The Genocider and the Colonel's Hunch

Pyeongtaek. Camp Humphreys, the US military base in South Korea.

Lieutenant Colonel Bowen, commander of the Military Intelligence Detachment responsible for information security, kept his mouth shut.

It was because of the unbelievable intel that had come in from the North.

"...The North Korean regime is going to collapse a week from now, during the Foundation Day military parade? Just like that?"

Lieutenant Colonel Bowen asked his officers. "Any sign of a new coup movement in the North?"

"Reconnaissance satellites show no unusual military activity, sir. Although, satellites do have their limits..."

"Is the intel from the North Korean Forward Command reliable?"

"That part is confirmed, sir. The transmission origin has been identified as a command post north of the Paju DMZ, near the old city of Gaeseong."

Bowen swallowed a groan.

"A headache. As if I didn't already have my hands full with the Genocider."

The butcher.

He meant Dohyun.

It wasn't just South Korea that was in an uproar — US Forces Korea had been watching the man closely, too.

Since the Cataclysm, the missions of American forces around the world had changed. Collecting intelligence on the movements surrounding the acquisition of Astral Bodies — the resources of the new era, in other words, the world's mana stones — had become the top priority.

America's pursuit of Pax Americana was, at its core, about securing the world's mana stones first and remaking itself as the sole superpower of the new age.

"The world is full of insane villains. Plenty have done worse than the Genocider. But there has never been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠anyone as bold — or as intelligent — as him."

Bowen felt that even this description was woefully inadequate for capturing what the Genocider really was.

When he looked at the man's crime scenes, only one word came to mind.

Art.

Surprisingly, he didn't use anything spectacular during the attacks. Just abilities estimated at B-rank, or A-rank at best.

And yet, in the shortest possible time, he had accomplished what no S-rank villain ever had — with the technique of an artist, a maestro, though it was absurd to use such language about a criminal.

Another thing to note: his ability level climbs with every crime. In the last attack, he was using A-rank top-tier power, nearly S-rank.

Had he hidden his ability level at the first crime? Or had his power simply grown stronger over time?

Obviously the former. No matter how much an ability could grow, going from B-rank to near the top of A-rank in two weeks was impossible.

And yet, at that moment, Lieutenant Colonel Bowen thought of someone who had absolutely nothing to do with the Genocider.

Kim ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Dohyun... The one who boldly told the immigration office he'd become S-rank within a month, despite being a mere B-rank.

Monitoring the movements of potential recruits was another key duty of the intelligence detachment. A B-rank was far beneath Bowen's attention, but when the immigration office flagged Kim Dohyun as a "person of interest," the details had stuck in his memory.

It's a confirmed fact that the Genocider's class is Shadow Knight. And Kim Dohyun's class just happens to be Shadow Knight too.

Could it be a coincidence?

He'd even had the agents tailing Kim Dohyun double-check, and there was nothing suspicious to find. Despite airtight surveillance, Kim Dohyun was rarely seen leaving his house — his only outings appeared to be trips to a nearby snack shop for meals.

...It has to be a coincidence. I shouldn't be wasting thought on a delusional blowhard like Kim Dohyun. I need to decide what to do about the Genocider. Whether America takes him in — or not.

The number of lives the Genocider had taken didn't matter.

Among the awakeners America had already accepted, plenty had spilled far more blood than he had.

What mattered was whether or not it served the national interest.

And fortunately, the only blood the Genocider had ever shed belonged to evildoers.

If the Genocider isn't some uncontrollable, worst-of-the-worst villain, then he's a top-priority recruit.

An outrageous thought. Whether or not he was truly an apostle of justice the way the public claimed, the Genocider was, undeniably, a heinous criminal.

Even so, America had taken in villains of every stripe. As long as someone wasn't the absolute worst, better to have them than lose them to another country.

Awakeners emerged in proportion to population. Without this bold policy of America's, the supreme power of the new era would have been China or India — the demographic giants.

"But sir, is this intel really from the North Korean Forward Command?"

"Didn't I say the transmission origin was identified?"

"It's just... there's a report that the Genocider's last attack was in the Paju area."

"...Are you suggesting the Genocider infiltrated North Korea and sent us the intel?"

It was a guess just as absurd as the theory that Kim Dohyun and the Genocider were the same man.

"George, that's a stretch. If you're going to crack a joke, at least go all in — say the Genocider's planning to topple North Korea's new regime himself."

Everyone had a good laugh and moved on.

No matter what an unprecedented madman the Genocider was, no one believed he was capable of something like that.

But Lieutenant Colonel Bowen couldn't laugh along.

For some unfathomable reason, a chill had crawled up his spine.

"What did the sender... ask for in return...?"

"If the North Korean regime falls in a week as stated, he wants asylum in the United States — and he's requesting that a Seraph be dispatched to coordinates he provided."

An assault helicopter built using mana stones. Its stealth, speed, and stability were beyond anything the old Black Hawk could offer, and it was mainly used for special operations when a crisis broke out.

"Should we ignore it?"

"...Keep it on standby for now. Ready to launch the moment anything happens."

Lieutenant Colonel Bowen had a gut feeling the intel was not false.

So what would happen at the parade a week later? An assassination attempt on the dictator? A military coup? A rampage by the Outer God cults?

