Chapter 51 – Subjugation Battle

“Brother?”

A person Se-min knew was just walking toward Radagast.

He looked at Se-min and tilted his face.

“Why are you coming out of here?”

“Why are you going here, of all places, Brother?”

A man whose one pupil was blanched white.

It was Kim Gyu-jin.

Wearing plain clothes, the feeling was different from usual. He was dressed in a combination of a navy blazer, a white shirt, and light beige pants. The length of the pants was cleanly cut above the ankles.

Se-min shook his head inwardly.

As expected of someone who only wore uniforms, his plain clothes fashion seemed a bit lacking.

It was utterly boring.

If it were Se-min, he would have replaced the pants with a baggy hip-hop style and attached a long chain to showcase a fusion fashion combining dandy and street styles.

He thought he should present him with one of his dragon-patterned jackets next time.

“I dropped by to check my sword. They said this is a magic sword.”

Kim Gyu-jin glanced at his sword.

His white pupil wavered.

“I see.”

“What brings you here, Brother?”

Instead of answering, Kim Gyu-jin looked into Se-min’s eyes. Se-min looked back into Kim Gyu-jin’s two eyes and realized.

Inside his pupil, an unidentified power that bleached the scenery of the world white and drained strength resided.

It was magic engineering.

Now that he had reached the Black Mark, the lingering traces of the ominous power shimmering from him were felt throughout his entire body.

Kim Gyu-jin smiled faintly.

“I have a similar object too.”

“You are trendy as expected. Magic will be in fashion from now on.”

“I saw that you became a Black Mark.”

“That’s how it turned out.”

Kim Gyu-jin tapped Se-min’s shoulder.

“Congratulations.”

And Kim Gyu-jin walked past him toward Radagast.

Watching that back view, Se-min was caught in a strange mood.

Now that he had reached the Black Mark and matured further, things that were not visible before began to be seen.

Kim Gyu-jin was still not below Se-min.

He was a skilled person at least at the level of a Black Mark like him.

Moreover, since he even possessed an unidentified magic engineering, the limit of his combat power could not be guessed. Returning alive from North Korea was not luck.

Such a man was silently doing his work without being known to people at all.

How many more strong people were hidden in the world?

“It is not yet time to be conceited.”

Muttering, Se-min pulled himself together again.

He had not even come halfway yet.

To become a transcendent, he must become much stronger.

He had not even reached the feet of Sister Iana and Brother Dokgo Cheonma, whom he had met.

If he obtained power as much as theirs, protecting the world from monsters would not be a dream either.

***

The subjugation battle approached.

The South Korean Raiders, including Se-min, took a chartered flight and landed at Salt Lake City Airport in the US.

There was no time to relieve the fatigue of the long flight. Following the guidance of the US side, they transferred to a military helicopter.

The aircraft vibrated and soared up. Se-min said to the person next to him.

“It would have been nice if we came to play.”

“I have been here before.”

Beside him sat Bang Yu-bi.

She, who was not seen at the briefing or the participant orientation, appeared on the departure day.

Se-min protested if it was a privilege, but the Raider Bureau only gave a bitter smile.

“I should have come early and done some sightseeing.”

“Won’t there be time after the subjugation battle ends?”

“Do not look down on the other world. Do you think there will be leisure to go play around even after the subjugation battle ends? Your mindset is wrong.”

“Look at him boasting just because he rolled around there.”

The helicopter was heading toward Yellowstone National Park.

The gate they would enter opened at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. When the corresponding gate opened, neutral monsters poured out, and the US Raid Security Agency analyzed that gate to confirm it was the environment they were looking for.

The gate was being maintained in connection by magic crystal technology.

After flying for about an hour and a half, they arrived at the landing strip established in Yellowstone National Park.

When Se-min got off the helicopter, the relevant officials welcomed him.

Rather than the Americans waving hands toward them, the sight of the gate wide open far away caught Se-min’s eye. It was slightly different from the gates he usually saw.

The dark purple airflow was fixed in the air as if forcibly stitched, and a pitch-black darkness spread beyond it.

Beyond that was the other world.

A man with blonde hair and a beard offered Se-min a handshake. Se-min shook his hand. He seemed to be a key figure of the US Raid Security Agency responsible for this place.

When he said something, the interpreter conveyed the words.

“He says he knows Se-min well and has watched all the videos. He says it is an honor to meet a great Raider.”

“RaiderLeeSeMin.com.”

“Pardon?”

“Please tell him to sign up as it is my fan site address.”

The opponent burst into a hearty laugh.

The Raiders drafted from South Korea were thirty in total. If non-Raider personnel were combined, it was around fifty people.

The US was double that.

It was a large-scale subjugation battle with about one hundred and fifty people crossing into the other world.

They were guided to barracks established in the open space. After unpacking and resting, they were scheduled to greet the US Raiders during dinner time. Entering the other world was set for the dawn of the next day.

Se-min settled down and lay on the cot as if collapsing.

From beyond the curtain, the voice of Bang Yu-bi talking on the phone with someone was heard.

The lodging assignment did not discriminate by gender, typical of Western culture. It was a method of setting up a group tent and maintaining privacy with partitions inside. A single tent could accommodate the entire South Korean personnel.

“Yu-bi!”

Judging by the sound of ‘President’ heard in the middle of the conversation, it was estimated that she was talking to Brother Ryu Gwan-cheol.

“Tell Brother that I love him!”

“Be quiet!”

Se-min closed his eyes while leaning back.

Since he kept sleeping on the plane, he was not very tired. While feeling bored, the tent corridor outside the partition became noisy.

