Chapter 93

Chapter 93

“This is refreshing. As expected of Lord Franz. He delivered a clean, sharp rebuke.”

“……”

Unlike the President, who was beaming, Cheon Myeongguk’s expression was far from bright. Franz’s interview at the airport had been broadcast live in full detail.

It hadn’t been aired without purpose.

It was an interview meant to set a frame, and the tool chosen for that frame was Franz.

Though the result had come out the exact opposite of what the reporters wanted.

The reporters had probably wanted Franz to say something along the lines of how a transcendent ought to possess a righteous heart, and they’d planned to latch onto that and whip up public opinion.

But everything was flipped on its head by what Franz actually said.

“Peace has never come for free. And the faction trying to push through this legislation has forgotten that.”

Of course, Germany, where Awakened are respected, and South Korea’s Awakened system, where they hold wealth and honor, are somewhat different.

In South Korea, becoming an Awakened is seen as a chance at climbing the social ladder, and Awakened who gained wealth and honor caused incidents, leading to the assessment that crony capitalism had taken hold.

But beneath that surface, there was a strong undercurrent of denying the peace that Awakened had achieved.

That was necessary to prevent Awakened from stepping to the forefront.

It was a campaign of public opinion made possible because non-Awakened outnumbered Awakened.

Coexistence had been achieved amid anxiety, but what shattered that balance was the League’s rise.

The fear was born that non-Awakened could be dominated by Awakened.

Naturally, there were factions that stoked this fear to win non-Awakened votes.

“We need to elevate their honor more than it is now. Only then can we demand concessions from the Awakened.”

“I don’t think it will be easy.”

“It won’t be.”

The President, tearing his gaze away from the footage of Franz’s interview, looked at Cheon Myeongguk. His expression was grave, unlike moments ago.

“But we have no other way. Other than that, do you think we can control Choi Junho?”

“No, we cannot.”

“Right, we can’t. Because Choi Junho’s abilities far exceed what we imagined.”

Awakened must ultimately be a force the government can control. Mutual checks must be possible, and they must be divided so they cannot unite—only then can they be governed.

If that’s impossible, then they must trade what each side wants. Absolute power that cannot be controlled brings joy, but if it runs wild, it hastens destruction.

From the government’s standpoint, Choi Junho was exactly that. Not long ago, they had thought he could be controlled. But the achievements he racked up made that belief fade.

The decisive blow was when they received the intelligence about his clash with Franz.

“Lord Franz stepped down from the teen transcendent ranking, but it’s hard to say his capabilities have fallen behind.”

“There may be stamina issues, but his Force capacity and gift operation know-how may be superior.”

“And the one who subdued that Lord Franz was Choi Junho.”

“…Yes.”

The two had clashed on the walking path at the Korean restaurant, and considering that Choi Junho was relatively unscathed while Franz showed discomfort for the remaining duration, it wasn’t hard to infer the outcome.

Choi Junho had been walking around just fine.

Considering that subduing is harder than killing, it meant Choi Junho was clearly a step above.

“It wasn’t hard to predict that he could hunt Plus-tier monsters alone. Choi Junho is likely equal to or greater than the League’s Three Evils. From the very beginning, he was completely beyond our control.”

“It’s dangerous.”

“But what matters more is that he’s on our side. That he’s a state-affiliated transcendent. Let’s think of it as finally facing a truth we’d been struggling to deny. In that sense.”

The President set down the document in his hand and spoke.

“It would be best to exercise veto power on this bill.”

It was the Equal Application Act for Awakened and non-Awakened, recently submitted by the National Assembly.

The bill itself deals with applying the law equally to Awakened and non-Awakened, but looking beneath the surface, it severely infringes on Awakened’s autonomous use of force.

It claims this will dramatically lower the crime rate among Awakened, but in reality, it’s an act of putting a leash around the necks of Awakened.

He knew well why this had happened.

It was thanks to Choi Junho’s existence.

That’s why both ruling and opposition parties had reached an agreement.

Cheon Myeongguk voiced his concern.

“There will be strong backlash.”

“What can they do when I’m refusing? My approval rating is still over 60%. If I say it’s getting in the way of South Korea becoming the safest country in the world, they won’t be able to talk back.”

“……”

“Or do you have a better idea?”

Cheon Myeongguk hastily bowed his head.

“Law is not my area of expertise.”

“Then let’s do as I say. This—reporters might see it and go running to Choi Junho.”

The President said that, then looked at Cheon Myeongguk and grinned.

“That part, our Director Cheon can work a bit harder on.”

“…I will do my best.”

“But the most absurd thing is.”

The President tapped the document with his finger, his expression incredulous.

