Chick 216
by Cristae216
[Title: My Brother, Strongest When He’s On My Side]
[On Guildmaster. China’s Metallic Armor Changer, my daughter loves it… “Age 5 level”]
King Joorim
[Comments]
- Wow, a man who never backs down.
- So reassuring! Great Joorim!
- Let’s go Hanhanryeong*2~
Yeah, but when On Groo starts selling his toys, you’ll all come running like crazy anyway~
LOLllllllllll
Damn, Groo toys, LOL
Just yesterday you were saying he was so cool, and now you make a Groo toy overnight, LOL
[Title: Would Hanhanryeong*2 Actually Be Better?]
There’s only a handful of things you can’t do
Doan Gnovation joined SSPED
Kriteto Reactor
Changer (a.k.a. Groo Toy)
But if you can’t buy these? Who’s really losing now?
[Comments]
- That’s a relief~
- For real, LOL
[Title: By the Way, How Much Is Kriteto Now?]
Title says it all
[Comments]
- It’s 1,500 apiece now
What is this, crypto? It was 100 just yesterday
Wow, damn, should have bought it yesterday—imagine how much I’d have made if I sold today
If there’s any listing up, buy it, even if it’s today—labs and corporations are desperate for them, price will keep going up for a while
Burning 1,500 on a single F-grade? Yikes…
Fact: The “Should’ve Guy” (people who always say ‘should’ve bought then, should’ve sold then’ in either bull or bear market) will never buy, ever
Damn, I got hit so hard I’m fried
The middle-aged man leaned back in his plush chair.
Creak—the chair slid back with a gloomy noise that echoed throughout the office.
The subordinate, who had been watching his superior’s every move with nervous attention, simply bowed his head lower.
[“Do you think my China, this great nation, should endure such insulting remarks from the thief country that stole our relics?”]
Minister of State Security (MSS), Hou Weigang, flung the newspaper onto his desk.
The front page, featuring a large photo of On Joorim, was crumpled beyond recognition.
He took a swig from an earthen liquor bottle, then strode over to his subordinate.
[“I must now report to the Chairman. What could I possibly say, given this disgrace?”]
It was clear the blame would fall on him, since he’d suggested paying a fortune to bring Lee Soyeon over.
[“I have nothing to say. I apologize.”]
Seeing his subordinate bowing repeatedly, Hou Weigang gnashed his teeth.
[“You were certain Lee Soyeon could never replicate this in Korea.
Yet it’s obvious she left critical research data there.
Otherwise, there’s no way Korea could be talking about mass production so soon.
And now, Amakusa is working with Korea as well. Perhaps all that talk about dismissing Chinese items was not entirely false.
Stupid Takahashi Norio.
He clenched his fist. He couldn’t end up like that fool of a Japanese Prime Minister.
[“Don’t worry about that. Lee Soyeon will soon have a visitor.”]
[“You think the Chairman cares about Lee Soyeon’s well-being?”]
Unlike Lee Soyeon, who could be dealt with at any time, On Joorim in Korea couldn’t be touched so easily.
Reading his superior’s wishes, Sun Jianping knelt on one knee and looked up at him.
[“Teaching a small nation its place is a favor only a great nation can bestow. If you permit, I’ll go and instruct the one who oversteps.”]
[“On Joorim?”]
[“Compared to a nation in full bloom, he’s nothing more than a paper tiger from a small country.”]
[“Khahaha! A paper tiger? Kukuk…”]
He sounded like a brash youngster who’d never met On Joorim himself.
Still, his boldness showed the will and spirit of the new generation.
Of course, there were risks. If it were found out that China covertly dispatched special forces, it could escalate into a national conflict.
But—
[“That’s the answer I wanted. Then prove it.”]
He knew there were times when one had to hurl oneself like a moth to a flame. Boundaries are only surpassed at such moments.
With the spark of a small, restless hope, Hou Weigang dismissed his subordinate.
Soon, when Sun Jianping stepped outside, his team members were lined up before him.
[“Authorization granted. From this moment, tiger hunt begins.”]
