When I Returned to Farming, National-level Big Juniors Flock - Chapter 148



Only Krnovel

148. In a faded frame

After the invitations to the castle were distributed.

Many people headed into the castle, but there were still some who had not entered since the banquet had begun.

A forest where the castle can be vaguely seen from a distance.

Hunters who had completely silenced their presence gathered together.

“It seems that many intelligence agents have already entered. Among the artifacts they have stolen is our ‘Holy Grail’. Shouldn’t we enter now?”

The man opened his mouth with a stern expression.

While the foreign agents were infiltrating, only the French hunters were waiting outside the castle without entering.

In a situation where we can’t help but worry that the relics will be stolen if we just let it be.

“There’s no need to get into the already tangled muddy water together. We just have to not let go of whoever gets what artifact in there.”

Saint Agnes said.

They had the overwhelming advantage of being on home ground.

Even the most well-trained agents could easily find themselves in dangerous situations in a foreign country, and it was like fighting an unfavorable fight in itself.

For those who are conducting operations within France, there is no need to go inside and compete with them.

There were already a large number of French hunters surrounding the castle, and no one would be able to escape the scene.

All you have to do is just go in after all the commotion inside has died down.

She had no intention of missing a single thing here.

This is why, for Agnes, who had been facing this situation, the loss of Rudra’s ring felt like such a trivial thing.

If this operation is successful, they will reap enormous rewards.

The power of the country itself is increasing so rapidly that it can be said that there are no countries that can compare to it, at least within Europe.

“More than anything, foreign agents have no idea who’s inside.”

A bitter smile appeared on Agnes’ lips.

The variable she was worried about in this operation wasn’t flies swarming from other countries.

Rather, if they were agents of other countries, there might not be any need to worry about blocking them.

Because before they could even do anything, they might all be dead inside.

*

A national power-level hunter.

This is a word that refers to the highest level hunters of rank 12 or higher.

Of course, this concept included hunters who reached level 13, such as Han Su-yeon and Choi Jeong-il, and even within the same level 12, the level varied greatly.

However, if it was at least classified as level 12, it would be enough to single-handedly take down a small country, so that was the expression that came out.

Of course, only a very small number of all hunters existed.

But a surprisingly large number of hunters of that level gathered in one place.

And they all come from different countries.

First memory.

A corridor within the castle, somewhat distant from the banquet hall.

Several men with an ominous vibe gathered in one place.

“Everyone is gathered.”

Janer said, looking over the members.

“I’ve prepared a replacement in advance, but it won’t last long. Before a full-blown commotion breaks out, I’ll grab as many relics as I can and leave.”

“It seems like there are more agents on the other side than we thought. What should we do about them?”

“There is no change to the plan. If necessary, don’t hesitate to kill.”

Sling.

Janer pulled out his machete from behind.

It doesn’t matter if they’re a secret society, criminals, or agents of another country.

No matter who it is, there will be no witnesses.

“Don’t forget, your top priority is to retrieve the Ocean’s Jewel.”

“yes!”

With his last words, the hunters dispersed and left the place.

Inside a completely empty hallway.

As everyone disappeared, Oh Hyeon-seong, who had been hiding behind the pillar, appeared briefly.

“Everyone is so busy.”

He stood there blankly and let out a hollow laugh.

He brushed the dust off his back and thought back to their conversation just now.

‘It seems like everyone’s goal is the relics.’

If it was Janer, he had heard the name too.

He is also a first-generation hunter who has been active in Türkiye for quite some time, and is a very famous and skilled person in the area.

Unlike Oh Hyeon-seong or Seongnyeo, who had been active from the beginning, he came to prominence relatively later, so I had never really clashed with him.

Even when China’s super wave was at its peak, he was not deployed to the front lines, but was instead deployed primarily on intelligence missions.

His appearance means that he is quite serious even in Turkey.

‘By the way, did the ocean’s jewel roll all the way here? It wasn’t for nothing that I rushed in with my eyes rolled back.’

Jewel of the ocean.

It is a powerful water attribute artifact.

A national treasure-level relic that, if it falls into the hands of a hunter with the ability to manipulate water, will grant him or her transcendent powers.

It first appeared in the world as a military conflict with Greece.

At the time, he displayed tremendous power to instantly reverse the situation, which was going downhill, and even shocked the neighboring countries that were watching.

As a result, the Turkish government considered it more important than any other artifact it possessed.

But, since they stole that, it was only natural that they would be shocked.

‘I feel sorry for them, but I might be a little jealous.’

The Jewel of the Ocean was not even on the list he had originally in mind.

When he first came to France, Oh Hyun-seong only thought of snatching up national treasures that were floating around the underworld.

Stealing a nationally owned relic would be an incident so big that it would escalate to the point where it would lead to an all-out war with the entire country.

It was the best option for him, who did not want to make the incident bigger unnecessarily.

