Chapter 35

Chapter 35

From day one, Jung Dahyun ran into a rather excellent source of experience points. Level 6s weren't so common you'd trip over one on the street.

The only problem was that her opponent was a public service Hunter masquerading as a villain.

Han Sangmin of the Foreign Cooperation Management Bureau—known to the villain world as Blink, Na Gyeonguk—had been thoroughly trounced by Jung Dahyun, sustaining injuries severe enough to require over a year of treatment. The difference between him and me was that Dahyun never once bought the identity he kept insisting on, and she pressed him to the end.

Not letting her guard down for even a moment—admirable. It was exactly why I rated her so highly.

The next day, Dahyun arrived at work and was promptly hauled into the Director's office. Jung Juho's face was flushed as if it might explode. When she finally came out, I went over to her.

"How's your body?"

"I'm fine. Well enough that I feel bad for Agent Han Sangmin."

"He was just unlucky. What did the Director say?"

"He told me to be more careful from now on."

As expected, Jung Juho knew how to read a situation.

"You didn't do anything wrong. A Black Agent disguising himself as a villain means he accepted that level of risk."

Of course, getting caught by the next Jung Dahyun was rotten luck on his part.

"Going forward, I'd like us to share that kind of information with each other. If I'd known, this mistake wouldn't have happened. I feel terrible toward the Foreign Cooperation Management Bureau Director. And toward Agent Han Sangmin as well."

"He'll understand. It was an unavoidable situation."

"You think so?"

"From where I'm standing."

"I should visit Agent Han Sangmin in the hospital and apologize."

"That wouldn't be a bad idea either."

Though I wondered whether a hospital visit would really go smoothly.

He got hit pretty badly, after all.

After finishing my conversation with Dahyun, I stepped into the Director's office, where Jung Juho greeted me with his face thoroughly scrunched up.

"Well then, what brings our transcendent who riled up Jung Dahyun here today?"

"It was an unfortunate accident."

"Ah, so you're claiming no fault?"

"He's learned just how dangerous posing as a villain is, so I think this is a good opportunity for Han Sangmin to return to duty as a public service Hunter."

"That's for Yeom Gicheol to decide."

Thinking about it again, Blink's gift was one I genuinely coveted.

Enough that I'd want to take it for myself, if I could.

"Anyway, stop riling up Dahyun."

"Dahyun was my senior partner, and she's a friend with outstanding talent. You don't need to be so grateful that I'm mentoring her."

"I've never been grateful!"

"You haven't?"

So he says, pretending otherwise.

Watching Jung Juho on the verge of screaming, I nodded. Setting aside that she was his niece, I held his attitude in high regard—the way he tried to be fair as the man leading the National Guard Bureau.

Still, blood runs thicker than water. He had to feel some gratitude toward me.

I'd never led an organization myself, but looking at Jung Juho, I sometimes thought that he might be what a proper leader looked like.

"I understand exactly how you feel, Director."

"Wow, you're driving me insane."

*

Personally, I don't care much for Cheon Myeongguk. Just looking at his face brings back memories from my past life.

The so-called "Grand Compromise" Cheon Myeongguk engineered to capture Blood Lord is judged to have caused countless sacrifices.

But in the end, it succeeded in driving Blood Lord—me—out. If not for that pursuit that dragged on to the point of exhaustion, the me of my past life would have been pinned down in South Korea to the very end.

Ultimately, he was the one who made me leave the country.

Setting aside personal feelings, however, Cheon Myeongguk is a fine man.

He was courteous and polite even to his subordinates. That's why I was cooperating with him without letting personal feelings get in the way.

"You mean the official vehicle?"

"Yes."

"Since you hadn't said anything, a sedan had been prepared for assignment."

"I figured as much."

Level 8 transcendents are provided official vehicles to maintain their dignity. In the Age of Great Monsters, when resources had grown scarce, the fuel budget was unlimited and entirely free.

But how much would I even use it? I don't care much for empty formalities or protocol.

Cheon Myeongguk sensed I had something to say.

"Do you have a different opinion regarding the official vehicle?"

"It occurred to me that I don't have many occasions to go around meeting people, so I wondered whether I even need one."

"I can see why you'd think that."

"Instead, when I head out of the city for operations, there are many cases where time is critical. As you know, I can't use the KTX or SRT at my own convenience."

"That's correct."

So I flipped my thinking.

"When I move out of the city for operations, I'd like a sports car to ride in. And I'd prefer my driver to be an ex-F1 racer."

The idea came to me when I was riding a motorcycle to rescue Yunhee.

A sports car with an ex-F1 driver—wouldn't 300 kilometers per hour be possible?

I'd pushed 200 km/h on a motorcycle, so at 300 I could get there 1.5 times faster.

Cheon Myeongguk, who'd looked baffled at first, burst out laughing.

"...Haha! Transcendent Choi Junho, your way of thinking seems to be on a different track from everyone else. I'm impressed."

"Is it possible?"

"You want to reach the operation zone as fast as possible—how could that be difficult? I'll do my best to make it happen and inform you of the date."

