“I’m National Security Agency Special Team Leader Noh Guk-cheol.”
“I’m Choi Jun-ho.”
Noh Guk-cheol was the man who became the next team leader after I took out Wang Ju-yeol.
While Wang Ju-yeol liked to show off in front and interfere with subordinates, Noh Guk-cheol hated interference and preferred to do his job quietly. Instead, he was very strict and principled.
Even though he was my former superior, we rarely exchanged words. He showed flexibility, which made him an excellent team leader.
“I’m counting on you.”
“I assume you’ve seen the operation overview?”
“I’ll deploy units in half-unit intervals at key points. We’ll try to apprehend as many villains as possible but will focus on minimizing casualties as per your orders.”
“Good.”
The operation to dismantle this villain organization was straightforward. I would raid the location where the small-scale organization had gathered for negotiations. And while arrests would be made, the life or death of the criminals wasn’t a priority.
These guys had made a mess of security in Incheon due to the League, so if they were spotted, it was an immediate execution, and if they were lucky enough to survive, they’d be arrested.
The National Security Agency’s Special Team would block key points, and the rest of Incheon’s regional villain response teams would handle the rest.
With this, I planned to wipe out over five hundred villains in the surrounding area.
“Then, let’s begin.”
***
My infiltration plan was simple. I used the Force to create a staircase from the mountain behind the abandoned building where the meeting was held and landed on the roof. It took an enormous amount of Force, but I didn’t care.
After wiping out the villains standing guard on the roof, I unlocked the door and descended to attack the gathering of bosses.
Without even bothering to see who they were, I twisted the necks of all eight organization bosses and their henchmen.
“He’s the Head Breaker!”
“Run! I said run!”
“Never confront him! Run!”
Gunshots echoed through the abandoned building as I skillfully dispatched the villains within reach, one by one, without any intention of sparing them.
I tore them apart without a second thought.
There were more villains fleeing than ones I was able to kill, but the government hunters blocked the escape routes.
Killing the resisting villains, I made my way out of the ruined building. Chaos unfolded outside, with people either getting into cars they had brought or grabbing their belongings. It was a scene of complete mayhem.
“Die!”
The villains who hadn’t managed to escape either fired their guns or swung their knives in desperation.
I killed them all, too. When no more screams could be heard, I looked around and realized that I had killed nearly a hundred people, both inside the building and outside. I sat on a wooden crate as the blood slowly dried up, forming a pool on the floor around the dismembered corpses.
As the blood began to dry, government hunters gradually emerged around the ruined building.
I approached the team leader, Noh Guk-cheol, and asked, “How many have we apprehended?”
“We’ve killed over a hundred on the scene and arrested about a hundred more. The rest managed to escape,” he replied.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Although we couldn’t kill them all, the Villain Response Team, which had been tormented by the villains, would certainly take vengeance.
“But there’s a problem,” he added.
“What problem?”
“There are foreigners among the dead villains.”
Was there a reason to distinguish between domestic and foreign villains when killing them? After all, they were just villains.
“What’s the problem with that?”
“Sometimes, people from the country these villains came from would blame us for killing them.”
“Even if they were villains?”
“Yes.”
I couldn’t understand why this was a problem, but if it was, then the solution was to prevent it from becoming a problem.
I summarized the situation straightforwardly.
“Well then, let’s do this. From today, everyone who died here is Korean.”
“Yes?”
Noh Guk-cheol and the surrounding hunters wore bewildered expressions.
“If it’s a problem when foreigners die, then we can just make all the deceased Koreans.”
“It’s not that simple. Arrested foreigners might testify.”
“I heard someone speaking Korean during the battle, so they’re Korean. If that doesn’t satisfy you, we can just kill all the arrested villains. Then they can’t make any claims. Bring them here. I’ll take care of it.”
“...”
I stared into Noh Guk-cheol’s eyes. He was the first to bow.
“...I’ll follow the instructions.”
“Good. Today, all the villains we killed and arrested are Koreans. I’ll leave the cleanup to the team leader.”
“Yes.”
I left the scene to the special team and walked away.
***
On the night when the villain eradication operation was over, I sent a text to Berserker who had sent me photos of wild boar barbecue, wild boar kimchi stew, and boiled wild boar, to see if we could talk, and he called me back in less than three seconds.
As soon as the call was connected, I spoke up.
“I have a job for you.”
--What is it? Who do you want me to kill? I hope its someone who can excite me. Even if it’s a villain organization that annoys you, it’s fine. I’ll make sure to give you a satisfying result.