National treasures are not something that are commonly found, so even if you can achieve that level of success, you can be considered extremely lucky.

But when a completely unexpected big fish appeared before his eyes, even he felt a sense of temptation.

‘… I think it will be quite helpful for farming.’

Oh Hyeon-seong resumed his stride, thinking a thought that would make the Turkish hunters cringe.

As the earth spirit Multz circled around while hiding underground, he was able to confirm that many agents had already begun their activities.

But Oh Hyeon-seong was in a much more advantageous position than them.

Although the bastards seemed to have hidden the relics tightly within the complex structure of the castle, Oh Hyeon-seong had Rudra’s ring.

‘The better I hide it, the better for me, because it increases the chance that only I can find it.’

The countless traces visible through his eyes.

The intricately tangled lines dazzled his eyes, but Oh Hyun-seong, who had become adept at controlling the ring, was able to distinguish the traces and even tell how close they were.

Thanks to that, he could clearly see where the bastards had roughly hidden the relic.

‘All the other relics are scattered throughout the castle, one by one. But there is one place in the castle’s basement where many relics are gathered.’

There’s something very suspicious about this place.

Oh Hyeon-seong put the other side aside and followed the traces straight into the castle’s basement.

The basement of the castle built in this way was very spacious.

However, unlike the flashy and sophisticated upper level, there were cobwebs and facilities that seemed to have not been properly maintained.

A place that looks like it has been neglected for a long time and has not been maintained at all.

Oh Hyeon-seong, who had passed through the gloomy passages, stood in front of the door where the traces of the relics had become very clear.

“It seems like it’s beyond here…”

Crunch.

I was stopped by a tightly locked door.

Then he tried to tear the door open with his hands, but it still wouldn’t budge.

Because it was protected by a supernatural ability, it could not be penetrated by physical force.

‘A very unique technique… There aren’t many hunters who can deploy magical power in this way.’

Oh Hyun-seong, frowning slightly, began to lift the protective spell.

Although it was an extremely high-level technique that even experts had difficulty dispelling, Oh Hyeonseong possessed spirit magic that was different from the properties of ordinary magic.

It’s easy to neutralize this spell.

Crunch.

Oh Hyun-seong opened the door that wasn’t even physically locked.

He entered inside, ready to draw his weapon, but there was no one inside.

There was just a room of a moderate size sitting there.

“This… This is…”

A display of crude-looking weapons and equipment that don’t match the rather ornate furniture.

These were his equipment from his active days.

All of the items that were stolen from the country’s first relic storage facility were located here.

“I knew you’d be here.”

Oh Hyun-seong, standing in front of the display case, had a strange expression on his face.

After looking around for a moment, he took out the six long knives closest to the display case.

Unlike regular daggers, this weapon is specialized for throwing and stabbing.

I held it for the first time in a long time and the unique grip was still there.

“It was a good decision to come here.”

The knife he held was merely a second-class relic.

Although it is a tier 2 relic, it is a precious and expensive relic, but it is not enough for a hunter of that level to use.

Of course, it couldn’t even be compared to the national treasures above.

However, he was very stubborn when it came to the weapons he used, and this was the weapon he had been using for a long time, shunning other weapons.

Sling.

“… It’s been a while, you too.”

Oh Hyeon-seong picked up the sword placed in the middle of the display case.

As I pulled out my sword, a smooth blade was revealed.

Among the equipment here, including the sword and dagger, there was not a single national treasure.

But Oh Hyun-seong, who was extremely satisfied, took all the equipment out of the display case and packed it away.

Pfft!

“It’s really convenient.”

I still had the combat uniform I was wearing at the time, and it was physically difficult to take it all out, but I didn’t have to worry.

Thanks to Nihil’s ring that allows two-way teleportation, I was able to easily send him into Changyeong-ri’s house.

Oh Hyeon-seong, who had only a sword and a dagger with him, hurriedly tried to leave the room.

“uh…?”

At that moment, Oh Hyeon-seong stopped dead in his tracks.

At a time when foreign agents were searching the castle with their eyes wide open.

In order to secure other national treasures, we had to get out of here quickly.

But that thought never crossed my mind for a moment.

Because I found a picture frame standing on top of a dresser in the room.

An old photograph in a frame.

There was a picture of Oh Hyeon-seong from the past standing there wearing a black operation uniform.

And that’s not all.

Han Su-yeon and Baek Ji-soo are sitting far apart from each other, even though they are sitting right next to each other, so as not to touch each other’s shoulders.

Even the sight of Kang Seok smiling and putting his arm around Oh Hyeon-seong’s shoulder while standing bluntly next to him.

It was a time when Choi Jeong-il and Yoon Seol-ha, both of whom were in the 7th generation, did not even exist.

It was a group photo from the special forces days, with all the old unit members together.

“…Why is this here?”