Chapter 38

Chapter 38

The reason Nuri, who would appear a month later, was called the 8th was that it was the eighth Harmful-class Level 8 monster to emerge.

A Harmful-class Level 8 monster.

A force capable of bringing an entire nation to ruin.

Hunting one required a Level 8 transcendent who could deal meaningful damage, plus at least a hundred Level 6 or higher Hunters to support them.

…Honestly, from where I stood, I had to wonder if that much firepower was really necessary.

“It’s the baseline for hunting one with minimal casualties.”

Of course, you could hunt one without a Level 8.

The problem was that a third to half of a city would be destroyed in the process.

Memories of that time surfaced.

Back then, Nuri killed hundreds of the finest Hunters and devastated Seoul.

I’d tried to join a major guild in the aftermath to get in on the reconstruction, but it ended in failure.

Despite countless positions lying vacant, there was no place in any guild for me.

I think that’s when I started to go crooked. In the end it was my own lack of ability, but I blamed the world instead.

It was the period when my life went most off the rails and I made my dumbest choices, so the memories were vivid.

I headed into the Blue House with Choi Myungguk.

* * *

“When am I going to exchange greetings with the President?”

A meeting made possible by a single sentence from Choi Junho.

Choi Myungguk believed the later Choi Junho met the President, the better.

His reason for worrying was simple.

There was a good chance the two would hit it off.

One of them was the President of a nation, the other a transcendent.

South Korea was a presidential system. The President’s power was truly immense. And the value of Choi Junho, the youngest transcendent, was in a league where you could count his equals on one hand.

If the two joined forces, he dreaded to think how much destruction they could unleash.

Choi Myungguk took a step back first.

“The President’s schedule is extremely busy, so the meeting may end up being arranged for a later date.”

“I don’t mind.”

But dodging Choi Junho’s straightforwardness was impossible.

In the end, Choi Myungguk had no choice but to report to the President as Choi Junho requested.

And then.

A meeting was arranged that very day.

* * *

I got lucky.

Less than an hour after Choi Myungguk made his report, I was able to meet the President.

The current President of South Korea was Jeon Hancheol, a man who had gone from three-term Seoul assemblyman to Minister to party leader, and finally to President.

He was called the Buddha for his ever-smiling face, and his safe, unremarkable governance had earned him solid support.

Now in his mid-sixties, the President had snow-white hair, deepened wrinkles, and a kindly appearance, as if all his years of stress had left their mark.

People like this usually had some other scheme cooking.

“I’m Jeon Hancheol.”

“I’m Choi Junho. Please, speak comfortably with me, President.”

“I’ll ease into speaking casually. I’ve wanted to meet you at least once. You look as dashing as you did on screen.”

“You look much better in person too, President.”

“I do tend to hear that I look better in real life.”

“……”

Hm. So he has considerable pride in his looks. Well, his impression is good, at least. Add ego about his appearance to the list.

Apart from that, the conversation between the President and me flowed warmly.

That man Choi Myungguk kept watching with such nervous eyes it was starting to get on my nerves.

Surely the President wasn’t among the people who called me half-baked. If he was, that changed things. I needed to get that blacklist—no, my trash-talk list—as soon as possible.

Not that I planned to do anything but look at it anyway.

And President Jeon Hancheol.

How did this man see me?

Before I could ask, the President’s eyes lit up and he spoke first.

“Personally, I’ve been following the career of the transcendent Choi Junho with great interest. You have no idea how refreshing that press conference was.”

“Don’t people usually tell you to show restraint?”

“I’m one of the people who gets told that.”

The President burst out laughing.

“That’s why I wanted to meet the transcendent Choi Junho several times, but Chief of Staff Choi kept holding me back, saying I was a busy man. So it took quite a while.”

“……”

So it was that man Choi Myungguk blocking it after all.

Surely Choi Myungguk wasn’t at the top of the blacklist—no, the trash-talk list.

