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chapter 205
A supernatural phenomenon of unknown origin.
The moment Lee Hyun saw its shadow he instinctively understood.
「That calf.」
‘Yes. King Sata. Right?’
「He isn’t a sleepwalker — why is that guy wandering around like that? Wasn’t he sealed?」
The notes Peng Jinghao left said the following.
—Isan Daeseong Satawang: sealed in the desert near Palmyra, Syria… Originally Russia intended to use Satawang as an experimental subject to reconstruct various ancient Near East/Myth traditions, but they met strong resistance….
‘There used to be a research facility secretly operated by the Russians over by the Palmyra desert.’
「It’s always darkest right under the lamp. It would have been easy to hide it from outside eyes.」
‘But Satawang getting out means—’
「The seal was broken for some unknown reason. Whether our eldest brother did something to deliberately release him or whether that Isan fellow broke free on his own, I don’t know.」
‘Which was it when Daeseong saw him?’
「I don’t know. People would usually assume the former, but considering that bastard’s fucked-up personality, the latter is entirely possible too.」
The white monkey folded his arms and sneered.
「He’s the wildest, most demonic one among us. That man.」
According to Sun Wukong’s account, Isan Daeseong Satawang was originally a spirit being.
He was born as a male lion — the king among beasts — and after living past his allotted lifespan he was worshiped as a god by nearby human tribes.
So he was rather clever, but apart from that he tended to follow impulse and instinct.
「So he would have hated being dominated more than anything, and as soon as he saw a gap he might’ve escaped. If so—」
‘The research facility is probably already ruined.’
That settled where they should go first on the Near East front.
「Whether it’s the former or the latter, what does it matter? Either way, our eldest brother’s claws have surely reached there.」
Sun Wukong narrowed his eyes.
「Judging by how weak Isan’s eyes look right now, it seems the one who didn’t normally use his head is using it even less. If he wakes fully soon, it’ll be a huge disaster.」
The current Satawang was in a state similar to sleepwalking.
He’d only recently been unsealed, so he aimlessly wandered like a ghost, but if his thinking gradually returned to normal, disaster would follow.
And,
its form would likely be similar to Labu that once exploded out of the <Nest of the Primeval Dragon Tiamat>, or maybe even worse.
It meant the whole world could be put on emergency footing.
‘We must stop it no matter what happens before that.’
「The longer we delay, the more dangerous it’ll get.」
Sun Wukong looked straight at Lee Hyun.
「We’re going?」
There was a strange emotion buried in his eyes.
He was the last of the sworn brothers left — that made him anxious.
‘I already told you: Daeseong is Daeseong’s brother, and I—’
「You said you must go for your brother?」
‘Yes.’
「Alright. Then we’ll get ready to make a run for it. We can’t lose to the eldest brother.」
Sun Wukong grinned and leapt, disappearing into the shadow.
“…….”
Lee Hyun lifted his head and stared at the screen again.
Right now U.C.O. is only classified as an “observation — caution” level of danger, but who knew when that might change.
His eyes sank deep.
Michael Shepherd bowed his head slightly.
He was asking for help with a search operation.
But the team members hesitated and only exchanged glances.
“Why are you asking us in particular? There are other Astra units, other awakened teams in the U.S., and plenty of large guilds, aren’t there?”
A few nodded.
America was indisputably the world’s sole superpower.
They wouldn’t ask White Burn for help — much less single out Z Team — if they had no resources.
“Of course, domestic teams will move separately. The Palmyra desert and surrounding areas are huge. The UN has agreed to assist the search, so a CTF (Combined Task Force) might be formed soon. Also maybe—”
Michael emphasized the last words.
“‘The Sacred Wolf’ himself might act directly.”
“……!”
Lee Hyun’s eyes flashed.
The Sacred Wolf.
Shunka Wakan.
It meant Logan Redsky, America’s top ranker who traces lineage to the nature deity Wakan Tanka.
