Chapter : 116
The First Human Magician (3)
When facing monsters, there were two essentials: a way to penetrate the monster’s defense and a way to block its attacks.
And every mercenary working in Cameron knew this: the stronger the monster, the more important psychic abilities became.
Weak monsters could be handled in various ways without needing psychic powers, but strong monsters almost always required them. And not just any psychic power—powerful ones.
Gathering a hundred psychics each with a power level of 1 was meaningless. Even if combined, the total power wouldn’t reach 100. What was needed was a psychic capable of delivering a power of 100 all at once.
That was why the concept of “magician” was so enticing.
If one could use multiple psychic powers at the same time, wouldn’t that break the limits of conventional psychics?
“Anyway, the rumors will spread soon enough.”
Lee Jung-woo thought. Even if one tried to block their ears, news about magicians would reach people.
“Everything is normal. Then for the next test…”
“Ugh, how long is this going to take?”
“I-I’m sorry… I was ordered to check everything…”
The doctor in charge of Su-hyun’s examination lowered his head in embarrassment. He knew exactly who Su-hyun was. A staff member nearby rushed over.
“If there’s anything you want, we can do it now.”
“Just finish it quickly.”
Su-hyun said, shuddering slightly. He had anticipated that revealing he was a magician would lead to such inspections, but that didn’t make it any less tedious.
“Humans can do strange things.”
“It’s the first time humans have had a magician. Elves have had a few, so the feeling would be different.”
“Even for us, magicians are rare. I’ve never actually seen one myself… An elder in my tribe claimed to have seen one when he was young, but I don’t really know.”
Shaina shrugged. The psychic guarding Su-hyun flinched every time he saw the dark elf, Shaina, just in case something went wrong. Su-hyun waved his hand dismissively, signaling him not to interrupt the conversation.
“….”
Who would disobey an order? The man quietly stepped back.
“It’s over. Everything is perfectly normal except for a few minor readings. As for the psychic power check…”
“Let’s go.”
Beyond physical condition, nothing mattered more than the strength of psychic power. Su-hyun moved forward to demonstrate his ability. These power checks measured the limits of psychokinesis, leaving precise data on its strength.
“…!”
“There are no restrictions on the type of ability, and the power is…”
The staff member recording the data spoke with a slightly trembling voice. He had seen many psychic powers before, but Su-hyun’s psychokinesis was something entirely new.
“Is this a fused ability?”
“No, just psychokinesis.”
“You awakened healing powers first, right?”
“Yes.”
‘Would awakening other abilities affect this one?’
Even the staff wondered, as Su-hyun’s psychokinesis was not only strong but unique in nature.
Had they known Su-hyun had been suppressing his power, they would have fainted.
He concealed the full strength of his ability. While he trusted the government, he did not trust it completely. He had no idea when his information might leak or who might try to profit from it. There was no need to be completely honest.
“The four nations around the Gate are allies under an agreement, right?”
“But that agreement wouldn’t include complete information sharing, would it?”
“Speaking of information sharing, what about that technology from China? The psychic-nullification device—how did it end up in the hands of a mere terrorist?”
The U.S. representative smiled coldly. The man being questioned bit his lip; completely denying any connection between China and the device would be impossible—there was simply too much evidence.
“We had an incident. All parties involved were punished…”
“Was the system fixed?”
“Excuse me?”
“Fixing the system would prevent this from happening again. Honestly, it’s a little frightening. A psychic-nullification device… It’s just too easy to abuse. No matter how strong a psychic is, just one use of this device can take them down. Especially now, when everyone is desperate to find psychics.”
“….”
“I’m very concerned about terrorism targeting psychics. Such events must not happen. Will China cooperate in preventing this?”
“The psychic-nullification device is our technology.”
“Will you take responsibility for any incidents caused by the device later?”
“That’s not our responsibility. A firearm company isn’t responsible for a shooting, either.”
‘Not budging.’
The U.S. representative realized there was no point in pressing further. Even in his country, research into similar technology was almost complete. Soon, a Chinese-style device would appear. He had other objectives.
“Then it’s ambiguous whether South Korea can request a magician since the magician is Korean.”
“…!”
He had been ordered to do two things: block information requests from Russia and China and ensure information from South Korea was shared. The U.S. and South Korea were close allies, so this was feasible.
‘They’re being blatant.’
‘Historic allies, huh?’
Both officials realized official channels wouldn’t yield results. That didn’t mean it was impossible; there were always other ways.
“You must be tired. Thank you for your effort.”
“Well, it’s not for my benefit—it’s for the government—so yes, it was hard work.”
