In the Name of God - Chapter 33.2
“Yes, what is it?”
Nam Hojin looked at me briefly before asking.
“Are you well-acquainted with Awakened Lee Sunho, number 211?”
Why would he ask that?
‘Is it because I was with Lee Sunho?’
He had ripped through the barrier and rushed in to fight the black rock golem with me. Nam Hojin may have judged that Lee Sunho and I were fairly close.
From the association’s perspective, someone like Lee Sunho would be a highly desirable talent. They probably wanted to get even a small piece of information from me.
It felt awkward to call us close, but it also felt wrong to say we barely knew each other, so I chose my words carefully.
“We just became acquainted while running dungeons together.”
“Did you notice anything unusual?”
Unusual?
“What do you mean?”
“…Nothing. I was just a little interested in Awakened Lee Sunho’s abilities.”
It seemed there was another meaning behind the question, but I could not dig any deeper.
-Master, only 15 minutes left!
Shit.
Because of the interview, only fifteen minutes remained on the time limit.
I left the interview room at a brisk pace, leaving a perplexed Nam Hojin behind.
***
After Seong Do‑yoon’s interview ended,
Nam Hojin sat quietly for a while, lost in thought.
Leaning slightly against the back of his chair, his rough fingers tapped on the desk in a steady rhythm.
‘That slash….’
Nam Hojin was thinking not of the 9th rank awakener Seong Do‑yoon he had interviewed, but of another man of the same rank.
The invisible rapid slashes, the flawless evasion with minimal movement, the ability to effortlessly cut through a barrier that could even stop a Grade 3 officer, such a strange power.
‘And that is 9th rank?’
If the man had been like Seong Do‑yoon, someone who could already handle mana from an early stage, Nam Hojin would not have taken it so seriously.
But this man, Lee Sunho, had sliced the barrier smoothly with just a slash, without raising mana.
He cut through the void, through space.
It was as if he could even cut through dimensions.
‘It is almost….’
It was reminiscent of ‘that person,’ the hero of this world.
A chill ran down Nam Hojin’s spine, and his neck stiffened. Just thinking of that person from the past made him break out in a cold sweat.
‘No. That cannot be.’
Having faced that person directly during the holy war, Nam Hojin was certain Lee Sunho was not the same individual. The ages did not match, and the aura was completely different.
‘Among awakeners who wield swords, there are plenty with similar talent.’
Yes. That must be it.
Otherwise, it would make no sense.
‘Have I grown old? I am having foolish thoughts.’
Since taking the position of special officer in the association, his sense of real combat had dulled. It was not strange that his instincts were blunted compared to the past.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
Hearing the knock, Nam Hojin allowed entry. The Fifth Grade Special Officer who had interviewed Lee Sunho came in. Judging by his appearance, the interview had just ended.
“How was the interview with Awakened Lee Sunho?”
“No special incidents. His answers were straightforward, and if you tried to press him, he skillfully avoided it.”
“Did you try persuasion?”
“Yes. But he did not show any interest at all.”
The officer gave a wry smile and placed the tablet in his hand on the desk. Lee Sunho’s awakener registration information appeared on the screen. Nam Hojin’s eyes naturally landed on the “Awakening Ability” section.
<Awakening Ability: Slash>
<Ability to cut through anything>
It was a name and description devoid of any subtlety, yet immediately understandable to anyone.
Lee Sunho had a low manifestation level, so he could only use Slash by wielding a sword, and his attack power was not particularly high, which explained why he had been assigned the lowest grade, 9th rank.
“The Awakening Ability Evaluation Committee never does anything properly, back then or now. They need to be completely replaced.”
They had given the “trash” label to an awakener capable of executing such slashes.
Nam Hojin could not have guessed that Seong Do‑yoon, upon seeing Lee Sunho, would have thought the same.
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