Terrorist — Part 1
“Please explain in detail. What exactly is going on? You said a fight broke out?”
[You’re aware that the Terror Alliance collapsed, right?]
“I saw it on the news.”
Its official na was the Rights Alliance.
These days, everyone just calls it the Terror Alliance. That was true even in the ga.
[When the Terror Alliance fell, its remnants scattered everywhere. So hid in Seoul, so fled north to North Korea or abroad. And so ran off to the Taebaek Mountain Range.]
“Ah, so?”
[Yes. So of them escaped to the Monster Village. The Monster Village is protecting them, and the Eastern Army or National Defense Forces seem too preoccupied with clearing areas around Seoul to deal with it. They outsourced the task to a superhuman organization, and it seems the Hunters’ Association took responsibility for the Taebaek Mountain Range.]
It was a rational decision.
The Hunters often operated in Cheorwon State and Paju State and made frequent expeditions to the Taebaek Mountain Range.
Naturally, they clashed with the Monster Village in the process.
They occasionally mistook mutants for monsters and hunted them down.
“The Monster Village is harboring terrorists? Why?”
[Apparently, one of the terrorists was a mutant.]
“Ah…”
That made sense.
The Monster Village, which blindly accepted any mutants as their own kind.
To them, whether it was a terrorist or not, they were family.
The Hunters’ Association, however, would strongly oppose such a stance.
From their perspective, the terrorists were criminals and needed to be captured at all costs.
Conflict was inevitable.
[Did you receive any contact from Black Tiger? Both the association and the Monster Village have reportedly tried reaching out to you several tis.]
“I put my phone on silent mode and locked it in a safe during training.”
[Hahaha. You’ve been completely imrsed in your closed-door training.]
“That’s the only way to be efficient.”
So much had happened while I was training.
The rewards were reasonable enough.
The Hunters’ Association offered decent magical equipnt.
The Monster Village offered mutant mana cores—of a type I could personally choose.
Plus, tens of billions of won in cash.
‘So, I’ve risen this high already.’
I thought to myself, although it also left
conflicted.
‘Am I going to get nothing but backlash for stepping into this ss?’
Choosing to side with either faction would inevitably lead to criticism.
In this case, however, I had no choice but to support the Hunters’ Association.
It wasn’t just about siding with them—it was practically fulfilling a request from the Korean governnt on their behalf.
And there was also my connection with the Legion Commander.
Manager Choi spoke with an excited, hopeful tone.
[So, will you accept the request? Both the Hunters’ Association and the Monster Village are desperately hoping you, Black Tiger Swordmaster, will diate for them.]
Sigh. There’s no way around this.
Even from my perspective, there’s no one else fit to take on this request but .
“Fine, I’ll accept the request.”
[You’ve made the right decision! I’ll inform them imdiately!]
“Do I head straight to the Monster Village?”
[I’ll get back to you after I’ve made the arrangents.]
I left all the details, including the specific rewards, to Manager Choi.
Normally, a case like this would require a eting at the association’s headquarters, but due to the urgency, they decided to et directly in front of the Monster Village.
Apparently, the Hunters’ Association had already set up a camp at the edge of the Taebaek Mountain Range.
I imdiately took off in my Red Cougar.
It didn’t even take thirty minutes to arrive.
The camp looked like a military base, complete with trenches, barbed wire, and machine gun emplacents.
As I landed in front of the camp, the person in charge ca running out in a hurry.
“Director Kim, no, Black Tiger Swordmaster! It’s been so long! Have you been well?”
I recognized the face.
What was his title again? A manager, I think?
I had t him when I first joined the Hunters’ Association. He was one of Director Kang’s close aides.
Ah, right. It was Manager Park.
“It’s been a while. You’re Manager Park, right? I think the last ti we t was when we were hunting down that vampire.”
“Hahaha! You rember! Yes, that’s ! But I’m no longer a manager. I’m a director now.”
“A director? Congratulations. You’ve been promoted.”
“Hahaha!”
Director Park laughed awkwardly.
Frankly, he lacked the skills to be promoted to director.
The only reason he beca one was probably because he stood by the current association president when he rose to power.
Director Park led
inside.
Hunters were already gathering in droves.
Dozens, no, hundreds of them, all looking at
with admiration, respect, and envy in their eyes.
“You wouldn’t believe how much everyone’s been waiting for you. So mbers couldn’t even believe that Black Tiger Swordmaster was part of our association.”
“Surely not.”
“Well, it’s because your appointnt wasn’t publicized. A formal ceremony would have been nice…”
“I’m not a fan of such things.”
“Hahaha! Of course, of course. That’s why the president didn’t push it either.”
“When is the president arriving?”
“He’ll be here shortly. He said he was flying over in a hovercar.”
Then he’d be here soon.
We entered a large tent.
After being served a cup of coffee, we didn’t have to wait long before the tent flap fluttered open, and a familiar face walked in.
