------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
------------------
Chapter 82: The Road Home
The two brothers reunited in an unexpected place.
Im Jaebaek stood frozen, his mouth agape.
"Those people rescued me."
"I was merely following Yoojin-nim's instructions."
The mercenary replied curtly to Im Jaeyoung's introduction.
Before embarking on his debtor charade, Yoojin had given Madam one more request.
'That brother of his. Place a request to have him rescued within a week.'
'To extract him without conflict, we'll need at least a 5 Star Hunter skilled in stealth.'
'The cost?'
'At least 40 billion won.'
'That's assuming there's a Hunter available to take on the request immediately.'
Madam added.
'A major incident will occur at the Seagull Group soon.'
'Hoho. You speak of such terrifying things so casually.'
'In that case, would you be able to find a Hunter to take the request right away?'
'If we lower the requirement to 4 Star... I can personally make an offer to a friend of mine.'
'The price?'
'I'll set it at around 15 billion won.'
'I'm touched.'
Madam's selection was impeccable.
Infiltrating the Seagull Group and assassinating someone wouldn't be difficult.
However, rescuing someone being held captive?
The target was a civilian with no abilities, which increased the difficulty of the request several times over.
'Finding someone capable of handling this for 15 billion won...'
Truly...
Her business acumen was remarkable.
He was curious about the mercenary's identity, but it wouldn't be polite to ask here.
"Excuse me, benefactor."
"Call me Yoojin. It's embarrassing."
"Is your offer that I'm needed still valid?"
Im Jaebaek wore an unprecedentedly serious expression.
"Without even knowing what it's about?"
"Regardless, Yoojin-nim must have needed me to go to such lengths."
"That's right. I need your abilities."
"I don't know what you see in me, but... I'll work under you, Yoojin-nim."
Im Jaeyoung was startled and grabbed his brother's arm.
"H-Hyung, what's going on?"
"This gentleman here saved us."
As Im Jaebaek explained the past events to his brother...
Kronos, who had been silent, subtly sent a thought.
〔Huh. I can't fathom why he's acting like this.〕
'I told you. I have my ways.'
〔While it's true that you've shown him kindness, aren't there still many questionable aspects?〕
Kronos, unlike his usual self, made sharp remarks.
Even if Im Jaebaek was skilled, at this point, he was at best a young entrepreneur who had found success in his local area.
He had only appeared in a couple of local newspaper articles.
〔Under normal circumstances, even if you needed this small human, you wouldn't go so far as to shackle yourself.〕
'That's true. I did go overboard.'
〔This small human must also be fully aware of that.〕
'He's a quick-witted person, so he'll take that into account.'
〔Is there a possibility that he might harbor other intentions?〕
Yoojin slowly shook his head.
'One thing's for sure, Im Jaebaek is a man who clearly distinguishes between favors and grudges.'
The Executioner, Im Jaebaek, had a clear standard:
- Favors and grudges must be repaid.
From the perspective of Korean society, he was a criminal who abused vigilante justice instead of seeking legal punishment.
Even so...
There were quite a few people who secretly supported Im Jaebaek because he had a firm set of principles.
'Now that his brother is alive, he won't go around killing criminals like before.'
Even so...
A person's nature wouldn't change.
The fact that Yoojin had invested so much to save Im Jaebaek, even risking his own life, wouldn't change.
Why had he made such an investment?
That was no longer important.
〔Is this the judgment of a Regressor who has come from the future?〕
'It is.'
〔Inferring the process by looking at the result is admirable, but that judgment won't always be right.〕
'I'm aware of that.'
〔Remember that the future you experienced is not always the correct answer.〕
Instead of scoffing, Yoojin replied with a serious nod.
The great constellation who once ruled time.
Few beings understood the concept of 'time' as deeply as Kronos.
Even if he usually ignored the ridiculous heroic chants, he should heed sincere advice like this.
'A constellation's intuition is more intuitive than any objective indicator or data.'
It hadn't even been half a year since his return, and the future had already significantly deviated from his memories.
