BXBX NOVEL Chapter 209
Chapter 209: Saviour (2)
There were two main ways to get to Japan.
By ship or by plane.
Hokkaido was off-limits, but Minwoo could enter any other region.
‘As long as I disguise my identity well.’
Naturally, he had no intention of moving as Kim Minwoo.
Ranked 157th in the world.
He bet seven out of ten people would recognize him on the street.
Popular Awakened were as famous as any world-class celebrity.
‘The president will take care of the identity laundering…’
There was a spell to change appearance, but it was likely to get caught at immigration, so he passed. The safest option was probably the Invisibility Mask…
—Minwoo. What are you thinking so hard about?
“Huh? Merhen. When did you get here?”
—Just now. I’m bored, Minwoo.
“You can watch Shorts.”
—I’ve already seen them all. The algorithm recommendations are boring too.
She used to fiddle with her phone all day at home, but it seemed she had become a veteran.
“Then… want to go sightseeing?”
—Sightseeing?
“Yeah. The neighboring country, Japan. You know it, right?”
—Island country! Gyudon! Ramen!
Was it that good?
Her eyes sparkled like jewels.
‘It’s nothing special when you actually go there.’
Well, the first trip is always exciting. Moreover, Merhen was a being from another dimension.
“We’re going to catch the Fire Spirit King.”
—Him? The prime minister won’t like that.
“That’s why we have to sneak in. And catch it before they can do anything.”
—Aha. Is that what you were worried about?
“Not worried, exactly. I’m getting some help, but I was wondering how they’ll get us in. I heard the security in Hokkaido is very tight.”
—We can just fly there.
“Huh?”
—We can just fly there and find it.
“Well, I guess we could take a plane.”
—No, not that. You said we have to sneak in. Then we can use my magic.
“Oh? Is that possible?”
—Minwoo. I’m Merhen. An Archmage!
Minwoo chuckled at Merhen, who puffed out her cheeks as she spoke.
“Ah, right. You’re an archmage. An expert in the five elements.”
And a Shorts master.
Truly, Merhen was a legend.
—That’s right. I checked the map, and it’s close. We can just fly there, or we can move underwater.
“Underwater?”
—Yeah. I can make air bubbles. It’s not difficult at all.
“Wouldn’t we get caught?”
—Right? Shall we do it that way?
At that moment, a call came in from an unknown number.
“Hold on a second. Hello?”
—Is this Guild Master Kim? This is the NIS Director. I heard you want to enter Hokkaido…
“Ah, yes.”
—We’ve requested cooperation from the Navy. We plan to use a stealth submarine to avoid maritime surveillance.
“Ah, about that. I was thinking it might not be necessary to go that big. I think I can go alone.”
—To Hokkaido? The surveillance is very tight…
“Merhen said she can make an air bubble and travel underwater.”
—Oh, can she do that with magic… No, wait. Now that I think about it, Merhen might be able to do it. She’s an amazing mage.
“Yes. It’s too much to use a submarine. I’ll just go alone.”
—Let’s go quickly, Minwoo! I want to go sightseeing! I’m going to eat ramen, sushi, and all the convenience store food!
“Oh, she says so. Then, have a good day.”
—Ah, yes. Good luck.
The call with the NIS Director ended.
“You want to eat that much?”
—They say it’s delicious. I saw it on Shorts. Top 10 foods to eat in Japan!
Seeing her anticipation, Minwoo felt a little sorry. Merhen’s sense of taste had only recovered about 10% compared to her life.
To restore it, he had to feed her the Cocktail of the Dead sold in the Achievement Shop, but if he remembered correctly…
‘I only fed her one bottle.’
As a kind of experiment with Cedric.
Even with only a faint sense of taste restored, unlike Cedric, Merhen participated in all three meals at home.
“…Should I restore your taste more?”
—No. Achievement points are precious. Those are yours. It’s okay.
“But I still have some left…”
Well, to be honest, as Merhen said, points were tight.
Minwoo earned 800 achievement points by saving Han Siah. But he had spent 400 points buying four Limit Breaking Potions While in the Heavenly City.
‘I can raise it to level 700.’
He had about 400 points left.
He was currently saving points for the Body Potential Amplification Potion (1,200 points) and the Necromancy Grimoire (3,000 points).
[TL/N: Necromancy Vision Book → Necromancy Grimoire (grimoire sounds better than vision book)]
“I’m sorry, Merhen.”
—Hehe. It’s okay. You look best when you smile, not frown.
“…Really?”
—Yes! So smile. Widely.
A smile crept onto Minwoo’s face.
She was a cute summoner.
And quite reliable.
“I’ll earn points quickly. As much as I can.”
Awakening Yerim, Siwoo, and Han Siah.
Defeating Han Baekgil from the Shadow Branch.
Defeating Lucas from the Griff family, and so on.
To earn points, he had to deal with matters on Earth, not in gates.
Of course, in Lucas’s case, he gave Minwoo a job change ticket instead of points.
‘Anyway, this works out well.’
It was a perfect opportunity since the Fire Spirit King was causing havoc.
He might even get achievement points for taking care of it.
Achievement points were basically like stickers of praise from Earth, saying “Good job!”
“Let’s go.”
The seaside of Gangwon Do.
He could use magic to get to Hokkaido from there.
***
Hakodate, Japan.
[TL/N: Just so you guys know I am not fluent with the names of the cities, so if the spells/names are off to their real life counterpart, do let me know in discord]
It was one of the major cities in southern Hokkaido and had the advantage of being close to Honshu, the mainland, making it easy to receive support.