“Supplies have been placed in front of each of you, so take them! Please tell us if the size doesn’t fit!”

When he opened the curtain, a box was placed outside. Se-min brought it in and opened it. Inside, military uniforms worn by US soldiers and miscellaneous supplies were piled.

Although the use of personal items was recommended for other things, a rule existed that only clothing was unified into camouflage patterns for concealment and disguise.

Se-min was disappointed that he could not show his symbolic Sukajan to the monster bastards.

“The size fits.”

Perhaps because they took his physical measurements in South Korea, it fit perfectly.

Confirming his appearance with his cell phone’s front camera, he discovered black epaulets attached to his shoulders.

“Oh.”

Se-min did not bother to display his mark. He once went around wearing a blue Taekwondo belt, but after killing Kesia, he just went around without it. It was the same after he became a Black Mark.

It was like the first Black Mark he used.

Se-min’s shoulders rose.

He was intoxicated by the authority given by the Black Mark.

It seemed this was why Gold and Platinum Mark Raiders tried desperately to display marks on their equipment.

“Ahem.”

Se-min went outside for no reason.

In the corridor, the Raiders were wearing their respective military uniforms, rating each other and laughing. Then they discovered Se-min and made an ‘Oh’ expression.

All of them wore light gray Platinum Marks, but he alone was a pitch-black Black Mark.

Se-min struck a bodybuilding pose emphasizing his shoulder muscles.

Then, he called her in front of Bang Yu-bi’s place.

“Hey. Are you sleeping?”

“I am changing clothes.”

“Tell me when you are done.”

“I’m done.”

Se-min opened the curtain. Bang Yu-bi was just zipping up her top with her hair tied tightly. Her white skin and collarbones were briefly visible before disappearing into the military uniform.

Her face turned slightly red.

“Why do you come in suddenly?”

“You said you were done.”

“Still, you should at least say something.”

Instead of making an excuse, Se-min looked at her shoulder. Usually she went around with a silver emblem engraved with Cheolmasa’s symbol on her arm, but now it was a light gray, matte epaulet for disguise.

As he smiled strangely, Bang Yu-bi knitted her brows.

“Did you come to show off your mark?”

“There is that too.”

Se-min turned around and opened her bag lying scattered on the floor.

It was an attitude as if it were his own property.

Bang Yu-bi looked at Se-min in bewilderment.

“What are you doing?”

“The laptop.”

“Why?”

“To finish watching what I was watching earlier.”

Se-min had fallen asleep while watching the drama Bang Yu-bi was watching on the plane together.

“Because I’m curious about the subsequent story.”

Bang Yu-bi laughed with a dumbfounded expression.

“I’m borrowing it.”

“Do as you wish.”

Se-min took the laptop and crossed over to his seat. No password was set.

He clicked on the drama folder located on the desktop to select the work. He found where he had been watching and played it.

Two actors were dating sweetly.

Se-min, who liked action and destruction, had been unable to overcome sleep at this part.

He immediately skipped forward to watch the action scene.

“Ah, this is it.”

The protagonist was a Raider, and was having a duel of love with a rival Raider who liked the same woman. By setting, both were Black Mark Raiders.

Although it was clumsy in Se-min’s eyes, it overwhelmed actual combat in terms of flashiness. Direction through wires and CG shone.

The characters flew 1080-degree spin kicks in a stopped world as if transcending time and space.

Se-min placed a hand on his chin.

Since there might be a time to use them someday, he input the techniques into his head.

While killing time like that, someone called him from outside.

“Is Se-min here?”

“Yes.”

“There is someone who wants to see you.”

It was the Raider Bureau employee dispatched together this time.

“Who is it?”

“They are a US Raider going together this time, and they came to our barracks saying they want to see you.”

“Are they a fan?”

“They were a Black Mark.”

The representative of the US was the unique mark Raider, Jonathan Sandberg. And under him, two Black Mark Raiders were supposed to join.

As expected of the world’s superpower, the Black Mark Raiders the US possessed were also several times that of South Korea.

“Where are they?”

“At the entrance.”

“Let’s go.”

Se-min headed to the entrance with him.

Outside the tent, three foreigners were talking and laughing among themselves, then turned around upon discovering Se-min.

A guy who looked exactly like a football team captain bullying nerds in a movie grinned. Se-min smiled alongside him. He burst into a big laugh and offered Se-min a handshake.

“He says he is glad to meet you.”

“Me too. Nice to meet you.”

His grip strength tightened.

“Not a fan.”

A pity.

He thought his popularity had spread even to the US, but it was just a guy who came to pick a fight. Se-min raised Tai Chi Accord and held the guy’s hand.

“Hmm?”

The man’s face became strange.

He raised his aura and exerted force, but instead of the opponent exerting force together, his hand just became hard. Even when exerting force, he could not crush it. Instead, an unidentified quiet energy flowed into his body through his hand.

“Mmm?”

No matter how gentle, it was ultimately another person’s aura. Startled, he tried to let go of the hand, but the opponent did not let go.

And Se-min’s Tai Chi Accord connected to him quietly sharpened its edge.

The man’s face froze. Although it did not attack him right away, the aura squirmed as if it could do so at any moment. His energy channels stung.

In the end, he raised the white flag.

“You win.”

Then Se-min let go of his hand. He laughed, put an arm around Se-min’s shoulder, and said something to his colleagues. They showed expressions of admiration.

“He says Se-min is amazing. Did you two do something like a battle of nerves?”

“Yes.”

The two standing behind him also shared greetings with Se-min in turn. One was a black youth with a slender build, and the other was a beauty with black hair and extremely alluring eyes.

She threw a wink with a strange expression.

