Chapter 76: |
The battle against Berserker was quite intense.
I didn’t understand why he’s being so stubborn.
Even so, he ended up defeated in front of me.
“Ugh.”
The guy groaned, his left shoulder twisted, and his right arm bent in a bizarre direction. Despite the legs appearing intact, projectiles had hit him several times, reducing the bones to complete powder.
It’s not like I had a hobby of tormenting others. His resistance was just that fierce.
Faster, stronger, and tougher than before.
Berserker, pretending otherwise, was diligently training. The movement of muscles, the skill in utilizing Force, and the readiness directed towards me revealed his peak condition.
Especially in this recent duel. He had been putting in all his effort to face me. Every move was optimized to counter my attacks.
It seemed like he really wanted to kill me.
Quite a persistent guy.
Well, despite that, he was a bit challenging for me. Ironically, after suppressing him several times, handling him became somewhat easier.
Could the words ‘comfortable’ and ‘challenging’ coexist? It was ambiguous, but that was my feeling about facing Berserker.
I kicked Berserker’s shoulder lightly.
“Hey, stop exaggerating and get up.”
“Urgh! Kekeke! Is this the end for me?”
He said, gasping for breath.
To an observer, it might seem like he’s about to die soon.
And saying lines like this made me look like a villain.
“It’s not the end. You won’t die.”
“I’m not afraid of death, but now that it’s ending like this, it feels pathetic. There are more advanced devices waiting for me…”
He kept talking about various electronic devices I couldn’t understand.
I wondered how someone roaming the outskirts of the city was more tech-savvy than me.
It’s not that I didn’t care for the stuff; this guy was just strange.
“More importantly, aren’t you listening to me?”
“Kill me.”
At this point, it seemed like he’s doing this on purpose, right?
If he wouldn’t listen, I had to make him listen.
I put my foot on his broken shoulder and leaned in.
“Listen a bit.”
“Kraaah!”
The screams from the guy began to subside. Seeing the strength leaving his eyes, it seemed he was ready to listen.
“What did I do wrong to you, exactly?”
“I think it’s a sin to possess such a tempting treasure.”
“A villain who died in my hands not long ago said that line.”
“Am I the villain?”
“Kraah! Please, just kill me!”
Stepping on his shoulder again, his struggles intensified.
“The Complete Immunity is honestly amazing, isn’t it? You got it with my help. So, I’ll take my share.”
“Hehe. What a fresh, crazy idea.”
“Regardless of how you feel, you don’t have a choice. I plan to take the Complete Immunity with me. And there’s a misconception you have; I have no intention of killing you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Berserker’s eyes widened.
That’s why he should have been more cautious. The moment he saw me, he rushed in with a scream, resulting in ending up in such a situation.
I sprinkled a recovery potion on his body and said, “To copy the Gift, I don’t necessarily have to crush the heart. I just need the blood from the heart.”
“Well, then…”
“But, there’s a problem.”
I could see the hope in his face, but there was one serious problem.
I had never done it before.
“I’ve never taken a gift without killing. So it’s going to take me a few tries to copy your Gift without killing you.”
“You, you wouldn’t…”
“Cooperate a bit. I won’t kill you. Trust in your vitality. I believe in it. Fighting!”
…Maybe?
With a face tinted blue, Berserker shouted.
“I’d rather you kill me!”
But I wasn’t really trying to kill him, though?
* * *
I had three methods prepared to copy the Gift without killing Berserker.
And just now, two of them ended up in failure.
“It seems this isn’t it either.”
“Kuh!”
I wiped the blood off my hands, and Berserker spat out blood.
“Hey, are you alive? Can you hold on?”
“…Just kill me.”
“Stop being dramatic. Take a break for a moment.”
“……”
At first, I used tools. I tried using a syringe, but the problem was that the Gift information didn’t register as the blood reached my hand through the needle due to contamination.
Too bad. If this method had worked, it would have been easy to identify various Gifts.
It seemed that I had to directly smear the blood on my hand for the Gift information to register. I tried pulling out the syringe to catch the splatter of blood, but that, too, was a failure.
The next method was to directly take the blood from a place slightly away from the heart. Information about Complete Immunity began to register, but it wasn’t perfect.
In the end, it meant that I had to get the blood closest to the heart in my hands.
The ways of the world are not easy, indeed.
Five minutes passed.
I looked at Berserker, who had somewhat recovered, and said,
“Let’s finish this in one go.”
“……”
“It’s okay, you won’t die. Just trust my hands, okay?”
“…Just kill me.”
Even after saying what I said, there’s no sign of trust. Sigh, the pain of two mistakes must be really hard to bear.
Still, I couldn’t just kill him.
Berserker was a useful companion for me. He’s handy to call upon when needed. He could help with leveling up Jung Da-hyun, and when I want to quietly handle things on the outskirts, he’s a very reliable option.
