The Misunderstanding
In the headquarters of Monghwan City's Ghost Countermeasures Division, the man responsible for everything was Division Chief Yu Sobeom.
Though called chief, his actual authority was so high that even the mayor couldn't treat him lightly. In this era, the Ghost Countermeasures Division was an indispensable organization.
Since Yu Sobeom led such a critical division, he had always carried himself with profound dignity. His hair was neatly slicked back, his clothes impeccable. Even in his mid-forties, he maintained excellent physical condition. He believed that by preserving his own image, he upheld the division's reputation and earned the citizens' trust.
But that same man was currently...
"Why are you pacing around so restlessly?"
"...Hmm."
He had been circling the office like a nervous puppy only to be called out by his subordinate.
Lee Ryeonhwa.
Short black hair, petite frame. A woman whose pure, delicate features left a strong impression. As the newest member of the division, she stared wide-eyed at her superior's uncharacteristically anxious behavior—something she had never witnessed before.
"Is something the matter?"
"It's just... I'm worried about the team that left earlier."
"Worried?"
Ryeonhwa tilted her head, unable to understand. Not only had veteran hunter Han Bori gone, but dozens of fully armed agents had been dispatched alongside her. With a slight exaggeration, it was a force capable of dismantling an entire army.
Maybe Senior Bori could take out several tanks all by herself?
It seemed strange that Sobeom would suddenly feel anxious when such powerful individuals had been sent out.
"I don't know either. Why I'm so uneasy like this."
An anxiety he couldn't suppress gnawed at Sobeom. He couldn't pinpoint a clear reason, but his instincts screamed that something was wrong. His intuition had always proven remarkably accurate.
Back in his active days on the front lines, facing off against incomprehensible anomalous beings in life-or-death battles, this very intuition had saved his life dozens of times over.
While that intuition continued its urgent warning—
"T-Team Chief, it's me…."
"Bori?"
Sobeom's expression stiffened. The instability in Han Bori's voice was unmistakable. It meant her superhuman durability had been breached.
"What happened?!"
"E-everyone's been taken out."
"Taken out? You're saying the entire team sent to capture the anomalous being is dead?!"
It was a shocking development that could not be ignored. Even Sobeom, a veteran of countless crises, revealed his agitation. Ryeonhwa, listening from the side, covered her mouth in horror.
"N-no, nobody's dead. They're alive, damn it!"
Not knowing how else to explain the situation, Han Bori spat out a curse.
"Listen carefully. While we were capturing the anomalous being, a new one appeared. It killed the original one, then suddenly provoked us!"
"So you fought and were subdued?"
"Yeah. Our team all passed out just from it looking at them! I couldn't even put up a fight! It was stronger and faster than me. It even had some kind of weird barrier!"
"What?"
Sobeom was dumbfounded. No matter how unusual an anomalous being was, they typically possessed only one or two abilities.
If looking at someone was enough to knock them out, is it telepathy? But if it's physically stronger than Bori, it should be a body reinforcement type. Then what's with the barrier?!
Could it really possess three dangerous abilities at once? This alone was astonishing, yet even worse news followed.
"I even used my trump card, but it blocked it easily."
"...Your trump card? You mean the one you used on that fully titanium anomalous being years ago—the one that blew it to pieces?"
"Yes, that one! It was completely fine after taking the hit! It just stopped it in midair!"
Before losing consciousness completely, Han Bori desperately tried to convey the opponent's threat level.
"In my opinion, that thing seems disaster-level!"
"Are you being serious?"
"I'm dead serious, so please do something! Declare a city-wide emergency and send reinforcements. I can't stay conscious any—"
"Bori!"
Sobeom urged her to continue, but Han Bori's voice had already fallen silent. She had lost consciousness completely, and the call disconnected.
"A disaster-level anomalous being..."
Sobeom muttered weakly.
Disaster-level anomalous being.
It was a term hunters must never utter, even in jest. These were entities that had reached the absolute pinnacle among all anomalous beings—ones capable of confronting an entire nation single-handedly and influencing the whole world. The title was reserved exclusively for such transcendent existences.
"I'll declare an emergency right away!"
Ryeonhwa, who had been watching the situation, spoke in a trembling voice. Believing the matter to be extremely serious, she moved to follow Han Bori's instructions immediately, but Sobeom stopped her.
