Chapter 83 – Head Hunter

“Magitech Civilization?”

“What does that mean?”

“That’s a peculiar name.”

Everyone who heard the name tilted their head in confusion. However, I simply smiled at their reactions.

‘They might think it’s strange now… but they’ll find out soon enough.’

Compared to my previous life, My Faction was developing to an unimaginable degree. It wasn’t hard to predict that it would bloom brilliantly once more, albeit in a form different from the civilizations of the past world.

Meanwhile.

William’s sailing ship began its slow descent under Choi Yongjin’s guidance. The landing site was Incheon Port. William, seemingly anxious, kept questioning Choi Yongjin.

“Is it really alright to land in the ocean?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you not realize how terrifying the sea monsters are?”

“I told you, there won’t be a single one.”

“This ship is one of the most important vessels in American history… it’s as if only one Turtle Ship remained in the world!”

Since William loved old ships, he couldn’t be unaware of the Turtle Ship despite being American. He had even mentioned that Yi Sun-sin was one of his most respected naval admirals.

“How envious.”

However, Choi Yongjin answered half-heartedly, clearly annoyed by William’s repeated questions.

On the other hand, the Americans weren’t the only ones surprised.

The sailing ship, gracefully cutting through the sky as it descended toward the pier, had something about it that stirred people’s childhood imaginations.

“Mom! Look at that!”

“It looks like something out of a fairy tale.”

“Wasn’t there something like that in a Disney movie?”

Many people in Incheon seemed thrilled to see the sailing ship. Meanwhile, others were performing more practical, in-depth analyses.

“I heard a rumor that it came from the United States?”

“My god… in a wooden sailing ship?”

“Then doesn’t that mean it broke through the Harpy Swarms of the Pacific Ocean?”

“Truly… abilities are amazing, aren’t they?”

They weren’t wrong.

His ability was certainly impressive.

In a way, it was similar to Choi Yongjin’s ‘Vehicle Enhancement’ ability, but it was specialized for the theme of a ‘Sailing Ship.’ By sacrificing versatility, it exhibited stronger mana efficiency.

Because of that, the USS Constitution had been one of our mobile bases that survived almost until the very end.

‘Seeing it like that makes me miss it.’

It felt like only yesterday that everyone had gathered in the captain’s quarters to seriously debate where the safest spot would be.

But in the end… William had sunk along with that ship.

Something about a captain sharing the fate of his ship.

That joke had been his final word. That didn’t mean he had given up on his own life. He was simply a guy who sacrificed himself for everyone else until the very end.

‘I won’t let you go like that this time.’

I comforted myself with those thoughts. It was around the time I was thinking this that I met William again.

“Are you the Lord of the Magitech Civilization?”

He bowed politely toward me.

* * *

I decided not to call him Willy from the start.

First of all, he was currently affiliated with the US Military, and secondly, the William from my previous life always grumbled that ‘Willy’ was a nickname used for young children.

Despite that, he would complain and ask to be called ‘Will’ or ‘Bill’ instead… ironically, that was the reason I decided on the name Willy.

‘Because it’s funny.’

The sight of him complaining, which he didn’t usually do, was one of the rare sources of laughter in a collapsing world.

“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am William Carter, a Brigadier General of the US Navy and Captain of the USS Constitution.”

As he began to speak, the Interpreter Officer standing beside him with a tense expression began to translate into fluent Korean.

I waved my hand to tell the Interpreter Officer it wasn’t necessary and pulled out the Apoin on my smartphone.

“Welcome. I am Seong Siwoo, the leader of the [Magitech Civilization] faction based in Korea.”

When the Apoin naturally began to translate, all of them wore expressions of astonishment.

“W-what is this device?”

This time, there was no need for the Interpreter Officer to translate separately. The Apoin, hearing his voice, began translating immediately.

“It is one of the abilities under My Faction.”

I replied with a smirk to his question.

‘I should take this opportunity to market Apoin a bit…….’

Thinking that, I immediately got to work.

“As long as you have a smartphone, everyone can use it even without telephone base stations.”

At my words, William was utterly shocked.

“I-is that truly possible?!”

“Yes. In addition to text and call functions, it allows for smooth information sharing with the public through a bulletin board feature. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that almost everyone in the Republic of Korea, where the Regular Army has collapsed, is using it.”

“By any chance… might I be able to meet that Ability User?”

“That is not possible.”

I drew a firm line.

William smiled awkwardly, as if he had expected this.

“Then, perhaps we might be allowed to use these functions…….”

“Ah, you may do as you please.”

“Really!”

“Yes.”

William beamed. I also smirked.

‘Since that will be helpful for everyone anyway…….’

Once the United States started using it, perhaps everyone in the world would start using it too. After that, we spoke for a while about the global situation and how the world was turning.

Many of those things were events that even I hadn’t fully grasped.

“Europe is being devastated, is it…….”

“It is something we cannot help, even for us.”

It seemed to be the influence of the Siberian Front. Meanwhile, there was something William wanted to ask me.

