Chapter 606

It wasn’t a Mutated Gate? What the hell was that supposed to mean?

My confusion lasted only a moment. Then Magic Johnson dropped a single word, and my eyes widened.

“Terrorism?”

“Yeah, terrorism. An Arab man was caught trying to enter a Gate with a forged Hunter license. Turns out he was a B-rank Hunter with a terrorist group in the Middle East, and he was carrying an A-grade Magic Gem. One that hadn’t been purified, of course.”

“Wait. That sounds…”

“It must be a pretty familiar situation to you, Jin. Am I wrong?”

I pressed my lips together instead of answering. Recent memories flashed through my mind.

Go Jun. Song Cheonwoo. And two Monster Waves.

Something that should never have happened again kept happening.

“He was trying to cause a Monster Wave.”

“Probably. No, I’m sure of it.”

Damn it.

“What about the casualties?” I asked urgently. “Was anyone hurt? Did the news deliberately hide the damage because…”

I couldn’t bring myself to finish.

The recent incidents had been one disaster after another. The man might not have been comparable to Go Jun, but if a B-rank Hunter from a terrorist group had absorbed an unpurified A-grade Magic Gem, he could have done considerable damage on his own.

Magic Johnson answered calmly.

“Whoa. Easy, Jin. The news reports were true. Thank God, there wasn’t any significant damage.”

“Are you sure?”

“Why would I lie to you?”

“But how?”

“After what happened, the whole world’s on high alert. Identity checks and Magic Gem inspections have gotten several times stricter. That’s how they caught him. He tried to absorb the Magic Gem as a last resort. What do you think happened?”

Magic Johnson took a sip of the instant coffee in his paper cup.

“It’s simple. He couldn’t withstand the power contained in the Magic Gem. By the way, this coffee is pretty good.”

“Forget the coffee. If he couldn’t withstand it, shouldn’t he have mutated like Go Jun?”

Mana and magical power were like oil and water. They could never mix.

Go Jun was proof. Even as a certified S-rank Hunter trained in the modern Mana Cultivation Method, he had never managed to absorb magical power completely.

The real problem was the temporary surge of power—and the mutation waiting afterward.

So how was the result simple?

The lack of significant damage made even less sense now.

Magic Johnson’s answer took me completely by surprise.

“No. He exploded.”

“What?”

“I mean he blew apart. Into pieces. Boom!”

Bang, bang!

Magic Johnson tapped his spoon against the earthenware bowl and shrugged.

“And that was the end of everything. All I did at the scene was protect people from the blast’s aftermath.”

“…”

“In a way, you could certainly call it a suicide attack. But that was all it amounted to.”

At those words, I realized something and muttered inwardly.

It wasn’t that it was like what happened with Go Jun. It was that what happened with Go Jun had only been possible because it was Go Jun.

I’d had it backward from the start.

It came down to the size of the vessel. Not in terms of a person’s character or breadth of mind, but in terms of how much power they could contain without letting it overflow.

By that measure, Go Jun had been a large vessel. He could absorb some magical power and hold on to it, if only briefly.

And even he eventually mutated.

Go Jun had absorbed two S-grade Magic Gems at once. The balance of his vessel broke, and he finally mutated.

Even if I hadn’t intervened personally, there was a very good chance he would have died after holding out for only a little longer.

An ordinary Hunter wouldn’t stand a chance.

The terrorist in today’s news had been a B-rank Hunter, but the power had still blown him apart on the spot. He hadn’t been able to control any of the magical power in that Magic Gem.

“Hey, Jin. Looks like you’re getting it.”

Magic Johnson was grinning. I let out a short, disbelieving laugh.

“That’s a huge relief.”

“It is. Only a complete idiot would try the same thing after today.”

Magic Johnson had put his finger on what mattered. It was fortunate that the terrorist attack had caused no damage, but the greater relief was that it would deter similar incidents in the future.

“The terrorist group must have realized it, too. To put it coldly, this was a terrible trade from their perspective.”

A trained Hunter was a valuable asset, and a Magic Gem was an energy source of immense value. I didn’t know how the group had gotten hold of an unpurified A-grade Magic Gem, but today they’d failed spectacularly.

They had lost both a valuable operative and a Magic Gem easily worth several billion won¹.

“They’ll change tactics,” Magic Johnson said. “Probably go back to targeting defenseless civilians with that damn magic wand of Allah. But it’s too early to let our guard down.”

He sighed quietly.

“Terrorist organizations have been making some worrying moves lately. I hear they’ve been experimenting with Gates and Magic Gems, especially in Africa and the Middle East. The information came from the Pentagon, so it’s reliable.”

The Skeleton King, who had spent the entire conversation fiddling with his smartphone without participating, perked up his ears.

“The Pentagon? Are we going there right now? Is much rub-rub possible?”