Talking with him made it clear. This President, if the people around him didn’t cover for him, would have stirred up all sorts of controversy with careless remarks. His way of putting things was remarkably blunt.

“Thank you for thinking well of me.”

“Of course I think well of you. You refused the persistent courtship of so many places and chose the nation, didn’t you? As the head of the administration, I can only be grateful. That said.”

The President’s eyes, still wearing their kindly smile, half-lidded slightly.

“You’ll be under pressure to produce results.”

“You mean the half-baked talk.”

“It’s not only that. The transcendent Choi Junho represents the nation, so pressure can come at you from many different directions.”

The President smiled that kindly smile again.

He praised with honeyed words, but it was obvious he was a fox who said what he wanted to say while looking after his own interests.

Hm, more like a raccoon than a fox.

“I’m not the type to feel much pressure.”

“Truly extraordinary. I like that composure.”

“There will be a chance to show my skill before long.”

Acting because you were swayed by whispers behind your back is the same as admitting you’re sensitive to rumors.

“Splendid. I’ll be looking forward to the transcendent Choi Junho’s exploits as well.”

“You can look forward to them.”

The distance between the President and me was just right.

Until now, the people I’d formed relationships with fell into exactly two categories.

Either I put up with them and accepted everything, or I smiled while screaming inside.

In that respect, the President kept an appropriate distance while smoothly saying everything he wanted to say.

He wasn’t even an Awakened, yet he carried considerable weight.

It seemed that kind of social savvy was essential to being President.

“Before long, once the year turns, foreign dignitaries will be visiting. Transcendents often visit then too, and no small amount of jockeying for position breaks out.”

“How should I handle it?”

“Oh! So I can have it done the way I want? Even if I ask you to crush their spirits?”

“In exchange, the other side may get badly hurt.”

The President laughed and said he liked that.

“That’s good. The person who held the post before only ever talked about getting along. We’re an Awakened power too, we have nothing to fall behind on, so why do we have to walk on eggshells every time? However nicely you dress it up, diplomacy ultimately comes down to strength. When two sides disagree and clash, the words of the stronger side carry the weight. I’m going to trust the transcendent Choi Junho and go for it.”

“Yes.”

“President.”

“I don’t care, I’ve decided to trust only the transcendent’s word.”

“……”

Watching Choi Myungguk’s wrinkles deepen was a fun little bonus. I’d thought his expression looked bad, and it turned out it was because of the President.

Having only ever seen the man who always told me to restrain myself, seeing someone pushing me forward like this was refreshing.

The more it went on, the more the face of Choi Myungguk, standing behind us, turned ashen.

Anyone watching would think I was trying to overturn everything beyond repair.

As we talked, the time slipped past six in the evening before I knew it.

“Now, now, let’s continue this over dinner.”

Even as we moved, it was mostly the President who talked.

He explained the state of affairs with foreign transcendents. In short, nations around the world were suffering from the League, and nowhere else maintained a stable system with the government and guilds in balance like South Korea did.

“Balance and stability are incredibly important. If the government’s power grows too great, it takes the form of oppression, and if the major guilds grow too large, they start privatizing state power. Lean too far either way, and the results are never good.”

In that respect, he said, the timing when the League had tried to enter the country had been a watershed.

Radical ideologies spread easily to those around them. The League’s vision looked appealing at a glance, he added, but in the end its endless struggle would leave everyone living miserable lives.

“All of this is thanks to the transcendent Choi Junho responding preemptively. And.”

Glancing at Choi Myungguk following behind, he subtly leaned toward me.

“I’ve gathered that it was also you, transcendent Choi Junho, who moved the Berserker to annihilate the League’s remaining forces.”

As expected, the President’s information network was good. Perhaps Choi Myungguk had reported it. Or maybe this was a probing step.

There was no real need to hide it, so I readily acknowledged it.

“I’ll be submitting a detailed report before long.”

“To think—I went to a convenience store during a campaign once and bought a 1+1 deal, but this is my first time seeing a transcendent at 1+1.”

The President said with a broad smile.

