Chapter 231

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 231: Lee Seoyoon (2)

Far off in the distance, Incheon International Airport came into view.

Seoyoon stepped out of the car and approached the airport. Despite being a celebrity, no one on the street recognized her.

This was because she was wearing a brown wig and large sunglasses. Even with such a simple disguise, few people would have thought of Seoyoon, who was already on the missing persons list.

After waiting inside for a while, an announcement came over the loudspeaker.

—Philippine Airlines flight 456 to Davao Francisco Bangoy International Airport is now boarding. The gate number is 20.

Dragging her large suitcase behind her, she boarded the plane.

Sitting in first class, she crossed her legs.

“Ugh. Who would have thought I’d end up in the Philippines of all places...”

Seoyoon sighed.

At least she had received a generous allowance before her departure.

‘A bait...’

Kim Minwoo’s orders were simple.

Draw in the shadows and infiltrate from within. To do that, the first priority was to make contact with the shadows.

‘There’s no better place than a third-world country.’

Awakening is fair.

Just because it’s the United States doesn’t mean S-rank Awakeneds pop up everywhere, and just because it’s Africa doesn’t mean there are no S-rank Awakeneds.

In other words, there was no better region for the Shadows to recruit than third-world countries. So why the Philippines of all places?

It was simple.

English is the official language in the Philippines.

Additional reasons include the large number of tourists, making it easy for foreigners to enter, the fact that it is not completely covered by gates, and its status as an island nation, allowing for covert operations.

Anyway.

Seoyoon had been chosen for the mission to the Philippines.

As she approached the boarding gate, she saw the security checkpoint.

Seoyoon focused her mind.

Gulp.

The organs inside her body throbbed like a living creature. They rearranged themselves, mimicking the structure of a human body and creating a plausible appearance.

Her body temperature began to rise rapidly.

Shadow Walkers were natural-born assassins with the ability to ‘mimic’ their targets.

Whether it was a human or a different species, they could mimic them. It was a kind of racial characteristic not even listed in their skill set.

Seoyoon had instinctively realized this fact within an hour of being summoned.

‘Shadow Walker... maybe it’s not so bad?’

Of course, there were no abilities without drawbacks. Compared to a doppelganger, which could perfectly mimic its target, this ability was far inferior. It was only capable of creating a plausible appearance.

And it consumed an enormous amount of mana with even a brief use. It was an ability that was difficult to use unless it was a crucial moment.

Now was precisely that crucial moment.

The airport’s security checkpoint was equipped with analyzers that could thoroughly examine everything from body temperature to the internal organs.

—Beep. No abnormalities detected. You may proceed.

“Hmm.”

She hummed contentedly and entered the plane.

As expected of her lavishly funded seat, it was first class. She flopped down on the plush chair and looked at the flight attendant.

"Excuse me."

"Yes, ma'am. Is there anything I can do for you?"

The flight attendant, slightly intimidated by Seoyoon's outburst, approached her.

"Is there something wrong with the taste, perhaps?"

"No, it's nothing like that. I just have no appetite. It's fine, don't worry about it. Just take it away."

"Of course, ma'am."

Damn it, what a waste!

Even as a Shadow Walker, a powerful undead, she couldn't escape the loss of her senses.

She could barely feel the texture of the noodles, let alone the spicy flavor or the savory broth.

Damn Kim Minwoo.

She cursed under her breath and pulled out her phone.

Countless articles popped up on her newly activated phone.

She focused on the articles about Kim Minwoo, specifically those covering the time since her death.

While his movements were mostly shrouded in mystery, as if he had found a hidden gate, one thing was certain.

“...He’s become a monster.”

She checked the dates.

Late July.

The year was still the same as the year she had died.

But the newbie, who at best was level 50, was now ranked among the world's top-tier players, at a high rank of 157.

The Ilsung Group, which she had considered a rival, had climbed from 20th to within the top 10 of the global business rankings.

Seo Yerim, who she had secretly considered a rival, had been given the ridiculous title of "Divine Archer" and was now recruited into the Money Talks Guild, and...

"Ha, really."

[Breaking News: K-World Ranker Kim Minwoo causes another incident today? Reveals his new summoned creature, 'Vulcan', in a live broadcast...]

[Breaking News: Kim Minwoo's live broadcast surpasses 100 million viewers! The US President is anxious about his power, while the Chinese President and Saudi King desperately beg for his favor!]

[Breaking News: Kim Minwoo declares 'something big is coming'! Asserts that he will soon unveil an astonishing artifact... and that this artifact will only be sold to a select few who are qualified...]

