Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

Chapter 28

028 – Murder

“Was he always this broad-shouldered?”

Soo-jeong crossed the mountain path with her hands resting on Myung-jun’s back, thinking to herself. Then she buried her head into his reassuringly sturdy back and asked,

“Isn’t it heavy?”

“Generally, when you become an Awakener, your physical abilities experience a dramatic increase. That’s true for most production class as well. So, the weight of someone like you doesn’t feel like weight at all.”

“The intention behind my question wasn’t about that…”

Myung-jun, pondering her meaning for a moment, smiled brightly and spoke to her.

“You mean even in the state of awakening, it doesn’t feel heavy?”

“That’s a good answer.”

“Senior, which way should we go from here?”

“Follow the valley over there and go left.”

“Will those two make it out alive?”

“I hope so. Even if money is involved, it’s not common for someone to risk their life to fulfill a contract in a life-threatening situation.”

“I agree. Risking one’s life to save a senior is the same as saving my life. At least, I should repay the favor. And don’t get too emotional. After all, even if you’re seriously injured, I can use my ability to heal you as long as it’s not a corpse.”

“Huh? Isn’t summoning automatic turrets your ability?”

Myung-jun chuckled at Soo-jeong’s puzzled question. Then, without slowing down, he said,

“I didn’t go through all this trouble just to gain that kind of ability. The power I gained is much stronger and better than what you’re thinking. Maybe it’s the most powerful ability in the whole world as of now. And more than anything, the Class perks are just amazing… But I think I’ll have to explain that later.”

As Myung-jun spoke, he slowed down and looked ahead at an open field.

“Wait here, Senior. I’ll go and deal with them.”

Soo-jeong raised her head with a puzzled expression.

“No. I want to go too.”

“It could be dangerous.”

“But you’ll be there to protect me.”

In her eyes was an absolute trust. Seeing those eyes, Myung-jun grinned and said,

“Alright, then. Let me give you a VIP seat to watch. Can you walk?”

“It’s a little painful, but I’ll manage.”

“Once we rescue the two, I’ll give you a separate treatment. For now, let’s go rescue them.”

With that, the two of them started walking forward slowly, heading towards the direction emitting a strong, nauseating smell of blood.

*********

“Man, this is such a pain in the ass.”

A burly man spat as he spoke. In front of him, a thin man and an even bulkier man lay writhing on the ground like freshly slaughtered meat. Watching the two still reaching out with blood-soaked hands, the man’s expression turned into a disgusted scowl.

“Hey, didn’t I tell you? I said that girl would already be dead, but she still hasn’t given up?!”

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“I… keep… fighting…”

“I’m tired of hitting you now. Can’t you talk a little slowly? Then I’ll finish you off and give you some peace.”

“J… just… kill…”

The man standing over them had the power to end their lives instantly.

However, the reason the man didn’t just beat the two of them to death was due to the ‘unique pride’ that Awakeners had. The man bent down and gripped Ho Chang’s head, which was lying on the ground, and said,

“Did you say your name is Ho Chang? Honestly, your ability was quite impressive. I’ve never seen someone who can fight against an awakener like that. To be honest, I’d want to report to my superiors and recruit you into the military. If someone of your caliber were to awaken, an incredibly strong force would be born. Unfortunately, my superiors don’t believe in persuasion, which is why I can only kill you as painlessly as possible. So, say it now. ‘I lost.’ Say it, and I’ll let you die comfortably.”

As the man degraded a person to the point of begging for the meaningless words “I lost,” Ho Chang felt more and more incredulous. But his opponent had the “strength” to assert such a forced argument.

‘You bastard…’

Were there psychopaths among psychopaths? Seeing the eyes of someone who could crush a person to the point of death and not feel a hint of guilt, Ho Chang began to understand why he wanted to hear the words “I lost” from his opponent to the very end, even after reducing someone to a bloodied pulp. He could see his own reluctance to utter the words “I lost,” a reluctance comparable to having lost a gamble, in contrast to the opponent’s insistence on such a trivial phrase.

Ho Chang would rather face ridicule than say those words to this guy. So, he quietly held his breath. Then, in a strained voice, he spoke to his opponent.

“Rather be ridiculed… You son of a bitch.”

“What about you? How about you? You’re weak too, aren’t you? You hate pain too, right? How about just admitting defeat and getting it over with?”

“Go to hell.”

“Wow. You guys are really tough nuts, huh? Alright then. I lost. I’ll make it quick for you. Pass my regards to the girl who escaped to the underworld.”

