The Firepower Is on Another Level

Choi Jeongil stood there blankly, at a loss for words.

The polluted reservoir had been completely purified, without even a trace of tainted energy remaining.

He couldn’t hide his amazement at the fact that land contaminated enough to be designated a restricted zone could be transformed like this in an instant.

“Don’t just stand there. Sit down.”

Oh Hyeonseong gestured toward him.

He had already brought out a couple of fishing chairs and set them up in a suitable spot before sitting down.

Still bewildered, Choi Jeongil sat beside him and accepted the fishing rod Oh Hyeonseong handed him.

“I don’t know if we’ll get to taste anything today, but we should at least enjoy the thrill of the catch.”

Two floats bobbed on the surface of the crystal-clear reservoir.

In this peaceful, deserted place, the two men were given an exceedingly leisurely stretch of time.

“I don’t even remember the last time I went fishing.”

“For me, the last time was when I went with you.”

“Haha… That feels like an eternity ago.”

Choi Jeongil fiddled with his fishing rod.

He had once been so passionate about fishing that it felt strange to even hold the rod now.

It had been years since he’d put it aside, buried beneath his work.

He hadn’t even given up fishing during his days in the special task force, so what on earth had kept him so busy?

He found himself wondering about it anew.

“You can tell me about that favor you mentioned earlier.”

“Ah.”

Choi Jeongil nodded at Oh Hyeonseong’s words.

“If my prediction is correct, the crops grown in your fields should have an effect that suppresses or removes the tainted energy accumulated inside the human body. Otherwise, their effects simply can’t be explained.”

“So?”

“We need the crops grown by your Spirits.”

Choi Jeongil spoke directly.

Oh Hyeonseong could guess exactly what he was after.

“For use at your research institute?”

“That’s right. It’s still an unknown field, so I can’t be certain, but if we can extract the active components from the crops, we may be able to create a treatment for the aftereffects caused by tainted energy. Perhaps we might even be able to prevent tainted energy from accumulating in the first place.”

His voice grew more enthusiastic as he continued.

“Even if we succeed in mass-producing it and distributing it to Hunters, the process would go through our facilities. That way, there’d be no need for you to worry about the crops becoming public knowledge and causing you trouble.”

“Sorry, but… that’s not going to work.”

Oh Hyeonseong replied bluntly.

Choi Jeongil flinched. He hadn’t expected such an immediate rejection.

“I understand what you’re trying to do. But regardless of what effects the crops have, I don’t think this is some grand discovery that will save humanity.”

“…Why not? This is the first method we’ve found that can neutralize the tainted energy accumulated inside the human body. This could be a discovery capable of changing the future of humanity itself…”

“The problem is that the crops need to be tended by Spirits in order to grow properly.”

Oh Hyeonseong answered succinctly.

Choi Jeongil’s words caught in his throat.

“For that treatment to become a meaningful discovery on a global scale, it would have to be supplied to a large number of people. But the size of the fields I’m working on now wouldn’t come close to being enough. Obviously. I’m barely producing enough to feed myself.”

Then what would it take for Choi Jeongil’s plan to succeed?

They would have to massively expand the scale of the farming operation.

And not just by several times.

They’d probably have to make the Spirits build some enormous automated agricultural factory.

Choi Jeongil apparently hadn’t considered that part.

Crops with these kinds of effects weren’t something that could simply be churned out. They were the result of the Spirits’ devoted care.

If it came to that… these guys would probably obey without a word.

Oh Hyeonseong looked down at the Lesser Spirit sleeping peacefully inside his shirt pocket.

Spirits would basically do anything their contractor asked of them.

And if he persuaded them by telling them it was to save people, these soft-hearted little creatures would undoubtedly obediently comply.

Even if they were treated like workers in an agricultural factory, they’d probably carry out their duties without a single complaint.

Naturally, Oh Hyeonseong had no intention of letting that happen.

