How to Quell the Sandstorm (2)
I'd half-expected Ramirez to be some hotshot hunter, so his name dropping out of nowhere wasn't that shocking.
But I hadn't figured he'd be a global heavyweight. Still, it wasn't like I was floored or anything...
Yeah, I was floored.
No matter how I sliced it, I was totally floored.
Teika Cooper—the guy who'd claim the title of America's top hunter in just four years—was standing right here. My head was already throbbing.
━Is he really that big a deal?
'If word got out he's vanished, the US would issue an official statement and turn it into a national incident. And if kidnapping was the suspected cause? They'd pull out the nuclear option.'
A hunter like Teika Cooper wasn't just an individual anymore. He was a national asset. So why the hell was America's golden boy—future golden boy—here of all places?
[Asking why he's here... nah, that's not the right question. You said you came for Evrika, right?]
[Yeah.]
Suddenly, yesterday's words from Ramirez—no, Teika—flashed back.
[You got pissed that no one cared and came all this way? Kept it secret from everyone around you, obviously.]
Calling Teika a national asset wasn't a lie. Deploying him here would've required international negotiations. Australia sure as hell wasn't in a position to officially request him from the States.
This was Teika's solo act.
He'd exploited Australia's laughably lax hunter entry protocols and just barged in.
A disaster for both America and me, in every sense.
I stared at Teika Cooper. Same age as me, huh? Twenty-one now. Nothing but a kid's hot-blooded impulse to explain it. No thought for the fallout—just dive in headfirst.
Impressive. Truly impressive.
[You didn't just sneak off without a word, right?]
[Uh, well, I told my buddy I'd crash at his place...]
[And they bought that?]
[Eh, no. My agency's pretty over-the-top. They probably know by now.]
Teika's fame owed a lot to his agency's hype machine—at least in Korea. His agent was Korean-American, pumping out videos like "America's Top Hunter, Raised by Korea!" Pure national pride bait.
Bottom line: Teika being here was a problem.
[Sigh...]
Headache on multiple levels.
[Even so, did you really have to come all this way like this?]
[But I couldn't just sit on it! If Evrika breaks through the barrier, Australia's done for!]
Hmm, fair point. Leaving Evrika unchecked would've doomed Australia. It had collapsed flat-out a few years later in my previous timeline anyway.
But flying here from the States? Kid wasn't exactly playing with a full deck.
[You said recon could pinpoint Evrika's location. Just tell me that, and I'll head out. Won't be any more trouble.]
That was the crux.
[You think you can take Evrika solo?]
Teika wouldn't die here—of course not, not in the past or now. But succeeding against Evrika? Totally different story. His main talent was gravity.
Undoubtedly devastating and destructive, but useless for piercing this sandstorm.
[Even if we point you the way, lose direction mid-storm and you're toast.]
Teika gave an awkward grin at my words.
[Yeah, but...]
Flailing around like that, he'd burn through mana before even spotting Evrika.
In the past, he'd rushed in without prep and failed, no doubt.
A guy who'd never tasted failure his whole life—hence the lack of any real plan.
[You're on your own, Cooper. No dice.]
[Th-then, maybe you could help...]
He eyed me cautiously as he said it. I rubbed my chin. Help him?
My goal was stopping this world's end, sure—but not by dying on some reckless stunt.
A monster that summoned sandstorms like this.
Estimated top-tier. The extreme danger rating came from collateral damage, so it might not be that strong up close. Still, no ordinary foe.
Plus, I had zero intel on Evrika in my head. What if it was stronger than expected?
Game over, no question.
One life only.
And helping him netted me squat anyway. My real identity? South Korea's villain, mastermind, whatever.
What good was cozying up to America's top hunter?
Not thrilled, all things considered.
I fixed Teika with a long stare.
Some say ranking hunters—whose talents vary wildly—is pointless. But if you had to pick humanity's most destructive powerhouse? Teika Cooper.
[I'll help. But on one condition.]
I wanted to test-drive him.