[Breaking News: Vulcan can humanize? Showcasing the dazzling appearance of a beautiful young man...]

With every action he took, thousands, if not tens of thousands, of articles were pouring out. He had become a colossal figure.

Even ordinary news articles were filled with nationalistic fervor.

‘And the credits would become worthless.’

They had barely managed to reach a rate of 800 billion won for 1 point, from the insane initial exchange rate of 1 trillion won for 1 point.

‘I’m not going to let things get worse from here.’

Hardronox had to die. Sending Seoyoon as bait was the starting point of that grand hunt.

—Master? Anything?

[TL/N: The raws didn’t have — this for some reason (mistake probably) but I added them nonetheless: ) ]

“Ah, I just have something to think about.”

He looked at Vulcan sitting beside the bed. Instead of a giant balrog, he appeared as a human with a muscular build of about 2 meters.

His skin had a healthy brown hue, and his complexion was overall reddish.

And, strangely enough, he was quite handsome.

By human standards, he was tall and very good-looking.

He knew this because Cedric had told him.

Originally, he was going to broadcast with Cedric, but he had whispered to him.

―Did you know? Vulcan can transform into a human. If you use that ability this time, he will be much more popular than me.

‘It worked perfectly.’

Thanks to the tickling torture from Merhen, Vulcan had become very obedient.

At the request to transform into a human, he quickly changed his form.

Thanks to that, the live broadcast was a huge hit, just as Cedric had boasted.

"Why can you turn into a human?"

—It's an ability the Lord gave me. To use when I'm moving around the middle world.

"Didn't you hate humans?"

—Hating something and using it as a tool are different things. To win in battle, I’ll do anything.

"Good job. Thanks to you, the broadcast was a hit."

—Damn it. What kind of clown act are you making me do...

"That clown act will help strengthen our forces."

—I hope so!

"Alright, calm down. I'll call Merhen if you keep that up?"

—.......Okay

"Good. Speak calmly and collectively. Okay?"

Just as he was calming Vulcan down, the door burst open.

A small figure ran in and jumped into Kim Minwoo's arms.

"Oppa!"

"Oh, it's Naye."

"I watched the broadcast! Uncle Vulcan too! Uncle was so amazing! He turned into a person!"

"Like this?"

"Yes! Like that! Uncle is so big and handsome! So cool!"

—...

"Huh? Huh? Why aren't you answering? Do you hate Naye?"

Seeing Naye's sudden tears, Kim Minwoo glared.

Although Vulcan was simple, he wasn't completely clueless.

Two days after being summoned to this place, he had already grasped the basic relationships within the Kim family.

‘Kim Naye. Kim Minwoo's youngest sister and the youngest daughter of the Kim family. The unofficial number one in family rank who receives everyone's love. Absolutely do not cross her.’

Vulcan quickly calculated and smiled awkwardly.

—Ha, haha. Of course not. I'm very happy. I'm glad Naye praised me for being handsome.

"Really? Really?"

—Hehe, of course. Of course.

"Hehe, that's a relief. I thought you hated me."

—Haha...

While Vulcan was sweating nervously, Kim Minwoo put a snack from the room into Naye's mouth and asked.

"How are you doing, Naye? Are you having fun at kindergarten?"

"Yes! I have so many friends! There are so many foreign kids now! Our kindergarten is now an international kindergarten!"

"Really?"

"Yes! The principal told me to be sure to tell you thank you! I've told you now, hehe."

It was natural for the kindergarten that Kim Naye attended to be of the highest level in Korea, but that didn't mean it was truly international.

After all, Korea was a weak nation when it came to Awakeners, so it wasn't possible.

Rich people usually sent their children to prestigious overseas kindergartens, and they didn't choose Korean kindergartens no matter how good the facilities were.

But it felt different now. Seeing that foreign kids were coming over...

‘Could it be that they sent someone to seduce Naye?’

Because she was his sister?

His fist clenched involuntarily. If there was someone with such impure thoughts, he would smash their head in...

"But, Oppa."

"Yeah?”

"Alex says he likes me. What should I do?"

"Huh? What do you mean...? Alex? That kid... no, who is that friend again?"

"There's this kid from America, and he keeps sticking to me. He blushes and keeps looking embarrassed..."

"...What about you, Naye?"

"Well, he seems kind of cute...?"

At that moment, Kim Minwoo's face twisted into a monstrous grimace, and Vulcan flinched.

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]