But why, of all people, paired 1+1 with that madman Berserker. It felt strange. He was the madman and I was the sane one. I wanted to correct him right away, but I quietly let it slide.

Dinner was a full Korean table.

Clean and refined, with a deep, subtle flavor that suited my taste exactly.

The highlight of it all was the soybean paste stew. How nice. The President must get to eat this every day, huh?

I demolished one bowl like I was hiding a crab’s eyes and was on my second when I met the President’s startled gaze.

“Is something wrong?”

“I was just surprised at how deliciously you’re eating. Looking at the transcendent Choi Junho, I’d have thought you were the type to cut a steak well.”

“My favorite food is soybean paste stew.”

“That, my wife made it.”

He said it as if bragging, and I was appalled. Not just while I’d been at the Blue House—he’d been eating this his entire married life?

“So you’ve been eating this ever since you got married?”

“I—I suppose so?”

“I envy you.”

“What? Hahahaha! I didn’t expect that to come out of your mouth. Was it that good?”

“…I almost called you mother.”

“Hahahaha!”

The President roared with laughter. To think I’d actually feel envious of the President.

I was curious what owlboar soybean paste hot pot would taste like if the First Lady made it.

“Ho, owlboar. I’ll treat you to that next time.”

“You really are a blessed man, President.”

“This one, my wife really ought to hear it.”

With that, the President called for the First Lady and had us exchange greetings.

When I heaped praise on the soybean paste stew, the First Lady’s eyes lit up and she struck up a cooking conversation with me.

She was remarkably knowledgeable about cooking, and especially interested in bringing out flavor with monster ingredients.

Well, wasn’t I a specialist in survival cooking for exactly that. The First Lady and I hit it off better than I’d expected.

She looked at me and asked how I could possibly be a transcendent when I looked like someone who couldn’t stand the sight of blood, and that pleased me. She’d caught on like a ghost that I’d turned over a new leaf and was trying to live virtuously. So this was what experience was.

Though Choi Myungguk’s eyes beside us were rude.

“You must come again next time. I’ll make you that owlboar soybean paste hot pot, nice and delicious.”

“I’ll be sure to come.”

By the time we finished the meal and were about to leave the Blue House, she said she wanted to take me as her youngest son outright, and told me to treat her comfortably.

Speaking of owlboar soybean paste hot pot, I couldn’t leave out Jung Dahyun. Next time I’d have to bring her along too.

* * *

It was a productive day.

Choi Myungguk, who came out to see me off, looked pale and sickly.

“I hope you’ll take what the President said today… as reference only, at an appropriate level.”

“That’s exactly what I intend to do.”

“Thank you.”

He looked at me with desperate eyes, and that seemed to be all.

“That said, I could tell that what the President says and what you say, Chief of Staff, are quite different.”

“…Some of it is filtering, and some of it is consideration for each department’s position. I hope you’ll take it in good spirit.”

“Understood.”

He was a capable man, so he’d judge and act well.

Still, talking with the President, I could see that he supported me emotionally.

Provided, of course, that I did my part as a transcendent.

Which meant that if I caught the 8th Monster, Nuri, and proved I wasn’t half-baked, that would be enough.

“The list, if you please.”

“…Hahaha.”

I took Choi Myungguk’s laughter as consent and went home.

Yunhee was still fused with the sofa as one.

“You’re back? The event today was huge.”

“You saw the articles.”

“Yeah. Sehee unnie gets prettier by the day.”

“You stop rolling around and put some effort into your appearance too.”

“I’m a Hunter, not a celebrity.”

She has an amazing knack for using anything to her advantage.

She pretended to answer indifferently, but she kept darting glances at me, busy checking my complexion.

So she knew about the half-baked thing too.

“Were you worried about the monster hunting business?”

Yunhee shot up from her seat in surprise.

“What? How do you know about that, oppa?”

“Heard it from Chief of Staff Choi.”

“No, how can you bring something like that up to someone’s face? Depending on the person, that’s such a sensitive subject!”

