The First Hunter Chapter 41-43

Chapter 41 – United (2)

4.

The destructive power behind Kim Tae Hoon’s fist was incredible.

The wall crumbled like a cookie. Hududu, the debris from the wall fell like flakes.

'Ah!'

However, his power was no surprise to Kim Tae Hoon. Cradled inside the broken wall was a translucent plastic bag.

Tuktuk!

Retrieving the bag from within the wall, Kim Tae Hoon handed it to Chang Sung Hoon.

After gingerly accepting the parcel, Chang Sung Hoon immediately worked to open it.

Once the plastic wrappings were removed, a luxurious blue silk was revealed.

'Definitely not normal silk.'

The silk itself was very high end. The texture was the same. The moment Chang Sung Hoon touched it, he knew that it was of a different quality than the other relics.

However, the silk itself was nothing compared to what it was swaddling.

"······words can’t even describe this."

There was a book within the silk.

An old book, to the public eye, it was nothing but an old book.

'How is this here?'

The ink inscription on the cover was enough to smear Chang Sung Hoon’s mind in blackness.

大東輿地圖, Daedongyeojido, The Great Map of the East Land.

[TN: So this line was originally just the Chinese characters (Hanja). When translated, it is “The Great map of the East Land”. Here’s the link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daedongyeojido%5D

"······It’s The Great Map of the East Land."

The Great Map of the East Land.

What’s there more to say?

Kim Jeong-ho, also known as Gosanja. This map was the result of a lifetime of work– his magnum opus– something that the later generations had come to praise.

"It’s different from the Daedongyeojido that I know."

"This is a different edition. To be precise, Daedongyeojido was first printed on wood blocks. What most people see in books are the various blocks put together to form the whole map. Plus, this····· This is probably an unpublished version."

Chang Sung Hoon was trembling.

He was trembling at the fact that there was an unknown version of Daedongyeojido floating about in the world.

"I had heard rumors, but I thought they were fake······."

To be honest, the first time he heard the rumors, he believed them to be groundless. There were many similar rumors about Daedongyeojido floating about, and on top of that, there were rumors about similar artifacts of the same magnitude of Daedongyeojido propagating as well. If they were real, then surely some big shots would have made their move.

But the rumor was true.

On top of that, Baek Sung Taek was the owner.

'That’s why he hid this in the wall. If it’s this, then it’s definitely better to leave it in a wall. No need to trust a safe’s efficacy when it comes to thieves.'

With Daedongyeojido in his hand, Chang Sung Hoon asked another question.

"How did you know that this was in the wall?"

Although with Black Snake’s Evil Eyes Kim Tae Hoon could see an item’s description, it did not grant him the ability to see through things.

In other words, he did not have the power to see inside the wall.

But despite that, Kim Tae Hoon had unhesitatingly punched towards the wall.

"The texture on that portion of the wall was different."

"The texture was different? You were able to see that with your eyes?"

Instead of replying, Kim Tae Hoon activated his eye ability again. Chang Sung Hoon looked at the Daedongyeojido that was in Chang Sung Hoon’s hands.

[The Great Map of the East Land]

– Relic Grade : Grade 4

– Relic Rarity : Special.

– Relic Description : The locations of monsters are displayed on the map.

[TN: Remember when they were talking about a maphack, well, foreshadowing]

Chang Sung Hoon whipped out his phone to confirm the map’s ability.

Confirming its ability, Chang Sung Hoon gingerly perused through the book with widened eyes.

Chwareuk, chwareuk!

The rustling of pages accompanied Chang Sung Hoon’s inspection of the pages in the book.

At the same time, he began to piece together the various map fragments in his head.

It was one of the talents that Chang Sung Hoon was blessed with.

If he couldn’t maintain an object’s image, he couldn’t create counterfeits. By committing to memory all of the details and nuances of a piece, he could create an identical counterfeit.

It wasn’t very difficult for Chang Sung Hoon to memorize and integrate the map into his mind.

Chwareuk!

As soon as Chang Sung Hoon scanned the last page, the image was completed in his mind.

"This map is kind of like a maphack."

As expected of Chang Sung Hoon, he was able to grasp the functions of the map very quickly.

"Map hack?"

Kim Tae Hoon tilted his head. He was not very familiar with gaming terms.