A round, chubby face.
A shiny, bald head with even less hair than before.
He was now closer to the image I rembered.
Once Director Kang, now the president of the association, his face lit up when he saw .
“Oh my, look who it is! The pride of our association, our greatest asset! The savior of Seoul, Black Tiger Swordmaster, Director Kim himself!”
He seed to be in a great mood.
Clearly, he assud that my visit to their camp ant I’d side with them.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen.
If I antagonized the Monster Village, where else was I supposed to source the materials for the Level 6 Reconstitution Elixir?
“It’s been a while. You’re looking better than ever.”
“All thanks to healing potions and holy water. These days, the stress is unbearable. Just look at my forehead.”
“Your personality seems to shine even brighter.”
“Hahaha! Thanks for saying so. Oh, I’m truly relieved that you ca, Director Kim. I heard you’ve been in seclusion.”
“Yes, I was learning a new sword technique.”
“A new sword technique?”
The association president brushed his hand near my waist, where my weapons were strapped. His hand lingered particularly on the Black Tiger Sword, more so than on Mjolnir or the Dasan Gun.
Was he thinking I might have been learning Black Tiger’s Invincible Swordsmanship?
He quickly adopted a serious expression and sat across from .
“You’ve heard the general story from Manager Choi, haven’t you?”
“Yes, that the Monster Village is protecting terrorists.”
“Exactly. If it were just so low-level grunt, we might’ve been able to turn a blind eye, but this isn’t the case—it’s a senior mber. You’re aware that the Terror Alliance was composed of twelve organizations, correct?”
“I know.”
“Well, this person was the deputy leader of one of those organizations.”
That’s a big deal.
No wonder the Hunters’ Association was so desperate to pursue them.
“What’s their level? A deputy leader… so they’re not Level 7, but Level 6?”
“Yes, that’s the only reason we could even attempt to deal with them. If they were Level 7, it would’ve been impossible. We’d be the ones getting wiped out.”
“That makes sense.”
“Anyway, we managed to hit them with a poisoned arrow and a sealing bullet and almost had them, but the bastard escaped to the Monster Village. Now, thanks to them, we’re left chasing our tails.”
“Have you spoken with the Monster Village?”
“We tried, but they’re adamant. Even if the Legion Commander himself showed up instead of the , they said they wouldn’t hand over their kin.”
What a headache.
The Monster Village going into full kin-protection mode is one of the hardest things to deal with.
They’ll just keep repeating the sa line over and over, with their ears closed and eyes shut, making persuasion near impossible.
The association president looked at
with hopeful eyes.
“Black Tiger Swordmaster, I heard you have connections with the Monster Village. We really hope this matter can be resolved amicably. We clash with the Monster Village often, and if this issue ties us up, it’ll be a pain in the neck for a long ti.”
“I’ll do my best. By the way, what kind of terrorist is this fugitive? Do you have any information?”
“Ah, here.”
The president signaled with his eyes, and a secretary waiting nearby handed over a tablet PC.
A cruel-looking face filled the screen.
It didn’t even look human.
Its eyes bulged out like a frog’s, its skin was covered in scales, and its nose was reduced to re traces, while its snout jutted out unnaturally. It was impossible to call this creature human.
[SR Chaleon]
I searched my mory.
‘Charleon was a mutant? Not a Reinforced?’
The difference between a bio-enhanced Reinforced and a mutant was simple.
One was innate, while the other was acquired later.
‘There was no ntion of that in the character description…’
It wasn’t a recruitable character, so I didn’t know the details.
Charleon was one of the random bosses that would appear while exploring the dungeon of the Terror Organization’s headquarters.
If it had been a recruitable character, complete with its own questline, I would’ve known its backstory in detail.
Even though I hadn’t personally experienced it, strears had shown everything.
“A mutant?”
“Apparently. That’s probably why the Monster Village is reacting this way.”
If soone pretended to be a mutant in the Monster Village?
They’d end up dead from a punch by Grizzly Bear, no question about it.
Grizzly Bear isn’t so pushover.
“Alright. I’ll go talk to them myself. Would you like to co along, President?”
“Well… they tend to have violent reactions whenever they see …”
“Got it. I’ll go alone, then.”
I boarded the Red Cougar and took off.
Normally, if a flying car approached the Monster Village, they’d shoot it down imdiately.
But Manager Choi said he’d take care of it in advance, so I trusted him and flew toward it.
Sure enough, instead of anti-air missiles, a mutant wearing a magic cloak appeared in front of
and stopped
in midair.
Soone I recognized.
“It’s been a while, Black Tiger Swordmaster.”
“It has indeed.”
Their face was hidden beneath a gas mask, making it unrecognizable.
Their body was covered in loose, baggy clothing.
There was only one way to identify them—those skeletal hands peeking out here and there.
It was Skeleton Snake.
“You ca because of them, didn’t you?”
