Chapter 43

Chapter 43

The world really is entertaining.

Before the hunt footage came out, they were whispering among themselves—but the moment they saw me kill the Black Wyvern, their attitudes did a complete flip.

It’s not like anything changed about me being a Level 8 transcendent.

I looked at Yu Heungryeol and spoke.

“You were giving quite the speech. Why’d you suddenly go quiet? Keep going. I’ll listen.”

Really. I just wanted to hear what he’d say.

Honestly, it was almost impressive that he thought I’d just sit there after all that noise.

So I set the stage for him. I adopted an attentive posture and prodded Yu Heungryeol.

“……”

But Yu Heungryeol couldn’t say a word.

Don’t tell me he ran out of material. That’d be disappointing.

The reason he’d picked a fight with me was surprisingly simple. To raise his profile. You know the type—cling to someone famous and ride their coattails to make yourself look bigger.

His Fierce Tiger Guild had grown rapidly in Gwanggyo in a short time, and in cases like that, the established prestigious guilds often refused to acknowledge them.

A fleeting stroke of luck can happen to anyone, after all.

Only by maintaining strength over a long period and putting down solid roots could a guild be recognized as truly prestigious. Yu Heungryeol had decided to skip that stage by latching onto me.

It really was a strange thing.

Especially when he’d seen what I did to Oh Changmun—and still stepped up so boldly.

Back when I was the Blood Lord, the ones I beat down the most, in order, were monsters, villains, then Hunters.

I’m very good at beating down Hunters too.

“It’s a bit awkward when you suddenly go quiet like that.”

If I left it there, it would look like I was overreacting.

So I unfolded the classified document.

“A half-baked nobody with no experience.”

“……!”

“Someone who’d wet himself trembling in front of a monster.”

“……!”

“If you get on your knees and beg, I might share a hunting tip or two.”

“……!”

“Didn’t you say you had video of the President and the Director of the Awakened Security Office? You said a lot of other things too, apparently? Well, you can go around badmouthing me all you like—just do it where no one’s listening. Ah, but that’s not a crime. So don’t worry.”

I meant it.

I could’ve nailed him for plenty of other things—why bother with that one?

I don’t hold grudges.

The expressions of everyone around me as they stared at the classified document in my hand were already a sight to behold.

I rolled up the booklet, kicked off the floor, and stood in front of Yu Heungryeol.

“D-Don’t come closer!”

“Why?”

“Aaaagh!”

I lightly dodged his outstretched hand and tried to grab him. But his trajectory twisted—he sharpened his fingertips and thrust at my neck. Oh, that was new. As thanks, I seized him and unleashed a barrage of Arc Mines.

Kwa-ddd-deuk!

“Kuaaaagh!”

Yu Heungryeol screamed as the entire bone structure of his right arm turned to powder. I kicked his shins with my foot, breaking both legs, then grabbed his head.

It was shiny—so it wasn’t a style choice, it was hair loss. I suddenly felt solemn. Would Jung Juho end up like that someday too? It seemed like it might be fine to just shave it all off like Yu Heungryeol.

Once I realized Yu Heungryeol had shaved his head because of hair loss, I stopped hitting him and returned to the podium.

“He disrupted my hunt order, tried to drive a wedge between the government and the guilds, and attempted to delay our response. I believe this constitutes a violation of the Monster Security Act on Yu Heungryeol’s part. Any objections?”

“……”

There were none. Then his guilt was established.

The Monster Security Act is a system designed to prevent division during a monster attack. Nearly every nation enacted this law so that humanity could unite under the threat of monsters.

Even at the moment his guilt was decided, Yu Heungryeol was still rolling on the floor screaming.

“So noisy.”

I pulled out a bottle of recovery potion and threw it at him. Thwack! The glass bottle shattered with the sound, and his head split open, blood streaming down. Through the cut, the potion took effect and he began to heal.

I turned my gaze back to the guild representatives.

“There are quite a few people I’ll need to see soon.”

“……”

“First, I need to hunt Nuri, so I’ll pay my respects one by one after that. I look forward to seeing you all again.”

Am I the only one looking forward to it? Everyone’s expressions are grim. If you’re going to talk behind someone’s back, shouldn’t you at least consider it might reach their ears? Am I the only one who thinks that?

Having said my piece, I left the conference room.

Not long after, the conference room descended into chaos.

*

Lee Sehee watched the spot where Choi Junho had exited, then asked Baek Gunseo.

“Uncle, what did you think?”

“Even I couldn’t pull that off. He used the most reckless method, and he used it efficiently.”

“Is it really that impressive?”

“You saw how he moved freely through the air, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“That’s not a flight gift. He was purely supporting his body with Force and moving freely. You can’t even sustain that without burning an absurd amount.”

Baek Gunseo shook his head, but Lee Sehee couldn’t quite grasp it.

“Is it really that amazing?”

