Screams filled the air as hell unfolded.
Executioner Woo Joo-wan, with his sword firmly stuck into the ground, looked at the scene he had created. Whenever the scars carved on his face twitched, the surrounding villains trembled.
One of the villains approached Woo Joo-wan cautiously and asked, “Boss, what do we do next?”
“Today, we rest here. Make sure to gather everything you need. Tomorrow, we’re heading to Cheonan.”
“Understood.”
With a smile on his face, the villain left. Soon after, as he watched the houses burn, the Executioner had other ideas.
“Even though the League has left, I won’t give up.”
Ever since the League landed in South Korea, the Executioner had wanted to join. He wanted to leave the country where Awakened people were tied down and branded as villains for any deviation, and he wanted to gain more power in the League’s world, where people were treated according to merit.
He longed for the power to roam the world at will and the power to kill anyone who got in his way.
The Executioner emanated vitality as he touched the scar from his right temple to his left cheek.
“Berserker.”
The Berserker caused this scar.
He had made it his purpose to kill him. He’d looked forward to a showdown when the other had said he was joining the League, but instead, the guy ended up destroying the League’s influence in the country.
Now, the only way to join the League was to go abroad. His plan to join the Korean League branch and gain power had already fallen apart.
From one to ten, the Berserker had been of no help.
His actions right now were merely an outburst of frustration.
The finale would be the sea of flames in Cheonan. After that, he planned to quietly escape to China and join the League.
In the meantime, the villains who had finished their plunder returned jubilantly. They were a group of short-lived individuals who would soon meet their demise.
“Rest for a moment, then move.”
It was at that moment...
“You’re rolling that shallow brain of yours again, asshole.”
“......”
A middle-aged man with a greatsword approached.
At first glance, he had a seemingly decent appearance. He was even handsome. However, the expression of the Executioner, who had glimpsed the madness lurking within the other, hardened.
The man was the Berserker.
“Who are you?”
“Shoot him.”
The villains, having annihilated the villain response team and completed their looting, bristled with confidence and aimed their guns.
But before that, the Berserker moved.
Bang!
He threw the greatsword in his hand and a terrifying Force storm erupted, sweeping the villains away.
The villains within the storm’s range were torn apart without even a scream.
The villains who had gathered were stunned.
“He, heeek!”
“He’s a monster!”
“W-who is it?”
The Executioner’s next words added fuel to the fire.
“Berserker.”
“What’s up, asshole?”
“Why are you here?”
“My master has some business with your neck.”
“Master? When did you join the League?”
The word “master” made the Executioner uncomfortable. This madman, running amok with no fear of the world, had a master?
Berserker, who had picked up the greatsword he had thrown, chuckled.
“Do you really think something like the League could be my master?”
“You’re still insane as ever. Today, I’ll cut off your neck and head to the League.”
“I hope you have a souvenir for hell. Kekeke!”
***
The Berserker and the Executioner had faced each other once three years ago.
The Executioner had invaded Berserker’s sanctuary while attacking a hunting team. When the Executioner tried to kill the hunters and even Berserker, a duel began.
The result ended in Berserker’s victory. The Executioner barely escaped with a big scar on his face. At that time, Berserker, who was exhausted, couldn’t chase him.
The devastating defeat felt like hell. Afterward, the Executioner waited for revenge for three years, focusing all his life on becoming stronger.
He had heard that Berserker killed Kim Yong-hwan. But he believed that even an old and decrepit Transcendent like Kim Yong-hwan couldn’t kill the other.
He had vowed to tear Berserker apart when he saw him again, but when their swords clashed, he returned to reality.
“You’re weak.”
Their levels weren’t even comparable.
When did this happen? The Executioner squeezed out every ounce of strength he had left, but even pushing back was beyond his ability.
Cling clang!
The Executioner, unable to withstand the force transmitted through the sword, was pushed back as their grip on the blade slipped.
“Kill the Berserker!”
The villains hesitated at the Executioner’s cry. They had acted as if they would bow down and offer everything when he promised them profit, but now, as the Berserker overwhelmed them, his status amongst them rapidly declined.
But if the Executioner died, they wouldn’t be safe either. The villains realized this fact and didn’t just stand by. They raised their guns to provide cover fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
“It’s like a shiatsu massage!”
The moment Berserker’s greatsword cut through the air, a massive Force blast erupted in the form of a half-moon, slicing all the villains in its path in two. It didn’t stop there; it reduced the walls of the building they were in to dust.
Over ten villains died in a single blow. The Berserker didn’t stop there and charged at the villains who were firing their guns wildly.
“Hahaha!”
“R-Run!”
It was a massacre. The guns were ineffective; the villains within the Berserker’s reach were torn to shreds by the force of the greatsword.
Boom!
One villain threw a grenade, but even the flying debris couldn’t penetrate the Berserker’s strong Force.
Bullets rained down on the advancing Berserker amidst the explosion, but they all bounced off, and every villain within reach died.
Sizzle!
Some villain had even fired RPG rounds, but what they saw wasn’t a torn, mangled corpse but a smiling Berserker instead. (T/N: An RPG round refers to a rocket-propelled grenade round, which is a type of ammunition used in rocket-propelled grenade launchers.)
