Machine God with EX-rank talent (Deus ex machina)

Hyun Suho unexpectedly found himself conscripted and dragged away.

He had to travel for quite a while in a vehicle with iron bars, typically used for transporting criminals.

However, he wasn’t fazed at all. He calmly looked out the window, observing the state of the city.

‘So this is Vladivostok?’

The city was better equipped than he had anticipated.

A vast port, factories operating non-stop, and people busily moving around.

The apartment buildings, tightly packed like matchboxes, were a bit old but seemed to be sturdily built.

It seemed the city had its basic amenities in place.

Since it had a port, it was probably better off than other places.

‘That’s probably why conflicts here are more intense.’

Since it’s a profitable place, many would be vying for the lord’s position.

Conversely, the current lord was likely spending considerable money and effort to eliminate such threats in advance.

‘But that’s not my concern.’

Russia’s issues were nothing new.

Hyun Suho wasn’t here to assess the city’s situation; he came to find the source of the drug.

A drug so potent it was alarming.

If it started circulating in Korea, who knows what kind of disaster it might bring.

Hadn’t there been instances in the past where countries fell due to drugs?

‘Anything turning up?’

[The problem is that there’s too much. This place is a hotbed of criminals.]

Not only Halo but all sorts of drugs and illegal items were flowing through this port.

Goods gathered from all over were being exported to Korea, Japan, China, and even South America.

And they were being imported as well.

This was a city without any law enforcement.

The lord, who should be curbing illegal activities like smuggling, was actually encouraging them.

The city ran on the profits from such activities.

‘Forget everything else and just focus on Halo.’

[Search results show the word "Halo" appearing frequently. But there’s no information on the factory that produces it.]

‘There must be a manufacturing plant somewhere in this city.’

While the exact location of the factory was still unclear, it was certain that this city was the source of the drug.

Initially, he planned to search the city for suspicious locations, but he ended up in this absurd situation of being conscripted even before entering the city.

Such a thing would never happen in a normal city.

No matter how powerful a lord, to just drag an outsider who isn’t even a resident like this...

‘Something’s definitely off.’

If there’s a drug factory, it means there are also distributors.

Who could be handling such a high-end drug?

There were countless gangs in Vladivostok, but the most suspicious person was undoubtedly the lord.

‘They call him the General?’

[Yes. In Russian, it means a national leader or a general.]

‘What kind of person is he?’

[No concrete information is known, only rumors.]

‘Nothing at all? Not even his age or occupation?’

[That’s correct.]

‘What about his level? Is that also unknown?’

[Based on what’s known, he’s said to be an 8th level Ranker.]

‘Everyone’s a Ranker these days. Is he actually listed in the official rankings?’

[No, at least not according to records.]

Not being in the rankings doesn’t necessarily mean he’s weak.

Especially those in violent organizations like gangs—they often don’t show up in the Hunter rankings.

Thugs like Akula take advantage of this and inflate their levels.

While the credibility is questionable, it’s still necessary to be cautious, just in case the rumors are true.

That’s the reason Hyun Suho was calmly allowing himself to be taken away.

This was the General’s city.

It was filled with his subordinates, and it wouldn’t be wise to confront a Ranker-level opponent here.

‘If I go along with this, I might even get to meet the General.’

The place where they stopped and got out of the vehicle was an open field.

There, a large crowd of people who had been dragged here like Hyun Suho was gathered.

It seemed Hyun Suho was the last to arrive.

Naturally, the people who had been dragged here were all shouting in frustration.

“Hey! Even if you’re the lord, how can you just drag us here like this?”

“I have something I absolutely have to finish today!”

“Damn it! If you’re going to do this, at least pay us!”

Most of them were residents of the town, though a few outsiders like Hyun Suho were also mixed in.

These were the notorious Hunters of Vladivostok.

Most of them had committed crimes and fled from other cities.

They were on the verge of exploding in anger, but none dared to cross the line.

Even these ruffians were wary of the General’s influence.

After waiting a bit, a large man dressed in a well-tailored military uniform approached.

