Chapter 461. Cruising? (2) |
Chapter 461. Cruising? (2)
‘Once again, I’ve been misunderstood by a human. But still, no matter how much they worry about someone else’s heal, it’s really right to go so far as to smash my jaw to stop me?’
What would happen if it got revealed here that the alien had destroyed the dungeon by underhanded means?
Kim Giryeo looked at the humans collapsed in heaps around him. Then he closed his mouth. A sincere conversation had become difficult in many ways, but on the other hand, he was satisfied simply knowing that he had finally fully understood the bizarre actions Kang Changho had carried out.
‘Hassong ah, I’m sorry. I guess this is roughly how you must have felt when you got hit with the incense burner in the middle of the street.’
Kim Giryeo nodded in understanding, coming to terms with several things. The sequence of events wasn’t much different from the incidents he had caused in the past, leading him to an unintentional moment of self-reflection. While the alien remained silent, Kang Changho continued speaking.
“The dungeon [Iron Maiden] is well aware of weaknesses in people like us superhumans, and unlike real historical artifacts, it relentlessly targets only the human upper body.”
“_ _”
“You must have had an incredible spear driven into you—what on earth were you hoping to gain by going through all that trouble?”
After quite a roundabout journey, putting together everything that’s come out so far, doesn’t it seem like Kang Changho is this kind of person?
He sided with his compatriot in the unknown gate, even revealed one of his skills so that someone wouldn’t foolishly run their lung capacity, and although he called it a hobby, in the end, he ended up stopping illegal artificial awakening practitioners who threatened the world.
‘Wow. He may be called Kang, but his actions are basically no different than the dark Jeong Haseong.’
Looking at all the circumstances revealed so far, there was really no reason to blame him.
“My identity has already been exposed, and I don’t have the confidence to dig any deeper into this organization beyond this gate, so I’m planning to step back soon. I’ll probably hand over the matter of artificial awakenings to the powerful governments of the world. So the information I’ve been collecting as a hobby until now—there’s no reason I can’t share it with a fellow Korean.”
And now he’s even offering to kindly share the results of his own investigation. At this point, wouldn’t it be reasonable to forgive the misunderstandings and the beating he caused back then?
“I see.”
Actually, no—it wasn’t really okay.
In fact, this wasn’t a decision made out of a lack of mercy on the archmage’s part either.
‘For mammals, this fact would have been completely invisible. The scariest part about the [Regeneration] spell Kang Changho just used… is that it consumes almost no energy.’
How was this even possible? He had pushed the efficiency of ‘effort cost’ to the absolute limit—to the point that even a flimsy human vessel could use it. And in terms of activation speed and completion speed, there was nothing lacking either.
Kim Giryeo recalled someone else’s skill. In truth, the regeneration magic Kang Chang-ho used was extremely rare, even on a planetary scale. And if he tried to think of a comparable Earth example to the [Super Regeneration] just displayed, there was only one.
‘Even Brooklyn Morgan, a naturally gifted mage, was terrible when it came to healing magic.’
Transcendental regeneration was a phenomenon that has alien being only managed to showcase around their second awakening. Yet, that primitive human succeeded at this level a remarkable with a healing magic known for its difficulty?
“_ _”
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The heartbeat itself was no different from usual. However, the reincarnated Alphabet felt intense discomfort in this state, without a change in facial expression.
“Hunter Kang Changho, but that old man over there… it looks like he’s about to wake up.”
“Ah, really?”
So he took action.
“For your reference, the reason that old man was left alive is… he’s a very important figure, so I was planning to hand him over to a country that would continue investigating on my behalf—”
Thud!
A person collapsed. Kim Giryeo completed a [Stun Magic] in a split second so brief that even the highly perceptive awakened being couldn’t notice. And he applied it to the opponent right in front of him.
‘If Kang Changho were a Golemche, or someone like me… an individual very well-versed in modern magical studies, he would have no choice but to reflexively defend against this.’
It was to confirm the uneasy premonition that had chilled his chest.
‘A true mage has mental defenses proportional to their skill. So maybe during the [Mermaid Pass] incident or the [Castle of Sloth] event, they were just pretending to be affected…?’
But well… unfortunately, this was the outcome.
‘…I assumed it might exist, but in the end, this is how the picture turns out.’
To put it again, the person collapsed. The man with teal-colored hair went limp to the ground the moment the tip of the archmage’s tentacle—index finger—touched his body. Even if one waved a hand above the back of his head, there was no sign of magical fluctuation, and with his consciousness gone to this extent, no one could act even if they were about to take his life.
‘He wasn’t some well-spoken Golemche after all.’
The person in question had poor resistance to mental magic. Kim Giryeo noted this and stared at the empty white background.
“That settles the question!”
Of course, giving a thumbs-up in one’s mind didn’t actually make the situation any better.
‘And it seems this archmage is kind of screwed right now, so I’d better calmly think about how to handle things moving forward.’
