Chapter 61: Hello! DG's! (1)

—They're here! Everyone, scatter!

The commotion from beyond intensified.

"Hmm."

Kim Ki-Rok lightly shook his arm and drew out a dagger hidden in his sleeve. He came to a stop at the intersection formed by four large containers.

"It's way too cold today," he murmured.

On a day like this, sitting in a warm room with roasted sweet potatoes would have been perfect.

With a slight frown, Kim Ki-Rok threw his dagger.

Thud!

A criminal who had used these container alleys like a maze to shake off the pursuing Hunters suddenly screamed. The dagger had pierced his thigh, causing him to lose his balance.

Kim Ki-Rok watched as the criminal toppled forward and slammed his head against the container wall, losing consciousness on the spot. "Ouch."

Moments later, a Hunter who had been chasing that criminal appeared, gasping for breath. "

Haaah... haah...

This bastard's way too fast."

Upon seeing the unconscious man pinned by a dagger in his thigh, the Hunter scanned his surroundings and spotted Kim Ki-Rok standing in the distance. He gave a thumbs up as thanks and received one in return.

Kim Ki-Rok moved forward while humming, "Ah, dashing through the snow~♪"

He suddenly halted and bent his upper body back.

Swish!

Steel brushed right past his eyes.

The criminal who had been waiting in ambush was taken aback when his target leaned back to dodge. He hastily tried to recover his blade, but Kim Ki-Rok was much faster.

"In a one-horse open sleigh~♪"

Kim Ki-Rok caught the criminal by the wrist and unleashed his mana.

Crrack!

With a pained cry, the man let go of his sword. He immediately tried a low kick, aiming for Kim Ki-Rok's leg.

"Over the fields we go~♪"

Kim Ki-Rok simply lifted his foot and pressed down lightly on the man's knee, unraveling the attack in a single motion. "Laughing all the way~♪"

He plunged the sword into the criminal's leg, who fell to the ground, shouting in pain.

"Bells on bobtails ring~♪" Kim Ki-Rok pulled out the sword and drove it down again with his full weight.

"Making spirits bright~♪"

"

Guh!

"

The longsword pinned the criminal's abdomen to the ground.

"Oh what fun it is to ride and sing a slaying song tonight~♪"

Leaving that sword behind, Kim Ki-Rok rose to his feet and drew a new blade from his subspace pocket, taking a partial swing to parry a sudden attack.

Claaang!

Another Awakened criminal had leaped down from atop a container for a surprise attack, but quickly jumped back to widen the distance. But Kim Ki-Rok was too lost in his carol to care. "Jingle bells! Jingle bells! Jingle all the way~♪"

"Crazy bastard." The enraged criminal rushed toward Kim Ki-Rok. Staying low, he tightly gripped his blade that was almost skimming the ground and slashed upward. However, his strike was far too predictable.

Kim Ki-Rok sidestepped it in one swift motion, leaving a perfect opening to thrust his blade at the enemy. Unlike a moment ago, he refrained from pushing in for the kill and instead stretched his left fist toward the ground, extending his forefinger.

Bam!

He had pooled his mana into a single point and fired it as a projectile at the earthen spike sprouting from the ground.

"

Tch!

"

This criminal had used his sword to distract from the real attack, an ability that summoned spikes of earth. In past situations, this move had often led to effective kills. Realizing it had failed this time, the criminal sprang backward to widen the gap.

Should I flee?

Or keep fighting?

He weighed his options, eyes darting back and forth, then gritted his teeth and charged once more.

Clang!

The sharp reverberation of the swords colliding was enough to send shivers down an onlooker's spine. Flight or fight—neither promised a good outcome. Left with no choice, he decided to gamble it all on killing this man.

Their blades clashed, sparks flying, the shrill ring of steel echoing. Despite his efforts, Kim Ki-Rok had the final say.

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle bombs away. Hm hm-hmm, hm-hm hmm hmm, jingle bombs away~♪"

"

Haa.

