Lv. 8 Nova-Class
Lv. 8 Nova-class.
A grade that simply didn't exist under the old ranking system. Online, people had joked about calling exceptionally outstanding hunters SS-rank, a cut above ordinary S-ranks — but the AAA system had gone and made it a real, official tier.
Strength enough to contend for first place in most mid-sized nations. That was what Lv. 8 Nova-class meant.
And in America, there are over a hundred of them.
For the record, South Korea — whose awakened forces were considered fairly strong — had exactly two Nova-class hunters, the ones people whispered about as SS-rank.
There was a reason for that. Awakening Willpower and Soul Force — the dividing line between ordinary S-rank and Lv. 8 Nova-class — happened at a rate of only one S-rank in five.
America has over five hundred S-ranks, so it checks out that they'd have more than a hundred Nova-class on paper.
But when Dohyun thought of all those Nova-classes evaporating alongside America itself in the apocalypse, he couldn't help but lament it. Willpower and Soul Force were the indispensable, inseparable powers needed to stand against the End.
If even half of America's Nova-classes had survived, humanity wouldn't have been driven onto the ropes so badly in the early phases of Phase 1 and 2.
Anyway, enough daydreaming. Dohyun watched Smith charge straight at him.
I'm not a fan of this scripted WWE theatrics.
To be clear, Dohyun didn't much like fighting. He'd fought until he was sick of it across nine regressions — what was supposed to be fun about it? What Dohyun liked was devouring evildoers. A fight against a righteous person who did nothing to whet his "appetite" was nothing but a chore.
Still, if I want their cooperation, I need to show them what I can do.
Whoosh—
Dohyun vanished. It was the Shadow Knights' signature combat style — a stealth skill.
Of course, there was no way it would work on Smith, a Nova-class superhuman.
"None of those tricks!!"
KA-BOOM─!!
A ferocious aura erupted from Smith's body once more. Smith was a Guardian Knight, the defensive class among knights — what people commonly called a "tank."
The skill Full Plate Armor activated, and a blazing mana barrier wrapped Smith's entire body without a single gap, like a suit of armor. No matter which blind spot you attacked from, no attack could pierce the barrier enclosing him.
Huh, I'd love to get my hands on that skill. If he'd been a villain, I could have "accidentally" killed him and taken it. What a shame.
Myeolak could only devour the abilities of villains. Guardian Knight was, somewhat ironically, a rare class among villains, so it was a skill Dohyun couldn't easily come by.
"There you are!!"
Smith's forte wasn't just rock-solid defense. He precisely detected where Dohyin had hidden himself and charged.
A terrifying speed. His senses and reflexes might lag behind, but the tank intended to crush his opponent flat with sheer overwhelming force.
Dohyun shifted slightly to the side — as if Smith's charge was too much for him and he was trying to dodge. At that reaction, a flicker of disappointment crossed Smith's face.
I was so looking forward to this, but he's more ordinary than I expected. Was taking down three S-ranks at Pearl Harbor just a stroke of luck?
Smith had been counting down the days until he could meet Dohyun. Here, at last, was a hero with a genuine sense of justice — a truly rare thing.
Countless awakened immigrants came to America, and not a single one among them cared about the country itself. Rare wasn't the word — there simply were none. If anyone had possessed that kind of mission, they never would have come to America in the first place. Everyone who came put their own greed first and foremost.
The appearance of a hero who actually fought for America, like Dohyun, was enough to set a heart like Smith's — the heart of a true "patriot" — ablaze.
Of course, the righteousness Kim showed at the Hawaii base alone was a treasure beyond comparison with any other hero, but with even greater ability, he could accomplish so much more...
Smith twisted his body toward the direction Dohyun had evaded. A fluid movement almost impossible to imagine from such a massive charge. He'd intended to subdue Dohyun "gently," to keep him from getting hurt — and then the unexpected happened.
Slash—!
Dohyun counterattacked with his knife.
So his instincts are sharp.
The knife was flying in a perfect arc toward Smith's shoulder. Apparently, killing three S-rank villains hadn't been mere luck after all.
Instinct alone isn't enough, though.
The skill Full Plate Armor blocked nearly all physical attacks flawlessly. In other words, it was a natural counter to Shadow Knights, whose raw frontal attack power was on the weaker side.
Smith, believing the skill would serve Dohyun well as a good ally, reinforced Full Plate Armor and met the blow head-on.
And then—
Thud!!
"??"
For a moment, Smith couldn't process what had happened. Dohyun's knife had pierced straight through his shoulder. Straight through the Full Plate Armor skill, ignoring it entirely.
How...?
This was no time to stand frozen. Dohyun yanked the knife free and struck again.
Hold on? Shouldn't this be enough?
This was a sparring match — a mutual assessment of each other's skills. Normally, you'd stop at this point. But Dohyun showed no intention of stopping. He simply drove the knife in with a blank, indifferent expression.
A shiver ran down Smith's spine. Goosebumps rose at the look in Dohyun's eyes.
What is that look?
He'd seen eyes like that once before. A horrific serial killer — a man who slaughtered people without a trace of emotion. His nickname had been the Butcher. The look in that man's eyes had been just like Dohyun's. Eyes that killed people callously, without the slightest thrill.
...A Genocider?
Smith knew Dohyun was suspected of being a Genocider. But he'd believed that even if it were true, Dohyun was a vigilante of justice.
Those eyes, though — they didn't belong to an apostle of justice.
Thunk—!
Dohyun's knife sank into Smith's knee. Ignoring Full Plate Armor, yet again.
"Guh!!"
Smith finally couldn't hold out and dropped to one knee. The knife had severed tendons, leaving him with no choice but to kneel.
