Machine God with EX-rank talent (Deus ex machina)

After the professor spoke, the people in the holograms paused for a moment before someone spoke up.

- "What do you mean by that? The grand plan is going off course?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. As we proceed, more and more issues are cropping up."

- "Are you talking about the Japanese shrine maiden’s prophecy? That Korea’s EX-rank Hunter could become a problem?"

At this, someone scoffed.

- "It’s just the words of a lowly shrine maiden. There’s no need to take it seriously."

Someone else countered.

- "That so-called lowly shrine maiden is one of the few seers in the world. Are you really going to ignore what she said?"

- "Oh, come on~ Are you serious? Do you really believe that some rookie like Silver Knight could pose a threat to him? Japan may be working with us, but they have their own agenda. We shouldn’t trust them too much."

The person pointed directly at the professor as he spoke.

- "The fact that Shuten-dōji, a top-ranking member, isn’t here means that the professor agrees with me, right?"

“...”

The professor didn’t respond, but everyone understood that his silence meant agreement.

- "See? Even if there’s a problem, it’ll be with Japan’s plan, not the Order’s. We don’t need to worry too much about someone like Silver Knight."

But someone objected to his words.

- "We lost the entire Dark Phoenix project, which we had been saving for later. That’s not a coincidence."

- "Oh, please~ That was because we entrusted the task to a fool like Gula. That idiot acted recklessly just because he thought he was invincible."

- "We needed Aphos’s power to corrupt Phoenix."

As the conversation dragged on, the professor intervened again.

"At least we now know for sure that Lakshmi’s protection is shielding Silver Knight. Otherwise, even Gula wouldn’t have failed so completely. That’s why we’ve agreed not to touch Silver Knight until Lakshmi is dead."

At his words, the previously noisy room fell silent.

Lakshmi’s existence was something even they found daunting.

Someone scoffed and said,

- "The entire Order being unable to move because of one old hag. It’s laughable."

- "She’s not just some old hag. She’s Lakshmi."

- "Yeah, yeah~ Whatever you say."

The Order of Reus, and even Japan, hadn’t fully mobilized yet not just because of the ‘Code of Conduct’ power.

Her very existence was holding the various factions in check.

Each of the individuals gathered here was powerful enough to destroy a nation if they wished.

The fact that such beings were being restrained by a single person naturally didn’t sit well with them.

- "Damn it!"

Once the people had calmed down a bit, the professor spoke again.

"I didn’t call this meeting because of what’s happening in Korea. It’s because the Order’s operations have been increasingly disrupted lately."

- "Disrupted? Where?"

"As I said, in multiple places. Recently, we’ve encountered issues in South America. This is a problem far more serious than Silver Knight."

- "South America... Is this related to the drug lord?"

"Yes."

- "I thought we agreed not to touch any top-rankers yet?"

The drug lord, El Chapo.

A top-ranker, ranked 5th in the world.

When his name came up, the faces of the Order’s executives twisted in displeasure.

"We had planned to avoid involving the drug lord. But it seems he’s caught on."

- "Tch! That drug-addicted bastard still has that much strength left?"

"No matter what his current state is, Level 10 is still Level 10. The ones causing trouble in South America seem to have forgotten that."

At this, the people in the holograms turned to look at one person.

- "South America is your territory, isn’t it?"

- "Y-Yes, it is."

A man with a bitter expression raised his hand defensively and said,

- "It’s true that the drug lord has caught on, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. I’ll take care of this variable."

- "Hmph! You better."

- "You’d better hope so. If you mess up this operation, my sword won’t forgive you."

After that, the professor continued to lead the discussion about the recent issues facing the Order.

Most of the problems were minor variables for now, but he emphasized that if one of them collapsed, it could lead to much larger problems.

"If there are no further questions, let’s end the meeting here for today."

At the professor’s words, one by one, the holograms began to shut off.

Pop! Pop!

Soon, only one hologram remained.

Even through the flickering image, the figure’s eerie presence was enough to make the others uneasy.

“...Do you have something you want to say, Pierrot?”

- "Ohohoho!"

The professor sighed wearily as Pierrot let out a cryptic laugh, momentarily removing his glasses to rub his face.