“She says she is Se-min’s fan.”

***

As the dawn rose, they lined up in front of the gate.

Dawn dew settled on the limestone terrain. The stepped terrain where hot spring water once flowed had its water path dried up, revealing a gray surface.

At that summit, an ominous gate was waiting for them with its mouth open.

“We are entering soon. Everyone please prepare.”

An awkward air still flowed between the South Korean and US Raiders.

There was nothing special in the meeting that took place yesterday. They only had a meal in the same place and heard brief explanations about the upcoming subjugation battle.

Jonathan Sandberg, the unique mark Raider of rumor, did not even show up, and once the meal was finished, everyone scattered.

“Hey.”

Andrew, the US Black Mark Raider who shook hands with Se-min yesterday, waved from a distance. Se-min also nodded his head.

“That woman keeps staring, you know?”

“I know.”

“Do you know each other?”

“We greeted yesterday.”

Camila, the woman who introduced herself as Se-min’s fan, was also sending him a smile.

As Bang Yu-bi kept questioning, Se-min roughly made an excuse. She did not give up and interrogated. While the two were whispering like that, a man stood before the lined-up Raider unit.

It was the appearance of Jonathan Sandberg, one of only nine unique mark Raiders in the world.

His first impression was completely different from what Se-min had imagined.

“Why is he like that?”

“Have you never seen Jonathan’s photo?”

“Yeah. It’s my first time.”

“He was originally like that, but… it has gotten a bit worse.”

He was extremely fat.

With bushy hair and horn-rimmed glasses, he looked like what people commonly called a nerd rather than a Raider.

However, a gray epaulet was attached to his shoulder, on which a red unicorn pattern was engraved. It was the unique mark symbolizing Jonathan. Se-min nodded while looking at his epaulet.

“The mark is cool.”

“Although he looks like that on the outside, his skill is the real deal, so don’t act up by any chance. You might get beaten to a pulp.”

“Do you want to get beaten to a pulp by me first?”

“You really have no filter with women.”

When Jonathan said something, the interpreters conveyed the words. It was nothing special. Standard remarks about everyone being careful, finishing the subjugation battle wonderfully, and returning safely were all. Jonathan soon stepped down again.

The way he waddled around was slightly cute.

“We will depart soon. It may be a bit dizzying, so please be careful.”

The first to enter were the South Korean Raiders.

Not knowing what lay beyond the gate, they put them in the lead. It was a sequence where their intentions were somehow visible.

Se-min stepped forward.

He volunteered for the first entry.

Once the lead was decided, the rest were easily decided.

As Se-min took the lead, the Raiders’ anxiety decreased. He was an ongoing legend. He grew fast enough for other Raiders to feel it, achieving the Black Mark in the shortest period.

It looked as if there were no limits to him.

Once he became an ally, he was a man more trustworthy than anyone else.

Soon, the departure order fell.

Se-min stepped up the stepped terrain without hesitation. From behind, Raiders followed in a column file.

Although one might stop for once in front of the gate, Se-min threw his body into the gate without stopping, as if passing through an automatic door. He thought someone was calling him from behind, but he did not care.

A strange sensation enveloped him.

It was the same as what he felt in the past.

The sceneries of the world passed behind him. At some point, pitch-black darkness surrounded him. The texture of the darkness was felt, and he realized that it fell increasingly steeply. A faint light rose at the end.

Se-min landed.

A damp smell.

Soggy soil wrapping around his combat boots.

High humidity as if pressing down on his shoulders.

And.

One monster staring at him.

How long had it been since he returned to the other world?

Se-min immediately swung Lupus toward the first monster he encountered in the other world. The monster let out a death throe as it died. Hearing that sound, monsters began to gather.

He looked back.

There was no trace of anyone at the open gate.

Se-min whistled as he looked at the monsters surrounding him.

“Hey, Lupus.”

After learning that something was sealed in this magic sword, Se-min developed a habit of talking to Lupus.

In Se-min’s imagination, Lupus was a wolf.

He felt like it would be so for some reason.

“Let’s eat some monster meat.”

As if responding to his words, the sword cried once. The aura vibrated inside him. He leaped explosively and swung the sword toward the monsters. It was a speed close to a ray of light.

The monsters died without understanding his approach.

The types were also diverse. He killed a group of Zorgs, and also killed a drake. Emerit and Statum were bonuses. Seeing a familiar pack of Kouds, he captured them and made them kneel on the ground.

Even as time passed, the rest of the Raiders did not come.

Did he hurry too much?

Se-min examined around the gate to settle down in a place where at least some sun shone and the ground was firm. And after making a Koud sit in that spot, he climbed onto its back and lay down.

“If you move, you die.”

Whether it understood his threat, the Koud trembled with pitiful eyes.

***

The main force arrived several hours later.

What they saw as soon as they entered the gate was the corpses of monsters scattered countlessly around.

They said that after Se-min entered the gate, an unknown spark erupted from the gate, blocking access for others. Scientists clung to it but could not solve it, and the phenomenon disappeared after a few hours.

“Where is Se-min?”

“He is over there.”

The lead who set foot on the gate next to Se-min looked around and discovered Se-min taking a nap on top of a Koud.

The Kouds were staring at them with watery eyes.

“I don’t know what to say to that…”

“Let’s wake him up first.”

Se-min got up from his spot. He yawned and stretched.

“What about the American friends?”

“They will come soon.”

“Then let’s wait. Team leader, look at the map.”

There was a map created by exploring the terrain here beforehand. Se-min checked it together with Ju Won-ho. A place decided to set up camp existed a bit away from here.

