Instant Kill, Time-Stop Spellcaster

“And then, I got this.”

Kang Hyun wore a satisfied expression.

He pulled a laptop from his inventory and opened it.

“…? Where did you get that?”

“That’s not the important part.”

He was told to pass this on to the Phantom.

He opened the file.

“A list of congressmen?”

“More accurately, a list of traitors.”

At those words, Yoo Chae-young’s eyes sparkled.

It was a list of traitors and those who had taken their money.

Unlike the unreliable information on social media, this was the real deal.

Even the undisclosed big names were listed.

“It’s not just politicians. Influential figures across all fields are included.”

“This… this isn’t just any information.”

If this file were leaked—

South Korea would be thrown into chaos once again.

Even Aden peeked over in curiosity.

“The CIA is proving quite useful.”

No amount of money could buy this kind of intel.

It was proof of just how much America wanted the Phantom on their side.

“I’d like a look, too… My god, there are so many.”

“Right? Pretty rotten.”

“With this, just threatening them would bring enormous profit!”

But that wasn’t the plan.

“We’re going to kill them all.”

Yoo Chae-young flinched.

Murder was far removed from her world.

But only for a moment.

She quickly swallowed her fear and offered advice.

“If you take a little time and strip them of everything first, you could gain even more.”

“Wasting time is a luxury.”

“…The names on this list are too big. If we take them out too suddenly, it could shake the country.”

“And what, leave the rot to fester?”

This was a necessary process.

Kang Hyun wasn’t concerned.

Whether Yoo Chae-young looked dazed or not.

He scrolled through the list with the mouse wheel.

“Our master isn’t called the Phantom for nothing!”

“Hah, true.”

“The ones who deserve to die must die.”

Chief Choi and Yoo Chae-young.

How many more shocks would it take for them to get used to this?

“Exactly. If you cared about that, you wouldn’t have killed Park Cheol-woong out of nowhere.”

“Hey, he threw the first punch.”

“You killed him just because he hit you first?”

“Have you ever been hit by an S-rank punch? If not, don’t talk.”

Yoo Chae-young let out a chuckle.

“But the more I look at this, the more interesting it gets.”

There were also people who had taken money from China and Japan.

The same people advocating for foreign protection forces to be stationed in Korea.

Checking their identities was almost amusing.

They lined up perfectly with the traitor list.

“Once they take money once, they’ll take it from anywhere.”

“This… looks like the U.S. is also using this chance to keep other countries in check.”

“Works for me. A traitor is a traitor.”

Since killing Park Cheol-woong, the Phantom had been lying low.

If they drew too much attention, the government might come after them again.

But now was the perfect time.

Public focus was on the World Quest and Perfect-clear Awakener.

Not to mention, the government had just taken a heavy blow for its crackdown on the Phantom.

“The Phantom is going to run rampant for a while.”

And South Korea would grow stronger through bloodshed.

“I’d better pull out all the stocks I had set aside.”

“Suit yourself.”

This was Charles’s gift.

Or rather, America’s gift to the Phantom.

“But if you accepted this, doesn’t that mean you acknowledge your connection to the Phantom?”

“I’ve decided to play nice with America. I was a bit impressed by the CIA this time.”

Back with Kyle, brute strength alone hadn’t been enough.

Business, politics—

And information.

Back then, working with intelligence organizations had been essential.

Kyle had even had a go-to crime syndicate.

It would be convenient to be on good terms with a country that had the CIA.

“And if they want the Phantom, it means there’s something to gain from them too.”

No need to just exploit Korea.

Might as well spread it out.

“…I’m often surprised by the way you think, Kang Hyun.”

“Huh? Our master isn’t that smart. Except for magic.”

“I don’t mean intelligence. I mean, the way you think is grand in scale.”

“Ah-ha!”

“What are you two doing?”

They were talking as if he weren’t right there.

Kang Hyun was baffled.

###

“Chief Choi! Have some tteokbokki, tempura, and sundae!”

“Thank you!”

“You worked hard on this trip.”

“Thank you!”

A meal under 50,000 won.

Chief Choi could eat in peace.

“Doesn’t your guild give performance bonuses? The recent incident boosted Seonghwa’s global reputation.”

“I already have plenty of money. But global reputation?”

“Well, it’s not just Seonghwa.”

