I Killed the Secretary of Defense?!
At the catastrophe unfolding before him, Brigadier General Frankie's eyes went wide.
"K-Kim?!"
Instinct made him reach for the guard detail before he caught himself. What Dohyun had said just moments before flashed through his mind.
Kim would never do something like that without a reason.
He didn't know whether Dohyun was a Xenosider or not. But what did that matter? Even if Dohyun really was one, it would have been an act carried out in accordance with his righteous sense of mission. A true hero—a genuinely great one—different from the fake heroes Brigadier General Frankie had watched come and go all these years.
That was who Kim Dohyun was.
"You're not calling the guards?"
"...I told you, didn't I? That I trust you. But can you tell me why you did this? If you can't explain yourself, we have a very serious problem."
Dohyun nodded.
"I'll show you the reason with my own hands."
He gave the Secretary of Defense's 'corpse' a couple of casual taps. Naturally, there was no reaction of any kind—no knight-class awakener without a regeneration ability could survive a snapped neck, after all.
And yet, Dohyun kept up his bizarre performance.
"Why don't you check his pulse yourself?"
"...No pulse. He's dead."
"He's not dead. This one's alive."
"That's impossible...?"
Brigadier General Frankie's face creased in confusion. The neck was broken, and there was no pulse.
"Keep your fingers on his pulse, Frankie. Now then—shall we keep playing?"
Dohyun drew a military knife and slid it smoothly into the Secretary of Defense's thigh, then slowly twisted it. Like a man savoring a torture session. If he'd done this to a living body, the victim would have screamed himself hoarse—but of course, there was no reaction at all.
Then—
"!!"
Brigadier General Frankie's face went rigid.
"What's wrong?"
"Just now... I thought I felt a faint pulse. But I could be imagining it—"
"If you're not sure, let's double-check. Hmm-hmm, where should I poke next? If there's a spot you'd like, just say the word. Tell me your spot, Darling?"
Dohyun spun the knife between his fingers, humming a little tune. He looked for all the world like a pleasure-murdering villain enjoying his torture, and Brigadier General Frankie shuddered without meaning to.
Kim is America's hero. Even this is all for the sake of our country.
This time Dohyun's knife stabbed into the back of the man's hand and shattered the bone clean through. And at that very moment—
Thump. Thump.
The pulse under Brigadier General Frankie's fingers beat, clear and unmistakable. This time there was no mistaking it. It was a reaction that could not exist unless the Secretary of Defense's body was alive!
"H-how is this—?!"
That was the moment it happened.
Something shocking occurred. The Secretary of Defense's eyes snapped open, and he lunged at Dohyun and Brigadier General Frankie both!
—Kyaaaaaaaagh!!!
A chilling shriek beyond anything human. Spread wide, the mouth revealed sharp teeth like a monster's, gleaming in the light.
The Secretary of Defense was a monster?
It was an absurd notion. For one thing, no humanoid monster had ever been reported—much less one serving as the supreme commander of the American military.
Deeper thoughts could wait.
Brigadier General Frankie drew his pistol, ready to fight back—but everything went dark before his eyes.
He's fast!
Brigadier General Frankie was a B-rank awakener, and even so the speed was nearly beyond his ability to react. Conservatively, at least A-rank—no, at least Lv. 6 within that band!
Fortunately, Dohyun reacted beside him. He deflected the Secretary of Defense's attack with an almost casual motion, slammed the man into the floor, and drove his knife straight into his heart.
—Kraaaaaaaaah—!
Then came the truly horrifying part.
The knife Dohyun had planted turned a vivid crimson, and as if the blade were drinking the man's blood, the Secretary of Defense's body shriveled up like a mummy—until at last, nothing remained but a completely desiccated husk.
It was like watching a movie's CGI effects.
"Wh-what... what is happening...?"
Brigadier General Frankie stammered, and Dohyun answered him briefly.
"An Otherkin. A vampire."
— You have devoured a wicked vampire (Blood Thrall class)!
— Hemomancy proficiency has increased!
So it was only a Blood Thrall class? Well, even a Blood Thrall's hemomancy will be a tremendous help at this point in time.
Brigadier General Frankie sat down in front of Dohyun, his soul visibly drained from his body.
"Is everything handled?"
"...This isn't exactly settled, but I'll manage somehow. You won't have any trouble on your end."
"Thank you."
"For now, as you said, we're keeping it a secret that the Secretary of Defense was a vampire—a monster."
"Not a monster. An Otherkin."
"...What in God's name is that? Some kind of monster?"
"Monsters and Otherkin are as different as humans and animals. Think of them as aliens, simply put."
"Aliens? Like E.T.?"
"They're nothing as cute as E.T. If you insist on a comparison, they'd be closer to the thing from Alien."
"Pfft. Why isn't this a sick joke? I'm sorry, but do you mind if I have one?"
Brigadier General Frankie lit a cigarette with trembling hands, then looked at Dohyun with heavy eyes.
"I'm begging you. Tell me what you know."
Dohyun fell silent for a moment.
Well, it's all coming to light soon enough anyway.
The world was currently in Phase 0—an era so peaceful that, looking back, people would later call it the tutorial. Humanity, unaware, was steadily marching toward Phase 1, and one of the signs of that march was the emergence of the Otherkin.
In Korea, the Otherkin didn't start becoming visible until a good two years from now... but America really is ahead of the curve.
From the Otherkin's perspective, it made sense—penetrating the most powerful nation on Earth would take priority over picking off second-rate countries, so they had burrowed into America first.
Still, I never expected one to already be playing at being the Secretary of Defense at this stage.
