The Only Enhancer - Chapter 71

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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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Episode 71
Episode 71 – The Central Intelligence Agency
0.
The Central Intelligence Agency of the United States of America was such a renowned independent organization that its name was widely recognized even in other countries.
It was commonly known as the CIA.
“Sigh.”
In the director’s office there, a middle-aged woman exhaled a deep breath.
She was none other than Genie Miller, the director of this institution.
However, standing before her—whose displeasure was evident to anyone who looked—was the Chief of the Presidential Secretariat, perspiring profusely.
It was only natural that he would be uncomfortable.
“Didn’t I oppose this from the start? I said three would suffice, yet you went along with Williams’s tune and put pressure on me. What is this mess?”
“…I have no excuse.”
She spoke calmly, yet each word carried weight.
Then, looking at the Chief of the Secretariat, she continued.
“As always, the Central Intelligence Agency moves for the sake of national interest. The President may have the authority to dismiss me, but never forget this: the President is a representative, not the nation itself.”
Gulp.
Her tone bordered on a threat.
The President was temporary, but the nation was eternal.
That was the conviction of Miller, who now served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
In this place filled with those who had opposed her beliefs, she—a former agent known as a legend of the Central Intelligence Agency—commanded authority akin to divine decree.
Because she always thought of and acted for the national interest.
She had troubled the President’s disposition more than once or twice.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
If he were to dismiss her immediately, countless others would follow her out.
The Central Intelligence Agency would become a hollow shell.
She was, in effect, untouchable.
Above all else.
‘All of her actions have been directly tied to national interest.’
Though always thinking and acting for the nation doesn’t guarantee good results, Miller was different.
She consistently produced the right outcomes, and it was far from the first time she had acted on them and led to success.
This was precisely why even the President could do nothing about her.
She was simply too competent.
“Sigh, they’ll likely propose negotiations from their side.”
“…Presumably.”
“We’ll handle it ourselves, so you withdraw from this matter.”
“…Thank you.”
“As it should be.”
Who would dare speak to the Chief of the Presidential Secretariat in such a manner?
Yet the Chief merely bowed his head gratefully.
How many messes had she cleaned up for him all this time?
How many times had I acted without heeding her words?
I should be grateful I’m not assassinating you all in the name of national interest.
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
“Get out of my sight.”
Without even watching the secretary-general leave, Genie Miller pressed her throbbing temples with one hand while tapping her desk rhythmically with the fingers of the other.
Tap. Tap-tap. Tap.
As the regular rhythm sounded, it felt as though the headache was beginning to ease—perhaps because it had become routine.
It didn’t solve the problem, but it gave me the strength to face it.
Miller continued reading through the report.
There was more than one aspect that didn’t make sense.
First, the Central Intelligence Agency had only ten Level 5 hunters.
Or should I be amazed that the Central Intelligence Agency actually had as many as ten?
A number of Level 5 hunters equivalent to half of Korea’s total were all affiliated with a single organization.
It was certainly remarkable.
In any case, that wasn’t the important part.
What mattered was that all ten of these elite among the elite had gone out and been captured.
This was the part that made the least sense.
‘How did he do it?’
Korea’s Grim Reaper, Jung Ji-hwan.
I already knew his reputation well.
I had even faced him directly and conducted operations alongside him.
He was a skilled fighter who had even astonished me, a legend myself.
A remarkably rare talent.
There were quite a few with such talent, but few who could fully bloom and utilize all of it.
Jung Ji-hwan was precisely such a case.
If he had merely reached Level 5?
‘Korea could have been the second nation after the United States.’
No matter how formidable China was, if Jung Ji-hwan had only reached Level 5, he would have been more than capable of surpassing China’s dominance.
China was a typical case of being impressive on the surface but hollow within.
It wasn’t weak, certainly not.
But it was rotting from the inside.
In any case, while I held Jung Ji-hwan in high regard, could he defeat all ten Level 5 hunters?
It was nearly impossible.
With luck on his side, careful planning, and knowing his opponents beforehand—considering Jung Ji-hwan’s level—he might manage to escape, but anything more would be difficult.
Even this assessment of Miller’s was quite generous.
Yet ten elite Level 5 agents were already captured.
‘It wouldn’t be strange if the Saint Guild had lent their assistance.’
So what else could it be?
I began to consider possibilities other than the impossible.
And at the same time, I recalled the commotion that had occurred just yesterday.
A Grade 6 item had been put up for auction.
Thanks to that, the United States government had apparently purchased it, but there were more than a few unsettling aspects to the situation.
‘If it was obtained in Taiwan, that means they defeated a monster of that caliber, and the Reinforce Guild possesses a power we’re unaware of.’
I could deduce this much quickly.
If Jung Ji-hwan had tried to hide this, it would have been difficult to reason through even for someone like her, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
Which meant the conclusion became far simpler.
‘Does she want to reveal her power?’
That wasn’t Jung Ji-hwan’s style.
In fact, during the ten years Jung Ji-hwan had been active, she only began to gain recognition relatively recently.
She became famous in less than two years, and through that, her name became known.
