The Cursed Blacksmith Who Regressed - Chapter 101

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 101

Shasha healing the team members.

Choi Hyun approached and asked.

“Are you okay, Shasha?”

“I’m fine, Boss. Rather, I’m worried about these friends.”

“Why?”

“Because they’re too weak.”

“Haha…”

Still, these were hunters who ranked in the top three domestically, yet she called them weak.

As expected, all-stars were different from the roots up.

“It might look that way to Shasha’s eyes. Since Shasha is the deputy squad leader, please take good care of them from now on.”

“Understood, Boss.”

Choi Hyun helped with the treatment using recovery potions made by Yuk-mang-seong.

The treatment was completed quickly, and the three awakened squad members wore dazed expressions.

“Wow…”

“Hah…”

“Shit…”

The three people feeling frustrated.

Their pride was properly broken.

If someone were to become deputy squad leader, they honestly thought it would be one of them.

But some foreigner took that position.

Even through skill.

This was an irrefutable result.

Shasha, having finished the treatment, stood before them and said.

“I’ll be counting on you all from now on.”

Once the hierarchy was established, Shasha’s tone changed.

Of course, she said it in Russian so everyone couldn’t understand, but Choi Hyun who understood smiled.

“She says she’ll be counting on you all from now on.”

“Ah, yes…”

“Please take care of us.”

“Hah…”

The three feeling frustrated again.

Choi Hyun smiled and said.

“Everyone’s faces are full of regret. But don’t be too depressed. You can build up more skills later and challenge again.”

“Could we also re-challenge this?”

“Of course you can. What stagnates is bound to rot. In that sense, my squad leader position is always open too.”

“Ah…”

“Hmm…”

“That position is fine.”

Everyone avoided Choi Hyun’s eyes.

Because they had all fought Choi Hyun once.

Choi Hyun smiled at their cute reactions.

“I think this much testing should be enough. But I still see many disappointing points. So if I were to give some feedback…”

He immediately started the feedback.

Then the eyes of the three people receiving feedback began to shine.

It was because they received great stimulation from this test.

After the feedback ended like that, the next day.

The four people could finally start their full-scale activities.

They traveled by car.

Since there were people, they traveled in a van.

Jin Hyeon-geun took charge of driving.

The place they arrived at was Suwon Hwaseong.

It was a place classified as a Black Area, and when they entered the restricted zone, Jeong Cheol-min was there as the official.

“You’ve arrived! Hunters!”

Jeong Cheol-min greeted them energetically.

Choi Hyun also immediately greeted him.

“It’s been a while, Chief Officer.”

“Haha, indeed it has. I watched the broadcast well. Since Black Area conquest activities have been quiet recently, I wondered if you were busy, but you were preparing many things?”

“Yes, I was quite busy in various ways. Ah, let me introduce them. These are our team members. The team name is called 1st Squad, and in order…”

He introduces the squad members.

Then when he introduced Shasha at the last turn, Jeong Cheol-min showed friendly recognition.

“Ah, so this is the person? The one who came from Russia?”

He had contacted Oh Seok-hyeon once regarding Shasha’s naturalization matter.

Naturally, since it was a different department, someone else handled the processing, so this was the first time Jeong Cheol-min and Shasha saw each other directly.

“Hello, I’m Shasha.”

“I’m called Jeong Cheol-min. But you speak Korean well?”

To Jeong Cheol-min’s admiration, Choi Hyun answered instead.

“Shasha has a fast language acquisition speed. She’s also in the middle of studying hard.”

“Haha, I can’t express how grateful I am that someone like Ms. Shasha naturalized to our country. Powerful hunters are each and every one truly treasure-like existences. Now then, shall we move toward the Gate?”

They move to where the Gate portal is located.

While moving toward the portal, the soldiers and hunters who were waiting couldn’t hide their surprise seeing Choi Hyun and the 1st Squad members.

“Wow.”

“Is that really Maeng Bu-yong over there?”

“With those members, isn’t that practically Korea’s strongest power party?”

“But who’s that foreign woman in the back?”

“She’s really pretty.”

People stirring.

Not paying attention, they stood in front of the portal.

The portal’s color was blue, making it a Blue Gate.

Blue Gates were defensive battles where the rule was to protect something until the end time.

Choi Hyun explained to the squad members.

“Do you know where this is?”

An U-ju answered.

“It’s the Mars Gate. It was created almost in the early days, so it’s also one of the oldest Black Areas in Korea.”

“Yes, that’s right. And it’s also the place we need to conquer today.”

The so-called Mars Gate.

Named because it’s located in Suwon Hwaseong, it was one of the oldest Black Areas existing in Korea.

An U-ju asked in a tense tone.

“But… of course I trust you, President, but will you be okay? I’ve participated in this place before, and the difficulty is really ridiculous.”

