From-DIDIDA Novels
:
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
“Ma’am, we have a problem… The bomb was made so that it can’t be defused.”
“What do you mean it can’t be defused!?” Ji Yoo shouted with wide eyes.
“It’s not an ordinary bomb. It’s designed so that it goes off the moment somebody attempts to defuse it,” the team leader said, his face growing even darker.
“What…!?”
A look of terror washed over everyone’s face, including Ji Yoo’s.
“Damage estimation. What are we looking at here?” Ji Yoo asked.
“Half of Seoul… at the very least,” the leader said, grief washing over his face.
“Is there really no way to defuse the bomb?” Ji Yoo asked, and the team leader dropped his head in shame.
“Couldn’t you try to defuse it yourself?”
“There’s nothing we can do, ma’am,” the team leader said, shaking his head.
[00:17:04]
‘Alright, I gotta stay calm. Think Ji Yoo Kim,’ she thought, her heart racing with apprehension. However, no matter how hard she thought, she simply couldn’t think of a solution.
“… Damn it!” Ji Yoo let out, clenching her teeth. At that moment, her phone started to go off. When she checked the name of the caller on the phone, she couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
‘The Shadow Guild?’
Ji Yoo answered the phone without hesitation.
[Please say the code.]
“E802AT4”
[One moment.]
[Background check completed.]
[Your call will now be directed to the Guild Master.]
“Yes, Sung Woo Moon speaking.”
When Ji Yoo explained the situation, the Guild Master responded, “We’ve actually just found someone capable of defusing that bomb and sent him your way. I would’ve found someone a bit higher level if we had had more time in our hands, but I don’t think it’ll be an issue as long as you work with him.”
“So, who is this person?” Ji Yoo asked, swallowing nervously.
“His name is Ho Sung Lee, the Head of the Diamond Clan.”
—
“Son of a bitch…! There’s way too much action in my life for my liking,” Ho Sung grumbled with dark circles under his eyes. He was driving toward the Central Institute.
“Hell! What are the odds of me being the only person in the whole damn country who can defuse an enchanted stone bomb?”
Laughing as if he had lost his mind, he murmured, “What was the government doing this entire time!? What if I’d never gotten that sword from Min Sung? They would’ve been sitting ducks!”
At that moment, his phone went off, indicating a new text message. Picking up his phone, he checked the message.
‘Take care of the bomb and get ready to go out for dinner. – Min Sung Kang, your Lord.’
Tossing his phone on the passenger seat, Ho Sung sighed and said, “How can he think about food when everyone around him might get blown to pieces!?”
The car screeched loudly as Ho Sung stomped on the gas pedal while turning a corner.
[In six hundred meters, you will arrive at your destination.] the voice from the GPS said.
At that point, Ho Sung took the Warlord’s Sword out of his inventory to check its remaining durability.
[Durability: 85%]
Seeing that, Ho Sung breathed a sigh of relief because he had been taking blows left and right from Ace without being able to fight back. However, the sword remained relatively undamaged. Nevertheless, the bomb was powerful enough to blow up most of Seoul, or so he had been told.
‘Will this sword really be able to absorb the blast?’ Ho Sung wondered, blinking rapidly while licking his lips anxiously.
‘Shit, I might as well make friends with death.’
On his way to drop Min Sung off at home, Ho Sung had received a call from the Shadow Guild about a bomb that was impossible to defuse by design, requesting Ho Sung to head to the Central Institute with his weapon.
Not only was Ho Sung responsible for Ace’s death, but Ho Sung was also the only person capable of doing something about the bomb. On top of that, since the weapon had already been inscribed with Ho Sung’s name, giving the weapon to another person was impossible. In the end, there was no other option but to face the issue head on.
“Why do I have to get involved with this?”
With a loud screech, the car stopped in front of the Central Institute. Getting out of the car, Ho Sung looked up at the building, clenched his eyes tightly and let out a deep sigh.
“You know what? I REFUSE to die like this! Ace, you batshit crazy psychopath! I’m putting an end to your bullshit TODAY!”
After that, Ho Sung enhance his movement speed using his ‘Wind Walk’ skill and took off at full speed in the direction he had been previously given.
—
[00:03:11]
Standing in front of the solitary confinement cell of the Villains Detention Center, the officials of the Central Institute, including Ji Yoo Kim, waited for Ho Sung to arrive anxiously. Then, just as the timer on the bomb was passing the two minute mark, they heard footsteps approaching their direction. When they looked toward the noise, they saw a man, who was sweating profusely and whose face was flushed red, dashing toward them.
—
Sitting in his front yard, Min Sung drank his coffee while looking up at the crescent moon lighting the night sky. As the warm liquid flowed into his mouth, the strange sensation of caffeine spreading through his body followed and cleared up his head. Fixing his gaze on the moon, he rubbed his belly and murmured, “Startin’ to get hungry.”
