MRUCM 10

Chapter 10

*Splash.*

The sea breeze carried the scent of salt.

On the deck of the Hwaryong Guild’s large vessel, Li Wei was humming a tune. At his feet were piles of blue-glowing magic stones and monster byproducts—freshly harvested loot from the Gate.

‘If I convert all of this into cash…’

The corner of his mouth twitched. Even a rough calculation of his share of the dividends came to billions of won. Just thinking about popping open some premium champagne and flexing already had his lower regions swelling with anticipation.

That was when it happened.

A subordinate burst out of the cabin in a panic.

“Li Wei-nim! There’s a vessel approaching on the radar!”

“Whose is it?”

“It looks like the Garam Guild. Those bastards we chased off a while ago.”

Li Wei furrowed his brow. This was absurd.

“Have those punks lost their minds?”

There’s a limit to not knowing one’s place. How long had it been since they ran away with broken ribs, and now they’re crawling back?

‘Did they bring some hidden powerhouse with them?’

Li Wei snorted. Honestly, he wasn’t afraid. Even if Korea dispatched an S-rank Hunter, it didn’t matter. The moment he pressed a button on his radio, S-rank rankers from mainland China would be deployed immediately. When it escalated into a diplomatic issue, it was always the Korean government that folded.

“What a joke. Let them come. This time I’ll make them half-crippled.”

—

The Garam Guild’s fishing boat cut through the waves as it approached.

A man stood at the bow.

It was Kim Seong-hoon, wrapped head to toe in bandages.

But.

The atmosphere was different. He was no longer the beaten-down straggler from before. His back was straight, and his eyes burned with a fierce madness.

“Hey! You Chinese bastards! Did you think you could sleep soundly after stealing from us?!”

A lion’s roar bellowed from his bare throat, without a megaphone. The momentum was quite impressive. Li Wei was bewildered.

‘What’s with this baseless confidence?’

Kim Seong-hoon pointed at them and shouted.

“You barbarians, illegally occupying our waters and resorting to violence! Today, I, Kim Seong-hoon, will break that arrogant noses of yours!”

Even the Garam Guild members behind him stared at their team leader with their mouths hanging open.

—

—

‘He’s doing well.’

In a corner of the cabin, Baek Kang-jin watched the scene with his arms crossed.

Currently, Kim Seong-hoon was not in a normal state. Special microorganisms injected by Baek Kang-jin were swarming through his blood vessels and cerebrospinal fluid. The core of them was a virus modified from a Toxoplasma gondii base.

‘Normally, a mouse runs away when it meets a cat.’

But mice infected with Toxoplasma are different. The parasite burrows into the mouse’s brain and takes control of the amygdala.

The amygdala. Originally an alarm system that governs fear and anxiety. It physically turns that switch off.

And that’s not all. It stimulates the pituitary gland to secrete dopamine like crazy. When it smells a predator, instead of fear, it feels pleasure and excitement.

The reason the parasite does this is simple. To complete its sexual reproduction, it needs to enter the intestines of its definitive host—the cat. It’s the parasite’s survival strategy of manipulating the mouse to dive right into the cat’s mouth.

‘Right now, Kim Seong-hoon is essentially infected with the same state.’

Kim Seong-hoon’s brain is currently having a dopamine party. His fear has been castrated, and his self-confidence has broken through the ceiling. He was under the delusion that if he put his mind to it, he could take down Li Wei.

—

“I am a proud South Korean B-rank Hunter!”

Kim Seong-hoon pounded his chest and shouted.

“Just because my rank is low, do you think I’ll bow my head to injustice? Li Wei! Let’s settle this one-on-one, like real men!”

“What?”

“The loser withdraws from the Gate and disappears cleanly. Isn’t that the way of a true man?”

Spit flew. Li Wei was speechless from sheer absurdity. He pulled out a magic power meter and measured Kim Seong-hoon’s mana.

The reading was clear. Still B-rank. A measly figure with no margin of error.

‘Has this bastard really gone crazy?’

Li Wei felt a fire burning in his gut. A weakling daring to challenge him head-on. Apparently, crushing his skull with a dirty foot hadn’t been enough.

“Li Wei-nim. It could be a trap.”

A subordinate approached cautiously and whispered. But Li Wei roughly shoved him aside.

