Chapter 128

Chapter 128
Chapter: 128

Chapter Title: Once You Get the Hang of It, Things Go Smoothly

—

Once you grasp the rhythm of how the world operates, life tends to flow fairly effortlessly for a period of time.

However, the mindless undead from Samhyeoldong who were currently standing in our path had absolutely no idea how to handle our presence.

If they attempted to manifest a magical barrier, the Paradox Flame would simply consume it in a heartbeat, resulting in a pointless drain on their energy. If they chose not to deploy a barrier, I would simply use the Paradox Flame to incinerate their physical remains into nothingness.

“Pyongyang is finally within our sights.”

We surged down the expressway connecting Sariwon to Pyongyang, eventually reaching the boundary of the city’s outskirts.

Throughout our relentless journey, we had established five distinct defensive positions. Hunters from Taebaek LLC were currently holding these spots, reinforced by the thirty additional hunters we had sent ahead of time.

Now, we were standing before a ridiculously named structure known as the Bridge of Loyalty.

“Is there a chance they might ignore us and strike at our rear strongholds instead?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at Jeong No-hoon’s concern.

“At this specific moment? In this climate? With the heart of Pyongyang right here, you think they’d divert forces from their primary base just to poke at our secondary outposts?”

Honestly, I’d welcome the attempt. A reduction in their local numbers would only make it simpler for us to tear our way through the capital.

Besides, if an attack occurred, we could simply pivot and race back to provide backup to whichever stronghold was under fire.

“Unless those monsters are completely brain-dead, they won’t take a gamble like that.”

We had reached the gates of Pyongyang in record time. From their perspective, leaving their main house poorly guarded just to harass our rear would be a massive strategic blunder.

“The moment Pyongyang collapses, we’ll be the ones holding the high ground.”

Jeong No-hoon flashed a grin at my assessment.

“I’ve heard rumors that the roof of the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun is covered in actual gold plating. If we manage to strip that off and sell it, we might make a killing.”

“Feel free to pry it off yourself once we’re done, but keep your eyes on the primary objective for now.”

Before we made our move, we needed to get a clear picture of the situation inside the city. I looked over at Jeong No-hoon, who immediately made a sour face.

“It’s definitely going to get destroyed again.”

“Do you expect us to just rush in without knowing what’s waiting for us?”

Drones aren’t cheap, I’ll give him that, but they aren’t worth more than our own lives. I told him to stop complaining and get the thing in the air so we could at least have a look before the assault.

The drone ascended into the sky, captured the necessary footage, and then met a heroic, explosive end.

“…Son of a bitch.”

“Relax, we’re splitting the replacement cost of the drone three ways.”

His expression brightened instantly at that. I gave a small click of my tongue and focused on the recorded data.

“Well, they certainly haven’t been idle.”

There was plenty in the footage to irritate me. It was clearly a vital location for them, crawling with a massive swarm of corpses.

Furthermore, since this was the very place where the old Kim regime used to squeeze the life out of the populace for their own amusement, the existing defensive infrastructure was top-tier.

The undead had occupied and repurposed every available defensive system. Yet, the mechanical defenses weren’t even the most pressing concern…

“It looks like those corpses finally finished that hotel the Kim family was so obsessed with.”

The Ryugyong Hotel. It was a strong candidate for the title of the world’s most nonsensical skyscraper. Given that North Korea had long since fallen apart, I had assumed that concrete eyesore would remain an eternal construction site.

“And yet, they managed to complete it like that.”

A giant, singular eyeball was perched atop the highest spire of the Ryugyong. Surrounding it were four smaller towers, each shaped like an obelisk.

The building’s structural integrity was questionable at best, so thick, dark vines were wrapped around the facade to provide unnatural support.

“The Ryugyong isn’t our only headache.”

It seemed that every significantly tall structure in Pyongyang had been converted into an obelisk designed to empower the undead forces.

“When did they even find the time to build all of this?”

Was there any way to take them all out at once? Honestly, if it were an option, I’d just drop a nuclear bomb on the whole city.

Then again, a nuke probably wouldn’t change the outcome much. If conventional weapons worked that well, humanity wouldn’t be in this desperate struggle against monsters.

“…Should we turn back?”

Han Sang-ah was the one who answered.

“We’ve put too much into this mission already. If we were going to retreat, we should have done it before we even hit Sariwon…”

No, that wasn’t what I was getting at. They had packed the city with soldiers and had surveillance everywhere.

“If we follow the path of the Daedong River upward, we’ll eventually hit Pyongsong.”

According to the maps, Pyongsong was situated roughly 8km from a specific bend in the Daedong.

At the speed we move, that’s a trivial distance—maybe ten minutes of running.

“Are you looking at that river and still suggesting we go that way? It looks like a direct portal to the underworld.”

Jeong No-hoon pointed toward the river shown in the drone’s recording. The water was practically vibrating with the energy of intense, lingering grudges.

Beneath the churning surface, one could see tens of thousands of distorted, screaming faces. It wasn’t water flowing through the channel, but a river of wailing souls.

If we tried to sail through that, those things would surely latch onto our vessel and pull us into the depths.

“The Daedong ended up like this because of something located near Pyongsong.”

If we eliminate the source, the Daedong will cease being a river of madness and return to its natural state.