So, try not to die, Berserker!
“Are you worried? Don’t be too distressed about it.”
This was sincere.
Even if I needed the Complete Immunity, there’s no need to kill the guy.
I just had to get the blood that was absolutely necessary. It’s the first attempt, but I was confident would pull it off.
“Stay still.”
My hands dug into the Berserker’s chest. I dug into his muscles like they were tofu and wrapped my hand around his heart. The beating resembled the desperate flailing of a fish, and I felt my hand stain with his blood. He was screaming at me to kill him, but his heart was still beating. He’s alive and well. This should be enough.
I carefully withdrew my hand from his chest.
Blood spurted from the pierced chest. I opened three bottles of recovery potion and poured them all at once. I was spending a hundred million like this for this worrying guy.
“Kkuu!”
Listening to the sound of the Berserker recovering, I shifted my gaze to my hand.
“I hope it succeeds this time.”
Surely, Blood Absorption didn’t require the death of the opponent to be completed, right?
I consumed the blood on my hands. The information of Complete Immunity recorded in the blood started to be interpreted. This method was correct. Complete Immunity was copied and engraved into me as a fitting Gift. Without adding anything new, I deleted the existing gift, ‘Force Fusion’.
In that spot, Complete Immunity replaced it, and a sharp headache attacked. Like being prodded in the head with a needle, a series of pains followed, but I endured it.
Furrowing my brow, I carefully felt the form of Complete Immunity being engraved on my head. The Gift was successfully copied. Everything seemed fine. After several attempts, the legendary Gift had finally come into my hands.
“Good.”
It was a Gift I couldn’t obtain even when I was the Blood Master. Even if the Blood Master was in front of me now, I could tear him apart.
For a moment, reveling in triumph, I turned my gaze to the fallen Berserker.
“Are you alive? You’re alive.”
His pierced chest had been skillfully sutured, and he was breathing evenly. He was one tough individual, though his expression contorted in pain with each breath.
“It’s all over. Thanks for the Gift.”
“…Just kill me.”
“Hey, you’re alive, you know?”
“…Kill me.”
“Well, this is something.”
I said I was not going to kill him.
But looking at the fallen Berserker, it felt a bit pitiful.
Still, he was a villain notorious enough to make even the government tremble.
Did I go too far?
* * *
It took a while for Berserker to come to his senses. I did mess with his heart a bit, but there seemed to be no serious damage. This was a good way to obtain a Gift without killing.
I hadn’t intended to kill him from the start.
I intended to test how strong he had become and then just copy the Gift without causing harm.
Of course, it wasn’t entirely free.
I had prepared a gift in return for taking the legendary Gift.
I handed him a dagger while touching the wound on his chest.
“What’s this?”
“A dagger made from the bone of Nuri.”
“What?”
“It’s a culmination of the abilities of the Sacred Group. Perhaps among the existing blades, it belongs to the toughest category?”
The guy did use a great sword, but since the amount needed to make one was overwhelming, I gave him a self-defense dagger. It’s a fantastic cost-saving measure.
Even if it’s just a dagger, it could become a weapon of slaughter.
“Did you really think I’d come all the way to Yeosu to get a Gift for free?”
“……”
This guy didn’t seem to agree.
It seemed like he expected that I would just take the Gift. Somehow, he gave off the vibe of not being able to trust others.
Lately, it feels like there were a lot of people who just didn’t believe what I say.
Anyway, I had achieved my goal here and decided to bid farewell to the Berserker and head back.
“Please go. Go quickly.”
…He seemed to like that idea a bit too much.
“Anyway, use it well. And you’ve become quite strong. But it won’t work on me.”
Not now. Not ever.
Finished with my business there, I headed back to Seoul.
* * *
After returning to Seoul, I went straight home. I would change my clothes and have a meal, then I planned to check on Complete Immunity.
When I opened the door and entered, I saw Yoon-hee, who seemed to have become one with the sofa.
Was this guy really training hard in Gift cultivation?
“How’s the Gift training going?”
“Me? I’m working hard. Wait! Don’t come any closer!”
“What’s wrong?”
Yoon-hee, who had suddenly stood up, regarded me with narrowed eyes, on guard.
“The way you’re looking at me is not pleasant. Were you thinking about how to make things harder for me?”
“No.”
What a ghost.
Despite my denial, Yoon-hee jumped in surprise.
“I work really hard every day, you know? I’m practically giving off a burnt smell from how hard I’m working! So, don’t even think about training me more. I’ve already been advised about the lack of rest. They say I need proper management! And…”
Yoon-hee stopped talking, and her eyes suddenly became sharp.
“I told you not to tell Mom about my fangirling, didn’t I?”
