The line was crossed too boldly.
It must be about family.
At those words, the branch manager realized.
‘Kang Hyun… it must be him.’
Plugging the hole in the ship with his hand, he begged.
I was wrong.
Please spare me.
Please, have mercy.
But he wasn’t sure if his voice was even coming out.
Nothing could be heard.
Kang Hyun swung his sword carelessly, leaving the branch manager behind.
Swish, Swish.
The heads of subordinates fell swiftly.
Without a sound.
Among them were a few Awakened.
But even so, they were just modern-day low-ranked Awakened with only stats.
How could they hope to lay a hand on Kang Hyun in the dark chamber?
‘My mana’s already drained to zero.’
Even E-rank mana gets drained so quickly.
And that was after deliberately using Words of Power on objects, not people.
‘Combined word magic are still a bit tough.’
When the situation ended, the branch manager was perplexed.
Who… who are you?
How is something like this even possible?
“Why, you were just looking at my profile, weren’t you?”
But the profile of this “Kang Hyun” clearly stated he was just F-rank.
The branch manager flinched.
Which part was spoken aloud, and which part was just his thoughts?
It was confusing because he couldn’t even hear his own voice.
“I used to be a bit of a renowned assassin myself.”
A space where all sound and light were swallowed by silence.
Within that, only Kang Hyun’s voice reached the branch manager’s ears clearly.
Which made it even more chilling.
Kyle had fought countless assassins.
He was also skilled in assassination himself.
After all, there were many people Kyle needed to kill.
“Spill all the information you’ve got. Then I’ll let you go peacefully.”
He said this while rummaging through the vault’s ledger.
“Oh, gold? Wow, so this is what gold bars look like. Back in my day, it was all coins. Thanks, I’ll put this to good use.”
The branch manager remained silent.
So Kang Hyun just continued searching the ledger.
And then—
‘Well, well? Looks like you’re not acting alone, are you?’
The contents of the ledger were quite intriguing.
Aden had been pondering over guilds, “Seonghwa” and “Palan”.
Surprisingly, it turned out Paran was backing these people.
“Wow… Korea’s 5th-ranked guild? This feels like something out of a noir film.”
And that wasn’t even the end of it.
The more he looked, the worse it got.
“…Hah.”
Kang Hyun placed the ledger into his inventory.
“Hey.”
“….”
“You lot… you’ve been colluding with the demons, haven’t you?”
The Legion of the Black World Tree—demons.
These people were traitors who had sided with them.
To be precise, it was one of the Palan’s officers.
B-rank mage, Oh Hyuk-jun.
He was the head of this branch and a traitor.
“You’ve really stuffed your pockets, haven’t you?”
They were receiving support from the demons in exchange for killing new Awakened.
A horrifying idea.
“Does Palan know about this? No, if they did, they wouldn’t let it slide.”
The interrogation of the branch manager was straightforward.
This ledger alone was enough evidence.
Kang Hyun beheaded the branch manager.
Swish—
All the corpses were stored in a subspace.
He’d dispose of them in a dungeon.
‘…No, wait.’
He changed his mind.
He took out only the branch manager’s head and threw it on the desk.
Leaving behind a deliberate trace of murder.
Something like that wouldn’t lead to a pursuit.
This was the bare minimum warning.
A warning to Palan.
‘It’s over now.’
The debt was truly settled.
The dark room disappeared.
Ding!
[Skill <Assassination> has been created.]
“Oh.”
Could it be another MAX-level skill?
‘Nope.’
It was level 4.
What could a level 4 skill do?
He’d have to figure it out.
As he finished his work and was about to leave.
He paused.
‘Ah.’
On the desk were files containing profiles of families.
“【Burn】.”
Fwoosh.
The flame, imbued with his will, spread rapidly.
Until it engulfed the entire office.
Kang Hyun calmly walked away, blending into the shadows.
###
<Breaking news: Last night, a fire broke out in a building in Nonhyeon-dong. While the fire was extinguished, a severed head left at the scene has shocked citizens.>
<The police stated that no other traces of the crime could be found, suggesting a lengthy investigation ahead….>
<Some are speculating about the emergence of a deadly villain. A powerful one who leaves no traces….>
Aden stared blankly at the TV.
