Chapter 281: Earth (4)
qOI1uThe level 67 swordsman, Sudo Kenichi.mrq27
srujHe did not like the dimensional jump project that the Japanese government had been pushing recently.demUxP
zBtjAfter the Park Sihoo incident, the world changed drastically.THIMe
U9mThe Park Sihoo who returned each possessed superhuman power, and even the weak level 20 Park Sihoo who couldn’t endure the battle against Marie Dunaleff and died were treated as valuable assets by their countries.Sbo
tbObWell, even a level 20 player surpassed any average special forces unit.mvTZtnT
2rct0mBut unlike the fight against Marie Dunaleff, where one only had to withstand a boss phase, the Iron Boar King charging with murderous intent and real violence, and the battle against Hwaran, the strongest of the knight class—those were on a completely different level.orm5IVd
C84FjBy that point in the game, you’d reach roughly level 40 to 60. It was the stage where, with game knowledge, you would already have obtained the Golden Mandrake and Silver Mandrake, as well as some Hidden Pieces.e2Ybp
DLHZThe Park Sihoo who returned did not have those Hidden Pieces from the game, but their bodies and their mana had been completely preserved.h9A5I
ACDThe explanation is long, but in summary, Sudo Kenichi was someone strong enough to withstand Hwaran, the Heavenly Raksha, before dying.mXmnv
2q4iAt that level, he was a national asset.b1wt0D
3ahOIf it had ended there, there would be no issue. Sudo Kenichi—an ordinary Japanese high schooler, a hikikomori and a gamer—would have spent his entire life hearing “Sugoooi, Sudo-kun suuugoi desu!” while enjoying glory.7x36P1G
2gjjBut then the Demon God, Park Sirin, appeared.FtQ
5ZdYJHsThe Great Leader who suddenly unified the Joseon peninsula and founded the Korean Magical Empire.F1eHa
t5FidShe split Lord Yamamoto in two, killing him; crushed Luo Yuhao, a strong level 80 backed by the Communist Party; and tore apart Huan Chong, a level 70 powerhouse.Z7GU
DGJcuShe turned the congress members who had organized a coup into will-less machines, forcing them into 24/7 labor. A ruthless dictator.FDlA
40xvOZHer estimated level was 99, perhaps even higher—the Demon God extended her hand toward the development of dimensional portals.RmLTe
LzHuhupAnd when she finally completed a portal and disappeared a year ago, the great world powers were fully stimulated.IP5c
AS6liWVIf another world could be connected, couldn’t they cultivate a “100th” and “200th” Park Sihoo?QZCh
CQdLFZoJapan, which had the third highest number of Park Sihoo after Korea and China, also accelerated portal development, and once the possibility of success became clear, Sudo Kenichi fell into deep unease.9kl
tXYb8His reasoning was simple.0K2Qvk
YIZxroThe world already had 99 Park Sihoo. It didn’t need even one more.SkmhY
IunElR8If superhumans like him were cultivated in the other world, his position would be in danger.KasVA
06lJtrlThat’s why, when he heard that Alisha Arden had appeared from the Japanese portal, destroyed it, and escaped, he screamed with joy.HgKTn
3Yr34— Sudo-kun! Please track her down!SGL
jjBaLZ6Alisha Arden was also famous in this world. Although she had disappeared for now, she was one of the “Three Heroines” of Arhan Heroic Legend.Q5Ft
PGZSudo had even spent time with her in the other world.VUg
Vckn“Ah, A-Alisha-san… d-do you… want to… practice swordsmanship with me…?”6bsMr
Zhxcd“I’m busy.”9gJG4
BjDNAh, precious memories. Surely she liked him too. After all, they were both swordsmen.48hmog
FPsGtA— Please, Sudo-kun! I trust only you!2Og
3dRvXJThe desperate plea of the high command filled him with pride. Sudo followed the direction in which Alisha had disappeared and activated a tracking skill.Ea6FDmt
sfWAlPjIn the U.S., they measured in real time the energy output—including aura and mana—of all Park Sihoo to locate them, but Japan did not have that technology, so he had to do it manually.Xy6R