To put it differently.
‘She concealed her existence flawlessly for eight years.’
As a result, intelligence agencies from various countries had struggled more than once during that time.
In other words, if this information was revealed, it meant Jung Ji-hwan hadn’t intentionally hidden it.
Why?
‘Because there’s no need to hide it.’
Having thought this far, Genie Miller stopped tapping on the desk.
A power so great that Jung Ji-hwan judged there was no need to conceal it.
Genie Miller considered this.
This was probably.
‘A monster.’
It seemed I would need to step in personally.
And I might as well bring some of my subordinates along.
As Genie Miller stood from her seat, an agent waiting outside noticed and opened the door to enter.
“Where shall I take you?”
“To the Black Maria Saint Hotel.”
“I’ve prepared the private jet.”
Genie Miller nodded with satisfaction and moved forward.
1.
Min-jun was well aware that last night had been chaotic.
Jung Ji-hwan had come to him and mentioned there were intruders.
Min-jun had responded to that casually.
“Handle it as you see fit.”
That was all I said.
I swear on it.
But how did this get twisted into something else?
“…You told me to accept a cheap ransom fee?”
Wasn’t it the case that for a story to get twisted, it had to pass through several intermediaries?
Why did it get twisted when I said it directly?
Min-jun looked on in incomprehension.
“…Wasn’t it?”
Min-jun sighed as he watched Isabella, who seemed taken aback by his question.
It appeared Jung Ji-hwan had handled the matter in that particular way.
Of course, I had told him to sell it cheaply.
A Level 6 item, no less.
But how did that end up connected to prisoners?
Well, it wasn’t a loss, at least.
Min-jun decided to let it be for now.
“So then, the Central Intelligence Agency director came looking for you?”
“Yes, that’s why I came to escort you. Jung Ji-hwan was receiving the Central Intelligence Agency director, so I came instead.”
“Phew, I understand. Let’s go.”
How had things come to this?
Besides, I had heard there was an intruder, but I hadn’t heard it was the Central Intelligence Agency.
Of course, since I was in the middle of enhancement training, I had told them to handle things on their own if anything came up, but to think they’d handle it to this extent.
They were competent—perhaps too competent.
‘It’s convenient, but…’
Something felt off about it.
I knew how ridiculous this would sound to others.
There was simply no other way to express it.
Though it was my own fault for leaving it to Jung Ji-hwan out of laziness while I trained.
Still, I had no intention of blaming him.
Since Jung Ji-hwan had decided to handle it this way, I would go along with it.
How much was he thinking of charging?
As Min-jun was about to ask Isabella this question—
“He said he was thinking one million dollars per person.”
Isabella, having grasped the situation, explained it to me.
Min-jun was somewhat surprised upon hearing that.
‘That’s… cheap, isn’t it?’
Come to think of it, it was indeed cheap.
For a Level 5 agent, that amounted to roughly 1.3 billion won.
If it were wartime, selling prisoners that way had been common practice since medieval times.
But there was one thing that bothered me.
‘But we’re not at war, are we?’
I wondered if it was even normal to sell prisoners for money during peacetime, but I didn’t think about it further.
There was no point in dwelling on it, and even if there were, I had no intention whatsoever of reproaching a guild member who brought in money on their own initiative.
I woke up and suddenly had 13 billion won, but hadn’t I earned over 30 trillion won not long ago?
Now it hardly seemed significant.
‘It definitely feels cheap, though.’
Min-jun chuckled and nodded, then followed Isabella’s guidance to a conference room deep within the hotel—one that was thoroughly soundproofed.
As Min-jun entered, a middle-aged woman who had been seated rose from her chair upon seeing him.
She was a woman with an imposing, rigid demeanor—the very picture of steely fortitude.
The moment I saw her, I activated my Scouter.
And then.
[Genie Miller]
-Lv. 5(5)
-Ability Score: 9(11).
*Ability score has decreased due to advanced age.
Reading the information, including the special note, I felt a genuine surge of astonishment.
I’d heard about her, and yes, she looked younger than her reported age, but what truly shocked me was seeing that her ability score had once reached 11 at her peak.
This was the second time I’d encountered an 11.
The first was Ma Hyun-seok.
‘Quite formidable indeed.’
It was no wonder she was called a legend of the Central Intelligence Agency.
I widened my eyes in surprise as I accepted her handshake.
Miller’s eyes narrowed as she observed my reaction.
Her gaze was dissecting me piece by piece.
I noticed her pupils blur momentarily before refocusing, and then they dilated with what appeared to be surprise.
‘She must have a skill for measuring power.’
I could deduce that much.
While I could have simply assumed she was shocked by what she saw, the movement of her pupils was unmistakably the motion of reading something—of processing information.
The slight loss of focus confirmed it.
That’s how I could make this inference.
Truly, she deserved her legendary status.
Of course, I’d never heard that even Miller possessed such a skill.
But I didn’t think it was impossible.
‘Twenty years have passed since the Great Cataclysm.’
It wouldn’t be strange if new skills had emerged.
