The first day the U.S. delegation arrived, a welcome ceremony was held. The president had in-depth discussions with the vice president and senators on a variety of issues, while the hunters in the delegation toured Seoul and relaxed.
The following day, representatives from South Korea and high-ranking members from the U.S. delegation gathered to start a briefing on the Nuri hunt.
The briefing began with an explanation of the process to counter the initial Nuri attack, followed by the bidding process, and then my participation in the Nuri hunt.
The Vice President mentioned that the United States was busy gathering its own forces and offered support for South Korea’s Awakened.
After describing the process of the Avant-Garde Guild’s hunt, the conversation shifted to my involvement.
“Getting the Avant-Garde Guild out was a stroke of luck.”
It wasn’t that I arrived quickly; it was that the Avant-Garde Guild held on long enough for me to arrive.
Everyone applauded the choice made by Lee Chan-taek to orchestrate an orderly retreat and open a path.
Afterward, I explained the Nuri hunt process. I mentioned how I relentlessly aimed for the head, considering it the monster’s weakness, and that Nuri was tricky because it spewed fire breath freely and was difficult to approach because of its Gift, Blade Storm.
The expressions of the U.S. delegation turned serious as I spoke. After some murmurs among themselves, the Vice President cautiously asked me in a low voice.
“...Are you sure the monster used a Gift?”
I pretended that I didn’t hear what he said, but when the interpreter beside me translated into Korean, I answered.
“I’m sure.”
“We’ve had several suspected cases back home, but we couldn’t be certain. I’m curious why Transcendent Choi Jun-ho is so certain.”
He’s quite annoyingly persistent.
After organizing my thoughts for a moment, I explained the reason.
“When I aimed for the head, Nuri blocked me perfectly several times. At first, I thought it was due to the pure hardness of its skin. However, upon closer examination, I noticed a thin Force field forming in front of Nuri’s head, dispersing the impact.”
I experienced it firsthand and felt it, so what more could I say?
“.....!”
Everyone looked surprised to hear that a monster could use the Force.
Anna Christine asked, “Jun-ho, is that true?”
“It’s true. Nuri endured more than thirty blows to the head from me.”
“Thirty blows, all to the head?”
“All to the head.”
“As expected, a Head Breaker.”
Why do they look so exasperated? Shouldn’t they be impressed?
Anyway, after knocking down Nuri, I told them I continued to attack only the head and, as the use of Force weakened, I punctured the skin and delivered a blow to the brain to finish it off.
I didn’t mention attempting to tame Nuri with brainwashing. Sharing the experience of failure wasn’t that pleasant.
“Incredible!”
James Reed, who had been listening, exclaimed continuously. By the way, he uses the word ‘졸라’ (jolla) in a way that’s more fitting than a Korean.
The Vice President, who had seen the organized data, smiled satisfactorily.
“In this Nuri hunt, we learned that monsters can use Force and have unlocked their Gifts. This will allow our homeland to conduct a deeper analysis. Thank you for your cooperation.”
“As allies, it’s something we naturally had to do.”
Even before they reached an agreement, there was no shortage of skirmishes between the two countries’ representatives, as they dissected even a single detail.
I just watched politicians exchanging words amicably. Even in that atmosphere, seeing the intense calculations going on among politicians made me think that being a politician was a challenging profession.
After that, things went smoothly.
There were a lot of people with a lot to say, so there was very little for me to do as each person contributed a word. It’s nice to be among people who talked a lot.
Before the delegation arrived, even the members of the National Assembly had requested to attend the meeting themselves. I thought the conversation would have been even longer if they had participated.
I’d rather spend my time finding a hiding villain and cracking one more head open.
Meanwhile, the President expressed a desire to receive America’s Smart Hunting System while sharing Nuri’s hunting process. The Vice President seemed to consider it positively and said he would suggest it to the home country, but in reality, it was a rejection.
Was the Smart Hunting System really that impressive? I should ask Cheon Myeong-guk about it later.
Amidst the friendly atmosphere, a fierce mental battle was taking place beneath the surface, and the meeting was gradually coming to a close.
Suddenly, James Reed raised his hand.
“I want to go against Jun-ho once. Is that possible?”
“......”
Everyone’s attention was on me. I could see the anticipation on everyone’s faces, Korean and American alike. Cheon Myeong-guk, why was he the only one closing his eyes tightly?
It was my turn to respond.
