Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: The Paradox Flame Enigma
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The duel between Yoo Chan-seok and Seong Si-hoon was being analyzed with every piece of equipment available at the test site.
Korea had undoubtedly risen to its current shining position thanks to the existence of hunters, but that didn't mean they blindly trusted them.
They had accumulated data on countless hunters and were still doing so. That accumulated information was now being used to analyze other hunters.
"What the hell is this bullshit?!"
"Errors keep occurring. This has never happened before."
"You bastard, errors my ass…!"
But nothing like this had ever happened before. It was already well-known that Yoo Chan-seok didn't store mana in his body anyway.
"Yoo Chan-seok's maximum output is under analysis. We've nearly finished determining how much he reinforces his body using that output."
The problem was that pitch-black flame. Korea had data stored on an astonishing number of mana patterns. And now, every bit of it was being mobilized to analyze that black flame.
This was on a whole different level from the equipment used during the spar with Choi Yeoreum. The Darakdae Training Grounds were a national key facility, equipped with every conceivable device for measurement.
This wasn't just about filming video.
"No matching cases. No similar cases either. Not even data with the barest common points…"
"Stop looking for similar cases and just analyze it properly!"
The analysis wasn't working. The flame Yoo Chan-seok wielded had utterly bizarre properties.
Analyzing Seong Si-hoon's psychokinesis wasn't that difficult. In fact, Seong Si-hoon was currently swinging his fists wildly while encased head to toe in armor.
Each strike carried the impact force of a five-story building slamming into him at 300 km/h.
In truth, Seong Si-hoon was just standing in the center of the armor. The armor's limbs were being controlled by his psychokinesis.
That's why he could unleash those tremendous impacts without any damage to his body.
"No changes in the measured values."
"But that guy's just taking it!"
The issue was Yoo Chan-seok. According to the measured impact, he should have been turned into pulp without a trace.
"No malfunctions in the measurement equipment."
Clearly, every time Seong Si-hoon swung an armored arm, the impact was recorded. And Yoo Chan-seok was indeed receiving those horrific forces with his body.
At least, that's what the equipment indicated. But nothing was happening. The experimental floor, which shouldn't withstand such shocks, was fine. Yoo Chan-seok, struck directly by the fists, was fine too.
"What the hell is going on?"
One of the observers cautiously spoke up.
"Come to think of it, that armor plate he handed over from Siberia before…"
Its durability was like mud—what the hell? They analyzed it meticulously. The result: no anomalies.
But despite the analysis, the armor plate Yoo Chan-seok had provided was so fragile it could be torn off by hand like clay.
Fine, yet not fine.
"What kind of nonsensical, contradictory bullshit is this?"
The commander watching the duel between Yoo Chan-seok and Seong Si-hoon muttered blankly, staring at dozens of monitors.
And for Seong Si-hoon, who was caught in this contradictory situation, it was enough to drive him mad.
"You can't apply mana resistance to impact force."
Only Seong Si-hoon's armor was protected from that Paradox Flame. He couldn't imbue mana resistance into the massive impacts the armor produced as it moved.
"This bastard."
As the armor raised its arm high, the Paradox Flame clinging to it blazed fiercely. When swung at Yoo Chan-seok, it burned even more intensely.
The armored fist striking Yoo Chan-seok's body inflicted no damage.
"Calmly, patiently."
Seong Si-hoon muttered to steady his increasingly chaotic mind.
All his past achievements, honors, and praises weren't handed to him by anyone. They were the results of his own relentless efforts.
Seong Si-hoon believed in his own strength. And now, he began to convince himself with all his might that he would win this time too.
At that moment, Yoo Chan-seok spoke.
"It suits your personality perfectly. Hiding inside that tin can shell, thinking it'll protect you."
Yoo Chan-seok taunted as he took Seong Si-hoon's swung fist on his body.
"The moment you finished building that Taebaek fortress to hide in, you got stuck there like a bug. Makes me want to puke."
Then, Yoo Chan-seok's thrust spear slammed into the chest of the armor encasing Seong Si-hoon. The spear couldn't pierce it.
"You're nothing."
Yoo Chan-seok deflected dozens of metal shards shooting from the armor's shoulder while continuing.
"You're just a coward trembling that someone might snatch the bundle of cash you luckily grabbed."
"Shut your mouth."
Naturally, Yoo Chan-seok had no intention of shutting up. On the contrary, sensing he'd hit a nerve, he kept talking without pause.
"You lack confidence in yourself. Know why? Simple—you only got there by sheer luck."
"Ridiculous. By that logic, both you and I just got lucky!"
Yoo Chan-seok burst out laughing at Seong Si-hoon's words.
