Chapter 68

Episode 68

My appearance through Transfer had been part of the plan from the start.

The plan was to show up around the time Cheon Myeongguk met Yoo Seongsu, clean up Yoo Seongsu and his close associates, and take control of Busan Metropolitan City.

Once the heads are gone, the body always flounders.

But then they suddenly announced a no-holds-barred debate and put it on broadcast, so I decided to watch a little longer.

Not that a few minutes of it was worth watching.

Honestly, I'm allergic to bullshit, and I have a habit of cutting down whoever spews it. That's why I killed Kwak Dowoon when he was working his tongue so hard up at the front.

They said he was a Hunter who'd made a name for himself in Busan back when he belonged to the Whale Guild, but he was all flash and no substance.

Then again, people and Hunters alike only grow by constantly clashing in a cutthroat environment. In that sense, Busan was a peaceful city—nothing like the dangerous place Yoo Seongsu was making it out to be.

I took my eyes off what used to be Kwak Dowoon's blood and flesh and moved them to my next target.

"With the City Council Chairman dead, I suppose you're next. City Council Vice Chairwoman Nam Sunok."

"W-why me?"

A woman in her mid-fifties looked at me with a thoroughly terrified expression.

But the money she'd pocketed was no joke, was it?

"Over the past ten years, you handled 22.9 billion won in spending, but only 5.8 billion was actually used. So where did the rest go?"

"......"

Nam Sunok's mouth clamped shut. According to the documents I was holding, the whereabouts of 17.1 billion won was recorded as having flowed into the pockets of the mayor and his close associates.

But she wasn't answering. And what is silence? An admission. That made Nam Sunok an accomplice who'd embezzled 6.1 billion, and since she was tangled up with villains, Nam Sunok was a villain too.

And I kill villains.

"I told you what would happen if you didn't answer, and you ignored me."

"W-wait just a moment......!"

Nam Sunok tried to open her mouth belatedly, but she was out—my swing of Nuri was faster.

Caught in the blade storm, Nam Sunok was torn to shreds just like Kwak Dowoon moments before.

The city council members panicked, apparently having thought I wouldn't actually kill them.

Lately I'd been feeling it more and more—there were a lot of people who, even with me standing right in front of them, thought they wouldn't die.

"Kill him! Kill that bastard!"

With two council members dead, I heard Yoo Seongsu screaming.

I clicked my tongue at the crowd filing into the council chamber. I couldn't tell whether they were Hunters or villains.

Still, if you're a Hunter, you ought to mind your dignity, and those guys were a flat zero. What would the citizens of Busan watching on TV think? This was exactly why villains never amounted to anything.

I swung Nuri and mowed down the villains gathered at the entrance, then crushed the skulls of the ones closing in with Arc Mine.

"Kuaaagh!"

"P-please, spare me......"

Seeing the council chamber dyed red with blood, it finally felt like a war.

The villains who'd watched their comrades die en masse to the blade storm and get horribly crushed by Arc Mine faltered in their steps.

At the sight, Yoo Seongsu screamed even harder.

"Kill him! Can't you hear me?!"

"......"

But the villains who met my eyes hurried to turn their heads away. Even stupid villains know their own lives matter.

I swung Nuri and cleared away the corpse fragments piled at the council chamber entrance. Then I drew a long line with Force and gave my warning.

"Cross this line and I'll kill every last one of you, so act accordingly."

The villains recoiled and backed away.

I turned my head to Yoo Seongsu.

"Normally you'd be next, but since you're the main dish, I'll let you off. But don't push your luck. Say one more word and I'll tear your mouth open. Got it?"

"......"

Yoo Seongsu's mouth, which had been running so loudly, shut as if it had never opened.

I kept playing my little game.

Two council members who'd embezzled failed to answer in time, so game over. Meaning they died. One launched an outright surprise attack, so I smashed his head in. In the meantime, I tore apart every villain who'd stormed into the council chamber.

"Next is you."

"Hiiik!"

With four council members dead, the next target panicked. He rolled his eyes this way and that, then spoke to me.

