The Hell-Slaying Saber Awakes
“An S-class weapon?”
“Yes. An S-class weapon. I’m aware the South Korean government has a few of them.”
He would have preferred to ask for something of an even higher grade, but there were no weapons above S-class under the South Korean government’s control. The Asura Guild did possess one SS-class weapon, but it belonged to Han Jin-woo, the first and only SS-class hunter in South Korea. It had already bound itself to him, so unless Hyun-jun killed him, there was no way to take it.
“This isn’t something I can decide on my own. I’ll need to contact my superiors again, so... would you mind waiting a moment?”
“I’m not the one in a hurry. Do whatever’s convenient for you.”
Hyun-jun leaned back casually in his chair and spoke. He didn’t know how the higher-ups would respond, but it didn’t seem likely they would react negatively. There were several grounds for confidence, and above all else, his intuition said so.
Shortly afterward, Tae-sik returned. Only thirty minutes had passed since he had left to negotiate.
“Was it settled?”
It was almost a formal question. From the early days of the dungeon raid era onward, the Special Police Bureau had been in poor shape. Though it was a government agency and received state support, successful hunters could make far more money just by running dungeon raids, and most of them had no interest in working with the state.
Even after a system was introduced that allowed hunters attached to the Special Police Bureau to pursue personal dungeons and raids to a certain extent, they had only managed to recruit a handful of them. The situation still hadn’t improved much.
The only reason no one can touch them easily is because they’re a government agency. But what happens if someone decides to become a terrorist?
Right now, they were in the middle of a city and getting shelled by rocket launchers. That was the Special Police Bureau’s current position. Without the shield of “South Korea” behind them, their value as an armed organization dropped sharply.
I don’t know when it started, but things are only going to get worse.
The fact that Song Tae-sik, one of only two national S-class hunters, had come running the moment he heard the news told Hyun-jun just how serious and urgent the situation was. And in that situation, Hyun-jun had proven his “value.”
Under limited circumstances, he had displayed combat power greater than Song Tae-sik, the Gold Tiger Guard, one of the six strongest hunters in South Korea, the Six Guardians. His raw mana quantity might have been lower-tier S-class, but in actual combat he outperformed Tae-sik, who was top-tier S-class. On top of that, he had even lifted the mental contamination. It would have been stranger if the state hadn’t wanted him.
“The superiors have agreed to Kang Hyun-jun’s terms. One S-class weapon will be issued, and Wraith Guild will be exempt from guild taxes.”
“When do we draw up the contract?”
“The c-contract?”
“Yes. It’s a deal with the state, but I’m a little suspicious.”
Hyun-jun’s bluntness left Tae-sik looking slightly flustered, but he quickly gathered himself and answered.
“I’ll prepare the contract.”
It didn’t take long. Tae-sik made a phone call somewhere, and about an hour later, the break room door opened. A man in a suit approached and handed over an envelope. Inside were two copies of the contract.
“Read them and sign.”
The man said. Hyun-jun nodded and took one of the copies. Just then, Choi Han-seok stepped forward unexpectedly.
“Boss! Would it be all right if I took a quick look too? I did graduate from law school, after all. I should at least be able to check whether there’s anything strange in it.”
At Han-seok’s words, Hyun-jun skimmed the contract quickly. It didn’t seem to have any obvious problems, but an expert’s eye would likely catch things he might miss, so he handed it over readily.
“T-the contract...”
“Han-seok is someone I can trust, so it’s fine.”
“But...”
He was visibly rattled. There was something there. Sure enough, when Hyun-jun turned to look at Han-seok, he saw that his face had gone cold and hard.
“There are a few problematic clauses.”
Han-seok pointed them out one by one and explained them to Hyun-jun. That made things easy to understand. As he had said, there were a few clauses that could have caused trouble if they’d simply been left as they were.
“Take it back and fix it.”
“S-sorry.”
“It’s fine. Just fix it quickly.”
He didn’t lose his temper. In fact, his voice remained calm. Not long after, they came back with a revised contract. This time too, Hyun-jun asked Han-seok to review it.
“No problems.”
Han-seok nodded.
Final review.
Hyun-jun read through the contract once more, but as Han-seok had said, it seemed fine. In fact, perhaps because they wanted to appease Hyun-jun after the earlier contract had annoyed him, a few minor benefits had been added. It wasn’t a bad feeling to have the South Korean government watching its step for once. Hyun-jun signed without hesitation and split the two copies with Tae-sik.
“Now take me to the place where the S-class weapon is.”
The contract was done. It was time to collect on the payment.
“The S-class weapon designated for Kang Hyun-jun happens to be stored here.”
With that, Tae-sik started walking first. Hyun-jun followed behind him, the corners of his mouth lifting.
“What a coincidence.”
“It might be.”
That was when Tae-sik opened the break room door.
“Boss! I’d like to come too!”
Han-seok hurried over.
“I want to see an S-class weapon in person!”
“C-can I come too?”
Jin-a, who had been sitting quietly, stood up as well. If she joined them, they would have to bring Seok-hyeon too. Once that thought crossed his mind, the man let out a sigh, but Hyun-jun merely gave a light laugh.
