CH 228

“You don’t know the basics of negotiation, do you? Do I look like an idiot? Did you think you could do whatever you wanted to me?”

Seyoung’s voice, which oozed with killing intent, made the man in the front passenger seat flinch. The man was a military veteran who had gone through his fair share of battles, but Seyoung was a being who exceeded all the standards he had ever experienced.

Moreover, the man, who wasn’t even a Master level user, had no real sense of what kind of existence Seyoung was.

“… Hmm. Well, this should be enough of a distance.”

Saying this, the man turned on a small TV that was installed in the car. On the screen, Hye-ran could be seen tied to a chair with a stiff expression on her face.

The large table next to her was set with a feast of delicacies, and a large man could be seen chomping away and eating the vast spread of food. The man eating at the table was Kenichi Shinoda, an executive of a yakuza group that was closely linked to right-wing groups.

“Oh, I haven’t finished eating yet, but you’ve already connected with me. Why are you in such a hurry?”

“I’m very sorry, sir.”

Seeing the pale-faced man lowering his head, Genichi smiled. The pale-faced man wished they had gone a little farther before connecting Seyoung to his boss. The vehicle Seyoung was riding in was quickly moving away from their hideout, even at this moment. Since all the tracking devices attached to Hye-ran’s body had been removed beforehand, it was impossible to locate and find her, no matter how famous and skilled the members of Heaven above the Heavens were.

“No, no, you shouldn’t apologize. Well, anyway, nice to meet you, Arthur. To be able to talk face to face with such an esteemed Heaven above the Heavens member…”

“… Are you okay, Mother?”

“Yes. I’m so sorry, son. I didn’t think things through…”

“No, mother, I will pick you up soon, so take it easy. Take a deep breath.”

Although she was the mother of an amazing Irregular genius, Hye-ran was just an ordinary middle-aged woman. Since she didn’t possess superior brain power or superhuman physical abilities, at her advanced age, she needed to be taken care of at all times. Moreover, she had recently been a patient who had entered the final stage of leukemia and was even judged as terminally ill. Although she was close to being fully cured thanks to the Noblesse’s help and power, Seyoung was always mindful and concerned about her health.

“Hahaha, I can tell that you’re a great filial son.”

“… What is your objective? Are you trying to get me to seek asylum?”

If the goal was to change Seyoung’s nationality, this abduction was the worst move one could take to try and achieve that objective.

It wasn’t like the Japanese government just needed a quick fix, as they needed Arthur to actively help Japan confront its enemies’ persistent attacks, so the extreme method of kidnapping someone he loved and intimidating Seyoung into action was the worst option one could take to bring Seyoung over to one’s side. Didn’t the Japanese government already try their hand by drugging and seducing him? The Japanese government had already calculated that they couldn’t afford to anger Seyoung, so they had chosen a roundabout, primitive tactic to seduce him through other means.

Genichi laughed after hearing Seyoung’s question.

“Hahaha. I don’t need help from someone from an inferior race. Our Great Japanese Empire has many talented people, and we can defend Japan with our own strength.”

“… Then what do you want? If it’s money you’re after…”

Genichi cut Seyoung off and laughed out loud.

“Hahaha! How long are you going to pretend you don’t know? Do you think we’re all foolish beings since we put you on a pedestal, shower you with praises, and call you a genius?”

A delighted smile spread across Kenichi’s face. Then, glaring at the screen, Kenichi growled.

“Tell me what power and authority you received from the Noblesse, what you had to trade for those things, and the qualifications one needs to become a member of the Heaven above the Heavens.”

“What… what kind of idiotic question is that…”

Seyoung’s face hardened. He realized that he was in the worst type of situation imaginable.

It would have been far better if the other side wanted money. Arthur had already amassed quite a fortune, and if he could save his mother, he wouldn’t think twice about giving up all his wealth.

For the sake of his mother, Arthur would even be willing to betray South Korea and exile to Japan. It would hurt him to betray his country, but his mother, Hye-ran, was everything to him.

Besides, even if he were to defect, it wasn’t like he was going to attack Korea, and in the end, regardless of whatever national affiliation, he would be saving people’s lives and working for humanity.

However, Arthur was being asked to give something that didn’t exist… the situation he found himself in was serious.

“According to my research, you were originally a simple college student. You showed signs of brilliance at times, but for the most part, you weren’t considered a genius, just another normal guy who attended classes and had to work a part-time job every day to make ends meet. But right before DIO was put into service, you acquired a large amount of money from an unknown source.”

This was true. When he became a college student, Arthur was just another ordinary college student who was smart and sincere, but not to the point of being a genius.

