Chapter 80 - Power Up! (3)

The Special Operations Division agents were surprised to hear that Shin Do-ryong had defeated the Greatest Under Heaven among Chinese Murim Practitioners.

But Shin Do-ryong spoke in an indifferent voice.

"Well, both Lee Mun-ryong and I are unofficial Greatest Under Heaven, so it's not like either of us ever gained anything from it."

Team Leader Park looked at Shin Do-ryong with a stunned expression, his surprise giving way to disbelief.

"I mean... if you're the Greatest Under Heaven, you're the Greatest Under Heaven. What do you mean official versus unofficial?"

"It sounds ridiculous, but that distinction really exists. The official Greatest Under Heaven is decided by a gathering of the Breathing Technique families from the Chinese Murim side."

Among Breathing Technique users, the title bestowed upon the strongest Murim Practitioner.

Greatest Under Heaven.

Yet, despite the grandiose name, it was not determined purely by martial prowess; the political influence of the warrior's family or Martial Sect factored in as well.

Of course, since the title of Greatest Under Heaven was at stake,

only someone with a considerable level of skill could receive it.

It was essentially like being the representative of the Murim Alliance, the union to which Chinese Murim Practitioners belonged.

However, one day in the past,

a spearman who had crossed over from Taiwan and was beginning to make quite a name for himself crashed the ceremony to select the current Greatest Under Heaven.

It was Lee Mun-ryong in his younger days.

With nothing but a single spear, he struck down the representatives of each Martial Sect and family,

then successfully escaped while shaking off the pursuing Murim Practitioners from every sect and clan.

He had seared the existence of a new Greatest Under Heaven into the minds of everyone gathered there.

Naturally, the Murim Martial Sects and families refused to acknowledge Lee Mun-ryong as the Greatest Under Heaven and placed a bounty on his head.

Lee Mun-ryong didn't care about any of that.

And the Murim Practitioners themselves naturally came to distinguish between the official and unofficial titles.

Thus, regardless of family or Martial Sect,

a title seized purely through combat alone:

the position of unofficial Greatest Under Heaven was born.

Shin Do-ryong continued, looking at the photo of Lee Mun-ryong displayed on the presentation screen.

"In the first place, Lee Mun-ryong, that man cares less about the Greatest Under Heaven title than about following his whims, so he's caused a lot of trouble.

He's blacklisted on the Chinese Murim side and better known as the Reckless Whirlwind."

Team Leader Park, the tension draining from his face, spoke.

"...That sounds like the kind of nickname that should have a bewildered question mark tacked onto the end."

"His skills are the real deal, though. He's especially good at hit-and-run tactics, so he doesn't lose easily even against opponents stronger than him."

Shin Do-ryong squinted as if annoyed.

The alias Reckless Whirlwind sounded laughable, but

since this was someone that Shin Do-ryong, effectively the strongest in the Bureau for Abnormal Phenomena Countermeasures, actually kept an eye on, Team Leader Park pressed further.

"Is there anything else we should be particularly careful about?"

"If you're going to fight him anyway, it doesn't matter, but if you end up resolving things through conversation..."

Shin Do-ryong thought for a moment before speaking.

"Don't call him Chinese. His parents were beaten to death by the Red Guards, so he hates China."

"I see. ...But how do you know all this?"

"We had a drink together after our fight."

Shin Do-ryong answered casually, and Team Leader Park made a dumbfounded face.

"...Seriously, what is this, some martial arts novel?"

In any case, there were many wizards who had smuggled themselves into Korea.

The presentation moved on, and the meeting resumed.

When the Special Operations Division meeting ended,

a woman with black hair and a composed, beautiful face,

Shin Si-on, Team Leader of Special Ops Team 3, checked the persons of interest

and stood up from her seat to check the phone message that had arrived during the meeting.

Upon confirming who had sent the message,

Si-on's calm eyes wavered slightly.

[Yo-han-ssi: Got a minute? There's something I'd like to talk about]

'Yo-han-ssi wants to talk? Did something happen to him?'

It could be related to the wizards who had recently smuggled themselves into Korea.

After all, Yo-han was the owner of the most famous grimoire in the magical world, <The Lesser Key of Solomon - Lemegeton>.

Matters related to Yo-han, the grimoire's owner and Civilian Collaborator of the Special Operations Division, fell under Team 3's jurisdiction,

and in practice, they were Si-on's responsibility.

"............"

...And separate from the fact that he was her assignment, Yo-han was on her mind.

Si-on immediately called Yo-han.

Buzzz...

After a few rings, Yo-han's calm voice came through from the other end.

[...Yeah, got a minute? There was something I wanted to ask.]

"Yes, Yo-han-ssi. I'm available. Please wait just a moment. I'll move somewhere else."

[No, it's not important enough to need a change of location.]

"It's fine."

Relieved that Yo-han seemed okay, Si-on let out a breath of relief

and gathered the meeting materials before leaving the Special Operations Division conference room.

***

I let out a sigh as I stood in front of a certain building.

"Haah..."

The exterior was an ordinary building, but inside...

Si-on emerged from the building wearing the Special Operations Division's standard black suit.

"Yo-han-ssi, you're here. You didn't have trouble finding the place, did you?"

