Chapter 136. The Victors (3)
“E-Eight Guardians?”
Seok Taejun was completely bewildered.
“You’re telling me to become one of the Eight Guardians? Like Lee Hyeonje, Shin Minyu, or Won Pilso?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of ridiculous idea is that all of a sudden?!”
It was so absurd that he almost turned around without thinking.
“I’m not even an SS-rank Contractor! I’m not even S-rank! How am I supposed to become one of the Eight Guardians?!”
Among the current Eight Guardians, Lee Hyeonje and Shin Minyu were SS-rank, while Won Pilso was S-rank.
Even in the past, most members of the Eight Guardians had been SS-rank.
Meanwhile, Seok Taejun was only barely considered A-rank at his current level.
Without Chimera and the Durandal Replica, even B-rank would be questionable.
“That isn’t a position someone like me can fill!”
“Calm down. I’m not telling you to become one of the Eight Guardians through combat power.”
“Th-Then what are you talking about?”
“Seok Taejun, just listen first.”
The calm voice continued from behind him.
“In the past, you needed a certain level of strength to become one of the Eight Guardians. But things are different now.”
“S-So?”
“If the Eight Guardians are going to lead all of Korea in the future, combat ability alone won’t be enough. They’ll need people who stand out in other areas, like Ha Mina once did.”
“Well... I heard Ha Mina wasn’t particularly strong in direct combat either...”
Even so, Ha Mina had possessed extremely exceptional abilities as a special-type Contractor.
How was Seok Taejun supposed to stand out on that level?
“You can do it.”
“No, but how...”
“No one will treat you that way right now. But if you build enough achievements, everyone will acknowledge you.”
“Achievements? How am I supposed to build achievements?”
Frustrated, Seok Taejun asked the question.
A cold answer came from behind him.
“Use your Awakening Skill, [Hidden Insight], and clear every Event and Quest scattered across Korea.”
Seok Taejun sucked in a breath.
“There are still countless Events and Quests in Korea that haven’t been properly cleared.”
The man continued.
“Take people with you and sweep through all of them. Use your Awakening Skill.”
“M-My Awakening Skill?”
“Yes.”
His voice remained calm.
“Monopolize every Hidden Piece you can find.”
"...!"
Seok Taejun’s Awakening Skill, [Hidden Insight], allowed him to see through the hidden elements inside Events and Quests.
It had helped him escape danger several times before.
But this man was telling him to deliberately go around monopolizing Hidden Pieces?
“Seok Taejun, you’re not the inexperienced beginner you used to be.”
“If you truly decide to do it, you can sweep up every Hidden Piece in the country.”
The man paused.
“What greater achievement could you possibly need?”
“Th-That...”
“Of course, I’m not telling you to use those rewards only to strengthen yourself.”
The voice continued.
“Seok Taejun, this country isn’t very stable right now.”
“What?”
“Japan. China. Pandemonium.”
“Compared to all the dangerous forces surrounding it, Korea is far too weak.”
The man’s tone sharpened slightly.
“Don’t you think it needs to become stronger?”
“Well...”
“If you lead people across the country and gather all those Hidden Pieces, Korea can become much stronger in a very short time.”
"...!"
Only then did Seok Taejun understand.
“Wait, then...”
“Yes.”
The answer came immediately.
“You can make this country stronger.”
The scale of the conversation kept growing, leaving Seok Taejun somewhat dazed.
But the more he listened, the more plausible it sounded.
“B-But can I really do that by myself?”
“Don’t worry. Lee Jukheon and Joo Minha will remain in Korea with you.”
“Lee Jukheon and Joo Minha too?”
“Lee Jukheon needs a chance to truly stand out somewhere Kang Yujin isn’t present.”
“He has the ability to possess far greater presence than he currently does, but because Kang Yujin is around, he keeps getting pushed into a supporting role.”
“Ah...”
“And Joo Minha will help you build your influence.”
The man spoke matter-of-factly.
“Leave the thinking and organizational work to Joo Minha.”
“Th-Then I guess I don’t need to worry about that part.”
“And it won’t be just those two.”
“If you keep producing results, other people will naturally start following you.”
“Once that happens, you’ll become a major figure worthy of joining the Eight Guardians.”
A major figure.
That was something Seok Taejun had never once imagined for himself.
“No, even so... me?”
“Are you still saying that?”
A sigh came from behind him.
“Did you forget that you defeated Cheon Muhyeok, who was once one of the Eight Guardians?”
