Chapter 11: Battle

It hasn’t been long since his first memorable mission, but time flies, and a month has already passed.

They say the first time is always the hardest.

Indeed, over the past month, he had performed many and varied tasks for the Special Missions Department, demonstrating his abilities, but there were no incidents particularly worth narrating as episodes, unlike his first mission.

From the perspective of ordinary people, these stories might seem amazing, but for them, it was just everyday life.

Still, he reminisced that it was only the spectacular aspects that were lacking, and it had been fun days.

In fact, he had met many good people like Si-ah, Ha-neul, and Eun-ae.

He had also become friendly with many people in the Special Missions Department.

And above all, he was still a newbie with only one month of experience.

It was a time when everything was new to him.

But strangely, for the past week, unlike before, he had been performing missions that were practically solo assignments, except for some on-site support.

Since he was still a bit clumsy, he repeatedly stumbled through and barely finished his tasks.

It was from then that he felt a change in the gazes of the Special Missions Department members, especially the team leaders, and they suddenly started visiting his house whenever they had free time.

“Jae-in, click! How about a drink? It’s our team dinner today. We have Korean beef, Jae-in’s favorite.”

“What’s with you guys always eating meat? Seafood is the best for snacks.

The yellowtail is in season now. Let’s go eat yellowtail sashimi with us.”

“Hey~~ these guys don’t know anything. Our Jae-in likes to play alone at home, okay? You can ignore these old men.

Ah, but if you get bored playing alone, call this Noona. Noona likes games too. Got it?”

“You crazy woman, what are you scheming? Since when was Jae-in yours?”

“You’re probably older than Jae-in’s grandmother!”

“I’m not that old, you bastard! And didn’t I tell you I’d kill you if you brought up my age?!”

“You’re bluffing! Alright, I’ll expose this old hag’s true face today!”

Later, he heard from Si-ah and Jang-hyeok that it was because of the director’s orders.

They had finished their three-week assessment of his abilities and skills.

And the one week of actual combat had proven that his abilities could be sufficiently utilized on the front lines.

Although there were still some issues regarding his status, it was announced that his security clearance would be upgraded starting next month.

“Is that good?”

“It’s good. It means there are more things we can tell Jae-in now.

Until now, even though we worked together, there was a line between us, you know?”

“Of course, it won’t be up to the team leader level, but it will be upgraded to level 3, the level of general department staff.

That’s one level lower than Si-ah and two levels lower than me, the deputy team leader.”

Naturally, it was very high.

It was one level lower than Si-ah and two levels lower than Jang-hyeok.

But considering that Ha-neul and Eun-ae were level 4, it was clear that he was rated higher than them even though he hadn’t officially joined the Special Missions Department.

It was almost equivalent to a deputy ministerial-level information authority within the entire National Intelligence Service.

Of course, in his case, it was limited to the Special Missions Department, so he couldn’t access the actual classified information of the National Intelligence Service.

“There are other people like Jae-in who live in Korea and work as freelancers under contract with the Special Missions Department, but none of them have received a level 3 security clearance.”

‘Oh~~~ hearing it like that, I definitely feel trusted.’

“Jae-in’s skills are exceptional, and those people are practically living in Korea but have ties to other countries or organizations abroad.”

“But honestly…..I don’t really know what’s good for me. Does anything change?”

It wouldn’t be bad to have higher authority, but…..

He couldn’t think of any particular use for that increased authority.

But to his lukewarm response, Si-ah and Jang-hyeok strongly emphasized that it was definitely not the case, and a lot would change.

They taught him that the changes were the key reason why the team leaders were acting that way.

“Your pay for assignments will increase slightly, and with your security clearance, you can now confidently request information from the information team or ask them to investigate, and they will find everything for you.”

“The Special Missions Department’s information team is very competent.

If you ask them to find out if your wife is cheating on you, they’ll dig up the lover’s details and evidence within three hours.”

They were also the ones who made fake IDs, passports, and licenses needed for missions.

The quality was so high that it was safe to use them as real within the country, and even abroad, they were rarely caught unless specifically checked.

But the most important thing for him as a freelancer was this.

“”Now you can choose which assignments you take.””

Being able to choose his work instead of being assigned tasks.

When he asked what that meant with a blank expression.

Si-ah and Jang-hyeok explained it to him in detail.

“Huh? No, what does that mean…..really?”

“Yes, especially Jae-in, you will be able to choose your work more extensively.”

