Episode 237: The Sea of Silence (2)
* * *
A night covered in thick darkness.
As the heavy rain that seemed to have stopped for a while began again, the windows of the safe hotel where Kang-hoo was staying continued to make the sound of rain.
When it rains outside, the downpour is not pleasant, but it was quite charming to rest inside.
Kang Hu, who had just received a call from Kang Bok-hwa, was looking over his schedule again.
First of all, it is said that the bereaved family with the first-class amulet Infernus is currently in Vietnam.
They say it will still take some time to reach Korea. As short as a week.
Kang-hu said he understood because there was no need to rush again.
However, it seemed like there would soon be a chance to hold Infernus in my hands. It is a daunting task in many ways.
Meanwhile.
Hunter news that I listen to as a habit.
I looked to see if there was any news today, and it happened to be news of a battle between the Abyss and Purification Guild.
– Currently, a large-scale battle is taking place in the Dongducheon area due to an attack by the criminal organization Abyss.
Jang Si-hwan, the master of the Purification Guild, declared an all-out war against the Abyss Guild as of today and said that there would be no compromise with the forces of evil.
He also said that for the first and last time, he would grant leniency to members who leave the Abyss by this Sunday.
In the first place, all Hunter-related media outlets were pro-Jeonghwa, so the wording was already framed.
The very fact that the headline calls it a criminal organization abyss clearly establishes the structure of good and evil.
The content reported in the media is not written spontaneously by reporters.
It is written by thoroughly analyzing and carefully selecting the meaning of the words to be conveyed to viewers.
“hmm.”
Kang-hu took out his smartphone and searched for a map of Gyeonggi-do.
Coincidentally, there was a map identical to the image I referenced when writing the original work, so it wasn’t difficult to remember.
Currently, the territory of the Jeonghwa guild in the north of the Gyeonggi region is Gimpo, Paju, Goyang, Yangju, and Uijeongbu.
Dongducheon was a kind of protrusion surrounded by the realm of the abyss.
And Abyss’s base is in Yeoncheon, Pocheon and Gapyeong, and they are recently looking at opportunities to target Yangpyeong and Namyangju.
The reason why Abyss was waging an all-out war in Dongducheon was simple.
This is because there are so many dungeons in Dongducheon.
In addition, since it came into the area of influence of the abyss in the form of a protrusion, it was good to attack as if surrounding it from three sides.
In other words, from a defensive standpoint, it had an unfavorable structure that forced the front line to expand.
In the original work, the Abyss had already fallen by this time and the Purification Guild had taken control of the entire northern Gyeonggi region.
Unlike the original work, Lee Hyun-seok was not assassinated and was alive, so an all-out war that did not exist in the original work broke out.
It seemed impossible to easily predict who would win.
If all the executives of the Purification Guild step forward, the embers of an all-out war might be extinguished at an early stage.
However, considering Lee Hyun-seok’s tendency to sometimes use impromptu and unconventional strategies.
And what if, under Lee Hyun-seok’s orders, the Black Tigers and Red Tigers, willing to risk death, are mobilized?
At that time, an easy victory cannot be guaranteed, and the lives of key executives are more likely to be threatened.
Even if there is a difference in level, there is no concept of immortality in the world of hunters.
Hunters are capable of sudden death in the face of inferiority in strategic tactics or an offensive in humane tactics.
“I thought I would check your current situation and contact you. “If I do it now, it would be a perfect embarrassment.”
Kang-hoo gave up the idea of sending a private message to Lee Hyun-seok.
Given his personality, he won’t ignore the contact, but now is not the time to make him worry about such things.
Drinking a cup of coffee.
As I was looking out the rainy window, I remembered the things I had to do in the future.
First of all, we decided to go to the Norwegian dungeon to intercept Jang Si-hwan and Chae Gwan-hyeong.
According to the message from the Guru Guild, discussions are still underway.
Since it is a dungeon that requires two people, I was wondering who to go with, but I had made up my mind.
And it seemed that the German request, which had been brokered through Lee Ye-rin, would soon receive a response.
I was looking forward to it as I had the opportunity to work hand in hand with Ayane.
Plus, since I could get set items, my expectations were bound to be even higher.
“North Korea.”
And North Korea, a key keyword that keeps tempting Ganghu these days, naturally came to mind.
When thinking about adding bleeding to Shadow Walk or farming during the Dark Age, going to North Korea is essential.
Because of the karma(?) of the original work, there are too many things to miss and this is the place where prior knowledge is the most lacking.
For Kang-hu, this was an area where he was very curious, but at the same time he was most nervous.
Of course, it is a place you must go to grow. It is impossible to dream of growth without going to North Korea.
“There is nothing wrong with having a lot of work to do. “The problem is that there is nothing to do and no motivation to grow.”
Kanghu nodded, thinking about the schedule that would be packed in the future.
Hunters are meaningful beings that need to grow. Growing means there is always something to do.
In other words, if there comes a time when you complain that there is nothing to do.
It would be safe to say that that was the time when his value as a hunter decreased.
Drurr.
A smartphone suddenly rings.
It was a call from Kim Shin-ryeong.
She said she wouldn’t contact me first if she wasn’t ready to meet.
Looks like you’re ready now.
“Are you ready?”
– huh. Can you come to Pohang? I was always in Pohang, but I deliberately didn’t tell you the location.
“I’ll go right down to the first car.”
– Were you waiting?
