Chapter 110

========== Chapter 110 ==========

James Reed was taken aback by the madman's sudden words, but he quickly regained his composure.

If anything, this was a good opportunity.

A chance to gauge just how skilled Berserker really was.

From what the United States had gathered, Berserker's abilities were estimated to be at the entry level of a transcendent.

Given that he was known to have become a transcendent only about a year ago, that assessment was perhaps only natural.

'Here, I can evaluate him a bit higher.'

But James Reed added one more thing.

'Since he runs with Choi Junho, his skills must be even greater.'

The United States had been studying Choi Junho for a long time. The description that fit him best was an unpredictable bomb that could go off at any moment.

But beneath that surface lay calculations even he himself found hard to gauge.

Choi Junho doesn't associate with just anyone.

Jung Dahyun, the genius drawing the most attention in South Korea, Lee Sehee, the brilliant daughter of Shinseong Group, and even his own younger sister, Choi Yoon-hee—all of them possessed tremendous talent.

Berserker had known him for quite some time as well, so he must have hidden tricks up his sleeve.

The two naturally stood facing each other. Their presence was not light but heavy. There was an effortless quality that could change the air around them by will alone.

Feeling a frost-blade aura—the kind that should only emanate from a fully matured transcendent—prick at his skin, James Reed furrowed his brow.

Berserker drew his greatsword and leveled it.

"Come."

"……."

"If you won't come, I will."

In that instant, lightning struck before his eyes. Force sparked with intense crackling, and the moment it reached his face, a chain of shockwaves began to rage.

It was a natural discharge of Force beyond expectation, and a linked attack.

James Reed clenched both fists and swung his hand. A fierce rotation occurred, and the Force loaded into his fist doubled in power, deflecting Berserker's sword strike.

The Force was heavy, sharp, and solid. This was not entry level—it was the realm of full maturity.

"Ho, not bad."

Despite the low murmur of admiration, Berserker's sword strikes continued as naturally as flowing water.

At a glance, it could look like an attack that recklessly expends Force. But the ferocity within it harmonized with smoothness, maintaining the momentum he had seized.

'Efficient.'

Deflecting each of the dizzying onslaught of strikes, James Reed analyzed Berserker's style.

Grip the flow tightly and press down with ferocity. Pierce through gaps, but even when there are none, force them open and push in. Even if that fails, the approach is to overpower the opponent on defense and then crush them.

That was Berserker's style.

Crude, but the surest formula for victory.

Bang!

"Keuk!"

His Force-clad arm throbbed as if it would shatter. James Reed offset the pain through muscle control.

His gift, 'Body Control,' allowed him to maximize his body's power through fine-tuned adjustment and to boost his natural healing.

Having dispersed the aftereffects of the storm-like barrage in an instant, James Reed pushed forward.

"You can do that?"

Ignoring Berserker's surprised remark, James Reed thrust his fist.

The trajectory could well be described as bizarre. It drew not a straight line but a complex curve, burrowing inward.

It was an unpredictable attack born from extreme Body Control.

With movements like these, James Reed was called a transcendent stronger against Awakened than monsters—the Reaper of transcendents.

Thud!

"Kukuku!"

"……!"

The fist struck his chest, but Berserker only laughed.

The moment he realized he couldn't dodge, he had countered.

The flat of Berserker's blade was lodged in James Reed's side.

"Keuk!"

With a groan, James Reed staggered back.

Shock was etched in his eyes.

Before the duel began, he hadn't doubted his victory.

But once it started, that assumption was proven wrong.

'Berserker, I never thought he'd be this strong.'

He wiped his mouth. Blood came away. The earlier attack had rattled his insides.

Berserker, by contrast, looked fine.

What kind of monstrous durability was this?

'A monster.'

Though he played the flippant character in front of Choi Junho, James Reed was fundamentally a capable man who could see through opponents based on quick judgment and exceptional analytical ability.

The reason he had ranked Berserker a notch below before the duel was simple.

First, after becoming a transcendent, one must go through the process of handling power efficiently—maximizing output and controlling tempo. A complete understanding of oneself had to be laid as the foundation before true power could be exerted.

Second was systematic training. Berserker, as a villain, was fundamentally on the run and didn't establish a base. This meant he lacked the time to build systematic training.

