Chapter 31: Esper (1)
“The defendant is sentenced to three years in prison. However, the execution of this sentence is suspended for five years from the date this judgment becomes final. The defendant is ordered to perform one year of duty guarding the North Korean Contaminated Zone boundary.”
As the judge delivered the verdict, Lee Ju-hong’s face darkened.
After the instructions regarding appeal were given and the trial officially concluded, the spectators began leaving the courtroom.
Chae Jin-young, who had been watching the proceedings among the audience, stepped out together with Na Ji-hwan and said,
“Senior Na, thanks for all your hard work.”
“It’s just what I normally do. No big deal.”
“Even if you put a leash on the judge, it seems it’s not easy to increase the sentence.”
“If Lee Ju-hong had actually killed someone, it might’ve been different, but he slipped through the legal net just barely.”
In the original timeline, Lee Ju-hong would have been arrested two years later, and because of the sheer volume of crimes he committed by then, he was sentenced to ten years in prison.
Considering his age, that was practically a forced retirement from being a Hunter.
The situation had been so serious that even the forces backing him cut ties, and his appeal was rejected.
But this time, since everything exploded much earlier, they also had to prepare for a counterattack from Lee Ju-hong and his backers.
“While Lee Ju-hong prepares his appeal, it should be enough to monitor his every move.”
“Since being relieved of his position, Lee Ju-hong has only been going between his home and the Association. He meets with the Association President frequently, but we have no way of knowing what they’re talking about…”
Having been indicted by the prosecutor, Lee Ju-hong no longer had to show up at Seoul City Hall, but he still retained his position as team leader in the Korea Awakened Association.
Because the Association was a private organization, not a government agency.
“Association President Yoon Soo-ho isn’t someone ordinary Hunters can handle. Please tell the agents infiltrated in the Association not to overdo it.”
Yoon Soo-ho, President of the Korea Awakened Association. He was also the Guild Master of Guardian, one of Korea’s three major Guilds.
One of only two 1st-grade Hunters in the entire country.
There was also a Zero-grade Hunter who existed outside the standard classification, but within Korea, no one could keep him in check.
There was Shin Soo-jeong, who was also 1st-grade, but she had no interest in anything except raids, so she was out of the picture.
“Understood, I’ll pass it along. But what if Yoon Soo-ho decides to act personally?”
To Na Ji-hwan’s question, Chae Jin-young answered in an indifferent tone.
“What else? I’ll have to persuade him nicely not to. Isn’t dialogue important for rational modern people?”
“Hmm…”
Na Ji-hwan suddenly recalled the memory of almost dying in an alley at Chae Jin-young’s hands.
Words of protest hovered at the back of his throat, but as a veteran agent, he swallowed them smoothly.
Regardless, Chae Jin-young began thinking about what means of “dialogue” he should use.
‘He didn’t seem like the completely stubborn type.’
While Yoon Soo-ho was certainly interested in wealth and power, he wasn’t the type to overreach excessively.
Considering he was one of only two unparalleled existences in Korea, if he had no interest in power at all, it would actually make his position ambiguous.
He was someone whose abilities matched his level of ambition.
Of course, by Chae Jin-young’s standards, he was still somewhat weak.
‘A figurehead is necessary too…’
The dungeon gates that would soon be generated, the monster waves and disasters that would require mobilizing all Hunter forces.
‘I can’t keep cleaning everything up myself forever.’
When it came to someone who could step forward publicly in his place, there was no better candidate than Yoon Soo-ho.
If he were someone like Min Hae-joon who had lost his humanity, it would be different — but there was still plenty of room to mold Yoon Soo-ho into a proper person.
‘I’ll have to set up a place for conversation soon.’
***
“This is ridiculous. The prosecutor and the judge must’ve been manipulated or something.”
Lee Ju-hong’s agitated voice echoed through the room.
Across from him, a long-haired man lounged on the sofa with an apathetic expression, picking at his nose.
He looked at least twenty years younger than the mid-forties Lee Ju-hong — his youthful face was striking.
Yet despite his casual demeanor, his body was solid and well-built.
In a voice tinged with annoyance, he said,
“So?”
“So what? Your hyung-nim is about to be dragged off to the North Korean Contaminated Zone. Shouldn’t we do something?”
“What exactly do you want me to do?”
“…”
Even while being humiliated by someone far younger, Lee Ju-hong had no choice but to endure.
Because the other party was the youngest 1st-grade Hunter and the President of the Korea Awakened Association — Yoon Soo-ho.
