before the storm

The cruise ship of ‘Jeok Rakcha’.

All the members of the ‘Inner Circle’, which are difficult to gather in a large conference room, all gathered.

“Yoo Jang-hoon, is that gentleman still out of his mind? The Awakening Weighted Tax will be treated as it is, how do you deal with this?”

Yoo Jang-hoon was the name of the president.

In the administration, he reigns like a king, but here he was just an old man who couldn’t figure out the subject he could kill at any time.

“I don’t know. According to me, the Dark Knight is attached to the centipede… … .”

‘Jeokna-chal’ said with a frown.

It was not a confirmed fact.

It didn’t seem like the character ‘The Dark Knight’ would be under anyone.

“The Dark Knight? Was that kid S-class? How strong are you? … .”

“Shut up.”

“no no. I’m not trying to provoke, I’m really curious. How strong is it that you folded it one step further?”

The other members also agreed with him one by one and demanded an explanation from ‘Jeoknachal’.

She reluctantly opened her mouth.

“It’s at least S-class, and the items aren’t common. Both the grove and the sword are dungeon artifacts.”

“Then an SS-level performance will come out.”

“Are we equal or better than ours?”

All the members of ‘Inner Circle’ were full S ranks in terms of their pure abilities.

It was thanks to the monopoly of the dungeon until now.

“shit. Even if the maximum growth wasn’t just S, there’s no reason to be scared of such a guy.”

“Besides, you said you have a skill that negates that gnome skill? I don’t know what the scope is, but it’s quite intimidating.”

The reason they couldn’t advance beyond S-class was simple.

Strength 999 S.

Agility 999 S.

Intelligence 999 S.

Luck 999 S.

Because it cannot go higher than this.

None of the humans had reached the SS-Class, and so far, the S-Class was considered the highest.

It is in this context that they have been obsessed with dungeon monopoly until now.

“It’s just my opinion, but I don’t think the Dark Knight was attached to the government.”

‘Jeoknakchal’ put an end to members’ anxiety.

This atmosphere was difficult.

“You mean punk? What is the basis?”

“There is no basis. I just met and talked to him, and he wasn’t a guy under anyone else.”

In response to the members’ questions, he talked about the woman’s sense of ‘Jeokna-chal’ and explained about his attitude when he met ‘The Dark Knight’.

After hearing the general story, ‘Inner Circle’ nodded and got a feel for it.

“You seem to be the stubborn tiger type.”

“By the way, if it’s a real punk, what does this old man, Jang-hoon Yoo believe?”

“The mind is still stuck in the pre-Gate era.”

They were also strong in the S-class, and it was understandable that the ‘Dark Knight’ was acting like a one-man corps without relying on anyone.

Being the leader of a group there are things that get in the way, and I have to say things that I regret here and there.

“Then I’ll have to turn around. The last president was still quite talkative, but this one is very clogged up.”

“You need a good cause for that. No matter how much we are, if we take power with aggression, the people will be very upset.”

The ‘Inner Circle’ thought it was undesirable to endure it any longer.

When the gate first appeared, we did not know how to deal with it, so the Earth was at a crossroads for the survival of mankind.

At that time, all the Awoken voluntarily shed blood to protect the world.

However, the government passed a bill for the Awakened Conscription after taking advantage of the opportunity, and that was the cause of the birth of the ‘Inner Circle’.

Because of this background, they did not have a good relationship with the government and even had a sense of victimization.

“I have a good idea.”

‘Jeoknachal’ said while sitting cross-legged.

From the government’s point of view, it was a pain in the ass.

“What.”

“You can’t just smash it all.”

The members vividly remember how she broke into the Blue House and grabbed the president at the time when ‘Inner Circle’ was just being created.

“What do you see me as? A much more sophisticated way, as always, if a student is harmed by the government, it will win public sympathy.”

“Hmm. therefore?”

“You know what Shinnoda is? He’s an academy prospect these days. I am friends with him.”

“Ah, the student who beat the Chinese guy?”

They are at the top of the Awakened Society of Korea, but all the promising youngsters who are like Shin Noda had in their minds.

“I’m going to tell him to pull some aggro. And it would be a bonus if you secretly sprinkle some stings on the government side.”

“Are you that close?”

“Let’s just say we had a deep conversation.”

The ‘Inner Circle’ members had a rough estimate of what kind of exchange they had.

‘The age of the naked chap is… Still, if you look at the looks, it’s not like you’re in your 20’s.’

They nodded their heads in affirmation.

“It does that. What about the military when it comes to ceremonies? There are too many.”

“right. Besides, among the Awoken who have agreed to respond, there must be those who are afraid and remain silent when something happens.”

Next was the military.

As S-class, they could not resist the military coming, but the other Awakeneds did not.

