Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Even so, they had taken my metaphor literally.

It was a little sad that they couldn't take a joke as a joke.

To clear up the misunderstanding, what I ultimately chose was to show them the processing on the spot.

After telling them not to come close, I began injecting Force into Nuri's heart.

Lee Myeonghak, who had been pale as a sheet, started letting out exclamations of awe as he watched Nuri's heart glow in my hands, as if he'd never been scared at all.

"Ooh, oooh! Ooooh!"

He tried to approach, then saw the Force waves spiking and began watching from exactly the distance where he wouldn't be affected. And somehow, he managed to keep that distance with incredible precision.

I'd started the processing, but it wasn't as easy as it had been with the Tier 6. Even though it had been largely purified, impurities were inevitable, and since all the Force within the heart had to remain under my control, the mental energy it consumed was no joke.

If it was this hard for me, other Awakened would need to steel themselves thoroughly.

Woom! Woom! Woom! Woom!

The waves of power emanating from Nuri's heart were considerable. I don't know what the craftsmen who process these call it, but I figure it's the monster's residual thoughts making one last struggle.

Thoughts programmed to be hostile to humanity resist control to the very end.

Not that it amounts to anything more than a dead creature's final thrashing.

Still, the resistance was weaker than I'd expected.

Was it because I'd pounded it with Brainwashing before killing Nuri? Or because of the taming? I didn't know the reason, but I easily crushed the feeble resistance, pushed the Force in, and arranged it my way. I'd learned from Heartworker, but unlike him, who did it with natural dexterity and a keen eye, I just pushed through with Force.

The difference between Heartworker and me is that Heartworker meticulously connects the optimal pathways, processing it like jewelcrafting, while I carve the channels open with overwhelming power.

That's why the Force consumption is so heavy.

And that's another reason I need to grab Heartworker as soon as possible. He'd be in Busan around now, so I should make time to go there.

After focusing for about thirty minutes, the processing was complete. I could see the Force inside the heart moving more vigorously than before.

"Th-this is."

"Take a look for yourself."

Lee Myeonghak's eyes, carefully receiving Nuri's heart, were filled with ecstasy. That ecstasy grew even larger when he measured the amount of Force dwelling in the heart.

"Th-this can't be! To think this level of efficiency could be drawn out..."

"156.9 percent. It turned out better than I expected."

"How did you do this? I've never heard of a processing method like this."

Well, that's because Heartworker was doing it in the future. He may have colluded with villain organizations, but his skill was the real deal.

A trillion won had suddenly become 1.569 trillion. One processing job and I'd made a killing.

"Then please calculate based on the processed portion."

"Th-then at least the processing method!"

"It hasn't been established as a theory yet, so I'll tell you about it in due time."

"I understand."

Besides, I'm currently the only one who can do it. Another reason I need Heartworker.

Lee Myeonghak's expression brightened. Good timing to clear up the misunderstanding.

"And one more thing."

"Yes."

"I really wasn't telling you to hand over your neck. You know that, right?"

"...Yes."

The answer that came after a brief silence didn't sit well with me.

* * *

"They say the Level 8 heart we obtained this time can power an entire plant. And it'll run longer than anything processed before."

The President's voice was buoyant. What with his recent approval ratings and all, it had been one lucky break after another.

The National Science Monster Research Institute had wanted to use the heart Choi Junho processed for research, but the President had immediately put it into a power plant.

Humanity, having lost more than half its territory to monsters and unable to run nuclear plants, was suffering from an energy crisis. But if a Level 8 or higher heart could be used as a power source, it could run an entire plant.

More energy could support more people, and that prevented citizens from becoming refugees, which in turn curbed the rise of villains.

"How did he even learn that processing method? Choi Junho is like an onion. Peel and peel and there's always more. I wonder what'll come out next."

"......"

"Aren't you excited? It's like a gift box from childhood."

"Sometimes there were duds."

"Then you'd cry from disappointment. What would the dud be here? How about this—what if Choi Junho was actually Erasure?"

"That's a dangerous thing to say, sir."

"I'm joking."

The President burst out laughing heartily, but Cheon Myeongguk couldn't. Just the hypothetical alone was enough to give him heartburn.

"I'm only saying this because they appeared around the same time, both Level 8. Erasure hasn't shown up since his first appearance, so there must be a mistake, or Berserker was misidentified. And even that Berserker is now our asset through cooperation with Choi Junho. He's a real filial son, that one. A filial son."

The President, smiling contentedly, said to Director Cheon.