"...!"
Seok Taejun sucked in a breath.
Right.
Come to think of it...
“N-No, Kang Yujin and I defeated Cheon Muhyeok together! Don’t casually make it sound like I did it alone!”
“Same difference.”
“How is that the same thing?! Seriously!”
“Anyway.”
After shouting like that, Seok Taejun felt some of the tension leave him.
“And Seok Taejun, if you truly want to help Kang Yujin, this is a better way to do it.”
“...What?”
“Until now, Kang Yujin has moved from one faction to another.”
“The Black Dragon Society. The Hwaseong Sect.”
“But he was always just a guest.”
That was only natural.
Both the Black Dragon Society and the Hwaseong Sect had their own central figures.
Kang Yujin had merely been a collaborator.
“So now you should create an organization that exists to support Kang Yujin.”
The voice grew firmer.
“That is something only you can do.”
"...!"
Those words immediately cleared Seok Taejun’s mind.
“Do you understand what I mean?”
“Yes...”
Now he finally understood.
“That really is something I should do.”
“Yes.”
“Instead of relying on other people’s organizations, we create one of our own.”
Seok Taejun’s voice gained strength.
“That’s what you mean, right?”
Until Kang Yujin returned from China after becoming even stronger...
Seok Taejun would remain in Korea and build an organization.
“I’ll gather Hidden Pieces, expand our influence, and create an organization.”
“When Kang Yujin comes back, I’ll welcome him with it.”
“Exactly.”
“And after that... I probably don’t need to explain, do I?”
“No.”
They would step onto a larger stage together.
Defeat the demons of Pandemonium.
Fight powerful Contractors from other countries.
Change the world.
For that future...
Seok Taejun would remain in Korea and prepare.
“Understood. Leave it to me.”
Seok Taejun spoke confidently.
“I won’t be doing it alone. If Lee Jukheon and Joo Minha are helping me, I think I can do it.”
“I’ll sweep through Hidden Pieces all across Korea, strengthen the country, and build an organization ready to support Kang Yujin when he returns.”
“Good. Dependable.”
“Haha.”
Seok Taejun couldn’t help laughing.
Instead of simply following behind Kang Yujin and fighting alongside him...
he had finally found a way to help Kang Yujin that only he could accomplish.
His combat ability couldn’t even match Lee Jukheon’s.
In that case, it was better to support Kang Yujin from a different direction.
That somehow felt more natural...
as an equal companion.
“Oh, come to think of it, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask about our Constellation.”
Forgetting that he had been told not to move, Seok Taejun casually turned around.
But...
“Huh...?”
There was no one behind him.
Just in case, he searched the entire restroom.
There was no trace of anyone.
“What the...?”
“Grr?”
Wondering what was happening, Chimera poked its head into the restroom.
Seok Taejun remained standing there in confusion for quite some time.
“Glad you managed to work things out with your companions.”
Kang Yujin listened to Ma Taesu as they walked through a harbor where the sea breeze blew past them.
“Honestly, I assumed the four of you would head to China together again.”
“We don’t have to stick together all the time.”
“True enough.”
Before leaving, Kang Yujin had discussed their future plans with Seok Taejun, Lee Jukheon, and Joo Minha.
He had expected all of them to move together again.
So when Seok Taejun was the first to say he wanted to remain in Korea, Kang Yujin had been somewhat surprised.
But Seok Taejun had properly explained his intentions.
And if he had a goal he wanted to pursue, Kang Yujin wanted to respect it as much as possible.
In the end, Kang Yujin decided to leave his other companions in Korea and head to China alone.
“Kang Yujin, I was actually a little surprised when you said you wanted to go to China.”
“Really?”
“The Black Dragon Society headquarters has already been making a fuss about wanting to meet you.”
“That works out well. If you take me there, that’s another achievement for you.”
“That’s true.”
Ma Taesu smiled.
“While you’re operating in China, both I and the Black Dragon Society will support you fully.”
“And then you’ll use me for your own purposes.”
“It’s give and take.”
Ma Taesu shrugged.
“Hasn’t our relationship always been like that?”
“That’s true.”
Back when Kang Yujin had been in the central-western region, this man had always operated like that.
Ma Taesu was an uncompromising realist.
That was exactly why Kang Yujin trusted him in certain matters.
Back then, I never imagined I’d end up going to China alone with Ma Taesu.
There were several reasons Kang Yujin wanted to go to China.
