Chapter 25 – Beefing Up (1)
1.
Kim Tae Hoon’s lips were tightly sealed after drinking some coffee.
The coffee was hot. Rather than spitting it out, he would prefer to just swallow it.
However, Kim Tae Hoon opted to just persevere through the heat and instead chose to keep the hot coffee in his mouth to warm up his head.
The results were clear.
The fragrance of coffee helped Kim Tae Hoon loosen his stiffened head. Kim Tae Hoon had experienced a crisis.
‘It was all in my head.’
At this moment, Kim Tae Hoon was sure of one thing.
‘That dream was a vision of my death.’
What he saw wasn’t some fantasy or some sort of mistake.
Coming to terms with that fact, he began to closely a.n.a.lyze the details of his vision.
‘Looking at Chang Sung Hoon’s face, it’s not a very distant future.’
Now was a very important period.
He could tell Chang Sung Hoon’s age by looking at his face.
The Chang Sung Hoon that he saw in his dreams was in his mid to late twenties.
Since Chang Sung Hoon was currently in his early twenties, it was not a distant future. But it wasn’t a very close future either.
‘It’ll be within 3 to 5 years.’
If it’s sooner than expected, then 3 years, if it’s later, then 5 years.
‘Commander in Chief Lim Hyun Joon.’
The most important lead right now was the name Lim Hyun Joon.
‘It was probably Colonel Lim Hyun Joon.’
Colonel Lim Hyun Joon.
Kim Tae Hoon was aware of the fact that he was a tactical and ambitious man.
He was also undergoing an Elite Course within the Ministry of National Defense. As an officer, not only was it a good result stemming from his hard work, but it was also a great political achievement as well.
He would be a big shot in the next generation. Even if it took 10 years, it would still be impossible for him to reach the rank of Commander-in-Chief.
‘He was the Commander-in-Chief······.’
But of course the world had already gone beyond the realm of normalcy.
Besides, he could figure out the end result.
So he could only make a hypothesis based on the careful a.n.a.lysis he had made on what he already knew.
‘It seems like the military will recover and operate normally to some extent in the future.’
The first reason, the existence of a commander-in-chief implies that the army was making movements. It meant that society hadn’t completely fallen into anarchy.
‘And if Lim Hyun Joon had managed to become the commander of that system······ then he must have survived and made significant contributions.’
Second, if Colonel Lim Hyun Joon had become the Commander-in-Chief, then that means that he must have played a decisive role in restoring the military.
He couldn’t have made just simple contributions. In fact, it was likely that he played a critical role in restructuring the army.
‘Right, I’m a part of the 8th division now.’
Furthermore, Colonel Lim Hyun Joon was a member of the 8th Mechanized Infantry.
Unlike regular Infantry platoons, it possessed very powerful weapons such as excellent mobile units and tanks.
‘Then he probably saw the emergence of the monsters as an opportunity, not a crisis.’
Colonel Lim Hyun Joon had the authority to command all of the firepower and various troops under his influence to create a brilliant power.
‘Thinking about it, the 8th Division should be the best composed right now.’
Another thing
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, the 8th Division should have established themselves in Pocheon in Gyeonggi Province.
Definitely frontline. However, it would not have been in direct contact with the North Korean Army.
Therefore, it held an advantageous position.
Even if they were to face a monster, they wouldn’t be able to immediately lead the soldiers back. Who knows how the North Korean Army will move. Additionally, it would difficult to receive supplies.
On the other hand, the 8th Division can freely move towards or away from the frontline.
‘I have to go to Pocheon.’
In other words, even if not completely safe, since it’s where the 8th Division would be stationed, Pocheon would play a significant role.
It would still retain a semblance of order.
Furthermore, Kim Tae Hoon had a need to contact Colonel Lim Hyun Joon. Since he will become a very important figure later on, Kim Tae Hoon could not afford to ignore him.
His thoughts about Colonel Lim Hyun Joon were only up to there.
That was because there were more pressing matters at hand.
‘Weapons.’
In his vision, Kim Tae Hoon had prepared various kinds of weapons in preparation for his battle against the dragon.
Regular objects wouldn’t work.
He would have to make items from monster parts and find high grade relics.
Naturally, he would also have to carefully think about what type of weapons he would have to make. The shape of the weapons from his vision would play a decisive role in what he would make.
