Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Berserker opened the door of a derelict house that looked like it could collapse at any moment. The inside stank of blood mixed with mustiness, assaulting his nostrils — but to him, that was just everyday normalcy.

His steps came to a halt in front of a corpse whose head and limbs had been torn to shreds, its chest burst open. Anyone could see it had been ripped apart with artistry.

"A stupid death, fitting for a stupid bastard."

The remark slipped out of him.

After all that arrogance, to die such a pathetic death.

"No — maybe it just means Head Breaker is that terrifying."

The Puppeteer's fearsome reputation as the so-called Immortal had been real, so it was only right to say that Head Breaker, who had hunted him down and killed him, was remarkable.

"......"

Standing in the room, Berserker closed his eyes and took in the residual flow of Force. The scene from hours ago unfolded before him. A signal radiating from the Puppeteer, controlling the puppets. Blue eyes that pierced through the room. Lightning that rode the signals the Puppeteer created and burrowed in.

What dwelt within it was a killing intent so vast it defied imagination.

A madness that felt like it would drive anyone watching from the sidelines insane.

There existed in this world a madman so insane that the world calling Berserker by that name was laughable.

"Keh keh keh!"

Berserker shook off the madness that threatened to swallow even him, and laughed.

"I can't tell how much of what I saw was real."

Everything was chaos itself.

It wasn't that the Puppeteer had died from stupidly letting his location be discovered. What were those eyes that had appeared in the room, and what was that lightning that rode the flow and burrowed in?

He tried to read it again and again, but the whole picture refused to reveal itself.

In the end, he gave up and left the ruins. The place he arrived at was about five kilometers away.

Amid the traces of a fierce battle, Berserker tried to sense the flow of combat between the puppet and Head Breaker.

But this time too, it didn't add up. Head Breaker fights with lightning that destroys everything it touches. Yet no trace of that could be sensed here.

Rather—

"...Why does Erasure's scent linger here?"

No matter how he thought about it, it made no sense. But Head Breaker's combat style couldn't be sensed at all, and what filled that space instead was purely Erasure's presence.

"Is Erasure Head Breaker? For what possible reason?"

Would a public service Hunter have any reason to masquerade as a villain? He tried assembling the puzzle from various clues, but when the pieces refused to fit, he gave up.

Instead, he assumed the opponent was Erasure and took in the flow of Force.

......!!!

A heavy, pounding pain struck his chest, and Berserker's eyes flew wide. A killing intent and madness incomparable to before swept through his interior.

Could something this immense truly belong to a human? Beneath a will of the worst kind that tried to consume him from mere awareness of its existence, all Berserker could do was take deep breaths.

"...My reasons to see Head Breaker just multiplied."

He wanted to see, just once, what kind of bastard this was.

Folding away his thoughts, Berserker shouted toward the dense thicket of grass.

"Come out."

"......"

"How long do you plan to keep watching?"

"...I'm just an ordinary contact."

What revealed itself was a man with an ordinary face, dressed like a salaried office worker. But what Berserker sensed from him was Level 5 ability — enough to serve on the front lines of a major guild.

Normally, they'd never have crossed paths like this.

Sensing something interesting was about to unfold, Berserker smiled.

"Where are you from?"

"Shinseong Guild, General Operations Team. Deputy Team Leader Lee Youngtan."

"Were you told to watch me?"

"More precisely, I was told to deliver a message and an item."

"Speak."

"A message from Head Breaker. He said Berserker would come here, and that if we met, I was to receive contact."

He pulled out a smartphone and held it out to Berserker.

"......"

Berserker stared at the smartphone, then reached out his hand. A moment later, a ringtone blared. Not knowing how to answer a call, he only connected after Lee Youngtan told him to swipe to the side. A voice came through from beyond the smartphone.

—Berserker.

"Is this Head Breaker? You had something to say to me?"

—I'll kill you soon enough, so don't make a fuss and sit tight.

"What?"

—Pick the date and time you want. I'll play along to that extent. Have one last cozy meal together, then contact me again. You can use Talk. You know how to use it, right?

With that, the call ended. Staring blankly at the smartphone, Berserker burst into wild laughter.

"Kuh, kahahahaha! He's completely insane!"

Craack!

The smartphone shattered just like that.

"......"

Berserker stared blankly at the smartphone reduced to powder. Lee Youngtan, without a hint of fluster, pulled out another smartphone and held it forward. Berserker looked at it silently, then took it.

If it broke again, he'd have no means of contact — so he put it in his pocket to keep it from breaking.

Only then did he regain his composure and smile again.

"Keh keh keh, this should be fun."

'Madmen, the lot of them.'

The one who'd shoved his jaw right into Berserker's face, knowing he wouldn't die anyway.

And the one laughing with joy when told he'd be killed.

They were the same breed, both of them.

Caught between these madmen, only Lee Youngtan felt like dying.

* * *

After finishing off the Puppeteer, I headed to Shinsung Hospital, where Yunhee had been admitted. Choi Yoon-hee, private room. A privilege given to her on priority despite her injuries not being serious. This must be why people try to get into the Shinseong Guild.

