Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

191 – Cunning

 

Hearing Untwart’s offer to reveal the location of one of the three Heavenly Lords who had invaded Earth, Myung-jun decided to accept the proposal. He planned to keep Untwart in a frozen state until the information could be verified. If it was confirmed that the information was not a trap, Myung-jun would stop torturing Untwart and allow him to commit suicide by turning off the life support system.

After concluding the negotiation, Untwart was about to reveal the location of the only Heavenly Lord he knew among the three who had come to Earth. Before doing so, he asked Myung-jun:

[Is there any chance you could spare me? On the condition that I never return to Earth.]

“That’s not possible. You’re too dangerous.”

[If you spare me and let me go, I could infect other intelligent beings in outer universe and create an army to fight for you. Think about it. An army that fights perfectly according to learned manuals, without fear, and without asking for any reward. That could be yours.]

“It’s a tempting offer, but I’ll have to decline. The very act of taking away others’ free will to create soldiers to fight for me is repulsive.”

[So, the only thing left is death. It’s unfortunate. Unlike the Heavenly Lords who can resurrect in outer universe even if their main body dies, I will be permanently annihilated the moment I die on Earth.]

“Most beings from outer universe don’t seem to fear death.”

[Unlike the beasts of the Beast King Realm, whose brains are filled with muscles, the beings of the Parasite Realm regret the loss of opportunities. As long as they live, they can evolve anew by reflecting on their defeats, but if they are annihilated, they lose that chance. It’s not death that is feared; it’s the sadness of losing the opportunity to evolve further.]

“That’s why I can’t let you go. The moment I send you back, you’ll use our information to evolve in a way that makes it harder for us to respond.”

[I understand your decision. I’ve eliminated many competitors myself.]

Having said that, Untwart revealed the location of the only Heavenly Lord he knew to Myung-jun.

[If the infection spreads successfully near the DMZ, I was ordered to move the infected soldiers to a gathering point in the south. While my infected creatures engage in large-scale battles in the north, the beasts of the Beast King Realm, hiding in the south, were planning to attack the rear.]

Myung-jun looked at Untwart with suspicion and said.

“That doesn’t make sense. If the Heavenly Lord controlling the Beast King Realm is Banara, then he lost his avatar fighting me before. Even if Heavenly Lords can resurrect in outer universe, they can’t recover that quickly. Besides, there hasn’t been any information about a large-scale overflow occurring in the southern part of South Korea just before I arrived.”

The information Untwart revealed contradicted Myung-jun’s basic knowledge about the gates and the Heavenly Lords. A Heavenly Lord who lost their avatar needed time to recover, and for such a powerful entity to cross over to Earth, there had to be an overflow caused by a gate going berserk.

However, Untwart disclosed that there was a kind of “loophole” to bypass this issue.

[You’re right. Beast King Banara hadn’t recovered enough to create a new avatar. To solve this problem, Hollodeug, the King of the Parasite Realm and my master, gave a part of his heart filled with immense energy to Beast King.]

“Aren’t the Heavenly Lords supposed to be in competition with each other?”

[That’s true, but Hollodeug is different. He can see the bigger picture, even if it means sacrificing his own gains. Thanks to him, Banara has recovered nearly 80% of his power and is likely waiting deep in the southern part of this land called South Korea.]

“And Banara’s exact location?”

[I don’t know where he’s hiding. That information wasn’t granted to me. But I do know the gathering point where we were supposed to meet if I succeeded in the north.]

“Tell me.”

[Seoul. The final strategy of this plan was to push simultaneously from the north and south towards the area you call Seoul, where the human population is most concentrated.]

Untwart spoke in a serious tone, thinking he was revealing crucial information, but Myung-jun’s expression grew increasingly twisted as he listened. Regardless of the enemy’s plans, it was obvious that targeting the densely populated area of Seoul was their goal.

With a voice tinged with a bit of anger, Myung-jun warned Untwart.

“Sorry, but the information that Seoul is the gathering point isn’t particularly useful to me. If a large number of monsters were to move to escort a Heavenly Lord, it would never escape human detection. The information would be automatically known long before they reached Seoul, or even Gyeonggi Province.”

[Of course, I didn’t think such information alone would seal the deal.]

“It sounds like you have more information. I hope it’s as valuable as the exact location of the Heavenly Lord.”

[I think so. Even with your advanced technology capable of capturing my main body, you wouldn’t have anticipated that a massive number of beasts from the Beast King Realm would move underground.]

“Underground? They’re moving through tunnels?”

[That’s right. For this invasion, King Hollodeug lent Beast King Banara a monster known as the ‘Rock Devourer.’ This creature drinks molten rock like it’s a beverage and chews through any ground like it’s a snack. With its help, they can dig massive tunnels spanning several kilometers in just one day.]

Myung-jun was greatly shocked. If what this slug was saying was true, thousands or tens of thousands of monsters could pour into the heart of Seoul, where there were no defenses against such a large-scale invasion. The consequences of such an event were too horrifying to imagine.

“But it’s hard to believe that the beasts from the Beast King Realm would move through tunnels. Even with Banara, they’re difficult to control. How would thousands of instinct-driven beasts move in perfect unison through a tunnel?”

[Of course, it’s impossible for those savage beasts. They are primitive creatures that won’t follow even simple commands to stay put without the use of fear. But unlike Banara, Lord Hollodeug has a useful means to control those beasts.]

“And what is that?”

