Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Choi Junho left the room, and Cheon Myeongguk cautiously looked at the President.

The President's face, which had seemed so buoyant moments ago, had turned calm. The President sat at the pinnacle of politics. Changing expressions was hardly difficult for him.

"Did you cut President Gu Byeongdo for the sake of the transcendent Choi Junho?"

"Yes."

"Why, may I ask…"

"Because Gu Byeongdo has no eye for talent."

The President's voice was firm.

"It doesn't matter what was said about Choi Junho before. Our country has freedom of speech. But now that Choi Junho has proven his ability, the situation has changed. You have to take responsibility for the words you've spoken. To say those things and then lap up the scraps Choi Junho throws your way—that's shameless. Wouldn't you agree?"

"…"

"Besides, Gu Byeongdo has been lining his pockets far too much at the Mana Corporation. It was about time to consider a replacement, so this worked out well. I'll use this as a warning to teach people to be careful when dealing with Choi Junho. Administrations may change, but Choi Junho's value will remain constant."

Cross Choi Junho, and even a close aide to the President could be cut loose.

Gu Byeongdo was a fitting example.

"Keep that in mind as well, Director Cheon. Choi Junho is a dog that can't be tamed. When he's in a good mood, he'll play along with us, but if the numbers don't add up, he can bite us at any time."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Fire Gu Byeongdo immediately."

* * *

The position of President of the Korea Mana Corporation was among the most coveted posts.

It was where all the byproducts hunted by government-affiliated hunting teams across South Korea were gathered, and enormous profits were generated there.

Money meant power. For generations, the Mana Corporation presidency had been a seat reserved for the President's closest confidants.

That confidant was gone overnight. It was announced as a voluntary resignation, but those who knew the hidden details were busy whispering behind closed doors.

"…Gu Byeongdo got cut because he got on Choi Junho's bad side. So watch what you say about Choi Junho. That's what they're saying."

Jung Juho said to me with a broad grin. His sly manner and the way he was subtly fishing for information were plain as day.

"That could be true, or it might not be."

"From where I'm standing, it's a hundred percent true. The President got a boost in approval rating, so everyone's following suit. Am I wrong?"

"I couldn't say."

"Anyway, looking at this, I'd better stay on his good side. If I piss him off, I'll get cut too, won't I?"

"There's no chance of that, so relax. And even if you were cut, plenty of places would be lining up to recruit you—why worry about something like that?"

"Hey, you think I don't have worries? I've got a lot on my mind."

That's all an act too.

In the large-scale villain suppression operation before Nuri appeared, Jung Juho had distinguished himself greatly.

The National Guard Bureau had led the operation that took down over a thousand villains. As a result, Jung Juho was now considered the frontrunner for the earliest promotion among the three Bureaus.

And indeed, having successfully carried out an operation spanning all three Bureaus, Jung Juho's leadership was held in high regard.

If there was one blemish, it was that Jung Dahyun's methods had gotten too heavy-handed? Wasn't that a compliment?

"What the hell is a Rakshasa Girl, a Rakshasa Girl! Dahyun was walking such a splendid path, and you ruined it all!"

"That doesn't sound like much of a compliment."

"It's not a compliment, you bastard! What, you got a problem with me yelling at a transcendent? Huh?"

"No complaints here. This was Dahyun's choice."

"You're the one who influenced her. Putting you as her assistant partner was the biggest mistake of my life. I thought Dahyun would keep you under control, but instead she got tainted by you, and that pure, righteous kid is now saying we should cut villains off at the legs first… When she smacked a grenade a villain threw and shoved it into his mouth, I swear—phew!"

He must have really cherished Jung Dahyun. Shouldn't he be happy, then? With just a change in mindset, the Jung Dahyun before and after meeting me had gained strength on a completely different level.

I'd say her current choices are the right ones. If she keeps working at it, she'll probably hit Level 7 sooner than she did in my past life.

I offered some comfort to the disheartened Jung Juho.

"Stress is bad for hair loss."

"It's bad because I'm talking to you. And I'll handle myself, so mind your own business. Listening to other people just puts me in a worse mood."

"Seeing Yu Heungryeol the other day, I thought maybe just shaving it all off might suit you better. You've got a nice-shaped head, Director, so maybe consider—"

"Get out! Now!"

Chased out by a fuming Jung Juho, I had no choice but to leave the Director's office.

Is it my imagination, or does he seem to get more hysterical by the day? He's the most likely candidate for promotion, so he should be a little more gracious. Though honestly, if he shaved it all off and grew a mustache, I really think it'd suit him.

I'll have to bring it up again next time.