‘You’re saying it’s for my benefit,’ thought the director, frowning slightly.
“What’s the next procedure? If possible, I’d like to resolve this and move to the next task.”
“Well, that is…”
Lee Won-jae swallowed. He wanted to plead that Su-hyun not leave Pyongyang, even for a short time. Many eyes were on him, and if he disappeared, Lee would take the blame.
‘The election is coming soon…’
Even the Development Planning Bureau, which was highly efficient, had a critical weakness: the Dragon Slayer Project. A change in administration could exploit it.
Su-hyun could read the director’s thoughts.
“I’ll minimize dangerous actions. As for contacts… I’m human, so I can’t refuse entirely.”
‘Damn!’
“Also, wouldn’t it be a problem for the Development Planning Bureau if I didn’t act? They wouldn’t have a team.”
It was time to establish a special unit in cooperation with the Korean military—a private mercenary company disguising a military special forces unit. The military had invested heavily in this. Su-hyun began to stand out at this point.
“Don’t worry. We won’t leave Team Leader Kim Su-hyun with the entire burden. We’re supplementing the team as quickly as possible.”
“…?”
Surprised, Su-hyun tilted his head.
“Where from?”
“A private mercenary company.”
“…??”
He was more confused. Few mercenary companies were willing to work with the Development Planning Bureau because of the Dragon Slayer Project. Large companies acted independently, and small ones had little incentive.
“Just between you and me…”
“That doesn’t inspire confidence.”
“…Two teams are secured. One confirmed, one likely to be confirmed.”
“Where?”
“The confirmed one is a newly established mercenary company. Team Gaon-gil 2; the whole team formed a new company.”
‘Joo Won-jun?!’
Su-hyun remembered something he had forgotten. He clicked his tongue internally. Though he wasn’t concerned about Joo Won-jun now, having that annoying guy follow him was irritating.
‘Mogok must find him and return quickly.’
“And the other one?”
“You know them well: Jindo Dog.”
“Jindo Dog? They’re cooperating with the Development Planning Bureau?”
“We struggled to convince them.”
The director nodded proudly.
‘They must have promised quite a lot…’
Considering the Redwood Forest, Jindo Dog had connections with the Bureau, making contact easier.
“I had a different expectation, though.”
“?”
“I thought the military would create a new unit and outsource it.”
“!!!”
The director was shocked.
“How… How did you—?”
This was top secret. The newly established unit would handle not only monster extermination and exploration but also intelligence operations against other nations. Everything was highly classified…
“Ah, I guess I was right.”
‘Oops!’
Lee Won-jae stiffened, realizing Su-hyun had discovered the secret. Even such a capable person had made a stupid mistake, and Su-hyun knowing it was too shocking.
“Team Leader Kim Su-hyun, where did you hear this? Explain in detail—it’s important!”
“I didn’t hear it, I just guessed.”
“…”
“Really. If you think a little, it’s predictable. China, for example, pulls military personnel into external companies. Less cost, broader scope. With the Bureau’s dedicated teams gone, cooperation with the military is the only option.”
“…!”
‘What is this person…?’
It was hard to believe this young mercenary in his twenties could see through Cameron’s political landscape.
“So… if I go out, our director will be in trouble, right?”
Lee Won-jae suddenly felt uneasy. Su-hyun had never spoken so familiarly before, especially using “our director.”
“That’s correct.”
“Then I’ll stay in the city for a while. I just have a few requests.”
“If it’s within our ability…”
“Do you think I’d make unreasonable demands?”
Su-hyun smiled. The director could only smile back, unable to say anything like “That might be unreasonable.”
“Hello. Kim Su-hyun.”
“You’re more polite than I expected.”
“Did you say I’m arrogant, Director? I’m disappointed…”
“Oh, no, not that…”
Lee Seon-hwa waved her hand. She had imagined a young, arrogant genius before meeting him—an achiever at a young age, now a magician.
“You asked me to perform a physical enhancement surgery. Is that okay? It’s been a while since I’ve done it myself…”
“The best remains the best even if they step down.”
“Praise won’t earn anything in return, though.”
Still, Lee Seon-hwa looked pleased.
Su-hyun’s first request to the director had been physical enhancement surgery. He wanted it as soon as possible. His body was insufficient to handle his psychic powers. Not fixing that weakness would be absurd.
Moreover, Lee Seon-hwa had performed physical enhancement surgery on him in a past life. He trusted her completely.
An expert in bioengineering and authority in physical enhancement, she was trustworthy in character, unlike some others who might plant dangerous devices.
Most importantly, she was Choi Ji-eun’s mother.
