Chapter 207

Suho's expression hardened. Right now, the state of Manipur has a population of 3 million. At first, he was worried that all of them would turn into Mist Burns and die, but it turned out that the problem was even more serious. 'In a worst-case scenario, all three million could turn into mutants.' Either way, the loss of 3 million people is the same. However, the problem was that, unlike Mist Burns, which dissipates over time, mutants had the potential to leave this dungeon and expand their damage.

Also, even if it was only half-hearted experiments, the danger of the dragons was nothing compared to that of a Mist Burn. If all of this was really Siddhart Bachchan's plan, it was horrible. It had to be stopped.

"Harmakhan, how do you turn them back into people?"

[Unfortunately, this is not possible.]

"Antares, what about you?" At Suho's question, Antares shook his head firmly.

"It's impossible. In the first place, they infused dragon blood into the bodies of other races that were not dragons, it is a wonder that their bodies have not yet been destroyed."

[That's right, it seems that the Star Pieces implanted in their bodies are forcibly blocking the fatal side effects, and their intellect has collapsed due to the immense pain of the process, even at this moment.]

"..."

Kieeee!!

Kyaaaa!!

As he listened to their explanations, his gaze shifted silently to the mutants who were screaming under Harmakan's spells.

[My lord, there is no other way for them than to kill them as soon as possible, death is their only salvation.]

At Beru's words, Suho nodded silently. At that moment, Harmakhan's spell destroyed the Star Pieces embedded in the mutants' bodies.

Boom!

Zeng!

Zeng!

The moment when the blue gems are shattered and scattered everywhere, the mutants collapsed on the spot of their demise.

[Defeated Mutant No. 8.]

[Defeated Mutant No. 8.]

[Defeated Mutant No. 8.]

[Defeated Mutant No. 8.]

....

There were no additional level-ups. But Suho looked down at the mutants' fragmented corpses with a more frightened expression than ever.

[Targets that can be cast with shadow extraction.]

[Targets that can be cast with shadow extraction.]

He's glad he could. Their lives have been tainted by intellect, but their souls have not been tainted. After a moment of contemplation, Suho reached for their shadows.

"I'll give you a chance. If you want to take revenge on yourself with your own hands... Arise."

Awaken!

At that one word, the wailing of the poor souls who had been reduced to mutants began to echo in the air.

Aahh!!

"!!!" Liu Zhigang's eyes widened at this. If it had been before the memories of his previous life returned, he would have mistaken it for the power of an ominous demon again. But now it was different. 'Did you inherit your father's skills?' Sung Jin-Woo's skills, which he had always been eyeing in his previous life, were unfolding right in front of him!

Shwaaaa!!!

Soon, in front of Liu Zhigang, a large number of Shadow Soldiers stood up.

[Shadow Infantry Lv.1]

[Shadow Infantry Lv.1]

[Shadow Infantry Lv.1]

....

The souls of those who had shed the name of mutants through death knelt solemnly before Suho and bowed their heads. "Guide me." In their ears came the chilling voice of Suho. "To the bastards that made you like this." The shadow infantrymen, trembling at his gruesome rage, reared their heads again and scrambled to their feet. From their raised heads, hot tears were streaming down their eyes, endlessly.

* * *

Imphal. The capital and largest city of Manipur, was a mixture of traditional Indian buildings and modern residential facilities. With beautiful natural scenery overlooking the shores of Loktak Lake in the distance, the city is a complex mix of extremely modern multi-storey apartments and commercial buildings. Even though it was now part of Loktak Field, there were still a lot of people living there in the same way as before.

"Master, are you going to just stand by and watch?"

"Why? what's wrong with you now?"

"The Asura Guild. Even in such a situation, this city is still under the jurisdiction of our Imphal Guild."

"...And what do you plan to do about it?"

Ali Hassan, the Guildmaster of the Imphal Guild, muttered to himself as he chewed on the cigarette in his mouth at the words of the Vice-guildmaster. "You know this already. If it weren't for Stardust, this city would have collapsed soon."

"Would it have though? Either way, if it wasn't for Stardust, we'd all move to another city a long time ago."

"That's exactly what I mean."

"It's practically like it has collapsed either way..."

"Oh just shut up." Ali Hassan, who had dismissed the Vice-guildmaster's words, had a crumpled expression.

At present, the Imphal Guild had lost its entire territory to a large guild called the Asura Guild. It was definitely a bad situation, but he had to admit it. Stardust distributed by the Asura Guild. The mysterious necklace was a great thing that kept civilians from turning into Mist Burns when they inhaled the Blue Mist. It was an undeniable truth that thanks to Stardust, Imphal people were still able to live their daily lives in the city.

...But.

"Still, there's something wrong here."

"Ah, so does the Guildmaster agree with me?"

"..." Ali Hassan stared out the window in silence. The city is uglier than it used to be.

A faint Blue Mist spreads over it. Outside the Imphal Guild's building, the atmosphere was clearly different from what it had been. It's clear that Stardust has allowed people to live their daily lives as before, but why is this city getting quieter every day? It's like a ghost town in a third-rate horror movie. And one more thing. "Why... have the Asura bastards still not been able to conquer this dungeon?"

