Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

Chapter 62

062 – The First Rampage

Gate Overflow refers to the phenomenon where unexplored gates, left unattended for a certain period, begin to pour an excessive number of monsters into the real world. The danger lies in the fact that during an overflow, not only the original inhabitants of the gate are released but also significantly enhanced forms of monsters.

As a result of the monsters flooding out, the area surrounding the gate becomes inaccessible due to the sheer volume, and new gates are often created within the quarantined area. Over time, the situation can spiral out of control, making it nearly impossible to contain.

Such incidents typically occur in remote areas with minimal human traffic, making it challenging to discover the gates. However, the Amazon Overflow situation was particularly severe.

In most cases of Rank 1 and Rank 2 overflows, the military is dispatched immediately upon discovery to manage the situation effectively. But this time, it had escalated to a level more akin to ‘human-made disaster’ due to the actions of a local cartel, which had been involved in the cultivation of cocaine deep within the Amazon rainforest.

The initial trigger was the discovery of the gate overflow by the drug cartel. At that point, if the cartel had either used force to contain the overflow or reported it to the government for appropriate action, the incident could have been resolved.

However, the cartel decided otherwise due to their own reasons. They saw it as an opportunity to capture these monsters and profit from them. The advantage they had was that, unlike standard gate explorations where a limited number of operatives can enter, they could deploy as many members as they wanted in reality to hunt these monsters.

Another factor in their favor was that the monsters could be confronted with a full arsenal of weaponry, unlike in standard gate explorations where only a few elite operatives are sent to deal with them.

The cartel, unaware of the presence of a more formidable gate deep in the Amazon, celebrated their newfound wealth from the monster materials and crystals they acquired. Some of their members even awakened their abilities, further fueling their excitement.

They believed they could amass immense wealth without relying on drug trafficking. Without realizing the gravity of the situation, they recklessly opened fire in the jungle. It was at this point that a foe, immune to their bullets, emerged from the dense foliage.

Pedro Alves, the youngest member of the cartel at just 15 years old, closed his eyes upon hearing the terrified screams of the cartel leader, who had only recently become an awakener, boasting about his newfound ability at every drinking gathering. The leader’s triumphant claims had turned into a spine-chilling scream.

“His ability was an unbelievable ability that could shatter thick logs that four adult men could barely embrace using his bare fists. But even his fist, more powerful than a tank missile, displayed a destructive force no greater than that of an elementary school student’s punch in front of the newly emerged monsters.

And those monsters were demonstrating the extent of their strength by brutally devouring the man who had so recklessly demonstrated his ability in front of them.

“Arghhhhh!”

“You damn monsters!”

“Please, just go away!”

“What the hell?! Why did they suddenly become so ridiculously strong?”

Not long ago, the cartel members were hunting the monsters that had crawled out of the containment area beyond the perimeter with gunfire and missiles. However, the once-deafening shouts and screams gradually turned into pitiful cries.

Among them were also the terrifying screams of awakeners that far exceeded the sounds humans could produce.

“Everyone, retreat!”

In the midst of the cartel’s battle against a rival cartel, the valiant Silva, who had wielded just a machete, walked in and slashed through the gunfire, striking down the enemy cartel’s boss, who had boasted of his newfound ability. Then, he extended his hand, as if slashing the air with his fingertips.

– Swoosh! –

In an instant, an enormous blade of air, as if tearing through space, shot toward the horde of monsters.

The grotesque monsters, who had easily deflected all attacks just moments ago, were torn apart like mice by a cat’s claws as they were forcibly ejected from the air.

“Silva!”

“As expected, it’s Silva!”

As the cartel’s first member to awaken his ability, Silva, who had hunted the most monsters, was now showing his formidable strength, raising the morale of the cartel, which was on the brink of annihilation.

“Long live the Carni Cartel!”

“Hail the valiant Silva!”

“Follow the brothers and kill these monsters!”

They knew that their weapons were ineffective. However, amidst the strong monsters, there were also weaker ones that they had been able to hunt just yesterday. The cartel members were fired up by the sense of duty to eliminate the weaker enemies while their leader took on the strong ones.

Young Pedro, hearing the cheers of his comrades, muttered to himself to find the courage he needed.

“Fool! Now is the time for you to be the bravest in your life! You coward!”

Whether the shout had an effect or not, Pedro finally felt the trembling in his legs cease and a fiery heat rising in his chest.

“Captain, I’m going too!”

