Chapter 46

Chapter 46

“Zero damage from the monster.”

“Nuri is intact.”

“The Avant-garde Guild… has failed.”

“……”

The moment the report came in, the President squeezed his eyes shut.

Choi Junho had assured him it would fail, but in his heart, he had hoped the Avant-garde Guild would succeed.

He was the President, but he was also a citizen of South Korea. He didn’t want the major guilds growing more powerful, yet he wanted even one more citizen to survive.

He had thought that if anyone could catch Nuri, it was Lee Chantae of the Three Great Guilds—a man who stayed calm in any situation and made the best possible call. The “Ironheart.”

Yes, if it was Lee Chantae, he could do it. A transcendent who had made the impossible possible time and again.

…But the result was failure.

“It’s on another level.”

It was a different kind of despair from Daon.

Daon, the 7th Monster, had plagued Hunters by moving between sea and land, but they had succeeded in hunting it once its full power was committed.

But Nuri had won even with the Avant-garde’s elite forces fully deployed in open ground.

And they hadn’t even managed to land a blow.

In this situation, the second in line—Choi Junho—had to step up.

But unlike the Avant-garde Guild, Choi Junho was alone.

Could he really stop it?

Choi Junho had never been wrong so far, but the fact that he operated alone, and that he had only just become a transcendent, kept nagging at him.

Would it be better to have him join forces with the Reaper Guild to intercept Nuri?

“Where is Choi Junho now?”

“That’s… he went straight to where Nuri is.”

“What?”

The President and Cheon Myeongguk were shocked. Even gathering more forces would have been insufficient, and he went alone?

Still, they couldn’t blame the person responsible for failing to stop him.

On-site judgment was, by principle, weighted toward the transcendent’s decision.

Reports poured in one after another.

“The retreating Avant-garde Guild members are joining the follow-up units. Transcendent Lee Chantae has remained behind to hold Nuri off!”

“That stubborn fool.”

“Tell him to pull back immediately!”

Lee Chantae was about to pay for his failure with his life.

“Transcendent Choi Junho! He’s engaged Nuri!”

“Is this the end?”

Just as the President was about to give up, Cheon Myeongguk cried out in surprise.

“Wait—he’s not being pushed back!”

“Fierce fighting! It’s neck and neck!”

They couldn’t capture the hunt on video. But bursts of Force far beyond observable limits were being detected one after another.

The President wasn’t Awakened, but his expression hardened at the Force capacity readings displayed.

These were numbers beyond common sense.

“…Is this even a Force capacity one person can output alone?”

It was as if two monsters were doing battle.

Cheon Myeongguk, who had been watching with a rigid expression, added a word.

“There’s no doubt the quantity far surpasses other transcendents. Numbers like this seem possible only for the foreign transcendents classified as the strongest.”

“Choi Junho is on the level of the world’s strongest? Does that make any sense?”

“I can hardly believe it either.”

At twenty-five, he had become Awakened this year. And in less than a year, he was in the ranks of the world’s strongest?

He couldn’t imagine which country, which Awakened, could possibly manage that.

Choi Junho defied common sense entirely.

No—just thinking about common sense, taking on a Level 8 monster alone was absurd.

Meanwhile, the fierce battle continued.

As time passed, the tug-of-war between power and power tilted to one side.

“Nuri’s readings are weakening! Transcendent Choi Junho’s Force capacity remains unchanged!”

When it was clear Choi Junho had gained the upper hand, everyone held their breath with sweaty palms.

“Nuri’s readings are gone!”

“Nuri is dead! Transcendent Choi Junho has succeeded in the hunt!”

Waaaaah!

The moment the successful hunt was announced, everyone erupted in cheers.

Breaking news followed, and the falling stock market began to surge across the board.

Citizens who had been waiting anxiously for the hunt results cheered.

The President wiped the sweat from his palms onto his trousers and sat down, looking drained, muttering to himself.

“Just waiting for the results is exhausting. This is hard labor too, hard labor.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

“It’s Director Cheon who’s worked hard. Heh heh, but anyway—there’s going to be an uproar.”

“The uproar has already begun.”

Cheon Myeongguk joked that requests were flooding in from all sides.

“Ultimately, Transcendent Choi Junho’s judgment was correct. And he delivered results to match.”

“His voice will carry more weight from now on. The people who were running their mouths calling him half-baked are going to be squirming. And you’ll have even more work, Director Cheon.”

“Mr. President.”

“Still, didn’t you say three-fourths was redacted? At least he’ll toe the line.”

“……”

‘Choi Junho doesn’t toe any line! Every time we get tangled up with him, we’re crapping blood every single day!’

…Unable to say that, Cheon Myeongguk’s complexion turned ashen.

“Anyway, foreign countries are going to court him even harder from now on. Especially the US.”

“Yes. Already, countries around the world, the US included, are flooding us with requests to hear about the hunt.”

Each country’s hunt process was top-secret information, but it was also shared to facilitate hunts.

