Assassination Attempt (1)
An important report was delivered to the Intelligence Bureau of China’s Dimension Management General Administration.
After cross-checking the report several times to confirm whether it was truly factual, the Director of Intelligence carried it directly to the Director-General of the Administration.
It felt as though the information the Director-General had long been waiting for had finally appeared on the radar.
“So this VIP is AbsoluteSafetyFirst. That’s what you’re saying?”
“Yes. After comprehensively reviewing various pieces of information, the likelihood is very high. For one, the special management zone where our informant is stationed is normally an area where level 50–60 users form teams to hunt… Yet this individual was allowed to hunt there alone. Also, they’ve never once used the expression ‘VIP guest’ in this manner before. And at this exact moment… a VIP guest who operates alone. Doesn’t it give you a certain feeling?”
“Hm, that may be so, but isn’t it still difficult to be certain?”
“In addition, the person who issued the order is Cha Seong Hyeon, the Chief Director of the Magitech Research Office at the Korean Management Bureau’s headquarters. As far as is currently known, only two people in the Korean Bureau are aware of AbsoluteSafetyFirst’s true identity, and Cha Seong Hyeon is one of them.”
“That certainly raises the probability significantly.”
“There are other suspicious circumstances as well. I believe there is over an 80% chance that the VIP our informant reported is AbsoluteSafetyFirst.”
“Then based on this, we can also judge that the relationship between AbsoluteSafetyFirst and the Korean Management Bureau is deeper than we had assumed, correct?”
“Yes. As we initially expected, AbsoluteSafetyFirst clearly maintains a close relationship with the Korean Bureau, and the possibility of recruiting him appears to be very low.”
“Hm…”
The Dimension Management General Administration had been investigating AbsoluteSafetyFirst since his name began appearing frequently in the community, so they had accumulated more data than expected.
Of course, there was hardly any decisive information that could reveal his identity… most of it was minor fragments. But when those small bits of dust-like information were gathered over time, they eventually became somewhat usable intelligence.
“So in the end, elimination is the correct course?”
“If our current assessment is accurate, AbsoluteSafetyFirst’s level itself is not that high yet. But if his level increases further… there’s a strong possibility that, by then, we won’t be able to eliminate him even if we want to.”
“You estimated his level to be between 40 and 60, correct?”
“He should be entering the stage where growth begins to slow. If his level rises further and his base stats increase, or the level of his awakened abilities improves, or the grade of his equipment goes up, he’ll become a much more troublesome opponent.”
The Director of Intelligence continued speaking with emphasis on elimination.
“But hasn’t he already grown too large to eliminate?”
“It’s true that, compared to his level, the difficulty of assassinating him is quite great. However… if we use Changbai, it should be possible.”
“Changbai? They must not reveal their relationship with us yet. They’re meant to stab Korea in the back at a decisive moment later and deal a fatal blow.”
“I’m well aware of that. But you also know that on the Baekdu side, some handle discreet matters like this.”
“That much I do know. In fact, we’ve long confirmed that the assassination group operating on the dark web under the name ‘Black & White’ is affiliated with Changbai… So you’re suggesting we entrust the job to Changbai and have it handled quietly?”
“If the assignment comes from our side, they’ll do their utmost. Since Changbai has decided to be on the same boat as us, they won’t want the Korean Bureau to grow stronger.”
“Hm…”
After hearing the Director of Intelligence, the Director-General organized his thoughts.
If you cannot have it, eliminate it.
In truth, that had always been the Dimension Management General Administration’s method.
“Contact Changbai and tell them to eliminate the VIP suspected to be AbsoluteSafetyFirst as quietly and quickly as possible. And even if traces remain, make sure it’s handled in such a way that we can sever ties without question.”
The authorization was given.
“Understood.”
China began to move, drawing its blade.
And the tip of that blade was aimed precisely at Seon Yul.
***
The western edge of the Northern Dungeon Area.
Back when it had been called North Korea, this westernmost region was part of what was once Hwanghae Province. During the chain event, the 1,679th gate had appeared there.
The grade of that gate was AA+.
The monsters that appeared were Stone Golems and Stone Bugs.
Stone Golems were monsters ranked even higher than ogres. And alongside them swarmed numerous Stone Bugs, looking as though they were formed from fragments of stone.
Because of that, even teams of three to five level-50-plus users could obtain an enormous amount of experience hunting there.
Moreover, while Stone Golems possessed outstanding attack and defense, their movement speed was extremely slow, making their hunting difficulty fairly low.
As for the Stone Bugs crawling around them, they melted away naturally under area-of-effect damage while fighting the Stone Golems, practically like bonus monsters.
In every way, it was bound to be a sweet hunting ground.
For that reason, the Korean Bureau had named it the ‘Stone Gate’ and managed it separately.
Seon Yul was currently hunting there.
Thanks to the Bureau’s accommodation, there was no one near where he was hunting.
It almost felt as though they had vacated the entire hunting ground. He had not even asked for that much consideration, but since he did not need to worry about others watching him, hunting was all the more comfortable.
Seon Yul’s hunting method was simple.
Most Stone Golems gathered in clusters with one golem surrounded by hundreds of Stone Bugs. When Seon Yul spotted such a group from afar, he would use the K–9X’s rapid-fire mode to send three high-velocity projectiles (HVP) toward them in just ten seconds.
