Ch.138138. Busan Vacuum

December 28th. I went down to Busan with my reinforced suit case. The reason is obvious—using the excuse of visiting relatives.

My goal is to weaken the Apocalypse Cult’s forces at Busan Port in advance.

During vacation, I’ll pay a quick visit to my relatives and then tour Busan while I’m at it.

What a brilliant excuse that is.

The Defense Corps actually suggested I take my reinforced suit case with me after all the recent incidents, just in case.

Thanks to that, I can travel with peace of mind.

I met my relatives after a long time, conveyed my parents’ regards, and had lunch together.

They also recommended some tourist spots for my plans in Busan.

This time, Kyungsoo hyung, who had recovered from the hospital, tagged along.

Honestly, I feel bad about involving him in another major incident.

So I called out to Kyungsoo hyung.

“Since you’re going to escort me anyway, let’s eat together. Eating alone is kind of sad, you know.”

“I won’t refuse.”

“That’s my Kyungsoo hyung.”

Thanks to him, I comfortably enjoyed various tourist activities. During our outing, I talked with Seol Yuhwa.

[Jonghyun. Hey. What have you been up to?]

“I came to Busan with my relatives. Just planning to hang out a bit before heading back. Don’t worry. I’ll be there on the 31st.”

[Worry? I was just asking. You always talk like that.]

Yuhwa grumbles, but I know better. Her voice right now betrays her anxiety.

“So I don’t have to come?”

[Stop joking around. I’m being serious. I’ve already told everyone in the guild. If you don’t come…]

I found Yuhwa’s reaction newly amusing.

“I’m kidding. Just kidding. We made a promise, right? I’ll come see the White Dragon Guild’s skills. And taste that amazing cooking from the great White Dragon Guild.”

And one more thing.

“Yuhwa. Remember those clothes I bought you? Should we both wear them? They suit us well together. Is there a dress code?”

[No. Just be presentable enough. It’s basically a large company dinner.]

“Then no problem. See you then.”

As I end the call, Kyungsoo hyung laughs beside me.

“Yuhwa? The one who joined the White Dragon Guild? This kid’s got game… I mean!”

Then he started choking me.

“Where did you sell Aerial off to, you player? Huh? You’re already going bad!”

“No, hyung! Yuhwa invited me. She’s a minor and going to the White Dragon Guild alone.”

“But why you? There are guys like Koo Sangheon or Keum Dohyun.”

“Maybe because I’m more charming as a man? My manly appeal might be outstanding, regardless of skill.”

Kyungsoo hyung responded by swinging me around in the air.

After spending time like this, it was time to lay the groundwork.

“On the 30th, I’ll check out Busan Port before heading back. I wonder if I can go fishing.”

I needed to casually drop hints about going to the port and spend the 29th peacefully.

But on the evening of the 29th, a shocking event occurred.

The Apocalypse Cult began advancing toward Busan. The scale was even larger than what I saw during the Seoul invasion operation.

“My God…”

Yangsan was turning into a sea of flames.

Even though it was just a gathering point, the monsters and mutants were burning it down like Sodom and Gomorrah.

[Can you see this now? They’re advancing toward Busan. Uh… the monster…]

The helicopter of the Busan announcer who was broadcasting gets shot down by a Devil.

Not just Devils, but S-rank Pterosaurs and SS-rank Wyverns were visible too.

The ground was filled with an army of monsters, destroying everything in their path.

Kyungsoo hyung was frantically making calls beside me.

“Yes! I’m in Busan right now, and the enemy is coming down!”

“Jonghyun! Let’s go! We need to get out of here!”

“But… my relatives are in danger too.”

This is separate from my desire to fight. My relatives are genuinely in danger.

“Alright. Let’s save them and retreat together.”

We prepared for the advancing enemy forces, but people were already in chaos.

“Move your car!”

“This idiot parked like crap and isn’t answering calls?”

“The road is blocked!”

In the chaos, Busan’s roads were completely jammed with cars.

“I’ll call and tell them to evacuate.”

Just as I was about to call and urge them to go to a shelter, flames suddenly shot up in the distance. I knew that direction.

The sea where Busan Port is located. A laser beam rising from there?

Despite the changed future, I knew this development. The beginning of the Busan Port Blockade incident. The declaration of war from the Giga Crab with its elemental attacks.

Now? It’s still the 29th. Are they attacking from both sides? This is the worst.

The Seoul invasion operation alone was massive, and now they’re attacking Busan from both sides?

The Busan Port siege was already urgent because of hostages, and now the forces meant for the Seoul invasion are coming too.

They’ve combined their strength while advancing.

Moreover, with the attack from Yangsan, all reinforcements will have to gather there.

Relatively, they’ll easily devastate Busan using hostages as shields.

This is a crisis.

As my head spun, Kyungsoo hyung started running.

“Hyung! Can you help my relatives?”

“I’m your bodyguard. You’re in danger too.”

“I’ll escape on my own. Please help my relatives! I can defend myself minimally.”

This is what the reinforced suit is for. As I put it on and retreated, Kyungsoo hyung left to help my relatives.

Kyungsoo hyung, I’m sorry. I keep putting you in danger.

But it can’t be helped. Stopping this will help humanity. I have to fight in the midst of danger.

The sounds of Busan’s guilds mobilizing and the increasing chaos filled the air.

Then I looked up at the sky. The monsters with freedom of movement were targeting this place first.

I took out my card and looked for a suitable place to hide.

*

A club in Haeundae, Busan.

Lively music was playing here.

A place where people rubbed against each other and exchanged drinks. There was no silence here.

Of course, this wasn’t the time for them to be having fun.

