Chapter 32

Chapter 32

In the end, Cheon Myeongguk left behind only a promise to give the immunity-from-arrest privilege serious consideration before he went on his way.

I suppose he decided to trust me when I said I could control my strength.

Jung Juho looked at me with admiration.

“You know, the sharper the days get, the sharper your tongue gets too?”

“Thank you.”

“That two-track strategy in particular—demanding both immunity from prosecution and immunity from arrest—that was genuinely impressive. Wow! If I were the Director of the Awakened Security Office, my head might have exploded.”

“Two-track, sir?”

“Weren’t you aiming for immunity from arrest from the very start?”

I wasn’t. I’d seriously been after both immunity from prosecution and immunity from arrest when I threw them out there.

Back when I was the Blood Lord, I never needed negotiation. What I presented was the final offer, and the other side had no choice but to accept.

But this time, I’d only managed to push through one of the two.

So inwardly, I’d been thinking of it as a failed negotiation.

“I was aiming for immunity from prosecution as well.”

“That one’s honestly impossible. If you’d tried to squeeze it out to the end, even Director Cheon would have walked away.”

“Is that so?”

“You probably don’t see it that way, but the power that comes with immunity from prosecution is enormous.”

The budget allocated to Awakened per year alone exceeds 100 trillion won.

According to Jung Juho, a Level 8 transcendent gains the right to participate in operations—and with that, the ability to interfere in the budget—while holding immunity from prosecution? That would mean even committing staggering corruption couldn’t be stopped.

“I didn’t know that.”

“So what were you thinking when you brought up immunity from prosecution?”

“I was trying to change the provisions on how villains are apprehended.”

For instance, granting broad recognition of preemptive measures when apprehending villains outside the city, or expanding the right to summary judgment.

Excessive suppression of villains becomes a problem in cases involving petty criminals lurking within the city, but villains outside the city carry firearms nine times out of ten and attack through every cowardly method imaginable—so the best approach is to wipe them out the moment you spot them.

“…It’s a huge relief you weren’t given immunity from prosecution.”

Jung Juho clutched his chest in relief.

“Isn’t there a case for it?”

“There is. I think it should be revised too. But imagining you wielding that authority—honestly, it’s terrifying.”

That answer didn’t sit well with me. If anything, crime rates would drop because of me, and front-line public service Hunters would be able to awaken as well.

Is the world really unable to understand me, just as Berserker said?

“You did well not to mention Berserker.”

“He’s my hidden card.”

“But if it comes to light later, you could face unnecessary misunderstandings. It’d be best to reveal it to Director Cheon at an appropriate time.”

“For now, I’ll try to keep it from being discovered.”

“Couldn’t Berserker go around blabbing about it?”

Hm. Knowing Berserker, that did seem possible.

But one thing was certain.

“Who would believe a lunatic like him?”

“……”

“And Berserker is more perceptive than you’d think.”

“That lunatic?”

“Yes. He has a surprisingly normal side to him.”

Jung Juho looked utterly unconvinced. Berserker may be a lunatic, but he’s a lunatic you can communicate with.

It’s not as if I can arrange a face-to-face meeting for them to talk.

Should I set up a surprise encounter?

As I stepped out of the National Guard Bureau, I paused at the sight of an enormous pile of messages.

Berserker—So you took the Level 8 measurement? Heh heh, congratulations.

Berserker—For you to be Level 8. Did you cast a net on purpose?

Berserker—The world will still underestimate you.

Berserker—A few fools will stumble in without knowing their place.

Berserker—I’m doing well.

Berserker—[photo attached][photo attached][photo attached][photo attached][photo attached][photo attached][photo attached][photo attached][photo attached][photo attached]

.

.

.

…This lunatic is now taking pictures of what he ate and sending them to me.

Next time I see him, I’m smashing his smartphone.

*

When I’d visited them in Cheongju, my parents had been opposed to the move to Seoul—but the moment they heard I’d become Level 8, they accepted it without hesitation.

Their reasoning was that rather than staying in the countryside and holding their child back, they’d live off their child’s good fortune. That put my mind at ease too.

“They said they want to live separately. I think we’ll need to chip in.”

“We will.”

Thanks to the proliferation of monsters and villains expanding their territories, housing prices in Seoul—the safest city in South Korea—had shot up without limit. Even if my parents liquidated everything they owned and came up, finding a decent home would be difficult.

