Chapter 456: The Pain That Could Not Kill Me (1)

Despite the Association President’s uncomfortable reaction, Choi Kanghyuk willingly nodded.

“To deceive outsiders, should we not first deceive the patients as well?”

“....... Even so, telling me to use an ability that can beat monsters to death on a person.......”

“Ah! Do not worry. You only need to practice controlling the strength a little. I know because I have tried it before, and the effect was very good.”

It was an experience from when he had been Mujin.

He had asked a Great Martial Uncle of a much higher generation to provide electrical treatment.

For Hyungwang’s rehabilitation.

It had been the same even after he succeeded in treating Hyungwang.

He had entrusted electrical treatment to Shaolin monks who had learned martial arts that handled lightning energy.

At the Tianliu Muscle and Bone Treatment Clinic, a joint creation of the Tianliu Merchant Association and Shaolin.

'Back then, it was a world without electrical therapy machines, so I thought of it as a substitute.'

Naturally, electrical therapy machines existed here.

There was no need to use a person as a substitute for an electrical therapy machine.

But the situation was different now.

Because of the lies they had already told.

Of course, to the Association President, who knew nothing of Choi Kanghyuk’s past, it was simply absurd.

“You have experience doing it? What do you mean by that? As far as I know, awakened people with electricity-type abilities are quite rare.”

“There is such a thing. In any case, we have no choice since we need to deceive the patients receiving treatment as well.”

Choi Kanghyuk suddenly held out his right arm.

When the Association President merely stared blankly at that hand, Choi Kanghyuk spoke with a frustrated expression.

“What are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“What will you do if you move straight to actual practice and accidentally kill the patients? You should at least practice first.”

“By practice, surely you do not mean for me to use it on you?”

Choi Kanghyuk willingly nodded.

“You used your ability on me yesterday as well, did you not? I am fine, so try it.”

“E-even so, yesterday you blocked or avoided it, did you not? If I used it directly on bare flesh.......”

“It is fine. I am accustomed to such things, so you may try it.”

With an uncomfortable expression, the Association President held out his hand.

Crackle.

Electricity flowed along the Association President’s hand.

And the moment the Association President’s palm touched Choi Kanghyuk’s forearm. Choi Kanghyuk deeply furrowed his brow.

“Association President? Are you planning to kill all the patients?”

“K-kill them? What do you mean?”

“This. I endured it because it was me, but anyone else would suffer cardiac arrest.”

The Association President was left speechless.

'Other people would die from cardiac arrest, so why in the world are you perfectly fine!?'

Those words surged all the way to the end of his throat.

Of course, that was none of Choi Kanghyuk’s concern.

“Still, it was fortunate that we came early and had time to practice. If we had started immediately at the scene, there would have been an accident. Now, we still have time, so let us practice some more.”

Choi Kanghyuk once again held out his arm to the Association President.

The Association President focused every nerve on his fingertips.

'As, as weakly as possible.'

Then an extremely faint current flowed through Choi Kanghyuk’s forearm.

A level of electricity that could barely even be felt.

But Choi Kanghyuk, who had experience, did not panic.

“It is too weak. Let us call the current output level 1 for now. Treatment will probably require at least level 3 firepower. Now! Association President, this time, try sending exactly three times the current amount of electricity.”

“Exactly three times?”

The Hunter Association President’s office.

The Association President, who had withdrawn from actual combat, had to continuously use his ability for the first time in a long while.

From intensity 1 to 7. In order to freely control the electrical output.

***

One hour later. The Hunter Association’s physical training room.

“We will end today’s warm-up exercises here.”

At Choi Kanghyuk’s words, the three hunters drew in rough breaths.

“Inhale. Hoo.”

For a warm-up, it had been quite a burdensome exercise.

But unlike their exhausted bodies, all of their eyes shone brightly.

The exercise was over.

Then what awaited them next was that.

The qi treatment where horrible pain and supreme refreshment crossed over one another.

Choi Kanghyuk spoke to the hunters filled with anticipation.

