Infinite Evolution Hunter - Chapter 235

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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235
I asked Ridi where King Ban was to congratulate him on the birth of his child.
“Well… King Ban’s body shrank during childbirth, so he hasn’t left the Royal Castle. I apologize.”
King Ban already had complexes about his height, and having shed that much from his body, it made sense he’d want to hide away.
“It’s fine. Please tell him I congratulate him.”
I decided to see King Ban later and, guided by Ridi, left the Hub City and headed toward the Epicenter.
“…Jae-in, you caused this explosion?”
“I didn’t expect it to be this severe either.”
The terrain of Mars’s surface had been completely transformed.
A massive basin had formed, so enormous that its far edge disappeared into sandstorms.
“First, let’s search from this center for where the Commander crossed over. If it’s far away by any chance… I have no idea how long the search will take.”
Jae-in put on her monocle and surveyed the surroundings, while I focused my eyes and examined the spatial rifts.
“Chairman! I found it.”
“Me too. Oh, there’s another one here.”
“What?”
I’d worried the spatial rift the Commander rode through would be distant, but dozens of rifts were visible all around us.
“Should we pry each one open and search inside?”
“We can’t. Even if you’re the chairman, you won’t be able to return if you enter a space you don’t know.”
“Well, since there’s another body anyway, let’s be bold and go.”
“The body on Earth? Chairman, before you were reckless, but you weren’t this headstrong. Aren’t you afraid of death?”
“Even if this body disappears, it doesn’t feel like dying. It’s more like the sensation of losing a hand.”
“… That’s terrifying to hear. You’re still connected to the body on Earth right now?”
“Yes. It feels like my left and right hands. Information exchanges in real-time, so one consciousness controls both bodies simultaneously.”
“Even so, we can’t be reckless. Creating a new body again would require a massive amount of souls, wouldn’t it?”
If I created a new physical form on Earth, I might drain all the surrounding souls. The souls of small life forms like plants and animals have inferior quantity and quality, making the damage even worse. Going to Heaven was out of the question—Metatron had his eyes blazing, and I might actually lose a body in the process.
“That’s true.”
“Then let me analyze it. You should go back and rest.”
“…Be careful.”
“Don’t worry. I can’t always stick with you anyway, right? Next time, I’ll run away without even looking back at you.”
“Okay.”
“Come on! Get all the equipment out!”
At Jae-in’s command, the Research Institute staff began moving equipment through the Gate in a steady stream.
“Research Director, perimeter reconnaissance complete. Beginning guard duty.”
Guard Hunters set up positions around the researchers. Security had definitely been strengthened several levels compared to before.
As I was about to leave, I watched them work busily from a distance.
Jae-in came over to me while she was working.
“…Aren’t you leaving?”
“…Why?”
“No, you’re a busy person. What are you doing standing here?”
“I’m anxious.”
“That doesn’t mean you’ll always be glued to my side, does it?”
“…”
“President, even if I die, please don’t bring me back to life.”
“Why?”
“Because your body alone is worth dozens of times more than someone like me. You can promise me that, right?”
“Of course.”
I answered quickly, but that was something I could decide based on the situation when it came.
* * *
Ji-seok, who had briefly left the scene, returned to the fissure exploration site on Mars.
“Who are you?”
“Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh?! Me?! I’m a Rigen researcher!”
Ji-seok stared intently at the researcher’s unfamiliar face.
“You don’t seem to be lying, but just in case, let me examine your soul….”
Ji-seok leaned his face closer with the intention of inspecting the researcher’s soul.
“Eek….”
The researcher let out a shrill cry at Ji-seok’s ominous aura and fainted.
“President. Step away from there.”
Jae-in arrived a step too late.
“He could be a spy.”
“I hired him myself. What spy?”
“He might have infiltrated with some scheme in mind.”
“…Leave.”
Pushed away by Jae-in’s insistence, Ji-seok went to Ji-hae, who was caring for the Triplets.
“…I’m about to breastfeed. Are you going to stay there?”
Ji-hae, annoyed by Ji-seok’s constant following, raised her eyes sharply.
“I’ll be going now.”
Ji-seok jumped up and left the area, but afterward he still lingered near the people closest to him.
* * *
“President, you need to do something about this.”
Jae-in sought out Baek Young-shin.
“What’s the matter now?”
Baek Young-shin looked up. Recently, many complaints about Ji-seok had come in. If the complaints were unreasonable, he protected Ji-seok by force, and if necessary, by dirtying his own hands.
However, the recent complaints were not unreasonable, and since they came from the people Ji-seok cherished most, it only made Baek Young-shin’s position as a mediator more difficult.
“He keeps following me around like a wet puppy, and I can’t get any work done.”
“Hunter Lee Ji-seok wouldn’t do anything harmful, so isn’t it fine?”
“At the slightest sound, he spreads such an ominous aura that he’s knocking out all the researchers. Work is impossible.”
“Sigh…. It seems like he’s had more free time lately, and anxiety and guilt remain. Have you tried talking to him?”
“Why do you treat me like a child? He won’t listen to what I say.”
“I understand. I’ll think of a way.”
After that, several more people came to see Director Baek Young-shin.
Even when standing still, Ji-seok possessed such a commanding presence that his restless pacing and anxious overreactions became a considerable nuisance to those around him.
“Hunter Lee Ji-seok, it’s been a while. Would you do me a favor?”