As his rough hand passed over his skin, the professor’s face flushed red.

After putting his glasses back on, the professor spoke.

"I know what you did. I decided to let it slide because it wasn’t a big deal, despite you disobeying orders."

- "Ohoho! As expected, our professor has a big heart."

"But!"

The professor’s voice grew louder than ever before, filled with a clear warning.

“If it turns out that you had anything to do with the strange incidents that have been happening recently, it will be a serious problem. That would mean you’ve been disloyal to him.”

Disloyalty.

In the Order of Reus, which served the Death Star, this was the most severe crime one could commit.

The fate of those who broke that rule was so horrific that even the professor found it difficult to speak of.

Yet, the Pierrot still spoke with a tone full of laughter.

- "My faith is always unwavering. I mean my loyalty to the Absolute One."

Though the professor recognized the thorn in his words, he chose not to point it out.

“...I hope you’re right.”

- "Ohohoho!"

Pop!

As the Pierrot's hologram shut off, darkness and silence once again engulfed the professor.

* * *

Na Chu-sam regained consciousness three days later.

For nearly a full day, he had been trapped in a state of inner turmoil, pushing his body to its limits.

If it weren’t for the aid of his healing factor, he might never have awakened again.

When Na Chu-sam finally opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was his daughter’s worried face looking down at him.

“Father! Are you okay?”

“Hmm!”

His body still ached as if it had been shattered, and his head was spinning, but his mind felt clear.

In fact, it felt clearer and sharper than it had in a long time.

It felt like it had been ages since he’d last looked at his daughter’s face this closely.

How long had it been since he’d observed someone so intently?

No matter who he met, where he looked, or even when he closed his eyes, all he ever saw was Tahwa Jajaecheon.

“It’s been a long time.”

“...What?”

“Was it beyond my reach?”

Even though he was old and weakened, the idea that a skilled warrior like him could be controlled by someone else was unthinkable.

He hadn’t fully fallen into inner turmoil, but he had been possessed by a heart demon.

And the source of that heart demon was none other than hope.

The hope that, through training, he could finally reach Level 10 and surpass Tahwa Jajaecheon.

That was the problem.

“What was once the limit of A-rank...”

Tahwa Jajaecheon is an EX-rank Hunter.

With his exceptional talent, he had reached Level 10 over a decade ago.

In the battle 15 years ago, the outcome was decided by the slimmest of margins.

Of course, Na Chu-sam, who lost, was severely injured, but Tahwa Jajaecheon, who won, wasn’t unscathed either.

Tahwa Jajaecheon had barely been carried to the hospital by others after the fight.

However, it seemed that he had realized something during that battle, as Tahwa Jajaecheon had an epiphany and awakened to Level 10.

The gap that had opened up between them continued to widen and never closed.

The reason was clear.

“Talent...”

Na Chu-sam had never skipped a day of training.

Even for a superhuman at Level 9, it was a grueling regimen.

He believed that if he kept climbing, he would eventually reach the summit.

But that was a mistake.

As someone who was inherently A-rank, it was impossible.

For the first time in a long while, Na Chu-sam held his daughter’s hand and spoke.

“I’m sorry.”

“N-No, Father. What are you sorry for?”

“I wanted to show you.”

The concept of job grades.

It was a new hierarchy that had emerged in the age of Hunters.

Those with useless jobs or low grades were filtered out from the start.

He still vividly remembered how his daughter was depressed when she received a B-rank assessment.

So he wanted to show her.

He wanted to prove it.

That the limits of talent could be overcome through hard work.

He thought that was his role as a father.

But that became an obsession, which ultimately consumed him entirely.

Fifteen years of his life had been wasted.

Even with the otherworldly skill of the Guardian Sword Technique, the door to Level 10 remained closed.

“It was a dream.”

Finally, Na Chu-sam could let go of the sword, both physically and mentally.

After 15 years, he had shed his obsession.

As his mind calmed, his energy returned, but it still had nothing to do with reaching Level 10.

At that moment, Hyun Suho, who had been standing nearby, suddenly spoke.

“Um... I’m sorry, but could you please try just a little harder?”

Na Chu-sam’s forehead began to furrow again, despite the peaceful state he had just reached.