When I went inside, I found the brat in a hospital gown, perfectly healthy-looking and restless as ever.

So that's why she'd told me not to contact our parents. Since her injuries weren't severe, I'd gone along with it. It wasn't like her organs had ruptured or her stomach had split open with her insides spilling out.

According to the nurse, she'd eaten three bowls of rice — her stomach capacity was something else. Even at home, the rice and side dishes disappeared so fast. When I'd ask if she ate it all, she'd throw a fit — but I guess the culprit loudly protesting hasn't changed. I set down the fruit basket.

"You okay?"

"Huh? Why'd you come? I'm getting discharged tomorrow anyway."

"My little sister's in the hospital — I should at least come check that she's still breathing."

"Is that any way to talk to your injured sister? Kidding. Thanks for coming. I'd have died if it wasn't for you, oppa."

The awkward look on her face as she said it made me shake my head.

"No, you did well. You held out incredibly well."

"Still, I felt how pathetic my skills really are. Should I have trained harder? No, wait, take that back!"

Yunhee flinched and tried to snatch back her words, but I'd heard it all.

"When you're discharged, I'll work you even harder."

"No, I misspoke. I'm fine as I am now."

"I don't think so."

"I said I'm fine! What I meant was about gifts."

"Gifts?"

"I was just whining. I thought maybe things would be different if I had a gift. Not that just anyone can have one."

Among Hunters, the proportion who possess a gift is extremely small. But the majority of high-ranking Hunters have one.

A gift grants a Hunter special strength.

In the early days of the Awakened's emergence, some countries even resorted to human experimentation to force gifts open, but all they got was failure. I'm probably the only one who can identify a gift's type through Blood Devour.

I watched Yunhee, then cast the bait.

"What if there were a way to get a gift?"

"There's a way? Really?"

I pretended to think for a moment, then nodded.

"There is."

"Then tell me! I want a gift too. I want to get stronger."

"It's a somewhat dangerous method."

"I don't care."

Was it her hunger for strength? It reminded me a little too much of myself in my past life, craving power before I became the Blood Lord. It bothered me.

No. That craving, too — keep rolling long enough and stray thoughts disappear. Once you drain the strength out, other desires fade with it. I'll use the gift awakening as the excuse to keep her training.

"For now, get your treatment properly and bring your condition up. We'll talk again after that."

"Got it. I'll remember everything you said, oppa, so don't pretend later that you don't remember."

"Sure."

If Yunhee gets a gift, she'll hunt better too.

But I'd need to draw blood from near her heart — would she be startled?

I decided to worry about that later.

"Oh! And that thing. Was it real?"

"Hm?"

"I'm asking if you were watching me fight the puppet."

I'd thought she was half-delirious, but she remembered that situation exactly.

"No."

"I'm pretty sure you were watching."

"......"

Her narrowed eyes pursued me persistently. I could probably pull this off a few more times — no reason to reveal it now.

"Damn, no evidence."

"Did you dream it?"

"No, it was real! And take that with you."

Yunhee pointed at the large pot sitting on the table.

"What is it?"

"Open it."

I grabbed the lid and checked the contents.

Along with a savory aroma, an owl's head greeted me. Its pupils followed my gaze.

It was a soybean paste hot pot with an Owlboar head as the base. How did this end up here?

"Dahyun unnie brought it, saying I needed to recover my strength. You recommended it, right? Are you insane? You are, right? Are you insane?"

"It is a nourishing dish."

"I managed to eat some with rice mixed into the broth, but I can't stand that eyeball following me around. Dahyun unnie said the eyeballs are the most delicious part, but how do you even eat those? You eat it, oppa."

"Alright."

At Yunhee's insistence, I took the Owlboar head soybean paste hot pot home with me.

It was an unexpectedly big harvest.

* * *

By the time I returned to the National Guard Bureau, the breaking news of Kim Younghwan's death had cast a pall over all of South Korea.

It was the death of a Level 8, no less. Though he'd been in decline, Kim Younghwan's shadow had been deep, and the ripple effects were enormous.

In the aftermath, blame toward Jung Juho flared up, but once it became known that I had taken down the Puppeteer, the criticism quieted. Still, within the demoralized public service ranks, people lamented that the initiative had passed entirely from the government to the major guilds.

Their opinion was that capturing Berserker was now virtually impossible without cooperation from the major guilds. The government side announced they would allocate budget to nurture Level 8 transcendents, but that blind money would only end up in someone else's pockets.

I'll keep a close eye on it, and once I have immunity from arrest, I'll tear them apart.

In any case, things were moving exactly as Lee Sehee had said. If time kept flowing this way, by the time the negotiating table was set, I'd have plenty of demands to make.

"Welcome back."

In the short time since I'd seen him, half of Jung Juho's face had become haggard. The only reason his expression wasn't entirely dark was that eliminating the Puppeteer had saved face. Apparently, the flaw was that no corpse had been confirmed.