Chang Sung Hoon began to explain the term to Kim Tae Hoon. Chang Sung Hoon used his finger to scan through the Daedongyeojido again.

He stopped flipping through the pages once he got to a specific spot, after which he showed the page to Kim Tae Hoon.

On that map fragment was a topographical depiction that was packed with red and orange lights.

"This area is what has become Bucheon today."

"These light······."

"It’s displaying the monsters’ locations."

"Details."

"It shows the locations of any monsters to the owner. It’s like a radar. Not only does it show the smaller and closer ones, but also the bigger more distant ones. A small blip is a small monster, a big blip is a big monster."

Hearing his explanation, there was one question that came to Kim Tae Hoon’s mind.

"Of the monsters displayed, which are the strongest?"

"Both Mt. Halla and Mt. Baekdu on Jeju Island had indigo lights."

Indigo.

In other words, monsters comparable to the dragon were on both ends of the Korean Peninsula.

There was nothing positive about it.

The world had changed in a much bigger way than he had first thought.

But now, it was a definite concern.

There was one orange light and one red light moving on the map.

It meant that the monsters migrated from place to place.

"Take only what’s important."

"Yes sir."

5.

The cleaners a.s.signed to clean up the trail of bodies in Kim Tae Hoon’s wake were attacked by brown goblins.

These were monsters that Bang Hyun Wook and the Mek Clan soldiers were familiar with.

"Everyone on the truck!"

The brown goblins were weak on their own. A normal, armed adult man is enough to deal with one.

Ggieeeh!

The only problem is that the brown goblins moved in herds under the leaders.h.i.+p of a hobgoblin.

Moreover, the hobgoblin’s unique magic made the brown goblins numb to pain and fear.

A monster bereft of fear and pain was terrifying beyond imagination.

That monster horde, facing the wave of more than a hundred creatures, the soldiers were at a loss and were unsure of what to do.

"Awoooo!"

Bang Hyun Wook activated the Howling ability he had learned after eating a Black Wolf’s monster stone that Kim Tae Hoon had given him.

While using the Howling ability, he ran towards the brown goblins.

He needed to buy some time, but at the same time, it was an expression of confidence.

"Kill them all!"

While shouting, Bang Hyun Wook’s Energy began to move.

The Energy reinforced his body and made him stronger.

Bang Hyun Wook was the strongest Awakened with the highest Strength and Stamina stat in the Mek Clan, aside from Kim Tae Hoon.

His body was wrapped in a Black Orc Leather armor.

Although it wasn’t of Black Snake leather, the Black Orc’s leather’s strength wasn’t simple. It wasn’t something a brown goblin’s teeth or claws could leave marks on.

Thanks to that, Bang Hyun Wook could throw himself into the battlefield without hesitation– it was like free batting.

All he had to do was. .h.i.t the ball that was on the stand, free batting.

The only difference was that a goblin’s head was sitting on a goblin’s shoulders instead of a ball on batting stand.

Bbak!

Like that, Bang Hyun Wook went crazy.

Meanwhile, Mek Clan soldiers who had boarded a truck began to shoot at the brown goblins.

Tutu!

Their gunfire was now tempered. Their shots were conservative, not wasting any bullets; their triggers were disciplined better, not pointing their guns at any friendlies.

None of them were frightened, indiscriminately firing towards the brown goblins.

Ggieeh!

The goblins at the forefront quickly began to fall.

Nonetheless, the group of brown goblins began to narrow the distance between them and the truck.

There was no pause. In fact, they seemed to gain speed as they stepped over their dead comrades.

Ggieeeh!

It was the same with the wrath in their eyes. Their dead kin only served to fuel their anger.

However, their increased aggression did not do anything to turn the tides. An arrow without fletchling suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Swik!

The arrow’s movements were like that of an agile and swift knife.

The arrow moved through the goblins’ heads like it was stringing them together.

Cheulpuduk!

The rus.h.i.+ng goblins began to collapse like puppets with broken strings, with each fallen goblin contributing to a wall of flesh.

Ggieg!

The goblins that hadn’t collapsed tripped on the corpses that lined the floor.

It was pandemonium.

Witnessing such a crazy scene, the soldiers simply stared with their mouths shut.

Despite that, they did not frown or grimace.

