Chapter 41 : A Trick of Fate. (11)
Chapter 41: A Trick of Fate. (11)
I stared at Lee Ji-jun standing across from me.
“Choi Yong-gi. We meet again? Nice to see you.”
The guy grinned innocently.
‘Lee Ji-jun.’
From the moment I first saw him, he had seemed oddly familiar.
In my previous life, I had never come face-to-face with Lee Ji-jun.
‘Where had I seen him?’
Suddenly, a memory related to Lee Ji-jun brushed past my mind.
‘Ah, no way.’
His English name was Ian (Ian).
Age twenty-three.
At the point of my regression, he was the same age as me.
Lee Ji-jun became famous after achieving S-rank near the end of his twenties.
Considering that reaching S-rank required an average of over fifty years of training.
Lee Ji-jun was truly a man born with heaven-granted, innate talent.
Even someone who seemed destined to cruise along the road of success as a hunter had a period of hardship.
A few years later.
Lee Ji-jun clashed with the Korea Hunter Association Bureau and became a naturalized citizen of Russia.
In Russia, he received unprecedented treatment and ultimately earned the title of SS-rank Hunter.
It was a realm even Go Ju-hoon had failed to reach.
SS-rank Hunters were so rare that they could be counted on one hand even in Korea, so losing Lee Ji-jun was a national-level loss.
If someone had persuaded him and held on to him back then, what would have happened?
‘The nation’s power would have gained an additional force.’
In truth, in the hunter world, S-rank was rare enough—A-rank wasn’t common either.
Even B-rank was considered quite skilled in this field.
It already placed one within the top ten percent.
At present, there were still no SS-rank Hunters in the Republic of Korea.
They were personnel possessed only by hunter superpowers like the United States or China.
‘Anyway.’
Though he had been downgraded to an expected rank of B, it was clear that Lee Ji-jun would grow to A-rank in terms of combat power.
‘How should I beat this monster right now?’
Na Sang-min proceeded with the second test.
“Get ready for rock-paper-scissors.”
Like chair snatching.
The rules of the second test were also simple and clear.
Whoever won rock-paper-scissors got to decide the game format.
However, unlike the first test.
Not only skill.
‘Luck mattered too.’
Na Sang-min shouted the cue.
“Rock, paper, scissors!”
I threw a fist, and my opponent threw scissors.
‘Good. I’ve taken the initiative.’
Lee Ji-jun shrugged and muttered.
“Hm. I lost.”
Na Sang-min made a displeased expression, but immediately returned to his role as an examiner.
“Hunter Choi Yong-gi. Choose the game.”
What should I choose?
Unless I used my hero ability.
With my own skills, I couldn’t beat Lee Ji-jun even if I died and came back.
As I was thinking hard, Lee Ji-jun opened his mouth.
“Let’s avoid beating each other up if we can. It’s too barbaric, isn’t it?”
Lee Ji-jun shuddered.
“I’ve got a weak body, so it’s unfair for me.”
Liars recognize liars.
‘Bluffing.’
I didn’t know Lee Ji-jun’s abilities.
He was pretending to reveal his true intentions, but.
Contrary to his appearance, he could be a martial-type who enjoyed fighting.
He might have confidence in a clash of flesh and bone.
I looked around.
A faint light leaked out from a corner of the underground seven-story bunker.
‘That’ll do.’
There was a machine placed there that didn’t fit the location at all.
“I’ve decided.”
I slowly moved my steps and walked toward the corner.
The bunker had been built in preparation for wartime situations, but it seemed to be used as a resting place for staff in ordinary times.
A huge beam projector was installed on the wall, and next to it stood vending machines selling snacks and drinks.
‘This will do.’
Then I raised my hand.
“Does anyone have a coin?”
Na Sang-min puckered his lips and jerked his chin toward a Dio Guild agent.
I put the coin I received from the agent into the vending machine.
When I pressed the button, a can dropped with a loud clatter.
I bent down and picked up the canned cola.
“We crush this against each other. The one who can’t deform it any further loses.”
It was a game that appeared in a comic book.
At the American publisher <Attlic Comics>, they gathered heroes to form a team called ‘Revenge’.
