Chapter 83: |
After the International Transcendent Day event ended, I returned to Korea.
If I were to express my thoughts about the event, it was nothing particularly noteworthy.
It was like being surrounded by a group of complaining, self-praising individuals from various parts of the world, proudly talking about their relentless monster-hunting efforts.
“Oh, right.”
Come to think of it, I had something to present too, but I completely forgot due to Švantner stirring up a quarrel.
The appearance of a monster at level 8 plus held significance. Having glimpsed fragments of the future when I was the Blood Master, I knew to some extent how monsters would evolve in the future.
I should discuss this when I return to the Blue House.
If there’s a harvest from this trip to Japan, it’s that the Japanese prime minister had asked me to increase exports of the Big Bang series.
They proposed ordering more than ten times the quantity than other countries and suggested establishing a joint venture in Japan for production after that. It was a different approach compared to other countries that purchased licenses.
“Given the proximity between Japan and Korea, Japan is willing to endure immediate losses for the greater good of the country, envisioning the bigger picture.”
Currently, countries worldwide are actively pursuing the Big Bang series through licensing acquisitions.
However, the reality was that no product was as efficient as the Big Bang series, which had already captured the market. Japan planned to cover the import quantity while coming out with a joint venture to produce high-quality goods, taking a different strategy.
They claimed that with time, technology would advance to match the efficiency of the Big Bang series.
It was a strategy that a wealthy nation could employ. Since they were neighboring countries, there would be no delivery accidents.
There seemed to be many sharp minds on that side as well.
But why did they ask me instead of Lee Se-hee?
The vice minister awkwardly smiled and told me.
“Team Leader Lee Se-hee is known for being extremely difficult to deal with in negotiations.”
“To what extent?”
“From the perspective of the opposite side, it feels like being in hell. I’ve been through negotiations with her, and it felt like trying to boil water with the pot still on the mountain.”
…Lee Se-hee turned out to be a more intimidating person than I thought.
Thinking back to that time, the Vice Minister, describing the atmosphere as tense, nervously nodded. His reluctance to speak was palpable.
But in my experience with negotiations, I haven’t encountered someone as articulate as Lee Se-hee.
Maybe the Prime Minister thought dealing with me was easier than dealing with Lee Se-hee. Did I seem like an easy target?
I didn’t mind receiving everything I was supposed to.
Anyway, apart from the success in exporting the Big Bang series, there wasn’t much else gained.
I bought the Blu-ray of the anime that Yoon-hee was talking about, and I got the miso stew recipe from James Reed.
But that damn guy deceived me.
“Well, as long as it tasted good.”
The recipe Guillermo passed on was traditional and normal, but when it came to the Nordic style, he mentioned it required time. As for the Mediterranean style, James Reed just loaded it with plenty of Mediterranean clams, calling it a Mediterranean style, and then he set off for the United States.
…If it didn’t taste good, I might have chopped off his head.
This was surprisingly delicious. I should try adding something else next time.
Back in Korea, the next day, after officially reporting, I turned on the location tracking to find that Berserker wasn’t in Yeosu but in Jecheon, near Chungcheong province.
“This guy went elsewhere when I told him to stay still.”
Did he think I can’t catch him?
I need to know how the League tracked him down and what they talked about.
I also need to inform him about the proposal made in Japan. I should also check if there were abnormality with his Complete Immunity.
This fellow kept trying to drift away, but maybe I should take this opportunity to prevent him from going down to Chungcheong Province.
And.
“I need to double-check it once again.”
That was the main purpose.
* * *
After meticulously dealing with the Berserker who he captured in Jecheon, I sprayed a recovery potion.
He was indeed a sturdy fellow.
Considering that if it were someone else, their limbs would have been torn apart by the ferocious attack, he managed to withstand it with only minor injuries.
Observing the wounds that were torn and slashed, healing, I stood in front of him.
“…How on earth did you find me?”
“I have a detection sensor.”
“Damn. Is it a Gift?”
I wouldn’t mind if he thought so.
Before getting beaten by me, he was carefully keeping his smartphone. It was clear he hadn’t noticed yet that I was tracking him with that. If I act like it was because of a Gift, he wouldn’t suspect anything, and I could use it more effectively.
“Why on earth did you come looking for me?”
“There are things to say and things to listen to.”
As I threw another bottle of recovery potion to him, he quickly drank it.
“Let’s talk about the League.”
“It wasn’t a big deal. I was just quietly hanging out, and they managed to find where I was and came.”
Berserker talked about the proposal Shail made. Did these guys also use a location-tracking app like me? It was intriguing how they found out where the Berserker was.
There’s a high probability that it’s because of that guy with many eyes, but I thought there might be other means. While assessing the opponent’s abilities was crucial, continuously escalating without caution might lead to fear.
