Gooooooo!!
A powerful resonating hum.
Cutting through the skies was neither a plane nor a helicopter—but a single horse.
The Iron Horse.
A once-in-a-lifeti mystical creature, acquired after stripping every North Korean rail station bare.
Like a Pegasus, it had wings, and it was carrying its one and only master on its back, flying toward Japan.
“Refreshing... I like it.”
Every so often, the Iron Horse would step on empty air as it moved forward, performing far beyond expectations.
Gracefully slicing through the sky, it offered a very particular experience—sothing you could never feel on an airplane or a helicopter.
Of course, it wasn’t exactly sothing a normal person could easily ride.
Unlike other craft, there wasn’t even a single protective barrier to shield the body from the crushing pressure of the air.
The sa went for temperature.
The sky was colder than one might think—no, far colder than one could ever imagine.
If you were unlucky, you’d even get rained on, depending on the weather.
But to Su-ho, none of that mattered.
He was no longer an ordinary human—among superhumans, he was top-tier.
For soone like him, helts and protective gear were nothing but cumberso accessories.
And airspace radar ant to prevent unauthorized entry? To Su-ho, aningless.
[ Colorless Solitude is active. ]
It was a system ability capable of distorting even CCTV footage.
With it, Su-ho could travel from Seoul to Tokyo in just one hour.
Arriving in Akasaka, Minato Ward, Tokyo, Su-ho landed in a deserted spot.
“Good work.”
“Hiiiing.”
After dismissing the Iron Horse back into storage, he retrieved his mana bike from subspace and set off.
He found a 24-hour roaming shop, swapped out his SIM card, and called Ion.
“Representative, I’ve arrived in Akasaka.”
— What? Already?
“Yes. I’ve acquired a personal ans of transportation. Have you contacted Sumiyoshi yet?”
— I didn’t expect you to arrive this fast. I’ll do it now.
“No need. If you haven’t, I’ll call him. I’ll just say I happened to be in Japan for another engagent and decided to attend the eting.”
— Won’t they find that strange?
“It’ll be fine. Chairman Yasuda likes .”
— If that’s the case... alright, then I’ll leave the Japan eting matter in your hands.
Ending the call, Su-ho imdiately rang Yasuda Hiro.
He had the number saved, so there was no trouble finding it.
— Hello.
“Chairman? This is Kim Su-ho, Vice President of Union.”
— Ah, Vice President. What’s the occasion?
“I’ll be handling the upcoming Ability Bureau eting. Since I’m already in Japan, I thought we could proceed right away, so I wanted to let you know.”
— Oh, really? The Ability Bureau’s been saying they want to et as soon as possible. Where are you now?
“I’m in Akasaka. How about you, Chairman?”
— At my usual penthouse. Should I send soone for you?
“No, I’ll co to you. By the way, are you free right now?”
— Why?
“I was thinking—if there’s ti before the eting, perhaps we could have a swordsmanship sparring session.”
— I like that! That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day. I’ll arrange the eting for later, so let’s et at the penthouse. I’ll tell the staff to expect you—co as you like.
“Yes, thank you.”
As expected of Hiro—bring up sparring and things moved instantly.
Su-ho drove the bike straight to the luxury penthouse.
“We’ve been expecting you.”
The staff bowed as soon as they saw him.
It wasn’t that they recognized him—they could just tell he was a visitor.
He had, of course, altered his face to his Kim Su-ho disguise from before.
He had no intention of showing his real face. By now, An Su-ho’s appearance was fairly well-known.
Taking the elevator, he reached the floor where Hiro was.
It wasn’t a residential floor—it was a training floor.
There, already changed into sparring attire, Hiro greeted him warmly.
“Vice President!”
“Good to see you, Chairman.”
“Haha, I’d been hoping to see you again soday, but I didn’t think it’d be like this. I’m truly glad.”
“Likewise.”
Su-ho didn’t dislike Hiro.
There was no reason to dislike soone who genuinely loved swordsmanship as a forr prosecutor.
Smiling, Hiro said:
“The eting’s set for 8 p.m. It’s nearby, so we’ve got a good two or three hours free.”
Which ant, plenty of ti to “play.”
To Su-ho, it was technically just a hospitality session.
But he didn’t see sparring with Hiro as just hospitality.
'If the opponent’s Hiro, it’s a transaction disguised as entertainnt.'
Su-ho smiled.
“Then we’ve got at least two solid hours for sparring.”
“Haha! For soone of your skill, it’s really receiving instruction, not sparring. Still, going straight into it might be abrupt—how about so tea first?”
In one corner of the training floor, like a golf course lounge, a tea ceremony had been prepared for him.
Su-ho was able to drink tea brewed personally by the secretary.
As expected from the land of tea, the flavor was excellent—even Su-ho, who was insensitive to taste, could tell.
After a sip, Hiro spoke leisurely.
“Vice President, how much has Representative Ion told you about this eting?”
“May I speak frankly?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you. From what the Representative said, I think this is less of a eting and more of a hospitality session.”