The first thing that caught the eye was his large, well-developed jaw. His thick, dark sideburns almost completely covered the sides of his strong face.

When he grinned at the people, three yellow gold teeth were revealed.

The man took a deep breath and suddenly bellowed loudly.

"You worms! Quiet!!"

His voice echoed throughout the entire area.

The sheer force of his shout was so intense that it felt like it could rupture eardrums.

Some people even started bleeding from their ears.

Those who had gathered covered their ears in agony from the sudden loud noise.

“Ugh!”

He had subdued these rough men with just his voice.

Hyun Suho observed the scene calmly.

‘At least level 6.’

He had encountered so many powerful individuals so far that it didn’t really faze him, but a level 6 was still considered a strong individual, one who could make a name for themselves.

In fact, less than a quarter of professional hunters managed to surpass the daunting level 5.

The large man looked to be in his mid-thirties, so his growth was relatively fast.

Of course, Hyun Suho felt nothing in particular about that.

‘This guy isn’t the General, is he?’

[No, this is a man named Bayets. He’s known as the General’s assault commander.]

‘Is that so?’

The General had a level 6 hunter as his subordinate.

This led Hyun Suho to estimate that the General was at least level 7, or possibly even a level 8 Ranker.

Once he had everyone’s attention, Bayets began speaking in a booming voice.

“I am Colonel Bayets!”

The title of General and their military uniforms suggested that they were indeed portraying themselves as soldiers.

Of course, it wasn’t a rank recognized by the Russian government.

“Recently, strange monsters have started appearing near the city. It’s fine for now, but if left unchecked, they will surely invade the city and cause problems. That’s why we need your help!”

This statement caused another uproar among the crowd, and Hyun Suho frowned.

‘Is that really the reason? It’s a logical and straightforward explanation.’

In Korea, when the number of monsters in the surrounding hunting grounds increased, measures were taken to hunt them down before any incidents occurred.

Managing the entire Red Zone was impossible, so they only cleared the areas near the cities.

Normally, they would officially request the Hunter Guild to gather people, but it seemed there was no Hunter Guild here, or it wasn’t functioning properly.

Moreover, the General, who was the lord of this city, wasn’t even registered with the Hunter Association.

The hunters in this city were either fugitives or notorious criminals.

The only way to mobilize them for an operation was through such coercive means.

Of course, it was still unreasonable to involve outsiders, no matter how you looked at it.

As the commotion grew, Bayets raised his hand as a signal. In response, several people in neat military uniforms appeared and surrounded the area.

They looked ready to attack at any moment.

"Uh..."

Startled, the hunters flinched, and Bayets spoke again.

“Don’t worry too much. We’re not asking you to do this for free. You’ll be adequately compensated for participating in the operation. It’s only going to take a day, so it won’t greatly interfere with your other tasks.”

Although the content was reasonable, it was essentially a threat.

If they refused, the hunters surrounding them would attack immediately, wouldn’t they?

As the hunters hesitated, Bayets shouted again.

“If you understand, shut up and get ready! This city is protected by the General and our soldiers! If you’ve enjoyed the benefits so far, at least pay for your meals!”

In the end, the people reluctantly nodded, and Bayets snorted in disdain.

“Hmph! You should have agreed from the start. The operation will begin in one hour. Prepare yourselves by then.”

With that, Bayets left, and the hunters had no choice but to resign themselves to the situation.

“Damn it! We have no choice.”

“Well, at least the General is somewhat reasonable. The previous lord... what was his name again? Anyway, that one-eyed bastard tried to outright scam the hunters.”

“That’s true. It’s an unexpected task, but it’s not something completely incomprehensible, so I guess we have to endure it.”

Hyun Suho pretended to rest while eavesdropping on their conversations.

‘Surprisingly, he doesn’t have a bad reputation.’

[Those who take over cities are usually nothing more than bandits disguised as lords. They do everything they can to squeeze the city’s citizens.]

‘For that, the city doesn’t seem to be in bad shape.’

While it couldn’t be compared to Korea, the city’s condition was better than expected.

A city where half of the population seemed to be criminal hunters, and the rest were impoverished.

