The First Hunter

Chapter 53. Advent, Part I

Translator: Khan

Editor: RED

1.

The Black Sea was always quiet. Unlike other seas, the Black Sea, which had a lot of hydrogen sulfide in it, did not have many living things. A huge battleship floated on the eerie stillness. It did not show any such thing as dignity or great honor.

The battleship looked like a Hordee floating on the water. Even though it was big enough to carry thousands of people,, they could not find any trace of human beings anywhere. It was no wonder it was dead.

Kim Tae-hoon was drinking coffee on the deck of the ship, a place where a bizarre silence could be felt.

“Hoo.” However, Kim Tae-hoon’s expression of breathing out seemed more relaxed than ever.

‘Now I feel a little relaxed.’ Kim Tae-hoon, who had coffee again with his spare time, turned his attention to the deck. He could see another sea, not so black.

“Hoo.” Kim Tae-hoon, who made a long sigh again, reviewed the battle he had just had.

‘A ridiculous monster.’ The Orc Khan was strong.

‘If I had just confronted it in a normal way, it would have been terrible.’ It was too strong. As a matter of fact, the Orc Khan was not something Kim Tae-hoon could beat with his own strength. It had a tug-of-war against a battleship for a short time!

If he had engaged in a physical fight, he would not have been able to withstand its fist, even if he was in Draconian Mode.

If it were not for the way the Six Snakes had prepared, or if they had not saved Gleipnir, Kim Tae-hoon would have only run away quickly from the Orc Khan. That was why the Vatican had become ashes in the scene before Jang Sung-hoon’s death.

To find out how, Kim Tae-hoon took time for the Orc Khan and the Orc Horde to trample Europe. So, this fruit was sweeter than ever.

“Hmm.” Kim Tae-hoon closed his eyes, savoring the strong aroma of his coffee.

‘As the Vatican was guarded, the appearance of Fafnir was prevented.’

In addition, the success of the hunt for the Orc Khan was significant in many ways. The most important thing was that he kept the Vatican. Kim Tae-hoon had never forgotten what he had said to himself in his dream.

Kim Tae-hoon had told himself before his self-suicide, “The moment the Vatican collapsed, the Evil Dragon Fafnir from myth appeared.”

If the Evil Dragon Fafnir, who could not be killed without the sword of Siegfried, Balmung, had appeared, Europe would have become a land empty of humans.

‘The Bogatyr’s Great Sword can be recovered in a month.’

Here, the work to secure the Bogatyr’s Great Sword, sleeping in the underground bunker of Kremlin Castle, was proceeding smoothly. It did not seem difficult to secure Bogatyr’s Great Sword before the bitter cold of Siberia ended.

‘With the Bogatyr’s Great Sword and the jewel of Orc Khan, there is no reason to fear Chernobog.’

Finally, Kim had gained the strong power of the Orc Khan’s heart, the jewel of the Orc Khan. He did not know what the power of Orc Khan’s jewel was. However, it was clear that it would give power that could not be compared with any power he had.

Furthermore, what if Bogatyr’s Great Sword were added here?

It seemed that all preparations for hunting the Immortal Wolf Chernobog were over. The game would soon be actually over.

‘And if I kill Chernobog, then…’

After he killed Chernobog, Kim Tae-hoon would no longer need to be afraid of death. After that, there would be only one thing left: the Six Snakes.

‘Mao Spencer, now it’s your turn to be beaten.’

Kim Tae-hoon’s eyes, which were planning the next hunting in the leisure time, began to sink cold and black, like the Black Sea.

‘I will get the blood-price somehow.’

As he watched, a bird flying over the Black Sea came into him.

—————————–

2.

The Sistine Chapel…

It was the noblest stage of the Vatican, the Pope’s stage for Mass. But now the Sistine Chapel was occupied by soldiers in military uniform. Of course, there were no such things as charity or sacredness anywhere in Sistine Chapel. Only the harshness, the murderous spirit, and desperation were seen there.

At the center of the grueling atmosphere was a map, a map of Russia. Around the map, several people were making serious faces. Jang Sung-hoon was also present.

“So, here, in Yakutsk, a city in northeast Russia, a nuclear explosion occurred?”

It was Maria who answered the question of Jang Sung-hoon. “Yes.”

“Is there anything special here?”

“No, nothing special.”

“Is there really not anything special?”