If the opponent had been Zhang Zedong, I would have accepted it willingly, but the President asked for restraint when it came to dealing with the United States.
“I don’t mind going against you. Instead, you’ll have to put your life on the line.”
“Oh!”
James Reed laughed brightly. Even though he was covered in clothes, one could see his muscles tense.
He’s the type who pursues action over life, after all.
So now the United States would also lose one Transcendent in this manner. If he went all out, I had no thoughts of sparing his life.
But the next words he said were something I hadn’t expected.
“It’s too scary! I don’t want to do it then.”
“You don’t want to?”
“I don’t! I don’t intend to take any risks!”
“......”
I wanted to crack his head open to see who taught him Korean.
Anyway, the atmosphere quickly calmed down after James Reid’s avoidance.
I felt a twinge of resentment as I watched Cheon Myeong-guk openly heaving a sigh of relief.
***
After the Nuri Hunt briefing, the main exchange battle began. It was the confrontation between promising young talents from the United States who had crossed the ocean and students from Seoul Academy Class A.
The United States still had a pool of talent deserving of the title of the world’s strongest country, even after the appearance of monsters.
Overall, their skills were a notch above, and they had a sense of practicality as well. With the vastness of their country overflowing with monsters, underage Awakened had to go out hunting periodically under the name of learning.
In comparison, the students of the Seoul Academy were ridiculously behind in their practical skills. Still, they didn’t lose much, thanks to their methodical approach to exploiting weaknesses and their willingness to take chances, sometimes to their detriment.
Yang Joo-hyuk was the biggest player in the exchange game. He attacked like a madman, as if he ate something wrong, completely breaking his opponent’s will. He was also relentless in his pursuit of weaknesses. If one stripped away his identity as a student, he was just an unstoppable villain.
Tsk tsk, a villainous character. He’s utterly ruthless.
...But come to think of it, I was the one who taught him.
I carved it all over his body, and he learned it from being hit, so he crushed his opponent viciously and overwhelmingly.
“Kahahahahaha!”
With that, he burst into eerie laughter and looked at me. Was he going to challenge me next? I should deal with him properly.
Overall, the results of the exchange battle favored the United States, but considering that we competed against talents from the world’s strongest country, it was not a disappointing outcome.
Immediately, the U.S. delegation looked surprised and were busy talking to each other. They must have been expecting a more dominant victory.
Although we were defeated, I didn’t feel too bad watching it.
Was this how a master felt like when they’re watching their students?
I rejoiced in my students’ victories, and when they lost, I wanted to rush in and snapped their opponent’s neck.
Was this what it meant to have a teacher’s heart?
Around the end of the exchange battle, Anna Christine approached.
“Jun-ho.”
“What’s going on?”
“Do we need to have business between us to have a conversation?”
For reference, this was the third time I had met Anna Christine, and the total time we had talked was less than 3 minutes.
She’s a strange woman to pretend like we’re close.
“Today’s meeting convinced me.”
“Convinced of what?”
“It’s confidence in Jun-ho’s abilities. Actually, I’ve had this confidence since your Level 8 assessment, but I’ve gained even more confidence now.”
Her Korean language skills were impressive.
One of my biggest pet peeves was vague expressions.
I couldn’t easily distinguish whether she didn’t know what she was talking about or if her Korean was just not very good.
“I’ll come visit later. Let’s talk.”
She left with those words.
***
After the exchange battle, the U.S. delegation gathered in one place. Everyone’s expression was slightly stiff.
Today’s schedule was quite a shock to them. The process of hunting Nuri and the results of the exchange battle were both full of surprises. Even though they had more practical experience, the Korean students used their skills better. Talk of strengthening the alliance and saying that Korea’s future was bright emerged.
The biggest surprise was the one they cared about most, Choi Jun-ho.
The Vice President looked at James Reed and asked.
“How was it?”
“Very scary, quick, and ruthless,” James Reed, who used ridiculous Korean earlier, replied calmly.
“His abilities undoubtedly belong to a true Transcendent. Even if I were to face him directly, I wouldn’t be able to guarantee victory.”
“Oh?”
“So, you think it’s true that he caught Nuri as well?”
“Yes, it appears to be true, although there were probably some missing details.”
“As expected.”
The fact that a Transcendent had single-handedly hunted down a level 8 monster was hard to believe, even when they heard it up front. In particular, Nuri was one of the strongest monsters to have appeared so far. For a human to catch it alone was a reversal of common sense.
