The God of War
“What does martial arts mean to you?”
At the old man’s question, the boy shook his head. It seemed to mean he didn’t know. So the old man asked again.
“You don’t know?”
“No.”
The boy answered calmly.
“Then?”
“I’m not interested.”
It was a brazen answer. The old man let out a snort of laughter.
“Not interested, you say. And here I thought you were walking the path of martial arts.”
“I’ve never really walked that kind of path, either... More than that.”
The boy’s obsidian eyes swept over the old man. Under that gaze, the old man actually hesitated for a moment.
“Martial arts are just about breaking things and crushing them. I don’t know whether you’re supposed to put some grand conviction inside that or not.”
“Oh?”
It was a firm, unmistakable answer.
“Martial arts are violence, aren’t they?”
Break with your fist.
Crush with your foot.
To the boy, martial arts and combat techniques were nothing more than that.
“That’s an interesting way to put it.”
“Interesting?”
Was there really anything interesting about it? The boy truly couldn’t understand.
“Then is that your martial way?”
“I don’t know. If you call that a ‘way,’ I haven’t really thought about it that much.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
The old man nodded.
“Whatever it is you wish to see, if that is what it means to you, then pursue it.”
“...Pursue it.”
“Yes. If all you see it as is violence, then that too is your martial way. Follow it.”
“And what if I end up beating up innocent people while I’m at it?”
“Then what else?”
The old man answered with another snort.
“It’ll just mean you’ve become a bad man’s martial artist.”
“...”
What an absurdly simple answer. Hearing that, the boy shook his head.
“Still—”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“...It must be nice to be so carefree.”
Huh?
“...Huh.”
I muttered the words and opened my eyes at an angle.
What did I just say? It felt like I’d been talking in my sleep. But I had no idea what I’d said, and I couldn’t even remember the dream I’d just been having, either.
I must’ve dreamed something, though...
“...I can’t really remember anything.... Ugh!”
I cut myself off and curled up. Damn it all.
“What the hell?”
Why did everything hurt again? I was trembling all over. My fingertips, my shoulders—everything was shaking.
Residual effects of the backlash remain.
Pain is continuing.
...The system told me why. Ah, this...
“That was it...”
Heavenly Demon Divine Sword. It must have been because I’d used it.
“Ugh...”
Ignoring the throbbing in my head, I looked around. More importantly, where the hell was I now?
This looks like a hospital room.
It was a familiar room. It seemed like the same place I’d come to before.
“...I’m hospitalized again?”
Anything happens and I end up in a hospital first. I let out a sigh. Then—
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock came from outside the door.
“Yes.”
“Hunter Lee Jinwoo. It seems you’re awake. May we come in?”
“Ah, yes. Please come in.”
With my permission, someone entered. It was a doctor and Jeon Yuseon.
“Please excuse us for a moment. How are you feeling?”
“...My body... is fine.”
“The detailed examination showed no issues, but human superhuman physiques are still not fully understood...”
For ordinary people, there were things you could check easily enough, but with superhumans, their bodies often couldn’t be examined properly.
“It’s fine. My body doesn’t feel weird or anything.”
It hurt from the skill’s backlash, but there was no point in saying that. It didn’t seem like I’d gain anything from it.
Jingle.
As I moved my hand, I felt something brush against me. I saw the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword hanging from my arm.
Heavenly Demon Divine Sword (SS)
The user is granted skills according to the sword’s capabilities.
Heavenly Demon Art (SS)
Heavenly Demon Divine Sword
Heavenly Demon Teeth-Form Slaughter
Effect is sealed.
Effect is sealed.
Effect is sealed.
Effect is sealed.
...
I swallowed hard.
It’s SS-rank.
I’d thought it would stay an A-rank weapon and help conceal my identity, but this bastard had suddenly evolved.
An SS-rank relic, no less.
It was the same grade as the Orb of Corca’s Illusion I’d obtained.
...Feels like more and more things that shouldn’t be on my body are gathering here.
