Chapter 219: Spirit Form

Episode 219

‘Spirit Form’ was the signature unique ability of Hong Sung-heun, the former Master of the Baekdu Clan.

It allowed him to summon the creatures he had defeated as allies.

The summoned spirits retained their original power levels and were immune to physical attacks due to their ethereal form.

Hong Sung-heun, in his prime, had summoned over a hundred spirits on the battlefield.

That was why no one in the world dared to engage in a large-scale battle against the Baekdu Clan, led by him. And he wasn’t weak in one-on-one battles either, further solidifying his reputation.

‘And his daughter, Hong Hyeonjin, inherited his ability.’

Hong Sung-heun had three sons and one daughter. Hong Hyeonjin was the youngest.

But no one opposed her becoming the next Master.

She was superior to her brothers in every aspect, including her innate talent, intelligence, political skills, and the fact that she had inherited her father’s unique ability.

‘Of course, she might not be able to fully replicate her father’s Spirit Form ability…’

Like Kim Jinsung, most Koreans knew a lot about Hong Hyeonjin.

The four major clans were the representatives of Korea, enjoying immense popularity, and their Masters and families were constantly in the spotlight.

**Boom! Boom!**

Two explosions echoed from the battlefield.

Kim Jinsung looked up and saw the remaining angel writhing in pain after being hit by two beams of light.

One beam had been fired by the spirit angel, and the other by Hong Hyeonjin in her suit.

‘Spirit Ability Replication.’

It was Hong Sung-heun’s signature move, allowing him to copy the abilities of his summoned spirits.

And Hong Hyeonjin was replicating it perfectly.

[You bastard…! How dare you use forbidden magic!]

The injured angel glared at the spirit angel, gritting his teeth.

He raised his spear, channeling Mana into its tip, and slammed it into the ground.

**Boom!**

A wave of Mana, made of pure light, spread out in a circle.

The wave reached Hong Hyeonjin in an instant.

At that moment,

the spirit angel stepped in front of her, its form shifting into a shield.

**Crash! Crash! Crash!**

The Mana wave crashed against the shield, creating a series of deafening impacts.

The shield shook violently, but it held until the wave dissipated.

The spirit returned to its angelic form, and Kim Jinsung thought,

‘That’s the Spirit Shield.’

It was a protective shield that utilized the unique characteristic of spirits, their ability to freely change their forms.

It was another one of Hong Sung-heun’s signature moves.

‘…Oh?’

His eyes widened in surprise.

The spirit angel merged with Hong Hyeonjin.

It looked as if she had entered the spirit’s body.

‘Spirit Fusion?’

“Haaaah!”

She raised her right arm, and

the spirit angel’s spear thrust forward, piercing the air towards the guardian angel.

The attack was so fast that the guardian angel, who had just finished his area attack, couldn’t dodge in time.

**Thud!**

The spear pierced through his heart, and

**Boooom!**

A massive explosion erupted.

The spirit angel had used the Annihilation Bomb skill again, channeling all its Mana.

After the explosion subsided, another spirit angel appeared next to Hong Hyeonjin.

She now had two spirits. Kim Jinsung was certain now.

‘She can reach the boss without my help.’

As he was thinking,

“Phew… Shall we continue?”

She asked, turning to him, her voice slightly strained.

He nodded silently.

She turned back and started running towards the mountain peak.

The two spirit angels followed her, keeping pace with her incredible speed.

He watched them disappear from sight and then vanished, as if teleporting.

* * *

Two men were talking in a suite on the top floor of a hotel in the Green Zone, a floor reserved for VVIP guests.

“Welcome back, Team Leader Hong.”

“How did the meeting with the second-in-commands go?”

Yoo Jun-ho, the Vice Master of the Korean Clan, greeted Hong Yeon-seok, the Team 1 Leader, who bowed his head in response.

“It just finished. I’m on my way back.”

“What was the response?”

“As expected.”

“As expected… So about 70% of them agreed to follow you.”

“That’s right. Please have a seat.”

He led Hong Yeon-seok to a large round table in the center of the living room.

“We need to encrypt the details of the meeting and send a report to the Master, so let’s discuss it while we work on the encryption.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?”

“…Excuse me?”

Yoo Jun-ho looked up at him, surprised by his sudden question.

