Chapter 278: Chapter 276

Suho nodded at the guard captain's last words.

"Association President Woo Jinchul... No wonder the Association's North Korea strategy is taking longer than expected, so this is what was going on." Even Suho hadn't thought of this before coming here himself.

He had thought that Association President Woo Jinchul was only clearing out magical beasts in North Korea, but it turned out he was dealing with not only them but also villains. Moreover, he hadn't even imagined that villains were building cities and living like this. Quite a few people in South Korea were already dissatisfied with Association President Woo Jinchul's long absence.

Who would like it? He created the Association, but he himself was away, wandering somewhere else. And the biggest problem was that 'Choi Jong-In,' an S-rank Hunter, was among the Association Hunters he took to North Korea. If only the 'ultimate hunter' had stayed in South Korea. No, if he had just handed over the position of Association President to Choi Jong-In and left, no one would be dissatisfied with Woo Jinchul's actions like this. The presence of a single S-rank Hunter, a walking weapon of war, was that significant. In fact, the various cumbersome procedures Suho had to go through to get permission to enter North Korea were also a butterfly effect caused by Choi Jong-In's absence.

'But from our country's perspective, the existence of a city like this is much more threatening than magical beasts acting on instinct.' The presence of a city of villains right above their heads was a much more threatening situation than when North Korea was still stable before the Cataclysm. So it would have been only natural for the Association President to wipe out the villains' cities whenever he saw them. And no matter how many criminals gathered, it wouldn't be a threat to him. He had 'Choi Jong-In' by his side. Just as Suho burned down Elvenwoods, Choi Jong-In was an S-rank Hunter who also mainly used fire magic, so he would be able to turn Elvenwood into a sea of flames. Thinking of Woo Jinchul, Suho suddenly became curious.

"But why is this city still safe?"

[That's... because it hasn't been discovered by Woo Jinchul yet. That's the Enforcers' main job first and foremost. To rebuild the city in a place where Woo Jinchul can't see it. Besides, the walls of this one are more robust than ever.]

Suho nodded. Well, even the great Association President Woo Jinchul wouldn't be able to control everything happening in North Korea. Moreover, the blue mist was so thick in this land that even satellite cameras couldn't penetrate it. If they retraced Woo Jinchul's path and built a new city, it wouldn't be difficult to avoid him. And as long as the Enforcers were safe, a city like this could be rebuilt anytime, anywhere.

"Seriously. It's like a cockroach nest..."

[The Queen of Insects, the Plague Monarch, perks up her ears.]

"Go back in. I wasn't calling you." Suho dismissed Querehsha's presence and thought about what he had to do now based on the information he received from the guard captain.

[My liege, how about this? While you're burning everything down as usual, I'll take the soldiers and secretly search for those who escape.] Beru added with bloodthirsty eyes,

"No. We don't know who the Enforcers are. We have to consider the possibility that they're not in the city at all times." First of all, if no one knew who they were, there was no point in killing all the villains here and turning them into shadow soldiers.

"So we have to make them come out by themselves... Wait, what was the role of the Enforcers? To maintain order in the city?"

[Yes, that's correct.]

"Then the answer is clear." Suho smirked at the guard captain's words and said,

"We just need to make them want to maintain order in this city."

Smirk... A city that was surprisingly well-organized for a lawless zone. Suho had plenty of ways to disrupt the system here.

"Hmm. Then first..." Excluding the Enforcers, there were three main factions that ruled this city openly.

The bank.

The Hunter Guild.

And the Free Market Alliance.

Among these three, the most vulnerable one was obviously the loose association of merchants and debtors. The market

"Shall we shake up the 'market' first?" Having decided on a rough plan, Suho grinned and looked back at Sirka, asking,

"Sirka, are you tired? Let's go to sleep."

"Where will we sleep?" Sirka tilted her head at his words. But even before receiving an order, the guard captain quickly moved, took out the money bag he had stashed in his dead body's pocket, and respectfully offered it to Suho.

[It's not much, but this should be enough to get you lodging for a while.]

"Oh, what a kind person."

Clank

Suho chuckled and gladly accepted the money bag. But...

"Thank you, but I don't need lodging."

Flash—!

Suho took out the 'Shadow Dungeon Key.'

"When it comes to sleeping, it's best to rest in a comfortable place. And I haven't done today's daily quest yet."

[Entering Shadow Dungeon.]

Just like that, Suho and Sirka disappeared into the Shadow Gate.

