Chapter 20: There's a weird guy in Korea (1)

Translator: miraclerifle

Ju-Heon could hear the Future Diary scream as the light flashed.

It should be quite painful.

It was none other than Muramasa that pierced through the Future Diary.

It wasn’t just because it was sharp or because it was a yōtō. [1]

Muramasa.

There were folk tales about this < yōtō Muramasa > that often showed up in video games that said it cursed the Tokugawa household, the rulers of Edo at the time.

Of course, it wasn’t actually cursed, but the fact that three generations of Tokugawa men ended up having terrible situations related to the sword made them dispose of the sword, making people believe it to be a cursed katana.

Anyway, this was an artifact born with such a tale as its background.

Thanks to that, the true abilities of this blade was curses and destruction.

The curses and destruction would become stronger when it went up against stronger artifacts and even stronger artifact users.

‘So it should be quite painful even if it’s from a B-Grade artifact!’

Lo and behold, the Future Diary was in pain because Ju-Heon ruthlessly stabbed it with the sword.

[##!&@@*#&!!]

Ju-Heon could hear it as well.

He couldn’t fully understand it, but it was probably something like, ‘you insolent human bastard!’ It was most likely swearing him out.

That wasn’t it. Not only did Ju-Heon stab it with the sword, he twisted the blade when it was inside, making it reasonable for the Future Diary to want to curse Ju-Heon to death as well.

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be able to handle the attack as the Future Diary started to leak a black liquid that could be either blood or ink.

A message popped up in front of Ju-Heon once the artifact started to be destroyed.

[You have received the title of < Violent Artifact Destroyer > and your dominance has increased while your affinity has decreased.]

[Attack-based artifacts will show stronger powers when in use.]

[Artifact detection has increased. The Spy skill has risen to E-Rank!]

[You have learned about the existence of < Colossus Hunter > by destroying an artifact higher in rank than you.]

The building they were in started to shake after many messages flashed in front of him.

It was the shock from the Future Diary being destroyed.

Boom!

“Ahhhhh!”

The building was shaking and the JSDF soldiers fell into a state of panic without thinking about leaving.

It was because they saw the burning Future Diary once the flash of light disappeared.

“T, the Future Diary!”

That wasn’t it. They could also see Sasaki who fainted in pain next to the Future Diary.

“C, Colonel! W, what do we do?! The F, Future Diary and Sasaki are!”

“Damn it! What is going on?!”

They tried to put the fire out with their clothes but the Future Diary slowly turned into ashes.

“Ah, damn it, I’m about to go crazy!”

They knew that this was not normal even though they knew nothing about artifacts.

“D, damn it. What do we do about this?”

“What else can we do? F*ck that Korean up immediately......huh?”

They were then shocked for a different reason.

Ju-Heon who had been sitting in front of them until now had disappeared.

“What the hell? Where did he go?!”

They urgently looked around but there were no traces of anybody leaving.

They felt as if they had been possessed by a ghost.

“W, what happened?”

“We were blocking the entrance!”

“Where the hell could he have gone?!”

It was as if he had teleported away. In his place was a suspicious food item.

“T, tteok?”

The gazes in their eyes instantly changed after they smelled the tteok.

The activated tteok was giving off an intense scent that made the soldiers’ minds go blank.

The sweet scent that struck their olfactory cells, the saltiness that got them drooling as if a devil was digging a well, and this intense aroma that made them think it would be full of flavor if they put it in their mouth!

How could there be such a delicious aroma in the world?!

It did not seem to be from this world.

Maybe that was the reason.

The soldiers started to drool.

At the same time...

The JSDF soldiers ran toward the tteok like crazed tigers.

“Tteeeeeeeeeeeeeeok!”

“Hand it over!”

“My tteok!”

“No, it’s my tteok!”

The JSDF soldiers who had instantly become crazed for the tteok started to point their guns at each other and fight.

“Die! Hand over the tteok!”

“It’s my tteok!”

Bang!

“Ugh!”

“Aaaaaah!”

This tteok was something that let the user escape in a dangerous situation.

The effects of the madam's tteok was amazing.

“Huu, nobody should be chasing me now.”

Ju-Heon chuckled as he got on the plane home.

< Delicious tteok sold by a madam >

This was the tteok that the tiger begged for in the Sun and Moon Siblings story.

The effects of that artifact was simple.

Using the tteok allowed the user to teleport away from danger. It was similar to how the madam had thrown the tteok at the tiger and escaped danger.

Of course, the distance of the teleportation was only 50m at once because it was a C-Grade(General-grade) artifact. You could teleport as many times as you want until someone eats the tteok that was left behind.

Normally, they would eat the tteok and snap out of it to start chasing after Ju-Heon again.

However, the soldiers were fighting so much over the tteok that Ju-Heon was about to get 2km away.

He then hailed a cab and easily got to the airport.

‘Those retards.’

In simple terms, it was an artifact to escape from danger.

This artifact was the reason he had even thought about coming to Japan. Abe seemed to have just stored it in the wagashi case because he had no idea what it would do.

‘Anyway, I got rid of the Future Diary.’

The only thing left should be the copy of the Future Diary in his possession.

Of course, he did not kill Sasaki.

Why?

His enemy was not that young girl. There would be no benefit to get placed on the Interpol’s International Most Wanted list already.

There were already enough people like Jack the Ripper who enjoyed committing murder.

It was just that the pain caused by Muramasa was transferred to Sasaki as well. The curse she received would make it hard for her body to use any artifacts in the future.

‘Well, I guess it is better for her than to be used by the artifacts and the JDSF until she died.’

She could just chase after that Sosuke or whatever now.

Ju-Heon sat down on his seat and leisurely opened the notepad.

