Chapter 45 – Smash, Charge (8)

“Stay away! You can’t!”

“Talk. I won’t ask twice.”

Covered in blood, I was nearing her.

Literally a bloodbath.

She saw how her subordinates died in front of her.

There was fear in her eyes, fear of someone with absolute power.

“L… Let me live.”

“Who knows about me?”

“I’m just a low end nobody. I’ve never reported to the higher ups directly.”

“You don’t know?”

“Yes. I only work with the money and manpower provided. So please let me live.”

“I don’t think those words are fitting for someone who treats people’s lives like flies.”

“…..”

“Now the little shit that put a dagger in me. The one who left a hole in my stomach. Where is he? If he’s that skilled, there is no way he’d get wiped out with the trash mobs like these. He’s probably in here. Where exactly, though?”

“……”

To my question, Park Hyun answered with silence.

Even at the face of death, huh. I respected her for that.

However.

‘Piercing Sword.’

The skill that attacked at my will flew towards her.

“I said I wouldn’t ask twice you know?”

“AHHH! JIN!”

In a span of a few seconds, her arms and legs had become unrecognizable, cut apart like tattered leather.

I had no plans of doing things slowly today.

Park Hyun tried to heal herself with what little mana she had left.

Her eyes were of someone at the edge of losing their sanity.

Her body trembled as I healed her.

Because I had a lot more questions to ask.

“Jin? The shit’s name is Jin? You reported to Jin about me. Right?”

“C… Correct……”

“And Jin would’ve reported to the higher ups.”

“…..”

“Why did you want to bring me in?”

“It was to make the world as he willed it. For a new utopia.”

“Wanting my power. Was that all?”

“……”

“Where should I rip you apart this time? I’ll ask for the last time. What are you up to?”

“P.. Project…. Underground f-”

It was at that moment.

Her upper body exploded.

Blown apart as if she swallowed a bomb.

Definitely the work of this ‘Jin’.

It was at the moment she was about to reveal important information.

To stop her from talking, he had killed Park Hyun.

From the pool of blood on the ground, a man’s form appeared.

A shadow.

Appearing like smoke, he looked at the remains of Park Hyun’s lower body and spoke.

“Stupid bitch. Can’t do anything right.”

“Are you the one called Jin?”

A man whose face was covered by a black mask.

A red aura covered his body.

Wearing nothing but black clothing, he was like a shadow.

“You’re more amazing than I thought, brat. You have powers beyond my expectations.”

“Don’t talk bullshit and answer me. Are you Jin?”

“Yes.”

“Then listen up. I don’t want to know who you reported to, and or what they’re planning to do. And I don’t care what you are trying to do either. But know this. If you get in my way, you won’t be able to avoid a dog’s death. Understand?”

“Ku. Funny.”

“You think I’m joking?”

Countless swords flew out.

With pinpoint accuracy, they all pierced his body.

But he didn’t respond or move in the slightest.

Banwol Jincheon had surely went through all over his body.

However not a single drop of blood spilled.

Almost like attacking smoke without form, only black haze rose.

After countless attacks, his laughter echoed.

“Kuhahahahahaha.”

Towards the sound of his laughter, I turned my head.

His form had multiplied to nearly a hundred and was filling up my view.

Both Piercing Sword and Gravity Laser could not hit him.

He wasn’t just your average trash mob.

An attack that went through 3 of my level 100 shields in one go.

And even after going through them all, still causing me a lethal injury.

I knew he used assassination attacks, but he still went past my expectations.

I stopped flailing about with my skills.

Instantly, he appeared before me and spoke.

“Endless mana. With such powers, why do you not dream bigger.”

“Big dreams? Are you telling me to conquer the world?”

“With such potential you provide… With them, it wouldn’t be impossible.”

“That kind of a childish dream. You can dream all you want, just don’t mess with me or those around me.”

“That’s all, you say.”

“Answer me.”

“Pft. I don’t like complex plans that people like Park Hyun comes up with too. But you seem to have lots of uses. We’ll meet again, brat.”

“The moment I see you, you’re dead.”

I was in the middle of casting Iceberg, but Jin had already left a sarcastic smile and faded into the shadows.

The 12th underground floor.

The battleground was filled with weapons without owners and the stench of blood.

I used Eye of the Storm to gather what was left and used Fire Shock.

I couldn’t leave any evidence.

All the gear they left behind. I was sure there were some that would fetch incredible prices.

But I didn’t want to mess with any of them.

I hurried to the elevator.

I had to go to the central command center to get rid of all the evidence I was here.

But before that I had to go somewhere.

The words she spoke before dying, I had become curious about them.

Just what were they up to.

The elevator had an underground floor up to the 14th.

13th and 14th. There were some time left to look around.