* * *

A while later.

"...What?" The bank employee, who was leisurely waiting for word of Suho, hardened his expression as he belatedly heard the news about the guard captain.

"The guard captain was found dead?"

"Yes. All the Enhanced Humans he took with him were also dead. And the whole area..."

"Was frozen?"

"Yes. There were traces of high-level ice magic. With this much power, it's at least A-rank."

"A-rank? I thought he was a summoner..." The bank employee, who received the report from the debtor wearing a choker, let out a hollow laugh. But his eyes were filled with killing intent more than ever. It was the complete opposite of the welcoming atmosphere he exuded when he first met Suho.

"Then what was that elf? Was it not a summon, but something he captured and tamed? Or another skill altogether?" Suspicions piled up, and various scenarios came to his mind.

'...If it's just an A-rank villain appearing in the city, it's not a problem. They'll eventually need money to survive here anyway.' It wasn't necessary for all citizens to be debtors. Making newcomers like the one today fall into debt was just a custom. It was more about testing their abilities. To see how and where to use them, and to find out any hidden skills. And the fact that the guard captain, who even took the Enhanced Humans with him, was annihilated wasn't a big deal either. There were plenty of replacements in the Hunter Guild. But the problem was...

'Somehow, I have a bad feeling about this.' Yes, this newcomer felt strange from the first time he saw him.

The calmness subtly revealed in his expression and attitude. Something that couldn't be explained by mere bravado. It was an expression rarely seen in the apocalyptic North Korea. The bank employee's gaze suddenly turned to the desk. There was the citizen registration form he left behind.

'Name: Beru'

"...Tsk. Even when using a fake name, it has to be something sensible. It's not like he's making a game ID."

'Kids these days.' It was pathetic no matter how many times he looked at it. Everyone used fake names in this city, but his naming sense was still terrible from the perspective of someone who had to be called by that name. However what if even that name was meant to lower their guard? Why...?

"...Is there a possibility that he's Woo Jinchul's pawn?" The debtor shook his head at the bank employee's words, who voiced the worst-case scenario among the possibilities he was considering.

"No way. If that were the case, he would have settled things quietly instead of escalating them like this."

"That's true. Anyway, he's a suspicious guy, so we'll have to keep an eye on him for a while. So where is that Beru guy staying today?"

"That's hmm... He isn't..."

"What? What do you mean, he isn't staying anywhere?" The debtor stammered at the bank employee's cold gaze,

"I-it's true. Whether he disappeared into the sky or into the ground, his traces have completely vanished from the alley where the bodies were found."

"...Find him! You said he even took the guard captain's money bag, so there's no way he's sleeping on the streets!"

"It's true. I'm currently having my subordinates search the entire area, but we can't find him..."

"You incompetent fools! Find him even if you have to stay up all night!" At the bank employee's roar. The debtor left the bank as if he was being chased away.

"Y-yes!"

And following his orders, he searched the city all night looking for Suho, who had disappeared. But all that effort was in vain... In the morning, Suho was leisurely strolling through the middle of the market.

"F-found him! He's at the market right now...!"

"You couldn't find him for the whole night! Don't even dream of having your debt forgiven!"

"...!"

The debtor despaired at those words. Debt was this scary. But fortunately, this wasn't the only thing he had to report.

"But that Beru guy... He started selling something at the market this morning."

"What? He suddenly started doing business?" The bank employee had a strange expression when he heard those words. The first thing newcomers did when they arrived in the city was to sell the things they brought from South Korea to earn money. But why...? He had a bad feeling about this again.

"Where is he? I'll have to see it myself."

"I'll guide you right away!" The debtor, delighted that his debt might be reduced, led the way with a bright expression.

* * *

A little later, The bank employee, guided by the debtor and arriving at the place where 'Beru' was doing business, froze on the spot.

"...Wh-what are those?"

This was absurd.

Unbelievable.

The market was vast. The citizens of this city did business fiercely to pay off their debts to the bank. Or to avoid debt. But where did all those goods come from? At most, they were personal belongings brought from South Korea. Those would be sold out in half a day. After that, they would have to leave the city and risk their lives to find something worth money, just like everyone else. But...

"Where did all those things come from?!" The bank employee couldn't help but exclaim in shock.

– Wow... What is all this?!

– It's been so long since I've seen food like this!

– They even have cream cake!

...'Beru', was selling Korean food in the middle of the market. An enormous amount of food, as if he had brought an entire supermarket from South Korea!