Chapter 63: Collision (5)

Over a dozen tanks advanced down the road.

Behind them followed thirty armored vehicles and numerous trucks and buses carrying armed forces. This was the militia, a survivor group based on the outskirts of Daejeon city.

At the center of the procession was a single bulletproof sedan, carrying the militia’s leader.

“Hmm.”

A middle-aged man with a large build.

Militia leader Go Young-jin. With his eyes closed, deep in thought, he suddenly turned to the seat next to him.

“Jeong-hoon.”

“Yes, did you call for me?”

“Isn’t it about time to use your skill?”

“I apologize. There’s still 40 minutes left.”

Young-jin clicked his tongue softly.

Choi Jeong-hoon. The skinny man sitting next to him was the most capable talent among Young-jin’s subordinates.

He had met him in the process of escaping prison after the Upheaval, and it was all thanks to Jeong-hoon’s skill that Young-jin had been able to come this far.

‘The Prophecy skill.’

Jeong-hoon’s job was Prophet.

True to the job name, he possessed a Prophecy skill that could foresee the future one day ahead.

A skill that allows him to select a specific area and see its scenery one day later.

Although there could be variations depending on the situation or conditions, Jeong-hoon’s prophecies had never been wrong so far.

‘It’s a very useful skill.’

Thanks to the Prophecy skill, they were able to escape crises at times, and it was also quite helpful in obtaining subordinates with powerful abilities.

And yesterday afternoon.

Young-jin had ordered Jeong-hoon to activate the Prophecy skill on the Wolf King’s territory. He felt uneasy about the creature’s recent active movements.

What if it left its territory and attacked their base? He was ready to flee at any moment.

‘But…’

The report Jeong-hoon delivered was surprising.

That the Wolf King had been subjugated. It was hard to believe, but since the prophecy had never been wrong, he couldn’t deny it either.

Moreover, the one who subjugated the Wolf King wasn’t a large force, but an unidentified man wearing a black leather jacket and motorcycle helmet.

‘Then there’s no reason to go to Nonsan.’

Young-jin immediately decided to withdraw.

And he contacted the members still at the base, telling them to secretly surround the location where the Wolf King would be subjugated at that time.

The goal was to secure the Wolf King’s subjugator.

But if persuasion proved difficult, he instructed them to just kill him. It’s a bit of a waste, but it’s better to eliminate a potential enemy.

Knock knock!

Just then, someone knocked on the window.

Snapped out of his thoughts, Young-jin lowered the window and came face to face with a man with a fierce expression.

“Boss.”

Bat Tamer, Yu Dong-hyun. He was another subordinate met during the prison escape.

He had a skill that could simultaneously control dozens of bats, which made it possible to clearly observe distant places.

“It seems we have a problem.”

“A problem? What kind of problem?”

“We can’t contact Gyeong-tae.”

Fighter Oh Gyeong-tae.

He was the person Young-jin had instructed yesterday to persuade the Wolf King’s subjugator.

By now, he should have subdued or dealt with him, but there’s no contact? Young-jin frowned, and Dong-hyun spoke with a grim face.

“The bat I attached to Gyeong-tae has also disappeared without a trace. I’m afraid he might have failed…”

“Release the bats to investigate further. If you find any traces of battle, report immediately.”

“Understood.”

Dong-hyun disappeared after finishing his reply.

On the other hand, Young-jin felt an inexplicable sense of unease at this unexpected news. Just then, Prophet Choi Jeong-hoon, sitting in the passenger seat, spoke up.

“Don’t worry too much.”

He whispered calmly, as if knowing what Young-jin was thinking.

“No matter how high their level or how strong they are, as long as they’re human, they’ll die if shot. Just like that Spirit User we faced in Nonsan.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

Certainly a valid point.

Nodding his head, Young-jin recalled the Spirit User they had encountered in Nonsan.

‘She truly was a monster.’

A level 28 Spirit User who could control wind.

More than a hundred of his subordinates lost their lives helplessly at her hands. What was even more baffling was that neither guns nor bombs affected the spirits.

However, the Spirit User herself was an exception.

Realizing this fact, Young-jin concentrated fire from the machine guns mounted on the armored vehicles, and was able to achieve victory surprisingly easily.