“A trap my ass! That bastard is just having a meltdown on his own!”

His pride was wounded. Backing down here would only tarnish the name of the Hwaryong Guild. Besides, numerous subordinates were watching.

“Fine! I’ll personally take that pathetic life of yours!”

Li Wei’s robe fluttered as he kicked off the air.

*Thud!*

He landed heavily on the deck of the Garam Guild’s ship. Kim Seong-hoon readjusted his shield and drew his sword.

“Come at me.”

“Today is your death day!”

A red flame coiled around Li Wei’s fist. It was Flame Palm, the Hwaryong Guild’s signature martial art.

An overwhelming heat that burned through the air as it flew. For a normal B-rank, even tracking that attack with their eyes would have been impossible.

But.

‘Neuron acceleration.’

Baek Kang-jin’s finger twitched minutely. At the same time, the second virus dormant in Kim Seong-hoon’s body awakened. A specially engineered virus that pushed nerve transmission speed to its limits. By reducing the resistance of his magical circuits to near zero, his movements became far faster.

A sudden stat boost. Temporarily, but Kim Seong-hoon’s current physical abilities surpassed A-rank.

*CLANG!*

Sparks flew.

“*Tch…!*”

Li Wei’s eyes widened. Kim Seong-hoon had perfectly deflected the Flame Palm with his shield. His center of gravity hadn’t even wavered.

“What?”

“A predictable attack.”

Kim Seong-hoon grinned savagely and swung his sword.

*Swoosh!*

Li Wei’s robe tore, leaving a shallow wound on his chest. Blood seeped out.

“Y-you bastard!”

Li Wei lost his composure and threw a kick. A continuous trajectory of flames. But Kim Seong-hoon dodged and deflected every attack as if he were dancing.

‘What’s going on?’

Li Wei felt like he was going crazy. His total mana was clearly superior. Yet when they actually clashed, it felt like he was stuck in mud. His attacks were blocked every time, while his opponent’s counterattacks pierced through sharply.

The textbook style of a sword-and-shield warrior. Optimal movements with no wasted motion. It was the result of the virus stimulating Kim Seong-hoon’s cerebellum, maximizing his reflexes.

“*Haaaah!*”

Frustrated, Li Wei overextended with a large attack. But that was a clear mistake.

*THWACK!*

The rim of the shield struck Li Wei’s jaw precisely.

His brain rattled. The moment his vision spun, Kim Seong-hoon threw his sword to the deck.

*Clatter.*

He discarded his weapon. Then he grabbed Li Wei by the collar with his bare hands.

“Let’s see how you like a taste of fist.”

*Thump! Thump! Thump!*

A merciless beating began. Heavy fists imbued with mana ruthlessly crushed Li Wei’s face.

“*Aagh! Grrk!*”

His nose bridge caved in, and teeth flew through the air. It was an unbelievable sight—an A-rank Hunter being unilaterally pummeled by a B-rank.

“Team leader, nice!”

“Destroy him!”

The Garam Guild members roared with cheers. It felt like a blockage in their chests had finally burst open.

“Li Wei-nim!”

From the opposite ship, the Hwaryong Guild members were shocked and drew their weapons.

Dozens of them. They were about to cross over.

*Click.*

Baek Kang-jin leaned against the cabin window frame and snapped his fingers.

*Whoooosh!*

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew. It seemed like natural sea breeze, but its force was like a storm. The Hwaryong Guild’s ship was pushed dozens of meters away by the fierce wind.

“Wh-what’s happening to the ship?!”

“Helmsman! Start the engine!”

A sudden natural phenomenon. No one suspected magical intervention.

Meanwhile, the fight was completely over. Li Wei was unconscious on the deck, his eyes rolled back. His face was a bloody mess, his original features unrecognizable.

“*Huff… huff…*”

Kim Seong-hoon caught his ragged breath and stepped on the fallen Li Wei’s head.

“Keep your promise. Get lost.”

The Hwaryong Guild members gritted their teeth but had no recourse. Their executive had been legitimately defeated in a one-on-one duel. Pushing further would only lose them their moral high ground and bring international embarrassment.

Besides, if they weren’t careful, Li Wei could die. In the end, they took Li Wei’s body and fled back to their homeland.