Once they settled down there and cleared the surrounding monsters, they would bring in equipment from the US to build a fortress.

Se-min sat astride the Koud and waited for the follow-up troops.

Soon, the US Raiders crossed into the other world through the gate. They discovered Se-min waiting for them on a Koud, with the corpses of monsters filled around as the background. A strange light passed in their eyes.

“He asks if you did it.”

“Yeah. I did it.”

“He says you are indeed a Black Mark.”

Jonathan Sandberg moved at the rear.

Perhaps he was not the type with leadership, but rather Andrew, who had visited Se-min, was patting the US Raiders.

Facing monsters appearing occasionally, the unit advanced rapidly to the planned camp site.

There were dozens of Raiders who were at least Platinum Mark. Since Black Mark and unique mark were also mixed in, the monsters could not resist.

Although the climate of the other world was annoying, the difference in power was prominent.

Bang Yu-bi, walking alongside Se-min, shrugged her shoulders.

“It’s easier than I thought?”

“That’s why the US chose this place.”

“It feels like a vacation.”

Whether her tension also eased, a smile formed on her face.

“But are you going to keep bringing those guys along?”

“We must secure food in case of emergency.”

“How can you eat monsters?”

“If you eat it, you won’t say that.”

Se-min was dragging the Koud bound with a rope.

The levels of appearing monsters were not high. Most were weak monsters around Blue to Gold-grade. Considering the level of Raiders gathered here, they could face them even if several hundred appeared.

Soon the sun set and two moons rose.

An ominous purple sky surrounded over their heads.

Ju Won-ho returned after talking with the US Raid Security Agency employee.

“He says we camp here for now, and depart when the sun rises. We can arrive at the location sometime tomorrow.”

A Raider from the rear took out a tent from the cart they were dragging directly and set it up. And gathered in groups, they tore open the US military’s MREs. When water was poured, the heating pack reacted and warmed the food.

“It’s delicious.”

Se-min, having cheap tastes, nodded saying it was delicious, and Bang Yu-bi shook her head.

“Not really…”

Like that, the first night in the other world passed.

***

The next day, they dismantled the tents and resumed the march.

Se-min utilized Kouds for the struggling Raiders. He connected carts to the Kouds, making them transport vehicles.

The Kouds, which strangely listened to Se-min’s words well, began to move carrying him on their backs. The guys easily handled it even when connecting several carts.

The US Raiders looked at that bizarre behavior enviously.

Se-min suddenly said while looking at a distant spot.

“Something is coming. Prepare for combat.”

At his words, the march stopped.

It was the first Platinum-grade monster they encountered in the other world.

The guys launched a raid in a group of several.

Se-min was also different from the past, now confident in facing even several of them. It was the moment he was about to draw Lupus and kick off the Koud’s back.

Through Ju Won-ho, contact from the US was conveyed.

“He says there is no need to move. The US side will respond. They say since Se-min struggled yesterday, they will deal with it today.”

Se-min sat back on the Koud.

Seeing their power was not bad either.

However, none of the US Raiders moved.

Only, Se-min felt a sign of something huge looming.

“This is…”

“Something is…”

It was a power large enough for other Raiders, whose sensory perception was not as excellent as Se-min’s, to detect the abnormality. Although crude and rough, the scale was that vast. Aura began to surround the area.

Se-min stared at the man sweating profusely at the rear of the US side.

Jonathan Sandberg.

He had stepped forward.

Se-min felt absurdity feeling the aura he used.

Jonathan’s aura assumed physical force and began to smash the monsters that raided them onto the ground and crush them to death. There was no exchange of offense and defense or scenes of rough fight. He slaughtered the monsters as if pressing ants to death.

Bang Yu-bi beside Se-min also stuck out her tongue and muttered.

“This is cheating.”

At Jonathan’s un-Raider-like appearance, Se-min had been wondering what kind of combat style he possessed.

Now that question was solved.

He was not that kind of Raider who broke through human limits with excellent aura control and understanding of martial arts like Se-min.

A giant who had little combat skills but could beat the opponent unilaterally based on his natural weight class.

A physical monster of a level where the weight and power were vast and could not be overcome with technique.

To compare it to combat sports, a giant far exceeding 3 meters was precisely what Jonathan was.

“Can an aura be that ignorantly abundant?”

“It’s America, after all.”

Was the overwhelming talent that only appeared in American football manifested in this way in the world of aura?

The illusion of unique marks was broken, but Se-min felt awe in another way instead.

There were truly diverse paths to becoming strong.

Bang Yu-bi muttered.

“Envious. If only I were born with an aura tank like that.”

Se-min did not agree.

Jonathan definitely had limits. He could not become stronger than that. Because he lacked understanding of aura and martial arts. He was just a Raider with an absurd amount of aura.

Although discussing limits for a Raider who was already a unique mark was also funny, Se-min’s goal was always high in the sky.

Although the one strong now was Jonathan, in terms of the possibility of reaching the level of a transcendent, Se-min and other Raiders were higher.

“An interesting fellow.”

Se-min smiled broadly.

All the monsters became fragments and lay scattered.

They marched again and soon arrived at the destination. The surroundings were blocked by bedrock, so it was a terrain suitable for building a fortress.

Everyone decided to take a short break and proceed with the work.

However, a problem arose.

Ju Won-ho came running.

“Se-min. I think you need to come.”

A dispute broke out between South Korean and US Raiders.

Se-min advanced toward the racket.

There, a man and a US Raider were doing a staring contest with their foreheads pressed against each other. If they faced each other so closely, their breaths would touch, but the two did not pull their faces apart.

“What happened?”

Several imaginations passed in Se-min’s head.

