SWNOVELXO Chapter 154
Chapter 154 – Storm (4)
“Are you leaving work now?”
“I’m just relocating. I have to keep an eye on things at home too. By the way, how long do you plan to keep watching me?”
“It’s not surveillance; it’s protection. I’d appreciate it if you could think of it that way.”
Late evening. Lee So-Yeon stepped out of the office to go home and furrowed her brow upon seeing him. The man in the black suit, who had been waiting for her, merely nodded as if this was a common occurrence and wasn’t put off by her reaction at all.
In the car, the hapless knight kept his mouth shut, stealing glances at both of them.
“The representative is the key to the project. The higher-ups think it’s of great importance too. It’s a necessary measure that applies to others deemed crucial throughout society.”
“I can protect myself just fine. Honestly, even if the team leader brandished a gun, I’d still be stronger, you know?”
So-Yeon smiled and showed him the back of her hand, which proudly displayed the faint pattern of a staff. In reality, So-Yeon was strong—thanks to the magic and items she had gained from nurturing the residents.
At this point, there were probably not many people stronger than her in terms of sheer physical power.
“Protection isn’t just about keeping your body safe.”
However, he shook his head. Their duty was to fend off and block various covert threats that posed real danger to her.
With him saying that, So-Yeon couldn’t find a retort and merely flapped her lips.
“You’re special and therefore important. Given the era we’re in, with bizarre monsters known as Bugs popping up everywhere, our unusual actions are precisely because of that. Lives of many people are at stake. We’re warning you openly for that reason.”
“Do you really think that? Am I that significant? Is what I, or we, do truly that great?”
So-Yeon let out a faint smile at his words. He flinched when she flicked her fingers and cast a spell. A translucent dome enveloped both of them within a radius of a few meters.
“Inside this, neither voice nor signals can penetrate. So, we can speak freely. Right now, I need information to save people’s lives.”
“What do you…?”
“I have no ulterior motives. Just that. But as you already know, there are many sick… I mean, people in this world who regard other things as more important than human life.”
So-Yeon turned the conversation and demanded information from him.
Sensitive information that she couldn’t obtain on her own. Specifically, it was concerning a recent incident where a user had failed a mission and died, but the government was hiding the information he left behind.
“Can you find that information for me?”
“I’ll try.”
While persuading the National Intelligence Service agent, she was already recalling her orders in her head without a shred of doubt about executing them.
Until now, that person had never done anything that didn’t help her.
*
“It’s quite far.”
So-Yeon really listened to my request. She found the information I wanted and shared it with me.
Where to go and whom to talk to; having absorbed all that knowledge, I had no more reasons to hesitate.
“I’ve packed everything.”
I closed my phone and checked the modest belongings I had prepared. It was a simple setup. Heading to a distant foreign country, but I wouldn’t stay long or even take a plane.
Just a few essential items and a laptop that would allow me to check the desktop anytime. That was all I needed.
The western region was just on the brink of battle, and the northern fortress, along with the Elves, were still in a precarious state, but for now, the residents were stable.
Time was of the essence; I was certain that now was the perfect time to act.
“If they had cooperated from the start, I wouldn’t be in this situation.”
Packing my belongings and donning the cloaked outfit of a recluse, I finished my preparations while grumbling inwardly. No matter how I thought about it, if people hadn’t acted foolishly, I wouldn’t have to be wandering around like this.
“If I make a move now, the chances of my identity being revealed will surely increase. Not my real identity, but your existence.”
“I’m willing to take that risk. On the contrary, I might make So-Yeon suspicious. Are you alright with that?”
“Well, I can just deny it, right?”
After gaining this new power that allows me to leap through space, I asked her to find me information.
While she readily agreed with a slight smile, she also expressed her concerns about whether my concealed identity would get too much attention as a result.
While her concern wasn’t unfounded, I decided to take that risk. I judged that it was because I had kept my identity thoroughly hidden so far that I could step forward in such times.
“Be careful.”
“I’ll be fine.”
Of course, planning and executing are entirely different matters. I nodded at her warning that a collision was highly likely.
Surprisingly, I was somewhat timid. I wasn’t a fool who threw myself into a fight with no chance of victory.
“Alright, let’s go.”
With past thoughts settled, I completed my preparations and pulled up my phone to get ready a picture I had captured from the internet.
It was a satellite image near the facility that the National Intelligence Service had provided. According to the information, the person I needed to meet was located inside this facility.
They proudly displayed the satellite image, disguising it as an ordinary rural factory, but in reality, it was a government facility.
