Chapter 99
Jung Dong-gun was both shocked and focused as he dodged the relentless barrage of attacks.
Each strike was incredibly fast, almost invisible to the naked eye, and carried tremendous weight.
A direct hit would undoubtedly knock the breath out of him, leaving him gasping for air.
“W-Wait a second. P-Please calm down!”
Jung Dong-gun desperately shouted, attempting to de-escalate the situation with the opponent, whose face remained hidden beneath a motorcycle helmet.
“Calm down? I’ll calm down once I have you pinned!”
“No, we really don’t want to fight—!”
Ignoring his pleas, the opponent dashed forward and began thrusting the sharpened staff in rapid succession.
The foe, wielding a roughly carved staff with a sharpened tip, seemed to be unnervingly accustomed to fighting humans.
After all, zombies were humanoid monsters, so fighting them meant that battling other humans became second nature, whether one liked it or not.
‘This one’s clearly used to fighting living people more than zombies!’
Unlike zombies, whose heads were the prime target for a quick kill, this opponent aimed for vital human points—eyes, throat, groin, and heart.
Even the defensive strikes aimed at his shoulders and arms carried the potential to cause irreparable damage, making the fight even more perilous for Jung Dong-gun.
“You’re pretty good!”
“Please, just calm down!”
However, Jung Dong-gun was not an ordinary individual—he had surpassed level 20 and was a certified superhuman.
While he had initially been caught off guard and taken a hit, he had now fully adjusted to the pace of the fight. He was accurately predicting the opponent’s movements and countering strikes with his weapon when dodging wasn’t possible.
‘Skill-wise, they have the edge. But in terms of equipment, we’re miles ahead.’
Although Jung Dong-gun begrudgingly admitted that his opponent had superior technique, the gap in gear quality was undeniable.
Compared to the professional-grade military gear Jung Dong-gun was wearing, the opponent’s equipment looked like scavenged junk—barely fit for combat.
‘What the hell? Where did someone like this come from? Even in my harshest battles, I didn’t see someone fighting like this.’
The opponent, too, seemed to realize this disparity.
Despite being confident in their skills, the rough comparison between their crude staff and Jung Dong-gun’s advanced equipment must have been glaring.
‘This staff doesn’t even have a steel core. It’s like a glorified broomstick. The tip isn’t professionally sharpened either—just whittled down with a knife. As long as I play it safe, I can win this.’
The staff had neither the durability nor the cutting power of a weapon crafted for combat. It was little more than a makeshift spear. The rest of the opponent’s gear was equally shabby—aside from the motorcycle helmet, their protection consisted of padded fabric stitched onto regular clothing.
By contrast, Jung Dong-gun’s military combat uniform was specifically designed for survivability in battle.
As the saying goes, tools don’t make the craftsman. But in this apocalyptic world, superior gear played a significant role in survival.
Even the United States had poured massive resources into obtaining magical weaponry from the Balhut Cult, exchanging supplies for Bahamut coins to ensure their survival as a nation.
‘With a staff like that, even their strongest thrusts won’t penetrate my body armor. I can take several direct hits without any serious damage. Subduing them is just a matter of time.’
From the recent exchanges, Jung Dong-gun had confirmed that the opponent’s weapon lacked any magical enhancements.
It was a mundane staff, relying purely on the wielder’s skill to make it effective.
Convinced that he could neutralize the threat, Jung Dong-gun lowered his rifle and drew a knife from its holster. He adopted a defensive stance, aiming to coax the opponent into a standoff.
“Heh. Do you think that’ll make me back off?”
Even after seeing the knife, the opponent didn’t show any signs of fear. Spinning the staff in a threatening motion, they maintained their aggressive stance.
However, the fact that they refrained from immediately rushing in suggested that they were at least cautious of Jung Dong-gun’s counterattack.
‘Looks like this is shaping up to be a duel between leaders. Everyone else is just watching.’
With the opponent hesitating momentarily, Jung Dong-gun seized the opportunity to quickly assess his surroundings.