“That’s not it. Before that, I want to know if you can control your strength well.”
--Why are you asking that?
“Can you control your strength?”
--If you use your strength clumsily, you’ll attract pursuit. If you’re a seasoned villain, it’s natural to control your strength. That way, you can move without leaving traces. If you can’t even control your strength from the start, aren’t you just an incompetent novice?
I apologized for being a subpar novice.
I piled up the tasks I planned to give to Berserker and made my request.
“I want you to do a sparring match with someone while teaching them at the same time.”
--Me, as an instructor? That’s the first time I’ve heard of it.
“You seem like the right man for the job.”
--Since I’ve decided to do whatever you tell me to do, I’ll accept it. If you’re the one pushing this, they’re probably not an ordinary guy. Besides, I’ve been free lately, so it should be fun.
Even though he’s free, it seemed like he was living the life of a natural outdoorsman. Sometimes, the photos he sent showed a complete set of high-end camping equipment.
Oh Jong-yeop said that the end of camping addiction was a camping car, and it seemed like the Berserker might reach that stage soon.
“I’ll send you the time and place via text.”
After ending the call, I notified the Berserker of the time and place.
***
The day of the sparring match arrived.
“I can’t wait to see who it is.”
Jung Da-hyun followed me eagerly with a bright expression.
Dressed in comfortable training clothes, she showed curiosity about the person who would be guiding her.
“......”
Berserker was such a crazy guy. Shouldn’t she be disappointed?
I thought that if the person teaching me was not in their right mind, I might feel the same way.
“Get in.”
With Jung Da-hyun, I hopped into a small car and sped away to the outskirts of Seoul.
“We’re going quite far, aren’t we? I thought we were going to a training ground.”
“This guy finding it more comfortable out here. He’s over there.”
When we arrived at the agreed-upon location, we saw Berserker sitting relaxed in a chair. There was a camper van parked behind him. So, he was already at that stage.
Jung Da-hyun and I got out of the car and approached Berserker.
“......”
As we got closer, Jung Da-hyun’s expression hardened. She recognized the person’s face.
In contrast, Berserker’s expression upon seeing Jung Da-hyun was filled with interest.
“Is she the one I’m guiding? I didn’t expect such a young lamb. This could be quite fun.”
“Oppa, this situation...”
“Oh, Oppa, you say?”
This Berserker guy looked at me. His gaze was so unpleasant I wanted to gouge out his eyeballs.
“You’re in your prime. It’s nice being young.”
“......”
Instead of answering, Jung Da-hyun looked at me with a mixed expression of doubt.
“Berserker has decided to mend his ways and help me. The director knows about it too.”
“I pledged my loyalty to Choi Jun-ho. I begged him for my life and declared that I would serve him with my body and soul.”
“......”
That crazy guy was adding unnecessary words for no reason.
“Berserker is crazy, but he’s got a lot of real-world experience. He’ll help you.”
It was the same during the Level 8 measurement duel, but sparring with someone without hurting them during a duel was a very difficult task for me.
It might be possible for someone with a low level like Yoon-hee, but it was challenging with a Level 6 like Jung Da-hyun.
When I was the Blood Master, I could just kill them all, but this time it was different, so it was difficult.
I suppose it’s because of these efforts that I was able to hold on to my sanity.
I said to the conflicted Jung Da-hyun,
“You don’t have to learn from a villain if you don’t want to.”
“No.”
Jung Da-hyun, who had finally gotten her emotions under control, had a determined expression.
“I know that Berserker is a different kind of villain than the ones who committed evil deeds. And although I still don’t understand it, I can’t miss the chance to face a Level 8 Transcendent. I’ll try.”
“Alright.”
I approached Berserker, who was grinning.
“Do I just have to spar with her?”
“Yeah.”
“Is there no price? Am I doing this for free?”
“What do you want?”
“I don’t care, anything.”
“...”
“For your information, I came all the way to this remote place to take you up on your offer.”
I thought for a moment about giving him something, then remembered that his Full Recovery was gone.
“I remembered something I can give you.”
“Looking forward to it.”
“I’ll give you another Gift.”
“...!”
Surprise filled his face. He had quite an expressive range of emotions.
“You know my abilities, right?”
“I’m suddenly motivated. I thought I’d have to search for a way to have one again. How much should we spar?”
“To the point where death comes to mind.”
“Emotional trauma can remain.”
“If she gets consumed by trauma, that’ll be the end of it. Relentlessly push forward. You just need to incapacitate her, not kill.”