Baek Young-shin made his way to Ji-seok, who sat atop the World Tree.
Ji-seok had extended his aura perception all the way to the outskirts of World Tree City.
In his desperate effort to expand his aura perception, Ji-seok found its range growing wider without his conscious awareness.
At the slightest hint of suspicion, he would leap up and glare at people around him.
“Pardon? Um… What brings you here?”
Preoccupied with maintaining such a broad aura perception, I couldn’t focus much on Director Baek Young-shin’s words.
“A new drug is flooding the market, and we need your strength, Hunter Lee Ji-seok. Would you be willing to help?”
“Me?”
I reacted with genuine surprise—why me?—and truthfully, it made sense. Drug dealers were ultimately common criminals, so deploying me was like bringing a nuclear weapon to a job requiring a police baton.
“It’s become quite a headache for us.”
Though uneasy about it, I wanted to help Director Baek Young-shin. The truth was, he genuinely had been troubled by this case.
Upon entering the Police Station, detectives from the Metropolitan Drug Investigation Division snapped to attention and saluted.
“Welcome. We heard you’d be assisting us.”
“Welcome. I’m Kim Hee-hwan, head of the investigation division.”
His massive frame and rough appearance made him perfectly suited for the role of a drug investigation division chief.
“Chief Kim, it’s good to meet you.”
“I apologize for the trouble. Normally we can handle arrests ourselves, but this case is particularly tricky. Your assistance would be invaluable.”
“I’m happy to help. What should we start with?”
“I hear you have exceptional search abilities. Would it be possible to conduct a field investigation shortly?”
“Of course. When do we depart?”
“Ah, well… We’re still working on finding an undercover officer. It’s such a dangerous location that we can’t just send anyone.”
“Should I do it?”
“Hunter Lee Ji-seok, you have an impressive physique and a well-known face, so posing as a drug addict wouldn’t quite work…”
Before the chief could finish, I reduced my height by twenty centimeters and made my body lean and gaunt. Few would recognize me in this state.
“Will this do?”
“Perfect. Let’s move out immediately.”
I changed into clothes provided by the investigation division and headed out into the streets. My mission was to pose as a drug addict and purchase narcotics at a club.
“The drug you need to buy is called Azure Rush, though it’s commonly just called Rush. Hunter Lee Ji-seok, you’ll acquire it through a middleman at the club today and leave quietly. We’ll take it from there.”
It wasn’t really work suited for me, but since I’d come at Baek Young-shin’s request, I silently accepted the chief’s instructions.
“Understood.”
“I’m sorry, but…”
As I turned to enter the club, the chief stopped me again.
“Rush temporarily amplifies abilities, but when the effects wear off, there’s a severe backlash of lost confidence. So slouch your posture, keep your gaze down, and speak without conviction.”
“…S-sorry… Is there… anything else…?”
I deliberately lowered my head and spoke slowly without confidence, and the chief gave me a thumbs up.
After the posture correction, I descended into the club.
The loud music assaulted my senses, but I filtered it out and extended my aura perception throughout the club’s interior, perfectly mapping the space.
My enhanced abilities detected the forms and locations of objects and people, as well as the magnitude of souls and mana.
There were a few Hunters in the club, but at most they were B-rank.
I let out a quiet laugh at myself for dismissing B-rank Hunters so casually. In my past life, no matter how hard I pushed myself, I was B-rank, and I died in that state. Now it seemed almost laughable.
In truth, it was a significant problem that B-rank Hunters were even working security at a drug-dealing club. If the Hunters in the Drug Investigation Division were only B-rank, there would be considerable damage if they raided this place.
I began to understand why Director Baek Young-shin had sent me.
As I approached the door at the back of the club, the security guard glared at me, so I averted my eyes slightly.
“What?”
“…D-drugs…. Some…. rush….”
I slurred my words and rolled my eyes around erratically.
“Take off your mask.”
I obediently removed my mask.
He didn’t recognize me. I had completely changed my build, clothing, expression, and manner of speech—no one who wasn’t close to me could identify me as Ji-seok.
“…Go in.”
Passing the guard, I entered the room beyond. The music grew muffled, and only the bass vibrations resonated through the walls.
“How did you find this place?”
Another B-rank Hunter was here. The way he sat arrogantly in his chair made it obvious he held a high position in this operation.
“A friend who used to buy from me…. said he got it here….”
“A friend? Why do you keep buying from him instead of directly from him?”
“He…. overdosed and died.”
“Your friend dies and you still come to buy? You’re completely insane. You found the right place. Money’s all you need—I’ll give you as much as you want.”
I handed over the crumpled cash I’d stuffed in my pocket.
“This isn’t enough.”
“I don’t have any more money….”
“That watch looks nice.”
It was money the division chief had said was sufficient, but this man was greedy.
“H-here.”
I handed over the watch without resistance.
“This is well-made. Is this real?”
It was a genuine luxury watch. A famous luxury watch company had custom-made it specifically for me—there was only one in the world.
“Here you go. Come back again~”
I caught the drug the dealer threw.
I held the drug up to the light and examined it. The blue round bead was transparent, and I could see clearly through to the other side.
“Aren’t you leaving?”
He said something, but I simply swallowed the rush.
“You crazy bastard! What are you doing taking it here?!”
He jumped up and pointed a gun at me.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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