“Wouldn’t it be fine if they came along?”
“Haah... Understood. Since Kang Hyun-jun is saying so, we’ll all go together.”
Tae-sik led them down underground. Deep below, the elevator came to a stop. When the doors opened, special police officers in uniform were waiting. Since they were all hunters of C-class or higher, none of them carried firearms. Their weapons were probably stored in invisible subspace pouches. In the first place, for hunters of C-class and above, cold weapons that absorbed mana more efficiently than guns were the practical choice.
“Chief, you’ve arrived?”
A woman wearing a badge that read Security Team Leader approached Tae-sik and greeted him.
An A-class.
The insignia on her shoulder was that of an inspector, which didn’t suit her youthful appearance. She was an A-class hunter, the sort that even the Special Police Bureau rarely got to see. And she had enough mana to qualify as mid-to-high tier among them. As expected of a place storing an S-class weapon, they had assigned major combat personnel here.
She looks to be in her early thirties, but she’s already an inspector... Hunters really do have it good.
Hyun-jun smiled faintly without showing it and gave a slight shake of his head. For reference, Song Tae-sik, who served as chief of the Secret Investigation Division, held the rank of superintendent general.
“Sorry for dropping by without warning.”
“We received orders from above. I’ll guide you to the place where the S-class weapon is kept.”
With that reply, the security team leader moved first. Following behind her, Hyun-jun felt his heartbeat grow faintly stronger. Not long ago he had been an F-class hunter, and now he had risen to the point where he could receive an S-class weapon as payment.
I’ve moved up.
But it still wasn’t enough. He had to climb higher.
“We’ve arrived.”
While he was sorting through his thoughts, the security team leader stopped walking. A thick-looking iron door opened, revealing the room inside. The walls were concrete, and in the center stood a red sword thrust into the floor.
Your previous life’s cursed berserker, Edinburgh, has been found among the equipment he used.
The voice came to him. It was different from the case of Ripper’s Butcher’s Dagger. It seemed like a change brought about by the increasing synchronization rate with his past lives.
“This is the demonic sword Jiokchammado. Since it has never been bound to anyone, there are no known options.”
Tae-sik said that, but it didn’t matter now. Since it was an S-class weapon, Hyun-jun had no doubt it would be loaded with the best possible options.
“You understand that if the domination ritual fails, it’s impossible for us to hand it over even if we wanted to, yes? We can’t support you in the ritual itself.”
Weapons of S-class and above had to be bound through a domination ritual before they could be used. The man in the suit seemed to be subtly hoping Hyun-jun would fail.
“Who is that?”
Hyun-jun stepped back half a pace and asked Tae-sik in a low voice.
“He’s an administrator from the Special Police Bureau. Since the decision’s already been made above, you don’t need to pay him much mind. He’s just throwing a fit.”
Tae-sik replied just as quietly. He didn’t seem to like the administrator much either. The strange power dynamics made Hyun-jun snort under his breath. Then he stepped toward Jiokchammado, which was planted in the center of the room.
“Are you planning to start right away? The domination ritual for an S-class weapon isn’t that simple. At worst, you could die!”
The administrator’s tone made it obvious he was trying to scare Hyun-jun into giving up the weapon. Despite the threat, Hyun-jun reached out toward Jiokchammado. The worst case was only the worst case.
People almost never died during the domination ritual for an S-class weapon. That said, there had been a few deaths in the United States and Russia when SS-class weapon domination rituals failed.
“I’m not afraid of dying.”
His finger touched Jiokchammado. The moment contact was made, mana carrying a sinister aura began to surge up from the sword.
This is mine.
A smile spread across Hyun-jun’s lips. He was utterly confident he would succeed in the domination ritual. He stirred his own mana and met the sword’s mana head-on. The two forces, each with a different nature, collided and sent ripples through the room.
“T-this is the power of an S-class weapon...”
Han-seok’s eyes shone. The domination ritual had begun. Tae-sik, seeing it for the first time himself, watched with curiosity as well. Jin-a, who possessed an S-class weapon of her own, and Seok-hyeon, who had watched its binding process before, remained calm.
Let’s see how long it lasts.
The concentration of mana grew denser. Jiokchammado did not give up resistance either. Then, like an explosion, mana burst out from it. Hyun-jun had thought things were progressing smoothly, but that wasn’t the case.
It’s stronger than I expected.
He wasn’t flustered. He was only a little surprised. Sensing an unpleasant gaze, he turned his head slightly, and sure enough, the administrator was trying to hold back laughter. Seeing that, Hyun-jun’s mouth curved upward. It was just starting to get interesting.
The absolute will of Deus intervenes in fate. The authority of divinity destroys Jiokchammado’s resistance and forcibly proceeds with binding.
The resistance collapsed in an instant. The mana that had wrapped around Jiokchammado as if to protect it vanished without a trace.
Now!
Hyun-jun gripped Jiokchammado and poured his mana into it to complete the domination ritual. The rest was easy. His mana dug into Jiokchammado and began the binding imprint, and within five minutes, the result was already decided.
Jiokchammado had yielded.
Who woke this body?