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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: The Time Ripper
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“Are these guys insane….”
Choi Min-gi, who had deliberately spoken in a more overbearing tone, began to glare at Kang-jun as if to kill him.
Kang-jun, on the other hand, paid the glare no mind and simply responded in a calm voice.
“If you run out right now and buy me a chocolate macaron, I will personally grant you my forgiveness.”
At those words, Choi Min-gi’s voice chilled. “This bastard….” he muttered in a rage-filled voice as he stepped closer to Kang-jun….
“It seems you have no intention of buying a macaron.”
“What?”
“Then I’d like you to compensate me for the price of the macaron.”
Choi Min-gi’s brow furrowed as he asked back.
“How much could a damn macaron possibly cost….”
“I never said I wanted compensation in money.”
After speaking, Kang-jun added.
“I’ll take payment in your teeth.”
If he had his way, he would have ripped out every tooth and the tongue that had dared to chew and swallow the chocolate macaron meant for his daughter’s mouth.
No….
He desperately wanted to sear the insolent mouth that didn't know its place with a branding iron, but that wasn't an option, was it?
“I’ll just take about ten.”
Finishing his words, Kang-jun lightly tapped Bong-gu’s back with his palm.
Simultaneously, Bong-gu lost his balance and staggered, his arms flailing wildly….
“Whoa, whoa, whoa-?!”
Bong-gu, having unintentionally collided with Choi Min-gi, grabbed his collar to keep from falling.
“Whoa—?!”
Just as the two men were stumbling, entangled as if dancing a waltz.
CRACK!
Suddenly, a massive crash echoed as Choi Min-gi’s face was slammed into the tabletop.
With a splintering crack-!
The impact split the solid wood table exactly in half, sending dust and sawdust flying everywhere.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
Just as the dust and sawdust that had abruptly filled the conference room began to scatter and settle.
“What, what the….”
The Hunters, who had been watching the sudden argument with great interest, now wore dumbfounded expressions.
The first thing that caught their eyes was Choi Min-gi, lying amidst the shattered table with his eyes rolled back, foaming at the mouth….
“Is he dead?”
Their gazes then shifted to Bong-gu, who had fallen on his rear beside Choi Min-gi and was rubbing his tailbone.
Just then, Kang-jun picked up the macaron bag that had fallen to the floor.
“Idiot was asking for it….”
He then brushed the dust off the surface of the bag and added in a voice thick with annoyance.
“Ah, the bag is all crumpled….”
Meanwhile, the other Hunters hadn’t even registered what had just happened.
“What… what was that….”
“What on earth….”
“What, what the….”
Then, one Hunter spoke up.
“I think I caught a glimpse of Hyoja Kim Bong-gu grabbing Choi Min-gi’s sleeve….”
Another Hunter quickly agreed.
“Yeah, that’s right. I saw it clearly too.”
“Looked like a shoulder throw….”
“Did he just slam him down?”
To the onlookers, it appeared as though Bong-gu, unable to contain his anger, had rushed in and slammed Choi Min-gi onto the table.
“Wow, they called him a new hero, but he’s a total lunatic, isn’t he?”
The Ice Witch Seol Eun-bin, unable to hide her shock, exclaimed dramatically and added.
“Even if the other guy started a fight for no good reason, I don’t think he needed to go that far….”
At her words, the Black Wolf Kang Seong-hyeon tilted his head slightly and replied in a low voice.
“His words were excessively rude, so I believe it was a fitting response.”
He then muttered, “More importantly….” before offering his assessment.
“It’s hard to believe he’s a ‘magic-type Awakener.’ He clearly possesses outstanding martial arts skills.”
As Kang Seong-hyeon sang his praises, ‘Swift Sword Yun Hui-su’ cautiously countered, as if something was amiss.
“Doesn’t something seem strange?”
Having raised a sudden question, she tied her hair back tighter and spoke in a low tone.
“Why would someone with such remarkable skills still be lingering around ‘B-rank’….”
Her gaze then shifted to the ‘manager’ standing behind Bong-gu.
“And I think the one who just moved wasn’t Kim Bong-gu, but the manager standing next to him….”
Perhaps because he was someone she had been suspicious of from the start, Yun Hui-su’s attention seemed drawn not to Kim Bong-gu, but to his ‘manager.’
Despite the commotion that had just occurred, Kim Bong-gu’s manager was dusting off the paper bag with a completely expressionless face, as if it were of no concern.
Although there was still no concrete ‘proof,’ and the situation was rife with mere suspicion….
‘He’s suspicious in so many ways.’
The same was true for Go Du-yeol.
“As I thought….”
Go Du-yeol was convinced that the entire series of events had been Kang-jun’s doing.
“I’m quite curious as to what kind of training he underwent to achieve such a level of mastery….”
