The Stranger (5)

A week had passed since I came to Busan.

The food I ate, the people I met, even the roads I took had all changed, but I kept my routine exactly the same.

At dawn, a shrill alarm rang out.

I rubbed my eyes and dragged myself out of bed. A faint blue glow filled the cramped room, and the blankets still held onto the warmth of my body from the night before.

I wanted nothing more than to steal another hour of sleep. No one was going to scold me for being lazy. Get up.

I forced my stiff body upright. There was a phrase I repeated to myself every day since living my second life: Do what I can do. Knowing the future didn’t mean I could control life perfectly. Life was still uncertain, still liable to bounce in any direction like a rugby ball. So I swore to give every day my best. I had no intention of living through more lifeless, helpless days like I had before.

I changed into my training clothes and stepped outside. The wind was cold, and when I exhaled, my breath scattered into the air like cigarette smoke. This time alone was perfect for practice. I loosened my shoulders, swung both arms lightly, and started my footwork.

I ran the beach using mana. Every time I stamped ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠down into the sand and kicked off the ground, my stamina drained almost instantly. Gradually, my feet slowed. I wanted to stop countless times, but I clenched my teeth and held on. “Huff! Haaah!”

Covered in sweat, I completed 42.195 kilometers in an hour and a half. The moment I stopped running, I collapsed where I stood and took a brief rest. There was no time to recover for long. Next came a thousand strikes of Judgment of the Superhuman.

“Huh, huhh!”

It was the best training method for increasing raw strength and hardening my fists. I didn’t neglect my practice of the One Heaven Style or the Shield Style, either. I moved to another spot and climbed onto the cliff, then swung my sword again and again. I repeated the same motions until they were almost mind-numbingly boring. Day after day, my hands split open and healed over, split open and healed over, until they were covered in thick calluses. Before I knew it, the sun had risen far in the distance.

The instant I brought down the Black Eater Sword—

It had finally come.

I’d obtained Poseidon only a short while ago—the so-called king of the deep seas, the hero who suited the ocean better than anyone else. And, as the saying went, sincere effort moved heaven. The system’s shop window appeared in my mind.

I had obtained one of Poseidon’s signature powers. Blessing of Water was exactly what it sounded like: a miraculous ability that let me move freely underwater, as if I’d been granted a god’s blessing. I could breathe beneath the surface. I could move at high speed without the drag of water. It was a power ordinary humans couldn’t even imagine.

If I have this... It was more than enough to deal with the vile, brutal Dirty Kraken.

Then the alarm rang again.

My eyes flew open.

They were going to give me another skill on top of Blessing of Water?

A condition...

It had to be a mission. So far, the system had handed me missions from time to time, and the rewards had always been worth it. If Blessing of Water was my adaptation to an unfamiliar environment, then Control of Water was something different entirely—it let me command the environment itself. If I could obtain both, especially that second power...

I’ll definitely win.

For a moment, I wondered if my eyes were playing tricks on me.

Kill 100 people?

It was asking me to murder people. And not just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one person—one hundred.

I checked the message over and over again, unable to believe the reality in front of me.

I hated the system. Was it trying to make me dance on strings like a puppet? Was it saying I didn’t deserve hero powers unless I obeyed? Why was it putting me through such a cruel trial? What the hell was this for?

There was a famous line from a hero movie that had stood the test of time: with great power came great responsibility. The system felt like it was testing me.

Then another line appeared.

There was one month left.

Ironically, that was about the same length as my stay in Busan.

I clenched the sword and sank into thought. Whenever a problem came up, I’d always found the answer quickly. I was good at turning things over in my head, after all. If I were to look for a loophole, I could probably force a success somehow.

For instance, what if the target was one hundred evil people?

Then couldn’t I just choose bad guys and kill them? If someone looked like absolute trash at a glance, I could just beat the shit out of them. I could wipe out a violent gang in Busan. Or go hunting for villains. As long as I killed one hundred people, the mission would be cleared.

“……”

And yet, for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

Why was that?

Was I afraid of mass slaughter? Was it because I’d feel guilty after killing people?

No. That wasn’t it.

I shook my head.

I was trying to be honest with myself. What was really holding me back was...

Maybe I couldn’t be honest with myself.

When I’d decided to become a hero, there had been one principle I intended to prioritize above all else: conviction.

Whenever I saved someone or stepped in to fight on their behalf, it had to be something I truly believed was right. Killing was the same. When I judged justice and injustice, I had my own standards. I drew my sword only when someone was tormenting the people around me, or when they committed something so monstrous I couldn’t possibly stand by and watch.

That was a rule I intended to keep for the rest of my life.

But just because the system had handed me a mission, just because it said I needed this power, did that give me the right to hunt down villains and slaughter them indiscriminately?

I had no taste for tormenting the weak. I wasn’t some pleasure-killing maniac. This mission had no justification whatsoever. More than anything, it clashed with my own code.

If I compromised even a little, it would probably be the opportunity of a lifetime. But when I wore ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the purple mask, I needed legitimacy.

After a long silence, I finally spoke.

“I refuse.”

Heavy silence settled in.

Rejecting the offer didn’t mean failure appeared immediately. If I did nothing until the deadline, the mission would probably just disappear on its own. Someone might call me stubborn beyond reason. That was right—stubbornness. To me, conviction was simply a stubbornness that could never be bent.

No regrets.

I could take on the Dirty Kraken without Control of Water. I wanted to become the strongest hero more desperately than anyone else, but I didn’t want to reach that goal by trampling over my own principles.

Awakener’s Balance: 1 billion won. How I used that money was my choice.

I’ll walk my own path.

I turned my back on the rising sun and slid the Black Eater Sword back into its sheath.

