Kyu-seong suddenly recited a line that came to mind, tilting his head in puzzlement.
“Is this the correct line? Oh! I missed one line!”
“I don’t know who you are!”
“Tsk, how could I make such a mistake.”
However, he dismissed it, questioning if his voice even reached anyone or if there was even anyone on the other side of the camera screen in the first place.
“Lord! I’ve scattered the tracking poison! We’ll soon be able to locate the target’s base and leader’s location!”
“Good job, Mammon.”
Mammon’s poison, effective in all fields, was truly impressive.
Though his physical strength might fall short compared to Ara and Ras, his versatility was unmatched.
“I will chase them myself.”
Ras, with his sharp sense of smell, soon sprinted in the direction Mammon’s poison was tracking.
Watching, Kyu-seong felt slightly uneasy about sending him alone, but he stopped himself.
“Isn’t Ras a Level 9 Dungeon Boss?”
Boss monsters were far stronger than regular ones.
Even in a Level 9 Dungeon, the power difference between a regular Level 9 monster and a Level 9 boss monster was immense.
Regular monsters could be handled by Awakened individuals of the same level, but for a boss monster, it took at least ten Awakened of the same rank.
This was why the Seven Deadly Sins Dungeon had never been conquered.
“There are hardly any Level 8 Awakened, let alone Level 9, and yet, we’d need ten Level 9 Awakened to match my children?”
Even on reflection, it was overwhelming power.
Korea? No, this was a force strong enough to devastate even the mighty United States.
Such was the strength Kyu-seong held.
“Are they alright?”
Meanwhile, Ara was carefully tying up the fallen individuals, checking each one as she went.
Fortunately, there were no severe injuries, and Mammon had already neutralized them with his tranquilizing poison.
“Kyu-seong, Kyu-seong! They’re all tied up!”
“Good job, Ara.”
“Mm! They came in a crowd. Are they guests?”
“Hmm? Guests… not exactly.”
“Not guests!”
Ara gave him a puzzled look, as if to ask, “Then what are they?”
She seemed unperturbed despite having dealt with them herself.
Kyu-seong was also curious about their identities, recalling a recent attempt by the European Union to carry out a similar ambush.
Although they resolved the situation without incident, it would have been dangerous if Kyu-seong had been alone.
“Mammon, could you wake up just one of them?”
“I’ll paralyze their limbs and awaken only their mind for safety!”
Mammon, always prudent, received Kyu-seong’s nod of approval.
Soon, Mammon used his poison again, reviving one of the unconscious individuals.
“Ugh…”
“Are you awake?”
Kyu-seong struck a mysterious tone, like a mastermind pulling the strings, as he questioned the individual.
Of course, they didn’t understand Korean.
Still in a daze, the person soon noticed Kyu-seong, Ara, and Mammon, paying no mind to the toxin around him, and tried to move in shock.
“What the…!!”
Realizing they couldn’t move, panic set in.
Kyu-seong then called out energetically.
“Hey!”
“What have you done to me?”
What are they saying?
Kyu-seong immediately looked at Ara.
Ara then interpreted the opponent’s words.
“What have you done to me!”
“Still not fully aware, are you?”
Kyu-seong glared at the person who suddenly felt irritating to him. The opponent, realizing the situation, shut up.
“Shall I administer a painful poison?!”
“No need. There’s no point in Mammon using his poison for someone like this.”
It would be a waste for Mammon to make poison just to see this person’s pain.
“Hmm, who are you?”
“Oh! You don’t speak? Okay, okay. Hmph.”
As if he had nothing to lose, Kyu-seong began inspecting the opponent’s clothing, seemingly searching for clues.
Seeing this, Ara, Mammon, and even Poispois started scouring the fallen people around them.
Unsurprisingly, they found nothing.
“Our captain will be here soon.”
At that moment, someone who had been silent spoke up. Ara interpreted again.
“He is much stronger than us. You better be prepared.”
“Ha, still not clear-headed. Must be under the influence of the poison.”
Though Kyu-seong joked, it was true. Normally, this expert, known for keeping a cool head, would not have said anything unnecessary. But his rationality was slightly eroded by Mammon’s poison.
Kyu-seong, unaware of such details, began to doubt their identities.
“Are they just small fry?”
Given how quickly they had dealt with them and the amateurish demeanor of these people, he wondered if they had been sent by some small organization to hinder them.
Of course, with Kyu-seong’s summoned creatures, it was clear that anyone would be dealt with swiftly, even if it were the world’s number one Awakened.
But, still unable to fully grasp that reality, Kyu-seong merely tilted his head in confusion.
Thump! Thump!
At that moment, he heard the sound of something running from afar.
He turned his head and saw Ras running toward them from a distance, carrying two long figures.
Looking closely, they were people—both unconscious.
“I have taken care of it. They dared to oppose me, but they’re a hundred years too early.”
“Oh, well done. Are these perhaps the captains?”
He then addressed one of the wide-eyed, prone individuals.
“Your captain? Here you are.”
The captain had indeed arrived, though perhaps not in the way they had imagined.
* * *
Back in the United States, Hailey and the members of Iron Sight turned pale at the sudden news.
“What? The hitmen have moved?!”
“It appears to be the work of the Venom Guild. What should we do?”