"If we mobilize the surplus power, we could get smart farms running too."

"We'll be able to produce more food."

"Housing matters too, but food comes first. We need to give benefits to the people we absolutely must catch so they can show even more efficiency. Then the frequency of refugees will drop as well."

"Slumification on the city outskirts has largely halted."

"Seoul is in the stable zone, so Busan is the problem."

"But Mayor Yoo..."

"He's a greedy one. He wants this seat."

Busan, the largest city after Seoul, had been growing in scale recently, but behind that lay the rapid growth of villain organizations.

It was the product of the Busan Mayor's greed aligning with the villains' desires.

"It's still at a controllable level, so let's chalk it up to Mayor Yoo being clever."

"It will emerge as a major problem in a few years."

"Then we just cut it at the bud before that. Before my term ends, how about we send Choi Junho down there once? Think he'd wipe them out?"

"......"

Cheon Myeongguk imagined the waters off Busan turning red with blood.

"Anyway, a single monster's heart brings about this much change. If the guilds would just curb their greed a little, wouldn't even more change happen?"

"You shouldn't see it that way, sir."

"No, I know. It's a chicken-or-egg problem."

When guilds hunt monsters, most of the byproducts are reinvested into the tools needed for hunting.

The President knows that's part of the process of hunting more monsters. But sometimes, even when he asked the guilds for help during energy shortages, their cooperation was minimal.

Each time, he got the impression that the power the guilds held was gradually overwhelming the nation's power. If this accelerated further, what kind of change would occur?

First, the government would be rendered powerless. After that, the decisions of the major guilds would become the nation's decisions.

The governments of many countries had collapsed that way, and even now there were nations waging near-civil wars as groups backed by the League ran rampant.

But if Choi Junho is here, the story changes.

"As I thought, if not for this opportunity, we'd fall behind forever. Proceed with the plan to create an organization above the three Bureaus. Let's ride this momentum and create a new current."

The President intended to use this opportunity to overturn the balance of power between the government and the major guilds.

* * *

Where I headed to find Heartworker was Busan.

After monsters appeared, exchanges with the provinces declined compared to before, and Busan's status as the leading city of the Gyeongnam region rose several times over.

Busan strengthened its influence over nearby cities and sought survival through exchange with Japan, and the results were successful.

To be precise, it would be more accurate to say the results had been dressed up as success.

Behind it all lurked the rise of smuggling, the formation of black markets in various places, and the rapid growth of villain organizations.

The Heartworker I was looking for, Kim Jonghyeon, was a craftsman who processed monster's hearts. But he insisted on being called a jeweler rather than a craftsman, and his ability to process monster's hearts was so outstanding that he was recognized wherever he went.

Even so, the reason he drifted from place to place was his loose spending and his womanizing. My goal is to grab him, take him to Seoul, and make him into a proper person.

In my past life, he told me he'd been active in Busan in his youth before going up to Seoul, so finding him wasn't difficult.

I met him on the road as he was heading home after delivering goods to the black market.

Heartworker, wearing the face of a young man, was approaching.

"Heartworker Kim Jonghyeon."

"...I am Kim Jonghyeon, but what's a Heartworker? And who are you?"

"Not called that yet, huh?"

He looked at me warily.

Well, of course—we wouldn't meet for another twenty years. Heartworker was the same age as me. Right now he'd be a greenhorn who'd just started working.

"You've got a familiar face. Have we met somewhere?"

"You might've seen my face on TV."

"TV? D-don't tell me!"

He belatedly recognized my face and was shocked. At the same time, he quickly scanned his surroundings. The habit of thinking about running the moment he judged things unfavorable was the same then as now.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to kill you."

"I've never done anything to deserve death."

"I know. But you do have a record of delivering goods to the black market."

"......"

"I'm not here to nitpick that. Follow me."

"If I refuse, will you kill me?"

Heartworker, refusing point-blank, subtly shifted his weight backward. He was misunderstanding something. He'd never had a choice from the start.

"I forgot to mention this. If you don't follow, I'll kill you."

"I haven't done anything wrong, so why kill me!"

"You deliver goods to the black market, don't you? The black market is run by villains, so you're delivering goods to villains. That makes you a villain too."

"You just said you weren't here to nitpick that!"

"I changed my mind."

"......"

"Decide right here, right now."

If he kept being stubborn to the end, I really intended to kill him. The monster's hearts he delivers ultimately make Jagalchi, the local villain organization, stronger.

In the future, the villain organization Jagalchi grows large enough to occupy a pillar of Busan's economy.