A descendant of the Anglo-American indigenous peoples, he was known to be a man of great righteousness.
“But they’ll probably focus on confronting the U.C.O. directly. If they interfere, things could get dangerous.”
“So they want to draw the U.C.O.’s attention while commissioning our team to search?”
“Formally, Z Team will participate as part of the multinational search team. But—”
Michael’s expression darkened as he looked at Lee Hyun.
“The director believes Jet — you — will pull it off. I believe the same.”
“You flatter me too much.”
“I’m not flattering. It’s a fact based on the forces we assessed during the Tenzin operation. Besides, we don’t know when the Sima Association might cause trouble….”
“You expect the ones most entangled with them to take the lead.”
Michael nodded.
“What’s there to hide? This plan would provide Z Team with a good excuse to establish itself on the Near East front. Didn’t Peng Jinghao want to capture things?”
Kim Minjeong, who had been quietly listening, barely shook her head.
‘No. We should refuse this offer. Right now, with just us, continuing the search and handling the Sima Association afterward would be too much.’
If they were to participate as players on the Near East front, Astra’s proposal was a very good pretext.
They’d receive critical info for foreign operations and could use base camps — lowering expenses.
Most importantly, relations with Astra would grow closer.
That alone would give Z Team a powerful backer for future growth.
But,
‘The Palmyra desert is far too vast. Dealing with that U.C.O. is dangerous.’
She knew well the perils of a five-star dungeon.
And if they faced an entity comparable to, or greater than, the lesser god Labu encountered before—
it might not end in mere annihilation.
It could drag the entire White Burn deeper into ruin.
Wouldn’t it be better to try another approach?
However,
before Kim Minjeong could voice that opinion,
‘……He’s already decided.’
She saw Lee Hyun’s expression and let out a wry smile.
His eyes were unwavering.
There was no visible hesitation.
“All right. We’ll assist the search.”
Michael brightened.
“Thanks. This will be good for Z Team too—”
“No. We’re not volunteering for conditions or conveniences. Honestly, the risk is far greater because we might run into a U.C.O. We might even have to operate solo at times.”
“Then—”
“We’re doing this for one reason only. Friendship.”
Friendship.
A word unexpected in this harsh world.
Michael’s eyes widened a bit.
Lee Hyun smiled.
“Since the Tenzin operation, Astra has been our comrade. If comrades are stranded in a barren desert and we don’t help, what are we? Beasts.”
Michael glanced at the other Z Team members.
They all nodded blandly with smiles.
As if it were the most natural thing.
That reaction kindled an unspoken warmth in Michael’s chest.
He searched for words to represent that feeling, but proper expression failed him.
So he squeezed meaning and feeling into a simple statement.
“Thank you. Really.”
……But,
‘What’s he trying to squeeze out of us this time…?’
Watching Lee Hyun’s sly smile, Kim Minjeong let out a hollow laugh.
A report was uploaded to White Burn’s intranet.
“Z Team posted a proposal!”
“Really? What dungeon this time? What long-unsolved dungeons are left?”
Employees at the Dungeon Strategy Department rushed to the intranet.
After Lee Hyun’s return, the next dungeon exploration they would launch was the hottest topic.
The contingent that had defeated the 4-star dungeon <Ice Palace> — the successor to the Cheongroe Unit — where would their formidable force head next?
But the problem was most of the famous long-unsolved domestic dungeons had already been cleared by Lee Hyun.
Only minor ones remained, so people wondered if the new operation would live up to expectations.
They logged in eagerly, but—
“Huh?”
“This is…?”
The proposal wasn’t about dungeon exploration.
“Overseas deployment?”
<Deployment Proposal>
The Near East front has been chaotic for decades due to proxy wars waged by various countries and factions, yet many undeveloped dungeons remain. There is an urgent need to secure them …
“This is a bit….”
“Isn’t this too dangerous?”
In the hunter industry the Near East front had long held a nickname.
—The Graveyard of Guilds.