“I’m not sensitive about it.”

“Still!”

Yunhee shouted, furious. Choi Myungguk had seemed to bring it up carefully enough. Telling her now would only make things awkward when she got angry, so I decided to leave her as my punching bag.

Then again, to think Yunhee worried about me this much. I was a little touched.

“You’re not hurt by it, are you?”

“Would I be hurt by something like that?”

“Good.”

Relieved, Yunhee sank back into the sofa.

My little sister, who used to seem like such a child, had grown up enough to get angry at the people insulting me. The thought that I hadn’t lived wrongly after regressing put me in a good mood.

“If anyone’s going to insult you, it should be me. Do you know how infuriating it is when other people do it?”

Ah, so that was it.

* * *

Today too, the National Guard Bureau was going about its usual routine.

And “the same as usual” meant that, without fail, an incident had broken out.

A meeting was suddenly called, and the Hunters belonging to the Bureau moved busily about.

I quietly watched the scene, and after the meeting ended, I entered the Director’s office at Jung Juho’s summons.

“The Executioner has made his move.”

“Ah, the Level 7 villain.”

A villain who’d tried to join the League. I remembered him. He’d faded from prominence afterward, so I’d forgotten about him.

There was nothing memorable about him in my past life either.

Was he even there when I destroyed the League’s South Korea Branch?

“Is there a problem?”

“A man who used to operate alone has started building up forces. I don’t know what he’s after.”

According to Jung Juho, the Executioner had originally been a villain who worked alone.

The Executioner was a madman who once stood equal in infamy to the Berserker, a killer who went around murdering people on whatever whim struck him.

If the Berserker killed villains and Hunters rather than civilians, the Executioner was a man who simply did as he pleased.

“He couldn’t get into the League, so he’s raising hell. Unfortunately, the region he operates in is out in the provinces, so projecting force isn’t easy.”

The Executioner mainly operated in Chungcheong Province and North Jeolla Province.

He was stirring up conflict by linking up with local villain organizations, and as his scale grew, an incident occurred in which the military’s villain response team was annihilated and the area laid to waste.

“Word is he’s moving north. According to internal intel, his target is Cheonan. He’ll probably attack tomorrow.”

“Cheonan.”

Of all places, it had to be near Cheongju. That’s where my parents live. They still haven’t come up to Seoul.

Even if the National Guard Bureau mobilized, going head-to-head with a Level 7 villain would mean dispatching a few core teams. And that decision process was never going to be quick.

Which meant I’d have to handle it myself.

Jung Juho probably knew my parents were in Cheongju and threw out the bait just in case. As sly as ever.

“Even if you make the decision tomorrow and dispatch the teams, there’s a high chance the Executioner will strike first.”

“Right. That’s why we’re considering sending some forces ahead.”

But he showed a negative reaction, saying there was the risk of being defeated piecemeal.

There were two options. One was to gather nearby forces in Cheonan, but that risked leaving their base undefended if the attack route changed.

The second was to temporarily vacate the stronghold and concentrate their forces to retake it. But that also meant giving up the defensive advantage, which would lead to greater damage.

I thought for a moment, then recalled the natural man who’d gone camping in Gongju.

“I’ll stop the Executioner’s advance north.”

“You’re going yourself?”

“I plan to move tomorrow. But I have someone else who can move in my place.”

Instead of answering, I held up my smartphone. And I sent a message to the Berserker.

Me—What are you doing?

Berserker—ㅇㅇ?

Berserker—You messaging me first? Must mean you’ve got something for me to do.

Berserker—I’m currently

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

Berserker—Eating mixed poison. It’s electrifying. Heh heh...!

Berserker—Soon Immunity to All Poisons will be mine. Once that happens.

Berserker—Almost said something crazy there. Retracted.

Berserker—So what do you need?

Berserker—Answer me.

Me—The Executioner’s moving north. Stop him from getting up here. I’ll come tomorrow.

Berserker—ㅇㅇ Got it. I’ll be in touch soon.