Machine God with EX-rank talent (Deus ex machina)

He used the skill book handed to him by the government agents in black suits without hesitation.

Teleportation, telekinesis, and electric discharge — three skills in total.

Crackle!

As soon as he used the skill book, the thick book disappeared as if the screen had turned off.

All skill books were single-use.

If they weren’t, by now almost everyone would be freely using skills.

"Is this... superpower?" 

It felt similar to when he first acquired the skills.

Even though he had never studied or practiced superpowers before, he instinctively knew how to use them.

Then, the man who seemed to be the leader of the agents smiled and spoke.

"Congratulations, Light Bringer. May we proceed with the promised task?"

"Oh! Of course."

The total value of the skill books they handed over exceeded 20 billion won.

To be precise, the teleportation skill book was so rare that it didn’t even have a price, and the other two were each worth over 5 billion won.

They were the highest-level telekinesis and electric discharge skill books.

It was a much more generous reward than promised.

And there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

"We will edit and promote your achievements, Light Bringer."

"And also Silver Knight’s."

"Haha! Silver Knight is a national interest, so I hope you understand."

This was Silver Knight’s first official mission during the recent dungeon break.

Korea's first EX-rank Hunter.

The eyes and ears of many people around the world were focused on him, not just the Korean public.

Knowing this well, the government put in a lot of effort to ensure Silver Knight’s successful debut.

They even dispatched a top-ranked Hunter, Nacheonryeo, to assist Silver Knight.

They probably planned to credit the monsters Nacheonryeo and other agents defeated to Silver Knight as well.

But the results were unexpectedly disastrous.

Silver Knight, overconfident in his abilities, recklessly charged at the Bone Dragon and was taken out early on.

It was a relief that he didn’t die.

Even though the outcome was clear, it wasn’t something that could be told straightforwardly to the people who were eagerly anticipating it.

So editing was necessary, and they needed someone to corroborate the story.

"So how will the article be written?"

"It will say that Light Bringer and Silver Knight teamed up to defeat the Bone Dragon."

Almost everyone who participated at the time witnessed Hyun Suho’s achievements.

He stood out using plasma and even took the top spot in contribution points, surpassing other high-ranking Hunters.

Since they couldn’t silence everyone, they came directly to ask for his cooperation.

They asked to share the fame.

'It’s not like I lose anything.'

If he wanted fame, he would have revealed his EX rank by now.

Instead, he changed his occupation to an A-rank armored soldier to avoid attracting attention.

As expected, despite his incredible performance, when Hyun Suho said he was A-rank, people’s enthusiasm visibly waned.

They just assumed he was lucky to get good equipment and monopolized the contribution points.

Even Silver Knight said back then that he would catch up quickly since he was a higher rank.

"You can give all the fame to Silver Knight. Just don't portray me negatively."

"Haha! Of course. We have no reason to disparage our own country’s Hunters."

"Then there’s no problem."

"Thank you for your cooperation. You’ve done a great service for the country."

This much wasn’t a big deal.

What he was more interested in was testing out the power of his new superpowers...

"Excuse me... Can I try out the skills I just acquired? I'm a bit excited since I got some good ones."

"Of course! Go ahead."

When Hyun Suho was about to use the teleportation ability, the agents stepped aside.

Although teleportation skill books rarely came onto the market, they weren’t valuable enough to set a price.

A Hunter once obtained a teleportation skill and uploaded it as a video on the internet.

Teleportation or blink, which worked just by thinking about it.

There were also blink spells in magic that allowed short-distance movement, but they had stricter activation conditions than expected.

That Hunter was lost in fantasies of moving swiftly across the battlefield, toying with multiple opponents.

But the outcome was disastrous.

[What the heck is this?]

The teleportation worked properly.

But the distance covered was only about 50 cm.

Moreover, to activate the teleportation ability, you had to stare intently at the destination for about 10 seconds.

Using the teleportation ability two or three times drained his mental strength, causing a splitting headache as a side effect.

Eventually, the teleportation ability, which he was lucky to acquire, became a useless discarded skill.

Later on, others occasionally obtained teleportation skill books.

They were confident they would do better than the video’s protagonist, but they performed even worse.

Someone who knew the truth about this once called the teleportation skill book this:

"A rare and expensive piece of trash."

That was the skill book handed over to Hyun Suho.

On the outside, the government agents smiled gently, but inside they were mocking him.

‘We got rid of a problem child for cheap.’

If he had asked for money instead, they would have had to use up their precious budget.

It was an amount initially planned for high-ranking Hunters, but they felt sick having to give it to a mere A-rank Hunter.

When Hyun Suho asked for a superpower skill book, someone came up with a great idea.

They’d give him the teleportation skill book gathering dust in the warehouse as if they were being generous.

The plan worked beautifully.

Now, even if Hyun Suho realized the teleportation ability was garbage, there was no turning back.

A used skill book couldn’t be taken back.

Now, all that was left was to watch this lucky rookie sulk when he realized his misfortune.

But then... something completely unexpected happened.

Flash! Flash!

Hyun Suho’s body appeared and disappeared all over the wide space, at a speed too fast for the eye to follow.

The distance was significant.

The shortest distance was about 5 meters, and the longest was over 20 meters.

