The world was truly interesting.
Before the hunting video came out, they were just squabbling among themselves, but when they saw how I caught the Black Wyvern, their attitude changed.
I was still a Level 8 Transcendent.
I looked at Yoo Heung-ryul and said.
“You were giving a speech, and now you’re suddenly quiet? Go on, say more. I’ll listen.”
Honestly, I was just curious about what he would say next.
It’s kind of funny that he thought I was going to sit still after all that talk.
So, I set the stage. I pushed Yoo Heung-ryul while taking on an attentive posture.
“......”
But Yoo Heung-ryul didn’t say anything.
Could it be that he ran out of what to say? That would be disappointing.
The reason he picked a fight with me was surprisingly simple. To raise awareness. There’s such a thing, wasn’t there? Biting a high-profile opponent to make your presence felt.
His Fang Guild had experienced rapid growth in Gwanggyo for a short period, and in such cases, and was often not recognized by the more prestigious guilds around them.
This was because fleeting luck can work against anyone.
To truly be recognized as a prestigious guild, one had to maintain power for a long time and establish firm roots. Yoo Heung-ryul staked it all to surpass that stage.
It’s quite peculiar.
Seeing me boldly stepping forward, he should have noticed that I had opened a window of opportunity for him.
During my days as Blood Master, the ones I went after the most were monsters, villains, and hunters, in that order.
I was quite good at observing hunters.
“It’s a bit awkward when it suddenly gets quiet.”
Saying that made me seem overly sensitive.
So I unfolded the classified document.
“Inexperienced half-baked.”
“......!”
“A guy who trembles in front of monsters”
“......!”
“If he kneels and begs, maybe I’ll share some hunting tips”
“......!”
“Did he became a Transcendent because he has videos of the President and the Director of the Awakening Security Office? Well, you can talk about it behind my back, but you should have done it somewhere where no one would hear. Oh, this is not a sin. So don’t worry.”
It’s true though.
Why bother with this when I could get him involve in something else?
I had no scruples.
The looks on the faces of those around me as they saw the classified document in my hand were already ugly.
Rolling up the files, I stood in front of Yoo Heung-ryul.
“Do-- don’t come!”
“Why?”
“Ugh!”
I lightly dodged his outstretched hand and tried to snatch it away. However, as the trajectory shifted, his hand sharpened into a point and aimed for my throat. Oh, it was exhilarating. In response, I caught it and released a land mine as a return favor.
Bang!
“Kuaaaah!”
Yoo Heung-ryul, whose entire right arm bone had turned to dust, screamed. I kicked him in the shin, breaking both legs, and grabbed his head.
Seeing the other’s sparkling head, it was actually not a style, but baldness instead. Suddenly, I felt melancholic. Would Jung Ju-ho also end up like that later? It seemed like it would be better to shave it like Yoo Heung-ryul.
When I realized that Yoo Heung-ryul had shaved his head because of hair loss, I stopped slapping him and returned to the front of the podium.
“For disrupting the hunting order to create a rift between the government and the guilds and delay our response. I believe that Yoo Heung-ryul was guilty of violating the Monster Security Act. Any objections?”
“......”
No one had any objections. It seemed that his guilt was established.
The Monster Security Act was a system designed to prevent division in the face of monster attacks. Almost every country had enacted this law to unite humanity under the threat of monsters.
Even at the moment his guilt was decided, Yoo Heung-ryul was still rolling on the floor and screaming.
“You’re making too much noise.”
I took out a recovery potion and threw it at him.
Bang!
The glass bottle shattered, tearing his head and causing blood to flow. Meanwhile, the recovery potion started to take effect and began to mend the wound.
I turned my gaze back to the guild officials.
“There are a lot of people I need to see sooner or later.”
“......”
“First, I need to hunt Nuri, and then I’ll take my time to meet the others. I look forward to seeing you again.”
Was I the only one looking forward to it? Everyone’s expression was ugly. If they’re going to gossip, shouldn’t they also consider that it might reach the person involved? Was I the only one who thought that way?
Having concluded my business, I left the meeting.
It wasn’t long before the room erupted into an uproar.
***
Lee Se-hee, who had been watching where Choi Jun-ho went, asked Baek Gun-seo.
“What do you think, Uncle?”
“I can’t do that even in my dreams. He efficiently used the most reckless method.”
“Is it that extreme?”
“Did you see him move freely in the sky?”
“Yes.”
“That’s not a flight Gift. He moved freely, sustaining himself purely with the Force. It can’t even be maintained without using an enormous amount of energy.”
Baek Gun-seo shook his head, but Lee Se-hee didn’t quite understand it.
“Is it really that amazing?”