"Damn it! Why are you doing this to a guy who lives hand to mouth!"

"Because I need your ability. All you have to do is come to Seoul and work. Don't you want to go to Seoul?"

"What kind of work needs my hands, exactly?"

"Want to keep talking here?"

"...Follow me."

Where I arrived following Heartworker was a shabby space of about three pyeong. It seemed he used this place as his workshop.

"So, what's the reason our noble transcendent here wants to take me?"

"Like I said earlier, I need your ability. Specifically, your processing technique."

"Heh heh, so you need my skills that badly?"

"But if you give me any trouble, I'll kill you."

"......"

"Take a look at this first."

I held out a Tier 6 heart I'd caught during a brief walk before coming to Busan.

Heartworker, who'd been stiff, widened his eyes at the flow of Force inside the monster's heart.

"How did you do this? No—how did you do this, sir?"

"It's a technique you'll need to learn once you come to Seoul."

"You're going to teach me?"

"Yeah. And I'll get your mother admitted to Shinsung Hospital too."

"......!"

His eyes widened, then returned to normal as Heartworker let out a deep sigh.

"Right, if you came looking for me, you'd have done your research. And this kindness is because of my ability, correct?"

"Correct. In exchange, you'll have to learn diligently."

"That goes without saying."

I wasn't worried about his ability. It was his technique in the first place, so he'd catch on quickly.

"So when do we leave?"

"That's easier said than done. You know I deliver to the black market, and the villains there cherish me a lot. If I up and leave without a word, they'll come all the way to Seoul and raise hell."

"Then I'll just kill them all before we go."

There's always a simplest answer.

Heartworker was appalled.

"You really do talk like a butcher. Was that your real personality on the broadcast? Look—those villains are classified as villains, but they're not bad people. They're even benefactors to me, so I'd like to part on good terms."

There are villains who aren't bad?

"If I go and talk to them, is it possible?"

"We'll have to try, won't we?"

I doubt they'll let him go easily. I've been a villain myself, so I know—they're incredibly persistent. The mindset that what's mine is mine and what's yours is also mine is deeply ingrained. And they never let go of anything that's fallen into their arms. They'd rather hold it and die than ever give it to someone else.

If they've recognized Heartworker's skill, they definitely won't let him go.

I thought for a moment, then spoke.

"Then let's go together."

"Together?"

"Because once we're there, the villains might not let you go."

If a transcendent like me speaks, they'll give up quietly.

Heartworker had probably thought of this too.

It seemed to be the answer he wanted, as he nodded readily.

"Understood."

* * *

Heartworker and I arrived at the Busan docks and headed to the villain hideout where he'd been delivering goods.

When Heartworker met the person in charge there and informed them he'd be going to Seoul, the answer came back firm.

"No. You can't go."

"But boss, last time you said I could go whenever I wanted..."

"You believed that? Do we look like pushovers to you? You thought we'd just let you go because you want to?"

"Haah!"

Heartworker let out a heavy sigh. The villain spoke in a coaxing, honeyed voice, as if soothing him.

"You're doing fine here. Is it about money? I'll talk to the boss and get you a bigger cut, so let's keep this going. Hm? You've done well with us, haven't you."

Alternating carrot and stick—there was no way he'd get out on his own now.

I, who'd been watching quietly, stepped forward.

"How about you just let him go."

If a Level 8 transcendent speaks, they'll understand well enough...

"What's this, some country bumpkin?"

"And who the hell are you to butt in? Huh? You wanna die?"

"Hyung-nim, don't be too harsh. You might wet yourself."

The result was pathetic.

Far from recognizing me, they snickered while making low-grade threats.

"W-wait a moment..."

Heartworker's face went pale as he watched all of this. He must have guessed what was coming next.

"......"

Well, I started by reflecting on my own actions.

I figured that once I became a nationally recognized transcendent and caught Nuri, villains would recognize my face. If that happened, they'd obviously bolt without a second glance, so I'd worried about how I was supposed to catch villains going forward. I'd even considered wearing a mask—but it seems I'm fine showing my face after all.

I spoke to the villains, who were still snickering.

"My name is Choi Junho."

"What?"

The villains froze.

"Hyung-nim, now that I think about it, the transcendent who caught Nuri a while back was named Choi Junho..."

"H-Head Breaker?"

"The devil who turned Jung Dahyun into the Rakshasa Girl?"

Their pupils began to tremble violently.

I took a step toward the door, cutting off their escape route.

"That's me."