Rather, it was strange to reveal all the details of the hunt. The Vice President and other top brass thought there must be a secret here. A hidden Gift, an undisclosed assistant, or something else.
If he hunted alone, it meant that Choi Jun-ho’s skills were far above the rest, and if he had an assistant, it meant that South Korea had an extra Transcendent.
Either way, both South Korea’s value and Choi Jun-ho’s value would increase. In particular, Choi Jun-ho possessed an extraordinary skill that allowed him to create the illusion that he hunted the Nuri alone by. His abilities supported this skill that other Transcendent could not replicate."
“It seemed that telling you to risk your life was not just simple words.”
“It’s probably true that he has the ability to do it. Choi Jun-ho’s Gift is probably not suited for dueling, and someone is bound to die if they gave it their all. But even aside from that, Choi Jun-ho has a thought circuit that’s just as dangerous as his Gift. He doesn’t hesitate to execute, and he doesn’t think twice about it.”
“Is it not a concept? How do you see it, Christine?”
“The way he appeared today might be his true self.”
After Choi Jun-ho became a Transcendent, the United States conducted an investigation using their human intelligence resources.
The results were astonishing. The way he presented himself today was perhaps the most polite he had ever been, and the statement he said to James earlier might not even be an exaggeration.
He held such radical beliefs that if someone engaged in criminal activities, regardless of their gender, and cooperated in committing crimes, he regarded them as villains and was prepared to take forceful action against them.
Opinions within the United States were divided on this matter.
Until recently, the dominant view was to bring in Choi Jun-ho, but opposing views started gaining ground.
Anna Christine, a prominent supporter, and James Reed, was on the opposing side.
“At his age, having that kind of ability is remarkable. I strongly believe we should bring him in, but both James and Christine have valid points,” said the Vice President.
James Reed and Anna Christine exchanged glances as the Vice President spoke.
Anna Christine argued forcefully, “Choi Jun-ho is a Transcendent who can maintain his prime for over 30 years. Considering the trend of Transcendent’ physical prime lasting longer, he can perform at his best for 40 years. If you think about how many roles he can take on during this period, even taking action now is already late.”
“I have a different opinion,” James Reed countered.
There’s a common misconception.
Just because James Reed’s nickname was ‘Macho Man’ didn’t mean his brain was only made of muscles. Rather, he’s a Stanford Ph.D. graduate who had systematically modified his body to become a Transcendent.
Despite his casual tone and behavior, he possessed quick decision-making skills and exceptional analytical abilities. He had the ability to see through people based on rapid judgment. He played a significant role in building the Smart Hunting System.
Having read information about Choi Jun-ho in the United States and observing him directly for a short time, James Reed confidently said, “Choi Jun-ho becoming a state-sanctioned Transcendent is the result of several coincidences.”
“Are you saying such words when the results are right in front of us?”
“Yes.”
In response to Anna Christine’s retaliation, James Reed nodded his head.
“Given his actions and statements so far, I have doubts about how Choi Jun-ho could become a state sanctioned Transcendent. If luck didn’t play a role, in my opinion, there’s a 99.9% chance that Choi Jun-ho would have become a villain.”
“Choi Jun-ho as a villain? That’s ridiculous. That’s just speculation.”
“His actions after becoming a government hunter suggest otherwise. Choi Jun-ho is a villain in Hunter’s clothing.”
James Reed’s voice was resolute.
“The reason I oppose this is that villains cannot be integrated into society. Therefore, it’s best to monitor them or keep them on the outskirts. In this regard, I believe Choi Jun-ho becoming a state sanctioned Transcendent after being a government Hunter is a product of pure coincidence. I think he will inevitably reveal his villainous nature again.”
“You mean the radical thoughts he has shown so far not the end?”
“Yes. That’s why I think the unidentified Level 8 villain who recently appeared in South Korea is him.”
In the past six months, two Level 8 villains had emerged in South Korea.
One was the Berserker, who had been evaluated as Level 7 before he killed Red Snake Kim Yong-hwan.
However, the Berserker’s past and present actions were fully known.
He didn’t match the age either.
That left only one option.
This villain had not revealed their age, identity, face, or gender.
“Eraser.”
Anna Christine muttered, her expression hardening.
James Reed, nodding his head, spoke with confidence.
“I am convinced that he is Choi Jun-ho.”