The reason he had decided to set up the K–9X in the first place was precisely because of those HVP rounds.
Conventional high-explosive shells used by self-propelled artillery naturally had no power within a mana field.
However, high-velocity projectiles that relied purely on kinetic energy retained sufficient power even inside a mana field.
And that meant he could strike monsters from a superior maximum range exceeding 20 kilometers.
For example, against a Stone Golem group located 10 kilometers away, if he fired three HVP rounds, the shells would land among the Stone Golems and Stone Bugs. If fortunate, the Stone Golem would be struck by all three rounds and be destroyed on the spot.
Even if luck was poor, at least one HVP round would hit, drawing heavy aggro from the Stone Golem, which would then charge the 10 kilometers toward Seon Yul.
And when that happened…
Click. Bang!
Having already loaded the Barrett M82 and waiting leisurely, Seon Yul pulled the trigger the moment the Stone Golem entered effective range.
Boom!
An armor-piercing round struck the Stone Golem precisely.
That single shot finished it.
Occasionally, there were Stone Golems that endured even that shot. In such cases, he would casually fire the Maadi Griffin 30mm he had prepared as a backup, and that would inevitably finish the job.
“Easy. So easy.”
After eliminating yet another Stone Golem, Seon Yul smiled leisurely.
Since acquiring the K–9X, he held overwhelming superiority in range against monsters, and he could feel how drastically the difficulty of hunting had decreased.
“But at this rate… maybe I could move to a higher-grade hunting ground.”
He had chosen the Stone Gate because it was best suited to his current level of 50.
Originally, it was a place where level 50–60 users formed teams to hunt, so he had judged it appropriate for solo play.
However, after actually hunting there, it felt too easy.
Of course, that was partly due to the characteristics of the Stone Golem, but regardless, Seon Yul thought he would hunt here for a while and then quickly look into the next location.
“Still, since they lent it to me out of courtesy… I should hunt here for about ten days.”
At long range, he used a self-propelled howitzer with one-shot destructive power.
At mid-range, a sniper rifle with powerful impact and precise accuracy.
At close range, a Gatling gun with overwhelming rate of fire.
Now capable of exerting decisive force at every range, Seon Yul continued hunting in complete composure.
And while he hunted so comfortably…
A secret order issued by China’s Dimension Management General Administration had arrived at ‘Changbai’… or rather, the ‘Baekdu Bloodline.’
***
“These bastards are impatient.”
The White Tiger, leader of the Baekdu Bloodline, scratched his head and muttered.
“What should we do? Since the order came directly from the Director-General, wouldn’t it be difficult to simply ignore it? It even seems they’re aware that we’re Black & White.”
“They probably are. We’ve carried out plenty of requests for the Dimension Administration’s side, and we never really went to great lengths to hide it from them.”
“It seems the Administration wants to weaken the Korean Bureau as much as possible before negotiations.”
“I get that, but why do they have to ask us to do it? Honestly, until negotiations happen, we also need to stay as attached to the Korean Bureau as possible… If we get caught doing this, it’ll hurt them too.”
“They likely believe we can handle it without getting caught.”
“Damn it. To be honest, we were watching for an opportunity… if the Dimension Administration seemed incompetent, we were even considering siding with Korea again. But if we take this job, we’ll be stuck fully on the Administration’s side.”
“Perhaps that’s precisely why they submitted the request in advance.”
“Maybe so. Sigh… Anyway, we’ll have to do it, right?”
“Yes. Refusal would likely be difficult.”
“Who’s the target?”
“A user suspected of being AbsoluteSafetyFirst… the hottest figure these days.”
“So it might not actually be AbsoluteSafetyFirst?”
“That’s true, but the Administration seems almost certain. And considering their intelligence capabilities, it’s probably him.”
“AbsoluteSafetyFirst… If that’s the case, we can’t just send anyone.”
“There’s even talk he’s at a level comparable to the Twelve Heavens. Based on our analysis, he appears specialized more in large-scale destruction than in direct PvP ability… but he’s not someone to take lightly.”
“The Twelve Heavens? That’s an exaggeration. How long has he even been active? Anyway, if he’s stronger than expected, you go with No. 3 and No. 4. Three of you.”
The person currently speaking with the White Tiger was No. 2 of the Baekdu Bloodline.
Since White Tiger himself was No. 1, this meant he was effectively deploying the three strongest members aside from himself for the assassination.
“No. 3 is overseas due to another request. I’ll take No. 5 instead.”
“Really? Then take No. 6 too. Go as four and finish it properly.”
“Understood.”
Baekdu Bloodline’s Nos. 2, 4, 5, and 6.
White Tiger believed these four would be sufficient.
In particular, Nos. 2 and 6 possessed awakened abilities specialized for assassination, while Nos. 4 and 5, though not specifically assassination-focused, also had powerful awakened abilities.
With this combination, he was confident they could eliminate nearly any user without anyone even noticing.
“And be careful not to leave any traces.”
“The target has no faction and prefers operating alone in secrecy, so there likely won’t be any aftermath.”
“Is that so? Then that’s fortunate.”
“We’ll finish within a week and return.”
No. 2 spoke confidently to White Tiger before departing.
He intended to issue a mobilization order to Nos. 4, 5, and 6 and move directly toward the target.
And naturally, the destination they were heading to was…
The Stone Gate.
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