Other than that, there wasn’t much else that happened.
The debuffer, Shiloh, was briefly well known, but if he died at the hands of Berserker, it meant he was only at that level. In the end, surviving and rising to the top was what made someone a true powerhouse.
“But you shouldn’t underestimate the Three Evils or the Twelve Zodiacs. Especially the Three Evils. They were considered the pinnacle among Transcendent.”
According to Berserker, the Ten Great Transcendent referred to exceptionally powerful Transcendent among those existing in the world, and the Three Evils was said to be one of them.
That strong? But I had never heard of such Transcendent before.
It could be interpreted as there being around ten individuals at the level of Black Hound. This clearly showed how vast the world was, and there were many strong individuals.
“I’ve fought against that dog, and he was pretty strong.”
“Are you talking about Black Hound?”
“Yeah.”
Berserker nodded.
“When did you fight? What were the results? Why are you talking about it now?”
The interrogative tone briefly confused me.
Did I have a reason to tell him?
Well, when talking about a strong person, I guess he could be quite enthusiastic.
“I fought him briefly when they told me I was born to become a villain. He was strong.”
Especially the Gift of Super Regeneration caught my interest. I want to catch him next time, but it wouldn’t be easy.
Those League guys, they really annoyed me.
I could easily take care of them if I knew where their base was.
After suppressing the persistent Berserker, I recalled the words spoken during yesterday’s conversation.
“Did you talk about joining the League because you have plans to?”
“…Even if I go there, I’ll just be used. It might be fun, but I’m not interested.”
“Good thinking. Going to a place filled with crazy people won’t be fun.”
“……”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s nothing.”
Did that disrespectful look just now seem like it was treating me as if I were some kind of lunatic?
The guy averted his eyes as if avoiding my gaze and coughed. The more he did, the more convinced I became, but there was no evidence.
Should I hit him? Let’s do it.
Berserker grabbed his head.
“Why did you hit me?”
“You seemed to have weird thoughts.”
“It would be troublesome if you get the Gift of mind-reading.”
Judging by the way he’s muttering, I was pretty sure he was having rude thoughts again. Should I hit him again?
I explained the proposal of the Japanese Prime Minister to him after a while.
“What?”
“Isn’t the condition acceptable?”
“That Prime Minister, is he crazy?”
The Japanese Prime Minister suddenly received some dreadful insults. It’s fortunate that he didn’t have to hear in person that he was called crazy by someone crazy.
Berserker rejected without much thought. I also knew that he would refuse, so I just moved on. I would have to inform them of the rejection when I went back.
Now, I raised the last question.
“You said the ‘Complete Immunity’ was quite useful?”
“It was very useful. It nullified all debuffs. Without it, it would have been difficult to face Shiloh.”
“Was there anything unusual?”
“There was nothing.”
Different from me.
Berserker noticed and asked.
“Did any problems arise? Any issues when you copied it?”
“Not really.”
When copying a Gift, it’s possible to distinguish whether it’s intact or strange.
The Complete Immunity was properly copied.
If that’s the case, the phenomenon of trying to break through my mental barrier seemed to be unique to me, but I still didn’t understand it.
That crazy guy, Complete Immunity didn’t work at all on him, but only to me?
After thinking about it, I reached one conclusion.
I looked at Berserker with a sympathetic gaze. Poor guy.
“It seems like Complete Immunity gave up on you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It seems like it gave up on restoring your crazy mind.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just live like this for now. Eventually, things will work out.”
“Tell me in detail. Speak!”
I turned my head away with a sigh.
Even ignored by Complete Immunity.
Berserker was beyond salvation.
***
After my return, I reported to the president. He seemed quite pleased with my diplomatic achievements and the recognition of my skills.
The landscape at the Blue House, visited a few days later, had changed significantly. Seeing vitality in the face of Cheon Myeong-guk, it seemed that things were going well these days. Perhaps it was because I handled my duties well.
After exchanging greetings, I visited the newly inaugurated National Front Defense Agency led by Jung Ju-ho.
The establishment of a new agency was praised for appropriately distributing responsibilities between the Security and Defense Departments.
Perhaps the workload had increased.
Jung Ju-ho’s face looked worn out. It seemed like he’s dealing with a lot.
“I should have run away at the beginning! They cursed us both during the parliamentary hearing, so why did they approve of this damn promotion?”
He glared at me suddenly after having a fit.
“It’s all because of you!”
“What did I do?”
If someone saw us, they might think I had tortured Jung Ju-ho. Just because he was competent, work piled up.
Seeing that there was no confusion despite the distribution of duties, Jung Ju-ho’s management skills impressed me.
“We’ll be seeing each other often from now on. Please take care of me.”