“There was no report or any major military facility in Yakutsk City that I knew of.”

John Gabriel was also in a position to talk here. John Gabriel, the chief of the Vatican City; Maria, the representative of the Russian military; and Jang Sung-hoon, the second leader of the Mac Guild, were there. The theme of their conversation, like a summit meeting, was the nuclear explosion in Yakutsk, a small city in the northeastern part of Russia.

“Then why did a nuclear bomb go off in Yakutsk, northeast of the vast Siberian fields?”

“The Six Snakes would know that.”

The nuclear explosion, the terrible violence that man created, had hit Siberia. That was why the atmosphere of the Sistine Chapel was so bad. Moreover, a nuclear explosion was the worst violence created by mankind, and the violence that only mankind could create.

‘We need to figure out what Mao is trying to do.’

The nuclear explosion that hit Yakutsk City was not a coincidence, but a result of a human being with intentions. Jang did not miss that fact.

‘Why did he detonate a nuclear bomb here? For what? A nuclear bomb can never be detonated remotely now. This means that they had set the timer… but it’s unlikely that they set the timer recently. It is more likely that the nuclear bomb timer was set up in Mongolia to stimulate the Orc Khan.’

The reason for the nuclear explosion in Mongolia was simple. It was to provoke the Orc Khan so that it would lead the Orc Horde to Europe. With an offering of the Orc Khan, the Six Snakes would become the savior of Europe and rule everything in Europe. But Jang could not easily guess the intention of the explosion in a small city in northeastern Russia.

‘Is it to provoke the Immortal Wolf?’

It was the Immortal Wolf Chernobog that came to his mind right now. It was likely that Mao had used a nuclear bomb to move the Immortal Wolf, just as he had brought the Orc Khan to Europe using a nuclear bomb.

‘However, even Russia does not know where the Immortal Wolf is now. In a situation where only a timer setting can trigger a bomb… The chance of this explosion making the Immortal Wolf move at will is not high.’

But it was hard to say that the possibility was high. First of all, the activity radius of the Immortal Wolf was not certain, and its range of activity included all of Siberia, one of the world’s largest areas. On such a stage, could they move the Immortal Wolf with a nuclear explosion?

‘If the Immortal Wolf is headed for Europe, even if it stimulates the Immortal Wolf… the Six Snakes would be between a rock and a hard place.’

If the Immortal Wolf moved to Europe, there would be nothing worse for the Six Snakes.

‘The Six Snakes wouldn’t take a gamble like that, and they never operate that way. They don’t bet on nuclear weapons instead of chips, even if they do. Betting on a nuclear weapon means there’s something else to be sure of.’

From the standpoint of the Six Snakes, they would now lose their Europe, which would be their base, without being able to use it properly. It would be the same as killing themselves.

‘It is not the Immortal Wolf that they want to move.’

Jang Sung-hoon knew better than anyone that the Six Snakes were not those who would kill themselves. Here, Jang measured the person who had planned this. He thought of Mao Spencer, who was capable of anything for his own purposes. At that moment he figured out what the man really wanted to do.

‘What Mao Spencer wants… He’s going to destroy the Korean Peninsula. The reason he detonated a nuclear bomb is that he’s going to destroy the Korean Peninsula. With what? With monsters. But the Immortal Wolf should be excluded. Then, what’s left?’

Not long before, Jang came up with an answer. “Ms. Maria, has Russia ever seen a monster above the blue-grade?”

Maria answered without hesitation, “There have been a few blue-grade hunts, but they’ve never hunted a blue-grade monster before, and I’m honestly sure that Kim is the only one who can hunt a blue-grade monster.”

“So how many dark blue and blue-grade monsters has Russia discovered in its territory?”

“Er… I don’t know the exact figures. Because of Chernobog and the zombies, it was difficult to search—”

“Just tell me the number you’ve figured out.”

“Twenty-one blues, and nine dark blues.”

“What happened to those monsters?”

“Well… those who could escape from Chernobog would have run away, and those who could not escape would be frozen in Siberia as zombies.”

“How much heat is generated at the moment of a nuclear explosion?”

“Yes?”

When Maria asked a question instead of an answer, Jang no longer continued the conversation. Instead of talking, he put his hand on the map of Russia and near nations. It was Mongolia that he picked up.

“It was because of the Orc Khan here that most of the monsters in Russian territory did not come down to the south.”