Jang Miseon, who should have died in the Arhan Guild's trap with no body recovered, was alive.
Song Myeongseok, who was supposed to become one of the Nine Heads of the Kowloon Guild, was resurrected as an undead and became Yoojin's (?) loyal subordinate.
'I can't even begin to imagine the extent of the repercussions from this alone.'
Not only had the direct confrontation between Arhan and the Phoenix been brought forward...
But it had also backfired, causing Vice President Baek Seonghyeon to view Yoojin with wariness.
However, he didn't regret it.
They were enemies he would have to fight eventually. As Yoojin rapidly grew stronger, it didn't matter if the time to bring down Arhan was moved up.
'There will be more changes.'
From now on, relying solely on knowledge from the future could lead to mistakes.
Yoojin didn't take Kronos' warning lightly.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Take the two of them to the Milky Way Pub."
"What about the client?"
"Something came up, so I'll be going separately."
"Changing the request midway incurs an additional fee."
The mercenary's words were rigid.
If he was Madam's acquaintance and disliked changes to requests...
'It must be him.'
Yoojin easily guessed the identity of the hooded mercenary.
Indeed.
He had already established a connection with Madam around this time.
"I'll add 10%. Is that alright?"
Unconcealable doubt flickered in the mercenary's eyes.
He must be curious.
One less person meant less work, yet instead of arguing that point, Yoojin was readily offering an almost forced additional fee without complaint.
〔It seems this small human is quite promising.〕
'It seems you've also caught on, my lord.'
Kim Seongyu.
Madam's hitman who actively utilized his stealth-type innate ability.
Before the regression, he was a 5 Star.
〔He doesn't seem that impressive. Compared to those you've recruited or raised as undead so far, that is.〕
'He died early in the all-out war between the Milky Way Pub and the Red Spider.'
〔But how can you judge a small human's potential?〕
'I heard he injured the 7 Star Red Spider boss.'
The seventh rank was the second major wall.
The moment a martial artist surpassed that wall, they could unleash the powerful supernatural ability [Aura Blade], capable of imposing their will on the world.
They could also spread their mana outwards, allowing them to perceive things more clearly than with their five senses.
'Ambushing a 7 Star expert is nearly impossible.'
The fact that he accomplished such a difficult feat was proof enough of this taciturn mercenary's potential.
〔Then do you intend to recruit this small human as well?〕
'That guy is devoted to Madam. Unlike Im Jaebaek, I don't know how to approach him.'
Simply instilling a positive impression would be enough.
As long as he could pay, he could ask Madam to utilize him as much as he wanted.
There was no need to keep him by his side.
"I'll see you later."
"We'll discuss business at the top in a few days. The compensation won't be bad."
The Humvee left the village, kicking up a fierce cloud of dust.
Yoojin watched the Humvee depart, then boarded the fishing boat docked at the coast.
"Let's go."
-Kaaaaaw!!
The Skalar weren't very intelligent.
Despite being reborn as 4 Star, or mid-level undead, through [Modification], their fish-like origins limited them to following simple commands.
Traveling from the East Sea to the South Sea, then the West Sea, and finally to Yeonpyeong Island was absolutely impossible.
'It's a good thing I stocked up on food.'
With his weapons and the subspace pocket he borrowed from Lee Seongmin, he should be able to handle any variables that arose during the voyage.
Yoojin optimistically took in the endless horizon.
＊ ＊ ＊
'...There was a time when I thought that way too.'
Yoojin sat down on the deck, his face pale.
Sailing along the South Sea to Gyeonggi Province wasn't as smooth as he had anticipated.
The first challenge was the distance.
He had thought that once he was at sea, there would be no turning back, but...
"Holy shit! What are these waves?!"
Splash! Splash!
Even a short distance from the coast, the waves made every bit of progress a struggle.
This was his first experience with sailing, both in his past and present life.
Naturally...
Sailing wasn't as simple as just setting a direction and moving forward.
Even with the Skalar's strength cleaving through the waves...