“Did they think this law, once enacted, could actually rein in Choi Junho? And if he doesn’t comply? They can arrest him?”

As if.

If anything, he might pay a visit to the assembly members who submitted the bill.

The President and Cheon Myeongguk, who had been thinking the same thing, exchanged glances and let out dry laughs.

“Getting used to Choi Junho—that’s terrifying.”

* * *

Franz had left, but the aftereffects lingered strongly. In particular, the fact that he had delivered a sharp rebuke in an interview aimed at me just before departing became a hot topic.

People who had watched the interview hurled curses at the reporters.

Clearly, the reporters really didn’t like me. Was it because I broke Oh Changmun’s limbs? And even that was me going easy on him.

Fortunately, not everyone was my enemy—spearheaded by Go Yejin, articles in my defense went up.

<Reporters Who Asked a Foreign Transcendent to Insult Their Own Country’s Transcendent—How Far Will National Prestige Fall?>

<A Transcendent Unprotected by His Own Country’s Media—If This Continues, a ‘Mass Exodus’ of Transcendents Could Become Reality…….>

<And in the Midst of This, the Equal Application Act? …Concerns of Conflict.>

<A Comprehensive Summary of the National Prestige That Rose After Transcendent Choi Junho’s Appearance!>

<The Countless Achievements of Transcendent Choi Junho That Even Lord Franz Had No Choice But to Endorse!>

…Seeing this, I suppose I’ve done quite a lot for the country.

But what’s this about the Equal Application Act again? Well, the people who make laws pulling strange stunts is nothing new, so I figured that was just how it was.

Anyway, reading the articles, I’m quite the impressive transcendent, aren’t I? Seeing this, old man Franz, who was worried about me going to the League, sure does worry a lot.

Still, what Franz said lingers in my head.

The prophecy that the world could end.

And the League’s troublemaking.

He told me these were serious matters, but honestly, I couldn’t really sympathize.

“The higher-ups will handle it themselves.”

I’m hoping they’ll move quickly, since their own rice bowls are on the line.

Of course, I’m not just brushing off the warning. If something like that ever happens, I’m the type to step up actively.

Living as a trustworthy son rather than a villain, as a dependable older brother—these are the moments I desperately wished for back when I was consumed by the Blood Lord.

Now that I’ve actually achieved the dream, it’s not that big a deal.

Still, I suppose it’s a relief I haven’t gone insane.

When I got home, Yunhee saw me and openly grumbled.

“Why are you suddenly making such a serious face? It’s putting me off my food.”

“Is that something you say to your brother?”

“Would I say it to a lover, then?”

“I hope you’re saying that while actually having a lover.”

“Just die.”

“You have such a way with words.”

“Did you think I’d be all soft-spoken like Dahyun unnie? Wake up. You have all the fun and leave me out.”

The reason she was sulking like this was because I hadn’t introduced her when I met Franz.

Yunhee’s role model was Laura—she says Laura’s a transcendent she wants to be like. Her talent aside, she became a transcendent at a young age, which is impressive.

And I’m the one who broke that Laura’s wrist, yet she somehow has nothing to say about it.

“I’ll introduce you next time.”

“Promise.”

“Sure. How’s hunting these days, manageable?”

“It’s going smoothly? I’m getting tons of praise for how fast I’m improving. Well, I guess it’d be discouraging if I trained like crazy and didn’t improve. Thanks to a certain someone running me ragged.”

She’s looking at me like I’m her mortal enemy.

Shouldn’t I be the one getting thanked?

Besides, the fact that Indomitable still hasn’t opened means she’s still got room to spare.

“If you so much as suggest there’s more training to do, I’ll flip everything over.”

…She’s like a ghost.

Maybe she didn’t open Indomitable but some kind of detection gift instead?

“Enough about me—you’re doing a collab broadcast with Dahyun unnie this time?”

“Yeah, we’re trying to make training into content.”

“Training content, out of nowhere?”

“Apparently there’s public opinion that Hunters have it easy these days. She said she’d like to show the public how hard we train on a regular basis.”

Beyond that, she mentioned there’s been strange movement in the National Assembly lately, which I figured was probably related to the Equal Application Act.

Jin Sejeong is opposed to this law, citing examples of places that tightened the screws on Awakened and reaped nothing but bad results.

But if you loosen things too much, aren’t Awakened and villains basically the same?

If they catch my eye, I’ll just crush them regardless, so it doesn’t matter much.

“That sounds good. People act like Awakened just drop down from the sky fully formed.”

Yunhee raised her voice, saying she’d been through something similar.