“You two should stay here and keep their attention focused on this front. I’ll swim against the current and destroy the source of the corruption.”

Once that was done, Han Sang-ah and Jeong No-hoon could follow by water as well. They both stared at me like I’d lost my mind.

“That’s suicide. You’re actually planning to swim through that?”

“Trust me, this isn’t enough to take me down.”

I didn’t even need to rely on the Paradox Flame for protection. Those grudges might be lethal to the average living person, but they didn’t pose a threat to me.

This level of spiritual density was child’s play. I could easily withstand ten times this amount of pressure.

No-hoon might think this looked like a river from hell, but the actual rivers found in the underworld are far more concentrated than this.

Regardless, they had prepared extensively, but there was one perfect way to describe Pyongyang’s current situation.

“There’s no Maginot Line here.”

If a position is too difficult to break, you simply go around it. They clearly believed the Daedong River provided them with a natural, impenetrable flank.

“It’s true that it’s a difficult enough path to qualify as a flank.”

There were only three of us. They had crammed over 100,000 undead into the city to stop us—taking a side route meant facing far fewer enemies.

“Once you take out whatever is poisoning the river, those corpses will start swarming that location immediately.”

I let out a smirk.

“And how quickly can a force that size actually pivot?”

Massive armies aren’t known for their agility. Even if they catch on and try to react, it won’t matter.

“By the time the two of you catch up to me, we’ll already be at Pyongsong ahead of them.”

Then, I could use the power of the crown and the ring to force our way through and dive straight into the Erosion Core.

Once the heart of the Core is neutralized, those obelisks with the staring eyes will lose their function.

After that, turning the remaining undead into piles of scrap? That would be the easy part.

Taebaek would come pouring in to clean up even if we didn’t do it ourselves.

“I suppose it makes sense. If you’re certain you’ll be fine swimming through that mess…”

“I’ll be fine.”

Those dark, ghostly shapes floating in the water? At worst, it would feel like swimming through cold black bean sauce. It was no big deal.

“Understood. We’ll wait for your signal.”

Han Sang-ah gave a firm nod and adjusted her communication earpiece.

“Great. I’m heading out. Keep an eye on the place while I’m gone. Don’t let any strangers in.”

“Bring back some Melona.”

Jeong No-hoon waved a hand dismissively. Unreal. Asking for Melona ice cream at a time like this? As if I’d let him get away with that.

After a brief goodbye, I gathered my equipment and stood at the water’s edge.

Looking down into the river, the spirits below were thrashing violently, reaching their spectral hands up toward me.

I felt like a celebrity for a second. If I jumped in, would they try to crowd-surf me? With that random thought, I leaped.

The moment I hit the water, the swirling grudges swarmed toward me with frantic excitement.

“It’s your funeral. I’m in a bit of a hurry, so no photos, but how about a handshake?”

I grabbed one of the translucent hands reaching for me and gave it a mock shake.

The grudges that tried to surge into my body simply bounced off and dissolved into nothingness. If you’re disappointed, that’s on you.

Hundreds, thousands… an endless stream of spirits attempted to possess me, only to vanish instantly. I paid them no mind, swimming upstream at an incredible pace.

“Hey, watch where you’re grabbing.”

Ignoring their desperate pleas for a “handshake,” I spent three or four hours battling the current before I finally reached my destination.

“Round and round, the king potato, so big! The Hongdan potato~ It’s so huge, one person can’t finish it~”

As I climbed onto the bank and shook the water from my clothes, I found myself humming a nonsensical tune.

“When everyone is literally starving to death, what’s the point of writing a song like that?”

Was it designed specifically to annoy anyone who heard it? North Korea really was a bizarre place.

Once I had dried off somewhat, I began to scout the area.

“It should be around here. There it is.”

I quickly located the source that was pumping grudge-filled waste into the river, turning the clean water into filth.

“It’s like a grudge processing plant.”

It seemed to collect faint, wandering spirits, amplify their malice, and then vomit them back out.

It was a massive, crimson blob of flesh that throbbed with a wet, heavy sound.

The structure was shaped like a giant vase, featuring an enormous face that was continuously spewing grudges into the water.

It reminded me of a bunch of students after the college entrance exams, having their first disastrous encounter with too much alcohol.

“Are you kidding me right now?”

The sight of the undead sentries left me momentarily speechless.

Their bodies were a patchwork of flesh, bone, and viscera. But it was their heads that were the problem…

“Give me a break.”

The busts and portraits of the Kim dictators had been mounted on top of their necks.

“I see why they did it, though.”

It wasn’t just an attempt at dark humor. If you have spirits with deep-seated grudges toward a specific target, using a symbol of that target as a catalyst makes it much easier to attract and anchor them.

And who would the dead of North Korea harbor the most resentment toward?

Using those portraits made perfect sense as a catalyst. It was still absurdly funny, though. I had very mixed feelings about it. There were about 300 of them in total.

The catalyst might look ridiculous, but it was perfectly suited for this region—these were high-tier undead.

“The grudges trapped in those things must be truly intense.”

That didn’t mean I was going to show them any mercy. Igniting the Paradox Flame on the tip of my spear and channeling mana into the crown in my left hand, I launched my attack.