Just as the atmosphere grew cold and a low murmur filled the room.
Screeeak-.
The conference room door opened, and Bureau Director Seo Do-cheol entered, his eyes sweeping across the room.
A table inexplicably split in half and scattered across the floor, and nine out of ten Hunters looking utterly dazed….
Choi Min-gi lying unconscious, foaming at the mouth, and beside him, Bong-gu, wincing.
“Haa.”
Bureau Director Seo Do-cheol let out a deep sigh, drew a conclusion based on the general situation, and spoke.
“Hunter Kim Bong-gu.”
At his words, Bong-gu couldn’t hide his nervousness and was about to answer in a barely audible voice, “Yes….” when the director continued.
“As you know, the Bureau has repeatedly asked all Hunters to practice ‘cooperation’ and ‘coordination’ among colleagues.”
“Yes….”
“We understand it’s not an easy task, but we ask that you refrain from conflict, at least in official settings.”
Finishing his words, he pressed a hand to his head as if it were throbbing and continued in a stern, chiding tone.
“We don’t expect all Hunters to feel a sense of camaraderie and get along perfectly.”
“I’m sorry….”
“But we hope that you can at least avoid reddening faces or resorting to violence with one another.”
He then added.
“After this reclamation mission is concluded, you will be referred to the disciplinary committee and be subject to a fine.”
It seemed that today, too, the ‘responsibility’ fell squarely on Bong-gu’s shoulders.
“Yes, I’ll accept it gladly….”
Bureau Director Seo Do-cheol nodded a few times at Bong-gu’s clean answer and, in a completely nonchalant tone, finally got to the point.
“First, since the scheduled time is approaching, we will begin the ‘preliminary meeting’ for the reclamation team to be dispatched to the continent of Southeast Asia, as planned.”
After speaking, Bureau Director Seo Do-cheol gave a nod to the staff member standing behind him….
Choi Min-gi, who had fainted while foaming at the mouth, was carried out on a stretcher to be transported to the hospital.
Diagnosis: 20 weeks of recovery due to multiple contusions, as well as fractures and dislocations in several areas, including the orbital bone.
That day.
Choi Min-gi received a diagnosis for injuries that an ordinary person might only get from being hit by a dump truck.
It was the price for having selfishly eaten the ‘chocolate macaron’ that Seol-i loved most.
A beam of light shot out from the projector and hit the wall, displaying a map of the ‘East Asian Continent.’
“Reclamation teams dispatched from over 20 countries worldwide will be participating in this operation. Each country’s team will be deployed evenly throughout the East Asian continent….”
Bureau Director Seo Do-cheol then used the long pointer in his hand to indicate the border region of Nepal and India, famous for the Himalayas.
“Among them, Korea’s reclamation team is scheduled to be deployed near Sonauli, on the border of India and Nepal.”
He then continued his explanation.
“Our country’s reclamation team will start from the initial dispatch point of Sonauli and advance westward, defeating any monsters they encounter.”
Eventually, the tip of the pointer in Bureau Director Seo Do-cheol’s hand came to rest on ‘New Delhi,’ once the capital of India.
“Furthermore, if possible, our goal is to enter the Cataclysm-grade Gate in New Delhi.”
The moment he finished speaking, murmurs of varying pitches began to ripple through the conference room.
Everyone had assumed the objective of this operation was simply to subjugate monsters inhabiting the continent’s outskirts.
“Yes, it is a very dangerous operation.”
With a few short words, Bureau Director Seo Do-cheol quelled the commotion in the room and added.
“If anyone wishes to withdraw even now, we will take measures to have you removed from the reclamation team lineup immediately.”
This was as good as an admission that the Bureau itself was aware of the danger and recklessness of this operation.
Soon, a Hunter raised his hand and posed a question in a rather cautious tone.
“Is there a reason we must enter a Gate that the World Awakener’s Association already declared impossible to clear and has long since abandoned?”
Bureau Director Seo Do-cheol replied again in a low voice.
“The ultimate goals of this reclamation team are individual survival and the rescue of a colleague who was previously left behind.”
At those words, the room, which had fallen silent, once again stirred with commotion.
“I trust that everyone here remembers our nation’s top Hunter, who went missing inside the ‘Cataclysm-grade Gate’ in New Delhi six months ago.”
Finishing his words, Bureau Director Seo Do-cheol paused for a moment before adding with deliberate emphasis.
“Time Ripper, Jeong Yun-chan.”
Until he was declared missing due to an unfortunate accident, he had been the nation’s top Hunter, firmly holding the number one rank.
“The Bureau and some S-rank Hunters have concluded, based on various evidence, that there is a high probability Hunter Jeong Yun-chan is still alive.”
Bureau Director Seo Do-cheol finished by driving the point home.