"Oowaaaah!"

There was no doubt as to who was behind this ridiculous scene.

"It’s master! Master’s come!"

The hero that had made his appearance was a savior who had arrived when they needed him most.

The real messiah.

There were none who were not grateful for the appearance of a savior.

"Master has arrived!"

"Kill them all!"

The soldiers’ eyes burnt with fervor.

The soldiers’ momentum reached the remaining brown goblins, even going so far as to affect the commanding hobgoblin.

Ggireureu ggireureu!

The madness that had affected the hobgoblin melted away from the soldiers’ momentum, causing it to tremble.

That was the last thing it did.

The trembling monster fell onto the floor, its throat sliced off.

A sword with a sharpened blade had slit the hobgoblin’s throat.

At the same time, the brown goblins’ fear and pain washed over them all at once.

Ggieh!

Ggii, Giii!

The brown goblins that had become frightened began to panic, fleeing in all directions.

Bang Hyun Wook looked at the fleeing goblins in silence.

Bang Hyun Wook watched Kim Tae Hoon who had finished things up, approach him.

6.

Chang Sung Hoon gently wrapped Chusa Kim Jeong-Hui’s painting and Daedongyeojido in silk.

To be honest, there was no need.

As soon as these objects became relics, they underwent a fundamental change. There was no need to worry about it wearing out.

But still, Chang Sung Hoon didn’t dare take any risks.

‘This treasure is too precious.'

For someone who truly appreciated works of art, especially a national heritage like this, Chang Sung Hoon treated it with absolute care, especially since its function was priceless as well.

Chang Sung Hoon prepared a bag to store this precious treasure.

The bag also contained other valuables that Chang Sung Hoon was carrying around.

For example.

"Oh?"

A crystal cup studded with jewels that produced a red liquid.

** I changed blue from the previous chapters to indigo. The dragon, the monster at Mt. Paektu and the monster at Mt. Halla are ranked indigo, not blue. As denoted by ROY G BIV, indigo would be the second highest tier of monsters. **

Chapter 42 – United (2)

7.

All creatures strive to survive.

And so as all creatures strive towards survival, an ecosystem is born.

Monsters.

These monsters of unknown origins had developed their own ecosystem.

While the apex predators openly and actively sought other creatures to prey on, the smaller and weaker monsters that lacked the ability to do so could only scavenge around the debris looking for dead bodies or the remains of another predator’s meal.

In that location, a large rock had fallen.

Black Snake.

A terrifying and tremendously strong serpent that had taken Bucheon City as its own territory had died.

It was the death of a hegemon.

To conceal such an event was an impossibility.

News of the death of the king had spread far and wide, and with that was came the backlash.

This was especially true for the most ambitious of monsters.

Rather than staying content with becoming the leader of a mere herd of monsters, those that wanted to take over the Black Snake’s former territory began to make their move.

As the one who had trampled over the Black Snake and became the new hegemon, it was Kim Tae Hoon’s role to take the spoils.

Kwajik!

His blackened right arm, like a giant hammer, smashed the skull of a Monkey Dog who was a head taller and whose body boasted a larger build than his.

Fragments of the Monkey Dog’s skull and chunks of its brain splattered onto the floor as twelve other Monkey Dogs finally caught up to the sight of their chief’s body falling onto the floor.

Puk!

Like a snake, Kim Tae Hoon weaved between the Monkey Dogs, launching his fist towards their heads.

It was as though the world was frozen and Kim Tae Hoon was the only one moving.

It wasn’t simply because Kim Tae Hoon’s speed was fast.

It was accuracy.

Kim Tae Hoon’s fist appeared out of nowhere like the wind, aiming towards a Monkey Dog’s red eyes located behind its jutting snout.

It was superhuman.

No other words could describe the unsurpa.s.sed accuracy and speed that Kim Tae Hoon possessed as he obliterated a monster in nothing more than an instant.

'It’s not enough.'

Kim Tae Hoon had swiftly adapted to the ability he had obtained from the Black Snake, and had made it his own.

That was the reason. That was the reason why he was able to throw himself towards the monsters that were attracted to the scent of the warm blood and engage in a melee.

"I have nothing to say."

"Just who is the monster······."

The survivors that had deemed Kim Tae Hoon as savior couldn’t help but admire him more and more.