However, unbeknownst to even himself, Arthur was a rare talent in the universe, a one-in-a-quintillion Irregular, and Tan, an elder member of Noblesse and a transcendent being, recognized Arthur’s specialness and contracted with him on the spot. In exchange for treating Hye-ran, who had an incurable disease, Tan made Arthur join DIO.

“Yes, I contracted with the Noblesse. They were offering to heal my mother as long as I reached Level 20.”

“Oho~ Is that so? So, it is purely your ability that has made you a member of the Heaven above the Heavens, huh?”

“Yes.”

Seyoung nodded his head. Though Seyoung was speaking the truth, Genichi just laughed after hearing Seyoung’s response.

“Don’t make me laugh. Do you think it makes sense that there are two members of the Heaven above the Heavens in Korea? Does it make sense that none officially exist in Japan or in any other country? Moreover, all three members are under 30 years old!”

His argument, which Kenichi spoke while bursting with laughter, was already a hot topic that was heavily discussed in all corners of the world. In particular, many Japanese netizens argued that the existence of the only known Heaven above the Heavens members was a conspiracy by the Korean government. Moreover, many believed that the stated fact that there were more Masters in Korea than in any other country was also a fabrication.

Of course, the objections from Korean netizens were obvious.

‘Why would our government do such things? Does it even have such power?’

However, conspiracy theories persisted. It wasn’t because people were naturally conspiracy theorists, but the fact that even famous scholars and doctors all over the world, and even national sports players, barely reached Level 10 made it seem all the more improbable that two special users, who didn’t exhibit any special qualities before DIO’s launch, could reach the highest levels within the game seemed totally improbable. People just couldn’t wrap their heads around this incomprehensible result.

“But… that’s the reality. I got used to DIO’s system and leveled up with my skills and abilities. If you ask me if that makes sense, then I’d answer that it makes sense to me because that’s the truth. I was just able to do what other people couldn’t do.”

“Oh, such an eloquent tongue you have there. Then why are there two guys like you in Korea?”

As Kenichi took a sip from a sake cup, Seyoung replied.

“There’s no particular reason. It’s just probability.”

“Probability?”

“Yes. Do you think there will be a special answer if you ask a person who won a lottery after buying just one lottery ticket how they won?”

Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original.

“So, you’re saying that you’re like a winning lottery ticket. Korea just got extremely lucky to have two such lottery tickets?”

“Yes.”

This was the truth. Even though his mother was being held hostage, and the whole situation was nerve racking, Seyoung explained the situation as calmly as possible. However, Kenichi burst out into laughter once more.

“So, you’re saying that there’s no particular reason… you’re a Heaven above the Heavens member just because you’re a genius, right? Fufu! Hahaha! You’re talking nonsense because you need to provide me with a plausible answer!”

“It is true.”

“Ah, yes, fine. Okay. It seems you’re not willing to tell me the truth since I’ve been so accommodating, right?”

Kenichi winked. And at his signal, a man appeared behind him carrying a sledgehammer.

“… Don’t.”

Through their conversation, Seyoung could tell that the person he was speaking with was from some backwater underworld. Considering that the man was Japanese, there was a high probability that he was an old-fashioned yakuza. Even his slow movements and manner of speaking, as if he had experienced murder countless times before, oozed with a sense of killing intent.

“First, we’ll crush your mother’s right hand.”

“Don’t!”

Rattle!

As Seyoung roared out loud, the man driving the car stiffened, and subsequently, the car shook. However, Genichi’s smile broadened, as if he was getting rather excited.

“Do it.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Don’t!!”

Crack!

“Kyak!!”

Hye-ran’s body, which was tied up, flinched. But her hand wasn’t crushed or anything of the sort. This was because the sledgehammer strayed slightly from her hand and hit the desk beside her.

“Okay, this is your last chance. Tell me how one can become a Heaven above the Heavens member.”

“There’s no other way! The chance and possibility are open to everyone! If one works and trains hard…!”

Seyoung screamed out in frustration. He was a superhuman genius, but he didn’t know how to deal with or negotiate with a deranged hostage taker.

Arthur had lived a good and clean life, so he didn’t know how to cope with this situation.

“S-Seyoung…”

“Oh, lady, after pretending to be quite calm, do you now understand the seriousness of this situation?”

As Hye-ran opened her mouth, Genichi raised his hand to stop his henchman from raising his sledgehammer once more. Genichi hoped that Hye-ran, terrified of the predicament that she was in, would urge Seyoung to speak the truth.

But unexpectedly, Hye-ran spoke in a calm tone.