Three years ago, at the age of just twenty-three, he had become a 1st-grade Hunter and was admired as a star by many.
Back then, he had been an exemplary Hunter, but in the three years since, a lot had changed.
“Hyung-nim. I’m just starting to dip my toes into politics. If I slip up because of you, are you going to take responsibility?”
“Of course not. But I’d appreciate it if you remembered who helped you get your foot in the political door and maintain relationships with the assembly members.”
“Naturally, it’s thanks to you, hyung-nim. But…”
Yoon Soo-ho leaned forward, the corners of his mouth curling into a smirk.
“I think I can manage just fine without you now.”
“…”
Lee Ju-hong trembled with rage at the ingratitude, but he had no intention of giving up just yet.
Over the past three years working alongside Yoon Soo-ho, he had come to understand the man to a certain degree.
“If you keep hanging around a criminal like me, hyung-nim, my image will get tarnished too. So please leave. I’m asking nicely.”
Lee Ju-hong stood up from his seat—then suddenly dropped to his knees on the floor.
Yoon Soo-ho’s eyebrow twitched at the sight.
“…President Yoon. I know the verdict can’t be overturned. But if you could just reduce the sentence and let me avoid the labor in the contaminated zone, I wouldn’t ask for anything more. Is there nothing you want? I’ll do anything.”
Rather than appealing to some ridiculous brotherly bond, it was far more effective to submit completely in a thorough master-servant dynamic.
Watching Lee Ju-hong bow his head deeply, Yoon Soo-ho gave a short scoff.
Then he placed a hand on Lee Ju-hong’s shoulder and spoke.
“Hyung-nim. Even if you can’t continue your public service career, you can still remain a Hunter, right? Of course, at your age, you won’t be able to display your full skills anymore.”
“…That’s true.”
“So I’ve been thinking—what exactly can a frail hyung-nim like you do for me?”
“…”
Even though he had said he would do anything, Lee Ju-hong couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
“There’s someone the Black Society has been looking for lately. A craftsman specializing in mana crystal crafting. Hyung-nim may not be strong, but you’re good at finding people.”
It sounded easier than expected, and Lee Ju-hong let out a quiet sigh of relief inside.
“Finding people isn’t hard. Especially if they’re in Seoul. Do you have any personal details? Name, anything?”
“His name is Jeon Yu-hwan. 7th-grade Hunter, male, early thirties.”
Lee Ju-hong stood up with a confident expression.
“I’ll bring you good news soon.”
***
A pitch-black Creep surrounded the lake in Cheongsong County, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
It was a contaminated zone of similar scale to the Byeonsan Contaminated Zone.
At the shallow entrance to the deep interior, where the toxic fog was beginning to thicken.
Four people wearing oxygen masks had gathered there.
“KRAAAAAAAAAHH!!”
Dolsae, his entire body flushed red, let out a monstrous roar.
His eyes rolled back, showing only the whites as he huffed heavily and scanned his surroundings.
His aura was so ferocious it seemed like he would smash anything that came into view.
At that moment, he spotted his fellow agent, Advisor Choi Hee-yeon, nearby.
Just as he lunged toward her—
“Uuu…”
He froze mid-step and turned his head to the side.
A single metal club had flown right up to the tip of his nose.
Twisting his body aside, he spotted a somewhat familiar young woman.
He vaguely remembered someone saying she was family to one of them, but he couldn’t recall exactly.
It didn’t really matter anyway.
If there was someone worth fighting, he would charge.
“Grrr… urgh…”
But when another metal club swung gently in front of his eyes, he hesitated again.
It was exactly like Pavlov’s dog salivating at the sound of a bell, conditioned to think of food.
Dolsae’s berserk state was gradually improving thanks to this “physical therapy.”
Meanwhile, Choi Hee-yeon was engaged in combat with a monster that had been eroded by Creep and turned violent.
An elephant-sized spider monster slammed its leg down toward her.
Kwaaaang!
Dodging with lightning speed, her tattered reinforced suit fluttered as she evaded.
She quickly unleashed a bolt of lightning from her hand, severing the spider’s leg.
Pukwa-kwak—!
Even as its leg was cut off, the spider raised its hind legs and shot a thick stream of webbing from its rear.
The pitch-black spider silk flew toward her in a net-like pattern, but Choi Hee-yeon didn’t dodge.
Instead—
Crackle-crackle-crackle—!
Blue electricity erupted from her entire body.