“That’s not it. It was a car where I took a break after work. “Oh, I have something to ask you.”
– What?
“I got a special ingredient. Can I ask you to do some crafts for me? Also, if you have any good items, please sell them.”
– Are you asking me something as obvious as breathing? However much. Come see for yourself and let’s talk.
“Then I’ll contact you at Pohang Station.”
– huh. Just tell me your arrival time. Because I will go out myself.
“Are you okay?”
– You’re not old enough to have your license confiscated yet. It’s okay, don’t worry.
“See you soon then.”
End call.
Just as time was running out, I received a timely call from Kim Shin-ryeong.
No matter how much you think about it, it seems like you have work to do. There is no end to what the seeker must do.
* * *
Early morning the next day.
Kang Hu, who came down to Pohang, met Kim Shin-ryeong right in front of the station.
Usually she comes out wearing a mask, but today she came out with her original face.
Kim Shin-ryeong calls herself a grandmother or an old man with her face.
Her face, as seen by Kang-hu, was youthful. Even if you subtract 15 years from your original age, it wouldn’t be awkward.
Kang-hu, who immediately got into her car, realized that this car was no different from a huge bulletproof fortress.
For some reason, I thought the car body was quite sinking before I got on it, but there were many safety devices built in.
“It just so happens that you also act as a driver.”
“I came to take a guest. What? “This time, I came to pick you up because I asked to see you.”
“Then I’ll take it easy.”
“No problem. “I’m driving the car myself, so it should be easy.”
Kim Shin-ryeong, who looked back in the rear-view mirror and caught Kang-hoo’s eye, gave him a humorous wink.
This is because Ganghu is not allowed to squint just one eye unless something gets into his eye.
I just burst out laughing.
“What have you been up to?”
“what. I went to North Korea. Caught the brood queen. “The latest thing is that I got a piece of bile.”
I left out the story about Pyeongtaek.
It’s information she doesn’t need to know and there’s no reason to tell her.
Since it seemed safe to reveal the North Korean side of the story, it was opened without any censorship.
“gall? Did you just squeeze it out of a corpse? “There must be quite a lot of impurities, right?”
Kim Shin-ryeong immediately responded to the word “bile.”
Then Kanghu shook his head.
“no. “I received it as a finished product with all purification.”
“Who did the refining?”
“I don’t know about that. “Master K said he would leave it to the contractor directly.”
“Then it looks like the old man was in Korea.”
“That old man?”
“Don’t you know who it is?”
“You didn’t tell me who your businessman was. Of course, I don’t know anything either.”
“The Bile of the Brood Queen. There is only one person who can purify this to 100% purity. “A thousand years old.”
“ah…?”
“He is a person who refines poison with poison. “You can’t do it unless you’re a veteran.”
The name of a 1000-year-old veteran popped up from an unexpected place.
The hunter that Kang-hoo decided to use his opportunity to ‘copy skills’ is none other than a 1000-year-old veteran.
A named assassin in China and a hunter with a lot to learn. Are you saying he was close to Master K?
“I didn’t think about it at all.”
“It’s the same assassin, but it has the same face and turbo. It looks like K was intentionally reticent. no. “If you have that old man’s personality, no one will date you.”
Kim Shin-ryeong seemed to know quite a bit about the Cheonsalnosu.
It occurred to me that there might be something tangled up between Master K and Kim Shin-ryeong, the master of the 1000s.
‘Was the person K said recommending a teacher to me an old master? It’s going fun.’
It’s an interesting development.
However, we all know that the character of the Thousand-Salted Man is strict and cruel, as it was well implemented in the original work.
It is questionable whether Master K will become his teacher as he thinks.
Kim Shin-ryeong changed the topic.
“Anyway, I understand what happened. By the way, what materials did you get? “I didn’t hear that.”
“The claws of hate.”
“certain?”
“I got 10.”
“Oh, I got more than I expected. Isn’t this a hard material to obtain in Korea? “I guess you got lucky?”
“Iknow, right.”
“It’s an ingredient that only comes from boss monsters with a judgment level of 350 or higher. “It’s easy to get in China, but everything is already controlled there.”
“It seemed like an ingredient that couldn’t be found in the market to begin with. Even if it comes out, it sells out quickly.”
“that’s right. “Did you get the ingredients yourself?”
“Of course.”
“I always feel it every time I see it. “You enjoy playing in dungeons that are much higher than your level?”
“So the level is somewhat right.”
“It’s normal to feel arrogant, but why do I feel cool? Ho Ho.”
Kim Shin-ryeong laughed.
That is also Kanghu’s charm.
It’s not for nothing that K is interested in Kang-hoo. In addition, Kim Shin-ryeong himself is very interested in Kang-hoo.
Since he was a completely different guy to begin with, it wasn’t strange that he raised his eyebrows.
Rather, if you match your level, the dungeon will be boring. There will be no motivation at all.
Given the circumstances, it seemed highly likely that Kanghu would attack the level 350 or higher boss alone.
‘I’m definitely a bastard.’
That’s why I can’t take my attention off. I want to keep it close to me and watch the changes.
That kind of possessiveness always arose every time I saw Ganghu. Of course, it is not a rational emotion.
‘Today will be fun too.’
Kim Shin-ryeong’s excitement was evident as she stepped on the accelerator to get to her villa faster.
From crafting and selling items to training summons. It looks like a lot of interesting things will happen today.