“I realized something near the end of my career. If an ordinary individual tries to single-handedly save humanity or an entire country, all they end up doing is wearing themselves down. I realized that only when I was about to retire.”

A bitter smile appeared on Oh Hyeonseong’s face.

“All I need to do is take good care of the people around me. Rather than leaving a mark on human history, I’m satisfied with helping each other when we can and sharing a good meal together. What I can do now is limited to just that.”

His voice was gentle, but there was unmistakable firmness behind it.

He might be willing to hand over enough samples to help with their research, but mass-producing a treatment was impossible from the outset.

After remaining silent for a moment, Choi Jeongil finally spoke.

“…I was being short-sighted. Once again, my perspective had become too narrow.”

“Everyone gets like that when they’re standing in front of a goal they desperately want.”

The two men returned their attention to fishing.

About an hour passed.

For once, Oh Hyeonseong caught a crucian carp before Choi Jeongil.

But the condition of the fish was poor.

There was no need to look closely to tell. It had fish disease, and its skin was horribly damaged.

“So even though the water has been purified, the fish that were already affected by the pollution can’t simply return to normal.”

“But it isn’t quite that simple.”

Oh Hyeonseong examined the crucian carp carefully.

The crucian carp he’d caught the last time he’d come here had been completely ravaged by disease, whereas this one was in considerably better condition.

They continued catching more fish.

And the later each fish was caught, the more rapidly its condition seemed to be improving.

A meaningful difference had appeared in the span of only a few hours.

SPLASH, SPLASH!

An otter could be seen leisurely playing in one corner of the reservoir.

Even at this very moment, the reservoir was being imbued with the power of a Spirit.

It had become water so clear and pure that there was nowhere else on Earth like it.

Not only was there no tainted energy, there were no pollutants of any kind.

Perhaps thanks to that, there already seemed to be a meaningful effect.

The fish caught later in the day were in such good condition that they were already edible.

But the two men released every fish they caught that day.

The fish were still affected by tainted energy, so even if they ate them, they would probably taste no different from cheap factory-produced fish.

They hadn’t started fishing just to find out what these fish tasted like.

The next morning.

Oh Hyeonseong woke up late and discovered that Choi Jeongil was nowhere in the house.

Wondering if he might be at the reservoir, he headed there.

And sure enough, Choi Jeongil was already there, with everything set up.

“Researcher Choi, didn’t you say you were going home today?”

“…I’d like to stay one more day, if that’s all right.”

Choi Jeongil spoke with his face slightly flushed, apparently embarrassed.

Oh Hyeonseong had already suggested that he stay a few more days anyway, so there wasn’t really a problem.

But Choi Jeongil wasn’t the type to casually go back on his word, which only made him more embarrassed about it.

“When did you even come out here?”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I came out early in the morning. More importantly, look at this. It’s a monster catch.”

“A monster catch? You caught one over thirty centimeters here?”

“A forty-centimeter crucian carp.”

“What? Seriously?”

Surprised, Oh Hyeonseong hurried over.

And sure enough, there was a huge crucian carp inside.

A true spirit of the reservoir, comfortably exceeding forty centimeters in length.

“What on earth did you do?”

“Haha! They say the diligent bird catches the big fish, don’t they?”

Choi Jeongil spoke triumphantly.

The sight of a fisherman genuinely happy over his catch was amusing, but even Oh Hyeonseong had to admit that this one deserved some recognition.

It was a native crucian carp with a body like it had been bulked up at a gym.

And its size wasn’t the only surprising thing.

The fish caught on the first day had been almost impossible to eat, but today, even those that had been plagued by all sorts of minor illnesses were completely clean.

“The fish are this healthy… At this point, they should actually taste good too.”

“That’s why I was waiting. Let’s taste it right away.”

Choi Jeongil had already set up all the equipment and expertly cleaned the crucian carp, while Oh Hyeonseong brought ingredients from the house.

They had tried to bring Joo Jihye along as well, but she was still half-asleep and complained that she hated fish, so they left her behind.