A quick glance confirmed that the situation had evolved into a one-on-one duel.
The opponent’s subordinates were keeping a wary eye on Jung Dong-gun’s team, while Son Sang-hui, Jung Dong-gun’s second-in-command, was directing their own forces to maintain a defensive perimeter and avoid provoking the enemy.
So far, no one had fired a single shot.
‘At least no one’s pulled the trigger yet. If I can just calm this person down, we might be able to resolve this without further conflict.’
Reassured that things hadn’t escalated beyond control, Jung Dong-gun resolved to subdue his opponent without pushing them too far.
“Where do you think you’re looking?!”
The opponent, noticing Jung Dong-gun’s brief distraction, lunged forward with another aggressive thrust.
Caught off guard, Jung Dong-gun deflected the strike with his knife but failed to counterattack. Forced to retreat, he performed a backward somersault to create distance.
However, the opponent wasn’t about to let him escape unscathed. Pivoting into a new stance, they leapt into the air and spun mid-flight, attempting a powerful downward strike using the momentum of their spin.
“Got you!”
“Damn!”
But Jung Dong-gun wasn’t called the strongest warrior of the Balhut Cult for nothing. Reacting swiftly, he deflected the downward strike with his knife and grabbed hold of the staff’s shaft.
Using all his strength, he swung the staff and flung the opponent away.
Disarmed, the opponent abandoned the staff without hesitation and landed gracefully, like a feather, back on the ground.
“We didn’t come here to fight.”
Jung Dong-gun, confident that the situation was now in his favor after disarming the opponent, flung the captured staff far outside the building. Slowly, he approached the kneeling awakened individual.
“Don’t make me laugh. Do you even realize how many people in Ulsan have sacrificed themselves because of your honeyed lies?! Have a shred of decency!”
However, the hostile awakened individual refused to believe Jung Dong-gun’s words, angrily shouting about the deaths of Ulsan’s residents.
The awakened individual’s scornful tone was echoed in the eyes of their companions, who glared at Jung Dong-gun’s group with hostility.
Sensing the tension, Son Sang-hui stepped forward to clarify their affiliation.
“We had no part in this. The reason is—ah!”
Son Sang-hui’s words were abruptly cut off.
Her mana detection ability had revealed that the staff thrown outside was now enveloped in the awakened individual’s mana.
“Watch out, Jung Dong-gun!”
“What?!”
Hearing Son Sang-hui’s urgent cry, Jung Dong-gun turned to look behind him. To his shock, the staff he had thrown was hurtling back toward him in a perfectly straight trajectory.
Earlier, Jung Dong-gun had confirmed that the staff lacked any magical properties. But now, it was imbued with a powerful force. If not for Son Sang-hui’s warning, he would have been struck before realizing what was happening.
Jung Dong-gun rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the staff’s path. The realization that he had almost been skewered sent a cold chill down his spine.
The impact of the near miss left him wondering if even his protective gear could have withstood the blow.
“You’re not a warrior… You’re a mage?”
“That’s right. I’m a mage. What are you even talking about at this point?”
The staff, which had flown with such speed and power moments earlier, now returned to the awakened individual’s hand as if drawn by an invisible force.
Having reclaimed their weapon, the awakened individual spun it confidently before adopting a combat stance once again. Jung Dong-gun rose to his feet, his expression cold as he addressed the recent phenomenon.
“So, that was psychokinesis. I’d read reports from the U.S. about mages capable of telekinesis, but this…”
“A monster, huh? You dodged that? And on top of that, you identified my ability with just one move?”
Psychokinesis, the ability to move objects without physical contact, was often considered the epitome of supernatural abilities.
Jung Dong-gun mentioned the rarity of such mages, referencing U.S. intelligence. Meanwhile, the awakened individual, surprised that Jung Dong-gun had survived the attack, muttered about him being a monster.
Despite Son Sang-hui’s warning, the staff had reached a dangerously close range. It was astonishing to the awakened individual that Jung Dong-gun had evaded the attack at all.