Since heroes with different personalities were bundled into one team, the early part was rough and creaky.
Among them, two heroes in particular went through extreme conflict.
If two transcendent beings fought, it was obvious they would deal massive damage to each other, so the two set different rules.
And what came out of that was.
“Also known as can crushing.”
Na Sang-min nodded.
“Okay. Got it. Both of you, step forward.”
Lee Ji-jun and I stood facing each other.
“First move goes to Choi Yong-gi!”
I gripped the can I was holding.
With a loud noise, the cola inside splashed onto my face.
The can crumpled vertically.
Without caring, I handed it to Lee Ji-jun.
“Here.”
Lee Ji-jun held out his palm.
I placed the half-crushed can on top of it.
Lee Ji-jun clicked his tongue, showing disappointment.
“What is this? This isn’t even kids’ play. With this, we can’t have a conversation between bodies.”
As expected, he wanted a combat-type game.
“You. You’re planning to face me without physical contact, aren’t you?”
Lee Ji-jun looked disappointed, but soon regained his smile.
“Even so, you can’t beat me. I’ve come up with a brilliant trick.”
Lee Ji-jun boasted confidently and kneaded the can with both hands.
As if he were combing clay.
Half of the can crumpled unilaterally.
“This is more fun than I thought?”
Lee Ji-jun whistled as he carefully shaped the can with his fingers.
An ordinary cola can quickly transformed into a sharp knife with a handle.
He dragged it across his own palm.
The wound split open, and vivid blood rose in a straight line.
“I can freely change the properties of my blood. For example, like this.”
The can fragment suddenly began to smoke and bubble violently.
“How is it. Cool, right.”
Hydrogen chloride acid (鹽化水素酸).
In short.
“Hydrochloric acid.”
“Bingo. You know your stuff, huh?”
To think blood could transform into hydrochloric acid.
He could probably change it into any other substance as well.
Lee Ji-jun crumpled the can soaked in hydrochloric acid into a round shape.
It was about the size of a baseball.
He placed it in his palm and held it out to me.
“Try taking it. If you’re confident.”
Lee Ji-jun smiled, baring teeth as white as silver.
Looking closely, the boiling blood was protecting Lee Ji-jun’s palm.
If that touched an ordinary person…….
“What? Scared?”
Without hesitation, I took the can fragment.
Ssss.
The strong acid melted and burned away the skin of my palm.
The nasty smell of grilling pork belly stabbed my nose.
“Hyung!”
Bang Su-hwan, who had been watching, shouted and ran toward me.
I raised my other hand and stopped Bang Su-hwan.
The match had begun.
No one could stop it.
No one could interfere.
It felt as if the hydrochloric acid had melted down to the bone, my palm tingling as though electrocuted.
But I didn’t blink an eye.
“Oh? Not even screaming?”
Lee Ji-jun looked at me with an intrigued gaze.
“This is fun. Come on, do more.”
The world of hunters was truly subtle.
The higher the rank, and the better one handled mana, the difference in capability became as vast as heaven and earth.
Therefore, just like Lee Ji-jun did.
I, too, had to actively make use of the advantages I possessed.
‘If there’s just one thing that bothers me.’
Na Sang-min, standing nearby, stared straight through me.
He was straining to grasp my abilities.
‘Not a chance.’
Same as this time as well.
I decided not to use more than one hero skill.
‘The rest will be thoroughly hidden.’
I pulled out the can embedded sticky in my palm after melting the flesh.
“Thanks. Thanks to you, I figured out a way to beat you too.”
“Copying me, huh. You and I are on completely different levels from the foundation.”
That wasn’t wrong.
Our expected ranks were worlds apart.
The outcome was obvious.
Then.
‘Showtime.’
Ding.
<Judgment of the Superhuman> activated.
I gripped the can with both hands.
Crunch! Crunch!
Tremendous force crushed the fragile can.
The silvery-white, light and soft metal hardened like a small bead.
Lee Ji-jun’s pupils shook.
“Wow. Even a maggot has a trick when it rolls, huh. Are you something specialized in power-type or what?”
One more time.
“Here, take it.”