-Ding. 13th underground floor.

* * *

“What? There’s nothing here. Since she knew she was going to die anyways, did she trick me?”

On the 13th and 14th floor, there was nothing left.

Both floors were completely empty.

All I could see were the building’s foundations and metal meshings.

I couldn’t help but feel that something was off.

I went back onto the elevator and ripped apart the panel for the buttons.

There was a small button below the 14th floor’s button.

“Of course.”

-Ding. 15th underground floor.

“What the… why?”

The lowest floor for the building, the 15th underground floor.

When the elevator’s door opened, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

There was a portal.

It was a portal that once explodes, would pour out monsters.

A level 25 portal at that.

Portals appear at random.

There is a possibility that this portal naturally formed at the underground floor of this building.

But it also could mean that they knew about the existence of this portal and made it Noblesse’s headquarters.

The latter seemed more convincing.

My focus stayed on the portal for short moment.

I looked around as well.

There was a machine I’ve never seen before connected to the top of the portal.

And against the walls were people who seemed to be asleep inside capsules.

It wasn’t just one or two, but hundreds.

And all the capsules were connected to the machine atop the portal.

Could be that the machine is extracting something from all these people to the portal.

Or possibly that it is extracting something from the portal and injecting it into all these people.

“What the hell is all this?”

After thinking briefly, I checked the time on the phone that started to work once more.

For the past 2 hours, there were many missed calls from Jong Ho.

Must’ve been ringing since I’ve been on floor 12 where all signal is blocked.

I couldn’t spend any more time here.

I took a video footage of the entire 15th floor with my smartphone.

Seemed that they were up to something incredibly malicious.

I headed for the central command center afterwards.

All the CCTV footage collected throughout the building comes in here.

If I destroyed this place, there shouldn’t be any records of me left.

Since it wasn’t a place built to withstand any impact, I used my weakest skill Lightning Spray.

As the lightning began to take shape, the phone rang.

Jong Ho called.

“Yes. Hyung.”

“HEY! Why won’t you pick up!”

“Since I’m underground, I guess there was no signal.”

“You okay? Where are you right now?”

“I’m about to leave. Where are you? How about mom?”

“We’re still at the debate. No matter who comes in, it’s safe. I kept calling you but you didn’t pick up. I thought I was going to die from worrying. Seriously.”

“That’s good. I’m fine. I’ll finish up and leave.”

“Alright. You’re okay for sure, right? After you leave, call me. Promise you will.”

“Yes. I understand. Don’t worry.”

* * *

I went to the roof of the building.

All exits were still blocked off.

If I forced my way out, I would be looked upon with suspicion.

The buildings nearby were about 30 to 40 km away.

I took the change of clothes from the cello bag I brought and put the Banwol Jincheons in.

After that, I leapt over to the other building.

With the amount of strength points I had, the distance wasn’t an issue.

I went through the other building to get to the ground floor.

It’s over. Is it really over though?

Jin’s ‘for now’ wasn’t really letting me relax.

None of my attacks had worked.

But from what he said, there were superiors above him he reported to.

Even more monstrous than him.

I decided to stop thinking about the complex details.

I caught a taxi quickly.

From the window, I could see there was work occurring to open the Noblesse’s entrance.

“Driver. Take me to the Mapogu association headquarters.”

“Yes. To association headquarters.”

* * *

As soon as Min-Cheol left the Noblesse’s building…

Jin acted swiftly.

It was to destroy the project room in the underground floor.

It was a situation where their identities could’ve been revealed.

He even got rid of all Min-Cheol’s tracks completely – the hand held radio at the entrance, all the way to his bloody footprints.

After finishing up, he arrived at base.

“Jin. Situation?”

“Noblesse guild annihilated. Including Park Hyun.”

“That stupid bitch finally did it. The project?”

“Other than the portal itself, all evidence has been erased.”

“They’d only become suspicious towards Noblesse and Park Hyun.”

“That’s correct.”

“Let’s not dwell on it. Only a small river was flowing to the sea was blocked. You sure it was just him doing this alone?”

“Yes. I’m sure he has infinite mana. Using all classes’ magic infinitely.”

“So our guess was correct. What is his combat capabilities?”

“As you can see, he had enough to slaughter a guild of over 500. But since he wasn’t able to attack me, he is an amateur in terms of understanding and controlling skills.”

“I see. Jin. Please take care of this. I can’t rely on low idiotic peasants no longer.”

“Understood. I’ll look over him for the time being.”

“For our plan, he is indispensable.”

“Yes.”

Jin left the meeting room afterwards.

Behind the darkness the blinds provided, a man intertwined his hands and spoke to himself.

“So I have to raise a tiger cub… Pfft. This will be interesting.”