“Yes. I heard you’re sheltering a terrorist.”
“Sorry, but I can’t hand them over. Turns out they’re one of us. They lived a hard life among humans, and now that they’ve found us, can we really turn our backs on them? Even if the entire village were wiped out, we wouldn’t abandon our kin.”
This is why I didn’t want to get involved.
I shrugged my shoulders slightly.
“I’m not planning to force anything. I just want to have a conversation. Can I co in now?”
“Hold on a bit. We’re adjusting the barrier. If you fly in right now, the automatic missiles will fire.”
“Your defenses are impressive.”
“Too many people are after us. If it weren’t you, Black Tiger Swordmaster, we’d have turned you away imdiately.”
It took quite a bit of ti.
A blue circle appeared in the air, and I passed through it to enter.
What unfolded before
was the sa scene as before.
A picturesque village of treehouses surrounded by blooming flowers.
‘Sothing’s different, though.’
Chimneys had been installed on every house.
White smoke rose lazily from them, carrying a faint magical scent.
Just as I’d taught them, they were using Level 0 mana core powder for cooking.
From afar, the spicy, salty, and sweet slls wafted in, making my mouth water involuntarily.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For… everything.”
“You’re being awfully sentintal.”
I slowly steered the Red Cougar down into the Monster Village.
Mutants hopped and bounded toward
to greet .
“It’s a human!”
“A human! The sugar human is here!”
“No, it’s the salt human!”
“MSG human?”
What in the world is MSG human now?
Suppressing a small laugh, I parked the Red Cougar in a corner.
The mont I stepped out, the mutants sward .
They hugged , licked , patted my back, sent waves of mana rippling through the air, and even lit fireworks—pure chaos.
“It’s been so long! Way too long!”
“You should’ve co earlier!”
“We missed you!”
“The ice cream was amazing!”
“So was the army stew!”
“The chicken, too!”
“And the beer!”
“Why did you take so long to co back?”
“Welco! Welco! Welco!”
It didn’t matter if they were male, female, young, or old.
Giant mutants five ters tall, dwarves barely reaching my knees, amorphous blob-like ones resembling slis, plant-types, beastn, insectoids, rn—all of them expressed their joy with overwhelming enthusiasm.
If this kept up, I’d be dragged off and forced to drink with them for three straight days and nights.
Sensing the risk, Skeleton Snake pulled off her gas mask.
Under the sunlight, her terrifying face—a bare skull with glowing mana in the sockets where her eyes used to be—was revealed.
“Clear out!”
Her voice was like a lion’s roar laced with frost.
No, it was more like the wail of the dead.
The excitent in the air imdiately evaporated.
The mutants started glancing around awkwardly before quietly retreating.
“Ah, right. I left the gas stove on.”
“Oh dear, I need to feed the cats…”
“Granny Skeleton Snake sure has a temper.”
Skeleton Snake pressed her gas mask back onto her face.
With the mutants parting like the Red Sea before her, she strode forward confidently.
Eventually, we arrived at Grizzly Bear’s house.
The interior, which used to be stark and barren, had undergone a dramatic transformation.
The first thing that caught my eye was a massive kitchen and an equally enormous refrigerator.
In the past, Grizzly Bear only consud herbal dicine. Now, it seed he’d fully awakened to the joys of gourt food and cooking.
Grizzly Bear spread his arms wide to greet .
“Black Tiger Swordmaster! It’s truly been ages!”
“It hasn’t been that long, has it? It’s only been a few months.”
“Only a few months? That’s forever! Anyway, you’ve gotten even stronger. Didn’t you co here last ti saying you were about to hit Level 5? Now you look like you’re almost at the end of Level 5!”
“Yes, I’ll probably need to impose on you again soon.”
“Hahaha! Anyti! For our Black Tiger Swordmaster, I’d even tear out my own heart!”
“Now, now, let’s not go that far.”
A visible wave of relief washed over him.
He had gauged my stance and seed to conclude that I wasn’t here to forcefully impose anything on him.
It was ti to get down to business.
“We can catch up later. First, I’d like to et Charleon.”
“Are we really doing this, between us?”
“Business is business. I may be a friend to Hope Village, but I’m also an honorary director of the Hunters’ Association.”
“Urgh!”
“I’m not here to settle things today. Let’s just talk, for now. Let’s see if we can find a solution that works for everyone.”
“Fine, I’ll trust you on this.”
How on earth was I supposed to handle this?
A solution that works for everyone?
Is that even possible?
Soon enough, Charleon was brought in.
A normal build, but an unmistakably alien face.
If you stuck a chaleon’s head on a human body, this is exactly what it would look like.
The mont I saw him, I realized sothing.
‘You’ve got to be kidding .’
Let
make a correction.
Grizzly Bear wasn’t just a pushover.
He was the king of pushovers. A walking definition of gullibility.
–TL Notes–
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