Park Ho-cheon was a famous A-rank Hunter.

Starting from C-rank, he rose quickly at a young age, building a flashy track record.

His abilities kept growing without stop, making him a talent with high expectations for the future.

Some even said he could surpass the roughly 200 A-ranks nationwide and reach S-rank.

That’s why top guilds scouted him, and he received all sorts of support.

Priority in Gate raids, high-quality gear, health management—treated like the industry’s future star.

‘His personality’s the problem, though.’

Unfortunately, his talent was inversely proportional to his character.

[A-rank Hunter Park assaulted someone at a bar early this morning.] [Active Awakened unilaterally assaults elderly man.] [Calls grow for enhanced penalties on violence by Awakened.]

He’d hit people when drunk.

He’d hit people even when sober.

Racing his beloved sports car recklessly was his hobby, and aggressive driving was routine.

He had some basic limits when sober, but alcohol erased even those.

Without his promising talent, he’d have been buried by society long ago—a complete lunatic.

“Hey, you should have a drink too. You’re here, so at least one whiskey, right?”

“Ah, okay.”

But somehow, he knew to value his life.

Lately, Park Ho-cheon started keeping his friend, A-rank mental-type Awakened Han Hyo-jae, by his side at all times.

“Don’t just study all day—enjoy life a bit. What’s the point if you can’t have fun like this?”

In this era where the drunk driver killer rampaged unchecked.

Park Ho-cheon knew he could be a target.

His record of accidents from alcohol wasn’t just one or two.

Rumor had it the killer manipulated minds to induce suicide.

So, wouldn’t protection from mental interference let him dodge death?

That was the rough idea behind his actions.

“Still, I can’t drink much. If I get wasted, I can’t protect you.”

“Got it, man. Hey, someone bring more snacks here!”

“Yes, boss! Coming right up!”

It was a reasonably sound strategy.

The killer targeted thousands daily.

To brainwash and control them all at once, the power per person had to be limited.

That might suffice for civilians, but an A-rank Hunter’s mental fortitude is strong.

With a friend’s protection on top, even basic brainwashing would be impossible against decent power.

Logically, this should guarantee safety.

Yes, it should have.

“…”

“Huh? Boss Park, what’s wrong all of a sudden?”

“Ho-cheon? Your eyes look weird.”

Park Ho-cheon froze mid-sip of single malt whiskey.

He flipped over a receipt and scribbled furiously on it.

As soon as he finished what looked like a long declaration, his gaze darted around.

He swept the table wildly, then grabbed a small knife.

“W-what? Hey! What are you doing?!”

“Manager! Manager uncle!! Stop the boss! He’s trying to kill himself!!”

“It’s the killer! The killer’s doing!”

His friend and the bar staff panicked, flailing in confusion.

They tried using abilities to break the brainwashing, mustering strength to snatch the knife.

But it was futile. Civilians couldn’t match an A-rank Hunter’s physical power.

The mental barrier against interference and the skill to dispel brainwashing? Meaningless against this inexplicable suicidal urge.

“Ho-cheon…!”

For a moment, Park Ho-cheon’s eyes pleaded for help.

Then his hand moved swiftly.

And shortly after.

–Stab! Crunch!

“Killed him brutally. What, did he have a grudge against his parents or something?”

“The method matches other victims. The weapon was a butter knife, so he had to stab multiple times.”

“I know that, man. Just saying.”

The faces of Seoul Police detectives receiving the suicide investigation report were far from bright.

The body’s gruesome state?

Sure, that too, but not the main issue.

Seeing corpses in all sorts of ways wasn’t new. They’d pieced together dismembered limbs before; a mangled neck was tame by comparison.

The problem was the victim’s status and power.

“This guy was an A-rank Hunter. The type who shrugs off mental attacks with sheer willpower. And he still died?”

“Han Hyo-jae was there too, right? The famous psychotherapist.”

“Doesn’t this mean they could kill S-ranks at will?”

“Maybe. We won’t know until they try.”

