Chapter 82 – Chaos (2)

Three hours after Sun-woo entered Cleaners’ Korean building by Caroline’s car,

Sun-woo was sitting in the passenger seat of a luxury sedan heading toward the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province. It was the contract renegotiation matter Caroline had mentioned.

In the car were the driver and Sun-woo in the passenger seat. And in the back seat sat Caroline and the branch manager.

Sun-woo had briefly exchanged greetings with the branch manager before departure. True to his thin and upright impression, the new branch manager received Sun-woo in a businesslike manner.

Probably the Association had seated someone different from the former branch manager.

In front of the car the party was riding in, one more company sedan was moving.

It was a car with security personnel. A car carrying two summoners and mercenaries, though this many personnel usually didn’t move, for this contract matter there was a need to display maximum force.

In the quiet, Sun-woo sitting in the passenger seat opened his phone and was checking the skill window.

<Earth Spirit. Rank 7> Rank Up: 400p

<Illusion Technique. Rank 5> Rank Up: 200p

<Wheel-Turning Divine Demonic Art. 5 Stars> Rank Up: 700p

<Wheel-Turning Sword Technique. 4 Stars> Rank Up: 300p

<Seven Star Steps. 6 Stars> Rank Up: 400p

<Physical Enhancement. 3 Stars> Rank Up: 100p

<Water Magic. 3 Circles> Rank Up: 200p

Remaining points 50p… Sun-woo bought potions and skill slots with the existing 650 points plus the 1,000 points obtained this time, then pushed up skills with the remaining 850 points.

He raised Physical Enhancement and Wheel-Turning Divine Demonic Art one level each.

Now that he had become accustomed to absolute-level martial arts, his internal energy was insufficient and his body lacking training couldn’t keep up with the martial arts.

Through long periods of training, his internal energy and body would match the absolute-level martial arts, but Sun-woo chose the shortcut (expedient) of increasing internal energy with points and raising <Physical Enhancement> rank.

Sun-woo also wanted to increase martial arts through proper training, but time was insufficient. Instead, he planned to do training as much as possible in parallel.

But regrets were inevitable, and Sun-woo shook off his complicated feelings and put his phone in his pocket.

Shortly after, in the quiet car, the branch manager’s voice was heard.

“Please brief us once more. Miss Hanover.”

The branch manager requested Caroline, and she turned on the tablet PC to check the contents.

“The person we’re meeting today is the CEO of Geumyang TechOne. Geumyang TechOne is a heavy industry-based company in the top 20 business rankings that mainly supplies military goods to the government. For that reason, they conduct the most frequent transactions with our Cleaners.”

Caroline’s suited appearance visible in the rearview mirror looked quite impressive.

“But today’s meeting isn’t just about Geumyang TechOne. They seem to have received proxies from other companies to present revised contracts for all other companies too.”

“Is it collusion?”

“That’s probably the case. Looking at the atmosphere, there’s a high probability the government’s influence is involved.”

“Are we at odds with the Korean government?”

“The big thing is that all existing lines were cut when the former branch manager left. Moreover, the former branch manager created lines through bribes and expedients, so recovery hasn’t happened.”

“Using things like bribes is what causes problems. There won’t be such things now, right?”

“Audits are being conducted throughout the entire company. Most seem to have been weeded out.”

The branch manager seemed to have a personality as upright as he appeared.

Rather than reconnecting existing lines then gradually replacing them, he seemed to intend to operate the company through orthodox methods from the start.

Of course it was the proper method, but initially difficulties like now were inevitable.

“The timing was bad. If the incident hadn’t happened, the transition would have occurred without any problems, but with personnel drastically reduced, they’re immediately attacking.”

At Caroline’s regretful words, the branch manager shook his head expressionlessly.

“We have to readjust contracts anyway due to insufficient personnel. If necessary, we must take a step back.”

The two people’s conversation felt more like explaining to Sun-woo than briefing. They seemed to be using this opportunity to inform him of content Caroline couldn’t explain.