Even Eun Hui-gwang, who had been watching from the side, looked at Hyun Suho in disbelief, and Na Yeon-sil, who had been relieved by her father’s positive change, cried out in surprise.

“D-Disciple? What are you...?”

“I’m sorry. But I don’t want you to give up yet, sir.”

Na Chu-sam spoke in a voice still lacking in energy.

“I’ve failed.”

“That’s true so far. But that doesn’t mean you’ll keep failing in the future.”

Na Chu-sam was someone who had always been described as odd, strange, eccentric, and unique.

But even he had never encountered someone who spoke so bluntly to him in his life.

Wasn’t he finally on the verge of letting go of his obsession and finding peace?

But as he looked into Hyun Suho’s eyes, he realized that the young man wasn’t cruel, ignorant, or sociopathic.

This piqued his curiosity.

“Do you have a reason?”

“Actually, I’m... just like you.”

“Just like me?”

Instead of speaking further, Hyun Suho thought it would be faster to show him directly.

“NOVA.”

[Executing immediately.]

As Nova spoke, a light emanated from Hyun Suho’s body, and soon the surrounding space began to change.

It wasn’t that the physical space was altered, but rather a hologram overlay was projected onto the surroundings.

In an instant, it made the group appear as if they were floating in the middle of space.

Unknown planets and stars that shone several times brighter than the sun floated around them.

The scene rapidly moved, approaching a planet that shone brightly and blue.

It was like watching the view from a spaceship in flight.

The planet they descended to after piercing through the atmosphere was astonishingly similar to Earth, yet it had a far more advanced civilization.

The beings walking around resembled humans, but there were subtle differences.

“This is the planet Eos. These beings are called Eosians.”

Even though the group knew it was a hologram, they were still amazed by how realistic it was.

Like a 4D experience, the hologram included visuals, sounds, and even scents.

Even Na Chu-sam, who had been lying down weakly until now, was so surprised that he jumped to his feet.

But the real surprise was yet to come.

“Let me show you my goal.”

The moment those words were spoken, something unexpected happened.

A massive object appeared in the sky of the seemingly peaceful Eos planet.

“What is that...?”

At first, it looked like night had fallen, but that wasn’t the case.

A gigantic dark star was approaching, large enough to cover the sky.

It was rushing towards the planet as if it would collide, but then it suddenly stopped, as though it had frozen in place.

[Aaaahh!]

The screams of the Eosians were not much different from those of humans on Earth.

Overwhelmed by an unstoppable fear, the Eosians fell into a panic, collapsing in the streets.

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, their terror didn’t last long.

The dark star began to generate a powerful gravitational pull, and everything on the planet Eos started to be sucked in.

Vvvvvv!

Was this what a black hole devouring a star would look like?

The Eosians were sucked into the dark star in an instant, with no time to even scream.

Like dust being vacuumed up, everything was shredded into tiny pieces and pulled up into the sky.

The animals and plants of the Eos planet, its mountains and fields, rivers and oceans... Even the planet's core, in the end.

Everything disappeared.

As if nothing had ever existed there.

The once highly advanced Eos planet, which was several steps ahead of Earth’s civilization, met its end in such a futile manner.

[...This is the last recorded footage of the Eos planet.]

Nova spoke in a calm tone, but somehow, her voice seemed to carry a hint of emotion.

“...”

“...”

Everyone was left speechless by the shocking scene, and it was then that Hyun Suho spoke calmly.

“They call it the Death Star.”

The first to react was surprisingly Eun Hui-gwang.

“The Death Star? That’s what this is?!”

Though she didn’t shout, Na Yeon-sil’s expression was no different from Eun Hui-gwang’s.

The image of the Death Star that they had only read about in documents...

The reality of it was far beyond anything they could have imagined.

Na Chu-sam, too, asked in a daze.

“What is this?”

“As I thought, it seems you haven’t been informed, sir.”

It was something that even Na Yeon-sil knew, but Na Chu-sam was still unaware.

It seemed she hadn’t told him, out of concern for his condition.

Hyun Suho briefly explained about the Death Star. Even so, Na Chu-sam still found it hard to believe and asked,

“Ten years from now?”

“There’s just over nine years left.”