“People who don’t know anything just run their mouths, seriously. To hear them talk, you’d think we were chosen and handed power. Sometimes I read the comments and get so frustrated I could die. I swear, I want to go find them in person and tear apart their faces to see what they actually look like.”

“You could die trying to tear off someone’s face.”

“I won’t die.”

You would, though.

Can’t exactly say I’ve killed people that way before.

She gets all smug when I agree with her.

Is this what they mean by “the king’s ears are donkey ears”?

It’s frustrating not being able to say the truth for what it is.

“Anyway, it’s good content. If we show how hard even high-level Awakened train on a regular basis, perceptions of Awakened will change a bit.”

She then launched into a passionate speech about how the problem with today’s world is that people only see what they want to see—and if I sensed a bit of Franz’s old-man energy in that, was it my imagination?

Yunhee, catching on to the intent behind the collab broadcast, smacked her lips.

“I’m jealous. I wanted to go on your broadcast too, oppa.”

“Want me to invite you too?”

“Yeah! I want to appear too.”

I should mention it to Jin Sejeong. Content production goes through meetings with the Choi Junho Team—which has now become a proper team, with Jin Sejeong at the head—and is produced with my approval.

In those meetings, they keep adding details to my lore, and honestly, I’d bet a hundred won that Jin Sejeong peeked into my past life.

“I want to do different content!”

“Is there something you want to do?”

“I like mukbangs! Gaming broadcasts too! Drinking mukbang would be great too!”

All things that are easy on the body.

That’s pretty different from what I had in mind.

The content I’d drafted was like this.

<What Happens When a Rookie Shinseong Guild Hunter Suddenly Encounters a Disaster Tier 6 Monster Alone?>

<What Happens When a Rookie Shinseong Guild Hunter Falls Off a Cliff?>

<How Long Can a Rookie Shinseong Guild Hunter Survive on a Deserted Island with Nothing?>

…And so on, those were the kinds of content I’d thought up.

Well, content direction can change depending on the circumstances of the day.

For now, let’s say yes. What matters is reeling her in.

“Alright. Let’s do all of it.”

“Yay!”

…Having said that, I’ll just plan it out as training content. If I call it a hidden camera, she’ll probably accept it, right?

It’s for her own good, after all.

Will she accept it?

She will.

Of course, the probability of acceptance is 0.01% and the probability of despair is 99.99%.

Thinking about Yunhee’s despairing face made my heart feel strangely at ease.

* * *

Among recent Awakened personal broadcasts, the hottest one was Choi Junho’s channel with the bland name <A Transcendent’s Daily Life>.

Despite being mainly composed of ordinary daily-life videos, it had grown explosively, surpassing 5 million subscribers in a short time, with each video recording over 10 million views.

The impact of the videos was so strong that, beyond the original intent of image-making for Choi Junho, efforts were made to imbue them with public-interest meaning as well.

Today’s broadcast was an extension of that.

“The intent of today’s broadcast is ‘how hard high-level Awakened train on a regular basis.’”

The peace we enjoy was not made for free.

This line left by Franz was a window into how Awakened are viewed in Europe.

But since South Korea also has negative perceptions of Awakened, this content was prepared around showing just how fiercely they prepare.

“How intense should we go?”

“Is the usual training intensity on the lighter side?”

“It’s not that intense.”

“I see, that’s a problem. What about Team Leader Jung Dahyun?”

Jin Sejeong asked, looking at Jung Dahyun rather than me.

Jung Dahyun, in gray training clothes with her hair tied in a ponytail, answered in a calm voice.

“People around me say it’s fairly intense, but I can handle it.”

“Then could you do it as usual, and when I give the signal, push a bit harder?”

This time she looked at me and asked, so I nodded.

“That’s possible.”

“Okay. But it might get a bit rough. It could make you frown.”

“That’s fine. Realism matters.”

“Then let’s do it as usual.”

“Yes.”

At my words, Jung Dahyun nodded with a resolute expression.

Jin Sejeong, having no idea what was in store, stared blankly at the two of us.

* * *

Kim Taehyun was a 30-year-old unemployed man. After drifting between day-labor jobs, when there was no work, he’d laze around the house where his parents lived.

Having gone to bed late at dawn and woken up past noon into the afternoon, he checked and saw that a Choi Junho broadcast was scheduled for a live stream.

“She said Jung Dahyun is appearing today.”

Kim Taehyun was a notorious Choi Junho hater on Choi Junho’s channel.

A face more handsome than most actors at the age of mid-twenties, the title of Level 8 transcendent—every single one was an element that made his inferiority complex explode.

Looking at Choi Junho, who lived a life completely different from his own, Kim Taehyun thought he was simply lucky.

If he had Awakened talent too, if he’d been given a gift, he could have lived without drifting between day-labor jobs.

