[Translator - Hestia]

[Proofreader - Kaya]

Chapter 130: On the Road to Sokcho

A barbed-wire fence stretched endlessly along the mountain slopes.

Before the Cataclysm, it had been a defensive measure against a North Korean invasion. Now, it served as a fortified boundary, reinforced with magical barriers to prevent monsters from crossing.

At the center of the fence stood a heavily guarded checkpoint, controlling access to the borderlands.

"Been a while since I last came this way."

【You always use illegal routes anyway, Master.】

"Getting a pass every time I go in and out of Necropolis is just a hassle."

【What a perfect criminal mindset. No wonder you’re one of the top three power players in Ground Zero.】

"Wow, thanks for the self-incrimination, accomplice."

Yoojin chatted casually with Fafnir as they approached the checkpoint.

"Halt! Identify yourself!"

"Cheon Yoojin. Member of Little Runts team and CEO of Black Company."

Click—Clack.

The sentries standing guard jolted in alarm, immediately raising their rifles. The hunters and agents stationed at the border tensed up, hands gripping their weapons.

‘Seriously, did they have to act this wary just at the sight of a person? That was kind of hurtful.‘

【Oh, sure. Like you actually care.】

"Hey, I’d like to think I have a pretty friendly face."

【Anyone would be terrified seeing the undead trailing behind you.】

Glowing blue eyes flickered ominously in the shadows.

Hundreds of mid-tier undead followed in silent formation, their aura radiating raw hostility.

For an average person, it was the kind of sight that would make them piss their pants.

"Bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think?"

【You sure you’ll be able to get in?】

"I already told the Little Runts kids in advance. There won’t be a problem."

【Doesn’t look that way to me.】

It might have turned into an unintentional show of force, but Yoojin remained patient, waiting casually.

After a few minutes, the massive steel gates groaned as they slid open.

"Y-You may proceed."

"Good work, guys."

Yoojin strode forward, followed in silence by his undead army.

Gulp—

One of the soldiers clutching his rifle swallowed hard.

"Relax. You don’t want to accidentally pull the trigger."

"Sergeant Lee Sangyoon, is this really okay? What if they attack—"

The bullets issued to border troops contained mana stones, designed to fight off threats.

After all, every inch of what had once been the Demilitarized Zone had become monster territory. Government agents and borderland hunters alone weren’t enough to secure the entire region.

"That ammo is only effective up to 3 Star monsters in theory. Against those things? It won’t do a damn thing."

With a sigh, the senior soldier let out a low whistle, trying to shake off his nerves.

‘One Week Left Until Discharge, and Now This? A spine-chilling experience with only a week left before discharge. Sure, this was the time of year when even falling leaves had to be watched carefully—but wasn’t this a bit much?’

‘Two years of service, and this is the most nerve-wracking moment yet.’

As an ordinary soldier without the ability to sense mana, he couldn’t perceive mana waves or aura.

Even so.

It didn’t take a trained hunter to realize that the undead army trailing behind Cheon Yoojin was far more dangerous than any monster horde or hunter squad he had ever encountered.

"U-Undead?"

"So it’s true that Cheon Yoojin controls the undead."

"What kind of divine spell is that?!"

"Who knows? But I heard he’s definitely some sort of priest-type hunter."

"Skeleton Knights, Dullahans… and what the hell is that?"

"They’re all mid-tier undead. If you pick a fight, you won’t even leave bones behind."

Even the hunters familiar with the borderlands were shaken.

They had seen their fair share of battles, but standing before an army exuding such raw menace made it hard to maintain their composure.

"Oppa! Over here!"

"You got here early."

From the passenger seat of a large trailer, Kang Minyeong waved.

Rows of vehicles lined up behind her—transport arranged for the undead army when registering Little Runts team’s access to the borderlands.

〔Must be a hassle doing this every time.〕

‘No choice until I can raise my Holy Authority higher.’

Spells like [Gate of Darkness] or [Undying Domain] required 7 Stars to learn.

Until then, he had to either store elite undead in his Ring of Darkness or infinite Pouch—or just transport them in a convoy like this.

"W-We’re really loading monsters onto the trucks?"

"Excuse me, it was all clearly stated in the contract."

