After Kang Woo listened to the breaking news, he went to the Red Rose building with Echidna and Han Seol.
– Can’t you hurry up?
– I called China and now we know the exact location of the Hell Teachers!
– Where will the meeting take place? First of all, we have to get the plane ready!
The Red Rose building turned into one big crowd. People were both in the lobby and in the offices, discussing and deciding the best course of action. The door to the office swung open, and Kang Woo immediately saw Young Joo, piled high with a mountain of documents.
– Are you here? – The girl raised her head as she looked at him.
She looked as serious as possible now, not as usual. Kang Woo walked up to her and asked:
– I watched the news, but what’s really going on?
– Huge summoned beings have appeared in Vladivostok.
– And they’re there…
The girl nodded her head heavily.
– There are no exact numbers, but they have summoned at least a hundred demons. Added to that number were the Hell creatures.
– A hundred grand…
Kang Wu, without noticing it himself, smiled slightly. With an effort, he pulled the tips of his lips down.
“Good for them!”
While Kang Woo studied the map of vast Russia with horror, wondering where to start his search from, the Hell Teachers revealed themselves. Learning that they had summoned so many creatures made Kang Woo even want to hug them. He ended up smiling contentedly again and sat back in his chair.
– Any casualties?
– There are hardly any casualties among the local population. The problem…
– …is that they’re on the move.
Young-joo nodded her head with a wary expression.
– They move very quickly. And strong enough that they almost destroyed the monsters living in the SS level gates there in an instant.
Actually, the second point was much more disturbing.
The SS Level Gate.
Since its inception, five years ago, it had been unique. Unlike the other Gates, they and the surrounding area were inhabited by very powerful beings who, once they got out of the Gate, formed their own habitat. Fortunately, they never ventured beyond the area they created, so there were no human casualties. This territory, however, has always been forbidden. But the monsters were killed. So it’s not hard to surmise what powers the summoned demons and Hell creatures have.
“However…” Kang Woo swallowed and licked his lips with his tongue in anticipation.
He felt a sense of hunger.
And it was the army of demons that seemed like the perfect menu to satisfy his appetite.
“At least the Hell creatures won’t do much good.”
If it was a matter of a soul to help sort out a special ability, only a demon soul would do. Therefore, there would be absolutely no use in pulling in the soul of a hellish creature by losing your mind.
“But I’m not sure about Alkyona.”
Alkyona.
Among monsters, she’s probably the only one who possesses any signs of intelligence. And an intelligent Hell creature is capable of defeating even a demon. What’s more, some of them possessed the Powers. Therefore, pulling the soul of an intelligent infernal creature with the Power of the Devourer could be advantageous.
However, this was specifically about Alcyone, or a creature like her.
“But if you believe the video I watched, there are mostly monsters of the Three Thousand Circle of Hell.
And there are certainly no sentient beings among them. Unusual monsters start appearing from the Eight Thousandth Circle of Hell.
“So I’ll focus on the demons first.”
He wasn’t going to leave any of them alive. Since he needed to try out his new special Soul Maker ability, he was going to catch as many demons as he could.
– Where were they headed?
– Toward Manchuria. So far they’re heading toward China, but who knows if they’ll change their trajectory.
Vladivostok is closest to China and North Korea. Five years ago, North Korea was not prepared for something like this, and it eventually fell. And now if the monsters go in their direction, they will go directly to the South.
– Hmm…” Kang-woo squinted.
This was a situation where a war could start in either China or Korea, depending on where the Hell creatures headed. There was only one right thing to do in this situation.
– Are the Chinese doing something about it?
– Well, they asked Korea for help. They’re going to end things in Manchuria to prevent human casualties.
– As expected,” Kang-woo nodded his head.
No one knew exactly where the Hell creatures would be headed. If each side would only defend itself, there would definitely be civilian casualties. In that case, uniting would be the best solution.
“Though the balance of power is not quite right.”
China was the strongest country in all of Asia. Because the population was large and they had many Players. Including many of them had a unique air power, which made them stronger than the others. In fact, even if Korea and Japan united, China would still be stronger.
“But since Korea has me, that changes everything,” chuckled Kang-woo.
And such thoughts of his would not be an exaggeration at all. After all, with his strength alone, he could stand up to the whole of America.
– So what do you want to do?
– There’s an urgent meeting in Harbin and they’re asking us to join them. So Hwaran and I will go to Harbin as soon as we find the plane.
– I see.
– Kang Woo, you’re going too, right?
There’s no need to ask. He nodded his head without any hesitation.
– Of course,” he said with a big smile.
There’ll be dinner soon.
***
Pretty soon Jong So-young joined them and they boarded the Red Rose-prepared plane and headed for Harbin.
– I could have given you a ride,” Echidna said with a smile sitting in the seat next to her.
Kang Woo raised his hand and stroked her head.
– If we’d gotten there before everyone else, there wouldn’t have been anything for us to do.
Kang Woo heard that the strong guys from the other guilds were also heading to Harbin. So the meeting would most likely start after everyone got there.
– Oh… And this happened exactly when Dad is busy with other things…” So-young exhaled.
There was a look of concern on her face.
– Why, is there a problem?
