Chapter 114

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Translator: Ace

Chapter: 114

Chapter Title: The Councilors - [5]

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After that, I signed autographs for the rookie Awakeners who proclaimed themselves my fans, snapped a group photo with all of them, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shook hands with each one individually, and even gave them bus fare to send them home.

And just as I was about to head home myself, Choi Yong grabbed me and made this proposal.

"We've run into each other like this—why don't we at least grab a meal together? My treat!"

I couldn't refuse someone who'd come to help me out asking for a simple meal. I nodded right away.

"Mind if I invite one more?"

"Of course not! Who's that?"

"The one who helped me out today."

We went into a nearby restaurant and ordered some food, and soon enough, Baek Dam-bi arrived and sat down next to me.

Choi Yong recognized her face right away and greeted her warmly.

"Ah, you! The one who unleashed Ice Age on those Water Spirits?"

"That's right."

Baek Dam-bi nodded expressionlessly, but I caught the faint upward twitch of her lips—a sign she was pleased.

Choi Yong kept pressing.

"But how'd she end up helping you out today, Kim Geuk? I didn't see her at the protest..."

"Well, Dam-bi helped me with something on the side. The details are a secret!"

I shot her a knowing glance, conveying something like, 'Thanks for driving me around today.' She got the gist.

After that, it was hard to focus just on eating. Choi Yong kept chatting me up like we were old pals.

"You know I've wanted to meet you forever, right, Kim Geuk? If I hadn't been tied up in Gyeongsang Province, I would've come looking for you ages ago!"

"You wanted to meet me? Why's that?"

"I've seen all your exploits! For the sake of us Awakeners! I've always thought someone had to step up and fight for us. And you turned my pipe dream into reality!"

From there, Choi Yong launched into nonstop praise of my deeds. It went something like this.

If I hadn't stepped up, Awakener Hunters would've been dragged into the Special Task Force headquarters at the drop of a hat, suffering through their so-called "legal emergency calls." Even just trying to build camaraderie among Awakeners would've gotten the Task Force shutting it down, and the Hunter Association never represented Hunters' interests anyway.

"That day you stood up to save Kim Seok-hee from dying—it changed everything! Hunters rallied for the bus protest to back you up, and that's when Awakeners finally started catching a break..."

Even I, who usually laps up praise, found this level of nonstop adulation a bit much.

At this point, it almost made me suspicious of his motives—like, was he buttering me up for something? So I casually pulled out my smartphone and checked his HuntWeb history.

I was a little surprised. What he was saying wasn't coming out of nowhere.

These were posts and comments Choi Yong had made on HuntWeb. He was the type who praised me regularly.

Wondering when he'd started, I saw it began right after my clash with the Task Force over Kim Seok-hee.

"I was so moved by what you did that day, Kim Geuk! I saw the HuntWeb post about the bus protest and hopped in a taxi right away, but starting from Gyeongsang Province, I was too late..."

The praise kept coming, but I couldn't really enjoy it.

A lot was weighing on my mind.

Now that everything was wrapped up, new worries bubbled up. Had I gone too far? Had I really crossed the line?

I'd tried not to. No casualties, and with the councilors, I'd kidnapped and threatened them but hadn't laid a hand on them physically.

But what had Eom Geun-o said to me in the car today?

'Trying not to get too extreme? You didn't think about the fallout? This isn't crossing the line? After all this?'

His shocked face was still vivid in my memory.

'You're totally insane...'

Recalling his genuine reaction stirred these doubts.

Was I really losing it? Turning into Hallucination Terrorist Kim Geuk, unable to discern right from wrong?

Was this the hallucination's influence, or from my past life and Korean Awakener Alliance activities? I couldn't tell. Both made sense, making it harder to sort out.

I'd vowed to use Terrorist Kim Geuk's ugly deeds and end as a cautionary tale. I'd sworn to myself it wouldn't happen to me. But things weren't going as planned.

Not that I could help it. Even just immersing in online communities warps you into hating certain parties or races. And in my case, memories and emotions were being directly injected into my brain multiple times—how could I not be affected?

Did that mean everything I'd done today was the kind of stunt Terrorist Kim Geuk would pull?

