Chapter 159
Chapter 159: Tunnel
After all the cows that had charged in excitement lay fallen on the ground, Yoo Ji-han wiped the blood off his sword and looked around.
The area in front of Imshil Station was covered in the corpses of cows and goats, encompassing the entire wide field.
‘Where are those bastards?’
The remaining citizens who survived the cow attacks all had ordinary black hair. There were no signs of their hair being dyed any other color; they looked primarily like people who lived in this vicinity.
“Ji-han, you did well.”
“Not at all.”
“You’re not hurt, are you?”
“I’m perfectly fine.”
“Who would have thought things would turn out like this…”
Park Jae-kyung expressed her gratitude and guilt towards Yoo Ji-han.
She had decided to bring him along with the vanguard because there was a possibility that he might provide new information related to Yoon Do-ha through the Sylph.
However, she never intended to drag him into combat directly.
Yet, somehow, he was outshining others with his performance.
“But what you mentioned earlier about ‘Monbul’…?”
“…There was a slight misunderstanding.”
“Hmm?”
Park Jae-kyung looked at Yoo Ji-han with slightly suspicious eyes.
“Ugh…”
“Oh, he’s awake.”
At that moment, a middle-aged man receiving treatment from the healer opened his eyes.
Park Jae-kyung and Yoo Ji-han approached him to hear more details.
“Weird guys came into my farm and started messing with my cows!”
According to the survivor’s testimony, the culprits were members of the IUPC.
However, after they were caught administering injections, they quickly fled somewhere.
Even after the cows transformed into monsters, they seemed to remain calm for a while.
But then, once some of them began to quarrel, a great commotion erupted around them.
Listening quietly, Yoo Ji-han spoke up.
“It seems they weren’t trying to control the monsters.”
“Then what the hell were they doing?”
“They probably aimed to create chaos.”
Using monsters to incite disorder throughout Korea.
At this, a woman remarked in disbelief.
“What could they possibly gain from all this?”
“Seriously…”
“……”
Yoo Ji-han began to grasp the reasons for the various incidents triggered by the IUPC within Korea.
“It’s war.”
“Excuse me?”
“We are currently at war against enemies who use monsters as biological weapons.”
“……!”
“It’s just a different method of fighting, but it’s essentially a civil war that’s happening in Korea.”
Everyone fell silent at Yoo Ji-han’s words.
It was something hard to voice carelessly.
Yet, it was a truth that could no longer be ignored.
“This place has already turned into a battlefield. We are the vanguard that has jumped into that battlefield.”
*
“Begin.”
Flame erupted!
The powerful fires of magic reduced the piles of fallen cows and goats to ashes, leaving only bones behind.
The heroes personally incinerated more than half of the monster bodies that had appeared in Imshil in a similar fashion.
There weren’t many suitable places nearby to store the bodies, and if they left them lying around, they would decay and cause various negative effects in the surrounding area.
“The rescue team has returned!”
“As of now, there are 24 survivors in Imshil!”
“Other citizens seem to have already evacuated.”
Park Jae-kyung nodded as she listened to the incoming reports.
Having finished the body disposal operation and rescuing the remaining survivors, they were ready to depart once more.
“Ji-han, hand this over.”
“Yes.”
Clank! Clank! Clank!
Yoo Ji-han’s party had entrusted Nam Ho-yeol with checking their equipment.
While the gear was not damaged to the point of needing immediate maintenance, it wouldn’t hurt to be thoroughly prepared.
Just then, Kim Si-hu, checking his repaired robe, spoke up.
“Hyung Ji-han, I have a sudden question.”
“What is it?”
“Why are there so many ‘Monster’ names that have ‘Gye’ attached to them?”
“I heard it’s because of the first heroes.”
Back when Korea still didn’t have a proper concept of monsters and no Korean-style names existed, the first heroes to appear in Korea arbitrarily named the monsters as they pleased.
Thus, it is said that many of the monster names that appeared long ago ended up with ‘Gye’ attached to them.
“Whoever named them, it sounds kind of old-fashioned.”
“Is it?”
“If it were me, I would have come up with a cooler name.”
“Then how about you try naming that cow? What would you call it?”
“Honey Cow.”
“……”
“In English, it’s Honey Cow.”
Yoo Ji-han blinked slowly at Kim Si-hu.
“What on earth does honey have to do with a cow?”
“It’s just cute.”
“Do you happen to have anyone close to you who is a beekeeper?”
“I don’t.”
“Oh, I see…”
Yoo Ji-han felt a strange curiosity about Kim Si-hu’s peculiar love for honey.
Since it was someone else’s preference, there was nothing to do but respect it.
“All parties that have completed their checks, please gather!”
After organizing things in Imshil to a certain extent,
The expeditionary force split up the personnel to guide the survivors to safety.
Then they resumed their journey along the tracks leading downwards again.
“Another tunnel?”
As they descended slightly from Imshil Station, they came across a tunnel leading beneath a large mountain.
Given that the surrounding terrain was all mountainous, the expedition team pondered whether to take the road around the mountain or go through the tunnel for a moment.
Ultimately, they decided on the shorter path through the tunnel.
“I’ll get through as quickly as possible.”
The expedition team had already passed through several short tunnels along their descent to Imshil Station.
Given the confined and narrow space of the tunnel, they agreed to hurry through.