Unlike the others, who retained even faint memories of what real fish had tasted like when they were very young, she belonged to a generation whose only association with fish was the taste of factory-produced food.

In any case, once everything was prepared, they gathered fresh ingredients and seasoning and cooked up a spicy fish stew.

Then they took a bite.

“Holy shit…”

Oh Hyeonseong and Choi Jeongil exclaimed at the same time.

So this was what food could taste like.

They were almost incapable of putting their feelings into words.

A world-class luxury meal made by throwing together ingredients that couldn’t be obtained anywhere else on Earth.

“…What have I been eating all this time?”

Choi Jeongil felt deeply moved by a single spoonful of the spicy broth.

He had spent years as an avid fisherman, but this was the first time he’d truly experienced the taste of real fish.

Oh Hyeonseong felt exactly the same and reached for his phone.

“This won’t do. We have to call Jihye.”

By the third day.

Joo Jihye had gone to Seoul to fulfill several days of filming schedules.

Choi Jeongil, however, was still in Changyeong-ri.

After finishing his farm work, Oh Hyeonseong headed to the reservoir.

As expected, Choi Jeongil was still there, waiting at his usual spot.

And this time, he’d even prepared sashimi.

“What are you doing making sashimi out of freshwater fish? I told you I don’t care how strong a Hunter’s stomach is. I don’t want to eat it.”

“I checked everything myself. These fish don’t have any parasites.”

“What kind of nonsense is that…?”

Oh Hyeonseong examined the fish suspiciously himself.

But even after inspecting it carefully, there really wasn’t a single parasite inside.

Not in the flesh, nor even deep inside the organs.

“…Why is that actually true?”

Was this also an effect of the Spirits?

Clean water didn’t necessarily mean an absence of parasites.

Had this place somehow become subject to a completely different set of rules?

In any case, if there was no parasite problem, there was no reason to refuse freshwater sashimi.

CHOMP!

Sashimi made from healthy, fresh, genuine fish.

Rather than the horribly dry and crumbly texture of synthetic sashimi, the fish filled their mouths with a springy texture, rich nuttiness, and a burst of savory umami.

The fish itself seemed to have adapted perfectly to its new environment, reaching the peak of its condition.

They devoured the sashimi without restraint, only coming to their senses afterward.

“Eating this makes me even more certain.”

“Certain about what?”

“I’m going to catch a sixty-centimeter crucian carp.”

Choi Jeongil spoke with an unusually solemn tone.

Naturally, Oh Hyeonseong’s response was one of disbelief.

“What…? You’re going to catch one of those? In a reservoir tucked away in the middle of nowhere like this?”

“I’ve traveled all over the place, but I’ve never once encountered a fishing spot this incredible. It’s entirely possible. As a fisherman, I can tell just by looking.”

“You’re the CEO.”

“Just wait and see. I’ll catch you the trophy fish of your dreams.”

Choi Jeongil spoke with confidence.

He stayed at his spot and continued fishing relentlessly.

Before long, the sun went down, and darkness covered the sky.

“How long are you planning to keep this up? You need to sleep eventually.”

“Big crucian carp bite better at night.”

“You really are something.”

Oh Hyeonseong shook his head.

But soon, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

It seemed that some part of Choi Jeongil that had been dry and buried for so long had suddenly come vividly back to life.

It brought back memories of the past.

“Well… then I guess I’ll give it a try too.”

He plopped down beside Choi Jeongil.

They lit a small campfire with firewood brought from the house, spent the night watching the moon reflected in the water, and kept their fishing rods in the water.

Naturally, they didn’t even get a glimpse of that damned monster-sized crucian carp.

A week had passed.

Choi Jeongil still hadn’t gone back to Seoul.

He had set up a tent and even built a makeshift campsite beside the reservoir.

With a scraggly beard covering his face, he continued guarding his fishing rod.

“You… aren’t you going home?”

“Sixty centimeters… Just one sixty-centimeter fish…”

“You lunatic.”