‘I was able to freely manipulate the weapons with my Telekinesis.’
The sensation of handling the weapons with his Telekinesis would be very important as well.
Kim Tae Hoon’s ability to utilize his Telekinesis was not very good.
That’s why there wasn’t much that Kim Tae Hoon could do even with an A-Rank Telekinesis.
Telekinesis was just that difficult to utilize.
Some aspects of it were incredibly easy, but then other parts were impossibly difficult.
Things wouldn’t play out exactly the way he would imagine them to.
To be able to paint a picture in your mind required talent in real life drawing ability, and the skills necessary to realistically depict a scene on paper as well.
The point is that Kim Tae Hoon was able to fluidly control his powers in his vision.
He was able to make various kinds of inanimate weapons...o...b..t around him like satellites.
‘If I were able to also see my stats at the time, I would have a clearer goal.’
Regardless, it was imperative that Kim Tae Hoon achieve the same proficiency in Telekinesis as he saw in his vision.
That would be the minimum condition for him to survive until that time.
But of course, in the end, Kim Tae Hoon didn’t survive.
‘Those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds.’
That’s what Chang Sung Hoon had said in the vision. He had said that there was no reason for Kim Tae Hoon to die. But in the end, it was because of those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds that he had died.
‘There was some faction that wanted to remove me.’
He didn’t know their names, their ident.i.ties, or their numbers, but there was an organization or a faction that wanted him dead.
‘My existence was in direct conflict with their interests.’
They wanted Kim Tae Hoon to perish since his actions were interfering with their plans.
It was simple really.
It was because Kim Tae Hoon wished to pursue the path of the hunter in order to survive.
The other side did not want that. Either they wanted the monsters to stay in power, or they simply didn’t want Kim Tae Hoon to keep killing the monsters.
Kim Tae Hoon had no doubts about that.
Even if the world were to end, there would always be people who seek to profit from it.
No matter what, those kinds of people will without a doubt come out of the woodworks.
No, rather, it would be those who seek to establish their own order upon the ruins of a toppled society.
Any new society they seek to create would be created in their image.
‘It would be strange if those people didn’t make their move.’
That’s why he needed to be wary about those kinds of people.
The fact that Kim Tae Hoon was envisioned to die is the most pressing matter.
What more, it was something that surprised even Kim Tae Hoon himself.
‘Can’t believe I was that selfless in the face of death. To the point where I would save Chang Sung Hoon······ plus, Chang Sung Hoon was the only one by my side.’
It was the fact that the Kim Tae Hoon who sought only his own survival would sacrifice himself for another.
Gulp!
Thinking about that, Kim Tae Hoon swallowed the coffee that was in his mouth.
The eyes of those who heard him swallow the coffee changed. They waited for Kim Tae Hoon to open his mouth.
As expected, he opened his mouth.
“I don’t know who brought me this coffee, but it’s the worst coffee I’ve ever had in my entire life.” [TN: Them priorities]
2.
Kim Tae Hoon revealed that he had a vision. He told them everything that he remembered.
He also told them his thoughts. Pocheon could be considered a safe zone, and that they needed to make contact somehow.
He also told them without any hesitation that he would die to a dragon in a few years.
When they finished hearing his tale, everyone around him had a sterner look than when he was unconscious.
“Then does that mean I’m to die in the future as well?”
Bang Hyun Wook carefully asked with a stiff expression on his face.
It was kind of funny that it was coming from Bang Hyun Wook, but he was being serious.
Is it not difficult to throw an inquiry about one’s own destiny towards someone who has seen the future, especially since it looked like he might not even survive to the light of dawn the following day?
“I can’t say with certainty that you died since you weren’t present in my vision. You may have been completing a task elsewhere, or had a falling out with me, or may have even betrayed me.”
“Betrayal, I don’t even have the tiniest inkling of that type of though······.”
While saying those words, the conversation he had with Ahn Sun Mi began to play in his head.
What would Kim Tae Hoon say about Bang Hyun Wook’s thoughts during the time that Kim Tae Hoon was unconscious?
Would he think it was result of his immaturity, a youngster’s heroic spirit, or an act of rebellion against his orders?
‘Hyungnim won’t let it slide just because it was me.’
It was clear that no matter what Bang Hyun Wook thought, Kim Tae Hoon would not change his mind.