To think they would undertake such a reckless task…
No matter how weak Korea was considered among the Awakened nations, this had crossed a line.
Moreover, Lee Kyu-seong was currently a hotly debated figure among the Awakened. Could eliminating such a person possibly go unnoticed?
“Fools…”
Hailey, before even returning to her guild, started making calls.
Upon assessing the situation, it was clear the die was cast.
Now, it was time for damage control.
“What? They’ve already departed and are in Korea?”
She learned that the hitmen were already carrying out their mission in Korea.
Swearing at the Venom Guild’s swift actions, Hailey urgently hired additional mercenaries.
The objective was to escort and rescue Lee Kyu-seong and, if possible, neutralize the hitmen hired by Venom.
The U.S., being such a large market, had no shortage of Awakened mercenaries and hitmen.
Hailey, contacting the best professionals she knew, then seriously reached out to her contacts in Korea.
“Yes, this is HQ! Ms. Hailey, have you safely returned home?”
“Director? Let’s skip the greetings for now; I have important information to convey.”
“Pardon? Yes, yes.”
“Currently, Lee Kyu-seong, the Awakened, is in danger. It seems he has become a target for elimination by another guild within the U.S.”
“…W-what did you say?!”
Chief Jeon Young-joo was caught off guard by the unexpected information. He quickly composed himself and asked Hailey.
“Is he in immediate danger?”
“Yes. Escort him right away. Also, locate him.”
“Understood. Thank you for the vital information. I’ll be in touch shortly.”
The call ended with Chief Jeon’s urgent tone, but Hailey’s expression remained tense.
‘The hitmen might have already reached Kyu-seong’s residence.’
The ones hired by the Venom Guild were certainly not ordinary. Being the 9th-ranked guild in the U.S., their strength was formidable.
Hailey was halfway to giving up on Kyu-seong’s survival.
‘Then what I can do now…’
This incident had to be used to retaliate against the Venom Guild. Her goal was to gather as much evidence as possible to weaken Venom’s position.
This incident could become Venom Guild’s downfall. Even Hailey wondered why they were so reckless in targeting Kyu-seong, whom they hadn’t even secured a contract with.
‘No, this is actually an opportunity for us to surpass the Venom Guild.’
It was a chance. And she was grateful to Kyu-seong for presenting it.
His death was regrettable, but she planned to send substantial compensation to his family as a token of condolence.
“Hailey? Shall we head to the guild?”
“No, we’re heading straight to the Federal Assembly.”
Every second counted.
Now it was a race against time.
As they had always been rivals, many guilds would rally to bring down the Venom Guild.
So, striking first, before Venom could prepare, was essential.
This was the beginning of a war.
Emergency!
The siren wailed!
* * *
An emergency alert was issued in South Korea.
The news relayed to the Awakening Headquarters quickly reached the nation’s top five guilds, as well as the Blue House and National Assembly.
Though Kyu-seong himself was unaware, his current status exceeded that of a typical Awakened.
The government had been covertly interested in him since he had addressed the Dungeon Break incident with his juice solution.
His information was classified as top-priority, delivered directly to the President.
However, the government had kept a low profile thus far to conceal it from other nations.
Major domestic guilds and the Awakening Headquarters had been discreetly protecting him, so no overt action had been necessary until now.
But now, things were different.
The South Korean government, on high alert since the European Union’s attack, immediately mobilized all certified Awakened individuals.
“Protect Lee Kyu-seong!”
Special Order! Protect Lee Kyu-seong!
As an elite force made its way toward Kyu-seong’s residence, the Ara Hongryeon Guild, the Terror Guild, and the Iron Blood Guild also sent elite Awakened members.
The forces consisted of Level 7 and 8 individuals.
No matter how formidable the hitmen were, this level of power was not easy to overcome.
“Mercenaries deployed on supersonic aircraft from the United States are arriving soon!”
The mercenaries Hailey had commissioned had also arrived.
They were a team no less skilled than the special unit sent by Venom Guild.
Coincidentally, everyone converged on Kyu-seong’s residence almost simultaneously.
Due to communication gaps, there was nearly a misunderstanding, but they quickly realized they were all on the same team and began searching for Kyu-seong together.
“Traces of a large group passing through found.”
“Damn! Are we already too late?”
“Kyu-seong! No, we need to find him quickly!”
They also discovered traces of Kyu-seong.
Seeing the signs that Kyu-seong had moved in an unusual direction, the tension among them rose even further.
“Kyu-seong… please…!”
“Kyu-seong, where are you?”
And finally—
A message came over the radio.
“We’ve found Kyu-seong!”
“You found him?!”
Was he alive?!
Guild members, hearing the news, sighed in relief, their legs nearly giving out. Some, including Jeong So-yeon, even shed tears.
“Is he injured? Is he okay?!”
“Well… you’ll need to see for yourself.”
“What? Is he hurt?!”
“No, it’s just… there are over ten incapacitated individuals here.”
“What?”
Over ten incapacitated individuals?
Iron Sight Guild had described them as monstrous hitmen.
From the missions and operations they’d conducted, they were the kind that even an 8th-level Awakened couldn’t fend off without being killed.
And yet, all of them had been subdued?
“What on earth happened here?”
Someone’s murmur echoed quietly through the forest.
Cliche Novel 
Underestimating our Ara
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