From Today, I'm a Player

Chapter 58: Hyeon-Mu

“How did you break the restriction?” asked Odin. “It was set to send a signal if you were in danger. However, there wasn’t any sort of signal that was sent…”

His eyepatch lit up for a moment, and Lee Jun-Kyeong could feel the older man’s mana rippling forth from his body.

‘If I use the mana stream…’

For some reason, Lee Jun-Kyeong felt as if he would be able to resist it if he tried. However, he decided that revealing the mana stream this early wasn’t a good decision yet, and let the mana wash over him.

It felt like the mana was scouring him for something. It was a horrible feeling.

‘I didn’t know the restriction had that sort of power…’

Lee Jun-Kyeong was standing still as he was being observed by the Association President’s mana, and he furrowed his brow at the sensation. Although he hadn’t released the restriction by choice, he had thought its only use was to surveil him and prevent him from making any unauthorized mentions of Asgard.

However, it was even worse than he had thought. The restriction’s abilities infuriated him.

‘To think a signal would be sent to him.’

At first glance, it seemed as though it had been a precaution as the Association President had been worried about him.

‘It would mean that he would be able to find my location whenever he wanted.’

But, if the restriction had the power to send a signal to him, it most likely could inform him of more than what he was letting on. Of course, there was a limit to the restrictions that Odin could cast, and Lee Jun-Kyeong also already knew how to avoid it.

However, this wasn’t the place to worry about the specifics of the matter.

Tick tock, tick tock.

Even as Lee Jun-Kyeong had been pondering over the situation as time passed, Odin’s mana continued to wash over Lee Jun-Kyeong. He shuddered for a moment. The feeling of the mana sweeping over him resembled the tongue of a savage beast.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Odin tapped the table with his finger while the light behind the eyepatch dimmed. Soon after that, the mana that had covered Lee Jun-Kyeong had disappeared.

"What is this…"

Odin was flabbergasted.

Lee Jun-Kyeong asked innocently, "What seems to be the problem?"

"There’s no problem with the restriction. What’s going on?" the older man exclaimed in astonishment. Lee Jun-Kyeong basked in Odin’s flabbergasted expression.

‘If it were the Demon King in my spot, he would burst into laughter.’

Odin was a person who was always cool-headed and sought to gather all the knowledge of the world. If it were to satisfy his curiosity, to satisfy his desire for exploration, he wouldn’t hesitate to sleep with an enemy. It was even to the point where he would be willing to care for and nurture his most bitter rival.

This was a man whose bewilderment was by no means easy to see.

“Just how exactly…”

Odin seemed to have gotten lost in his own thoughts. Lee Jun-Kyeong didn’t interrupt him as he didn’t want to interrupt the man’s thoughts—no, he didn’t want to break Odin’s interest in him.

“Was it not severe enough to be a crisis…? Even the battle against Heracles…?”

The restriction was definitely still there. Therefore, if there had been a crisis, a signal should have been sent out. However, the absence of the signal meant that Lee Jun-Kyeong hadn’t been in a situation that could have been called a crisis.

“I’m not too sure what you’re speaking of, sir,” Lee Jun-Kyeong said, completely acting the fool.

“How interesting,” Odin replied. Lee Jun-Kyeong’s response worked out perfectly—no, even more so than that. Odin’s eye bulged out of its socket as if unable to hide its desire.

The older man conceded, “Okay. How rude of me. That could not have been a good experience. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

He had completely changed his tone. He immediately got up from his seat, approached Lee Jun-Kyeong, and then spoke while putting a hand on his shoulder.

“You passed the test with flying colors. Quite frankly, you surpassed the test itself. Thanks to you, Olympus has suffered another blow. Your actions were something that no one could have foreseen, nor was it something anyone could have expected from you.”

Lee Jun-Kyeong felt a slight warmth emanating from Odin’s hand.

"Welcome to Asgard."

At that instant, their surroundings suddenly warped.

“This is…?”

After coming to his senses, Lee Jun-Kyeong was astonished by the sights in front of him.

Odin announced proudly, “This is the City of Gold, Asgard.”

“...”

“This is our headquarters.”

It was Odin's realm.

***

They were a unique and unbelievably powerful breed of Hunters as they were Hunters with incredible strength that should have been impossible at that time. Still, in line with the balance of the world and the whims of their cruel Sponsors, there was a secret to where their power came from and a reason as to how they were able to hold such strength.

Causality.

‘There must be a cause for there to be an effect.’

No power was ever given for free. Take the Hunters, for example. Hunters would have to fight a bloody battle in order to win some interest from their Sponsors, and some evil Sponsors would even make them commit actions like murder.