Because they were unceasingly dismantling monster corpses, their increased familiarity with the sight of dead bodies left them more and more amazed, their admiration only increasing.

Although all of this had been wrought by Kim Tae Hoon’s hands, he was not satisfied with what had happened.

'Two of them.'

He couldn’t be satisfied.

'There are two monsters at the same level of the dragon on the Korean Peninsula.'

He could feel the wretchedness of the world with his own body. It would be impossible not to know how f.u.c.ked up the world was at this point.

But now that the feeling was stronger than before, it had a greater effect on his mindset.

Although he had thought that there would be monsters second only to the dragon, he had found out that there were in fact two of them, with one residing on Mt. Paektu and another on Mt. Halla.

The monsters were basically gatekeepers at both ends of the Korean Peninsula.

Considering how large the Earth was, the Korean Peninsula itself was tiny.

If there were three on the Korean Peninsula, then how many more terrifyingly strong monsters would there be in the rest of the world?

That wasn’t all.

'Although with good fortune I managed to defeat the Black Snake, there are still dozens of them in the surrounding area.'

Just as Chang Sung Hoon had explained, Daedongyeojido was like a radar.

Powerful monsters, like the dragon were shown even if they were far away, but not the weaker monsters unless the distance was not too far.

Despite that, Daedongyeojido revealed the existence of nine creatures under the monsters at the dragon’s tier were denoted as blue dots.

Furthermore, there were so many yellow and green lights that they couldn’t immediately count how many there were.

'Yi Jin Sung, that punk wasn’t lying.'

The land that Bucheon sat atop was the only area situated between green and blue lights.

'Bucheon is lucky.'

It had survived only because it was wedged between greater powers.

'Definitely dodged a bullet.'

Of course, despite that, it wasn’t actually good news.

A smaller country wedged between stronger countries might benefit a few times, but eventually, they’ll be destroyed.

The truth came from history.

In fact, the large population of humans was what was supporting the various new ecosystems that had arisen. Because there were so many humans, monsters could easily capture and eat them.

But humans weren’t like plankton. Neither did humans lay eggs like fish did.

Although humans were populous now, their numbers would inevitably sharply fall as monsters consumed more and more of them.

Since monsters have no hand in promoting human reproduction, they would eventually resort to seeking out an area with a high human density. Therefore, Bucheon would end up becoming something like a monster’s promised land.

There was only one solution.

'We have to take the initiative before they attack us.'

Kill or be killed.

Before the monsters get stronger, they needed to take advantage of mankind’s strength and stock up on food and technology whilst promoting the survivors’ abilities and zeal.

At best, they could kill the orange and red eyed monsters in the area, but it wouldn’t be nearly enough to satisfy Kim Tae Hoon.

He was starting to feel impatient.

'We can’t continue just like this. At best, with our current strength······ we won’t really be able to do anything.'

However, a prompt whisper from Chang Sung Hoon swiftly did away with Kim Tae Hoon’s impatience.

"Boss, the goblet has filled up."

8.

Bucheon City Hall.

Located in the center of Bucheon City, it was repurposed to be used as the Mek Clan’s headquarters.

There were many things that indicated it as such.

Mek Clan’s soldiers patrolling the area while armed with firearms was a sufficient evidence pointing towards that fact. Another indicator was the returning awakened hunters.

"The sir has returned."

"The sir?"

"Master, I’m talking about master."

"Master? Who······."

"The sir! Messiah!"

The survivors residing in the vicinity of Bucheon City Hall who frequently pinned their hopes on Kim Tae Hoon was also proof.

"I’ve heard that he was able to kill more than a hundred monsters this time, do you think it’s true? And all by himself, too. I heard he used only his bare hands as well."

"A hundred monsters all by himself with nothing but his bare hands? How does that even make sense?"

"It really doesn’t make sense, but with all the bodies piled up, wouldn’t it probably be more than a hundred?"

"But bare handed······."

"C’mon, we’re talking about the person who killed the Yellow Demon with one stroke, for someone like him, this would be child’s play."

The world was still steeped in desperation.

Communications were down, there was still no sign of any news from the army, there were monsters freely roaming all over, there was an absence of other survivors bearing any sort of news, and the situation had deteriorated to the point where food had now become difficult to find.