As if expecting a Chinese attack, Orchestra had recently been focusing on Team 1 for operations.
That meant they had at least some defensive measures in place.
But that was fine. There were several dungeons to tackle, and today, the forces had been split in two.
Today’s targets would be fewer in number.
At Sun Jianping’s signal, the armed team members entered the dungeon gate.
At once, they activated stealth skills, retrieving prepared pills and biting down on them before swallowing.
Magical energy surged at once, but they were all veterans—no one let a trace of magic leak out.
Sun Jianping nodded and looked around. The dungeon was shrouded in thick fog.
As planned, they moved toward the boss room.
Tat tat tat!
Sun Jianping’s footsteps, lightened to almost nothing, led the way. Behind him, his invisible teammates’ footsteps followed in succession.
At this pace, it wouldn’t take them even ten minutes to reach the boss room.
Running, Sun Jianping gripped his sword.
Tat tat tat.
Tat tat tat.
‘What is this?’
One by one.
The footsteps were vanishing.
The moment he realized it—
Tat, tat!
Tat!
The running sounds, unable to continue, were all gone.
Sun Jianping came to a halt, turned around, and spoke into his comms.
- Where is everyone right now?
- ………
But no answer came.
Waiting in the oppressive silence, Sun Jianping became suddenly aware of his own fear.
Cold sweat streamed down his temples.
Was it really possible for someone to make his entire team disappear without the slightest sign?
So what about me?
Why am I still fine?
It felt like he was being toyed with by a god.
No sooner had he looked up into the sky, thinking that—
Sun Jianping witnessed it.
Through the mist, he could faintly see something so large that even craning his neck high, he could not glimpse its top.
It was as if the thing imitated a human form, but its limbs were twisted, its face grotesque.
Countless limbs tangled together, and at their ends, his team members hung limp, one by one.
The monster lifted one captive team member and, slowly, turned its gaze toward Sun Jianping.
[“Ah……”]
And then, as if mimicking him, the creature let out the same sound Sun Jianping had made.
“Ah……”
That rasping voice chilled his heart.
The monster he faced seemed to be a being crafted solely from fear itself.
He couldn’t even breathe as he stared.
“That’s the 90th floor gatekeeper.”
A man’s slow voice sounded from somewhere.
“A monster of pure curse—‘it disappears, but it’s not something that can die.’”
That thing vanished if snuffed out like a candle, appeared if relit.
“Because of it, I conquered the floor, but now I’m left to keep it with me…”
He fingered the strap of his wristwatch as he emerged from the mist.
Joorim showed a faint smile.
“I see there’s a use for it after all.”
[“Aah……”]
Above the collapsed Sun Jianping, his team members dropped to the ground, one by one.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
The shadowy figures piled up one after another.
It was a scene beyond reason.
Standing face to face with the very man he had scorned as a paper tiger, Sun Jianping felt an overwhelming terror that made even wielding his weapon impossible.
Before him, Joorim gazed intently at Sun Jianping, his face one of bored annoyance.
Meanwhile—
“Hyung’s something else today… Noona, this is getting serious. I think Dan needs to do a SAN check.” (A sanity check—if it drops too low, you go into panic.)
“What’s a SAN check?”
“Is that even human?”
From a distance, Gidan, Nayeon, and Sergey conversed in succession.
“Maybe it isn’t human after all?”
When Nayeon said this seriously, Sergey, as if he’d expected it, retorted,
“Some sort of lab experiment, right?”
Gidan muttered in agreement.
“That’d actually be better. The thought of a pure hundred-percent human with no signs of tampering—that’s scarier.”
Just then, Joorim turned his head and the three fell silent.
He curled one lip in a mocking sneer and lifted a tiny communicator.
The body cam Sun Jianping brought now broadcast Joorim’s face.
No doubt it was transmitting everything to the MSS (Ministry of State Security).
“Did you enjoy the show?”
It was a one-way broadcast from Joorim, but that was enough.
“Then, it’s time to settle accounts.”
From here on, everything belongs to the victor.