At this point, if you took inventory of everything I was carrying, it wouldn’t be strange if the nation itself started moving.
Still, I’m glad it evolved after the rank evaluation...
If things had gone wrong, it could’ve ended up as an SS-rank weapon by accident. Huh. Would that have been fine, too?
Better than A-rank...
That much was true.
No.
I immediately shook my head.
...It’s clear now.
I was still too weak to be called EX-rank, but I was also too weak to comfortably call myself SS-rank or S-rank.
In other words, no matter how high your rank is, you can’t just swagger around like a fool.
Not until I’d grown stronger by raising my Synchronization Rate.
Hide your identity and live quietly. It felt like a weapon given to me for exactly that reason.
“Hunter Lee Jinwoo.”
“Ah.”
Jeon Yuseon spoke to me.
Only then did I realize I hadn’t been paying attention to the conversation.
“I’m sorry.”
“Not at all. You’ve only just awakened, after all. Shall I repeat myself?”
“...Yes. I’d appreciate that.”
“First, two days have passed since the incident.”
So I’d slept for two full days.
“...As expected, it seems this was the work of terrorists.”
“...”
I thought of the person wearing the mask. The moment I did, my brow furrowed.
Terrorist.
Just thinking about it made my fists clench on their own.
“A-and the Association President...?”
“The President only suffered minor bruising, so his treatment was finished that very day. Fortunately, there were no other casualties.”
“No casualties?”
“Yes. The journalists nearby and the people inside the Association only lost consciousness, so there didn’t seem to be any major problems.”
“...Then that terrorist...?”
“Escaped.”
“...!”
“For the rest of the details... it would be better if you discussed them directly with the Association President, if possible...”
Jeon Yuseon looked to the doctor.
“Is he in a condition where he can move?”
“Ah, yes. Medically speaking, there’s nothing wrong, and if the patient himself feels all right, then there’s no issue.”
“Would that be all right with you?”
At Jeon Yuseon’s words, I nodded.
“Yes. Let’s go.”
For now, I needed to see for myself.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Scratch, scratch. Scratch, scratch.
An unpleasant sound rang out over and over again. It was the sound of nails dragging across the desk.
Baek Hyeonho, listening to it, let out a long sigh and said,
“Hale Irene.”
At the call, the sound stopped.
“?”
The woman gave him an expressionless look, one that was nonetheless clearly displeased, and Baek Hyeonho knew very well she was in an extremely bad mood.
“Please calm down.”
“...Calm... down? I am... calm...”
That was the sort of thing people said when they were nowhere near calm.
Baek Hyeonho swallowed the words that almost escaped him.
“Losing him wasn’t your fault.”
“...I know. I’m just... irritated, that’s all.”
“...”
She was not in a state where conversation flowed smoothly. Baek Hyeonho let out a low sigh.
At that, Irene leaned deeply back into the sofa.
“...I lost him.”
She stated the situation in her usual emotionless tone.
“...I lost him.”
The superhuman in the mask who had appeared then.
She’d lost him.
“...He should’ve been weak. I lost him.”
Objectively speaking, he was S-rank—perhaps even weaker than Baek Hyeonho if one really compared them. And yet she’d lost him.
Had her magic been too slow? No.
She hadn’t hesitated, either. She hadn’t even intended to capture him for interrogation. She had simply planned to erase him from that spot without leaving a trace.
But then something had burst out.
As she recalled that moment—
Damn it.
Green energy had spread from the burly man’s body as the light struck him. A green force. It had formed like a thin membrane and blocked Irene’s magic.
No.
Maybe “absorbed” is more accurate.
It had absorbed her magic. And not only had it absorbed it outright—
It disappeared.
The barrier had simply shrunk and swallowed the burly man whole.
“Hmm.”
Irene tilted her head. She couldn’t make sense of what she’d seen.
In other words, she couldn’t make sense of it herself. And that irritated her to the point of madness.