This lunatic's gone, for real..."

Running away? He had given up on that now. Consumed by anger, the Awakened criminal unleashed all his mana at once, resolved to kill Kim Ki-Rok.

Kim Ki-Rok, pleased by his foe's choice, raised his own blade in kind.

***

The Awakened criminals who had previously been dispersed around the container port at Incheon now reconvened at their safehouse in the center of all the containers. Realizing the entire dock had been surrounded, they decided to gather their strength and attack one side rather than be picked off one after another.

They assumed that the encirclement would be weak, as most Hunters had been mobilized to handle the mass Gate appearances.

"We only have two choices now," said one of the Awakened criminals.

Another one spoke up to clarify, "So either we swim out to sea, or break through their line of defense and create chaos in the city to cover our escape?"

They weighed the pros and cons, but neither plan seemed to be viable now. Their best option had been to flee on a prepared boat, but that vessel had been destroyed by the Hunters' preemptive strike.

"What about another ship?"

Many large container ships were docked along the harbor. However, those were massive freighters which were not suitable for a quick escape.

"Hostages?"

"None."

The criminals were having a hard time wrapping their heads around how the Hunters had known. They had managed to evacuate all regular port staff except for those who had been bribed.

The leaders of the Awakened criminal group, Black Money and Old Wolves, sighed as they watched their members locked into combat with the Hunter suppression forces.

Initially, both sides seemed evenly matched. But while the criminals' numbers were shrinking, the Hunters had reinforcements trickling in nonstop.

The leader of the Awakened Criminal Pursuit Team, Min Gwang-Cheol, swung his sword in the air to get rid of the blood dripping off his blade and stretched his neck left and right. "Well look what we got here... some money-grubbing vermin. Nice to meet ya," he said with twisted glee.

This was the nickname for Black Money, a group of criminals who would sell their own mothers for monetary gain.

"Looks like we got those mutts here too, boss." Standing at Min Gwang-Cheol's side was Kim Jin-Hyuk, also from the Association's pursuit team. He was glaring at a figure among the criminals—their leader.

Rather than refer to the criminals of Old Wolves as merely "wolves," those at the Association found it even more insulting to call them mutts.

"Seventh in rank... and third. It's a shame your top dogs aren't here, but this is still pretty decent," Min Gwang-Cheol said.

Kim Jin-Hyuk nodded. "I agree."

Black Money had sent one of its ten cadres to raid this department store, while Old Wolves had dispatched their caporegime[1].

"This is great. Once we catch them, we're in for some long heart-to-heart," Kim Jin-Hyuk said.

"

Hmph,

those mutts are hopeless, but the money grubs are in it for the payout. They just might talk."

If the criminals had unwavering loyalty—like Old Wolf was rumored to have—extracting intel would be near impossible. But Black Money? They lived and died by profit.

"

Tch

." The caporegime of Old Wolves clicked his tongue.

"Don't worry. I'll take my own life if I'm caught," The cadre from Black Money quickly assured upon sensing his concern.

However, the caporegime of Old Wolves had doubts. He knew Black Money was just a bunch of criminals who banded together purely for profit. If they thought they could survive by spilling everything, that man might well betray them all.

Should I kill him now, before he gets caught by the Association?

The caporegime gritted his teeth.

It was impossible. Although betrayal was a common day-to-day occurrence among Awakened criminals, timing was still important. The mercenaries in Black Money's employ would scatter, leaving Old Wolf with drastically reduced strength and making them easy prey for the Hunters. This outcome would only serve to benefit the suppression forces trying to take them down.

"We have about thirty minutes left. Can we hold out?" The Black Money cadre asked.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The cadre had already radioed their allies offshore as soon as the boat was destroyed. That rescue force was inbound, but could they endure until then?

"Let's give it a try," the caporegime said.

It wasn't just the Awakened Criminal Pursuit Team that was after them. Renowned Hunters from major guilds had joined the operation as well, creating a significant obstacle for the criminals.

