Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Center of Attention (2)

The beginning of Grand Nova was undoubtedly Jin Su-hyuk.

However, he definitely did not accomplish everything alone.

The Martial God, Kang Min-gi.

If you had to pick who was the strongest in South Korea, he was always mentioned.

Until Shin Ah-yeon's appearance, he was called the greatest genius in Korean history, the man known as such.

Because he was by Jin Su-hyuk's side, Grand Nova was able to come into existence.

S-rank hunters who gathered around Kang Min-gi, and the hunters who, admiring those S-rank hunters, gathered as well.

That was how Grand Nova was created.

The best management in South Korea.

"It seems this is the first time we're meeting in this manner."

We had passed by each other and met a few times before.

But this was the first time we had a genuine opportunity to talk at length like this.

"If you had participated in Odyssey, we might have had more chances to converse."

I brought it up in a somewhat probing manner, but Kang Min-gi's expression didn't really change.

On the contrary, he just smiled broadly.

"Ah~, I really regretted it back then, too. I actually wanted to participate in Odyssey as well. But if I left, too, there wouldn't be any S-rank hunter left to handle any major incidents that might erupt in Korea, would there?"

His mouth was definitely smiling, but his eyes... I couldn't quite tell.

Because of the sunglasses covering them, I couldn't completely read his expression.

"That's why I had no choice but to remain in Korea. But thanks to Manager Park, didn't you achieve great results? Ha, if only it hadn't been cancelled, I think you could have even won."

He said that as if he was genuinely regretful and shook his head.

If you just saw him like this, he looked like a cheerful young man.

Although Kang Min-gi was actually over fifty years old, his appearance looked to be in his mid-twenties.

'He definitely used to look around thirty.'

He became even younger.

Usually, when awakeners reach a certain breakthrough, their bodies reverse their aging in this way.

The moment one reaches S-rank, the body restructures to its peak condition.

But for Kang Min-gi's body—which surely had already undergone restructuring—to look even younger meant he had reached a level above that.

'He went beyond S-rank.'

A sticky demonic energy writhing in his chest.

It was thicker than any demon's I had felt before.

Not just that of a top-rank demon—something else.

'Demon King.'

Mimos from Alcatraz.

He might be in the form of a cat now, but that guy was a kind of chimera made using the remains of a Demon King.

'If Mimos is the result of experiments with a Demon King's remains...'

Then the trump card the demons were hiding now would likely be something different from a top-rank demon.

The power Kang Min-gi possessed was likely related to that as well.

'That's also why he didn't participate in Odyssey.'

At that time, Kang Min-gi didn't appear on broadcasts, nor did he act as a hunter.

He just quietly disappeared from sight.

If there had ever been a chance, that would've been it.

The time he gained power from demons.

While Odyssey was taking place, it was likely he underwent the procedure at Alcatraz together with Jin Su-hyuk.

"It's a bit much if you stare at me like that."

At my gaze, Kang Min-gi smiled awkwardly.

"Ah, sorry."

"No worries. Anyway, you're here to see the President today, right?"

"Yes. I've tried to meet a few times, but for whatever reason, it's been hard to get ahold of him."

"Haha, well, our President has to keep busy, after all."

He said that as he pressed the elevator button and guided me to the top of the building where the President's office was located.

'The demonic energy is getting stronger.'

Just how many demons are here?

The higher we went, the thicker the demonic energy became, and even a murderous intent was hidden in that darkness.

I could feel the eyes of demons unable to hide their rage and hatred toward me.

"You sure are popular?"

"It's always been that way, you know."

"Hahaha."

It seemed Kang Min-gi also sensed the gazes that followed as we walked through the long hallway from the elevator.

He laughed heartily and knocked on the classic wooden door at the end of the hall.

"I'm here. Ah, and of course, manager Park as well."

"Come in."

Creak—

Even before the words finished, as the door opened, a wide reception room came into view.

In a room decorated with rather luxurious furniture, Jin Su-hyuk gazed quietly out the window.

"Manager Park Jung-woo."

He turned away from the window to look at me.

"Well, I suppose it's good to have this kind of chance at least once. It's the first time we've met like this, after all."

He sat in the chair at the center of the reception room and offered me a teacup filled with warm tea.

"Especially you—didn't you once work in our management agency?"

"...... You knew?"

I paused, wondering how to bring it up, but decided to play along as manager and President for now.

After all, formally, I was here as Unique's manager.

"Of course. I knew your name even back when you went missing in the rift three years ago."

Jin Su-hyuk said with a faint smile.

"But I became more interested after you began to stand out on Super Hunter K."

"I didn't realize you'd taken an interest so early."

"I'm a greedy man, you see. I really like to collect talented people when I spot them."

But for all that, Jin Su-hyuk had never directly contacted me.

Even though, at that time, he probably wasn't affiliated with the demons.

"But I also don't like to deal with hard-to-handle horses so easily."

"That's..."

"You're very similar to me. So I know you very well."

He tapped the teacup with his finger as he spoke on.

"But that's not to say I'm not disappointed about missing out on you. Those who failed to see your true worth—I punished them properly."

"Punished, huh. That sounds kind of terrifying."

A face suddenly came to mind.