Should I go grab it now? Days have passed, so its condition must be bad — too late. Next time, I'll cut the head off in advance.

Not that it matters — nobody would recognize the Puppeteer's face anyway.

"The Puppeteer's elimination — that's confirmed, correct?"

"Yes."

"No, I mean — he was called the Immortal, so how did you eliminate him?"

"Puppetry uses Force wavelengths to control the puppets. I located the source of those wavelengths. He was there. The Puppeteer's personal combat ability was nothing impressive."

"You should have brought the corpse."

"I smashed the head. I told you Lee Sehee can testify if necessary."

"Why go that far? Regrettable, but I'll have to accept it."

Scratching his head, Jung Juho spoke.

"Still, thanks to you, I survived. The uproar after Minister Kim Younghwan's death was tremendous. That old man too — when age catches up and your ability declines, you should step back gracefully instead of clinging to greed. Tsk tsk!"

"I'm glad it was handled well."

Officially, Jung Juho is my backer. I hope he stays motivated and helps me for a long, long time.

"Anyway, I owe you my life. Truly, I don't know what would have happened without you."

"Sounds like the atmosphere is serious."

"The government side is dying over this. That man's personality may have been a wreck, but he was reliable, no question. If he was going to go out this meaninglessly, he should have properly groomed a successor first. Tsk tsk! From where I'm standing, it'll be hard for anyone else to step up."

"......"

"On the flip side, if you reach Level 8 now, your value will rise even higher. This isn't a bad turn of events for you. It's funny how someone's death can benefit someone else, but there it is."

The irritating man was gone, which was satisfying, but he smiled bitterly, saying they couldn't avoid being outmatched in the coming struggle for initiative against the major guilds.

"Director."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"If I reach Level 8, could you help me at the negotiating table?"

The odds of refusal are high. Jung Juho has lived his entire life as a public servant, loyal to the country — he could see my actions as infringing on the nation's interests.

But the moment he heard my words, Jung Juho's lips curled upward.

"Junho. Honestly, I've been waiting for you to say that."

"Sir?"

"Honestly, who's more connected to the government than me? I've been a public service Hunter my whole life, and there's no one up top I don't know. I know where those people came from and what they've been eating off of."

"Please share that information with me later."

I'd already found targets to sweep away.

"...On second thought, I take back the part about knowing what they've been eating off of. Does hair fall out, and memory with it? I can't remember. Anyway, since you've asked me for help, I'll support you wholeheartedly. You're from the National Guard Bureau, aren't you? I have to step up."

I could have gotten information out of him, though. A shame.

Still, if I prod him a few more times, the information I need will come pouring out.

"I thought you'd say it infringes on the nation's interests."

"Infringe, my foot. If you don't take it, someone else will grab it all anyway. Did you see the budget allocated this time to nurture a Level 8? It's all blind money. Better spent coaxing you than going up some random bastard's asshole. I'll wring the government dry for you. Just trust me."

"I trust you."

This man must have had a lot pent up over the years too.

"So, about that."

"Yeah?"

"I intend to capture Berserker."

"You still haven't given up?"

Jung Juho, who'd been grinning ear to ear, clutched his head in shock.

Is that really okay for a man in his position?

* * *

My connection with Berserker goes back to my past life.

The bastard who'd brought in something as insane as the Dance of Nothingness was a madman who sought to complete his own world within standards different from everyone else's.

That he was Level 8, that he was a gift-holder — none of it was revealed until the moment he died.

This time, his gift hadn't come to light, but his Level 8 status had.

Still, even in my memory, he lingered as such an unusual figure that the things he'd said to me stuck with me.

"You said it was the moment of the star."

Berserker chased after talents that could inspire him.

That must have been why he'd chased after Erasure's traces. He'd said that what he feared more than death was stagnation, and he was willing to risk death itself for even a glimpse of the moment of the star.

Whether he saw it before he died, I can't know. But his obsession with power was real. Even at sixty years old when he died by my hand, his skills hadn't regressed in the slightest—if anything, he'd hidden away every kind of secret technique to grow stronger.

Berserker—When are you coming?

Berserker—I've already arrived.

Berserker—Waiting is boring. Then again, this too must be seasoning for the fun to come. Keh keh!

Berserker—[photo attached]

Berserker—If you have time to spare, you can come early.

Guess the bastard was bothered by me asking whether he even knew how to use a messenger app.

He'd been messaging me for the past three hours.

Why is he sending a selfie of himself sitting there? And of course the file size was obnoxiously huge.

I left at exactly the appointed time.

When I arrived at the agreed spot, there was Berserker, perched on a tree stump just like in the photo he'd sent.

"You're punctual. I nearly wore myself out waiting."

"Who told you to come early?"

"I was too excited to hold back."

"You lunatic."

"Keh keh keh!"

He laughs like he's delighted even after being insulted. Maybe Jung Juho was right. This guy really is insane. If I hang around him too long, I might get infected.

"Did you patch up that hole in your stomach?"

"Plenty. I've got a question of my own, though."

"What is it?"

"Are you Erasure?"