Yunhee and I discussed how to contribute money. Yunhee said she’d take out a loan, but I stopped her, telling her I’d hunt a monster before long.

“If you say so, oppa, I’ll gratefully sit back. I get to benefit from my amazing brother too.”

She was grinning ear to ear, probably at the thought of saving money. Was there a reason to save? Had she met someone?

“But you’re sure there’s nothing else we need to prepare to look into my gift?”

“Nothing.”

“Really?”

“It’s like a fingerprint. It’s already engraved in you.”

“If this gets out, it’ll be huge, right?”

“I suppose.”

“No, why are you reacting like that to a huge scoop? If we tell Sehee unnie, it’ll be mega-huge! Commercialize it and you could be rolling in money, oppa.”

Yunhee said it with sparkling eyes, but I didn’t want to talk about anything related to my gift.

This ability—I intended to keep it from anyone except a few people I trusted. Lee Sehee was trustworthy, but her essence was that of a chaebol, so I decided to think on it a little more.

“Then I guess there’s no helping it.”

Yunhee gave up without a fight.

Today was the day we’d look into Yunhee’s gift. And to prepare for any contingency, Jung Dahyun had agreed to help.

Honestly, that level of preparation wasn’t necessary, but since it was the first attempt, I wanted to be careful.

A short while later, the doorbell rang and Jung Dahyun appeared.

Wearing a black breeze-shirt dress, Jung Dahyun radiated a feminine charm unlike her usual self.

“Welcome, unnie!”

Yunhee clung to Jung Dahyun like a puppy charging at food, going on and on about how pretty she was.

“Yunhee, hello. Junho oppa, hello.”

“Huh, oppa?”

“Yes. I’m not your assistant partner anymore—I’m going to be someone ranked above you. So I decided to call you oppa. ‘Transcendent’ feels awkward.”

“Huhuh, is that so?”

It was a little awkward, but I didn’t let it show.

“…They say the quiet cat steps onto the stove first. Sehee unnie had better step up her game too.”

“Choi Yunhee, get ready.”

I called out to Yunhee, who was muttering meaningfully, then spoke to Jung Dahyun.

“What I need from you today is to use a recovery potion in case of an emergency.”

“Understood.”

I handed Jung Dahyun two recovery potions. Then I explained to Yunhee how we’d look into her gift.

My unique gift, Blood Devour, steals an opponent’s gift by ingesting their blood. More precisely, it copies it. For copying a gift, heart-blood is most effective, and the farther from the heart, the lower the chance of reading the gift.

That had led me to a thought.

Could a Hunter who hasn’t undergone gift awakening open their gift by reading the information engraved in their blood?

Gift awakening comes in two kinds—innate awakening and acquired awakening. With acquired awakening, if you identify the direction of your potential and then train in that direction, wouldn’t the awakening come more easily?

Today, I intended to read the gift information engraved in Yunhee’s blood.

“Starting now.”

“Okay.”

Stab!

“……!”

When my finger jabbed into the area beside Yunhee’s heart, a knuckle’s length of it sank through her skin.

Yunhee’s eyes went wide enough to split as she staggered, but Jung Dahyun caught her and quickly sprayed a recovery potion.

I raised my blood-stained finger and ingested the blood. From within it, I sought to identify the kinds of gifts Yunhee could have.

It wasn’t heart-blood, so it wasn’t perfect—but with all the experience I’d accumulated, I began identifying and classifying the gifts Yunhee could awaken.

As expected, multiple kinds of gifts existed.

Lateral Step, which allows movement of ten meters left and right. Cleaning, which washes away foreign substances. Gluttony, which slightly increases energy storage capacity.

All of them were useless gifts. Then, seeing the gift detected at the very end, my eyes lit up.

“Choi Yunhee.”

“Ugh, I never thought I’d live to see a hole punched in my chest. It hurts like hell. Is there something? It’s not like there’s nothing, right?”

At her anxious question, I nodded.

“There are a few. And I found a useful one among them.”

“What is it?”

“Indomitable.”

“Indomitable? Never heard of it.”

It was a gift I’d seen exactly once myself. Its power was truly formidable.

“It’s a unique gift. Even when you’re exhausted and your Force is depleted, you can exert full-strength power until you’re completely drained.”

Awakened are still human, so ultimately their attack power is determined by stamina and Force. The difference between a 100% state and a 10% state is stark, and baiting an opponent into exhausting their stamina was an extremely common tactic.

