Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam
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Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JB PHH).
It was a U.S. Navy and Air Force base located in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Its prestige went without saying.
Before the Great Cataclysm, it had served as the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Now, it housed the Asian headquarters for the U.S. military's Awakener branch, the Super Force.
"If Kim wants to work under the Super Force, he could be stationed right here at headquarters. He'd hop on a hypersonic transport, carry out missions anywhere across East Asia in just a few hours, then kick back in paradise here in Hawaii."
Astral Bodies—Mana Stones—had sparked all sorts of innovations that conventional science could never have dreamed of.
These breakthroughs were called arcane engineering, or Arcane Science, and they were the reason America was so desperate to gather Awakeners, social side effects be damned.
The gap between tech fused with arcane engineering and plain old science was as vast as that between African natives and European colonial powers.
'A trip that would've taken ten hours by conventional flight got us to Hawaii in just two.'
It wasn't for nothing that people hailed this as a new era.
Humanity was buzzing with excitement, convinced that Arcane Science would lead them to conquer the stars.
In reality, it was humanity getting conquered, but still.
"Of course, given Kim's class, he might be better suited as a hero with the Hero Police Department than the Super Force."
"Do I have to join some organization?"
"Not at all. If the test results qualify you for a Platinum Card or higher, you're exempt from mandatory service. You could live off the federal sponsorship stipend and enjoy yourself freely in a place like Las Vegas."
S-Rank.
In other words, it was a perk granted to those rated Level 7 or higher under America's AAA system.
Fifty thousand dollars—a little over sixty million won in Korean currency—would hit your account every month, no work required.
Even if a recruited S-Rank did absolutely nothing, it wasn't a waste of money.
Mana Stone procurement was a competition. Snagging one S-Rank away significantly weakened a rival nation's Awakener forces. That alone made it a huge win for America.
"Of course, that's assuming Kim delivers the kind of test results you're hoping for. If it's a Gold Card or standard Green Card, you'll have mandatory service proportional to the rating."
Judging by the results, A-Ranks got 2-3 years of service, B-Ranks 3-5 years.
Even so, people were lining up to come to America.
The treatment during mandatory service was beyond what most countries outside a few advanced nations could offer.
Even hunters from those advanced nations dreamed of bigger opportunities in America.
It was the American Dream of the new era.
'Of course, if my rating comes out ambiguous, they'll deport me.'
They all put on friendly faces, but everyone was scrutinizing Do-hyun sharply.
Not only had he killed an outrageous number of people in record time, he was suspected of being the worst kind of villain—possibly behind a nuclear terror plot.
If he wasn't worth the risk, they wouldn't shelter him.
"This is the first basic stat evaluation. It might be a hassle, but could you cooperate?"
"Of course."
"Hee-hee, Kim is such a sweetheart."
They said plenty of S-Ranks balked at even basic evaluations, given how revered they were back home.
But Do-hyun had no intention of playing the antisocial villain role, so he cooperated diligently.
"Like this?"
From physical stats like strength, stamina, agility, and so on, to mana sensitivity, mana output, ability proficiency, and the like.
The basic stat evaluation wrapped up.
"Good work."
"How'd I do?"
"Perfect. Excellent across the board. At this rate, a Platinum Card is well within reach. We'll proceed to the additional tests shortly—feel free to rest in the meantime."
Michelle, the Super Force's military doctor at the Hawaii base and a young prodigy in arcane biology, dropped her friendly smile the moment she stepped out of the room. Her face hardened.
"Well?"
"...I don't know."
"You don't know?"
Brigadier General Frankie, commander of the Hawaii Super Force, scowled.
"We need a precise judgment. Whether Kim is the rumored Genocider. And if the risk is worth taking him in anyway."
The U.S. government's policy might be to accept any Awakener, but individuals thought differently.
As a B-Rank himself, Brigadier General Frankie had dealt with all the headaches caused by powerful Awakeners under his command. He was cautious.
"The basics are outstanding. Unbelievably well-rounded stats for a Shadow Knight. Physical prowess fit for a tank, mana abilities rivaling a mage or supporter."
"But no more than that."
"Yes. Not enough to risk on a potential Devil Rank villain."
America classified villains too, since they ran rampant.
Not just by strength, but by how much chaos they caused.
Genocider was naturally top-tier: Devil Rank.
"The issue is if he's not the Genocider. By standard S-Rank metrics, he's exceptional. Too good to pass up over unconfirmed suspicions."
Brigadier General Frankie nodded.
"A Shadow Knight with that level of ability defecting to somewhere like China... I don't even want to imagine it."
