TRPM 120

chapter 120

After hearing Rachel and the chairman discover my identity, and the story about what the chairman suspected had happened in Japan, I nodded.

“The Japanese government and Japanese Awakeners are in conflict… the possibility is definitely high.”

And I could also guess why I hadn’t heard anything like this before my regression.

Even if Japanese Awakeners wanted revenge against their government, before my regression, the entire world was already reeling from waves of terrorism.

That being the case, Japan’s government wouldn’t have even dared to summon foreign elites.

Strong individuals were too busy protecting their own homelands.

“And this incident is basically a national disgrace for Japan… of course they’d try to hide it.”

Whether the matter had been resolved or not, it made sense that the ears of a mere middle schooler wouldn’t have heard a word about it.

“When’s the dungeon raid scheduled?”
“Tomorrow. Japan seems eager to clear it as quickly as possible, since those armed dinosaurs could cross the gate at any moment.”

That was Yeon Mirae’s reply to my question.

…As quickly as possible?

“……”
“…What is it?”
“No, it just seems a little odd.”

Think about it.

“If they wanted to raid the dungeon that quickly, Japan should have rushed to bring in foreign elites immediately.”

But they didn’t.

It took nearly a week for the flight to be arranged after Yeon Mirae and the others accepted Japan’s proposal.

“Now that you mention it…”
“……”
“……”

The four of them looked deep in thought, considering what Japan’s true goal might be.

And the first to reach a conclusion was Shin Han-ji, the chairman.

“They must have used that week to prepare something.”

Perhaps preparations to silence the elites.

Perhaps negotiations with—or measures against—the Awakeners responsible for this incident.

Or perhaps something we couldn’t even imagine.

“In that case, I should go see for myself what the Japanese government has been preparing.”

It was unlikely they’d be preparing something to actively harm the foreign elites they’d invited. So maybe I didn’t have to worry.

But I decided to confirm Japan’s schemes firsthand.

“Then I’ll go with—”
“No. I’ll go alone. You need to rest for tomorrow.”

Even if Yeon Mirae stayed up all night, her condition wouldn’t collapse. But tomorrow, it would be best for her to maintain peak form.

“The Awakeners behind this incident know that elites from all over the world have gathered. There’s a strong chance they’ve set traps designed to slow down even those at the level of Aura Masters and Archmages.”

Such traps couldn’t completely stop them, but they could delay them. And even Yeon Mirae would need to take them seriously.

“So rest well. The same goes for you, Arthur, and for you as well, Chairman.”
“Understood.”
“Thank you for worrying about us, little Geon-woo.”

With that, I watched them all go to rest before slipping out of the hotel.

“Now… if I want to see what the Japanese government is up to…”

Heading to the National Diet building would be best.

Japan still had an emperor, but he was only symbolic, without real authority.

It would be better to investigate the Cabinet, Japan’s real executive branch, rather than the powerless emperor.

The next day.

Yeon Mirae, Arthur, and Chairman Shin Han-ji set out for the dungeon where the dinosaurs had appeared, alongside other elites gathered from around the world.

Rachel, of course, stayed behind at the hotel.

As Geon-woo suspected, the dungeon was dangerous enough that even fighters of their caliber would need to be wary. Protecting Rachel while fighting there would be impossible.

“(With just the three of us, this team’s balance isn’t bad.)”

That was Shin Han-ji’s remark.

Yeon Mirae and Arthur were publicly known as Aura Masters.

And Shin Han-ji was an Archmage.

Two in the vanguard, one in the rear—a solid and balanced formation.

“You can just speak in Korean. We’ve got two Koreans on this team anyway.”
“Are you sure?”
“I studied at the Korean Academy too. Not as fluent as English, but I’m comfortable enough.”

“And really, it’s more efficient for just me to use Korean than for you two to stumble through English.”

Arthur said that, then glanced around.

The many elites nearby were forming teams of three to five.

Some grouped with fellow countrymen, but many mixed with elites of other nationalities.

“(Wouldn’t it make more sense to stick with one’s own countrymen? They’d already know each other’s styles, so coordination would be easier.)”

Almost as if reading Arthur’s thoughts, Shin Han-ji explained:

“This isn’t a competition. It makes sense to form teams for balance, not just nationality.”

Yeon Mirae sensed there were probably political reasons as well behind the multinational teams.

But she didn’t say that aloud.