“This one was quite thrilling.”
What returned was death.
No weapon could penetrate him. How were they supposed to deal with such a monster? The villains lost their fighting spirit.
“Ugh! Uwaaaa!”
“Run, run! It’s a monster!”
“Save me! Don’t... ahh!”
Among over 50 villains, it was barely a dozen who managed to escape.
Amidst the thick smoke and body parts, the Berserker and the Executioner faced each other.
“Now, we can have some quality time together. Have you recovered your stamina? I must say, not running away is quite commendable.”
“...Who sent you?”
The rumors about the Berserker weren’t exaggerated. If anything, they were downplayed because the opponent was Kim Yong-wan - a Transcendent who had reached Level 8. There was no chance of winning for him.
Despair was evident on the Executioner’s face.
“My master is the one I’ve dedicated everything to.”
“Who the hell is your master?!”
“Hehe, wouldn’t you like to know?”
A spark of anger flashed in the Executioner’s eyes directed at the Berserker.
“Ugh! Are you mocking me now?”
“Weaklings are meant to be mocked. And you are the weak one here. I’ve been humiliated by my master countless times.”
“I’ve trained to kill you. Why has there been such a difference?”
“The usual lines of a talentless bastard. It’s not even funny anymore.”
“I’ve spent all my time training to kill you!”
The howling Executioner charged forward. Seeing the charging figure, madness gleamed in the Berserker’s eyes.
“You don’t know the real meaning of ‘doing your best’. Even in death. Only after throwing your body and soul into it, looking at what’s beyond the sky, and feeling utterly unjust, can you finally say you’ve given it your all.”
“Ugh!”
“Screaming like a little girl now, huh? I’m tired of this.”
When the Executioner swung his sword, a blue Force blade formed behind Berserker.
It was the Gift called ‘Guillotine’, which gathered and unleashed the scattered Force from the surrounding air.
Although the world referred to him as an Executioner because it was rumored he enjoyed cutting throats, the real reason was the Gift called Guillotine, a weapon that could penetrate weaknesses.
In their previous battle, he had kept this hidden, ultimate weapon.
As the concealed blade approached the back of the Berserker’s neck, a blue membrane formed.
“Quite ticklish.”
“You, you! How...?”
“You just have to die twice.”
The resistance of the Executioner was meaningless in the face of the Berserker’s relentless attacks. The sword broke, his left hand was severed, and then his right arm flew off. Watching the fallen man, the Berserker wasted no time and swiftly severed his neck.
It was the end of the formidable villain who roamed Chungcheongbuk-do and Jeollabuk-do like they owned the land.
“It’s like a warm-up exercise. It almost seemed like a waste of fuel.”
The Berserker, who was about to step on the fallen man’s head out of habit, stopped. He had to take this to Choi Jun-ho to fulfill the mission he had been given.
He had almost made a big mistake. Dealing with a guy who was already itching for a fight, he could see trouble brewing if he provided an opening for the other in this situation.
The madness that had filled his eyes had disappeared without a trace, and cold sweat was streaming down.
“I almost forgot. I almost died.”
It was a long time before Berserker shook off the goosebumps that had risen all over his body. He was drenched in a cold sweat, but he was relieved that the coolness had saved his life.
Then, he took out his smartphone from his pocket and began to film the interior of the building.
***
The morning after telling the Berserker to stop the Executioner.
I got a flurry of messages from Berserker.
Berserker - It’s all over.
Berserker - I’ve captured the Executioner and the other villains with him.
Berserker - [Attached Photos][Attached Photos][Attached Photos][Attached Photos][Attached Photos][Attached Photos][Attached Photos][Attached Photos][Attached Photos][Attached Photos]
Berserker - I’ll have the executioner’s head embalmed.
Berserker - Let me know if you need anything.
“Is it all taken care of already?”
I told him to stop the Executioner, but he just killed them all.
Did he really rush over as soon as he got the message?
It was a speed so fast that even seeing it with my own eyes, it was hard to believe, and it was a bigger success than expected.
I didn’t even need to do anything; the situation was already over.
First, I went to the office with the news.
“Director.”
“Good morning, what’s going on so early? Weren’t we supposed to leave for Cheonan at 11?”
“Berserker has captured the Executioner.”
“Huh? What?”
My words buffered Jung Ju-ho for a moment.
The information about the Executioner was sent the night before. We had a strategy meeting and delivered it to the Berserker late at night. And now, in the morning, the situation had already ended.
“So, are you saying that Berserker captured the Executioner and killed him?”
“He said he cut off the head and was going to embalm it.”
“Is this the kind of thing that gets solve this fast?”
The Berserker guy did move quickly. It was even surprising to me.
“Anyway, it’s been resolved well, that’s for sure.”
“It is true, but...”
“Why are you like this?”
“Because it’s already been reported above. If the Executioner is dead, we’ll have to explain how it was handled.”
A look of embarrassment crossed Jung Ju-ho’s face. The Executioner case involved other villainous organizations, so he was planning to report it to the higher-ups and ask for more forces.
