NOTICE: Many of the novels have been removed because they might cause violations, which we were not aware of earlier.
Episode 63: Gimcheon Liberation Zone (1)
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【The God of the Hammer】
【Even if exposed to any debuff skill, the tactic value will always remain above 100.】
【Mad Mathematician】
【For skills affected by probability, the probability is calculated and displayed accurately.】
【Strong Lord】
【You will be in a state where you feel no sad emotions at all. However, you can activate it if necessary.】
It didn’t take long to sort out the situation and confirm the contracts of the constellations that had been stolen within it.
Within five minutes of the start of the battle, five out of more than twenty hunters were dead.
Three of them were hunters who had made contracts with the constellations, and Kang-hoo was able to make good use of their contracts.
The rest were either ‘tasteless’ constellations or leftovers with no contracts at all.
From Kang-hoo’s perspective, there was no reason to continue fighting these guys and wasting energy.
so.
【The Curtain of Skill】
I subdued Dereila earlier and used the Veil of Art skill that I stole from her.
As we moved within the opaque gray curtain, enemies could not approach us without warning.
Although some hunters appeared to be concentrating as if trying to detect stealth.
“I can’t detect it… … .”
“Back off. I don’t know where you are!”
“Get out of here, you little ones!”
Unable to pinpoint Kang-hoo’s location, everyone retreated in fear.
Even if we fought 1 vs. 20, we would have lost. With the addition of hiding, I didn’t even have the courage to fight.
“after.”
Kang-hoo, who came out of the dungeon, took a deep breath and looked back, thinking about what might happen.
I wondered if some of the hunters from the Kalbaram gang might come out after me.
But it seems like it was an overestimation, because they didn’t even show their noses.
Rather, inside the dungeon, the Kalbaram gang was gradually moving away from the entrance.
After a short while, Jeon Se-hyeok and Ban Se-yeong followed Kang-hu.
Kang-hoo looked interested when he saw the two people who seemed to be close to each other.
This wasn’t strange, as the element of personal connections often leads to unexpected relationships.
Whether she had received a word from Jeon Se-hyeok in advance or not, Ban Se-yeong left Kang-hoo alone, saying that she would definitely contact him next time, and then sat far away.
Jeon Se-hyeok, who confirmed that Ban Se-young had fallen far enough, started to cry.
“It was an impressive battle. You have a huge variety of skills.”
“I know how to show off some tricks.”
“It feels like you came to this dungeon to complete a quest. It doesn’t seem like this is your first time soloing, does it?”
“Actually, I’ve never really played outside of solo play until now. I feel more comfortable alone.”
Looking back, I’ve never once gone into a dungeon with someone in sync.
Although there have been times when we strategically coordinated with outside forces when necessary. Like Yoon Sang-mi, for example?
“I originally wanted to get to know each other while having a drink or two, but I changed my mind.”
“How has it changed?”
I didn’t dislike Jeon Se-hyeok’s attention. No, I liked it. He is a person who will be of great use in the future.
It would be even more helpful if we could get some information inside Eclipse through him.
In the end, from Kang Hoo’s perspective, Kang Dong Hyun is also a ‘certain’ enemy that he will run into again someday.
I thought that for now, they were just in a strategic truce, but that a clash was inevitable.
“Would you like to take on a request?”
“Is this a request?”
“I have a favor to ask of an acquaintance, and I think Kang-hoo would be pretty good at it.”
“Is this a test?”
“I think I would really like to become close with a hunter who can successfully complete a request of this level.”
Although it was a roundabout way of saying it, the test was right as Kang-hoo thought.
There is no reason for Kang-hoo to be tested by Jeon Se-hyeok. He is not going to be his subordinate.
But if there was a rite of passage required to become close to him, I definitely wanted to go through it.
It seemed like Jeon Se-hyeok always did his own tests like this before opening up to someone.
I didn’t mean to say it was unusual.
If a person with power wants to be friends only with other people with power, who can say anything?
If you don’t like it, just ignore it and don’t pursue a relationship.
“I don’t think you’re running a mercenary group.”
“That’s right. It’s not a request from a mercenary group, but rather a sharing of a request I received personally.”
“Is this a matter that the client has agreed to?”
“Of course. Since we are best friends, you don’t have to worry about that.”
Jeon Se-hyeok nodded.
And what was whispered in Kang-hoo’s ear was completely different from what he had expected.
Kang-hoo asked back in surprise.
“Are you asking me to rescue the nephew of Lee Hyeon-seok, the leader of the warlord ‘Abyss’?”
“That’s right. My nephew Su-hyeon. If I were to call him by his correct name, it would be Min Su-hyeon.”
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“Min Soo-hyun.”
“He is also Hyunseok’s only blood relative.”
It was a request to rescue Lee Hyeon-seok’s nephew who had disappeared.
Since I couldn’t ask for the job from outside sources, I only asked my acquaintances.
That’s because Lee Hyeon-seok is a person with many enemies, so public requests can actually be poisonous.
This is a part where they could try to find the missing Min Su-hyeon and take him hostage, and try to exploit Lee Hyeon-seok’s weakness.
“I’m not your acquaintance.”
“But I think it would be hard to keep my mouth shut. Besides, I know a lot about Mr. Kang-hoo.”
Jeon Se-hyeok’s words could be heard as praise, or as a threat, depending on how you listen to them.
In other words, he was certain that if this secret leaked out, it was definitely his doing.
“Are you thinking of doing it yourself?”
“I’m confident in firepower, but not in mobile warfare. This is an impossible request for me.”
“hmm.”
Jeon Se-hyeok cleanly admitted his weaknesses.
