S-Classes That I Raised to Devour - Chapter 103

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 103. The Critical Point (1)
Arc Management bustled from morning onward.
The collaboration with Dok-ryeong Maui, the world’s greatest retired Elixir Master, had come to fruition.
Chae Mujin shared what he’d experienced with Dok-ryeong Maui, advising them to handle her as carefully as radioactive material.
“You need at least three dedicated managers. Not enough people? Then hire more.”
“We’re currently running at a deficit, and our funds are insufficient.”
Arc Management’s employment terms were top-tier. Consequently, labor and maintenance costs were astronomical. Yet with so few Hunters on staff, the company had no choice but to operate at a loss.
At Han Seok-jin’s words, Chae Mujin tossed him a small wooden box.
“Sell this and use the proceeds for operating costs.”
A Mythic-Grade Elixir—영月神定.
Though Han Seok-jin wasn’t a Hunter, he was an Awakener, so he recognized the item’s properties and his eyes sparkled.
“This would fetch at least a hundred billion won. You’re selling something this precious without using it yourself?”
“I’m only selling one of several. This company collapses, I’m the one in the biggest trouble. And if funds run short again, just let me know. I’ll sell my underwear if I have to.”
The staff giggled.
Chae Mujin thought the reaction seemed somehow muted, and suddenly understood why.
“Where did Kang go?”
“Director Kang Yu-ri? She left earlier with Eun-myo.”
“Ah, that’s right. I told her to take her out.”
He recalled giving Eun-myo a week of free time for adaptation and socialization.
Kim Yeoul, Lee Minji, Choi Gang-im.
Even Chae Mujin didn’t know which of the three would meet Eun-myo first.
‘I’m curious. Let me go see.’
Just as he was about to call Kang Yu-ri to ask where they were, his phone began to ring.
“Master! Good, you’re here! Thank goodness. Come quick!”
Information Director Kim Min-woo grabbed Chae Mujin by the collar.
Since they were right next door, Chae Mujin let himself be dragged over and looked at the monitor Kim Min-woo was pointing to.
“You ordered me to monitor information related to Magic Girl, remember?”
“I did.”
“Look here—a Control Zone suddenly appeared in the middle of Seoul, and there’s a 92% probability it’s connected to Magic Girl.”
“Connected how?”
“Her activity slowed down last month, and then she became hard to spot at all. The last sighting was here, look—”
Chae Mujin covered Kim Min-woo’s mouth with his hand, looking at the meticulous tracking log on the monitor.
“Give me a one-line summary, please.”
“…Something’s happened to Magic Girl.”
Chae Mujin pointed his finger at the location displayed on the monitor.
“And there’s a possibility she’s there.”
“Exactly.”
“Thanks, Min-woo. You did good work today. I knew I could count on you.”
Pat, pat.
Chae Mujin immediately headed for the elevator and went down. This was an urgent matter that needed immediate verification.
Meanwhile, Kim Min-woo, having been patted on the shoulder, bit his clenched fist in elation.
“The Master finally acknowledged me…!”
Kim Min-woo wept, swearing to bury his bones in this company. His coworkers watched him with expressions that said, ‘Here he goes again.’
* * *
A sharp tower soaring up from the heart of the city.
Namsan Seoul Tower, always crowded with tourists, now stood empty of people.
Temporary walls built along every ground boundary and mountainside were large and thick.
At a nearby convenience store, he learned it had appeared overnight.
That alone turned suspicion into certainty.
‘Magic Girl is here.’
Which in turn meant Magic Girl’s mental state was precarious. Otherwise, there’s no way an entire mountain would be sealed off in a single day.
“Haaah.”
A deep sigh escaped. His breath misted in the air. Not having kept track of dates, he hadn’t noticed until he saw the red Salvation Army kettles on the street—it was already December.
“Much sooner than expected.”
In his past life, Magic Girl had self-destructed around next autumn.
Even accounting for variables, he’d thought there would be time until spring.
But judging by her current state, her sanity could snap at any moment.
Was it because I asked her to stay in Seoul? Has that put enormous stress on Magic Girl?
