38. Can’t Hide Anymore. (2)

Seong Ga-yeon translated the U.S. commander’s words.

“We wanted to know your movements. It’s only natural to be curious about a new force. We sent reconnaissance drones several times and were able to see where you were staying and how you fought that monster beast.”

…So they were watching us with a drone the whole time.

I didn’t notice at all because it was dark.

It must be pretty quiet to fly around like that.

It looks like a plastic piece stuck on a stick, but it seems to have amazing performance.

…I can’t even look at the special forces team.

They must have a lot of questions for me, but they can’t speak up in this setting.

The atmosphere was slightly frozen.

The U.S. commander broke the silence.

“Can you explain how you can fight like that? From the footage, you fired 9 arrows in an instant. And there was a sword moving on its own? A black figure appeared and disappeared. How is that possible?”

The Latino man added a few words while fiddling with the projector.

Seong Gyu-hyuk translated.

“From the footage, you killed a zombie with each shot, even with the Ingram, known for its low accuracy, in each hand. How is that possible?”

…Damn.

They really saw everything.

There’s no way to cover this up.

I can’t hide it anymore.

I slowly lifted my head.

…At this moment, not only the U.S. soldiers but also the special forces team are waiting for my answer.

And I have no idea how to explain this.

Tell them a square status window appears in front of my eyes?

And it’s only visible to me?

How do I explain that I press buttons and level up stats to gain skills?

I turned to Seong Ga-yeon.

Seong Gyu-hyuk also turned to me.

They’re both staring at me without blinking.

…Damn.

Alright.

Let’s keep it simple.

I took a deep breath.

And opened my mouth.

“…I’m a superhero.”

…What the hell, damn it.

Yeah, I’m a superhero!

What! Damn what!

Seong Ga-yeon, Seong Gyu-hyuk, and the special forces team.

All eyes were on me.

Their gazes were incredibly realistic.

If someone claimed to be a superhero in front of me, I’d probably laugh and punch them.

But I have no choice.

I can’t logically explain everything that happens to me, and I can’t make these people understand the truth.

I’m just a superhero.

Let’s leave it at that.

Believe it or not, that’s up to you.

The U.S. commander smiled and said,

“That might be the case. What you did was unrealistic. When I, and we, first saw it, we thought the camera was broken.”

The conference room door opened, and a muscular U.S. soldier entered with a tray of coffee cups.

The U.S. commander took a cup, sipped it, and said,

“But we can’t deny it. The bodies, the dead monster beast, and the appearance of the monster dogs all prove what you did.”

The U.S. commander glanced at the screen.

There I was, standing with two swords in my hands.

The screen was paused.

The U.S. commander said,

“Your abilities are unrealistic. It’s impossible. If someone could do such things, I would have laughed and called it a well-edited video a few months ago. But do you know what?”

The U.S. commander turned to me.

“Given that you have these unrealistic abilities, the current situation is also unrealistic.”

I took a sip of coffee.

Not because I really wanted it, but because I had nothing to say.

The U.S. commander said,

“We’ve lost our families, our government, and everything that supported our lives in an instant. Outside, there are people who were once our neighbors, friends, and family, now trying to tear us apart.”

He slowly stood up and walked over to me.

Then, he sat on the table in front of me and said,

“The world has become unrealistic, so it’s not impossible for someone with unrealistic abilities to appear. That’s what I decided.”

Seong Gyu-hyuk, who had been listening, quietly said,

“You’ve taken it quite well. I still feel like I’m watching a movie scene every time I see this person’s abilities.”

…He’s saying this for me to hear.

There’s a hint of reproach in his tone, as if asking why I didn’t tell him this was possible earlier.

If it were something I could have explained and shown earlier, I would have.

But it’s impossible, so I’ve just been fudging it along.

The U.S. commander faintly smiled and took out two cigars from his pocket, offering one to me.

…A cigar.

…Might as well take it.