"I-if I really tell you everything, will you let me live?"

"Yeah."

"Then I'll tell you everything! Just please spare my life!"

"Kang Seongcheol!"

The startled Yoo Seongsu shouted, but Kang Seongcheol only raised his voice higher.

"Sh-shut up! You've done nothing but fatten your own belly all this time, so where do you get off yelling! A kingdom, you said? Your forces are sufficient, you said? Sufficient, my ass! Ptooey! Heh, heheh! I'll tell you anything I know. Ask away."

"Good. You look like you've got what it takes to be the game's sole survivor."

I asked Kang Seongcheol about the 18.7 billion won he was connected to, and the bastard explained with the utmost sincerity.

They'd carved up a lot for themselves.

That was my impression. They never ate alone—they'd built a solid cartel of their own to line their pockets. They'd splurged with the nation's money like it was their own.

"So you're the one who took the 2 billion."

"Hah, hahaha! Yes. But I didn't take all of it. I greased some palms here and there, and there were partners to hand shares to. And of course, I had to pay tribute up the chain."

"Spit all of it back up."

"Pardon? B-but......"

Reluctance crept onto Kang Seongcheol's face.

Still, isn't your life worth more than money?

Surely he didn't think he'd survive just because I'd exchanged a few words with him.

If you don't like it, take the money to the afterlife.

"You can't answer."

"Wait, I'll spit it all out."

"Too late."

"Ugh, uaaagh!"

Shhk!

Caught in the blade storm, Kang Seongcheol was torn to shreds.

Go spend all that money in the afterlife.

* * *

"......"

Yoo Seongsu couldn't believe the situation.

At first, everything had gone according to plan.

Bringing Cheon Myeongguk to the council chamber and stoking resentment over the government's disregard for Busan would have been a success. Cheon Myeongguk was a dove, so I was certain he wouldn't push things to the end.

And indeed, things had unfolded as expected.

Busan had long been a city safe from monsters.

The Korea Strait wasn't suited to maritime monster activity, which made trade with Japan easy, and since each side needed what the other had, enormous profits could be reaped.

But to the citizens, I'd agitated the idea that Busan was under threat, that the government wasn't doing its job against monsters.

Plant a seed of unease in their hearts and instill a sense of victimhood, of being discriminated against. That becomes anger, becomes hatred, and becomes fervent support for me, the Mayor of Busan.

"Everything was... perfect."

The plan that had been succeeding was overturned the moment Choi Junho appeared.

First to die were his close associates on the council. The Awakened I'd paid and given stakes to, specifically to prepare for a situation like this, were helpless too.

I'd thought that with them at my command, South Korea would fall into my hands any day—and now I realized, to my bones, just how vain that fantasy had been.

A single transcendent is this strong? All I'd built over more than ten years was crumbling because of one measly transcendent?

Even seeing it with my own two eyes, I couldn't believe it.

Only then did I understand why the government had come out so hard.

Why Jeon Hancheol—a man who bows to the strong and tramples the weak—had acted this way. If I had a human weapon like that, I'd have blown up the Blue House and seized Seoul myself, right this instant.

"I'll tell you everything!"

The worst part was the appearance of a traitor from within. Yoo Seongsu had tried to stop Kang Seongcheol, but the bastard had obediently spilled everything Choi Junho pointed at.

And the man himself died refusing to cough up the money he'd pocketed.

It felt as though, before Choi Junho, everyone's life was worthless.

Whether his own life or some lowly villain's.

"......"

This entire process was being broadcast across all of Busan.

It's over.

Feeling everything he'd built crumble, Yoo Seongsu closed his eyes.

If only Kim Younghwan had been here. A greedy old man like him could have negotiated by offering up a few stakes.

No—could the Red Snake even wield this much martial might in the first place?

Was that thing really a Level 8 transcendent?

He's only one step apart from Level 7, so why is he this strong?

I could see now why the League had warned about Choi Junho, why my subordinates had stressed the word transcendent.

It was too late now.

As thought followed thought, tail to tail, Choi Junho's gaze turned this way. By then, all the other council members had met their deaths as well.