But Indomitable lets you exert 100% power even at 10%. An enemy facing you would have to endure attacks that never lose power from start to finish.

“Isn’t that an amazing gift?”

“You can’t exert full power from the start. It has to follow grueling training.”

Only when those droplets of sweat pile up and become a river can you finally unleash 100% combat power. Yunhee, meeting my eyes, cried out in alarm.

“Wait, wait! Stop! Freeze that thought!”

“Why?”

“Your face right now is no joke! You’re planning to run me ragged!”

“That’s the only way you can use Indomitable.”

I stopped hiding my intentions.

There’s no personal feeling in it. I’m simply helping Yunhee grow further.

“Don’t make me laugh! No personal feeling, my foot. You’re thrilled at the thought of running me ragged!”

“When was I?”

“Your mouth corner is curling up right now.”

I’ve grown soft in peacetime. To let my emotions show this much. No—did I slip because I’m in front of my little sister? When I touched my mouth corner with my hand, Yunhee shouted.

“See! You’re excited right now! Your mouth corner wasn’t curling up before!”

“Dahyun. Would you help?”

“Yes, oppa. Indomitable—I’ve only ever heard of it, it’s a rare gift. Yunhee, let’s hurry to the training ground. That way you can awaken your gift even a day sooner.”

“…I thought you were on my side, Dahyun unnie. Senior partner and assistant partner, colluding like this. This is why people who aren’t with the National Guard Bureau have it rough! I want to join the National Guard Bureau too!”

“If she hears that, Sehee will be hurt. Everything we’re doing is for you, Yunhee.”

“Could you maybe put in a moderate amount of that effort?”

“We’ll do our absolute best to run you ragged.”

Jung Dahyun and I took Yunhee to the training ground.

Soon after, Yunhee’s delighted screams rang out as training began.

*

After concluding negotiations with Cheon Myeongguk, Choi Junho’s demands finally passed on the government’s side.

He was granted immunity from arrest and would operate as a government-affiliated transcendent.

<The Birth of the Youngest Level 8 Transcendent!>

<The New Transcendent Is the One Who Killed the Puppeteer on Sight!>

<The South Korean Government! A Regular Contract with the Youngest Transcendent!>

<The Level 8 Transcendent Hails from the National Guard Bureau!>

<South Korea’s Advanced Awakened Education System! Astonishing the World!>

<The K-Awakened Education System That Has America Praising It, China Marveling, and Japan Fearing It!>

“…That’s one burden off my shoulders.”

Watching the articles pour out at a rapid pace, Cheon Myeongguk felt relieved.

The negotiations had been short, but it had been one blood-draining moment after another.

The government had balked at immunity from arrest, but time was on Choi Junho’s side.

He was a genius who’d reached Level 8 at the youngest age ever. Rumors had come in that the United States—which had dispatched an observation delegation—was preparing everything from budget allocations to various support measures to bring Choi Junho over, and neighboring countries, along with every nation capable of making an offer, were watching Choi Junho and poised to pounce.

The large guilds were even more so. Word was they were preparing the largest-ever contract fees seen to date, along with stock options from lucrative subsidiaries slated for listing.

It was plain as day that Choi Junho’s value would only rise with time. Judging that further delay would mean losing him even after granting both privileges, Cheon Myeongguk declared he’d take responsibility and pushed hard for granting immunity from arrest.

The result was this outcome.

“We secured him well.”

The symbolism Choi Junho carried was truly tremendous. The fact that he was the youngest Level 8 in his twenties, the fact that his skill had already reached a mature level, the fact that he had abundant real combat experience and achievements—all of it was exceptional.

What Cheon Myeongguk noted was that Choi Junho had none of the vanity, pointless hunger for honor, or greed for wealth typical of young genius Awakened.

There were frequent cases where young Awakened overstepped—demanding custom weapons, or national-treasure-grade equipment—but Choi Junho had no such greed. Put another way, that meant he was unlikely to make additional unreasonable demands of the government.

The only worrying point was his heavy-handedness, but as he’d said himself, cases of excessive suppression had noticeably decreased recently—so Cheon Myeongguk decided to trust him.

“It must have been a failure to control his strength.”

Anyone can make a mistake when their blood runs hot.

Cheon Myeongguk decided to trust Choi Junho’s goodwill.

“But why did he ask for information on the reporters?”

