CHAPTER 112

Gori Nuclear Power Plant (1) 

Since we had no idea when the prophetic dream might come true, we assembled the team immediately. 

Hadonggeon, Kim Ga-young, Moon Byungho, Kang Deok-soo, Kim Geon, Seo Yejin, Yoo Hyerin, Kim Dajeong, Oh Eon-joo, Lee Junhyuk, and finally-Dad. 

Basically, it was Hadonggeon's party, with Dad and Lee Junhyuk brought in as mercenaries. 

"This is the best we can do for now." 

There was no need to worry about Lee Junhyuk's party. 

Lately, Junhyuk had been operating solo anyway, while the others were busy leveling up by clearing minor dungeons in our territory. 

Aside from Lee Junhyuk, the only official retainer he had accepted was Lee Hyunchan, who possessed the "Minimap" ability, but the remaining 19 members were formidable in their own right. 

All of them had surpassed level 30, and aside from the retainers, they were the highest-leveled among the citizens. Thanks to that, they were more than capable of handling most dungeons on their own. 

It wasn't so much the powers granted by the contract of subordination that made them strong-it was their natural disposition, highly specialized for dungeon raids. 

They had no hesitation in killing monsters, were flexible in the face of unexpected situations, and knew how to make the most of what they had. 

In short-they were competent. 

"That's probably why they survived in Seomyeon, in that hellhole." 

Before I began seriously expanding my territory, Junhyuk's team had survived the monster-infested nightmare that was Seomyeon. 

Only those with the right skills could have made it out of a place where death was a daily occurrence. 

So naturally, they had to be capable. 

Just then, Kim Dabin contacted me via telepathy. 

[Jaehyun-nim. Everyone has gathered.] 

[I'm on my way.] 

I turned to my dad, who was sitting on the living room floor, playing the guitar and softly humming to himself. 

"Dad. It's time." 

"Alright." 

As he put the guitar away and walked over to me, I hesitated for a second before speaking. 

"Dad." 

"Yeah?" 

"Please... be careful." 

Where we were headed now was, in some ways, even more dangerous than Ulsan, which had been teeming with vampires. 

It was like sticking your head into a place that could turn into a nuclear explosion at any moment. 

"If the nuclear plant explodes during the mission..." 

There would be no way to guarantee the safety of anyone on site. 

And that included my father. 

At that moment, Dad chuckled and said, 

"Son. You know Ferraris and Rolls-Royces, right?" 

"...Yeah." 

"This time, you're the one who's supposed to find one and give it to me as a gift, remember?" 

...Of course." 

"I'll be looking forward to it." 

"So don't worry." 

How could I not worry? 

I wasn't just anxious about Dad, but about every single one of the retainers heading to the nuclear power plant. 

Honestly, part of me wanted to just ignore the whole thing. The transparent barrier should be able to block radiation from the plant anyway. 

But if we did that, we'd be abandoning the countless survivors outside our territory to die. 

The soldiers who risked their lives to protect the plant for their country, the researchers who stayed out of a sense of duty, and the survivors who clawed their way through hell. 

Now that I knew about them, there was no way I could turn a blind eye. I couldn't just give up without even trying to save them. 

Thankfully, the retainers were relatively safer. 

There was a slight delay, but I could always summon them back using the retainer summon. 

But the most dangerous person in this operation—was Dad. 

I'd already said this more than once, but I couldn't help repeating it again. 

"If things get dangerous, I'll open the North Gate for you right away. You'll need to escape immediately." 

"Got it. I got it." 

"Haaah... Alright. I'm heading out." 

I used the Absolute's Gate to open a portal, and on the other side, I could see 

the retainers gathered in the administrative conference room. 

Standing in front of the whiteboard at the far end, Kim Dabin spoke up. 

"Now that Jaehyun-nim has arrived, we'll begin the full briefing." 

There was a map of Gyeongsangnam-do pinned up-somehow acquired from somewhere with the locations of Busan, Ulsan, and the Gori Nuclear Power Plant clearly marked. 

"The ultimate goal of this mission is to prevent the explosion of the Gori Nuclear Power Plant. We're not certain of the exact threat facing the facility, but it's expected to reach a critical point in the near future." 

Kim Dabin began writing on the whiteboard as she continued her explanation. 

"The most likely cause of the threat is monsters. We've confirmed that there are still soldiers defending the facility, but a lack of supplies may have made it impossible to stop the monsters, which could have led to an accident." 

In that case, the solution was simple. 

If the monsters were at a level that bullets could handle, then our party could wipe them out with ease. 

And if we supplied the soldiers with bullets through the shop system, that would take care of the rest. 

"There's also a possibility that monsters too dangerous for the military to handle might appear in the future." 

Even in such cases, the problem could be easily solved by dispatching the retainers. After all, there were only a handful of monsters that this party couldn't deal with. 

Honestly, unless it was something like a True Ancestor, Dad could handle everything on his own. 

'Besides, our overall power has drastically increased thanks to the power of 

the stars.' 

Though three stars was the limit, even that allowed the retainers to demonstrate martial prowess on a whole different level. 

If the incident was caused by monsters, then there really wasn't much to worry about. 

However― 

"There's also the possibility that internal strife broke out among the people guarding the nuclear power plant." 

In fact, both I and Kim Dabin judged this to be the more likely scenario. 

The fact that the Kori Nuclear Power Plant had remained safe until now meant that the people stationed there had been successfully fending off the monsters. It was more realistic to see the incident as the result of internal conflict rather than the sudden appearance of a new monster. 

