Chapter 79: Red Salt and Red Lines

While Heuksoo was withering away like dried jerky,

Yuseong entered the Red Salt Mine.

He covered himself with the Cold Boulder magic stone powder, and protected his respiratory system with a wet cloth, but even for Yuseong, this was not an easy exploration.

However, he made use of the magic water he had prepared in advance.

If he missed this opportunity, he would have to wait indefinitely until the Cold Boulder appeared again.

Yuseong summoned all his determination and descended to the deepest part of the mine.

He found it, deep within the endlessly extending wall of rock salt.

The heart of this Salt Desert.

“You did a pretty good job as an explorer, kid.

Originally, an explorer’s main job isn’t to hunt monsters, but to find things like this.”

The heart of the Salt Desert in Yuseong’s hand didn’t look much like ordinary salt.

“Wow, it’s so red.”

Even Hwang Rian knew what salt was.

Only the color was a bit different; usually it was white powder with a bland, salty taste.

“It’s a kind of rock salt.”

“Rock salt? Hmm. It’s pretty, though.”

This red rock salt was extremely hard, but if put in water, it would slowly melt away.

“So, why did you suddenly want salt after asking for tequila?”

“Tequila is meant to be had with salt.”

“Oh, really?”

Yuseong nodded.

There are various ways to drink tequila.

One of them is called a ‘Shooter’.

That method is to consume salt and tequila together.

The heart of this Salt Desert was not an ordinary salt that could be easily found.

Right now, it was likely more valuable and of higher quality than any salt distributed throughout the world.

As a way to taste such salt, there’s hardly anything better than a Shooter.

“How do you eat it?”

“Give me your hand.”

Hwang Rian promptly offered her hand. Even on her white hand, there were faint scars.

Yuseong always carried a small bag containing spices and one or two pilapples.

He took out a pilapple, sliced it into small pieces, and smeared its juice on the back of Hwang Rian’s hand.

Then, Yuseong took out his pocket knife and lightly scraped the surface of the rock salt.

The red, glossy salt powder stuck to her hand.

“Do mine, too.”

Hwang Rian imitated what Yuseong did and sprinkled salt on the back of his hand as well.

“You lick the salt first, and when the taste fills your mouth, then you take the tequila in one shot.”

“What kind of taste is that supposed to be?”

Though she didn’t show it outwardly, Hwang Rian had been watching all of Yuseong’s MeTube videos.

Up until now, all the food that appeared in those videos looked delicious, but this one was impossible to imagine.

“Just try it first.”

“…Fine!!”

Hwang Rian raised her glass, and Yuseong answered her by lifting his glass, too.

Clink.

The glasses gently touched, and Hwang Rian boldly licked the salt off the back of her hand.

Right before her tongue touched it, the refreshing scent of pilapple wafted up her nose.

The moment her tongue hit the back of her hand, the salty and sour flavors hit all at once.

No matter how precious, salt is still salt.

A powerful, piercing saltiness spread through her mouth.

As Hwang Rian frowned from the overwhelming saltiness, Yuseong raised his glass to her.

A signal to hurry up and drink the tequila.

To wash away the salty taste, Hwang Rian quickly knocked back the tequila.

Tequila is a unique liquor made from the plant called yongseollan.

That’s why it has a very distinctive aroma unlike other drinks.

Not only does it have a characteristic herbal scent and spicy heat, but even people unfamiliar with liquor can immediately distinguish tequila after trying it once.

Moreover, it’s a strong spirit with an alcohol content reaching forty percent.

A straight shot of tequila burned cleanly through Hwang Rian’s mouth.

Drinking tequila felt like swallowing a ball of fire.

It was the sensation of a sun scorching the wilderness sliding down her throat.

Hwang Rian’s face twisted.

“So bitter.”

At this point, only the bitterness of the alcohol lingered in her mouth.

“Now.”

As Yuseong declared this, he bit into a piece of pilapple.

Hwang Rian followed his lead and quickly popped a slice of pilapple into her mouth.

A tart, almost sour, juice flooded her mouth.

Hwang Rian’s face shuddered as she trembled once.

“Ha, this is amazing.”

The exclamation slipped out on its own.

Honestly, she wasn’t sure if this was actually delicious.

But the whole process was so thrillingly fun.

First, her mouth was filled with sour and salty flavors.

Then, her mouth was scoured by pure tequila.

After savoring the burning warmth of alcohol that reminded her of the presence of her own stomach, her mouth was finally soothed again by the pilapple juice.

