Chapter 08…
Who came to see me? The nurse’s words left me flustered. Who? If I heard correctly…
“The Association President…?”
Association President. If I heard correctly, that had to be it.
‘The Association President I know…?’
But if it really was him, that was even more troubling. If it was the Association President, it would probably be the president of the Superhuman Association.
‘…An S-Class superhuman representing Korea.’
Currently, the highest-ranked superhuman in Korea is SS-Class, but let’s leave that aside.
The president of the Superhuman Association had long been an S-Class superhuman active in Korea—strong, influential, a true representative of Korean superhumans.
And here he was, coming to see me—someone I had only ever seen on TV.
‘I mean… he said he would come, but…’
I had heard this before, but I hadn’t expected him to come at this early hour.
I was flustered. Perhaps even more than when I had just captured the SS-Class artifact.
Then…
“Superhuman Jinwoo Lee.”
A voice came from behind the door. The weight in it made me tense automatically.
“Apologies for coming so early. I heard you were awake… Would you have a moment to spare?”
“…Ah, yes. Please… come in.”
I stammered, granting permission, and the door opened as if he had been waiting.
And then…
‘…Wow.’
A truly formidable figure appeared before me.
A huge man, with the age I had heard being over sixty.
A silver-haired gentleman with muscles that looked ready to burst.
“Sorry to come at such an hour. I know it’s impolite to come so suddenly.”
The President of the Korean Superhuman Association.
An S-Class superhuman, a former knight, a monster of a man.
‘…Baek Hyunho, the Lance Master.’
S-Class reincarnated Lance Master Baek Hyunho. He was right here, in front of me.
“Ah, no… President, what brings you to me…?”
“Why wouldn’t I come? You are currently the most famous superhuman in Korea, aren’t you?”
A kind smile. The most famous superhuman… words I had never heard before.
“Young hero who saved civilians from terrorists. When I heard of it, my heart raced. I simply couldn’t remain idle.”
“Ah… No, really.”
“…All the Association could offer was a hospital room and treatment. I also apologize for the delay; I rushed from China, which made me a day late.”
“Uh… Please don’t do that!”
The president bowed his head, and I hurriedly stopped him.
My god. An S-Class superhuman bowing to me… Has this ever happened?
Even more…
‘The hospital room itself was provided by the Association?’
No wonder it looked so luxurious. It had been provided by the Association.
“Thank you. Many people survived thanks to you, Superhuman Jinwoo.”
“…No. I just… got a bit lucky, that’s all.”
“Luck? That alone isn’t enough to accomplish what you did.”
The Association President spoke firmly.
“It was your spirit and courage, Superhuman Jinwoo. No one else present could have done what you did.”
“….”
My ears felt hot. Such high praise was rare.
“And this, from a superhuman who awakened only a few days ago. Truly impressive.”
“…No….”
“I took the liberty to view some of your records. Your rank has not yet been registered, I see.”
“…Ah, yes.”
I hesitated.
“But aside from rank, I know very well that a superhuman barely a week into awakening would find it difficult to act with such courage. You truly were remarkable.”
The president’s large hand covered mine.
“You did well.”
“…Ah… No….”
A warm feeling spread inside me. It had been a long time since someone recognized me. And that recognition came from the president of the Superhuman Association. How could I not feel good about that?
I gave an awkward smile and remained still, when the president spoke again.
“…So, Jinwoo.”
“Yes?”
“This is just my personal suggestion, but I have a proposal for you.”
“…A proposal?”
“Yes.”
The Association President had a proposal for me? My ears perked up.
“It hasn’t been discussed or agreed upon yet, but if you don’t mind…”
After a brief pause, he continued.
“Would you consider becoming a knight?”
“Huh?”
My eyes widened at his words.
Click, clack.
The door closed.
The silver-haired Baek Hyunho exited the hospital room. The kindly smile he had worn faded as soon as he stepped outside.
His expression turned completely neutral in an instant.
Then someone approached him.
“Was the conversation successful?”
An A-Class superhuman of the Association, Jeon Yuseon, spoke.
“Yes.”
“Good work. You must be exhausted.”
He had come straight back to Korea from China. And it hadn’t been a normal trip.
‘He had dealt with that madman on the way.’
A Chinese SS-Class superhuman. After negotiating with that lunatic, he returned immediately to Korea. Even a man known as the Iron Man couldn’t be completely unscathed from that.
“I did what had to be done. Too many incidents had occurred.”
Baek Hyunho appeared nonchalant. But Yuseon knew that his mood was far from good.
“Tch.”
A short click of the tongue.
“Damn terrorist bastards.”
Emotion colored his voice.
“…They went too far. It’s become very troublesome.”
Yesterday’s terrorist incident had made the Association and the public in an uproar.
“I think they were targeting us specifically.”
“Yes. That seems to be the case.”
It wasn’t just a building they were after.
The terrorists aimed for…
“They wanted to shake the Association.”
The Association—knights made of superhumans.
They sought to destabilize the entire system.
The evidence:
“They likely prevented the rescue team from arriving until the building exploded.”
Before the building was blown up, they had used artifacts to block surrounding sounds, and tampered with communications to prevent the rescue team from contacting anyone.
The meaning was clear:
“Pathetic. They tried to manipulate the media.”