– Since my father isn’t there, my uncle took the initiative to attend the meeting instead.
– Uncle?
– Yes. Have you heard of Jung Moo Hyun’s Ghost Sword?
– No,” Kang Woo shook his head.
– Even though he couldn’t become famous because of his father, he’s quite a famous warrior among the Chinese. He has a special position in the guild too.
– He holds a higher position in the guild than you?
– I hate to admit it, but yes…” she bit her lip.
She could see that her father’s absence was causing her some unease.
– Everything will be alright,” Kang Woo leaned back in his chair.
There was nothing to worry about. If the situation didn’t settle down, then Kang Woo would do the right thing himself.
***
It didn’t take him long to get to Harbin. After getting off the plane, Kang Woo and the others got into the cars prepared by the Chinese side and headed for the Players’ Control Center.
“Not bad at all,” Kang Wu admired.
As befits the strongest country in Asia, the Harbin-based Player Control Center looked imposing and majestic. In fact, it looked more like a financial center in downtown Beijing. The building was so amazing that it looked as if it had been built from a comic book picture.
Kang Woo looked around and went inside.
– А?
– What are the others doing in there?
Gang U and his team went into the knowledge room, but after walking a little further, they saw a huge door with many people crowded in front of it.
– Onnuri Guild and Sanalae Guild.
After the two major guilds of Korea disappeared, there were only three left, the members of which were now here.
Young-joo headed toward the door , irritated, and approached one of the women.
– Aunt Hyun-ju, what’s going on?
– Everywhere I go, everyone calls Auntie… Ah, it’s you, Young-joo!
Jeong Hyun Joo.
The master of the Sanalae guild was an outstanding sapper, which made a good impression.
Suddenly she grimaced:
– What’s going on is driving me crazy. They’ve summoned a bunch of people, but it’s not clear what we’re going to do.
– Why?
– We came here to participate in the meeting, but in the end they told us to act on orders.
– What?” the girl interrogated in surprise and grinned.
Just to follow orders without taking part in the meeting? That means the Korean Players don’t have the ability to make the best plan of action for themselves.
– What morons.
What kind of nonsense is this, telling people to act on orders without letting them figure out the situation? Young-joo, ignited with anger, headed for the door leading to the meeting room. Two Players, apparently Chinese, blocked her way.
– Out of the way.
– Jung Moo-hyun is holding a meeting. You can’t go in. The results of the meeting will be announced later,” the Chinese Players said in broken Korean.
– You didn’t hear that? Move aside.
– Mr. Chung Moo-hyun said that those unwilling to follow the directive will be renegotiated.
– Oh my…” Young-joo’s body was enveloped by a strong Marjok.
It began to fill the entire space and seemed like it was about to explode.
– Shit…” the curse came out of the girl’s mouth.
Eventually she got a grip on her anger.
China. They weren’t called the strongest country in Asia for nothing. Getting to them was unrealistically difficult.
Instead of Young-joo, So-young stepped forward.
– What are you doing? These Players came here to deal with the riot the Hell Teachers caused. Move aside.
– Excuse me. Mr. Jung Moo-hyun said not to let anyone in until the meeting is over.
– Are you kidding right now? If my father finds out about this…
– While Mr. Jung Moo Jin is not there, it’s Mr. Jung Moo Hyun who gives the orders.
Seo Yeon clenched her lips tightly. What she was so afraid of had happened. She turned around and turned to Kang Woo:
– I’m sorry. I’ll try to contact you as soon as possible…
– It’s okay,” Kang Woo said calmly, reassuring her.
Seo Young and Young Joo looked at him with round eyes.
– Are you just going to wait?
– No, of course not.
– No? In that case…
Kang Woo grinned and moved from his seat.
The unpleasant situation had already appeared, and there was only one way out of it. Kang Woo headed for the door and both Chinese men drew their weapons.
– If you do that again…
Kang Woo raised his hands and grabbed their heads, pushing the door open with them. It snapped open, and they saw the conference room. At the head of the table sat a member of the Chong Kom Mun Guild, and on either side were members of the other major Chinese guilds.
– What…
The people inside the boardroom were shocked. The well-built and large Player who was sitting at the entrance on the inside rose from his seat.
– What kind of mindless creature has dared to disturb the meeting?! – He said angrily and headed towards Gangwoo.
A fist the size of a human’s head was pointed at Kang Woo. Not only was it huge, but it was also shrouded in the strongest Marioc, proving the Player’s high level.
– А?
Kang Woo stopped his fist with ease and a surprised exclamation came out of the giant’s mouth. The guy threw it back. The giant’s body staggered and he was ready to fall forward, but Kang Wu grabbed his head. However, because there was no hair on the big man’s head at all, his hand immediately slipped away.
“And his baldness helped him.”
Kang Woo had to grab his neck instead of his head, after which the guy slammed his head against the table. There was a loud sound, and the table made of sturdy wood collapsed. Kang Woo sat the big guy down in the same place he had gotten up from.
There was a heavy silence in the conference room. No one could understand what had just happened, and everyone just stared at Kang Woo.
– So? – Kang Woo sat down in his chair and crossed his legs. – Aren’t you going to continue the meeting?