All of this was compounded by the cold, wintry weather. Those who suffered from hunger while suffering from the cold would begin to wish for the sweet release of death.

n.o.body would dare think that they could turn the situation around.

They could only hope.

"Does he plan to exterminate an entire monster clan?"

"I hope he ends up killing all of them."

If anyone was going to turn the situation around, it was Kim Tae Hoon. The only way they could allow their hopes to grow was by pinning their hopes on the first hunter, Kim Tae Hoon.

Kim Tae Hoon was sitting in a padded chair within the city hall, a golden goblet in his hand.

At first glance, he looked like an arrogant boss.

However, looking at the slos.h.i.+ng liquid, Kim Tae Hoon’s unsightly expression whilst looking at the unspillable liquid within the goblet detracted him from the appearance of an arrogant boss.

His expression was not good.

'What alternatives can we even take?'

Napoleon’s Golden Goblet.

This mysterious and mystical golden goblet that incited unpleasant visions had only become more mysterious.

Without notice and without warning.

Of course he would be curious. He wanted to know what the golden goblet filled with wine would reveal.

On that contention, Chang Sung Hoon made the following conjectures.

"This is just my opinion, but I think that Napoleon’s Golden Goblet let’s you take a peep at your fate. But the goblet does not make it convenient to do so. The moment your fate is altered, there should be a sort of cooldown before you’re allowed to view it again. That’s why the goblet only just now filled up again. It takes time before you can see your altered fate."

It was a pretty good guess.

If one’s future and fate were compared to a program, then you could say that it would take some time to hack into it in order to read it.

It’s only possible that it would take some time.

'The fate of the world had changed.'

If his conjecture was correct, then the red liquid once again appearing within Napoleon’s Golden Goblet was proof that Kim Tae Hoon’s future had changed.

It was also indication that Kim Tae Hoon’s death at the hands of the dragon was changed.

Of course this wasn’t just for fun.

Afterall, who knows if Kim Tae Hoon’s lease on life was further shortened in the altered future.

If that were to happen, then that would simply be an unfortunate event.

If everything he did for the sake of survival ultimately ended up shortening his life, then he wouldn’t even be able to swear.

'Truly terrifying.'

Of course he would be scared.

Nevertheless, Kim Tae Hoon didn’t hesitate. He downed the goblet in one go.

At the same time, Kim Tae Hoon’s body collapsed.

9.

"Open your eyes! I said open your eyes!"

A woman’s crying and shouting pounded against his eardrums.

"Open your eyes! Kim Tae Hoon open your eyes!"

She was crying out repeatedly.

Although his eyes were still closed, Kim Tae Hoon recognized the speaker because of her voice.

'Ahn Sun Mi.'

Soon after, a woman entered Kim Tae Hoon’s gaze.

There weren’t many differences between the Ahn Sun Mi here and the Ahn Sun Mi in real life. Her freckled face was still the same, and her body was mostly unmarred.

The only difference was her now long hair. The length of her hair was an indicator of how much time had pa.s.sed.

'What year is it now?'

But that alone wasn’t enough to differentiate between whether or not it’s been one year or five years.

Furthermore, that was all that Kim Tae Hoon could see at the moment. Kim Tae Hoon’s eyelids grew heavy again.

'Ah.'

At this moment, Kim Tae Hoon knew.

'I’m dying.'

He recognized that his nose was right before death’s gateway. He lacked even the strength to speak with someone, so he couldn’t solicit any clues from any conversations he could have.

'To be in such a situation······.'

It was the worst.

Was he going to die without getting any information? Was this opportunity just going to be wasted after having waited for so much time?

'd.a.m.n it.'

What was he supposed to glean from this situation?

Kim Tae Hoon sighed. He could only recite his grievances in his head.

He once again heard her voice again.

“What I’m about to say, I say in hopes that the you in the past may listen through a vision. I don’t know when or if the day will come where you envision this moment but······ ready yourself, let me tell you your wish list."

Chapter 43 – Seeking the Owners (1)

1.

"Boss."

In the mayor’s office located in the Bucheon City Hall.

There were two men facing each other across a desk, a cup of steaming hot coffee sitting on the desk.

"Let’s organize some of this information first."

One man swept back his chaotic hair with his right hand, his appearance resembling that of a tortured man.