It was a hunt that had mobilized Force capacity beyond imagination, so it couldn’t be captured on video, but there was still much to be gleaned from the movement of power, the total quantity, the hunt duration, and so on.

There was a great deal to be gained from the US with this.

The President grinned.

“Tell them if they’re curious, come themselves.”

This hunt would elevate South Korea’s national standing by leaps and bounds. He intended to enjoy that to the fullest.

“There were plenty of people who cursed us while cursing Choi Junho. How would you rate the contract we made from where we stand now?”

“There’s never been a contract this successful.”

“The nonsense will quiet down. The news will be worth watching.”

“Your approval rating will rise significantly as well.”

“After all the stress I’ve endured, of course it should.”

The President declared he would squeeze every last drop out of it.

“The problem is the next contract, isn’t it?”

When Choi Junho’s transcendent contract ends, he’ll be thirty-three. The thirties are often called the period when an Awakened’s still-peak physical condition meets experience. The next contract would probably have the whole world drooling and scrambling for him.

But neither the President nor Cheon Myeongguk worried.

“Doesn’t matter. I won’t be in the Blue House by then.”

“I won’t be here either.”

“Let’s trust our successors to handle it well, and enjoy our current success.”

“Yes.”

Trusting that the future powers-that-be would do well.

The two shared a hearty laugh.

* * *

“Thanks to you, I’ve kept my life. Thank you.”

After the Nuri hunt ended, Lee Chantae, who had been watching from a distance, approached me. He looked a mess, but fittingly for a transcendent, his stubborn vitality had kept him alive.

“You survived. That’s enough.”

Honestly, I didn’t care much about Lee Chantae’s life.

If he survived, he survived; if he died, well, nothing to be done. Since he says he’s grateful to me, he probably won’t go around badmouthing me behind my back anymore.

“The Avant-garde Guild will not forget this debt. We will repay you.”

“I don’t want repayment.”

“But I received help. I must pay the price.”

“The one who was saved decides the price.”

“……”

In that brief moment, Lee Chantae’s expression shifted dozens of times. I didn’t know what he was thinking, and I had no intention of bothering with him again.

“Thank you. If you ever need my strength, come find me anytime. Avant-garde will be your friend.”

Who knew making friends was this easy?

As a commemoration of our new friendship, I handed Lee Chantae a recovery potion.

“Go get treated quickly. I have to wait for the aftermath cleanup team.”

Lee Chantae nodded silently and left. A short while later, the team arrived to move Nuri’s corpse.

* * *

The most highly praised aspect of this hunt was that Nuri’s corpse had been captured in pristine condition.

Every piece of the corpse was worth money, so capturing it in perfect condition earned it the highest of high value ratings.

In short, it was expensive.

The aftermath cleanup team arrived, and I was about to begin dismantling it when I decided to postpone the dismantling at the President’s strong request.

I wondered what it would be used for—apparently Nuri’s corpse would be put on display to show citizens the process of transporting it to Seoul.

It was being used as a means of broadcasting the successful hunt of a Harmful-class Level 8 monster live.

Couldn’t they just announce that it had been hunted?

“This actually works.”

But the response was explosive.

Citizens who had only seen fragments of news about the emergence of a Harmful-class Level 8 monster flocked to the scene to see Nuri’s corpse broadcast live.

And the cheers that erupted.

Watching that, I was glad I’d avoided the spotlight.

Actually, it wasn’t just the corpse exhibition—I’d also been offered a sort of motorcade parade where I’d greet the citizens alongside it. I turned that down immediately.

Was it because of my days as the Blood Lord? Being the center of attention didn’t scare me, but I didn’t welcome it either. Even after becoming a nationally recognized transcendent, my disposition hadn’t changed much.

Unnecessary attention was declined. Thanks to my refusal, the spotlight fell entirely on Nuri’s corpse.

“The approval rating’s going to climb quite a bit.”

They say that when a hunt succeeds, the approval rating of the President who commanded the operation rises. In this case, since Nuri’s corpse was made public, the effect would be even more dramatic. The opposition party pointed out it was a show to boost approval ratings, but that criticism didn’t land at all.

The next day, when I saw the national approval rating break past 80% in an emergency poll, I clicked my tongue. It had surged 20% in a single day.

“Seeing something like this, he’s no ordinary man.”

I suppose that kind of performance is essential to being a nation’s President.

In any case, he had brilliantly seized the chance to raise his approval rating. With a high approval rating, the President’s power would become formidable.

There was one interesting item in the poll—the part about me. When asked about my actions, 62% supported, 27% did not support, and 11% had no particular opinion.

Amusing.

So this is what it feels like to receive support.

Anyway, between the President’s successful show and everything else, I received explosive attention.

Foreign countries were apparently expressing intent to visit because they wanted to meet me, but that wasn’t something I could stop. I figured I’d just end up with more annoying things to deal with.