There was a section chief at Grand Nova who would always interfere with everything I did.

"You'll probably never meet him again. Ever."

"......"

I could guess what happened to him from Jin Su-hyuk's words.

'Did he kill him?'

I couldn't say I liked the guy.

But he didn't deserve to die.

That was when I truly realized anew that Jin Su-hyuk was not the 'President of Grand Nova' I had once known.

He was a cold, calculating businessman, but he wasn't someone who would just kill subordinates for a mistake.

"You don't have to see it that way. You know, don't you?"

"Know what?"

"Even if I'd let him live, he wouldn't have lasted long."

I didn't even have to think about the implication.

"... There really is no crazier bastard."

I wanted to have a conversation as a manager, but I couldn't help but curse.

Kang Min-gi and Jin Su-hyuk showed no reaction at all to my vulgarity.

If anything, Jin Su-hyuk's smile only deepened.

"Turning this world into the demon realm. You know what I mean, right? If that happens, one conflict in this world will disappear."

"You mean the conflict between awakeners and non-awakeners?"

In the end, I dropped all formalities and replied in a sarcastic tone.

Of course, Jin Su-hyuk didn't care at all about my change in attitude.

"That's right."

"Yeah, if the world becomes the demon realm, all those who can't awaken will die."

"Ah, see it the other way. What I'm actually doing is giving them a chance."

He smiled as if not a single speck of guilt weighed on him.

"If the world becomes the demon realm, non-awakeners can become awakeners as well. The demonic energy that fills the land, the oversaturated magic power—that'll guide them."

"But that'll be a tiny minority. Most will die."

About 70 percent, to be precise.

Seventy percent of non-awakeners would die, while the remaining thirty percent would awaken and survive.

Since most of humanity is non-awakened, it meant that most of the world's population would be wiped out.

Maybe even fewer would remain than the demons.

"Park Jung-woo."

Jin Su-hyuk smiled, fully aware of this.

"There's a term—singularity."

He wrote a few words on a calm sheet of paper on the table.

"Humanity has always evolved and developed through those singularities."

For primordial humanity, fire was the singularity.

Once humanity acquired fire, they were able to gain an edge over other competitors and obtained a chance to form civilization.

"There have been several such singularities since."

The discovery of fire, the invention of the steam engine, and then electricity.

Humanity kept on growing and developing.

"Every time, there were numerous sacrifices. Conflicts caused by technology. Disasters caused by overwhelming power made possible by technology."

Such things always happened.

Jin Su-hyuk was saying—what he was doing now wasn't so different.

"Besides, organisms—that is, if they can't adapt, they die out."

Creatures that failed to keep evolving went extinct.

There were various reasons, but it ultimately came down to not keeping up with the times.

"Right now, non-awakeners are like that."

Those who fail to adapt and fall behind.

And, they're both the tinder and the poison that will set the world ablaze.

"That's why I tried various things. But in the end, this was the only method I found."

"To kill seventy percent of humanity and let only the awakeners survive?"

"If I don't, there'll be even more sacrifices."

The words that Jin Su-hyuk wrote on the paper caught my eye.

Awakeners and non-awakeners, and the current state.

"Humans never accept beings superior to themselves. The only reason humanity has been able to tolerate awakeners so far isn't anything all that remarkable."

Simply because their numbers were small.

He said this with a smile.

"But the numbers have steadily grown, and the times were changing. Awakeners—who were born just to hunt monsters—those who were meant to be nothing but hunters started moving into society and blocking the path of non-awakeners."

Awakeners who could wield magic power were superior to non-awakeners in every way.

Not just in physical sports.

Even in intelligence there were differences.

And, awakeners could use magic power.

With magic, abilities and powers that could only be called miracles for ordinary humans became possible.

"At first, because that power didn't really hit home, people just accepted them as heroes from movies. Superhumans with tremendous power! The fact that they fought monsters and sacrificed themselves showed genuinely heroic aspects—and that made it possible."

But now, that was at an end.

UnderStellar had shown the world exactly 'how far' awakeners could go.

"Now the world has realized the risk of awakeners. So, what do you think is going to happen next?"

Jin Su-hyuk's face was full of conviction.

"They'll try to wipe out all awakeners. Destroy the evolved humanity, and give up on the possibility of new evolution."

That could certainly happen.

History was always the story of the victors—if non-awakeners could kill all the awakeners, that is.

"If that happens, it won't be seventy percent. It could be ninety percent. No, it might even be total extinction. The demons aren't going to just sit by."

Thirty percent awakeners—the demons and awakeners could at least 'cooperate' at that level.

S-rank hunters who could fight top-rank demons would also survive.

"Then let me ask you something."

Jin Su-hyuk wiped away his smile and gazed at me silently.

"I know you want to kill the demons. I admit that they're not human, and that they're an evil that harms humanity."

He was fully aware of that.

Nonetheless, the reason he chose to cooperate with them was simple.

He believed this was the only way.

"But, can you stop the conflict of this era?"

Demon Realm, annihilate seventy percent of humanity, and force all to awaken.

That, he was saying, would be salvation for humanity and its last chance.

That was what Jin Su-hyuk was arguing.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Lunatic bastard.

【(⩌_⩌ )】