TRPM 148

chapter 148

Igrasped the stones the other children had collected in my hands while riding on Sahar’s servant, Fenrir, who was on Sarang’s back.

And then I threw them.

Fwoosh…!

Thud!

The stone I threw this time flew at high speed and smashed the weapon and arm of the guy wearing powered armor.

Blood gushed from his arm and sprayed in all directions.

‘The kids are awakened, so they’ll eventually get used to blood… but not yet.’

Showing human blood to them now would be premature.

That’s why I had already told the children not to look this way. They obeyed, turning their bodies and running somewhere else.

Probably to bring the adults.

By the time the adults arrived, the situation would already be over.

Grrr…

“You can bite, but don’t kill. I need to find out the source of the powered armor, the method of smuggling, and who’s behind this.”

I patted Sarang’s head as I said that, and she nodded slightly before dashing off.

Thud…!

Sarang’s feet splashed through the seawater.

Despite her massive size, she didn’t sink into the sea and moved forward in a straight line.

‘Is this the realm of Dengping Dushu?’

Running on water.

Compared to levitation, it’s a lower level, but that’s understandable—levitation requires someone of my strength to use. Considering that Sarang learned this not through formal martial arts but by observing me and Yeon Mirae, this is clearly an impressive form of lightness skill.

‘Wait, but Sarang isn’t human… she’s a wolf. Can we even call this lightness skill?’

Anyway.

“…! A wolf… running across the sea!”

“A new type of monster? It’s coming this way! Stop it!”

The observers aimed their weapons at Sarang as she crossed the water toward them.

These weren’t the guys whose arms I had just smashed while they were wearing powered armor. Many of them weren’t wearing armor at all.

Those in powered armor usually have support troops because their mobility is weak.

Tat-tat-tat…!

Compared to the heavy weapons carried by those in powered armor, the firepower here was lower, but still lethal.

Bullets were fired toward us.

‘AM rounds… no, just ordinary bullets.’

They weren’t bullets packed with gunpowder designed to pierce monster skin—just standard ammunition.

The bullets flew toward me and Sarang, but I didn’t move.

Sarang could handle this on her own.

Auuuuuuuuu…!

Kwah!

Howling.

Sarang’s howl alone generated a shockwave, enough to push away the flying bullets aimed at us.

“…Hm…”

Assassins, who had seen monsters dodge or ignore bullets before, looked incredulous at this method.

Meanwhile, Chloe Greenwood—the woman commonly referred to as an elf—seemed to recognize us.

“The youngest Aura Master in Korea! And the servant of the youngest Grand Mage!”

“…What… Aura Master? That little kid?”

“Why would someone like that suddenly appear?!”

The assassins were clearly taken aback.

They may have come prepared to face strong awakened humans with powered armor and heavy weapons, but they weren’t prepared for someone of the caliber of an Aura Master or Grand Mage.

‘Even with good equipment, ordinary awakened humans usually don’t plan to confront Aura Masters or Grand Mages.’

I thought back to the incident when the Oracles attacked Yeon Mirae trusting only their equipment, but that was an abnormal case.

Ordinarily, no organization would directly confront someone of Aura Master or Grand Mage level. They couldn’t, and they wouldn’t.

So…

“…Damn it! Run!”

It was natural for the assassins to try to flee.

“Wait! Let me go!”

“You can’t escape with that armor!”

Those without armor immediately turned and ran upon realizing my presence. Those burdened by the armor were trapped.

Meanwhile, Sarang landed gracefully between the elf’s guards and the assassins. I dismounted from her back and spoke to her.

“Remember how we practiced discus throwing?”

Grrr…

Sarang seemed to anticipate what I was about to say next and lowered her body, growling.

“Grab them all.”

Bang…!

“…As I said, don’t kill them.”

Before I finished speaking, Sarang disappeared.

She’s smart enough to bring them back alive. Though in the process, the assassins’ limbs might be torn off.

I looked at the assassins trapped by their armor.

‘…I can’t tell their nationality at a glance.’

Each seemed to be from a different country.