"Wait! No matter what, it can't be disaster-level."
"B-but something that took out Senior Bori in one strike is in Monghwan City right now!"
"Which is precisely why we cannot declare an emergency."
Sobeom calmly assessed the situation.
"We don't know its exact nature yet, but it deliberately left our people alive. It doesn't seem like the type to engage in pointless slaughter. However, if we declare an emergency, the resulting chaos might excite it and cause it to rampage."
Even ordinary humans became unpredictable when panicked. How much worse would it be for an anomalous being?
"Let's avoid provoking it and focus on locating its position first. We'll need a capable hunter..."
As Sobeom considered his options, he quickly realized the only suitable person available was the one standing right in front of him.
"...Since Bori was defeated, anyone below her level would be useless. With your ability, finding someone should be easy. For now, go search for a plausible candidate."
"Yes!"
Ryeonhwa answered energetically and left the office.
Mu Yeonghui ran and ran.
After putting as much distance as possible between herself and her original location, she soon fell into a deep sense of dejection.
What the hell did I even say back there?
She recalled the recent events—the words she had spoken while fighting Han Bori.
What's an Expert? What's a Master?
It went beyond her words simply being distorted into arrogance. Completely different terms had spilled from her mouth.
Huh? This kid possesses the energy of the Peak Realm?
When she first clashed with Han Bori, Mu Yeonghui had instantly seen through the power the other woman possessed. She had been genuinely impressed to discover that someone on modern Earth wielded internal energy—and at the Peak level, no less.
However...
The energy feels too unstable and sinister. Did she learn something like Demonic Arts? Even if it's powerful, this is an extremely flawed method.
She had wanted to offer advice because the opponent's energy seemed dangerously unstable, but what actually came out was:
Arrogant, presumptuous words.
Did something go wrong with my brain and twist my language? But didn't I ascend to immortality? Does an immortal who discarded their physical body even have a brain?
No matter how much she pondered it, none of it made sense. Not the state of her body, nor the state of the world.
What were that woman and that monster from earlier?
Of the two, Han Bori's power concerned her most. The monster had been at best a first-rate master, but that woman was a Peak Realm expert who would have been respected even in Murim. Even if impure, it was still considerable strength. Why would a person from modern Earth possess such power?
She's probably an external-arts-focused Peak master. Fundamentally Peak level, but when she used body-straining techniques, she temporarily reached the level of a limited Super Peak expert.
That was why Mu Yeonghui had unconsciously mentioned realms, only for them to somehow translate into Western terms.
So Peak becomes Expert, and Super Peak becomes Master level? Even though the words came from my own mouth, I have no idea what standard it's using!
Nothing could have been more absurd than Western terminology suddenly emerging from the mouth of someone who had lived forty years in Murim.
The first person I met right after crossing over was a limited Super Peak expert. Unless I unluckily ran into a particularly strong opponent, it suggests there are quite a few Peak level masters in Korea right now.
She tried to deduce the current state of Korea based on that, but she didn't realize the truth: Han Bori was indeed one of the top-tier hunters in the entire country—a genuinely powerful individual. She had simply been extraordinarily unlucky to encounter such a person right from the start.
Unless martial cultivation methods suddenly spread only in Korea, this must be a worldwide phenomenon. If the overall combat level on Earth has risen, there could be dozens of Profound Realm experts out there?
Even as she considered such terrifying possibilities, Mu Yeonghui soon realized she lacked far too much information.
Information. That's what I need most right now!
Understanding the current situation in Korea was the highest priority.
After a brief moment of thought, Mu Yeonghui decided to gather information from the streets.
There shouldn't be any fighting this time, right? I've put enough distance between myself and those people I fought earlier. As long as I watch my words, nothing should go wrong.
Although her body had transformed into a woman's, she didn't see that as a problem. She assumed people would simply view her as a woman wearing somewhat unusual clothing.
The dress might draw a little attention, but it shouldn't cause any major issues.
Dismissing the matter lightly, Mu Yeonghui stepped onto the street, completely unaware.
She still hadn't looked in a mirror to see her full appearance. She hadn't yet realized that she hadn't simply changed into a woman.
Overlooking the most critical factor of all, she confidently headed toward a bustling district filled with shops of all sizes and several large buildings.