“I could be a spy, you know? All the executives of the Major Clans in the Center Zone are currently suspects.

And yet, you’re not even conducting a basic equipment check…”

“You’re fine, Team Leader Hong.”

He interrupted him and said,

“You’re the Team 1 Leader, the one who oversees all the Korean Clan hunters. If you’re a spy,

we might as well disband the Korean Clan. You understand what I mean, right?”

“Hahaha…”

The position of Team 1 Leader in a hunter clan was equivalent to the Minister of Defense in a country.

Considering that hunters were practically soldiers, the importance of the position that oversaw them was obvious.

And he was the Team 1 Leader of the Korean Clan, the undisputed strongest hunter clan in Korea, with over a thousand members?

He was practically more powerful than the actual Minister of Defense of Korea.

If he was a spy, it would mean that Korea’s national defense had been compromised.

“Anyway, let’s talk about the meeting with the second-in-commands… We achieved our minimum goal. 32 of them agreed to join us.”

“The Alpha Clan isn’t among them, I presume.”

“Unfortunately, no.”

Hong Yeon-seok shrugged, as if he had expected it.

“It’s a natural outcome. The Alpha Clan would never hand over their leadership to another clan.”

“Especially not to those insignificant peninsula dwellers they consider their subjects.”

Hong Yeon-seok chuckled wryly.

“But as I said, we achieved our minimum goal. Everyone in the meeting agreed to oppose the ‘Anti-Yong Hangil Movement’ led by the Genshin Clan.”

“So even the Alpha Clan agreed.”

“Of course. They probably think the Korean Clan is easier to control than the Genshin Clan.”

Their usual submissiveness to the Alpha Clan had worked in their favor.

The Alpha Clan preferred the obedient Korean Clan to the ambitious Genshin Clan, which was always trying to assert its independence.

“We have more clans on our side than the Genshin Clan, and our average power level is higher. And the Alpha Clan has also chosen our side, so we should be able to dismantle the Genshin Clan’s movement soon.”

“I heard you’re planning to recruit the members of their movement after dismantling it. Do you think it’s possible?”

“It won’t be easy, but… we have to try. No one else will want to be the ‘leader’.”

Hong Yeon-seok nodded in agreement.

The position of ‘leader’ was a double-edged sword. It was a position of power, but also one of great risk.

The moment Yoo Jun-ho volunteered to be the ‘leader’, it became an all-or-nothing gamble.

He would either rise as the next generation leader, acknowledged by all, or crumble under the pressure.

Those were the only two possible outcomes.

“As the leader, I could even lose my life. I have no choice but to work hard to avoid that fate.”

“…As I said, please let me know if it gets too dangerous.”

“I understand. But you don’t have to worry about me. You know who I am.”

“That’s true, but…”

There was one thing even Hong Yeon-seok couldn’t deny.

The one who was about to become the leader was ‘Yoo Jun-ho’.

Everyone in the New Continent knew the weight his name carried.

“That’s all from me. I hope I didn’t make any mistakes in the report…”

He checked the encrypted message he had been writing.

“…It seems fine. We’ll review it again after we’re done. Now it’s your turn, Team Leader Hong.”

“Yes, sir.”

Hong Yeon-seok started reporting the results of his assigned mission.

“As you predicted, Vice Master, large clans from all over the world that haven’t been able to enter the New Continent before have infiltrated the four major ports and established themselves.”

“Is there a Korean clan among them?”

“Yes. The Baekdu Clan has established a branch in Elnacon City.”

“The Baekdu Clan…”

Yoo Jun-ho twirled his pen, searching his memory.

“Did Master Hong Hyeonjin come too?”

“Yes. One of our members spotted her entering a hotel in the B-13 Zone this morning. It seems she met someone.”

“Who do you think it was?”

“Considering the circumstances, it’s most likely…”

Yoo Jun-ho finished his sentence,

“Kim Jinsung?”

“…Yes. Both Kim Jinsung and Hong Hyeonjin would benefit the most from the downfall of the Korean Clan.”

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend… I see.”

“That’s my guess, but…”

His phone on the table started vibrating.

He checked the screen and frowned.

“…We’ve received a report that someone has infiltrated our exclusive dungeon, the 45th floor of the Trial Tower.”

Yoo Jun-ho’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

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