“Wow… A loan company killing Awakened, and now this. The world’s getting too scary these days.”
“Tell me about it.”
The world was terrifying.
Humans were even teaming up with demons.
“Disciple, what does a level 4 skill mean?”
“In terms of level? Well, typically….”
Aden began explaining.
Level 3 was expert-level.
“When Awakened of the same rank clash, if one of them has a level 3 skill, it’s an easy win.”
Level 5 represents mastery.
“Possessing a level 5 skill raises your rank by one.”
“The system upgrades you?”
“No, the system remains the same, but society evaluates your rank differently. It’s based on international standards.”
So a D-rank would be evaluated as a C-rank.
Level 7, they say, is the pinnacle.
“If you possess a level 5 skill, it’s widely accepted that you can defeat opponents with higher stats.”
“The influence is bigger than I thought. Is it hard to raise a skill level?”
“Incredibly hard. I don’t even have a single skill yet.”
But Kang Hyun possessed the 【Reincarnator】 trait.
Thanks to this, skills were steadily manifesting.
Only talents from his past life, though.
“So level 7 is the pinnacle? What about beyond that?”
“There’s no information available. Even worldwide, only a handful of people have level 7 skills.”
Whether there were any level 8 skill holders was unknown.
Level 9 was considered the realm of fantasy.
‘Level 4 seems pretty high, then.’
As he casually watched the TV, a call came through.
It was Chief Choi Young-ho.
Riiing—
<Is this Kang Hyun?>
“Yes, this is Kang Hyun speaking.”
<…That’s not what I meant.>
There was silence, as if he was checking his surroundings.
<…I’m asking if the arson-murder incident from yesterday was your doing.>
“Haha. What kind of ability would I have for that?”
<How on earth did you do it?>
Chief Choi seemed convinced it was Kang Hyun.
But his voice carried a note of shock.
Even if someone was a Perfect Clear Awakened, this was an accomplishment far removed from dungeon clearing.
Kang Hyun was E-rank.
His opponents?
A group of experienced Awakened killers.
All of them higher-ranked than him.
From a conventional perspective, it was impossible for Kang Hyun to pull it off.
But the timing was too perfect.
Hadn’t they discussed that loan company’s branch just the day before the incident?
And the peculiarity of the case didn’t end there.
<Despite the disappearance of many Awakened from the scene, only a head was found with no other trace of the crime.>
“You must have good connections with the police.”
<That’s not the issue here.>
His tone was serious.
<The police are concerned about the emergence of an A-rank villain.>
“Just for killing a few low-ranked guys?”
<Villain ranks reflect not just strength but also severity.>
It was a stealth so perfect even modern forensic science couldn’t detect it.
If Kang Hyun decided to wreak havoc on society, what couldn’t he accomplish?
What if, hypothetically, he decided to start assassinating congressmen one by one?
“Still, an A-rank title carries weight. They’re just scared for nothing.”
<Kang Hyun, if you tell the truth, I can help prevent this from escalating.>
“There’s nothing to escalate, so don’t worry. The police won’t find the culprit.”
<…>
“If they’re scared, let them be scared. Doesn’t bother me.”
There was silence for a moment.
If their objectives diverged here?
Then they’d go their separate ways.
<To think you were capable of such feats… Since you don’t seem to want to discuss further, I’ll leave it at that.>
Fortunately, Choi seemed to understand.
As expected, he was reliable.
“By the way, Section Chief, do you have some time today?”
<I can make time for you, even if I didn’t have any!>
“Then could you spare a moment to meet?”
This wasn’t something to talk about over the phone.
###
Arriving at the Awakened Management Bureau.
Kang Hyun paused in front of a private meeting room.
Inside was Section Chief Choi.
“【Silence】.”
Swoosh.
A faint, invisible sound barrier surrounded the meeting room.
“Ooh! A new word!? What does it do?”
“Let’s go inside.”
He opened the door and stepped in.
Chief Choi greeted him enthusiastically.
“My goodness! Still haven’t recovered from that cold, huh?”
“It’s not a cold.”
“Here, have some warm tea!”