“All the assignments Jae-in completed in the past week were tasks that the team leaders had planned to take at least three days to as long as two weeks to complete.”

“But you finished them at a rate of one per day. And almost perfectly.”

“Well, it wasn’t perfect…..half of it was just patching things up in a crude way…..”

“Even that is amazing. It’s something that we can even patch things up.

Usually, people can’t even do that and make things even worse.”

“In the first place, our work can’t have a manual. Solving problems on the spot with independent judgment based on the situation is not ‘patching things up’, but rather an ability to be praised.”

Moreover, Jae-in hadn’t just performed tasks in one specific field or team.

Except for a few cases like the information team, he had shown results in most of the field activities.

Even in the work of Si-ah’s Field Analysis Team, which he thought he wouldn’t have much to do with.

It was the result of his Godslayer’s senses, innate crisis detection, and insight.

“So much so that the director personally called me and Si-ah and asked if we could persuade Jae-in one more time.”

“He even said he would promise you the position of the next director of the Special Missions Department.”

“Hmm….I’m not really interested…..”

“I know. So we politely refused. We said you might distance yourself because you don’t like it.”

“This security clearance adjustment is in lieu of that. In fact, the current top agent of the Special Missions Department is none other than Jae-in, so they can’t let you go.

use an old expression, they’ve marked you, so don’t touch. Something like that.”

The two told him that other organizations, individuals, or even foreign entities would likely come looking for him soon.

The reason, of course, was to hire him.

They said that since he was aiming to be a freelancer, they might be able to put in a request.

Of course.

“I’m not interested. If you have money, there’s no better place to live than Korea.

I’m comfortable now, and if I can choose my assignments on top of that, it’s the icing on the cake.”

He wasn’t completely uninterested, but it was more of a curiosity about what those places were like.

Hire him?

He had a freelance contract with the Special Missions Department, which he considered the best, so that was out of the question.

But regardless of his feelings, Director Chan-seok of the Special Missions Department couldn’t help but be anxious.

So by letting those around him know.

“Ah, so…..now I understand why the team leaders were suddenly so enthusiastic.”

“That’s right. They can take turns assigning requests to Jae-in, but…”

“From now on, Jae-in will choose, so they’re trying to get on your good side in advance.”

The Special Missions Department was always understaffed and had an overwhelming amount of work.

Si-ah said that thanks to the assignments Jae-in had completed in a week, all the team leaders got a day off.

He understood why they would want to be on his good side, and a smile broke out on his face.

“Well, well, all the meals they bought me were bribes.”

“Well, Jae-in, you’ll probably be most suited for the eradication team’s work, but when our team leader is dying from overwork, please help us out once in a while.”

“Us too. Jae-in, you really have a talent for analysis! It’s like, you have a good intuition?”

“Hey, who are you calling free? I’ll have to accept it straight up now.

Bribes, bring them on. Food. I love it when others buy me food.”

There was a new ramen shop that had recently opened nearby, so Jang-hyeok suggested that the three of them have dinner together today.

Of course, Si-ah and I gave the okay sign.

In addition, when I added that since I received a bribe, I’d put one in for the Crime Team, Jang-hyeok laughed, saying it was a 10,000 won vacation.

Of course, I retorted that it was impossible, wiggled my finger, and said I’d add char siu, so it was 12,000 won.

And Si-ah said she would buy dessert coffee, so the Analysis Team also got one.

After finishing a pleasant meal after work, the three of us parted ways.

By the way, we talked about our Crime Team Leader, door-slapper Ga-ram for a bit.

It seemed like she was still avoiding me, and Jang-hyeok said that her trauma was lasting a long time.

“Hmm, should I apologize?”

“Apologize for what? She got a reality check for doing something stupid.

You don’t have to worry. She’ll get over it eventually. In fact, the team members are happy that she’s become a bit more mature.”

Well.

I now know how she acts when I’m not around, so I wasn’t too worried.

As Jang-hyeok said, Ga-ram is a person who lives a bit too exuberantly.

In the first place, the Special Missions Department was a place where only carefully selected people came, and because of the manpower shortage, it boasted the ultimate job security for even the biggest idiots.

It was a place where no matter what kind of idiot came in, the atmosphere was like, ‘Ah, that one’s that kind of idiot.’

After all, from top to bottom, there were only about 300 people, and by default, almost 200 of them were on missions.

There were no factions or anything like that in the workplace.

They were just all colleagues and comrades.