The webbing that had been about to envelop her disintegrated on contact.
Kwa-tz-tz-tz—!
Wrapped in lightning, her figure shot forward like a thunderbolt toward the spider.
At the same time, her drawn sword cleaved straight down the spider’s abdomen in a clean vertical line.
Puhwaaaak—!
The spider monster collapsed, spewing its innards.
Chae Jin-young watched Choi Hee-yeon’s rapid growth and nodded in approval.
He had always disliked seeing such a good ability like Lightning go to waste, but as a 3rd-grade Hunter, she was clearly learning fast.
Originally, her primary ability was Calm Mind, which allowed her to maintain rationality and composure in almost any situation without being shaken.
On top of that, it granted strong resistance against most mental-type attacks.
Lightning was a relatively recently awakened ability, and since she hadn’t been a combat-specialized agent, her proficiency had been low.
“In my opinion, sunbae, you need to take on combat duties too. Just because your skills are support-oriented doesn’t mean you can’t fight. In fact, being able to do both is an advantage.”
“…”
Choi Hee-yeon wanted to say something in response, but right now she was barely managing to stand at her limit.
She had just fought a chaotic battle against a dozen monsters before taking down the spider monster.
Chae Jin-young’s training style definitely pushed people to their absolute limits — there was no way skills wouldn’t improve under such conditions.
If skills didn’t improve, you’d either die or end up half-crippled.
“You got lucky and escaped safely in Hongcheon last time, but there’s no guarantee that’ll happen again. Remember: attack is the only path to survival.”
Leaving Choi Hee-yeon to catch her breath, Chae Jin-young approached the woman struggling against a 5th-grade Mine.
It was his younger sister, Chae So-young.
After barely escaping the Hongcheon Contaminated Zone with the Intelligence Department agents, she had spent a few days recovering in the secret research facility.
Fortunately, she hadn’t suffered any serious injuries, so she was able to jump straight into training.
“Kieeeek!”
“Stay still!”
Now a 4th-grade Hunter, facing a 5th-grade Mine posed no real problem for her.
The reason she was struggling was because the Creep Control skill didn’t work well on Mines.
She could easily control monsters, but Mines seemed particularly resistant to being dominated.
“Argh, seriously!”
Chae So-young lightly dodged the Mine’s attack and activated her skill.
“Guh? Guuu…”
The Mine paused for a brief moment before moving again.
Watching this, Chae Jin-young identified the issue and spoke.
“You can’t treat it the same way you do with monsters. Mines have much thicker mental barriers. You have to break through that.”
“How am I supposed to break through something like that…?”
In all her time as a Hunter, Chae So-young had never once heard anyone talk about piercing mental barriers.
Unless you had a mental-type skill, that is.
All she knew how to do was shoot beams that punched straight through skulls, not mental defenses.
“Sorry, little sis. I should’ve drilled this into you a long time ago.”
Chae Jin-young sensed a very faint energy within Chae So-young.
To awaken psionic energy, one needed training several times more brutal than what the Intelligence Department seniors had endured.
Suddenly, he recalled the day he first met his master in Renard.
“You possess a power that other humans do not. Except for me.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“You wouldn’t know. But I can feel it. The potential dwelling within your mind.”
“What kind of potential even is it…?”
A bad memory suddenly surfaced for Chae So-young.
Min Hae-joon had also babbled about her “potential” while plotting something sinister.
“It’s not the same as the nonsense con artists spew. I’ve seen it for real.”
“So what is it?”
“Hmm… You know what telepathy is, right?”
“Reading someone’s mind, and sending your own thoughts back. Something like that?”
“Exactly. Try it.”
At the abrupt command, Chae So-young’s mind went blank for a moment.
When Chae Jin-young stared at her intently, she finally asked,
“How do I even do it…?”
“Just imagine piercing straight into my mind. Then convert that thought into psionic energy.”
“Psionic… energy?”
“Look closely. Can you see this?”
Chae Jin-young released a large amount of psionic energy from his body.
Tzzzt-ztzt—!
A swirling aura of red and blue enveloped him.
Chae So-young narrowed her eyes, tilting her head.
“I don’t see anyth— Hah!”
Suddenly, she was lifted into the air by an invisible force.
Having used psychokinesis on his sister, Chae Jin-young said,
“There’s no faster way to learn than experiencing it firsthand. Forgive me for having to be harsh with you.”
Chae So-young replied with an incredulous expression.
“If you’re going to say something like that, at least wipe the smirk off your face.”