Chapter 221 – Summoners (1)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read more at Nineheavens.org

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Sun-woo shouted at the gods who had frozen solid looking at the dimensional rift flowing with demonic energy.

"First, I, Sun-woo the successor of the Demon God, the new Demon God, will continue helping summoners remove contamination."

***

Endlessly stretching frozen ice field.

Massive glaciers and ice sheets continued endlessly, and in the sky the aurora was hanging green curtains.

A group of people appeared on the Arctic ice field that was cold and lonely but beautiful.

A Black man who looked like a mercenary equipped with solid military uniform and gear, a sharp-looking White man who appeared to be a gang member, a beautiful Asian woman, and an ordinary young Korean man.

"Ugh, cold!"

Everyone carefully surveyed the surroundings as soon as they appeared from thin air, but only the young Korean man made a fuss.

"Don't tell me I became a summoner?"

The White man who looked like a gang member didn't let down his guard while trembling from the cold.

"Don't tell me it's childcare duty? Did the association president go crazy? Why did he throw me into this mission?"

The Black man pulled out two parkas from thin air with an expression that said he didn't understand, then tossed them to the White man and Korean man.

"Wear them. And you won't need one, right, actress?"

"Actress? Huh, no way?"

The Korean man, who was hurriedly putting on the parka, finally recognized the woman and widened his eyes.

"Ming Wei! It's really Ming Wei!"

Though wearing light athletic clothes, the legendary action actress and first-class martial artist Ming Wei didn't seem to feel cold at all.

"Yes, I don't need it. But this is really strange. Putting me and Captain Michael on a rookie mission."

Michael and Ming Wei looked at the two newcomers with puzzled expressions.

"Uh…huh? This is really a mission? Then I became a summoner?"

"As expected. I thought it would happen someday. Guess my work as a fixer is over."

The Korean man still showed a naive appearance, but John, the globally famous killer and fixer, calmly checked the surrounding situation.

[First mission. Level 2 contamination has occurred at a point 1 kilometer north of the summoning location. Please quickly remove the contamination source. Additional information will be provided when you eliminate the approaching contaminated creature. The method to summon your unique weapon is now being transmitted.]

Mission voice reached John's ears.

But unlike what others said, it was a solid male voice.

"P30"

An H&K P30 pistol, the gun John favored, appeared in his hand.

Looking at the gun with a satisfied face, he frowned at the surroundings.

The naive Asian man aside, two quite famous summoners were staring at the Asian man.

"Huh? Hey! Where are you talking from!"

The Korean man, Min-seok, was just bewildered by his friend's voice that came from inside his head.

[You became a summoner. It's your first mission, so be careful not to die. Just in case, I sent people who might help, so ask if you don't know something, and your unique weapon is something you like.]

"Tsk, was he friends with the association president? This is corruption, corruption."

"You're friends with Sun-woo? Nice to meet you!"

At the summoners' words following his friend's voice, Min-seok was just bewildered.

Since his friend Sun-woo became a summoner and appeared on TV, they only contacted occasionally and he didn't know much news.

But to hear he knows Ming Wei, that he's the association president, and even talks inside his head…

"First check your weapon and abilities. Seems the contamination source noticed, so hurry."

Michael pulled out a huge anti-materiel sniper rifle from thin air, stood in place, and fired at the front.

Kwa-ang!

A large polar bear running from afar got caught in an explosion and shattered.

"Wow, the magic bullet performance seems even better."

"Hehe, it got more expensive because of that. I have a stake in sales so I profit more, but colleagues are making a fuss about it being expensive. Well, for me it's just beautiful music."

"Association president, magic bullet workshop creator, mission designation. Really, there's no man like Sun-woo."

Ming Wei's eyes, thinking of Sun-woo, shone once again.

"You stick to making movies, and Sun-woo's friend! You pull out a weapon too."

"Huh? Mine isn't a weapon though?"

"Eh? Yours is another weird thing like a phone?"

"No. Mine is…"

At Michael's words, Min-seok opened his mouth with an awkward face.

"Character window"

A translucent information window unfolded before Min-seok's eyes.

[Health: 10, Mental Power: 5, Agility: 4, …]

"Don't tell me now it's just a game window."

Michael shook his head at Min-seok's exclamation then walked forward.

Following him, Ming Wei also drew her sword and used lightness skill.

And Min-seok with an absurd expression checking his information window, and John who became gloomy from being left out, all ran toward the giant orca contamination source that revealed itself breaking through the ice field.

***

Sun-woo continued speaking to the tense gods.

"Second, I will block passages to the demon realm and clear dungeons."

***

Jjijjijjik!

A giant swarm of bats poured through the passage made of rock walls and stone slabs.

Hwareureureuk!

But the bat swarm rushing through the passage burned to death in flames bursting from the front.

However, not all bats burned to death. There were bats that overcame the flames and continued flying forward.

Stopping such bats was the job of the knight with a large shield.

"Barrier!"

Following the elementalist who stopped the flames, the knight blocked the bats using a huge translucent shield that burst from the shield.

As the knight blocked the bats, a priest from behind raised both arms.

"I'll bestow blessings on everyone."

"Stop!"

"Don't!"

At everyone's opposition, the priest lowered her arms with a gloomy expression.