“Berserker’s identity could be revealed.”
“I’d say it’s 100% going to be revealed. No government organization has moved, and the Executioner is suddenly dead.”
Suddenly, the President’s words came to mind. I roughly understood it, but I didn’t know how it would change things when this fact was revealed.
For now, judging by Jung Ju-ho’s reaction, it didn’t seem like a negative response would come out.
“I think you should meet the Berserker.”
“Me? Why?”
“If Berserker is revealed, you will have to manage it. If we need to coordinate assistance, wouldn’t it be more convenient for you, Director? Or do you want to hand him over to the Foreign Cooperation Agency, or the Monster Defense Frontline Agency?”
“Of course, that won’t do.”
“Then let’s go meet him.”
“Okay.”
At my words, Jung Ju-ho nodded with a somewhat uneasy expression.
***
To meet Berserker, Jung Ju-ho, along with Choi Jun-ho and three NSA hunters, headed to the NSA safe house on the outskirts of Gwangmyeong.
No matter how much the world had changed, Berserker helping the country was quite unexpected. The world was spinning strangely.
Even such an unrealistic phenomenon became reality when they saw Berserker entering the building.
“I’m Jung Ju-ho, Director of National Security Agency. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Berserker Lee Kwang-jin. It’s an honor to meet the head of the National Security Agency.”
At first glance, he seemed like a normal person. His eyes burning with intensity and the enigmatic smile that hung about him didn’t bother anyone too much.
“Thank you for capturing the Executioner. I’m in your debt.”
“Hmm.”
He nodded slightly and said nothing more. If he had any ill feelings, he would have expressed them. Was he actually sane?
Berserker extended a box he had been holding when he entered.
“This is the head of the Executioner.”
He opened it slightly, revealing the face of the Executioner, Woo Joo-wan.
“I’ve confirmed it. Thank you once again.”
“I just did what I was asked to do.”
He consistently used informal language, but oddly enough, it was more comfortable. If Berserker had been polite, he would have been even more suspicious.
He believed this guy was insane.
So he came thinking he was dealing with a crazy person, but it turned out he’s not. That’s confusing.
“Because of this incident, some of your collaboration with the government has been exposed. Are you okay with that?”
“I’ll have to accept it since I acted on my own accord.”
What’s this? Shouldn’t he be causing a scene if he couldn’t accept it?
Jung Ju-ho was perplexed.
The Berserker he knew was the craziest among the crazies.
But why did Berserker feel so normal right now?
Was he the one who had gone crazy? Had he fallen ill with a disease that made the madman seem sane?
The answer that confused Jung Ju-ho was found nearby.
“In exchange, the three agencies, including the NSA, will no longer bother you.”
“That’s good news.”
“Shouldn’t you be happier?”
“Hahaha! Good. Is it settled?”
Yes, it’s Choi Jun-ho, that guy.
The guy who thinned out his own hair and made Cheon Myeong-guk suffer diarrhea.
“What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
The more he looked at that guy, the more he felt like Berserker actually tasted mild.
Ordinary spicy flavors seem mild when one was inhaling capsaicin every day.
‘I’m sorry.’
Jung Ju-ho silently apologized for having identified Berserker as the craziest villain he knew.
***
Most of the hunters belonging to the Republic of Korea were hired for the purpose of maintaining public safety.
Most of them were for defense, capturing villains and defending against monster attacks, but there were also teams that hunt.
However, they could not catch up with the guilds in terms of treatment, so their numbers were not large, and their level was not high.
The government offered many benefits to possess skilled hunting teams, but they lagged behind in every aspect. As a result, there were very few hunting teams that achieved reliable results.
The only advantage was the top priority given to securing hunting grounds.
However, there were many monsters, and there were many hunting grounds.
“Danger Level 7 Black Wyvern has appeared again! I repeat, Danger Level 7 Black Wyvern has appeared!”
The sudden appearance of a variable threw the hunting team into confusion.
This place was where danger Level 5 monsters appeared, but a danger Level 7 monster had revealed itself far from where it should have been.
“Why is the Black Wyvern appearing here?”
“Team Leader, what should we do? There aren’t many hunting teams around.”
“I heard news that the ecosystem has been changing recently, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.”
In the urgent situation, the team leader carefully considered his options.
Calling nearby guild hunting teams to respond might lead to their annihilation.
“I recommend a retreat to the nearby hunting teams and for us to withdraw as well. Then, summon the Transcendent.”
“Yes? But the current Transcendent is still unproven in terms of hunting.”
A young hunter on the same team expressed his discontent.
He was the youngest Transcendent, but he was a half-baked who hadn’t even done any hunting.
To entrust their lives to someone who hadn’t been properly verified in hunts was a risky move.
However, the team leader firmly nodded.
“Reaching Level 8 at that age means there’s talent. Even if he lacks hunting experience, he should be able to handle a monster with a danger level of 7.”
“All right, I understand.”
The young hunter, who was about to object once more, nodded.
“Contact him immediately, and we’ll split into three groups to distract the wyvern. Get moving!”
The next call was sent to the Blue House.