Fortunately, the areas where the Fire Spirit King was rampaging were in the central and northern regions.
It was inevitable that Hakodate in the south would be chosen as the gathering point for the second raid team.
“So, when is the Swordsman arriving? Time is of the essence!”
“He’ll be arriving soon. Please wait a little longer…”
“We said that the leaders of the top 10 guilds gathered here would be enough. Don’t tell me the Prime Minister doesn’t trust us?”
“Of course not. It’s just to eliminate any variables. You all know the Swordsman’s skills, don’t you?”
“Yes, we do. But isn’t this too much? Not only have we gathered all the leaders of the top 10, no, 9 guilds, but we’re also calling in a retiree? The world will laugh at us! They’ll say we’re incompetent!”
“Ugh…”
Muramasa, the head of Japan’s Special Disaster Response Headquarters, was sweating.
The person he was dealing with was the leader of Japan’s top guild, Katana.
‘Damn it. Why did I have to be the one to deal with this…’
Looking at the situation, it was understandable that their pride was sky-high.
The first raid team failed.
Most of the nearly two hundred high-ranking Awakened were out of contact or presumed dead.
But that didn’t mean Japan was defeated.
For a powerful Awakened nation, high-ranking Awakened were just abundant resources that could be drawn upon at any time.
And Japan had its own reasons.
The top 10 guilds.
Even though their elites had gathered, the real “best of the best” hadn’t.
The strongest member of the first raid team, the Sakura Guild master, was only the leader of the 8th ranked guild.
But what about now?
The leaders of the top 10, no, now 9, guilds had all gathered.
And unlike the elites they had reluctantly sent before, they had brought their best, almost like their personal guards.
Not only that, but they had also summoned the best Awakened individuals who were active on their own, all in the name of the country.
The total number gathered was a whopping two thousand.
Both the quantity and quality were incomparable to the previous raid team.
If this second raid team failed, it would be a force strong enough to shake the entire nation of Japan.
That’s why they couldn’t allow any variables.
To the extent that they even urgently summoned Nakazawa, a retired Awakened listed in the Hall of Fame and once a rival of Korea’s Sword Saint.
“It will only be a moment. Really…”
Just then,
“Director! It’s a disaster!”
“I told you not to come in unless it was urgent… What is it?”
“Please come out and see this! Quickly!”
One of the team leaders hurriedly showed his phone to the director, who had come outside.
On the screen,
There was a strange phrase written.
[LIVE / Kim Minwoo]
[Hokkaido, I will save you.]
[3,537,000 viewers]
“…Huh?”
The director blinked.
The seemingly clickbait title aside, the burning buildings in a familiar style…
“Isn’t that Sapporo?”
“I-It seems like it…”
“Damn it! Is this the time to be giving vague answers? How did that bastard get into Hokkaido? What the hell was immigration doing?!”
“Well, it seems he didn’t come through the airport.”
“Then what, he crossed the sea? What was the Coast Guard doing!”
“B-But Director, you know. The security was tight. And it’s not about worrying about the breach now. We have to solve it immediately! This could be broadcast live to the whole world…”
“Damn it!”
The director slammed his hand on the table.
Even as he raged, the number of live viewers was increasing crazily. 4 million. 4.22 million…
He could see the numbers rising at a terrifying rate.
—As you can see, Sapporo has been completely burned down. Many civilians must have been sacrificed. And yet! Japan is refusing humanitarian aid from abroad. Simply for the purpose of making their own achievements! Is this the normal way of thinking for a leader?
‘We’re screwed.’
The director, who had been through a lot, could see what Kim Minwoo was doing at a glance.
The guy was cleverly not insulting Japan, but the “higher-ups.” Who could that be referring to?
It was obvious.
Prime Minister Masato, who was at the top.
It was a remark aimed at him.
—This past week must have been a hellish time for the citizens of northern and central Hokkaido. And yet, the Japanese government is wasting time in the lower areas, saying they’re gathering forces.
The comment section was scrolling too fast to read.
Among them, there were many messages filled with clear anger. They were written in very familiar Japanese.
—So, I’ve come to help. As a friend from a neighboring country. Kim Minwoo, that is. Shall we go then, to solve this?
“Damn it, damn it! Dispatch the Awakened! Right now!”
“Sir? But the Swordsman hasn’t…”
“You idiot, is that the problem now? If that bastard dies, it would be a problem, and if he catches it, it would be a bigger problem!”
The live stream had millions of viewers.
What if Kim Minwoo were to die?
It was inevitable that they would be cursed for being framed as the “incompetent Japanese government and Awakened.”
The worst part was…
‘If Kim Minwoo, that bastard, solves the Spirit King issue in a showy way…’
That would be the end of Japan.
No, it would be more accurate to say that Prime Minister Masato and the rest of the government would be shattered.
A Korean, in the younger brother position, coming alone and solving the problem in a showy way.
This was a clear case for the Prime Minister’s impeachment!
Bang!
The door to the office burst open.
“Director. There’s no time. We’re going first. If you try to stop us any longer, I won’t stand for it.”
The Katana Guild master spoke with a fierce expression.
He seemed to have heard about the live broadcast.
“G-Go! Quickly! Take everyone with you!”
“Finally, you’re being reasonable. Did you all hear? Everyone, run at full speed! Don’t hold back your mana!”
“Yes!”
Everyone growled.
They had no intention of letting the arrogant punk who insulted them steal their prey.