A beautiful half-elf who smiled at that sight stepped on the knight's shoulder and leaped forward.

The bats that overcame the flames fell like autumn leaves to her sword that rushed like the wind.

"Wow, Lady Isabel can do anything. Swordsmanship, magic, elementalism."

Alda watched Isabel's fight with a surprised face.

"She's someone's girlfriend. That much is natural."

Daniel shrugged as if he was being praised.

Alda made a sour face at that sight. Only then did Daniel, who came to his senses, scratch under his helmet.

"If you're envious, you shouldn't have rejected the prince's, no, the Hero King's proposal."

Prince Gristin, who settled the monsters' rampage, also won the subsequent civil war, inherited the royal authority from the previous king, and ascended as the new king.

Before becoming king, he proposed to Alda, but Alda promptly kicked away his proposal.

"Why did I leave the island? Leave the island where I was confined to be confined in the royal palace? I like this adventurer life. I have to do it for my master too."

At her words, Daniel narrowed his eyes and looked at Alda.

"No other reason at all?"

"N-none, I said."

She hurriedly made excuses, but Daniel didn't seem to believe her.

"Then why isn't Sir Daniel by the prince's side?"

"Me? To be with Isabel."

At Daniel's words spoken as if natural, Alda lost words.

Seeing the prince's appearance far more disappointed by Daniel's resignation from knighthood than by Alda who rejected the proposal, it just seemed amazing that he could speak so shamelessly.

"Miss Alda also to be with someone…"

"I said no!"

As Alda kept getting beaten by Daniel who became sluggish unlike before, perhaps because he was in love, Isabel, who killed the last bat, opened her mouth.

"The other side seems finished too."

The moment her words ended, the entire passage where they stood shook violently.

Ku-gu-gu-gu-gung.

Cough cough.

The party coughing out dust that poured down.

"Why is the finishing always earth magic? There's not a day I don't breathe dust."

"It's an underground dungeon, so that is the best method."

At Daniel's grumbling while brushing off dust accumulated on his armor, Isabel answered with a smile.

"Then is this dungeon finished too?"

At Alda's question, Priest Van prayed to check the demonic energy in the surroundings.

"I don't feel demonic energy around anymore. This dungeon's mage seems certainly dead."

Underground, in dungeons, priests who could feel demonic energy could know more certainly than summoners who saw contamination with eyes.

"Still, I think we really should thank the goddess and other gods. With Priest Van's and various saintesses' help, dungeon removal became faster."

At Alda's words, Isabel and Daniel nodded.

Gods who were passive except for Goddess Frigg in the past started actively stepping forward for dungeon removal from some point.

Thanks to that, various adventurers conquering dungeons had less worry about exposure to demonic energy.

But at the party's thanks, Priest Van just smiled with a strange expression.

In his view, the goddess and other gods looked frightened, but he couldn't dare say such words to the party.

"Still, thanks to Sir Sun-woo, dungeon conquest seems too easy."

Daniel and Isabel, and Alda and Sun-woo.

Before the party departed on their journey to remove dungeons, the prince bestowed noble titles on them.

Outwardly for helping escape the crisis by aiding the world and kingdom, and with the thought of receiving help later from them who possessed mighty power, he gave the titles.

However, to the party, whatever the meaning, it wasn't very important.

It was just to the extent of being able to give a good beating to those who act rudely by position and being used when calling names among the party.

"Now that the dungeon is cleared, the time has come for the most important work as an adventurer! Spirits, all reveal the dungeon's secrets for me!"

Alda sent spirits in all directions.

"This time I have to find it before Sun-woo! I can't lose!"

Daniel and Isabel, who were shaking their heads at Alda showing competitive spirit in the wrong place, soon started searching too.

Anyway, they were also adventurers. Finding treasure in dungeons was, as Alda said, the most joyful and important work as adventurers.

***

As Sun-woo's words continued, the gods began showing interest.

"Third, I will restore worlds already contaminated."

***

The empire's army, made anew, was lined up in the plaza.

Soldiers and ability user unit members wearing old but formal dress uniforms, and mutants and Scavenger rebels, lastly volunteer soldiers too.

Those who were enemies in the past, refugees, contaminated ones, all gathered as one army receiving inspection.

At their very front stood a very young man saluting toward his superior.

"Brigadier General Hayden. I report the deployment of Human Allied Forces 1st Division to Major General Caroline."

Caroline standing in front received his salute and lowered her hand.

Soon the unit began leaving the plaza according to formation, and Caroline, watching that sight, whispered quietly to Hayden.

"Congratulations. Youngest brigadier general and commander of the most elite division."

"I don't know who's congratulating whom. Commander-in-Chief Caroline?"

At Hayden's retort, Caroline let out a sigh.

"Haa, since becoming a married man, all the cute charm disappeared."

"An old maid shouldn't tease a married man."

No one knew that the two generals watching the soldiers' inspection in magnificent appearance were having such a conversation.

They were two people everyone looked up to as ones who saved the fallen empire.

Caroline who led the exiled imperial army back, defended the empire's last city, and revived the imperial forces.

Hayden who traveled around the empire purifying contamination and saving everyone.

Their heroic tales were stories that everyone who returned from contamination told their children every night.