Chspter 18 ….
EX-Rank Past Life Gacha
Chapter 018
The creation of yet another knight order.
At Baek Hyun-ho’s words, silence fell over the room.
“The captain of the newly established knight order will be Hail Irene.”
The violent declaration that followed was enough to send everyone into an uproar.
Click—! Click—! Click—!
Amid the continuous shutter sounds, the reporters’ murmurs reached my ears.
Thanks to my heightened senses, even sounds coming from far away were clearly caught.
“Hail Irene as captain…?”
“Why would the strongest in the world…?”
The air was thick with doubt. Everyone looked bewildered. In fact, it seemed there were fewer people who could believe what they had just heard.
The reporters, finally regaining their senses, urgently fired questions at Baek Hyun-ho.
“Chairman Baek Hyun-ho! The creation of a new knight order—has this been agreed upon with the government?”
“You said it’s dedicated to counterterrorism. Does that mean it will deal only with humans?”
“Irene taking the position of knight captain—has this been settled with the United States?”
“Then what about Irene’s national affiliation…!”
The flood of overlapping voices was enough to make one’s ears ring.
“Now, now.”
Baek Hyun-ho tried to calm the reporters, raising his voice.
“Regarding this—”
“…Questions—”
But the reporters kept cutting him off, showing no sign of stopping. At that moment, Baek Hyun-ho lightly clapped his hands.
Clap—!!!
WHOOOSH—!!!
With just that brief clap, an enormous gust of wind swept through the space, strong enough to send hair flying wildly. Only then did the reporters fall silent.
“I apologize. Things became a bit noisy, so I acted rather forcefully.”
He smiled neatly as if nothing had happened, but he was an S-rank superhuman. Even that brief release of presence made him feel like a completely different person.
“I’ll take questions after we’ve first sent off those who are busy.”
As he spoke, someone approached to guide us away. The place we were led to was a waiting room slightly larger than the one before.
The moment we arrived, the same sounds as earlier came drifting in from beyond. My heightened senses busily picked up every single word.
‘…Damn it.’
This hurts more than I thought. My head was starting to ache badly. Can’t I turn this off? Just as I lightly bit my lip—
[■ Would you like to turn ‘Hero’s Hyper-Senses’ OFF?]
“……”
Surprisingly, there was a way to turn it off. I hurriedly pressed the OFF button, and the noise instantly died down.
“Hoo…”
I let out a sigh as my mind finally settled.
“…What’s wrong?”
“…!”
Irene spoke to me.
“…Does it hurt?”
“N-no. I was just a little startled.”
“……”
She narrowed her eyes and stared at me. The golden gleam in her gaze felt unusually deep.
It was uncomfortable. Just as I wondered why she was looking at me like that—
[■ Korka’s Illusion is activated.]
[■ You feel the gaze of a non-human existence.]
[■ Power inferior to the Four Seasonal Gods.]
[■ The illusion is blocked from penetrating the essence.]
“……”
This woman…?
I could tell instinctively that Irene had done something again. What was she trying to see so badly?
‘Is she suspicious of me?’
Ever since that conversation about the Martial God, Irene had felt awkward to deal with.
‘Why is she even looking for the Martial God?’
Not knowing her reason made it worse. Had I gone too far?
‘There were articles about it…’
I’d seen provocative articles speculating that the newly emerged powerhouse, the Martial God, might even defeat the world’s strongest—clearly bait aimed at Irene.
If she was looking for the Martial God because that annoyed her—
‘…Am I screwed?’
The thought flashed through my mind that if I were exposed, I’d be seriously screwed.
With her usual indifferent expression, Irene took off the sunglasses she had been wearing.
“…Annoying.”
“Th—”
Then, as if nothing were wrong, she casually pulled out a piece of cake and started eating it. I hadn’t even noticed when she’d taken it out. She looked genuinely bothered by everything in the world.
This person really seemed to love cake.
Seeing it again confirmed it.
“…Do you really plan to work as a knight in Korea, Irene?”
She took a bite of cake and looked at me.
“…Why? Don’t like it?”
“No, it’s not that. I was just wondering why you’d come all the way to Korea to be a knight.”
She was the strongest being alive, a woman called the symbol of the United States.
She could do it in America—so why come to Korea to become a knight captain?
At my question, Irene poked at the cake with her fork as she spoke.
“…It’s not like I’m doing it on purpose…”
“Pardon?”
“There’s someone I need to find… That’s why.”
“Someone you need to find?”
So she planned to leave after that? Thinking so, I looked at her.
“Yes.”
Suddenly, Irene continued in a chilling tone.
“…Only until I finish cleaning up all the trash.”
“……”
By “trash,” did she mean terrorists?
“…It won’t take long…”
She said something tremendous in the calmest voice imaginable.