“The information I wish to share now is classified as Top Secret to us. If you are willing, could you treat the conversation we have here as if it never happened?”

“Hmm… very well.”

William first disclosed that it was confidential.

I lightly agreed to his request.

‘It probably isn’t anything major anyway…….’

With information from my previous life and even a private Apoin, I was confident I wouldn’t lose in an information war.

However, this time, I too was forced to be surprised.

“By any chance… do you know anything about the [Head Hunter]?”

Head Hunter.

My eyes widened at the mention of that name.

* * *

The Head Hunter… was something believed to have crushed the leadership of the Republic of Korea. Something whose identity was unknown—whether it was a Villain or a Special Entity of some monster.

After crushing the leadership of East Asia, including Korea and Japan, it was an existence that expanded across the globe, assassinating heads of state and key generals of other countries.

I had heard a bit about it from the William of my previous life in a situation where everything was already too late, but I didn’t know the detailed specifics.

‘Right… it’s still the period when the Head Hunter is active.’

From the perspective of the United States, it was understandable they were anxious. Currently, the President and others were alive, but it was a situation where they didn’t know when or how they might be eliminated.

Unfortunately, there was almost nothing I could do to help.

This wasn’t because I didn’t want to help or to protect my own interests… but rather, I simply had no choice in the matter.

‘How can I help if I don’t know anything?’

Therefore… I shook my head at his words.

“Head Hunter? That’s a name I’ve never heard before.”

“The leadership of the current world is being assassinated. By an entity whose exact nature is unknown. That is why it was given such a name. Codename: Head Hunter.”

I nodded.

“It began here in the Republic of Korea.”

“Is that so?”

“Since then, it has passed through Japan and China, and is now active in the Middle East and Europe. However, I believe it is only a matter of time before that thing crosses over into North America.”

As I listened quietly, William sighed in frustration and lowered his head.

“It seems you truly do not know. I understand. If you are able to help… the US government will make sure to compensate you.”

‘Compensation from the US government, huh…….’

I pondered for a moment.

‘Maybe it wouldn’t be bad to make them owe me a favor?’

The US government was currently one of the only governments left functioning properly in the world. Perhaps I could get something useful out of it.

“Then, trusting in that word ‘compensation’… I shall give you a few tips.”

It was the moment I smirked.

Rumble— Clang—

Whoosh—

The surrounding mana shook violently.

An entity revealed itself between William and me. It was the Invisible Gladiator that always escorted me.

The gladiator’s sword was pointing threateningly at William.

“W-what is this?!”

“My escort.”

“S-since when…….”

“He was here from the start. He has been tailing you from behind since the moment you landed, Mr. William.”

“I-I had no idea… could you please put the sword away?”

William was flustered.

I said to him,

“It is rare, but invisibility abilities certainly exist. If used well, it is possible to approach so closely that no one notices, just like this.”

“Against such an enemy, how on earth…….”

“Take this.”

Tiririri—

This time, four small Observation Probes flew into his arms. They were also fellows who had been hiding nearby using the invisibility function.

“These are Observation Probes. By using their ‘Mana Lens’ function, you can see how the mana in the surroundings is moving. You can even observe enemies hiding with invisibility.”

“R-really……?”

I spoke as I transferred the authority to him.

“……!”

“I will hand over the authority. In exchange—”

Gulp—

William swallowed hard.

“I will certainly expect that ‘compensation.’ Also, if you obtain any new information regarding the Head Hunter, I will take that as well.”

I smirked.

The Head Hunter was an existence that might even be a threat to me this time. It was as if I had gained the opportunity to acquire that information in advance.

“I will make the suggestion immediately.”

Along with the four Observation Probes, William immediately returned to the flagship and began contacting via satellite phone.

Next time, he would undoubtedly contact me via Apoin.

* * *

Meanwhile…….

In another direction, on the opposite side of the Earth.

Austria, Europe.

In a dark underground bunker, something was sitting atop the corpses of the Austrian Chancellor and President, tasting their blood.

“He… hehehe…….”

That something laughed creepily.

“They really are nothing. No useful abilities at all.”

It looked at the corpses piled on the floor with pathetic eyes. However, the strange thing was… that voice was clearly Korean.

But it was absolutely not in human form.

Sturdy muscular legs encased in chitin, wings with large claws, and arms split into four directions…….

No matter how you looked at it, it did not look human.

Yet, it was clearly speaking Korean.

“Where should I go next…….”

As it spoke, its pupils were also split horizontally.

“Hmm… France, shall I go try and destroy the Eiffel Tower?”

The thing chuckled unpleasantly.

“While I’m at it, I’ll kill the President too… Ah, does the Netherlands have royalty? The Japanese Imperial Family was nothing special…….”

After continuing to talk to itself—

Whoosh—

“Hehehe…….”

It surged its mana and vanished into the darkness.

The alias of that thing was… Head Hunter.

It was a Villain possessing the [Evolution] Essence.