Chapter 245: The Symbol and Power of a Clan vs. an Imperfect Time Bomb

Episode 245

Yong Hangil’s eyes widened even further.

“Hong Hyeonjin? Defeated Antuna?”

“Yes.”

“In a one-on-one fight? No one interfered?”

“That’s what the surviving Aztec Clan members said.”

“Hmm…”

Yong Hangil couldn’t hide his surprise, his face turning serious.

“I heard she hasn’t even been in the New Continent for two months yet, how…”

He frequently traveled between the New Continent and Korea, so he knew the difference between New Continent natives and those from other continents.

The longer someone stayed in the New Continent, the faster they grew stronger.

The New Continent was abundant not only in strong monsters and dungeons, perfect for gaining combat experience, but also in various ingredients for elixirs that enhanced one’s power level.

Both the quantity and quality were incomparable to what could be obtained in other continents.

It was only natural for hunters who survived in the New Continent to grow stronger at a rapid pace,

much faster than those from other continents.

The problem was that Hong Hyeonjin had only been in the New Continent for a little over a month.

And she had defeated Antuna, the Master of the Aztec Clan, who had been in the New Continent for over 20 years.

In a one-on-one fight, no less.

“How did she become so strong so quickly? Antuna’s power level isn’t something you can overcome with luck alone…”

“It’s not that surprising, if you consider who’s with her.”

Yoo Jun-ho’s words made him nod in agreement.

“Right, Kim Jinsung.”

The strongest hunter on Earth.

That was Kim Jinsung’s new nickname.

After the ‘Pandora’s Day’ incident, when a video of him beheading Hemingston in a one-on-one fight spread online, the title of ‘strongest hunter on Earth’ became his.

“I thought we only had to worry about Kim Jinsung…”

His name alone was enough to instill fear and anxiety in the hearts of everyone in the Center Zone.

They were constantly worried that he, who possessed the overwhelming power to defeat Hemingston, might attack their clans.

And then there was the ‘Anti-Government Clan Alliance’ that was forming around him.

Many of the hunters in the New Continent who had remained neutral after Kim Jinsung killed Hemingston started joining the alliance.

It was the power of the symbol that was Kim Jinsung, the ‘strongest hunter on Earth’.

There was no other reason for them to join the opposition, especially when the number of clan members in the Center Zone hadn’t decreased significantly.

“Now we have to worry about those insignificant bugs like Hong Hyeonjin…”

Hong Hyeonjin had become strong enough to defeat Antuna.

It wasn’t just her who had become stronger.

If she could grow so strong in such a short time, then the other Masters in the alliance could also have become as strong as her.

“Kim Jinsung wouldn’t have left the others alone…”

“……”

“The other clans must have heard about this, right?”

“Of course. And that’s where the problem lies.”

“What is it?”

He answered,

“The Moscow Clan just announced that they’ve released their ‘Kashimar’ agents, whom they’ve been training in secret.”

“……!”

Yong Hangil’s eyes widened, and he stood up abruptly.

“Agents? You mean…!”

“Yes. As you predicted, they’re ability users with similar abilities to the Alpha Clan’s ‘Martyrs’.”

“This is unbelievable…”

He collapsed back into his chair, his face filled with despair.

“How can so many clans have ability users like ‘Allobon’? How…”

He muttered to himself, and Yoo Jun-ho said,

“I think they captured some of the ‘Allobon’ test subjects who escaped five years ago, the ones we couldn’t find.”

“…And they experimented on them and figured out how the ‘Allobon’ ability works?”

“That’s the only explanation for why so many clans have suddenly produced ability users with the same ability.”

He listened to Yoo Jun-ho’s explanation and muttered to himself,

“This is a disaster. Our mistake five years ago has led to the proliferation of beings that shouldn’t exist…”

This was the seventh clan.

The seventh clan to announce that they had ability users like ‘Allobon’.

The Alpha Clan, the Moscow Clan, and the other five were all among the top ten strongest Major Clans.

And there were probably many other clans who hadn’t announced it yet.

“There’s a bigger problem.”

“…What?”

His face turned even more serious.

What could be a bigger problem than the proliferation of ‘Allobon’?

“After the Moscow Clan revealed ‘Kashimar’, the Ottoman Clan changed their mind and decided to join the Moscow Clan’s alliance.”

“Ottoman…?!”

“Yes. The strongest clan in Turkey, the Ottoman Clan. And the Kyiv Clan of Ukraine, who had a terrible relationship with the Moscow Clan, also requested a meeting to discuss an alliance.”

“The Kyiv Clan too? Why…?”

“Why do you think, Master?”

Yoo Jun-ho asked back, surprised by his reaction.

“You already know the reason, don’t you? It’s because of the ‘Kashimar’ agents, who have the Allobon ability.”