Yet as the days ticked by, not a single sign of upheaval appeared in the North.

Even with every intelligence system USFK possessed trained on North Korean movements, nothing unusual was detected.

Only one thing was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠confirmed.

The North Korean Forward Command colonel who had contacted USFK had been murdered — by someone. And by grim coincidence, at the very moment the intel had been transmitted.

"Looks like false information sent after an internal purge in the North Korean military. The question is why they'd bother feeding us something like this."

"Hmm... Regardless, keep the tension up until the very end."

Despite the total absence of any anomalous activity, Lieutenant Colonel Bowen could not shake the unease. It had gone beyond a bad feeling — he was, frankly, afraid.

And then, at last, the day of the parade arrived.

"Much like last time, sir."

"Similarly horrific."

Staging grandiose military parades had been a common trait of the old communist bloc, and even after the Cataclysm that tradition carried on — though it had changed in one way.

It had warped into something resembling a religious ceremony worshipping the Outer Gods.

"To think that whole crowd out there are followers of the Outer Gods. Disgusting."

"They're not just a ragtag bunch of cultists, sir. Every single one of them in that parade is a branded disciple of the Outer Gods. Are we really just going to leave them be?"

Lieutenant Colonel Bowen's face hardened as well.

Everyone knew North Korea had become the Outer Gods' domain. But even at the last parade, the branded disciples hadn't been anywhere near this numerous.

All ten thousand North Korean troops participating in the parade are branded. Can we truly afford to leave them alone?

They couldn't.

Left alone, that horde of Outer God worshippers would one day become a calamity of unimaginable scale for humanity.

Everyone knew it. And no one intended to act — not even America, the loudest champion of the new Pax Americana.

Because there was nothing in it for them.

"Cut the commentary. Just keep checking the parade for anything unusual."

"Still nothing out of the ordinary, sir. Ah — it's time for the weapons showcase."

The segment where weapons were put on display. In the past they'd shown off ICBMs and the like, but that too had changed.

They were now parading nuclear warheads without the slightest hesitation.

"Those lunatics. That's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not a mockup, is it?"

"The real thing, sir. And not the W24-class micro-nukes — those look like W80 or above. They're getting bolder by the day."

Even North Korea had never dreamed of flaunting nuclear warheads at a military parade before. Now, they were doing it with theatrical flair.

If one of those things actually goes off, what then?

Warheads weren't displayed at parades for two reasons: to avoid provoking other nations, and to eliminate the risk of accidental detonation. If one went off through careless handling, it would be a catastrophe of the highest order.

Of course, nothing like that would ever actually happen...

Wait. Don't tell me—

The moment Lieutenant Colonel Bowen's throat went dry—

FLASH!!!

The cameras broadcasting the parade live were suddenly swallowed by light, and the feed went dead.

Everyone watching the parade froze solid.

"...Huh?"

Something unbelievable had happened — something that even Bowen, who had run through countless scenarios in his head, had never dared to imagine.

Dohyun stared at the messages and thought.

Fastest achievement across all ten cycles.

He had pulled off something staggering, but honestly, it didn't stir much in him.

He'd done it plenty of times in his previous lives, after all.

If I'd left things alone, that warhead would have come down on Seoul.

That was what had happened in the first cycle.

Although, really — Seoul hadn't been the only one to eat a nuclear warhead.

As the Phases progressed, the whole world descended into panic and started hurling nukes at each other.

Not once, in any cycle, had he managed to prevent nuclear war.

The only difference from one cycle to the next was whether Korea was among the targets or not.

Far more humans had died at each other's hands than had ever been killed by the things from the other world.

If I can bring the United States — the superpower — to its knees at my feet, maybe I can stop the nuclear war too.

The third hidden class, Predator of Destroying Evil, was the first condition for achieving that goal.

A class beyond 'Unique' rank and 'Legend' rank — Demi-God rank.

Here, "ability" was a term that encompassed a vast range of meanings.

If he wanted, he could devour skills. Or raw stats — strength, stamina, mana.

It even extended to knowledge and specialized information.

The reason Dohyun had grown into an absolute powerhouse in every single cycle began the moment he obtained Evil Eater.

It wasn't merely a class change.

The message announcing that Dohyun had become a perfect S-rank. And this, too, was the fastest achievement on record.

After taking out ten thousand lackeys of the Outer Gods, the experience payout feels a bit stingy.

The experience calculation system had shortchanged him somewhat here. The stronger the target, the greater the villain, the higher the reward — and the "method of execution" factored in as well.

But while the branded disciples were disciples all the same, the vast majority had been unawakened regular soldiers, and he hadn't executed them directly — the explosion had done it for him. Hence the massive deduction.

Well, growth experience is something I'll have in overflowing supply once I reach America.

The strongest, most wicked villains in the world were all gathered in the United States right now.

There would be no need to worry about a shortage of experience.

And then—

Whirrrrrr—

A rotor sound unlike any ordinary helicopter's began to hum — smooth and silent.

Right on time.

Dohyun looked up at the sky and broke into a wide grin.

A helicopter with a body like sculpted glass, utterly transparent.

The Seraph helicopter he had requested from US Forces Korea.

Preparations were complete.

At long last, it was time for his American debut.