The tied-together fishing boats were repeatedly tossed about by the currents.
Crash!
Once, the boat completely capsized, sending him diving into the sea.
It was only thanks to his physical abilities, on par with a 3 Star martial artist Hunter, that he survived.
Hiss.
Just thinking about the capsizing made him taste salt.
'Ugh. I'm never sailing again.'
〔Hahahaha. It was an amusing voyage that served as a wake-up call for your arrogance.〕
'I'm so glad you find it amusing.'
He should just drink seawater and die so the constellation would stop his nonsense.
Fortunately, he had stored all his spare food in the subspace, so he was safe even when the boat capsized.
Truly...
It was a good thing he had obtained the subspace pocket early thanks to the Arhan Guild.
'Thank you, Arhan Guild!'
As he smiled, thinking of the Arhan Guild that always provided him with opportunities...
Black smoke appeared in his vision.
〔Isn't that your territory?〕
'It seems so.'
Black smoke rising above the whitish fog.
It was from the Yeonpyeong Island coast.
'Have the Gaesung human hunters made their move?'
Yoojin's eyes, scanning the surroundings, locked onto something.
A cargo ship near the island.
The deck, which should have been loaded with containers, was swarming with monsters.
'A cargo ship that size wouldn't be able to dock at Yeonpyeong Island.'
Even if they had secured a docking point in advance, landing would be difficult.
The human hunters didn't try to force the cargo ship closer.
Instead...
Splash—! Splash—!
"Crazy."
Tall monsters like Ogres and Trolls recklessly jumped into the sea, creating splashes.
Although the West Sea was shallower than other seas, it was still the final destination of countless rivers.
Even for large monsters, it was deep enough that they couldn't touch the bottom.
"Krrrroooo!"
"Gurk, guurk."
Even the large monsters like Ogres and Trolls couldn't adapt to the sea's depth, flailing their arms and legs.
"Don't be afraid and move!"
The human hunters urged the monsters on.
Some cracked whips from the deck, inciting the monsters' rage.
The monsters, though struggling, advanced towards Yeonpyeong Island.
Only about a third of those who jumped from the deck managed to reach the shore.
【To think that exhausted monsters are my opponents. How dull!】
Fafnir charged with a roar.
The Revenants followed, and the Skeleton Mages lined up, wary of the distant cargo ship.
'Good judgment.'
The Skeleton Mages were only 2 Star.
Low-ranking magic wouldn't inflict significant damage on large monsters.
Recklessly projecting firepower would only waste mana.
It was wiser to station them along the coastline to prevent the cargo ship from approaching.
〔Reckless. To waste your forces so needlessly.〕
'No. It's just as effective for them.'
〔Only 30% of them reach the shore. And even those are exhausted.〕
'They can just capture more monsters near Gaesung.'
Monsters overflowed in the border areas.
Gate Cores that had fully assimilated with the land absorbed mana from the atmosphere and the earth's veins.
They spewed out monsters at regular intervals, so different species of monsters fought amongst themselves, regulating their numbers and solving the food problem.
'They're preserving their main force and throwing in freshly captured monsters to wear down our strength.'
Tsk—
Yoojin clicked his tongue.
They must have used the same tactic to capture Yeonpyeong Island before the regression.
He wondered how they had managed to acquire a cargo ship capable of transporting monsters.
〔Hahaha. A dead end. How do you intend to overcome this predicament?〕
'It seems you've misunderstood.'
Yoojin chuckled at Kronos's words.
'It's those guys who are cornered.'
-Kaaaaaw!!
The distant ancestors of the Bloodfin Salmon.
He had 79 Skalar, undead crafted by awakening the origins of the magical beast Bakunawa.
If it came to a naval battle, it would be difficult to lose even if he wanted to.
"Go, my minions."
-Kaaaaaw!!!
The Skalar, who had been suppressing their ferocious nature throughout the voyage, ignoring any creatures they encountered...
As soon as Yoojin gave the order, they charged towards the cargo ship with a fierce roar.
------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
------------------
