“Wooooo yeah! It’s an operation!”
Hong Ichan, his face flushed with excitement, latched onto Sinhyeok as he headed straight for the quarters.
“Hyung! Our platoon’s going out on an operation tomorrow! Together!”
The two excited kids grabbed both of Sinhyeok’s arms and bounced up and down.
“All right, all right! Let go of my arms already.”
“Nope!”
“I’m too excited, mister, what do I do!”
Sinhyeok gave up on his flapping arms.
“Fine, fine. I get that you’re excited, so my arms—”
“Hahahaha! Haha!”
“Heeheehee! Heehee!”
The two were just laughing as if they couldn’t hear him at all.
“Yeah, enjoy it. Enjoy.”
When Sinhyeok entered the quarters, he spotted a woman in a black suit handing out number tickets in front of Eizar’s lodging.
“Hello. Would you like one as well?”
“No, I’m fine. But are you an NIS agent?”
She smiled and nodded.
“Yes~ I’ve been dispatched here for a while.”
Sinhyeok found the sight incredibly fascinating.
‘At this rate, they might end up touring the army and awakening holy power for everyone.’
“Mister, I was first in line to awaken holy power.”
Arin looked at the long line that had been there and the still considerable number of people waiting, then smiled in victory.
“You were absurdly lucky.”
“Haha, and since I was the first to receive holy power, I got a really interesting class too. It said Hero.”
“Oh.”
It seemed she had received something fairly rare and good.
“Good for you.”
“Obviously.”
Sinhyeok found it a little strange how naturally holy power was being shared.
‘They said he couldn’t share holy power before.’
“But Arin, can the priest share holy power now?”
“Yeah, I guess he awakened after coming out. They said he could do it after that.”
‘His luck is absurdly good too.’
He had made it out alive, and apparently even awakened on top of that.
“Now I’m~ a holy knight~”
Arin kept humming, apparently pleased with her class change.
“But Ichan, what about you? Didn’t you reach level 10 too?”
He asked because Ichan had probably received enough experience to level up.
“I did, but I’m just thinking about it for now. None of the choices really appeal to me, so I’m going to pick later. I don’t really need it right now anyway.”
“Well, I guess classes don’t hold much of an advantage for you.”
After hearing Ichan’s concerns, Sinhyeok was about to head to his room when Eizar’s door swung wide open.
“Brother!”
He had heard the familiar voice from outside and come out after opening the door.
“Priest, you’re working hard.”
Eizar answered with an easy laugh.
“Working hard? Not at all. It’s a problem because it’s too comfortable. It’s so quiet and peaceful that it’s actually frightening.”
“That’s a good thing.”
At those words, Eizar nodded with a relaxed expression.
“It is all thanks to you, brother. So if you ever need my help, call me anytime.”
“Yes.”
Sinhyeok looked at Eizar as he stepped out of his lodging and asked,
“But where are you going?”
“Ah, I’m going to look at a place where I can share grace. They said they would show me a place called the workshop.”
“Aha. Then take care.”
Eizar smiled and left with the dispatched agent.
“Haaam, I’m going back to sleep.”
“Mister, eat first.”
“Hyung, you’re not going to eat?”
Sinhyeok yawned repeatedly and waved his hand.
“I was up all night yesterday. I’m sleepy. You two eat without me.”
Sinhyeok entered his room and flopped down onto the bed.
‘I’m sleepy.’
As he blinked drowsily, he thought about the new mission the battalion commander had given him.
‘Supervision, huh. I’ll make it brutal.’
Steeling his resolve, he closed his eyes.
* * *
“This is the place. It’s free from outside eyes, and there are other nonhuman races here as well, so it should be some comfort.”
Eizar had come to the workshop with the battalion commander.
“Hmm.”
Seeing Eizar’s subtle expression, Lee Gangyeol asked,
“Do you perhaps not like this place?”
“To be honest, yes. I want to share grace with more people.”
Lee Gangyeol was troubled by Eizar’s bold and proactive attitude.
