🔊 TTS Settings
chapter 81
In front of Lee Gunsan’s mansion, there was a familiar face.
“Senior?”
It was Kim Min-jung.
She lingered by the door, unable to press the doorbell.
“Why are you here?”
Lee Hyun looked puzzled.
“I was called by the General… But, senior, have you been in contact with the General recently?”
“Well, somehow, recently. What about you?”
“Only you weren’t in contact, but the rest of the Cheongroe unit has been in touch with him just fine.”
Lee Hyun thought of Lee Gunsan, who still wielded immense influence in the military, and understood.
“But really, senior, why…? No, more importantly,”
He looked on in surprise.
Lee Hyun tensed his shoulders.
It seemed his junior had recognized Jet’s return first…
“Why do you smell so bad? You didn’t happen to fall into a bin of maggots, did you?”
“…”
Kim Min-jung pinched her nose and waved her hands.
Lee Hyun quickly sniffed his clothes.
A sour stench hit his nose.
It seemed the odor came from the waste expelled from his body after repeatedly taking the elixirs…
Only then did Lee Hyun realize that even his clothes had turned pitch-black like rags.
“…”
Kim Min-jung subtly distanced herself.
Lee Hyun was left speechless.
[Purification Through Discipline]
A term used in both Buddhism and Daoism, referring to the fundamental purification of the body and mind through practice or training.
All impurities and waste accumulated in the body are expelled along with worldly afflictions through a profound inner enlightenment.
-
Type: Trait
-
Origin: Texts of Zhuangzi
“Puhahaha!”
“…”
“Puhahahahaha!!”
“Stop laughing!”
“Puhahahahahahah!!”
“I said stop laughing!!”
Go Jin-woo rolled on the ground, clutching his stomach from laughter.
Lee Hyun considered tossing this man all the way into the outer yard but…
“…Kheumkhem!”
“Pff.”
Seeing Lee Gunsan cough subtly and Kim Min-jung giggle, he clenched his fist.
“Ha! Even our meticulously disciplined master has such a human side!”
Sa Oh-jung and Son Oh-gong were laughing just as hard.
Lee Hyun felt all the strength drain from his body.
After asking Lee Gunsan for permission, he had stayed in the bath for an unimaginable amount of time.
His clothes were ruined and had to be thrown away; it took scrubbing three or four times before the stench finally disappeared.
Yet, seeing his reflection in the mirror, he regained his confidence.
Not only had the numerous wounds covering his upper body faded, but his muscles were firmer than before.
Especially his mana circuits were now unimpeded.
Mana flowed swiftly as if laid on a highway, wider and allowing him to utilize a much larger mana pool at once.
At this rate, Jet… no, he had definitely become stronger than before.
His holy relics, skills, and secondary abilities were far superior now.
‘And the experience is different too.’
Confidently, he wanted to show Lee Gunsan and Go Jin-woo his new state, but…
“Hey, what about that unmanned taxi? Surely someone else will need it.”
“I already contacted the company and explained the situation. I’ll pay the cleaning fee.”
“It’s not the fee that’s the problem. That taxi wasted a whole day! Such a nuisance.”
“I said I’d pay for it.”
“Well, at least you have some conscience.”
Lee Hyun briefly pondered whether to throw an axe at the teasing man.
“Look at that smirk. Soon you’ll even devour me, huh?”
“…”
“Still, it’s nice seeing you in the Dokgakgui set again after so long.”
Go Jin-woo popped a lollipop into his mouth and chuckled.
“Congrats on returning. You’ve been through a lot.”
It seemed Go Jin-woo had recognized Jet’s return first.
That single remark erased all of Lee Hyun’s past frustrations.
Not just that; all the pent-up emotions from the past four years, all the pressure, seemed to vanish in an instant.
Still, he pouted slightly, unwilling to fully admit it.
“…You think saying that means I’ll let you off?”
“Oh? Scary.”
Go Jin-woo’s eyes curved in amusement.
Kim Min-jung looked on and said,
“What a perfect gathering. If only Moon Soo-chan were here, the four musketeers would be complete. Right?”
“…Indeed.”
Four notorious troublemakers since their school days.
Today, Lee Hyun especially felt Moon Soo-chan’s absence.
What would he have said to congratulate him?
Kim Min-jung watched Lee Hyun and felt a strange sensation.
‘We parted just a few hours ago… but what could have happened since then?’
His rate of growth had become frightening.
Returning as a ranker and already this powerful…
Day by day, his changes seemed unbelievable.
At the same time, the thought of seeing his old self again four years ago made her heart race.
Thump!
Thump, thump…
“General, may I ask why you called us here?”
Suppressing her excitement, Kim Min-jung looked at Lee Gunsan.
Lee Hyun and Go Jin-woo also turned their gaze to him.
“Shall I? I was just wondering when you and Lee Hyun could join us, so I was waiting.”
Lee Gunsan snapped his fingers lightly.
A crystal orb on the floor floated into the air, projecting an image.
[Essence of Broken Time]
Whirrr!
[Replaying stored memories.]
“Min-jung, you’re aware of the operations the military is conducting across regions, right?”
Kim Min-jung glanced at Lee Hyun and nodded.
“We’ve detected operations the Chinese Central Hero Committee planned and are currently eliminating them. Also…”
She took a deep breath.