The biggest was Ha Mina.
According to Keito, there was a high chance she had gone to China.
There should also be another Vessel Ha Mina had created somewhere there.
Kang Yujin wanted to move first before that side began acting.
He also wanted to visit the homeland of martial arts.
According to what Jegal Geum had told him, martial arts-type Skills were highly developed in China.
There were even spiritual elixirs capable of increasing internal energy.
If Kang Yujin wanted to become stronger, China was somewhere he needed to see.
If I went wandering into China all by myself, I’d just get lost. I have no choice but to rely on Ma Taesu.
Thinking that, Kang Yujin looked around.
They had arrived at a harbor, but there were no ships anywhere nearby.
Apparently, cruise ships had once docked here.
So how exactly were they supposed to reach China?
“As you already know, crossing the sea has become extremely difficult these days.”
As if reading Kang Yujin’s thoughts, Ma Taesu began explaining.
“The oceans are ruled by all kinds of marine monsters, and fuel has become difficult to obtain.”
“Because of that, ships can no longer travel the way they used to.”
“And traveling by airplane is even harder.”
Ma Taesu continued.
“So countries surrounded by water have become extremely isolated from foreign trade.”
The Korean Peninsula was technically connected to the continent by land.
But since Pandemonium occupied the northern region, Korea was effectively an island nation.
“Even so, the Black Dragon Society Korea Branch has managed to maintain relatively active exchanges with China.”
“Because you have friendly relations with Pandemonium’s forces along the western coastline?”
The northern territory previously ruled by Phenex had been hostile to humans.
But the western coastline under Belial’s influence had been relatively friendly.
The demons Ma Taesu and Won Pilso traded with belonged to that western region.
“That’s part of it.”
Ma Taesu checked his wristwatch.
“But it isn’t the whole reason.”
Then he smiled.
“Hmm. Right on time.”
He turned his gaze toward the sea.
Pointing toward the waves, Ma Taesu spoke proudly.
“Look, Kang Yujin.”
"...?"
“That is the reason we can maintain active trade with China.”
Kang Yujin looked toward the sea in confusion.
Then...
something suddenly rose from beneath the water.
"...!"
A dark object dozens of meters long surfaced.
For an instant, Kang Yujin was reminded of the Flood Dragon that had appeared in the Han River.
Of course, this thing wasn’t a monster.
“A ship? No... a submarine?”
“That’s right, Kang Yujin.”
Ma Taesu sounded almost proud.
“If you know even a little about this field, you should be able to tell.”
“That submarine is something modern science and technology cannot build.”
“What?”
“That’s right.”
Ma Taesu pointed toward it.
“It isn’t from the Material Realm.”
“It is a submarine that existed in the Fantasy Realm.”
“Pure overtechnology, small enough to be compact yet powerful enough to rival a nuclear submarine.”
He raised a finger dramatically.
“That is the world’s only submarine-type Constellation Armament.”
“The Nautilus of the S-rank Constellation ‘Captain Nobody,’ Nemo.”
“That submarine is a Constellation Armament?”
“And because it is being maintained through Maximum Manifestation without a time limit...”
Ma Taesu smiled.
“You can truly say there is only one of it in the entire world.”
So even something that enormous could exist as a Constellation Armament.
Kang Yujin was genuinely surprised.
“Jules Verne described the Nautilus in his 1869 science-fiction novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas.”
“A submarine powered by electricity, traveling all across the ocean depths and overcoming countless dangers.”
Ma Taesu looked toward the vessel almost fondly.
“With this thing, we can quietly pass through the depths of the Yellow Sea and reach China safely.”
“And the interior facilities are excellent too, so you can look forward to that.”
"..."
There was genuine pride in Ma Taesu’s voice.
Kang Yujin had been sensing it for a while now.
Ma Taesu clearly loved this submarine.
Looking at his current imposing appearance, it was difficult to imagine...
but perhaps when he was young, he had been the kind of boy who read science-fiction novels and dreamed about things like this.
Maybe Kang Yujin should show a little consideration for that.
With that thought, he slowly spoke.
“Ma Taesu.”
“Hmm?”
“Whenever I’ve tried to travel a long distance using some kind of vehicle, something has always gone wrong.”
He looked toward the Nautilus.
“This thing isn’t going to sink, right?”
“You truly have no sense of atmosphere whatsoever.”
Ma Taesu sighed, his excitement completely ruined.
