The look on the villains’ faces when they finally recognized me was one of disbelief.
“C-Crazy!”
“He’s going to kill us all!”
“L-Let’s run!”
I silently watched the chaotic scene unfold. Heartworker called them benefactors, but to me, they were just common villains.
A common villain was someone who should be killed.
Was there a righteous villain in the world?
I assert that there were not. There might be villains who had their own stories and twisted sense of justice that society could not tolerate, like Berserker.
But there were no villains involved in illegal activities related to money who maintained any sense of ethics.
“Hey.”
“Yes, yes?”
“These guys are from Jagalchi, right?”
“Y-Yes.”
The villain organization Jagalchi.
The moment I heard that name, I was certain. They all had to die.
“Stay put. If you have a weak stomach, close your eyes.”
“.....”
Heartworker, who had been trembling, stopped hiding and closed his eyes. It’s a good choice if he had a weak stomach.
I drew a dagger from my belt and unleashed Blade Storm.
Swoosh!
One of the villains right in front of me shattered into pieces.
***
Meeting the nationally certified Transcendent, Choi Jun-ho, was an unexpected stroke of luck.
The other told him, a person with a bit of skill, that he would bring him to Seoul, and he revealed that he would help with his mother’s treatment, which could be considered the goal of his life.
Money! And women!
Kim Jong-hyun wanted to follow Choi Jun-ho right away, but the organization he was supplying goods for got caught in the middle.
Lately, the rapidly growing villain organization called “Jagalchi” had accepted villains from Seoul due to the large-scale purge that had occurred in the capital region. It was rapidly expanding its influence in Busan.
If things continued like this, they would become a prominent organization in Busan.
Kim Jong-hyun was terrified of when that knife would come for him if he disappeared without a word while delivering goods to this organization. So he tried to use Choi Jun-ho’s authority to escape.
Yes, he thought that a few villains might die or get injured.
But he never thought it would lead to everyone dying.
Aaah! Aaaah!
“Uh, uh-uh!”
A series of pitiful screams echoed through the building. Kim Jong-hyun closed his eyes, and at one point, he covered his ears with his hands and sat down, shivering.
This was none other than Jagalchi. The organization that was gaining the most momentum these days.
There was no place in Busan that could match this organization. Not even Busan’s elite Villain Response Team, nor any other organization, could take down Jagalchi.
The smell of blood, piercing screams, and a deep sense of dread filled the building. A gruesome ripping sound followed this, each echoing with screams.
One of Busan’s largest villainous organizations had been sentenced to death by just one man.
Was this what a human could do? Even if a monster had invaded, it couldn’t have created this kind of fear.
“......”
At one moment, even the screams fell completely silent. Footsteps could be heard. A sticky sensation was transmitted through the ear. It was made of the blood and flesh of the villain who had been making a commotion just a moment ago.
“Open your eyes.”
Choi Jun-ho’s voice sounded no different from when he had told him to close his eyes. If he hadn’t heard the screams earlier, he would have thought the other had just taken a quick smoke.
Maybe he had mistaken something. Maybe he had overreacted due to fear.
But the moment he opened his eyes, what greeted Kim Jong-hyun was a scene from hell.
“Ugh! Uweaek!”
Kim Jong-hyun began to vomit as he saw the torn flesh and blood.
After vomiting for a while, when more bile was about to come up, a water bottle rolled over from the side.
“Rinse.”
“......”
Kim Jong-hyun drank the water without saying a word. He didn’t want to look, but his gaze went to the flesh scattered throughout the building.
Why did it have to be this bad?
It felt like it was too much, no matter how you looked at it. Regardless of his thoughts, Choi Jun-ho continued to approach one side of the building without hesitation.
“Jagalchi is not the place you think it is.”
With a loud ‘thud’, the wall was pierced. Then, a safe was revealed, and he tore it off. When he pulled out the contents of the safe, a bag full of white powder fell out.
“Drugs.”
Choi Jun-ho’s actions didn’t stop there. After checking several places in the building, he kicked the floor, revealing a hidden passage leading underground.
Shortly after entering, screams echoed down the hallway, and a few moments later, children and women began to climb up behind Choi Jun-ho.
“Human trafficking.”
“......”
Kim Jong-hyun stared blankly at the scene. He had never dreamed that the organization he knew would be like this. He had simply thought of them as a group of people who had strayed slightly onto the wrong path, selling goods in a slightly illegal underground market.
But now, that belief was shattered before his eyes.
From the very beginning, Choi Jun-ho knew everything.
“This is the real face of the villains, Heartworker.”
“Why, why are you showing me this?”