"So was Sun Mi noonim able to tell you what your wishlist was before boss died?"

Hearing those words, another man simply nodded his head while caressing the mug of coffee in his hand and enjoying the coffee’s aroma.

Seeing his somewhat apathetic expression, Chang Sung Hoon forced a laugh.

"I don’t know who came up with it, but I have to give credit where it’s due. A wishlist······ Napoleon’s Golden Goblet would definitely be the most reliable way to transmit the information."

Chang Sung Hoon could only sigh as he spoke those words.

Quite frankly, it wasn’t an optimistic sigh.

"Even if the problem itself lies within the wishlist."

In essence, he was just complaining.

Kim Tae Hoon simply observed Chang Sung Hoon with an unsightly expression as Chang Sung Hoon complained. Kim Tae Hoon’s expression wasn’t a result of the coffee he was drinking.

Silence pervaded the atmosphere, prompting Chang Sung Hoon to start trying to sort things out in his mind.

He started from when Kim Tae Hoon woke up from his dream. Kim Tae Hoon had called for Chang Sung Hoon, who was waiting outside the mayor’s office, and had relayed the details to him.

Hearing the words ‘wishlist’ Chang Sung Hoon had unknowingly balled up his hands.

A completely unimaginable and unforeseen opportunity had revealed itself, and Chang Sung Hoon did not want to let it go.

As soon as Kim Tae Hoon had mentioned the wishlist, Chang Sung Hoon felt as though the path forward had lit up.

"Firstly, the Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje and the Bell of King Seongdeok."
[TN: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilt-bronze_Incense_Burner_of_Baekje and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_of_King_Seongdeok%5D

Kim Tae Hoon recalled six things from the wish list.

Although Ahn Sun Mi had let out a long string of words and had also described many things in great detail, the dying Kim Tae Hoon could only hear six items.

The Bell of King Seongdeok and the Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje were the first to be mentioned of the six.

"It’s the same for the Gw.a.n.ggaeto Stele and the Sword of Goujian."
[TN: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gw.a.n.ggaeto_Stele and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword_of_Goujian%5D

He had also spoken of the Gw.a.n.ggaeto Stele and the Sword of Goujian.

It was from that point that Chang Sung Hoon had sensed that something was off.

Obviously, the two artifacts were real, but the two of them were of a different concept than those of the Bell of King Seongdeok and the Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje that he had spoken of before.

"Even something like the Green Dragon Crescent Blade or Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi were on the list?"
[TN: It’s all just various artifacts of national heritage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Dragon_Crescent_Blade and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusanagi%5D

Thinking of those artifacts, Chang Sung Hoon fell into deep thought.

Did Kim Tae Hoon perhaps go mental and play a prank on himself?

Or perhaps the shock incurred by experiencing his own death once more was enough to confuse what Kim Tae Hoon had heard?

What else could it be?

"Aren’t those just items that make frequent appearances in stories?"

They were actually just mythological weapons that one would read about in stories, they weren’t real.

Regardless, Kim Tae Hoon was serious.

Despite listening to what was said, Kim Tae Hoon was still sincere about the list of items he had heard.

"I’m going to need an a.n.a.lysis of the things on the wish list."

There was no way he could take these things lightly.

This was valuable information about the future that Kim Tae Hoon had received as he died.

So if he wanted to continue to live, then he needed to change his fate once again by using the information he had gleaned.

"First off, of the six, four of them are real."

Since Chang Sung Hoon was knowledgeable about that fact, he cut right to the chase.

"Where would they be?"

"First, the Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje is in the Buyeo National Museum, while the Bell of King Seongdeok······."

"The Bell of King Seongdeok?"

"Ah, it’s the Emile bell. The Emile Bell. It’s located in the Gyeongju National Museum. The Gw.a.n.ggaeto Stele is in China’s Jilin Province and the Sword of Goujian should be in China’s Hubei Province."

"And the remaining two are simply myths?"

"They’re object only spoken about in the legends."

Kim Tae Hoon took another gulp of his coffee. In a rare act of silence, Chang Sung Hoon opted not to disturb the quiet that had settled.

The two men shut their mouths and organized the information in their heads.

The conversation didn’t continue again until Kim Tae Hoon opened his mouth.

"It was probably me that made the wish list."

