Swordmaster Healer - Chapter 114

SMH 114
Chapter 38 – To North Korea (3)

TL: Boko

Editor: Frost

Sung Joon’s trip to North Korea was decided. North Korea was unwilling to allow a private airplane into their airspace, so Sung Joon had to take a military plane.

Normally, South Korea’s Air Force would provide the plane, but because the situation was gradually worsening in North Korea, they offered to send their airplane immediately.

The faster they killed the Winter Sovereign, the better, so Sung Joon gladly allowed it. And the military plane that departed from North Korea Air Force Command a little while ago arrived in Seoul.

“This is Kim Hyun Sung. The military plane has arrived. We’ve already sent a car to bring you over, Mr. Kang Sung Joon. Please take that car and come to the airport.”

After Sung Joon received Hyun Sung’s call, he went down to the front entrance of his studio apartment, and saw a black sedan waiting for him; there was person he assumed was related to the Bureau, smoking a cigarette in front of the car.

When the man saw Sung Joon approach, he hastily put out his cigarette and opened the door for him.

“We’ll depart immediately.”

As soon as Sung Joon sat into the rear seat, the man got into the driver’s seat and spoke. Because they didn’t have time, the car immediately went to the airport.

“We’ve arrived.”

They were able to arrive at the airport within an hour. The car stopped at an area where around twenty people were gathered; they were either wearing suits or uniforms.

Sung Joon surveyed the gathered individuals,thinking perhaps that there was someone he knew amongst them, and he saw Team Leader Kim Hyun Sung.

He noticed Sung Joon as well, and waved his hand.

“Mr. Kang Sung Joon! We don’t have any time, so I’ll give you a simple explanation.”

“An explanation?”

“There are things that you have to be aware of when you go to North Korea,” Hyun Sung said, and Sung Joon nodded his head in understanding.

“I’ll keep it simple. As long as you don’t irritate Kim Jang Woon, you should be fine,” Hyun Sung said. Jang Woon was globally renowned as a cruel dictator. There was no telling what he’d do if Sung Joon irritated him.

“So long as they don’t irritate me first, nothing should happen.”

“Please ensure that there’s as little trouble as possible,” Hyun Sung requested. He knew about Sung Joon’s personality, so he was uneasy. Sung Joon was good-natured, but if they irritated him excessively, he would transform into a wild beast.

There were a lot of people from the army and the government, but they left everything to Hyun Sung. There wasn’t much time, so it would be more effective for one person to relay the details.

Aside from informing Sung Joon of the things to be careful of, he relayed a few more details to him. As soon as Hyun Sung was finished relaying these details to him, a first class sergeant came over to him, and opened his mouth.

“The airplane that North Korea sent is standing by. I’ll take you to it.”

Sung Joon, Hyun Sung, as well as the group of men in suits and uniforms followed the sergeant and went to the military aircraft that North Korea had sent.

The airport was vast, but because the North Korean Army’s aircraft was close by, they got there quickly. Eventually, they arrived in front of the airplane.

There were two North Korean soldiers standing in front of the plane.

“Please take care,” Hyun Sung said. Even a few of the officers that followed behind them saluted him. As soon as Sung Joon got onto the plane, the two guarding North Korean soldiers followed suit. They silently sat in front of Sung Joon and the crew member that had been standing by inside informed the pilot that everybody had boarded; then, the plane slowly began to take off.

As soon as the plane reached a safe altitude, the man that looked to be an officer, appeared before Sung Joon.

“Hunter Kang Sung Joon?”

Seeing the two North Korea soldiers immediately stand up and salute, it seems as though he was an incredibly high ranked officer, but because Sung Joon didn’t know the system of ranks in North Korea, he didn’t know exactly what rank the man held.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“I’m Colonel Lee Jung Soo from the Ministry of the People’s Armed Forces.”

He couldn’t tell him apart just from his insignia, but he was aware that a ‘Colonel’ definitely wasn’t a low rank at all.

And there was something more important than that.

“He’s an A-rank Hunter,” Rishubalt said.

