Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Interlocking Gears (1)
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Christmas carols echoed through the streets.
It felt a bit early with still two weeks to go, but people were enjoying the festive mood anyway.
And then a broadcast program aired nationwide.
"Hello!"
"Hi there!"
The male and female hosts greeted the audience cheerfully.
Hunter Relay.
It was a show covering the latest issues in the Hunter world.
"The Hunter scene is always noisy, but this week brought some particularly shocking news, right?"
"Oh? Shocking news? I'm dying to know what it is!"
The female host blinked her wide, rabbit-like eyes at the male announcer's lead-in.
"Yes! On Christmas Eve, the Hero Guild announced an event for the entire nation!"
"Wow! An event for everyone? I can't wait! Lately, all the news has been so depressing."
The male host nodded at the woman's words.
"You're right. We've had one incident after another lately. Homunculus attacks, gate breaks, demonization, Slayers... So, they're putting on a little event to give people some fun! Though it's not exactly small-scale when you look closer."
People watching TV in the intercity bus terminal waiting room let out small gasps of surprise.
"The Hero Guild? No way."
"When pigs fly."
"Yeah, right. Those guys who only ever look out for themselves—what's their angle?"
"Big guilds don't do anything without some benefit for themselves."
Even as they grumbled, curiosity about the event kept them glued to the screen.
The female announcer asked,
"So, what's the event about?"
"Curious, huh? Here's a hint: it's connected to Kang Inhyeok returning home earlier than planned."
"Hmm... No idea."
"One more hint: it involves a Hunter who's been rising fast lately."
"A fast-rising Hunter... Ah! Only one comes to mind! Gentleman Sword Kim Gunja! Is that it?"
Gentleman Sword.
It was the first proper nickname Kim Gunja had earned—not Right Arm Swordsman or disposable Hunter.
Hunters usually got nicknames tied to their unique traits, so this was pretty unique.
Kim Gunja's trait was character-based, known for swordmaster and assassin styles, so he'd never settled on one name. But a top comment on an article about him hitting S-rank exploded in popularity.
"Gentleman" implied virtue and scholarship—not exactly fitting for a monster-slaying Hunter.
Yet somehow, it stuck perfectly to Kim Gunja, according to the overwhelming consensus.
The male announcer grinned as the woman mentioned Kim Gunja.
"Exactly! Gentleman Sword just hit S-rank, right? Can you picture it now?"
"An event with two S-rank Hunters... Ahh! Don't tell me...!"
"You got it! A showdown between S-rank Hunters! Their friendly match will be broadcast live!"
Viewers across the nation gasped in awe.
"No way, for real?"
"Live S-rank Hunter duel?!"
"This has never happened before!"
It wasn't an overreaction.
S-rank Hunters.
No matter the country, they enjoyed top-tier VIP perks.
They had no precedent for risking their pride in a public spectacle for the masses.
That's why people went wild.
It promised visuals leagues beyond ordinary mixed martial arts.
Nothing beat a fight for raw thrill in sports.
"This is huge!"
"Gonna be awesome."
"Ugh, but I have work that day..."
"Just watch the replay. They'll upload it anyway."
"Nah, live is way more fun!"
"True..."
"Who do you think wins?"
A natural question.
The fun of any match started with predicting the victor.
As if anticipating the viewers' reactions,
the male announcer promoted a site for winner predictions and events.
After the brief intro, the female announcer picked up.
"Hero Guild's offering killer prizes, so don't miss out!"
"Next week, we'll have experts analyzing the two S-ranks—tune in!"
"Christmas Eve can't come soon enough!"
"Haha, same here! Next up..."
"...Unbelievable."
Sin Yeji muttered in disbelief.
"...Yeah."
Kim Gunja nodded in agreement.
She narrowed her eyes at him.
"What's that supposed to mean? This is all that monster uncle's fault!"
Monster, huh. Hadn't heard that in a while.
"Well, yeah, but..."
Who could've predicted this...
Kim Gunja awkwardly averted his gaze.
In front of them sat a machine utterly wrecked—beyond "smashed."
The latest mana gauge.
Humanity's pinnacle device, measuring up to level 9 mana.
Now, it was scrap, belching black smoke.
This was the result of Kim Gunja spiking output using Kaisir's heart.
"Do you know how much that cost...?"
"Ahem! Sorry..."
Sin Yeji could only sigh at his apology.
She'd egged him on, unable to predict this either.
"Even temporarily, exceeding level 9 mana... Insane mana reserves."
She meant the mana stockpiled in Kaisir's heart.
A storage so compressed even her Demon Eye couldn't quantify it precisely.
That's why she'd urged him to test it.
And disaster struck.
"This was only half capacity?"
She referred to the mana accumulated over ten non-stop days post-customizing the Extinction Dragon Kaisir's heart.
Kim Gunja pondered briefly before answering.
"Honestly, I thought it was half at first... but nope. The moment I hit 'half,' the cap shot up again."
"Oh my god..."
Sin Yeji was genuinely awestruck.
Mana capacity factored into an Awakener's mana level, but it wasn't something you could just will larger.
Not even with her Demon Eye.