“They tried to trigger a Dungeon Break on Ulleungdo.”
Rage dripped from her words.
Her anger at the committee.
She had been disappointed when Cheongroe was suddenly disbanded and had even left the military.
Thus, she vaguely knew the committee was behind Cheongroe’s sudden dissolution.
“That’s right. Fortunately, the mop-up operation succeeded and the break was stopped.”
The video showed Ulleungdo, highlighted by the blue sea.
Helicopter units moving en masse.
Special forces attempting an airdrop.
But Lee Hyun felt the leader’s eyes at the forefront of the Baekya unit seemed familiar.
‘Could it be…?’
Thump, thump, thump-
Ignoring Lee Hyun’s doubt, the video continued.
A skirmish in a densely wooded forest.
Enemies being killed or captured flashed one by one.
Their epaulettes read “氷新 (Pingxin).”
Lee Hyun’s eyes flashed.
[The Snow Queen detects a similar combat style in those on screen.]
[The Snow Queen expresses doubt.]
“That’s the Baekya unit. Formed from awakened soldiers after Cheongroe disbanded.”
Lee Gunsan spoke, masked, observing the Pingxin soldiers.
“They haven’t achieved Cheongroe-level feats yet, but they’re still proud heroes of Korea. Thanks to them, most of the enemies were subdued before the break occurred…”
The video shifted to the mountainside.
A massive dungeon gate appeared.
“We couldn’t stop the gate from opening.”
Lee Gunsan nodded bitterly.
“It seems dungeon searching was faster than expected. Reports say the gate was ready before the military even deployed.”
Lee Hyun, Go Jin-woo, and Kim Min-jung pressed their lips together.
The gate opening meant the risk of a break wasn’t over.
“Currently, the enemy presumed to have entered the dungeon numbers twelve. Among them…”
Beep-
The video switched to one person’s face.
“Ha! A familiar face.”
Sa Oh-jung chuckled.
Lee Hyun recognized him instantly.
‘Qing Xiao.’
Prince Nata’s disciple.
They’d met in the <Pied Piper> dungeon, so it made sense he wasn’t seen earlier.
“He’s not alone. There’s also Yeonhwa Jiwang.”
Beep.
New faces appeared.
Men and women with sharp gazes.
Their resemblance indicated they were siblings.
Instantly, the three’s expressions changed.
“You know them too, right?”
“I never imagined the Twin Calamities would appear here.”
The twins were famous rankers from the Central Hero Committee, notorious for causing trouble worldwide.
“Three rankers confirmed inside the dungeon. We’re quickly assessing if there are more. But…”
“They’re being cautious because they haven’t fully identified the enemy’s strength.”
“That’s right.”
Lee Gunsan nodded gravely.
“Considering the scale comparable to the Gangneung incident, we expected a strong force, but not this strong.”
“President Peng always takes bold moves that surprise his opponents. Perhaps…”
Lee Hyun’s gaze deepened.
“There may be other rankers… or even a high-ranker.”
Go Jin-woo and Kim Min-jung swallowed hard.
A high-ranker.
If a national-level force was involved, this was serious.
“So, the military is reorganizing forces. But time is critical.”
“That’s why not only me, but Min-jung was called. Jin-woo’s also well-armed.”
Lee Hyun estimated how helpful they could be as reinforcements.
‘Currently, twelve enemies identified… perhaps fifteen including the unknown. At least three rankers, possibly a high-ranker.’
[Holy Relic: Kingoa activates, speeding up accident processing.]
Whirrring.
A whirling sound in his head.
Afterimages flashed across Lee Hyun’s eyes.
‘The Baekya unit’s force unknown, but assuming two or three rankers can be handled… our three could handle one high-ranker. Nearly equal.’
He narrowed his eyes.
‘No. Not enough. We need overwhelming force to prevent them from acting freely.’
He didn’t overestimate himself despite his new strength.
‘Besides, they’ll be searching for Bungma. I need time to act alone. Other reinforcements take time. Should I request White Burn support?’
But Lee Hyun knew Lee Gunsan rarely relied on private corporations.
Not ignoring White Burn, but due to military pride and duty.
No matter White Burn’s power, duty to protect Korean citizens came first.
Then a thought crossed Lee Hyun’s mind.
There was only one way to solve this without White Burn support.
‘This situation… really feels like a mission briefing.’
He glanced at Go Jin-woo.
His equipment mirrored his state four years ago.
Before discharge.
During the Cheongroe era…
Lee Gunsan’s attire was the same.
His uniform as an active-duty General, not retired.
At first, Lee Hyun thought it was because the General was prepared to enter the field personally due to the situation.
But it seemed otherwise.
“General…?”
A slight smile.
“So you’ve finally noticed? You can be slow sometimes.”
Lee Hyun’s eyes widened.
Lee Gunsan’s deepened.
“Yes. Temporarily, we’re reviving Cheongroe. Many former members are armed and waiting on Ulleungdo.”
“…!”
“As a retired general and high-ranker, I just received an official support request. From this moment, Cheongroe will operate as a mercenary unit.”
Lee Hyun’s eyes trembled slightly.
Lee Gunsan emphasized,
“I want you to lead them again.”
“…!!”
Lee Gunsan asked,
“Can you do it?”
