Chapter 19

Chapter 19. Sector 30

“Mm, this should be far enough. You can head back now.”

“I was planning to anyway.”

Since Kim Cheol-su had issued a travel permit in advance.

We leisurely crossed the Jamsil Bridge, which had been closed due to the terrorist threat, with only us inside the car.

Now we had stopped in front of Ttukseom, which had become a massive complex.

“Contact me as soon as you find out what I asked about before we came. Once I’m more or less done here, I’ll head back to the shop.”

“...”

“I need to stop by Sister Myeong-ji’s shop too... Maria? Are you listening?”

“Yes, I’m listening.”

“You okay? You seem kind of out of it.”

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and was about to get out.

Maria wasn’t even looking at me, only staring at the steering wheel.

She’d seemed strangely absent-minded on the way here too.

What’s wrong with her?

“If you’re not feeling well, you should rest too. Then I’ll―”

“―Were you really planning to leave Saetani?”

“Hm?”

Maria suddenly brought that up.

“What, are you still bothered by what I said back then?”

“...”

“Iron-Blooded Maria is surprisingly petty.”

“Who is Iron-Blooded Maria?”

She immediately reacted to the nickname I’d made up and turned toward me.

Her expression was as indifferent as always, but her voice was slightly lower than usual.

“Well, I can’t deny it. If it hadn’t been for Heaven’s Door, or at the very least if I hadn’t run into that scholar at the factory, I might have left.”

“...You’re honest. Usually in a situation like this, people would say they never really meant it.”

“I’m not very good at lying.”

I shrugged and opened the car door.

“Besides, my grandmother used to tell me this. Never lie to people you consider your own.”

“I didn’t know you had a grandmother.”

“Haha, I can’t see her anymore now.”

Then I stepped out of the car and lightly adjusted the backpack on my shoulder.

“Anyway, that’s how things turned out. So I won’t lie to you guys anymore.”

“...”

“I’ll tear out the throats of every last one of those Family bastards, so don’t worry. And until then, I won’t be the one leaving Saetani first.”

“...You’re probably the only person who could say something like that so casually.”

Maria smiled so faintly that you wouldn’t notice unless you looked closely, then turned the steering wheel.

“Understood. Until that day comes, Saetani will support you with everything we have.”

“Yeah. Go look after the kids for me.”

“Yes. May your hunt be without incident.”

After saying that, I watched Maria’s car drive away.

Then the phone in my inner pocket rang.

The moment I pulled it out, the face of a vaguely familiar woman appeared on the screen.

<​Welcome to Sector 30, Immortal. I’m Jenny, the local administrator of this district. If you need work, come to Plum Blossom Pavilion on Achasan Street, honey.>

With that, the screen went dark without even waiting for a reply.

Whenever a registered hunter entered a district outside their base for the first time.

The local administrator would automatically send out a one-sided notice advertising their management office.

It used to pop up on its own in the game too, but apparently even this old-fashioned phone could display it.

‘I wondered how she knew my number.’

But personal information and request records were probably shared through the Association.

―Ding.

Then a call came in.

This time it was from Ma Cheol-sik.

<​Looks like you arrived safely, Gang-sik.>

“Just now. I just received a notice from the local administrator here.”

<​Jenny, was it? She’s the granddaughter of an old friend of mine. She’s got quite a stubborn streak, so be careful.>

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Ma Cheol-sik cleared his throat once.

<​Ahem. We confirmed that the area around the tunnel is currently occupied by a certain gang.>

“With the Foresta Family here, a mere gang is allowed to run wild?”

<​They... don’t seem to be merely some gang.>

“What do you mean?”

<​Their boss is apparently a second-tier mage. There’s also information saying there are several more besides the boss.>

“Are they from one of the Foundations?”

<​We can’t be certain. But besides them, who else could spare several mages when most sectors are lucky to have even one?>

Oh-ho.

If that was the case, I could see why even the Foresta Family would find it troublesome to touch them.

Trying to deal with one gang could turn into an all-out war with a Foundation.

Or maybe Inrang was testing Heaven’s Door here too.

Either way, I needed to check it out personally.

<​Conveniently, the Family has posted a mercenary recruitment request. Use that as your way in.>

“Sounds good. I’m going to smash them anyway, so if I can get paid for it too, even better.”

<​Kahahah! I knew you’d say that. I’ll transfer it through the management office.>

He was about to hang up after saying that, but I added something as a question occurred to me.

“Hold on. Come to think of it, Jenny called me ‘Immortal.’ Was that your work?”

<​You’re no longer some rookie. You’re a proper hunter now, so shouldn’t you have at least one codename?>

“And that codename is Immortal?”

<​You destroyed two gangs with your bare hands, exterminated an entire Lycan mercenary unit by yourself, and fought a scholar, won, and came back alive... What else would you call someone like that?>

Those were definitely all things that would’ve been impossible without Bulgasari.

