The first day the U.S. delegation arrived, a welco ceremony was held. The president had in-depth discussions with the vice president and senators on a variety of issues, while the hunters in the delegation toured Seoul and relaxed.
The following day, representatives from South Korea and high-ranking mbers from the U.S. delegation gathered to start a briefing on the Nuri hunt.
The briefing began with an explanation of the process to counter the initial Nuri attack, followed by the bidding process, and then my participation in the Nuri hunt.
The Vice President ntioned that the United States was busy gathering its own forces and offered support for South Koreas Awakened.
After describing the process of the Avant-Garde Guilds hunt, the conversation shifted to my involvent.
Getting the Avant-Garde Guild out was a stroke of luck.
It wasnt that I arrived quickly; it was that the Avant-Garde Guild held on long enough for to arrive.
Everyone applauded the choice made by Lee Chan-taek to orchestrate an orderly retreat and open a path.
Afterward, I explained the Nuri hunt process. I ntioned how I relentlessly aid for the head, considering it the monsters weakness, and that Nuri was tricky because it spewed fire breath freely and was difficult to approach because of its Gift, Blade Storm.
The expressions of the U.S. delegation turned serious as I spoke. After so murmurs among themselves, the Vice President cautiously asked in a low voice.
Are you sure the monster used a Gift?
I pretended that I didnt hear what he said, but when the interpreter beside translated into Korean, I answered.
Im sure.
Weve had several suspected cases back ho, but we couldnt be certain. Im curious why Transcendent Choi Jun-ho is so certain.
Hes quite annoyingly persistent.
After organizing my thoughts for a mont, I explained the reason.
When I aid for the head, Nuri blocked perfectly several tis. At first, I thought it was due to the pure hardness of its skin. However, upon closer examination, I noticed a thin Force field forming in front of Nuris head, dispersing the impact.
I experienced it firsthand and felt it, so what more could I say?
..!
Everyone looked surprised to hear that a monster could use the Force.
Anna Christine asked, Jun-ho, is that true?
Its true. Nuri endured more than thirty blows to the head from .
Thirty blows, all to the head?
All to the head.
As expected, a Head Breaker.
Why do they look so exasperated? Shouldnt they be impressed?
Anyway, after knocking down Nuri, I told them I continued to attack only the head and, as the use of Force weakened, I punctured the skin and delivered a blow to the brain to finish it off.
I didnt ntion attempting to ta Nuri with brainwashing. Sharing the experience of failure wasnt that pleasant.
Incredible!
Jas Reed, who had been listening, exclaid continuously. By the way, he uses the word (jolla) in a way thats more fitting than a Korean.
The Vice President, who had seen the organized data, smiled satisfactorily.
In this Nuri hunt, we learned that monsters can use Force and have unlocked their Gifts. This will allow our holand to conduct a deeper analysis. Thank you for your cooperation.
As allies, its sothing we naturally had to do.
Even before they reached an agreent, there was no shortage of skirmishes between the two countries representatives, as they dissected even a single detail.
I just watched politicians exchanging words amicably. Even in that atmosphere, seeing the intense calculations going on among politicians made think that being a politician was a challenging profession.
After that, things went smoothly.
There were a lot of people with a lot to say, so there was very little for to do as each person contributed a word. Its nice to be among people who talked a lot.
Before the delegation arrived, even the mbers of the National Assembly had requested to attend the eting themselves. I thought the conversation would have been even longer if they had participated.
Id rather spend my ti finding a hiding villain and cracking one more head open.
anwhile, the President expressed a desire to receive Aricas Smart Hunting System while sharing Nuris hunting process. The Vice President seed to consider it positively and said he would suggest it to the ho country, but in reality, it was a rejection.
Was the Smart Hunting System really that impressive? I should ask Cheon Myeong-guk about it later.
Amidst the friendly atmosphere, a fierce ntal battle was taking place beneath the surface, and the eting was gradually coming to a close.
Suddenly, Jas Reed raised his hand.
I want to go against Jun-ho once. Is that possible?
Everyones attention was on . I could see the anticipation on everyones faces, Korean and Arican alike. Cheon Myeong-guk, why was he the only one closing his eyes tightly?
It was my turn to respond.
