Chapter 47
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Negotiation (2)
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Meanwhile.
In the Hero Officer Academy's reception room, Hero Association Chairman Jeon Il-seop and S-Rank Hero Kang Ju-young were seated.
"We're planning to catch the Destroyer. I hope you'll lend a hand too."
"... ."
Kang Ju-young sipped the prepared tea quietly, holding back her response.
She had seen the footage on the Destroyer too, so she could guess just how strong he was.
"Even with me pitching in, I doubt we'd catch the Destroyer."
"So you're just going to sit back and watch him strut around the country?"
Jeon Il-seop eyed Kang Ju-young with clear displeasure.
"I'm just being honest."
"It won't just be you— we'll gather the other S-Ranks too. To put it bluntly, this is a graver crisis than the dragon that appeared over a decade ago."
"I heard no one actually died to the Destroyer."
"Most of them ended up crippled. Even after treatment, they're still stuck in rehab training."
Jeon Il-seop explained the road ahead, frustration weighing on him.
"What if the Destroyer keeps rampaging? The damage will spiral out of control, and any heroes who step up to stop him will just get crippled one by one."
"... ."
"Or worse— he might even raid the Hero Officer Academy. With the Dragon Heart here, there's no way he'd pass it up."
Kang Ju-young inwardly sighed as she listened to Jeon Il-seop's speculation.
As an instructor, she felt a duty to protect the cadets here, but her opponent was none other than the Destroyer.
She recalled the footage of S-Rank heroes Seo Do-kyung and Lim Yeo-sol stepping up to block him, only to get utterly demolished without landing a single notable blow.
"... I'll ask. Do you really think gathering S-Rank heroes will let us catch the Destroyer, Chairman?"
Jeon Il-seop let out a long sigh in response.
"A head-on fight is out of the question. According to Seo Do-kyung, the Destroyer was just toying with him. In short, he wasn't even at full power."
"Then how would me joining help?"
"He's human, isn't he? We lure him into a trap. And conveniently, an S-Rank gate just opened, so we're thinking of negotiating to send him in there."
At the mention of an S-Rank gate, Kang Ju-young had a rough idea.
"So, you hit him while he's tackling the S-Rank gate."
"What other choice do we have? Even the Destroyer would be worn out clearing an S-Rank solo."
Gates vanish naturally an hour after their boss monster is defeated.
Jeon Il-seop said they'd station S-Rank heroes outside the gate and strike when the Destroyer emerged from the collapsing one.
"It's risky and uncertain. Have you considered what happens if it fails?"
"Then we make sure it doesn't. What if we plant special mana bombs around the gate and detonate them first?"
Special mana bombs were exactly what they sounded like— bombs infused with mana.
They dealt overlapping physical explosion damage and magical mana damage, enough to take down most monsters.
But...
"You're talking about using special mana bombs too?"
Each one cost a staggering 500 billion.
"Compared to the damage he's already caused, it's a bargain."
Of course, the Destroyer's rampage had racked up trillions in damages, so yeah, it was cheap by comparison.
Having heard the rough plan, Kang Ju-young calmly weighed the odds of actually catching the Destroyer.
"There's a chance, sure. Assuming he takes the bait and enters the gate, that is."
"He seems to want skill stones and artifacts. He's definitely grabbed some of both while raiding places."
Kang Ju-young nodded at the explanation, then asked one more thing.
"One more. Have you located the Destroyer?"
"We have. He's holed up in the mountains not far from here."
"If the negotiations succeed, then I'll help out."
"Fair enough. No negotiations, no dice anyway. Got it."
And with that, Hero Association Chairman Jeon Il-seop left satisfied with the outcome.
The next day.
-Mr. Lee Seong-min. Is the limit break thing really true?
"It's true. No reason to lie about that."
While I had hugged Ha Chae-jung and Ga Se-yeon with the healer body at the warehouse yesterday, I left the two fainted girls behind and focused on my other body.
Of course, Lee Seo-jun, who had witnessed it all, was relocated to the Hero Officer Academy, leaving behind an expression full of regret.
-Wow... If that's real, it's a total cheat ability. You said it can reach S-Rank, right?
"Stats cap at 1,000, then [Body Transcendence] adds another 200 or so. Total of 1,200, so yeah, S-Rank."
To be precise, it fell a bit short at 80, but luckily both Ha Chae-jung and Ga Se-yeon were heroes who had awakened mana.
"They're heroes, so bumping that 80 up with training should be easy."