There were many children on the streets dressed in rags, but most of them were still laughing and playing cheerfully.

When a city or country falls into trouble, it’s always the weak who suffer first.

Especially children.

The idea of protecting women and children first had become something only found in old books.

In reality, when monsters invade a city, it’s the children in the slums who suffer the most.

But at least the situation here wasn’t the worst.

Even though they accepted bribes at the gate, didn’t they still conduct thorough inspections?

‘It seems the General knows how to govern, in his own way.’

As he was resting and deep in thought, he noticed someone dressed in a nurse’s uniform weaving through the crowd.

She looked like she had just turned 20.

With her short, military-style bob haircut, a cute face full of freckles, and large eyes, she still looked youthful, especially for a Westerner who usually matures quickly after adolescence.

She clumsily saluted and shouted, “I’m Lieutenant Tatia! I’ll be checking everyone’s ears from now on.”

It seemed she was treating those whose eardrums had ruptured earlier because of Bayets.

She was probably a healer.

‘Should I call her a nurse officer?’

She bustled around, appearing bright and cheerful.

The hunters seemed to know her quite well.

“Isn’t that Miss Tatia? It’s been a while.”

“Aren’t you at the age where you should be getting married? If you’ve got nowhere to go, I could take you in.”

“Sorry, but I’ll have to decline. I prefer kind-hearted people. Eek! Who just touched my butt?!”

“It wasn’t me. It was my hand.”

“Ugh! I’m not treating you!”

Despite her lively demeanor, she diligently tended to their wounds.

Tatia didn’t miss anyone and eventually came to Hyun Suho.

“Alright, mister, show me your ears.”

“I’m…”

Before Hyun Suho could respond, Tatia was already cleaning his ears with a cotton swab.

Judging by the cool sensation, it seemed she had applied some kind of treatment.

“All done! Take care!” she said, moving on right after finishing the treatment.

Almost as if he had been waiting, Bayets appeared immediately after.

“Alright! Move out now! Any slackers will be fed to the monsters, so keep that in mind!”

The General’s forces led the hunters out of the city.

* * * 

A short while later, in the Red Zone near Vladivostok.

The troops moved in unison, a mixture of the General’s army and the hunters.

The General’s subordinates moved like real soldiers, in perfect sync, and were organized with the most efficient combination of arms.

The problem, as expected, was the hunters.

Surprisingly, the average level of the hunters who had fled to Vladivostok was relatively high.

However, since they had never participated in organized group activities, they were out of sync.

It would have been better to either group them separately into a team or to leave them out altogether.

At first, it just seemed odd, but over time, Hyun Suho realized something was wrong.

‘We’re just going in circles.’

They said they were moving toward the objective, but they had been circling the same area for a while.

The others were too preoccupied with the potential threat of monsters to notice, but Hyun Suho was different.

They weren’t trapped in some formation; they were deliberately going in circles.

And it wasn’t a random wandering.

‘Teams are disappearing one by one.’

As they slowly moved in circles, some teams discreetly slipped away and rejoined the line later.

The monsters that were supposedly multiplying hadn’t shown up at all.

There was clearly some kind of plan at work.

Eventually, the team that Hyun Suho was with also began to move in a different direction.

“We’re going this way!”

The team that broke off from the formation headed toward a large cave on a cliff.

It looked like a place where a giant bear might leap out at any moment, and everyone was visibly tense.

A hunter moving with Hyun Suho spoke in a trembling voice.

“Is this… where the monsters have been multiplying?”

He glanced at the General’s troops.

Faced with danger, he was already looking for an escape route.

But seeing no gaps, he resigned himself and followed the others into the cave.

How much time had passed?

Contrary to their expectations that powerful monsters would appear in droves, nothing emerged.

Then Nova spoke.

[There’s a smell of blood, Master. There’s been a battle here.]

‘When?’

[Not more than a few minutes ago.]

It was only then that Hyun Suho realized his unease was becoming a reality.

Sure enough, when Hyun Suho turned around, the soldiers who had led them here were pointing their weapons at the hunters.

“Now, we’ll eliminate them here! Attack!”