Having only seen the portals through a monitor, I hurled my body toward the one that had appeared right in the middle of the living room.
“Ugh.”
It felt weird. I wondered how often they frequented places like this. The scenery changed in an instant.
As I emerged from the portal, I quickly moved to dodge a truck barreling toward me. The portal had opened right in the middle of the road.
“Can’t they see it?”
I figured they couldn’t see me under the cloak that concealed my presence, but it seemed that others also couldn’t see the shimmering portal in mid-air.
Not bad. It reduced the likelihood of raising suspicion. In a foreign land I had never visited before, I looked around, searching for my destination.
“Let’s move quickly.”
I planned to move fast, relying on the cloak. The place looked like a quiet factory but had stringent security and alarm systems.
Unfortunately, those wouldn’t be able to reveal my identity, boosted by the power of the items I had brought.
“—. —-.”
“Uh.”
But at that moment, I saw someone exiting with others from inside.
As they chatted eagerly with people nearby, the face of the white man at the back, heading toward the vehicle, was exactly who I’d memorized beforehand.
“Anton Cernov.”
A researcher who studied Bugs with a background in bioengineering, but also deeply involved in politics.
Caught off guard, I stood there dazed as he approached the car. I couldn’t chase after the person getting in, so my options were to ambush him here or back off and return another day.
“What the hell is that guy?”
But at that moment, I locked eyes with someone. A huge man who was sticking close beside Anton, acting like a guard, scanned the area and precisely spotted where I was standing.
I muttered in disbelief. Did they actually see through my concealment?
“Damn it.”
I was right; the guy was pointing straight at me, shouting something.
“—! —!!”
Immediately, bullets rained down from all directions. The frigid mana I had released deflected all the projectiles, but my stealth was compromised.
Now, only one option remained—to charge straight at Anton and snatch him away.
“—!”
Summoning my frost blade, I charged forward, swinging the ice-coated greatsword to knock aside those resisting me, then unleashed a rapid sweep that shattered all the cars parked in the lot.
Anton, startled by the chaos, was trembling on the ground after he fell. Soon, the battle began.
“As expected of this guy.”
While the others charged at me with guns that were utterly useless, one of them recognized me and pulled out a sword to come at me.
Our swords clashed. This was no ordinary opponent. He was likely either a user who had received traits from the residents or a guardian blessed with gifts from outside this world.
“–, —!”
“What are you even saying?”
I couldn’t understand the foreign language that wasn’t even English. I hadn’t come to ask for permission anyway, so I pushed him back with force and kicked out.
His skills weren’t bad, but the martial arts I had learned were the strongest of the Arin Tribe.
He lost consciousness after my powerful kick drove into his jaw, leaving only the guards rushing in from a distance.
“-, —…”
“Just follow me for now. You’re a scholar, so you understand English, right?”
“W-why are you doing this! Aah!”
I grabbed Anton by the nape, dragging him along. The guards fired their guns without caring whether Anton got hit, but the defense barrier created from the frost blade warded off all the bullets.
“Let’s get to a safe place.”
In that state, I raised my phone again, using the prepared photo to create a portal, then threw Anton through it before diving in myself.
The sounds of gunfire and screams vanished in an instant.
“W-where is this?!”
“It’s quiet, so it’s fine.”
I looked down at Anton, who sat dazed, circling around the deserted valley in the Alps, and smirked.
“All I want to know is one thing. If you tell me that, I’ll send you back to where you were.”
“What do you want?”
“Tell me what Ivan discovered before he died.”
“!!!”
Anton’s eyes widened in surprise the moment I mentioned the name Ivan, clearly knowing something.
“T-that’s…”
“If a way to stop the Gates of the Bugs passes on to users, our survival rate will significantly rise, which means the Earth will be safer. What are you hesitating for? In this situation, what could be more important than that?”
I pressed him, fully aware he had knowledge. It would be great if he simply confessed to this level of intimidation, but if he refused, I was prepared to do something bad.
“It’s a state secret! If I speak, I’ll be punished!”
“Do you think this is some world war where we’re fighting each other, like people?! Nation? State secret? It seems you still don’t understand what’s truly important. Those monsters don’t give a damn about nationality when they kill people.”
My voice naturally rose with his frustrating answering.
I had no intention of being considerate. Right now, on the laptop screen I was carrying, precious lives were being lost.
“If you want to die while protecting your precious patriotism, go ahead. I can just grab someone else and ask.”
“W-wait! I’ll tell you!”
As I pressed the blade closer, the startled man eventually nodded hurriedly. Seeing that, I finally withdrew the blade.