Rookie of the Year 2nd Semester (5)
The rankings were renewed every three years, but there were cases where it would happen faster due to changes in the international situation. There would also be cases of renewal before then as well as when the majority of the top-rankers consented to the change. It would also happen when an existing ranker died, and the rankers below them were raised as a result. Shin Eun-hyuk had risen to the fourth rank because Emil Markov, who was the last number four, had died.
“Is everyone gathered?”
“The new faces have increased so much in just a few years.”
“A few years, everything has changed in just two months.” Although an unprecedented incident in which two top rankers had betrayed humanity and even one of them had died, the members of the seven top rankers that represented earth’s superhumans armed forces didn’t change very easily. When the top ranks shook, the world would shake with it, and if a top ranker died, then the world stock markets fluctuated. They were beings that maintained the world’s stability just by existing. However, the top rankers couldn’t skip their meetings just because two members had turned out to be traitors.
“Thank you for attending this meeting.” It was the number one, Shin Eunah, who served as the chairman. She bowed her head and spoke calmly. Kang Shinhyuk, who attended in his mask, clapped moderately as he looked around the surroundings. The meeting place was in a small conference room in the Lubron Hotel in Seoul. The reason why the meeting was being held there was that Korea was ranked first. Since the previous number one had also been Korean, everyone was used to it.
“It’s been a while since we’ve met here. Joo-young Oh was sitting there shamelessly last time too.”
“That psycho.”
“I mean, the two who betrayed us were Asian, right? How can we trust this new guy?” Kang Shin-hyuk turned his head and looked at the person who just spoke up.
‘Mid-forties, but they looked like they’re in their thirties… I’ll need to watch out for this one.’ It was Ulrich Hinchen, who was number seven. He had risen to sixth place after Bomber Girl betrayed them, but then his ranking had been fixed after Kang Shin-hyuk took fifth place. Now he had risen again after the fourth ranker had died.
“What are you looking at?” Ulrich spoke German, but Kang Shin-hyuk was now able to handle all languages after joining the Hero Universe. He responded to him in perfect German.
“Either leave or shut up.”
“Ha.” He tried to stand up with an excited smirk, but he didn’t expect Kang Shin-hyuk to react so quickly. He was blocked by the five threads projected by the soul connector that fastened him and his chair to the floor.
“Weren’t you going to go? No? Then you’ll be quiet?”
“Ugh…!” When his body didn’t budge, he raised his magical power to activate his trait. In response to him, however, the spiritual threads tightened around him and constrained even the movement of his magic. Kang Shin-hyuk’s cold eyes told him there would be no further warning.
“…Damn.” He knew it was his defeat the moment Kang Shin-hyuk fired the threads without his noticing. It was as good as saying he’d be dead if Shin-hyuk wanted him to be. Only after acknowledging his death in his heart did Ulrich relax. Kang Shin-hyuk let the thread go with a laugh.
“The antagonism between top rankers isn’t helpful. Also, keep in mind that the criterion for becoming a top ranker has nothing to do with nationality but rather with power.”
“Sure.”
“I can vouch for his abilities myself.” Shin Eunah firmly and fairly declared so as the chairman. All the others around the table nodded in agreement. Now, no one was dissatisfied with his ranking, as Shin-hyuk and Eunah intended.
-Eunah’s whisper: Good job.
-I should’ve joined a drama club.
-Eunah’s whisper: Shinyoung has no such club.
Of course, the skit that had just played out was planned between the two. No one could complain against Shin Eunah, who had more than proven her abilities during the world conference, but Shin Eun-hyuk was a relatively easy target despite his contributions. This served to solidify his position.
‘Those ranked below me would be especially unhappy.’ The possibility of a dispute was high, given the re-arrangements happening in the top ranks if they hadn’t taken action.
“So, today, let’s discuss the recruitment of a new top ranker and future Jormungand countermeasures.”
“Countermeasures.” The older active duty top ranker and number three, a Chinese man named the Dark Curtain Jang Jinmyeong, let out a sigh.
“It seems almost certain that Jormungand can gather information on the people entering through the gates… you have to be careful on your own, right? It’s nothing ridiculous about us sticking together, right?”
“Surely. I just came to the conclusion that we should have at least one means of countering it.” Shin Eunah responded calmly and suddenly picked up her phone to send a text. Shortly after, the door of the meeting room opened to reveal a beauty with red hair. Her red hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she wore an attractive white blouse.
