Chapter 79: Crisis in Russia (1)
This was only the second time Jin-young had attempted to fuse different energies.
Calling it “fusion” sounded grand, but in truth, it was little more than absorbing one energy into himself.
However, when the energies were in direct opposition, absorption became difficult—and sometimes dangerous.
In Renard, when he first encountered Legacy energy, he had tried to absorb it and nearly died.
The energy had rejected mixing with his psionic energy so violently that it caused an explosion.
‘Are you sure this is safe?’
At Jin-young’s question, the tentacles replied confidently.
『Cyclic energy is not inherently aggressive. Even if something goes wrong, I can simply absorb it myself.』
It had been a long time since the tentacles sounded this assured.
‘Then let’s do it.’
In truth, Jin-young was confident he could handle an explosion even if one occurred.
Back when he first touched Legacy energy, he hadn’t been nearly as strong as he was now.
Now he could simply overwhelm any outburst with sheer volume of psionic energy.
KRRRTS—
With full confidence, he filled the entire training room with psionic energy.
To anyone else’s eyes, nothing would be visible—but in Jin-young’s vision, the room was awash in swirling blue and faint crimson.
『I will begin extracting the energy.』
Black mana flowed from the tentacles wrapped around the Furnace of Life.
Tssss—
A powerful attractive force began pulling from the black mana enveloping the brazier.
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWAAAA—
『Ugh… ughhh…』
A groan escaped from Lyle’s soul still lingering within the hellfire.
Ignoring it completely, the tentacles continued drawing out the energy inside the flames.
KUWAAAAAK—
Soon the hellfire flared violently upward, and pure white energy burst outward from within.
At the same time, the hellfire rapidly shrank.
It didn’t extinguish—just grew smaller.
Whoooo—
A small vortex of cyclic energy began to form.
Jin-young immediately moved his psionic energy, wrapping around and seizing the white spiral.
In that instant—
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWAAAA!
The psionic energy began spinning violently along with the cyclic energy.
Red, blue, and pure white energies mixed chaotically, erupting into dazzling light.
The unstable vortex spun faster and faster, looking ready to explode at any second.
The tentacles immediately moved to absorb it before detonation.
‘Wait.’
But at Jin-young’s command, the tentacles froze.
With eyes closed, Jin-young focused solely on the spinning psionic energy.
The rapid rotation induced by the cyclic energy made his mind reel.
The released psionic energy was directly connected to his consciousness.
That very connection, however, also made control far easier.
For now, he simply allowed himself to feel the power of the cyclic energy.
FLASH—
Jin-young’s eyes snapped open.
He began actively controlling the psionic energy.
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWAAAA—
The violently spinning psionic energy came to a screeching halt like a train slamming on emergency brakes, sparks flying wildly.
CRACKLE!
The central vortex of cyclic energy also slowed dramatically.
Cyclic energy existed only through constant circulation—stopping it rendered it meaningless.
Jin-young didn’t halt the rotation completely.
Instead, he used his psionic energy to gently draw the white spiral toward himself.
Tssss—
The cyclic energy, now wrapped in psionic energy, looked surprisingly stable.
The rapid spinning might appear threatening, but there was no collision.
When they first made contact, the cyclic energy had even tried to merge.
It seemed to have no innate resistance to fusing with other energies.
Jin-young even considered the possibility of using cyclic energy as a foundation to eventually absorb Legacy energy.
But first, he had to make the cyclic energy his own—and grow it larger.
Tssss—
The cyclic energy had drawn close enough to touch his face.
Jin-young opened his mental world and gathered his psionic energy inward.
Though invisible, the mana vessel resided near the heart; likewise, the mental world could be considered located within the mind.
Psionic energy flowed back into his head.
And with it, the cyclic energy began to follow.
“…!”
The moment the cyclic energy poured into his mind, Jin-young’s eyes widened in shock.
It felt as though a spinning saw blade was tearing through his skull.
But thanks to his ironclad mental fortitude, he didn’t faint.
On top of that, by adjusting his senses, he drastically lowered the pain level—enough to endure.
CRACK—CRRRRACK!
While the cyclic energy mixed surprisingly well with his psionic energy, forcing it fully into his mental world wasn’t easy.
It was like a person suddenly dropped into an unfamiliar place—tense and unable to adapt.
Still, Jin-young forcibly dragged every last bit of cyclic energy inside.
Fwaat!
He immediately sealed his mental world shut.
Inside his mind, the cyclic energy now spun violently alongside his psionic energy.