“I didn’t do it with the intention of showing you. I just killed them because they’re villains.”
After saying those words, Choi Jun-ho took out his smartphone from his pocket and began to contact the Busan’s Villain Response Team.
***
Having entrusted the cleanup to the Busan Villain Response Team, I headed to the city hall to meet the mayor of Busan.
“I’m Mayor Yoo Seong-soo of Busan.”
“I’m Choi Jun-ho.”
Busan Mayor Yoo Seong-soo was a big-time politician from the opposition party and was the opposition’s leading candidate for the next presidential election.
He was praised for protecting Busan from the threat of monsters and had improved Busan’s position through collaboration with neighboring cities such as Yangsan, Gimhae, Ulsan, Pohang, Daegu, and Changwon.
In my opinion, it was a typical show of achievements.
On the contrary, the economic improvement also fostered villains and increased public unrest.
But there’s no denying that it worked pretty well for the citizens.
“I didn’t expect to see Transcendent Choi Jun-ho in Busan.”
“I came because I had some business to attend to. That’s when I came across the villain organization and decided to contact you.”
“Considering that, you handled it quite ruthlessly.”
It couldn’t be helped, as today’s handling of the villains was done using the new Gift, Blade Storm. This Gift combined the sharpness of Slash with the area attack of Nuri’s Blade Storm, tearing apart opponents who were caught in its path.
The power was so terrifyingly brutal that it could be associated with the Eraser. However, because it was even more brutal, it would be difficult to link the two.
The Eraser, as the name suggested, was a villain who didn’t leave any trace of himself. The scene I created today was excessively cruel.
“They were involved in drug trafficking and even human trafficking. I couldn’t stand it and dealt with it on the spot.”
“Ah! I want to thank you for your efforts to maintain safety in Busan.”
“I discovered something interesting while looking around before the villain response team arrived.”
“Something interesting?”
“The villain organization Jagalchi has been making payments to several government offices in the city.”
“...We can’t punish public servants who serve the citizens of our city just based on circumstantial evidence. Please understand.”
“I believe it may be associated with someone higher up.”
With that, I looked into the eyes of the Mayor of Busan. For a moment, it seemed like ripples were forming in the eyes of the seasoned politician, but they quickly stabilized.
“Are you suggesting that I’m related to this?”
“If the shoe fits, I guess.”
“I am the elected mayor of Busan. Even if you’re a Transcendent, don’t forget that you’re working for the state.”
This was quite different from my thoughts.
“Elected powers have an expiration date, but Transcendental powers last for a very long time. In fact, isn’t my power eternal?”
“......”
Where did elected power dare to compete with lifelong power?
Whether my words made sense or not, the Mayor of Busan stared at me, speechless.
“Anyway, since this is something that happened in Busan, I hope that Transcendent Choi Jun-ho will leave it at that.”
“I want to take action, but the evidence is lacking. However, there is one thing I’d like you to consider.”
“What is it?”
“I believe that if someone collaborates with villains, they are also considered villains. Because they benefit from the villains. If you have seen how I dealt with that journalist on the first day I became a Transcendent recognized by the state, that shall set the standard for your future actions.”
“Since I haven’t seen it, I don’t know.”
“There might be an opportunity to show it to you soon.”
“......”
The Busan mayor, who couldn’t even manage to save his face, kept his mouth shut.
Right now, the evidence wasn’t perfect, so I could only let it slide this time. But there wouldn’t be a next time.
I concluded my meeting with the mayor of Busan, thinking that I should go up to Seoul and get some more information.
I traveled up to Seoul with Heartworker and his mother, and after helping her through the hospitalization process, I brought Heartworker to the National Security Agency.
“You’re going to be a member of the Sacred Guild from now on.”
“Me, in the Sacred Guild?”
“Do you think it’s really that easy to be admitted to Sacred Hospital? It’s because we have the Sacred Guild’s support.”
“What exactly am I supposed to do...”
“I recommended you, that’s what. Your job is simple. Learn the processing method I’ll teach you, and learn it as quickly as possible.”
“Processing method?”
Heartwalker’s eyes sparkled. It was similar to the look he’d given me in my last life as I learned to process.
“When you reach a satisfactory level, they’ll promise you a billion-won annual salary and performance bonuses from then on.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
“You should.”
“It’s a skill I developed while delivering to the villains. I looked it up, and it said it would earn over 1.5 trillion won, so of course I have to stick with it.”
In the end, what he believed in was the money he could earn. That’s fine by me.
I looked into the guy’s eyes and said.
“Right. And don’t mess with women.”
“Ugh, why...”
“You know why yourself.”
“...”