"It would seem so."

"Then I wouldn’t have listed items that were impossible to get."

"Ah."

Chang Sung Hoon finally realized.

He knew what kind of man that Kim Tae Hoon was.

We wouldn’t record something that was impossible to retrieve.

"I wouldn’t know how much I would be able to hear when standing on death’s doorstep."

In short, this wishlist was a contingency set in place by Kim Tae Hoon for the sake of informing his past self shortly before his demise.

It meant that there was some sort of secret, perhaps a message, hidden within the contents of the list.

Kim Tae Hoon had purposefully created the list. So would he have not taken into consideration his own personality?

"Buyeo and Gyeongju. I suppose the items there are those that we can currently retrieve."

"That’s right. It shouldn’t take more than half a day by car if we don’t encounter any monsters. It would probably take us three hours to get to Buyeo National Museum by Gyeongbu Express Highway, and maybe four or five hours to get to Gyeongju National Museum by Gyeongbu Express Highway.  But who knows if it’ll take us up to a year of fighting while putting our lives on the line to get there."

"Buyeon and Gyeongju are included, but Seoul is not."

So the first mystery was why Seoul was left out of the picture.

It was obvious that Gyeongju and Buyeon were areas laden with relics ripe for the picking.

However, Seoul was was a city that had served as the capital of various Korean kingdoms since time immemorial.

Even the National Museum was located in the Yongsan District of Seoul.

"That’s certainly a mystery. Even the original wood block prints of Daedongyeojido should be kept in the National Museum······."

Although through good fortune Kim Tae Hoon and Chang Sung Hoon were able to find a secret edition of Daedongyeojido, the original print that it was based on was exhibited in none other than the National Museum of Korea.

"The golden crown of the Silla Dynasty is there······ that’s right. There are also armor, kimonos, and masks used by j.a.panese warriors. And although there aren’t many, there are also Chinese Buddhas and other statues."

The National Museum of Korea was even home to some artifacts from China and j.a.pan.

But Kim Tae Hoon’s wishlist didn’t refer to anything that could be found in the National Museum of Korea.

"What do you think is the reason?"

It was a mystery that required immediate attention.

"One of two things."

But it wasn’t something that Kim Tae Hoon needed to meditate on.

"Either someone else has already stolen those items, or going there is much more dangerous than going to either Buyeo or Gyeongju."

"Figures, if we were in Yongsang District instead of Bucheon City······ no, rather, if we discovered the usages of artifacts, then others in Yongsang must have as well, which means that the National Museum must have been picked clean."

"Right to the north of the National Museum is the Ministry of Defense."

"The Ministry of Defense? Ah, right, the War Memorial of Korea is behind it."

The National Museum of Korea and the Ministry of Defense were not too far away from each other.

"The cadets would have flocked to their as soon as the catastrophe hit."

In other words, the troops under the Ministry of Defense, the troops organized and led by the ministry for the sake of defending the capital, would have headed towards it.

So naturally, they would have already acquired the relics there.

Everything up till now was mere speculation, but now they were convinced of the veracity of the information gleaned from the dream

"In other words, both Buyeo and Gyeongju are ownerless mountains."

So if they moved quickly, they would be able to acquire artifacts in both Gyeongju and Buyeo.

"Then what was the purpose of mentioning the Sword of Goujian and the Gw.a.n.ggaeto Stele?"

"Perhaps the fall of North Korea and survivors migrating to China······ no, rather, it might be an indicator that there is an exchange of awakened or maybe even a war."

He wouldn’t have mentioned the Sword of Goujian and the Gw.a.n.ggaeto Stele simply because he wanted him to retrieve them, but instead, a means to transmit information about the situation.

"I know that the Gw.a.n.ggaeto Stele is located in the Jilin Province. Since planes and boats are probably mostly all out of commission, then North Korea would only try to contact China if on the verge of collapse. Did you also say that the Sword of Goujian is in the Hubei Province?"

"Yes."

"Hubei province is located in the middle of China. Then there’s a high chance that the Chinese awakened have secured it, and are therefore on their way or have already secured the Gw.a.n.ggaeto Stele. In fact, they may have already pushed into the Korean Peninsula via North Korea."

The collapse of North Korea and contact with China.

This was also a vital hint. It meant that the situation of the entire Korean Peninsula has changed as well.