"I mean, yeah, but seeing it in person… it just feels wrong."

"If you don’t like it, pay the penalty and leave."

Minyeong’s firm response made the hesitant drivers sigh before reluctantly opening the cargo doors.

The undead climbed in without a sound.

"Not bad."

Yoojin muttered, impressed.

"Figured this would happen, so I came instead of my brother."

"Makes sense. That guy’s not great at making compromises."

"And I’m the one who handles the tough talk."

"Where’s he headed?"

"They’ll come to Sokcho after wrapping up some mercenary work."

Since their first gathering, the mercenaries had obediently followed Kang Minho’s lead.

‘That guy—what was his name? Min Sangjin?‘

The one who had survived the battle against the Rakshasa Guild—he had paved the way for Minho to solidify his standing.

"And Jaeyoung’s been handling things so well, it’s been a relief."

"Uh… who?"

"Wow. That’s cold. Director Im’s younger brother."

They continued exchanging small talk while overseeing the last of the undead being loaded.

Once the transport was ready, Yoojin climbed into the frontmost vehicle.

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"Oppa, let me ride with you."

"It’s a truck. Why cram yourself in a tight space?"

"Come on, it’s been a while. Don’t push me away."

"…Fine."

With a rumble, the lead vehicle roared to life.

One after another, the undead-filled trucks followed, leaving Paju behind.

＊ ＊ ＊

A Vast, Open Field

To the northwest, a long mountain ridge stretched across the horizon.

To the east, the endless sea sprawled out, its vastness almost blinding.

The ruins of the old Unification Observatory, destroyed during a monster wave.

Later, the Phoenix Guild negotiated with the government and repurposed the wreckage as a training ground.

"So basically, we're the away team here."

Shin Yoosung.

A rising star who had once clashed with 'Next' Sword Saint Jang Miseon in the [Forgotten Temple], he clenched his fists, clearly displeased.

"We received all the training ground data. Just because it’s not home turf doesn’t mean we’re at a disadvantage."

"Even so, Phoenix Guild were the ones who pushed to move up the schedule. Did we really have to come all the way to Goseong, Father?"

"This is an official matter now, not a personal one, promising young guild member."

"Come on, there’s no one around to see—why so stiff?"

The master of Dawn Guild.

And Shin Yoosung’s father—Shin Hyungsik—nodded.

"Son. Once you start letting emotions dictate your actions, there’s no end to it."

"Yes, Guildmaster. I’ll carve that wisdom into my bones."

"Like I said before we left, this training is a huge opportunity for Dawn Guild."

"We should be strengthening our foundation instead of bothering with Arhan."

"Shaking up the No.1 guild is how we create opportunities to solidify our foundation."

Shin Hyungsik gave his only son a look of disappointment.

He had explained the significance of this joint training multiple times before their departure.

Yet here was his son—the most talented member of Dawn Guild, someone even capable of surpassing him—acting as if it were nothing.

"I have no idea which side of the family blessed you with muscles-for-brains."

"You really don’t?"

"If you had even half my intelligence—"

"Then my hairline would be receding."

"It’s not receding—it’s advancing!"

Crack.

Shin Hyungsik barely suppressed his irritation at his son’s not-so-subtle glance at his forehead. He took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Let’s be honest. Do you have a problem with the joint training itself, or is it because of Cheon Yoojin?"

"I followed your orders and trained like a dog, and now some random guy gets all the attention. How do you think I feel?"

"Jang Miseon is also here."

"I was planning to settle things with her soon anyway."

"Then do it now."

"Fighting that fast-tracked upstart just pisses me off."

Just three months ago, Shin Yoosung had been one of South Korea’s most promising talents.

Aside from the now-deceased Song Myeongseok and 'Next' Sword Saint Jang Miseon, he was certain no one in his generation could rival him.

And now?

"I’ll crush that bastard Cheon Yoojin."

"Don't get your priorities mixed up. Phoenix comes first."

If Arhan Guild took a hit and lost their No.1 spot?

Their alliance with Phoenix Guild would crumble.

This joint training was both a way to keep Arhan in check and a stage to test their capabilities.