The Future Diary was gone, but the prophecies were in his hands alone. This could be considered his precious loot from Japan.

Now both Japan and Chairman Kwon who were probably running wild while relying on the Future Diary would end up in a state of chaos.

‘There are about five prophecies regarding Chairman Kwon.’

Ju-Heon started to frown after reading the notes.

There was a prophecy on there that even shocked Ju-Heon.

“I, I don't know what to say, sir. The Future Diary has been completely destroyed. S, Sasaki also does not seem to be able to use any artifacts anymore.”

The Army General from the JSDF who was kneeling could not raise his head. The Prime Minister and the others around him who heard this information became angry.

“You don’t know what to say? Hey! Do you even know what you all just did?!”

They pounded their chests in anger that their dreams were gone now that they lost the Future Diary.

The Future Diary.

That was something that would have allowed them to bring all artifacts in the world to Japan. However, a single Korean person made Japan lose its direction and momentum.

They had lost the strong weapon that they had been relying on.

“What about the excavation team that went to capture that Korean!”

“T, that. Colonel Mouri and the entire team were affected by a mysterious artifact and are......currently in recovery from severe injuries.”

It was to the point that the excavation team was in danger of being disbanded as well.

“A mysterious artifact? What was it?!”

“I, I am not so sure. All of them were shouting, ‘tteok...’ So I could also assume......that it had to do with a tteok......”

That made them shout.

‘Tteok?

Is he messing with us?!’

“How can the entire team of JSDF soldiers lose to a damn tteok?!”

“M, my apologies, sir!”

There was a woman in her twenties who slipped out of the room after hearing this conversation.

Her long hair was well-groomed and her semi formal attire looked as if she would not allow a single speck of dust to land on it.

Who could this beauty be calling?

A few seconds later. The woman started to speak as soon as the call went through.

“Department head-nim. As mentioned previously, the Future Diary is confirmed to be destroyed. The JSDF soldiers seem to all have been defeated by an artifact.”

The person on the other side of the call scoffed.

[What did you say? It really did happen? The Future Diary is really gone?]

It made sense that they would be shocked as well.

TKBM, more specifically, Chairman Kwon’s excavation team. They were the ones who were researching the Future Diary and had not held back their monetary support for it.

But that Future Diary was destroyed?

It was destroyed by a single person?

[Ah, this is driving me nuts! I don't know who this motherf*cking bastard is, but why did he have to hit the Future Diary......!]

The man did not seem to be able to control his anger based on his voice.

“What should we do? Find him and make him pay?”

[You want to get rid of that Korean?]

“Are we just going to let him be? We invested so much money into the Future Diary. There is also the idea of cooperating with the US to find him......”

That made the man on the other side of the call, Yoon Shi Woo start to laugh. He was someone who had been Ju-Heon’s teammate on Chairman Kwon’s excavation team in the past. Well, he was closer to an enemy than a teammate.

He was the unlucky soul who had an easy life and had a fast track on the elite course before he was pushed aside by Ju-Heon. Yoon Shi Woo who was currently serving as Kwon Tae Joon’s right hand man since Ju-Heon was not there was quite interested in this situation.

[Isn’t it a waste?]

“What is?”

[The fact that he destroyed the Future Diary means that he is someone who is skilled enough to do that.]

“Ho. Are you suggesting we pull him into the excavation team?”

[Yes.]

“Department head-nim? Are you out of your mind? That bastard could also destroy the artifacts in the Chairman's possession! He can do the same thing he did to the Future Diary!”

This was someone who ruthlessly destroyed the Future Diary that could prophesize the future. Who could say for sure that Chairman Kwon would be safe?

However, the man started to laugh.

[What bullshit are you talking about. Even a bastard like that will end up your subordinate if you give them enough money.]

“Department head-nim!”

[Ah, enough! I need to escort Chairman Kwon to the Las Vegas underground auction in a few days. Find that Korean Tomb Raider and scout him. The Chairman seems interested in him as well.]

Yoon Shi Woo who was born with a golden spoon did not care much about this Korean guy mentioned in the prophecies.

Why?

They just needed to have any of these useful individuals working for them. That was what they had done until now and that was what they would continue to do in the future.

Everybody went crazy for money anyway, right?

He could easily imagine what would happen in the near future. Artifacts appearing in the world.

There would be quite the scramble for them.

Yoon Shi Woo had no doubt that Chairman Kwon would be the final victor of that scramble.

At least he did until now.

At a similar time.

Ju-Heon was finding one of the prophecies about Chairman Kwon to be quite concerning.

[Go to the underground arena of greed in the first month of the year. That is where the great evil, the ill omen will start.]

Ju-Heon scrunched his face after reading that. This was a prophecy about the Great Tomb Appearance. The same Great Tomb Appearance that will lead the entire world to know about artifacts and tombs.

The location in the prophecy was probably talking about Midas, the Las Vegas underground auction that he ordered Oh Seung Woo’s group to attend.

However, Ju-Heon found that to be odd.

‘Did the Great Tomb Appearance happen this early?’

However, the more shocking thing was the next prophecy.

[A god who knows about your greed quite well will wish to go with you at that location.]

He was certain.

A divine-grade artifact would appear in that underground auction house. And although he wasn’t sure, that divine-grade artifact could be the pivotal artifact that helped Chairman Kwon become one of the monopolizers.

‘Now I get it.’

Chairman Kwon must have earned something important in the Las Vegas underground auction house after seeing this prophecy from the Future Diary.

‘If Oh Seung Woo gave me the right information, the January auction is in a few days.’

That was why Ju-Heon started to smile.

This was a chance.

It was a chance to steal that bastard's golden wings.

That day quickly arrived.

1. Word for cursed katana in Japanese.