So, he moved his hands near the Caspian Sea. “And now the Orc Khan has moved toward Europe.”

He went back to Russia. “The zombies would have woken up from the heat of the nuclear explosion, and they would naturally follow the living. And now, where the survivors of East Asia are gathered…”

The last journey ended on the Korean Peninsula.

“Ah…”

“Um…”

When they reached that point, everyone was silenced. Jang Sung-hoon also fell into a depression.

‘What Mao wanted to move was not the Immortal Wolf, but the monsters that were zombified by the Immortal Wolf.’

In the silence, Jang Sung-hoon’s worst scenario was drawn.

‘And if Chernobog moves along with the Zombies…’

With a harsh sound, the door of Sistine Chapel opened as if it were breaking, and a man appeared. The door itself was a treasure, and in the Sistine Chapel, no one ever manhandled it. Of course, the soldiers waiting there would normally go out and deal with this rude visitor.

But no one moved in that situation. All that anyone could do in front of the appearance of Kim Tae-hoon was harden themselves, that was all.

“Boss!” Only one person, Jang Sung-hoon, approached Kim Tae-hoon without hardening. As soon as he approached, Jang said, “Mao left a trap.” That explanation was enough. The conclusion that Kim Tae-hoon had come to was also the same as the one that Jang Sung-hoon made.

The Six Snakes were not satisfied with only possessing Europe. It was their plan to take Europe and destroy the Korean Peninsula. In this situation, the answer they chose was decided.

“The heat of the nuclear explosion will bring the Zombies to the Korean Peninsula. The worst thing is… the worst is the Immortal Wolf moving, but it will be hard to stop the Zombie Horde with the power of the Korean Peninsula.”

‘The power of the Korean Peninsula is great. But it is not enough to stop the blue and dark blue-grade monster horde that has become Zombies. Further, it is not all about stopping them. What is more important is to reduce the damage as much as possible.’

“We need to issue an evacuation order, and we need to move to Jeju Island, and if necessary, to Japan. Boss, wait here until Bogatyr’s Great Sword is secured.”

There was nothing Kim Tae-hoon could do about this problem.

‘If Kim Tae-hoon comes out, he will be able to stop the Zombie Horde. But the worst situation that Jang Sung-hoon said before, is if the Immortal Wolf appears. Now, Kim Tae-hoon cannot kill the Immortal Wolf. There is no way, no tool.

‘If Bogatyr’s Great Sword is secured, the winner will eventually be Kim Tae-hoon, no matter what the damage is.

‘All they had to do is take the damage. If they made time for the evacuation of the citizens, and they used the sacrifices of soldiers and hunters to prevent the Zombie Horde from entering the Korean Peninsula, then everything will be sorted out.

‘Furthermore, if Kim Tae-hoon kills the Immortal Wolf, the risk factor disappears.’

Therefore, Jang Sung-hoon did not doubt that Kim Tae-hoon would make the same choice as himself.

“Boss?” However, when Jang saw Kim’s eyes, Jang was able to guess Kim’s intentions. “No! No! Never!” Jang Sung-hoon protested. “It is a monster who won’t die! You can only kill it with Bogatyr’s Great Sword! You can’t win the fight! In the end, you’ll be exhausted and go down!”

At the objection, Kim Tae-hoon showed the purple crystal in his hand instead of answering.

———————

[Orc Khan’s Crystal]

– Strength increases significantly when ingested.

– Health increases significantly when ingested.

– Energy rank can reach the transcendent rank when ingested.

– Defense rank can reach the transcendent rank when ingested.

– Anti-Mana rank can reach the transcendent rank when ingested.

– You can acquire the power of Orc Khan [ Inexhaustible Infinity] when ingested.

———————

“I don’t know anything else, but I won’t be exhausted.” With those words, Kim Tae-hoon put the purple crystal in his mouth. Gulp! Inside the tranquil Sistine Chapel, the sound echoed quietly.

Then Kim Tae-hoon looked up. Beyond the frozen crowd in front of his throat, Michelangelo’s masterpiece, the Last Judgment, came into view. He saw a picture that made viewers fear the Day of Judgment, and the dignity of God.

‘I will survive, but not alone.’ In front of the picture, Kim Tae-hoon did not feel fear. It was Kim Tae-hoon who led the Day of Judgment this time.