Battles with monsters, dwindling supplies over time, and a hopeless situation with no end in sight- 

It was the perfect setup to drive people mad. 

Once morale breaks, conflicts and disputes are bound to happen. And it doesn't take much for those to lead to irreversible outcomes. 

That's why- 

"In the worst-case scenario... killing may be necessary." 

A certain degree of mental preparation was required. 

A heavy silence filled the meeting room. 

But it didn't last long. 

"No problem. One thing I learned while dealing with vampires is that my abilities are also well-suited for killing humans," said Lee Junhyuk. 

Hearing his words, the other retainers steeled themselves one by one. 

"Same here. My abilities are specialized in assassination," said Moon Byungho. 

"If it's sniping, I'm not exactly a slouch either," added Kim Gayoung. 

"I hope it doesn't come to that... but if necessary..." said Kim Dajeong. 

"I'm always ready, whenever needed," said Oh Eonju. 

As everyone showed their resolve, Kim Dabin spoke. 

"Wishing you good luck in battle. Lord Kim Geon, please depart first." 

Thanks to his ability to fuse with Kkamang, Kim Geon could reach the Kori Nuclear Plant within minutes. 

That's why he was assigned as the advance party. 

To both scout the area- 

'Once Kim Geon arrives, we can use the North Gate to send everyone else.' 

In effect, the existence of Kim Geon and the North Gate had greatly minimized the limitations of distance. 

"Then I'll head out." 

As Kim Geon exited the office, the Absolute Eye focused on him. 

Outside the office, Kim Geon let out a light whistle. 

Kkaaak- 

A dozen crows, including Kkamang, flew toward him. 

All the crows except Kkamang landed on nearby trees or windowsills, while Kkamang flew directly into Kim Geon. 

Chwarak- 

The moment Kkamang touched Kim Geon's body, his entire form transformed into a large crow. 

And then- 

Flap- 

With a single flap of his wings, his body lifted into the air and shot upward into the sky. 

The other crows followed him all at once. 

Ziiing- 

At some point, space distorted before him, and the East Gate appeared. 

Without hesitation, Kim Geon threw himself into it, instantly traveling from the heart of Seomyeon to the edge of the territory. 

Kkaaak-! 

The crows, empowered by Kim Geon's ability, didn't lag behind and followed him through the East Gate. 

As expected of South Korea, where 70% of the land is mountainous, rugged terrain unfolded beneath them. Seen through a crow's eyes, the mountain landscapes were dotted with various monsters. 

Even the cities deep within the mountains were the same. 

As soon as they stepped outside the territory, monsters were swarming everywhere. 

'This place hasn't been cleared yet.' 

Ever since Kim Jaehyun's territory had expanded significantly, Ulsan had become the main hunting ground. 

That was because one could travel directly from Jeonpo Station, right in front of Namdaemun, to the Ulsan forward base. 

As a result, countless monsters had been left unattended outside the fringes of the territory. 

'They'll naturally be cleared out once Jaehyun-nim's territory expands even more, so there's no need to worry.' 

It was then- 

While passing by a large complex of high-rise apartments nestled midway up the mountain- 

"Huh?" 

Over a hundred massive monster birds suddenly took flight from the apartment complex. 

-Kiiiieeek! 

These apartment buildings, shaped like a stone mountain, turned out to be the nesting grounds of the Kellikans. 

The creatures were radiating intense hostility toward Kim Geon, who had invaded their territory. 

Their bodies were twice the size of Kim Geon even when he was merged with Kkamang (the black crow), and now dozens of them were rising into the sky, exuding an overwhelming presence. 

However, neither Kim Geon nor any of the crows following him flinched. 

They simply continued to follow behind him in silence. 

The reason was simple. 

'Rapid Growth.' 

When Kim Geon activated Rapid Growth, the crows flying behind him suddenly grew in size. 

Even before, they were larger than regular crows, but now they had doubled in size in an instant. 

Though now the crows were the size of adult men, the Kellikans still boasted greater bulk. 

With their sheer numbers and size, the Kellikans launched toward Kim Geon, leading with razor-sharp teeth and claws, their fury apparent. 

The two sides, flying at high speeds, collided mid-air. 

Crash! Crunch! 

The result was one-sided. 

-Screeeeech! 

A total massacre. 

Of course, the ones being slaughtered were the Kellikans. 

Being merely in the early to high level 20s, they were no match for Kim Geon, who was level 50. 

He didn't even need to use guns or any other weapons. 

Shlurk! 

With each swing of Kim Geon's hands, wings, and claws, the Kellikans were shredded like paper. 

And it wasn't just happening by Kim Geon's hands. 

Screeeee! 

One of the crows following behind him suddenly accelerated. 

A Kellikan missed the sudden burst of speed, and in the next moment- 

Slice! 

The crow's wing grazed the Kellikan's neck, and in an instant, the monster's head was cleanly severed and fell from the sky. 

Before the corpse could even hit the ground, it was automatically cleared mid-air, leaving no trace behind. 

An overwhelming show of force. 

Only after losing more than half their numbers did the Kellikans realize the situation and attempt to flee in panic. 

Kim Geon didn't bother chasing down the ones running away. 

'I've wasted time.' 

Only two minutes. 

That was how long it had taken to wipe out over a hundred Kellikans. 

But the mission he was currently on was a race against time. 

Because he never knew when his precognitive dream would become reality. 

'I'll accelerate even more.' 

The crows began to slice through the sky at an even faster speed. 

[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]

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