Judging from the mention of mobile warfare, it seems like a place that requires quick movement and stealth.
“Where do you think Min Soo-hyun will be?”
“It’s not an expected place, it’s a definite place. It’s a large area, but it’s definitely inside it.”
“Where is it?”
“Gimcheon Liberation Zone.”
“You’ve been to hell.”
Kang-hoo smiled bitterly.
Gimcheon Liberation Zone.
It is usually abbreviated to Gimcheon Liberation District.
The name alone sounds plausible, but in reality it is a completely lawless city.
A place where mercenaries without connections, hunters who have been expelled or disciplined by their guilds, and all kinds of criminals gather.
It was truly a crime city, but it was also an area with more people than I had imagined.
Rather, it is a more prosperous place than most cities, and all kinds of banned substances and narcotics are sold there.
Furthermore, it was an area where murder and assault occurred without a care in the world.
As long as you follow a few rules that apply in the liberated zone, no matter what you do, it won’t be a problem here.
In fact, it is a place that most hunters have no reason to visit.
But if you had to save people, it was a very risky place because you had to move around inside it.
‘It’s attractive because it’s a place where you can get decent items cheaply.’
Since so many hunters die, the trading of items is quite active.
Most of the sources are obtained by killing and robbing, or by pillaging somewhere.
“The compensation will be at least 5 billion won. In addition, we will provide many other conveniences that can be provided by Abyss through negotiation.”
“For example?”
“There will be several opportunities to conquer the dungeons in the northeastern part of Gyeonggi-do, which are tightly held by the Abyss.”
It’s a reward that tickles your fancy.
An attractive offer for Kang-hoo, who needs to increase his skills by defeating middle and main bosses through dungeon raids.
Jeon Se-hyeok added.
“And since I will guarantee your back, if the rescue is successful, you will receive a lot of gratitude from Hyunseok.”
“Including warranty.”
“Yes. It’s not like I’m looking for a lost child in the neighborhood. It’s a request that I have to risk my life for.”
“Okay, I accept.”
Kang-hoo received the request.
It’s not that I’m going to the liberated zone because I’m confident that I can take the lead.
The calculation was that at least I would be able to escape safely without dying.
The basis for this is the fourth privilege obtained from the Dimension Robber.
There was movement to the designated location.
Although it can only be used once a day, it is still an option that is not lacking.
“Let’s have drinks later, how about that?”
“Okay, then. I think we can leave right away.”
My business here is over.
Besides, the distance from Pohang to Gimcheon is not that far.
Of course, you have to provide the mined stones and receive a commission.
I was thinking of contacting Lee Ye-rin and asking her to come down to Pohang herself.
Since I’ve been visiting her every time and making things convenient for her, calling her once shouldn’t be a problem.
“Please take care of me. Hyunseok has already sent several hunters from the Abyss, but they all seem to be dead.”
“It’s a little ironic that you would send me to a place like that.”
“Wouldn’t it be better if you thought of me as believing in you that much? Haha.”
Kang-hoo thought that Min-su-hyeon had missed the opportunity to escape rather than died inside.
Since you said you were a skilled magic hunter, you should be able to protect yourself.
But it was plausible that he only went in and couldn’t come out because he was probably hiding somewhere.
* * *
As soon as Lee Ye-rin received the call, she came down to Pohang, and the settlement was quickly completed.
After completing all the settlements for the Jayo-seok mining and selling of unnecessary items.
With an additional 7 billion won in profits, a total of 17.6 billion won in ammunition was secured.
It’s more than enough money to roam around the markets in the liberated zone.
Unless you want to buy a 2nd grade or higher.
A brief encounter with Lee Ye-rin.
But something important was discussed.
“For now, we’re looking into Mr. Park Min-seong. It’s true that he was included in the missing person report.”
“Please let me know if you have any further news.”
“Yes. And one more thing. Mr. Jang Si-hwan requested information about Mr. Seon-gyu.”
“hmm?”
“To be exact, I sent him Seon-gyu’s CCTV footage and asked if he knew anything about this person.”
“I see you’re investigating Gong Tae-soo’s case. Why are you so interested in something that has nothing to do with you?”
Although he said it casually, it was something that bothered him.
Because Gong Tae-soo and the Jeong-hwa Guild have no relationship whatsoever.
It’s not like I have any connections with Jang Si-hwan.
However, the fact that Jang Si-hwan is personally looking into it means that he is interested in the person who attacked Gong Tae-soo.
Since that person was Kang-hoo himself, he couldn’t help but feel welcomed by the interest.
Kang-hoo asked.
“What’s the answer?”
“Of course I didn’t know and cut it off. I’m an independent entity, not Jang Si-hwan’s subordinate.”
“I believe you will do it wisely.”
He gave me a quick hint.
Even if you ask her to speak, she won’t.
Because for the leader of the mercenary corps, trust is everything.
If you easily sell the information of clients you are actively dealing with, no one will trust your mercenary group.
Rumors spread quickly in this world too.
So once I got caught like that, I couldn’t handle it. It was basic to become a public enemy.
‘Then, should I stop here?’
Kang-hoo checked the flow of the surrounding area, which was relatively unpopulated, and prepared to save the location.
【This location is a safe area. Would you like to designate a return point to that location immediately?】
If we save Min Soo-hyun, this will be the point where we can immediately escape the liberated zone.
As it was a place where you could quickly get away from Gimcheon Liberation District, it was definitely a safe place from being pursued by anyone.
Preparations for escape are complete.
Now that we have secured the ammunition, all that remains is to go to Gimcheon Liberation Zone.