Chapter 452

'Oh! No wonder I couldn't really sense an S-rank presence even though I was in Seoul.'

Before long, an unimaginable report came through.

That hunter traveled abroad frequently, even for an S-rank. Apparently, this time he had gone overseas and hadn't returned for quite a while, so there had even been an article about it not long ago.

It was only then that I regretted not keeping up with current events more often. Of course, on a planet like Earth, a single day was relatively short. And with the internet so highly developed, I couldn't even begin to describe how quickly the media's attention shifted.

'If every day is like this, how is an old wizard supposed to keep up with the latest trends?'

The archmage raised a hand to the area near his brow, then moved his vocal cords to ask a brief question.

"So, exactly which country is Kang Changho in?"

But the Earthling on the other end of the speaker couldn't give a proper answer to that question either.

Ah, I'm sure I saw the country he left for in an article, but now that you mention it, I can't remember. If I try to think back, I believe it was somewhere with cold weather.

Even if I overlooked the fact that he couldn't specify the exact location, if the weather was cold in the middle of summer, then Kang Changho must have gone somewhere at a latitude quite different from Korea's.

Hunter Kim, I'll go find out properly right away....

The dry Sambagean eyes rolled.

"No. Forget it."

I quickly continued before the person on the other end could waste his effort.

"Anyway, the important thing is that we can't make use of that manpower right away."

Ah, as expected.

But why had he suddenly said something like that?

"Wait a minute. What do you mean by 'as expected' all of a sudden?"

It's just like you to overpower someone of the same S-rank so easily. Everyone else is terrified of an awakened being like that, yet you, Hunter, casually talk about putting him to work as manpower.

"Ah."

Of course, the ex-convict still seemed eager to come crawling back even after losing, but when his opponent was none other than Hunter Kim, what reason did we have to worry?

For a moment, a remark so absurd that I didn't even know where to begin criticizing it came through.

'So it was just an interjection I didn't need to worry about.'

My train of thought continued without difficulty. Thinking it over carefully, even with the help of someone familiar with the underworld, finding the person nicknamed Youth would still be difficult.

'The plan to use Kang Changho has fallen through, and even if it had worked out safely, it probably wouldn't have produced much.'

Anyway, that was the situation for the time being.

There had once been an Asian guild that immediately closed up shop and fled the moment Chairman Spectrum was arrested. At this point, even the name 'Youth' wasn't much of a clue.

Still, with enough effort, even a dead end could open up again.

Tuk.

I switched the call to speaker mode (*a feature I had discovered long ago by pressing random buttons) so I could look through the internet more closely. Then I placed the electronic device a short distance away and stared at the screen.

[Current Affairs Report] Citizens Struggling with a Sense of Deprivation]

[Across various internet sites, movements are emerging demanding an investigation into S-rank Kim...]

[Comment 1: At the very least, why don't you explain why you suddenly retired? Or did you really take a potion and awaken somewhere, just like the Cyber Wrecker channel said?!]

The artificial awakener scandal I'd gotten caught up in by accident.

'Now that I think about it, that's true.'

As I quietly looked over the suspicions being raised by Earth's citizens, a fairly decent idea soon occurred to me.

'Then maybe I should use this opportunity to actually undergo an awakening procedure?'

Coincidentally, there was another S-rank in a neighboring country who was suspected of having awakened artificially. And that particular awakener had dismissed every rumor as baseless, so unlike the illegal practitioners in other countries, none of the circumstances surrounding him had ever been investigated—

'The important thing is that he hasn't attracted the police's attention, so I can approach him without much trouble.'

Thanks to his unique position as an S-rank, I could naturally set my sights on a certain Japanese individual. If the person using the nickname [Youth] had learned how to identify high-grade awakened ones, then rather than chasing after medicine practitioners, interrogating that one person was obviously the better option.

'If that Japanese person really is an artificial awakener, I'll ask who performed the procedure on him, then go visit that establishment myself.'

Good. This was clear enough, and it was the kind of investigation even an alien could reasonably attempt. But before heading straight into the tiger's den, there was one thing I wanted to confirm.

Hunter Kim Gryeo?

I fell into thought for a few seconds, and the Earthling, puzzled by my sudden silence, called out someone's name. I answered immediately.

"Hunter Jeong Haseong."

Yes.

"Well then, first of all, you understand for certain that I'm not an artificial awakener, right?"

Yes, yes.

"And as for the current uproar, I'll deal with it soon enough—either by putting out an official statement or something along those lines..."

What followed was an explanation of the plan going forward.

"Let's end the call here. But before we wrap things up, let me ask you one thing."