LvcvBut he soon located Alisha, who seemed to be arguing with some yakuzas.8sh
Zn2“Don’t fight with weapons that dangerous. With things like this, you can’t even kill properly—you’ll just get hurt.”W9Pwbs
VoE2V“M-m-monster…”wTvVck
3HcOne of the yakuzas fired his gun. Sudo observed the movement calmly.N2FvkoO
kCk8Showing that you could cut bullets with iaijutsu was already a typical TV trick.Q75q
E84Even a level 10 Park Sihoo could do it if trained. And in reality, Alisha didn’t cut the bullet—she caught it with her fingers.Uo9qjgE
8Aj3“…”Caj4
DPo1A“…”zVNbE6h
tc3l“Huh…?”aHuA
LxkHnThe yakuzas fell silent. Thus is the reaction of simple mortals.0sJbePM
O537LClap! Clap! Clap!VrukgxM
lKTR“Impressive, Alisha Arden. You’re quite strong.”rdL7t
8JM3He entered with a relaxed air, and the yakuzas immediately recognized him.U0IJUwn
oywjRu“T-the swordsman Sudo Kenichi!”AK4B
bnZ“It’s the real Sudo Kenichi!”Zy7afu
0XiiKtThe famous “Master Swordsman.” Among the 77 surviving Park Sihoo, he was a rank 26 powerhouse.GUXJxgZ
6acjBasking in admiration, he approached her confidently.Vil
qbVwNC9“Alisha Arden. You’ll have to come with me.”k6J6orf
7w41EfNaturally, he intended to treat her with the utmost courtesy. He didn’t know why she had destroyed the portal, but Sudo had his own plans.9y8s
7GchZVJHe wanted to approach the innocent heroine, show her the wonderful modern world, and naturally win her heart.5TiArl
z8JImpossible in the game—but in Japan, with his current status, it was possible.cExNQ
HOJMh“Uh… who are you?”yzu
tMQ“Sudo Kenichi.”vVko4n
d8tsuhk“Ah, I see. But I’m a bit busy.”KSPwGC
Nw0A“Hey, hey…”Upp
KkASudo blocked her path with his sheathed sword.ghL
CADH“I can’t let you leave like this—you destroyed a valuable government artifact.”zx9Ei
I3vjh“You know me?”3l1y8Ec
tGWh“Of course. Maybe you don’t remember, but we share a deep bond.”qusPnHi
xwVjT“That’s not me.”Y5kCz
7dqy“Huh?”dkD
tLTHe suddenly felt a bothered gaze, but it must have been his imagination. Alisha was too sweet for that.cf8t
cOtK3zG“If you won’t come willingly, I’ll have to take you by force.”u9ZM
XGIm3rSudo placed his hand on his sword. Just that was enough to make most people wet themselves in fear.XgowEYj
Zn0‘Alisha’s True Sword is the greatest of all, but this one isn’t lacking.’TGz
gOcvwJAmong the Park Sihoo, one had taken the blacksmith route.pX0VHY
qliHWdmA high-level 70 blacksmith. It was said the Japanese government spent billions of yen to commission Sudo’s sword.MbuGA
ma6N9b“By force, you say?”907mQHv
rYwEShe grasped her sword instinctively. Sudo smiled.x0w
pdAMfQ“You’re different from that trash.”EByMF1E
OovThousands of yakuzas could surround him and he could decapitate them. He was completely confident.0GCKc
zDZ8R“You’re weaker than Lunia Arden, of course. But I even fought against Hwaran.”1fX9
yV4Zt2jHe was one of those who had survived more than five minutes against Hwaran, the Heavenly Raksha.8rwQ
68134Though four of those minutes were spent while his companions were being torn apart—a detail Sudo preferred not to mention.fN2Ifo
xZvZt“Maybe I should hold back, since you’re a girl. But don’t fall from this—”mHG
XZkE2ZI’ll show you my original technique-that-does-not-exist, the “Zero Thrust.”TT1SsZ
3h8hrUltimate Technique, Yamata-no-Orochi.BNS
r8KeSudo Kenichi’s ultimate move—nine ultra-fast slashes. No one on Earth had ever blocked that attack!1POS
bh5──────────UTcNHX
I61aDomain CutX7ZuV
QXpcAn instant. Sudo didn’t understand what had happened.Qpemd
0QjkD“Huh?”htV9xv
pwmCYpQHe only managed to recognize his sword cut cleanly in two inside the scabbard, and the blade of Alisha’s True Sword stained black as if scorched at extremely high temperature.FfaZaG7