I stopped by the Blue House and left a record of the battle process. I didn’t bother mentioning that I’d tried to tame it with Brainwashing—I substituted it with destroying its brain.

By the time I got home, it was morning. I’d made a lot of money now, so I figured it was about time to move. Somewhere close to the Blue House, the National Guard Bureau, and the Shinseong Guild would be good.

It was morning, so I figured Yunhee would be asleep, but when I went inside, the lights were on.

“You didn’t sleep?”

“You might live or die, and you expect me to sleep comfortably?”

“I’m fine. Didn’t you see the news?”

“Of course I saw it.”

“Then you knew I was healthy.”

“Now even worrying about you gets me scolded?”

Yunhee’s eyes flashed as she looked at me. Worry, huh. Seeing someone worry about me was always awkward, no matter how many times.

“You look the same as always, so you’re clearly fine—but did you really catch Nuri? Is it actually a lie? Like, the government mobilized a ton of people to catch it and then said you did.”

“No. I caught it alone. I’m eating everything from catching Nuri. Thanks to that, I made a fortune.”

“Why is money coming up in this conversation?”

“Everyone keeps bringing up money.”

If anything, people seemed more interested in how much money I’d make than I was.

“So how much did you make?”

“About 1.5 trillion won?”

“…The scale is different. How many hunts would I have to go on? Hah!”

If I caught a few more Level 8 monsters, I’d probably become the richest person in Korea.

“Dahyun and Sehee both messaged asking if you were okay. Why didn’t you answer?”

“Ah, I turned my phone off when I went hunting. Forgot to turn it back on.”

“Ugh, you idiot.”

She shook her head and even clicked her tongue. Come to think of it, Yunhee was probably the only person who treated me like this.

“Were you that worried?”

“Just come home safe. Contact me from now on.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Okay. And… give me some allowance.”

Of course. I let out a chuckle at Yunhee, who was making an unconvincing eye-smile.

“How much do you need?”

Anywhere from ten thousand won to 1.5 trillion.

* * *

Maybe it was because the President’s approval rating had soared. Suddenly, requests for meetings from politicians came flooding in.

I had no reason to get involved with those people anyway, so I refused them all. If they wanted to be associated with me, they could become President.

“Our savior!”

The President’s face, thoroughly high on his approval rating, was practically glowing. So this was the power of an approval rating. It felt like the man’s very energy was different.

From what I heard, his approval rating was the highest since his inauguration. They say politicians go giddy when they get high on approval ratings, and the President right now was exactly that.

After giving the President a moment to come back to his senses, I brought up what I’d been curious about.

“I’d like to know how Nuri’s corpse will be disposed of.”

“First, the corpse needs to be appraised.”

Cheon Myeongguk, who had been silent, stepped in.

Nuri was on the smaller side among existing Harmful-class Level 8 monsters, but Cheon Myeongguk said that wasn’t something to worry about. Rather, when a corpse is small, it becomes tougher and harder to withstand great output.

Since making something tough and durable into something small itself costs an enormous amount, its value would be even higher.

I said I’d leave the corpse appraisal to Shinseong Group, and Cheon Myeongguk agreed.

“Once the appraisal is complete, Nuri’s corpse will be sold to the Korea Mana Corporation.”

Cheon Myeongguk said, watching my reaction.

The Korea Mana Corporation is a state-owned enterprise, as the name suggests. It purchases monster corpses hunted by government-affiliated hunting teams, and after processing, manufactures equipment and distributes it to research institutes. Naturally, its scale is large and the vested interests enormous.

Since this was the first transaction of this size, the Korea Mana Corporation said they would need time to prepare.

The reason Cheon Myeongguk was watching my reaction was simple.

“It’s because of President Gu Byeongdo, isn’t it? It’s fine.”

“Gu Byeongdo? Why does that name come up?”

“Ah, he was on the blacklist… I mean, a confidential document. He badmouthed me a bit.”

Gu Byeongdo, the president of the Korea Mana Corporation, was a National Assembly member who had been loyal to the President back when the President was a faction leader. After losing his election, he was appointed president of the Korea Force Corporation as a repayment of political favors.

He had made a big fuss about how I was worthless as a transcendent if I couldn’t hunt monsters, and that my qualification should be stripped. When I became a nationally recognized transcendent, he must have been hoping some scraps would fall his way from the monster corpses I’d bring in from hunts.

It wasn’t as if he’d embezzled separately, and since he was close to the President, it had been glossed over.

But the President seemed to think differently.

“That man won’t do.”

“Mr. President?”

“If he stays in that president’s seat, won’t he keep getting on the nerves of our transcendent Choi Junho? This wasn’t just disrespect toward Choi Junho. It was disrespect toward me as well. It means he didn’t trust my judgment when I put my faith in Choi Junho.”

Is that how the logic connects? It feels like the President is identifying me with himself a bit too much.

Well, it’s not bad for me.

In the meantime, the President made his decision.

“If his instincts have dulled, he should step down.”