So S-Rank was practically guaranteed, but it was a bare-minimum scrape-by.
"Still, pushing to B- or A-Rank stats through training alone is impressive."
-Even just A-Rank averages 640 stats, so combining that with your limit break would be insane.
Even so, it wouldn't reach SS-Rank.
SS-Rank required 2,560 stats.
Looking at it this way, it's easy to see why there are no SS-Ranks.
Of course, using limit break against an S-Rank hero would push it to SS-Rank.
And thinking of female S-Rank heroes brought Instructor Kang Ju-young's potential of 89 to mind first.
Potential 89...
If I hadn't seen Cheon Seo-yun, I might have focused on Instructor Kang Ju-young.
"By the way, we've got practical combat class this morning too."
-Yeah.
For reference, I'd earned points from morning PT again today.
Cheon Seo-yun and Park So-yul, who ran with me, even got a meal at the summit.
[Points: 220]
Points were stacking up steadily, but still nowhere near enough for my goal of Multi-Calculation.
Multi-Calculation costs 5,000 points.
According to Lee Seo-jun, it was an 8th-level skill stone, so the price made sense.
-More surprising is Cheon Seo-yun. I figured she'd come bug you every day for training.
"She seems wary of my limit break."
-Limit break?
"It's tied to sexual acts, so it ramps up arousal too. Probably why Cheon Seo-yun's on guard."
She'd tried sending some weird emotions my way before, but thankfully she couldn't handle the arousal from limit break.
If she figures out a counter for that, maybe she'll ask to train again.
I headed to the group arena for class, thinking that.
"Mr. Lee Seong-min!"
"...?"
I turned at the sound of someone calling my name, spotting a familiar face.
-It's Joo Ha-yeon.
Joo Ha-yeon, the one who'd tried singing to play with the spirits before, was sprinting over.
True to her pretty looks, she was popular— students' gazes gathered as she ran up calling my name.
"Good morning."
"Morning if it's a good one."
Joo Ha-yeon smiled brightly at my reply, then made her usual request.
"Mr. Lee Seong-min. Could you interpret for me again today?"
"Interpret, huh..."
"Yeah. I came up with an amazing idea. If we use it right, I might even command the spirits to attack."
"That might be tough."
From interpreting for the spirits back then, one thing I'd felt was that they had no learning ability.
They followed orders fine in the moment, but soon after they'd tilt their heads like, 'Huh? What's that?'
Spirits don't have brains or something?
Anyway, I said it'd be hard, but Joo Ha-yeon wouldn't give up.
"We have to try. Help me out, please?"
"I could help before 'cause I had time, but class is packed now."
Morning practical combat, afternoon mana control.
Plus, with the full team for practicals, Cheon Seo-yun and Park So-yul might stick to me even at lunch.
"Please help anyway."
"...?"
I'd tried refusing indirectly, but Joo Ha-yeon just bulldozed ahead with the plea.
Was Joo Ha-yeon always this selfish?
Glancing at Lee Seo-jun beside me, he nodded.
We'd mostly talked spirits before, so I hadn't noticed her personality, but now it was clear she was self-centered.
Should I offer the same deal as Cheon Seo-yun?
Either way, Joo Ha-yeon was too valuable to pass up.
Her potential was lower than Cheon Seo-yun or Instructor Kang Ju-young, but...
81 was still a high number.
"I can help, but I've got conditions."
"Conditions? Oh! Want help with a spirit contract?"
"Spirits?"
I'd planned to offer the same as Cheon Seo-yun, but Joo Ha-yeon brought up spirits first.
"Can I contract spirits?"
"If I help, maybe. You have mana, after all."
I glanced at Lee Seo-jun again.
To verify if she was telling the truth.
-Possible if Joo Ha-yeon helps. But it's basically a scam contract, so spirit affinity starts at rock bottom.
It was possible, then.
Spirits can be commanded, really.
Not this world's spirits, of course.
But even so, these spirits might have their own perks.
"Fine. Spirit contract it is, and I'll interpret."
"Settled! See you at lunch after practical combat."
Joo Ha-yeon flashed a radiant smile, thrilled to get what she wanted, and dashed off to the group arena first.
"... ."
Watching her back, a thought crossed my mind for a second.
Could've just conquered Joo Ha-yeon first and contracted spirits after?
Way too late for that now, so I shook it off and kept walking.
Thinking back, her bolting right after the talk felt intentional too.