“I like that.”
I nodded, seeing Berserker’s maniacal grin.
It was Jung Da-hyun’s job to use this opportunity as a stepping stone for growth.
***
The sparring was intense enough to mimic a real battle. Berserker relentlessly attacked Jung Da-hyun as if he intended to kill her without any mercy.
Whenever Berserker’s greatsword tore through the air, Jung Da-hyun’s hair would flutter in the aftermath.
Although her ponytail had been cut, she had no time to realize her situation and had to focus on sensing Berserker’s sword.
“It’s useful.”
Berserker faithfully followed my orders. There was a strong determination in his attacks towards Jung Da-hyun. Faced with it, Jung Da-hyun had to respond with all her might.
Otherwise, she would die.
The moment she squeezed out everything would be the stepping stone to the next stage.
“Is this really necessary? You’re the kind of woman who can make someone dedicate everything to you!”
“I’ll rip that mouth of yours apart...”
As Jung Da-hyun pondered how to deal with the unruly Berserker’s mouth, her hands and feet began to get increasingly tangled.
It seemed like she had hit a complete limit. If she couldn’t squeeze out any more strength beyond this point, it could lead to a serious injury.
Utilizing her Intuition, she needed to look beyond the limits.
Only then could she blossom her talent on the foundation of the efforts she had accumulated.
“Alright.”
With all distractions completely eliminated, Jung Da-hyun activated her Gift and started moving instinctively.
This ess the stage where Intuition should blossom into Insight. The second stage of Intuition, to be exact. Jung Da-hyun saw the Berserker’s momentum, the slightest movement, and made a near-precognition, narrowly avoiding it.
“Oh! Oh, that’s good!”
The Berserker let out a light exclamation.
However, Jung Da-hyun had already reached her limit. As the Berserker mixed the primary and secondary Forces through precise control, Jung Da-hyun’s senses were disrupted, and she was thrown out after enduring it only five times.
“This should be enough, should I do more?”
“Just right. You did well.”
“I only followed your orders, Master.”
Pretending not to hear, I approached Jung Da-hyun and offered her a recovery potion.
After a moment, Jung Da-hyun’s complexion returned to normal.
“Remember that feeling just now. To reach Level 7, you’ll need to use it freely.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Take a break. I’ll talk to Berserker for a bit.”
I let Jung Da-hyun rest and approached Berserker.
“Shall we settle the accounts then?”
“Good.”
“Since you’ve experienced it before, you should know that I can obtain Gifts engraved in blood.”
“That’s how my Full Recovery was taken away.”
“I can also use this to learn information about Gifts engraved in blood. Last time, I couldn’t see it because I was busy copying your Gift, so I have to look at the blood again.”
“I’m fine with it. Let’s get started.”
The Berserker stretched out his chest. He was in a completely defenseless state.
Why was this maniac full of trust in me? I was curious, but I wasn’t a bad person to the extent of testing the other’s trust.
My finger dug into his chest next to his heart. I had to do it twice, so the location was accurate.
As a hole was pierced in his chest, blood flowed out. After applying a healing potion, I consumed his blood.
As I read the information engraved in the blood, I made an impression.
“Hey, you crazy bastard.”
“Why do you say that?”
“How much demon blood and flesh have you eaten?”
“Did you read it from there as well? The seasoning made from fresh demon blood is an excellent ingredient.”
“Why the hell do you eat that?”
“I heard it’s good for stamina.”
Crazy guy.
While eating demons, it seemed he also extracted toxins.
He must have consumed so much poison that Gifts related to the characteristics and toxicity of demons were deeply engraved.
Among them, the best Gift was ‘Complete Immunity’. It was the strongest passive Gift that could withstand all toxins and abnormal states.
And Berserker had ‘Complete Immunity’ engraved in his blood.
“I didn’t expect to see this legendary Gift.”
“......”
I want it. I coveted it.
My eyes, directed towards Berserker, burned with greed. The guy who met my gaze shook his shoulders vigorously.
Why was he like that?
“...Don’t kill me.”
“What?”
“What should I do to be spared?”
“Who’s going to kill who? I won’t kill you. I won’t snatch your Gift either.”
Still, I felt a bit disappointed.
As I regained my appetite, Berserker shivered his shoulders and stood quietly behind Jung Da-hyun.
In response to the sudden movement of Berserker, Jung Da-hyun trembled and took a step to the side.
Then Berserker also moved to the side and stood behind Jung Da-hyun.
“What are you doing?”