A person could only gain strength by overcoming these labors and handling them. In that way, ‘they were no different.’

There was a good reason why the first Hunters held the power to shape and mold hidden organizations.

"This is my realm, as well as the realm of Asgard,” Odin said to Lee Jun-Kyeong, who was looking around with wide eyes.

Odin then asked, “Do you know what a realm is?” However, Lee Jun-Kyeong again chose to be silent. That was the best way to deal with Odin.

[Don't give him any answers.]

He chose to force him to imagine it, to decide, and judge on his own. That was the most optimal way to deal with the knowledge-crazy Odin.

"Good."

Odin patted Lee Jun-Kyeong on the shoulder again and slowly started walking forward.

‘This is…’

In fact, Lee Jun-Kyeong was very surprised. Generally, the size of a realm was proportional to a Hunter’s strength, and the size of the gigantic Asgard made it easy to see Odin’s deeply hidden strength.

It was comparable in size to Seoul, and the vast space was filled with golden castles. Lee Jun-Kyeong wondered if the other rulers of the secret organizations had something like this as well. Comparatively, Bifrost was almost to the point of being shabby.

‘When will I… be able to possess a realm.’

Although it was a little too far-fetched of a fantasy for someone who hadn’t even earned a title yet, to Lee Jun-Kyeong, having his own perfect space had special merit. Furthermore, although it would be difficult for him to obtain a realm, he had the drive and desire to bear the burden.

“In Asgard, there are both Hunters you know and don’t know. Many Hunters have joined Asgard and they work toward…” Odin looked over at Lee Jun-Kyeong before he continued wistfully, “Well, we work for the world. It’s a long and lonely fight, a fight that even now, we may never know exactly how long it would last.”

His face hardened, and he returned to his dignified appearance before he spoke again sternly, "Congratulations once again. For entering Asgard, I mean."

Lee Jun-Kyeong thought to himself rather than answering.

‘Bull shit.’

To think he would say it was for the world, Lee Jun-Kyeong thought that it would have been better if Odin had died than to have him tell a lie like that.

***

Lee Jun-Kyeong had felt dizzy for a moment when Odin had asked about the restriction. Even though he had prepared various countermeasures against the Association President, his gaze seemed to have still pierced through him somehow. In the end, the older man had still been deceived.

'Am I supposed to thank Merlin?'

It was all due to one of the functions of the necklace that Merlin had given him. The necklace had the power to make many things possible, and it had a specific function that aided in deceiving someone, one strong enough that even Odin was tricked.

‘I mean, it’s a form of bondage as well.’

But, it was a form of restriction in its own right. Whether it was what he had received in return for the negotiation, or the duties he had been entrusted with, if he didn’t fulfill the tasks, he might end up in a worse situation than he had endured from Odin’s restriction.

However, he wasn’t worried.

‘I just have to do my job well.’

The restriction on the necklace wasn’t tailored for him. No, it was meant for what Merlin was looking for. As long as he didn’t come into contact with it, the necklace would never harm him.

“I’ll grant you your first mission as a member of Asgard.”

Like with all secret organizations, Asgard was hidden within the shadows. Although the name ‘Asgard’ wasn’t one that stood out, it was a name used ostensibly in handling the affairs of the Hunter Association and raising its status.

“And, someday, when the time comes, we’ll reveal ourselves.”

Not as a secret organization secretly manipulating the world, but as heroes who had secretly banded together to protect the world from harm.

It was funny. If Lee Jun-Kyeong had met Odin without already knowing everything and had spoken to him while being unaware, he might have been swayed by his ideals and beliefs. However, he already knew the truth.

“That corrupted conviction of his…”

Lee Jun-Kyeong mused over Odin’s words. To think the Association President had said that his conviction was for the world. When a conviction transformed into something twisted and deformed, could it still be called a conviction? He shook his head at the thought.

Kim Su-Yeong interrupted his musings, “Hunter Lee?”

“Yes?”

“We’ve arrived.”

Lee Jun-Kyeong got out of the car.

“The manager, Kim Su-Yeong, does a great job. I don’t have any memories from before I became a Hunter, so he’s like family to me.”

He had said that to Odin, which led to him granting his request. Not only was Kim Su-Yeong promoted, but he was also to continue managing his affairs in the future. His role had changed and now he was Jun-Kyeong’s personal manager, transitioning away from the other Hunters he had had under his purview.

Lee Jun-Kyeong finally said, "Mr. Kim.”

"Yes?"

“There’s something I wanted to ask you,” Lee Jun-Kyeong said as he followed Kim Su-Yeong’s directions. “Mr. Kim, what would you do if someone told you to betray me?”