“…I look forward to working with you.”
She spoke to me.
“…Huh?”
“As members of the same unit.”
“Oh.”
Members of the newly established knight order. I nodded.
It still didn’t feel real.
‘…I became a knight just like this?’
In Korea, if you asked about the hardest exam, everyone would point to the knight exam. Since one’s past-life abilities mattered so much, talent was essential.
‘I only ever dreamed about it someday…’
It had only been days since I awakened, and suddenly I was a knight.
And not just any knight—
‘…A counterterrorism unit.’
A knight order dedicated to dealing with terrorists.
I clenched my fist as the thought sank in. Perhaps this was exactly what I’d wanted most.
“Yes… I look forward to working with you.”
I raised my hand, wondering if I should offer a handshake—
“I don’t… like handshakes…”
Irene said, looking at my hand. Awkwardly, I pulled it back.
“Understood.”
“…And.”
“Yes?”
“Just one… promise…”
She raised a single slender index finger.
“…Don’t get in my way.”
Her eyes were serious.
“That’s all… Just that.”
“……”
It felt like a warning poking me in the back.
‘…Don’t get on her bad side?’
That seemed to be what she meant.
“……”
A wall—something like that—was palpable. I’d felt it from the moment we met, but now I understood Irene a little better.
‘She doesn’t see humans as humans.’
More like pebbles on the roadside. Nothing more, nothing less.
There was no emotion in her gaze—she really looked at people as objects.
That was what made her terrifying.
What kind of life did one have to live—
‘To see people like that?’
That thought frightened me.
“Well. That’s enough of that.”
Irene’s golden eyes turned toward the entrance.
Standing there was Jeon Yuseon.
“You too—”
This time was different. I could see golden energy flickering in Irene’s eyes.
[■ Hero’s Hyper-Senses activated.]
The senses I’d just turned off activated again. The moment they did, goosebumps erupted over my skin. Something was filling the room.
“There won’t be… a second time.”
The quiet voice carried overwhelming power. My body tingled.
Compared to this, the warning she’d given me earlier felt trivial.
‘…So this is—’
The aura of a true powerhouse? I’d felt it with Baek Hyun-ho too—an oppressive, suffocating pressure.
Sweat trickled down Jeon Yuseon’s forehead as she endured it.
“…Irene. Please calm down. About what happened back then—”
“Answer…”
Rattle, rattle, rattle.
The cake plate and cups on the table shook violently. Only then did Jeon Yuseon bite her lip and speak.
“I understand… I’ll make sure nothing like that happens again.”
Even though she was considered a strong A-rank superhuman in Korea, she couldn’t withstand Irene’s presence at all.
The gap was overwhelming.
“Hm.”
Tsk.
Irene clicked her tongue and walked forward.
“Can I go now?”
“…Ugh… Yes. You may leave.”
“…What are you doing?”
Irene spoke to me.
“Pardon?”
“Follow me.”
“Ah—yes.”
I followed her as she left. We exited the entrance and headed straight outside the building.
Then—
Click-click-click—!!!
The same shutter sounds as before rang out.
“Irene—! Please look this way just once!”
“Superhuman Lee Jin-woo!!”
Reporters crowded outside. As I wondered if I should turn my head, I realized I couldn’t move it at all—like someone was holding my chin.
—Don’t look….
It had to be Irene. Not now, apparently. She calmly headed toward the photo zone ahead.
Baek Hyun-ho was already standing there.
As I took my place, Baek Hyun-ho smiled and patted my shoulder again.
Amid the constant shutter noise, he addressed the reporters.
“Oh, and by the way. To celebrate the creation of the new knight order, there’s one more distinguished guest who came to grace us today.”
Question marks appeared on the reporters’ faces.
Someone else?
Then—
[■ Hero’s Hyper-Senses activated.]
“……”
My heart trembled.
Step.
Amid the chaotic shutter sounds, the sharp click of dress shoes rang out clearly. I turned my head. The owner of the footsteps was approaching.
Soon, someone appeared.
“Jinwoo!”
A voice called out. It was the moment we stepped outside. At that voice, the reporters all shifted.
“Huh?”
“Wait, isn’t that…?”
“What?”
They reacted as if recognizing him.
Of course they would. I recognized him too.
There was no one in Korea who wouldn’t recognize that face.
He strode forward, long legs cutting through the crowd.
“Long time no see.”
A handsome young man greeted me with a bright smile. His extended hand and friendly grin made me wear an awkward expression without realizing it.
“…Ah—yeah.”
Hiding my stiff feelings, I took his hand.
His name was Eugene.
One of only three SS-rank superhumans in the world, including Irene.
The hope of Korea.
And—
“Long time.”
To me, he was an ‘old friend’—
one who made me uncomfortable in more ways than one.