Forcing the Busan team through harsh training was an important part of the day.

“P-Please, spare us.”

“...Please.”

“We were wrong.”

During the hellish special training, the team members sprawled on the floor, crawling and gasping like wrecks.

“Stop whining. I’ve done ten times worse than this.”

That wasn’t an exaggeration. Na Sang-min had truly been merciless.

He really did try to kill me back then.

The swordsman who had become my teacher had been a demon, plain and simple. Just remembering those days still made my teeth ache. A sudden chill ran through me, and I decided I couldn’t let this grievance go.

“All right then, another five hundred squats!”

The team members gaped at me in despair. By the time frost had gathered thickly on the windows from their breath and the heat in the room, the training was finally over.

“Good work. See you tomorrow.”

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The training room looked like a morgue. Everyone was scattered around like corpses, groaning where they lay.

“……Ugh.”

“Just kill me instead.”

“You want us to do this again tomorrow? No way. I can’t.”

Some of them were already fast asleep. They’d probably stay out for a long while.

Good.

Training was, after all, the process of heating metal in fire and hammering it until it became stronger. It also meant strengthening both body and mind. One day, when they stood before the Dirty Kraken, this moment would shine.

Leaving the team behind, I headed back to my lodging. The place I was staying was a one-room apartment near the Busan branch—a single room with nothing but a bathroom attached. It was a temporary place for dispatched staff.

I didn’t really mind. Even in my previous life, I’d spent decades in an old apartment that had already been standing for thirty years. As long as I had somewhere to lie down, I was satisfied.

As soon as I got home, I showered and came back out wearing only my underwear, drying the water from my hair.

Then I found someone standing in front of the bathroom.

“Kyaaah!!!”

A sharp female scream rang out.

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t see anything. Well, I did catch a glimpse of your abs, but... anyway!”

Heo Da-yeong babbled incoherently and quickly averted her eyes. I draped a towel over my shoulder.

“How did you get in here?”

“I rang the bell, but there was no answer...”

Considering how old this place was, maybe the bell had broken. She pointed toward the entrance.

“The door wasn’t locked.”

I calmly put on my pants and T-shirt.

“What do you need?”

“Hunter Choi, this lodging must be uncomfortable for you, right? It’s cramped too.”

“Not really.”

“Then please move somewhere else! Headquarters approved it.”

Headquarters approved it?

“Who ordered that?”

“Director Lee.”

Heo Da-yeong mentioned Lee Yu-seol.

“The Bullet Bird matter made a huge splash, so a report went up to headquarters. Thanks to that, a budget was assigned just for Hunter Choi!”

Lee Yu-seol had been faithfully supporting me just as I’d told her to. She seemed to be watching my mood carefully, but...

Not bad.

Heo Da-yeong moved about briskly.

“I’ll show you the way. Let’s go!”

Beyond the floor-to-ceiling window, the Gwangan Bridge came into view. The calm waves rippled below, creating a scene as beautiful as a painting. This was a five-star hotel in Gwanganli, and not just any room, but the suite on the top floor.

Bathed in rich natural light, the living room had a high ceiling and plenty of space, while the large king-size bed was made up with dazzling white bedding.

Heo Da-yeong clasped her hands together like a child hoping for praise.

“Do you like the room?”

“Isn’t this a bit much?”

“Oh, come on. You deserve this much treatment, Hunter Choi.”

I corrected myself. It wasn’t that I didn’t know discomfort just because I was used to it. It was just that, seeing a place like this, I couldn’t help but think: money really was wonderful.

I’d better stop being stingy and start spending it properly.

Heo Da-yeong went on, “Only S-class hunters are allowed to stay here, but for some reason you were assigned to it. Isn’t that amazing?” She clapped her hands. “Aren’t you curious?”

“About what?”

“Why I’m getting this kind of support.”

Heo Da-yeong didn’t pry into my private affairs. It would have been natural for her to wonder how a D-class hunter could receive such outrageous treatment.

“Well...” she said without hesitation. “Headquarters must have decided that Hunter Choi could become an even better talent than an S-class hunter! I think so too!”

I snorted inwardly.

When I first became a hunter, my predicted rank had been F-class. I had climbed from D-class and was now aiming toward B-class, taking each step one by one like stairs. At this rate, one day Heo Da-yeong’s words would become reality.

Under the warm sunlight, I could see the blue sky through the window. The mission that had appeared in the morning still bothered me.

Then, suddenly, I became curious about someone else’s opinion.

“Ms. Heo.”

“Yes, Hunter Choi.”

“If someone offered you 10 billion won to kill a hundred people, what would you do? Let’s say you had the power to pull it off.”

I slightly altered the fate the system had assigned me and tossed it to her instead.

“Hmm.”

Heo Da-yeong thought for a while, then smiled brightly and parted her tightly pressed lips.

“I’d squeeze a million won out of each of them and let them live.”

I went blank for a moment.

That’s a surprisingly wise answer.

Me too. I would use the system if I had to, but I didn’t want it dragging me around by the leash. So there was no need to rush.

All streams eventually returned to the same source. If what I pursued was truly right, then even in the great sea, I would be able to carve out my own will.

I grabbed my coat and rose to my feet.

“I’m going to meet someone.”

“Oh! Where are you going? I’ll drive you.”

Heo Da-yeong, now acting as my manager, hurried after me.

“Fine. You drive.”

It would be more efficient if a local handled the wheel.

“Yes! Driver Heo, at your service!”

We took the elevator all the way down. Heo Da-yeong got behind the wheel and started the navigation system.

“Where to?”

“Lee Chun-bae’s house.”

“Who?”

The man who had reached out to me so desperately.

“A fisherman who lives in Busan.”

It was time to meet the client.