Did that man get angry because the US Raider made a remark about dog meat, or did he pick a fight by bumping shoulders while passing by, or did he mock using racist remarks or skin color as an excuse?

But the reality conveyed by Ju Won-ho was different.

“Well…”

He reportedly said he didn’t like the smell of the Americans and tripped the passing US Raider first. And when he stumbled, he giggled and mocked.

“Is his personality originally like that?”

“He is eccentric.”

He was a character difficult to predict. His size also seemed about half of the American’s, and his face looked weak, making him seem unlikely to do such actions, but the aura emitting from his body was the very energy of a gamecock.

The reactions surrounding the two were different on both sides.

The South Korean Raiders had anxious looks, wondering whether to stop it or not, and the Americans were excited, cheering them to fight quickly.

“Shouldn’t we stop them?”

“They’ll probably fight and get it over with.”

“Still…”

Outwardly, the South Korean guy seemed likely to lose. The US Raider looked way down on him. From the back, the difference in size was so prominent that the guy wouldn’t even be visible.

The US side cheering this fight now would also be in such an excited mood because they expected the US Raider’s victory.

But it was not so in Se-min’s eyes.

That man’s energy was rough and fluctuating literally like a crazy guy.

Since his nature was like that, the aura seemed to take the same color, and his momentum was unusual.

The US Raider would be beaten. A picture was drawn where at first they were similar, but then he got flustered by the offense-oriented style neglecting defense, yielding the lead.

In the end, the fight began.

The man pushed the US Raider first and swung his fist.

“Oh.”

Se-min revised his evaluation.

The US Raider was also not easy. Judging by his aura, he was lacking, but his response was very cautious.

However, in the end, he was pushed to the defensive due to the difference in basic skills.

The cheering heat grew hot.

The South Korean Raiders, who were anxious at first, were also assimilated into the heat of the fight and began to cheer him on. It turned into a duel on which the pride of both countries was staked. Each time attacks were exchanged, admiration and sighs crossed.

“Wadatadatadata!”

The man flew unorganized punches. Looking at it, it was a body movement that had not learned bare-handed combat. Still, having some experience, he was overwhelming the opponent.

The US Raider kept guarding and deflecting attacks while occasionally throwing counters. The man recognized that the opponent was unusual and switched his method to outboxing.

The US Raider was hit on the chin and fell.

The South Korean side cheered.

“…”

The man pounced to do ground strikes, but the US Raider conversely used jujutsu to subdue his joints.

At that, this time the US side screamed. As the US Raider gradually applied force, the man whimpered and eventually tapped.

The opponent released the joint.

He thought the US Raider won like that.

It was a miscalculation.

The man stood up abruptly as if he had never tapped and began to fly kicks again.

Everyone was shocked at that mean act.

The cheering heat warmed up further.

“Kill him! Beat him! That’s it!”

“Kill him! Kill him!”

“What are you doing! Raise your guard!”

“Shit! What the hell!”

Now, the two were beating each other’s faces wildly, splattering blood.

And Se-min, watching that sight from a step back, shook his head.

It was not a sight of this world.

“It’s an absolute dogfight.”

A dogfight is not made just because the party involved is a dog.

All the rest surrounding them must also be dogs for a dogfight to be established.

Everyone was a dog.

He did not think this situation would end just because someone won. Rather, the victory or defeat could become a problem. So Se-min decided to stop the fight.

Se-min summoned his loyal subordinates.

Ju Won-ho, who had been frowning at the primal fight of the two Raiders, expressed questioning at Se-min’s sudden action.

“Se-min?”

“These fellows will solve it.”

“No, this is…”

Two Kouds rose from their spots.

“Guys.”

“Wooowoo…”

“Go reconcile those two.”

The guys nodded as if they understood Se-min’s words. They stamped the ground and prepared to run.

The direction the Kouds’ horns pointed was clearly the two men.

“Go!”

Se-min patted their rumps.

The two Kouds charged.

When two monsters suddenly attacked them, the audience parted.

The two men who were beating each other suddenly looked back at the sign of something rushing and opened their eyes wide.

In fact, their eyes were swollen so they could not open them properly, but their eyelids did open wider.

They stopped the fight and fled.

Although they were Platinum Mark Raiders, it was difficult for those who were not martial artists to face monsters suddenly, and bare-handed at that.

The Kouds pursued them. Eventually, the two climbed up a nearby tree to avoid the Kouds’ attacks. The Kouds rammed the bottom of the tree, threatening them.

“Good work. Come back.”

The Kouds returned.

The audience watching the fight, and the two Raiders up in the tree, all stared at Se-min.

“Well, what of it.”

As Se-min glared back in the same way, everyone avoided his gaze.

He also threw a temper toward the US side who did not understand his words.

“So what?”

They also could not bring themselves to protest, seeing the Black Mark attached to Se-min’s epaulet.

“We must get along. Good relationship, please. Okay?”

He gestured to the two in the tree to come down. They came down hesitatingly. Their state was a mess. Se-min handed them a first aid kit.

“Mister, why do you pick a fight?”

“This is how to prevent the Westerners from looking down on us.”

“They say a weak dog barks.”

“You don’t seem to know because you are young, but if you keep doing social life, you will understand my words. I sacrificed myself on purpose.”

“Yes, yes. I understand.”

It was an action with conviction in its own way.

This kind of person is scary.

Looking at the name tag, the name was Namgung Gae.

It was probably Hanja, but the name meaning dog was significant. Perhaps the saying that one lives according to their name was true.

“Hey, what’s your name?”

“Sean.”

“Sean. This guy is dog. Don’t play with him. Mad guy.”