“(We’re commencing entry!)”

At some point, all the teams were ready. A representative from the Japanese government gave the signal.

“And yet… not a single Japanese Awakener in sight.”

As expected, this strongly suggested Japanese Awakeners were behind the incident.

At the very least, the Japanese government clearly had no intention of involving their own Awakeners in this operation.

The other gathered elites had likely reached the same conclusion.

With those thoughts, Yeon Mirae and her companions entered the dungeon along with the rest.

And then—

Clang, clang, clang!

The moment they stepped inside, the sound of metal colliding filled the air.

Yeon Mirae and Arthur, swords already drawn, slashed and deflected incoming bullets and shuriken.

Other Awakeners calmly defended themselves as well.

But the traps didn’t end there.

Boom!
“(Argh…! These bastards…!)”

One man cried out as flames from an explosive shell licked his body.

“(Careful! There are incendiaries mixed in with the bullets!)”

That warning froze everyone’s faces.

Only because they were Aura Masters, Archmages, or their equals did they escape unscathed. Ordinary Awakeners would have suffered casualties already.

“(We’ll handle disarming the traps! Move slowly and follow!)”
“(Damn… these are nothing but traps dripping with malice….)”

The espers among them spoke up.

Conventional traps were no match for their powers.

The others instinctively formed protective screens around the espers, guarding them as they advanced.

“…There’s no opening in anyone’s movements. It’s like they’ve been comrades for years.”

Yeon Mirae positioned herself to cover her allies, impressed.

Different nationalities, different affiliations—but they moved like one, anticipating each other with only glances.

Few guilds could display teamwork like this.

“Of course. Cadet Mirae, Cadet Arthur—you two are exceptions. Most Aura Masters and Archmages are veterans of countless battles.”

That was Chairman Shin’s comment.

Indeed, veterans instinctively knew the most efficient response to every situation.

The problem was—

Click—!
“(Urk…!)”
“(Damn it…!)”

Whoever had set these traps was also a veteran.

They’d anticipated how other veterans would think.

Most traps were disarmed before triggering, but smaller ones still inflicted steady damage.

Not enough to kill or cripple anyone, but enough to make progress frustrating.

“…These traps are clearly meant to stall us.”

Arthur cut down a shuriken aimed at Shin Han-ji as he spoke.

Everyone shared that conclusion.

This dungeon had no monsters so far—not a single dinosaur sighted.

The traps were purely to buy time.

“If we run into dinosaurs on top of this… it’ll be troublesome.”
“They probably won’t combine them. Dinosaurs wouldn’t be safe from these traps either.”

Shin Han-ji replied, healing the wounded with recovery magic.

Yeon Mirae noticed his healing still wasn’t quite at Lee Ha-eun’s level, but kept that thought to herself.

Instead, she glanced at Arthur, who was visibly chafing at the slow pace.

“Well, Arthur has always cleared dungeons at breakneck speed…”

He’d never experienced a raid this slow.

Other veterans, who had struggled through dungeons as weaklings, knew this was normal. Arthur only understood it in theory, not from experience—hence his frustration.

“I’m similar, but at least I had those days as a porter to prepare me.”

Since mastering martial arts, Mirae had also grown used to fast clears. But before then, she’d seen firsthand how sluggish dungeon raids usually were.

So she wasn’t upset—though she couldn’t help but feel restless.

“Cadet Arthur? Raids are about safety before speed. How many times did we stress that at the Academy?”
“…You’re right. My apologies.”

Chairman Shin had noticed Arthur’s impatience.

Arthur acknowledged it without protest. This was no place to rush.

And so they pressed forward, cautiously disarming trap after trap.

Until at last—

“(No more traps detected.)”
“(Good. Then we can begin in earnest.)”

The espers’ words brought smiles all around.

It wasn’t just Arthur—everyone had been feeling pent up.

They’d only hidden it because they knew restraint was necessary.

“(Now let’s scatter and slaughter the dinosaurs!)”
“(I heard dino meat tastes good….)”
“(Idiot, not raw. You need a real chef to cook it properly!)”

Laughing, the elites split into teams again, moving quickly.

“Now that safety’s assured, it’s time to think about speed. Shall we pick up the pace?”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”

At Shin Han-ji’s words, Yeon Mirae and Arthur charged forward, eager to vent all the pent-up frustration they’d built enduring the traps—on the dinosaurs.