“...”

As if the sudden question flustered him, Kim Su-Yeong stopped in his tracks.

“Please, answer comfortably. I’m not saying that you’ve betrayed me,” Lee Jun-Kyeong assured.

"Ah… I…"

The other man stuttered for a moment, trying to think of an answer. Then, as if he had decided on a conviction at that moment, he responded, the light in his eyes showing his determination, “That sort of thing will never occur.”

“What if someone offered you millions or even billions of dollars?” Lee Jun-Kyeong countered.

It was actually a feasible scenario. Lee Jun-Kyeong’s worth was still skyrocketing, and there were plenty of people who were jealous of him as a powerful Hunter. In fact, there were probably even forces that would want to subdue him. In the future, his enemies would only increase. For Kim Su-Yeong, as someone who would stand by the side of someone like that, he would receive such offers countless times.

"I will not betray you," Kim Su-Yeong affirmed.

"What if the President…" Lee Jun-Kyeong stopped himself and took a moment to consider deeply before continuing, "No, what if it was the Association President that told you to betray me? What would happen in that case?”

Eventually, Kim Su-Yeong had had enough. “Are you a what-if person, Mr. Lee?”

“A what-if person…?”

“You keep asking questions about things that would never happen. This could only ever lead to issues. I will never betray you. Even if someone held a knife to my throat,” Kim Su-Yeong said with exasperation and started walking again.

Behind him, Lee Jun-Kyeong muttered to himself, “I hope that’s the case. I hope there will never be a day I will have to cut you off, Mr. Kim.”

“...”

Kim Su-Yeong stopped for a moment, but quickly hurried forward once again.

‘I’ll give you everything as long as you do well for me.’

Lee Jun-Kyeong made a promise as he looked at the other man’s departing back.

Eventually, they were able to reach their destination.

"It's the Underdog!"

"Wow, it really is the Underdog!"

Lee Jun-Kyeong had a lot of things he had to do after returning to Korea, but after joining Asgard and being given his first mission by Odin, all of his plans had to be reversed.

‘Well, this was something I had to handle anyway.’

If the mission were something that was pointless or unnecessary, then he would have rejected it. But, the mission he had been given fit perfectly into the tasks he had planned.

“Are we really raiding the gate with the Underdog?”

It was a gate raid. More specifically, it was to raid a gate with Hunters he didn’t know.

“There are many who doubt your strength. You’ll have to gradually dispel such doubts and firmly establish your position, especially as you haven’t earned a title yet.”

Although it was Odin’s words, he was right. The Association President’s ideals may have been wrong, but his insight, management, and mercenary skills were unmatched. At any rate, there was one other reason Lee Jun-Kyeong was willing to participate in the gate raid.

‘I need to verify my condition.’

Lee Jun-Kyeong knew that he had undergone many changes while he was at the Catalyon Mountain Gate. However, he hadn’t had the opportunity to try to use his strength, nor was he able to verify if there were any problems that had arisen. So the gate raid would be a great help in clearing up his doubts.

“Do you think you could sign this for me?”

There was a crowd rushing towards him. It may have been different if it was the general public, but all those who wanted to talk to him were Hunters.

“My name is Choi Su-Yeong from Chorong Guild!”

“Do you think you could sign this for me too?”

They were the ones with whom he would be raiding the gate, so Lee Jun-Kyeong paused for a moment and tried to decline, “Sorry, I haven’t made a signature yet…”

“That’s okay! You can just write my name down!”

“Me too!”

However, the Hunters persisted. In the end, Lee Jun-Kyeong had no choice but to sign their names.

“Kyaaaa!”

Lee Jun-Kyeong felt as if everything was surreal as he saw people who had become his fans. There were more people interested in him as a person than the fact that he had defeated Heracles, and he found it confounding that their interest came from a place of goodwill.

Of course, there were also those that were jealous.

“Tsk. Wasn’t he just lucky? Who did they say his Sponsor was?”

“Didn’t you hear the rumor? He only got there because the Association President pushed for it.”

“I also heard rumors that they paid Heracles and asked him to lose.”

Regarding those stupid rumors, Lee Jun-Kyeong didn’t have the time or the openmindedness to pay attention to them. Instead, he looked over at the maliciously whispering Hunters.

‘Illusion. A fear strong enough to make them abandon their weapons.’

He stroked the necklace, and soon, a commotion arose.

"Ahhhhhh!"

"M..Mom!"

“I… I messed up! Dad!!!”

He could see them making a riot as if they were terrified.

[<The Sky of the Apocalypse> applauds your childishness.]

1. President of Korea.