Chapter 219 – First Generation Awakened (1)

“Hmm.”

At Lee Hyunbin’s words, the Director of the Disaster Agency, Shin Chae-ho, tapped his index finger against the armrest of the sofa.

“Well, now. Did something happen?”

Director Shin Chae-ho asked with a benevolent smile.

*Baffling. No, that wasn’t the right word.*

No one had ever stood before him with their head held so high.

Lucky Boy Lee Han-seong was like a knife in one’s pocket.

A presence you could never be sure wouldn’t stab you.

But Lee Hyunbin was different.

He did well on his own, grew well on his own. All Shin Chae-ho had done was pave the way for him. But now, it seemed he’d gotten too big for his britches.

*Fucking bullshit.*

Who else would dare speak that way to him, the Director of the Disaster Agency?

No one.

“I think you know better than anyone what happened, Director.”

“I’m not sure why our dear Hunter Lee is so upset.”

Hyunbin watched the snake of a director maintain his gentle facade.

“I heard you’re raising a Villain.”

“A Villain?”

Director Shin Chae-ho feigned ignorance.

It was a secret that should have been kept, but there was nothing that could be hidden from the man who had become South Korea’s top hunter.

In truth, he hadn’t intended to hide it so desperately anyway.

“Ah, that one. I had a use for him, so I’ve been putting him to work.”

Even a criminal could be used if he was useful.

The Union was also full of figures who were practically criminals. But in an era where S-Rank Hunters were considered national assets, it would be foolish to discard such valuable power.

“Hunter Lee. The world has changed. We are now in an age of survival, a time when we must consider any means necessary to live.”

The world still seemed peaceful. No, to be precise, it was imitating the peace of the past. They were living in an unstable era, never knowing when a Gate might open or when and where monsters might attack.

“It’s foolish to let emotions interfere with work. A temporary investment loss for future profit. A small sacrifice for the greater good. If you calculate with cold, hard numbers, it’s easy to see what the right choice is.”

“So, a criminal who randomly butchered people on the street was actually forced to do so to save others?”

“Yes, you can think of it that way. Hunter Lee, I am Shin Chae-ho. All you need to do is trust and follow me.”

Hearing the director’s benevolent words, the corner of Hyunbin’s mouth curved up.

“Then let me ask. What do you plan to do with that Villain?”

“It’s not time to show my hand yet. Think of your curiosity as a pleasure to be saved for later.”

“So you won’t show a single card, but you call it a ‘greater good’?”

“Earning trust is a difficult thing.”

“It’s about as believable as a mother saying she’ll just ‘hold onto’ your allowance.”

The director tapped his index finger on the armrest again.

The gentle light gradually faded from his face.

“You’ve grown more than I expected. But don’t think that means I’m dependent on you.”

“Far more than *you* expected, I’m sure.”

“I know you’re successful. But it would be wise not to underestimate the power of the state.”

In South Korea, the state’s authority was absolute. No matter how successful a hunter was, they couldn’t dodge a magic bullet.

As long as one didn’t leave the country entirely, the state had the power to bleed them dry.

“That sounds like a threat.”

“Words have a certain temperature. They can sound different depending on how you interpret them.”

Director Shin Chae-ho had no trace of warmth left. His tone was cold and dry. Though he had aged, the predatory glint in his eyes proved his hunter’s instincts hadn’t faded.

“Politics is like a living creature. It cannot be swayed by mere force of arms. Especially for those who walk the righteous path; they can never overcome those who do not. There’s no need to act like a child just because you can’t have your way.”

Director Shin Chae-ho’s voice suddenly feigned warmth again. It was a classic carrot-and-stick tactic.

He saw Hyunbin’s silent reaction and smiled. It seemed a firmer hand was all it took to bring him to his senses.

These young hunters these days mistakenly believe they’ve become something special just because they’re superhumans.

No matter how skilled a soldier is, he is still just a soldier. A cog in the machine, forced to move as the state commands.

Even Lu Bu, the greatest warrior of the Three Kingdoms era, ultimately had to kneel before a stronger power.

“There was someone like you among the first-generation hunters. You know, the ones who claimed to have returned from a survival game of killing each other. Frankly, I don’t care whether such a world truly exists. All that matters is how much ‘patriotism’ they have.”

There was a time when they were just kids suffering from Hyper-reality Syndrome.

Of course, after the Gate disaster began, they were the first to Awaken.

Director Shin Chae-ho had moved quickly to recruit them. In the age of Gates, he felt that the mere existence of the Awakened could be a great source of power. His colleagues had sneered, calling them anachronisms who just swung swords around.

“Think about it. Back then, there were superhumans who could slice cannonballs with swords. If they had wanted to, they could have staged a coup d’état. But did a coup happen? No. There is a natural order to the world. I value talent like yours. So there’s no need for us to fall out over something so trivial.”

Losing Lee Hyunbin would be a waste. There was no guarantee of finding another talent like him in the country.

A little threat, a little sweet-talking, and he would surely come around. But what came next was not what he expected.

“I’ve seen plenty of people like you, Director.”

Hyunbin recalled the nobles he had met in the other world. Foolish individuals with a superiority complex who saw others as nothing more than dolls to be played with.

“You know, people tend to talk a lot when they’re scared.”

Hyunbin said with a smile. The director’s expression hardened like a plaster statue.

“Are you scared, Director?”

“I gave you a chance. You’re the one who threw it away.”

At Director Shin Chae-ho’s words, Hyunbin stood up, smiling.

“The one giving the chances here isn’t you. It’s me.”

Director Shin Chae-ho’s face went rigid. Losing Lee Hyunbin right now was not a good option.