"

Sss... hoo...

" The caporegime took a deep breath and stepped forward. He slowly released his mana, stirring up the fighting spirit in the area as a result.

Similarly, Min Gwang-Cheol, the de facto head of the Criminal Pursuit Team walked to the front of the group, cracking his neck.

Tension soared as the distance closed. A single misstep would spark a lethal brawl. They glowered at one another, eyes gleaming with murderous resolve.

"If there were no DG in this worlddd, what fun would it be~♪" Their impending clash was abruptly deflated by a loud, off-key singing in the distance.

"Even if the sun sets, DG! Even if the moon rises, DG! DG is the best~♪[2]"

The caporegime of the Old Wolves, the leader of the Awakened Criminal Pursuit Team, the Hunters, and the Awakened criminals all turned to glare in the direction of the noise.

"Summon Aeple!"

The voice of the man grew closer and closer.

"Aeple is here!" a girl's voice piped in.

The crowd was naturally drawn toward the source of the sound. The Awakened criminals scowled, eyes narrowed at the bizarre song. Meanwhile, the Hunters either looked away in embarrassment or hid their faces behind their hands. They recognized that voice all too well.

"Hel—"

"Lo!"

"DG's..."

"Kim Ki-Rok!"

"A. E. Ple!"

"The greatest..."

"In the whole world!"

"What on earth?" Kim Ki-Rok asked sarcastically.

"We're not some bag of snacks, you know.[3]."

"Exactly. Oh—turn left there. They should all be right up ahead," the male voice said.

"Oh, perfect. Then we can ask what they think, CEO Kim," replied the female voice.

"Okay, again from the top!"

"Roger! Hel—" The female started the chant once more.

"Lo!"

"DG's!"

"Kim Ki-Rok!"

"A. E. Ple!"

"The greatest..."

"In the whole world!"

A man with an Elemental on his shoulders arrived at the pier. Emerging from between the container stacks, he held up a "mic" in his left hand.

"Why is he... carrying a microphone...?" Someone from the suppression force unconsciously hid his face with his free hand. He was nearly dead from secondhand embarrassment, as were the other Hunters.

Whether or not he was oblivious to this fact, Kim Ki-Rok was on a roll.

"The greeeeeatest!"

"In the whole wooooorld!"

Stopping right in front of a baffled Awakened criminal, Kim Ki-Rok offered the microphone. The Elemental stared intently at the man, urging him to answer along.

Unable to resist, the criminal blurted out, "Are you two lunatics?"

***

Kim Ki-Rok, the Guildmaster of DG, had recently soared to fame as one of the figures responsible for subjugating the S-Class Awakened criminal Ma Ak-Soo alongside the Shine Guild, the Golden Lion Guild, and uncorrupted branches of the Association.

However, if anything, it was his nickname that spread even faster.

"Is this... the infamous Madma—I mean, the Crazy Bastard, Kim Ki-Rok?"

At first, many had thought that Kim Ki-Rok was portraying a persona. But witnessing it in person, they realized that his actions in those livestreams were completely authentic.

"No way..." One of the Awakened criminals eyed Kim Ki-Rok's empty hands suspiciously, wondering what he was up to. As the surrounding criminals gave quizzical glances, he quickly explained, "No, this guy... he's batshit crazy. I was just wondering if he was about to livestream like he did the other times."

"Ah..."

The awakened criminals, as well as the Hunters surrounding them, all nodded as if they understood. They could see this bastard doing such a thing.

At that moment, a strange grin spread across Kim Ki-Rok's lips. "Ah, yes indeed... a livestream."

1. A high-ranking member of an organization who leads a crew of soldiers and reports directly to the boss, usually associated with the mafia. ☜

2. Kim Ki-Rok's twist on a

classic Korean song

about a someone not being able to eat food without kimchi ☜

3. The two are parodying a famous children's chant about saying hello to Cleopatra, then move on to talk about the world's best potato chips. ☜