“No, no. There’s no way those imperfect time bombs are the main reason. Everyone saw how dangerous they were on ‘Pandora’s Day’…”

He kept denying it, but Yoo Jun-ho could see that he was trying to avoid reality.

‘Does he hate ‘Allobon’ that much…’

He knew that the Korean Clan had almost been wiped out five years ago because of the Allobon incident.

But now, having ability users with the ‘Allobon’ ability was a symbol of power and prestige for a clan.

There was a reason why the Ottoman and Kyiv Clans wanted to form an alliance with the Moscow Clan. Especially considering that the Kyiv Clan, who had a long-standing feud with the Moscow Clan, had changed their mind…

‘The Korean Clan won’t be able to move forward if he keeps dwelling on the past.’

But Yong Hangil’s stance on ‘Allobon’ was still firm.

“Don’t even think about revealing our ‘Allobon’ subjects just because other clans are doing it! Understand?!”

He shouted at Yoo Jun-ho.

And it wasn’t just today. He had been reminding Yoo Jun-ho of this almost every day recently.

“Think of a way to expand the alliance without using Allobon! Those Allobon subjects are dangerous! They could destroy the alliance and the Korean Clan in an instant!”

“…Understood, Master.”

Yoo Jun-ho had initially tried to change his mind, but he had given up.

He had realized that

‘If even my persuasion doesn’t work, then there’s no way to change his mind.’

He was the only one who could persuade Yong Hangil, and he had failed.

There was no hope left.

* * *

Moments later,

Yoo Jun-ho left Yong Hangil’s office and headed to the Dimensional Travel Room in the basement of the headquarters.

He opened a ‘dimensional rift’ and entered his familiar subspace.

“You’re here.”

Team Leader Hong, who had been waiting for him, stood up and bowed his head.

“Yes, I just finished reporting to Master.”

He sat down on the sofa,

leaning back with a tired sigh.

“Are you sure it’s safe? There’s still a chance that Master Yong is under surveillance…”

“No, I think we can rule him out as a suspect. We should be suspecting one of the Vice Masters who were present at the ‘Pandora’s Day’ incident.”

Team Leader Hong nodded.

The executives of the Korean Clan, including the two of them, had been wondering the same thing since ‘Pandora’s Day’.

How did the enemy find out about the location of the Vice Masters’ meeting?

It was possible, though highly unlikely, that they had deciphered the encrypted messages sent to the Vice Masters.

But the meeting was being held on the 5th floor of a demon world dungeon.

There were countless level 5 demon world dungeon portals in the New Continent.

And the enemy had pinpointed the exact dimension where the meeting was being held. It was a top secret that wasn’t even mentioned in the encrypted messages.

There was only one explanation.

‘One of the people present at the meeting is a spy, or under surveillance!’

It naturally ruled out Yong Hangil, who hadn’t even known the location of the meeting.

That was why Yoo Jun-ho had been freely discussing important matters with him since then.

“To be honest, I have a suspect in mind…”

“…Who is it?”

“I’ll tell you when I have concrete evidence. It’s not wise to accuse someone without proof.”

“Understood.”

He understood Yoo Jun-ho’s caution.

Accusing the wrong person of being under surveillance could have disastrous consequences, especially in the current atmosphere of the Center Zone.

“Anyway, has Master’s opinion on ‘Allobon’ changed?”

He shook his head, his face grim.

“It seems we have to give up on using ‘Allobon’ to expand our influence, like the Moscow Clan. There’s no way to change Master’s mind.”

“…Understood.”

Team Leader Hong looked disappointed.

Yong Hangil’s words were absolute in the Korean Clan. Even Yoo Jun-ho couldn’t disobey his orders without facing severe consequences.

“Forget about ‘Allobon’. Is the ‘Tiger Trap’ I asked you to build ready?”

“Yes. It’s about 70% complete. It should be finished by next week at the latest.”

“Good.”

“But may I ask what kind of ‘tiger’ this trap is for?”

He asked curiously.

The ‘Tiger Trap’ they were building wasn’t for catching actual tigers, of course.

It was the name of a powerful trap designed to catch a specific target, codenamed ‘Tiger’.

“Judging by the design, it’s not for an ordinary ‘tiger’…”

“I’m sorry. I’ll tell you who it’s for on the day we set the trap.”

“…Understood.”

He looked disappointed again, but he didn’t press further.

Yoo Jun-ho thought to himself, watching him leave,

‘There’s only one person in the New Continent who deserves to be called a ‘tiger’.’

And Team Leader Hong probably knew who it was.

But he would never guess that Yoo Jun-ho was actually building a trap to catch that ‘tiger’.

—

(To be continued in the next episode)