Please, go ahead.

"There were often rumors online saying that I retired because I lost my power due to a dungeon curse."

Was that really true?

"No. That has absolutely nothing to do with my situation. But I was thinking... what if I take advantage of that rumor, pretend I've genuinely lost my power, and directly contact a company claiming it can grant awakening abilities?"

Hunter Kim?

But the response I received was unexpectedly dry.

So, in other words, you're saying you'll volunteer to undergo the procedure and personally wipe out the illegal drug suppliers in one sweep?

South Korea's fourth S-rank hadn't fought properly even once since announcing his retirement. And with rumors quietly circulating that the fifth S-rank hunter was some kind of patient, I had intended to make good use of that whole 'washed-up' image.

But I'm really sorry to say this. Honestly, if someone with your image approached them like that, it would feel 100% like a sting operation...

It seemed that approach wouldn't work. The Earthling stated his opinion more firmly than I'd expected.

'I see.'

Well, I understood that this wasn't going to be an easy route.

"Alright. Then let's hang up for now."

Y, yes!

I hurriedly wrapped up the call with Jeong Haseong. As expected, considering all the circumstances involved, it seemed I'd have to think things through a little more carefully before dealing with this matter.

The identity of Kim Gi-ryeo stood out far too much, so I'd probably have to do something about my appearance beforehand. And even if the fifth S-rank who had appeared in Japan really was a forged awakener... getting information out of him would take time as well.

'There are a lot of things I need to worry about.'

It wasn't as though I could obtain information about something as serious as artificial awakening through an SNS direct message. So after some thought, I decided to meet the suspect in person. My soul hadn't lived as a genuine magician for just a day or two, but for an entire lifetime. If I saw him with my own eyes, I'd be able to tell ten times out of ten whether he had been artificially awakened.

***

A weekday morning.

Japan.

"Special discount on our products--"

The streets were bustling today as well. During the period when high-difficulty dungeons had appeared simultaneously near Mount Fuji, the government had even issued a 'safety alert'.

"Hey, they're selling some unusual souvenirs over there. Since we're traveling, should we buy one?"

Thanks to the awakeners' efforts, however, the string of incidents had been resolved, and tourists had begun flocking back.

"Can't you hear me? I said let's go check out the souvenir shop."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go, let's go."

"What are you looking at on your phone that's making you answer so half-heartedly?"

"There was a big report online, so I was just checking it quickly..."

"That article again? I really don't understand this trend of gossiping about another country's S-rank."

As tourists took in the unfamiliar scenery, one particular subject frequently came up in their conversations. The fifth S-rank hunter to recently appear in an East Asian country might not have awakened naturally. Since news outlets around the world had covered the topic, there were now very few citizens who hadn't heard about it.

"Honestly, isn't this just people from other countries being petty and trying to throw cold water on things?"

At the same time, public reactions to the news were divided.

"Anyway, what matters is that the number of S-ranks capable of hunting monsters has increased. What's the point of calling someone who's already awakened a fake?"

Some argued that S-rank awakeners were extremely valuable human resources and shouldn't be condemned so lightly...

"Wow-- this guy's talking nonsense. There's a reason doping has always been banned in sports."

Others argued that if someone who had become an S-rank through abnormal means was allowed to go unpunished, then everyone would begin considering illegal procedures. Moreover, such a social climate could affect public health, meaning restrictions at the national level were only natural.

"Still, no matter how I look at it, something about this bothers me. The person clearly said he never underwent the procedure. So why does the foreign media keep insisting that the hunter should be investigated...?"

Of course, no matter how much powerless citizens debated the issue, nothing would change immediately.

"Besides, I'm an S-rank awakener anyway—what could the investigative authorities possibly do?"

Tring.

The sound rang out from the unfamiliar shop.

'Moreover, from the Japanese government's perspective, now that they've gained such a significant military asset, it's only natural they'd keep quiet rather than stir things up unnecessarily.'

The figure who had been eavesdropping on the tourists' conversation calmly walked out of the self-service store. For reference, this East Asian-looking man was none other than the rumored fifth top-tier S-rank.

"Anyway, life as an S-rank is really convenient."

The media caused an uproar day after day, but in reality, no arrest or investigation had taken place.

And even if the police changed their minds later, from the perspective of an S-rank with extraordinary physical resilience, it would be easy enough to deal with.

Now, even if some fierce, wolf-like glare landed on him in the street, there was no reason to be afraid.