A media play.
While the building exploded and the citizens were at risk, what were the superhumans doing? Nothing. They intended to manipulate perception. And past terrorist incidents had followed this pattern.
“They wanted to shake the system.”
This incident even involved using artifacts, showing it was meticulously planned. Targeting the president while he was in China confirmed that.
If things had gone wrong, it could have been catastrophic.
“If it weren’t for that kid, it would have been really bad.”
The president breathed a sigh of relief.
Yes, their plan had failed, thanks to an unexpected variable at the center of the terror.
‘Jinwoo Lee, huh.’
A young superhuman who had expelled the terrorists from the building and saved the civilians.
‘And he’s only on his first day.’
He had only recently awakened.
‘How could someone like him…’
He had stopped terrorists who were probably at least A-Class and saved people from flames. Baek Hyunho was skeptical.
‘Moreover…’
The footage showed machinery catching fire and exploding.
He hadn’t done it entirely by himself. The footage made that clear.
‘What is this?’
He didn’t seem that strong. Was he hiding his power? Probably not; he couldn’t have hidden it from Baek Hyunho’s eyes.
Impossible.
Which meant…
‘High probability.’
A word flashed through Baek Hyunho’s mind.
“Irregular.”
Those stronger than the power measured by the “Box.”
Or…
“Those who could be such beings.”
Especially among those with past martial arts reincarnations, such phenomena sometimes manifested.
Irregulars, whose power exceeded the Box and system measurements.
‘Jinwoo Lee. Could he be one of them?’
It was ambiguous. He couldn’t be certain.
Perhaps someone intervened? Maybe.
“What happened to the terrorist?”
“…He apparently escaped. No trace was found.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
It would have been better to catch him.
“In any case, we must secure public opinion. Let the media focus entirely on this young superhuman.”
“Understood.”
The media buzz about Jinwoo was managed by the Association.
Focusing on a young hero prevented criticism of the Association’s perceived incompetence.
Citizens were already interested in new superhumans.
Especially if it was an underdog with a dramatic turn.
The Association President’s eyes glinted.
“A perfect opportunity. Awakened at the very last moment, just when we thought he wouldn’t. And…”
He retrieved a file from his coat.
“Even better if he has a tragic background.”
It was Jinwoo Lee’s personal profile. The president’s eyes shone as he looked at it.
“…Not bad.”
It turned out he had a single parent, and…
“Top scorer in the superhuman school exams.”
Jinwoo’s profile was impressive.
Perfect marks in exams. Almost perfect scores in areas not related to superhuman ability.
If only he had awakened earlier, he could have been considered the top scorer in history.
“A hero with passion but untapped potential… A perfect title.”
Ideal for media manipulation.
And being young made it even more exploitable.
Watching the president, Yuseon asked:
“So, the proposal is to become a knight? But he’s still…”
Yuseon chose her words carefully.
“Of course. But it’s necessary. Hence the proposal…”
Baek Hyunho’s eyes narrowed as he recalled recent events.
‘More than expected.’
I’ll think about it.
‘Might be difficult to handle.’
A young man who had looked at him with awe.
Just awakened, naive to the world.
‘Those eyes.’
I remembered the cold eyes that met his when offered the knight proposal.
‘He’s not just a naive young boy.’
Short, but perceptive eyes.
‘Fine.’
He’d probably accept the knight position eventually; smart for his age.
“So, prepare the remaining interviews. Make sure nothing unnecessary comes up.”
“Understood.”
Yuseon nodded and began preparing for other schedules when…
Riiiiing.
The phone rang. Yuseon answered.
“Yes, this is Jeon Yuseon of the Association. What… yes?”
Her eyebrows moved as she listened.
“…President.”
“What is it?”
“You should check the internet.”
“Hmm?”
The president checked the internet on his phone.
And then…
“…What?”
His brows furrowed.
“…Musin?”
The name spread across the world—one no one had heard before.
[Early morning in Asia, variant gate appeared.]
[First in history. Cleared with 100% contribution.]
[New superhuman, heated discussions in the reincarnator community. The gray-clad master. Who is Musin?]
[Reincarnator cleared the gate with a single strike. What is his rank?]
[In this D-Class variant gate…]
News spread rapidly among the knights.
A woman, blonde hair swaying, watched the crowded screen.
Kuaaaaah—!!!
Inside the gate, a video captured by informants.
Monsters destroyed, cracks sealed, massive light and energy released.
The footage was poor quality, as it was only a D-Class gate, attracting little attention. Only about 100 were invited.
Small-scale gate, yet something incredible had occurred.
A figure in a black mask wiped out the monsters in one strike.
The woman switched to another secret video.
Terror in Yeouido.
An explosion appeared.
Kwahhh—!!!
A building erupted with dark energy shooting into the sky. Noise obscured the view, but the woman’s eyes saw through it all.
“….”
She compared it to the footage from the gate.
The scale and power were entirely different. Likely a different type of power altogether, yet she could recognize it.
“Hmmm.”
Her blue-green eyes scanned the footage.
“It seems…”
She had made up her mind.
“I need to go to Korea.”
Though another SS-Class superhuman existed there, she had not cared much.
Now, there was a reason to go.
“…Musin.”
She needed to find him. By any means necessary.