Without the mana coat, if you get shot, you die, and the mana coat itself has a short usage time.

“Ah—if that’s the case, it’s already been talked about.”

It was ‘a sea of blood’ that came out.

He was rated as the strongest hunter.

Even ‘Jeok Rak-chal’ was enough to buy him.

“how?”

“In return for acquiescing to what happened that day, I decided to create a new division, make room for the stars, improve my pension, and give the stars a business.”

The members were moved by the insight of ‘Blood Sea’.

All the promises made to the military were to be done with state money.

That means they have nothing to lose.

“I don’t mean to tackle, is it possible to create a new division? These days, the birthrate is low, and it is said that even the existing divisions are disbanding.”

“Women can also be drafted.”

“Ohh. So is he.”

“It may be a political burden, but what are you guys going to do? Since we have a border with China these days, we just need to spread some news that can stimulate emotions about China.”

“Actually, I don’t know the opinions of the incompetent. By the way, it’s a bit disappointing that the generals sit still and eat only fruits.”

‘Bada of Blood’ shrugged.

He thought there was nothing he could do.

It was the yard where we entered to establish a new order, so the one that was disappointing was the ‘Inner Circle’.

***

Blue house.

The president was surprised to receive the shocking report from the head of the National Intelligence Service and stood up.

“The Inner Circle is preparing for a coup?”

“According to reliable intelligence, yes. It is said that they entice the students of the academy and make them lead.”

“You did a little bit of hair.”

President Yoo Jang-hoon stroked his chin.

A look of impatience was evident.

“I am sorry for the late report, although the information came in a week ago. I thought it was absurd and ignored it, but today dozens of academy students came out fully armed. Nominally, they are armed to enter the dungeon, but according to the official, it turned out that the place was not dangerous enough to be armed.”

A cold sweat broke out on the back of President Yoo Jang-hoon at the report that followed.

Apparently, the situation was very urgent.

He was so bewildered that it was difficult to make a normal judgment in the unprecedented situation.

“Are there really going to be a coup? How likely do you think it is?”

“It is difficult to predict, but it is true that the circumstances of the Academy are very suspicious based on the facts that have been revealed.”

The head of the National Intelligence Service was also nervous.

It was a very politically dangerous matter, so I shouldn’t have said anything that would be reproached later.

The president is at a loss for words for a moment and is in trouble.

It wasn’t long before he came to a conclusion.

“The NIS should focus its efforts on fighting domestic public opinion in this time period.”

“All right!”

“Just go.”

When the Director of the National Intelligence Service left his seat, Yoo Jang-hoon sat back down and picked up the receiver.

It was a direct line to the water headquarters.

“I am the president.”

<Loyalty! This is Subangsa Lieutenant General Seo Tae-gyu.>

“There are signs of a coup. Block the Hero Academy and disarm your students. But never shoot.”

Lieutenant General Seo Tae-gyu was perplexed.

What’s the order you call all of a sudden?

He was one of the generals who had not been contacted by the ‘Inner Circle’.

They made contact with most of the generals, but they didn’t say anything to those who had no relationship at all or who wouldn’t come into contact with them.

<Are you talking about a coup? Could you say it again?>

“Seal the Hero Academy and subdue the students to disarm them. There was information that S-class Awoken were trying to incite them to launch a coup. For more details, the NIS will hand over the data.”

President to confirm once again.

Lieutenant General Seo Tae-gyu had a sore throat.

You mean to subdue academy students who are, on average, grade C or higher without firing?

The ROK Army is a conscripted army, so if you fight wrongly in these political issues, you could lose morale and protest, or the unit itself could be disbanded.

<Sorry, sir, it is extremely difficult to subdue the Academy students without firing. At the very least, you should be able to use blank bullets to create an atmosphere.>

“That’s what the Inner Circle is aiming for. Never shoot. We will support the police force, so water cannons are acceptable.”

<Then, is tear gas okay?>

If it’s tear gas, it’s painful even for Awakened people.

Rather, it has a stronger effect than the general public because the senses are maximized.

The president recalled a situation in which the next day’s news coverage of students groaning and rolling on the floor with tear gas.

In particular, in Korea, tear gas was dangerous because of the trauma of the military regime.

There was a possibility that he would be driven as a male dictator.

‘This can’t be done. It may not be the same as firing. It’s better to build a human shield… .’

He opened his mouth with a cold expression.

“It is not allowed. Don’t be afraid to sacrifice, push the manpower and tie their feet up. Anything other than that is at the general’s discretion.”

Lieutenant General Seo Tae-gyu was on fire inside.

What do you mean by saying that this can’t be done or that can’t be done?

So the call ended.

All that was left was President Yoo Jang-hoon, who was anxious and nervous, and Lieutenant General Seo Tae-gyu, who was already losing his head due to unreasonable demands.

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like