Dohyun couldn't help but repeat the thought he'd had so many times before: America's situation was somehow even more of a disaster than he'd anticipated.
But this, too, is an opportunity.
What was it they said—chaos breeds heroes? America's mess was an opportunity for Dohyun.
Let's weigh the costs and benefits. What's the most profitable move?
The conclusion came quickly. There was no way the Otherkin had sunk their claws into the Secretary of Defense alone. Which meant the presidential mega-scandal that had recently rocked the entire world was almost certainly their handiwork too.
It'll push my plans back a bit... but if I can become the President of the United States' savior, that's hardly a losing deal.
Granted, the current President had already lost most of his real power—a dead-weight leader with no prospects of recovery. Even so, the tangible and intangible gains from being the man who saved the President were limitless.
While Dohyun was lost in thought, Frankie spoke in a pleading voice.
"I'm begging you, son. This could be a crisis that decides the fate of America itself. Tell me anything you know."
"I'm sorry, but that won't be possible."
"Kim?"
"Frankie, you're just a single soldier. You don't have the power to help with a matter like this, do you?"
Brigadier General Frankie's mouth closed. He had understood what Dohyun meant.
"And that means...?"
"Yes. I intend to speak directly with someone higher up the chain."
Dohyun continued in a level, unflinching tone.
"Get me an audience with President Jonathan. I will tell the President himself."
Dohyun threw his original plan out the window and decided to head to Washington, D.C. first. Meeting the President wouldn't be difficult—he was due to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. By its name, the medal was originally meant to be presented by the President in person, so he arranged to use that as his pretext.
A private transport would come to pick him up at JB PHH.
No Korean restaurants in Washington... We're doomed.
While waiting for the plane, he searched Goo-Gul Maps—and nothing but greasy steakhouses, burger joints, and the like came up as 'local favorites.' Dohyun had been in America only a short while, and already he was sick to death of rich, heavy food.
Ha. Saving the world is really not so easy.
Vrrrrroooom—
The military transport Dohyun was to board touched down on the runway. Not some clunker of a conventional aircraft, but a next-generation transport built with Arcane Science technology mobilized to the fullest—incomparably quiet, and capable of reaching Washington, D.C. in a mere two hours.
Just as he was about to board, Brigadier General Frankie caught his arm.
"Wait just a moment."
"??"
A swarm of Humvees rumbled up to the runway where Dohyun stood. Dozens of American soldiers poured out and lined up at attention before him—awakened soldiers of the Super Force.
"Frankie?"
"We can't just let our hero leave without a proper send-off, can we?"
Brigadier General Frankie bellowed at the soldiers.
"Super Force, attention! Salute our Honor Hero!"
Snap!
The American military had no special salute chant, and their regulations were loose enough that their salutes weren't particularly crisp. But every single one of them burned with unmistakable respect in their eyes as they faced Dohyun.
The surprise was that the two S-ranks who had tucked tail and run during the terror attack were standing in the salute line as well. Perhaps moved by what Dohyun had shown them, they were saluting with the same reverence in their eyes as the rest.
Everyone's so wonderfully sentimental.
Truth be told, Dohyun didn't hate this kind of romance. Sacrifice, inspiration, love, devotion. His own heart had withered until none of those feelings remained, but even in the despair of the apocalypse, it had been this single thread of romance that let people find the strength to keep going—that had let them breathe.
"I leave America in your hands."
Dohyun nodded.
"Count on me."
During the short flight, Dohyun received the absolute highest treatment. He was the holder of the Honor Visa Card, a class of visa that granted the treatment of an official guest of the US government.
This is my first time on such a luxurious private jet.
He'd ridden private jets plenty of times. But back when Dohyun could afford private jets in Korea, the Phases were already well underway—luxury like this had been beyond imagining.
Champagne that looked expensive even if he couldn't name the label, and a dinner service of the finest order.
"Charolais breed filet mignon, Sir."
...In other words, the most expensive, most premium steak possible.
Is this some kind of brain aneurysm?
It wasn't that he was thinking steak again?—America simply had no other real cuisine. Americans ate the same dishes over and over without ever tiring of them. Stomach churning, Dohyun barely resisted the urge to shout, Ajumma! A bottle of soju and a plate of stir-fried pork, please! He forced the food down, and before he knew it, they were arriving at their destination.
Joint Base Andrews.
A US military base near Washington, D.C., serving the President himself, senior government officials, and distinguished guests—in short, the VIP-exclusive airfield. For Dohyun, a mere civilian, to use Andrews was nothing short of staggering treatment.
Befitting a VIP airport, the runway was quiet.
Though maybe a little too quiet?
A silence like the grave. Aside from a few agents who appeared to have come out to greet him, not even an ant was stirring.
Dohyun snorted a small laugh.
This is how they plan to run my 'welcome ceremony'?
Well, playing along wouldn't be so bad.
He descended the stairs and faced the waiting agents. There were three in total; the two in front stood oddly rigid with tension, while the one hanging back wore his garrison cap pulled down low, making it impossible to get a proper look at his face.
The two in front are A-rank.
"Mr. Kim, welcome to Washington."
"It is an honor to meet the hero who saved Hawaii."
The two men in front offered greetings that felt stiff in some indefinable way and extended their hands. Dohyun extended his own—or rather, pretended to—while flinging his knife at the cap-wearing figure standing behind them.
"!!"
In the same instant, the cap-wearing man erupted with a ferocious aura. This was no ordinary S-rank. The cap was knocked loose, revealing his face.
Smith Edwards—Commander of the US military's Super Force, and one of the strongest active-duty soldiers in all of America.
The Lv. 8 Nova-class superhuman deflected Dohyun's thrown knife and charged straight at him.