Park Ho-cheon was among Korea’s top fighters. Not just in the Hunter industry, but solidly upper-tier among A-ranks.

And Han Hyo-jae, who was beside him, was a big name among mental-type Awakened. Famous for curing even severe trauma with precise skills.

Not a Hunter, but an elite expert in her field—a true powerhouse.

“A monster.”

If even this perfect setup couldn’t prevent suicide… is there any way to stop the killer? Aren’t they just an absolute overlord ruling the world?

“At least their intentions are clear, which is a relief.”

“Yeah.”

The one consolation was the killer’s clear purpose.

At least their demands were straightforward, making compliance not too hard. Whether we could accept it was another matter.

[Don’t try any tricks.

If you truly intend to change the laws, show a proper plan and real commitment. I won’t be fooled by half-hearted lies or empty declarations.

Next time, it won’t end with a peaceful warning. I expect wise choices from politicians worldwide.]

This time too, the killer used the victims’ hands to leave this declaration. Demanding real action, not just promises to amend laws.

Probably dissatisfied with prior responses, urging a more proactive stance.

“What now?”

“…What do you mean, what? We don’t have decision-making power. Just report up the chain.”

So, reports went up in Korea and police forces worldwide.

“Damn it.”

“Scheiße.”

“What the hell, because of this psycho bastard.”

Politicians everywhere spat curses, but that was it.

After seeing this power gap, continuing to resist was physically impossible.

“We’ll… have to comply.”

“Our approval ratings are at risk. No reason to gamble on more conflict.”

An A-rank Hunter died without a fight. That meant only a handful of S-rank Hunters or Awakened could even resist the killer’s attacks.

In other words, the killer held the lives of a nation’s majority hostage.

“The public’s furious. Hurry up and change the laws to calm the killer down.”

“These vote-chasing pigs only speak up when it suits them.”

“What can we do? The situation’s like this.”

They’re only killing criminals now, but how long will that last?

If politicians keep defying her, she might target officials exclusively. Wiping out all A-rank and below Hunters to shatter national security would be easy.

Of course, Kim Sua wasn’t the type for such extremes, but they didn’t know that.

From their view, rebellion was suicide.

“…I’ll talk to our party members and prepare a new bill by the day after tomorrow. Just cooperate on the vote.”

“Don’t worry. We value our lives too.”

After such judgments and discussions.

Soon, new legislative proposals emerged from countries worldwide.

Proper amendments, not for show or delay.

[National Assembly declares abolition of sentencing guidelines for drunk driving.] [German government declares minimum 20-year sentence without probation for drunk driving.] [Voting scheduled for day after tomorrow in plenary session. To be broadcast live on official Assembly channel.]

“Yes, this is what you should’ve done from the start.”

Watching the news, I raised a triumphant glass.

I wanted alcohol, but sadly, it was zero-sugar cola—lime flavor.

My body’s alcohol tolerance dropped to actual kid levels after the change.

Still, cola with chocolate bread? That’s a fine feast.

–Chewing with that tiny mouth is cute. Should’ve gotten even smaller bread.

“Be quiet.”

Ignoring the jab.

Anyway, now drunk drivers won’t get off with slaps on the wrist.

Legally, the max was life imprisonment, but guidelines kept sentences low.

Abolishing them and starting at 10 years minimum? They’ll lock up most offenders.

‘Drunk drivers deserve it.’

Murder can be accidental. Like tripping someone and cracking their skull, or someone dying from a dropped object in an apartment.

Low odds, but possible pure coincidence.

Drunk driving? 100% intentional. Call a designated driver, sleep it off—options abound, but they ignore them. Rotten mindset deserves matching treatment.

“What’s next on the list…”

I browsed communities to gauge reactions and pick the next crime to eradicate.

Then, one post caught my eye. A concept thread from the drunk driving gallery I’d seen before.

[Killer, aren’t you going to take out these guys?]

Clicking in, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

“Han Song Makgeolli?”

This place still exists?