From that perspective, Choi Junho was a guy who had used up every last bit of luck there was.

If he’d had that kind of fortune, he would have lived diligently.

When the chicken he’d pre-ordered arrived, the live broadcast began. The timing was perfect.

—Hello, today’s daily guest is Jung Dahyun.

“…She’s pretty.”

Her beauty was enough to make the urge to post a malicious comment vanish on the spot.

Jung Dahyun, appearing on the broadcast screen, shone even with only basic makeup on. Though she wore nothing but training clothes, her slim, toned figure looked bursting with vitality, and the aura of someone who had reached Level 7 radiated from her.

I'm jealous. Seeing how well the two of them looked standing side by side, his hostility toward Choi Junho only grew.

—Today, I'd like to make content out of how Awakened usually train. Team Leader Jung Dahyun, what kind of training do you do on your days off?

—On days when I don't have missions, I devote myself entirely to training. A weapon has to feel natural in your hand, so I try never to let it out of my grip, and to prepare for situations without a weapon, I also train in martial arts and firearms.

Liar. You were born with talent and seized wealth and fame, and you train that hard? Unbelievable. Feeling hostility toward the two who seemed to be snatching away even the keyword of "effort," Kim Taehyun hammered at his keyboard.

Perhaps many people thought similarly, because malicious comments poured in. The manager quickly moved to block them, but there was enough for the two of them to see as they glanced at the chat.

Even so, neither showed much of a reaction. That bothered him even more. Just as he was thinking he'd keep poking until they reacted, Choi Junho opened his mouth.

—We'll begin training now. When it's not individual training, we mainly do instructional spars.

The two, having pulled their gazes from the chat, picked up the wooden swords hanging in the corner and faced each other.

It'll just be for show anyway. They'll play around a few times and then say, "Look how hard we're working."

Awakened are the kind of people who enjoy wealth and fame off the talent given to them rather than sweating and working hard. It'll be the same this time too.

Just as Kim Taehyun thought that, the two's wooden swords began to move.

Clang!

The spar between the two far surpassed Kim Taehyun's imagination.

Choi Junho's wooden sword moved fiercely and fast, as if it would slice the air apart.

Jung Dahyun's wooden sword, responding in turn, was nimble and varied. She defended with sword strikes that dazzled the eye, but Choi Junho's powerful blows easily broke through her guard.

Bang!

—Hngh!

The moment the wooden sword slammed into her shoulder, Jung Dahyun gasped and hurriedly retreated to steady her balance. As if unwilling to let even that go, Choi Junho's wooden sword stabbed in persistently.

It was such relentless swordsmanship that just watching made his breath catch in his throat. Jung Dahyun, unable to prepare in time, gave up another hit.

Thwack!

Choi Junho held nothing back. Every time Jung Dahyun's defense was broken, the wooden sword landed without fail, and as chilling impact sounds rang out from the mere listening, Jung Dahyun moved desperately.

"A—no!"

Kim Taehyun, watching, shouted without realizing it, then flinched.

At some point, he had been cheering for Jung Dahyun.

He, who loathed Awakened, had gotten this absorbed?

It was hard to believe. But watching Jung Dahyun hold out with a persistence that was almost pitiful made his chest feel ticklish.

What was she giving her all like that for?

Wasn't she called a genius? In her early twenties, Jung Dahyun had reached Level 7 and possessed wealth, fame, and skill alike—a genius. So why was she that desperate?

"......"

At some point, Kim Taehyun's will to write malicious comments had completely vanished. Instead, he couldn't take his eyes off their spar. He was cheering for Jung Dahyun as she was swung this way and that, struggling desperately.

But there was no twist.

Choi Junho's wooden sword toyed with Jung Dahyun so thoroughly it was almost petty, rapping her all over her body. The shoulder area where the wooden sword had grazed and torn was bruised black and blue.

Probably the same everywhere else.

—Ugh!

The spar, which had gone on for about twenty minutes, ended when Jung Dahyun was struck in the abdomen by the wooden sword.

—That's it.

As Choi Junho withdrew his wooden sword, Jung Dahyun rolled backward to her feet and heaved for breath.

—Hah! Thank you.

—Normally I'd keep attacking even after you fall, but the time limit is up, so we'll stop here.

"That's nonsense!"

Cries of protest toward Choi Junho poured out at his words. Kim Taehyun was no different. Even for a broadcast, to go overboard hitting Jung Dahyun like that!

The comment section became a mess as the outcry toward Choi Junho and Choi Junho's Shielders joined in.

—I went easy on her.

Normally, wouldn't this much be called excessive?

Choi Junho insisted to the end that he had gone easy.