Finally, Pedro managed to bring his AK, which he had hidden in a trash bin, forward. However, at that moment, he would soon come to regret his decision.

“Si… Silva…”

“The monster, just moments ago, held Silva in both hands like a toy. In one hand, it had a torn leg, and in the other, the remaining part of Silva’s body. The cartel’s leader, who had always proudly declared that he was not afraid of death, was pouring blood from his wounds, his eyes wide open.

“Ahhhhhhhh!”

Pedro saw Silva swing the blade of air with the hand not held by the monster. However, despite having no effect on the creature’s body, the blade could neither inflict damage nor even make it flinch. The monster blocked Silva’s attack as if it were a breeze from a fan.

Nevertheless, even though there was no visible damage, the monster grimaced as if irritated by Silva’s attack. Then, it grabbed Silva’s remaining leg and pulled it in opposite directions.

“Run!!!!!!”

Perhaps Silva’s final words meant ‘run!’. Unfortunately, his words were drowned out by the spine-chilling sound of his body being torn apart.

Despite not hearing his words, the cartel members clearly understood the meaning. They dropped all their weapons and screamed in terror, scattering in all directions.

This was the horrifying end of the Carniceiros Cartel, which had temporarily possessed the enormous power of over forty awakeners due to exploiting the Gate Overflow phenomenon.

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“Nice to meet you. I’m Luis Pereira, the representative of the Lords of the Forest clan (Senhores da Floresta). Looking at your name, Mr. Cha Myung-jun, I can tell you’ve made quite a name for yourself.”

A man with tanned brown skin exposed his white teeth as he smiled. Myung-jun also smiled in return.

“Perhaps you are more famous than Mr. Pereira? You’re the famous figure who went from darkness to light, from cartel boss to awakened clan member, right?”

“Talking about the past brings back painful memories. Back then, I did what I had to do to survive. Fortunately, the Brazilian government issued an amnesty, and now I work openly like this.”

His clan, the Lords of the Forest, used to be a drug cartel that cultivated cocaine in the Amazon rainforest. However, when the Gate crisis occurred, a Gate was accidentally created near their cocaine fields. During the independent operation to conquer the Gate, their cartel boss awakened as an awakener, securing an amnesty from the Brazilian government.

Since then, the Floresta Clan washed its hands completely of its dark past and had become the most powerful civilian clan in South America.

“I dreamed of a similar future, but one side ended in a terrible annihilation, and the other side turned to the light… The Brazilian government had no choice. If they didn’t grant amnesty, they would have had to deal with awakeners affiliated with the cartel with their military forces.”

Of course, it was a story that went without saying, but having vast land meant a higher chance of Gate occurrences. Thanks to this, the Floresta Clan was amassing enormous wealth, based on the vast Brazilian territory.

Through the Amazon Overflow, the Brazilian government was now realizing that the existence of Gates should never be underestimated.

The request for the Amazon operation, which should have been exclusively given to the Floresta Clan, has been entrusted to the Liberal Clan in South Korea.

The Brazilian government considered the severity of this situation very seriously.

“I genuinely appreciate your visit all the way from Korea, especially with the Clan leader directly participating…”

A middle-aged man with a partly shaved head wiped his sweat with a handkerchief as he spoke, and Myung-jun smiled.

“That was the nature of the request. I was hoping the Clan leader would participate directly.”

“Yes, we didn’t expect the Clan leader to participate, given how busy you are.”

“No matter how busy, there are things that need to be done. This is the world’s first large-scale Overflow, and….”

When Myung-jun shifted his gaze to the side, he could see a man and a woman in conversation.

One of them had a familiar face to Myung-jun.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Cha Myung-jun. But can you really understand me when I speak in French?”

A blond, blue-eyed, handsome young man extended his hand and spoke, and Myung-jun replied in Korean.

“Yes, I hear what you say in Korean since it’s what my ears are used to.”

“Oh, so Myung-jun’s words sound like French to you? How about for the one next to you?”

“For me, it sounds like Portuguese.”

“Haha! When I first heard about the multi-language translation implant, I couldn’t believe it. But seeing it in action, there’s no choice but to believe it! The technological prowess of the Liberal Clan is truly impressive.”

The man who was loudly praising this discovery soon realized his mistake and quickly adopted a serious expression. He then spoke to Myung-jun.

“This is the first time we’ve met. I’m Orléans Perraudière, the Clan Leader of the ServiHum Clan. And this is…”

“We’re both of Korean origin, so I know her well. Is she Seo Arin?”