"Are you going to kill me?"

That man could kill me and then some. I didn't want to die like this. Even if I was caught, I had to survive. If I could just make it to Seoul and stand before a judge, I could survive.

"I won't kill you. I can't kill the main dish so easily."

"A-as expected."

He was sharp enough to read the currents, this one. That made negotiation possible. The terms would be close to humiliating, but surviving came first.

It was when Yoo Seongsu was feeling relieved at the thought of escaping that monster's hands.

"Instead, you'll wish you were dead."

"What?"

"You badmouthed me a lot behind my back, didn't you—saying I couldn't hunt Nuri?"

That was the last thing Yoo Seongsu remembered. A hand rose over his head, and with a warm sensation, his memory cut off right there.

* * *

"Oh, right."

After making Yoo Seongsu spill information under Brainwashing, I shifted my gaze to the camera director.

"We were broadcasting, weren't we?"

"I-I'm sorry! Th-that was all because of my greed......"

The terrified camera director begged for his life.

"Were you in on the embezzlement here too?"

"N-no, sir."

"Then why are you begging me to spare you? Ah, because of the broadcast you put out?"

I was one of the people who'd barged in after watching that broadcast myself.

Watching it, I'd noticed the camera angles were incredible. When they zoomed in on Kwak Dowoon to corner Cheon Myeongguk, I'd used Transfer without even realizing it.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please spare me."

"I'm not going to kill you."

"R-really?"

"I never said I would in the first place."

"Ah, aah! I'm sorry. What I saw today was so shocking that......"

Now we could finally have a conversation.

"By the way, people died on air—did you put up an adult rating?"

"I-I'll do it right now."

"It's already over."

"I'll t-take it down."

"It's fine."

I'd ended up airing people dying on an all-ages broadcast, unintentionally.

I glanced at the camera director and walked over to Cheon Myeongguk, who was unharmed. I'd caught Yoo Seongsu and Cheon Myeongguk was safe, so I'd fulfilled the President's request perfectly.

And my little game that only I found fun was over now too.

"Good work."

"...All I did was look after my own body. Thank you for your help."

"Surviving is an achievement in itself, isn't it?"

"......"

I looked at Cheon Myeongguk's bitter smile and patted him on the shoulder.

"Now let's call in reinforcements."

I said, tapping the kill list.

Hours after we took Busan City Hall, while the National Guard Bureau led by Jung Juho was arriving, I roamed around various parts of Busan with Cheon Myeongguk. Everywhere we went, I killed the villains who blocked our way—there were especially those trying to flee to Japan, and I seized every ship they tried to board.

Doing it all alone was definitely a lot to handle.

But once the National Guard Bureau arrived and the government's hunting teams and the military moved in, my work began to shrink.

The first thing they did was subdue the Awakened units and military forces that had been filled with Yoo Seongsu's loyalists. I went along and took the heads of their commanders and generals, making the takeover easy.

"Aah! If we wrap this up successfully, I'll probably get promoted, but I can't afford to screw it up either—I'm going crazy!"

When I returned to Busan City Hall, Jung Juho was muttering with an anxious look on his face.

Yet his command was flawless. I couldn't tell what he wanted me to play along with.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"It's not! I don't want to get promoted!"

"Good is good, isn't it?"

"It's not!"

Unlike the screaming Jung Juho, Jung Dahyun, standing beside him, was grinning from ear to ear.

Her performance today had been outstanding as well. She'd taken down multiple villains with ease, and she'd severed the arms and legs of twenty gun-armed villains.

Word had spread that the Rakshasa Girl had appeared in Busan, and over a hundred villains had surrendered—her fearsome reputation was greater than I'd thought.

Her skill, too, had reached a state of mastery; it wouldn't have been strange if she reached Level 7 at any moment.

"You worked hard."

"Yes, you worked hard too, oppa."

"What, I just killed the ones who deserved killing."

"Are you two flirting right in front of someone whose head is about to explode from stress?"

Jung Juho cut in with an irritated expression. He'd been hysterical for a while now.