‘Is my value actually higher than I think?’

The upright-looking branch manager was paying that much attention to Sun-woo. Sun-woo thought he should think more about his position.

While continuing the conversation, the car was now traveling on a quiet road. Since the restaurant they agreed to meet at was in quite a remote place, no other cars were visible on both sides of the road.

“Sun-woo-ssi, you don’t need to be nervous already. The people in the front car have experience, so they’ll handle it.”

As Sun-woo stiffened up, Caroline whispered softly to Sun-woo, seemingly worried.

But Sun-woo’s expression didn’t relax, and instead he shouted lowly.

“Stop the car!”

At the same time, the car stopped abruptly. As if the ground had grabbed the car. Sun-woo had grabbed the car with sorcery.

“Aah!”

The driver was thrown forward by inertia, but could be safe thanks to the seatbelt and Sun-woo’s arm.

Unlike the driver, Caroline and the branch manager maintained their posture despite the sudden stop. Though both were summoners belonging to the support team, they weren’t people who would lose their balance from this level of impact.

The branch manager frowned and asked Sun-woo.

“What’s wrong?”

But Sun-woo didn’t answer and glared ahead. Because Sun-woo’s car stopped, the distance from the front car kept growing.

And the next moment.

Kwaang!

With a tremendous explosion, the car in front of Sun-woo shot up into the air.

The asphalt burst open and the nearly 2-ton luxury sedan split in half and shot up to the sky.

“No way, a landmine?”

Seeing that sight, the branch manager shouted in surprise.

But according to the sorcery Sun-woo had spread, it definitely wasn’t the landmine type that exploded when stepped on but an explosive type detonated remotely.

They probably intended to blow up the car the branch manager was in. But when the branch manager’s car stopped, they seemed to have detonated it matching the front car.

“There are no more explosives. Wait inside the car.”

Sun-woo left the others in the car and went outside. Because inside the car made bulletproof was safer than outside.

Sun-woo who came outside frowned at the killing intent extending toward him.

Where the car stopped was a national highway made by cutting between mountains. From deep in the mountains far away in the gorge-shaped road, killing intent was flowing out.

The moment Sun-woo felt the killing intent, he dodged his body sideways while raising his arm to cover his face.

Swoosh!

At the same time, a bullet passed beside his face. The bullet passed where Sun-woo’s face had been just before. It was a sniper.

Though Sun-woo dodged, the killing intent didn’t stop. The sniper continuing to emit killing intent toward Sun-woo. Sun-woo moved his body matching the timing when killing intent surged.

Swish! Swoosh!

Bullets grazing past Sun-woo’s body left and right. But Sun-woo dodged the bullets without ducking his body.

Though it looked quite dangerous, there was another reason Sun-woo didn’t duck his body.

Bang!

After dodging several bullets, gunfire was heard from the vehicle area turned into a mess by explosives.

And bullets aimed at Sun-woo no longer flew.

“Damn, I caught him thanks to you. These bastards are crazy, landmines and snipers on Korean soil.”

From where the gunfire was heard, a bloodied man expressed gratitude to Sun-woo while shouldering a sniper rifle.

He was a summoner who had been in the front car. Though greatly injured by the explosion, he still survived by defending with the suit and bulletproof vest the Association provided.

Though injuries would make an ordinary person immediately faint, he had toughly summoned his weapon and caught the enemy while Sun-woo lured them.

He looked around then frowned. The mercenaries who had been in the car were all shattered and scattered, and the summoner who rode together also didn’t survive.

Sun-woo took out a potion from his phone and threw it to him.

“Oh? Is it a healing type? I just drink it, right? Thanks!”

“I’ll bill the Association for the cost.”

“Keh. I’ll get charged tremendously again.”

Though he looked at the potion as if regretful, he soon opened the potion and gulped it down. The summoner’s expression changed completely.

“Oh, it’s pretty good? Even if I get charged, I have nothing to say.”

Unfortunately, there was no healing-type summoner here. He could only be satisfied with Sun-woo’s potion.