This is the Shooter.

[Slightly increases Heat Resistance]

[Significantly increases Fire Resistance.]

And she even gained these additional effects.

A smile appeared at the corners of Hwang Rian’s mouth.

“Hey, should we have just one more?”

She, who had originally hesitated to share her tequila, had changed her mind entirely.

“Next time.”

But Yuseong’s attitude had already shifted.

He firmly refused.

It wasn’t that it didn’t taste good.

Thanks to using excellent salt and fresh pilapple, the flavor was outstanding.

It’s just that the tequila itself wasn’t in the best condition.

It hadn’t seemed like a very good tequila to begin with, and perhaps something had gone wrong during storage, as much of its aroma was gone.

“Let’s get back to what I wanted to talk about.”

Yuseong steered the conversation back to the main topic.

Hwang Rian looked a bit disappointed, but could only nod.

“I heard it was someone called ‘Chilryong’ who gave the order. And BioKizen….”

Yuseong pieced together what he had heard and remembered, and wove his words carefully.

That’s right.

Yuseong still remembered about Changlu Salt and Janggang Guryonghoe.

Unfortunately, he didn’t know the details.

At this point, in his previous life, Yuseong hadn’t even cleared the tenth floor yet.

He’d been struggling just to survive, and had no energy to spare worrying about the conflict between overseas factions.

Still, there was one thing he remembered clearly.

A news report about a domestic Energy Bar factory being bombed by Chinese rebel terrorists.

He never found out exactly how or why anti-communist Chinese rebels had come to Korea to commit terrorism.

But that factory, of all places, was owned by BioKizen.

It was all starting to fit together.

Still, Yuseong deliberately didn’t mention that BioKizen’s factory was in danger.

If he claimed to know even that much, it would arouse suspicion.

“While you were bringing this guy in, did you meet anyone else?”

“No. I made sure to hide and sneak out.”

“How did you get here?”

“I came straight by car.”

“Good job.”

Hearing Yuseong’s story, Hwang Rian nodded with a satisfied look.

“Such talent is wasted on exploration alone.”

“I’ve said it many times—I’ll stay an explorer.”

Hwang Rian opened her desk drawer and handed over a suspicious little device, about the size of a button.

“A transmitter. If the Chinese guys attack or you find yourself in danger, activate it.”

The transmitter was designed to be attached somewhere.

“Of course, it’s useless inside the Abyss. It only works on the surface.”

“Understood.”

“If possible, I’ll come in person.”

If Hwang Rian herself led the Great Awakener Special Task Force, it would be as good as a thousand troops.

Yuseong accepted her offer of goodwill.

Someday, it might serve as a spare life in a dangerous situation.

“Are you heading back down into the Abyss now?”

Hwang Rian asked as Yuseong prepared to leave.

“No, I’m going to do a bit of training on the surface first.”

That was Yuseong’s reply.

He had felt it this time, after getting caught up in the sudden terrorist attack.

Although he’d protected himself with magic water, what if he hadn’t had any?

He would have been roasted alive, or at least would have had to sacrifice Jang Dojin.

Yuseong realized his own shortcomings.

“Self-discipline is always good. Call me if you need someone to spar with.”

“I’ll think about it.”

With that, Yuseong left the office.

Janggang Guryonghoe had begun to move.

Knowing the future, he couldn’t afford to miss this chance.

***

From the moment Chairman Yong Jeo Ran of Jangru Salt Company sent Heuksoo,

the war had essentially begun.

Just as Korea had the Council, China had Janggang Guryonghoe.

Unlike the Council, Janggang Guryonghoe consisted of only certain Chinese companies and was connected to the underworld.

But in such a vast country, their power was immense.

Thanks to that, even after they blew up five Operators in the Abyss, neither the Chinese Gong-an nor the Korean police made a move.

Chilryong Yong Jeo Ran resided at the headquarters of Changlu Salt.

At a young age, he had become the master of the vast salt fields, and now, he was in a state of extreme fury.

Crash.

The vase he threw hit the wall and shattered into pieces.

“He’s missing?”

Heuksoo had been sent to warn BioKizen.

When Yong Jeo Ran first heard through internal sources that the Operators had been killed, he had been nervous.

The problem was that he’d heard nothing from Heuksoo, who was supposed to report on the mission’s success.

“I-I think he was captured.”

The one making the report trembled, fearing Yong Jeo Ran’s anger might turn on him.