"It makes enough sense for now. Then what’s the meaning behind the Green Dragon Crescent Blade and Kusanagi? No matter how I think about it, those things don’t exist."

The Green Dragon Crescent Blade and Kusanagi had to be signals.

"There’s no way they are real."

According to common sense, those legendary weapons wouldn’t exist.

"It’s probably a warning against constraining our thoughts to that kind of thinking."

But, in today’s era, those weapons would definitely exist. It was a signal telling them.

Chang Sung Hoon had organized the contents of their conversation in his head.

'That’s right, it would be better to avoid a large crowd gathering in Seoul and instead go for an unclaimed item that has escaped under the radar for the time being.'

At the same time, Chang Sung Hoon started to feel frustrated.

"The list definitely doesn’t end with just those six. If I had heard more I could have made a clearer plan."

Although he had been able to extract various bits of information and hidden messages through the six items on the list, he could have drawn up a much better plan had he heard more.

Furthermore, Kim Tae Hoon began to regret that he had heard only a snippet.

'If I only I heard more.'

Using Napoleon’s Golden Goblet to transmit the wishlist was a fantastic idea.

But it was also true that they hadn’t really gained all that much.

However, instead of pitying yourself, it was of course better to figure out a way to improve the method.

"Well it looks like everyone’s going to need to learn to rap."

It was at that moment that Kim Tae Hoon came up with his answer.

"Rap······ what?"

"When faced with impending doom, the best way to transmit information would be through as many words within the shortest amount of time possible."

If Ahn Sun Mi were able to speak about twice as fast, then he would have been able to retain twice the information!

Listening to Kim Tae Hoon, Chang Sung Hoon expressed his displeasure.

"So while boss is throwing up blood and declining in spirit, you want me to rap to you even as your eyes lose focus? What about the locations of Dabotap, Seokguram, and the Tripitaka Koreana?"

"Why, is that strange?"

"Does such a scene not seem strange to you boss? Do you expect someone to quickly recite information about national treasures in front of a dying person from one to ten?"

Hololok.

Kim Tae Hoon drank some coffee instead of replying. It was the calm expression of a man who felt nothing was wrong.

Seeing as how Kim Tae Hoon was remaining more silent than usual, Chang Sung Hoon asked him a question.

"More importantly, what are our immediate plans? Whether it’s to capture Buyeo or Gyeongju, we wouldn’t be able to head out right away, right?"

"First things first, we should stabilize our position."

"Our position······ of course, we have to establish a clan under our banner and choose a public representative."

The plan was set.

Buyeo or Gyeongju.

From this moment on, Kim Tae Hoon had decided to work towards securing those areas.

The journey would be long and arduous. But before that, he needed to stabilize any internal strife.

So Kim Tae Hoon agreed.

"But before that, there is something we must do."

Something needed to be done immediately.

"Is there something so urgent?"

"We need to figure out the owners of these nine relics we secured."

The duo had managed to shake down Baek “Whale” Sung Taek’s hidden cache and secure nine relics. Kim Tae Hoon had proposed that the relics find owners before anything else.

"To find the owners······ do you intend to give these out?"

"They’d be worthless if not handled by an awakened."

Chang Sung Hoon’s expression hardened at those words.

Kim Tae Hoon was not wrong.

These relics were the most powerful weapons at humanity’s disposal in their war against the monsters.

So it would be pointless to give them to a human who couldn’t even utilize them properly.

In this situation where everyone was striving to kill even just one more monster, the wisest course of action would be to seek out someone who could properly utilize the relic.

However, many of the artifacts that they found this time around were incredibly valuable.

"Is it really ok to hand these relics to the awakened who can use them?"

But it would be a pity to just freely hand them out.

Not all of the awakened under Kim Tae Hoon offered their heartfelt loyalty to him.

They follow Kim Tae Hoon simply because he had the power to kill monsters that they could not.

Kim Tae Hoon tilted his head in response to Chang Sung Hoon’s sorrow-soaked words.

"Why would I just give them out?"

"Huh?"

"I’m looking for the owners. Afterwards I’ll charge a finder’s fee. Isn’t that common sense?"

Chang Sung Hoon vigorously nodded his head.

"That’s right, that’s what common sense would dictate."