Near the academy’s main road.
At the far end of the road, the evening sun had already begun to set.
Hyeon Park was heading home.
She had run out of groceries in the fridge and was returning from a trip to the mart to buy side dishes.
Holding shopping baskets in both hands, Hyeon Park suddenly noticed a black orb lying on the ground.
“This looks similar to a Growth Orb.”
She picked up the orb and examined it closely.
She raised the orb to eye level to confirm if it was indeed a Growth Orb.
“But why is it black?”
As far as Hyeon Park knew, there was no such thing as a black Growth Orb. However, it was undeniable that the orb radiated a powerful force akin to a true Growth Orb.
Meanwhile, inside the orb, Shaks immediately recognized Hyeon Park’s immense potential.
“This is top-tier talent! I absolutely cannot let her go!”
Though Shaks had lost the body of Kang You-jin, he had gained something unexpected. Laura had separated Shaks from Kang You-jin using a method called soul materialization, thereby granting Shaks the ability to exert a minor physical influence even in his ethereal state.
He exerted his force onto the orb.
“Uh… Kek.”
In an instant, the black orb that had been pinched between Hyeon Park’s thumb and forefinger moved of its own accord and slipped down her throat.
<<SKILL OBTAINED>>
————-<SKILL>————-
◈ Name
Seed of Evil
◈ Rank
000 F
◈ Description
Suffer and hate. Gain power.
Additional stats: 0
———————————–
A translucent window appeared before Hyeon Park’s eyes.
“Did I acquire a skill?!”
She couldn’t mask her excitement. This was the dream scenario—acquiring a skill without any effort.
“Still, this is a strange skill. Was that orb functioning like a skill book?”
Hyeon Park tilted her head in curiosity.
She had been secretly hoping for this. The skill description was already unusual, and it looked far from the cheap skills like “Draw” that were widely available on the market. It seemed genuinely rare.
Hyeon Park decided to delay studying the skill in detail and returned home first. She needed to quickly prepare dinner because there were four mouths to feed.
“Huh… Do I seem like a housewife or something?”
Upon reflection, it was indeed Hyeon Park who handled all the meal preparations and housework. Though it seemed only natural since she was staying with Shinnoda, from the outside, they seemed like a married couple.
“Well, then, is Shinnoda… my husband? Aah!”
Hyeon Park blushed deeply and shook her head vigorously to banish such thoughts.
On the other hand, Shaks was in despair inside Hyeon Park’s mind. He could vaguely see her thoughts, and they were nothing but pure white. She was saintly material, akin to a crusader or a holy maiden.
“How am I supposed to corrupt someone like this?”
In Kang You-jin’s case, Shaks could already detect a murky gray when he first entered. Despite that, it took enormous amounts of deception and manipulation to corrupt Kang You-jin. How could he even begin with someone like Hyeon Park?
“Maybe I should have been more careful in my choice.”
Shaks regretted his decision a little. He had charged into things driven solely by greed for her immense talent.
“But no, there’s sure to be an opportunity. Isn’t there always sadness and injustice in the life of a mortal?”
During the next month, the “Seed of Evil” skill proficiency increased only by ‘3.’
No matter how depressing or unfair situations arose, Hyeon Park refused to suffer or hate others. Her attitude was always, “Next time, I’ll do better.”
‘This is a disaster.’
Shaks realized that he was in for a lot of trouble.
*
After the Yeouido devastation incident, “Dark Knight” unexpectedly received a proposal. It happened during a villain hunt.
In a dark alley of the entertainment district, “Dark Knight” had placed a sticky note labeled “rape” on a pile of ashes—a routine task by now.
He turned his head and glared at a corner.
Then, he spoke.
“Show yourself.”
He had sensed someone lurking.
“Ha ha. Indeed, you’re Dark Knight, sir.”
A man in a suit emerged, raising his hands in surrender.
“This is who I am.”
From within his coat, he produced an ID badge.
National Intelligence Service.
Special agent, Park Gil-tae.
An NIS agent. Shinnoda sensed a power of about B-rank.