"That's exactly what I mean! They managed to capture the first one, but after that, it feels like They're just dragging their feet." Siddharth Bachchan, the master of the Asura Guild, was a recognizable powerhouse in India. In spite of his own initiative, the Loktak Fields, including Imphal, were still shrouded in Blue Mist. "If they were going to drag it out like this, at least they could have let us attack from the beginning!"

"I do as well, so shut up. You have a problem in only choosing the words that suit you."

"Ugh. I'm sorry, but in the first place, this is our jurisdiction, and it's so frustrating to just look around with a gate in front of you and being incapable of doing something."

"..."

Ali Hassan wordlessly spat his cigarette on the floor and smashed it with his foot. '...I'm not so easily fooled, you know.' If this is also some kind of tyranny in part of the large company, then keep it coming. In the name of the safety of the citizens, the Asura Guild proudly took away all the offensive rights from the Imphal Guild. The Imphal Guild could not make any protest against him. All three million citizens whose lives were saved by Stardust welcomed the Asura Guild's intervention with open arms.

As a result, the Imphal Guild has become such a slap in the face. Of course, that didn't mean there wasn't a lot of work to be done. In any case, the whole area had been turned into a den of demons, and it was the duty of the Imphal Guild to stand guard from time to time to prevent the beasts from approaching the people. But how long will this last? Eventually, unless someone stepped inside the gate and tackled the dungeon, the city of Imphal would never be able to escape from the Field Dungeon. Yes, so to speak....'It means that from now on, this city must live under the care of the Asura Guild forever. If it's not even a city-state, what's this supposed to be?'

It was then. "Master!" Suddenly, there was a small commotion outside the building, and an employee hurriedly opened the door to the boss's office. "It's a big deal! I think you'll have to come out!"

"Why? Did any magic beasts show up again?" As he spoke, Ali Hassan tilted his head. If a pack of magic beasts had appeared, their characteristic mana would have been felt long ago. However, there was no such sign, and the expression on the face of the employee who came to visit him was different altogether. "What the hell is going on...."

Bang!

Suddenly, the door slammed into the employee's office, and someone stepped into the boss's office.

"Who are you?!"

"You bastard!"

Startled, Ali Hassan and the Vice-guildmaster were instantly ready for battle, glaring at the uninvited guest who had burst in unannounced. 'Is he a villain? Or from a gang?' Whatever it was, it was ridiculous. No matter how much the Imphal Guild's reputation has declined, what kind of madman thought it was good to have invaded his Guild?

"Hmm."

"...?" Something was wrong. An uninvited visitor to the Imphal Guild checked the identity of the people in the boss's office and tilted his head.

"Are you sure this is the right place? I don't think they're from a Foreign Religion."

"What did he say? Which country does he come from?" As unfamiliar words spilled out of the uninvited guest's mouth, Ali Hassan glanced back at the Vice-guildmaster while being wary of him.

"It's a language I don't know." The Vice-guildmaster shook his head hastily. Well, if you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind.(1) The Vice-guildmaster jumped out at the uninvited guest with a grim expression.

"I'll call an interpreter once I've subdued him! Who the hell are you, and how dare you break into our guild!—"

"No, wait...!" Ali Hassan hurriedly reached out to dissuade him, but it was too late.

Bang!

"Cough!--"

Ali Hassan sighed as he watched the Vice-guildmaster bounce off the wall helplessly.

"...You have to seize up your opponent and then attack him." Who is to blame? It was the Vice-guildmaster's fault for his lack of ability to read his opponent's senses.

Gulp.

Ali Hassan swallowed hard and calmly pulled up the magic power in his body. But ignorance is brave, and you see as much as you know. He didn't have the courage to rush forward like his unsightly stunned comrade. '...Strong. I can't fathom just how strong he is. Could he possibly be S-rank?'

Ali Hassan was the master of a guild, and he had met S-rank hunters a few times in his life. But he was sure that none of the S-rank Hunters he knew were anything like this. 'Who the hell is this?' And then, unexpectedly.

"What? They're not even wearing necklaces, are they? Are you sure it's them?"

Suddenly, another uninvited guest stepped into the president's office with an expression on his face.

"!!!"

A white-haired old man who speaks Chinese. The moment he saw his face, Ali Hassan's eyes widened as if they were about to pop out. "Liu– Liu Zhigang?!" There is no hunter in the world who doesn't know Liu Zhigang's face. China's one and only 6-star Hunter. Even though he has such overwhelming power, he is always wandering aimlessly, looking for a battle. Why did the great Liu Zhigang suddenly appear in this city?

There was something that confused Ali Hassan even more.

"Hmm. So what are you going to do now?"

"!?!" Even the Chinese government did not dare to stand in his way, and yet the terrifying Sword Demon Liu Zhigang was like a gentle lamb, politely addressing the young man who came in first! Ali Hassan was stunned by the sight.

"What the hell is going on…?"

1: The real idiom here is 머리가 나쁘면 몸이 고생하면 되는 법 and it's literal translation is "If one's mind is bad, then one must suffer physically" which is often used to refer that if someone lacks intelligence or makes poor decisions, they will inevitably face the consequences or hardships physically. I changed it to another idiom which is more commonly used in english instead.