Chapter 22 - The Hidden Truth (3)

The Hidden Truth (3)

Thud!

The long sword pierced the Smoke-monster’s head, and it fell to the ground, making a deafening noise. Jung Jin-sung, who was on the Smoke-monster’s body, slowly came down to the floor.

A wave of confidence and relief passed through his spine as he saw the number of monsters laying their weapons down. He knew that this base would be a breeding ground for fungi. The way to the underground station was in the nexus of the city.

The atmosphere was gutted with the poisonous fog that was rising off of the monster’s dead body.

“Hitch! Ah… My nose keeps tickling because of them.”

Lee Soo-yeon grumbled.

“Is it? I don’t know.”

“Then die, really.”

Lee Soo-yeon’s coat had not yet been replaced with the new equipment. She was fully exposed to the terrible poison. When Jeong Jin-sung pointed to the fresh defense coat that he had obtained after three close encounters with rock-paper-scissors, Lee Soo-yeon pounded his chest with her elbows. But to everyone’s relief, it was not as damaging as the monster itself.

The two went down, slicing the monsters and making their way out of it.

A-irh!

The fungus continued to rush, and it was grievous.

Their broken stairs and floors showed their eyes all inside the green-colored subway.

The ceiling, floor, and walls collapsed to create an underground space according to their taste.

A rotting smell was arising from the spore pillars that had collapsed.

There was a mass of spores multiplying and terribly decayed bodies.

“Hugh… We found a breeding ground.” He confirmed.

What was the most threatening was the significant number of ace-monsters and smoke-monsters. They were multitudinous and could not be counted in a glance. They presented a tough task to knock them down even by the strongest A-rank awakeners. Had not the monsters fallen to the ground, this place would have been a wreck.

The intruders were seen to make their way. The vast number of massive monsters turned around, making high-pitched sound and quacked the earth. That outcry was having a factor of hostility toward them. Lee Soo-yeon and Jeong Jin-sung, the two team leaders, geared up against them and raised their swords.

“Yeah, I feel like I’m working properly. Motherfuckers.” They yelled.

Soo-yeon Lee’s body had black energy.

* * *

“Ugh pole!”

The building had terribly collapsed. It had turned to rubble. With all his might, Ilhyun lifted it to one side. The thought of all the dead bodies inside the building was grievous. He tried to keep up his optimism and silently wished to see survivors as he made his way to the inside.

“Sigh…”

There were not any.

It indeed was a terrible sight for him to see, but he had seen dozens of it, so now he was partly immune to it. He moved on to start his operation. Biting his lips with both grief and strength, he left the building.

The mission for them was over. The breeding grounds were crushed and monsters, sliced. Leaving the rest to the Russians, Ilhyun made his way out as per the call of Lee Soo-yeon’s voice on the transceiver.

He flew to the road and sat on the wreckage of the building.

“Seed…”

Ilhyun was now mentally burnt out. He supported his body by a stump and cupped his face with both hands. A creamy and sticky mixture of blood and green smoke had been layered on his face.

The damage had now halted. People had been rescued. The city was by no longer a city now. It had turned to a huge mass of rubble and smoke. No matter how much he tried, the havoc that had taken place disheartened him. It vexed him. Someone patted his shoulder, breaking the series of thoughts in his mind. He looked back to find Lee Soo-yeon.

“ What are you up to?”

She inquired inquisitively.

Ilhyun noticed blood spots on her face too. All of her body was covered in dirt.

“I didn’t even know the conditions abroad. Not at all! This is way more devastating than what I had imagined.” His tone was grievous.

“Of course it is. The people of this country, the parties, would not know. I don’t have to mention it in Korea.”

Lee Soo-yeon replied to Ilhyun’s expression. He seemed exhausted.

“Is this happening every time?” He inquired.

“The damage might not be of this range. But it’s just a matter of scale, and these things always happen everywhere. As of now, we can’t stop them all. We can only try our best.”

There was a moment of silence.

Lee Soo-yeon looked around at the devasted landscape and sighed.

Even if they wanted to block all the gates without damage, shortage of time and bleak manpower was a problem.

Aside from Korea, the United States could adequately defend its mainland with its awakening power.

Affected Russia had a relatively stable awakening power, but its territories were so vast that it began to defend itself without help.

There was an absolute shortage of high-ranking awakenings in China, although the number of it to fit the population was large.

Since there was no A-rank awakened in the population, he could see how grave the situation was.

Other countries also do not have the power to cope with all of the high-ranking gates appearing without notice. Except for North America, which the United States has to some extent.

It was just like the Awakenings of the government response teams who were helping to deal with high-ranking gates around the world.

Breaking the aura of silence, Lee Soo-yeon said,

“That’s why I brought you here.”

“Why did you bring me? He asked irritatingly.

“If the situation was relaxed, why would I need to take the scavenger I saw for the first time and try to recruit him to the team? Even before knowing his specific personality or identity.”

Lee Soo-yeon continued with her arms crossed.

“I’m unsure, but it seemed like there was a possibility that I could push the limits a bit. Do you know my reason?”

“Of course, I know.”

Ilhyun replied to what she was asking.

The level of abilities does not necessarily reflect the talent of an awakened, but it was a representative of their potential.

Moreover, even if it wasn’t on the low side, the C-rank ability was a weakness that was lacking for A-class awakened people.

Her abilities, Ma (魔), also strengthened the body for a while, and the range of utilization was not wide enough, so it was not evaluated well.

However, Lee Soo-yeon exceeded that limit.

Within a few years of awakening, her awakening class was raised to the A level simultaneously; the power of intellect heightened.

The black energy that appeared every time she used up her power has become a symbol.

“I didn’t know how disappointing C-rank was when I was first tested. My goal wasn’t that much.”

Lee Soo-yeon let out a laugh.

“But it was over. Like me, there are many examples of awakened exceeding beyond this level. Probably with your abilities… Maybe SS rank is also possible?”

Her voice revealed a little excitement, maybe to cheer him up.

In the past 20 years, SS awakening has been seen only once in the world.

Min Ji-hoon, although, currently inactive was a legend.

“When he made his first appearance… The world was upside down. Thanks to the ability to twist space, that damage was reduced. SS-class awakened people can change the world on their own.”

Ilhyun swallowed saliva. He vaguely thought that one day he would go beyond the SS rating, which included three ranks.

But when he thought about what Min Ji-hoon said, he realized how high it was.

Ilhyun was also well acquainted with the story.

“Now, the cycle is coming. There’s no clear data on what’s going to happen in the future, and at least a ship of people will die.”

Lee Soo-yeon told him lightly, trying to cover the gravity of the story.

In the meantime, other team members have picked up their signal, and their transportation-aircraft came hovering over their heads.

“So be strong. Now wake up, our work isn’t over yet.”