South Korea’s credit rating had skyrocketed.

All because of progress.

How well a country advanced its progression rate—

That was the key metric of national Awakener strength.

Low Awakener strength meant either destruction or becoming an economic vassal of the GSA.

So, of course, credit ratings were heavily influenced.

“South Korea ranking fourth in this season’s progress…! I’m getting emotional! Thank you, Kang Hyun!”

“Oh, right. I guess we’ve maxed out the progress meter.”

Perfect-clear E rank blessing grants 5% each.

And he’d done it over 40 times.

Less than a month to max it out.

The top three were countries that had filled their meters almost immediately.

The global abnormality had affected rankings, of course.

At a certain point, progress slowed drastically for all countries.

If this had been a different season, ranking fourth would have been impossible.

“Wasn’t South Korea’s credit rating pretty bad?”

“Right. We were struggling with constant talent drain and declining progress speed. We only had two S-ranks.”

“Now we have three!”

“Haha. Unofficially, though.”

But things were different now.

“South Korea wasn’t even sure it could reach 100% next season… Now, it’s a proud mercenary exporter!”

Like the major powers, South Korea had started dispatching Awakeners.

To struggling, low-progression nations.

“The whole country is proud of this!”

Awakeners were leaving enthusiastically.

It was an honor.

And this was a desperate season.

Mercenary wages had a premium on top.

A great source of foreign income.

“This is proof that Korea’s global standing has risen!”

“Not bad.”

“As a government official and a citizen—thank you once again!”

“Come on, just eat your tteokbokki.”

Kang Hyun wasn’t fond of these speeches.

The plates were already clean.

“That was delicious!”

“Get some rest. You’ve got a business trip to France tomorrow.”

“Looking forward to it.”

Kang Hyun returned to the academy to prepare for his trip to France.

###

America was confused.

“We checked all entry records, but found nothing.”

Among the entering Awakeners, there was no EX.

Which made sense.

“A high-speed travel technique that crosses oceans. I didn’t expect much.”

“But it also didn’t show up on air defense systems.”

America had already been on high alert after hearing about high-speed movement.

They had strengthened surveillance.

Not even a drone should have been able to slip into U.S. airspace unnoticed.

“Then did he move along the ground?”

“That speed isn’t possible on land.”

A stealth-enabled high-speed movement that bypassed enhanced air defenses.

“…That’s impossible.”

“But it happened.”

“…”

At first, they thought it was South Korea’s new technology.

But there was no way South Korea had achieved something even America couldn’t.

It had to be EX’s original Awakener ability.

Which meant something crucial.

“If EX decided to come to the White House, could we stop him?”

“…It’s unlikely. Even if it’s stealth-based, infiltrating a building at that speed is difficult.”

“Are you sure?”

“…”

A hole had appeared in America’s security.

“Like a Phantom.”

But EX and the Phantom couldn’t be the same person.

EX was D+ rank.

While the Phantom was an S-rank, one of the strongest attackers.

“This is practically teleportation.”

“Spatial movement is impossible. Even Kyle and Millaroden couldn’t do it.”

“It’s just a figure of speech.”

But it wasn’t an immediate crisis.

“Don’t worry. EX can’t harm the President.”

“Of course. He’s just a D+ rank.”

The world’s most heavily protected man.

But—

“If he becomes the strongest S-rank… will I still be safe?”

The aide couldn’t finish their response.

“…Significantly increase the budget for the Great Awakening Defense Forces.”

“Yes.”

“Accelerate research as much as possible.”

“Yes.”

“And… increase the number of my Awakened bodyguards as well.”

“Yes.”

The president swallowed hard.

###

“【Open】”

The two stepped into the academy.

The journey was over.

“I had more fun in France than in the U.S.!”

“French food was too greasy for me.”

The second day’s sanctuary installation was also complete.

He opened the World Quest window.

[Time remaining: 4 days, 21 hours, 42 minutes]

About five days left.

What would happen when the countdown reached zero?

For now, there was nothing they could do about it.

All they could do was install as many sanctuaries as possible.

And grow stronger.

That was the best course of action.

“Shall we open a weapon chest?”

“Oooooh! Finally! A Hero’s Weapon!”

A Hero’s Weapon, huh?

What would come out?

[Would you like to open the Hero’s Weapon Box?]

“Yes.”