Last was the matchup. Berserker's combat style was extremely instinctive and improvised. Unlike his epithet Macho Man suggested, James Reed—who had thorough analysis and moves that read several steps ahead—believed he could wield Berserker as he pleased.

Though he hadn't fully revealed his abilities to the world, he believed that with his skill, he could even face the League's Twelve Zodiac and win, considering the day's condition, the environment, and remaining Force.

But it was all a delusion.

Though his calculations had gone awry, James Reed felt a fiery competitive spirit boil in his chest.

It had been a long time since he'd met such a worthy opponent.

It would mean risking his life, but he wanted to have one bone-melting duel.

"You're quite something."

"…Hm?"

James Reed, bracing for the next attack, looked puzzled when Berserker lowered his sword.

"I don't mind settling this, but do you want to go longer?"

"I figured that was your intent from the start."

"Kuku, a duel needs blood to be fun. But I think I've got a read on your skill now—didn't you have something you wanted to say to me?"

"That's right."

"Let me hear it, and then I'll decide whether to continue."

"……."

James Reed nodded in agreement.

It was a thought process he couldn't quite understand, but the fact that dialogue was possible was a huge advantage.

The result of the duel was a draw… he wanted to say, but he honestly admitted it. He had been at a disadvantage. Of course, if they had gone all the way, who knows how it would have ended.

"How did you become this strong?"

"Guess I was stronger than what the US analysis suggested?"

"That's right."

James Reed nodded readily. The transcendents Berserker had faced were only Red Snake and, at one time, Debuffer Shylo, who had set all of America ablaze.

But one was a transcendent past his prime, and the other was a fake who had become a transcendent through a method called Boost. Naturally, Berserker's abilities had been undervalued.

"People judge however they like and act however they like. The world isn't all that it appears."

"But appearances are the clue that gives the most information."

"That's not wrong."

Berserker, who had seemed like a madman, was extremely rational. James Reed revised his assessment inwardly.

"Why does someone like you stay in this narrow country, treated as a villain?"

Berserker was not a transcendent who should be undervalued like this.

If he could match the Twelve Zodiac, he could receive treatment beyond imagination anywhere.

"A villain……."

"If it's because of Choi Junho, the United States can take responsibility. Your talent could be used somewhere more important. Come to America. There are opportunities there."

Berserker must never rot here.

The reality was that the League's threat and the monster threat grew worse by the day.

In Eastern Europe especially, regimes friendly to the League were being installed as they cut ties with Western Europe, which could no longer contribute strength against Russia's threat.

The frequency of powerful monsters appearing was rising, and Awakened forces, short on manpower, were crying out for support.

To overcome this, the strong must pool their strength.

James Reed believed America was the place where he could play a leading role, and that like-minded transcendents should come there.

At those words, Berserker burst out laughing.

"Kuku, and who decides that? The high and mighty lords of America?"

"……."

"You talk about the fate of the world, but the implication in your words is ambition for hegemony."

"Without a clear leader, a group can only collapse."

Even if it looked like a pursuit of hegemony, there was no helping it.

This hardline stance was earning the support of Awakened.

"I know. I'm just saying I find it disgusting."

"You're a free spirit."

James Reed admitted he had been hasty.

Berserker was a boundlessly free soul. He needed to let his heart be drawn naturally—approaching with calculation would only backfire.

He needed to show him that what he enjoyed was worth protecting, and that there were enemies that must be annihilated for that sake.

To reach that stage, he first had to build common ground.

"How can you become that strong?"

"Guess I looked strong in your eyes."

"I feel like firing everyone who analyzed your abilities."

"I thought of strength as a byproduct that comes along while chasing a glimpse of the moment of the star."

At words that should have been spoken with pride, Berserker instead wore a bitter smile.

"The reason I could become strong is simple. I became someone's sandbag. I had to struggle to survive, and even when my limbs broke and my chest was torn open, I had to endure. Do you know? The feeling of dreaming every dawn that someone barges in and beats you, even after becoming a transcendent. After going through that, strength just followed on its own."

"……."

At the bitter words, James Reed was left speechless.

What had he just heard?

In that situation, he would have died several times over.

Did he have a resurrection gift?

No matter how he thought about it, it wasn't a delusion. Which meant it was a firsthand account.

There was only one person who would do such a thing.

"Choi Junho?"

"Does anyone else look like they'd make me like this?"

The name finally surfaced.