"Thank you."

Next was the matter of sweeping villains in the Incheon area. The conversation stayed amicable throughout.

He readily agreed, which pleased me greatly. Next time, I should bring up a private jet.

*

Oh Jongsu did his work better than I'd expected.

His ability to summarize vast amounts of material was especially outstanding.

After I became Level 8, the proposals coming my way had increased to a degree incomparable to before, and Oh Jongsu was covering all of it for me.

I'd pick out what Oh Jongsu had sifted through, and began adding the ones I deemed acceptable to my schedule and working through them.

Now that I was a state-affiliated transcendent, hunting villains alone didn't mean I'd fulfilled my role. I had to meet people in moderation and attend events to drive up the government's approval ratings. Only then would allies form around me and my range of activity widen.

...After hearing Lee Sehee's interpretation along those lines, I moved accordingly.

Hearing it laid out, I supposed I'd thought something similar myself.

"If you want to use immunity from arrest to its fullest, it matters."

Transcendents have the authority to plan and execute solo operations, and their judgment on-site is respected.

The immunity from arrest I'd received also ultimately depended on how justified it appeared. If I made public opinion my ally and secured legitimacy, then even if there were procedural issues, no one could touch me.

And I was confident.

I'd just crush the bastards I was going to kill anyway.

The events I attended were mostly government-hosted ones. I only had to give a brief self-introduction, shake some hands, stand around like a folding screen, and leave, so the difficulty wasn't high.

Of course, hunting down and killing villains or monsters was far easier.

"Yeah! That's right, just stand there still like that! Oppa, you need to use your looks! Do you know how good you look when you keep your mouth shut? People who don't know the real you are already becoming fans and losing their minds!"

Yunhee's role was significant too—she'd swoop in like a ghost the moment I started to get bored.

She said the more diligent I was, the more allies I'd have, and recommended I attend everything everywhere. Why were there celebrity events and corporate events in there, you ask?

Whether or not these efforts were paying off, the reporters were writing favorably about me.

I was glad they seemed to understand my sincerity.

Today's destination was the Academy in Apgujeong-dong.

It was South Korea's top Awakened training institution, and with three Level 8 transcendents among its graduates, it was the place any aspiring Awakened would kill to get into.

In my past life, both Yunhee and I desperately wanted to enroll here.

But unless you had the exceptional talent to receive a full scholarship, the tuition was so expensive it was hard to even look at.

Jung Dahyun and Lee Sehee were Academy alumnae as well.

From the chairman down, the professors and assistants were all Hunter veterans verified in the field.

The one I'd come to see was the Academy chairman.

"Go Myeonghak."

"Choi Junho. It's an honor to meet you."

Academy Chairman Go Myeonghak was over seventy, a Level 8 transcendent who'd retired ten years ago.

Saying he could no longer display the capabilities of a Level 8, he'd announced his intent to focus on nurturing the next generation and retired cleanly. A course that stood in contrast to Kim Younghwan, who'd died pointlessly at Berserker's hands.

"I should be the one saying that. I watched your National Assembly press conference with great interest."

"Thank you for thinking well of it."

"I mean it. It was refreshing."

At those words, I extended a favor.

"There are many reporters writing articles about the Academy without proper verification. If you send me the materials, I'll cross-check them."

"Haha, I'll gratefully accept the sentiment alone."

Go Myeonghak was a man who had held his post at the Academy until that final moment in my past life. Just as he'd said when retiring, he devoted himself to nurturing the next generation from beginning to end.

Despite his advanced age, his refined looks were such that you'd hardly believe he was a Hunter who'd crossed the line of death. But appearances didn't matter much. Berserker, too, was a handsome middle-aged man who looked dignified on the surface. Yet his actions were those of a complete lunatic.

"How did the press conference seem to you, Chairman?"

"Back when I was active, I might have criticized it. Saying it was hot-blooded recklessness. But I sensed that Transcendent Choi Junho operates by a standard others don't know. My words about it being refreshing were sincere as well."

"......"

"Was that unexpected? I suffered a fair amount at reporters' hands while active, and after retiring, at the Academy too. So it would be a lie to say I feel nothing toward them. But I never revealed my true feelings for the sake of my image. If anything, watching you, I envied your boldness, your courage, and your youth."

"I didn't expect you to see it so favorably."

It sounded like a request to display that boldness, courage, and youth going forward.

"These days, joining a guild is difficult. I understand the guilds' position, and I understand the government's, but the students caught in between are blameless. For the children's sake, more positions are needed."

"That's no easy task."

"It is a rule that's been maintained for a long time."

The Awakened world suffered from severe employment difficulties as well.

The government was extremely wary of any single guild possessing more force than necessary.

Thus came the guild membership cap. Just as businesses have different application thresholds for five, ten, a hundred, or three hundred employees, guilds too faced exponentially higher rules and taxes as their membership grew.

As a result, large guilds kept their numbers below a certain threshold, and students fresh out of the Academy faced employment difficulties with no room in the top guilds.