“Would that not be burdensome for you?”
“Hoho, to tell the truth, it would be burdensome. But I saw something.”
Eizar looked at Lee Gangyeol with fear in his eyes.
“Do you know? The existence of all manner of worlds and hordes converging upon this planet.”
Lee Gangyeol recalled the report he had received.
‘They said he survived after nearly dying because of some action Sinhyeok took, and that he met the original owner of the divinity.’
“Did you see the demons and gods gathering?”
Eizar nodded.
“Things that felt impossible to resist were gathering. I felt that even this place is not entirely safe.”
Having seen the truth, he was anxious.
“After I saw that truth, ‘Yggdrasil’ spoke to me. It asked me for help.”
“I see.”
Eizar turned his back on the workshop and moved.
“Brother. I need a place that is larger, broader, and that everyone can pay attention to. This is the only way I can help.”
Lee Gangyeol nodded silently.
“Understood. Please wait just a little. As you said, I will prepare a place that everyone cannot help but see.”
Eizar smiled and nodded.
“Until then, I will spread it as much as I can.”
Lee Gangyeol watched Eizar leave, then sighed.
“It’s chaos everywhere.”
Creeeak.
One of the doors opened.
“……Nyang, new family, nyang?”
At the meowing voice, Lee Gangyeol turned around.
“That is correct. Though he says he does not like it here.”
“Chit, this place is quite nice too, nyang. But he smells like warm sunlight, nyang. Is he a demigod, nyang?”
“Haha…… something similar, I suppose.”
“Hmm~ nyaang?”
She peeked out through the slightly opened door, twitched the ears on her head, then closed the door.
“Got it, nyang. Then I’ll keep playing, nyang~”
She was about to close the door, then stopped and asked him about someone.
“But the workshop has been noisy lately. Did someone come, nyang?”
Lee Gangyeol smiled at her curiosity and said,
“If you’re curious, why don’t you invite him? It should be rather entertaining.”
“Hmmm.”
She hooked the doorknob with her foot and stretched her body out.
“It’s been a while since I was curious, nyang.”
“Then come out and see.”
With that, Lee Gangyeol left the workshop.
“Hmmm, later.”
She slipped back inside.
* * *
The next morning.
“Loyalty.”
“Yeah, hello. It’s been a while since you came here.”
Sinhyeok reported to the Operations Section, not the Logistics Section.
“It’s been so long my heart is trembling.”
Major Baek Seokhun, the Operations Section chief, chuckled at the nonsense Sinhyeok was spouting.
“Trembling, my ass.”
“But it’s quiet? Did everyone go out on operations?”
The major looked around the empty Operations Section and said,
“They’re busy. They’re out supporting searches and cooperating on missions inside Gates.”
“Same as always.”
“Sit down. Let’s update the search manual. But is there anything to change?”
“Nothing major, really. I honestly don’t think the basic responses or tactics will change.”
“I feel the same.”
The Operations Section chief sat in his chair and handed Sinhyeok a coffee.
“But we have to do something. In the most troublesome direction possible.”
His intention was simple.
To block those aiming for Gate closure rights at the source.
“Up to C-rank is fine. But starting from B-rank, no. You know why too, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do.”
One of the hidden reasons they did not want to share Gate closure rights with civilians was—
Civilization.
Starting from B-rank, pseudo-human races with civilizations sometimes appeared.
Their existence was mostly secret, and each country discreetly protected them or interacted with them.
“It’s not something we can recklessly entrust to civilians. So we need to cut them off as much as possible. So, Sinhyeok, use your head a bit. You’re good at this.”
Sinhyeok turned his head and smiled.
“I’ve thought about it a bit. I’m thinking of supplementing the knowledge section among the qualification evaluation items.”
“Hmm?”
At Sinhyeok’s words that he had a clever move, Major Baek Seokhun turned his body and focused.
“Explain.”