The fifth S-rank hunter leisurely headed home, eating the ice cream he'd bought from the self-service store. Just as he'd thought, once you became a top-tier superhuman, the world became a surprisingly comfortable place to live. Guns were easy to deal with. Dungeon monsters were easy to deal with. And on top of that, that tiresome thing called money could be earned as though it were pouring straight from a faucet—what was there to complain about?

'I regretted it once, but becoming a mutant was still worth it.'

After finishing his ice cream, the fifth S-rank smiled and entered a nearby luxury residence.

[Hello, Hunter!]

Ah. Come to think of it, hearing that just now reminded him—there was still one advantage of being an S-rank hunter that hadn't been mentioned yet.

Chaebols. Celebrities. Sports stars, and so on. In this world, people sometimes admired those blessed with wealth or status, almost as though they were animals incapable of jealousy.

[Hunter, I'm a huge fan!]

So becoming an S-rank made it relatively easy to gain popularity. It meant that 'fans'—something he had never even dreamed of having in his entire life—could appear right in front of him.

But there was one small problem—

"Huh?"

This was just after the fifth S-rank had returned home. He had unlocked the door of his rented apartment with a metal key and had just taken off his expensive shoes to put them away...

Yet someone was speaking from the living room of the apartment that should have been empty.

Naturally, Japan's fifth S-rank was shocked by the sight.

"What the?"

Of course, he knew what a stalker was, but wasn't it far too creepy for someone to open a locked door without leaving a trace and then hide inside his home?

'How the hell did he get in here?'

Startled!

The moment Japan's S-rank hunter realized that an unknown foreigner—at the very least, a white man—was inside his home, he reacted immediately. Without thinking, he grabbed the front door's doorknob again.

Grab!

But he couldn't escape.

Kkiekeek.

Most importantly, the door wouldn't open.

'Damn it! Why the hell is this happening all of a sudden?'

It wasn't simply that the doorknob refused to turn. Some unknown force was strangely pushing back against his strength. The moment he realized that, the fifth S-rank's composure visibly crumbled.

'Damn it, damn it all!'

An ordinary top-tier awakener might have considered smashing through the door with their body as a backup plan.

But the person standing here was an S-rank too.

[Don't do that—let's just talk for a moment.]

Having moved to Japan immediately after awakening, he couldn't afford to choose such an unrealistic solution.

[I told you I'm a fan, so why are you so scared?]

"F**k off! Stop spewing bullshit through a translator—just get away from me, you damn thief!"

So it didn't take him long to settle on another solution. Now driven into a corner, the S-rank Hunter living in Japan launched an attack on the intruder who had broken into his home.

Snap!

He first grabbed the car keys he'd left near the entrance and hurled them forward.

Tak!

The moment the white man in front of him casually caught the car keys, the fifth S-rank took advantage of that brief distraction and lunged forward.

He immediately threw a punch with every intention of dealing a serious blow. Being cornered in the narrow entranceway was putting considerable psychological pressure on him as well. His original plan was to land a hit and then retreat toward the living room.

"Huh?"

But the situation immediately took an absurd turn.

The merciless attack unleashed by the S-rank superhuman froze unnaturally in midair, as though his movement had become trapped in some viscous substance. It was almost as if a thin, colorless wall stood between them.

However, this wasn't the effect of a skill like a barrier or ward—

'Some invisible force is holding my arm.'

Only after his attack had been stopped did he become aware of the force restraining him.

'That superpower user has an ability involving the phenomenon of spatial displacement.'

But did the current situation make any sense?

The fifth S-rank suddenly felt the sweat glands at the back of his neck flare to life. From the moment he awakened, he had possessed body-enhancement skills. The magic of this planet still lacked variety, so that common ability had appeared once again—but superpowers that directly strengthened one's own body naturally provided an advantage in certain forms of combat.

'Then why am I being pushed back?'

Close combat.

All of his energy was concentrated into a localized area. The closer he fought to his opponent, the greater his natural advantage should have been.

'Why am I losing in a contest of force?'

Moreover, psychokinesis—the ability apparently being used against him—had certain characteristics of its own. It demanded intense mental concentration and took considerable time to activate. It was also difficult to focus its force on a single point, which reduced its power.

That was why, under normal circumstances, a psychokinetic user would risk their life if an opponent ever managed to close the distance.

In every respect, the situation was illogical.

The two exchanged glances as a fleeting instant passed between them.

Hair the color of rotten oats. Untidy freckles, and so on.

The bizarre scene continued.

The man who had taken a direct hit from an S-rank's fist to the left eye hadn't moved even an inch.

[As expected, just saying I'm a 'fan' isn't enough to make you overlook this.]