The man who'd later hit 9-star and claim the title of strongest.
* * *
Despite my rather forceful condition—that he follow my orders to the letter in combat—Teika accepted without hesitation.
Even handed over all the loot. Made sense for a guy swimming in cash, but ceding top-tier monster drops so readily? Jaw-dropping magnanimity.
Then again, that explained him coming here unpaid to hunt monsters.
And so, we pressed on toward the real Evrika takedown.
Han Seohyun, hearing the news, wasn't thrilled.
"So this guy's America's strongest hunter?"
At my explanation, he narrowed his eyes at Teika. Feeling the glare, Teika flashed an awkward smile our way.
Waving hello like we were old pals. Absurd.
"What's the upside of dragging him along?"
"He doesn't know who we are, so it's fine. Plus, ditching him solo feels iffy."
"Can't we just bail? He's strong, right? He'll survive somehow."
"Screw up, and America's in jeopardy. Besides, look at him—he's a good guy at heart. Keeping him alive benefits the world more the longer he sticks around."
And it wasn't like we gained nothing.
Identity busted, Teika unleashed his talent full-throttle. And damn, was it something.
A vulture-like monster charging us slammed into the ground before two steps. Done. Just blood splatter and scattered feathers marking its existence.
Every monster was the same.
Once Teika stepped up, we had nothing to do.
[Ah, not the prettiest sight! Still working on the fine control.]
His innocent grin made it creepier. No malice, but that talent was straight-up dangerous.
He applied gravity to whole areas—no distinguishing friend from foe. Hence preemptive blasts on every monster sighting, making joint attacks a nightmare.
Makes sense—early days, no grasp of "focal points" yet.
Word was, in his initial hunter phase, he could only isolate space and overload it with gravity. No teamwork possible.
Hmm.
Might as well drop a tip since we're here.
Lunchtime anyway. I handed Seohyun food duty and beckoned Teika over.
[What does it feel like when you use your power?]
[Huh?]
His eyes went wide. Twenty-one going on eleven—pure innocence.
Before the reveal, he'd nailed the stoic hunter act. Now relaxed, the cuteness dialed up.
━Eyes so adorable, wanna poke 'em out.
Sadly, our side wasn't charmed.
Sunglasses off, those eyes were too pretty—sapphire irises, glowing yellow pupils. No wonder the "Apollo" nickname; sun god vibes.
Anyway, to the point: I wanted to tweak how he wielded it.
[How? I just... smash the space in front of me, like squashing it flat.]
[Very intuitive.]
His talent activation was pure instinct. Right after awakening, it feels like that—a new limb sprouting. Swinging it wildly feels epic.
But settling for that caps your potential. Gotta finesse it: chopsticks, handwriting, the works.
Teika's flaw was obvious.
[Zero finesse.]
[Oof!]
Hit a nerve? But it was amateur-hour control.
[You pick a rough area and dump mana blindly.]
Yep. Brute-forcing space. Not true gravity mastery.
[Just crushing is one-dimensional.]
[I know, but... isn't gravity about messing with weight?]
He didn't grasp his power yet.
Gravity's key: the focal point.
I scooped sand into my hand, levitated it with wind. Tricky with flowing air, but nailed it.
Not showing off—just an example.
[Gravity pulls downward on Earth because the focal point's at its core.]
A focal point bloomed at the sand sphere's center. I reshaped it into a cube.
[Gravity needs a focal point—it's the 'pull' toward that center. Your method assumes it's underground.]
Hence monsters slamming down.
[Can't change Earth's core. But your talent? Focal points anywhere you want.]
Teika blinked.
[Oh.]
People assume gravity's unidirectional. On Earth, it feels like gospel—things fall down.
But with arbitrary focal points? Redirect at will.
[Never thought of that.]
[Master focal points, and gravity's your plaything.]
[Hmm!]
[Ever wondered why it's gravity, not telekinesis?]
[Huh?]
[Gravity acts between masses. Earth pulls us because its mass dwarfs ours. So why gravity over telekinesis for you?]