It was good that the unease in his heart had been settled. However, somehow a bit of his hidden power had also been revealed in the process. So, while Kim Giryeo was pondering how to deal with the awakened Kang Changho, he also took advantage of the quiet moment to accomplish his original objective. With death scattered all around, the alien searched through people’s minds to extract information.
***
Five minutes passed.
“…Are you okay?”
A faint voice was heard.
“Are you okay?”
In fact, human unconsciousness rarely lasted for hours. It was the result of the brain struggling to survive and using a last resort. Kang Changho ended the barely noticeable 3 second lapse of consciousness and opened his eyes expressionlessly.
“Are you awake?”
And Kim Giryeo kept talking to make sure the other didn’t fall asleep again. The blonde man’s face was just as expressionless, but in reality, he was extremely unsettled inside.
‘This…’
In fact, the alien wasn’t reacting like this because of the mistake that had knocked Kang Changho unconscious.
‘I didn’t expect him to immediately go straight for the leader like a bull backing up.’
Absurdly enough, the black-skinned old man lying over there was none other than Youth himself.
‘The person who used that codename openly showed their face around, pretending to be a middle manager! I saw the exact information in the mind of the artificial awakener who wields lightning.’
It meant that the organizational structure was roughly like this. Moreover, much more could be gleaned from Youth’s direct subordinates. In other words, the archmage had obtained information that even Kang Changho didn’t know.
‘So, what they really want is… to produce as many artificial awakeners as possible. Then, in return, sell the treatment serum that alleviates the side effects they suffer. Once they lure people with the desire for power, from that point onward, they can manipulate humans through their survival instincts, right?’
Kim Giryeo pondered briefly.
‘So that must be why they suddenly increased the number of procedures. They probably announced the existence of this point, the archmage could fully influence the flow of events. Some might ask why an old wealthy man would to develop a longevity serum for superhumans. Looks like they haven’t fully succeeded yet…’
The arrival of a classic psycho who aimed to take over the world by using superpowers as a plague. Surprisingly, up to this point, the archmage could fully understand the flow of events. Some might ask why an old wealthy man would to other string up such a troublesome scheme in the twilight of his life. But it isn’t natural for an intelligent being, as they age, to regret unfinished dreams rather than a single meal?
The real problem was just this part. An old man had skipped the expensive “Radiation Awakening Method” because of the high equipment costs and instead spread the relatively economical “Catalyst Awakening Method” throughout the world. Surprisingly, neither of these two methods had originated from the old man’s own ideas.
‘The red-colored stone slab that fell from the gate…’
It was soon revealed in humanity’s records that on that red, thick, and rugged stone slab, methods for enhancing the body of a primitive being had been presented. It meant that the dungeon masters themselves had kindly translated the catalyst recipe used in the illegal procedure clinics into Earth’s language and handed it over.
‘What could it be?’
This was something that had definitely never happened on Alphard. Could it be that those Galledche each exhibit new behavioral patterns when they settle on a primitive magic planet? Or, if not that… had the cosmic conquerors who settled here instead triggered some kind of “evolution” within themselves?
Kim Giryeo did not jump to conclusions here.
“Are you feeling dizzy by any chance?”
In fact, there was an even bigger problem, making it impossible for him to continue his thoughts. In the meantime, Kang Changho fully regained his focus and rose to his feet.
“What should I do?”
However, a few seconds later, Kang Changho stood up completely—and then he started saying something he’d never expected to hear.
“I’m sorry.”
Sorry? What reason could he possibly have to say he’s sorry at a time like this?
“My recovery ability that I just showed you is a skill called [Super Regeneration].”
“Ah…”
“But because its effect is so exceptional, it consumes a huge amount of stamina every time I use it.”
“S, stamina?”
“It also affects my mental strength. I guess that’s why I ended up fainting. Thanks for staying by my side and not leaving.”
The alien creature stammered in disbelief at the unexpected stroke of luck. However, Kang Changho, completely unbothered, readily extended his hand for a handshake to the very person who had knocked him down. It was his way of expressing gratitude.
“And sorry to ask you something else, but… have you seen any other Koreans inside this dungeon?”
Kim Giryeo responded as if he’d been waiting for this comment.
“I already rescued them over there. I found them a bit late, but there were two people locked up inside some kind of iron cage.”
The alien reacted awkwardly to Kang Changho’s remark.
“Don’t look at me like that. I narrowed it down with difficulty—they’re people who pretty much deserve to die anyway.”
“What do you mean, ‘deserve to die’?”
“What I mean is, all those so-called bigshots lying around in this dungeon are the same. They’re people who live their lives cheaply, and I simply put them to good use. How is that a bad thing?”
“Honestly, it is bad.”
“Let’s not get hung up on tedious things like the price. If you look purely at the result, this is practically a service to all of humanity.”
If he liked doing good deeds that much, he should’ve cleared some domestic gates instead… The words rose all the way to Kim Giryeo’s throat, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to say them.
