novelraw Chapter 68
Chapter 68
Chapter 68
Sohwi still didn’t think he’d lose to Yoo Chan-seok. No matter what, Sohwi had once been one of the hotshot Hunters.
Even if that Yoo Chan-seok kid was the Hunter everyone talked about these days...
“You can’t ignore age and experience.”
Of course, the truth was that, in age and experience, Yoo Chan-seok left Sohwi in the dust, but there was no way for Sohwi to know that.
“Damn it.”
Even so, it had been quite a while since he’d done Hunter work. He talked about experience and years in the field, but the honest part of him didn’t want to fight for his life anymore.
Just then, his doorbell rang and he stood up. When he opened the door, men in black suits and sunglasses were standing there.
“Who...?”
“You’re Hunter Sohwi, correct? You need to come with us for a bit.”
At that, Sohwi gave them a look that said this was ridiculous.
“Who are you people? And how did you even know I live here?”
“We can’t say.”
Sohwi’s expression stayed incredulous.
“If you know who I am, you shouldn’t be holding your heads so high like that.”
He’d rested a long time, but he was still a once-famous Hunter. Putting down a bunch of nobodies was nothing.
A massive surge of mana burst from the suited man’s body.
The pressure made the hair on Sohwi’s arms stand up.
“Hunter Sohwi, you need to come with us. We don’t intend to harm you.”
If he fought, he’d lose. He could even die. His long-neglected instincts, dusty from disuse, screamed a warning.
“...”
He had no choice but to go along for now. The men in suits put him into a black car.
“Hunter Sohwi.”
From the driver’s seat, a deep voice spoke.
“Who are you?”
“Don’t ask.”
At that, Sohwi shut his mouth. Something had gone very wrong.
“I watched the video you posted recently.”
Was this really about the video on Yoo Chan-seok? His head spun.
No, even if Yoo Chan-seok was the hotshot Hunter of the moment, did it make sense that something like this happened over a single video?
“No, that was just a trending topic, so I made a quick video and posted it. If there’s something you didn’t like, I’ll edit it. No, I’ll upload an apology.”
“No need. We didn’t come to punish you.”
The driver said that and handed Sohwi something. In a small glass vial, a jet-black gem gleamed.
“This is...”
“You’re going to accept Yoo Chan-seok’s provocation.”
Up to that point, Sohwi didn’t say anything special. He had no intention of tucking his tail and running. The moment he did, he’d become a target for every kind of mockery and jeer.
And the leeches who made that kind of content would rush to post videos tearing him apart.
It was hard to believe his revenue would stay what it used to be.
“But at your current level, you can’t beat Yoo Chan-seok.”
“...I can’t?”
Because his life was on the line, his voice stayed polite, but a quiet anger seeped through.
“Yeah. You’ll probably get smacked around and go down in under thirty minutes.”
“I’m Sohwi.”
The driver snorted at that.
“Right, you cleared eight grade 3 Erosion Cores and took part in two grade 2 Erosion Core eliminations. Fifteen successful supply runs, four successful Erosion Zone defense contracts.”
He rattled off Sohwi’s career, then continued.
“It’s still pathetic compared to his feats. Yoo Chan-seok and Han Sang-ah cleared a grade 1 Erosion Core with just the two of them. Do you really think your resume can compete?”
“He’s still a newbie who only just became a Hunter. Hunters often face opponents stronger than themselves.”
You could make up the difference with career and experience. At that, the driver replied,
“Maybe you can talk smooth because you make your money off videos. But you will lose.”
Before Sohwi could object, the vial whisked through the air toward him. He caught it without thinking. The black gleam inside pulled at his eyes.
“When the moment comes where you think you have to use it, shove it into your body without hesitation.”
“How do you expect me to do that when I don’t even know what it is?!”
The man answered,
“Power. You’re going to accept Yoo Chan-seok’s provocation. And if you win, have you thought about what happens?”
Yoo Chan-seok’s fame would snuff out like a candle in a storm, and all the glory he’d piled up would become Sohwi’s. At that thought, Sohwi couldn’t help looking again at the vial in his hand.
“Are you saying this really gives me the power to overwhelm Yoo Chan-seok?”
“We’re done here. Get out.”
Instead of answering, the driver gave an order. Sohwi practically got dragged out of the car. Watching the black car pull away, he looked down at the vial in his hand.
While he stood there frowning at the vial, the driver was talking with his aides.
“Chief, if that Sohwi guy uses the crystal, can he really beat Yoo Chan-seok?”
Only a very small group knew about the recently secured black gem. If you implanted it and survived the process, it granted tremendous power. It was a treasure of a thing.
“Of course not.”
The driver answered flatly and yawned.
“But the crystal we gave that Hunter, Sohwi, was a pretty high-grade piece.”
“Right. Because it’s worth it. The order came from the top.”
If Sohwi used the crystal, people would witness something spectacular right before their eyes.
“Right now the Korean government needs two things. A hero and a threat.”
As for the hero… they didn’t like him, but the higher-ups judged that Yoo Chan-seok could fill that role.