“Is it okay now?”

Caroline opened the window slightly and asked Sun-woo.

“There are no beings emitting killing intent around, nor reactions from explosives or metal. Well, if something like a missile doesn’t come flying, it should be okay.”

At Sun-woo’s words, Caroline glared at him, but for him, this was the first time experiencing such a thing on Korean soil, so he couldn’t know how far things would go.

“How exactly are things turning out? Did a coup happen or something?”

At the branch manager’s words, Caroline shook her head. It was the first time not only for Sun-woo but for everyone here.

“I’ll request rescue first.”

Caroline made a phone call, and Sun-woo searched the internet on his phone. The internet was peaceful as usual.

“The branch says there’s nothing wrong. A helicopter will fly here soon. Should we turn back the car?”

At Caroline’s words, the branch manager seemed to be pondering. If it were Sun-woo, he would have turned back immediately, but for <Cleaners’> branch manager, it seemed to be a matter requiring consideration.

Probably it was the company’s authority issue mentioned before departure, but even so, turning back seemed right in the current situation.

While the branch manager pondered like that, Sun-woo narrowed his eyes and looked at the road behind.

Though no cars had been passing until now, for the first time a car turning the corner and approaching appeared.

“Not a missile, but this also looks quite brutal.”

At Sun-woo’s words, Caroline and the branch manager looked back and their eyes widened.

Beep! Beep!

A truck carrying a giant tank lorry was rushing this way.

“No matter how you look at it, it doesn’t seem to be an empty tank, right?”

As Caroline said, the approaching truck looked tremendously heavy.

“If it’s a continuation of the earlier incident, it would contain petroleum or combustible materials.”

At Sun-woo’s somewhat perplexed words, the branch manager looked at Sun-woo with a strange expression.

“Damn!”

Bang! Bang!

From the front, the summoner who recovered energy with the potion was shooting at the truck with the sniper rifle, but the driver’s seat window wasn’t an ordinary bulletproof window as bullets just bounced off.

Whether deliberately aimed or not, the party had no proper place to escape. Thanks to the cliff-cut mountains on both sides, they couldn’t escape beside the road, and thanks to the shattered road and still-burning car, they couldn’t move forward either.

Unlike the frightened injured summoner, swept along by Caroline and Sun-woo’s relaxed appearances, the branch manager also didn’t feel very tense.

At such a branch manager’s appearance, Sun-woo slightly smiled, then stepped forward before the party and placed his hand on the ground.

Kwaaaaang!

The ground in front of the approaching truck began caving in. The road sank in real time and the truck descended underground together with the road.

The driver with an expression resigned to death saw the sinking road and his eyes became round, then he urgently tried to press the switch held in his right hand.

But Sun-woo and the other party members couldn’t see that sight to the end.

The car sank underground up to the very top, and at the same time, mountains on both sides of the road burst and a landslide poured over the car.

Kwaaaang!

The car was buried underground, and at the same time a tremendous explosion echoed.

The earth covering the road shot up to the sky again, and with a tremendous earthquake, the road cracked wildly.

But the landslide continued so the flames could no longer spread, and the shaking and cracking ground also no longer spread due to Sun-woo’s sorcery.

Shortly after, on the national highway whose terrain itself had changed, stood the summoner with a dumbfounded expression, the branch manager looking at Sun-woo with a peculiar expression, and Caroline smiled looking at Sun-woo.

Shortly after, helicopter sounds began being heard from far away. It was the helicopter Caroline called.

“How do we return? Helicopters aren’t very safe.”

The back road the party came by was completely buried due to the landslide.

At Caroline’s words, the branch manager glanced at Sun-woo then opened his mouth.

“There’s still time until the appointment, so let’s go meet them. I want to hear what on earth they’ll say.”

“Understood. Let’s properly prepare and visit. We seem to have been too underestimated.”

Caroline also agreed with the branch manager’s opinion.

Sun-woo, who didn’t know what the two’s words meant, stood to one side and began pondering how to request an additional bonus.