It was just like what Ahn Sun Mi said: Kim Tae Hoon would not accept survivors who simply wish to be protected.
There was no reason for Kim Tae Hoon to change his mind.
It wasn’t Kim Tae Hoon who needed to change his mind, but the others around him.
“It looks like you stopped talking. Were you actually thinking of betraying me?”
“No, that’s why······ It wasn’t betrayal, but it wouldn’t be wrong to say it’s similar. If hyungnim were to sleep and not wake, then I would have to lead in your stead, then in that case the survivors······.”
Bang Hyun Wook took in a deep breath while he was still speaking.
It was to give himself some strength for what he was going to say next.
“Hyungnim, can’t you at least accept applicants for the clan?”
Kim Tae Hoon looked at Bang Hyun Wook, who had finished speaking, while tasting the coffee in his mouth.
Bang Hyun Wook silently gulped while under Kim Tae Hoon’s gaze.
“To receive support from the survivors, is that what you wanted to say?”
Kim Tae Hoon spoke.
“Yes.”
“Why should the Mek Clan add more members?”
“Wouldn’t we be able to hunt more monsters like that? Plus it would be safer and more stable. Plus, we need more than just combatants, right? We need people who can cook or maybe people who can act as porters······.”
“Can you provide concrete evidence and reasons why we need to recruit more people?”
“That······.”
Bang Hyun Wook shut his mouth.
He was hoping that Kim Tae Hoon would be willing to compromise, but it looked like Kim Tae Hoon was having none of that.
However, contrary to Bang Hyun Wook’s expectations, Kim Tae Hoon actually was seriously considering his proposal.
It wasn’t something worth considering, then Kim Tae Hoon wouldn’t have asked so many follow-up questions.
To quietly leave the clan or shut up comply, this was Kim Tae Hoon’s offering those choices.
‘It doesn’t look like you came up with that idea on your own, but instead were given a clue to work off of. What it is that I actually want.’
Bang Hyun Wook’s idea was something that Kim Tae Hoon already had in mind.
Expanding the Mek Clan was a necessity, not a luxury.
In a world where social infrastructure has collapsed, manpower was an extremely precious resource.
Furthermore, it was impossible to fight on a battlefield on one’s own.
The Mek Clan had a lot of work cut out for them. They needed to hunt monsters, properly butcher the corpses, then somehow create items out of monster parts.
It was the same for battles.
As they involve themselves in more battles, the number of corpses would pile up. If you leave that spot empty, then that place will become fatal. [TN: Maybe it means unattended corpses will spread disease and toxins?]
Above all, Kim Tae Hoon was able to receive a sort of second chance thanks to Napoleon’s Golden Goblet.
‘If I keep going forward on this same path, only death would await me.’
For the sake of survival, the vision he received was an enormous opportunity to change the future.
“We need rifles, sir.”
Kim Su Ji said.
“Many of the adult men among the survivors will have had some military training. If they were to be stationed on artillery or on an armored vehicle, they would be very helpful. We’ll also need drivers.”
Her words were in support of Bang Hyun Wook’s suggestion.
‘I can’t turn away the survivors just like this.’
It was a good reason to accept Bang Hyun Wook’s idea.
‘We can’t move forward with our meager forces.’
It was a great opportunity for the commander to recognize the limitations of his current troops.
Kim Tae Hoon rose from his seat in response to their opinions.
“Chang Sung Hoon, find and bring three cars. Bring ones with keys.”
“What type of cars?”
“SUV’s and trucks.”
Chang Sung Hoon nodded his head, and moved towards retrieving the necessary cars.
“Second Lieutenant Kim Su Ji, after the monster stone retrieval is completed, bring over ten untouched saber-toothed wolf carca.s.ses along with the knives we usually use for dissection.”
“Yes sir.”
Answering while standing at attention, Second Lieutenant Kim Su Ji gave orders to the soldiers around her.
Kim Tae Hoon’s gaze turned towards Bang Hyun Wook.
“Bang Hyun Wook.”
“Yes, hyungnim.”
“Set your priorities in your head so that we can settle your affairs.”
That was the advice he gave him.
“Because there will never be a chance for us to talk like this when under duress.”
Bang Hyun Wook nodded silently.
“Then Bang Hyun Wook, let’s go to your crush. I’m going to start testing applicants for the Mek Clan.”