Unless you had the skill to overcome all of that entirely, that is.

Then Go Myeonghak asked me to give a special lecture for the students.

"Me?"

"People like you, Transcendent, tend to teach well."

Me, teach students?

I'd never once considered it. Did I have anything to teach?

Then my thoughts drifted elsewhere. The Academy was a place where people lived, so there'd be crooked sorts—kids who'd become villains in the future.

If I straightened those kids out, they'd owe me a debt.

"The Academy's problem students catch my interest."

"Problem students, you say?"

"Even if their temperaments are twisted, if they can be corrected, wouldn't they become useful resources?"

"You're right. Hah! As it happens, I've been deeply troubled watching children go astray during their adolescence, and I never expected you to take an interest."

"I'll prepare a special lecture for those children."

"Haha, I can only be grateful."

Go Myeonghak adjusted his glasses and thanked me repeatedly.

It was nothing much. All I intended was to take the kids the Academy found troublesome and put them through the wringer for a day.

"They may be dangerous, though."

"To snap twisted children to their senses, that level of shock is necessary. We'll need to discuss the group composition and schedule. While we prepare, if you inform us of the direction of your lecture, we'll cooperate fully."

"Understood."

"Thank you. Thanks to you, I've gained one more thing to brag about. I hope your special lecture becomes the occasion for the children to come to their senses."

In the end, everyone becomes equal before death.

All that remained was to see whether they could still hold onto their complaints in the face of mortal danger.

Though if I saw villain sprouts in them, wouldn't it be better to just eliminate them?

Still, I'd said I'd make them into people, so I supposed I'd have to bring a few back alive.

After exchanging a few more words with Go Myeonghak, I left the Academy. The day's schedule had been quite productive.

*

Jung Dahyun's expression was gloomy. Hearing her out, she'd gone to visit Han Sangmin in the hospital, but the moment he saw her he'd gone into convulsions, so she couldn't even apologize and had to leave the room.

"It couldn't be helped."

"I should have listened to what he was saying."

"If you stopped to listen to every little thing a villain says, you'd never know when you'd die. You did your best. Your opponent was just unlucky."

"......"

Dahyun nodded quietly. Not everything in the world plays out rationally. Both Dahyun and Han Sangmin had simply been unlucky.

"I heard you pushed for this villain sweep operation, oppa."

"I need to rack up results now that I'm Level 8."

"You did well. The mood was already unsettled with news of the League's entry. Various organizations are waging their own struggles in the gap."

The League's forces had been wiped out because of Berserker, but in the unsettled atmosphere, various organizations were running wild.

They were minor organizations, but their numbers were considerable, and the number of villains appearing was over five hundred. Because of that, the villain response team in the Incheon area was on emergency alert day after day, requesting help.

"How's the villain hunting going?"

"The results aren't as big as you'd think. We've locked up a few, but our skill is lacking, and the low-level villains keep avoiding us, so..."

"So it takes longer just to find them."

"Yes. And my epithet got attached in a bad way too."

"Epithet? What is it?"

Had Dahyun finally gotten an epithet too? I was curious what the first epithet would be for Jung Dahyun, who'd always been called by flashy titles like genius, flower of Shinseong, light of the National Guard Bureau.

"It's, um, Rakshasa Girl..."

Hmm. An epithet that suits a villain better than a public service Hunter.

She seemed aware of it herself, judging by how her expression wasn't bright.

Come to think of it, I'm Head Breaker too. And after hiding my identity once, I became Erasure.

It seems neither Dahyun nor I had any luck with cool epithets.

But she looked so disappointed that I offered some soulless comfort.

"It's cool."

"I-it is? It's not weird?"

"It's an epithet that came from people being afraid of you. Of course it had to be something terrifying. Head Breaker and Rakshasa Girl—a perfect match."

"Yes, a perfect match. A perfect match indeed."

Whether it helped or not, Jung Dahyun’s expression brightened.

The real problem was Dahyun’s training. Where she stood now, she had to take what she’d grasped consciously through fierce combat and push it down into her unconscious.

She needed to be able to compress the tedious, halting process of handling her power into one smooth step.

That was a realization you couldn’t gain without being pushed to your absolute limit.

You had to drive her to the brink with the resolve to kill her—and if I did it, I’d probably actually kill her. That was the issue.

If I taught Dahyun properly, I figured I could cleanly rehabilitate the Academy’s problem students too.

Then a certain someone came to mind—decently skilled, and blessed with good fortune.

“Ah, right. There’s that.”

“You’ve got a good method?”

That guy looked like a normal person as long as he kept his mouth shut, so he seemed usable.

I’d be running into him here and there whenever I called on him in the future, so it seemed necessary to break the ice.

“I’ll look into it and let you know. He’s got a schedule of his own, after all.”

He probably doesn’t have a schedule. Judging by the messages he sends me every single day, Seeker of the Sword my ass—he’s just a nature lover off on a gourmet tour.

First, I’d get in touch with him after the villain subjugation.