Jung Soo wasn’t just a normal soldier, but an A-rank Hunter.

“It’s an honor to meet you. I will act as your personal secretary while you’re in Pyongyang.”

Contrary to his expectations, Jung Soo acted politely to Sung Joon.

“Have you come to relay matters that require my attention?”

“Rather than telling you about matters that require your attention, we’re planning on giving you schedule when you reach Pyongyang.”

“Is there really a need for a schedule? I can just take care of the Winter Sovereign as soon as I arrive in Pyongyang.”

“However, the Leader said…”

Jung Soo looked embarrassed. It seems as though North Korea’s dictator, Jang Hoon, wanted to meet with Sung Joon.

“The city’s in ruins, yet their leader is this relaxed… What a chaotic state of affairs,’ Rishubalt said. He couldn’t nod because Jung Soo was right in front of him, but Sung Joon wholeheartedly agreed.

“If I must meet him no matter what, I’ll see him after I take down the Winter Sovereign,” Sung Joon said firmly. Then, Jung Soo nodded his head and opened his mouth.

“I understand. I’ll tell him that.”

“The Hunters of the Supreme Guard Command are on standby, correct?” Sung Joon asked. His synchronization rate was now at 45%, and based on what Hyun Sung had told him before leaving, the Winter Sovereign that appeared in North Korea was much weaker than the one that appeared in Paju. However, there would be a lot of problems fighting it alone.

“Of course.”

“But I heard that Pyongyang is in ruins. Are there any airports where we can make a proper landing?” Sung Joon asked; he wasn’t being sarcastic.

“We plan to use the number fifteen underground passageway to get to the center of Pyongyang underground. The Supreme Guard Command’s Lee Neung Hwa Corps is on standby there.”

Pyongyang had several underground facilities in case of an air strike. The Winter Sovereign wasn’t an air strike, but it was destroying Pyongyang right now, so the army’s command, as well as the soldiers that had persevered were hiding within the underground facility.

“Alright. How many of them are there?”

It was important to figure out how many soldiers he had to work with. Jung Soo opened his mouth with a calm expression.

“There are fifteen teams totaling 160 soldiers. The details are written here.”

Sung Joon took the document that Jung Soo passed over and read it.

“There are only nine A-rank Hunters out of 161 members…” Sung Joon muttered, as if he were speaking to himself.

“There are ten if you include me,” Jung Soo said. Sung Joon nodded his head, but his face wasn’t bright. The situation in North Korea was worse than he had expected.

‘I have no choice but to use all the forces available to me.’

Sung Joon, who used to be the greatest knight of the Knight Brigade, also had deep knowledge in tactical strategies.

“The plane will land soon,” Jung Soo said. And he sat in front of Sung Joon and fastened his harness. They soon landed with a slight impact.

As soon as the door opened, Jung Soo exited first and lead Sung Joon to the underground passage; once there, they took the underground passage.

The underground passage that Jung Soo had told him about resembled a subway station, but it was a bit more crude. However, the closer they got to the heart of Pyongyang, their surroundings became more magnificent.

“We’ve arrived. Welcome to Pyongyang.”

“I heard that there’s a rank system for Hunters in North Korea as well,” Sung Joon said.

“Of course. Since our system is much different from other foreign countries,” Jung Soo said, admitting that their system was indeed different from other countries.

“Please call the middle officers, or in other words, the team leaders.”

“Is it a mission briefing?”

“Something like that. And please give me a report on the situation as well.”

He needed to grasp the situation first, before he even attempted to create a plan.

“I’ll get it to you immediately.”

Jung Soo gave orders to some other soldiers, and led Sung Joon to his lodging. His lodging was big enough, as they were around forty pyeong[1] in size.

“If you wait just a little bit, I can quickly get you everything you need.”

Sung Joon nodded his head and Jung Soo left. After an hour had passed, he heard a knock on the door, and Jung Soo came in.

“This is the report.”

