SWNOVELXO 86.
86.
Exchanging greetings with people he passed, Jian arrived at the lounge. He opened the door as quietly as possible and entered. However, there was only a neatly folded blanket on the bed, but not the person he was looking for.
He called Sehun on his watch. Hyunwoo had just sent him the education program schedule, so he checked it while listening to the ringtone.
It was noon now, so it would be perfect to eat, rest a bit, and then head to the training center.
Jian sighed softly at the unanswered call. He was worried that Sehun might be doing something reckless without realizing it.
Then, thinking he was being too suspicious without any evidence, he quickly shook his head.
* * *
“How did it go?”
The Sehun that Jian was looking for was on the rooftop of the Darknet Guild building. Leaning against the structure where the water tank was installed, his face looked cold as he spoke with Soochul.
“The Darknet Guild Master’s conversation with Mr. Jian was probably about Header Researcher. Hyunwoo recently formed a team with guild members who excel at tracking, and he’s personally leading the team. I confirmed they’re reinvestigating the area near the research facility where you escaped, Mr. Sehun.”
“What a waste of time.”
Sehun frowned and clicked his tongue lightly. Header Researcher was his prey. The reason he had kept the man alive until now was simple. He deliberately waited for him to come looking for Sehun first.
Being cautious and suspicious by nature, that guy would only move when he judged himself to be in a completely safe situation.
When he fell into that misconception and approached Sehun, Sehun planned to eliminate both him and the organization he belonged to.
Just one life of Header Researcher was woefully insufficient payment for the suffering Sehun had endured as a child.
Although everyone at the research facility was supposedly dead except for Header Researcher, there were others who had ordered it all in the first place.
While Hyunwoo and Jian still only had a vague outline of those people, Sehun knew much more than they thought.
It was all thanks to the information those people had implanted in Sehun’s mind. They had kidnapped children with nowhere to go, intending to raise them as killing machines to work for them.
Naturally, along with experiments, brainwashing education was conducted. They gave pills that could hardly be called food, performed painful experiments, and continuously brainwashed them saying it was all for the country.
‘You have been chosen. You will have power stronger than anyone else. And that power comes with a price. Only those who overcome death can become guardians.’
It was unoriginal nonsense. They lured them by saying that if they became guardians, they could have everything, but Sehun and the other children simply had to submit to them because they didn’t want to die.
When the children he had lived with died one by one and he was finally left alone, Sehun awakened his power. It was too great a power for a young child to possess, but he used it without hesitation.
He invaded the minds of those who had experimented on him and the other children with expressionless faces. He made them inject themselves with the drugs they had injected into his body.
He did the same to Header Researcher. He especially ordered him to die as painfully as possible. He didn’t know at the time that the man had a resistance to the drug.
“And it seems that Shin Yoonjae and the Jeongho Association are definitely connected. I caught the Minister Geum Heonjung’s personal secretary meeting with Shin Yoonjae. They rented a private room at a traditional Korean restaurant on the outskirts of Gyeonggi and dined for about an hour.”
Unlike Jian and Hyunwoo, who only learned the name after Shin Yoonjae told them, despite tracking for a long time, Soochul casually mentioned the “Jeongho Association.”
Geum Heonjung was currently suspected by Sehun to be the leader of the Jeongho Association. It wasn’t unusual for the Minister of Defense and the Director of the Hunter Management Bureau to be acquainted, but their meetings had been particularly frequent recently.
“Is there still no progress on information about the relationship between Shin Yoonjae and my brother?”
“…I’m sorry. However, I have recruited one of Shin Yoonjae’s close associates. What about using your ability directly, Mr. Sehun? I’ve been trying to persuade him gently, but this guy is more tight-lipped than I expected.”
“Set it up. I’ll go once.”
“Yes, I understand.”
After abruptly ending the call, Sehun checked his phone. While he was talking with Soochul, he had missed a call from Jian.
When he dialed the familiar number, the other person answered before the ringtone could sound more than a few times.
“Sehun.”
A faint smile seeped onto Sehun’s expressionless face at the voice that always made him feel good.
“Yes, hyung.”
“Where are you?”
“I came up to the rooftop for a moment. I felt stuffy.”