‘That’s when I realized.’

No matter how powerful their skills, humans still die the same when shot. This instilled a strong confidence in Young-jin.

He was confident he could win even if he faced the Wolf King’s subjugator. After all, he had tanks and armored vehicles, and even an ace up his sleeve.

“We’re almost at Daejeon!”

Just then, welcome news came from the front.

Finishing his contemplation, Young-jin leaned back in his seat with a relaxed feeling.

Just as they were about to enter the access road to their base after passing through the broken toll gate.

“Monster sighted ahead!”

“…What?”

Young-jin’s eyes widened at the unexpected news.

A monster? Weren’t all the monsters in this area already dealt with except for the wolf cubs?

As his doubts were amplifying.

“Ah! Correction. One monster, and someone presumed to be human is with it!”

A monster and a person together.

The moment he heard the corrected report, Young-jin recalled what he had heard from Jeong-hoon yesterday.

The Wolf King’s subjugator. Beside the man wearing a motorcycle helmet were strange monsters that seemed to be under his control.

So he immediately asked.

“What does it look like?”

“The monster has a bizarre form with no head, and the person is wearing a motorcycle helmet!”

“Boss, could it be…!”

Jeong-hoon’s eyes grew wide.

Young-jin nodded.

“Yes, that’s him.”

The very person who subjugated the Wolf King.

The being who was presumed to have last met Gyeong-tae, with whom contact had been lost. Young-jin issued a stop order to all units with a hardened expression.

Clank! Screech!

Tanks and armored vehicles coming to a halt.

Soon, a strange standoff began.

Before the militia arrived in Daejeon.

Han-seong had taken position beyond the toll gate, on the access road leading to Daejeon, and waited for the militia to arrive. As he was waiting there with the Collector, suddenly.

Coo! Coo!

A pigeon suddenly flew in.

With a note tied to its leg.

“This is…”

It appears to be the pigeon of Baek So-hyun, the operator and pigeon trainer for this operation.

The Phantom unfolded the note tied to its leg, and soon saw a hastily scrawled handwriting.

-Retreat immediately!

What’s this about all of a sudden?

Han-seong frowned.

-We received a testimony from captured citizens that can’t be ignored. They say the militia leader has a skill that can forcibly make people obey!

‘…Forcibly make people obey?’

Does such a skill exist?

If true, this is an unexpected variable. Han-seong hardened his expression and looked at the next contents.

-The skill name is Forced Conscription. It has the effect of forcibly commanding obedience, limited to targets who have served in any type of military for more than a year!

A skill that forcibly makes those who have served in the military for more than a year obey. At least in this country, it’s an incredibly overpowered skill.

It essentially means being able to control all men who have completed their military service.

‘However…’

Han-seong is an exception.

Having been diagnosed with lower body paralysis at seventeen, he was exempt from enlistment. He had never even been near a military base, let alone served in the military.

-I’ll be waiting where the command center was. Please return as quickly as possible after reading this note! We’ll discuss how to deal with the militia after returning to City Hall.

Sorry, but I have no intention of doing that.

If we fight after returning to City Hall, my mother would witness everything. He didn’t want to show his mother what he was about to do from now on.

‘Also, I need to rescue Father.’

For these reasons, Han-seong reached out the Phantom’s hand and caught the pigeon. Then, meeting its beady eyes, he said:

“Ms. Baek So-hyun. Can you hear me?”

“Coo! Coo coo!”

“I have a skill that can avoid Forced Conscription. So don’t worry.”

“Coooooo?”

“Anyway, go back.”

You might get caught up in this if you stay here.

The Phantom released the pigeon into the sky. After circling in the air a few times, the pigeon quickly flew back to where the vigilante group was.

Just at that moment.

Clank! Rumble rumble!

The sound of tanks approaching came from beyond the toll gate. So they’ve finally arrived. Han-seong used a skill towards the blue dots on the map.

[Activating skill.]

[Remote: Detection]

He also activated Precise Observation simultaneously.

After some time passed, he succeeded in finding the person he was targeting.

[Name]: Kang Il-han

[Owned Skills]:

▷Carpentry (+Reduced Crafting Time)

▷Forging (+Enhanced Weapon Crafting)

Smelting, Super Concentration, Rapid Maintenance

“…Father.”