Jung Soo passed the report over, and Sung Joon took the report; he read it and then sighed. Pyongyang had already sustained so much damage that it would be difficult for it to recover.

The North Korean army had attempted to stop the Winter Sovereign as well as its minions at Pyongyang, but strangely, the monsters hadn’t moved an inch further. Instead, they stayed there, as if they were making a nest, and were thoroughly destroying Pyongyang.

“If I’m being honest, the situation’s not great,” Jung Soo said honestly. He was of the same opinion as the head of the Ministry of the People’s Armed Forces. They hadn’t been able to force Jang Woon to take refuge earlier, so the Lee Neung Hwa Corps couldn’t use their most effective strategies, and because of that, they had sustained heavy casualties.

“That’s true. It’s quite serious,” Sung Joon read the report over a second time and said.

“However, it’s not to the point where we can’t handle the situation. Please gather the team leaders.”

“They’re waiting in the briefing room. I’ll take you to it.”

Sung Joon and Jung Soo went to the briefing room. The team leaders were already waiting for Sung Joon, and he explained his plan to them.

Because he had already killed the Winter Sovereign once before, it wasn’t difficult to formulate a plan.

“The operation name is ‘Siege Destruction Formation'[2].”

Sung Joon gave the operation a name, and finished off his explanation of the plan; their attack on the Winter Sovereign commenced.

Hunters poured out of the underground passage and attacked the Winter Sovereign according to Sung Joon’s plan. The North Korean army maintained an encirclement around the Winter Sovereign, while each team of Hunters carried out the plan; the artillery troops gave them cover fire so that the Hunters could penetrate deep into enemy lines.

“Hunter Kang Sung Joon. We’re getting close to the Winter Sovereign,” Jang Soo said. Sung Joon was covered by the most elite team, Team 1, and had come as close as he could to the Winter Sovereign.

“Are you sure you don’t need my help?”

“I’ll be fine by myself.” Sung Joon’s confidence shined through. Soon, the Winter Sovereign showed itself in front of him.

“I’m going. Please take care of the minions.”

“Please count on me.”

Sung Joon heard Jung Soo’s reply and nodded his head with a satisfied expression.

“Now, I’ll start the hunt.”

* * *

“Based on the reconnaissance unit’s report, South Korea’s S-rank Hunter, Kang Sung Joon, has made contact with the Winter Sovereign,” a Colonel reported. Jang Woon nodded his head and opened his mouth.

“What’s our best course of action…?”

“Regarding what?” the head of the Ministry of People’s Armed Forces, Lee Hae Sung said. He had assisted the dictator for several years, but there were many things he couldn’t understand about him. And it was the same with this situation too.

‘Why exactly did he stay in Pyongyang…’ Hae Sung inwardly lamented. If Jang Woon had left Pyongyang, he thought that the Ministry of People’s Armed Forces would’ve been able to use more tactical strategies and push the Winter Sovereign back.

“I’m talking about Kang Sung Joon. Will we be able to win him over?”

Hae Sung was taken aback at the sudden question, but he hid his feelings and opened his mouth with a composed expression.

“I believe that would be difficult.”

“But I don’t really want to give him back to South Korea…”

“But there aren’t any other methods, are there? I heard that he is… very strong.”

“No. There is another method,” Jang Woon said, and Hae Sung felt as though his heart sunk. What the hell was this crazy dictator going to say next?

Though he was a bit curious.

“You’ve heard about the monster poison that the Research Bureau has developed, haven’t you? Let’s use that. It’s a newly developed poison, so he won’t know how to cure it,” Jang Woon said, and Hae Sung slightly bit his lip.

‘I have to warn him no matter what.’

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If he doesn’t want North Korea to disappear from the map.

[1] Reminder. Pyeong is a Korean measuring unit for land. 1 pyeong = 3.3m square

[2] This is some sort of meme in Korea. It’s the name that the protagonist gives his formation of 300 strong that encircles and defeats a monster army of 5000. It’s from this Japanese web novel: “最下位職から最強まで成り上がる〜地道な努力はチートでした〜.”