After saying that, the attacker kicked Ho Chang’s head to the ground. Then, lifting his foot, he stomped down on Ho Chang’s head.

In that moment of impending death, the last things that crossed Ho Chang’s mind were the faces of Soo-jeong and Myung-jun, whom he had been watching for days. Could the two of them have met safely? Was his mission successfully accomplished? While it wasn’t the situation where he could confirm that at the moment, he thought,

‘Damn it. Girl, if you’re waiting in the underworld, you better not just stand there. I’ve done all I can. If I die first over there, it’s your responsibility.’

He had done everything he could. It was his last sense of pride that allowed him to face death with dignity. And in that moment, the voice he had so desperately wanted to hear echoed through the forest.

“Lower that foot right now.”

“Miss…..Soo-jeong?”

“Are you alright, sir?”

“Does it look alright to you? I got 100 million won to cover the hospital bills.”

“Wait! I’ll treat you right now!”

As Soo-jeong tried to run towards Ho Chang’s group, the man who was about to step on Ho Chang’s head raised his hand to stop her.

“Hold on there, miss!”

“What’s going on?!”

“Did you not see another woman following you?”

“Well, there was one woman I met who had the ability to hide as well as a rat.”

“Is she alive?”

“Alive, you ask? My boyfriend caught the rat and she died on her own.”

“What? You call that an explanation, you crazy bitch?”

As the man’s aggressive words spewed forth, the man standing beside Soo-jeong spoke up.

“You, say one more word, and I’ll smash you.”

“Who are you again?!”

“You can’t even remember the face of your contract target? Well, I can see why at first glance, even though it’s been a while since you last saw it.”

The man carefully looked at Myung-jun’s face.

Then, breaking into a big laugh, he adopted a combat stance.

“Hahaha! Honestly, I wondered how I could find you in this vast forest without Ga-yoon. But you walked right in here yourself. Have you lost your mind? How you managed to follow Ga-yoon is beyond me, but we can investigate that later. Sure. For now, you need to come with me.”

“What if I don’t want to go with you?”

“You fool. Can’t you see the two people lying here on the ground? Do you really think knocking you out would be difficult?”

“Is that all? Didn’t you prepare something like a tranquilizer gun or a sleep ability?”

“Why would you need that for an awakener? We have physical abilities that can knock someone out with a single punch.”

At this point, Soo-jeong and Myung-jun exchanged glances and spoke.

“Myung-jun, if you really become an awakener, do you think you’ll become ignorant like he is?”

“Did I win the bet? Will you buy me coffee later?”

“Win? What are you talking about…”

Before the man could finish his sentence, Myung-jun interrupted him.

“I bet with Senior. Just like that girl I kill, you came to catch me without much preparation. And just as I predicted, you really did come here without any extra tricks. Thanks to that, I’m going to enjoy a cup of coffee.”

“Kill? Who?”

“her.”

As Myung-jun stretched his hand, a beam of light appeared in the air, and Ga-yoon’s corpse, which he had stored in his spatial pocket a while ago, fell to the ground. The suit that should have been gleaming white was now stained red from Ga-yoon’s blood. The man looked at her corpse, his mouth hanging agape in disbelief.

“What?! How?!”

“Well, how do you think? I used a turret that detects ultraviolet light to shoot her while she was hiding like a rat. She must have taken about 200 hits.”

“Ha… Hahaha… Hahahaha!”

The man burst into hysterical laughter.

After laughing for a while, the man’s laughter turned into a cold stare as he glared at Myung-jun.

“Are you also an Awakener too?”

“Similar. But I can’t agree with the word ‘too.’ I don’t want to be treated at the same level as you.”

In a fit of anger, the man clenched his fist and got into a combat stance.

Then, seeing his stance, Ho Chang urgently shouted,

“Be careful! He can move at a speed that can avoid bullets!”

“A speed-based ability user? Well then, let’s test that.”

Myung-jun raised his finger, and two turrets appeared on his left and right. Simultaneously, bullets were fired from the turrets, piercing through the man’s body. However, the man, with an expression that seemed untouched by any damage, still stared at Myung-jun.

“Hmm. You avoided both shots and returned to your original position with your own speed, right? I thought you were just standing there as I looked with my eyes.”

“If I were to see a bullet, it would appear as if it were standing still. Similarly, the man named Ho Chang here was the same. At first, he managed to dodge all of my attacks with his amazing technique. However, that’s a skill possible only within the human realm.”

No matter how quick your reflexes are or how many arduous trainings you’ve undergone, a human can’t move at bullet-like speed. But Awakeners are different. We can exercise abilities that defy the laws of physics. In the realm of speed that humans can never reach, we can easily make our way.