“Even I wouldn’t last long if I used the same tactics. But Choi Jun-ho didn’t change his expression until he returned from facing the Black Wyvern. It wasn’t beyond his limits. I wonder how much Force it takes for that to be possible.”
“I didn’t know it was so difficult.”
Baek Gun-seo was definitely not a Tramscendent with lacking skills. While he might not be considered the absolute strongest among the three Transcendent affiliated with the major guilds in South Korea, he was a well-rounded Transcendent who always pulled his weight in any situation.
In particular, he had the highest amount of Force among the three. Choi Jun-ho was able to do something that even he couldn’t do? Amazing. Was there no end to his strength?
“Catching the Black Wyvern easily and yet insisting on the second right to hunt. There must be a reason that has something to do with Nuri. It’s better to choose the fourth order as you thought.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“No, it’s the right thing to do when you feel uneasy. That’s what a leader’s instinct is for. If it wasn’t for you, we could have made a mistake with our plans. Your instincts were right. Well done, Se-hee.”
“Yes.”
Since Baek Gun-seo also agreed, the risk that Lee Se-hee had to bear disappeared.
“By the way, Director Cheon, who has to manage Choi Jun-ho, must have a tough job.”
“He’s very capable, so I’m sure he’ll be able to handle it.”
The two nodded as they looked at Cheon Myeong-guk.
Conflicting emotions of sympathy and trust crossed their minds.
***
There was some commotion, but the meeting proceeded smoothly afterward.
The Avant-garde Guild was the first to acquire the right to face the danger level 8 monster, Nuri.
The order was as follows: First, The Avant-Garde; Second, Choi Jun-ho’s unnamed hunting team; Third, Reapers Guild; Fourth, Sacred Guild.
All of them possessed a Level 8 Transcendent.
However, what caught people’s attention wasn’t the hunting order.
It was Choi Jun-ho’s Black Wyvern hunting video.
The quality of the video was poor, but the impact was truly intense.
Not long ago, the ‘Choi Jun-ho half-baked theory’ was all over the internet.
The term “half-baked” referred to an Awakened who was powerful against villains, but was unable to show their full potential against monsters.
After the appearance of monsters and awakened individuals, the value of hunters increased because they could obtain valuable monster materials for a high price. Since money was the top priority, the value of hunters who couldn’t hunt was greatly diminished.
Capturing villains would slightly improve public safety, but monsters left behind cores, hides, and materials.
There were rumors that Choi Jun-ho, who had no hunting history, might also be a half-baked. However, when this hunting video was released, suspicions disappeared as if they had been washed away.
The internet response was dramatic.
[This is insane, is it for real that he took down a danger level 7 monster in one shot?]
[Was the Black Wyvern such a weak monster? Taking it down in one shot like that.]
[Black Wyverns are one of the most challenging monsters among the level 7.]
[It’s fast, and it can identify the target even from a distance of over 10 km. Its hide can only be penetrated by a Level 7 at full strength, and it breathes fire from the sky in a very annoying way. And it’s good at controlling its anger, so it runs away when it realizes it’s in trouble.]
[If he can capture a danger level 7 monster so easily, shouldn’t he be confident against a level 8? Why isn’t he given the first order to attack?]
[I don’t know the reason, but there must be something.]
[It’s really cool to hunt alone without a hunting team. Level 8 at such a young age, excellent hunting skills, handsome, it’s really an unfair world.]
[Stepping on the air like that consumes an insane amount of Force. It seems that Choi Jun-ho’s Force level is off the charts.]
If most people were in awe of his hunting skills, there were also those who paid attention to what happened afterward.
[The aftermath of this video is even scarier. It didn’t show what happened next, but Choi Jun-ho criticized the hunter in the meeting room to the point of breaking him down.]
[Is that even possible?]
[Choi Jun-ho also beat up the reporter who criticized him during a live broadcast. If you thought he wouldn’t control himself just because he’s a hunter....]
[If they objected in the hunting order, Choi Jun-ho would immediately accuse them of violating the Monster Security Law.]
[What’s even scarier was that Choi Jun-ho made a list of people who have been saying he’s only half-baked all this time.]
[Seriously, isn’t that a blacklist? But what’s scarier is that there might still be people to be added.]
[Wow. Did he list the people who left malicious comments here too?]
[Are we going to receive a visit from Choi Jun-ho? This is crazy.]
Some took it as a joke, but there were also those who took it seriously.
[Isn’t that a blacklist?]
[They said it isn’t?]
[Choi Junho has a non-arrest privilege, and even if he didn’t have it, there is no one who can touch the youngest Transcendent with a proven hunting skills.]
[What will happen to those who spread these rumors now?]