Though things got a little dangerous with that scholar bastard.

<​The other local administrators probably won’t object to that epithet either. All your achievements have been shared within the Association.>

“Well, it’s not like I dislike it. It has a suitably eerie ring to it.”

<​Baba Yaga― no, an Immortal whom even a scholar failed to kill...>

Ma Cheol-sik drew out the words as though growing sentimental.

With his voice as background noise, I stepped into the jungle draped in neon signs.

Holographic men and women called out to passersby from atop towering buildings...

I walked into that unreal, densely packed forest of skyscrapers.

<​I look forward to the day you become a legend of Seoul.>

_____________

“Whew, this is the complete opposite of Saetani.”

I discreetly swallowed pieces of scrap metal from my backpack here and there, storing them in my stomach.

After winding through the streets, I arrived at Plum Blossom Pavilion.

―♪♬

They say management offices are generally decorated according to the tastes of their local administrators.

And unlike the quiet, old-fashioned Saetani I had grown used to over the past few months, this place was extremely noisy.

<​Good morning, Seoul City! Another terrorist attack in Incheon last night killed thirty people! Next up is today’s lucky lotto―>

A loudmouthed radio host babbled away from a radio I couldn’t even tell who had turned on.

<​I’m ‘almost’ human!>

<​I can finally breathe, what is this feeling?>

And a jazzy song rang out in an unfamiliar woman’s voice.

If Saetani was a vintage bar frequented only by regulars.

Plum Blossom Pavilion was a trendy pub in a bustling entertainment district.

Personally, I prefer quiet places, so I liked Saetani’s atmosphere more.

Still, the song was pretty good.

When I opened the door and stepped inside, the place was packed with customers gathered everywhere.

There had already been plenty of people hawking for customers outside.

And...

“Hm? What’s this, a face I haven’t seen before. You a newbie?”

Even a massive bastard with a vicious face who shoved himself in front of me looking for trouble.

‘A cyborg?’

He’s got an extra left arm attached.

Add one more and he’d look like Machamp.

In the first place, not a single hunter inside the pub had an entirely unmodified body.

‘Then again, this is the lower district, where bullets fly past every three steps.’

There’s no way people who make a living as hunters in a place like this would still have soft, untouched bodies.

Now I finally feel like I’m experiencing the normal R.O.K.A I remember.

“When your senior talks to you, you answer, you son of a―”

“―I’m busy. Move.”

I casually dodged the arm he swung toward my head.

Then lightly smacked the back of my hand against his chest.

“Ghk?!”

With a dull thud.

The huge bastard rolled across the pub floor, slammed into the counter, and passed out.

Immediately afterward.

The noisy pub fell silent in an instant.

“...”

I crossed through that uncomfortable silence.

Shoved the unconscious brute aside and sat down at the counter.

―Click.

At the same time, gun barrels were aimed at my back.

“What kind of mannerless bastard are you?”

“You a hunter? Don’t you know using force inside a management office is prohibited?”

“Force?”

So they’re going to pretend that big bastard wasn’t the one who started shit by trying to haze me first?

‘I was going to be polite if they treated me politely.’

I clicked my tongue, took off my backpack, and continued.

“I just gave him a light tap because he wouldn’t move. If that counts as force, then how weak is that giant bastard?”

The hunters immediately bristled.

“Let’s see if you can still talk like that with a hole in your head!”

“If you’re confident, shoot.”

“You think I won’t―”

“―Enough, enough!”

The hunters stopped at the urgent voice of a woman.

Then a tall woman in expensive clothes appeared from behind the counter.

With her pink hair tied up neatly, she was Jenny, the local administrator of Plum Blossom Pavilion.

“Phew... That was quite the violent introduction, wasn’t it? Immortal Lee Gang-sik.”

At Jenny’s words, I heard the hunters suck in their breaths.

“Immortal? That psycho who supposedly beat the shit out of a Foundation scholar?”

“...So he wasn’t just normally insane. He actually picked a fight with the Dohwa Foundation.”

“I heard he destroyed a factory under Inrang too.”

“You’d need ten lives to do shit like that.”

They know quite a bit.

I didn’t expect to get this famous in just a few days.

Or maybe they were just loafers who sat around the management office all day doing odd jobs.

The way they puffed themselves up for no reason makes me think that’s exactly what they are.

‘Well, maybe that’s actually the sensible choice. You only have one life.’

This isn’t a game anymore. It’s reality.

So only people like me, who have something to rely on.

Or genuine lunatics who desperately want to become legends, would risk their lives.

“My grandfather owed you a favor, so I was wondering what kind of man you were... You’re even more intense than I expected.”

Jenny flicked her eyes toward the hunters, and they all backed away in perfect order.

Like a queen bee and worker bees.

“You’re built pretty solidly too. Bet you’re good at other kinds of work...”