“Just so you know, it’s not a club.”

“Damn it. I thought I was finally going to meet some hot girls.”

Don’t even dream about it, you bastard…

The Pentagon was the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense. If the Skeleton King’s identity came to light, its researchers would party all night.

In a heavily secured laboratory, of course, where they’d try all kinds of rub-rub with every experimental tool they had.

“Hmm. Everyone would certainly be happy if we took him to the Pentagon,” Magic Johnson said.

“Not so good for you or me, though.”

“True. We’d probably stand trial for violating international law. Though if a terrorist group caused trouble while the trial was going on, the whole thing might fizzle out.”

Life was hard. The moment one problem was solved, another popped up.

A terrorist group.

Once the series of incidents caused by Go Jun became known to the world, every country had been thrown into shock and heightened alertness.

But terrorist groups had gained another weapon.

If the information Magic Johnson had obtained from the Pentagon was true, they would find a way no matter what it took.

“…Of all times,” I muttered.

Magic Johnson looked puzzled.

“Of all times? What do you mean?”

“Hmm.”

I hesitated, then shook my head.

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“It sounds like something, and it’s bothering me a lot.”

“It’s just… there’s something I’ve been preparing to do. But after hearing that, I’m hesitating for now.”

“Something you’ve been preparing?”

I gave a small nod.

I hadn’t told anyone yet. It was one of the things I’d decided to do when I returned to the modern era this time.

For myself, and for everyone else, I had made a decision after a long period of hesitation and had been preparing for it…

But this changes things.

Humanity had regained peace after the Great Cataclysm. That didn’t mean the whole world was peaceful.

Mana had appeared, along with Awakened people. Those who survived and came out strong had remade the world by their own rules, and conflicts everyone thought had ended were still going on.

No. Some people would even say they’ve only gotten worse.

Magic Gems were more valuable and useful than oil. Gates were mines that kept spitting out those diamonds. Conflict over them was inevitable, whether the people involved called themselves entrepreneurs, Guilds, or rebels.

The terrorist groups in the Middle East were more dangerous still.

They called awakening a blessing from God and held it up as proof that God existed. You might ask what the hell they were talking about when even atheists could Awaken, but looking for logic in people like that was a mistake to begin with.

Warriors chosen by God! Advance!

God wills it!

I had no idea which god or doctrine had told them to do such idiotic things.

But singers sang, blacksmiths worked iron, and idiots kept doing idiotic things. They fought across the world, dying or ending up crippled.

And they were still at it right now.

Bastards.

The Skeleton King was a lot better than them. He might have started out as a monster, but by now he’d shown as much sacrifice and dedication as any Hunter.

Good lad.

At the warmth in my gaze, the Skeleton King glared at me ferociously.

“You just cursed this body in your thoughts.”

“…What the hell? That’s absurd.”

“Tell me the truth. I’ll let it slide.”

“Johnson, can’t we just take this bastard to the Pentagon?”

Magic Johnson grinned.

“Shall we?”

“You hear that? You’re finished, you experimental-subject bastard.”

“Now that it’s come to this, going right away wouldn’t be bad.”

“Tell them to prepare a cauldron. We’ll make some bone broth out of this bastard.”

“I don’t know about a cauldron, but the laboratory will be ready whenever we are.”

For some reason, Magic Johnson and I were on exactly the same wavelength today.

He played along without missing a beat, then drew a staff from inside his clothes.

“Well, now that we’ve eaten, shall we get going?”

“Sounds good… Wait.”

I’d answered on reflex. Then I felt mana circulating through his staff and gave him an uneasy look.

“Uh, there’s no need to go that far.”

“Don’t you have a traditional Korean proverb? Once a gay draws his magic wand, he must pierce even a radish.”

“…?”

That sounded like a strange and impressive twist on a proverb I’d never heard in my life. I swallowed.

“Wait. Seriously?”

“Yeah. Seriously.”

“You’re not joking?”

“The Pentagon sent an official request two days ago. They want your advice and your help, Jin. As soon as possible.”

“What?”

I blinked, then let out a hollow laugh.

“Oh, I get it. This is an American joke.”

Magic Johnson fixed me with the profound gaze of a gay man.

“How did you know? I don’t remember showing you that memory.”

What the fuck is he talking about?

I stood there blankly for a moment before hurriedly waving my hands.

“…No, I got the pronunciation mixed up. Joke. Joke. A gag.”

“I know. That was a joke, too.”

He flashed a white-toothed grin.

“But the part about the Pentagon wasn’t.”

“…!”

“Let’s go. It looks like someone else is already ready. Isn’t that right?”

I followed his gaze and turned my head. I sensed a familiar presence, and a figure came into view.

Team Leader Choi answered in a subdued voice.

“Of course, Mr. Johnson.”