“Hello, everyone!”
“The Alchemist?” Everyone seemed surprised except for Kang Shin-hyuk and Eunah. There were many idol-like beings among the superhumans, but she was one of the most attractive even among them. Shin Eunah didn’t lack in appearance either, but she was so strong she couldn’t be considered.
“Why are you here?” Number two, Stone Ground Nick Harland, seemed happy to see her. He was American as well, so perhaps he was just happy to see a fellow countryman.
“Wait a minute, is she the new top ranker? Didn’t you say that top rankers are chosen by power?” Shin Eunah shook her head with a bloody smile when the man ranked five grunted.
“The candidates for the new top ranks will be decided among those close to the top seven. She has been called to counter Jormungand.”
“A measure against Jormungand? Will we all dope like the Puppeteer?”
“What a ridiculous thought. Our Puppeteer here is the only one who can grow stronger with my potion.” Claire came in and sat right beside Kang Shin-hyuk with a loud laugh. Some gazes were thrown their way, mostly from Shin Eunah, but Shin-hyuk ignored them.
“Why is it limited to the Puppeteer?” Meanwhile, Nick Harland turned to her, regretting that he couldn’t use her potions. She shrugged.
“Our compatibility is right. That part has already been officially revealed. I have a clear reason for not going at the request of the US government.”
“No… but why Korea?” Claire shook her hand for him to give up.
“Rather than that, let’s talk about communicators. That’s why I’m attending this event.”
“Communicator?”
“Yes.” Claire exchanged a glance with Shin Eunah before taking out several small wireless earphones.
“…Air pods?”
“No, you fool. It’s a communicator that can work inside a gate.” The people went silent as they mulled over her words, but soon Jang Jinmyeong stood up and began to shout.
“How is that possible?!”
“Several countries have been developing them in secret, but none have succeeded so far!”
“But voila! I have!”
“Unbeknownst to the US government?!”
“Because I didn’t get their support.” Nick shook his head.
“Are you going to defect to Korea?”
“Don’t make me sound like a traitor. I meant getting involved with the government makes it difficult, and mass production is impossible. Oh, and that depends on how my love affairs are resolved.”
“Affair…!” Shin Eunah blatantly began to wriggle at that last bit. The two shared another glance as Kang Shin-hyuk picked up a communicator as if it had nothing to do with him.
“As she said, it can’t be mass-produced. Moreover, the production cost is astronomical. They also need to be tested.”
“Why do you know that…?”
“I’m her collaborator. This is a product made by the two of us.” So far, communicating with someone outside of the gate was only possible through the Hero Universe. Claire had been researching ways to enable communication through that barrier and found a possibility when she met Kang Shin-hyuk and learned spiritual power. Kang Shin-hyuk was worried the Hero Universe might not allow it, but the administrator never brought it up. Rather, Halo and Mirang assured him that high-level worlds already had such a way to communicate beyond gates. So, for nearly a month, they had studied ways to do so.
“The trials will be conducted by ourselves.”
“It’s not stable yet, so it drains the user’s magic considerably. For a top ranker, that should pose no problem.”
“So, we can send rescue requests if we fall into Jormungand’s traps?”
“Well, not that it means you can run straight into the gate just because you get a request.” At that point, Claire held her index finger up.
“That’s why I added a teleport function.”
“That was my part.” Shin Eunah spoke up calmly and turned the communication device on. Nick Harland and the others laughed in disbelief.
“How could this be made without us knowing…”
“Think of it as an honor, as you are the first to receive one.”
“In the future, top rankers should be careful not to die in vain to Jormungand. With this, we can cooperate closely in the future.” Shin Eunah declared so solemnly as she held her own communicator.
“For the time being, I would like to talk to you about these communicators. Analyzing it doesn’t mean you can create it. If you take it apart or break it, I will ensure your country will never have one in the future.”
“Hey, Alchemist…”
“Sorry.” Claire stuck her tongue out at Nick, who looked anxious.
“Now’s the time to think about the world rather than just your own country.”
“What…”
“Then, let’s get to the main point of the day.” Shin Eunah cleared the air with her loud declaration.
“That is, choosing a new top ranker. The talents currently ranked seventh to tenth are the most powerful practically…”
The meeting ended successfully. The three Hero Universe members on Earth had begun to change their world in earnest.