‘Even if they are criminals, using another living being however you please is still a cruel thing to do.’
The phrase that finally came to his mind was “they’re both in the wrong.”
‘But honestly, there’s almost no difference between what Kang Changho just did and what I did in filtering them out.’
Strictly speaking, his own hands weren’t clean either, so the alien kept his mouth shut.
Personal validation is, after all, something easy to condemn. Yeah… Seo-yeon Yeon, I’m sorry. Just like you said, ethics is truly a delicate thing.
Just as the man with the dyed hair was deep in thought, the smiling Korean cautiously began to speak to him.
“But, you…”
The alien grew tense, worried that his use of the Stun Magic had been discovered—but fortunately, that wasn’t the topic the other person brought up.
“I’ve been thinking this for a while, but now that we’ve actually met again, you’re surprisingly healthier than I expected.”
“Hmm?”
“I did block your number, yes, but that was just because I thought it’d be easier for both of us if we stopped paying attention to each other.”
“Hmm.”
“Actually, it’s not like I wasn’t curious about how you were doing.”
Kang Changho tied up the two Koreans Kim Giryeo had rescued, along with the elderly man, using the ropes inside the treatment room. Then he continued speaking in that state.
“Common sense says that any citizen would be interested in the health of a Great Awakener who protects the nation, right?”
When Korea was mentioned, Kim Giryeo tilted his head at that point.
“But in that dungeon, similar to [Iron Maiden], you didn’t hesitate to throw our country’s hero right in, did you?”
“Are you talking about [White Maze]?”
“Yes…”
Heh. Kang Changho laughed heartily again at the alien’s words.
“That was truly unavoidable. My [Super Regeneration] can’t get through the structure of the final room, [Iron Maiden].”
“Really?”
“There’s no such thing in this world as a ‘corpse that can use skills.’ That’s why even someone like me was worried I might die. In any case, in that EX-grade, I really did miss up.”
Kang Changho was laughing, but for some unknown reason, Kim Giryeo couldn’t bring himself to join in.
“But whether it’s for personal reasons or because higher-ups are involved… Kim Giryeo, you came all the way here to gain something, didn’t you? Aren’t you going to ask more about this place?”
“About the treatment room?”
“I just have some time now, so I’m keeping you company for a bit. But I’ll say this upfront—there won’t be a ‘later.’”
But even in front of a sentence like that, he couldn’t remain silent.
“Don’t worry. I don’t think there’s any need to hear more of the story anyway.”
Kim Giryeo spoke cautiously.
“From the start, Kang Changho already killed them all, so there’s no one left to interrogate. The few survivors are being handed over to the proper government authorities anyway, so that’s fine. I’ll step back too.”
“Hmm.”
“Honestly, I came here for a reason similar to yours. I was just… curious about how artificial awakening is done.”
“The original catalyst is over there, so take it and analyze it yourself.”
He couldn’t mention that he had examined the corpse. So, the Archmage came up with a reason as naturally as possible given the circumstances. Kang Changho nodded, seeming to accept it. Then, still carrying the people to be taken outside, he spoke.
“So, are we done here?”
For reference, since they each had to leave for different countries, they had to split up in the ant-nest-like passage.
‘The problem is that he acts on his own often, but Kang Changho has noticed the existence of the Goi niche and seeing him perform like this inevitably changes my evaluation.’
So, after a long thought, Kim Giryeo nodded.
‘That’s not the kind of rotten soul you’d need to kill and crack open the skull to examine. Judging from his information network… honestly, something like that could actually be part of some secret organization involved in world peace… maybe.’
The person in front of him had overwhelmingly superior internet-searching skills, yet their magical knowledge was so limited in many ways, but on the other hand, he was satisfied simply knowing that he had finally fully understood the being, he never forced an interrogation.
‘Since I already have the personal details of the youth, there’s no need to bother identifying the existence of such a benevolent organization. The leader who was acting proactively has been captured, so the artificial awakening waves will gradually fizzle out. Besides, mammals are just inferior to me when it comes to the subject of dungeons, no matter what they do.’
Far from interrogating him, when briefly knocking him out in the first place had weighed heavily on his mind—it was an action that put quite a bit of strain on the other’s head, after all.
‘If he can use [Super Regeneration], maybe he can recover from a mild concussion too?’
So, Kim Giryeo didn’t stop those who wanted to leave and turned to walk away.
“The person with the curly hair who was managing this place… don’t let them slip away while you’re transporting them.”
“Hmm.”
“I’ll really trust you with this, Hunter Kang Changho.”
Actions that, at first glance, seem like a complete return with empty hands.
‘Anyway, it’s a relief that using [Stun Magic] can be brushed off as a misunderstanding; in fact, some ways, this incident might have even smoothed over my relationship with that Earthling.’
But the alien had survived the crisis and, in his own way, had acquired the information he had, so he came out with considerable gains. Thus, he head out outside the dungeon without any complaints…