Chapter 26…
EX-Rank Reincarnation Drawn
Hwaaaaah—!!!!
A red light spreading out from the machine swallowed everything around it.
It was a vivid, clean color—brilliant and unmistakable.
There was no sensation of heat, yet somehow it felt warm.
Just as the endlessly expanding light began to fade—
“A-rank…?”
“A-rank, you say?”
People reacted as they looked at me.
That red glow symbolized A-rank.
“So he was an A-rank superhuman.”
“No wonder…”
An atmosphere of understanding settled in.
It was probably because of what had happened during the terrorist incident. Judging by the strength I’d shown back then, it didn’t seem like they’d underestimated me.
“Still, he’s not S-rank.”
“Hey, come on. How often do you see S-ranks? An A-rank is already incredible. People were complaining that no high-rank superhumans had appeared lately.”
It was a rank that hadn’t shown up in quite some time.
That fact alone sparked chatter among the reporters.
Meanwhile—
‘An A-rank, huh.’
I narrowed my eyes as I stared at the lingering glow.
A-rank…
‘So this is the rank the sword created?’
Heavenly Demon.
I’d heard that name somewhere before.
‘If I remember right, that’s someone from the martial arts world, isn’t it?’
I didn’t know the details, but among information brokers, the name had circulated before. Still—
‘Was there ever someone who actually had “Heavenly Demon” as a past life?’
I didn’t know. There were plenty of rumors, but no one who could clearly be identified as that Heavenly Demon.
‘It’s not that strange, though.’
Sometimes, past lives overlapped.
High-grade past lives rarely did—but if Heavenly Demon was one, it made sense.
‘It’s more of a title, after all.’
Even so, as far as I knew, there was no one who could openly claim that name.
‘…Well, things worked out, right?’
My rank had been hidden.
As long as EX-rank hadn’t popped up, that was good enough.
‘Yeah.’
For now, I decided to take it as a win.
That’s what I thought.
* * *
“…Hmm.”
Irene let out a quiet hum as she looked at the light.
“A-rank…”
At her murmur, Baek Hyeon-ho asked,
“Is something the matter?”
“No…”
Irene narrowed her eyes.
It seemed appropriate—but somehow…
“I thought it would be higher…”
“Hm?”
At her words, Baek Hyeon-ho looked at Lee Jin-woo again.
He was wearing that familiar, awkward smile.
‘True.’
He felt the same way.
‘For an A-rank…’
Something felt off.
Looking at Jin-woo’s reaction, it seemed like there was more to him.
‘Did something change?’
Perhaps his synchronization rate had increased—he definitely looked improved compared to before.
Compared to the Jin-woo from the hospital, who had been judged unfit even to apply for the knight exam, this was practically a complete transformation.
But—
‘There was no aura.’
Not only did Baek Hyeon-ho’s skills fail to detect anything—
“If that were the case, there’s no way you wouldn’t have noticed.”
“….”
The world’s strongest stood right in front of them.
It made no sense that something could escape her notice.
“…You’re right.”
Irene nodded as if convinced.
Because it was true.
‘She would have known.’
If there was anything strange, she would’ve sensed it first.
Still—
‘If he’s A-rank…’
That was fine.
She’d been worried he might be B-rank or even C-rank.
At least now, he was strong enough to stand as a proper person.
“‘Not bad,’ huh…”
Baek Hyeon-ho smiled bitterly.
An A-rank was a valuable asset by any standard—
yet to the woman beside him, it was merely “not bad.”
That seemed to be exactly where it stood.
“…Well, enough about him.”
Irene narrowed her eyes.
“What about the other personnel…?”
“Other personnel?”
“…Between the two of us, wouldn’t that be more your concern than mine…?”
She looked at Baek Hyeon-ho with a calm gaze.
He understood what she meant.
Even if Irene helped, she was affiliated with the U.S.
Regardless of her personal aid, the association would still be receiving American support—raising image concerns.
Did he have a way to deal with that?
“…Haha.”
She really was sharp.
“Don’t worry. We’ll supplement the personnel sufficiently.”
“…You have a method?”
“Yes. It’s more primitive than you’d expect.”
After saying that, Baek Hyeon-ho turned his gaze again.
“And besides… now isn’t the time to be worrying about that.”
Irene nodded.
She followed his gaze and turned her head as well.
He was right—now wasn’t the time.
‘So…’
Would a terrorist attack really happen, as the association president predicted?
Irene’s interest was focused entirely on that.
‘How dare they.’
Trying something when she was here.
She was curious what move they’d make.
Very curious.
* * *
“Thank you for your hard work. Here is your registration card.”
“…Ah, thank you.”
I accepted the card handed to me by Jeon Yoo-seon.
Printed clearly on it was the designation A-rank Superhuman.
“……”
Even though I’d finally received what I’d wanted for so long, I didn’t feel especially excited.
It was strange. I’d desired this so badly—so why?
‘…Is my mind elsewhere?’
The Martial God.