“Then do you want to come to the cafeteria? We need to have lunch.”
“Yes. I’ll be right there.”
Has it already gotten this late?
Recently, with the increase in time spent with Jian, Sehun had lost the freedom to contact Soochul or handle other matters separately.
That’s why he had pretended to have a fever this morning. The innocent Jian didn’t seem to have the slightest suspicion that he was pretending to be sick.
He had pretended to be asleep and just stepped out for a moment, but Jian had looked for him in the meantime.
Sehun opened the rooftop door and went down the stairs. He had cast bait in various places. Both to Header Researcher and to Shin Yoonjae.
Sehun thought it wasn’t a coincidence that the Tower appeared and that he awakened as an S-class Hunter.
Header Researcher always talked about imminent danger to the country. That they were chosen to prevent a catastrophe, that everything was for the country, that they would be put to noble use.
After nearly 10 years of quietly hiding as if they didn’t exist following the kidnapping incident, they immediately sent someone after the Tower appeared, which confirmed his suspicions.
One hypothesis based on the information he had compiled seemed quite plausible.
What if there was someone with a prediction skill in the Jeongho Association, and that person had prophesied about the Tower?
A group of crazy people with money and power thought of a way to prevent the catastrophe and experimented on awakening abilities in young children.
The experiment was effective to some extent. Even before awakening as a Hunter, Sehun had abilities comparable to an A-class Hunter, and now he had become an S-class Hunter.
It didn’t matter if his hypothesis was wrong. The events had already occurred, and he still had plenty of debts to repay them.
The cafeteria was on the first floor. In his hurry, he went down three steps at a time, and the first floor quickly approached.
Just before Sehun opened the emergency exit door, light from the emergency exit sign illuminated his white nape. Something resembling an earthworm wriggled beneath his skin and then disappeared.
* * *
“Ugh, I’m so bored…”
Hyunsu stretched his body over the desk and muttered listlessly. He had been receiving education for ten straight hours in the Spartan-style program.
Moreover, he couldn’t believe he had to receive another hour of education after a 10-minute break.
Unlike himself who was nearly dying, Sehun was calmly turning the pages of the textbook with a peaceful face. Hyunsu spoke to him.
“Is studying your thing? Do you think you’ll memorize that just by looking at it?”
“I already memorized it.”
“When…?”
In response to his incredulous question, emotionless eyes turned toward him.
“There’s a test tomorrow. You know that, right?”
Reminded of the fact he had been trying to forget, Hyunsu pulled at his hair as Sehun spoke in a calm voice.
Recalling Hyunwoo’s warning that they would have to retake the theoretical education if they scored less than 80 points, he wanted to disappear somewhere.
Then, thinking of one method, he smiled slyly.
“I want to sit behind you during the test tomorrow.”
Thinking about it, he had a very useful skill for taking tests. Although he felt a little guilty, memorizing the entire textbook as thick as a finger joint was too dreadful.
Even though most of the questions were multiple choice, he wasn’t confident about scoring 80 points or higher in one attempt.
“Just in case, I should tell you.”
“What?”
“Never mind.”
“Why do you start talking and then stop?”
Sehun kept to himself what had crossed his mind instead of speaking it out. He thought it would be more fun to watch Hyunsu’s despairing face tomorrow.
And his prediction came true.
* * *
“Why are we taking the test separately…?”
“To prevent cheating.”
Hyunsu, who had skimmed through the textbook relying solely on his X-ray vision skill, wore an expression as if the world had collapsed at the instructor’s words.
Sehun passed by Hyunsu, who was looking at him desperately, and entered the exam room. He then completed 100 questions in 20 minutes and submitted his paper.
He could hear Hyunsu’s agonized voice through the wall, but his steps were incredibly light.
Finally, the four-week education was over. Since he had already completed the practical training, today’s test was practically the last.
Though Hyunsu would probably need additional education.
“Sehun, did you do well on the test?”
As he left the education center, Jian, who had been waiting nearby, walked over with a bright smile. Sehun quickly walked over and embraced Jian. He nestled his forehead against Jian’s neck, as if seeking comfort.
Though Jian let out an embarrassed breath, his hand gently stroked Sehun’s head.