Even a transcendent this formidable was nothing but a one-sided sandbag to Choi Junho.

James Reed was inwardly appalled.

At the same time, he coveted Berserker, who had endured countless hardships without breaking.

"If you come to America, you can escape Choi Junho's grasp."

"Kuku, and you expect me to believe that?"

"My words are not a lie……."

"I don't want to live feeling the threat of a hole being drilled through the back of my head. Can you guarantee I'll never encounter Choi Junho for the rest of my life?"

"……."

Of course he couldn't guarantee it.

He himself had experienced Choi Junho's vindictiveness—

hadn't he been reprimanded over nothing more than a Mediterranean-style soybean paste stew recipe?

"You're not subordinated to Choi Junho, so can't you just talk it out with him?"

"That's not wrong. But I'm not drawn to it."

James Reed nodded.

At least he had brought it up, so Berserker would need time to consider it.

"You don't have to come right away. Think it over, and if you're drawn to it, let me know. America is always open."

"Got it."

'Yes!'

It was an agreement he had wrung out almost by force, but James Reed's expression brightened. The first permission was the hard part; after that, it was smooth sailing.

"America welcomes you, Berserker. You definitely won't regret it. I can guarantee that."

"You're counting your chickens with gusto."

"We'll be one family anyway."

When he grinned slyly, Berserker shook his head.

So this is the type weak to being pushed like this.

James Reed decided to sympathize with Berserker's pain points.

"By the way, isn't Junho going too far? Treating a transcendent this strong so carelessly."

"Hm?"

"Berserker is a transcendent who deserves more respect. But Junho isn't giving him that."

"I do get handled pretty roughly."

Seeing the satisfied smile on Berserker's lips, James Reed perked up.

The more he badmouthed Choi Junho, the more visibly Berserker's likability rose.

"There are plenty of people in America who'd sympathize with you more! And there are many transcendents with unique personalities too!"

"That sounds like it wouldn't be boring."

"Exactly! And LA has the best Korean food in the world!"

He even threw in baseless conviction.

Just when he thought the odds of Berserker coming to America were about fifty-fifty, an unwelcome voice cut in.

"Looks like you two had quite the showdown."

It was Choi Junho, who had been away. He must have been waiting from afar for the duel to end.

Of all times……

Feeling regret that he hadn't been given a little more time, James Reed instinctively shifted his tone.

"It's over."

"So what's the result?"

"No victor. Macho Man's reputation was no exaggeration."

"Berserker, you were crazy strong too."

"He's usable. Still a long way to go, though."

"……."

A transcendent who could match the Twelve Zodiac being treated like this.

James Reed, who had turned his head to check Berserker's reaction, flinched.

It wasn't that he looked displeased or disappointed—he was grinning, which was extremely suspicious.

A deeply malicious feeling radiated from him.

And then the sudden remark.

"By the way, Macho Man, your tone is quite different in front of Choi Junho and in front of me."

"Well, that's……."

Caught off guard, James Reed faltered.

Hadn't the mood been pretty good just moments ago?

But now it felt like a gun barrel was pointed at him.

Choi Junho stroked his chin with a blank expression.

"Your tone is different?"

"In front of me, you were fluent in Korean."

"You talked while fighting?"

"He seemed to have business with me, so I felt him out. He told me to come to America."

Berserker held no secrets from Choi Junho.

He felt something was going very wrong.

The decisive blow came next.

"And he badmouthed you a lot."

"Badmouthed me?"

"He said you weren't in your right mind."

"W-wait!"

"What? Did I say something that wasn't true?"

"……."

James Reed was appalled.

Wasn't that a conversation just between the two of them?

No, more than that—he had never said Choi Junho seemed out of his mind.

"No, I never said that! Junho! Can't you trust me?"

"Then why should I trust you?"

"……."

The situation was hopeless. The mood had definitely been good!

When James Reed looked at Berserker resentfully, he saw him grinning.

He had been completely toyed with from the start.

The ordeal didn't end there.

"Get ready."

"F-for what?"

"Did you think you could scam me, run off, and just get away with it? You've faced Berserker, so now you face me."

"I-I'm dead tired right now."

"Don't care. Then just get hit… no, just block."

The determination to beat him up came through loud and clear.

More than that, didn’t he just say to only take the hit?

“What the fucking hell!”

James Reed, meeting Choi Junho’s eyes, spat out the hybrid curse.