“Not interested.”

“How cold. Then how about this? Why not transfer your affiliation to Plum Blossom Pavilion? For you, honey, I could even lower the commission fee.”

“Loud and flashy isn’t really my taste. Ah, the music’s good, though.”

“Ahaha, you’re the first man to reject me twice before even finishing one drink.”

Jenny chuckled while playing with her glass, then her eyes gleamed.

“Looks like you’re not planning to relax over a drink anyway. Shall we talk business right away, Immortal?”

“Whatever you prefer.”

The request details I heard afterward were the same as what Ma Cheol-sik had told me.

Around a month ago.

A new gang suddenly appeared, called Nameless.

That was already an unusual name for a gang, but even stranger was that the boss and several of his close aides were mages.

And according to mana readings, the boss was a fairly strong second-tier mage.

“―That’s why the Foresta Family is having trouble dealing with them on their own, so they submitted a request to us as well.”

“I heard that much. What’s the pay and deadline?”

“Hold on, honey. I know you’re confident in your skills... but this isn’t an individual request. It’s an open request.”

An open request.

Unlike an individual request, which closes once someone accepts it.

Anyone who wants to participate can join until the request begins.

“Then where do I go?”

“Here.”

Jenny handed me a small note as she answered.

I took it and immediately stood up.

“The meeting place is written there. Go meet the other hunters who, like you, don’t seem to value their lives very much and accepted this request.”

________________

“―That’s what she said, but there are quite a few people here who don’t value their lives.”

Chewing on bullets, I entered a hotel under the Foresta Family.

Hunters were gathered throughout the lobby.

Eleven in total besides me.

Four, four, and three.

Three teams.

The ones that stood out were the Lycan team and a troll.

There were also several who obviously looked like cyborgs.

‘No faces I recognize, so no named characters.’

That means they’re D-rank hunters at best.

‘Am I really the only solo?’

Then again, not just anyone would be crazy enough to show up alone when going to fight a mage.

“Welcome to Sentimental Hotel, sir.”

As I lightly looked around the interior, I turned toward a voice directed at me.

An elf in a neat suit bowed politely.

Probably the hotel’s front desk manager.

“Are you here to stay?”

“No, I’m here for a hunting request.”

When I spoke politely, the elf smiled as though he had seen something unusual.

“In that case, may I briefly check your hunter registration?”

“Go ahead.”

I pulled out my phone and showed it to him.

The elf manager pulled out a personal link from his neck and connected it.

After his eyes glowed briefly, he disconnected the link and handed my phone back.

“Hunter ‘Immortal,’ confirmed.”

At those words, I felt gazes from around the lobby turning toward me.

“The Godmother will arrive shortly, so please take a seat wherever you’re comfortable and wait a moment. If you need any drinks or snacks, please ask a nearby employee.”

Pretty friendly.

From the looks of it, he wasn’t like this with the others.

Leaving him behind as he bowed again.

I followed an employee across the lobby to a seat.

And sat in an empty spot.

“Hm?”

Just before the announced cutoff time, two more people entered the hotel.

The first was an elf in a black suit.

Neat blond hair and blue eyes, looking almost exactly like the Kim siblings.

Judging by his equipment, he seemed to specialize in firearms, but his face looked familiar.

I remembered the faces of almost every named NPC.

So if he looked familiar, that meant he was probably named.

‘Well, I can figure that out later.’

Then came the next person behind him.

A figure wearing a hood pulled low... probably human.

Every exposed part of their body was hidden beneath loose clothing, making even their gender impossible to guess.

Aside from the deeply pulled hood, the upper and lower clothing looked like something worn by a back-alley thug.

Almost exactly like how I looked when I first fell into this city.

Even the face was covered by a mask―

“―?!”

That mask.

That black fox mask shining beneath the hood.

I definitely remember it.

A high-ranking flame mage currently carrying out large-scale terrorist attacks in Incheon.

A murderer who killed all of their blood relatives, and later the main boss who would conclude the final battle of Act Two.

“...Maegu?”

Another name for a thousand-year-old nine-tailed fox.

And the person I was trying to find as the first piece of my plan.

A monster of blue flames capable of melting even steel.

【Maegu】

The figure wore the Black Fox Mask, the unique equipment dropped by Maegu and practically synonymous with them.

That monster who should have been in Incheon... had appeared right in front of me.

I Became an Immortal Who Chews on Steel

Author |

Mwiu

Publisher |

Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.

Managing Editor |

Editorial Department

Published by |

Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. - Dream Books

Address |

Rooms 806-810, Kolon Science Valley I, 187-10 Guro-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul

ISBN |

G720:N+A063-20261006118

Blog |

blog.naver.com/dreambookss

Twitter (X) |

@dreambookss

Submissions |

fansycnc@samyangcnc.com

No part of this book may be used in any form or by any means without the written permission of Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. - Dream Books.