It was caffeine-free grain tea.
As expected, Choi knew his stuff.
Sip.
“I don’t know why you came, but listening to the voices of the people is the duty of a public servant! Please, speak freely!”
“There’s a matter I’d like your help with.”
“Help!? Haha! At last, you’re asking for my assistance! Let’s hear it!”
His voice rose dramatically.
Overflowing with confidence, wasn’t he?
“I acquired a ledger from the burnt-down company yesterday.”
“Oh! Excellent work! Now we can shut them down for good—”
“That company was a pawn of the Palan Guild. And they were dealing with demons.”
“…”
Chief Choi froze as if struck by the command 【Stop】.
He looked utterly shocked.
Aden, too, seemed to sense the gravity of the situation.
She straightened her posture, just like Choi.
“This could pass for a movie script, don’t you think?”
“…This is beyond what I can handle on my own.”
“I know.”
Of course.
No matter how influential, he was just a section chief.
Kang Hyun was used to dealing with situations of this scale.
But for Choi, this was the start of an unbearably heavy story.
“They’re clearly pests gnawing at the foundation of the nation. I’d like nothing more than to send them all to the gallows immediately. But….”
Chief Choi was an individual.
And just an ordinary person at that.
Just as one person cannot feed all the starving children in the world, just as one person cannot end all wars, this was a problem of impossible scale.
“In today’s world, where Awakened essentially constitute national power, large guilds… are no different from warlords.”
And if this were exposed, one side or the other would have to die.
“I’ll take care of it, so just bring me whatever relevant information you can. Within reasonable limits.”
“Take care of it? This is not something you should handle recklessly!”
Wow, isn’t this template from 100 years ago?
‘They’re saying the same thing everyone told me when I said I’d kill the World Tree.’
But in the end, I sealed it.
Though I died as well.
And somehow, both sides managed to come back to life.
It wasn’t meaningless.
That war forced the demons into a significant retreat.
And as a result, Thea wasn’t devoured.
“This is an enemy no single individual can handle. Kang Hyun, you must stop here!”
He’s right.
But the thing is, I’m not just some individual.
“Chief.”
“Yes…?”
“I’ve lived long enough to understand. One person can’t stand against an organization.”
Before the vastness of war, an individual becomes utterly powerless.
I knew this because I’d seen countless atrocities.
“But I can.”
I know because I’ve done it.
If I do it, it works.
“If you want to work with me moving forward, keep this in mind.”
Heroes don’t adjust their stride to match others.
“If I say it’ll happen, it will. If I say it’s possible, it is. Understand that and prepare in advance.”
“…Understood.”
There was a peculiar determination in his voice.
It seemed the message had been received.
“…Master, but for someone who claims to succeed at everything, didn’t you run your academy into the ground—”
“You’re dead meat.”
Argh!
Why bring up the academy here?
“Hey! What was I supposed to do when every single recruit that came in was utterly talentless?”
“Why are you yelling at me?”
“Why are you even bringing this up to me? Was it my fault the academy failed?”
Anyway!
“Prepare immediately. That executive’s name was Oh Hyuk-jun, wasn’t it? We’re going to release the ledger to the media right away.”
This was going to turn Korea upside down.
It wasn’t just some minor issue.
“We’ll push Palan to cut off its tail. Once that rotten tail’s size and composition become clear, that’s when we strike.”
Choi, who had been listening in silence, asked with a somber expression.
“If I may be so bold, can I ask you one thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“From a young age, I’ve been labeled an extreme nationalist.”
“I can see that. Considering you talked about wanting to put them all on the gallows.”
At this point, he seemed almost as zealous as me.
“But why does Kang Hyun go this far? What are you fighting for?”
“Why?”
I tilted my head, genuinely puzzled.
What kind of question is that?
“What do you mean, why? They’ve been colluding with demons. Of course, I’m going to kill them all.”
“…”
Choi was momentarily speechless.
His reaction made it clear he hadn’t expected that answer.
Demons must be killed.
And if something or someone harms humanity, they must be killed too.
To Kang Hyun, this was the natural order of things.
Not someone who kills because they are a hero, but someone who became a hero because they killed.
This was Kyle’s answer.