He’d been puzzled by the request for information on the reporters attending today, but he’d handed it over without complaint.

Surely nothing would happen.

The appearance of the new Level 8 transcendent took place in the press conference room of the National Assembly’s main building. Cheon Myeongguk first announced Choi Junho’s recruitment to the reporters, then answered their questions before introducing Choi Junho as he appeared.

“I look forward to working with you.”

“I’ll do my utmost to catch villains.”

“……”

He figured the oddly mismatched feeling was just him being oversensitive.

The spotlight in the room poured onto Choi Junho all at once.

Making his first official public appearance as a Level 8 transcendent, he was reminiscent of an actor.

With handsome features that evoked a young nobleman, well-proportioned proportions, and a firm physique to boot. Appearing in a charcoal-gray suit with an all-over black necktie, he looked as if he’d stepped out of a movie premiere.

Normally, having so many eyes on him would fluster anyone, but he didn’t change expression once as he introduced himself.

“I’m Choi Junho of the National Guard Bureau. Going forward, I’ll be moving in step with the Bureau as one of its own.”

After the brief introduction came the question period.

“I’m Kim Jaedeok of the Moon Song Daily. I’d like to know your aspirations going forward.”

“I’ll lend my strength to making South Korea a villain-free nation.”

“I’m reporter Kim Songhwa of the Hannuri Newspaper. You said you killed the Puppeteer on sight—I’m curious about the process……”

“The Puppeteer used Force waves to control his puppets, and……”

“For Revival Content’s……”

Questions poured in from all sorts of media outlets, and each time, an answer came flowing out—polished, never prickly.

The part about how he'd taken down the Puppeteer was especially riveting, like something out of a drama.

'There's nothing to worry about.'

Even Cheon Myeongguk, who'd been concerned about Choi Junho's sharp edge, felt much more at ease.

Maybe all the worrying he'd done had been unnecessary.

Then, near the end of the press conference, he saw who'd been given the floor and his expression hardened.

It was a man in his late forties with a bulldog-like face.

"I'm Oh Changmun, reporter for Speed Force. Looking into the transcendent Choi Junho, I found that during your days as a public service Hunter, your frequent excessive suppression caused a stir in society. In fact, plenty of villains were left permanently disabled or crippled. Don't you feel any remorse toward them?"

"……"

The press conference room fell silent.

Looks poured in from every direction, but Oh Changmun waited for an answer with an unconcerned face.

Choi Junho picked up the microphone.

"Reporter Oh Changmun of Speed Force."

"Yes."

Though they pretended otherwise, the reporters wore expressions of anticipation over how Choi Junho would answer.

The younger a person was, the more easily they were baited by provocations like this. All the more so for a hot-blooded man in his twenties, a Level 8 transcendent who didn't know the meaning of fear—that tendency would stand out even more.

But the words that came out of Choi Junho's mouth were completely different from what the reporters had expected.

"Looking into it, I see you've been writing critical articles ever since I started apprehending villains. Excessive suppression, overstepping your authority, being more heavy-handed than the villains themselves, and so on."

"I only reported the facts."

"And you, reporter—"

Choi Junho's emotionless eyes fixed on Oh Changmun.

"—received bribes and hospitality from a villain organization in Seodaemun-gu and advocated for drug distribution."

"……"

Oh Changmun's face crumpled at once. It was the worst incident of his life, one that had been broadcast all over TV five years ago. Because of it, it had taken him more than three years to return to the front lines.

Cheon Myeongguk, who'd been watching quietly, shot up from his seat in shock. He'd never dreamed that Choi Junho would openly bring that up.

What on earth is he doing right now? Did he just blast a reporter in public?

Don't tell me that's why he asked for the reporter's information……

"A transcendent who should be protecting citizens, intimidating a reporter with irrelevant—!"

Oh Changmun's attempt to shout in fury never reached its end. At some point, Choi Junho was standing right in front of him.

"Accepting hospitality from villains and taking the villains' side. Then you're not a reporter—you're a villain."

Craack!

"Aaaagh!"

Oh Changmun's arms snapped in the exact opposite direction in an instant. And when his shins were given a light tap, both his legs broke as well.

With all four limbs broken in the blink of an eye, Oh Changmun screamed and crawled along the floor.

"I'd say Oh Changmun isn't a reporter but a villain."

Choi Junho looked around.

"Anyone have a problem with that?"

"……"