Untwart didn’t answer Myung-jun’s question. He quietly wriggled his body, waiting for Myung-jun to realize it himself. Myung-jun soon understood that the “means” Untwart mentioned referred to Untwart himself.

“Parasites. So, Banara sold his subordinates to Hollodeug?”

[That’s right. My species is specialized in controlling the minds of living beings. Using that ability, we can grant high intelligence to beasts that have been given superior physical bodies but lack intelligence.]

“That’s the worst.”

[Is that enough to seal the deal?]

“The information about the specific means of covert movement and the use of parasites to enhance control is sufficient for the deal. Well done. Once we take down Banara, I’ll release you from your frozen state so you can die.”

After finishing the conversation, Myung-jun asked a few additional questions and then used the Truth Thresher to return Untwart to a frozen state. He then urgently called Director Yoon Se-ah of the EDA for an emergency meeting.

“…This is the information we obtained by interrogating the main body of the captured parasite.”

Director Yoon Se-ah, who had been in shock and unable to speak for a while, finally managed to ask Myung-jun a question.

“…What is the estimated scale of the monsters?”

“We can’t be certain. They probably started preparing underground for the overflow long before the infection outbreak began.”

“So, you’re saying that currently, at least thousands to tens of thousands of monsters are moving through underground tunnels towards Seoul. Including the ones responsible for the devastation in the Amazon last time.”

“That’s likely. But you shouldn’t judge their strength based on the Amazon incident. Banara, who was defeated by the Knights I control, isn’t a fool. He wouldn’t attempt a similar level of attack again.”

“Are you saying that more dangerous monsters than those responsible for the Amazon disaster are moving towards Seoul?”

“Those subordinates will be coming as well. Considering the recent gate difficulty adjustments, the monsters involved in this overflow will be far stronger than the previous ones.”

Yoon Se-ah knew what she had to say to Myung-jun, but she hesitated to speak. It was burdensome to ask for help from the Liberal Clan again, especially when the situation was so dangerous that even their lives couldn’t be guaranteed.

However, Yoon Se-ah valued the citizens of South Korea more than her own pride or position. She finally spoke to Myung-jun with difficulty.

“I’m sorry, but… Mr. Myung-jun…”

Although he had become an independent and not affiliated with any country, Myung-jun was undeniably from South Korea. His elementary, middle, and high school classmates were in South Korea, and his sister’s friends were also South Korean citizens. Therefore, Yoon Se-ah had a subtle expectation that Myung-jun would save South Korea, even if he found it burdensome. Just as he had come running to resolve the infection crisis when she asked for help.

However, Myung-jun shattered her expectations with a cold voice, preemptively rejecting her request.

“If you’re thinking of asking me to handle the overflow crisis like I did in Brazil, I refuse.”

“But even if we mobilize all EDA members and the full military power of the Ministry of National Defense, it’s impossible to stop an overflow of this scale!”

Even if they knew the location of the tunnels, they could borrow tactical nukes from the U.S. government and try to blow them up. Unfortunately, the information Untwart provided didn’t include the current location of the monsters. Moreover, without knowing enemies exact arrival time, Yoon Se-ah had no choice but to rely on Myung-jun’s power. The combined force of all the awakened clans on Earth was far less than the power of the Liberal Clan alone.

“If you want the crystal stones obtained during the overflow crisis, I will give you full rights to all the crystals and materials. Additionally, if there are any other conditions you desire, I will do my best to meet them. As a citizen of South Korea, not just as the EDA Director, I beg you. Please do not abandon South Korea in its time of crisis.”

Yoon Se-ah stood up and bowed at a 90-degree angle, pleading, but Myung-jun shook his head. His refusal was not due to the conditions or risks but to address the ‘additional threats.’

Myung-jun spoke calmly to Yoon Se-ah.

“I’m sorry, but what we need to focus on now is not the obvious threat. While it’s undoubtedly a significant danger, it will ultimately be a battle of strength against strength.”

Myung-jun explained that the most challenging part of dealing with this crisis was not the enemy’s strength. It was the terrifyingly cunning mechanisms of the parasites, which assimilated with surrounding tissues to neutralize detection methods and committed suicide with their hosts the moment they were threatened. The persistence of leaving a giant main body as bait while the avatar escaped was also daunting. Myung-jun found it easier to deal with enemies that could be confronted with sheer force.

“Banara, the leader of the beast-type monsters with powerful physical abilities, had a body stronger than any of his subordinates. Therefore, Hollodeug, the leader of such cunning parasites, must be far more cunning than his subordinates. If such a cunning adversary is using such an obvious attack method, it must be because they have another card they want to hide.”

“Are you saying that even the attack on Seoul by tens of thousands of monsters is just a decoy?”

“That’s highly likely. According to Untwart, there are three Banara-level monsters currently on Earth.”

An invasion of monsters that could devastate the massive city of Seoul in less than a day. Myung-jun judged that even such a colossal threat was a kind of sacrificial card. It was an unprecedented massive hostage situation to conceal the real theft.

What Myung-jun was focusing on was the existence of another Heavenly Lord, in addition to the revealed identities of King Hollodeug and Beast King Banara. If his prediction was correct, that Heavenly Lord would be the “trump card” Hollodeug had prepared to annihilate humanity before D-DAY.

‘If we try to save Seoul, the entire world could be put at risk.’

This was the judgment Myung-jun had made about Hollodeug’s “expected strategy” after experiencing the horrifyingly cunning tactics of the enemy during the current parasite crisis.

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