“If I used the same method, even I wouldn’t last long. But Choi Junho didn’t change expression once the entire time, from fighting the Black Wyvern to coming back. That means that level of output wasn’t even pushing him. How much Force must he have for that to be possible?”

“I didn’t realize it was that difficult.”

Baek Gunseo was by no means an unskilled transcendent. Among the three transcendents belonging to South Korea’s major guilds, he was rarely counted as the strongest, but he was a well-made transcendent who reliably performed his part in any situation.

His Force capacity in particular was considered the best among the three. And Choi Junho had pulled off something even he wouldn’t dare attempt? It was astonishing. Just how deep did his reserves go?

“There must be a reason he took down the Black Wyvern so easily and insisted on second priority. There’s something about Nuri. I agree with you—it’s better to take fourth.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“No—when you feel uneasy, holding back is the right call. That’s what an owner’s instinct is. If it weren’t for you, we might have made a mistake with our plan in disarray. Your instinct was right. Well done, Sehee.”

“Yes.”

Baek Gunseo agreed, so the risk Lee Sehee would have to bear disappeared.

“By the way, Director Cheon, having to manage Choi Junho, is in for a rough time.”

“He’s a capable man, so he’ll navigate it well.”

The two looked at Cheon Myeongguk and nodded quietly.

Pity and trust—two contradictory emotions crossed between them.

*

There was some commotion, but after that, the meeting proceeded smoothly.

The one who obtained the right to face the 8th monster, Nuri, first was the Avant-garde Guild.

The order went: first, Avant-garde; second, Choi Junho’s hunting team (name undecided); third, Reaper Guild; fourth, Shinseong Guild.

Avant-garde, Reaper, and Shinseong all had Level 8 transcendents.

But what truly seized everyone’s attention wasn’t the hunt order.

It was the footage of Choi Junho hunting the Black Wyvern.

Since it was filmed from within the conference room, the video quality was utterly terrible—but the aftermath was intense.

Because until just recently, the internet had been completely covered with the “Choi Junho half-baked rumor.”

“Half-baked” refers to an Awakened who displays powerful martial prowess against villains but can’t perform up to standard in front of monsters.

Since the emergence of monsters and Awakened, the reason Hunters’ value rose was because they could procure monster byproducts that sold for high prices. With money as the top priority, the value of a Hunter who couldn’t hunt dropped drastically.

Catching villains barely improved public safety, but monsters left behind hearts, hides, and byproducts.

There had been a time when rumors circulated that Choi Junho, with no hunting record whatsoever, might also be the half-baked type. But once this hunting footage was released, the suspicions vanished as if washed away.

The internet reaction was dramatic.

—This is insane, insane. A Grade 7 Corrupted Monster one-shot? Is this for real?

—Was the Black Wyvern really that pathetic a monster? Aren’t they just one-shotting a Grade 3 monster and spinning it as a big deal?

—Don’t get it twisted. The Black Wyvern is one of the most troublesome monsters among Grade 7.

—TMI) Its speed is no joke, and it can identify targets from over 10km away. Its hide requires a Level 7 going all-out to pierce, and it’s incredibly annoying, firing breath from the sky. It also has good anger management, so if it decides things aren’t going well, it’s great at running away.

—If a Grade 7 goes down this easily, doesn’t that mean Grade 8 is safe too? Why isn’t he first in the order?

—Don’t know the reason, but there must be something.

—Taking it down alone without even a hunting team is seriously cool;; Youngest Level 8, top-tier hunting skills, and handsome on top of it all. The world is truly unfair.

—That air-stepping thing burns an insane amount of Force. Guess Choi Junho’s Force capacity is on another level entirely.

If most people were marveling at his hunting skill—

There were also those paying attention to what happened afterward.

—The part after this video is even scarier. It wasn’t shown, but Choi Junho wrecked a Hunter who badmouthed him at the conference.

—Is that even possible?

—TMI) Choi Junho also wrecked a report-trash who badmouthed him, live on air. If you thought he’d hold back just because they’re a Hunter…

—Seems like someone objected to Choi Junho taking the Nuri hunt order. Choi Junho slapped a Monster Security Act violation on him on the spot.

—King-Monster-King-Security-Act violation. LOL.

—You know what’s even more terrifying? Apparently Choi Junho made a list of everyone who’s been going around calling him half-baked.

—WTF isn’t that a blacklist? But the scarier part is that he’s someone who could actually follow through.

—OMG. Does that mean he’s written down everyone who left malicious comments here too?

—Are we all getting a visit from Choi Junho? That’s insane.

Some took it as a joke, but others took it deadly seriously.

—Isn’t that a blacklist?

—They say it’s not.

—Info) Choi Junho has immunity from arrest, and even without it, no one can touch a transcendent who’s the youngest ever and whose hunting skill has been verified.

—WTF, so what happens to the people who ran their mouths?

—I don’t know either. But isn’t it scarier because we don’t know?