The red flag faded into the distance.

The Garam Guild members’ body cameras had recorded the entire process without missing a single moment.

—

—

The situation was over.

With the tension released, Kim Seong-hoon collapsed onto the deck. The pain from his broken ribs was flooding back. But he couldn’t stop the grin spreading across his face.

‘I… defeated an A-rank.’

It was a miracle. But Kim Seong-hoon wasn’t a fool. His body had suddenly become light as a feather, and his fear had vanished.

Plus, the phenomenon where his opponent’s movements looked like slow motion. He instinctively knew that this wasn’t his own potential.

“……”

Baek Kang-jin walked out onto the deck. Still with his hands in his pockets—that arrogant posture.

“Good work. It was a decent show.”

Kim Seong-hoon staggered to his feet and bowed deeply toward Baek Kang-jin.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“I don’t know exactly… but I know you helped me. Thanks to you, I saved my life and protected the guild’s pride.”

His voice trembled. He realized that the man dispatched from the Association was actually the owner of an unimaginable supernatural power. A miracle that drew out a person’s limits while even hiding the waves of magic power. In his entire life, he’d never seen anything like this.

On the other hand.

Baek Kang-jin shrugged as if it were no big deal.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t do anything. You won with guts.”

Thoroughly covering his tracks. There was no reason to create evidence that he had intervened.

“Still…”

“Consider it an entertaining spectacle. But next time, don’t pick a fight with an A-rank. This kind of miracle only works once.”

“Yes. Of course.”

Normally, Kim Seong-hoon was a rational person. He had no intention of challenging a powerful opponent like Li Wei.

“Then good luck. I’ll be going ahead.”

Baek Kang-jin turned away without hesitation. Everything had fallen into place perfectly. Now he just had to wait for the new Gate to appear in the West Sea.

That night.

YouTube was buzzing.

—South Korean B-rank Hunter educates Chinese Hwaryong Guild’s A-rank executive.

The video uploaded by Garam Guild. Within moments of being posted, the view count soared past 3 million.

The reactions were explosive. Netizens who had been enraged by the humiliating video of them being beaten and fleeing just days ago were ecstatic.

—Wow, insane! I can’t believe Team Leader Kim Seong-hoon won!

—Showing the true essence of a sword-and-shield warrior. Deflecting flames with a shield is freaking awesome.

—Li Wei that bastard was all talk, what a dumbass lol

—An A-rank getting beaten up and robbed by a B-rank. Chinese guys are so pathetic.

—That final beatdown with fists was so satisfying. It’s like 10 years of frustration just melted away.

GIFs of Kim Seong-hoon were created and spread across every community. He became a national hero overnight.

Naturally, the Chinese side was furious. They immediately sent a strong protest letter through their Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

—We strongly express our regret over the unsportsmanlike surprise attack and scheme by Korean Hunters. The individuals involved must be punished immediately.

But this time, Korea’s response was different.

At the Ether Tower briefing room, Association President Go Jin-hyeok stood before the microphone himself. His expression was more relaxed and confident than ever.

“China’s claims are nothing but sophistry.”

Go Jin-hyeok stated firmly.

“As you can see in the video, this was not coercion but a legitimate one-on-one duel. In fact, the Chinese Hunter accepted the duel and initiated the attack first. Crying foul after starting a fight and losing is a petty act unbefitting of a major nation.”

A refreshing statement. A barrage of camera flashes erupted.

“Rather, we plan to file compensation claims against the Hwaryong Guild for their illegal occupation. That is all.”

Go Jin-hyeok finished the briefing cleanly and stepped down. The moral high ground was perfectly on Korea’s side. The duel was agreed upon, and the power disparity favored China.

And they lost. If China threw more of a tantrum here, they’d only be broadcasting their own lack of ability to the world. In the end, the Chinese government gave up on formal responses and tucked its tail. Just a brief statement of regret from a spokesperson.

A satisfying reversal victory. All of South Korea was swept up in a festive atmosphere. And the mastermind behind the entire scheme was peacefully eating an apple peeled by his niece.

“Uncle. That man on the news, he’s really cool, isn’t he?”

“Well, I don’t know. His tenacity is somewhat useful, though.”

Baek Kang-jin replied nonchalantly, watching the TV.