“I’m thinking of greatly increasing the types of resources that must be identified inside Gates and using that to cut them off at the entrance. Currently, there are roughly 97 types of resources a search officer has to know, right?”
“That’s right.”
Remembering his own “Insight” trait that displayed information on anything he touched, Sinhyeok smiled wickedly.
“I’m thinking of increasing the types of resources that must be memorized in advance from around 100 to around 1,000.”
The major’s expression stiffened at those words.
“Are you insane? Don’t tell me you obtained that unique skill the Logistics Section chief has?!”
Sinhyeok wordlessly gave him a meaningful smile.
“Th-that, ah, no…….”
The Operations Section chief wanted to say no, but the words did not come easily.
‘They’ll have to memorize all of that. Not just memorize it, but memorize it to the point where they can recognize it even from a glance at a distance or by sweeping over it with their energy sense.’
That was why the Operations Section chief was horrified.
“No…… damn it!”
Major Baek Seokhun could almost hear the screams that would soon come from Hongik’s search officers belonging to the Operations Section.
“S-sorry.”
“Then I’ll organize it right away and submit the report. Since the samples are also at the workshop, I’ll organize them together.”
Major Baek Seokhun calmed himself and asked,
“Still, that won’t be enough. Even if we announce it by surprise, there may be people who manage to memorize it by sheer ability.”
“That’s why I’m going to raise the cutoff for core detection rank.”
“Can you?”
“Of course.”
Sinhyeok spoke with confidence.
“If you look at the requirements for B-rank and higher closure rights, the maximum time allowed to discover at least a B-rank Gate core is 36 hours, isn’t it?”
“Right.”
“I’ll reduce it to 12 hours.”
To reduce that, they needed someone who could prove it.
Of course, Sinhyeok would do it.
The screams of the others in charge of searches would just be a bonus.
The Operations Section chief clicked his tongue in disbelief.
“Can you do it?”
“With plenty of time to spare.”
“That’s insane…… There really are going to be wails.”
* * *
A high-rise building in the center of Yeouido.
The Korea Awakened Association.
In the chairman’s office on the very top floor, they were discussing the qualification verification for closure rights.
“Preparation?”
The chairman looked out the window and asked about the closure rights qualification verification that would soon take place.
The secretary waiting behind him answered.
“All director-level guilds of the association have completed preparations. They say they have met all of the announced standards.”
Without even looking at the secretary, the chairman declared,
“Check again. Those military bastards definitely won’t just hand it over. They’ll make a move. So tell them to prepare for every possible tactic.”
“Yes.”
The secretary nodded and left.
Left alone, the chairman thought of Hongik somewhere far away and sneered.
“Struggle all you want. I will leisurely swallow this Republic of Korea.”
He smiled as he thought of the day he dreamed of, slowly coming to pass.
“This is the beginning. Lee Gangyeol, before long, you’ll have to kneel before me.”
Knock, knock, knock.
The secretary hurriedly entered and sought out the chairman.
“Chairman.”
“What is it?”
The chairman asked, looking at the secretary who had rushed in.
“Two items in the qualification verification have been changed.”
“Hmm?”
“First, among the qualification requirements for search officers, the scope of knowledge has been expanded.”
“That’s nothing special.”
“Next, the time allowed to complete core detection has been greatly reduced for higher ranks.”
The chairman’s eyebrow twitched.
“By how much?”
“The minimum core detection time for B-rank has been reduced to 12 hours. They say this is the minimum requirement.”
“Haha, have these military bastards gone mad?! What kind of ridiculous bullshit are they trying to pull?”
* * *
“I think I need to prepare a little too.”
Sinhyeok muttered as he packed the minerals and raw materials he had synthesized in the Dwarven Firmament.
“What preparation? And why are you taking that?”
Aurumstone asked as he watched the minerals being neatly stacked into boxes.
“I’ll use them for a bit and bring them right back. I need these if I’m going to mess with those guild bastards.”
“Hmm?”
Watching Sinhyeok kindly write labels and explanations, Aurumstone clicked his tongue.