Because he had been waiting for Ho Sung to return and take him to a restaurant, Min Sung had been waiting on an empty stomach.
‘I’m sure it’ll be worth the wait,’ Min Sung thought, savoring his late night coffee under the moonlit sky.
—
Upon arriving at the scene, Ho Sung looked around with a pale face. With a number of high-ranking officers of the Central Institute around, including their miscellaneous-type leader, Ji Yoo Kim, the pressure on Ho Sung was immense. Not only was the fate of Seoul now on Ho Sung’s shoulders, but he was going to be under the scrutiny of miscellaneous types whose powers were at a-whole-nother realm from those of an ordinary hunter like Ho Sung. Knowing that made Ho Sung feel out of place and insignificant. However, in reality, the fate of the country’s capital lay on the sword that happened to belong to him.
“This way,” the leader of the bomb squad said to Ho Sung, pointing toward the bomb. Standing in front of the solitary confinement cell, Ho Sung let out inadvertently, “Well, shit…”
At the sweat-inducing sight of the four-star officer covered in dried-up blood wrapped by a chain crafted of a dozen top-tier explosive enchanted stones, the severity of the matter at hand became very clear to Ho Sung. It was up to him to dismantle the bomb with his sword.
[00:01:59]
Feeling more nervous than ever, Ho Sung walked up to the officer and looked down at him. Meanwhile, the timer kept ticking.
‘Looks like the twelve stones are all connected,’ Ho Sung thought, looking at the stream of Aura surging from the bomb.
‘You’ve got this Ho Sung Lee… You’ve got this,’ Ho Sung reminded himself repeatedly as he took the Warlord Sword out of his inventory, determined to succeed. With thirty seconds left on the timer, his heart started to thump like the pistons of a runaway train. Anxiety engulfed his brain, causing Ho Sung to breathe quicker and feel slightly lightheaded. His legs shook uncontrollably, and it felt as though they were melting away. At that moment…
“Mr. Lee.”
When the voice called his name, Ho Sung looked back. It was Ji Yoo. She was supporting him from behind.
“The impact will be massive, but I’m right behind you. We can do this,” she said. Swallowing nervously, Ho Sung looked ahead at Tae Gyum. There were also healers on standby in order to heal Tae Gyum after the explosion.
‘I’m not alone. I have support. Focus, Ho Sung lee. Focus! You can do this!’ Ho Sung thought, gripping the handle of his sword with determination. Then, with ten seconds left on the timer, Ho Sung found himself thinking about the champion.
‘I wonder why he didn’t come here himself? Maybe he’s not powerful enough to dismantle the bomb? I mean, he seems like the type who doesn’t take sides, but he is an Aura user, a ridiculous one at that! Shit, five seconds to go. C’mon, Ho Sung Lee! Concentrate! Here it comes! Here it comes!’
When there were three seconds left on the timer, Tae Gyum looked toward Ho Sung and Ji Yoo and gave them a determined nod.
Three… Two… One…
‘Here it comes!’
When the timer reached zero, there was a fiery nuclear explosion before Ho Sung’s eyes. At that point, Ho Sung felt the memories of his childhood up to the moment he met the champion play through his mind like a film.
‘I’ve seen this before and I’m not planning on dying today!’ Ho Sung said to himself, clenching his teeth and driving the sword into the fire. At that moment, the ground started to quake, and the sword started to vibrate violently in Ho Sung’s hands as it absorbed the blast like a vampire feasting on blood.
[The Warlord Sword has been damaged.]
[The Warlord Sword has been damaged.]
[The Warlord Sword has been damaged.]
[The Warlord Sword has been damaged.]
[Caution: Your weapon’s durability is below 45%.]
[Durability: 35%]
Since the bomb was rather large, the explosion continued for quite some time. Nevertheless, Ho Sung had to stand strong against the impact.
‘C’mon! C’mon! Just a little longer!’
Ho Sung’s body shook as if he was holding a drill. Had he been alone, he would have dropped the sword or fallen unconscious before the explosion died down. However, thanks to Ji Yoo, who was supporting him from behind with her Aura, Ho Sung was able to withstand the powerful blast of the bomb. Like a cup filled to the brim with water, the hunters resisted the blast precariously.
[The Warlord Sword has been damaged.]
[The Warlord Sword has been damaged.]
[The Warlord Sword has been damaged.]
[Durability: 9%]
‘How much longer is this explosion gonna last!? My sword is falling apart!’
[The Warlord Sword has been damaged.]
[The Warlord Sword has been damaged.]
[Durability: 5%]
[Failure to repair the weapon will result in its permanent destruction.]
‘C’mon! C’mon! C’mon! Stop it already!’
[Durability: 0%]
[The Warlord’s Sword has been destroyed.]