His father was on an escort bus moving in the column next to the lead, handcuffed.

There were five buses in total.

On all the buses were unarmed men in handcuffs, just like his father. They were probably citizens taken for forced labor.

‘And…’

He was also able to find out the information of the person presumed to be the militia leader.

[Name]: Go Young-jin

▷Territory Management (+Mark of Obedience)

▷Resident Management (+One Mind, One Body)

Knight Appointment, Collection, Mobilization Order, Emergency Muster, Forced Conscription, Battle Standard, Monarch’s Aura

‘How peculiar.’

It’s the first time since the Upheaval that he’s seen an additional level displayed next to the level. The title in parentheses next to the job was also unfamiliar.

‘Ah, come to think of it…’

Didn’t they say one’s power increases as the number of territory residents grows? Could that be affecting the level and job? As he was roughly guessing the reason.

Screech!

The militia’s tanks came to a stop.

Maintaining a distance of about a hundred meters.

Shortly after, handcuffed men disembarked from the buses in the column next to the main force.

“Get off quickly, you bastards!”

“Move it, move it!”

Citizens then deployed in front of the tanks.

Nearly 200 people looked around anxiously with uneasy faces. Just then, militia members aimed their gun muzzles forward.

Click!

With that action, Han-seong realized.

They intend to use the citizens as hostages and shields. However, as this was within the expected range, he wasn’t particularly shaken.

Just then.

“I have something I want to ask you.”

A baritone voice came through a loudspeaker.

Soon the figure of militia leader Go Young-jin appeared.

Young-jin addressed the Phantom standing in the middle of the access road, holding a portable loudspeaker.

“Where is Oh Gyeong-tae?”

“I’m talking about my subordinates I sent to persuade you. Didn’t you receive the necklace?”

“Ah.”

He recalled who it was. The guy who suddenly pointed a gun and told him to wear a necklace.

Instead of answering, Han-seong brought the Phantom’s thumb to its chin and made a throat-slitting gesture. At this, Young-jin’s eyebrow twitched.

“…I see you didn’t like the proposal.”

What a ridiculous thing to say.

How is saying ‘obey or die’ a proposal in any way? Han-seong just glared at him without bothering to reply.

“Well, never mind. Then I’ll make another proposal.”

Seeing no reaction from the Phantom, Young-jin grabbed the loudspeaker again. Then, with an arrogant tone, he wiggled his finger.

“Join under me. I’ll let you have anything you want.”

At those words, Han-seong activated his Magic Eye.

A red light emanating from Young-jin’s body.

Meaning it was a lie.

He probably lured other militia members or subordinates in the same way, then used the Forced Conscription skill to make them obey against their will.

Meanwhile, at that time.

As Young-jin was waiting for Han-seong’s answer, Jeong-hoon sitting next to him whispered:

“Boss, the skill is ready.”

Meaning he could use the Prophecy skill.

Young-jin pointed at the ground and instructed.

“Use it here.”

The scenery around this area at this time tomorrow.

If there are traces of battle, it means persuasion failed, and if the road is intact, it means the other party can be persuaded.

‘If it’s the former…’

We’ll have to deal with him preemptively.

After all, the skill he used to subjugate the Wolf King was clearly a very dangerous skill to anyone watching.

“Gasp! Th-this is…!”

Jeong-hoon’s eyes flew open.

An expression as if he’d seen a ghost. Alarmed by this unsettling reaction, Young-jin urged for an answer.

“What’s wrong? What did you see?”

“Th-that, well, you see…”

“Stop stammering and answer quickly!”

“The road itself is, is gone!”

The moment he heard the answer.

Goosebumps rose all over his body. At the same time, his instincts screamed warnings frantically. Young-jin turned off the loudspeaker and ordered all units:

“Open fire! Shoot him now!”

To blow him away with concentrated fire.

At that command, the tank turrets immediately aimed at the Phantom and Collector. The militia members also pointed their gun muzzles at the target.

However, attack was impossible.

Woong! Rumble rumble rumble!

“Ugh! Wh-what’s this?”

“Urgh! My body, it’s so heavy…”

With the sound of the road shaking.