Lieutenant Colonel Baek Hyun-joo. The iron lady who had commanded the military during the Gate crisis and had been the most likely candidate for Director of the Disaster Agency. Fortunately, she had no interest in a desk job and had transferred to the front lines. But recently, she had been making moves to enter the central command.

Of course, the current Director Shin Chae-ho was more than capable of protecting his own position. For now, the majority of hunters were still under his influence.

“I don’t know what Lieutenant Colonel Baek promised you, but nothing happens in this country without going through me. You know that, don’t you?”

“Ah, that’s why I’m planning to retire soon.”

“What?”

Director Shin Chae-ho couldn’t believe his ears.

“I’ll be stepping down from my position as a Special Guarder.”

In truth, such a title meant nothing to Lee Hyunbin anymore.

“And I’m also planning to retire from being a hunter.”

“Haha, I see. So you’re planning to join the Union Hunters. I suppose you think that since you won’t be active domestically, you don’t have to worry about me.”

He had expected this to some extent. And so, Director Shin Chae-ho continued speaking leisurely.

“I hear you’re very close with your team members. Are they planning to go abroad too? What I’m asking is, will they never be coming back to the country?”

The Disaster Agency’s authority within the country was absolute.

Their power was so immense that they could literally arrest an innocent person as a Villain and have them killed. Of course, this information wasn’t publicly known.

Director Shin Chae-ho also knew that Lee Hyunbin had met with Lieutenant Colonel Baek Hyun-joo. Even if she returned to the central command, she was still a long way from being his equal.

He couldn’t touch Lee Hyunbin. But there were plenty of people around him he could.

“Your successor, Seol Ji-hoon, was a Villain, and the person you live with is a minor with whom you share no blood relation. No, I recall there were several fabricated parts in that young housemate’s documents…”

Director Shin Chae-ho said, lacing his fingers together. It was a well-known fact that Lee Hyunbin cherished his people.

“Looks like this conversation has dragged on long enough.”

“It doesn’t matter. We need conversation to clear up misunderstandings.”

Director Shin Chae-ho smiled, thinking he had quelled Lee Hyunbin’s rebellion. He was about to put his gentle mask back on.

“Misunderstanding. There’s nothing to clear up. As a Special Guarder, I will now begin an investigation of the Disaster Agency’s basement.”

“You’re more stubborn than I thought.”

Director Shin Chae-ho’s disappointment turned to boiling rage.

He thought he had made himself perfectly clear, but this was like someone insisting on tasting something to see if it was shit or bean paste.

“Besides, didn’t you say you were stepping down as a Special Guarder?”

Before the power of the state, even the strongest hunter could do nothing alone.

Hyunbin answered with a smile.

“I never said I was a Special Guarder for the Disaster Agency.”

“..?”

“As a member of the newly established Special Task Force, I will be going down to see what’s in the basement.”

Hyunbin showed him a new appointment letter, putting a final, definitive point on their conversation.

***

-We will now be landing at Jeju. Jeju Island. We wish you a safe journey…

The airplane’s announcement came over the speakers. A woman with streaks of gray in her hair, aboard the flight to Jeju Island, took out a pair of sunglasses and put them on.

Jeju Island.

Just a few years ago, this place had been called a hellscape.

Thanks to the Gate defense lines centered around Seoul and the capital region, countermeasures in the provinces were relatively weak. Most of the casualties from Gates in the country were in the rural areas, and Jeju Island, in particular, had become a lawless land where people could not live.

As a result, Jeju Island had become no different from an apocalypse.

But that same Jeju had since transformed into a place people traveled to and from. Though, compared to the past, the airport was still sparsely populated.

Baek Hyun-joo was visiting Jeju Island on a long-overdue vacation.

Her reason for coming here was not simply for tourism.

“Lieutenant Colonel!”

Baek Hyun-joo saw a woman waving at her.

A pretty but prickly aura. Even after several years, her face hadn’t changed.

Baek Hyun-joo smiled and walked over to her, embracing her naturally.

“I told you to call me ‘sis’.”

“Alright, sis.”

“And I’m not a Lieutenant Colonel anymore. I was promoted to Colonel.”

“Wow, we’ll have to celebrate tonight, then?”

“I came all this way on my first vacation in ages. Were you not planning to?”

At Baek Hyun-joo’s words, the mysterious woman giggled.

“Hyun-ah, you really haven’t changed a bit. I’m clearly showing my age.”

“Sis, I’m in my thirties now, you know?”

“Don’t worry, no one would ever guess.”

“You look like you’re in your thirties too. No, your twenties?”

“Hey, are you teasing me? I’ve just entered my forties, you know.”

Becoming a colonel in her early forties was, in a word, a meteoric rise. It was something impossible outside of wartime.

“A meteoric rise and the looks of a thirty-year-old. You really have it all, sis!”

“So, where’s Cheol?”

“That blockhead? Waiting in the car.”

“If he hadn’t come, I would’ve had him shot.”

“That guy really needs a bullet in his brain. I got my hair done today, and you know what? He didn’t even notice. Ugh, seriously.”

Seeing Lee Hyun-ah grumble while wrinkling her nose, Baek Hyun-joo couldn’t help but smile.

She remembered the first time she met Lee Hyun-ah and Kang Cheol.

Monsters poured endlessly from a suddenly formed rift. They had rained artillery on them. Then, a colossal boss monster appeared, trampling over the mangled flesh of other monsters.

The man who had performed the miracle of felling that giant beast, which had been unscathed by cannon fire, was Kang Cheol.

“It’s been a while, Cheol.”

Baek Hyun-joo greeted the bear-like man with a scar on his right cheek.

“It has been a while.”

For his intimidating appearance and build, he had an innocent side to him.

The hero of the first-generation Awakened and a returnee from the survival game.

As far as Colonel Baek Hyun-joo knew, she had just reunited with the strongest man alive.