“You have all seen the news, so you know, but in truth, I was only loosening the knotted areas with my hands, and the Association President was actually carrying out the treatment.”

The retired hunters also nodded with expressions of understanding.

'Well, qi treatment.'

'No matter how many ability users and gates appeared, it was strange.'

Only one person.

Na Taeju alone knew the truth.

'Tsk. I should keep my mouth shut and read the room.'

To begin with, Na Taeju had first heard about qi treatment from Kim Jicheol and Park Gyuchul.

That meant he had known about it even before the Association President appeared.

And early this morning.

Park Gyuchul had contacted him.

- Brother. Did you see the news?

“Of course I did. A French mafia hitman. What is this, some kind of movie?”

- Ah. Not that. About the qi treatment.

“Ah....... Huh? But did you and Jicheol not receive that before the Association President? Something seems strange?”

At Na Taeju’s question, Park Gyuchul told him the story he had heard.

The story Choi Kanghyuk had told Kim Jicheol, and Kim Jicheol had passed on to Park Gyuchul.

- Ah. That is because the Association President lied to protect Director Choi.

“What do you mean? Protect him?”

- You saw it on the news, did you not? That serial killer Seo Yonggwang went looking for Director Choi. That part is true.

“....... What?”

- Bro, think about it as well. He can cure hunters whose abilities have been blocked. Director Choi is only charging cheaply because he is the kind of person he is. When you think about it, is that not an absurd ability?

Park Gyuchul added.

That serial killer had truly planned to kidnap Director Choi and sell him to a foreign criminal organization.

“Was that bastard completely insane? Good riddance. No. He died too easily, did he not?”

- I think so too, Bro. In any case, the Association President told that lie because other similar people might target Director Choi as well.

“Ah.......”

- So even if it is a little uncomfortable for you, please pretend not to know and let it pass.

“Hey. Do you think I am that oblivious? Director Choi could be put in danger, so of course I should.”

Those who knew the truth.

Na Taeju and the others who had previously received qi treatment from Choi Kanghyuk voluntarily began keeping their mouths shut.

Because they all considered Choi Kanghyuk their benefactor.

However, there was one question.

'They say the Association President carried out the qi treatment, but is it not a little obvious? The Association President only stands there with his hands behind his back.'

A question of just how far this lie could go.

At that moment. Choi Kanghyuk suddenly said something unexpected.

“In that sense, from now on, the Association President will personally carry out the treatment in earnest. I am only an assistant.”

The moment those words ended, the Association President stepped forward.

Choi Kanghyuk and the Association President approached the hunter lying at the very front.

“Please focus the treatment around this area today.”

Choi Kanghyuk pointed toward the hunter’s knee.

Then the Association President extended his hand with a grave expression.

A moment later, electricity flowed along the Association President’s hand.

Crackle-crackle-crackle.

The two hunters scheduled for treatment wore fascinated expressions.

“Oooooh.”

Because they thought he had been treating them with that electricity all this time.

Only one person. Na Taeju’s reaction was different.

'C-crazy!?'

No matter how much they needed to deceive people, he was actually firing electricity into a person’s body!?

While Na Taeju swallowed dryly. The Association President’s hand wrapped around the hunter’s knee.

Crackle-crackle.

Then the hunter opened his mouth with a fascinated expression.

“Wow. This feels exactly like receiving physical therapy at a hospital. You know, that electrical treatment?”

“Yes. It will probably feel similar.”

“But it does feel a little different from when you called it qi treatment before.”

It was a sharp observation, but Choi Kanghyuk had already thought of an answer.

“Ah. Right now, we are injecting the electricity first. Once I loosen the injected electricity through massage, you will feel something similar to before.”

“Oooooh. So that was it!”

Between the calm conversation.

Crackle-crackle-crackle.

Electricity flowed along the Association President’s hand.

Cold sweat also ran down Na Taeju’s back.

'That is a complete lie!! This is not qi treatment, you are just electrocuting him!!'