Maybe I needed to hold back from now on. That thought crossed my mind, and I suddenly asked,

"By the way, you said the rookies signed some scam contract with Seoul City. What's the deal?"

"Oh, that? Basically..."

After hearing Choi Yong's full explanation, I had to school my expression.

It was ambiguous all around. My first thought was, why call it a scam?

"So, normal A-rank Hunter contracts pay an upfront fee plus per-deployment bonuses... but the rookies' deal ditched the bonuses?"

"Exactly—they claim the bonuses are already baked into the upfront fee! They ballooned the signing bonus but the total payout barely budged!"

No wonder it struck me as odd that Jeong Jin-yeong was getting a signing bonus like mine, even with rising Awakener rates. The contract structure must've changed.

"Why switch to upfront payments? Doesn't seem advantageous for local governments..."

"Oh, there's a reason. It's to pretend they're paying big—smoke and mirrors! You know how foreigner Awakener rates skyrocketed here?"

"After the Behemoth fiasco, where they broke contracts and threw foreigners into the meat grinder, killing half. Korea's a no-go zone for them now, so they have to pay up."

"Right! So they have to sweeten the pot for foreigners to lure them, but they can't just hike foreigner bonuses while ignoring locals. Solution: pretend to match foreigner rates for domestic Hunters by tweaking the contracts like this..."

Even the full details left me ambivalent. It felt less like outright fraud and more like a contract tweak.

And Seoul City pushing untrained rookies into the field early was shady, sure... but they'd signed willingly. Their choice, right?

No need for the Association head to roar in front of the National Assembly like they were forcibly conscripted...

If Kim Hyeong-man were alive, he'd probably just issue a statement of regret. At most, gripe about bypassing the Association.

One thing was clear.

Choi Yong ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠here was way more hardline than Kim Hyeong-man.

He seemed even less tolerant of his group's losses than Kim Hyeong-man, who'd raised Elma.

And that personality made him like me, too. No one in Korea fights harder for Awakeners than I do.

Confirming the new Hunter Association head Choi Yong's character only amplified my earlier worries.

Was stepping up this time a mistake?

Clashes between Awakener Hunters and the government seemed inevitable going forward.

Partly due to Choi Yong's temperament, but fundamentally because of me. The bus protest and this incident had given Awakeners a mental victory over the government.

From now on, every issue would see Hunters acting out without restraint.

A bit burdensome for me.

It's true superior Awakeners had no reason to tolerate a government of non-Awakener trash. But right now, shouldn't I prioritize my persecuted kin?

Ice Awakeners, that is.

Unlike powerhouse Awakeners who'd beaten the government multiple times and didn't need extra help, Ice Awakeners still required my support.

Helping them came first, but with the new Association head like this, I'd end up representing the heavy hitters more.

Especially without that anti-Awakener discrimination law...

Eom Geun-o's warning resurfaced.

Keep provoking the government, and their responses would turn vicious. A plea to rein it in—for Awakeners' sake, probably.

Should I hold back now, like he warned?

The Task Force was dialing back their thuggery, and the government was bending over backward for Hunters lately. No need for me to go wild...

Such thoughts were swirling when,

"Everything went great this time, but it's a shame Kang Jun-chi didn't join. If he'd been there like the bus protest, it would've been perfect."

I replied without thinking.

"Jun-chi said he needs some time to reflect. Plans to lay low for a while."

"Oh, really? Think he'll help out after his cooldown?"

"Dream on. He said he won't touch anything short of world-ending."

I shut it down, and Choi Yong sighed in disappointment.

"Makes sense. Come to think of it, after he spoke out against conscripting Awakeners early on, he's been radio silent. The bus protest was the only time he stepped up since."

He stared at me pointedly. Then his mouth opened again.

"If only Jun-chi stepped up like you, Kim Geuk."

Our eyes met as he muttered that. Ah...

I was swept into that familiar sensation of being pulled somewhere.

A hallucination, the first in months...

'Kang Jun-chi's sitting this one out too?'

Hallucination Seok Jang-sil answered my question in the hallucination.

'Told me not to even dream of it. No, don't even contact him.'

'Why?'

'Your rep's in the gutter lately, or something. Said to contact him after quitting Dawn Guild or whatever...'

Hallucination Choi Yong groaned at that.