i6La1An instant. It wasn’t even correct to call it “time” it was a stopped world.TmCYQR
0P0QdvSudo could understand nothing.oQyleJA
Ha83zbY“W-what… what was that…?”1FOwgMZ
x4th“It’s Domain Cut. If you call yourself a Master Swordsman, shouldn’t you at least be able to use a fake version?”x4GIdZ
UlgiL2“D-Domain… Cut?”Petu7
eswHOHThe ultimate technique? The strongest ability of Alisha Arden?WSVT
lVjr0He didn’t know.sHw
NLmlPXA single step into the domain of the sword.GJ0on
59cBTThe martial mystery reached only by those at the summit of the art.iOiErX
aHgn6BYSomething that could never be achieved by someone who merely “learned skills” and pushed buttons to use attacks in the game.t0kQMn
8kSe“Hmm, I thought you’d be strong if you call yourself a Master Swordsman, but… I don’t really see the difference between you and those men over there.”R3O
RxIe2OLike an elephant that cannot distinguish between an ant and a beetle beneath the gaze of something far superior, Sudo was petrified.Wfn6a
gnEThe innocent Alisha was sincerely asking why he was so weak. And his pride crumbled to dust.x9vmM0
AwT“W-what… what is this…? I’ve… never seen anything like this…”SJi
bQC2While he was completely in shock, Alisha mounted a horse that no one knew where it had come from and whispered a piece of advice.ws8R8k
08OEVLH“Umm… do all people here talk like you? It sounds a bit like forced dialogue from a novel…”kSJkm
CcdoIf you talk like that normally, wouldn’t you have no friends?6HR
XtVThere was no malice. It was a genuine doubt.CO2OOxR
3swyjoPSudo could not respond at all.V396
8IFg***lUt3x
ZR31NQIVirginia, Arlington, United States.1Ri
HWRrN3There stood one of the most iconic buildings of the United States military, once called the Earth Defense Force.BvEH
Qf8AiThe Pentagon.3DfA
nCthwThis peculiar pentagon-shaped building was the central installation of the U.S. military and the headquarters of the Department of Defense, from where they projected and directed their military power across the world.LYsb
PuptuUntil the rise of the new superpower of the 21st century—the Unified Magical Empire of Korea, which threatened Japan, annexed North Korea, and destroyed China—the military position of the United States had been absolute.UQE7Osc
o6eAThe appearance of superhumans after the Park Sihoo incident complicated things, but they found their own solution.9zW
g6lAIThe energy meter.eFExLg
UDyo8TBy upgrading the satellites scattered across the planet, they managed to measure aura and mana, tracking every Park Sihoo in the world in real time.YJsjJN1
yxKKThe categories ranged from E to S, and then the out-of-standard category EX. In reality, that rank was created for one single person.pjilD
xv6Among the Pentagon staff, there was a recurring joke.vWBe
SvO“If an EX appears in front of the Pentagon, that’s the day the United States ends.”GnZHK
x1PBAnd right now, they were observing an EX level right in front of them.7XBY
Hmfy“Hmm… ah, thank you. These french fries are delicious. Wow, you made all this just with potatoes. I definitely need to learn the recipe~”ApyMn
YPVk0“It’s an honor, Miss Dunaleff. If you need anything, just say the word.”rHSl
YJzuThIn only 13 minutes since detecting the EX, the Pentagon had gathered the calmest and kindest-looking officers to attend to her.tNq6
hUNqThe presence before them, comparable even to Park Sirin herself, was responding obediently.5JIBCk
l2vbokMarie Dunaleff, the final boss of Act 1 according to multiple testimonies of Park Sihoo, was truly “a kind girl.”ve3Me
5cs“Excuse me, Miss Dunaleff, could you lift that?”fGK
U3jNKv“Ah~ you mentioned you work evaluating strength, right? Sure. Wow, it’s huge. I’ve never seen such a big dumbbell.”V4IP5
6t7wAnd she lifted the compressed-alloy 10-ton dumbbell used to measure the Park Sihoo without any effort.5b3Tz
DEFYThe final measurement estimated her physical strength at nearly 60 tons.Bf1l