As Myung-jun spoke, Arin timidly poked her head out from behind Orléans. Then, she bowed her head toward Myung-jun.

“It’s nice to see you again.”

“There’s no need to be so awkward. How is the ServiHum Clan?”

“It’s okay, except for needing an interpreter for conveying information.”

“Next time, come to the Liberal Clan. I’ll arrange for the multi-language translation implant surgery.”

“Surgery…?”

“It’s just a convenience. We’ll inject it near your neck. It might sting a little, but it’s not uncomfortable.”

Upon hearing that, Arin, who had found the interpretation quite inconvenient, brightened up and said to Myung-jun.

“Really? Then please help me with that!”

“But I’ll take the money.”

“Of course! You should be paid for it. I’ll send you the drone fee soon, so wait for it!”

“You wanted to be a hero, right? Turns out, heroes make quite a bit of money, don’t they?”

Myung-jun teased, and Arin, with a surprised expression, bowed her head and responded as if explaining herself.

“No… we don’t charge the victims at least…”

“You have sponsors, right? I know, and you’ll receive quite a few advertising offers.”

“Do you know that well?”

“I know the industry quite well. But, what’s the story with a clan from Europe operating in Brazil?”

The answer to Myung-jun’s question came from Orléans, not Arin.

“We came here voluntarily because it’s a crisis for all of humanity.”

“It’s something that the Hero Clan would do.”

“Yes, in that sense, can we have a brief discussion?”

Orléans took Myung-jun to a place where there was no one around. Then he spoke to Myung-jun.

“Arin has a drone, and it’s said to be an item from the Liberal Clan, as I’ve heard. Did you personally receive it from you?”

“Yes, I did. Well, if the clan members have an issue with using equipment made by other clans, we can return it…”

“We made a similar proposal as well. The company sponsoring our clan also produces equipment for awakeners. But she refused vehemently. She said she wouldn’t participate in the operation without that drone.”

“If it’s due to data sharing…”

“Hmm… you catch on quickly. That’s the issue. Arin is in charge of scouting for our clan, and naturally, a scout ends up gathering the abilities of all the awakeners participating in the operation. If that data goes to the Liberal Clan…”

“They’ll receive all the combat data of the awakeners operating there, right? I understand.”

“But one of them, either the data or the drone, must be transferred to us.”

Myung-jun said. The drone that Arin took with her is a very special item, and it’s the only one owned by the Liberal Clan. Also, they want the driving data secured by the drone rather than the ServiHum Clan’s awakener data.

“All we need is the data required to create an AI for unmanned drones that can be operated without Seo Arin’s control in the future. Furthermore, having knowledge of the awakeners from other clans wouldn’t particularly benefit us. Well, if that clan plans to confront our clan head-on, then it could be a problem. But I doubt they’re thinking that way.”

At that moment, cold sweat ran down Orléans’ back. Myung-jun’s demeanor exuded an “overwhelming” presence that only the world’s top-ranked awakener could create.

However, Orléans understood that the meaning of this presence wasn’t a threat. Through this presence, he realized that Myung-jun had only one message to convey.

“Confronting someone like you doesn’t require battle data… Is that the meaning? Why is his nickname ‘the Pacifier’ evident in his actions?”

Orléans raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.

“I understand the meaning. You’re certainly not going to have a problem with the abilities of our clan’s awakeners. Furthermore, there seems to be no concern about you ‘publicizing’ the abilities of our clan’s awakeners, which you thinks of as ‘insignificant.'”

“Does that mean…”

“Arin will continue to use the drone she’s currently operating.”

When Myung-jun’s presence subsided, Orléans took a deep breath.

It was only a few seconds, but it felt like a few decades had been taken off his lifespan. At the same time, Orléans couldn’t help but feel a sense of regret. The thought of someone as strong as Myung-jun joining his clan made him believe that they could become the world’s strongest Hero Clan. However, his rational mind told him that it wasn’t the right time to propose a merger. The current state of the ServiHum Clan was undeniably inferior to the Liberal Clan, making a proper merger impossible. Looking at the man who could potentially become a greater hero than himself, Orléans opened his mouth as if to shake off his regrets.

“Then let’s go.”

Right now, there was an event more important than a merger proposal that was waiting for them.

“We must reclaim the Amazon from the clutches of the monsters.”

It was the moment when a joint operation involving more than three major clans would unfold for the first time to retake the territory occupied by the aberrant entities.

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