‘Even if it has, there’s no choice. The moment she leaves Seoul, things become utterly uncontrollable.’
Like a trolley problem, there are moments of choice where one side must inevitably be sacrificed.
I chose to kill Magic Girl in Seoul rather than Gangwon Province to prevent her self-destruction. This is the result of that choice.
‘I have to take responsibility for the choice I made.’
He tucked a bottle of Bacchus he’d bought at the convenience store under his arm and walked toward the entrance leading up Namsan Tower.
As expected, there were guards at the entrance. Two rifle-wielding soldiers loaded with Magical Bullets, and two B-Rank Hunters.
With such stringent security from the entrance, it was likely there were A-Rank Hunters inside.
The guards now looked at me. I didn’t slow my pace. I approached one of the registered Hunters guarding the entrance and held out the Bacchus.
“Hard work out there.”
I tried to pass naturally, but an alarm blared loudly.
Wee-oo, wee-oo!
A registered Hunter immediately blocked my path.
In dramas, they’d usually just let people through and say “must be high-ranking,” but real-world civil servants are very diligent.
“Please identify yourself.”
“Magic Girl is here, right?”
“…Please identify yourself. This is not a request—it’s a warning.”
The registered Hunter raised his hand. The click of a rifleman in the watchtower switching to single-fire echoed.
Regardless, my 99% certainty became 100%.
Magic Girl is here, right now. I had to confirm her condition as quickly as possible. There was no time to go through formal identification procedures.
“I’m not suspicious. I’ll get my business card.”
After showing both hands were empty, I pulled out four business cards.
And threw them—imbued with mana.
The mana and velocity in the cards were potent enough to cause fatal injury if they struck properly, but I never intended to hit them in the first place.
I just needed them to flinch and hesitate. Then I could dash toward the summit.
Crack-crack-crack!
Magical Bullets flew at my back without warning shots.
Despite putting a hundred meters between us in seconds, their accuracy was considerable.
Whoosh, ting-ting-ding!
I didn’t even need to activate Celestial Barrier—Protective Aura alone deflected the Magical Bullets with ease.
I immediately threw myself off the visible road and sprinted up the mountainside.
The registered Hunters guarding the entrance didn’t follow—they lacked confidence in their speed. But I couldn’t relax.
‘There are ambushes.’
Without even activating Eyes That See All Things, my vision clearly picked out the incongruous landscape.
I shouldn’t underestimate the experience of a former Demon Suppression Task Force platoon leader and veteran secret inspector.
Click!
I pulled the pins on Flash Grenades and held them in both hands.
Pretending to be oblivious, I ran and hurled the grenades at a tree in front of me.
Boom!
A registered Hunter who’d been camouflaged as tree bark stumbled out. Without slowing, I rushed him, raked the back of his neck with my forearm, and kept running.
Not finished yet. I threw the remaining Flash Grenade straight up above my head.
“Aagh, my eyes!”
A Hunter who’d been hiding in a tree leaped down, clutching at his face. I grabbed his falling hand and slammed him harder into the ground.
They were Rogue Class—undoubtedly faster than me—so I made sure they were combat-ineffective.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Footsteps sounded from above.
Someone was descending along the cable car’s wire rope.
‘An expert. An A-Rank Hunter.’
Just from the footsteps, I could sense the opponent’s strength.
Soon the source of those footsteps called out.
“Chae Mujin, stop immediately!”
I recognized the voice from somewhere. But I couldn’t stop.
Then a storm of sword energy came flying toward me.
“Phantom Sword Dance.”
An A-Rank Hunter deliberately calling out the skill name as if to say ‘dodge this,’ attacking with deliberate courtesy.
He was someone I knew after all.
The Boss of Hyeja Dungeon Research Lab who’d helped me catch SQ, one of Korea’s Seven Great Sword Masters—Code Master of Eunpyeong-gu.
No matter how much I’d grown, I was still nowhere near an A-Rank Hunter. I had no confidence I could win in a fight.
But I had no intention of fighting in the first place.
Seeing the storm of sword energy, I didn’t defend. I just charged straight through.
“What?!”
A startled Code Master unleashed a second wave of sword energy, canceling the first one.