“Why bother writing the names so carefully?”
“It’s all necessary. You and I would know without looking, Master, but other people don’t.”
“You don’t know all of them either, do you?”
“I know most of them. The system just displays their names and explanations.”
“Good grief. To think something so bizarre exists.”
“You recognize most things by their waves anyway, so why are you so surprised?”
Aurumstone let out a hollow laugh.
“Knowing something by feel and having it flat-out tell you, ‘this is this,’ are different! You brat.”
At his scolding, Sinhyeok smiled.
“You’re absurdly lucky too. Did you obtain that skill or whatever that fool had?”
“That’s right.”
“Anyway, the problem is that blessing of Yggdrasil, or system, or whatever it’s called. If I had something like that, I’d be flying!”
Sinhyeok only smiled.
“Huh? What’s with that smile? You don’t believe me?!”
“I believe you.”
He stood up with all the samples he had gathered and stacked them neatly by the entrance.
“Then I’ll just grab one last thing.”
Aurumstone sat in his chair and watched what Sinhyeok was doing.
“Honestly, for someone calling himself my disciple, you damn well never come by.”
“Come on, don’t bad-mouth your disciple behind his back.”
At Sinhyeok’s grumbling, Aurumstone clicked his tongue.
“Try acting like a proper disciple first, you punk.”
When Sinhyeok headed toward the firearm hanging in a frame above the workshop like a memorial, he was horrified.
“Hey, hey! What are you doing!”
“I’m taking this down. Why? It’s mine to begin with.”
“No! What are you going to do after taking that down!”
“Fix it and use it a few more times?”
“……”
Aurumstone trembled as he tried to stop Sinhyeok.
“F-first, calm down. How about you take your hands off it and then we talk?”
Sinhyeok stared at him for a moment, then pulled it off with an indifferent expression.
“Uwaaaaaagh! Hey! Why did you take it down!?”
“I mean, it’s mine.”
“I know that, but why are you taking it down!”
“I’m going to use it.”
Aurumstone’s hands shook as he looked at Sinhyeok’s (former) lover, now removed from its frame.
“C-calm down and hand it over at once.”
Seeing the dwarf’s expression, as if he might kill him on the spot, Sinhyeok couldn’t readily hand it over.
“I’m sorry, but I have a use for it. So please, I ask that you yield.”
“Khup! Khuhup!”
Since the original owner was asking for it, Aurumstone couldn’t bring himself to say, Absolutely not! to his face.
It felt like that blockhead had asked him to do something, but… he couldn’t remember.
All he could do was stretch out his fingers, filled with regret.
“Ah, what a waste.”
Seeing that the barrel was cracked and broken, Sinhyeok slowly raised his head and looked at Aurumstone.
“Could this be repaired……”
“Damn it! If you do that, it’ll really break! You won’t even be able to use it as material!”
“If it won’t work, then I’ll just……?”
“Kyaak!”
Aurumstone roughly slapped Sinhyeok’s hand away.
“Hand it over this instant! How dare you, with those shitty hands!”
“Wow.”
After snatching away the broken firearm, Aurumstone let out a deep sigh and started hammering away.
“What a shame. You don’t often see such an interesting combination.”
“What on earth was it made from?”
Even he, who had used it in the past, could not forget the bizarre performance of the firearm.
“You’ll know once you see it. It was an item that was perfect precisely because it was you.”
Aurumstone soon finished repairing it and held the item out to Sinhyeok.
[Fragment of the Twisted World Tree: K14][Legendary][Altered][Firearm] +457
=======================
A firearm created by implanting steel blessed by a priest and a fragment of the World Tree contaminated by a demon into the blueprint of a K14 sniper rifle. The power of the contaminated and twisted World Tree disturbs and warps mana. The warped bullets erupt uncontrollably and cannot be regulated. Your life cannot be guarantee■ upon use.
