“Damage to the monster, none.”
“Nuri, unharmed.”
“The Avant-Garde Guild... has failed.”
...
As the reports came in, the president tightly closed his eyes.
Choi Jun-ho had predicted failure, but deep down, he had hoped for the success of the Avant-Garde Guild.
He was the president, but he was also a citizen of the Republic of Korea. He didn’t want the influence of the large guilds to grow, but he also wanted more people to live, even if it was just one person.
He thought that Lee Chan-taek, the leader of one of Korea’s top three guilds and the “iron heart” who could keep a cool head and make the best decisions in any situation, would be the one to catch Nuri.
Yes, if it was Lee Chan-taek, he could do it. He was a Transcendent who had turned the impossible into possible.
...But the result was a failure.
“This is a different level.”
It was a different despair from the time with Daon.
The seventh level 8 monster, Daon, had tormented hunters as it roamed across land and sea, but it was only when the hunters unleashed their full power that the hunt succeeded.
But they were defeated by Nuri even when the elite forces of the Avant-Garde Guild were fully deployed.
Without even causing any damage to it.
In this situation, the second in line in the hunting order, Choi Jun-ho, must step forward.
However, unlike the Avant-garde Guild, Choi Jun-ho was alone.
Could he really stop Nuri?
So far, Choi Jun-ho had never been wrong in what he said, but the fact that he was now going alone as a newly recognized Transcendent bothered the President a bit.
Perhaps it would be better for him to join forces with the Reapers Guild to intercept Nuri.
“Where is Choi Jun-ho?”
“That... he went straight to where Nuri is.”
“What?”
The President and Cheon Myeong-guk were astonished. Going alone when there wouldn’t be enough power even if they gathered more?
But they couldn’t blame those in charge for not stopping him.
The will of the Transcendent heavily influenced the judgment on the scene.
Then, reports began to come in one after another.
“The Avant-garde Guild members who retreated are joining the reinforcements. Transcendent Lee Chan-taek, stayed behind to stop Nuri!”
“What a foolish man.”
“Tell him to retreat quickly!”
Lee Chan-taek was willing to pay the price of failure with his life.
“Transcendent Choi Jun-ho has clashed with Nuri!”
“Is this the end?”
Just as the President was about to give up, Cheon Myeong-guk shouted in surprise.
“Huh? But he’s not being pushed back!”
“Fierce battle! It’s intense!”
The hunting process couldn’t be captured on video. However, explosions of Force that far exceeded the limits of observation were detected one after another.
The President wasn’t an Awakened, but his expression stiffened as he looked at the amount of Force displayed.
This was a figure that went beyond common sense.
“...Is this the amount of Force he can unleash alone?”
It was as if two monsters were engaging in battle.
Cheon Myeong-guk, who had been watching with a stern expression, spoke.
“It’s definitely higher than other Transcendent. This number seems achievable only by foreign Transcendent classified as the strongest.”
“Choi Jun-ho is at the level of the world’s strongest? Does this even make sense?”
“I can’t believe it either.”
He became a Transcendent this year at the age of 25. But in less than a year, he’s already among the world’s strongest?
I couldn’t imagine any Awakened from any country reaching that level.
Choi Jun-ho completely defied common sense.
No, even thinking about common sense, it’s unthinkable to face a level 8 monster alone.
In the meantime, the fierce battle of strength against strength continued.
As time passed, the tense battle of strength, and power tilted to one side.
“Nuri’s response is weakening! Transcendent Choi Jun-ho’s Force remains unchanged!”
When Choi Jun-ho gained the upper hand, everyone clenched their hands in sweat.
“Nuri’s response has disappeared!”
“Nuri is dead! Transcendent Choi Jun-ho, has succeeded in the hunt!”
Wow!
When news of the successful hunt was announced, everyone cheered.
Subsequently, it became breaking news, and the declining stock market suddenly began to soar.
Citizens who had anxiously awaited the results cheered with excitement.
The president, wiping the sweat from his hands on his pants, sat down with a relaxed expression and muttered to himself.
“I’m getting tired just waiting for the results. This is heavy labor, heavy labor.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Director Cheon must have worked harder. Haha, but things are going to get chaotic.”
“Things are already chaotic.”
Cheon Myeong-guk, hearing that calls were flooding in from all directions, shook his head.
“In the end, Transcendent Choi Jun-ho’s judgment was correct. And he delivered the results.”
“From now on, his right to speak will become even stronger. Those who called him half-baked will regret it. Director Cheon will have a tougher time.”
“Mr. President.”
“Well, you said he deleted three-quarters of the file. At least he’s holding the line.”
“......”
‘Choi Jun-ho doesn’t keep that line either! If you get involved with Choi Jun-ho, you’ll have bloody diarrhea every day!’
...Cheon Myeong-guk, who couldn’t say that, turned as pale as a sheet.
“By the way, in the future, efforts abroad will become more intense, especially in the United States.”
“Yes. Requests to hear about the hunting processes, including the United States, are already flooding in.”