The phrase “Earth’s destruction” naturally formed in Na Chu-sam’s mind.

Even with just a fraction of the power shown in the video, Earth would be easily obliterated.

“Lady Lakshmi said it herself. Even if there were a thousand of her, they wouldn’t be able to win.”

Na Chu-sam understood how terrible this was, and his own assessment wasn’t much different from hers.

That’s why he couldn’t understand Hyun Suho even more.

“Unfortunately, many have already given up on fighting the Death Star. Some even plan to side with it in hopes of surviving.”

“...You plan to fight that? With the strength of a thousand Lakshmis?”

“That’s why I said I’m just like you.”

What would be more difficult—Na Chu-sam surpassing Tahwa Jajaecheon or Hyun Suho surpassing the Death Star?

Everyone would say the latter was far more challenging.

Na Chu-sam, slightly dazed, muttered,

“It’s a foolish endeavor.”

“I’m aware.”

“It’s an impossible task.”

“That remains to be seen.”

Na Chu-sam realized that no matter what he said, he wouldn’t be able to change Hyun Suho’s mind. He furrowed his brow and asked,

“What is it that you want from me?”

Even if Na Chu-sam were to reach Level 10, it wouldn’t make much difference in the fight against the Death Star. So, he couldn’t understand why they were having this conversation at all.

Surprisingly, Hyum Suho’s request was simple.

“Well, I just feel that if you don’t give up and keep challenging yourself, it will give me strength too.”

Even after showing the destruction of a planet, the reason given felt like nothing more than a childish demand.

Eun Hui-gwang and Na Yeon-sil looked at Hyun Suho in disbelief.

However, Na Chu-sam was the only one who could understand how Hyun Suho felt.

“Is that... how it is?”

Everyone else would mock it as foolishness.

The hardest battle was always with oneself, but the next hardest thing was enduring the scorn and criticism of others.

A lonely voyage across a vast, empty ocean.

If there had been even just one person who understood and supported him, would things have been different?

“So that’s it. You need a mentor.”

Not a teacher, but someone to look up to, someone worthy of respect and following.

“How shameful.”

Compared to Hyun Suho, who was running around trying to save the world, how trivial did his own goal seem?

In the face of a cosmic-scale plan, his own task seemed insignificant, not even worth mentioning.

And then, a clearer sense of resolve surged within him, stronger than when he had let go of his stubbornness.

“Is that really enough?”

“It’s enough.”

“Then let it be so.”

With those simple words, Na Yeon-sil couldn’t grasp what had just transpired.

Not until Na Chu-sam shouted, just like he used to.

“Na Yeon-sil!”

“Y-yes?!”

“Follow me. I want to see your skills after so long.”

With that, Na Chu-sam strode out decisively.

Na Yeon-sil’s eyes widened as she watched his back.

Memories from 15 years ago surfaced.

The way Na Chu-sam had trained her back then.

Only then did Na Yeon-sil realize that her father had truly returned.

The moment the long-dormant Spear of the Soul awakened.

* * *

The atmosphere at the Maru-mun was livelier than ever.

Na Chu-sam, who had returned, not only focused on his own training but also resumed guiding the disciples.

Despite the 15-year gap, he was still a Level 9 Hunter.

The news spread not just in Korea, but around the world.

It was the moment when the number of high-ranking, or rather high-ranker level, fighters in Korea increased to four.

Hyun Suho, who had initiated this, had returned to Wonsan.

He had a strong desire to train under Na Chu-sam, but something had happened in Wonsan.

“Something happened?”

The head of the Wonsan branch, Kwon Cheol-jung, who was still half-dressed, spoke gravely to Hyun Suho.

“Thanks to you, the port has become very active. But there’s a downside to that as well.”

The Sirens who once threatened the city had blended in, becoming Mermaids.

It was a temporary fix, but it was incredibly effective.

The Mermaids actually drove away monsters from around the port.

“What kind of problem arose?”

“With increased trade comes an increase in smuggling.”

“What kind of smuggling? You don’t mean... people, do you?”

“No, it’s not that.”

Kwon Cheol-jung took something out of his desk drawer and showed it to Hyun Suho.

It was a small pill wrapped in plastic.

“Drugs.”