My past life.
Because my thoughts were consumed by that, the registration card right in front of me failed to spark much interest.
After all—
‘It’s not real.’
The A-rank mark itself was fake.
Strictly speaking, this card was nothing more than a lie.
“The knight identification card will be issued later, since the knight unit hasn’t been fully organized yet. We ask for your understanding.”
“Oh, no. That’s fine. Please take your time.”
The knights…
Come to think of it, they’d mentioned recruiting new members for the knight unit.
‘How are they planning to handle that?’
I found it odd, but let it go for now.
Then—
“…Are you done?”
Irene approached.
“Ah—yes. I’m finished.”
“Mm.”
Whoosh.
Before I could react, Irene snatched the registration card from my hand.
“…That’s kind of lame.”
“…Lame?”
That word hit hard.
Was this also because of the translation skill?
“This isn’t translation magic.”
“…Huh?”
How did she know?
I flinched, having my thoughts exposed.
“How did you—”
“…It shows… on your face.”
My face? Was that even possible?
“Well then… how—”
“…I memorized it.”
I was left speechless.
“……”
Was that even something you could memorize?
‘They say she’s a genius—but still.’
I’d heard that Hale Irene was famous as a prodigy even before awakening her past life.
But to think she’d memorize a foreign language in just a few days…
As I stood there dumbfounded, Irene spoke again.
“A-rank?”
“Yes? Ah—yes.”
“…Not bad. It’s good.”
“…Thank you…?”
Was that praise?
I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I smiled awkwardly.
Irene stared straight at my smile.
“…Don’t smile.”
“…Pardon?”
“When you smile… you look weak.”
“…Well—”
“It just… bothers me.”
She shoved the registration card back into my hand.
“Take it. And… come with me for a moment.”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
Without arguing, I followed after Irene.
* * *
“Superhuman Lee Jin-woo! Just one interview—!”
“How does it feel to become a new A-rank superhuman—!”
“How did you come to join the newly established knight unit—!”
“Irene—!”
The reporters were overwhelming, but Irene ignored them completely.
She moved as if they were nothing more than pebbles.
No—her pace wasn’t even that fast.
She simply didn’t acknowledge their existence.
“I told you before…”
She spoke while walking.
“Paying attention to stuff like that just tires you out.”
“……”
“…Get used to it. No matter what it is.”
“Thank you for the advice.”
“……”
The place she led me to was the association president’s office.
Inside, Baek Hyeon-ho was seated.
“Welcome.”
“Hello.”
“Thank you for coming all this way.”
“No, not at all…”
Baek Hyeon-ho smiled kindly and poured tea for us.
“I expected as much, but fortunately, Jin-woo’s rank is high enough that there shouldn’t be any issues.”
“…Haha.”
If it had been low, the media would’ve made a fuss—but A-rank—
‘That’s definitely not low.’
It was more than sufficient to become a knight.
“As you’ve already been told, the knight unit ID will be issued later, once the unit is fully organized and all members are selected.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“It shouldn’t take too long. Recruiting members will take some time, but even then, I expect it to be finished within two months at most.”
‘Two months…’
Not exactly short—but not long either.
That would be around the transition from winter to early spring.
“However, given the purpose of this unit, we likely won’t take that long. If possible, the two of you may begin operating even before the unit is complete.”
“The two of us…?”
Before it was even organized?
“…Not the two of us.”
Irene interjected.
“Not two—just one. I prefer working alone.”
“Irene… that’s—”
She tilted her head slightly.
“…This is faster.”
“…Hmm.”
“And it’ll be better for you, too.”
Baek Hyeon-ho let out a sigh.
“…Very well. Until the members are selected, you may proceed that way.”
“Good.”
“Still, even so, since you’re part of the same unit, please keep some coordination in mind.”
Snap—!
Irene flicked her finger, and light burst from her hand.
That was her response.
The faint glow suddenly seeped into my body.
‘What did she do?’
It felt like something happened—but I felt nothing.
“And the reporters outside…?”
“That will be handled. They’ve already seen everything they need to see.”
So that was why the association president had called us.
“Ah, by the way. In addition to suppressing terrorists, there’s one more task we’d like to entrust to the knight unit—”
Just as Baek Hyeon-ho continued speaking—
[■ Hero’s Ultra-Senses have activated.]
[■ Killing Intent Detected.]
[■ Warning.]
“—!”
My body reacted first.
A chill ran down my spine.
“What’s wrong—”
Irene was about to question my reaction when—
“What?”
She sensed something and turned her head.
Woooong—!
Something appeared before her eyes.
A green sphere.
This was—
‘It’s coming from here.’
My ultra-senses screamed danger.
Irene’s brows furrowed.
At the same time she moved to act—
WOOOOONG—!!!
The sphere flashed and suddenly swallowed Irene whole.
“Huh? Irene?!”
She vanished in an instant.
Then—
KWAGAGAGAGAGA—!!!
The entire building began to shake violently.