It was a workplace with a family-like atmosphere, a real family-like atmosphere.

It wasn’t without reason that I decided not to leave without hesitation.

“But if they’re starting to suggest scouting me from other places, that means I’m starting to make a name for myself in this world, right?”

He didn’t dislike fame.

But as mentioned earlier, if he became famous, there was a high possibility that the Tennouji would find out that he was the one who wiped them out.

If Jang-hyeok and Si-ah were talking about it, the information had probably already reached their ears.

Since the Special Missions Department had already recovered the Manpasikjeok, it seemed like the King of Japan had taken action.

Yeah, as expected, even for him, the Manpasikjeok is too much of a ‘

‘

While he was thinking that.

Whoosh!

Clang!!

“…Are you kidding me? For real?”

Reflexively, he tilted his head, and a shuriken, aiming for the back of his head, flew past, cutting a few strands of his hair.

Then it embedded itself in the sidewalk without any problem.

The handle vibrating showed the force and murderous intent with which the weapon had been thrown.

And immediately afterward, three men and women appeared.

“As expected, even on a small peninsula, you are the most skilled. I suppose this won’t be enough?”

“If it ended with just this, it wouldn’t be worth coming all the way across the sea.”

“You know your own sins. I will allow you one last struggle, so show me your skills.”

The assassins, dressed in very flashy attire, seemed to be two levels higher than the Tennouji he had dealt with before, in line with their confidence.

Of course, by his standards, it was still a trivial difference.

But at the same time, he wondered if they were really assassins.

In fact, with a little provocation, he found out that they were much worse than he had thought.

“You’re picking a fight in the middle of the night. Is this some kind of random assault? If you’re drunk, go home.”

“Your mouth is exceedingly vulgar. As expected of a lowly mercenary who wanders around without a nest, you’re showing your lack of education.”

“Your death is already નક્કી.”

“We are elders of the Tennouji. At the same time, we are messengers of His Majesty King Kusani.

He has ordered the Special Missions Department to retrieve the other half of the Manpasikjeok, and now we are here.

Your fate, and that of the Special Missions Department, will be decided by our will.”

With their words, he outwardly smiled leisurely, but inwardly he was dumbfounded and appalled.

They were saying that the King of Japan, instead of setting an example, was blindly protecting his own people.

Moreover, not stopping there, he ordered the retrieval of the Manpasikjeok and entrusted it to the Tennouji, who were the cause of this incident.

“It’s war. What a crazy bastard. So he really wants to have a go with us?”

War.

No matter how much a worm squirms when stepped on, a cornered rat will bite a cat.

The King’s actions were practically cornering the Special Missions Department.

But at his words, the three showed disdainful sneers.

It was as if they were mocking him, asking if he was even worthy of war.

“His Majesty accompanies us. War? Such a thing is only established with an equal opponent.”

“And in the first place, such a war will not happen. You seem to have some skill, but you are a mercenary.

Even if it’s the Special Missions Department, do you think this country will protect you?”

“All we want is the remaining half of the Manpasikjeok, your head, the heads of a few sinners who spilled the blood of our clan, and the head of Jin Chan-seok, the head of the Special Missions Department.”

They had already begun to pressure the Special Missions Department through Korean politicians who had joined the Japanese side.

They asserted that even if he survived here, he would be captured and brought back by his former colleagues in the Special Missions Department.

“It would be quite a sight to see you and the Special Missions Department members slaughter each other, so it wouldn’t be bad to let you go here.”

As if giving him a choice, the Tennouji elders said.

He was so dumbfounded that he burst out laughing.

They thought he had lost his mind and started to approach him, saying that if he had no intention of escaping, they would take his head and throw it in front of the Special Missions Department.

At that moment, he immediately gave them his real answer with action.

“You’re talking nonsense. Yeah, I’ve held back my temper for too long. Does this king think he’s immune to a sword?”

One by one, mists began to envelop his body and take shape.

Although worn, torn, and full of indelible bloodstains, they were the armor that had accompanied him on all his journeys to become Elden Lord.

And along with that, for the first time since returning to the modern world, he took out his weapons.

A Bastard Sword and a Round Shield.

‘Grafted’ and evolved, his mythical God Relics.

“I’ll teach you what a Tarnished is.”

A blade forged to kill a god.

The tip of the blade was now aimed at a Devil King.

“I am the Elden Lord.”

Slash!

It is said that cutting off the head of a messenger is the most representative declaration of war.

He declared war on the King of Japan.