—Choi Junho was not messing around when he wrecked that report-trash with a smile.

—The people who ran their mouths probably can’t sleep;;

—They might’ve already wet themselves. Hurry up and delete and bow your heads.

—Kekeke, soon there’ll be a blood-and-flesh massacre party…!

As Choi Junho had said, no private retaliation took place.

While everyone was preparing to face Nuri, under the leadership of the National Guard Bureau, the Foreign Cooperation Management Bureau, and the Anti-Monster Defense Front Bureau, a large-scale villain subjugation operation began.

“Arrest every last villain!”

When monsters go on a rampage, villains cleverly slip through the gaps. They had caused disturbances time and again in the blind spots of the Hunters’ attention, so while the Avant-garde Guild established the first line of defense, the three Bureaus pooled their strength to wipe out the villains.

With the surprise operation, over a thousand villains were killed or arrested.

The most outstanding performance came from “Rakshasa Girl” Jung Dahyun.

Until now, her image had been that of an upright public service Hunter who led by example.

Righteousness, brilliant talent, beautiful looks, and so on had been attached before her name—but what she showed in this arrest operation was completely different.

Quick judgment, merciless forcefulness, ruthlessness toward villains.

Over a hundred villains fell at her hands.

Even when dozens of villains, in a you-die-and-I-die mad rush, charged at her with bombs strapped all over their bodies near the end of the operation, she cut off both their legs and plunged the villains into terror.

As the bombs went off one by one, blowing them apart, she gave orders with a calm expression.

“Cut the legs off any villain holding a bomb.”

With an order that practically amounted to leaving them to die in their own explosions, the villains surrendered in terror.

*

The villain arrests and the Avant-garde Guild’s preparations proceeded quickly.

The government enacted strong controls to prevent inflation.

Some critics grumbled that they were making a fuss over a Harmful-class Level 8 monster that hadn’t even appeared yet, but the government’s response was resolute.

They pushed ahead on the strength of their approval ratings. The opposition could shout all it wanted, but approval ratings were the ultimate trump card.

“The country’s running well.”

I was satisfied with the system functioning methodically.

Becoming a transcendent and having my face known had its perks. Especially not having to personally go out for every villain subjugation—just staying put was incredibly convenient.

It would’ve been even better if there weren’t someone glaring at me and monitoring my every move right beside me.

Summoned to the Awakened Security Office at Cheon Myeongguk’s request, I read the classified document (read: blacklist).

I needed to read it multiple times so that if someone suddenly appeared before me, I could recall who said what and how. When someone I owed a debt to showed up and I didn’t recognize them, how hurt would they be?

I had no intention of disappointing them.

“……”

“If you’ve come, say something. This is something I can look at anytime, so it’s fine.”

I folded the classified document I’d been reading and greeted Cheon Myeongguk. He sat across from me, letting out a heavy sigh after seeing the classified document.

“You don’t need to worry.”

“Could you not do the thing where you tell me not to worry about something when I haven’t said what it is?”

“Of course I can’t.”

“……”

“Instead, I’ll hold back even if I see someone on this list until after Nuri is hunted.”

I keep public and private matters separate. Right now, South Korea’s attention was focused on hunting Nuri, so I planned to deal with it after that was over.

“This was the moment I learned just how capable Director Cheon is. I didn’t expect you to investigate in such detail.”

“If I’d been sloppy, you would’ve gone out yourself.”

“How did you know? Anyway, reading through it, there were a lot of trivial things too.”

“Yes. If the Transcendent is generous, they can let those slide.”

“Everyone talks behind someone’s back at some point in life, don’t they? I don’t think someone should be punished for a single remark.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Anticipation filled Cheon Myeongguk’s face.

To anyone watching, I’d look like a villain obsessed with revenge.

I showed Cheon Myeongguk the edited version of the classified document. It was thinner than the initial version. After staying up all night reading the classified document three times, I had removed three-fourths of the people from the list.

“I’m only looking at the ones who intentionally tried to smear me. It’s thinner now, isn’t it?”

“…I sincerely hope this ends well.”

“Of course. Everything will end well.”

Meaning, well for me.

When I thought about what went through my mind after receiving the blacklist—well, it was: if I beat down everyone on this list, two-thirds of this country’s guilds would disappear.

Despite my words, Cheon Myeongguk’s expression didn’t brighten.

Just then, the secretary entered and delivered news.

“Master Lee Chantae of the Avant-garde Guild has arrived.”

Lee Chantae is the Master of the Avant-garde Guild and a Level 8 transcendent.

“This guy’s on the blacklist too.”

“Please……”

“Isn’t he actually more shameless? He’s a transcendent himself, and all he does is throw criticism.”

Come to think of it, that’s true.

"But I'm a transcendent chosen by the nation. If you insult me, aren't you questioning the nation's choice—and therefore insulting the nation?"

"……."

Or not. Never mind.