonel?”

“He’s also Commander of the Capital Defense Command.”

“… I think he should have had some guts to do that. So, what’s your relationship with Colonel Lim Hyun-joon and you?”

“He’s my man now, and he’s going over the Taebaek Mountains and Uljin to Wolsong.”

In many ways, it was an absurd story. However, Cho did not smile or look surprised at the absurd story.

“I think the world has changed a lot.”

Everything would be a small change in the presence of Kim.

“What kind of person is Kim Tae-hoon?”

“Boss? He’s a good man.”

Cho frowned a little at the words ‘a good man’. Kim had never hurt him, but Kim was by no means a man who matched the words ‘good’ or ‘kind’.

“If you’re on the same side, there is no one better than him.”

However, at that explanation, Cho had to agree. At the same time, he was sure at this moment, ‘Jang Sung-hoon, his code is right with me.’ He was sure that Jang was a man whose morals matched his own in many ways. Of course, the conversation between the two was soft.

“Don’t worry about the wounds, we have a wonderful doctor.”

“We have a wonderful actress.”

“Who?”

“Lee Yeon-ah.”

“Wow!”

Screech! The sound of the door opening in the room stopped the long conversation between the two.

“Jang Sung-hoon, give the order to Colonel Lim Hyun-joon.” Beyond the open door was Kim Tae-hoon, who didn’t mince his words. “Make a warship ready for Japan.”