Before leaving the National Guard Bureau, I thought about stopping by to see Jung Dahyun, but she was out on external patrol. Having succeeded in the villain suppression operation, she'd been promoted to Team Leader and elevated the Villain Task Force into a full team.

I left a message for her on the messenger app. My rather empty message thread was filled with Berserker's cross-country tour updates.

In any case, Jung Dahyun's growth is encouraging.

"Once you've found your path, the progress comes fast."

That certainty can devour you, but it can also become the strength to push forward without hesitation.

Everyone around me was astonished by my hunting ability, but hunting Nuri wasn't anything special to me.

If there was anything new about it, it was that it was the first time I'd taken down a Harmful-class Level 8 monster with a clear head? It was trickier than I'd expected, but that was all it was to me.

And yet the world's eyes on me had changed. So much so that Oh Jongsu said the number of people contacting him had grown so much he couldn't handle it. The solution was simple. I told him to unplug the phone line.

If something truly important came up, they'd go through Director Cheon. They've got plenty of staff there, so they'll filter things out on their own.

Leaving the National Guard Bureau, I arrived at the Shinseong Guild headquarters. Without bothering with the front desk, I headed straight from the parking lot up to the Team Leader's office.

"Welcome. Why does it feel like it's been so long since I've seen you?"

"We saw each other at the Jeon Gilyeon meeting last time."

"That was from a distance. Have a seat."

Lee Sehee, there to greet me, was as dazzling as ever. Voluminous wavy hair, a black two-piece with a white jacket over it. It was a stark contrast to the composure I'd seen from her last time.

The reason I'd come to see Lee Sehee was to hear the talk going around and to ask for some advice. I was also curious about how the commission was coming along.

First, the potion for reattaching severed body parts was at a standstill. I decided to invest more once money came in, and Lee Sehee accepted without hesitation.

"Things have been in quite an uproar abroad because of you, Junho."

"Why?"

"Because you took down a Harmful-class Level 8 all by yourself. There was a theory gaining traction that the Avant-garde Guild had worn it down, but when Master Lee Chantae firmly denied it, curiosity has been growing and growing."

"What's there to be curious about?"

"Plenty. How the transcendent Choi Junho took down Nuri is a matter of enormous interest."

I'd seen Lee Chantae's interview too. Avant-garde officially apologized for underestimating my abilities, saying they deserved no credit for this hunt.

I figured that was a decent approach. Now that I'm no longer a villain but a state-certified transcendent, I decided to give the ones on the blacklist a little time to apologize.

Thanks to Lee Chantae's apology, the blacklist was thrown into the spotlight once again.

That's a desirable phenomenon.

Even if I can't go after each one personally, just that mention alone makes them feel watched and afraid. They might all apologize one after another.

Lee Sehee asked me with curious eyes.

"How did you catch it?"

"I just beat it down."

"What's so simple about that? Surely you analyzed Nuri's habits, exploited its patterns, and struck at its weak point! There must have been countless schemes and operation plans hidden in there, weren't there?"

"Nope. I just got close and smashed its head in. That was it."

"…If it were that simple, no Hunter would struggle so much with hunting monsters."

It's the truth, but she won't believe me.

"And charming the transcendent Lee Chantae was impressive too."

"You're no slouch yourself."

"I'm nothing special, though."

Lee Sehee, pretending otherwise, was a real fox.

Considering how my parents fell for her completely defenseless. Even more so.

"The fact that you captured Nuri intact is drawing attention too. Usually, the corpse doesn't arrive in such pristine condition. Do you have some secret method?"

Because I Brainwashed it to death.

Thinking about it now, it seems Nuri just watched my actions without reacting.

Maybe that was it being tamed?

Actually, I'd never tamed anything before, so I couldn't tell whether it had worked or not.

I'll just try again next time.

Lee Sehee led with foreign reactions, but I knew full well she was gathering information through these conversations. It was a sly attitude, but since we both got something out of it, I decided to let this much slide. I could squeeze more out of her later anyway.

"Many people will come to Korea to see Nuri in the flesh. And they'll want to see you too, Junho. I imagine a lot of them will be a real nuisance."

"If it's going to be a nuisance, I just won't participate."

"That's easier said than done, and if you do that, Director Cheon will suffer again."

"He's a capable man."

"True. He's always been famous, after all."

I decided to dump all the incoming contacts and the foreigners coming to visit onto Cheon Myeongguk. If they're going to come, they should at least speak Korean if they want to be dealt with.

"I'd love to say that we'd like to purchase the monster's heart, but I suppose that's difficult?"

"They say a government agency is buying it."

"Yes. Since you belong to the government, the government has the rights. It's actually stipulated by law. If the government gives up the purchase, we could aim for the next in line, but a Level 8 heart never comes up."

"If that's what the law says, nothing to be done."