“They say monsters are invading?”

“A Break? Whatever. They’ll handle it.”

The alarm was blaring clearly, but no one took it seriously.

“Just stay! Just stay!”

Here were Kang Sunghoon, the president’s grandson, and Park Sejun, the son of the ruling party leader.

Sunghoon was smiling happily among the women.

“Sejun hyung, are we really safe?”

“Hey, trust me. How many Jaegers do we have on our side? They’re skilled, so don’t worry.”

Sejun poured whiskey for Sunghoon, who had just become an adult.

“Here, drink up. You should enjoy yourself fully before getting married.”

“That’s why I came with you, hyung. Ah, this is comfortable. But isn’t it a bit much to have party-affiliated Jaegers guard us at a drinking party?”

“Guard duty is the same wherever we go. Don’t worry.”

They were literally carefree, with no concerns even if monsters appeared.

Sejun approached Lee Jihyun, another politician’s daughter, sitting next to him.

“How is it? Nice, right? I heard this place was good, so I came.”

“Sejun oppa, you’re in your 30s, yet you picked a place like this.”

“You make me sound like an old man.”

As Sejun grumbled, Jihyun downed her drink in one shot.

“Ahh, delicious. Being in your 30s makes you an old man. Isn’t there quite a difference between you and fresh young ones like me?”

“Whatever you say.”

But their enjoyment was shattered when monsters and mutants attacked the club.

Their boasted guards were killed instantly.

Park Jemun of the Apocalypse Cult watched as people pushed others aside to escape.

[Pushing others down to save yourself. Quite the trash.]

But they were quickly captured.

Amid the chaos, Jihyun shouted and resisted.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Let go! Do you know who I am?”

[The daughter of Lee Donghak, a four-term congressman and promising politician based in Chungcheong Province. Am I wrong?]

With those words, Jihyun froze.

The implications of that statement were significant. It wasn’t coincidence; they had specifically targeted them.

Park Jemun ordered the other monsters:

[Go wreak havoc outside and come back. Then you’ll come with us…]

“W-wait! There are other people here! Why me specifically? The president’s grandson and the ruling party leader’s son are over there too!”

As she pointed, the two men who were trying to sneak away cursed.

“Is that girl crazy?”

“Why drag us into this? She’s rotten inside!”

“What do you want me to do? I want to live. Those two should be enough! Let me go!”

Despite her pleading, Park Jemun just chuckled.

[I know. Everything. That you three came here to do drugs, planning to have a hallucination party until the 31st. It would be convenient if other politicians were here too, but you three are enough. You shouldn’t say ugly things like ‘target them instead.’]

Ridiculed, Jihyun’s face turned red with embarrassment.

[Don’t worry. You three are hostages, so we’ll treat you very comfortably. Just think of it as a change of guards.]

“No… no… someone help me…!”

Jihyun cried out, but of course, no one was there to help.

Soon, videos of the hostages were recorded and sent to broadcasting stations.

*

Kyungsoo felt like he was losing his mind.

“Is Do Jonghyun cursed or something? Why do monsters appear everywhere he goes?”

[But that Jonghyun kid really does get involved with monsters a lot, even though he’s always the one being attacked.]

[Is it bad luck… or something else…]

Even the Defense Corps was talking about it.

Of course, most of the time, Do Jonghyun was either attacked or got involved in ridiculous ways.

So while they usually just accepted it as coincidence, it was strange in a way.

Plus, the fact that his guards regularly risked their lives was even more concerning.

‘He’s really cursed. This looks dangerous again.’

Kyungsoo entered his relative’s house that he had seen yesterday.

“Follow me! We’re heading to the underground shelter first!”

He was navigating the way to guide them safely in the emergency.

But escape by vehicle was impossible. The roads were filled with cars and crowds of people fleeing by jaywalking.

With no choice, he looked for shelters or Break preparation facilities near the incident site.

“Let’s go that way for now!”

Amid the chaotic crowd, he used his ability to guide the way.

“Everyone! Stay calm! There are shelters and evacuation centers!”

When he lit up the evening with his magical light, hundreds of people suddenly started following him.

While he was busy guiding hundreds of panicked people, another bombing occurred nearby.

“Damn it!”

He became a human lantern with his magic power and then crashed into a building.

Breaking through the glass windows, he climbed up the wall to the top.

“My God…”

And he saw it.

The massive army advancing like a tide and the SS-class monsters surrounding the sea.

‘This… has nothing to do with Jonghyun. An attack of this scale? This is war!’

This was beyond any bad luck or Jonghyun’s involvement.

In short, an enemy force capable of wiping out an entire city had arrived.

Why would they deploy such a massive army just to kill one Do Jonghyun?

They simply intended to destroy a South Korean city today.

A flash of light appeared behind him.

As Kyungsoo jumped to avoid it, the top of the building was hit directly and began to collapse.

‘This is…’

As he turned around, flying monsters were rushing toward him.

At least four of them.

In the danger-filled space, his body wouldn’t move properly.

‘What is this? An enemy ability?’

His body wouldn’t respond correctly. Which one of those four monsters was responsible?

‘It’s not the ones attacking. It’s the one watching from a distance.’

He could see one monster flying leisurely behind the attackers.

The moment its red light flashed, he understood the cause.

‘But how do I escape?’

Just as the monsters were about to dive and target him, a wind blew from somewhere. That wind carried him away.

When Kyungsoo’s gaze turned toward the monsters, something like a flash of light passed by.

The moment the red light faded, freedom returned to his body.

He was alive.

In the chaotic situation, he was watching one thing: a bird-like monster moving gracefully through the windstorm in the sky.