[I don’t know either. But isn’t it scarier because we don’t know?]
[Choi Jun-ho wasn’t joking when he beat up that reporter while smiling.]
[Those who have been saying things must be having trouble sleeping.]
[They might have already disappeared. Delete quickly and lie low.]
[Hahaha, soon a massacre party filled with blood and flesh will take place...!]
As Choi Jun-ho had stated, there was no personal retaliation that occurred.
While preparing to face Nuri, under the leadership of the National Security Agency, the Foreign Cooperation Agency, and the Monster Defense Frontline Agency, a large-scale villain suppression operation began.
“Arrest all villains!”
When monsters wreak havoc, villains cunningly infiltrate. As the Avant-Garde Guild established the first defensive line, the three agencies gathered their strength and cleared out the villains.
Over a thousand villains were killed or arrested in the surprise operation.
The most outstanding performance came from ‘Crazy Witch’ Jung Da-hyun.
Her image had been that of an upright government hunter.
Justice, shining talent, and beautiful looks were all associated with her name, but her actions in this arrest operation were markedly different.
Swift judgment, ruthless hands, and mercilessness towards villains.
She brought down over a hundred villains.
In the final moments of the arrest operation, despite dozens of villains charging at her, each with explosives strapped to their bodies, she managed to terrify the villains by cutting off both of their legs.
As the bombs exploded one by one, she kept a calm face and gave orders.
“Cut off the legs of any villain holding a bomb.”
Since she basically told them to blow themselves up, the villains were terrified and just surrendered.
***
The arrest of the villains and the preparation of the Avant-Garde Guild moved quickly.
The government implemented strict controls to curb skyrocketing prices.
Some criticized the government for making a big deal out of the existence of a danger level 8 monster that hadn’t even appeared yet, but the government was resolute.
They believed in their approval ratings and pushed ahead. The opposition may have shouted, but the approval ratings were still in their favor.
“It seems the country is running well.”
I was satisfied with the systematic operation.
Becoming a Transcendent and having my face recognized also had its advantages like this. Especially, it was very convenient not to have to go out one by one for villain eradication and just stay in one place.
It would have been even better if there wasn’t someone watching me from the side.
At the request of the Cheon Myeong-Guk, I visited the Awakened Security Office and read classified documents (a.k.a. the Blacklist).
I had to read it several times before I could recall who said what and how.
I wondered how disappointed the person you had to repay the debt to would be if they appeared in front of you, but you didn’t recognize them.
I had no intention of disappointing them.
“......”
“If you’ve come, please speak. I can look at this anytime, so it’s fine.”
I closed the classified document I was looking at and greeted Cheon Myeong-guk. He sighed heavily and sat down across from me.
“You don’t have to worry.”
“Don’t you know what I’m worried about?”
“Of course, I do.”
“......”
“I’ll put up with visiting the people in this document until I hunt down Nuri instead.”
I also had a clear distinction between work and personal life. Currently, South Korea’s attention was focused on the hunt for Nuri, so I planned to deal with this after that.
“The Director’s abilities are more impressive than I thought. I didn’t know you would investigate in such detail.”
“If I had been careless, you would have personally intervened.”
“How did you know? Anyway, after reading this, there were many trivial things.”
“Yes, if the Transcendent-nim is generous, maybe you can overlook it.”
“Isn’t it true that everyone engages in a bit of gossip from time to time as they go through life? I don’t believe people should seek revenge just for saying a single bad word.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Cheon Myeong-guk’s face showed anticipation.
I must look like a vengeful villain to him.
I showed Cheon Myeong-kook the redacted version of the classified document. It’s thinner than the initial version. I stayed up all night and read through it three times, deleting three-quarters of the people from the list.
“I’m only looking at those who intentionally tried to slander me. It’s gotten thinner, hasn’t it?”
“...I just hope it ends well.”
“Of course, it will all end well.”
I meant, for me, it would.
The thought that crossed my mind when I received the blacklist was, well, if this continued, two-thirds of the guilds in our country would disappear.
Despite what I said, Cheon Myeong-guk’s expression didn’t brighten.
Then, the secretary entered and delivered some news.
“Guild Master Lee Chan-taek of the Avant-Garde Guild is here.”
Lee Chan-taek was the guild master of the Avant-Garde Guild and a Level 8 Transcendent.
“This guy is on the blacklist, too.”
“Please...”
“Isn’t this guy even worse? He’s a Transcendent himself and yet he criticizes others.”
After giving it some thought, it appeared that might be the case.
“But I’m a Transcendent chosen by the country. If you insult me, it means you doubt the country’s choice, doesn’t it?”
“...”
Or maybe not.