I don't like the law, but it's best to at least pretend to follow it.

Lee Sehee made a regretful expression.

"But there's a part where you shouldn't just let it go, Junho."

"What's that?"

"You can process monster's hearts, can't you?"

"That's right."

"When the government measures the value of a monster's heart, they base it on the unprocessed version. If you can process it and have it evaluated, you could get much more for it."

"Really?"

This was something I hadn't anticipated. I'd gotten triple for a Level 6 heart—how much would a Level 8 go for? With the Level 6, there were a lot of impurities so I refined it well and turned a 10 into a 30, but a Level 8 heart is already largely refined, so even if I process it, there won't be any revolutionary effect. At best, maybe 1000 into 1500?

Still, a 1.5x efficiency boost would turn 1 trillion into 1.5 trillion, so that'd be nice.

"Yes, but it won't be easy. The government agencies have considerable pride."

"Doesn't matter. If they keep being stubborn, I just won't sell it and sell to the Shinseong Guild instead."

"How exciting."

* * *

A monster's heart is an excellent energy source.

Every monster's heart contains a certain amount of Force, and since this energy is eco-friendly and even safe, all power plants were being replaced with monster's hearts.

The problem was that an enormous number was needed. And the fact that the core power source had to be a Level 8 heart.

If a place like a nuclear power plant were attacked by a monster, it would lead to an irreversible situation, so from the government's standpoint, it was an unavoidable choice. In fact, several places had been attacked and worst-case scenarios had occurred.

So each country's government, upon obtaining a monster's heart, tried to secure its power supply through eco-friendly power plants.

But the fields that needed monster's hearts were countless beyond just power plants.

Guilds used monster's hearts to craft weapons that amplified destructive power or armor that enhanced defense, and they conducted endless research to apply them to various fields needed for hunting.

Thus, an unspoken rule was established: what government-affiliated hunting teams hunted belonged to the government, and what guilds hunted belonged to the guilds.

In the early days, government-affiliated hunting teams had been the stronger force, but as the tide turned, the major guilds began bringing in far more.

So much so that people said the Shinseong Guild research institute was better than the National Science Monster Research Institute.

Then I caught Nuri. According to the President, the moment the breaking news of Nuri's capture came in, the National Science Monster Research Institute contacted him fifteen times.

"Ooh, so this is a Level 8 monster's heart!"

The middle-aged scholarly man who introduced himself as Lee Myeonghak, Director of the National Science Monster Research Institute, let out a gasp of admiration at the sight of Nuri's heart that I held out.

The fist-sized heart was shaped in a way that anyone unfamiliar with it would mistake it for a jewel. The Force currents rippling inside it had a power that seized the soul and captivated all who looked upon it.

"There's no mistaking it—this is a Level 8 heart."

"How much would it go for?"

"A heart like this could easily fetch 1 trillion!"

Lee Myeonghak spoke in a voice two tones higher than usual.

Process it, and even bigger money would come rolling in.

"I understand the price goes up if it's processed."

"Yes, our research institute's finest craftsmen will work on processing it."

"How much does the efficiency go up if this is processed?"

"A Level 8 heart is already refined, so it won't increase to a dramatic degree. Normally about 1.1x, and with excellent processing, up to 1.2x."

Just as I thought—I'd be better off doing it myself.

"Then I suppose I'll handle the processing myself."

"What on earth do you mean by that!"

"I know how to process them."

"Even so, this is a Level 8 heart! Our research institute has skilled people who've processed Level 8 hearts before!"

Well, if I count the hearts I processed back when I was Blood Lord, I could say I've done more than all of you.

Sometimes it was frustrating, having to pretend I hadn't done things I'd experienced in my past life.

"Mine will be more efficient."

"Absolutely not!"

"I can do it well."

"Even so…"

He was completely beside himself and wouldn't be persuaded.

I changed tactics. I thought about what these people feared most.

For a public official, it's keeping their position, of course.

Huh? But then why wasn't I afraid when I was a public service Hunter?

"Then how about this. If I fail to process it properly, I'll provide the heart from the next Level 8 monster I catch for free."

"…You mean something worth over 1 trillion won?"

"Yes. In exchange, Director, you put your neck on the line."

Lee Myeonghak's face went pale. Why is he suddenly like that?

"I-I have never badmouthed the Transcendent. On the contrary, I prayed for your successful hunt and safe return."

His reaction was strange. He began clutching his neck with both hands and inching backward.

The President and Cheon Myeongguk, who had been watching quietly, were looking at me like I'd lost my mind.

I wondered what had gone wrong, then remembered I'd brought up his neck.

"Not your actual neck. I meant put your position on the line."

"……."

"I'm serious."

He didn't look like he believed me in the slightest.