Like a pitcher throwing a ball, I swung the hand holding the can bead behind my head.
“If you can catch it.”
I unleashed <Judgment of the Superhuman> and hurled it at Lee Ji-jun with all my strength.
“Ghk!”
Lee Ji-jun stretched out his hand toward the can fragment cutting through the air.
It was an animalistic movement, but there was one thing he overlooked.
<Judgment of the Superhuman> produced power enough to overwhelm even an S-rank Hunter.
No matter how much of a genius he was.
Thud.
He couldn’t block it.
“Ugh!”
The can fragment pierced through Lee Ji-jun’s palm and slammed into the wall.
Lee Ji-jun clutched his hand.
There was a gaping hole punched straight through the center of his palm.
Thick blood flowed nonstop, enough to form a small puddle.
For a while, Lee Ji-jun stared at the bleeding hand.
Perhaps because it was a severe injury, the blazing momentum he had earlier subsided.
“……Haha. That hurts.”
Muttering in a flat voice, he moved and picked up the can fragment that had fallen to the floor.
“This is that thing, right?”
“…….”
“The can-crushing from the movie <Revenge>. The scene where two heroes argue over how to deal with a villain they’ve taken hostage.”
Correct.
One wanted to torture the villain to extract information.
The other wanted to release him peacefully and then track him down.
“I’m on the torture side. Because of that villain bastard, an entire city disappeared. Countless innocent citizens, I mean……. Even kids were all wiped out!”
Lee Ji-jun showed emotion for the first time.
It was purely a hunch, but.
Wasn’t it related to why he’d been downgraded?
“Damn it. I got worked up.”
I still didn’t particularly like Lee Ji-jun.
His arrogance in looking down on others and his mocking tone were hard to tolerate.
However, his attitude toward evil was similar to mine.
A man who lived by his own justice and convictions.
It matched Jin Shark, the hero I admired.
“Choi Yong-gi, which side are you on? Guys like that should be sent to hell even if you have to rip out their fingernails, toenails, and eyeballs. Right?”
Lee Ji-jun threw the can fragment onto the floor.
Then he lifted one foot.
Bang! Bang!! Bang!!!
Lee Ji-jun stomped on the can fragment with his foot.
“Hyah.”
He picked up the can fragment from the shattered floor.
The bead made from the can became uneven and flattened.
Lee Ji-jun tossed it to me.
“I’m done here. If you can do more than that, I’ll 인정해 주지.”
Kicks had more power than punches.
Because thick thigh muscles were bulkier than upper-body muscles.
I looked down at the can fragment Lee Ji-jun had finally offered.
To make it smaller than this.
I put the can fragment into my mouth.
“Gasp!”
“W-what is that?”
“That’s insane.”
The watching hunters cried out in shock.
I focused <Judgment of the Superhuman> into my teeth and bit down.
Crunch. Crunch!
My face burned as if it would burst, and blue veins bulged out along my neck.
Fresh blood seeped out between my lips, but I didn’t stop.
My gaze was fixed solely on Lee Ji-jun.
“……Heh, hehe.”
Lee Ji-jun let out a hollow laugh as cold sweat ran down.
“You’re more vicious than me.”
I spat out the can fragment.
Like chewed gum, it was covered in teeth marks.
And.
Embedded in the blood-smeared metal were my molars as well.
“Damn. Impressive.”
Lee Ji-jun staggered back a step, utterly dumbfounded.
“……I lost. I lost.”
Na Sang-min, who was in charge of judging, let out a deep sigh.
Then he raised my hand high.
“Choi Yong-gi. Victory!”
Bang Su-hwan cheered and raised both hands high.
Lee Ji-jun smiled bitterly and lowered his head.
I walked up to him as he turned away and whispered in his ear.
“I agree.”
Lee Ji-jun tilted his head.
“With what?”
“Guys like that should have both balls ripped out too.”
Only then did Lee Ji-jun understand what I meant, lifting one corner of his mouth.
I also grinned, blood smeared around my lips.
“Choi Yong-gi. Let’s be friends too. Will you?”
“Friends sounds good.”
Just moments ago, we had looked ready to kill each other, yet we shook hands.