She’d thought it would be easy. Instead, the bastard had more tricks than expected. Of course he did.
“...So.”
He must’ve caught her for an instant.
Whether it had been an item or another skill, she’d been trapped in another space for a moment.
“...What was it like when you were trapped?”
“Nothing.”
“Pardon?”
“I didn’t feel anything...”
Whether she was standing or lying down.
Whether she was breathing.
She hadn’t felt a thing.
It might have been an illusion spell, or perhaps a restraint. It was a magic she’d never seen before, so escaping had taken time.
Under normal circumstances, she would have torn through the spell and come back out the instant she was trapped. This time, it had taken five minutes.
It was humiliating.
“Tsk.”
Irene clicked her tongue and said,
“...Are you all right?”
“You mean my side.”
“...Yes. You’re selling me out, aren’t you?”
“...Haha...”
Baek Hyeonho gave an embarrassed laugh. She was right.
The articles on the internet were all like that.
“...It doesn’t matter. I expected as much...”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“Don’t cross the line.”
The warning was cold.
“Understood.”
Baek Hyeonho smiled and nodded. Just then—
Knock, knock.
“Association President. I’ve brought Hunter Lee Jinwoo.”
“Come in.”
The door opened and Lee Jinwoo stepped inside. Irene glanced at him sideways.
“How’s your condition?”
“I’m fine.”
“...Mm. You do look that way.”
Irene nodded, and Lee Jinwoo took a seat in the empty chair.
“Hunter Lee Jinwoo.”
“Yes.”
Baek Hyeonho looked at him and said,
“You helped us greatly once again this time. Thank you.”
“Ah, no...”
“You’re truly all right, are you?”
“...Yes.”
It was a question he’d answered several times already. Lee Jinwoo gave an awkward smile and replied, and Baek Hyeonho smiled in relief.
“Ah, that’s a relief. If there’s even the slightest issue with your body, please tell us immediately.”
“...I will.”
“Normally, we’d have brought you somewhere better, but... as you know, the Association President’s office is under renovation.”
I gave a bitter smile at what was clearly a joke. More than half of that place had been blown apart. The building itself had taken a beating, too.
“And.”
Baek Hyeonho wiped the smile from his face.
“Considering what happened two days ago, it seems they don’t look kindly on the formation of the new Knight Order. Enough to move this recklessly.”
“That’s not it.”
Irene looked at Lee Jinwoo as she spoke.
“They just don’t like this side.”
“...”
Lee Jinwoo fell silent. He knew. He knew the burly man’s target had been him.
“The Knight Order... are you not going to do it?”
Irene’s words asked whether they were seriously still planning to go ahead with the Knight Order after all this.
“No. We will still establish the new Knight Order. If anything, this situation makes it even more necessary.”
Baek Hyeonho’s eyes were firm.
“I see.”
Irene reacted as though it didn’t matter to her either way.
“...Then what am I supposed to do...? It felt like there was something else I was meant to do.”
At that, Lee Jinwoo remembered it too. That Baek Hyeonho had seemed like he wanted to say something more at the end.
“...Ah.”
As if he’d forgotten, Baek Hyeonho spoke up.
“It’s not that the unregistered superhumans moving around like that isn’t a problem, but... as I was saying before, there’s one more important task to entrust to this Knight Order.”
At that, Irene made a strange expression and asked,
“A favor?”
“Yes. An important one. If possible... it’s also something that must be handled in strict secrecy.”
“...What is it?”
“You could say it’s an extension of the matter, in a sense... Right now, we need to find a danger other than the terrorists.”
“A danger?”
“Yes. There’s an unregistered superhuman inside the Association whom we currently consider the most dangerous.”
Unregistered superhuman. Referring to those mostly made up of criminals, the Association President continued—
“The God of War.”
Huh?
At those words—
“I’d like this Knight Order to handle the terrorists as its special assignment, and also identify the new unregistered superhuman who is a danger... the God of War.”
Lee Jinwoo’s face went blank.