The U.S. commander cut the cigar I took with a cutter and said,

“Don’t misunderstand. I feel like I’m watching a movie too. We’ve watched the footage countless times last night, discussing it. And we reached a pretty good conclusion.”

Seong Gyu-hyuk tilted his head and asked,

“…What conclusion?”

The U.S. commander lit the cigar.

…It’s good.

I enjoyed the deep flavor of the Cuban cigar while listening to Seong Ga-yeon’s translation.

Seong Ga-yeon translated the U.S. commander’s words.

“…Whether we believe it or not isn’t important now. Whether his abilities are real or not is what matters. That’s our conclusion.”

The U.S. commander said this to Seong Gyu-hyuk and then turned to me.

“…Are your abilities real?”

…He’s asking me to show it.

The special forces team is also staring at me.

…I really can’t hide it anymore.

I can’t cover it up or brush it off.

Everyone is watching me.

…The tension I didn’t feel when fighting human beasts or monster beasts is rising now.

I might choke, damn it.

I can’t choke while everyone is watching.

I took a deep breath.

Then, I placed my hand on the hilt of the sword at my waist and stood up.

I slowly drew the sword.

Swoosh-

The U.S. commander stepped away from the table and stood by the window.

He wants to see what I’m about to do from a good angle.

Sigh.

Whatever.

People were bound to find out about my abilities sooner or later.

I threw the sword onto the table.

The hilt slid along my fingers and flew forward.

The moment it left my fingertips,

From my cheek,

From the tips of my fingers,

From the shadow cast by my outstretched arm,

A shadow sliced through the air and caught the sword.

Swish!

The shadow warrior, gripping the sword,

Was kneeling on one knee on the table.

It slowly lifted its head.

It looked at me.

It had no face.

“Ah!”

Seong Ga-yeon jumped up, startled.

People gasped and stood up in a flurry.

Yeah.

It’s scary.

I was pretty shocked the first time I saw this faceless, black figure too.

The expressions on people’s faces were varied.

Shock.

Astonishment.

Fear.

Awe.

With their own emotions reflected in their faces, people surrounded me.

…Come back.

The shadow warrior crouched down.

Then, it leaped toward me with all its might.

The shadow warrior, appearing right in front of me, handed me the sword and then disintegrated like a cube, disappearing instantly.

People gasped in surprise.

I slowly lowered my arm and sheathed the sword.

Swoosh-click.

“…Is that enough?”

The U.S. commander was smiling.

However, a drop of sweat trickled down his cheek.

He said,

“That… is fascinating.”

…What does that mean?

Can someone translate?

Seong Ga-yeon was just staring at me with wide eyes, not reacting.

This woman.

She was right next to me when I activated the shadow warrior, but it was in a state of acceleration.

She probably only saw a brief, flashing impression.

This is the first time she’s seen the shadow warrior up close.

She must have been quite shocked by the face.

The other special forces team members weren’t much different.

The U.S. commander started speaking.

Seong Gyu-hyuk, who had been catching his breath, looked between the commander and me.

Seong Gyu-hyuk was the quickest to accept the situation.

He said,

“The commander is asking if you can summon that thing whenever you want.”

It becomes useless when I use all my strength, but I can summon it whenever I want.

I slowly nodded.

The U.S. commander said,

Seong Gyu-hyuk, who had been listening, translated for me.

“…He’s asking if you can help us, or rather, join our operation.”

…Right.

This is what I was waiting for.

I smiled faintly and said,

“I’ll listen to the plan. And of course, we need to talk about the compensation.”

The U.S. commander smiled and approached me.

Then, he extended his hand.

“Now we’re talking.”

…Now we’re talking?

We’ve been talking this whole time.

What’s he saying?

Anyway, English, tsk.

I shook the U.S. commander’s hand.

At that moment, Seong Gyu-hyuk translated,

“Now we’re talking, he says.”

…That’s what he meant?

Translate it properly, will you?

The U.S. commander and I shook hands like that.