『Absorption successful. How long do you estimate full fusion will take?』
‘Hard to say. Honestly, I could force a fusion right now if I wanted—but it’s better to let it settle naturally over time.’
Now that the cyclic energy was inside his mental world, devouring it would be easier than eating rice cakes while lying down.
But doing so hastily would turn it into nothing more than psionic energy wearing the mask of cyclic energy.
To wield its true power in its original form, he needed to slowly and naturally make it his own.
‘And thanks to the cyclic energy, my psionic training is progressing automatically.’
There were two main ways to increase the total volume of psionic energy.
Mental cultivation and repeated energy usage.
Mental cultivation included peaceful meditation or pushing the body to its physical limits to awaken the mind.
Repeated energy usage meant constantly expending psionic energy.
Especially in the early to mid-stages, the latter method was the fastest way to grow.
That was why he had constantly forced his younger sister Chae So-young to use her psionic energy.
But for someone like Jin-young—who had already reached his limit—the effect was minimal.
Of course, the former method wasn’t easy either.
『The cyclic energy keeps the psionic energy in constant motion, providing stimulation.』
‘Exactly. Even while I’m doing nothing, it’s the same as actively using psionic energy.’
He had absorbed the cyclic energy to break through his blocked bottleneck—so the more diverse the effects, the better.
With the task complete, Jin-young stored the Furnace of Life—containing the hellfire—back into subspace.
The hellfire, having lost its cyclic energy, had shrunk considerably—but it would slowly recover over time.
A small amount still remained.
『Now might be a good time to take out the demonic sword and deal with it.』
‘Let’s meet my sister first.’
Jin-young attempted telepathy with Chae So-young.
***
—So-young, how’s training going?
Her older brother Chae Jin-young’s telepathic voice suddenly rang in her mind.
Chae So-young, who had been walking alongside Intelligence Department Secretary-General Myung Ji-yoon, immediately responded.
‘I’ve been diligently training my psionic energy, but it feels like I’ve hit a wall. So I’ve been focusing more on general hunter training instead.’
She continued working at the association’s secretarial office while regularly participating in raids.
When official guilds under the association were short on raid members, they often requested support from civil servant hunters or the association itself.
Whenever requests came in for 3rd- to 5th-grade dungeons, she almost never declined.
Thanks to the consideration of her superior, Myung Ji-yoon.
—You feel like your psionic energy is stagnating?
‘Yes. I’m doing mental cultivation and repeating energy usage, but it’s barely growing.’
—That’s because you’re not putting in enough effort.
‘I am putting in effort!’
—No, you’re not. Let me show you what real effort looks like. Where are you right now?
Chae So-young suddenly stopped walking.
Myung Ji-yoon, walking beside her, turned with a puzzled look.
“So-young? Something wrong?”
“Huh? Oh, no—it’s nothing. I just remembered I might’ve left the air conditioner on at home. Wait… I think I turned it off.”
“How about switching to a smart air conditioner? You can control it from outside with an app.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea. Anyway… can I ask you something?”
Not wanting to keep responding to her brother’s telepathy, Chae So-young kept the conversation going with Myung Ji-yoon.
“Of course.”
“Why did you leave Crystal Guild, Secretary-General?”
Most hunters working for the association kept dual membership and didn’t fully withdraw from their guilds.
After all, the association itself was formed by guilds, and many dispatched members to support association work.
Even Association President Yoon Soo-ho still served as Guild Master of Guardian Guild.
Myung Ji-yoon had originally been part of Crystal but left before becoming the association’s secretary-general.
“Hmm… I just felt like being a hunter wasn’t really my path. Master Soo-jeong and Vice Master Yeon-jun seem like they were born for this life—but for me, it always felt like I had to do it just because I awakened.”
“Isn’t that how most hunters feel?”
Awakening didn’t suddenly grant someone a natural aptitude for hunting.
Honor, fame, power—everyone continued their hunter life for their own reasons.
People like Shin Soo-jeong, who purely loved raiding and did it for the thrill, were extremely rare.
“Maybe that’s true. But after working with Soo-jeong unnie for so long, I felt it even more strongly. If someone isn’t truly meant to be a hunter, they can’t stay in Crystal.”
“Hmm…”
For Chae So-young, who had once dreamed of joining Crystal Guild, this was troubling to hear.
Even Myung Ji-yoon—a highly regarded 2nd-grade hunter in a guild full of powerhouses—had come to that conclusion.
It made the guild members, including Shin Soo-jeong, feel even more impressive in her eyes.
Come to think of it, she had heard her brother arrived in Korea together with Shin Soo-jeong.