[Light]
Once they entered the tunnel, the mages lit up the interior with magic.
In the meantime, Chilla dashed ahead at the front of Yoo Ji-han’s party.
Nam Ho-yeol, riding on its back, clung tightly to avoid falling off.
“Hmm?”
Min Yu-ri, who was running with her gaze fixed forward, frowned.
“I can’t see the exit at all.”
“The tunnel must curve.”
If the long tunnel was curved instead of straight, it was natural not to see the exit from afar.
Upon hearing Yoo Ji-han’s response, Min Yu-ri recognized her mistake and showed a sheepish expression.
However, even after running for about 20 minutes without stopping,
The exit remained unseen.
“……?”
“Was this tunnel this long?”
At this point, they should have arrived at the opposite side even if they had gone around the mountain.
Yet, the exit was still nowhere in sight.
As more heroes began to feel perplexed,
“Stop!”
Park Jae-kyung, running at the forefront, brought everyone to a halt.
It was due to a request from Yoo Ji-han.
“Ji-han, please tell me it isn’t so.”
“It seems we’ve fallen under a similar magic as before.”
“No…!”
Upon hearing that shocking response, Park Jae-kyung bit her lip.
Everyone gathered here had been on high alert for external magic since experiencing the incident on the train.
Yet, to have fallen into a trap again!
“I will prepare a dispel right away.”
“Dispel over the entire long tunnel would likely consume too much magic from the mages.”
The mages were undoubtedly the most crucial force within the expedition team.
Having already expended a lot of magic in the battles at Imshil,
It was not a good decision to waste their powers in such a place.
“Then what should we do?”
“I’ll take the lead for a moment.”
“……I’ll leave it to you.”
As Park Jae-kyung once again relied on Yoo Ji-han, she felt a sense of embarrassment.
If there was even a mouse hole, she wanted to hide in it.
On the contrary, Yoo Ji-han had a different thought.
‘They really didn’t put in just a day or two of effort.’
With illusions that could fool over a hundred heroes twice,
It was impossible to achieve such stealth unless it had been planned long in advance.
To set up each of these traps would surely require considerable time and effort.
But…
‘They really shouldn’t have crossed paths with me.’
Yoo Ji-han began to walk towards the ‘true path’ that led inside the tunnel walls.
*
“Already some have exited the space distortion?!”
—It’s been confirmed that they are still descending further…
In a personal office available only to the executives of the Hero Department,
The head of the crisis response team was furiously holding his mobile phone.
“How on earth did they escape there? Those people from another world were so confident in their capabilities!”
—I’m terribly sorry! I don’t know the reason either!
“Are we sure that other vanguards are still trapped inside?”
—Yes. It’s confirmed.
“Got it, then you should quickly withdraw from there. Don’t let the heroes catch wind of it.”
After finishing the call with a few instructions, the head of the department set down his mobile phone.
He rubbed his face with his palm, revealing a slightly exhausted expression.
“If plans fall apart like this, it’ll be a problem…”
Just then, as he kept his lips sealed and stared at the ceiling,
Knock, knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door of the office from outside.
Straightening up in a hurry, he spoke with a solemn voice.
“Come in.”
Once granted permission, about a dozen individuals rushed into the office.
The one who stepped forward from that group, which included heroes from the Hero Department, was Yang Ji-cheol.
“Good day, Director.”
“Yang Ji-cheol? What brings you here so suddenly?”
Yang Ji-cheol and the bureau chief had a relationship where they faced each other as presenter and audience in senior-level meetings.
They weren’t on friendly terms enough to exchange personal reports.
“You even brought a vampire with you?”
“Hmm. I don’t even know why I’m here myself.”
Kazimir, who entered the office together, scratched his head.
“I’m here at the Deputy Minister’s order, going around to confirm something with the executives.”
“What are you confirming?”
“Nirochi.”
Nirochi, who had been hidden behind Yang Ji-cheol, stepped forward.
Upon seeing her face, the chief squinted his eyes.
“Oh, is that the rumored secret weapon?”
“I have a few questions. Please hold Nirochi’s hand and answer with yes or no.”
“I feel like I’ve become a test subject.”
“Given the current circumstances, I would appreciate your cooperation.”
The chief openly displayed his displeasure on his face.
However, refusing the superior’s orders at a time like this would not be a good choice, as that would raise suspicion.
“Is this how I hold her?”
Nirochi exchanged glances with Yang Ji-cheol.
Then she turned to the chief and spoke.
“I have provided confidential information from the Hero Department to the IUPC and people from another world.”
“……!”
The chief flinched inwardly.
But on the surface, he acted as if nothing had happened.
“No.”
“I knew that an accident would occur with the expedition team that departed today.”
“No.”
“I’m a spy sent by the IUPC.”
“No! No! Yang Ji-cheol, are you messing with me right now?! What the hell is going on?!”
“Don’t worry. The confirmation is over.”
Nirochi released the chief’s hand and stepped back.
Then she turned to Yang Ji-cheol and said,
“Ji-cheol oppa.”
“What is it?”
“That guy is a spy. Capture him.”
Boom!
Just as Nirochi’s words fell,
The heroes standing by immediately subdued the chief.
“Ugh! You can’t let go of this right now!!”
“Shut up, you garbage.”
“……!”
Everyone in the office looked down at the spy with cold expressions.