Suddenly, an incredibly strong pressure crushed down on the militia. It felt as if a massive gravity was sucking their bodies down into the ground.

Under this powerful force, forget pulling triggers, some even lost consciousness. The cause of this sudden phenomenon was Han-seong’s skill.

[Remote: Gravity]

[Current Intensity: Intermediate]

[10 mana is consumed per second.]

[Please set the intensity.]

Gravity’s range is a 500-meter radius.

Thanks to equipping the Mage’s Staff, enemies within a 1km radius were exposed to strong pressure.

This skill has one advantage – the pressure doesn’t affect the caster himself and allies designated in advance.

‘In other words, I can send the Collector to rescue the captured hostages.’

So Han-seong maintained Gravity while controlling the Collector to begin the rescue operation.

After about ten minutes passed.

About 200 men, including his father, had escaped from Gravity’s area of effect. Han-seong briefly explained the current situation to them.

“I’m from the vigilante group.”

“If you follow this monster I’m controlling, you’ll come across parked trucks. Get in those and go to Daejeon City Hall.”

“Th-then what about you…”

“I’ll be fine. Please hurry and go.”

He wanted to talk more with his father whom he was seeing for the first time in 10 years, but this wasn’t the time. There were priority matters to deal with now.

[Replica: Collector]

[Switching to Defense Stance.]

The citizens, including his father, left the highway following the Collector which had switched to escort mode.

Only after seeing the sight of about 200 blue dots rapidly leaving the scene did he turn his attention back to the militia.

“Ugh! Stop, stop this damned skill right now!”

“The citizens aren’t, just those people. There are, citizens among us too! Are you going to, kill all of them as well!?”

Young-jin shouting with difficulty.

Han-seong didn’t reply. His body was still enveloped in red light.

‘It’s a lie.’

Above all, they don’t consider the citizens as comrades. They only think of them as shields to block attacks, or tools to be used as hostages.

There’s no way they would give guns and bulletproof vests to such people.

“You’ve crossed the line.”

To be honest, capturing unarmed citizens for forced labor or taking them hostage wasn’t Han-seong’s business to interfere with.

But family is a different matter.

Once they touched his family, Han-seong decided to treat the militia the same as monsters. Having made his resolve, he used the skill he had prepared.

[Deploying Magic Spear.]

[Coordinates specified.]

[Magic Spear: Javelin]

Five Magic Spears departing from Cheonan.

Just then, Young-jin, who had crawled out, suddenly reached his hand towards the Phantom.

“Forced Conscription!”

So that was his intention – trying to use a skill to control the Phantom. Han-seong looked at Young-jin with a cold sneer.

“What? Wh-why isn’t the skill…!”

Because the Phantom isn’t a living being.

Even if Han-seong himself had been there, the guy’s skill wouldn’t have worked.

Leaving the bewildered Young-jin behind.

Han-seong turned the Phantom’s body and quickly left the scene. To avoid getting caught in the Magic Spear explosion. Then Young-jin’s cry was heard.

“T-tell me what you want!”

“I’ll give you anything, just tell me what you want!”

Even that is a lie.

To think he would still lie even with death right before his eyes. There’s no value in talking.

As he moved quite far from the scene.

──────! Kaboom!

The Magic Spears struck the road.

Just one spear has an effective range of a 200-meter radius.

With the bombardment falling in a straight line along the road, virtually all of the militia were within the attack range.

Kaboom! Bang! Kaboom!

Secondary explosions caused by the Meteor Fall effect.

Some time later, when the explosions subsided, along with the collapsed road, the blue dots on the map disappeared.

Not a single one remained.

Soon after, a notification appeared.

[You have leveled up.]

So you level up from killing people too.

Well, elite monsters also level up by killing people, so I guess it’s a similar case.

And I did eliminate quite a large number.

As he was realizing this new fact.

[Your alignment has changed.]

[Previous: Neutral-Good]

[Changed to: Chaotic-Good]

An additional notification appeared.

Along with content that didn’t particularly need attention.

Han-seong looked at where the Magic Spears had fallen with an expressionless face. There was nothing there. No corpses, no tanks, not even the road.

After being lost in thought for a moment, Han-seong soon turned the Phantom’s body.

To go meet his parents.