Mana Disturbance: Blocks 99% of the target’s mana flow for 999 seconds
========================
[Precautions]
The reconstituted whole fully responds only to ■■■’s mana.
Traces of internal fissures remain, so there is a risk of explosion during sustained fire.
========================
“Oh.”
After reading the description, he found himself impressed that he had used this ridiculous thing and survived.
“You gave this to me to use?”
Aurumstone smiled awkwardly and slowly backed away.
“Well! You’re alive, so it worked out!”
“Good grief.”
Even looking at it again, the description was insane.
The materials used were insane too.
‘A contaminated fragment of the World Tree? That sounds like some kind of calamity.’
No wonder the battalion commander’s reaction had been unusual when the firearm was first given to him.
‘He looked relieved after seeing me fire one shot.’
“But how much more can I use this?”
At those words, Aurumstone scratched his chin and pondered.
“Two, maybe three… shots?”
“Ah.”
“It’s because of the firearm. I did patch the traces of the fissure that had been carved in once. They’re only left very faintly. But as you saw, the twisting and disturbing power will rapidly widen those gaps.”
“Was this equipment like this from the beginning?”
“More or less. It was experimental equipment. On top of that, it’s become far too weak. It was an item whose time had come from the start.”
Sinhyeok lifted the firearm and held it carefully to his chest.
“Just struggle a few more times for me.”
‘Just until I beat down a few of those punks.’
After putting the gun into his inventory, he left the workshop.
“Then I’ll be going.”
“Beer when you come back!”
“I’ll think about it!”
“You little braaaat!”
Leaving the workshop, he stacked the samples out front.
“This, and I’ve taken everything from Elysia’s lab too.”
Sinhyeok finished his preparations.
“Sinhyeok, is that everything?”
The operations officer appeared and checked the luggage.
“Yes, this is all I need to bring.”
“Good. Let’s get going.”
They loaded the luggage onto a cart and headed for the car.
“Is it just the two of us going?”
“No, the logistics officer is going too, the battalion commander is going, and people from other places will be observing as well.”
“Oh. Sounds pretty grand?”
“It’s huge. The Navy’s Hyeonmu and the Air Force’s Cheongnyong will come to observe too, and they’ll be sending supervisors as well.”
“Oh, awesome. It’ll be my first time seeing them.”
Major Baek Seokhun asked as he loaded the luggage into the car.
“Have you never gone out for joint training?”
“I haven’t. When I was serving, I practically lived in gates. What joint training? The number of operations I participated in alone must be over five hundred.”
In Hongik, the average number of gate deployments per year was between 100 and 250.
If it was low, it was 100; if it was high, it hit 250.
Sinhyeok had basically run two or three jobs a day while others ran one.
“Hoho. You sure lived diligently.”
“Aren’t I an ace when it comes to reconnaissance!”
At those words, Sinhyeok nodded and got into the vehicle.
“But where are we going?”
“Yeonpyeongdo. It’ll take quite a while.”
“Ah, that’s far.”
Major Baek Seokhun looked around, searching for someone.
“But why isn’t Ryu Jihyeon here?”
“I’m sorry!”
Captain Ryu Jihyeon hurried over and nimbly got into the back seat.
“You’re slacking off. You’re really late.”
“I’m sorry. Haha. I had some work to handle. Now! Senior, let’s go!”
At the hearty shout, the operations officer glared at his junior through the rearview mirror.
Captain Ryu Jihyeon looked back with a grin.
“You’re awfully excited. Happy to throw your work aside and leave?”
“Haha, I wish every day could be like today! Haha.”
“Take over driving on the way.”
“Yes, sir!”
Sinhyeok looked outside, looking forward to the testing ground where the civilian guilds’ qualifications would be verified.
“I want to get there already. I need to go make fools of them.”
The two officers were satisfied by Sinhyeok’s burning fighting spirit.
“That’s the attitude. Go crush them completely.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll trample those pathetic bastards so thoroughly they won’t even dare get out the ‘Clo’ in ‘Closure Rights.’”