Most opponents would have been incapacitated instantly, making Jung Dong-gun’s survival all the more intimidating.
“The U.S., you say?”
The mention of “the U.S.” triggered a noticeable reaction in the awakened individual.
They appeared puzzled, as though questioning why that name had come up. Gradually, their aggressive stance softened, and they lowered their staff.
“Have you calmed down a little?”
“The U.S.? Are you saying… you’re not part of the Immortal Cult?”
“Correct. We are not affiliated with the Immortal Cult. We are collaborators with the United States.”
The mention of the Immortal Cult and the U.S. seemed to shake the awakened individual’s earlier hostility.
“Impossible. In this apocalypse, how can you maintain contact with a foreign country?”
“I understand your skepticism. But after our skirmish, haven’t you gotten a rough idea of our capabilities?”
“Well…”
Indeed, Jung Dong-gun’s strength was enough to make the opponent question whether continuing the fight was wise.
If the battle continued, it was likely to end in either mutual destruction or a victory for Jung Dong-gun. Given that defeat meant death, hesitation was natural.
Now that the mention of the U.S. and their claim of not being part of the Immortal Cult had been made, the opponent’s grip on their staff visibly loosened.
“You called yourselves a cult, right? If you’re not with the Immortal Cult, what cult are you with?”
“We are from the Balhut Cult.”
“The Balhut Cult… You mean the group that supposedly took control of Southern Gyeongju?”
The opponent seemed to recognize the name, their expression shifting to one of surprise.
It appeared that contact with the outside world hadn’t been entirely severed. Jung Dong-gun’s mention of the Balhut Cult sparked varied reactions among the other survivors.
“Yes, that Balhut Cult. Though it seems you’re behind on the news. Gyeongju has long been unified, and we’ve liberated Pohang as part of our territory.”
“That… That I know! When Pohang was taken, I remember there being a lot of noise about some trial involving a ‘Jo-something.’”
“Ah, you must mean Do Josoon. And who might you be? I can’t tell with that motorcycle helmet hiding your face.”
The mention of Do Josoon’s trial indicated that this individual had been aware of the Balhut Cult for some time.
“So, you’re saying you’re Jung Dong-gun? The military officer of the Balhut Cult?”
“You’ve heard of me?”
“In Yeongnam, there isn’t a single person who doesn’t know the name Jung Dong-gun.”
The opponent seemed well-informed, claiming that everyone in Yeongnam knew Jung Dong-gun’s name. Frustrated, they removed their motorcycle helmet, letting it drop to the ground with a loud thud.
“You’re a woman?”
The revealed face belonged to a young woman with smooth, flowing black hair and crimson eyes, likely altered due to her awakening. She appeared to be at the cusp between girlhood and womanhood—a fresh entrant into society.
Until this moment, Jung Dong-gun and his male subordinates had assumed their opponent was male.
“So, you weren’t a man but a woman.”
“Well, I guessed as much. Small chest.”
“Yeah, same here. I thought you were a cute guy, but surprise—it’s a girl.”
“Who are you calling flat-chested, you bastards?!”
The woman, seemingly offended, snapped at the murmuring soldiers before formally introducing herself to Jung Dong-gun.
“My name is Jina Ahn.”
“Jina Ahn…! Wait, you’re that famous Korean awakened who made a name for herself in Japan. I thought you were still there, but to find you here in Ulsan…”
Jung Dong-gun recognized her immediately.
Jina Ahn was a celebrated hero not in Korea, but in Japan, where she had led the charge to reclaim Fukuoka City from the zombies.
Her fame as the “Hero of Fukuoka” was widespread, making her presence in Ulsan all the more curious.
“This isn’t the time for that.”
“You’re right. That’s not what’s important right now. So, what exactly happened here?”
Although Jung Dong-gun had many questions about her presence, the more pressing issue was why she was occupying Ulsan Airport and displaying hostility toward outsiders.
“We are the Resistance against the Immortal Cult.”
“The Immortal Cult…”
And with that, they revealed their allegiance as part of the Resistance opposing the Immortal Cult.
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