A fairy tale he had read as a child came to mind.

The pain of being unable to shout that the king’s ears were donkey ears.

It was absolutely not because he was next and feared he might accidentally be electrocuted to death.

***

Fortunately, the electrical treatment used as a disguise ended without any particular incident.

'Hunter Na Taeju did look a little unwell today. Probably?'

There was no telling why he had been sweating so much before the electrical treatment.

Just as Choi Kanghyuk, having finished all the qi treatments, was about to leave the physical training room. For some reason, the Association President stopped him.

“Hunter Choi. Let us talk for a moment.”

Choi Kanghyuk swallowed his disappointment inwardly.

'Ah. I still have not properly lifted iron today.'

Too many things had happened since last night.

His muscles were beginning to itch.

“What is it, Association President?”

“In truth, I forgot because of the electrical treatment, but there is something I wished to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“Judging by what I saw last night, your skills were considerable. Do you have any intention of rising to A-rank hunter?”

Choi Kanghyuk willingly accepted the proposal.

“If I can be promoted, there is nothing bad about it. Would that not be a good thing for me?”

“Hmm. Then I will process the matter today. If you visit the Association again tomorrow, your license should be ready.”

He had to visit the Association tomorrow for qi treatment anyway, so there was no particular problem.

After finishing the conversation, Choi Kanghyuk left the Association just like that.

The Association President, who had silently watched his retreating back, belatedly realized an important fact.

'Wait, come to think of it, was it not only about three months ago that Hunter Choi awakened?'

It was not as though there had never been hunters who reached A-rank shortly after awakening.

But in such cases, their awakened abilities had been absurdly good from the beginning.

For example, the Association President himself had been like that.

An electricity-type ability. Even its firepower was considerably powerful.

An A-rank hunter through only the strength of his ability.

Had he possessed a young and vigorous body, and had he continued to remain active in actual combat, it would have been at a level where he could even aim for S-rank.

But Choi Kanghyuk’s case was entirely different.

Because the evaluation when Choi Kanghyuk first received his hunter license had not been particularly good.

At best, an ability around C-rank.

However, because it was an ability that could continue developing, they had expected that he might rise a little higher.

But who would have thought that development would be this fast?

Forget three months, reaching B-rank within a year would already have been considered fast.

'At this speed, a new S-rank hunter may be born within a few months.'

It was not enough that he treated retired hunters with qi treatment. He himself was also becoming a special-grade combat force.

'Things have already been unsettled lately, but he is Korea’s blessing. Korea’s blessing indeed.'

***

A few days later.

Before an ominously wavering gate near Bukhansan.

Five people had gathered, including Choi Kanghyuk, Kim Jicheol, and Park Gyuchul.

“Is everyone ready?”

At Kim Jicheol’s question, the four people nodded.

Kim Jicheol, who likewise nodded, looked toward the gate entrance.

'It has been a long time.'

The place they had come to was an A-rank gate.

A place Kim Jicheol had once entered and exited all the time.

And a place he had been unable to visit for over a year after his injury.

Kim Jicheol steadied his mind with a deep breath.

'My body has completely recovered. No, it is actually even better.'

Four months of rehabilitation and qi treatment.

His ability had completely recovered.

It was not only his ability.

Through four months of exercise, his muscular strength and stamina had also fully returned.

No, thanks to Choi Kanghyuk’s personal training, it felt as though his physical capabilities had developed even further than before.

In a way, today was that kind of day.

The day to confirm the results of the rehabilitation treatment he had received from Choi Kanghyuk over the past four months. And the results of his training.

Having steadied himself, Kim Jicheol turned his head and spoke to the group.

“Then let us go.”

The moment his words ended, Choi Kanghyuk took the first step forward.

He did not say it, but that was the feeling he gave.

As though he was saying that since he was the tank, he would stand at the very front.

Looking at that extremely dependable back, Kim Jicheol’s heart grew much lighter.

'Right. I can do this.'

Kim Jicheol followed behind Choi Kanghyuk and entered the gate.