“Where? The Gong-an? The police?”

“Not certain, but probably by Korea’s Great Awakener Special Task Force….”

“Hah!”

Yong Jeo Ran let out a laugh of disbelief, as if about to throw another vase.

“How is that possible? How could those Han bastards know I was sending Heuksoo?”

“I-it seems he was caught inside the Abyss. By another explorer.”

“That guy’s combat skills might be mediocre, but his skills at escaping and setting fires are exceptional. There’s no way he would lose to some Korean explorer.”

“Perhaps a top-class explorer from our side happened to be nearby…”

“Why would those guys be on the sixteenth floor and not the front lines!”

Yong Jeo Ran managed to calm himself after shouting in frustration.

“Contact the Gong-an and try to smooth things over.”

“Yes, President!”

Heuksoo had already been captured, so nothing could be done.

He wasn’t just any old hand from Changlu Salt, but a member of Janggang Guryonghoe.

If they handled it through the Gong-an, the company itself wouldn’t suffer direct harm.

“So, what was BioKizen’s response?”

The important thing was BioKizen’s reaction.

They had tried to break free from Changlu Salt’s monopoly, so Yong Jeo Ran had initially responded with moderation.

But BioKizen betrayed the trust built up through years of partnership.

When they started measuring the Salt Desert on the sixteenth floor, Yong Jeo Ran could no longer contain his anger.

In the end, after blowing up five Operators on the sixteenth floor, he had shown them how terrifying he could be.

The only thing that could soothe his rage now was one thing.

Chairman Park Gyeongjae trembling and begging for forgiveness.

“T-the thing is…”

“Speak up, Chief.”

The chief hesitated, making Yong Jeo Ran even more irritable.

“Chairman Park Gyeongjae sent a direct email.”

“Hand it over.”

The chief, afraid to even say it out loud, handed over a printed copy of the email.

Yong Jeo Ran’s face twisted as he read it.

“This bastard…”

『We cannot work with beasts who have abandoned their humanity.』

That single sentence, translated into Chinese, was the entirety of the message.

The paper in Yong Jeo Ran’s hand began to tremble.

Shhhhhh.

And then, as if rapidly aging with time, the paper crumbled and was carried away by the wind.

The chief flinched in shock.

“They must have already found a way to break free from Changlu Salt. Otherwise, they wouldn’t dare be so arrogant.”

Having passed the boiling point of anger, his voice turned cold.

BioKizen’s Chairman Park Gyeongjae was also a self-made entrepreneur.

He moved according to profit, and profit alone.

For him to so abruptly declare an end to business meant he already had a contingency plan.

Whether he was going to import salt from another company, or had found confidence in the sixteenth floor’s Salt Desert.

Whichever it was, the speed with which he had made the break was astonishing.

“Maybe he found a helper.”

Had someone appeared at Chairman Park’s side to show him a new path?

“For those Han bastards, only the club works, Chief.”

“President…!”

“Proceed with the third measure. Abandon BioKizen. But show the other companies what happens to those who betray us.”

“You mean…”

“Yes, blow up their production plant.”

The chief’s face went pale.

No matter how ruthless Yong Jeo Ran was, this was far over the line.

“President, that’s too dangerous. The Gong-an won’t stay quiet. If we’re caught, Changlu Salt will be destroyed! Not to mention the smuggling of explosives—”

It was reasonable.

Korea was not some third-rate country, but a nation among the developed world.

For a mere company like Changlu Salt to smuggle explosives and blow up a rival factory was unthinkable.

“How can you be so slow-witted?”

“…Forgive my stupidity.”

“We won’t do it ourselves. The Bomb Demon will handle it.”

“The Bomb Demon!”

The Bomb Demon was a legendary terrorist who defied the Chinese Gong-an.

A man with a Gift that allowed him to create bombs—a man of extreme danger.

And Janggang Guryonghoe had, through various channels, already secured some of the bombs he produced.

Magical bombs that burned with blue flames.

“Request Blue Lightning from the Association.”

“Yes, President!”

The chief bowed and left the room with a tense face.

Only then did Yong Jeo Ran’s lips curl upward.

Things weren’t going as planned, but he wasn’t the type to just sit and take a beating.

For betraying their trust, BioKizen would pay a heavy price.

Through an explosion no one would ever expect.

And as always, the Bomb Demon would take all the blame.

“Hoohoohoo…”

No one would ever predict that the factory would suddenly explode.

No one.