Hiro’s eyes curved in amusent.
“Haha, you’re right. Dress it up all you like—at the end of the day, the other party is the Ability Bureau, so it’s really just hospitality. That’s probably why Union’s raid business proposal has been dragging.”
“What they want is money, I assu?”
“Well... if it were just a simple bribe, that would be the best-case scenario. That would an it’s just rogue officials, not the Bureau itself, causing trouble. But if it’s the Bureau as an institution putting on the brakes, things get more complicated.”
Exactly.
If the obstruction was coming from a governnt agency itself, money wouldn’t be enough.
'They say the easiest problems in the world are the ones you can solve with money.'
Su-ho narrowed his eyes.
“Then, if the Bureau is obstructing us, what reason might they have?”
“There are several possibilities. For one, the raid business is one of the most important ventures in this era of upheaval. Every country earns massive tax revenue from gates and Awakened Players, right?”
“True. And since Union’s a Korean company, they’d rather block us.”
“Yes—dealing with dostic companies is easier than with foreign ones. And if we add in sothing pettier, beyond tax revenue... it could be because Union is Korean in particular.”
“You an anti-Korean sentint?”
“Exactly. I’m not that type, but there are all kinds of people in the world, with all kinds of beliefs and values.”
“Mmm.”
Anti-Korean sentint—emotional and political issues were always the most troubleso.
There were ways to solve them, though most were... extre.
In any case, to know the truth, they’d have to et.
Su-ho nodded.
“In any case, we’ll only know for sure once we et them.”
“Right. We’ve had our people look into it, but nothing solid has co up.”
“Oh? You’ve already investigated?”
“Of course. We’re Sumiyoshi—do you think we’re a small outfit? This much is basic.”
That made Su-ho smile.
As expected of the Sumiyoshi chairman.
He had absorbed the third-largest syndicate entirely. If he hadn’t made at least this effort, Su-ho would have planned to use him and discard him later.
'A man who at least covers the basics.'
Hiro continued with a grin.
“By the way, you should be prepared for this sparring session. I’ve gone through a lot of changes since we last crossed swords.”
“Oh? Really? I’m looking forward to it.”
“Aren’t you going to ask what’s changed?”
“It’s no fun if I know beforehand. I’ll find out when our blades cross.”
“Haha! That’s why I like you. Let’s begin, then. But are you alright sparring in that outfit?”
“It’s fine. Not to disrespect you, but I believe a true swordsman should be able to handle a blade in any circumstance.”
“Hahaha!”
Hiro laughed heartily, genuinely pleased.
They both stood, taking their positions.
A wooden sword was handed to Su-ho.
Removing only his suit jacket, he took a relaxed stance.
“I’ll give you the first move.”
“When a master says that, it doesn’t sound insulting at all. Then I’ll take you up on it.”
Hiro also assud his stance—the standard guard of the Yasuda-ryu.
The smile vanished from his face.
As energy gathered in his wooden sword, Su-ho imdiately recognized the change.
'Looks like he’s managed to get the system to recognize Yasuda-ryu as an official skill.'
Hiro had long been the founder of Yasuda-ryu, practicing a unique sword style.
But founding your own style and having it recognized by the system as an official skill were worlds apart.
Once recognized, a skill carried imnse power.
'From that mont on, you can cut monsters, step into the realm beyond human limits, and gain trendous potential for growth.'
No wonder his aura was so imposing.
And that wasn’t a bad thing.
On the contrary—it was admirable.
Few swordsn who devoted themselves solely to the way of the sword ever developed a style truly their own, and even fewer had it acknowledged as a skill.
His confidence was the product of love, pride, and conviction in his own ability.
Then, he moved.
Suaaah!
For a mont, it felt as if his figure had vanished.
A rush of air followed, and Hiro was suddenly much closer.
Su-ho kept his ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) eyes fixed on him.
'Good movent.'
Far better than before.
Partly thanks to the recognition of his style as a skill, but more than that—it was clear he had trained and researched endlessly.
Su-ho gave him his full attention, without underestimating him.
A master who had reached such insight could grow even further with just a few pointed words.
Tak!
Su-ho deflected the wooden sword.
Hiro’s swordsmanship had indeed improved noticeably.
Which ant Su-ho had to respond all the more firmly and decisively.
Hiro’s weapon was knocked aside, but he imdiately twisted his body into a follow-up strike.
Tak! Tak! Tak!
A series of fierce attacks.
Su-ho t them with defense of equal rhythm.
For a while, the exchange was entirely one-sided offense from Hiro.
Su-ho never counterattacked.
Not because he looked down on him—he was watching for sothing.
'Looks like you haven’t reached that realm yet.'
The Yasuda-ryu Su-ho rembered was far different from what he saw now.
What he wanted to see was that version of Yasuda-ryu.
And then—
Whoosh!
The air heated.
It was the heat radiating from Hiro’s body.
'It’s begun.'
Su-ho’s eyes glead at the sight.
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