The hunting process of each country was both highly confidential and shared to facilitate a more successful hunt.
Although the hunt involving an unimaginable amount of Force couldn’t be captured on video, but there was still a lot of information that could be gained from the movement of the Force, the total amount, and the duration of the hunt.
There’s a lot they could get out of this from the United States.
The president smiled slightly.
“If they’re curious, let them come in person.”
With this hunt, the prestige of South Korea would skyrocket. He intended to enjoy it to the fullest.
“There were many people who cursed us while cursing Choi Jun-ho. How do you evaluate the contract we made at this point?”
“There won’t be another contract as successful as this one.”
“The nonsense will decrease. It will be enjoyable to watch the news.”
“The approval ratings will also rise significantly.”
“Of course, after all the stress we’ve received.”
The president declared that he would tackle the situation with great determination.
“The problem is what comes next, isn’t it?”
At the end of Choi Jun-ho’s contract, he would be 33 years old. It was commonly known that Awakened individuals in their 30s were often referred to as a time when their physical prime aligned with their accumulated experience. Perhaps people all around the world would come after him for his next contract.
However, neither the president nor Cheon Myeong-guk were worried.
“It doesn’t matter. I won’t be in the Blue House at that time.”
“I won’t be there either.”
“Let’s enjoy our current success while wishing our successor well.”
“Yes.”
Trusting the future ruling power to do a good job.
They shared a pleasant laugh.
***
“Thanks to you, I’ve survived. Thank you.”
After the hunting of Nuri ended, Lee Chan-taek, who had been watching from afar, approached me. His body was a mess, but he survived with the toughness of a Transcendent.
“Surviving is enough.”
Truthfully, I was not very interested in what happened to Lee Chan-taek’s life.
If he survived, he survived, and if he died, there’s nothing I could do about it. He thanked me, so I guessed he wouldn’t curse me behind my back from now on.
“The Avant-garde Guild will not forget this favor and will repay you.”
“I don’t expect repayment.”
“But you saved us. I must pay the price.”
“Determining the price is up to the one who saved you.”
“.......”
For a brief moment, Lee Chan-taek’s expression changed dozens of times. I didn’t know what he’s thinking, but I had no intention of figuring it out.
“Thank you. If you ever need my strength, come find me anytime. The Avant-garde will be your ally.”
Being friends was easier than I thought.
To celebrate becoming friends, I handed a recovery potion to Lee Chan-taek.
“Go and get treated quickly. I have to wait for the post-processing team.”
Lee Chan-taek, nodded silently and left. A little later, a team arrived to move Nuri’s body.
***
The most praised aspect of this hunt was capturing Nuri’s corpse in perfect condition.
Each body part was worth its weight in gold, and this one was deemed the best of the best because it was in perfect condition.
In other words, it was expensive.
As the post-processing team arrived and I was about to start the dismantling, I was asked to postpone it at the strong request of the president.
It turned out Nuri’s body was going to be exhibited and shown to the citizens as it was moved to Seoul.
It’s a means of broadcasting the success of the hunt against a danger level 8 monster live.
Wasn’t it enough to announce the success of the hunt?
“It seems to be working.”
But the reaction was explosive.
Citizens, who had only seen fragmented reports about the appearance of a level 8 monster, gathered at the scene to witness Nuri’s corpse being broadcasted live.
And the cheers erupted.
I felt like I made the right decision to avoid the spotlight.
In fact, I had received a proposal not only to display Nuri’s corpse but also to participate in a kind of parade to greet the citizens. I immediately declined the offer.
Was it because of my time as the Blood Master that this happened? I wasn’t afraid of attention per se, but it didn’t sit right with me. Even after becoming a nationally certified Transcendent, my disposition didn’t change significantly.
Unnecessary attention was something I avoided. Thanks to me being low profile, the spotlight was entirely on Nuri’s corpse.
“It looks like the approval rating will go up quite a bit.”
A successful hunt was said to boost the approval rating of the president who ordered the operation. In this case, the effect would be even more dramatic since Nuri’s body was publicized. The opposition party pointed out that it was a stunt to boost approval ratings, but it didn’t have the desired effect.
The next day, I clicked my tongue when an emergency poll showed that the president’s approval rating exceeded 80%. It had jumped 20% in one day.
“The president is definitely not your usual politician.”
I guessed that kind of performance was required to be president of a country.
In any case, he recognized the opportunity to increase his approval ratings. Higher approval ratings meant more presidential power.
There was an interesting item in the public opinion poll, which was the part about me. In the section asking about my actions, 62% supported, 27% did not support, and 11% had no opinion.
It’s interesting.
I also received support.
Anyway, like the president’s successful show, I also received a lot of attention.
I heard that foreign countries wanted to meet with me and expressed their intention to visit, but it’s not like I could stop them. I just thought it would be a hassle.
I stopped by the Blue House and left a record of the battle process. I replaced the mention of attempting to tame through brainwashing with the destruction of the mind.