Sean chuckled.

As Namgung Gae looked at Se-min, Se-min tapped his epaulet. He clicked his tongue and turned his head.

Just when he thought the racket had settled, a man walked toward Se-min.

He was a man who stood still and maintained composure even when the Kouds rushed in. He wore a Black Mark epaulet. He was one of the three Black Marks on the US side including Andrew.

He said something toward Se-min.

Se-min did not understand, and Sean replied with a troubled expression instead. Se-min asked Ju Won-ho.

“What is he saying?”

“Well…”

“It’s okay. I know he is picking a fight. Since I am an adult, I don’t punch.”

“He is asking why you ruined the show, and if you are the boss…”

“Did he say something like ‘ass’ earlier?”

“If you want your ass kicked…”

“I see.”

Se-min immediately struck his chin.

***

Se-min stood in front of Jonathan along with Guillermo, the Black Mark Raider he fought with.

Jonathan had a perplexed expression.

It was just that he had a strong aura; he did not look like a personality who could adjust something from a leading position.

He mumbled and said something.

Guillermo nodded, and Se-min looked at Ju Won-ho standing beside him.

“He says fighting is not allowed. Since you two are Black Marks, he asks you to be more careful. He says he will punish you if you fight in the future.”

He was a unique mark and a monster who crushed monsters with aura. He had the right to say such words.

Jonathan whispered with the Raid Security Agency employee standing beside him and continued.

Ju Won-ho translated.

“He says we should inform the Raiders that fighting is prohibited, show exemplary figures respectively, and finish this subjugation battle excellently. He says, please rest since the operation will start tomorrow. He wants Se-min and me to gather again after dinner to talk about tomorrow’s schedule.”

“Okay.”

They left Jonathan’s barracks.

Se-min said to Guillermo.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

Ju Won-ho carefully translated.

“…”

He glared at Se-min as if pouting.

It was understandable.

The fight they had earlier ended in an instant.

Se-min was a fighter tempered by Dokgo Cheonma’s philosophy.

Following the secret of striking first to win, Se-min punched his chin first and continued the beating so he could not collect his senses. He did not even give him a gap to show his skills. If it was cowardly, it was cowardly.

Guillermo was beaten miserably.

“He says let’s fight properly next time.”

Se-min shook his head.

“Ask him if he didn’t hear what Jonathan said earlier. Fighting is not allowed. Please convey my intention to reconcile instead of fighting now.”

Se-min expressed his will to hit and run.

Guillermo’s expression became worse.

He said something with emphasis and headed to his barracks. This time Se-min did not request translation either. Even without translation, he could know the meaning.

Next time something, kill you something.

“Coming to the other world, I even get foreign friends and it’s exciting.”

Ju Won-ho sighed.

When Se-min returned after finishing the interview, Bang Yu-bi was waiting for him. Seeing his intact face, she made a strange expression.

“I heard you had a fistfight? What is that at your age?”

He had nothing to say.

Se-min borrowed Namgung Gae’s excuse.

“Yu-bi. You don’t seem to know because you are young, but this is how to prevent them from looking down on us. If you keep doing social life, you will understand my words. I sacrificed myself on purpose. Got it?”

“Mister Namgung Gae said exactly the same thing earlier.”

“Where do you get the nerve to talk back. You rascal. When an adult speaks, just nod your head.”

“You aren’t hurt anywhere, right?”

“I don’t go around getting beaten.”

“Someone said, when you were young, to Ahn Seong-jun…”

Se-min blocked her mouth.

***

The next morning, they left the camp to eliminate the monsters around the barracks.

Some patrolled outside, while some remained at the base to construct barracks and facilities.

Se-min was in the fighting role.

He went out to fight leading ten Platinum Mark Raiders, including Bang Yu-bi, Kim Ah-reum, and Namgung Gae.

It was an operation where multiple units took charge of their respective directions to sweep the area.

“Everyone be careful. Something might be on the ground.”

They stepped through the soggy ground.

The climate of the other world was gradually becoming bizarre. Plants whose leaf veins were strangely tangled to look like beasts’ faces were lined up, and things like animals flickered beyond them. However, when they approached, they all fled far away.

Insects hovered around.

They followed them continuously, as if monitoring them.

“According to the report, the monster dominating this place is Irat.”

Se-min looked around.

“Not even a shadow of it is visible.”

“It probably ran away. Instead of this, let’s run and kill them all. It’s too slow.”

Namgung Gae was extremely impatient. His weapon was a dual-sword style using two short swords. It was a combat style that suited him.

“They say all the other teams are in battle.”

Kim Ah-reum adjusted the radio she wore on her ear.

Se-min turned back to check the base. A balloon filled with helium gas was floated so they could confirm the location to return. They had not drifted far yet.

“Wait.”

One of the Raiders raised a hand.

“Something just passed by?”

“I saw it too.”

“Me too…”

Se-min also nodded. Something had passed.

Everyone stared at each other’s faces. They seemed to have seen the same thing. Somehow it was spooky.

What they saw was a human figure.

They tracked into the direction where that something had passed.

“What could it be?”

“You said it was a person.”

Se-min said indifferently.

“People must live here too.”

“By any chance, have you seen a person in the other world?”

“It’s that way.”

Se-min moved. The ten Platinum Mark Raiders followed behind.

A human figure kept flickering far away. It was extremely fast. As much as they followed, it seemed to grow distant.

Soon they reached a small pond.

“It was here, though.”

Se-min walked out while catching his breath.

At that moment, a person appeared beside the pond.

He doubted his eyes.

The face that was faint in his memory was now before his eyes. She smiled toward Se-min.