“I feel like I age a year every time I see you. Damn it! I should have declared I couldn’t do anything and run during that time, whether the president ordered it or whatever.”
The president would be disappointed if he heard such words.
“If you have time, ask Noh Guk-cheol for a favor. We need to pay attention to national defense since we’re short-staffed. He doesn’t even answer my calls these days.”
The vacant position of the head of the National Security Agency was filled by Noh Guk-cheol, the special team leader. He was a person who strictly adhered to principles.
It’s good when you had him as a subordinate, but when you needed help, he could be incredibly demanding.
“I’m sure they’ll be too stubborn and say no.”
“…I’ve raised tiger cubs. Strangely, they all seem to be grabbing onto my ankle.”
The sighing figure seemed a bit bitter. But he’s not seriously blaming me, right?
“What’s the point of blaming you? It’s all Cheon Myeong-guk’s fault.”
It seemed like there’s something I didn’t know. Seeing the shine on Cheon Myeong-guk’s face and Jung Ju-ho dying one, it seemed like Cheon Myeong-guk did something.
I thought they were really close.
However, Jung Ju-ho, who heard my words, stood up in agitation.
“Da-hyun, control her a bit! I’m dying because of that kid!”
“I’m helping her appropriately.”
But seeing that Jung Da-hyun’s level still hadn’t risen, I began to worry if my teaching skills were lacking.
She had talent and passion, so I didn’t expect her to struggle like this, especially not reaching Level 7 as quickly as I thought.
I casually mentioned a forgotten topic that I intended to present at the International Transcendent Day before Švantner interrupted me.
“Oh, by the way, what I’m about to mention isn’t directly related to your area of responsibility.”
“What is it?”
“If a monster stronger than the current Plus-tier appears, it’ll be chaos, right?”
The monster named level 8 plus was a creature that appeared in a kind of transitional phase.
As the monster’s Force manipulation abilities improve, and it unlocked Gifts, it signified a fundamental change in its level. If it completely surpassed that barrier, a monster unlike any encountered before would emerge.
It’s referred to as a danger level 9 monster. I was not sure if it was named it as Level 9 in my previous life. One thing was certain: it was different from the ones currently classified as danger level 8. I didn’t remember clearly since I was crazy at that time.
With the appearance of Nuri, I was planning to inform that a monster of a higher grade than would emerge.
Before that happened, it would be impossible to find and eliminate it, right?
Jung Ju-ho shivered at my words.
“Even imagining it is terrifying. Don’t even joke about such things.”
“Is it that serious?”
“Yeah. It’s not just chaos; the entire country could be turned upside down.”
I needed to share the information with them as soon as possible to be prepared.
* * *
I compiled a report on the possibility of higher-level monsters appearing beyond the Plus-tier.
Although it’s called a report, the content was very straightforward.
I noted the transitional nature of Plus-tier monsters and the imminent arrival of upper-level monsters adept at using their own power.
After completing the report, I sought out Cheon Myeong-guk.
“Please come in, Transcendent Choi Jun-ho. I thought today would be uneventful.”
“I have something to report.”
Unlike Jung Ju-ho, his face showed signs of vitality. However, as soon as he received and read the report I handed him, his expression began to rapidly darken.
“Is this true?”
“The likelihood is very high.”
Based on what I saw from the future.
“Transcendent Choi Jun-ho, if this report is true, the country needs to reevaluate the overall monster defense strategy. We should also consider adopting a full-scale defense strategy. Honestly, it’s something I’d rather not believe.”
However, Cheon Myeong-guk’s hands were trembling. Anyway, in a place where the country’s capable talents gathered, there would have been discussions about the current Plus-tier monsters.
There would be similar content to what I wrote.
I just stated it more directly and confidently.
“Especially this Level 9 would completely crash the stock market immediately.”
“Maybe it’s better to change the wording.”
“I don’t quite understand. But if this gets publicized, the repercussions could be significant.”
Already, the monster designated as Plus-tier was practically a monster with a trajectory distinct from the Level 8 monsters.
While one might argue that it was on the same continuum, a monster that leapt over a wall was undoubtedly one stage higher.
Changing the name didn’t really alter the danger level of the monster. It’s like the magic of language or something.
Well, I guess I needed to come up with an idea.
“How about going with ‘Double Plus’ then?”
That sounded a bit corny.
It sounded like the name of delicious meat for some reason. However, the danger level and taste of monster meat weren’t necessarily proportional.
Cheon Myeong-guk seemed to admire my naming sense and laughed.
“If the intention was to make the monster seem insignificant, then it’s a success.”
“So, ‘Double plus’ then?”
“That’s not something I can decide on my own. I’ll submit a report.”
Somehow, I was trying to warn about the danger, but it felt like it had turned into a funny incident.
30 minutes after the report was submitted, the president called me.