This Heartworker guy couldn’t keep his pants on around women.
Even in my last life, he packaged it nicely by saying that he was looking for his own way of life, but in reality, he couldn’t overcome his desires and went to the black market, where he met the Executioner and died.
“If I disobey your orders...”
“Imagine the outcome as you wish.”
“Argh!”
Heartworker’s face turned pale. I didn’t know what he’s imagining, but he seemed ready to listen.
“Take a few days off for now. I’ll call you when things are ready.”
“...”
Why did he suddenly had the face of someone who lost their country?
That’s how the conversation ended.
Just then, Jung Da-hyun entered with a knock on the door.
“Excuse me.”
As she walked in, she made eye contact with the Heartworker.
Hmm, not a good situation. Meeting Jung Da-hyun right after that warning about women.
Among the young awakened individuals, Jung Da-hyun was considered top-notch, both in talent and beauty.
She’s so beautiful that it was once said that she could bewitch and capture villains with her beauty alone, so there’s no way the Heartworker would pass her by.
This would be troublesome.
But the way he looked at her was strange. His eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost, and he jumped to his feet in fright.
“Me- Crazy Witch! Eek! Save me!”
Terrified, Heartworker tried to flee but stumbled and fell.
“......”
An eerie silence fell over the room.
***
Heartworker left. Until the moment he left, he didn’t even make eye contact with Jung Da-hyun.
Was this the dignity of the Crazy Witch? It seemed like she’s even scarier than me.
Apparently, many of the villains who fled the attacks of the three agencies during the operation to hunt down villains in the capital came to Busan. They talked about Jung Da-hyun, one of the hunters from the three agencies, as if she was some terrifying demon, so much so that the Heartworker, who had only heard tales, was filled with fear.
For example, intentionally putting a grenade in the mouth of a villain who was charging with a grenade, or cutting off a villain’s limbs and making him an invalid, saying that a villain didn’t need limbs, and then arresting them.
The highlight of the story was cutting off the legs of the villains with a bomb, making them crawl on the ground, and drawing a finish line, then detonating the bombs in order of the slowest one to arrive at the finish line.
Indeed, human imagination was remarkable. It was a more gruesome tale than most heinous villains’ crimes.
Jung Da-hyun sighed.
“Where in the world is there a government hunter like that?”
“There are probably no villains like that either.”
“Then the rumors are even more sinister than the villains.”
Jung Da-hyun’s sigh deepened.
“Fame has a way of creating notoriety.”
I sympathized with Jung Da-hyun’s feelings, having been haunted by all sorts of slander when I was the Blood Master.
It was not good. I looked at Jung Da-hyun and said.
“Let’s eat. Times like this, a savory soybean paste stew is the best. It’s been a while. Shall we go?”
“Sounds good.”
Indeed, when you’re feeling down, soybean paste stew was the best.
Jung Da-hyun and I had a conversation as we came out of the National Security Agency. Fortunately, it seemed that she wasn’t shocked enough by the rumors to receive significant mental trauma.
“That’s because you became more resolute. In reality, the number of arrests has increased significantly compared to before. The Director is concerned, but I think it’s not a bad change.”
“Cruel as it may sound, breaking the villain’s spirit like that can save more of our colleagues.”
“Exactly. That’s why there were significant achievements this time.”
Despite the vicious rumors, Jung Da-hyun said she had no intention of changing her arrest policy.
“And there might be one more department established above the three agencies, headed by a Commissioner.”
If it was a commissioner, it was a deputy minister level. If the position was above the three agencies, its power would be very strong indeed.
According to Jung Da-hyun, this was an indication that the government would take the initiative and make a strong drive based on the villain hunting operation and my capture of Nuri.
The most likely candidate for the new commisioner’s position was Jung Ju-ho.
Was it because the approval rating was high? I would have to watch how things unfold.
“And soon, starting with the United States, several countries are planning to visit. They’ll probably apply for an exchange battle.”
“What’s an exchange battle?”
“It’s about bringing promising talents from various countries and assessing their abilities through a fight. Level 8 Transcendent come and judge the fights.”
“What about you?”
“I’ve been sent a few times, too.”
Jung Da-hyun replied with an embarrassed expression. She must have won.
The exchanges were between Awakened of all levels, from academy students to Transcendent.
It seemed troublesome.
“You should be cautious, Oppa.”
“Why?”
“Because the Transcendent who will visit might try to test your abilities. They might acknowledge that you hunted Nuri, but there will be a lot of suspicion beneath the surface.”
“I don’t care if they believe me or not.”
“Their perspective is different, and there’s also the government’s stance.”