Control let her hold extra temporarily, but anything beyond her circuits' limit dispersed.
Every Awakener had a vessel's limit.
'But...'
Uncle accumulated mana in his dantian via Heaven-Shattering Divine Art.
Cheat enough on its own for any Awakener.
But now,
he'd added another storage.
Practically infinite.
And that's not all.
Her Demon Eye saw it:
His powerfully pulsing heart sucking in ambient mana like a black hole.
As natural as breathing.
'Beyond circuits... dantian and heart for mana, black mana in left leg, holy lightning in left arm... Unreal...'
Yeji could only say,
"...You're a monster."
Kim Gunja chuckled at her words.
He knew exactly what she meant.
As the man himself, he knew it best.
How absurd his state was compared to other Awakeners.
'But...'
He also knew.
Great power came with a price.
Kim Gunja opened his status window.
'Sync rate at level 4 already...'
The issue he'd feared during the heart customization was unfolding.
Unlike other parts, Kaisir's heart's sync was skyrocketing.
And moreover.
Kaisir wasn't hiding his nature at all.
He kept asserting his presence boldly.
Like he was born different from the other investors.
Was it because of those alerts?
Thump. Thump. Thump.
His heartbeat pounded louder in his ears today.
'...As expected.'
He'd anticipated influence from an evil-aligned investor's growing share.
But he had zero intention of being dragged around by it.
He was the master, period.
'Customizing Room upgrade let me check investor shares, and points can influence them—confirmed with Austin.'
He'd grown plenty.
As long as he stayed sharp, no investor could easily overpower him.
And he could wield their power safely, efficiently.
"Uncle, you're heading to Hero Guild soon, right?"
Yeji's question snapped him from his thoughts.
"Yeah. Meeting before the friendly match—everyone has to attend."
And Kang Inhyeok would be there too.
"Want me... to come along?"
She asked worriedly, knowing the backstory.
"What am I, a kid? It's not a fight yet. I'm good."
"...Fair. Worrying about the monster uncle does sound kinda silly."
Kim Gunja chuckled at her beaming smile.
Bzzz— bzzzz—
His phone vibrated twice.
He checked the texts.
— Hong Sua
Thanks to Choi Seyan's connections you introduced, the cable broadcast hookup is going smoothly. Grandpa says Infinite Guild's prep is done too.
One was from Hong Sua.
— Geum Jinung
All materials for going public are ready. Now we just need the internal Hero Guild docs you secure.
The other from Geum Jinung.
Everything was falling into place, thankfully.
All their hard prep work was progressing smoothly.
As crucial as winning against Kang Inhyeok.
'Seyan's speeding things up.'
— Choi Seyan
Hit me up anytime for broadcast stuff. My network there is solid.
Broadcast trust and reach were irreplaceable, internet era or not.
Kim Gunja fired off quick replies and stood.
"Alright, I'm off."
He waved to Yeji and headed out.
To meet Kang Inhyeok at Hero Guild.
Hero Guild's main conference room.
The meeting centered on the headquarters chief.
The event assistant planner addressed Kim Gunja.
"Your match is last, as the main event. Any issues with that?"
The planner was deferential to the S-rank Kim Gunja.
"None."
Boxing-style setup.
Main match last, prelims to build hype.
They were ironing out details this way when
the door burst open.
The blond hunk, Kang Inhyeok, strolled in late.
"You're late."
The chief noted; Kang shrugged nonchalantly.
"You guys handle it fine without me. Right?"
The chief's brow twitched at the arrogance.
Without the Guild Master, he was a wild colt.
Not entirely wrong, though.
He didn't fit these meetings anyway; it was nominal.
"We're in a meeting. Sit."
As Kang headed to his seat, he paused by Kim Gunja.
Looking down at the seated man, he snorted and moved on.
"What, he looks like a total pushover. Chief, you sure this loser's the one who wants to fight me?"
"Kang Inhyeok!"
"Tch, can't even deny it. Heard he wasn't even Awakened till recently—yeah, looks the part."
The chief sighed softly at his attitude; Kim Gunja understood.
Baek Jincheon and the chief hadn't told him details.
And Kang didn't remember him at all.
Less than a year.
Just six months.
Yet he acted like he'd forgotten what he did to Kim Gunja and his friends.
How many had he done that to?
Nothing changed.
Still the psychopath drunk on chosen-one delusions.
'Thanks, I guess.'
He'd worried a change might soften his resolve.
Graciously, he was the same as that night.
Kim Gunja rose slowly, murmuring,
"Thunderclap punk, they said. Guess it's true."
Unlike his usual tone—ice cold.
Shocking the room.
Kang halted mid-stride.
"...Did I hear wrong? Surely..."
"Thunderclap punk—not a tough phrase."
Kim Gunja cut in before he finished.
A hundred, a thousand times.
He'd repeat it gladly.
Step. Step.
His footsteps echoed in the frozen room.
He stopped before Kang, flashing a cold smile.
Like that night, yet utterly different.
Ferocious killing intent gleamed in Kang's eyes.
"Wanna die?"
Kim Gunja met them steadily.
"Think you can?"
No fear, no hesitation.