It was his biological mother.

What Se-min remembered was just her back. On a rainy day, only the silhouette of her leaving after dropping him off at the orphanage remained blurry. He thought he did not know her face, but upon meeting the real entity, everything became clear.

“Mother?”

He walked forward. She pointed to the pond. Something was sparkling below the water surface. His biological mother gestured as if telling him to grab it.

Se-min sat in front of the pond without realizing.

Something was there.

He stretched his hand below the water surface.

It touched.

Se-min.

He grabbed it.

Something sharp bit his hand, but it could not overcome Se-min’s aura. Se-min pulled with force. The pond wavered.

As if pulling a tree up by its roots from the earth, Se-min dragged what was in the pond and flung it. Water splashed.

“What is this?”

The illusion of his biological mother disappeared, and his team members appeared.

All of them were sitting in front of the pond, poking their heads in.

“Huh?”

“It was here, though.”

They looked around and began to search for someone they saw.

“It was all a hallucination. Pull yourselves together.”

At Se-min’s words, everyone showed blank faces.

It was a creature that disturbed the mind.

It was similar to Upara in that it caused hallucinations. However, there was no warning sign. If Tai Chi Accord had not warned him, even Se-min would have been tricked.

“Is it a monster?”

Everyone surrounded it.

To be a monster, it resembled something they knew well.

“A mermaid?”

The upper body resembled a human woman, and the lower body was streamlined like a fish with scales.

It opened its eyes.

There were no whites, and it was entirely pitch-black. The molding of the face was beautiful but strangely foreign.

When their gazes met, something began to flicker outside their field of vision again.

Before the illusion could continue further, Se-min grabbed its neck.

“If you do more, I’ll kill you.”

Whether it understood the killing intent, the shapes floating in the air scattered.

“It doesn’t seem to be an aggressive species.”

The mermaid-shaped creature stared at Se-min for a while. This thing definitely seemed to have intelligence.

It pointed to Se-min’s chest.

“Here?”

It nodded.

Under the clothes of the pointed part, Se-min’s necklace was there.

Se-min frowned. It was difficult to judge whether it was an action knowing about his item, or just a meaningless pointing of a finger.

Se-min looked alternately at its face and finger.

Then it said something.

[— — —.]

Briefly, it was heard and then disappeared.

It was a beautiful voice. Se-min realized that the tone shook the mind. Without them knowing they were listening, a quiet humming showed them illusions.

It was like the Siren in mythology.

“What should we do?”

“It doesn’t seem dangerous, let’s take it to the base.”

Se-min said.

Since it was an entity that caused hallucinations, it should not be left near the base. But he was curious about its identity to kill it.

It was the moment Raiders approached to bind it with a rope.

[— — —.]

It opened its mouth again. Unlike before, it was a sharp ring. The approaching Raiders covered their ears and sat on the ground.

It leaped toward the pond.

“Why you.”

Se-min ran and snatched its tail part. The upper body was submerged in the pond, and the end of the lower body was caught by Se-min.

It was the moment Se-min tried to drag the guy back outside.

[— — —.]

The moment he heard that sound, Se-min ended up letting go of the tail.

A ripple arose once.

With that as the end, the unidentified creature did not appear again.

Se-min and the Raiders tried to explore the inside of the pond, but the pond was deeper than thought. It might lead to somewhere.

It was a strange encounter.

“Let’s mark it for now.”

They recorded what they encountered and stuck a warning sign to be careful around the pond. It was a warning prepared for when other Raiders came later.

Resuming the exploration again, Se-min tapped the necklace hung around his chest.

Was it not a monster?

He recalled the scene he saw earlier. It was his biological mother’s face. Se-min was confused whether what he saw was truly her face, or an illusion that fellow showed at will.

Far memories were only faint.

***

Once they left the vicinity of the pond, monsters began to appear. From the very beginning, a monster they did not know at all appeared.

Se-min and the Platinum Mark Raiders quickly slaughtered the enemy.

Especially Bang Yu-bi’s activity was brilliant. Carrying a single sword, she active between the enemies as if dancing. Then, blood splattered in all directions.

On the other hand, there was a fighter who did not care about appearances.

Namgung Gae swung his dual swords wildly. Using two swords alternately might be elegant, but his attack looked like a battery. He hacked the monsters wildly as if striking a cutting board with two kitchen knives.

Other than that, Kim Ah-reum, who was responsible for translation, or other Raiders also had their own special moves.

As expected of selected personnel, everyone’s combat power was excellent.

“There are really a lot.”

Although strong species did not appear, everyone grew tired as monsters kept popping out.

“Good work, let’s eat and do it.”

After eating combat rations, they hunted monsters again. Everywhere they went, monsters appeared. From minor skirmishes to big fights, the entire day was dotted with fights.

Soon, the sun began to drop.

They met many monsters, but there was no dangerous situation yet.

“Can a subjugation battle be this easy?”

Bang Yu-bi said. The other Raiders also agreed.

Since subjugation battles were prohibited, their notoriety had risen. In their imaginations, the other world was hell. But today, although tired, there were no difficult battles.

“Do not let your guard down.”

Se-min, who had already experienced the other world, said.

“The moment you let your guard down, an enormous monster pops out; that is the other world.”

“Aren’t you just doing that to exaggerate your suffering?”

“I wish that were so, but I have a lie allergy.”

Se-min stopped.

“Look at that.”

They left the forest and reached a grassland. Dark-colored bushes lay spread, and the view was open to the far distance.

Against the background of the red sunset, a giant shadow was seen moving on the horizon.

Several roamed together.

Se-min realized anew how absurd a sight of powerful monsters gathered in a pack was.