Jung Da-hyun smiled bitterly.
South Korea was relatively stable compared to other countries when it came to dealing with monsters, but other countries judged it as lucky to have such a small landmass and urban concentration that there wasn’t much to protect.
What’s wrong with that? If they had complaints, they should concentrate all infrastructure in the cities as well.
It seemed like they took pride in nitpicking over little things.
Maybe I would just kill them if they talk shit in front of me.
“You can’t kill them.”
“Huh?”
“Both in our country and in other countries, Transcendent power is extremely valuable. The government even manages departures rigorously. It could potentially lead to severing diplomatic ties in the worst-case scenario, so we need to be cautious.”
“What should I do then?”
“Subdue them without causing harm?”
...It was the most difficult task in the world. I wondered why I was always given such trials.
I’d rather not engage than risk hurting them while trying to subdue them.
They probably wouldn’t believe that I caught Nuri alone. Even if that’s the case, Nuri would still be recognized as my catch, and all the money would come to me.
It was around the time we almost arrived at the destination, a Baekbanjip (T/N: A restaurant specializing in traditional Korean home-cooked meals) restaurant, when a small figure popped out from a corner about 30 meters ahead and rushed fiercely toward us.
“Wait a minute! I, I’m Go Ye-jin from Media Force. Just a moment for an interview... Aah!”
There was a ‘thud!’ sound as if someone had hit their head hard. Instinctively, I recoiled, clutching my head, and raised my hand upward.
I recognized the person’s face from somewhere. As I brought my hand reflexively to my forehead, I realized it was wet with the blood of the girl who had tripped and fallen, accidentally hitting me. I licked the blood off my hand.
“I, I’m Go Ye-jin from Media Force... Eek!”
Go Ye-jin froze as she watched me lick the blood.
I remembered her, the reporter who had a knack for making article titles.
I handed Go Ye-jin a recovery potion.
“Spray it.”
“Yes? But this is incredibly expensive...”
“You’re causing more trouble by bleeding here. Spray it.”
“Okay!”
If I ran out of recovery potions, I could always get more from Lee Se-hee. As long as I didn’t waste them, they were refillable.
“So, what’s the matter?”
“I-I’m Go Ye-jin from Media Force, and I want to cover Transcendent Choi Jun-ho. Is that okay?”
“I don’t really have any objections. But didn’t you write a lot of sensational articles when I was a government hunter?”
“She did? That’s a problem then.”
The worried expression on Jung Da-hyun’s face turned sharp. She was famous herself, so she had experienced dealing with reporters like this before.
Go Ye-jin’s expression grew desperate.
“P-please. Since then, I’ve written many positive articles about Transcendent Choi Jun-ho. Please take a look!”
Go Ye-jin handed me her tablet with articles.
<Japan analyzes Transcendent Choi Jun-ho, with a special broadcast. The reason why Japan was overturned by Choi Jun-ho!>
<Situations in various countries worldwide as they admire South Korea, the only country with a Transcendent who fights monsters alone!>
<The real reason why countries around the world are paying attention to South Korea right now? The secrets of Transcendent Choi Jun-ho!>
<Why are countries that missed Transcendent Choi Jun-ho, shedding tears of regret?! In some countries, there are even discussions of ‘impeachment’!>
<The hunting style of Korea that the world is watching is ‘this’! A detailed analysis of Choi Jun-ho’s hunting style!>
<18 reasons why Transcendent from around the world were shocked when they saw Transcendent Choi Jun-ho!>
<The worldwide prestige of Transcendent Choi Jun-ho who single-handedly subdued the level 8 flying monster that even two American superhumans couldn’t suppress!>
“......”
It was a feast of titles that left me speechless. It was close to inspiring. I couldn’t believe that this was the perfect form of the patriotic thumbnail I had been hoping for.
Come to think of it, Yoon-hee once mentioned it casually. She told me that I shouldn’t click on Go Ye-jin’s articles because she’s famous for her sensationalized headlines. She’s famous for creating titles that would catch you off guard and make you click.
After a moment of admiration, I had been thinking about the information that had been flashing in my mind since earlier.
“By the way, are you an Awakened?”
“Huh? H-How did you know that?”
“I just had a feeling. We can talk about the investigation story later. How about some food?”
“Yes! Thank you! Thank you!”
I decided to have a meal with Go Ye-jin first.
The reason I realized that Go Ye-jin was an Awakened was because the information about her had been transmitted to me through the blood I accidentally licked earlier.
It wasn’t blood from the heart, but it was a form I hadn’t seen before, albeit briefly.
A...g...gr..o?
What kind of Gift was this?