“You’re making a valid point.”

“Are you starting to beg now that you’re here? I’m sorry, but it’s too late. Of course, obeying orders is our top priority, but unfortunately, Ga-yoon, whom you killed, was my lover. I can’t forgive someone who killed the one I love. So, I’m going to kill you right here. No, that’s not enough. I’m going to rip off your legs and arms first. And then, right before your eyes, I’ll kill your girlfriend too. I want you to experience the pain my lover endured.”

“Lover? This girl?”

“Yes!”

As the man screamed in anger, Myung-jun looked at Ga-yoon’s corpse and then at the man’s face.

“Are you sure about that?”

“Ah!!! I’m going to kill you!!!”

“Well, even if you’re an Awakener, you shouldn’t throw around such accusations. Look, it clearly doesn’t suit you at all. What do you think, Senior?”

“Hmm? Yeah, you’re right. After all, even if you’re awakener, it’s not something you can just claim. Look at that. It clearly doesn’t fit him. How could she be his lover? That’s ridiculous. Poor girl, she’s dead now. she can’t even refute it. Thanks to this pig-like guy, she ended up looking like his lover.”

“That’s right. we should apologize when we go to the afterlife.”

“I guess so?”

“Ahhhh!!”

The instant the man’s silhouette disappeared, the turrets on Myung-jun’s left and right began frantically firing bullets.

The man swiftly moved in all directions, dodging bullets that seemed to fill the air as if they were coming from nowhere. His speed was so incredible that it looked like he was summoning bullets out of thin air.

Seeing this, Myung-jun raised his hand leisurely and said,

“Dodging well, aren’t you? How about this?”

Instantly, five more turrets were summoned, and a total of seven turrets started firing bullets frantically. However, every single bullet passed through thin air, not hitting the man at all.

The man, feeling cocky, began taunting Myung-jun in a relaxed tone.

“Sorry, but bullets won’t catch me. It’s like trying to catch a bird in flight with a bowling ball. I get it now. Unfortunately, the camouflage ability she has didn’t match well with the turrets you have. No matter how great her hiding ability is, if there’s a weapon that can detect it, she would’ve been discovered. On the other hand, your ability and mine have a perfect compatibility. With the bullets from your turrets, you can never catch up to my speed! See, it’s showing! In my eyes, all those bullets look like they’re frozen in place! And the optimal path to get to you as well! I’m going to break your neck right now and dedicate it to Ga-yoon’s grave!”

As the man finished speaking, a chilling smile appeared on Myung-jun’s lips.

“Is that so? Bullets won’t work, huh?”

With that, he summoned five new turrets in a completely different form than before. These were a new type of turrets that didn’t attack in the form of “bullets” that the man could dodge but emitted ultra-high-output “lasers” capable of piercing through even the hardest materials like the trunk of a sturdy tree in an instant.

“No matter how fast you are, you won’t be faster than light. If you can avoid this, I’ll admit defeat.”

At that moment, as the five new turrets emitted beams of light, the man’s scream echoed through the forest.

“Gwaaaaaaah!!!”

Seeing the man engulfed in flames and falling to the ground like a log taken out of a furnace, Myung-jun’s lips curled into a cold smile.

Then, he walked towards Ho Chang, who was looking at him with a frightened expression.

“I’ve come to help. Are you still alive?”

“Lo… lost.”

Perhaps Ho Chang hadn’t heard Myung-jun’s words about coming to help, or maybe he was overwhelmed by Myung-jun’s strength that had incinerated such a formidable opponent in an instant.

Ho Chang uttered incomprehensible sounds and fainted, and seeing that, Myung-jun scratched his head and turned to Senior.

“He’s not dead, right?”

Soo-jeong wanted to nod, but Ho Chang’s condition was too severe to confirm his safety.

Even though it would be a miracle for him to still be breathing, given the extensive damage he had suffered all over his body, his survival wasn’t guaranteed even if he were immediately taken to the hospital for major surgery.

In this situation, Soo-jeong sent Myung-jun a pleading look, and Myung-jun, seeing this, gently laid his hand on Ho Chang’s body and whispered quietly.

“Warp.”

Myung-jun’s body was enveloped in a brilliant light and disappeared somewhere.

After a moment, Myung-jun reappeared in the air with an expression of bewilderment and touched Ho Chang’s body once again.

“Warp.”

This time, Myung-jun disappeared alone.

When Myung-jun reappeared with a puzzled expression on his face and scratched his head, he said to Soo-jeong,

“I guess this won’t work?”

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