As the sword energy scattered in all directions, shredding mountains and trees, I pierced through every fragment with Heteromorphic Acceleration and stopped directly before his eyes.
“Just hit hard.”
As he’d warned me before, I gave fair warning and drove my palm upward into his chest.
Not a simple upward strike. I used Heteromorphic Acceleration for speed and concentrated all my mana into my palm.
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, Code Master flew far into the sky.
I massaged my sore wrist, catching my breath. It was fortunate that an A-Rank Hunter was the one guarding this place.
I’d finally reached the summit where the tower stood.
‘Magic Girl is on the top floor.’
I could feel her mana from there.
But I couldn’t go straight to meet her.
Zing.
My eyes stung.
Red dots settled on my body. Soldiers scattered across the area were locking onto me with their sights.
Judging by their uniforms, they were no ordinary soldiers. They were the Demon Suppression Task Force.
Elite special forces who fought monsters on the front lines without being Awakeners.
They wouldn’t play it easy like the Hunters I’d overcome. They’d stop me even at the cost of their lives. I knew their resolve better than anyone.
“Is Supply Officer Eung-su still alive?”
The Demon Suppression Task Force members didn’t so much as blink at my question, offering no answer.
Cute.
I rolled up my sleeve and showed them the tattoo on my right wrist—the Eagle Grasping Heart Tattoo.
I saw the eyes of the members tremble as they recognized it.
“Good to see you, gentlemen. I am Chae Mujin, former platoon leader of the Demon Suppression Task Force 1st Division Assault Squad. Currently executing emergency operations. Stand aside.”
* * *
The Demon Suppression Task Force has three legends.
And the protagonist of the hottest of those legends was Chae Mujin standing before them.
One of the Demon Suppression Task Force members who’d recognized Chae Mujin removed his mask.
“Do you remember me?”
Chae Mujin looked at his face, paused in surprise, then let out a soft laugh.
“Kim Hyung-gyu, the family man. So you didn’t discharge after all.”
“It really is you, Sergeant Chae. I didn’t recognize you.”
“Will you stand aside?”
The two shared a deep connection.
But this wasn’t the place to catch up.
“Why are you doing this when you know everything? The Demon Suppression Task Force doesn’t compromise.”
“Not compromising doesn’t mean absolute obedience to orders from superiors. It means keeping faith with your own convictions.”
“…….”
“If you think blocking my path is the right thing to do, then block it.”
Chae Mujin began walking. Despite countless aiming points fixed on his entire body.
The Nullification Rounds issued to the Demon Suppression Task Force aren’t ordinary Magical Bullets. They use special rounds called Nullification Rounds.
Nullification Rounds disperse mana, specializing in piercing Protective Aura and defense skills.
In other words, no matter who Chae Mujin was, hundreds of Nullification Rounds would guarantee he couldn’t walk away unscathed.
He didn’t walk forward out of ignorance. He knew, yet walked forward without hesitation.
Gulp.
The Demon Suppression Task Force members, called “one against a hundred,” swallowed hard.
One of the Demon Suppression Task Force’s three legends—Chae Mujin. The first member to enlist without undergoing Human Enhancement Surgery, a monster who’d fought an Ogre barehanded and won.
Though some exaggeration was mixed in, no Demon Suppression Task Force member could be unaware of his deeds and prestige.
And now he walked defenseless. Should they shoot? Did he truly come here with malice? He, who’d belonged to the Demon Suppression Task Force?
He stopped.
Chae Mujin’s footsteps halted because there was nowhere left to walk forward.
Having pressed the elevator call button, Chae Mujin turned back and spoke.
“If your superiors try to discipline you, use my name.”
“……!”
“And if, despite that, you still face disciplinary discharge,”
Ding.
The elevator arrived. Chae Mujin boarded and pressed the button for the top floor where Magic Girl was.
As the doors closed, Chae Mujin completed what he hadn’t finished saying.
“I will take responsibility for your lives.”
Snap.
Kim Hyung-gyu, the first to recognize Chae Mujin, saluted toward the ascending elevator, and all the other Demon Suppression Task Force members saluted in unison until Chae Mujin was no longer visible.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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