What remained was a threat that would smother public discontent from bad economic indicators and a worsening livelihood, and rally the people.
“Korea became safe. Too safe.”
The government was using the threat of Erosion Zones to dampen complaints, and it was suppressing public anxiety with the narrative that Korea was the one safe nation.
But citizens were getting numb to the danger of monsters. It was time to stage something that would make them feel threatened again.
“According to clinical trials, if that Hunter, Sohwi, uses the crystal, he will go berserk within thirty minutes.”
Then people would watch his rampage live. A fresh sense of crisis would follow.
As a bonus, they’d collect more data on the crystal.
“Can Yoo Chan-seok handle it?”
“The leader of Mugunghwa Team One will be standing nearby to prepare for contingencies.”
The contract was already signed.
“That crystal... we got data from the Descendants of Dangun. Is this really okay?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? It just means Korea pulls ahead again.”
They had laid the groundwork with the first Hunters, then smooth responses after that.
They’d poured in massive investment to accelerate Hunter training, employed aggressive strategies, and became a nation with global dominance.
And with this crystal, Korea that was always in front, would once again widen the gap evne more.
“Let’s go. We’ve got work.”
* * *
A few days later, I checked on Jung Oh-hoon in the training room, where he was pricking eggs with a needle.
“Woah, you’re getting the hang of it now.”
He answered,
“Compared to Han Sang-ah, I’ve still got a long way to go.”
“That’s true.”
But at this level, he needed to start a different training. Needle-pricking eggs to control minute force was top priority for Han Sang-ah, but not for Jung Oh-hoon.
When I told him my thoughts, he mulled it over and then said,
“So, if I want to keep doing this, I can just carve out my own time and continue, right?”
“That’s the idea.”
But I’d bet you won’t have any time to spare on egg-pricking anymore.
From now on, he needed to bring unconscious actions into conscious control and climb to a realm where he could predict an opponent’s movements.
“You’re going to be spending a ton of time with me.”
“If it’s all the same, I’d rather spend it with Han Sang-ah.”
I snorted.
“Han Sang-ah isn’t at the level where she can teach anyone yet.”
From behind came a sharp crack. The wooden sword in Han Sang-ah’s hands had snapped.
“Even if you’re mad, hold it in. I’m just stating facts.”
“I’m not mad. I’m frustrated.”
I’m sure you are. I wouldn’t be able to focus on her for a while anyway. She did fine left alone, so it wouldn’t be a problem.
“Grab your gun. Starting today, you and I are going to die together in training.”
It was an intensive training period. A few days later, with pitch-black circles under his eyes, Jung Oh-hoon looked at me and said,
“Chan-seok, what kind of monster are you?”
“You’re really going to call a perfectly normal person a monster? Mr. Jung, on your feet now. You want another beating?”
He sprang up with a strangled roar. He shook all over like a just-born gazelle. It was hilarious.
“Is this funny?”
“Very funny. What are you, a newborn?”
He clenched his teeth and glared at me.
“You satan. Sang-ah, go get some holy water! If we splash it on his face, he’ll probably smoke and scream!”
Han Sang-ah didn’t get his fancy phrasing.
“Monsters can’t operate outside the Erosion Zone.”
“Damn it, there isn’t a single normal person here!”
“You’re included, Mr. Jung.”
He’d been pummeled nonstop for three days and could still flap his mouth.
“Ah, lunch is here.”
The bell rang. Han Sang-ah stood, opened the door, and took the delivery. Fried chicken and white rice, with a soybean paste stew that had loin in it.
“...”
Jung Oh-hoon, who hadn’t had a grain of rice or a sip of water in three days, stared at her with wounded eyes.
“Would it kill you to eat outside at least?”
She answered calmly,
“You can’t eat anyway. Don’t worry about my meals. Coveting what you can’t have is a waste.”
“I know that!”
At first, he had tried hard to flirt with her, but he’d given up. Her brutally intense my-pace attitude wore him down.
She didn’t care much about other people, and she assumed it was natural for others not to care about her. If positions were reversed, she wouldn’t have cared about his lunch either.
“Is your gaze going to stay over there?”
With a thwack, the haft of the spear in my hand snapped up his chin. And truth be told, I wasn’t eating or drinking either while I trained him.
“Ghk.”
So it went. I beat Jung Oh-hoon senseless, Han Sang-ah ate and scrolled on her phone.
“A Hunter named Sohwi posted another video. He accepted your challenge.”
I batted aside the bullets he fired and answered,
“Really? That’s a surprise.”
Among all the loudmouths, the ones who actually followed through were rare. We’d need to set the place and time, and line up cooperation.
“Want to add ads while we’re at it? You look busy. If we split the ad revenue, I’ll handle all the prep.”
I looked at her after hearing her offer.
“If you’re planning to leverage the Geumyang Group to set that up, your brother and sister won’t like it.”
“Does that matter?”
When she put it like that, I had nothing to say. In any case, I needed to focus on Jung Oh-hoon’s training right now anyway.
“Do me a favor then.”
She nodded and went back to her meal.