Chapter 83
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 083
Chapter Title: Australia's Catastrophe, the Phoenix - [4]
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Q. It was an unprecedented crisis in scale, yet the damage ended up surprisingly light. Kim Geuk the Hunter's aid is being cited as the top reason for the minimal casualties.
A significant number of monsters were taken down by Kim Geuk himself, and countless civilians who might have died that day were saved by him. What's the secret behind this astonishing performance?
"I trained at Bupyeong Hunting Academy, just five minutes from Bupyeong Station. This much is only natural, don't you think?"
Q. We're grateful you stepped up even though it wasn't your assigned zone. It couldn't have been an easy call—what made you jump in without hesitation?
"I stepped up because I could. Why would I sit around? I'm not some Special Task Force grunt."
Q. I get the sense you harbor ill feelings toward the Special Task Force from that day. Listening to you, it sounds like those emotions have only grown stronger.
"If anything, the disgust I felt back then has only gotten worse. Seeing them sit this one out even now? It's ridiculous. They make excuses about their salaries being too low for Awakeners like them, but after this, even what they're getting paid feels way too generous. How do trash like that even exist?"
Q. Fair enough—you earned the right to say that after your efforts that day.
A startling number of people testified that Kim Geuk personally rescued them. Whether civilians saved that day or soldiers who joined the suppression effort, almost everyone at the scene credits him with their survival. Didn't Seoul folks usually say there's no need to save Incheon?
"Sadly, I had to consider the chance that some of those vile Seoul bastards might actually be from Incheon."
Q. You took down the Flame Spirit and now the Phoenix too. You're racking up one incredible record after another. Especially this Phoenix, infamous worldwide—any thoughts? (......)
"Whoa... look at that, that thing!"
The TV news ran my interview for a good while before showing what even I had to admit was a badass clip.
A blizzard raging inside, locked in mortal combat with the steam-belching firebird...
The footage ended with my final strike engulfing both the monster and the entire floor.
The shockwave must've wrecked the building's CCTV, since nothing after that made it in—which was a blessing. It meant my exhausted, staggering self didn't air on broadcast.
Ah, but my escape from the building did get caught on exterior CCTV and made the news.
It was straight out of a fantasy flick. Watching the footage of the ice falcon carrying me away, my team members chimed in one by one.
"Elsa?"
"Isn't that Aokiji? Pretty sure I saw that move in a manga..."
Speaking for the whole Hunter team, I turned to my ring girl.
"Where'd you pick up that new trick?"
Meanwhile, Baek Dam-bi seemed eager not to look too pleased at all the attention.
She fought down her twitching lips—which only my superhuman Physical Enhancement eyesight could spot—and explained in a calm tone and expression.
"Spirits... I can temporarily absorb memories from ones I've defeated, right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"After taking down the Phoenix, I absorbed that bird's memories too. I checked the fresh ones right away for anything useful, but nothing really stood out..."
"And?"
"The only clear bits left in my head were how the Phoenix usually flew and moved—its behavioral patterns. Then I saw you in a pinch, Kim Geuk... I wanted to drop the temperature there fast, so I went to use my ability. But my mind was still filled with that fresh memory of the Phoenix flapping its wings, and before I knew it..."
"Ah, so you mimicked the absorbed memory of the Phoenix's flight patterns, shaped it out of ice, and it actually flew? Then used it to bail me out?"
"Yes..."
This woman kept trailing off not because she was drained, but the opposite—she was thrilled and pretending to be low-energy to hide it.
"So, can you still do it now?"
Baek Dam-bi nodded, then slyly rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses. Once she'd confirmed everyone was watching, she raised her index finger.
Moisture gathered from the air around that fingertip, forming the shape of a small falcon.
"Whoa!"
Soon, the translucent falcon flapped its wings and hovered in midair, drawing gasps from everyone there. Baek Dam-bi's lips were twitching so much now, I wondered if even normal eyes could see it.
And I thought, that cute little... while still being impressed.
She'd said spirit memories fade fast, so you have to actively work to retain them. Seeing her recreate it so effortlessly now meant she'd been mulling over that memory and practicing in all sorts of ways since.
Is this how she hones her abilities on the regular? I'd figured she just spent her home time posting crap on HuntWeb, but this was commendable.
Meanwhile, the TV kept running stories about me.
"Something red streaked by, and suddenly everything around was on fire! Flames were spreading everywhere near me too. I was flailing in the blaze when Kim Geuk showed up out of nowhere—"
"It's like a full-on Kim Geuk special," Seong Mun-yeong muttered.
But the news wasn't solely about me.
What they really hammered home was 'how incredibly capable Seoul's Gate response is.'
Basically, they bent over backward to tout how Seoul weathered this historic crisis with barely a scratch, especially compared to overseas cases.
Ah, and now the national pride flex about international attention. Damn it.
Their cringey lines grated, but I couldn't ignore the praise mixed in, so I kept watching intently.
"Seoul's districts each have top-dollar contracted Awakener Hunters on standby. However..."
The TV, mid-rant praising the response, suddenly switched to a scathing report.
"The Awakener Hunter assigned to the incident zone arrived over seven minutes later than usual, shocking the public. (......) They claim they were delayed responding to a separate Hunter Association summons. Experts warn that if Hunters responsible for zones frequently step away like this, incidents like this one could... (......)"
They were calling out Seok Jang-sil for being a bit late due to the Association meeting. Absurd.
"What the hell? They were just singing praises about the historic response and minimal damage, and now they're tearing it down?"
"Beats me. Different reporters on the stories?"
For a moment, I couldn't fathom what they were thinking. Praise one second, bash the next—what were they even trying to say?
Even after disbanding the team and heading home, the question lingered.
I called Kim Hyeong-man for his take. He scoffed and laid it out.
"They hyped the perfect response to prop up Seoul real estate prices, right? Gotta advertise that Seoul shrugs off crises like this to keep values steady..."
"Then why the sudden pivot to slamming the assigned A-rank Hunter for being late and raising response concerns?"