“I know. About the high difficulty. But would other Black Areas have been easy? And if not us, who will conquer our country’s Black Areas? So regardless of the Area difficulty, we must definitely succeed. Anyone who lacks confidence can drop out. I won’t force it.”

The moment those words fell, Kim Ha-geom and Maeng Bu-yong stepped forward and said.

“I’m fine.”

“Me too.”

At the two people’s actions, An U-ju also hurriedly came forward and said.

“Ah, I’m fine too. I was just a bit worried.”

Then Shasha also followed them, stepping forward and asking Choi Hyun in Russian.

“Should I step forward too, Boss?”

At those words, he chuckled and explained the situation, and she answered that if that’s what it was, she would naturally participate too.

Choi Hyun smiled and said.

“That’s fortunate. I wondered if there would be someone dropping out from the first challenge. And don’t worry. If it were the old days, maybe, but with new equipment and fresh education from me, there’s no reason we can’t conquer the Mars Gate now. And above all.”

Choi Hyun tapped his chest area with his fist as he spoke.

“When your heart feels anxious, trust me. Since becoming a Hunter, I have successfully conquered all dungeons and gates, including the Growth Tower. This record will never be broken, and I have no intention of breaking it myself.”

Words that were incredibly reassuring.

At that moment, the soldiers and Hunters who had been quietly listening around them began to applaud.

“Wow.”

“So cool.”

“Hunter, you’re really amazing.”

“I’m a fan of the President.”

“I’d like to follow the President into a gate myself.”

With their cheers and encouragement, Choi Hyun spoke energetically.

“Alright, let’s go in.”

“Oh, wait a moment!”

Someone stopped the 1st Squad.

It was Jin Hyeon-geun.

He held up the camera he had prepared and said.

“Before you enter, let me take just one photo.”

This was the first official activity showcased after Maeng Bu-yong announced his joining Paragon.

Moreover, if this activity was a schedule with Choi Hyun and it involved conquering a Black Area, it was all the more necessary to publish an article.

By constantly informing the public of developments like this, people would maintain interest and help expand their influence.

The squad members naturally took a group photo and finished filming up to the moment they entered the gate.

“Alright, now let’s really go in.”

[ A party is being created. ]

[ The party leader is Choi Hyun. ]

A party was created, and as they stepped onto the entrance line, the figures of the 1st Squad members all disappeared at once.

After the squad members disappeared, the people who had been watching from around murmured.

“Wow.”

“Really cool.”

“Living this long, I get to see this kind of combination too.”

“Working gate duty, there are days like this too.”

“They’ll conquer it, right?”

“Honestly, even if Hunter Choi Hyun went in alone, I’d believe in him, but with all of Korea’s all-stars gathered, it’s definitely guaranteed.”

“It really is legendary.”

“But who’s that foreign woman in the back?”

“She was really pretty.”

Jeong Cheol-min, who had been watching alongside them, said to Jin Hyeon-geun.

“How long do you think it’ll take this time?”

At his question, Jin Hyeon-geun smiled.

The fact that he asked how long it would take rather than “Will they be able to conquer it?” meant he believed in their success from the start.

“Well, I can’t gauge it this time either. But no matter how long it takes, could it be longer than the Growth Tower?”

“It’ll probably take much longer than that, won’t it? This is the Mars Gate.”

“Oh, right. The time they have to endure here was 72 hours, wasn’t it?”

The Mars Gate’s theme was defensive warfare.

The success condition was protecting a specific target until the given time, and in that sense, the time they had to endure at the Mars Gate was 72 hours.

“Tsk, whatever happens, I just hope they don’t get hurt.”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

“Why not?”

“The foreign woman who joined the President’s party, her position is a healer.”

“Ah, that’s right. Then, well, the President’s party is now practically invincible.”

Cheolmin looked at the gate with a somewhat relieved expression.

* * *

[ Entering the gate, ‘The Last of the Patten Family’. ]

The view changed completely.

The place where they opened their eyes was inside a carriage.

Inside the carriage were the party members including Choi Hyun.

[ The mission will begin when you shout ‘Start’. ]

[ Invader is activated. ]

The format was the same.

The mission would begin when they shouted start.

At the same time, the Invader trait was also activated.

An U-ju, who received the Invader effect together through the party system, asked.

“Invader? What’s this?”

This time Kim Ha-geom answered instead.

“A trait the President obtained from another gate last time.”

“Amazing. Stats increase by 10%? Anyway, now…”

An U-ju looked at Shasha and said.

“Now you understand everything I say, right? As far as I know, when you form a party together and enter a gate, you can understand and communicate even if you speak different languages.”

At those words, Shasha nodded.

“Yeah, I understand.”

“What? Why are you speaking informally?”

“Because I’m the vice squad leader?”

“What?”

As An U-ju opened her mouth in bewilderment, Choi Hyun spoke.

“Alright, let’s end the small talk here and I’ll start explaining the strategy now, so everyone listen carefully.”

Soon, Choi Hyun’s explanation began.

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