I should give them some space.

"Things seem to have stabilized, so I'll take Dahyun with me."

"Where to?"

"To level her up."

"What?"

"If they applied to join the Japanese League, the League's forces must be here too, no?"

"...Right, I'd forgotten about the League. To think I forgot that—maybe I don't deserve a promotion. Aah, I need to report my mistake right away!"

Jung Juho grinned while writhing in agony, so I offered him some comfort.

"I figured that'd be the case, so I already caught them. Don't worry."

"What? When?"

"Before the National Guard Bureau arrived."

"Are you even human?!"

"I'll clean up the rest and be back. Congratulations on your promotion."

"Congratulations on your promotion, Director."

"Uwaaaah!"

Leaving Jung Juho's scream behind, Jung Dahyun and I walked out of Busan City Hall.

* * *

"Right now, you can reach Level 7 the moment you're given the right trigger."

Listening to Choi Junho, Jung Dahyun nodded.

Hearing that she was ready to reach Level 7 felt good.

No matter how hard someone tried, not everyone could reach Level 7. She herself had been called a genius and trained hard, but there was no guarantee she would reach that stage.

But with Choi Junho's help, she could feel herself improving.

"The most important thing is to take it in with your eyes."

"What should I take in?"

"The difference between you now and Level 7."

The point, Choi Junho advised, was to grasp concretely what that difference was and catch what you could do about it.

As they talked, the two slipped out to the outskirts of Busan. Before long, they arrived at a warehouse in a deserted area.

Seeing the carnage spread out there, Jung Dahyun's expression hardened.

"......"

"They're all dead."

Choi Junho's calm voice rang out.

It was a gruesome sight. Over thirty people had been torn to shreds.

At the center of the corpses sat a single man. He was a man in his early forties, over two meters tall, with great muscles swollen up like balloons.

Jung Dahyun recognized him at a glance.

"Baekin Jangsa Arai."

He was a villain from Japan, a former sumo yokozuna—a strongman who wielded the strength of a hundred men.

To think he was in Busan, when it wasn't even known that he'd joined the League.

Choi Junho, for his part, seemed not to recognize him at all.

"That one's Level 7."

"Yes."

Arai looked back and forth between her and Choi Junho, then heaved a deep sigh.

"So you're the Head Breaker. I suppose I'm too late."

No matter how notorious a Level 7 might be, Choi Junho was the kind who made you give up hope.

He struck her anew as incredible.

"You're going to face him."

So she was to take on Baekin Jangsa Arai.

He was a notorious villain, a seasoned Level 7. Could she really handle him?

Against him, she could never have won before. She'd have sensed defeat before the fight even began and given up.

But not now.

She could do it. If Choi Junho was telling her this, it had to mean she could win.

"I'll try."

"Good."

As she steeled her resolve, she felt Arai's gaze on her.

He must have understood Korean, because he'd been eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Hope rises."

His calm eyes fixed on her. She could feel the thick bloodlust settled faintly deep within them. Just his gaze was enough to convey his strength.

Arai looked at Choi Junho and asked,

"If I win, will you let me go?"

"Yes."

"Then there's hope. I thought I'd just die helplessly like this. Fine. I'll take you on."

Then his gaze turned toward her.

"I've no grudge against you. Blame the one who pushed you into facing me."

He must mean she could win.

That went without saying. Ask anyone else and they'd predict Arai's victory. But she absolutely could not lose. The reason Choi Junho had told her to fight was surely that he'd judged she could win.

She was steeling her will never to lose and stepping forward when—

Choi Junho blocked her path.

"What are you doing? Not stepping back?"

"What?"

"......"

Both Jung Dahyun and Arai wore puzzled expressions.

He'd have to move aside for the fight to happen. Blocking her way and saying that made no sense.

What was Choi Junho thinking?

"Watch how I handle that one. It'll be a learning experience."

...So I'm not the one fighting?

Had she been mistaken this whole time?

Beyond her own mistake, Jung Dahyun couldn't bring herself to say a word at the sight of Arai's dumbfounded expression.