...It was a training facility of the Bureau for Abnormal Phenomena Countermeasures.

"You gave good directions. I was fine."

It could have been described as walking straight into the tiger's den, but...

I kept that to myself and followed Si-on's lead into the building.

"...Thanks for agreeing to this."

"Not at all. Thinking about it, this was something I should have offered to do for you sooner. I'm sorry for the delay."

Si-on handed the prepared documents to a staff member and gave me an entry pass.

"Please hang this around your neck. However, even with the pass, you should try not to stray from my side. When you need to use the restroom, I'll wait outside. Just let me know whenever you need to."

I listened to Si-on's safety guidelines and nodded obediently.

Then, as I followed Si-on,

an indoor shooting range came into view.

"............"

I wasn't sure if this was the right call, but... no, it was definitely necessary.

Si-on's calm voice echoed through the range.

"Yo-han-ssi, please put on the safety equipment first."

Right. I had come here to receive pistol shooting training from Si-on as a Civilian Collaborator of the Special Operations Division.

To briefly explain how I ended up in this situation...

A few days ago,

while doing the health exercises from the newly acquired grimoire <Baopuzi> and receiving Breathing Technique training from Lee Mun-ryong,

I figured that since I was already learning, I might as well ask Lee Mun-ryong to teach me some martial spear techniques.

Grizzly was powerful, and my Pentacle magic was excellent too, but

the fact that I myself was physically fragile was my biggest weakness right now.

It wasn't like I was aiming to become the world's greatest fighter or anything,

but I wanted to get at least somewhat stronger in personal combat if I could.

"Old man, your spear techniques looked pretty useful. Can you teach me the basics? Like lan-na-cha and stuff." [TL: Lan-na-cha refers to the three fundamental spear movements: sweeping, deflecting, and thrusting]

Lan-na-cha: the fundamentals of spinning, pushing, and thrusting with a spear.

Lee Mun-ryong blinked and stared at me.

"Lan-na-cha? Kid, you've been reading martial arts novels, haven't you?"

He offered his own advice.

"If you want it for self-defense, don't waste your time with that. Just do shooting training. Guns are simple and effective. I use one too."

And just like that, my fantasy dream of becoming a magic spearman was shattered.

...Well, I'm joking.

But he was certainly right.

I had used a gun to provide covering fire when I fought Alphons, after all.

As long as I had no magic I could use without preparation in everyday situations, using a gun as a secondary weapon wasn't a bad option.

In the middle of our conversation, Lee Mun-ryong asked a question that came out of nowhere.

"Just asking in case, but what's your father's name?"

"I'm a hit-and-run baby, so forget my old man's name, I don't even know his face."

It wasn't important.

Anyway, that was why I had called Si-on and asked if I could receive shooting training, and as a Civilian Collaborator of the Special Operations Division, I was granted the opportunity.

As I aimed at the target and took my shooting stance,

"Yo-han-ssi, excuse me for a moment."

Si-on watched from the side and corrected my posture.

It wasn't intentional, but Si-on's body pressed close against mine, putting her in a position where she was essentially embracing me from behind.

Well, we were both wearing protective gear, so it's not like I could feel any sort of physical contact.

"Yo-han-ssi, bring your arm a little more..."

I aimed the pistol at the target the way Si-on had taught me and pulled the trigger.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Ba-ang!

And when I looked at the target,

well, the shots had at least landed inside the target sheet.

...But the shot grouping was scattered all over the place.

"............"

"...Heh."

I glanced to the side and saw Si-on faintly smiling. When I looked at her, she spoke with a gentle smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that, you know, you have this image of being good at everything, Yo-han-ssi. It was unexpected."

I smiled faintly along with Si-on and replied.

"What I can't do, I can't do. That's exactly why I'm here to learn."

"...That's true. I'll teach you well."

Si-on quietly gazed at the side profile of Yo-han as he earnestly practiced his shooting.

"............"

Si-on's calm, dark eyes narrowed slightly.

A man who could be the owner of the grimoires <De Vermis Mysteriis> and <Lemegeton>.

And a man who, for some reason, she couldn't stop thinking about.

He had also saved people in the Anomaly World at her request. ...Had that been an act to dispel suspicion? She wasn't sure.

What was real, however, was her worry for Yo-han given the current situation with wizards converging on Korea.

And so, Si-on taught Yo-han how to shoot with the utmost sincerity and care.

The sound of gunfire echoed through the range.

***

On a street near the building where the powerful surge of Mana from Paimon's summoning had been felt.

A taxi pulled up at the curb, and a beautiful girl with silver hair stepped out.

Gleaming silver hair and fair, delicate skin.

A doll-like elegance and an aura of holiness drew the gazes of passersby in an instant.

And then,

"So this is Seoul, the capital of Hwanguk, the once-great empire of old."

Elsea, the saint of the Sacred Maiden Convent, spread her arms wide, clutching the beautiful white-covered grimoire <The Book of the Angel Raziel> in one hand, her eyes sparkling as she proclaimed to the people around her.

"From now on, this place is a wizard battlefield! Battle City! All civilians are to evacuate immediately!"

Elsea and <The Book of the Angel Raziel> had finally arrived in Korea.