“This is a dangerous operation where it would be no exaggeration to say your lives are on the line. Nevertheless, would only those who still wish to volunteer for the reclamation team please remain seated?”
How much time passed after that?
“I’ll pass on a dog’s death.”
“Me too.”
“This operation seems too reckless.”
Countless Hunters flooded out of the conference room in an instant, like an ebbing tide.
Of course, the S-rank Hunters all remained firmly in their seats, but….
Every Hunter below that rank, with the exception of one person, had rescinded their application to the reclamation team.
“This seems like your last chance. You’re not leaving?”
The Ice Witch Seol Eun-bin gazed at Bong-gu intently, then tilted her head as she asked the question.
At her words, Bong-gu looked at Kang-jun, who was standing behind him holding the macaron bag.
“Yes, I’m going….”
Then, Kang Seong-hyeon interjected in a solemn tone.
“I believed you would stay.”
Amidst the warm atmosphere, Bureau Director Seo Do-cheol clapped his hands with a sharp “Clap!” to change the mood and said.
“Well then, with the reclamation team now formed, let’s begin the real meeting.”
After speaking, he operated the remote, and a picture of a ‘Hearthstone’ appeared on the wall.
“As I mentioned earlier, our country’s reclamation team will enter the Cataclysm-grade Gate, rescue our stranded colleague, and then use a Hearthstone to exit.”
At that, the Ice Witch Seol Eun-bin chimed in with a slight smile.
“My, my, I wonder why our notoriously stingy Director decided to invest so much in the budget this time?”
The ‘Hearthstone,’ which allowed for an escape from inside a Gate at any time, was an extremely expensive item whose supply could not keep up with demand.
The fact that the Bureau, with its clear budget limitations, had pushed itself this far was enough to guess the importance of this operation.
“Um….”
Just then, Bong-gu cautiously raised his hand as if he had a question….
“But I don’t quite understand what Hunter Jeong Yun-chan’s awakened ability is, that you’re so certain he has survived until now….”
At his words, the remaining S-rank Hunters in the room exchanged glances, their eyes darting about for a moment.
“Although it is known that Hunter Jeong Yun-chan’s ability comes with several tricky restrictions and conditions, if those conditions are met….”
Finishing his sentence, Bureau Director Seo Do-cheol took a deep breath and added.
“He can turn back time.”
That was the very reason Jeong Yun-chan had succeeded in clearing every Gate, soaring to the number one rank, and…
The secret behind how he had earned the mysterious title of ‘Time Ripper.’
“In any case, in fifteen days.”
Having finished his explanation, Bureau Director Seo Do-cheol continued.
“You will be dispatched to the operation area, ‘Sonauli,’ on the border of India and Nepal.”
“Huh, fifteen days….”
Kang-jun muttered to himself, beginning to count meticulously on his fingers.
Arriving in the dispatch area in fifteen days and hastily carrying out the mission would surely take several days.
“If this goes wrong, the schedule might overlap with Seol-i’s kindergarten entrance ceremony….”
Of course, that was only if they moved according to the plan designed by the ‘Bureau.’
“If I move a little more diligently than planned and finish it as a day trip, there won’t be any problem….”
It was indeed a perfect plan.
And just like that, fifteen days flew by….
“Desolate.”
The reclamation team, composed of twelve of the nation’s finest Hunters and a few support personnel, took its first steps into ‘Sonauli.’
Sonauli.
This place, which had become a land of death where people could no longer live, was a desolate wasteland where not even a single ant could be found.
Lacking the conveniences of civilization like water and electricity, its living conditions had already been abysmal, but….
Now, with the added aftermath of monsters pouring out of a Cataclysm-grade Gate, it had been utterly ravaged.
Soon, the Black Wolf Kang Seong-hyeon, who was in command of this reclamation team, slightly furrowed his brow against the sandy wind and casually began to speak.
“Let’s begin the mission briefing.”
After speaking, he unfolded a map and began to explain the team’s route.
“The reclamation teams from other countries have likely also begun a large-scale monster subjugation, starting from the outskirts of India. They’ll be pushing inward, defeating any monsters they encounter….”
He then added.
“We too will start from here and advance westward, moving by defeating every monster we come across.”
The tip of his index finger then pointed to the area of New Delhi, which was circled in red….
“Once we reach New Delhi and enter the Cataclysm-grade Gate, we will proceed with the main objective of this reclamation team: the ‘rescue’ operation.”
Just as everyone was listening intently to Kang Seong-hyeon’s briefing.
“Wait.”
A sense of confusion made Kang Seong-hyeon tilt his head once….
“Hyoja Kim Bong-gu.”
Calling for Bong-gu, he glanced behind him in puzzlement and asked.
“Where is your manager?”
Sometime, somehow, Kang-jun had vanished without a trace.