“Let me make sure, you’re not planning some delusional arrest, right? What business does the NIS have with me?”
‘Dark Knight’ truly believed no one in Korea could capture him anymore. Unless, of course, the ‘Inner Circle’ decided to move.
“First, we thank you for subduing the monster ‘Shaks’ in Yeouido. Normally, this was the state’s responsibility.”
“Hmm. So?”
‘Dark Knight’ calmly nodded, brushing off the agent’s thanks. The agent, slightly nervous, continued his pitch.
“His Excellency considers your actions in Yeouido and acknowledges your past deeds. In light of that, he’s considering a pardon for you. And potentially an award.”
This was the government’s gamble. Seeing how ‘Dark Knight’ had resolved the Yeouido incident, they believed he had a sense of justice. Their idea was to entice the presumed S-rank ‘Dark Knight’ as a counterbalance to ‘Inner Circle.’
The ‘Inner Circle’ had been blatantly undermining the government’s authority even since the last regime. They routinely disregarded national mobilization orders and often engaged in overt criminal activity.
Unfortunately for the government, no matter how clear the crimes, they were left with no choice but to bite their tongue. Attempting to arrest them would be useless without a method, and a failed attempt would destroy government authority, possibly inciting other Awakened Ones.
The government’s assessment of the ultimate goal of ‘Inner Circle’ was grim. Any tax breaks or expanded Awakened One rights were secondary. What they truly sought was to place themselves above the law.
Trials for S-rank lawbreakers were to be conducted not by South Korean courts but by a newly formed Peace Mediation Committee, where the judges would be S-rank members of the ‘Inner Circle.’
Moreover, the Awakened Ones were to be granted different voting rights. In essence, an S-rank would have the power of a million votes, and an A-rank the power of a hundred thousand votes.
Ultimately, coexistence between the government and ‘Inner Circle’ was impossible, culminating in inevitable conflict. Fundamentally, the fight was one-sided. The government needed S-ranks, but the S-ranks did not need the government.
When ‘Invincible’ left the ‘Inner Circle’ to join the Heroes Guild, it marginally balanced the scales, but the situation remained bleak.
At that point, ‘Dark Knight’ appeared. The government saw an opportunity.
“Dark Knight sir, you can be pardoned and become a national hero with full governmental support.”
“……”
Agent Park Gil-tae’s sugary persuasion was tempting enough to make any ordinary criminal bite. It was a honey-soaked bait.
“Of course, there is a condition. There’s an anti-state S-rank organization. You must not join them, and once pardoned, you must not commit any crimes again.”
This was unacceptable to Shinnoda. He needed to kill other Awakened Ones to use ‘Succession.’ Besides, even setting that aside, becoming a government lapdog was not an option.
“I decline.”
“Excuse me?”
‘Dark Knight’s rejection left Park Gil-tae bewildered.
“Ho, may I… ask why?”
“Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand.”
There was a note of melancholy in ‘Dark Knight’s voice. The agent sensed there was something deeper. Likely, it was blind hatred.
“So, he hasn’t let go of his grudge. I wonder what Fire Man did to provoke this.”
Before undertaking this mission, the agent thoroughly investigated ‘Dark Knight’s history. The ‘Fire Man’ incident was the only real clue into the otherwise elusive ‘Dark Knight’s psyche.
<His persistence in using a sword despite possessing a skill that can instantly incinerate an opponent suggests a strong, personal grudge against the enemy.>
The profilers all converged on the theory that ‘Dark Knight’ was driven by vengeance and a likely victim of ‘Fire Man’s arson.
Agent Park Gil-tae felt a twinge of fear.
“If he turns into some rampant mass murderer, who’s going to stop him?”
Rumors were already spreading that even the notorious ‘Red Knight’, known for his unprovoked violence, had backed down from ‘Dark Knight.’ Based on his recent display of power, ‘Dark Knight’ was undoubtedly S-rank. If he went mad, the agent, as a soldier of the state, would have to confront him.
“Please, stay sane.”
He silently prayed that the deep-rooted hatred would only be directed at villains.