Completely disabled. Dohyun's shadow fell over Smith, and at the gaze looking down at him, Smith swallowed hard. The fact that this was a US military base — that there was absolutely no way Dohyun would kill him here — was wiped clean from his mind. Only the terror of death crashed over Smith.
At last—
Dohyun extended a hand.
"Thank you for your effort."
"Ah...?"
"I know you suppressed your Soul Force and matched your sparring to my level. Thanks to you, I learned a great deal."
Smith blinked. As if the chilling look he'd just seen had been a lie, Dohyun's eyes were bright and guileless.
"I look forward to working with you."
One of the fields that had advanced brilliantly through Arcane Science was medicine — trauma treatment above all. An injury like severed tendons in the shoulder and knee should have demanded major surgery, but it could be treated with ease.
"Isn't it about time you graduated from being carried into the emergency ward, Smith? You're not an ordinary operative anymore — you're a General. A three-star commanding General, at that. Get it together."
A healing-class supporter among the Supporter classes tended to the Commander's wounds while lecturing him. Apparently, this wasn't the first "accident" he'd caused.
"Come on, I was only planning a light spar. Getting injured like this isn't my fault—"
"I gave it my all to get past the Full Plate Armor skill. I assumed you would want me to do the same, General. I'm truly sorry you were injured."
At Dohyun's impeccable, courteous manner, Lieutenant General Smith wore a confused expression. The fear he'd felt, the sheer horror, was still vivid — and yet Dohyun now seemed like a completely different person.
Looks like I got past that smoothly. Well worth playing along.
In truth, Dohyun could have subdued Smith far more simply during the duel. It would have been a different story if Smith had used Soul Force, but without it, no Lv. 8 alive could stand against Dohyun.
But he'd deliberately dragged the duel out for a reason — everything had a purpose.
"It was an honor to spar with Smith, the legend of the US military."
"An honor. That's going too far."
Smith snorted, and Dohyun met his eyes squarely.
"I mean every word. Back in Korea, I heard countless stories about you, Smith. I've heard everything about the legendary things you did in the military, and I respect you deeply."
"Respect..."
"Yes. Respect."
Smith nodded along in a daze without quite realizing it. That was right, wasn't it?
Dohyun had cast the Mind Control skill on Smith right then — a simple, subtle enchantment. Make him feel fondness for me!
Once fear is carved into someone's mind, domination comes far more easily. This will be useful to have on hand while I'm operating in Washington.
If what Dohyun suspected was indeed unfolding in Washington's political circles, he would have to pull off some risky moves. Having Smith — the living legend of the US military, an untouchable hero — as his backing and his shield would be an enormous help.
Once the treatment was finished, Dohyun and Smith sat down to talk. The enchantment was so faint that Smith never noticed he'd been influenced at all.
"Kim, have you ever considered joining the military?"
"The military, you say?"
"That's right. You showed me something foolish today, but the reason I came was to recruit you. Our rival nations' movements have been unsettling lately. The US military needs talent like yours. I promise you treatment no worse than what a private corporation would offer."
Rival nations. China, to be precise. The second-greatest power in awakened might.
They're tentatively assuming China orchestrated the Hawaii terror attack too, aren't they.
Dohyun didn't actually know who was behind the Pearl Harbor attack either. Though it had passed through the hands of Mephistech — the Chinese-owned big tech firm in Silicon Valley — he couldn't be certain China was truly the backer. It might well have been someone's handiwork designed to pin the blame on China.
Setting that aside, it's true China's movements are alarming. All the more so when I think about what the US military suffered at the hands of Chinese awakeners during the Taiwan conflict.
Still, he had no intention of joining the military.
"I'm sorry. I want to serve America in my own way."
"Planning to join the HPD? With your abilities, you'd certainly shine there..."
"I have no interest in the HPD either."
"...Then don't tell me you're planning to join a private corporation?"
The Money Snake route — the path chosen most often by S-rank awakeners who came to America. But Dohyun shook his head.
"I have no intention of affiliating with a private corporation."
"You won't go anywhere at all... Don't tell me you're planning to become a villain?"
Dohyun only smiled. Because Smith had guessed right.
The villain who ruled America. That was Dohyun's goal.
Of course, he wasn't actually planning to become a villain. Dohyun had to remain, above all else, a man of the light.
I have to become someone praised and celebrated more than anyone. Only then can I truly rule America.
This trip to Washington served that exact purpose. And just then, the news he'd been waiting for arrived.
"President Jonathan has arrived at the base VIP lounge."
Because Dohyun had privately requested a meeting with President Jonathan, the President himself had come all the way to Joint Base Andrews. No matter that Dohyun was the hero of Pearl Harbor, a private one-on-one audience with the President was an outrageous demand — but it had been accepted, all because of a single word Dohyun had asked to be relayed to him.
—Blood.
A word meaning vampire.
Since the President had come rushing over without question or hesitation, he was almost certainly under threat from the vampires.
How will those vampire bastards make their move?
Given the circumstances, it was highly likely the vampires were monitoring the President's every move. Which meant Dohyun had deliberately exposed his own existence to them.
If you want to fish, you throw out the bait first.
His heart quickened at the thought that he might soon feast on vampires to his heart's content. Dohyun headed for the lounge where the President waited, humming softly to himself — then tilted his head.
"M-Mr. President?!!"
The President of the United States was hanging from the ceiling by his neck.
Apparently, President Jonathan had sent his bodyguards out for a moment — and then hanged himself.
Thankfully, it was an attempt, not a success. Because Dohyun had arrived at precisely the right moment, the man's life was saved, and he was rushed straight to the hospital.
You rotten bastards, I see how it is.
Dohyun's lips twisted. There was no way it was coincidence that the President had attempted suicide at the exact moment Dohyun reached the room.
It was the vampires' handiwork — a stunt they had staged.