The activation speed was so fast that it seemed as if multiple versions of Hyun Suho’s body appeared simultaneously.

“Huh?!”

The government agents, who had expected to see a dejected Hyun Suho, exchanged glances.

Their eyes conveyed a message of “This isn’t right.”

Meanwhile, Hyun Suho, having finished testing his teleportation ability, returned with a bright smile, like a child who had just received a gift.

“This is amazing! I love it!”

He hadn't even used the telekinesis or electricity discharge abilities yet, but he was already ecstatic.

It wasn't just about moving quickly.

It was a spatial movement skill that allowed him to leap between spaces.

'With this, I could probably ignore walls and move through them.'

Of course, he would need to be well aware of what was beyond the wall, but it was certainly possible.

'With this ability, I could overcome numerous crises in the future.'

However, there was a slight rigidity before and after using the ability.

It was a very brief moment, but in a battle against a formidable opponent, that brief moment could be a matter of life and death.

So, while it couldn’t completely replace his regular movement techniques, using it at the right time could allow him to dominate his enemy’s flanks.

The fact that it didn’t use any mana was also very appealing.

[This is truly a hunter’s skill, one that defies scientific knowledge and theory.]

Hyun Suho sincerely expressed his gratitude to the agents.

“Thank you so much for giving me such a great skill at such a bargain (?) price.”

If he could obtain such a skill just by offering a few polite words, he would do it a hundred times over.

The agents wore puzzled expressions at Hyun Suho’s words.

They wondered if they had really given him too much.

But it was too late.

Once a skill book was used, it couldn’t be taken back.

Thus, Hyun Suho emerged victorious once again.

* * *

Hunters instinctively grasp the nature of a skill as soon as they obtain it.

That’s the general idea, but the finer details require various experiments or practice to discover.

Though I had received Nova’s help and was confident I fully understood my skills, that wasn’t entirely the case.

The more I delved into them, the more new abilities I discovered.

[The Bone Dragon’s poison breath was powerful enough to rival a level 9 attack. Normally, the battle suit Master was wearing would have melted upon contact.]

At the chilling words, I tilted my head and said,

“But it held up, didn’t it? Even though it was briefly exposed to the poison gas, it still withstood it?”

[Yes. That was thanks to the detoxification ability of the troll’s liver.]

“The troll’s liver? But that’s… in my body. What does it have to do with the battle suit?”

[That’s the interesting part. Most hunter skills are interconnected. It’s often referred to as a synergy effect. Master’s synergy is much stronger than most.]

“My synergy effect is better than others’?”

[Yes. The abilities gained through body modifications also apply to the robots created through mechanical skills.]

“…Does that even make sense?”

[It doesn’t, but that’s what the data shows.]

Hyun Suho glanced at Bipo, who was next to him.

(｡・ω・｡)?

Beep?

He knew Bipo was special because he was created through a skill, but… it’s connected to his body too?

Does that make any sense?

[As I said, a hunter’s abilities cannot be explained through common sense or science.]

“So, in the end, it’s a good thing?”

[Absolutely. If you acquire an electric eel monster’s power generator, other androids could discharge electricity too.]

Initially, Nova had said that mechanical skills were the least useful for combat enhancement.

But when combined with other skills, the story was completely different.

With the application of magical engineering techniques, Bipo could even fire magic bullets.

They were several times more powerful than when using conventional ammunition.

And Nova as well...

As I was examining the changes that had occurred upon reaching level 4, my terminal suddenly rang.

“Huh? Uncle Jung-gu left me a voice message?”

Jeon Jung-gu of the Mir Merchant Guild.

He was the generous merchant who currently bought the monsters Hyun Suho defeated for 30% more than market price.

I wondered why he left a message out of the blue…

-Suho! Emergency… Help…

It contained an SOS signal.

* * *

Wonsan City.

A port city located in Kangwon Province, bordering South Hamgyong Province.

It was an important maritime trade hub even when the country was divided, but after the forced reunification due to the Great Cataclysm, it became a key trade city, situated at the center of Japan, Russia, and the Korean Peninsula.

In an era where monsters filled the land, sea, and air, transporting goods by any means wasn’t easy, but it was generally agreed that ships were the best option.

The most critical aspect, of course, was monster defense.

To defend against the monsters that attacked sporadically through the sea and rivers, thorough defensive measures were essential.

As a result, every nation’s port cities were highly developed, and the security was as tight as a fortress.

“Stop. Please present your terminal for identification.”

A soldier at the gate blocked Hyun Suho’s path as he arrived in Wonsan.

He had passed through a Red Zone alone, so it was obvious he was a hunter of considerable skill.

This was a place where dozens of well-known hunters passed through daily.

These soldiers were used to such things, but when they saw the terminal Hyun Suho handed over, their eyes widened.

“Light Bringer?”

If you had a nickname, it would even be displayed on your terminal.

There’s no more direct indicator of one’s abilities than having a nickname in this modern era.

It wasn’t something you could earn just by having a high level; you had to perform feats significant enough to leave a lasting impression on people.

Upon hearing the soldier’s words, the stern, rough-looking soldiers around him quickly gathered.

They too brightened their eyes as they saw the words displayed on the terminal.

“It’s really Light Bringer! I’ve seen your exploits myself.”