So many guilds had plunged in and been ruined there.
“There are still many myths and traditions in the Near East and Middle East with no clear owner.”
“Just off the top of my head: Zoroastrian, Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Hittite….”
“So clearly securing dungeons would be great, but would those who arrive first really stand by? The 13th Legion, the Tower of Babel—they’ll throw every kind of obstruction imaginable.”
“If you get dragged into a front, getting out won’t be easy….”
“You’d think a former special forces leader would know all this. What are they thinking?”
The employees clustered around monitors, unable to concentrate.
From the intranet summary alone they couldn’t deduce much.
Some said it was hubris; others suspected it might be a pretext to collide with the Sima Association who’d escaped the Central Hero Committee.
But what drew the most attention was another part.
“Is this for real?”
“Drafting a formal protocol for a joint operation with Astra… Hmm. That’s big.”
“Lately there were rumors the Astra chief of operations has been coming and going to the executive office often. Was that true?”
In the end, curiosity only grew.
“Z Team submitted this proposal?”
San-shin Mo Jeonggyeon skimmed the formal document rather than the summary and tossed it onto his desk.
Thud!
It made a weighty sound.
A lengthy report running dozens of pages.
“Someone’s laid out in elaborate detail how they plan to gnaw away my money.”
“White Burn is a corporation. A listed company at that.”
“So?”
“Under current corporate law, retained earnings within the company aren’t all the chairman’s private funds.”
“You bastard.”
“If you actually read it thoroughly, the document’s logical progression is quite plausible.”
Geum Ji-sang, standing across with his hands behind his back, answered.
Mo Jeonggyeon’s face soured at the brazen reply.
“Are you slamming me for skimming it?”
“Yes.”
“You’re shameless these days.”
“What’s the point of beating around it? You won’t listen either way.”
“You wouldn’t listen even to direct talk.”
Geum Ji-sang made no reply to Mo Jeonggyeon’s brazen line.
“But the content is persuasive. The idea of saving deployment costs through an official agreement with Astra and quickly securing dungeons in the region is quite concrete and practical. They’ve done… a lot of research.”
In truth, Geum Ji-sang was reevaluating Lee Hyun’s abilities.
He wasn’t only good at fieldwork; he’d shown administrative skill as well.
For a hard-bitten field soldier, his future strategy and practical exploitation of advantages were unusually detailed.
That suggested he had long been interested in the Near East front.
So Geum Ji-sang liked Lee Hyun’s plan.
In reality it had been a five-minute output — he’d been lazy with paperwork and cranked Gingoa up to the max to spit out pages in one sitting.
Sometimes ignorance is bliss.
“Hmm…. ”
“Doesn’t the plan appeal to you?”
“No. Actually, I was thinking it’s time we get out more seriously. We’ve been holed up for too long; we’re all tense over that Tenzin affair, aren’t we?”
Mo Jeonggyeon twisted one side of his mouth.
His tiger-like fangs bared wickedly.
“Guarding is done against those you think you can match. But what happens if you realize the gap is so huge you can’t touch them?”
“You’d be terrified.”
Geum Ji-sang smiled wryly at his superior’s nasty hobby starting again.
“And if the gap widens even more?”
“You’d revere and worship them.”
“That’s right. So let’s crack some skulls and show who the king of the mountain is.”
“So you like the plan?”
“Yes. I like it.”
Mo Jeonggyeon nodded readily.
“But what bothers you?”
“Liking it too much bothers me.”
“……What do you mean?”
Geum Ji-sang made a face that said, ‘Here we go again’, and Mo Jeonggyeon muttered petulantly.
“It would be boring to just say yes.”
“…….”
“How shall we toy with them?”
His expression turned excited.
Geum Ji-sang sighed.
There was no stopping him at this point.
“Call Team Leader Jang. I want to check how the assignment I gave last time is going.”
Mo Jeonggyeon’s mouth twisted into a big grin as he bit down on a toothpick.