If the opponent had been Zhang Zedong, I would have accepted it willingly, but the President asked for restraint when it ca to dealing with the United States.
I dont mind going against you. Instead, youll have to put your life on the line.
Oh!
Jas Reed laughed brightly. Even though he was covered in clothes, one could see his muscles tense.
Hes the type who pursues action over life, after all.
So now the United States would also lose one Transcendent in this manner. If he went all out, I had no thoughts of sparing his life.
But the next words he said were sothing I hadnt expected.
Its too scary! I dont want to do it then.
You dont want to?
I dont! I dont intend to take any risks!
I wanted to crack his head open to see who taught him Korean.
Anyway, the atmosphere quickly cald down after Jas Reids avoidance.
I felt a twinge of resentnt as I watched Cheon Myeong-guk openly heaving a sigh of relief.
***
After the Nuri Hunt briefing, the main exchange battle began. It was the confrontation between promising young talents from the United States who had crossed the ocean and students from Seoul Academy Class A.
The United States still had a pool of talent deserving of the title of the worlds strongest country, even after the appearance of monsters.
Overall, their skills were a notch above, and they had a sense of practicality as well. With the vastness of their country overflowing with monsters, underage Awakened had to go out hunting periodically under the na of learning.
In comparison, the students of the Seoul Academy were ridiculously behind in their practical skills. Still, they didnt lose much, thanks to their thodical approach to exploiting weaknesses and their willingness to take chances, sotis to their detrint.
Yang Joo-hyuk was the biggest player in the exchange ga. He attacked like a madman, as if he ate sothing wrong, completely breaking his opponents will. He was also relentless in his pursuit of weaknesses. If one stripped away his identity as a student, he was just an unstoppable villain.
Tsk tsk, a villainous character. Hes utterly ruthless.
But co to think of it, I was the one who taught him.
I carved it all over his body, and he learned it from being hit, so he crushed his opponent viciously and overwhelmingly.
Kahahahahaha!
With that, he burst into eerie laughter and looked at . Was he going to challenge next? I should deal with him properly.
Overall, the results of the exchange battle favored the United States, but considering that we competed against talents from the worlds strongest country, it was not a disappointing outco.
Imdiately, the U.S. delegation looked surprised and were busy talking to each other. They must have been expecting a more dominant victory.
Although we were defeated, I didnt feel too bad watching it.
Was this how a master felt like when theyre watching their students?
I rejoiced in my students victories, and when they lost, I wanted to rush in and snapped their opponents neck.
Was this what it ant to have a teachers heart?
Around the end of the exchange battle, Anna Christine approached.
Jun-ho.
Whats going on?
Do we need to have business between us to have a conversation?
For reference, this was the third ti I had t Anna Christine, and the total ti we had talked was less than 3 minutes.
Shes a strange woman to pretend like were close.
Todays eting convinced .
Convinced of what?
Its confidence in Jun-hos abilities. Actually, Ive had this confidence since your Level 8 assessnt, but Ive gained even more confidence now.
Her Korean language skills were impressive.
One of my biggest pet peeves was vague expressions.
I couldnt easily distinguish whether she didnt know what she was talking about or if her Korean was just not very good.
Ill co visit later. Lets talk.
She left with those words.
***
After the exchange battle, the U.S. delegation gathered in one place. Everyones expression was slightly stiff.
Todays schedule was quite a shock to them. The process of hunting Nuri and the results of the exchange battle were both full of surprises. Even though they had more practical experience, the Korean students used their skills better. Talk of strengthening the alliance and saying that Koreas future was bright erged.
The biggest surprise was the one they cared about most, Choi Jun-ho.
The Vice President looked at Jas Reed and asked.
How was it?
Very scary, quick, and ruthless, Jas Reed, who used ridiculous Korean earlier, replied calmly.
His abilities undoubtedly belong to a true Transcendent. Even if I were to face him directly, I wouldnt be able to guarantee victory.
Oh?
So, you think its true that he caught Nuri as well?
Yes, it appears to be true, although there were probably so missing details.
As expected.
The fact that a Transcendent had single-handedly hunted down a level 8 monster was hard to believe, even when they heard it up front. In particular, Nuri was one of the strongest monsters to have appeared so far. For a human to catch it alone was a reversal of common sense.