“Did you get in trouble?”
“I seriously considered bringing a knife while training. Do you have any idea how furious she was? Huh?”
“Seems like you’re in quite a mess.”
“Yes, yes, thanks to some internal whistleblower. I got seriously messed up. Do you want me to say it out loud and get even angrier?”
I took a step back as she fumbled around, looking for something to hold in her hands.
If she’s going to do it, she’s really going to do it.
Unable to find anything suitable, she sighed deeply and sat on the sofa.
“By the way, I heard the director of the National Security Agency will become the head of the newly established National Front Defense Agency this time? Did he say anything to you?”
“No, he didn’t.”
“Really? There’s a hearing tomorrow.”
“He’s good at handling things on his own. I can comfortably watch from the sidelines.”
“Well, with my brother around, it would be chaotic. Everyone would run away, right?”
“How do you see me?”
“All muscles and no brain?”
…Considering how well she teased others, it seemed like I could train her even harder.
When Yoon-hee’s eyes met mine, she shivered and turned her head to fix her gaze on the TV.
It’s getting harder to find a gap.
Deciding to seize the opportunity soon and contribute to Yoon-hee’s Gift development, I went into the room, changed clothes, and prepared a meal.
I heard about the issue with Jung Ju-ho from Lee Se-hee, but it should pass without much trouble. There were no personal flaws, and our relationship was quite smooth.
Jung Ju-ho’s integrity, having never committed any misconduct during his long career as a public servant, was at the highest level.
“Should I go too?”
I thought about it, but since Jung Ju-ho didn’t have any special requests, I decided to trust and observe.
Just as I was about to send a brief message of support and leave, she said.
“By the way, didn’t Oppa say you’re going to Tokyo soon?”
“Yeah, why?”
“There’s a guy named Guillermo in Mexico; if you see him, make him into a clay pot!”
“Why?”
“He publicly accused Oppa of lying about hunting Nuri alone.”
“It’s possible that he really thinks that way.”
“If they keep quiet, it’s fine, but if they start trouble, just kill them! Why do weak people like them cause a fuss?”
“Got it.”
If they come looking for a place to die, just kill them.
I made my way to the National Security Agency and entered the private training room.
Having acquired Complete Immunity, I planned to unlock the Gift.
The gift is named Complete Immunity because it treated all the strange phenomena in the world, both on the surface and behind the scenes, as poison and releases them.
It was first discovered in China, hence the name. In the West, it came to be known as the Power of the Sun, as it was considered similar to the ring and abilities possessed by Lancelot.
In an era overflowing with all kinds of Gifts and monsters, it was a necessary Gift to repel any abnormal conditions.
The only drawback was that it could only be applied to oneself.
“Shall we give it a try?”
I activated the Complete Immunity.
The unlocked Gift swiftly passed through my body. It felt as if a cool breeze was gently drying my damp body, leaving it pleasantly smooth. This refreshing wind begab to scan the presence or absence of any ‘poison’ within me.
At first, it was the physical body. Finding nothing unusual, it moved on to the Force. There was also nothing abnormal with the Force.
The last area Complete Immunity reached was the realm of the mind.
Here, I was confident. Since I returned to the past while regaining my sanity, there should be no problems, and this would pass through smoothly…
Tick! Tick! Tidik!
However, an unusual current began to emerge.
The energy of Complete Immunity, which had been vigorously fluctuating, began to rush towards my mental barrier.
I couldn’t hide my confusion.
What was this? Was there something wrong with my mind?
Clearly, the personality of the Blood Master had disappeared, and I regained normal thinking.
I was living in a society without any discomfort.
But why?
As if proving why Complete Immunity was called a legendary Gift, it forcibly pierced through my sturdy mental barrier, and a strand of something invaded my mind.
Then, strange emotions washed over me.
Affection towards family.
Mercy towards the weak.
Love towards reason.
Mercy towards enemies.
Justice towards the world.
Why did these useless thoughts come up?
…Complete Immunity might not be all-powerful, it seemed.
I strengthened my mental barrier to block the currents of Complete Immunity trying to penetrate. As a result, the fragmented emotions that had come to mind quickly dissipated.
A bizarre situation unfolded where my own Gift was blocking the flow of Complete Immunity. To understand the current situation, I pondered.
Could it be that the consciousness of the Blood Master still lingered?
Complete Immunity wouldn’t judge my sane mind as abnormal.
Yes, because it was normal.
I used my Force to counter the flow of Complete Immunity.
Even until the moment of disappearance, Complete Immunity tried to penetrate my mental barrier. It was as if it was proclaiming that something was wrong with my mind.
Treating the owner of the Gift as someone not in their right mind?
“Recently, the Gifts have been acting a bit scatterbrained.”
I began educating Complete Immunity that its owner was normal.
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