When it was all over and I returned home, it was morning. Now that I had earned a lot of money, I thought I should start thinking about moving. Somewhere close to the Blue House, the National Security Agency, and the Sacred Guild would be fine, right?
I thought Yoon-hee would be sleeping since it was morning, but when I went inside, the lights were on.
“Haven’t you slept?”
“Would you sleep comfortably when you don’t know if your brother will live or die?”
“Nothing happened. Did you watch the news?”
“Of course, I did.”
“Then you know I’m fine.”
“Are you scolding me now for worrying?”
Yoon-hee’s eyes flashed as she looked at me. I always felt awkward when someone was worried about me.
“It seems like you’re completely fine, just like usual. Did Oppa really catch Nuri? Was it actually not a lie? Like, the government mobilized a huge number of people to catch Nuri, and Oppa only claimed to have caught it?”
“No, it’s not like that. I caught Nuri by myself. I’m the one who caught Nuri, and I took all the credit. Thanks to that, I earned a lot of reward money.”
“Why are we suddenly talking about money?”
“Well, everyone else was talking about money, so...”
Ironically, she seemed more interested in the money I earned than my safety.
“So, how much did you earn?”
“About 1.5 trillion won?”
“...The scale is different. How many times do I have to go hunting to earn that kind of money? Hah!”
If I captured a few more level 8 monsters, I might become the richest person in South Korea.
“Da-hyun Unnie and Se-hee Unnie also contacted me, asking if Oppa is okay. Why didn’t you contact them?”
“Oh, I turned off my phone when I went hunting. I forgot.”
“Ugh, you scatterbrain.”
She shook her head and clicked her tongue. Come to think of it, Yoon-hee was the only one who treated me like this.
“You seemed to have worried a lot.”
“The important thing is that you came back safely. From now on, try to keep in touch.”
“I’ll try.”
“Yeah. And... can I have some pocket money?”
Well, that’s typical. I chuckled as I looked at Yoon-hee, who was making an exaggerated pouting face.
“How much do you need?”
From 10,000 won to 1.5 trillion won was possible.
***
Was it because of the sudden surge in the president’s approval rating? Requests for meetings with politicians were pouring in all of a sudden.
Since I had no intention of getting involved with those people anyway, I rejected them all. If they wanted to get involved with me, they should become the president first.
“Our savior!”
The president, who had clearly benefited from a boost in approval ratings, had a noticeably radiant face. Was this the power of approval ratings? It felt like a person’s energy had completely changed.
I heard that this was the highest approval rating he received since he took office. They said that when politicians get high on approval ratings, they lose their minds, and that’s exactly how the president looked right now.
After the president took a moment to regain his composure, I brought up a question I was curious about.
“I’m curious about the disposal method for Nuri’s remains.”
“First, the remains need to be appraised.”
Cheon Myeong-guk, who had been quiet, stepped forward.
Nuri was small in comparison to other level 8 monsters, but Cheon Myeong-guk said that this was not something to worry about. Instead, he explained that a smaller corpse became tougher and sturdier in order to withstand higher output.
He mentioned that making something tough and sturdy but smaller was so expensive that it would become even more valuable.
I said I would entrust the appraisal of the remains to the Sacred Group, and Cheon Myeong-guk agreed.
“After the appraisal is finished, Nuri’s remains will be sold to the Korean Magical Energy Corporation.”
Cheon Myeong-guk said, looking at me.
As the name of the company suggests, the Korean Magical Energy Corporation was a state-owned enterprise. It purchased remains of monsters hunted by government hunting teams, processed them, manufactured equipment, and distributed them to research institutes. Of course, it was large in scale, and the profits were enormous.
Since it was the first time dealing with such a big transaction, he said that even the Korean Magical Energy Corporation needed to prepare.
The reason Cheon Myeong-guk looked at me while saying that was simple.
“Because of Director Gu Byeong-do, right? It’s okay.”
“Gu Byeong-do? Why does that name come up?”
“Oh, he wasn’t on the blacklist but in the confidential documents. He might have cursed me a bit.”
Gu Byeong-do, the head of the Korean Magical Energy Corporation, was a former member of parliament who had followed the president when he was the leader of a party. After losing in the elections and receiving a consolation post, he took office as the head of the Korean Magical Energy Corporation.
He had loudly insisted that if I couldn’t hunt monsters, I would be worthless as a Transcendent and should be stripped of my qualifications. It seemed that he had hoped for the monster corpses to fall like beans when I became a nationally certified Transcendent.
It wasn’t something I had actively pursued, but because he was close to the president, I decided to just let it slide.
However, it seemed that the president had a different opinion.
“That friend won’t do.”
“Mr. President?”
“If he continues to hold that position, won’t he be a thorn in the side of our Transcendent Choi Jun-ho? This is not just disrespectful to Transcendent Choi Jun-ho but also a lack of trust in my eyes that believed in Transcendent Choi Jun-ho.”
Was the conversation going in that direction? It seemed like the president was pandering too much over me.
Well, it didn’t feel that bad.
In the meantime, the president made a decision.
“If one’s abilities have deteriorated, they should quit.”