She grew curious why the two of them had come together.
Just as she debated asking—
Knock knock.
She opened the hospital room door alongside Myung Ji-yoon.
Inside the spacious, comfortable double room, Yoon Soo-ho was already waiting.
Two foreigners lay on the beds.
One was so massive they had brought in an extra-large bed just for him.
Russia’s Zero-grade hunter, Vladimir Zhukov.
The other bed held his aide.
Chae So-young approached Yoon Soo-ho and handed over the prepared item.
It was a contaminated zone protective suit jointly developed by Shin Yang Group and the secret research lab.
Similar in performance to the ones Jin-young and Choi Hee-yeon had worn, now capable of mass production.
But it hadn’t yet been released to the market.
“This is Korea’s newly developed contaminated zone protective gear. Consider it an apology gift—please accept it without hesitation.”
“……”
Vladimir silently stared at the suit.
The set included a mask and boots—simple in appearance, almost plain-looking.
But his aide, Igor, immediately brightened and spoke.
“Isn’t this the top-tier protective suit used only by Korea’s Intelligence Department agents? I heard it blocks over 90% of toxins even in the deep contaminated zones. To receive it as a gift… thank you so much.”
Vladimir turned to look at Igor.
“Is it really that good?”
“Yes, sir. Since it hasn’t been released yet, we’re probably the first to receive it.”
Vladimir had always been blind to politics, social trends, and current events—leaving Igor to handle all intellectual and social matters.
His low social awareness meant Igor also managed all his interpersonal dealings.
“That’s correct. You seem unusually well-informed.”
At Yoon Soo-ho’s comment, Igor flinched slightly before giving an awkward laugh.
“Haha… there are no perfect secrets in this world, are there? Information circulates.”
“Then may I ask about the situation in Russia? Is the contaminated zone under control?”
At the follow-up question, Igor glanced at Vladimir.
Receiving no particular signal, he let out a short sigh and answered.
“To be honest… the Volgograd Contaminated Zone is showing unusual signs.”
“Please explain in detail.”
Excluding the sparsely populated Siberian regions, Russia’s largest contaminated zone was in Volgograd.
It was also the territory of one of the Four Horsemen of Disaster.
“Until recently, the Volgograd zone remained quiet. But lately, monster activity has sharply increased. Some have even left the zone and attacked civilian areas.”
“Hmm…”
The mention of monsters escaping the contaminated zone immediately brought Monster Waves to Yoon Soo-ho’s mind.
After Korea successfully defended against a wave and the secret agent eliminated the cause, no further reports had surfaced.
They had assumed GODS could no longer trigger Monster Waves.
Yet what was happening in Russia now matched the early warning signs of a wave.
“We’ve stationed troops along the boundary, but the zone is too vast for complete containment. During a recent deep-zone reconnaissance, they spotted movement from what is presumed to be the Red Knight.”
At that moment, Vladimir—who had been listening silently—finally spoke.
“My informants confirm it is indeed the Red Knight.”
Vladimir had once led Russia’s elite hunters in an attempt to subjugate the Red Knight.
The operation had ended in spectacular failure, costing nearly half their elite force.
Yet no one in Russia—not even the highest authorities—dared hold the Zero-grade accountable.
“It seems an incident is imminent.”
Yoon Soo-ho murmured, stroking his chin.
The reason this prideful Vladimir had personally come to Korea was now clear.
Of course, he had still tried to preserve his ego by causing a scene at the airport.
“…In that case… would it be possible to receive assistance from Korea, which has already subjugated a disaster?”
The request came not from Vladimir, but from his aide Igor.
Yoon Soo-ho had every intention of providing support.
Of course—only after attaching the secret agent’s conditions.
“Of course we’ll help. However—”
Just as he was about to state the terms—
Creak—
The hospital room door opened.
A man in a black suit stepped inside.
Chae So-young’s eyes widened the moment she saw him.
It was her older brother, Chae Jin-young.
He hadn’t been told which hospital they were in—how had he known to come here?
Jin-young didn’t even acknowledge his sister. He walked straight toward Vladimir.
Vladimir’s expression stiffened—memories of the airport incident resurfacing.
Jin-young looked down at him and spoke.
“Twenty 1st-grade manastones and 1 trillion won. That’s the down payment.”
“Excuse me? I heard it was half that amount…”
Igor’s eyes widened after hearing Myung Ji-yoon’s translation.
Jin-young cut him off.
“You didn’t show up to the assembly. If you don’t like it, feel free to let Moscow fall.”