Fights between humans were strictly forbidden inside gates, but reality was different.
Far more died fighting each other than getting killed by bosses.
Shadow Knights, specialized in assassination, were the most terrifying.
If Do-hyun held a grudge over unfair deportation and turned assassin for China, countless American Awakeners would die by his hand.
"A real white elephant."
The Anglo-American idiom for a burdensome yet valuable gift you couldn't quite discard.
"The secondary combat test hasn't started yet?"
"No, sir. Mad Warrior is standing by."
An S-Rank Level 7 Awakener assigned to the Hawaii Super Force.
Among Level 7s, he'd successfully unlocked his limit and was sure to hit Level 8 soon.
"Switch the opponent from Mad Warrior to Pierrot."
Dr. Michelle's face stiffened.
"Pierrot...? But?"
"I know. There's a risk Kim could break."
Pierrot was a mage class.
A rare psychologist specializing in mental magic.
"Pierrot's mental magic can uncover what Kim's hiding—whether he's really the Genocider."
"True, but... if Kim's mind can't withstand it, the aftereffects could be severe."
"No choice. We'll take the risk. If he can't handle that level of mental magic, he's not worth regretting even if he breaks."
If Kim was truly innocent, Brigadier General Frankie would be making a grave mistake.
But there was no helping it.
He was desperate for America's sake, too.
Unlike old grading systems, America's AAA system always included real combat.
There was the secondary combat test against another Awakener, and the tertiary, which involved actual operations like monster extermination.
"We judge comprehensively on your performance in real combat, not just win or loss. Sometimes, an impressive defeat scores higher than a victory won the wrong way."
"What's a 'wrong way' victory?"
"Poor judgment unfit for the situation, reckless attempts, that sort of thing. Even a lucky win there guarantees future problems."
It was the AAA system, prioritizing overall combat competence over raw Awakener power.
"Normally, even S-Rank tests pit you against an A-Rank Level 6, but Kim's special, so it'll be an S-Rank Level 7."
"Doesn't matter to me."
"Thank you for understanding."
Do-hyun's eyes widened slightly at the sight of his opponent.
Michelle spoke in a heavy tone.
"Codename: Pierrot. Mage class."
"Not just any mage—mental magic. A Psychologist as my test opponent. So this is the U.S. government's stance on me?"
"...I have nothing to say."
Michelle averted her eyes.
Americans didn't bow their heads to apologize; avoiding eye contact was her way of showing regret.
Inside, though, Do-hyun was thrilled.
'Perfect. Never thought I'd run into Little Joker here.'
Joker.
One of the worst villains.
Even now, he sowed infamy across America. After the apocalypse, he'd unleash horrors on the whole world.
Little Joker was a villain who idolized and mimicked him through copycat crimes.
Copycat or not, this guy was a major headache.
'Didn't know he was serving in the military. Then again, plenty of villains came from military backgrounds.'
His military service might just be a cover. At this point in time, he could still be Little Joker.
'Maybe he's tied to the Pearl Harbor disaster coming up. No matter how sloppy military discipline got, you couldn't pull off a catastrophe like that without an inside man.'
Well, he'd find out soon enough.
Little Joker made for an ideal opponent in every way.
"If you don't want to, you can forfeit the test. But naturalization would be off the table."
"Could I go back to Korea safely?"
"...I can't say."
"That's too much. Is this how America does things?"
"...I'm sorry."
Do-hyun feigned anger outwardly while grinning inwardly.
Across ten regressions, he hadn't just lived as the strongest—he'd always led Korea.
He was used to bending situations to his will.
"Since it's a Psychologist, please don't penalize me for any accidental injuries during the duel."
Michelle hesitated.
Inflicting serious harm or killing your opponent mid-test was a major deduction.
Not from humanitarianism, but seen as poor control.
"Mental debuffs from psychic magic will be factored into the judgment."
Do-hyun nodded and turned to Little Joker... no, Pierrot for now.
"Scared? Run away now, yellow monkey."
Gulp.
Do-hyun licked his lips at the sight of him.
Not because he was some pervert. It was his awakened class, Devourer of Evil Destruction.
A Demi-God class, it had the side effect of making his mouth water like a deviant around evil-doers.
That reaction meant the guy was still a villain at this point in time.
His gaze at Do-hyun screamed it anyway.
The telltale look of a pleasure killer.
"I'll treat you gently like our first night, baby. No need to tense up."
Pierrot's eyes flashed, unleashing mental magic on Do-hyun.
And then.
"Gaaahhhhhhh—!!!!"
Pierrot clutched his head, screaming in agony.