Choi Yong—he'd taken over Dawn Guild after Kim Hyeong-man's beheading.

Choi ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Yong lamented.

'Yeah, these days I can't even walk the streets without people recognizing me and cursing me out.'

'Like "Dawn Guild trash!" or whatever?'

'Similar vibe, but way harsher.'

Definitely the media's doing. They'd targeted our group in multiple broadcasts lately.

We'd led an Awakener Hunter strike in backlash to Kim Hyeong-man's murder, and civilians died because of it.

Looking back, that strike might've been a mistake. It just gave the government ammo to harden their stance.

Choi Yong kept venting.

'We shouldn't have waited till Kim Hyeong-man died to band together. We needed to unite sooner, raise our voices early. Scattered like that, we never pushed back, and this is the result.'

Seok Jang-sil countered.

'Even grabbing a meal gets the Task Force glaring at us. How?'

'National Security or Task Force tantrums aside, one guy could fix it all... Kang Jun-chi.'

'Kang Jun-chi?'

'Yeah. If he'd backed us, the government wouldn't dare crush us outright. Can't believe that punk sat out even when National Security tried forcing that app on our phones for real-time tracking.'

That demand was blatant even now. Real-time location was bad enough, but eavesdropping on texts and calls too?

The government's control attempts on Awakeners were ramping up openly.

I knew why.

Copying China—the only country to succeed in Awakener control.

'If only Kang Jun-chi stepped up like us.'

I frowned at Choi Yong's words.

'That punk's gone quiet lately. Hasn't even made "re-education" videos since Korea announced tactical nukes. Probably can't tank a nuke with his barriers...'

'Coward bitch.'

Mid-conversation, a woman's voice blared from the TV news.

An announcement of a government project success.

Seok Jang-sil sighed at the news. My face twisted, and so did Choi Yong's.

Diana, that goddamn bitch.

Diana was the Greek goddess Artemis. One myth had her shooting the hunter Orion dead.

That alone made the Diana Project's aim clear: targeting Hunters, the "hunters."

A show that no matter how powerful the Awakeners, the government could eliminate them at will.

'They finally built those tactical nukes.'

I spoke up suddenly.

'What if I steal their tactical nuke and threaten the nation back? Blow up a nuclear plant or the Ulsan industrial complex...'

'That's a bit...'

Seok Jang-sil clicked his tongue, but Choi Yong didn't object.

Makes sense—he harbored as much resentment toward the government as I did. He proposed,

'Forget that—how about we drop it on Kang Jun-chi's house? While he's asleep, sneak in.'

'His house?'

'If Jun-chi dies, Behemoth rampages through Seoul, right?'

'Just wreck Korea entirely?'

Choi Yong replied calmly to Seok Jang-sil's shock.

'Why not? Better than this shitshow, no?'

'What if he survives the nuke?'

Choi Yong answered without missing a beat.

'That works too. Might make him realize he's a superhuman who can survive nukes. Could finally scare him into action against the government...'

'Oh...'

'Wait, nah, bad idea. If he survives, he'll come for you first, Kim Geuk—the nuke thief. Better think of something else. Nuclear plant terrorism? Up to you, since you can teleport...'

Snapping out of the hallucination, I felt my hands trembling slightly from the rage it'd transmitted.

But I'd been through these enough times. Managing my expression while sorting my thoughts wasn't hard.

I recalled what I'd been thinking just before.

Maybe I should hold back?

How could I even entertain such nonsense?

I'd momentarily forgotten Kim Hyeong-man's fate. Forgotten how non-Awakener trash, fearing us superhumans, could go to extremes—even if I didn't.

"Choi Yong?"

"Yeah?"

"Call me for anything from now on. No matter how busy, I'll come running."

He beamed, flashing a thumbs-up in total satisfaction.

"That alone makes me feel secure! Man, you're the only one I can count on, Kim Geuk! Not just those rookies who showed up today—I'm your fan too, you know?"

In the hallucination, Choi Yong was our Awakener leader—the strongest among us. Now that I was stronger, it fell to me.

Along with that, I recalled another detail from the hallucination.

Diana Project, was it?

The tactical nuke hallucination me had used on Kang Jun-chi was stolen from that very project.

I knew when and where it happened in the hallucination.

And now, inheriting that knowledge...

I did too.