The timing made it even more significant—just as Arhan’s grip on the top was beginning to falter.

"Phoenix operates with a small but elite force. Our guild has numbers, but our teamwork is weaker."

Dawn Guild functioned similarly to Arhan, running in a corporate-style structure.

In terms of overall power, Dawn Guild had a slight edge over Phoenix.

But when it came to individual skills and coordination, Phoenix was superior.

"That gap is why we've always fallen slightly behind in training. This time has to be different."

"That’s your perspective, Father."

"I’m not telling you to avoid fighting Cheon Yoojin. Just don’t forget the real objective."

The invitation of Black Company had drawn even more attention to this joint training.

Shin Hyungsik was deeply concerned that his son might let his emotions get the better of him and make a mistake.

‘The real battle hasn’t even started yet.’

Even before the training had begun, Dawn Guild had already gained quite a bit.

Shin Hyungsik welcomed the decision to push forward the training schedule.

However, in the end, it was Phoenix Guild that had to make concessions to get things done.

Give and take.

The debt Phoenix Guild now owed them would serve Dawn Guild well in the long run.

‘It’s also an opportunity to reorganize the ranks of the rising stars after Song Myeongseok’s death.’

Arhan’s Supernova—Song Myeongseok.

Even Jang Miseon, hailed as the 'Next' Sword Saint, and his own son, who was blessed with exceptional talent, were considered a step behind him.

Though Song Myeongseok had lost to Jang Miseon in a duel before his death—

That defeat had not dimmed his brilliance.

If only he hadn’t met such an untimely end in that double dungeon...

‘No matter how skilled Cheon Yoojin may be, he’s still a hunter without any real background. Black Company? Just because he founded some oddly named company, did he really think he could stand alongside the top three guilds in Korea? At most, he was just another piece added to the board to make the joint training look more balanced.’

Shin Hyungsik didn’t pay Yoojin much attention.

‘After all, my son is extraordinary.’

Through brutal training—

Through relentless dungeon raids with minimal rest—

He had forged Shin Yoosung under conditions so harsh that even he sometimes wondered if he had gone too far.

The proof?

His son had barely hit the wall of 4 Star Rank before awakening his Aura.

‘The real issue is Jang Miseon—who even managed to defeat Song Myeongseok.’

Just before the joint training, news had arrived.

Jang Miseon had finally broken through her limits and ascended to 4 Star Rank as well.

Between an upstart hunter with no foundation like Yoojin and someone like Jang Miseon, who had climbed each step properly—

The truly terrifying one was obvious.

As Shin Hyungsik ran a hand over his ever-"advancing" forehead, a cloud of dust rose from the south.

"Father."

"Yes. Looks like Black Company has arrived."

Phoenix Guild had arrived first, as the home team, and had been setting up for training.

But now, even from a distance, a dust storm could be seen.

The third faction—Black Company—was approaching.

"That’s odd."

"What is?"

"I heard Black Company doesn’t have many members. Even if they have a mercenary unit under them..."

Shin Hyungsik trailed off, thinking there was no way they would bring mercenaries to a joint training session.

Screech—

Large trailers came to a halt in front of the training grounds.

And when the doors opened—

Shin Hyungsik’s fists clenched.

"Father. That’s...!"

"...Intermediate Undead."

Step— Step—

Undead soldiers disembarked, but instead of attacking, they simply lined up in formation.

"Hah."

A short chuckle escaped Shin Hyungsik’s lips.

"So the rumors about him controlling the undead were true."

"If they’re intermediate undead, doesn’t that mean they can wield Aura?"

"Dark Aura. It works similarly to Aura in principle, but there are subtle differences."

Shin Hyungsik stared at the army of undead disembarking, his voice steady.

"Son."

"Yes?"

"This time, I think you’re right."

"What?"

"Forget Phoenix. Take out Cheon Yoojin first."

A hunter who commanded hundreds of intermediate undead.

The fact that he had only been a hunter for one year no longer mattered.

If Dawn Guild was to make its name known—

It wasn’t Phoenix they had to surpass.

It was him.

"Father. Leave it to me."

Shin Yoosung’s fighting spirit blazed.

[Translator - Hestia

[Proofreader - Kaya]