Well… I could capture them and hand them over to the Association. They tried to massacre everyone to eliminate witnesses, so the Association wouldn’t stay passive. They might even consider it a terrorist act.

And since I’m involved, not just the Korean Association, but Richard, head of the Global Awakened Association, would intervene. If necessary, I could request assistance through the puppet I have with Albatross PMC.

“…”
“…”
“…”

The assassins in powered armor remained silent as I finished thinking.

Not just the assassins.

“…”
“…”
“…”

Even the elf and her guards, who were supposed to be protected, didn’t say a word.

The reason was simple: I was showing my presence. Not deadly intent, just presence.

‘They feel the gap in power.’

They unconsciously submitted to an entity they couldn’t resist.

‘Though I only revealed most of my presence to the assassins, so the elf and her guards were immobilized without further issue.’

But the assassins were fully exposed to my presence. They were probably forgetting to breathe in sheer terror.

‘Ah, they mustn’t die.’

So I concealed my presence.

“Gah… Huh…! Huff!”
“Cough…! Cough…!”

The assassins gasped, struggling for air.

I watched them for a moment, then moved behind them. I climbed onto one of the armored suits.

“…!”

The occupant held their breath, clearly scared. I ignored him and slipped my hand into the armor.

‘Let’s see… around here?’

Feeling inside, I recalled the armored suits I had seen in England.

[These types usually allow another ally to take over if the wearer loses consciousness or dies.]
[The system makes it difficult to remove the armor alone.]
[So it should allow someone else to remove it at any time.]

So if I pull…

Whir… Click.

“Ah?!”

The back of the armor opened, and I forcibly pulled the assassin out.

Crack!
“Aaaah?!”

I shattered his leg. That would prevent him from thinking about fleeing.

‘If I leave them in armor, they might act up later, and if I don’t break the leg, they could attempt to escape anytime.’

Of course, I wasn’t done with just one.

Whir… Click.

Crack!
“Aaaah?!”

Whir… Click.

Crack!
“Ugh…!”

One by one, I removed the assassins from their armor and smashed their legs.

After neutralizing them, I checked the armor.

‘No spatial artifact… can’t take it.’

Since I had already damaged one arm of the armor, it wasn’t appealing. The Association would handle it and give me compensation. Knowing I’m an Aura Master, they wouldn’t try to cheat me. If they did, I’d show them hell.

“Um…”

As I checked the armor, the elf behind me spoke—in Korean, not her own language.

“Thank you for your help.”

Her guards bowed as well.

“May I ask… how you managed to come at such perfect timing?”

…They were suspicious because things had gone too favorably for them. But considering they had faced constant assassination and kidnapping threats, their suspicion was understandable.

I decided to forgive their rudeness.

“On a school trip.”

“School trip…? Ah…”

Hearing that, the elf and her guards relaxed. They probably saw our school bus.

Just then…

Bark!
“Ah, you’re back?”

Sarang had returned. She had captured all the fleeing assassins.

“And the captured ones?”

…Thud!
“…Ah, she must’ve kept them in her belly.”

Bark!

Sarang expelled all the assassins she had swallowed. Since she’s not a living creature but a construct of Ihaeun’s aura and my inner power, swallowing them doesn’t harm them.

All the assassins were still alive.

‘I don’t need to worry about the mental shock they got while in Sarang’s belly.’

I then shattered all the assassins’ legs she had expelled. Soon after, the adults—including our school teachers—arrived, ending the situation.

‘I have to escape…! As far as possible!’

One assassin who survived the attack on Chloe Greenwood had managed to escape. He had been in the water to lure the guards, a role that ultimately failed but allowed him to flee.

‘Colliding with an Aura Master… my luck couldn’t have been worse…!’

He swam underwater along the shore to get as far away as possible. He succeeded in escaping, but it was only a matter of time before he was tracked. The targets—elf and her guards—had seen him, and captured assassins might talk.

If pursued, being caught in Jeju would be inevitable.

But there was still hope.

‘If I can just reach the prepared submarine…!’

‘A submarine?’

…and that hope just disappeared.