The entire team fell silent. Bang Yu-bi let out a low groan.

It was a Black-grade monster, Saber-toothed Tiger.

Each was the size of a house, and more than ten of them gathered and were passing through the grassland of the other world.

“Still, it is a strange sight.”

The sight of creatures of a size unimaginable on Earth passing under the sunset oddly touched the heart.

If those guys attacked the base, the subjugation battle would be suspended. Even if Jonathan who was a unique mark was there, he could not protect everyone. Probably most Raiders would be killed.

A place where such monsters appeared nonchalantly was the other world.

“Let’s return now.”

They decided to return before it got dark.

Most of the other teams had arrived first.

Due to fighting monsters, everyone’s clothes and equipment were dirty. They left their laundry with the staff and washed their bodies in the temporary shower room.

Dinner was still combat rations.

Se-min smacked his lips while looking at the Kouds tied up at the base. At his gaze, the Kouds made anxious cries.

Around the time they were sick of combat rations and could not swallow them, those things would display their value.

“Se-min. Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Se-min went to Jonathan’s barracks along with Ju Won-ho and the Raider who commanded another South Korean team.

Seven team leaders in total gathered.

They unfolded the map. According to combat records, the parts where they drove away the monsters were colored blue. Areas not yet secured were red.

The blue was quite wide. If they proceeded with the operation steadily, the cleanup seemed likely to be completed on schedule.

The meeting ended and they scattered respectively.

The Raiders were relieving fatigue in comfortable clothing.

Se-min discovered Bang Yu-bi sitting astride a rock.

“Yu-bi.”

“Is the meeting over?”

“Yeah. What are you doing sitting there?”

“Just resting.”

Se-min sat beside Bang Yu-bi. She gathered her legs and hugged her knees.

“What is your impression of doing a real raid?”

“A real raid?”

“Yeah.”

As she tilted her head, Se-min explained.

“We protect people from monsters, but instead of calling us something like defenders, they call us Raiders.”

“Thinking about it, it is so.”

“That’s because this is truly our work.”

He looked up at the ominously flowing purple sky.

Two moons were shining softly.

“Coming to the other world directly and eliminating monsters is originally what a Raider does.”

There was someone who said so.

The legend of raids, Han Su-in, did so.

He was a figure who took the lead in subjugation battles more than anyone else, and slaughtered countless monsters in the other world. He intended to face them in the other world, the monsters’ base, rather than Earth, the home of humanity.

The place where he died was also the other world.

Not waiting for invasion, but advancing into the heart of the enemy to strike and destroy the source.

The will to become the hunter, not the prey.

That was why he was a true Raider.

Se-min stared at the two moons and then turned his eyes toward Bang Yu-bi again.

She was staring intently at Se-min with her head resting on her knees.

“It’s cool.”

“Right?”

“Will a day when monsters disappear come?”

“Someday we must make it so.”

Bang Yu-bi smiled.

He did not say it would become so, but that he would make it so.

It was an answer typical of him.

“Then you will keep participating in subjugation battles, Oppa.”

“I should do it if opportunity arises.”

“Why do you work so hard?”

Se-min shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t like seeing the monster bastards.”

He was of the raid generation, witnessing the invasion of monsters through the news since childhood. Broadcasts about what the number of casualties was, or fundraising for victims were always aired. Those left behind were always crying.

Only Raiders with aura could face monsters.

Se-min smiled and added.

“Since I’m cool and strong, I should do at least the hard work.”

At those words, Bang Yu-bi also laughed.

As they shared conversation, someone approached from afar. She was a slender woman with long black hair.

It was Camila.

She said something to Se-min.

When Se-min was at a loss for words, Bang Yu-bi answered instead.

“Do you know how to speak English?”

Se-min looked at the two women alternately in surprise.

They exchanged a few words with Se-min between them. Se-min alone could not join and sat like luggage.

Soon the conversation ended. Camila winked at Se-min. When Se-min winked back, she burst into laughter. She waved her hand gently and returned to her barracks.

“What did she say?”

Bang Yu-bi glared at Se-min once and said.

“Must be nice to be popular.”

“It’s rather tiring when you’re at my level. She says she is a fan, right?”

“Yes. She asks if she can go out with you tomorrow because she is such a big fan.”

“In our team?”

“Yes. She says there is room in her team so it’s okay for one person to leave. Fighting with you will be of very great significance to her.”

“A public figure’s life is tiring. To have to do fan service even after coming to the other world…”

“Are you going to permit it?”

“Why not?”

“We must think of teamwork. I don’t care, but we should ask other team members at least once…”

Just then, someone said abruptly from behind them.

“I approve.”

Se-min and Bang Yu-bi turned back at the same time.

Namgung Gae was standing.

At the gazes of the two, Namgung Gae coughed.

“Sorry for interfering when the mood is good, but I approve. That lady is beautiful. It makes one feel like fighting.”

And he raised a thumb to Se-min.

Se-min also raised a thumb.

Bang Yu-bi hit Se-min once and threw a pebble at Namgung Gae. Namgung Gae fled quickly.

This time Se-min called Kim Ah-reum passing by far away. She tilted her head and replied it was fine. Other Raiders, especially men, rather seemed to welcome it greatly.

“I’m down.”

“See, everyone says they like it.”

“By the way, Se-min, do you want to play soccer together?”

“Is there a ball?”

“Yes. We decided to play against the American guys…”

“Whoo!”

“Let’s go.”

“Whoo!”

Watching Se-min run out, Bang Yu-bi chuckled.

She sat in that spot and watched the sight of men running chasing the ball for a long time.