After all, there were cases like Jung Ji-hwan’s, where only one skill manifested when two should have appeared.
There was nothing surprising about someone possessing an unusual skill.
A skill to assess an opponent’s abilities was entirely plausible.
If that were the case, then her achievement of building a guild capable of handling Disaster Level 5 monsters solo in such a short time made perfect sense.
It was simply a matter of assembling only the most capable individuals.
Of course, I was also considering that she likely possessed other forms of power as well.
To define someone’s abilities with rigid categories was foolish in itself.
‘Her traits might differ from what we know.’
The Central Intelligence Agency currently classified me as a Healer, but I had frequently demonstrated abilities distinctly different from conventional healers, which led them to conclude this was characteristic of Level 7 aptitude.
Based on that, they sought to understand the traits that would emerge in future Level 7 aptitudes.
Looking at me, she pondered.
How could she channel this toward national interests?
Miller, lost in endless deliberation, established one principle.
‘First, I’ll approach this as amicably as possible.’
Once I gauge his temperament, I can make a faster decision.
Miller hadn’t even spent a second thinking this through.
“I’m Genie Miller from the Central Intelligence Agency.”
“I’m Kim Min-jun from the Reinforce Guild.”
They exchanged cautious glances before both took their seats.
They likely already knew the basics about each other.
Min-jun had only seen it through the system, but he knew nonetheless.
Without further preamble, Miller broached the subject first.
“As an apology, I’d like to present a ransom for the prisoners.”
She was offering a price first.
It was unusual to frame it as an apology.
If the amount fell short of what the other party wanted, the apology became meaningless.
The fact that she was offering this way meant she was confident.
There was no standard ransom for Level 5 operatives.
They were rarely captured in the first place, and no sane organization would try to sell them as prisoners when they were.
Typically, compensation took various forms rather than simple monetary demands.
But Miller knew that even if Min-jun didn’t, Jung Ji-hwan certainly did.
She also knew that in such cases, they’d want easily laundered cash.
So she took the conventionally accepted value.
And doubled it exactly.
“Since Level 5 operatives are rarely captured, determining a ransom is difficult, but we’re prepared to offer three million dollars per person.”
“…?”
What was she talking about?
Min-jun tilted his head slightly, genuinely bewildered, his pupils narrowing just a fraction.
The expression of someone hearing something incomprehensible.
Miller quickly caught his reaction in that instant, and goosebumps erupted across her entire body.
‘Could he have been thinking of something higher?’
No.
He was simply shocked by the high figure.
‘But Jung Ji-hwan must have told him the standard amount, so why does he look like he doesn’t understand?’
No.
Jung Ji-hwan hadn’t told him—he’d planned to handle it himself before Min-jun showed up.
It made sense that he wouldn’t understand.
‘Damn it, thinking three million dollars would be sufficient was my mistake.’
It was more than enough.
She’d originally been thinking one million dollars.
Just before Miller could quickly reassess the situation and speak again.
Min-jun glanced at Jung Ji-hwan, wondering if he should say something, and Jung Ji-hwan simply bowed his head with a look of reverence.
What was this? Was he insane?
As Min-jun thought this.
Miller quickly organized the situation in her mind and opened her mouth once more.
“I apologize. I presented it confidently, thinking it would be sufficient, but I was arrogant. In addition to the 5 million dollars, I will ensure you receive any conveniences you desire during your stay in the United States.”
Sitting quietly, the money and benefits were duplicated.
2.
Ma Hyun-seok, who had returned directly to Korea from Taiwan, stared at his computer screen with tired eyes, leaning back into his chair as if sinking into it.
Right now, I desperately wanted to rest, but how could I?
To retire, I had to work day and night.
That was the only way to find talent.
What I was doing now was precisely searching for talent.
Someone as outstanding as Min-jun—no, even “outstanding” wasn’t a strong enough word.
Now that he had become such an enormous figure, it was far more likely he would be traveling the world than staying in Korea.
Just recently, didn’t he go to Taiwan and then straight to the United States?
For now, he had simply gone to the Saint Guild where he had connections, but that would change in the future.
And hadn’t he taken countless talented hunters from Korea with him?
So what would happen to that void?
‘It would all pile up at the Hunter Association.’
The talents Min-jun took with him included those from the Hunter Association.
If work accumulated at the Hunter Association in such a situation?
Retirement would become impossibly distant.
This was precisely why I was searching for talent.
Unusual hunters I had begun looking for after hearing about Min-jun’s example.
It didn’t have to be anything special.
I was searching for hunters like Min-jun who purchased many low-level magic stones or had strange characteristics.
To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations.
There were unusual ones, but none of them were as remarkable as Min-jun.
Just look at Jung Ji-hwan—he was crazy and had decent abilities, but he was only Level 4, wasn’t he?
Because of that, I wasn’t holding high hopes.
So when Ma Hyun-seok saw a report from an American diplomat, he didn’t think it particularly strange.
[There is a hunter purchasing Disaster Level 1 magic stones.]
‘Hmm.’
Still, just in case, I should save this.
Ma Hyun-seok examined it a bit more before refocusing on his work.

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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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