SQvop— What the hell? Is she some kind of human Hulk?bN1482
A1D— They said she was a mage, didn’t they?ZmcWFpX
No4The data on “Marie Dunaleff, Act 1 final boss” did not match reality at all.T2G6D
McDRConsidering her condition as a “vampire,” they deduced her strength might increase proportionally with that transformation.O8m6Hx
r0Nncz“Miss Dunaleff, if you don’t mind, could you show us a bit of magic?”eEjj
vd4z“Here? Hmm, I’m worried the building might collapse.”a1OiYEY
aiDxjp“Don’t worry. This is the largest experimental facility of the Department of Defense. It can withstand even a bunker buster.”DE4
gyqs1ySnow of Petals.dStcv
k99p0Ek— Alert! Alert!sPkMMu
6WXxVpw— Temperature rapidly dropping! Activate biological protocol level 1!X69H5J
NUBZqV— Immediate evacuation!mmu
DUBwikpThere was chaos for a moment, but the situation calmed down once Marie withdrew her mana.HcqA
ss1m— How is this possible? Marie Dunaleff was supposed to always be sealed in Act 1.Yfiz
zuPLUHn— Could the timeline be different? No, even so this is too strong. Her energy level crushes even members of the “Top 3.”GVVR
1qU— This is Park Sirin level… she’s not human.7NVPj3Z
uJLjmAfter the Park Sihoo incident, the game Legend of the Hero Arhan was investigated.AaaWbNR
C3mAlthough the records seemed erased from history, millions of players and the 99 Park Sihoo made it possible to reconstruct its lore.F4oorxl
WYlMarie Dunaleff was the so-called “newbie graveyard”.ouSGjy
3rMaJ48Not as brutal as the Act 3 final boss, Heavenly Raksha Hwaran, but still nearly half of the 99 Park Sihoo fell to her.OeIsk7
lwdThe method to defeat her was simply to endure until phase 3 while her humanity collapsed on its own.UHFkX1
q6sideBut that was in the game.55T
YvSlbSxIn the real world, most players could not endure even phase 1 of real combat.CfQlKr
TVG— In any case, Marie Dunaleff is much stronger than we thought.qJ74q
lXNcw8X— I’d like to test her vampiric abilities.RO4
zP6zwzw— The millionaires must be excited—they say vampires can keep youth forever.cDEL
boDzMarie appearing in front of their dimensional portal was an unexpected stroke of luck.oaGHjg
p7wv0BEver since the founding of the Magical Empire of Korea under Park Sirin, the United States had been living under constant threat.wxO89
0ylqmEven with a powerful level 93 like Norman Stansfield, he was useless against Park Sirin.zzfmp
5IClKIf they could recruit this EX.klOAl
fm0JpThey could counter the existential threat of the Magical Empire of Korea.kRqQM
S3d8m“By the way… why have you been calling me Miss Dunaleff this whole time?”8J1
b2V“Huh? Sorry?”FpRS8P
3PZ“I’m married. Well, we haven’t had the ceremony yet, but still.”hSir3A
zWH9kShe said it with a radiant smile.J9e1VKO
aubN6The analysts wrote it down, but froze at what she said next.lGOS
3On“I want a plane ticket to Korea, please. Ah, but before that, I have to do something.”1AwJcM
KfE11sn“S-something?”YLh
Go5ObFAt that moment, something emerged from her shadow.VCZaOX
EcoA huge creature, a bipedal wolf with blood-red fur.aMM4x
KyOewv1“Duggu, you must’ve been bored waiting.”8qTu9
ORmxEVr“Grrr!”qg5iFgX
zFyXThe Beast of the End of the World.4VY
NqemfA living catastrophe.pxmyU
2dxgUAn entity with energy above S rank.bcJXNym
JKm8TEveryone froze in place.cuUviZ
T1NdHbMarie, still wearing her same gentle smile, delivered her verdict.OdO0
a1MJ“Ah, I’ll destroy the dimensional portal before I leave. It’s dangerous to leave it like this.”KPgjdn
irRIdDuggu, bite it.dY9H
qVlJOpThe U.S. portal was destroyed in an instant.1l6e
jExThere was not even time to scream.7UdCWL
What did you think of this chapter?
Report comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment. False reports may result in account suspension.
0 Comments
There are no comments yet. Be the first!