"If a god came to me in my sixties and said, 'I'll give you a twenty-year-old body living somewhere right now. But you'll lose all your achievements so far. What do you say?'"
Bam! With that sound, Yoo Chan-seok's spear struck the armor again. Sparks flew everywhere, and the shockwave pushed both back simultaneously.
"I'd accept on the spot. I have confidence in myself. Turning a sixty-plus-year-old into a twenty-year-old? Total jackpot."
"You talk big. But it'll never happen, so it's just hot air."
Yoo Chan-seok smiled at Seong Si-hoon's response. From his perspective, it was laughable. After all, he'd actually made that deal.
No, he'd demanded it first.
They unleashed fierce attacks at each other. Then, the ring on Yoo Chan-seok's finger emitted a blue glow.
Over the armor rippling with red energy like waves, white frost formed. At the same time, the armor's movements slowed bit by bit.
"Pathetic bastard."
In truth, Yoo Chan-seok didn't find Seong Si-hoon particularly pathetic. This conversation was solely to rile him up.
Thinking others can do what you can is idiotic enough to refute with a moment's thought.
But regardless, Yoo Chan-seok's brilliant lines were excelling at scraping at Seong Si-hoon's nerves.
"Scared of losing what you have, scared of someone stronger popping up. No goals, no dreams. All you want is to stuff yourself like a fattened pig and sprawl out, hoping this lasts forever."
Yoo Chan-seok spoke as if he knew Seong Si-hoon inside out. And when someone talks like that, it pisses off the listener to no end.
"You worm."
As the verbal barrage continued, their exchanges grew fiercer.
The underground facilities of the Darakdae Training Grounds, built with massive Korean funding, were gradually turning into rubble.
Exaggerating slightly, this was a facility rated to withstand a tactical nuke—and even it was faring this poorly.
"I'll shut you up for good!"
"If you had the skill, you'd have done it already."
As the two continued their duel for hours, the commander observing via equipment quickly contacted someone over a secure line.
"Based on the progress so far, Yoo Chan-seok has the advantage. Of course, we don't know how long it'll take."
― Got it. Secure as much data as possible.
A voice came from the receiver.
Yoo Chan-seok seemed likely to win. That meant Taebaek would cooperate with the Samhuldong purge in the end.
― If the Headhunter succeeds in clearing Samhuldong, it should greatly alleviate the public's fear of Erosion Zones.
"Yes."
Controlling the populace through fear of Erosion Zones like now would become harder. Demands to lift electricity and water restrictions, or end night curfews, would grow stronger.
In that case, the Korean government would need to formulate plans for what came next.
My duel with Seong Si-hoon had already shifted to the pace I wanted. An enraged opponent burns through mana excessively. And we'd successfully dragged it into a grueling war of attrition.
Three days. Seong Si-hoon and I had fought for three days in this lab. The lab was completely wrecked by now.
"Huff… haa…"
Thud. With a heavy sound, part of the armor maintained by Seong Si-hoon's psychokinesis crashed to the floor.
He'd nearly exhausted his mana.
"No need to keep fighting, is there, CEO Seong Si-hoon?"
I couldn't kill him. It was a spar to begin with. If one of us died here, all hell would break loose.
Why did he die? How? Why hold this duel? Questions would flood in.
On top of that, it'd give the Korean government, already viewing me as a thorn, the perfect excuse to come after me. No thanks.
"I can still fight!"
"Sure. You just can't win."
Of course, Seong Si-hoon could still fight. He wasn't bluffing out of stubbornness.
But he lacked the power to reverse the already tilted scales.
"No chance of winning, and it's not some do-or-die stakes where you cling desperately, right?"
Losing wouldn't blow up the planet or wipe out half of humanity. At worst, Taebaek just cooperates on the Samhuldong raid.
That was the bet. Like a family hwatu game during holidays with 100 won stakes.
"Getting prideful over something this trivial just makes you look uglier. Let's call it."
With that, I shortened the spear in my hand and hung it at my waist.
"Better keep your promise. Lose once, you might lose twice. I'll be waiting for your answer."
Said what needed saying, got what I came for. No reason to stick around. I looked around and let out a small sigh.
"Wow, total wreckage. Why does the underground lab look like an open-top car?"
The ceiling was blown wide open, sky visible above. Repairs would eat up time and budget. Plus, explanations to the public about the training grounds' state.
Not my problem, but pity those stuck handling it.
I kicked off the ground with both feet and shot up to the surface.
Since subjugating Jaun Valley, friction with other hunters had been more frequent than with Erosion Cores. But this wrapped it up.
"Now for Samhuldong."
With the government changing policy, I didn't know how eagerly hunters would join the subjugation. But we couldn't go with just three people.
Have to try my best.