Rather, it was strange to reveal all the details of the hunt. The Vice President and other top brass thought there must be a secret here. A hidden Gift, an undisclosed assistant, or sothing else.
If he hunted alone, it ant that Choi Jun-hos skills were far above the rest, and if he had an assistant, it ant that South Korea had an extra Transcendent.
Either way, both South Koreas value and Choi Jun-hos value would increase. In particular, Choi Jun-ho possessed an extraordinary skill that allowed him to create the illusion that he hunted the Nuri alone by. His abilities supported this skill that other Transcendent could not replicate.
It seed that telling you to risk your life was not just simple words.
Its probably true that he has the ability to do it. Choi Jun-hos Gift is probably not suited for dueling, and soone is bound to die if they gave it their all. But even aside from that, Choi Jun-ho has a thought circuit thats just as dangerous as his Gift. He doesnt hesitate to execute, and he doesnt think twice about it.
Is it not a concept? How do you see it, Christine?
The way he appeared today might be his true self.
After Choi Jun-ho beca a Transcendent, the United States conducted an investigation using their human intelligence resources.
The results were astonishing. The way he presented himself today was perhaps the most polite he had ever been, and the statent he said to Jas earlier might not even be an exaggeration.
He held such radical beliefs that if soone engaged in criminal activities, regardless of their gender, and cooperated in committing cris, he regarded them as villains and was prepared to take forceful action against them.
Opinions within the United States were divided on this matter.
Until recently, the dominant view was to bring in Choi Jun-ho, but opposing views started gaining ground.
Anna Christine, a prominent supporter, and Jas Reed, was on the opposing side.
At his age, having that kind of ability is remarkable. I strongly believe we should bring him in, but both Jas and Christine have valid points, said the Vice President.
Jas Reed and Anna Christine exchanged glances as the Vice President spoke.
Anna Christine argued forcefully, Choi Jun-ho is a Transcendent who can maintain his pri for over 30 years. Considering the trend of Transcendent physical pri lasting longer, he can perform at his best for 40 years. If you think about how many roles he can take on during this period, even taking action now is already late.
I have a different opinion, Jas Reed countered.
Theres a common misconception.
Just because Jas Reeds nickna was Macho Man didnt an his brain was only made of muscles. Rather, hes a Stanford Ph.D. graduate who had systematically modified his body to beco a Transcendent.
Despite his casual tone and behavior, he possessed quick decision-making skills and exceptional analytical abilities. He had the ability to see through people based on rapid judgnt. He played a significant role in building the Smart Hunting System.
Having read information about Choi Jun-ho in the United States and observing him directly for a short ti, Jas Reed confidently said, Choi Jun-ho becoming a state-sanctioned Transcendent is the result of several coincidences.
Are you saying such words when the results are right in front of us?
Yes.
In response to Anna Christines retaliation, Jas Reed nodded his head.
Given his actions and statents so far, I have doubts about how Choi Jun-ho could beco a state sanctioned Transcendent. If luck didnt play a role, in my opinion, theres a 99.9% chance that Choi Jun-ho would have beco a villain.
Choi Jun-ho as a villain? Thats ridiculous. Thats just speculation.
His actions after becoming a governnt hunter suggest otherwise. Choi Jun-ho is a villain in Hunters clothing.
Jas Reeds voice was resolute.
The reason I oppose this is that villains cannot be integrated into society. Therefore, its best to monitor them or keep them on the outskirts. In this regard, I believe Choi Jun-ho becoming a state sanctioned Transcendent after being a governnt Hunter is a product of pure coincidence. I think he will inevitably reveal his villainous nature again.
You an the radical thoughts he has shown so far not the end?
Yes. Thats why I think the unidentified Level 8 villain who recently appeared in South Korea is him.
In the past six months, two Level 8 villains had erged in South Korea.
One was the Berserker, who had been evaluated as Level 7 before he killed Red Snake Kim Yong-hwan.
However, the Berserkers past and present actions were fully known.
He didnt match the age either.
That left only one option.
This villain had not revealed their age, identity, face, or gender.
Eraser.
Anna Christine muttered, her expression hardening.
Jas Reed, nodding his head, spoke with confidence.
I am convinced that he is Choi Jun-ho.
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